the prophet Jeremiah speaks to the Christian world
Thus says the Lord: "What injustice have your fathers found in Me, That they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters? Neither did they say, 'Where is the Lord, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and pits, Through a land of drought and the shadow of death, Through a land that no one crossed And where no one dwelt?' I brought you into a bountiful country, To eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land And made My heritage an abomination. - Jeremiah 2:5-7
the words of this preeminent prophet of the Hebrew Scriptures were so inspired as to reach beyond the peoples and the times of ancient Israel to the modern Christian church
The quote above can be read literally as Jeremiah meant it for the Jewish people of his day, or figuratively, whereby the wilderness and the land of drought and shadow were prophetic metaphors for all the nations outside of Israel. Lands populated by atheistic or polytheistic heathens. until the Messiah came and changed the whole spiritual dynamic for Gentiles of the nations. Yet, when the Messiah
When they left the proper worship of the One True God, and began worshiping false gods, and idols, sacrificing to them, God inspired His prophets to give warning to the people of Israel. Harlots, whores, filthy prostitutes, adulteresses, and other such terms were used by the prophets to describe the turning away from true teaching and following after the false gods of the world. "Abominations" or "abominable" were the terms often used to describe the false gods of the nations in particular. The prophets used such harsh language, speaking for God, to rebuke the Jewish nation.
Another question for the future church rising up from antiquity. Does the trinitarian doctrine represent an unusual form of a false god? Yes. This is certainly not a reconstitution of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob which was absolutely based in monotheism. Monotheism is what separated Judaism from every other religion on earth, and technically still does. Repeating for emphasis - MONOTHEISM is how God introduced Himself to Abraham and Moses. This is the monotheistic God worshipped by Jesus (Yeshua) and the apostles.
If we take a look at this trinitarian abomination, we can see evidence of a credibility gap within the structure of the so-called godhead. For one thing the Holy Spirit is not a person, not a being, not part of a three-part godhead as described and defined in the doctrine itself (see - Nicene Creed). The Holy Spirit is not a person apart from God, and has no authority to speak on its own, but only what God wills to be spoken. God's Holy Spirit is much like our own unholy spirits, which simply gives animation to our will.
At best it could be said, and is said by some, that Yeshua, the only begotten Son of God is part of a binitarian godhead, but that would bring us around to a few other theological problems, such as the first of the Ten Commandments
"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me". - Exodus 20:2,3
Is placing the only begotten Son into a binitarian godhead, said to be equal and co-eternal with Yahweh Almighty something that constitutes a false god, borne of false teaching? The simple answer is yes. The doctrine further states that Yahweh and Yeshua are of the same substance, the same essence, and yet are different entities within the same godhead. See the controversy of the filiogue clause discussed under the Great Schism of 1054.
That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God.
From these words, it becomes clear that the problem the eminent fathers gathered at Nicaea were having was how to shoe-horn the three separate entities into one. Even they understood that Abrahamic monotheism was a Biblical absolute, so the trick was how to devise a formula that would maintain the appearance of a monotheistic Yahweh combining (in unity) with what they define as two other persons.
These are the words of the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds concerning the godhead teaching. None of these words are Scriptural, and do not come from the teachings of God, but the teachings of men. In fact, the concepts that the church is hereby promoting, are drawn from Greek philosophy, not the Tanakh nor the Gospels. Don't be fooled, your very salvation may depend on breaking free of the false teachings the church is trying to inflict upon you.
Consider, what are some modern forms of idolatry?
Do I love or treasure anything or anyone more than God?
Do I prioritize anything or anyone before God?
Does anything bring me more pleasure than the things of God?
Do I look to anything or anyone to ultimately meet my needs rather than recognizing that our needs are all provided for by God?
Do I place my identity in anything other than my status as a child of God?
There is no greater sin in the Bible than idolatry and it is a sin that always needs addressing within the Christian community, because it goes beyond the images and graven icons of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Idolatry, in Judaism and Christianity is defined as the worship of someone or something other than God as though it were God. The first of the biblical Ten Commandments prohibits idolatry: “You shall have no other gods before me."
Our contemporary society is full of modern idols and the primary reason for this is because we have forgotten about God, we have set Godly reverence aside as something largely irrelevant in our lives, someone unimportant that can be relegated to the barest recognition. This is the fault of so-called ordained churchmen not seeing to their so-called responsibilities. Not believing in or trusting in God is a form of idolatry, trusting more in oneself or some other provider of physical needs, such as government, or a spiritual provider such as some secular philosophy constitutes a form of idolatry.
Be that as it may, idol worship doesn't necessarily mean getting down on your knees and bowing or praying to a
graven image. There are other forms of idol worship a person can stumble into other than what we commonly understand to be idol worship. Our priority should always be in serving God through study and prayer. Sure, we all have jobs to do, but prayer should come before checking our emails in the morning.
