The continuation of the subject with the Prophecy of Isaiah already done.  Every Passage Examined

JEREMIAH – PART 7

THE STUDY OF “THE BRANCH” IN SCRIPTURE

Jeremiah 33 verse 15. Let us look at a lovely scriptural study of “THE BRANCH.” As we delve into this, we shall see the great harmony that is contained in scripture. This is one of the best Bible studies in the entire Bible.

SECTION 1

THE BRANCH – THE KING: Jeremiah 33:15. “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth, and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.”

David’s was the kingly line, and the righteous Branch of David would bear a Son who is The King of the Jews. When He reigns, He will execute justice and righteousness on the earth. We have mentioned earlier the great importance of justice and righteousness which is a theme in all the prophets. This will happen when Christ is King over the whole earth.

Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign as King and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the earth. Jer 23:6 In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely, and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’”

The righteous Branch will come from David’s line and will reign for 1,000 years as King of the Jews and King over the whole earth. He will bring in peace and productivity and righteousness and justice.

Isaiah 4:2 “In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel.”

We know that when the Lord rules as King when He returns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He will be glorious, and most definitely the pride and adornment of the survivors of Israel through the Tribulation. The glorious Messiah-King is the BRANCH of Jehovah. Also, the earth will produce abundantly.

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THE BRANCH – THE SERVANT:  Zech. 3:6 “The angel of the LORD admonished Joshua saying, Zech. 3:7 ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘If you will walk in My ways, and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here. Zech. 3:8 Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you – indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch.’” 

This conditional promise has application to Joshua the high priest with the returned people from Babylon, but then stretches beyond that to the promised BRANCH who will come as Servant. Jesus came as the Servant of Jehovah, to do the will of the Father and bring glory to the Father in heaven.

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THE BRANCH – THE MAN: Zechariah 6:12 “Then say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Behold, a Man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD.’”

The immediate meaning of this verse is in the days of Joshua the high priest in the time of Zerubbabel, a wonderful godly governor. Although application may partially sit with Joshua, its true fulfillment is the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is THE BRANCH. A MAN who is called THE BRANCH. Phil 2:7 “but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men, Phil 2:8 and being found in appearance as a man….”

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THE BRANCH – THE DIVINE SON: Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the earth.  Jer 23:6 In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely, and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’”

Verse 6 is speaking of the righteous Branch from verse 5, and states He will be called “the LORD [Jehovah] our righteousness.” The Messiah is Jehovah, for Jesus is Jehovah. In His days, Judah shall be saved, for after the Church goes, then the Lord takes up His people again; and when He comes at the Second Coming, He will set out to regather the Jews from all over the world, those who were saved during the Tribulation. In these two verses, THE BRANCH is JEHOVAH GOD. He is the Divine Son.

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SECTION 2

Here we will look at how the Lord Jesus came as THE branch in all four of the aspects just considered:

THE BRANCH – THE KING

THE BRANCH – THE SERVANT

THE BRANCH – THE MAN

THE BRANCH – THE DIVINE SON

THE BRANCH IS THE KING. We are immediately taken to the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of the KING. Matthew portrays Jesus as the King of Israel and King of the Jews. Just a few points from that Gospel:

*  Entire Sermon on the Mount – the Kingdom conditions.

*  Genealogy goes back to David the King. (through Joseph’s line)

*  Keys of the Kingdom mentioned.

*  The 7 Kingdom parables done entirely. Matthew 13.

*  Matt 24 + 25 – The coming of the King. Second Coming. King of the Jews.

*  Matthew is the Gospel with Jewish material more in mind. Kingly attitudes and aspirations.

THE BRANCH IS THE SERVANT. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is portrayed as man’s servant, the load bearer, the worker. Jesus is set forth as the Servant. The key word is “immediately” and “straight away” (as in obedient servants).

*  No genealogy in the Gospel. Servants don’t have genealogies.

*  In chapter 1 He is seen as doing service straight after a commissioning, and is working for the Father. As servant He is shown there working day and night.

*  No Kingly discourses.

*  Jesus at work all through the Gospel as you’d expect a servant to do.

THE BRANCH IS THE MAN. In his Gospel, Luke portrays Jesus as the perfect Man. The key phrase is “Son of Man.”

*  He is seen as thirsty, tired, hungry, caring, compassionate.

*  His genealogy in chapter 4 goes right back to Adam, the first Man. Jesus is the Second MAN, Adam (Mary’s line which is the Lord’s true line). It still goes through David.

*  Companion to those on the Emmaus Road.

*  Touching account of Mary and Martha and the humanly things a doctor (Luke) would notice. It is a compassionate and human gospel.

THE BRANCH IS THE DIVINE SON. The LORD, the Branch. JEHOVAH, the Branch. This is the record of the Gospel of John. John portrays Jesus over and over again as the LORD. Divinity is established all through this gospel.

*  Consider the opening verses in John 1:1-11. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh.

*  Use of “I am” all the way through.

*  The one in the bosom of the Father; the Word made flesh; I and the Father are one; before Abraham was, I AM.

SECTION 3

We shall look at this remarkable vision granted to Ezekiel of the Lord on His majestic throne, and this is part of that account:

Ezekiel 1:5 “Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. Ezek 1:6 Each of them had four faces and four wings. Ezek 1:7 Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze. Ezek 1:8 Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, Ezek 1:9 their wings touched one another. Their faces did not turn when they moved; each went straight forward. Ezek 1:10 As for the form of their faces: each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle. Ezek 1:11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above. Each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies….”

