The Book of Jeremiah – Jer 23:21-40 The Prophets That Prophesy Lies in My Name

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Jer 23:21-40  The Prophets That Prophesy Lies In My Name

[Study Aired November 14, 2021]

Jer 23:21  I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
Jer 23:22  But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
Jer 23:23  Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? 
Jer 23:24  Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Jer 23:25  I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
Jer 23:26  How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;
Jer 23:27  Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.
Jer 23:28  The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
Jer 23:29  Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
Jer 23:30  Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
Jer 23:31  Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.
Jer 23:32  Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:33  And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:34  And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.
Jer 23:35  Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken?
Jer 23:36  And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.
Jer 23:37  Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken?
Jer 23:38  But since ye say, The burden of the LORD;  therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;
Jer 23:39  Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:
Jer 23:40  And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.

In our last study we discussed the false doctrines of Hymenaeus and Philetus. These two men fancied themselves to be very spiritually-minded men. They were in fact so spiritually-minded that they could no longer acknowledge that the natural must precede the spiritual:

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

The doctrine of Hymenaeus and Philetus, teaching “the resurrection is past already” may seem so far from the Truth that it need not take our attention, but as the apostle Paul tells us, such a cavalier attitude toward guarding over the doctrine of Christ is not the diligent and vigilant spirit with which we must approach the Word of the Lord. Rather we are instructed to:

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.  And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Now let’s look at Strong’s definition of the Greek word translated as ‘study’ in 1Timothy 2:15. Here is that word and its definition:

It is by divine design that this word is used in connection with how we are to deal with the false doctrine of Hymenaeus and Philetus concerning the resurrection being only spiritual and with no physical application. What we are being told is that we must be speedy and make an effort to be prompt and earnest and give diligence to sorting out in a very timely manner what is the Truth and what is not the Truth whenever a question about doctrine arises in the body of Christ.

This 23rd chapter of Jeremiah makes us aware of how the Lord wants us to think about false prophets and their false prophecies. He certainly does not want us to simply say, “Okay, I was proven wrong… what’s the big deal?” as one brother told me. The big deal is that such a cavalier statement demonstrates there is no repentance whatsoever! It was not being dealt with a spirit of ‘spoudazo’.

Our last study ended with both a question and a statement from the Lord:

Jer 23:18  For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word?  who hath marked his word, and heard it?
Jer 23:19  Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.

We ended our last study by pointing out that all those who ‘stand in the counsel of the Lord’ and hear and mark His Word do so only after having been swept away with the false doctrines of the great harlot and her daughters. We saw that no man enters the temple of God in heaven until the seven plagues of the seven angels has been “grievously [poured out] upon the head of the wicked” within each of us for our own ‘day of evil’.

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

“The day of evil” is the day the Lord judges us with His seven last plagues. Therefore, when Jeremiah says, “A whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.”  That is just an earlier way of saying:

Rev 15:7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

So, we will give diligence not to think that these words have no personal application to each of us. They do apply to us first, but they also apply those who are not given to repent of their false doctrine at this present time.

The following words of our Lord apply to each of us in every generation and to any and all who are in the process of speaking doctrines which the Lord Himself has not given them to speak:

Jer 23:21  I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
Jer 23:22  But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

It is a daunting task to ‘turn [us] from [our] evil ways’. The Lord alone can do so, and when He does “convict the gainsayer” within us it is only done through ‘much tribulation’ and through fiery trials. It is only done through His wrath upon the kingdom of our old man. It is only accomplished through the seven plagues of the seven angels:

Rev 15:6  And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
Rev 15:7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till  the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

To that end the Lord asks us:

Jer 23:23  Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?

The Lord wants us to know that He is right here, right now! He is not on a fabled physical planet called ‘heaven’, which is so far from us that we cannot see it with our most powerful telescopes.