The two quotes above are taken from the Nicene Creed indicating that at Nicaea in 325 AD the church was making its first attempt to formalize the trinitarian doctrine into Christian theology. Yet, it seems that the Nicene Creed was somewhat deficient in that it left some ambiguities about the trinitarian doctrine. Hence, about a hundred years later, after the time of Athanasius, a new creed was adopted by the church, called the Athanasian Creed, where the doctrine was more explicitly spelled out. The Athanasian Creed was written by an anonymous author, and since the sixth century has been used as a part of church liturgy. The following is a segment of the new creed:
The true prophet knew that an institutionalized religion could and would distort what the Lord demanded of man, that priests themselves would be the ones to commit perjury by bearing false witness, condoning violence and injustice, tolerating hatred. Just as they would be the ones calling for ceremonies and rituals and fancy vestments instead of erupting in outrage and indignation at the cruelty, deceit, idolatry, and violence to which they would be witness. Why? Because they would be determined above all else to maintain their privileged status over the common people.
Priest and wise man and prophet alike felt that their professional well-being was threatened by Jeremiah's singularity. Panicked, they plotted his disgrace. Their "law" and "counsel" and "words" were in danger of being exposed as pious frauds by Jeremiah's honest and passionate life. — Eugene H. Peterson
It had been in the 13th year of King Josiah of Judah (around 627 B.C.), that God called Jeremiah when he was still a youth. In fact, God had already set Jeremiah apart for the office of prophet before he was even born, as seen in the scripture quoted above, in order to take God’s words to all Israel and beyond, to the nations, an unusual appointment for a Jewish prophet.
Jeremiah served as one of God’s prophets through the rule of five kings of Judah (Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah). He even continued to plead God’s case against Judah during the time of Jerusalem’s destruction by the Babylonians when it came in 586 B.C. (Jeremiah 1:3; 52:7-11).
Jeremiah is sometimes referred to as “the weeping prophet.” This designation comes from his tender concern about his countrymen’s impending punishment. If the people rejected his warning from God to repent, he said, “My soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive” (Jeremiah 13:17). Of course, Judah refused to repent and was taken captive by the Babylonians in a horrendous siege, slaughter and destructive conquest. Many that had survived the slaughter were taken into captivity, back to Babylon as was the Babylonian custom in order to receive a proper re-education, after which they could serve as slaves.
Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry extended over a period of more than 40 years, during which he wrote both the book that bears his name and Lamentations. Jewish tradition also credits him with writing 1 and 2 Kings. These were momentous times for Israel, and many prophets were raised up by God to give warning, and to record the events of the day. Contemporary prophets during the time of Jeremiah included Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Daniel and Ezekiel.
For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, And have not sought the Lord; Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered. - Jeremiah 10:21
"Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered to do all these abominations'? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it," says the Lord. - Jeremiah 7:8-11
"Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is given to covetousness; And from the prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, 'Peace, peace!' When there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time I punish them, They shall be cast down," says the Lord. Thus says the Lord: "Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'- Jeremiah 6:13-16
Yet, the post-apostolic church, from the Council of Nicaea (325) down to this day, have dictated that the trinitarian doctrine is the bedrock of church orthodoxy. Any who will not accept this doctrine of the church will be condemned for eternity. The orthodox assertion constitutes a serious case of arm-twisting that resulted in the cruel and unusual deaths of countless Christians, making liberal use of the power the church held, hand in hand, with civil authorities.
Even so, nobody has ever been able to explain this incoherent teaching in a way that makes sense to a normal, reasonable, person of sound thinking. Sad.
The words of God, as spoken to Jeremiah. While he was there speaking directly of the Temple, which was the "house called by My name", and to the Jewish people, his words can also be interpreted within the Christian paradigm. To the Christians of today, the house called by My name is the whole ecumenical world of Christendom, a den of thieves and abominations, speaking lying words that cannot profit. The history of the Christian church is flush with the murders, adulteries, falsely sworn oaths, praying and burning of incense to false deities, graven statues and other assorted images. The shame that the church has brought upon the names of Yahweh and Yeshua amount to appalling acts of blasphemous contempt, which the church dares to lay at the feet of Yeshua as if expecting a reward.
God was giving Jeremiah the larger picture of his prophetic ministry when He said:
Consequently, the Roman Catholic church, the 'Mother church', has been split and divided over and over. She endured the Great Schism of 1054 and the Reformation of the 16th century which gave birth to so many of her daughters, only leading to more schisms and divisions. The flock has surely been scattered. What was it Yeshua said?
