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It shall be well with you... IF!!! (more continuum)
Occasionally prophets "act" or speak in the place of their people when communicating with God (i.e. the prophet that told Paul he would be bound in Jerusalem), and that is what we are seeing here in Jeremiah- "IF THOU WILT RETURN, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: AND IF THOU WILT PUT AWAY THINE ABOMINATIONS OUT OF MY SIGHT, THEN SHALT THOU NOT REMOVE... because of the evil of your doings... I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction... And it shall come to pass at that day, saith 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. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul" -Jeremiah 4:1-10. Again, you have hit upon a perfect question coming from an ex-Baptist. Were you taught to believe "once saved, always saved"? Were you taught that the Lord said- "I will never leave you nor forsake you?" -Hebrews 13:5. Well, the Lord made the same promise to the Israelites- "And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. And he said unto them... The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them... for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; HE WILL NOT FAIL THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE" -Deuteronomy 31:1-6. But now the Lord, in Jeremiah's day, is withdrawing His promise to protect and defend Israel- "...Seek... if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it. And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely. O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but THEY HAVE REFUSED TO RECEIVE CORRECTION: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return. THEREFORE I SAID, SURELY THESE ARE POOR; THEY ARE FOOLISH: FOR THEY KNOW NOT THE WAY OF THE LORD, NOR THE JUDGMENT OF THEIR GOD... because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased. HOW SHALL I PARDON THEE FOR THIS? THY CHILDREN HAVE FORSAKEN ME, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses... Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and SHALL NOT MY SOUL BE AVENGED ON SUCH A NATION AS THIS?... For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD. They have belied the LORD, and said, IT IS NOT HE; NEITHER SHALL EVIL COME UPON US; NEITHER SHALL WE SEE SWORD NOR FAMINE... But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you... Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A (consternation) and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" -Jeremiah 5:1-3, 6-7, 9, 11-12, 23-25, 29-31. Did the Lord deceive the people, as the prophet Jeremiah, speaking for the people, inquires of Him? No, He did not, for He made a covenant with them, a two-way covenant, in which the people also had a responsibility- "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be... The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth" -Deuteronomy 28:15-25. But the New Testament is different, right? So say the false prophets! (Not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God). But what does the scripture say? "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; BUT TOWARD THEE, GOODNESS, IF THOU CONTINUE IN HIS GOODNESS: OTHERWISE THOU ALSO SHALT BE CUT OFF" -Romans 11:17-22. Oh but not us, the false prophets say, for we believe, we have accepted the Lord as our Saviour, and we confess Him to be Lord just as Romans 10:10 says! "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits... 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. 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? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" -Matthew 7:15-23. Lord, Lord, Have we not prophesied in thy name? Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people... saying, Ye shall have peace!!! No my friend, the Lord has not deceived anyone, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A (consternation) and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" -Jeremiah 5: 23-25, 29-31. For did He not tell you, or- "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such WERE some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" -1 Corinthians 6:9-11. You see that "WERE some of you"- past tense- "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us... But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, LET IT NOT BE ONCE NAMED AMONG YOU, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath ANY INHERITANCE IN THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST and of God. LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU WITH VAIN WORDS: FOR BECAUSE OF THESE THINGS COMETH THE WRATH OF GOD UPON THE CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" -Ephesians 5:1-11. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter TIMES SOME SHALL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" -1 Timothy 4: l . "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God" -Hebrews 3:12. "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness" -2 Peter 3:l7 "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God" -Hebrews 12:14-15. "...I keep under my body, and bring it unto subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" -l Corinthians 9:27. "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers... drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things... Neither be ye idolaters... Neither let us commit fornication... Neither let us tempt Christ... Neither murmur ye, as some of them...and were destroyed... Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition... Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" -l Corinthians 10:1-12. "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But... judgment and fiery indignation..." -Hebrews 10:26-31. "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost... If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance... For... that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned" -Hebrews 6:4-8. "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through... Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning... But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow to her wallowing in the mire" -2 Peter 2:20-22. "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" -1 John 2:3-4. Continued in "The apostle Paul..." by TomR. |