Jeremias 30
Thomas Constable · Citado em PreceptAustin
Jeremias 30
Constable - Jeremiah 30-33 Commentary A C Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - Jeremiah 30-33 Commentary David
Jeremias 30
Constable says "There needed to be a permanent record of these predictions since the people rejected the Lord’s words." (Read Jer 6:19, 8:9) The Temple and the nation of Judah would be destroyed but this letter would survive as not just a testament and testimony but a word that assured them they had a future and a hope! (Jer 29:11, Jer 31:17-note, cp Mt 24:35, Mk 13:31, Lk 21:33) Michael Brown adds that "This command to write a document that will survive the city’s destruction is reminiscent of the journals and documents collected and compiled by Emanuel Ringelblum, the Warsaw Ghetto historian, and given the code name “Oneg Shabbat” (“O.S.,” in Hebrew meaning “Sabbath delight”). On the eve of the ghetto’s destruction at the end of the heroic Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (which also took Ringelblum’s life), the documents—some fifty thousand in total—were placed in three milk cans and metal boxes and hidden in cellars or buried underground with the hope that the memory of his people’s courageous deeds in life and in death would be preserved for posterity. Two of the three caches have been discovered, with many of the documents published. See, for example, Emmanuel Ringelblum, Notes from the Warsaw Ghetto (New York: Schocken, 1974); Joseph Kermish, ed., To Live with Honor and to Die with Honor!… Selected Documents from the Warsaw Ghetto Underground Archives “O.S.” [“Oneg Shabbat”] (Jerusalem: Yad Vashem), 1986. (See also “Let The World Read And Know” The Oneg Shabbat Archives) Jeremiah 30:3 'For behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.' The LORD says, 'I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it.'" DIVINE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL'S FORTUNES Jeremiah 30:3 is a prophecy which will be fulfilled at the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the last half of Daniel's Seventieth Week, at the end of the 3.5 year period ( the Great Tribulation) at which time the Messiah establishes His literal, earthly Millennial Kingdom. Behold - Listen up! Pay attention! Why? Because their are two incomparable promises God gives to Israel - (1) I will restore the fortunes and (2) I will also bring them back to the land. Behold (02009)(hinneh) is an interjection meaning behold, look, now; if. "It is used often and expresses strong feelings, surprise, hope, expectation, certainty, thus giving vividness depending on its surrounding context." (Baker) Hinneh generally directs our mind to the text, imploring the reader to give it special attention. In short, the Spirit is trying to arrest our attention!
Jeremias 30
Constable summarizes this coming day of distress - A coming time would be the worst Jacob had ever experienced or would ever experience. This anticipates the Tribulation in which Israelites will suffer more greatly than they ever have or ever will (cf. Jer 46:10; Isa. 2:12–21; 13:6; 34:1–8; Ezek. 30:3; Dan. 9:27; 12:1; Joel 1:15; 2:1–2, 11; Amos 5:18–20; Mic. 1:2–5; Zeph. 1:2–3:8; Zech. 14:1–8, 12–15; Matt. 24–25; Rev. 6–18). GREAT TROUBLE GREATER DELIVERANCE Saved (delivered) (03467)(yasha') (See also yeshua from which we get our word "Jesus") is a verb which means to help, to save, to deliver. The root in Arabic is "make wide" which underscores the main thought of yasha ' as to bring to a place of safety or broad pasture in contrast to a narrow strait which symbolizes distress or danger." Note that yasha' is used 2 other times in this chapter (Jer 30:10, 11), which leaves little doubt as to the intentions of God toward Israel in the future! Yasha' - Occurs 198x in the OT. Here are the uses in Jeremiah - Jer 2:27-28; 4:14; 8:20; 11:12; 14:8-9; 15:20; 17:14; 23:6; 30:7, 10-11; Jer 31:7; 33:16; 42:11; 46:27; Similarly predictions of end times salvation by Jehovah are seen in Ezek 34:22; 36:29; 37:23; Hos 1:7; 13:4, 10; 14:3; Obad 1:21; Hab 1:2; Zeph 3:17, 19; Zech 8:7, 13; 9:9, 16; 10:6; 12:7. Our God is a saving God! He will save the believing remnant of Israel. Of that you can be absolutely certain! Unless the "fixed order" of the sun, moon and stars ceases (Jer 31:35, 36)! TWOT adds that the concept of wide "connotes freedom from distress and the ability to pursue one’s own objectives. To move from distress to safety requires deliverance. Generally the deliverance must come from somewhere outside the party oppressed. In the OT the kinds of distress, both national and individual, include enemies, natural catastrophies, such as plague or famine, and sickness. The one who brings deliverance is known as the “savior.” (Harris, R L, Archer, G L & Waltke, B K Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Moody Press) From it - In the Septuagint the preposition apo is used for "from" and is a marker indicating separation from something (a person, place or thing). And "it" of course is the day of distress, not a single day but representative of a period of time. While Jeremiah does not state how long this day will last (so clearly it is not a literal day), comparison with the Great Tribulation described by Jesus leaves no doubt that these are two names of the same time of distress. And by comparing Jesus' description of the event that begins the Great Tribulation (revealing of the antichrist - Mt 24:15) and Daniel's description of the seventieth week of the prophecy in Da 9:24-27-note (see especially Da 9:27-note), one can confidently state that this time of distress will last three and one-half years, the last half of the seven year period traditionally called "The Tribulation." SUMMARY OF THE DAY OF JACOB'S DISTRESS First note that the time of Jacob's distress describes a period of time, specifically the last 3.5 years of Daniel's Seventieth Week, which Jesus designated as Great Tribulation (Mt 24:21, cp Mk 13:19, Re 7:14-note). During this time the Antichrist ("Beast" of Rev 13, "Little Horn of Daniel 7") will be allowed by God and empowered by Satan (Rev 13:4-note, Rev 13:5-note where 42 months = 3.5 years) to have essentially "free reign" on the earth and will attempt to destroy the Jews in the greatest "holocaust" the world has ever seen. And yet in the midst of this horrible time to come, God makes the sure promise that He will save Jacob from it or out of it, which is a prophecy of the Messiah's return to deliver Israel (see Ro 11:25,26, 27-note cp Zech 13:8, 9). See also "Last Days" SUMMARY OF GREAT TRIBULATION Tony Garland Tony Garland has the following summary of the Great Tribulation (A Testimony of Jesus Christ - Jacob’s Trouble and the Great Tribulation)... Two other titles which are related to the coming Day of the Lord are the Time of Jacob’s Trouble and the Great Tribulation. (1 - see notes below) Notice that all three involve the concept of an unparalleled time of trouble. Unparalleled implies two things concerning the time periods involved: 1 Since there cannot be more than one unparalleled time of trouble, their time periods must overlap. (2) 2 These events have not transpired in the past. (3) Regarding the timing of the Great Tribulation, Jesus said “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” (Mt 24:15-22, cp Mark 13:19-27) Jesus referred to this Daniel 9:27 “overspreading of abominations” in Matthew 24:15. Then He said, “then shall be Great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Mt 24:21), thereby indicating that the Great Tribulation will begin when the overspreading of abominations of Daniel 9:27 occurs. Since the Great Tribulation will begin when the overspreading of abominations occurs in the middle of the 70th week, we can conclude that the Great Tribulation will begin in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel, or after the first three and one-half years of that seven-year period have transpired. (4) Notice Jesus says, “let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” and “pray that your flight may not be . . . on the Sabbath.” There is an explicit Jewish element to this entire passage. This is because the events are related to the Time of Jacob’s Trouble described by Jeremiah: ‘For behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the LORD. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ Now these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah. For thus says the LORD: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask now, and see, whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor, and all faces turned pale? Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.’ (Je 30:3-7) Notice several important aspects within this passage: 1 Jacob is Israel - Jacob fathered the 12 tribes and was given the name Israel by God (Gen. 32:28). Thus, this is describing a time of trouble specifically for the Jews. 2 Gathering in the Land - This time of trouble occurs after Israel is gathered back in the Promised Land. 3 Birth Pangs - The passage refers to every man acting “like a woman in labor.” How similar this is to the words of Jesus, “All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Mt 24:8). Sorrows (ōdin) indicates “[A] pang or throe, especially of childbirth.” [emphasis added] 5 4 A Unique Day - There is no other day like it. 5 Results in Salvation - “But he shall be saved out of it.” Although the Jews undergo an extremely troubling time, salvation comes at the end. 6 The Jewish aspect of this period can also be seen in the wider context of Micah’s well-known prophecy concerning the birthplace of Messiah: Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops; He has laid siege against us; they will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock In the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God; and they shall abide, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth. (Mic. 5:1-4) [bolding added] Scripture record’s two pregnancies in relation to Messiah. The first labor terminates in the First Coming of Messiah (Re 12:2, 3, 4-note). The second labor terminates in the ushering in of the Millennial Kingdom. It is this second period of labor, subsequent to the going forth of Messiah from Bethlehem, which Micah sets forth. This second labor leads to the millennial age: “For now He shall be great to the ends of the earth.” The time of Jacob’s trouble describes the labor pains associated with the second pregnancy. “She who travaileth” does not refer to Israel bringing forth (giving birth to) Messiah, but to her last-day Tribulation travail (Jer. 30:5-7) in bringing forth a believing remnant, . . . Israel’s greatest and most anguishing sufferings of all her long and checkered history of woe will take place during the coming Great Tribulation (Rev. 8:1-note- Re 20:3-note). Her terrible