Jeremiah 23-24

Jeremiah 23-24

Chapter 23: False Prophets

Woe to those that have scattered the sheep of the Lord’s pasture. A king shall arise from the branch of David, and he shall be called the King of Righteousness (Jesus Christ). Jeremiah writes; “Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man…” (Jeremiah 23:9) The priests and prophets of Judah are wicked, and divine vengeance is hanging over them. The people should not listen to their false promises: they will face destruction if they do.

Jeremiah continues to write about the land being filled with evil and “…swearing…” (Jeremiah 23:10) which goes to show that keeping your words clean is important to God. Jeremiah writes that “…both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness…” (Jeremiah 23:11) The so called prophets of the Lord have “…caused my [God’s] people Israel to err.” (Jeremiah 23:13) But the Lord counsels the people that are hearing the false prophets; “…Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. They say… unto them… Ye shall have peace; and they say unto you everyone one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.” (Jeremiah 23:16-17)

The world today is filled with prophets/pastors who say that as long as you profess the name of the Lord you shall be saved. It doesn’t matter what you do! But in reality, it does matter what you do! If you don’t make proper choices, like following all of God’s commandments, your calling of the Lord in your heart is in vain.

Jeremiah tells us that “…in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.” (Jeremiah 23:20). Jeremiah was right! We are in the latter days and we are seeing it happen, perfectly, all around us. I hear you can’t do wrong, and if for some reason you do… confess the name of God in your heart, accept Him as your Savior and you will be freed from sin! Do you realize what kind of lies are being taught? The people are being misled and because of the false teacher/preacher/pastor/prophet they are causing the Lord’s people to err.

So if there are so many False Prophets, how do we know which ones are TRUE messengers of God? Well this is where we get into a very unique LDS Doctrine. In the past God has called prophets, like Jeremiah for instance, but God knew that they would not believe him, so He gave Jeremiah “fruits” to prove that he was a messenger of God. Jesus speaks of these False Prophets and gives a formula for proving their truthfulness… “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.” (Matthew 7:15-17)

Jesus tells us that good prophets (men who are called of God, and given His authority to act and speak in His name) will bring forth good fruits, and bad or FALSE prophets will show forth evil or rotten fruit. It goes on to say “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruity… Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7:18,20)

In the LDS church, we have a church that was RESTORED. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the RESTORE church of Jesus Christ. God restored HIS church through the hand of Joseph Smith and continues on this day with a living Prophet and Apostles. No other church on earth has this, the Authority and power of God is back on the earth! How can you know this to be true? God gave Joseph Smith a “Fruit” to prove that he was truly called of God. This fruit is known as the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is the Ancient record of the people of the Americas, which was buried for thousands of years! God told Joseph Smith the location of this ancient buried record and had him translate it from an ancient language. The Book of Mormon is the fruit. If anyone wants to know the truth of these statements they must read the Book of Mormon and ask God themselves to manifest the truthfulness of this message.

A FREE copy of the Book of Mormon can be ordered here: http://mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon

Chapter 24: Jews shall be scattered and cursed

A vision after Jeconiah had been taken away captive: good figs and bad figs. The good figs symbolize those the Lord shall preserve in captivity, and the bad figs Zedekiah, his princes, the residue of Jerusalem, and those that dwell in Egypt. A scattering of people will occur.

Isaiah 53-54

Isaiah 53-54

Chapter 53: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

                “He [Jesus Christ] is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief… he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities…” (Isaiah 53: 3-5)

“…he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter…” (Isaiah 53:7) We all like sheep have gone astray. The Lord made his soul an offering for sin. The righteous servant shall justify many. He bore the sins of many.

Chapter 54: Zion and Her Stakes in the Last Days

Israel will be restored like a barren woman who bears many children. Israel will be restored like a widow who is rescued from her reproach. The church and its “stakes” will be strengthened… this is why the LDS church has stakes. The Lord has shown temporary wrath, and will now show everlasting kindness. Covenant with Noah cited as a precedent. The city shall be build with precious stones. Peace, and protection are promised.

