Jer 43:1-13  Nebuchadnezzar Is My Servant

[Study Aired June 19, 2022]

Jer 43:1  And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, even all these words,
Jer 43:2  Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:
Jer 43:3  But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.
Jer 43:4  So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the LORD, to dwell in the land of Judah.
Jer 43:5  But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah;
Jer 43:6  Even men, and women, and children, and the king’s daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.
Jer 43:7  So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.
Jer 43:8  Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,
Jer 43:9  Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;
Jer 43:10  And say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.
Jer 43:11  And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword.
Jer 43:12  And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace.
Jer 43:13  He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.

In this chapter of Jeremiah, we learn that it is in our own flesh to reject the counsel of the Lord’s prophets. In this New Testament dispensation, we just naturally tend to reject the counsel of our leaders whom the Lord has placed in His church:

1Co 12:27  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1Co 12:28  And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Even after we publicly profess that we would never do such a thing, we still tend to resist and reject their counsel rather than “be persuaded” by those counselors… and defer to [their]” joint wisdom:

Heb 13:17 Be persuaded by your leaders, and be deferring to them, for they are vigilant for the sake of your souls, as having to render an account, that they may be doing this with joy, and not with groaning, for this is disadvantageous for you.
Heb 13:18 Pray concerning us, for we are persuaded that we have an ideal conscience, in all wanting to behave ideally.

We can declare before all our leaders and “all the people” that we will abide by the consensus of the God-given wisdom of the “multitude of the counselors” and of our elders, and that we will be persuaded by our leaders and we will ‘defer to them’, but just like these proud Jews, when we feel strongly about any doctrine, our pride and our self-righteousness and the idols of our hearts will not permit us to humble ourselves before the Lord and abide by our own words. It takes Christ in us to submit to Him and those placed in His church as our leaders.

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Pro 15:22  Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

Pro 24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Heb 13:17 Be persuaded by your leaders, and be deferring to them, for they are vigilant for the sake of your souls, as having to render an account, that they may be doing this with joy, and not with groaning, for this is disadvantageous for you.

The Lord used a multitude of signs and miracles, along with a God-fearing way of life, to establish Moses and Aaron as his prophets. To establish Jeremiah as His spokesperson, Jeremiah also led a principled life which reflected a fear of God. Jeremiah was also given to accurately prophesy the fate of each of King Josiah’s sons well in advance of those events. He also prophesied before all the people of Jerusalem the death of the false prophet, Hananiah, three months before he died. All these things over decades of time established Jeremiah as the Lord’s Biblically certified prophet because the things he prophesied came to pass, and Jeremiah never once suggested the Lord’s people to stray from the Lord’s words.

Jer 42:4  Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.

Deu 18:22  When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Jeremiah never “spoke presumptuously” as the false prophet Hananiah did, and as so many do today. The Lord’s true prophets of this age are very careful to never even “think above that which is written”:

1Co 4:6  Now these things, brothers, I applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us ye might learn not to think above that which is written, so that ye may not be puffed up, one over the one against the other.

Those who know the voice of the True shepherd are those who are the voice of the True Shepherd, and they all “tremble at His… that which is written” words. That is who the Lord looks to as His spokespersons:

Isa 66:1  Thus says the LORD, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What manner of house will ye build to me, and what place shall be my rest?
Isa 66:2  For all these things my hand has made, and all these things came to be, says the LORD. But to this man I will look, even to him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word.

Those leaders who tremble at the Lord’s words are careful to be obedient to His instructions of how we are to handle themselves in the house of God because they know that the house of God, and not they of themselves, is “the pillar and ground of the Truth”:

1Ti 3:14  These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
1Ti 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Only if the whole church “trembles at [the Lord’s] Word” is it “the pillar and ground of the Truth”. When its leaders “presumptuously… think above that which is written” and do not tremble at the commandment to seek the counsel of and be persuaded by and defer to its proven leadership… only when all those qualities are met is the church “the pillar and ground of the Truth”.

Let’s remember what all these rebellious Jewish leaders and all the people who all knew of Jeremiah’s credentials told Jeremiah in the previous chapter. They were emphatic in telling him that regardless of what the Lord said, they would be submissive to the words of the Lord by His proven prophet:

Jer 42:1  Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,
Jer 42:2  And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)
Jer 42:3  That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.
Jer 42:4  Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.
Jer 42:5  Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.
Jer 42:6  Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.

These remnant Jews typify our own flesh. This story happened to them, and it is written down “for our admonition”:

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Like Peter, and all the apostles, we are just so self-assured that we will follow Christ to the cross until it comes down to having to back up our words by being faithful to His teachings.

Mat 26:33  Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
Mat 26:34  Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
Mat 26:35  Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

Just as Christ tells us all just a few minutes later:

Mat 26:40  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

As it was with Peter and “all the disciples”, and as it was with these Jews who had not submitted to the yoke of the princes of Babylon, so it is with each of us:

Jer 43:1  And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, even all these words,
Jer 43:2  Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:
Jer 43:3  But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.

