JEREMIAH LESSON 25


     We will begin this lesson in Jeremiah 23:20 "The anger of the
LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have
performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall
consider it perfectly."

     God will not recall His anger, until He has carried out all of
His wishes toward those who led His children astray. He executes
judgement on those who have committed such grievous sins. It is not
for us to question the judgements of God. At the end of time on this
earth, the great judgement comes on all of mankind. That is the day of
the separation of the sheep and the goats. God will gather His sheep
to everlasting life with Him: the goats will be doomed to the lake of
fire.

     Jeremiah 23:21 "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I
have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied."

     These prophets, that have deceived the people, are not God's
prophets. They were sent by the enemy to deceive the people. They
prophesy lies to the people. The words that come from their mouths did
not originate with God like a true prophet's words do.

     Jeremiah 23:22 "But if they had stood in my counsel, and had
caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them
from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings."

     One very good way to tell they were not of God, is because they
did not tell the people to repent of their sins and return to God.
They were saying, all is well, when really nothing was well. The
purpose of a prophet of God is to bring the message God puts in his
mouth. His message should be so powerful, that it would cause the
people to repent of sin.

     Jeremiah 23:23 "[Am] I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a
God afar off?"

     God is omnipresent. He is everywhere all the time. He knows
everything about everything you have ever done. God is not like these
false gods, that they could hold in their hands. His presence is
everywhere.

     Jeremiah 23:24 "Can any hide himself in secret places that I
shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth?
saith the LORD."

     God answers His own question here. There is no place to hide from
God. He knows all of your deeds, and He even knows your thoughts and
the desires of your heart. I Kings 8:27 "But will God indeed dwell on
the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain
thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" He may be all
over the earth, but He is seated in heavenly places, as well. Be sure,
He knows all about you, good and bad.

     Jeremiah 23:25 "I have heard what the prophets said, that
prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed."

     God is aware of every statement we have ever made. It is
especially bad for those who pretend God has sent them, when He has
not. Matthew 12:36 "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men
shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."

     Jeremiah 23:26 "How long shall [this] be in the heart of the
prophets that prophesy lies? yea, [they are] prophets of the deceit of
their own heart;"

     To prophesy or preach, without being called of God, is a
disastrous thing. First of all, the message is not from God, but from
within himself. The message is not of benefit to the hearers, but to
the one speaking. The mouth speaks from the issue of the heart. If the
heart is wicked and deceitful, the mouth speaks deceit. Many, today
have taken on the ministry as a vocation. This is very dangerous. To
minister, one must be called of God.

     Jeremiah 23:27 "Which think to cause my people to forget my name
by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their
fathers have forgotten my name for Baal."

     These false prophets are promoting worship of false gods. In this
particular instance, the false god was Baal. The people had taken
their minds off of God and on to these prophets. These false prophets
were leading them astray.

     Jeremiah 23:28 "The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a
dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully.
What [is] the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD."

     The statement, above, is not to discourage the true prophet who
really does hear from God. If you do have a dream from God, go ahead
and tell it. If God places, the Words in your mouth, speak them. Just
make sure the dreams and the Words are from God. The chaff and the
wheat are in the world together. The wheat is speaking of those who
are really of God. The chaff is sown by Satan. They both grow together
till the harvest. Christians are in the world with those who are not
saved. We just keep our life straightened out in the midst of the
world. Do not look at circumstances around you. Keep your eyes on
Jesus.

     Jeremiah 23:29 "[Is] not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD;
and like a hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces?"

     The Words of God, as a fire, burn the evil out. Those who come to
God have a broken and a contrite heart. God applies the heat and the
hammer to produce a stone fit for the builders. Jesus is the
cornerstone, and we are the lively stones held together by the
cornerstone.
     Jeremiah 23:30 "Therefore, behold, I [am] against the prophets,
saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour."

     God is not against all prophets, just the ones who prophesy
falsely. It is as if the false prophet is listened to more attentively
than the true prophet. The people are beginning to disregard the
message of the true prophet, thus the words are stolen from him. God
is against the prophet who is prophesying for his own self.

     Jeremiah 23:31 "Behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith the
LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith."

     Not everyone who says, "Thus saith the Lord" is really speaking
for God. They are using God to get what they want. This is a very evil
thing to do. This is a lying tongue.

