The Brightness of the Day

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Jeremiah 30
Lesson #29
THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE DAY

• Memory Verse: Jer 30:22
• In this section of the book of Jeremiah, the prophecies are not in chronological order regarding time. However, we could say that they all occur during a very spiritually dark time in the history of the Israelites. Knowing that makes these prophecies very interesting in that they predict the future after those very dark days.
• We also see more details about the life of this beloved prophet of God, Jeremiah.
  • Jeremiah has been arrested and is held captive in the temple courtyard.
  • Seven years have passed since his big confrontation with the false prophets.
    • Remember that the false prophets had said that the captured temple vessels would be returned to Israel with the captured king in two years more.
    • Those prophets were obviously wrong and the correctness of Jeremiah’s prophecies was becoming more and more obvious.
• Read Jer 30:1-7 The Darkness of the Night
  • “…I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel…” (3)
    • To what captivity does Jeremiah refer?
      • The first captivity of the Israelites occurred in Egypt with Moses, and God miraculously delivered them to return them to the Promised Land.
      • The second captivity of the Israelites in Babylon is about to occur in the days of Jeremiah.
        • Already through Jeremiah’s prophecies we have seen God promise to bring them back to the Promised Land.
        • The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are historical proof that God fulfilled that promise.
      • The prophet sees a third captivity in the last days far into the future. How do we know Jeremiah is speaking about a third captivity and not the second one at their door?
        • Notice Jeremiah uses a very important, descriptive prophetic phrase, “the time of Jacob’s trouble” in verse 7.
        • What exactly does this phrase “time of Jacob’s trouble” mean?

Whenever God uses the name “Jacob” for Israel, it refers to the character of Jacob in Genesis. He was an opportunist who took advantage of everyone around him in his rebellion against God. Finally God got hold of him and changed his character.

With his change of character, God changed his name from Jacob to Israel and promised him that he would father the 12 tribes of Israel.

In Jeremiah’s day the Israelites were acting just like Jacob in their rebellion against God.

However, this phrase, “the time of Jacob’s trouble” is a phrase other prophets used to refer to the future tribulation period of time that is still to come on earth.

Therefore, a time in the future when Israel would again stubbornly rebel against God and worship a false god is the seven year tribulation period yet to come.

The god the Jews will worship will be the Antichrist.

God says through the prophets that this will be a time of “trouble”.

In order to bring the Jews to acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Messiah, God will put them through this terrible time of extreme pressure during the coming tribulation period.

Jeremiah says this period will be anguish like childbirth. (6) Jeremiah has already used this illustration of childbirth in his book and will continue to use it going forward. In fact Jeremiah used this illustration seven times in his book. (4:31 6:24 13:21 22:23 30:6 49:24 50:43)

The difference is that men will feel it, so while it looks like childbirth, it is not.

The Jews will be near extinction in the tribulation from the persecution and the captivity by the Antichrist in the last half of that 7 year period. This will cause them to call upon God for help and salvation.