As a type of our own flesh, these leaders of the Lord’s people come to the Lord’s proven and certified prophet seeking His counsel with their minds already determined to flee into Egypt. They apparently really believed that God would simply rubber stamp what they had already decided to do, just as Zedekiah had already decided that he would not submit to the yoke of the princes of Babylon before he asked Jeremiah what the Lord had said:

Jer 37:16  When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;
Jer 37:17  Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.
Jer 37:18  Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?
Jer 37:19  Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

Being in the dungeon “many days” did not change the Lord’s words through His prophet Jeremiah in the least. Being delivered from Ishmael by Johanan did not change the word of the Lord by the prophet Jeremiah either. Jeremiah typifies the Lord’s true prophets of today who fear Him more than they fear what men can do to them:

Luk 12:4  And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Luk 12:5  But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Johanan typifies our fearful flesh which fears men more that God:

Jer 43:7  So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.

Just as Caleb and Joshua were forced to wander in the wilderness along with all the rebels of Israel who had seen all the Lord’s miracles which He performed through Moses and Aaron, so were Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the scribe forced to go into Egypt with this rebellious generation who had seen the Lord place His stamp of approval upon the prophecies of Jeremiah:

Num 14:22  Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
Num 14:23  Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
Num 14:24  But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

“Seeing the land which I sware unto their fathers” typifies being given a part in the “blessed and holy… first resurrection”:

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Those who “shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers” typify those today who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, and yet have turned their backs on the very people who only yesterday they counted as their leaders and as the Lord’s counselors to admonish and persuade His people to remain faithful to His Words. The people of this story and the people whose carcasses died in the wilderness, did so because they had seen the Lord’s power to deliver and yet refused to be obedient to Him when having their faith tried the least bit.

The generation that came up out of Egypt also saw the power of God and in type had tasted of the world to come, and when they refused to go into the land, only then did they repent with bitter tears, but they “found no place for repentance”, and like Judas they, too, in effect committed suicide by again being disobedient to the Lord:

Num 14:26  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Num 14:27  How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
Num 14:28  Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
Num 14:29  Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
Num 14:30  Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Num 14:31  But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
Num 14:32  But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
Num 14:33  And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
Num 14:34  After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
Num 14:35  I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
Num 14:36  And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,
Num 14:37  Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.
Num 14:38  But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.

Israel again refused the Lord’s words and again thought they could dictate to the Lord what He was to do. In so doing they added fuel to their own fire and sinned even more:

Num 14:39  And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.
Num 14:40  And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.
Num 14:41  And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper.
Num 14:42  Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.
Num 14:43  For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.
Num 14:44  But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.
Num 14:45  Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.

These rebels typify these verses of Hebrews six in the sense that, though they repented, yet they “found no place for repentance…”

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Heb 12:16  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

The people of Israel were more in tune with the prominent “men of renown” among the congregation than they were with the Lord’s appointed leaders, Moses and Aaron:

Num 16:1  Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:
Num 16:2  And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
Num 16:3  And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

That is why we are told today:

1Th 5:12  And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
1Th 5:13  And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

If our leaders are not laboring to admonish you according to the Lord’s words, then don’t esteem them highly in love. However, if they are, and if they have been proven over many years to be faithful to the Lord’s words, then “esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake”. Do not “fall at [their] feet to worship [them]” (Rev 19:10), but do “esteem them highly” enough to wait and see what their counsel is before you tell them, “Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee…”, or as I was told, “If you don’t believe us, you will be in the lake of fire.” Mind you those words were coming from a spokesperson of a group whose doctrine was, “We all must endure the purifying fires of the second death.” The purveyors of the doctrine which teaches that even the Lord’s elect must endure “the purifying fires of the second death” are false prophets whose spiritual vision has been taken away from them and given to those who tremble at these words of the Lord:

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Mat 25:28  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
Mat 25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

I was told by this lying spirit, “The second death IS the cross, and the cross IS the second death.” When I pointed out that verse 5 of Revelation 20 tells us the Lord’s elect rule with Christ during the thousand years, I was told that when verse 5 of Revelation 20 says ‘the rest of the dead live not again until the thousand years were finished’ that itself is the first resurrection. That is the depth of the darkness and deception the Lord can send as “strong delusion” to those who “think they stand” even as they “think above that which is written”.

Here are the verses which give us the timing of the sequence of events which must precede the first resurrection. Chapter 19 informs us of “the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Then chapter 20 gives us the timeline of events which lead up to the destruction of death in the white throne judgment/lake of fire/second death:

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead [who were not raised to rule with Christ for a thousand years] lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Notice that it is the word ‘this’ (in verse 5) which is not in italics while the word ‘is’ is in italics to let us know that is a word which is added to make it flow better in English. This verse is not saying the rest of the dead, who are not living until the thousand years are finished, IS the first resurrection. It is telling us that the ruling with Christ for a thousand years “is the first resurrection”. Such again is the depth of the darkened eyes of those the Lord has blinded:

Mat 6:22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

The “lake of fire is the second death” (Rev 20:14), and the purifying fire of the second death does not begin to do its purifying work until “the thousand years are expired”:

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

Clearly, we are told that Satan is bound for a thousand years during which time “them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands…lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years”.

