Jeremiah 30

 

Interestingly, the Lord commands him to write everything down, but presumably, Jeremiah had been writing them down as he received them.  He was then required to compile them all in one book.  Whoever compiled them organized them—maybe we should blame one of Jeremiah’s scribes—without regard to the sequence.  This makes the book as a whole difficult to digest.  It is a chronologic disaster.

 

The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah is a remarkable collection of history and prophecy.  It is the second largest book in the Bible with only Isaiah having more chapters.  It chronicles the greatest tragedy in the history of the Jews to that point—the destruction of the city, the destruction of the temple, the scattering of the Southern Kingdom.  It is a pivotal time and Jeremiah has a difficult but pivotal prophetic calling—to be the main true prophet of the Lord amidst a cacophony of false prophets and corrupt priests.  By the time of king Zedekiah, Jeremiah must have been recognized as a prophet by the most righteous remnant, as evidenced by the inclusion of his prophecies in the brass plates of Laban (1 Ne. 5:13).

 

“Although the prophetic books in the Bible are marvelous collections of revelations, they tell us very little about the prophets themselves, their lives, and their struggles to fulfill the Lord's commands. The book of Jeremiah is a notable exception, recording details about the prophet's life and the challenges he faced. Jeremiah's contemporaries Lehi and Nephi set the pattern for the Book of Mormon prophets who followed them in giving us both a record of their prophecies and a narrative of their labors in the Lord's service.” (Kent P. Jackson, From Apostasy to Restoration [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1996], 145)

 

“From the narrative itself we learn something about the process through which the book of Jeremiah came into existence. Many, if not all, of the words of Jeremiah that have survived were copied and collected by his friend and scribe, Baruch. In 605 B.C. Jeremiah commissioned Baruch to record his prophecies from the days of Josiah until the present on "a roll of a book" (Jer. 36:2). He then instructed the scribe to take the scroll and read it in the temple.” (Kent P. Jackson, ed., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 4: 1 Kings to Malachi [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1993], 196)

 

 

What imagery!  Males can all relate to that moment.  Maybe it was a baseball bat or a golf club or a softball or a foot.  We have all been impaled in the groin and the pose that follows says it all.  The biblical way to express it is “everyman with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail” with faces “turned into paleness.”  The impending destruction of Jerusalem would hit as a humiliating kick in the groin.  You have to love the Old Testament!  No sugar coating allowed.

 

 

So depressing to always preach of destruction!  Was there any good news?  Jeremiah says that the Lord will not forever forsake Jerusalem and points to a future day in which the great city will be powerful compared to its enemies as in the days of King David of old.  King David becomes a type for political and military might for the millennial city. God will dwell in their midst and reign from the throne of David.  The question is whether or not the Millennial Jesus would be both Lord and king David or whether some mortal fills the latter role.  Ezekiel and Jeremiah both make it sound like there will be two leaders: Jesus as Lord and another as king or prince, “I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them” (Ezek. 34:24).  When you read all the available scriptures (see below), it can be hard to know whether the scriptures speak of one individual or two.

 

“King David (c. 1000 B.C.) remains today one of the most renowned Old Testament figures. His personality, spiritual sensitivity, creative abilities, military victories, and leadership carried him to the pinnacle of popularity. He had the potential to become an ideal king, but his kingship deteriorated after his adultery with Bathsheba and his involvement in Uriah's death. However, prophecy states that a model ruler in the last days will be ‘raised up’ from David's lineage.

 

“The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that ‘the throne and kingdom of David is to be taken from him and given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage’ (TPJS, p. 339). Elder Orson Hyde, in his dedicatory prayer on the Mount of Olives, October 24, 1841, prophesied that the Jews would return to Jerusalem and that in time a leader called David, ‘even a descendant from the loins of ancient David, [would] be their king’ (HC 4:457).

 

“This predicted figure corresponds to a promised messianic servant. Hosea, speaking shortly before the loss of northern Israel, foretold that Israelites would return in the latter days ‘and seek the LORD their God, and David their king’ (Hosea 3:5). Jeremiah prophesied of Israel and Judah's future righteousness, and of ‘David their king, whom I [the LORD] will raise up unto them’ (Jer. 30:9; cf. 23:5; 33:15-22). And in Ezekiel it is written, And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them (Ezek. 34:23-24; cf. also 44:1-3).

 

“Speaking to Joseph Smith, the angel Moroni 2 cited Old Testament passages telling of significant figures who would be involved with Christ's millennial reign (JS-H 1:40). As prophesied in Isaiah, it appears that two persons are spoken of, a ‘rod’ and a ‘root’ (11:1, 10)-one a leader ‘on whom there is laid much power,’ the other a person with special priesthood keys (D&C 113:3-6). These leaders are believed by some to be two forerunners, spoken of in rabbinic literature, one from Joseph and one from Judah (Encyclopedia Judaica, 11:1411).