These are His own words concerning where He is at this very moment. This is what He had King David to ask:

Psa 139:7  Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence art there:
Psa 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Psa 139:9  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Psa 139:10  Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

All men are always in “Thy presence”. We are at all times in the Lord’s very presence. That being the Truth, the Lord asks us:

Jer 23:24  Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

The phrase “The Lord” here is the Hebrew name, ‘Yahweh’, the God of the Old Testament. Yahweh, for any who are not yet aware, is Jesus Christ Himself. Here is a link to an article which gives numerous scriptures proving that Christ was the God who was seen, heard, enjoyed meals with, and wrestled with the patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament:

Is Christ the Yahweh of the Old Testament

Psa 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

Very few orthodox Christian ministers know that the ‘Yahweh’ of the Old Testament was Christ, “The Word” of the New Testament:

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Therefore when Yahweh says, “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” it is Christ posing that question, and the obvious answer is, “Yes indeed. Christ, through His Father’s spirit ‘fills heaven and earth’.” Heaven and earth and all things consist in Christ:

Col 1:15  Who [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be  thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Since there is nowhere we can go from His presence, He sees and hears everything including all the lies that are being prophesied in His name:

Jer 23:25  I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
Jer 23:26  How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;
Jer 23:27  Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.

All false doctrines are empowered and inspired by the great red dragon, Satan, that old serpent, the devil. It is he who gives our beast his power:

Jer 23:28  The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
Jer 23:29  Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
Jer 23:30  Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.

The Lord is warning us against stealing His words which He gave to another man then “wresting” and twisting those words around the idol of their heart, and claiming those words are given to them from God. The scriptures reveal this was done to both King David and the apostle Paul:

Psa 41:9  Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

Psa 55:12  For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
Psa 55:13  But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.
Psa 55:14  We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

Psa 56:5  Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.
Psa 56:6  They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.

2Ti 1:15  This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

2Pe 3:16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

You and I are called to be conspired against by this world. All the Lord’s prophets have been conspired against, and it will continue to be so. “All their thoughts are against me for evil”, but “God is for me”, and He is for you:

Psa 56:9  When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.

Psa 55:18  He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.

2Ki 6:15  And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
2Ki 6:16  And he answered, Fear not: for they that  be with us are more than they that be with them.
2Ki 6:17  And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

It is not a good idea to say “thus saith the Lord” if indeed the Lord has not said so, yet that is exactly what comes out of the mouths of the ministers in Babylon, who continually speak “above that which is written”, saying “Thus saith the Lord…”:

Jer 23:31  Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.
Jer 23:32  Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.

I have had people who were once a part of this fellowship, people with whom I went up to the house of the Lord and with whom I enjoyed sweet counsel, who have turned against me and all of you, and have prophesied of the impending end of this ministry. The first of the prophecies were that… ‘You will have no one to fellowship with if you keep teaching what you teach.’ The last of those prophecies were via dreams which the Lord had sent an evil spirit to give those false prophets. One told me that the Lord had revealed to this person that within six months, there would no longer be an iswasandwillbe.com ministry. My answer to that person was, “You have painted yourself into a corner. Six months will come and go and then we will know who the real false prophet is.” That was several years ago, and the pride of the beast within simply cannot find place for repentance, even though they have proven themselves to be false prophets in all four of those prophecies.

The last dreamer who shared his dream of our demise was also several years ago. He told me of his dream in the hearing of others. This person said he was instructed to tell me that I had a year left, and then this ministry would be destroyed. I’m not certain of the exact amount of time, but I am certain that it came and went, and that person had the audacity to challenge me again in the presence of those who had heard his false prophecy. As always is the case he denied that he had set a date and those who had heard him do so reminded him of exactly what he had said, yet he, too, “found no place for repentance”:

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.

There is “no place for repentance” in any of “those 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, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto 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.

The Lord knows those who are His, and He also knows when He has deceived us.

2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity

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.
Eze 14:10  And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;

False prophets are always iniquitous, self-righteous false prophets, and they will “bear the punishment or their iniquity” just as we have borne the punishment of our iniquity:

Eze 33:13  When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

All men of all time are full of pride and self-righteous iniquity. That is what “corruption” is:

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

However, very few are granted to repent of that corruption in “this present time”:

Mat 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

The Lord knows those who are His:

2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Jeremiah continues revealing what is our experience:

Jer 23:33  And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:34  And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.