travail pains that in God’s plan precede the joy of birth (cf. Mic. 4:9; cf. John 16:21), will bring forth a regenerated nation to enter the joy of the Kingdom, which will be as unparalleled as the agony that introduces it.7 This period is mentioned in the book of Revelation and also Daniel which provides additional details as to its duration: 8 Revelation 12-note states the length of time this persecution and hiding of the Jews in the wilderness will last . . . it will last 1,260 days (Rev. 12:6-note) . . . Revelation 12:14-note states that Israel will hide in the wilderness from Satan for “a time, and times, and half a time.” Daniel 7:25 uses this identical time designation for the length of time that the Antichrist will persecute the saints of the 70th week. . . . Revelation 13:5-7-note, when referring to this same persecution of 70th-week saints by the Antichrist, declares that it will last for 42 months, which equal three and one-half years. . . . The Jews will be persecuted and will hide in a wilderness area for three and one-half years, exactly one-half of the seven-year 70th week. . . . the Great Tribulation will be finished when God has completely shattered the obstinate rebellion of the nation of Israel against Him [Dan. 9:24; 12:7]. In other words, the Great Tribulation will end when Israel’s rebellion against God’s rule ends. 9 Scofield summarizes the character of this unique period: The elements of the tribulation are: (1) The cruel reign of the “beast out of the sea” (Rev. 13:1-note), who, at the beginning of the three and a half years, will break his covenant with the Jews (by virtue of which they will have re-established the temple worship, Dan. 9:27), and show himself in the temple, demanding that he be worshipped as God (Mt 24:15; 2Th. 2:4). (2) The active interposition of Satan “having great wrath” (Rev. 12:12-note), who gives his power to the Beast (Rev. 13:4-note, Re 13:5-note). (3) The unprecedented activity of demons (Rev. 9:2-note, Re 9:11-note); and (4) the terrible “bowl” judgments of Rev. 16-note 10 Although the book of Revelation indicates that all those living on the earth immediately prior to the return of Jesus will be involved in troublesome times, this is especially true for the Jews. This is because God applies judgment first and more fully to those who have greater revelation and responsibility (Amos 3:2; Luke 12:48).11 While it is true that all will suffer during that time, Israel will suffer more so. The basic reason for this lies in Israel’s relationship to God as God’s first born (Ex. 4:22) and, therefore, Israel receives double, both in blessing and cursing. The principle that Israel receives double for all her sins is stated in Isaiah 40:1-2 . . . It is also found in Jeremiah 16:16-18. The principle of Israel’s receiving double for all her sins is the reason why the Tribulation is uniquely the Time of Jacob’s Trouble.12 Stanton shows the Jewish character of the period by saying: “The tribulation is primarily Jewish. This fact is borne out by Old Testament Scriptures (Dt 4:30; Jer. 30:7; Eze. 20:37; Dan. 12:1; Zec. 13:8-9), by the Olivet Discourse of Christ (Mt 24:9-26), and by the book of Revelation itself (Rev. 7:4-8-note; Re 12:1-2-note, Re 12:17-note etc.). It concerns ‘Daniel’s people,’ the coming of ‘false Messiah,’ the preaching of the ‘gospel of the kingdom,’ flight on the ‘sabbath,’ the temple and the ‘holy place,’ the land of Judea, the city of Jerusalem, the twelve ‘tribes of the children of Israel,’ the ‘son of Moses,’ ‘signs’ in the heavens, the ‘covenant’ with the Beast, the ‘sanctuary,’ the ‘sacrifice and the oblation’ of the temple ritual—these all speak of Israel and prove that the tribulation is largely a time when God deals with His ancient people prior to their entrance into the promised kingdom.”13 Our study of the book of Revelation will greatly benefit by keeping in mind the purposes God has for this period of time: The first purpose is to make an end of wickedness and wicked ones (Isa. 13:9; Isa. 24:19-20) . . . The second purpose of the Tribulation is to bring about a worldwide revival (Rev. 7:1-7-note) . . . The Third purpose of the Tribulation is to break the power of the stubborn will of the Jewish nation (Dan. 12:5-7; Eze. 20:33-38).14 The Old Testament presents at least five purposes for the Tribulation. 1 . The Tribulation will complete the decreed period of national Israel’s judicial hardening as punishment for its rejection of the messianic program, which the partial return from exile did not remove and which culminated in the national rejection of Jesus (Isa. 6:9-13; 24:1-6; cf. John 12:37-41; Rom. 11:7-10). 2 . It will produce a messianic revival among Jewish people scattered throughout the world (Dt 4:27-30; cf. Rev. 7:1-4-note; Mt 24:14). 3 . The Tribulation will convince the Jewish nation of their need for the Messiah in order to produce a national regeneration (Dan. 12:5-7; Jer. 31:31-34; Eze. 20:34-38; 36:25-27; 37:1-14; Zec. 12:9-13:2; Isa. 59:20-21). This will result in a massive return of Jews to the land of Israel (Zec. 8:7-8; Eze. 36:24; 37:21). 4 . It will end the time of the Gentiles and effect the deliverance of the Jewish people from Gentile dominion (Isa. 24:21-23; 59:16-20; cf. Mt 24:29-31; Mark 13:24-27; Rom. 11:25). 