Jeremiah, a prophet of God called from birth, proclaimed to Israel the coming judgment of the Lord upon the nation for its harlotry. The burden of the Word of God was sometimes very heavy upon him: "Why did I ever come forth from the womb to look on trouble and sorrow, so that my days have been spent in shame?" (Jeremiah 20:18). Yet the Word of God burned deep within him: "But if I say, 'I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name,' then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it" (Jeremiah 20:9). Jeremiah longed for the righteousness of the Lord to be revealed in the midst of His people. God warned him that he would have to be strong but that He would protect him (Jeremiah 1.13-19). Great judgment was coming upon the Land, and he was to stand and encourage Israel to trust God. Never once throughout the entire book of Jeremiah does God ever promise to remove him from the coming judgment. In fact, God keeps him in the very heart of the battle.

Jeremiah was appointed a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1.5, 10). Great judgment [tribulation] was also coming upon the nations. God told Jeremiah, "Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. And they shall drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.... A clamor has come to the end of the earth, because the Lord has a controversy with the nations. He is entering into judgment with all flesh; as for the wicked, He has given them to the sword" (Jeremiah 25:15-16, 31). So we see that, not only was God judging Israel for their harlotry, He was also beginning to judge the nations for their deeds. According to the Lord, the judgment would be so great that "those slain by the Lord on that day shall be from one end of the earth to the other" (Jeremiah 25:33a). Humanism is not to be a factor in God's judgment, "They shall not be lamented, gathered, or buried; they shall be like dung on the face of the ground" (Jeremiah 25:33b).

The concept of the anointed vessel standing in the midst of judgment was not a new one to Israel. God did not remove Moses from the midst of Egypt when He judged the Egyptian gods. Nor did He remove Israel from the midst of the battle with the inhabitants of the Land when they first entered Canaan. In fact, it is usually the anointed vessel through which the Lord proclaims judgment on His enemies. Yet, He does not proclaim that judgment and then remove the anointed vessel from their midst. Witness what happened with all the prophets who stood in the midst of God's judgment upon His people.

So it will be with the anointed vessel of Messiah, the Church. In fact, Jesus told His disciples, not only would they be in the midst of tribulation, but they themselves would have to endure it (John 16.33). Paul and Barnabas declared that "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14.22). It has not changed in two thousand years. The Greek word for tribulation used here is almost always the same. It means "affliction, anguish, distress, persecution, trouble". The tribulation spoken of by Jesus started 2,000 years ago when He died on the cross outside Jerusalem and it has increased in magnitude even until our day.

It is through tribulation that we are able to persevere. Paul stated, "tribulation brings about perseverance" (Romans 5.3). James proclaimed, "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:12). We must persevere until the very end, according to Jesus, "And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations" (Revelation 2:26), and, "the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved" (Matthew 24:13).

Let's go back to our discussion of Jeremiah. He was having some problems understanding how the wicked could prosper in his evil ways (Jeremiah 12.1-4). Actually, he was growing weary of their evil deeds because he was having to suffer because of them. God had already spoken of the perceived prosperity of the wicked (Jeremiah 5.23-28; see also Psalm 34.21, Proverbs 11.19,21). God now rebuked Jeremiah, "If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?" (Jeremiah 12:5). In other words, if you are having problems when there is peace then how will you persevere when the going gets rough?

We in the United States, as a whole, are only now beginning to taste the coming tribulation. Starting in Jerusalem, it has finally reached the uttermost parts of the world. It has always been easy here for most of us, compared to the rest of the world. It seems, from listening to the radio and reading Christian magazines, that tribulation to most Christians in the United States is not being able to preach the message of salvation on their job, or having the Ten Commandments (which most Christians do not follow entirely anyway) taken out of courthouses, or not being allowed to have their teenager hold hands and pray around a flagpole at school. Yet, there is major tribulation coming upon the earth, and it looks as if we may beginning to see it increasing on a major scale, according to Jesus, "such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall" (Matthew 24:21; see also Daniel 12.1b).

A study of the book of Revelation reveals that we may be actually deep in the heart of the so-called "tribulation". As we look around the world we see wars and famine and death (the first four seals), fires burning at an increasing rate, the sea and rivers becoming unfit for animal life (the first three trumpets), and the beginnings of a one-world government ("the beast"). We are also witnessing the ingathering of Israel, which every prophet spoke of as happening in the endtime.

The purpose of this is not to frighten anyone. In fact, it is shown in the book of Revelation, as God's judgments are poured out upon the earth, the praise and worship before Him increases. These are birth pains, the beginning of the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth, the return of the Mosiach. We can have hope because God is redeeming His creation. Yet we must be strong and courageous, just as He told Israel when they were about to enter the Land. Our job now is to stand in the midst of the nations and proclaim His Glory and to encourage His people Israel to stand against the nations. We must resist man's effort to divide God's holy land.

This cannot be done if we are frightened or scared. We must draw near to the Lord in prayer, for God said, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29.13). We must study His word so that we are able to discern what is happening about us in the world today.

How does one go about preparing himself to be used of God in this awesome time? Join us in our Bible study as we work our way through the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. Watch as God reveals His plan of redemption through His Torah and His prophets, through His work with King David and King Solomon, see how the Scriptures flow together in complete unity and harmony. Join others in prayer for His people Israel. Stay abreast of what is happening in the Land. Get involved in building up Zion! If you are interested in getting involved and would like further information, drop us a note and we will do all that we can to help get you started.

[ Published: 12 March 2003 ]