     Jeremiah 23:32 "Behold, I [am] against them that prophesy false
dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err
by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor
commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all,
saith the LORD."

     A false prophet has no intention of helping anyone, but himself.
We are cautioned to try the spirits, and see whether they be of God,
or not. It appears, these false prophets are so convincing with their
made up dreams that many believe them. It will profit no one at all.
To believe a lie, is a destruction, not a help.

     Jeremiah 23:33  "And when this people, or the prophet, or a
priest, shall ask thee, saying, What [is] the burden of the LORD? thou
shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith
the LORD." Jeremiah 23:34 "And [as for] the prophet, and the priest,
and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even
punish that man and his house."

     It appears, these false prophets had been preaching good times.
They had convinced the people of peace and prosperity. They tried to
say that Jeremiah's prophecy was not of God, because of the
requirements attached to it. They are teaching that God does not
burden the people with regulations. They are free to do as they will.
God will greatly punish the false prophets, and the people who accept
this teaching.

     Jeremiah 23:35 "Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and
every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath
the LORD spoken?"

     We see that doubt has arisen, and they are all asking each other,
instead of finding their own truth from God. It is as if they are
saying, "Who do we believe?".

     Jeremiah 23:36 "And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no
more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted
the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God."
     It appears, they had forgotten the commandments of God. They had
begun to think of them as a burden. They were listening to the desires
of their own selves instead. They are not doing what the Word of God
taught them to do. They are doing what was right in their own sight.
The answers to all of the world's problems are in the Bible {God's
Holy Word}. Decisions made with any other rules will not work. To
follow your own desires, leads to destruction.

     Jeremiah 23:37 "Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the
LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken?"

     We see these people were listening to the advice of the false
prophet. They were asking the false prophet what the will of God was
for their lives. They were being led away from God.

     Jeremiah 23:38 "But since ye say, The burden of the LORD;
therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of
the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The
burden of the LORD;"

     The false prophets had been answering them, as if it were
directly from God. They were saying their answers were from God, when
in fact, they were their own words. God warns these false prophets not
to use His name when proclaiming these falsehoods.

     Jeremiah 23:39 "Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget
you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your
fathers, [and cast you] out of my presence:"

     God is speaking to all of the people, as well as to the false
prophets here. The city, spoken of, is Jerusalem. God had given the
promised land to the children of Israel. Now, He is saying, His
protection and blessing on them will be no more.

     Jeremiah 23:40 "And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon
you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten."

     They have rejected God and His Truth. Now, God has rejected them.
The everlasting reproach is certainly true even today. In many lands
today, it is difficult to be a Jew. It is even thought of as being a
shame. A good example of this was the trouble the Jews had under
Adolph Hitler in World War 2. God will always leave a crack in the
door for them to enter into. Through faith in Jesus Christ, they can
be saved.










                         Jeremiah 25 Questions


1.  The anger of the LORD will not return, until when?
2.  When does the great judgement come on all mankind?
3.  Where will the sheep spend all of eternity?
4.  These false prophets are not _________ prophets.
5.  Where do the words of a true prophet originate?
6.  What would they have done, if they had been true prophets?
7.  God is ____________. He is everywhere all the time.
8.  Can anyone hide from God?
9.  Quote 1 Kings chapter 8 verse 27.
10. What way did they say they received their prophecy?
11. Quote Matthew chapter 12 verse 36.
12. They are prophets of the deceit of their own _______.
13. The mouth speaks from the issue of the __________.
14. To minister, one must be ___________ of God.
15. What false god is mentioned in verse 27?
16. Verse 28 explains what about prophets?
17. Who is the wheat speaking of?
18. Who is the chaff speaking of?
19. Christians should not look at the ______________ around them.
20. What is God's Word compared to in verse 29?
21. Those who come to God must have a ________ and a _________ heart.
22. Jesus is the Cornerstone, and we are the __________ stones.
23. What prophets is God against?
24. What were the false tongues saying?
25. What profit do the people get from a false prophet?
26. What message had these false prophets been teaching?
27. When doubt arose, where were they seeking an answer from?
28. Every man's _________ shall be his burden.
29. They have ___________ the Word of the living God.
30. The false prophets had been answering them as if it were the
    _______ ____ __ ______.
31. God warns the false prophets not to use His __________.
32. What do verses 39 and 40 say will happen to them?