5 . The Tribulation will purge the earth of wicked people in order to establish the Messianic Kingdom in righteousness (Isa. 13:9; 24:19-20; Eze. 37:23; Zec. 13:2; 14:9; Isa. 11:9). This violent reduction of the world’s unbelieving population will result from the divine judgments unleashed throughout the Tribulation (Rev. 6-18), climaxing with the Battle of Armageddon under King Messiah (Rev. 19) and His purge of rebel Jews and oppressive Gentiles at the end of the Tribulation (Eze. 20:33-38; Mt 25:31-46).15 Notes and Reference annotations 1 “The Scriptures indicate that the Day of the Lord, the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, and the Great Tribulation (Ed: see chart for synonyms) have several things in common. First, the concept of trouble or tribulation are associated with all three . . . Second, the concept of an unparalleled time of trouble is identified with all three [Joel 2:1-2; Jer. 30:7; Dan. 12:1 cf. Mt 24:21] . . . Third, the term ‘great’ is used for all three . . . Fourth, the concept of birth pangs is associated with all three . . . Fifth, the expression ‘that day’ is used for all three . . . Sixth, Israel’s future repentance or spiritual restoration to God is associated with all three . . . These comparisons demonstrate that several of the same concepts and terms are associated with the Day of the Lord, the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, and the Great Tribulation . . . they indicate that the Day of the Lord will cover or at least include the same time period as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble and the Great Tribulation.”—Renald E. Showers, Maranatha, Our Lord Come (Bellmawr, NJ: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1995), 41-42. 2 “Both the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jer. 30:6-7) and the Great Tribulation (Mt 24:21) are described as the unparalleled time of trouble. Since there can only be one such time, both will cover the same time period. The Great Tribulation will begin in the middle of the seven-year 70th week. We know this because Jesus indicated that the Great Tribulation will begin with the abomination of desolation (Mt 24:15-21), which will take place in the middle of the 70th week (Dan. 9:27). . . . Since the Great Tribulation will begin in the middle and terminate at the end of the 70th week and will cover the same time period as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, the Time of Jacob’s Trouble will also cover the entire second half of the 70th week.”—Showers, Maranatha, Our Lord Come, 23-24. 3 They must necessarily eclipse all the world wars and the horrors of the holocaust unless God be accused of exaggeration. 4 Showers, Maranatha, Our Lord Come, 43. 5 James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship, 1996), G5604. 6 How different this is from the interpretation which preterists force upon Matthew 24! The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 involved no intervention by God on behalf of the Jews. 7 Merrill F. Unger, Unger’s Commentary on the Old Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2002), Mic. 5:3. 8 See Prophetic Year. 9 Showers, Maranatha, Our Lord Come, 44-46. 10 C. I. Scofield, The Scofield Study Bible (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2002, 1909), Rev. 7:14. 11 “It has been denied that God‘s people were actually worse than the pagans about them, but reckoning must be in proportion to spiritual knowledge and privileges enjoyed. The judgments of God are always relative to light and privilege granted. . . The Latins have a pointed saying: Corruptio optimi pessima (’The corruption of the best issues in the worst.’)”—Charles Feinberg, The Prophecy of Ezekiel: The Glory of the Lord (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1969), 37. 12 Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of Messiah, rev ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2003), 282-283. 13 J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1958), 237. 14 Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of Messiah, 177-181. 15 Randall Price, “Old Testament References to The Great Tribulation,” in Mal Couch, ed., Dictionary of Premillennial Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1996), 415. Jewish Believer David Baron THE second item in the Divine program of the future of Israel, as given in this divinely dictated "book," is, to use the language of inspiration, the "time of Jacob's trouble.".....But may not this "time of Jacob's trouble" refer to the awful calamity which befell the nation at the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, which was repeated with perhaps still greater severity about sixty-five years later in the time of Bar Kokhba and Hadrian? No! The ordeal announced here through which Israel is to pass is terribly sharp, but brief in its duration, as suggested by the very figure employed—which is that of a woman in travail ; and it ends in their salvation (Jer 30:7b): while the sufferings at the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus (70AD) only inaugurated a long series of dispersions, massacres, spoliations, and oppressions, which has already continued for more than eighteen centuries. Of course, it is not denied that these long-enduring sufferings were predicted in the Word of God, and have their place and relation to Israel's apostasy and future glory; and, in one sense, "the time of Jacob's trouble" may be only a summing up, a culmination, of all that has preceded: but it is clear that there is a time