When Israel was driven out to Assyria in 721 BCE Judah had not yet sinned as a nation. Through Hosea, God said, "Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend" (Hosea 4:15). But later "her treacherous sister Judah feared not but went and played the harlot also," and God finally said, "The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah" (Jeremiah 8:8-11). And so, about 130 years after Israel's captivity, the time came when God drove out the Jews, also, into national captivity and banishment.
For this purpose God raised up a very special prophet, whose real calling few, indeed, understand. This prophet was Jeremiah. He was sanctified before he was born. (See Jeremiah 1:5.) Jeremiah, when first given his vital call and commission, was a young lad about 17. Before he finally completed it, he was an aged White haired patriarch. The commission is recorded in Jeremiah 1:10,
"See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant."
I want you to notice that Jeremiah was set over the nations, more than one. He was a Jew, of the tribe of Levi, living in Judah. He was set a prophet over Judah, but not Judah alone. Over the nations, Judah and Israel! He was set over them to do two things: to tear down something, and then to build and to plant something. Jeremiah was used of God as a prophet to warn Judah of their sins, and of the coming invasion and captivity at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon unless they repented. He was used as a go between, a mediator, between the kings of Judah and Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean king.
It is well known that Jeremiah was used in destroying the kingdom of Judah. But note it in your Bible! He also was commissioned to plant and to build! What was he to plant and build? Why, naturally, that which was pulled down and rooted out of Judah, the throne of David. He was set over the kingdoms of Israel as well as Judah. He was used in throwing down that throne from Judah. Then what was he commissioned to do in Israel? The second half of his strange and little understood commission was to build and to plant! So far as the world knows, the last king to sit on that throne of David was Zedekiah of Judah. He was thrown down off it, and the throne rooted out of Judah nearly 600 years before Christ!
What, then! Did God forget his covenant with David? Did the throne cease? True, the government of Judah ceased, as had the kingdom of Israel more than 130 years before! But see what else Jeremiah was commissioned to do. He was to plant and to rebuild among the House of Israel who were without a king. The House of Israel had by this time lost her identity and was now considred a Gentile! Therefore the identity and location of the replanting has remained hidden to the world until this time of the end in which we live today!
If you will carefully read the important book of Jeremiah, you will notice the first few chapters are devoted to his ministry in warning the Jews of their impending invasion and captivity unless they would repent. But they would not repent. And so, finally, the invasion came. In the first siege Nebuchadnezzar marched into Jerusalem, taking it captive. However, he did not at once drive out all the Jews. He did not even drive out their king, Jehoiakim, but made him a vassal king, the servant of Nebuchadnezzar. As such he continued on his throne, as did two more kings after him, Jehoiachin, his son, and Zedekiah, his brother. (Read II Kings 24).
In Zedekiah's 11th year as king, the Chaldean armies besieged Jerusalem, entered it and the city was broken up, the palace and temple destroyed. All the sons of King Zedekiah were killed before his eyes. So that there would be no man to carry on his dynasty, all the princes of Judah were also slain. King Zedekiah's eyes were put out, and he was bound in chains and carried to Babylon where he died. You will read of all this captivity in II Kings 25, II Chronicles 36, and Jeremiah 39, and 52.
And now the first part of Jeremiah's strange commission is accomplished! So far as the world could see, or has seen since, the dynasty of David had ended! No king remained on the throne. Judah's last king was dead. All his sons were dead. All other princes who might be possible heirs to carry on the dynasty had been killed. No possible heir of Zedekiah was left alive who could ascend to the throne, so the world has believed.
But how about the second part of Jeremiah's great commission? Was God able to keep his covenant with David? Was he able to plant, and rebuild that throne? Jeremiah was among these captives Jews. Yet he must remain free to carry out the second part of his mission. Jeremiah 40:1-5 says,
"The LORD your God decreed this disaster for this place. And now the LORD has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned against the LORD and did not obey him. But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don't come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please." However, before Jeremiah turned to go? Nebuzaradan added, "Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please."
So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward [expense money] and let him go." Jeremiah was left free to perform the second half of his commission.
Where did he go? We come now to an amazing, fascinating, thrilling part of the book of Jeremiah, which has been almost entirely overlooked. "Then went Jeremiah unto Gedeliah, to Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land" (6th verse). Now this Gedeliah had been made governor by the king of Babylon over a remnant of Jews in the land, and since Jerusalem was destroyed, he had made Mizpah his headquarters. But the king of Ammon plotted with a Jew named Ishmael to assassinate Gedeliah. The plot was executed; the governor and part of the Jews were slain. Jeremiah was among the survivors.
"Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard [from Babylon] had committed to Gedeliah... and carried them away captives, and departed to go over to the Ammonites" (Jeremiah 41:10)(KJV).
Did you catch it? Read that passage again. Among these Jews were the king's daughters! Daughters of Zedekiah, king of Judah and of David's dynasty! King Zedekiah had died. All his sons had been killed. All possible heirs of Zedekiah to David's throne had been killed, except the king's daughters! Now we see why Jeremiah went to Mizpah!
Soon a man named Johanan replaced Ishmael as leader. And in fear of reprisals from Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean army, they appealed to the prophet, "and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God... that the Lord thy God may show us the way wherein we may walk" (Jeremiah 42:2-3) (KJV). The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, and he told them not to fear, that he would protect and deliver them. But the people wanted to flee to Egypt. This Lord warned them not to flee into Egypt. If they did, the sword of Nebuchadnezzar which they feared would overtake them there and they would die (Jeremiah 42:7-16) (KJV). But, as people usually do, they rejected God's warning. "Thou speakest falsely," Johanan answered (Jeremiah 48:2-3). And so Johanan "took all the remnant ....... even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters... and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah, Jeremiah's scribe, or secretary. So they came into the land of Egypt" (Jeremiah 48:5-7)(KJV).
Baruch was Jeremiah's constant companion and secretary. It is important to note here God's promise of protection to him: "Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto thee, "You said, ‘Woe to me! The LORD has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.’ The LORD said, Say this to him: ‘This is what the LORD says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot what I have planted, throughout the land. Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not. For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the LORD, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life." (Jeremiah 45:2-5). His life, like Jeremiah's, was under divine protection! On reaching Egypt, God warned these Jews again through Jeremiah that they would die there by the sword and famine, and 'none shall return but such as shall escape" (Jeremiah 44:12-14).
A few in this company are under divine protection. A divine mission is to be performed. They shall escape! The Lord continues: "Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah" (Jeremiah 44:28).
Jeremiah, Baruch, and the royal seed for replanting and rebuilding David's throne, all under divine protection, were to escape, and return to the land of Judah. Then Jeremiah and his company were to journey to a strange land, which they knew not (Jeremiah 15:11-14),
"The LORD said, "Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and times of distress."
Now let Isaiah complete this prophecy in Isaiah 37:32-31,
"Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this."
A remnant of Judah survived the Assyrian onslaught in Isaiah's day, as did remnant in Jeremiah's day. This prophecy, like many, is dual. This remnant with Jeremiah and at least one of the king's daughters shall take root downward or below! That is, be replanted! And then bear fruit upward or above.
Has God failed in his solemn covenant to keep alive David's throne? Where was this planting and building? Can we find it in God's Word? Yes we can! The place and the people, among whom the throne was reestablished, are clearly identified!
Where did Jeremiah go with Baruch his secretary and one or more of the royal daughters of the king? Bible history stops short at this point. Enlightened students of Bible history have long known that the Ten Tribes called by the name "House of Israel " have been lost, and exist today among the Gentile nations, unrecognized by the world. Their identity, and location, is one of the things God has hidden from the world. Yet, in this end-time, when knowledge is to increase, when the "wise" are to understand (Daniel 12:4, 10), we shall find the secret revealed through prophecy which could not be understood until now.
In order to understand this we must first consider a mysterious "breach" that occurred in the days of Judah, son of Jacob. Judah was the father of twin sons. The firstborn was royal seed, for through him the scepter promise was to be carried down. It seems the midwife knew twins were about to be born. It is recorded that just before the two boys were born one of the twins "put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying 'This came out first.' "But the child drew back his hand, and the other was actually born first. The mid-wife exclaimed, "How hast thou broken forth? This breach be upon thee: [margin, wherefore hast thou made this breach against thee?] Therefore his name was called Pharez," meaning "Breach" (Genesis 38:27-30).
Why should this strange occurrence be recorded in Bible history, unless this breach was to be healed between the sons or their descendants at some future time? Yet it never occurred in their lifetime. Zarah, of the scarlet thread, had five sons (I Chronicles 2:6). Did a descendant of Zarah finally get the throne and in a manner healed the breach? David, Zedekiah, Christ, all were of the Pharez branch and none of them were of Zarah.
I want you also to consider the genealogy of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 1.
"A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,....."
Why did Matthew record the names of both Zerah and Perez? This will become apparent as we continue.