• • • Therefore, the dark days they are living through in Jeremiah’s day and the Babylonian captivity are just a type or an illustration of a darker and more oppressive time yet to come in the tribulation period.
• Read Jer 30:8-11 The Brightness of the Day
  • When night comes and everything around you is dark, there is one thing you can know for sure. The morning and the brightness of the day are coming.
  • Jeremiah gives the beautiful prophecy of a glorious kingdom yet to come. This will be the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth for 1000 years.
  • Characteristics of the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ:
    • Israel will no longer be in bondage: (8)
      • To sin
      • To their enemies
    • Other nations and people will no longer persecute and take advantage of the Jews. (8)
    • Israel will serve God in love and faithfulness as they were supposed to do at the beginning. (9)
    • God will raise David from the dead to serve with them. (9)
    • God will rescue and restore to freedom those held in captivity in the tribulation period. (10) All Jews will be gathered and restored to the Promised Land.
    • God will give the Jews rest from their centuries of persecution. (10)
    • God will bring the Jews to salvation in Jesus Christ. (11)
    • God will punish all the enemies of the Jews after He has chastised Israel. (11)
• Read Jer 30:12-17 The Incurable Bruise and the Wound of an Enemy
  • Remember we discussed the Balm of Gilead in Jer 8. (Lesson #09)
  • The balm of Gilead represents healing through Jesus Christ, the Great Physician.
    • Israel did not acknowledge God or His healing touch.
    • Therefore, for centuries the Jews have lived without the healing of the Great Physician.
      • Therefore, the bruise is incurable for there is no other means of healing but through Christ.
      • Jeremiah tells his people they have no healing medicines (13) because they have cut themselves off from the source of the God who can heal them.
  • The wound of an enemy in verse 14 refers to the fact that the Israelites put themselves on the side of the enemy against God. Therefore, they would suffer the punishment God would put on their enemies.
    • The chastisement of “a cruel one” in verse 14 refers to the Antichrist in the tribulation period.
    • The persecution of the Jews in the tribulation period will be permitted by God to put pressure on the Jews to accept Christ.
  • God tells them to call out to their lovers (false gods and idols), but they will not be able to help them. (14)
  • God’s ultimate vengeance: (16)
    • People and nations that think they get away with persecution of the Jews and Christians are deceiving themselves.
    • God’s judgment and vengeance will produce perfect justice in the end. They will suffer the same sufferings that they caused. (16)
• Read Jer 30:18-24 God’s Promise of Restoration through time
  • The Ultimate Restoration will be in Christ’s Kingdom: (18)
    • God restored Israel after the first captivity in Egypt.
    • The prophets and history tells us God will restore Israel after the Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah promised it.
    • Therefore, God will restore Israel after the third captivity under the Antichrist in the tribulation period. That restoration will be at the second coming of Christ in the Millennial kingdom.
  • In the Millennial Kingdom Christ will rebuild Jerusalem, the temple, and the palace. (18)
    • When the Jews see the restoration and salvation in Jesus Christ at His second coming, they will rejoice and worship Him. (19)
    • God will elevate the Jews to a favored nation status in the Millennial Kingdom.
      • There will be many Jews born during the 1000 year reign of Christ.
      • Remember that God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as the sand of the sea and of the stars of heaven.
        • The promise like the sand of the sea refers to the Jews and will be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom. (The physical posterity)
        • The promise like the stars of heaven refers to Jew and Gentile believers in Christ that will be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom. (The spiritual posterity)
  • Justice in the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ: (20)
    • In the Millennial Kingdom with Christ on the throne, there will be perfect justice.
    • Notice that Christ will punish immediately any wrong doers. (20)
    • The Millennial Kingdom will be a period of strict law.
  • The government in the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ: (21)
    • Instead of subjugation of the Jews by foreign powers that has occurred for centuries through Jewish history, God will cause their leaders to be Jews in the Millennial Kingdom.
    • And of course, the King will be Jesus Christ, a Jew.
    • God will restore His covenant relationship with the Jews so that it functions as it was meant to function before Israel’s years of rebellion. (22)
  • The purpose of the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ: (22-24)
    • All the prophecies of all the prophets and all the experiences of the Israelites through history have always been to bring the Jews to Christ as their Messiah.
    • Notice that we see this culmination in your memory verse in verse 22.
  • Application: Something to consider: (24)
    • Jeremiah says that we are to consider all of this when we are in the last days.
    • Now we are here in the last days just before Jesus Christ returns to this earth a second time.
      • Through the prophecies of Jeremiah we can understand why the world is going through these dark days.
      • We can also understand why things will continue to get worse on the world scene. God is bringing all things to a predetermined completion expressed in Jer 30:22.
• Application:
  • What is the believer in this New Testament age of grace supposed to do?
  • As the believer understands God’s plan and purpose, he can more fully cooperate with God. How?
    • Be a modern-day Jeremiah in obedient service to God.
    • Share what you learn with others when they express dismay at the world conditions.
    • Today is the day of salvation for those who listen. Be open to speaking and praying with those who are seeking answers.
    • The beautiful promises of a glorious future in Christ’s Millennial Kingdom are to be our encouragement as they were meant to be in Jeremiah’s day.

HOMEWORK
Jeremiah 31:1-26

• Application of Jer 30:
  • What have you learned specifically that points to the brightness of the future?
  • Share what you learned with someone this week so as to encourage them.
• Preparation for Jer 31:1-26
  • Read Jer 31:1-40
    • How many times does the phrase “I will” or “will I” or “I shall” occur in this chapter?
• Memory Verse: Jer 31:3