of purging by fiery judgment awaiting Israel after the return to their land, which will immediately precede their national conversion and the revelation to them of the Messiah, whom, as a nation, they have so long rejected. (The Jewish Problem-David Baron - The Time of Israel's Trouble) David Cooper writes on "The Tribulation Period": The prophets constantly speak of "the day of Jehovah." Descriptions of it are found in such passages as Isaiah 2, the Book of Joel, and Zephaniah 1:14-18. They picture it as a time of great distress and indignation when God arises to shake the earth mightily and to destroy the wicked out of it. One of the clearest descriptions of this period of trouble and judgment is found in Isaiah 24:1-20. This is called especially the time of Jacob's trouble, but he is assured that he shall be saved out of it (Jeremiah 30:7). The Book of Revelation is a detailed account of the judgments which will fall upon the earth during that time. This period of Jehovah's wrath is described in chapters 6 through 19. Those chapters which give the chronological order of events are: 6,8,9, and 16. The other chapters give details concerning the conditions which will then obtain upon the earth. Thus, figuratively speaking, we would say that they give the stage setting. A careful study of Revelation shows that this period of wrath is divided into two sections: The first half of the Tribulation covering 1260 days (Revelation 11:3); the second half consisting of forty-two months (Revelation 11:2). These judgments will be so very severe that the bulk of humanity will be swept from the face of the globe. The surface of the earth will present the appearance of a desolation and a waste. The heavens likewise will be affected by these thorough-going judgments. Jeremiah, chapter 4:23-26, gives a very vivid description of the heavens and the earth at the end of the Tribulation. That he was talking about this time of judgment is evident from the fact that verse 27 begins with the conjunction for, which introduces a sentence explanatory of this passage. An examination of this verse and the following ones shows that Jeremiah was looking forward into the future — to this period of travail through which Israel as a nation shall pass in this period of Tribulation. (The Seventy Weeks of Daniel- Chapter 05) (The Seventy Weeks of Daniel) ><>><>><> As as aside, I am shocked that a Jewish believer, Dr Michael Brown (Expositor's Bible Commentary---Revised) makes this dogmatic statement - "Dispensational authors take the passage (Jer 30:7) to refer to Israel’s sufferings in the great tribulation after the church has been raptured—certainly not in the mind of Jeremiah here—with almost no reference to the sufferings of Israel and Judah at the hands of the Babylonians." I far prefer the non-revised 1984 edition of the Expositor's Bible Commentary in which the section on Jeremiah was penned by another Jewish believer, Dr. Charles Feinberg. His words (with which I agree) are essentially the antithesis of the musings of Dr Brown - "In the light of the immediate context and what follows, the preferable position is to assume that the reference (in Jer 30:7) is to the Day of the Lord. “That day” was not one immediately at hand. It is not the day of the destruction of Jerusalem but the day of God’s comprehensive judgment. The present is not to be excluded, but it is swallowed up in the future. That day was to be marked by great calamities. In a sense the fall of Babylon was only the opening scene of the extended drama. Yet it is vitally important to remember that v.7 speaks of Jacob’s trouble, not Babylon’s. The prophetic Scriptures are replete with references to this unique time of Jacob’s distress; e.g., “There is none like it” (cf. Matt 24:21 with the earlier prediction in Dan 12:1; cf. also 46:10; Isa 2:12–21; 13:6; 34:1–8; Ezek 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1–2, 11; Amos 5:18–20; Mic 1:2–5; Zeph 1:2–3:8; Zech 14:1–8, 12–15 among others). Notice that the travail will issue in both physical and spiritual deliverance (cf. Zech 12:10–13:1) and that liberation will be such that never again will Israel be enslaved by any nation. This could never be said of any deliverance to this present hour; it must refer to eschatological times." (Expositor's Bible Commentary) I would suggest that newer editions of books are not necessarily better editions and the preceding discussion is a striking example! And since Dr Brown seems to blame the eschatological (future) interpretation of Jeremiah 30:7 on a "dispensationalist" approach, I thought it would be "kosher" to quote a voice from the past, Charles Simeon (1759-1836), a British pastor who lived and preached long before dispensationalism was a popular. Here is a section from his sermon on verses in the context of Jeremiah 30:7 (sermon on Jeremiah 30:10-11) - Respecting their primary import we can have no doubt. They (the words of Jer 30:10,11) look forward to a period far beyond the return of the Jews from Babylon, even to that blessed period, when the whole nation shall be converted to the faith of Christ, and be restored to the possession of the land of Canaan (Jer 30:8,9). That such a period shall arrive, we have the strongest and most unequivocal declarations of Holy Writ (cf Hos 3:5): and it becomes us all to look forward to it with confidence and joy.... A season of happiness awaits them, such as they never