                Those who are afflicted will be rewarded… “O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires…” (Isaiah 54:11)

                If we put our trust in the Lord we do not have to fear, because “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper…” (Isaiah 54:17)

Isaiah 33-34

Isaiah 33-34

Chapter 33: The Stakes of the Church

                Apostasy and wickedness precede the Second Coming of Jesus Christ… The plundering Assyria will itself be plundered. Zion will be filled with wisdom and righteousness. The earth will mourn and lay waste. The breath of the Lord will devour like fire. Sinners shall be afraid, but the righteous will see the king in his beauty.

“He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high…” (Isaiah 33:15-16)

Zion, the city of appointed feasts, will be blessed and delivered.

In verse 20 it says “…not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed…” (Isaiah 33:320) This is the reason why the LDS church has Stakes; they are what hold down the church all over the world. (See Also: Isaiah 54:2)

Chapter 34: The Second Coming

                The indignation of the Lord is against all nations. The sword of the Lord will make a great slaughter in Edom. The land will be inhabited only by animals of the wilderness.

Psalms 117-118

Psalms 117-118

Chapter 117: The Truth Endureth forever.

                Praise the Lord and know that His truth endures forever!

Chapter 118: The Head Stone

                “It is better to put trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” (Psalms 118:8)

                We need to understand that the Lord and His truth endure forever. Men will always try to deceive and tell us what is right. But we need to take strict heed to the counsel of this verse. Do not put our trust or confidence in man, but only in the Lord.

                “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.” (Psalms 118:22) Jesus is the headstone, so we read; the man which the people refused, became the Savior of man. This is essentially the same thing. It would be like construction workers refusing to accept the only stone that would complete and hold up their structure and by placing anything else their as the “head stone” the building will not stand.

                We know that this verse is referring to Jesus because later in Acts 4:10-11 we read; “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner”

                Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.

Psalms 45-46

Psalms 45-46

Chapter 45: The Messiah Fairer than the Children of Men

To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.

                “Thou art fairer than the children of men…” (Psalms 45:1) Here the author is telling us that the Messiah (the Lord) is fairer than men.

                “Thy throne, O God, is forever… the scepter of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” (Psalms 45:6-7)

                Here we learn that the Lord (Jehovah or Jesus) is fairer than men, but also that He answers to the same God we do; The Father! If we fast forward to the New Testament we read in Hebrew 1:8-10; “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever… a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God; even thy God, hath anointed thee… And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.”

Who is the God of the Old Testament?

                Why is this important? We know that the God of the ‘Old Testament’ was named Jehova. We know this because in Exodus 3:13 Moses asks the ‘God of the Old Testament’; “…when I come unto the children of Israel… and they shall say unto me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?” God responds back in the next verse and says; “…I AM THAT I AM… Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Isreal, I AM hath sent me unto you… Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name foever…” (Exodus 3:15-16)

                So we learn that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jabob of the Old Testament is named “I AM”. So now we have to fast forward again to the New Testament to see what was said about this God named “I AM”. In the story of the adulterous woman, Jesus tells the men who condemned the woman and wanted her to be stoned; “…He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone…” (John 8:7) This of course did not make the Pharisees happy and then began to question Jesus. Jesus was not about to be ridiculed and responds in a very authoritative, yet respectful way; “…I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me…” (John 8:28)

                Jesus was trying to make a point, He was sent by His Father! Jesus goes on to tell the Pharisees that if a man follow his worth “…he shall never see death” (John 8:51) of course Jesus is talking about a Spiritual death, but the Pharisees did not get this point and continued to ridicule Jesus; “…Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham” (John 8:56) Jesus responded to this by telling the Jews “…Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) This clearly shows that Jesus was the ‘great I AM’ of the Old Testament. After all “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him...” (John 1:1-3)

“By the word of the Lord [Jesus] were the heavens made…” (Psalms 33:6)

                Notice how it says the ‘Word’ was with God, and yet he is God? Jesus is a God but He is not THE God, which is our Father. Jesus was with the Father in the beginning; Jesus acted as a builder of the Universe, where the Father was the one who laid out the plans our ‘blueprints of the universe’.