“His [spiritual] house” is all those who seek to that false prophet to be led of him instead of being led of the Word of the Lord. As we just quoted Ezekiel:

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.
Eze 14:10  And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him

This is what the Lord told Ezekiel when the followers of the false prophets feigned respect for the Lord’s true prophet:

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;
Eze 14:5  That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

What “I will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols” means is this:

Psa 18:26  With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

The Lord’s answer to those who come to Jeremiah is the same:

Jer 23:35  Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken?
Jer 23:36  And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.

“Every man’s word will be his burden” means we need to be very careful and let the Lord speak for us, and let our words be very few. Here is another way of making this statement:

Luk 19:22  And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge theethou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: (ACV)

Is it true that the Lord is “an austere man, taking up that [He] laid not down, and reaping that [He] did not sow”? Of course not! The Lord had invested a talent, a year’s wages, in this “wicked servant”, but this bum did nothing with it and then accuses His Lord of being a thief.

The servant who received one talent is a “froward”, presumptuous, lazy bum:

Psa 18:26  With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

If we think God is “an austere man” who will burn His creatures in eternal fire for all eternity, then that is how He will show Himself at our judgment in this present time and at the great white throne judgment.

Here is how Jeremiah tells us the same thing earlier in this same prophecy:

Jer 2:19  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Teachers and prophets have been given to know the Lord’s words more than most, and for that reason they are judged more harshly than those who are not given to know so much. Here are the Lord’s words to us as we spend our own time in the churches of Babylon twisting, wresting, and wrapping His gold around the idols of our hearts:

Luk 12:47  And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
Luk 12:48  But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required:  and to whom men have committed much, of him  they will ask the more.

That is why we are admonished:

Jas 3:1  My brethren, be not many masters,  knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

False prophets come to Christ and His Christ tempting Him and tempting us all the time:

Mat 16:1  The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.

Mat 19:3  The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

Mat 22:35  Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

Mar 8:11  And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

Mar 10:2  And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.

Luk 11:16  And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.

Joh 8:6  This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground…

Such false prophets come to the Lord’s true prophets as if they are seeking counsel, or seeking help in interpreting a dream. However, when the answer or interpretation is not what they want to hear, they simply disagree with the person whose counsel they feignedly are seeking.

It happened to Ezekiel while He ministered to the Lord’s people in Babylonian captivity:

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;
Eze 14:5  That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
Eze 14:6  Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Eze 14:7  For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:
Eze 14:8  And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
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.
Eze 14:10  And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;

Jeremiah endured this two-faced, hypocritical, feigned appreciation for his connection with the Lord, time after time as this prophecy has already revealed and as it will continue to be revealed in the remaining 29 chapters. Our old man is not the least bit interested in what the Lord wants us to do. He wants only to please himself and do what he wants to do, but he still wants to have the Lord’s name even as he wears his own apparel and eats his own food:

Isa 4:1  And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

Considering all of this, let’s read verses 35-36 again before we go on to the last four verses of this chapter:

Jer 23:35  Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken?
Jer 23:36  And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.

As Ezekiel 14 demonstrated, the Lord becomes fed up with our feigned faith in His word, while in reality we have our minds already made up to follow our own wicked heart. For that reason, the Lord inspired Jeremiah to tell us the same thing He instructed Ezekiel to tell His people many years later:

Jer 23:37  Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken?
Jer 23:38  But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;
Jer 23:39  Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:
Jer 23:40  And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.

Our old man is beyond hope. He is self-righteous and stubborn, and He was “made to be taken and destroyed”:

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

If we are blessed to endure the destruction of our own rebellious, self-righteous old man in this present time, then we are those blessed and holy few who will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him a thousand years:

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

That is our study for today. Here are our verses for our next study:

Jer 24:1  The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
Jer 24:2  One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
Jer 24:3  Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
Jer 24:4  Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 24:5  Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.
Jer 24:6  For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
Jer 24:7  And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
Jer 24:8  And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:
Jer 24:9  And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.
Jer 24:10  And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.

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