"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' - Matthew 10:34-36
Jeremiah spoke God's inspired, prophetic words to the future church. He knew the future church would be facing many of the same distressing calamities that the people of Jerusalem were facing in his day. He also knew that the future church leaders would compel so many into godless error, while all the while the future leaders would be assuring the flock with smooth words of their orthodox harmony with the will of God. To these officers and shepherds of the future church God said through His prophet:
“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant” - Jeremiah 1:9-10.
This meant that God had appointed Jeremiah to proclaim the destruction, rebuilding, more destruction, more rebuilding of nations beyond Israel and throughout the times of the nations, eventually leading all the way to the arrival of the Kingdom of God.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5 (emphasis added)
PROPHTIC WORDS FOR THE FUTURE CHURCH CONCERNING IDOLATRY
FIRST OF ALL, WHO WAS THIS PROPHET OF GOD?
God is merciful and long-suffering in dealing with the sins and ignorance of men, but He will not endure our arrogant sinfulness endlessly (Exodus 34:6-7). God sent many messengers to ancient Israel urging the people to turn their hearts back to Him before He would ultimately send correction (Nehemiah 9:30; Jeremiah 25:4-7). This principle applies to our day as well. We too have been warned.
The Holy Bible is by far, the greatest selling book of all time. It's everywhere, in many different translations and in nearly every language known to man. Don't just read it - STUDY IT!
God has not provided us today with a prophet like Jeremiah to speak for him. To peach the warnings of impending doom and destruction as God lifts His restraining hand from our enemies. Such a prophet would be squelched and censored in our modern cancel culture anyway. Yet, all the ecumenical Judeo-Christian communions are forewarned through the Holy Scriptures, the Torah, prophets, and writings, as well as the Gospel writings. We are warned. Those unbelievers outside the Judeo-Christian world will experience the wrath of God quite unexpectedly, but in fact, nobody will be left untouched when God's wrath is unleashed on the world of mankind.
There is swiftly coming a spectacular turning point in human history. One that will eclipse even the great flood of Noah's day. A day when the descendants of Israel, and their brothers in Yeshua will experience God's boiling point in the End of Days or the Great Tribulation along with the pride of all nations, so that everyone on earth will know that Yahweh Almighty is God, and we will all be humiliated and ashamed for our disobedience, pride, and sinfulness. (Isaiah 2:11-17; 13:11-13). Afterward, the hearts of the people who have survived the wrath, will turn to God.
Jeremiah was often inspired to look beyond the distressing scenes of his present day to the hope of a glorious future when God’s people would return from the land of the enemy (Babylon) back to their homeland (Jeremiah 31:12). The final prophetic fulfillment will come when Yeshua, the Messiah returns to establish the Kingdom of God on Earth.
Prophets of God often performed a dual role. One was to warn a wicked nation of God’s judgments while powerfully calling on them to repent and turn from their sins. And the other was to build up and encourage the faithful of that time as well as us today, by projection, to remain steadfast in living godly lives and to remain in a close relationship with God in order to endure the increase in wickedness of our own time.
Such will be the conditions in the world before Christ’s return (Matthew 24:11-12). God’s servants must boldly preach a message of warning and repentance to the nations (Matthew 24:14; Mark 16:15-16) and also a message of comfort and hope to those who fear God and do His will (Romans 2:7-8; James 5:7-8, 11). This message is called the gospel (Good News) of the Kingdom, and we need to understand it and act in response. We are commissioned to be the Jeremiah of today, and yes, we will be cancelled and censored for our Biblical 'hate speech". It's already happening.
JEREMIAH'S MESSAGE FOR US TODAY
He was a prophet who lived in the last days of the Two Tribes Kingdom. Despite the threat from Babylon, Judah and Benjamin refused to repent and turn to the Lord. Therefore, the judgment of God could not fail to come. Jeremiah was called by the Lord to announce this judgment and give the people of Judah a last chance. He was hated therefore, and there were many that sought his life for prophesying against Judah. The generals complained that his continual preaching about a Babylonian attack was hurting the morale of their troops and for that, he should be executed.
of God opened the door for them to the Kingdom of Heaven, the "bountiful country, to eat its fruit and goodness." they brought their idols with them through the door, defiling the word of God and making God's heritage an abomination.
The book of Lamentations is a short collection of Jeremiah's first-hand accounts of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. It is generally recognized as the saddest, most heavy-hearted book in all the Scriptures.
as God would say through His prophet, these are filthy prostitutes and adulterers,
putting on airs of piety while burning incense to Baal.
A TRICK OF TRINTARIAN ESTABLISHMENTARIANISM
Our Identity.... It’s easy to root our identity in something or someone other than God. It might be money, consumerism, government, or even gender, all of which tend to dominate our day-to-day thoughts. It doesn’t matter if you have money left over at the end of the month, or if you're flat broke. Your identity is supposed to be that of a child of God first and foremost.