experienced in their most prosperous days: “they shall be at rest, and be quiet, and none shall make them afraid:” and this outward peace shall be only a shadow of that inward joy which they snail experience under the protection of their reconciled God and Saviour, who will be “a little sanctuary unto them.” (Ezek. 11:16, 17-note with Jer 23:6.) However “far off” his people are, God sees and knows them (2Ti 2:19), and will in due season bring them to Himself. No enemy shall be able to detain them: their bonds shall be broken, and they shall be “brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” O what sweet peace and composure of mind shall they enjoy, when they are truly brought to the fold of Christ (Ps 23:1-2)! what blessed assurance too shall they possess, not only of their present interest in the Saviour, but of final victory and everlasting felicity (Ps 23:3-4)! Yet is this but the beginning of blessings: the time shall come when the saints of all ages, even from the beginning to the end of time, shall be gathered together, every one of them freed from all remains of sin and sorrow, and raised to the fruition of their heavenly inheritance. Shall we not then, whilst we contemplate the future destinies of God’s ancient people, consider also our own; when, even in this life, such “things are prepared for us as no un-renewed eye hath seen, or ear heard, or heart conceived;” and, in the world to come, such things as exceed the comprehension whether of men or angels?....The Egyptians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Romans, have ceased to exist as distinct kingdoms; and have been lost, as it were, among the people who subdued them: but the Jews are in every place a distinct people, and are so kept by God’s overruling providence, that he may accomplish more manifestly his gracious purposes towards them. Many indeed, like Pharaoh, have sought their destruction; but they live as monuments of God’s unceasing care and faithfulness. And may not we also see the hand of God ordering and overruling every thing for our good?....Look at the Jews in Babylon, or in their present state; What can be conceived more hopeless? — — — Yet they were, and shall be delivered." - (Full sermon - Jeremiah 30:10, 11.God’s gracious Designs towards his chosen People) I love it. Here is Charles Simeon, a Gentile non-dispensationalist, who seems to simply allow the text say what it says normally and in plain English and in so doing arrives at the same conclusion that Feinberg did more than a 100 years later -- the conclusion that this section of Jeremiah clearly has a future fulfillment in view! The upshot is be careful who you read on prophetic passages, regardless of how many degrees or doctorates they possess! If they do not read and interpret the text literally, they are very likely to err in their interpretation on eschatological passages, whether they are Jewish or Gentile! Jeremiah 30:8 'It shall come about on that day,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'that I will break his yoke from off their neck and will tear off their bonds; and strangers will no longer make them their slaves. BREAKING THE YOKE SETTING SLAVES FREE Prophetic Passage - Jeremiah 30:8 is a prophecy which will be fulfilled at the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the last half of Daniel's Seventieth Week, at the end of the 3.5 year period (the Great Tribulation) at which time the Messiah establishes His literal, earthly Millennial Kingdom. On that day...I will break his yoke off their neck...tear off their bonds - What day? Clearly in context he is referring to the day of Jacob's distress which will usher in the day of Jacob's deliverance (See discussion of the "Last Days")! When the Messiah returns, He will come as the Stone described in Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45 Who "will crush and put an end to all these (Gentile) kingdoms." And when their power and authority is broken, the yoke of the neck that they have placed on Israel will be broken (forever)! On that day is translated "in that day" by most of the other modern translations (Jer 30:8ESV, Jer 30:8NIV, Jer 30:8NLT, etc). The phrase "in that day" when used by the prophets most often refers to that future day when God will judge the Gentile nations and will restore the land of Israel to the believing remnant who will possess the land. The phrase "in that day" (searching the ESV) is found 66 times in 64 verses in the Old Testament with the majority found in Isaiah's prophecy... Dt 31:17-18; 1Sa 8:18; Isa 2:11, 17, 20; 3:7, 18; 4:1f; 7:18, 20-21, 23; 10:20, 27; 11:10-11; 12:1, 4; 17:4, 7, 9; 19:16, 18-19, 21, 23-24; 20:6; 22:8, 12, 20, 25; 23:15; 26:1; 27:1-2, 12-13; 28:5; 29:18; 30:23; 31:7; 52:6; Jer 4:9; 30:8; 48:41; 49:22, 26; Hos 2:16, 21; Joel 3:18; Amos 2:16; 8:3, 13; 9:11; Mic 2:4; 4:6; 5:10; 7:11-12; Zech 2:11; 3:10. HCSB Note - Much debate revolves around the phrase on that day. Was this the day Cyrus captured Babylon? If so, why would it be so horrendous for Israel? Cyrus was their liberator. "That day" therefore must be the time when God will judge all nations. "That day" is used in Scripture to introduce the "Day of the Lord" (Am 5:18-20; Zeph 1:14-18). All oppression (his understood collectively of all Israel's oppressors) of Israel will be overcome on that future day. (See HCSB Study Bible: God's Word for Life - Page cclxxviii) LORD of hosts - see