Now consider:
1. The fact of the breach calls for the transfer of the scepter from the Pharez to the Zarah line.
2. Such transfer never occurred before King Zedekiah of Judah, who was descended from Pharez.
3. Therefore it had to occur after Zedekiah's death.
Since David's line (Pharez) is to remain on the throne through all generations forever, it could only occur at an overturn of the throne by a marriage between a Pharez heir to the throne and one of the Zarah line, thus healing the breach. The descendants of Zarah according to a few scattered traditions became wanderers, journeying to the northwest within the confines of the Scythian nations, their descendants joining the Ten Tribes.
But meanwhile, the Pharez-David-Zedekiah line who possessed the scepter was highly exalted. The Zarah line, feeling it rightfully should possess the scepter, and some day would, was low and abased so far as royal power was concerned.
Now consider a much misunderstood passage of prophecy: If you will begin reading at the 18th verse of the 21st chapter of Ezekiel, you will see plainly that the God is here speaking of the captivity of Judah by the king of Babylon. And, beginning with the 25th verse, he says,
"And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel (Zedekiah), whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus saith the Lord God; 'Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: [This did happen during the first half of Jeremiah's commission.) This (the crown) shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, and overturn it: and it shall be no more until he comes whose right it is: and I will give it him."
Let us understand this clearly. "Remove the diadem, and take off the crown." King Zedekiah, of David's dynasty, had the crown. This says it is to be removed and it was removed. He died in Babylon; his sons and all the nobles of Judah were killed. "This shall not be the same." The diadem is not to cease, but a change is to take place, the throne is to be overturned, another is to wear the crown. God's promise to David is not to go by default! "Exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high." Who is "high"? King Zedekiah of Judah. Now he is to be abased. He is to lose that crown. Judah has been "high," while Israel has been "low," these many years without a king (Hosea. 8:4). The Pharez line has been "high" the Zarah line has been "low." "I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more until he come whose right it is."
What was to be overturned? The diadem and the throne. Not just once. It is to be debased and overturned three times (This is another case of the Three Dimensions that I wrote about in as article called, The Third Dimension. It was to be overturned by abasing Zedekiah of the House of Judah, the Pharez line, and exalting, now, the House of Israel, and one of the Zarah line!
The first of the three overturns was accomplished as the first half of Jeremiah's commission. "And it shall be no more." Does this mean the throne the crown is to cease to exist? Not at all! How could it be overturned three times, that is, transferred from one to another, if it ceased to exist? How, after these three transfers of the crown, could it be given to him, Christ, whose right it is, at his Second Coming, if it ceased altogether to exist? How could the crown now exalt him, who was "low", if that crown was to be no more?
What He means is that it shall be no more overturned until the Second Coming of Christ! And then it shall be once again overturned, and given to him! This is in the Third Dimension where it is all God. (See my teaching on The Third Dimension) God will not break his unalterable promise made to David! Through every generation David shall have a descendant wearing that crown! The second half of Jeremiah's commission must now be performed. That throne must be transplanted, and again built.
The strange truth of the planting and the rebuilding of David's throne is revealed in a "riddle and a parable," couched in symbolic language never understood until this latter day. Yet it stands, today, so clearly explained a little child could understand! It fills the 17th chapter of Ezekiel's prophecy. The whole chapter should be carefully read.
Notice, first, this prophetic message is addressed, not to Judah, the Jews, but to the House of Israel. It is a Message to give light to the Lost Ten Tribed House of Israel in these latter days! First, Ezekiel is told to speak a riddle, and then a parable.
The riddle is found in verses 3 to 10,
"'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar, he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.
"He took some of the seed of your land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water, and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.
"But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water. It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.'
"Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots. Even if it is transplanted, will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?'"
Then, beginning in verse 11, God explains its meaning. "Say now to the rebellious house," When God says the "rebellious house" He is talking about the ten tribes of Israel (Ezek. 12:9), to whom Ezekiel is set a prophet (Ezek. 2:3; 3:1. etc.), "Know ye not what these things mean? Tell them... "And then the riddle is clearly explained. A great eagle came to Lebanon and took the highest branch of the cedar. This is explained to represent King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who came to Jerusalem, and took captive the king of Judah. The cropping off of the cedar's young twigs and carrying them to a land of traffic is explained to picture the captivity of the king's sons.
"He took also of the seed of the land," means Nebuchadnezzar took also of the people, and the mighty of the land of Judah. "He set it as a willow tree. And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature," means the Jews were given a covenant whereby, although they were ruled over by the Chaldeans, they might live in peace and grow. The other "great eagle" is explained to represent Pharaoh of Egypt.
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