Jeremiah 14 gives the continuing picture of unfaithful Judah.
Jeremiah 14:12 []
When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
These concepts are seen again in Revelation 6 with the riders on the red, black, and pale horses and alluded to in Rev. 22:18 in the final judgment against the Jews. I do not believe Jeremiah is directly referring to Revelation here, but I wanted to mention these concepts because God uses war, famine, and pestilence against Judah here. So many think that the 4 horsemen of Rev. 6 are Satan's allies rather than sent from God. Some even identify the rider on the white horse as Satan pretending to be a false angel and "the anti-Christ" (dunh dunh dunh). In reality, the 4 horsemen are servants of God. We'll talk more about the rider on the white horse when we get to Revelation.
Jeremiah 14 also mentions lying prophets who give false prophecy's to the Jews of comfort and peace when God intends destruction to come upon them. The Jews of the 1st century were deceived by a false prophet that we see in Revelation 13 in John's vision, but whom Jesus warned about as well on the Mt. of Olives. Revelation 2:10 refers to the woman Jezebel as a false prophetess. A careful read of Rev. 2-3 will show her to be a reference to Judaisers.
Jeremiah 16:4 []
They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
Jesus spoke of this in Matt. 24:28 and John saw it in his vision in Rev. 19:17-21. This image of the aftermath of war against the Jews is one of birds feasting at a great feast on the bodies of those slain by the hand of God through whatever conquering army he used against the Jews (Babylon or Rome).
Chapter 16 ends in the promise of blessing if the Jews will repent and destruction of Jerusalem by "unquenchable fire", a complete destruction, if they will not.
Jeremiah 19:4 []
Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;
The Jews are constantly accused of a filling and overflowing of the blood of innocents at their hands. Jesus accused them of this in Matt. 23:34-36 and this was also attributed to the whore of Revelation 17:6.
Jeremiah 22:8 []
And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city?
Going into Babylonian captivity, God promises to make the land desolate. And Jerusalem, at the time of its destruction at the hands of the Babylonians, would be called "this great city". In Revelation, at the time of the final end of Biblical Judaism, Jerusalem is referred to as the "great city " 9 times and then the new Jerusalem, in contrast to the old, is also called the "great city".
I'm not saying that other cities were not great, but in apocalyptic literature, it is Jerusalem that God is most concerned about and it is that city that God calls great.
Here is an important point to make against millennialism. In this chapter, the sons of Jehoiakim: Zedekiah and (Je)Coniah (1 Chron. 3:16) are cursed. Specifically look at what Jeremiah has to say about Coniah:
Jeremiah 22:28-30[]
Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.
First of all, the "earth" here is a reference to the Jewish people. It would only be to the Jews that Jeremiah's prophecy against Coniah would matter as this relates to their "sun", their king.
But notice what Jeremiah says. No descendant of Coniah's would sit on the throne of David ruling in the land of Judah.
Now read Matt 1 and note that Jesus is a descendant of Coniah (Jechonias vs. 11).
It is not possible for Jesus to rule as an earthly king in Jerusalem as the millenialists believe else Jeremiah was a false prophet.
Jeremiah 23[]
begins by speaking of the leaders of the Jews, how they lead their people astray (Pharisees much?), but then Jeremiah is given a Messianic prophecy.
Jeremiah 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.
compare to
2 Pet. 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Jeremiah 23:39-40 []
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: And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.
Ouch!
Jeremiah 24[]
Not the last time the Jews will be compared to figs: Matt. 21:19-21; Matt. 24:32 (and parallels); Rev. 6:13.
Jeremiah 26[]
The Jews get mad at Jeremiah for his prophecies and threaten to kill him. Instead, they end up killing Urijah, another prophet, instead. Once more the Jews shed innocent blood and it will certainly not be the last. After Jesus, how many more innocents (saints) will the Jews kill before God has His vengeance? "How long, how long?" (Rev. 6:10).
In Truth and Love.
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Jeremiah Part 2/4