Chapter 46: “Know that I am God”

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A song upon Alamoth

                “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear…” (Psalms 46:1-2)

                Even when the world around us crumbles; through war and natural disaster we need to not fear, if we truly have faith in the Lord. “Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalms 46:10). This is a great reminder for everyone; just BE STILL and know that God is there!

Psalms 21-22

Psalms 21-22

Chapter 21: Evil Designs Shall Fail

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

This Psalm most logically connects with the previous Psalm (20). It seems tha the victory that David prayed for and trusted in has been realized, and now David thanked God for the victory given.

                “The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord…” (Psalms 21:1)

King David had many reasons to take joy in the strength of God. Perhaps this joy came from preservation and success in battle or some other deliverance.

                “…thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee…the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath…” (Psalms 21:8-9)

                With the Lord, David will be able to triumph over his enemies, because their evil designs shall fail and the Lord will find them and destroy them.

Chapter 22: The Future Events of Christ

To the chief Musician upon Aijerth Shanar, A Psalm of David.

“Aijerth Shanar-  Set to “The Deer of the Dawn. We can say that this is a Psalm sung to the Greatest Musician, to an unknown tune, but by the Sweet Psalmist of Israel.”

                “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me…” (Psalms 22:1)

                David, as a man who knows and trusts God is forsaken, and cries out to God in agony. The question here, in Davids words were similar to that of Jesus’s words on the cross. What Jesus endured on the cross was so complex, so dark, and so agonizing that it was, at the moment, beyond His ability to figure out. He cried out to His Father… “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

                Sometimes, even the greatest of men, even the most knowledgable and faith filled men can sometimes feel like God has forsaken them! David knew of God, and knew that the Lord would never forsake him, still felt like the Lord was hiding. Even Jesus, in his last momments felt like His father had abdandoned Him. Sometimes we can feel overwhelmed with life, and I personally believe it is ok to call out to God and ask Him where He is! I think this helps to build a stronger relationship with your Father in Heaven.

                In this chapter David mentions a prophecy that came to pass; “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” (Psalms 22:18)

                This was a prophecy that was fulfilled when the Roman soldiers cast lots of the coat of Jesus… “And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots…” (Matthew 27:35)

                David reminds us that in the end; “…the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord…” (Psalms 22:27)

                We can learn from this, that even though we sometimes feel alone, we are not. The greatest prophets and the savior himself felt abandoned at one point. Why does God do this? For our own good, so we can learn. 

Job 28-29

Job 28-29

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 28: Wisdom Can Not be Bought

                Job gives a  little discourse on Widsom…. Job asks; “…where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” (Job 28:12)

                Job tells us that Wisdom cannot be purchased with the vein things of the world. He says that; gold, silver, sapphires, gold of Ophir, coral, pearls, and topaz of Ethiopia cannot buy wisdom or knowledge.

                He reminds his friends (and the reader) that “God understandeth the way thereof, and knoweth the place thereof” (Job 28:23), with God you can find Wisdom.

                “…Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28)

                If we refrain from evil, we will have understanding. If we fear the Lord (by following His commandments) we can find Wisdom.

Chapter 29: Job and His Former Prosperity

                Job continues his discourse by telling his friends and the reader about his former days…

                “Oh that I were as in months past, as in the ways when God preserved me; When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness” (Job 29:2-3)

                It is clear that Job was longing for his old days, the days that were filled with joy instead of pain and suffering. He mentions that he lived a life of prosperity and greatness. Because of his many blessings, he reached out to those who were not so blessed…

                “…I delivered the poor that cried…” (Job 29:12)

                “…I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.” (Job 29:13)

                “I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame” (Job 29:15)

                Job reached out to his fellow man and helped those who could not helpt themselves, and lent a hand of help, love and service to those who were overwhelmed or tired.

                Job even served justice when needed; “…I brake the jaws of the wicked, and pluck the spoil out of his teeth.” (Job 29:17)

                This to me says that violence, on occasion is OK. Afterall we can learn that EVEN Jesus had to cause a little disturbance at times… “And Jesus went into the temple of God… and overthre the tables of the money-changers…” (Matthew 21:12)