Then as clearly as it is possible to make it, verse 5 tells us that “the rest of the dead live not until the thousand years are finished, and we are told that those reigning with Christ during that time comprise “the first resurrection”. Let us read verses 4 and 5 again:

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

When I pointed this out to our rebellious elders, I was informed that the words “this is the first resurrection” referred to the preceding words “the rest of the dead” and not to those who were reigning with Christ a thousand years. That is a very good example of coming to the Lord’s word, or to His prophets, or His proven leaders and elders with a made-up mind full of self-righteous iniquity. That is a perfect example of inquiring of the Lord with an idol of the heart, and this verse explains why such heretics are given over to such heresies:

Eze 14:9  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

This verse is preceded by these words which explain how the Lord goes about deceiving a heretic:

Eze 14:1  Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
Eze 14:2  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

This degree of spiritual darkness and deception is typified by these Jews who publicly proclaim their willingness to do ‘whatsoever the Lord says, be it good or evil’:

Jer 42:5  Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.
Jer 42:6  Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.

They even acknowledge the Lord sent Jeremiah to them, and that they had sent Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord for them.

Just like these rebellious Jews, our rebellious brothers had acknowledged that doctrinal differences were to be settled in the same manner as the question of whether Gentiles must be circumcised was settled in Acts 15. They had all agreed that our spiritual warfare must be waged only with “a multitude of counselors” whom the Lord had placed in His church as leaders and elders, and they had publicly agreed to submit to the counsel of the consensus of those leaders and elders. However, when it was made clear the elders did not agree with their false doctrine, they were not given the humility to accept the revealed mind of God concerning who must endure the purifying flames of the second death. The whole experience served the purpose for which heresies must be among us and those the Lord had approved were made manifest by the Word of God and by those whom He had made leaders in His church.

1Co 11:19  For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Our natural reaction to a heretic in our midst is to think that arriving at the proper conclusion reveals who the heretic is, but the holy spirit’s emphasis is on “they which are approved”. Heretics come and go, but the Word of the Lord, and all those who are faithful to the Lord’s words, will endure forever:

Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

We must “know those who labor among [us]”, and we must “esteem them highly for their work’s sake”:

1Th 5:12  And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
1Th 5:13  And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

Our laborers in the Word, those the Lord has given to feed us spiritual food day in and day out, are worthy of our love and respect. We must be careful never to worship the ‘angel who shows us these things’, but we are to acknowledge the work the Lord is doing through our leaders:

Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Rev 22:8  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9  Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

The story of this 43^rd chapter of Jeremiah about how Johanan and Azariah, “and all the proud men… and all the people” rejected the counsel of the Lord, is all an admonition for us today. The Lord wants us to “come out of” this world spiritually and be of a different spirit than the world, just as Caleb was of “a different spirit” than those who were telling the people the Lord had brought them into the wilderness to slay them. These Jews are making that very same accusation against Jeremiah when they make this accusation against him:

Jer 43:2  Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:
Jer 43:3  But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.

It never pays to reject the Words of the Lord because He will always judge our self-righteous and rebellious old man:

Jer 43:8  Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,
Jer 43:9  Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;
Jer 43:10  And say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.

Just as Satan is referred to as ‘the Lord’s hand’ in the book of Job (Job 1 and 2), and just as the ten kings of Revelation 17 fulfill the will of the Lord, so also King Nebuchadnezzar is called by the Lord Himself “My servant” whom the Lord uses to perform His will and His purposes upon both His elect and upon His enemies.

Jer 43:11  And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword.

This thought is repeated by the holy spirit in the book of Revelation:

Rev 22:10  And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
Rev 22:11  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

What these words of Jeremiah and Revelation are telling us is that God already knows who is predestined to be unjust and filthy, and who is predestinated to be righteous and holy. These rebellious Jews signify those who have tasted the good word of God.

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them.

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Heb 6:7  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
Heb 6:8  But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

After “[being] once enlightened, and having tasted of the heavenly gift, and being made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and having tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if [we] fall away” we have in effect gone back into Egypt and are in that place “bearing thorns and briers”. Those who are given this evil experience in this present time are “rejected, and …[their] end is to be burned” in the resurrection of judgment (Joh 5:29).

This message in Hebrews six is typified by these Jews who saw what the Lord had done to Jerusalem and still refused to be obedient to His words through His prophet, Jeremiah. It all happened to them, and it is all written for our admonition (1Co 10:11).

Jer 43:12  And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he [the Lord’s servant, Nebuchadnezzar] shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace.
Jer 43:13  He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.

This message is repeated in:

Heb 10:26  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:27  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Heb 10:28  He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29  Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Heb 10:30  For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Heb 10:31  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Notice how we are told in the preceding two verses we can avoid falling into this sad situation of being rejected in this present time:

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.