Today a deeper look into what we are told by the LORD as He begins His wonderful work of correcting what man has brought to destruction and chaos. And I looked and understood the earth had become void and worthless, and the darkness of man (left to his degenerate thoughts) had destroyed all truthful discourse.
Over the past several posts we have examined Jeremiah 33 and Jehovah’s promises of bringing order again to the chaos man created. To preface these explanations let’s first understand who Jehovah is. The name means self-existent, but more than that it means self-generating. In other words this mean He relies on nothing outside of Himself to bring Himself into manifestation and this in what ever way He determines suitable to the situation. This is why the name Jehovah so often appears hyphenated with a situational modifier. In other words, Jehovah-Shalom is the LORD our Peace, Jehovah-Tsidkenu is the LORD our Righteousness, Jehovah-Saboath is the LORD of Hosts (angelic armies), and so on. All of these are the LORD as our Maker and the Creator of all things.
In Jeremiah 33:1 the LORD speaks through/to Jeremiah, Jeremiah meaning Jehovah rising, as in manifesting himself into a situation, as in making man understand it is He intervening in the affairs of man as the faithful Creator (maintainer of the Covenant). In the next two verses we read, “2 Thus says the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name; 3 Call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you know not.” Herein we see the LORD defining Himself as The Creator of All thing and also defining His methods (good advice) of correcting it, as in returning it to newness.
This declaration of Creation is a direct reference to Jeremiah 4:23 where the Hebrew phrase tohuw bohuw (tohu va-bohu) appears. In Jeremiah 4 it is used to describe the earth when it has become without form, void, and the heavens are without lights. We are told of the cause in the verse prior, “For My people is foolish, they have not known Me; they are foolish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.”
Just prior we are told of the destruction of the land and the war that was being waged against God’s people. None would sound the trumpet to tell the people they are under attack and to join the battle to repel the enemy. There are many who are sounding the alarm but they are calling to their own war, and rather than to be joined with the LORD they are joined in rebellion against Him.
Another (of three) time the Hebrew words tohuw bohuw are used is in the creation story in Genesis 1. It is telling of the same condition of the earth. There as in Jeremiah 4 it is telling of the earth becoming “without form, and void,” and with no lights in heaven. In both these cases the LORD speaks into existence the new creation that follows. This beginning of creation is what he LORD Jesus tells us about when He speaks of the coming of the Son of man as Light breaking the horizon as the darkness ends as the new day springs forth (Matthew 24:27).
Friends, Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
Following are the two chapters and 2 Peter 3. Jeremiah 33 is from the post several days ago titled, I Know My Redeemer Lives, and He Shall Stand Upon the Earth. The word there I have translated as “promised” is the same Hebrew word translated as “saith (says)” and “said” when the LORD GOD speaks creation into existence. That is what Jeremiah 33 is telling of. This is what I am telling you of now, today.
Jeremiah 4 King James Version (KJV)
1 If you will return, O Israel, says the LORD, return unto me: and if you will put away your abominations out of my sight, then shall you not remove.
2 And you shall swear, The LORD lives, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
3 For thus said the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
5 Declare you in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow you the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defensed cities.
6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
7 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
8 For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.
9 And it shall come to pass at that day, says the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
10 Then said I, Ah, LORD God! surely you have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, You shall have peace; whereas the sword reaches unto the soul.
11 At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,
12 Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.
13 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from Dan, and publishes affliction from mount Ephraim.
16 Make you mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.
17 As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, says the LORD.
18 Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto you; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reaches unto your heart.
19 My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20 Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.
21 How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are foolish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
29 The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.
30 And when you art spoiled, what will you do? Though you cloth thyself with crimson, though you deck you with ornaments of gold, though you rent face with painting, in vain shall you make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise you, they will seek thy life.
31 For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that brings forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewails herself, that spreads her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.
Jeremiah 33 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
1 Moreover the word of [Jehovah] came unto Jeremiah [Jehovah rising] the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 2 [This is the promise of Jehovah] the maker thereof, [Jehovah] that formed it, to establish it; [Jehovah] is his name; 3 call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you knows not. 4 For [this is the promise of Jehovah], the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings [those in power], which are thrown down by [those who they exalted], and by [their words]; 5 they come to fight with [those who have become fat and at ease], but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city. 6 Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. 7 And I will cause the captivity of [those in power] and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. 8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.
9 And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an [honor] before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it. 10 [This is the promise of Jehovah]; Again there shall be heard in this place, which [you] say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even in the cities of [those in power], and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast, 11 the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise [Jehovah] of hosts: for [Jehovah] is good; for his mercy [endures] for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of [Jehovah]. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, [says Jehovah]. 12 This is the promise of [Jehovah] of hosts; Again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing [my people as] flocks to lie down. 13 In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of [the sons and daughters of my power], and in the places about Jerusalem [my city founded on my principles of peace and security], and in the cities of [those in power], shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that [is speaking to them], [says Jehovah]. 14 Behold, the [day has] come, [says Jehovah], that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel [my nation that governs under God] and to the house of [those in power].
15 In those days, and at that [appointed] time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days shall [those in power] be saved, and Jerusalem [my city] shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, [Jehovah our Righteousness].
17 For [this is the promise of Jehovah]; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; 18 neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.
19 And the word of [Jehovah] came unto Jeremiah, saying, 20 [This is the promise of Jehovah]; If [you] can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; 21 then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. 22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
23 Moreover the word of [Jehovah] came to Jeremiah [Jehovah rising], saying, 24 [Consider you] not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which [Jehovah] hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? [In this] they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them. 25 [This is the promise of Jehovah]; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; 26 then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.
The parts above enclosed in brackets are those I have either modified or added for clarification of their spiritual meaning, that we might understand the LORD’s message to us in this His appointed time.
The “elements” spoken of in 2 Peter 3 are the first principles (oracles) as the foundational beliefs upon which the world stands. See James 3 as it tell in the same context of the words of men (untamed by a well reasoning mind) are what sets the fires of hell. I will post James 3 also.
2 Peter 3 King James Version (KJV)
1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
2 That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the LORD and Savior:
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
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.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the LORD as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The LORD is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the LORD will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15 And account that the longsuffering of our LORD is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
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.
17 You therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things before, beware lest you also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
James 3 King James Version (KJV)
1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
3 Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, wherever the governor directs.
5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindles!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11 Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