Celebrities and entertainers? Most modern cultures are cultures obsessed with being entertained, and with the entertainers who provide the constant feast of showiness for us. Whether they're basketball players, singers, movie stars, or they're just famous for being famous, they will use their status to convince us to do this or that, buy this or that, vote this way or that way and we common folk eat it up like sheep grazing well-watered pastures. The celebrities among us are the trend-setters, well paid to move fashion and influence all the things that fill the otherwise empty voids in our dull little lives. People accept all as part of their identity, but probably shouldn't. Are all the High School boys today wearing those Adidas tennis shoes because Kanye West told them to? Or these Nike Tee shirts because Derek Jeter, Lil Wayne, and Kate Hudson all wear Nike? How about beer drinkers choosing Bud Light because of the image of a transgender person on the can. WHAT A CULTURE WE LIVE IN.
As a culture we are pathetic. However, as we are entering the End of Days also known as the Great Tribulation, we might well wonder, who is the Nebuchadnezzar of our day? If our time has an illustrative allegorical rendition of Babylon in the form of the world outside of the Judeo-Christian congregation, then these days of the future church will surely also cough-up someone to fill the role of the ancient King of Babylon. Perhaps the so-called Anti-Christ? The mullahs or Ayatollahs of Iran or any of their proxies? Someone perhaps rising up from among the assorted Palestinian liberation groups? The modern-day Nebuchadnezzar is out there somewhere. The Judeo-Christian congregation will be his target.
We point out again, as a culture we are pathetic, and as God granted Jeremiah to see the future woke, politically correct descent of humanity, the prophet would nonetheless have been appalled at the sight of it. As noted by Rabbi Yosef Berger, the rabbi of King David’s Tomb on Mount Zion:
Berger described the transgender movement in terms of idolatry, as the “last stage of idolatry that precedes the Messiah. Idolatry is Man trying to replace God,” Rabbi Berger said. “Nature is one of God’s ways of manifesting in this world. God determines a person’s sex before he comes into the world. Rejecting this aspect of yourself is rejecting your relationship with God.”
There is nothing more important in these difficult times than maintaining a healthy relationship with God. To reject that relationship is the height of foolishness.
“Just a few years ago, this was not discussed. Now, some people are trying to recreate reality in their own twisted image, rejecting God. This was envisioned by the prophets.”
The rabbi is referring to the Prophet Jeremiah:
"Ask and see: Surely males do not bear young! Why then do I see every man With his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor? Why have all faces turned pale? Ah, that day is awesome; There is none like it! It is a time of trouble for Yaakov, But he shall be delivered from it." - Jeremiah 30:6-7
“Surely the people who heard that prophecy first-hand thought it was absurd, that there was no possibility that such a thing would ever come to pass. But just as depravity and idolatry increased in Egypt, descending to the 49th level of impurity before the Redemption, so too this will happen in the end of days.”
The Rabbi is correct. The ridiculous prophecy of Jeremiah has indeed come to pass in our times. The folks of Woke insist that men can bear children. To suggest otherwise is racist and homophobic.
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made...
And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified...
Okay, so who exactly was this prophet of God that was given such an extraordinary commission, not only to, but beyond Jerusalem, beyond Israel, beyond the times in which he lived - delivering the word of God to the nations of the world, right down to our contemporary times. That's an unusual assignment for an ancient Jewish prophet.
Jeremiah grew up in the small town of Anathoth three miles northeast of Judah’s capital, Jerusalem. While close geographically, the two communities were far apart culturally and politically. Jeremiah was born into the priestly line of Abiathar but had little standing with the priests in Jerusalem. Solomon had removed Abiathar from priestly authority centuries earlier (1 Kings 1:28 – 2:26) and replaced him with the priestly line of Zadok in Jerusalem.
When God called Jeremiah to be his prophet in Jerusalem, the prophet found himself in the midst of priests who did not accept his inherited priesthood. Neither did they accept him as a prophet. Jeremiah remained a suspicious and disliked outsider throughout his long career in Jerusalem.
CHOSEN BY GOD, REJECTED BY MEN
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' - Matthew 7:21-23
So, we might well return to text from Jeremiah at the beginning of this article. Thus says the Lord: "What injustice have your fathers found in Me, That they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters? Neither did they say, 'Where is the Lord, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and pits, Through a land of drought and the shadow of death, Through a land that no one crossed And where no one dwelt?' I brought you into a bountiful country, To eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land And made My heritage an abomination. - Jeremiah 2:5-7
Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time I punish them, They shall be cast down," says the Lord. Thus says the Lord: "Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'- Jeremiah 6:13-16
The ecumenical examiner recommends a returning to the "old paths, where the good way is." God bless all our readers in their future studies.
Bowing before the graven image of an idol. Did this man ever read a Bible?
“Then I will give them a 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 to Me with their whole heart” (Jeremiah 24:7).