 

“Although noble attributes and spiritual powers characterize both of these messianic servants, Jesus Christ exemplifies these qualities perfectly (D&C 113:1-2). Jesus is the exemplar prophet, priest, and king. He identified himself as the prophet ‘like unto Moses’ (Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22-23; 3 Ne. 20:23) and was a high priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:9-10; Heb. 7:15-22). Jesus is King of Kings (Rev. 19:16), greater than all other leaders of all time. Some see in Jesus Christ the complete fulfillment of the prophecy of a future David. Others feel that, while the titles and functions of the future Davidic king could apply to Jesus, there will also be another righteous king by the name of David in the last days, a leader from the loins of David (and thus of Judah).”  (Victor L. Ludlow, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan, 1992), 360)

 

 

The gathering of Israel will culminate amidst the destructions preceding the Second Coming.  The Lord has charged us to gather out the wheat from the tares.  Thus, He gathers the wheat into his temples, churches, and stakes of Zion, but he has other plans for the rest of his vineyard.

 

   Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. (D&C 87:6-8)

 

Read the revelations in the D&C that inform us how we may escape the calamities that are to cover the earth and afflict all mankind. We are better than other people only as we live better. We have the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The responsibility of disseminating it among the children of men has been magnificently performed in all parts of the world. (Conference Report, October 1940, Church of the Air, 109)

 

In the prophecy on war previously cited, the Lord stated that war would be poured out upon all nations "until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations."6 The prophets of this dispensation have abundantly testified that the nations of the world will be broken up in preparation for the coming of the King of kings when there shall be only one government in the world, the Kingdom of Christ. War is the means by which this end will be brought about. The following is just a sampling of what the prophets of today have told us concerning the fulfillment of the Lord's words concerning war.

 

In an article written in the Millennial Star, Elder Charles W. Penrose stated:

 

Through the rejection of this Gospel, which "Shall be preached to all the world as a witness" of the coming of Christ, the world will increase in confusion, doubt, and horrible strife. As the upright in heart, the meek of the earth, withdraw from their midst, so will the spirit of God also be withdrawn from them. The darkness upon their minds in relation to eternal things will become blacker, nations will engage in frightful and bloody warfare, the crimes which are now becoming so frequent will be of continual occurrence, the ties that bind together families and kindred will be disregarded and violated, the passions of human nature will be put to the vilest uses, the very elements around will seem to be affected by the national and social convulsions that will agitate the world, and storms, earthquakes, and appalling disasters by sea and land will cause terror and dismay among the people; new diseases will silently cat their ghastly way through the ranks of the wicked; the earth, soaked with gore and defiled with the filthiness of her inhabitants, will begin to withhold her fruits in their season; the waves of the sea will heave themselves beyond their bounds, and all things will be in commotion; and in the midst of all these calamities, the masterminds among nations will be taken away, and fear will take hold of the hearts of all men.

 

Lorenzo Snow stated that these wars would help bring people to the Church for protection:

 

By and by the nations will be broken up on account of their wickedness, the Latter-day Saints are not going to move upon them with their little army, they will destroy themselves with their wickedness and immorality. They will contend and quarrel with one another, state after state and nation after nation, until they are broken up, and thousands, tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands will undoubtedly come and seek protection at the hands of the servants of God. (The Coming of the Lord [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1971], 37-38)

 

 

On a recent trip to the Holy Land, I learned that the Jerusalem of today has literally been “builded upon her own heap.”  The dwellings of biblical days are 30 feet below modern day Jerusalem.  Time and rubble have literally raised the level of the city. Homes dating to the days of Jesus have been dug from the ground near the temple.

 

Homes from the days of Christ near the southwest corner of the temple mount

 

The other parts of the prophecy have also been fulfilled; namely, the voice of those that make merry and give thanksgiving is heard in the streets of Jerusalem, He has begun to glorify them, he has begun to punish all that oppress them, their nobles (or their leadership) are native Jews not Gentile oppressors.

 

 

This passage seems to speak of a future prime minister of the state of Israel that will have a discerning heart that seeks after the Lord.  What a surprise for the Lord to have a righteous Jewish governor approach him.  That is not what he got from Pilate or Herod.   The Lord, as if he could be incredulous, asks “who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me?”

 

 

And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.  (Lev. 26:3-12)

 

For he stands in the midst of his people. (D&C 84:100-101)