Jehovah Sabaoth (of the armies) Break his yoke - Who's yoke? This refers to the oppressive yoke of the Gentile powers in the end times. It is notable that Jehovah has broken the yoke historically (Lev 26:13 - freeing them from the yoke of the Egyptians) and so clearly He is will fulfill His promise in the future! Remember that Jeremiah's readers are currently under the yoke of Babylon and yet here they are given hope. While one might propose that Judah's liberation after 70 years is in a sense a fulfillment of this promise, it cannot be the final fulfillment. Why? Because strangers will no longer make them slaves and yet the Jews have been subjected to the yoke of many anti-Semitic regimes since Babylon. This promise awaits their future full restoration to the land of Israel when their Messiah returns! In Deuteronomy 28:48 Moses prophesied that Israel would suffer the yoke of oppression from their enemies. Ezekiel 34:27 makes a prophetic promise similar to Jer 30:8, a promise which also will be fulfilled in the last days, in the time of Jacob's distress and the glorious Millennial reign of Messiah. Yoke (05923)('ol) is a masculine noun which literally describes a wooden frame or a bar placed on the neck of work animals to harness them for labor (Nu 19:2, Dt 28:48, 1Sa 6:7). As used in this passage, 'ol was frequently used as a symbol for slavery or enslavement. It also conveyed the picture of something that oppressed or was a burden. For example, in Lamentations 1:14 transgressions were described as the "yoke" that enslaved! Woe! Is this not what the old sin nature does to all of us (even believers if we fail to walk in the light and the power of the Spirit!)! Note that the majority of the OT uses are in the book of Jeremiah. NET Note - The yoke is a common biblical symbol of political servitude (see, e.g., Dt 28:48; 1Kgs 12:4, 9, 10). From the context of 1Kgs 12:1-33 it is clear that it applied to taxation and the provision of conscript labor. In international political contexts it involved the payment of heavy tribute which was often conscripted from the citizens (see, e.g., 2Ki 15:19–20; 23:34–35) and the furnishing of military contingents for the sovereign’s armies (see, e.g., 2Ki 24:2). Jeremiah’s message here combines both a symbolic action (the wearing of a yoke) and words of explanation as in Jer 19:1–13. (See Isa 20:1–6 for an example outside of Jeremiah.) The casting off of the yoke has been used earlier in Jer 2:20, 5:5 to refer to Israel’s failure to remain spiritually “subject” or faithful to God. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery - YOKE The more then fifty references to the yoke in the Bible speak of the wooden bar or frame used to join animals to enable them to pull a load. Two aspects of a yoke are important in these references: the yoke is an image of subjection, service or bondage (just as a yoked donkey or ox is in service to its owner) or an image of joining (just as two animals are joined together by means of a yoke). Literal references to yokes are relatively rare in the Bible. Some of them occur in the ceremonial laws, where (for example) we read about using a previously unyoked heifer as a sacrifice (Num 19:2) or in a ritual of innocence (Deut 21:1–9) and about not yoking an ox and donkey together (Deut 22:10). Yoking here assumes a ceremonial aura, as something with religious meaning. This was also the case when Saul cut a yoke of oxen in pieces and sent the pieces throughout the land of Israel as a symbolic statement (1 Sam 11:7). Other literal images of yoked animals simply reinforce the down-to-earth realism of the Bible. We have a picture of yoking two cows to pull the cart carrying the ark of the Lord and shutting up their calves at home (1 Sam 6:10), or the spectacle of the most impressive farmer in the neighborhood-Elisha-plowing with twelve yoke of oxen (1 Kings 19:19). In Jesus’ parable of the banquet, one of the everyday excuses an invited guest uses is that he has bought five yoke of oxen and wants to try them out (Lk 14:19). Most biblical references are figurative, and the largest category is the yoke as a symbol of political slavery to a foreign king (Deut 28:48; Jer 27:8–12) or oppressive subservience to one’s own king (1 Kings 12:4–14). Correspondingly, an evocative image of freedom is breaking loose from the yoke of servitude (e.g., Gen 27:40; Is 9:4; 10:27; Jer 28:2, 4; Ezek 34:27). As a demonstration that Judah and surrounding nations should submit to Nebuchadnezzar, God instructed Jeremiah to wear a yoke around his neck (Jer 27). Other meanings also inhere in the yoke as an image of bondage. Sin is a yoke around a person’s neck (Lam 1:14), and to require Gentile Christians to submit to the Jewish ceremonial code would be an unwelcome yoke (Acts 15:10), as it is for Christians who return to the law (Gal 5:1). Because yoking joins two animals together, it also becomes a symbol of close alliance or union. Israel’s dabbling in pagan practices is pictured as a yoking of itself to Baal (Num 25:3, 5). Paul’s warning against a Christian’s marrying an unbeliever is expressed in the command “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Cor 6:14 NIV), perhaps an allusion to the prohibition against yoking an ox and donkey together (Deut 22:10). In most of the references noted thus far, the yoke is a negative image—something a person would do virtually anything to avoid. But the image can also have positive meanings. As a symbol of legitimate discipline in a person’s life, bearing the yoke in one’s youth “is good,” on a par with waiting quietly for the salvation of the Lord (Lam 3:26–27). The supreme example is Jesus’ turning his paradoxical rhetoric to the yoke as a form of good subjection to him: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, … and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Mt 11:29–30 NIV). See also BONDAGE AND FREEDOM; DONKEY, ASS; OX, OXEN. 