20150830 Sunday, August 30 2015
Jeremiah 07: The Home Of The Righteous

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life"

In the time of the Messiah's first coming, the "gate of the LORD's House" was left wide open by those who had made and assumed the LORD's House into their house. It was under those circumstances that the Messiah's famous incident of driving out the peddlers ("those that sold oxen and sheep and doves" - along with all of the manure that a livestock sale produces) and bankers ("the changers of money") from the Temple took place. It didn't just happen; it was a prophesied (in Psalm 69:9) event i.e. "And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up."

"2:13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 2:14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 2:15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; 2:16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

2:17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

2:18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

2:20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 2:21 But he spake of the temple of his body. 2:22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said." (John 2:13-22 KJV)

The Temple (see A History Of Jerusalem: The Temple Of The LORD), like the Tabernacle before it (see Israel In History and Prophecy: The Tabernacle), although designated as holy in itself (see The Holy Place In History And Prophecy), was always intended to be a prophetic portrayal of the ultimate Holy Place that will be the entire Earth (see The First And Last Nation). When the Messiah proclaimed "make not my Father's house an house of merchandise" (verse 16 above), He was speaking of both of them (the reason that He also referred to the Temple as His body in the same verses; see also Why Is The Church Called The Body Of Christ? and What's The Expiration Date Of The Church?).

"14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:1-6 KJV)

Arriving "home" with the Father is about being admitted to His House - an eternal and infinite place where unrepentant rebels are neither welcome or will be allowed to enter. Merely declaring one's self to be a Christian, while doing whatever one pleases, will result in the LORD saying "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (see Iniquity In History And Prophecy and Choosing The Right Way; also Why Repent?).

"7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." (Matthew 7:13-27 KJV)

The Kingdom of God, the Paradise on Earth in which everywhere will be Home, will be accomplished, after the Messiah has completed all of the Work that the Father sent Him to do, when the Father comes to Earth (see The Patriotism Prophecy and The Church: Mission Accomplished).

"21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Revelation 21:1-8 KJV)

In the time of Jeremiah, the original Temple was still standing. Jeremiah was sent to warn the people of Judah (see Why Didn't Jeremiah Live In The Kingdom Of Israel?) to repent - or lose what had become their kingdom and their temple. They defiantly failed to heed the warning, and so they lost it all.

The Temple was rebuilt seventy years later, in the time of Zerubbabel (see Zerubbabel's Return), Ezra (see Ezra's Journey From Babylon) and Nehemiah (see The Arrival Of Nehemiah's Cavalry), and centuries later further built upon by Herod the Great (see A History Of Jerusalem: The Herodian Dynasty). That later Temple was the one in which the Messiah drove out the peddlers and false prophets - with the warning that they would lose it all again if they didn't repent and properly follow what the LORD had actually commanded them (see Why Call Me, Lord, Lord, and Do Not The Things Which I Say?). They failed to heed that warning too, so they lost it all again in 70 AD to the Romans (see A History Of Jerusalem: Titus And The Zealots), exactly as their ancestors had lost it all in 586 BC to the Babylonians (see Why Did Judah Fall To Babylon?). It's no coincidence that the original Babylon was and is used as a term for the religion that Rome built upon the rubble of those destroyed Temples.

The LORD's warning was the same in the time of Jeremiah as it has always been, in ancient times and today: "Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD" (see Strait And Straight)

"7:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

7:2 Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. 7:3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these. 7:5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour; 7:6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: 7:7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. 7:8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

7:9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; 7:10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? 7:11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.

7:12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. 7:13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; 7:14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. 7:15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.

7:16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. 7:17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 7:18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. 7:19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?

7:20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.

7:21 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh. 7:22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: 7:23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. 7:24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. 7:25 Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: 7:26 Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.

7:27 Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. 7:28 But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth. 7:29 Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.

7:30 For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. 7:31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. 7:32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. 7:33 And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. 7:34 Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate." (Jeremiah 7:1-34 KJV)

Fact Finder: How and when will the Earth made the exclusive home of the righteous?
See How Will Jesus Christ Judge The Earth? and Home In The New Heavens And A New Earth