'ol - 40x in 34 verses in the OT - all translated yoke... Genesis 27:40 "By your sword you shall live, And your brother you shall serve; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck." Leviticus 26:13 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect. Numbers 19:2 "This is the statute of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an unblemished red heifer in which is no defect and on which a yoke has never been placed. Deuteronomy 21:3 "It shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man, that is, the elders of that city, shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked and which has not pulled in a yoke; Deuteronomy 28:48 therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you. 1 Samuel 6:7 "Now therefore, take and prepare a new cart and two milch cows on which there has never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves home, away from them. 1 Kings 12:4 "Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." 9 So he said to them, "What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?" 10 The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!' But you shall speak to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins! 11 'Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'" 14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions." 2 Chronicles 10:4 "Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." 9 So he said to them, "What counsel do you give that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?" 10 The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us.' Thus you shall say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins! 11 'Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'" 14 He spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions." Isaiah 9:4 For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. Isaiah 10:27-note So it will be in that day, that his burden will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be broken because of fatness. Isaiah 14:25 to break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his yoke will be removed from them and his burden removed from their shoulder. Isaiah 47:6 "I was angry with My people, I profaned My heritage And gave them into your hand. You did not show mercy to them, On the aged you made your yoke very heavy. Jeremiah 2:20 "For long ago I broke your yoke And tore off your bonds; But you said, 'I will not serve!' For on every high hill And under every green tree You have lain down as a harlot. Jeremiah 5:5 "I will go to the great And will speak to them, For they know the way of the LORD And the ordinance of their God." But they too, with one accord, have broken the yoke And burst the bonds. Jeremiah 27:8 "It will be, that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine and with pestilence," declares the LORD, "until I have destroyed it by his hand. 11 "But the nation which will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let remain on its land," declares the LORD, "and they will till it and dwell in it."'" 12 I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live! Jeremiah 28:2 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 4 'I am also going to bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,' declares the LORD, 'for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.'" 11 Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, "Thus says the LORD, 'Even so will I break within two full years the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.'" Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way. 14 'For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they will serve him. And I have also given him the beasts of the field."'" Jeremiah 30:8 'It shall come about on that day,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'that I will break his yoke from off their neck and will tear off their bonds; and strangers will no longer make them their slaves. Lamentations 1:14 "The yoke of my transgressions is bound; By His hand they are knit together. They have come upon my neck; He has made my strength fail. The Lord has given me into the hands Of those against whom I am not able to stand. Lamentations 3:27 It is good for a man that he should bear The yoke in his youth. Ezekiel 34:27 "Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. Hosea 11:4 I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; And I bent down and fed them. NET Note on will tear off their bonds (bands) - The “bands” are the leather straps which held the yoke bars in place (cf. Jer 27:2). The metaphor of the “yoke on the neck” is continued. No longer - This phrase is used several times in the book of Jeremiah with an eschatological meaning, specifically signifying the time of the end, when Messiah returns and supernaturally reverses Israel's fortunes - Jer 3:16, 16:14, (Jer 23:4NET), Jer 23:7, 30:8 (Jer 31:19NET, Jer 31:29NET, Jer 31:34NET - twice) Ray