Verse 10 is the one that interests us. There were four cherubim, and each one had four faces (one on each of four sides), and each face had an unconnected image. Each cherubim had the following: the face of a MAN, a LION, a BULL, and an EAGLE. These are highly symbolic, and each one has a special significance. A Man is a being in human form; a Lion is representative of Royalty or Kingship; a Bull is a symbol of strength in service; an Eagle is a bird of the heavens, heavenly. The cherubim were part of the Mercy Seat, and they are believed to portray and represent the characteristics of God.

Each of these forms typifies the Lord Jesus Christ. As a Man, He is the Son of Man, as featured in the Gospel of Luke. As a Lion, He is the King of Israel, as featured in the Gospel of Matthew. As a Bull, He the Servant in His strength, as featured in the Gospel of Mark. As an Eagle, He is the Lord from heaven, the one in the heavenlies, as featured by the Gospel of John.

Thus, we now have these FACES of the cherubim also matching the BRANCHES that matched the four GOSPELS in this way:

1. The Face of a Lion = “And He will reign as King” = The Branch, the King = The Gospel of Matthew.
2. The Face of Bull = “My Servant, the Branch” = The Branch, the Servant = The Gospel of Mark.
3. 3. The Face of a Man = “A Man whose name is Branch” = The Branch, the Man = The Gospel of Luke.
4. The Face of an Eagle = “The Lord our Righteousness” = The Branch, the Divine Son = The Gospel of John.

CONCLUSION: These four references to The Branch; the four faces of the cherubim; the four Gospels, are all portrayals of the Lord Jesus Christ found in the Old and the New Testaments, and they are all aspects of His majesty.

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Jeremiah 33:16 – “In those days Judah shall be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell in safety, and this is the name by which she shall be called: ‘the LORD is our righteousness.’”

Note the special name for Jerusalem. This is yet another affirmation of the fact that salvation is coming to Jerusalem and to the Jews. We need not be concerned that Jeremiah lists only Judah, for in so many passages he has included Israel. We have again the special phrase that puts us into the end of the Tribulation and the start of the Millennium – “in those days,” “at that time,” “in that time,” “on that day.” At face value, we do not realize there are just so many names for Jerusalem in the Bible; some of these were in the past, and many will be in the future. I wish to list these, some from research and some from internet selections. Some of this material comes from “Jerusalem Insider’s Guide.” https://www.jerusalem-insiders-guide.com/names-of-jerusalem.html

The Many Names of Jerusalem

The Midrash is an early Jewish interpretation of, or commentary on a Biblical text, clarifying or expounding a point of law or developing or illustrating a moral principle. It is a collection of such interpretations or commentaries, especially those written in the first ten centuries A.D. The Midrash says there are 70 names for Jerusalem – and that’s in Jewish sources alone. The vagaries of Jerusalem history have added a few more along the way. Yet for a city whose roots go back over 4-5,000 years, some names have remained remarkably consistent.

Here Are Just A Few Of the NAMES of Jerusalem:

• Salem/Shalem (Gen 14:18) – in Genesis, Shalem was the city ruled by Melchizedek in the days of Abraham.
• Moriah (Gen 22:2) – the name of the Temple Mount. It is also the place where Abraham bound his son Isaac.
• Jebus (Judges 19:10) – the name of a fortress atop the Temple Mount that surrounded a large threshing floor in the days of King David. King David conquered the area from the Jebusites and bought the threshing floor from its owner as the site of the future Temple.
• Yerushalayim – is the most common name of the city in the Bible and the one still used by Jews and Israelis today. The Midrash says the word derives from “yireh” (see), from the name Abraham used for it – God sees – and “salem,” which means whole, or peace, and was the name of Mechizedek’s city.

Variations of the name Yerushalayim appear in the archaeological record as well:

• Rushalimum – Egyptian documents mention the city by this name around 2000 -1800 BC.
• Urusalim – is the name given to Jerusalem in the Egyptian Amarna letters, which date back to between 1388 -1332 BC.
• Ursalimmu – is how Sennacherib referred to the city in his letters concerning King Hezekiah in 701 BC.

Snippets of Archeology:

The first archaeological find of the name Yerushalayim written in Hebrew was discovered near the town of Lachish in a burial cave dating from the 6th century BC.

The Greeks called it Hierosolyma. This was more than a simple transliteration of the Hebrew name – “hiero” means holy.

During Roman times, the city was renamed “Aelia Capitolina.” Fortunately, Jerusalem was eventually rid of the Roman occupation and reverted to its real name of Yerushalayim.

Biblical Mentions of Jerusalem:

2 Samuel 6:12 – “Now it was told King David, saying, ‘The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God.’ David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness.

Matthew 5:35 – “…or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.”

Isaiah 48:2 – “For they call themselves after the holy city, and lean on the God of Israel. The LORD of hosts is His name. Isaiah 52:1 – “Awake, awake! Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion. Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city, for the uncircumcised and the unclean will no longer come into you.”  Matthew 4:5 – “Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple.”

Genesis 14:18 – “And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. Now he was a priest of God Most High.

Psalm 46:4 – “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High.”

Psalm 48:1 – “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, His holy mountain.”

Psalm 87:3 – “Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah.”

Psalm 48:8 – “As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God. God will establish her forever. Selah.”

Isaiah 1:26 – “Then I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counsellors as at the beginning. After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city.”

Zechariah 8:3 – “Thus says the LORD, ‘I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.  Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.’”

Isaiah 60:14 – “The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, and all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet, and they will call you the city of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”

Lamentations 2:15 – “All who pass along the way clap their hands in derision at you. They hiss and shake their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem, (saying) ‘Is this the city of which they said, ‘The perfection of beauty, A joy to all the earth’?”

Jeremiah 3:17 “At that time they shall call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the LORD,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD.”

Jeremiah 23:6 – “In His days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely, and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’ Jeremiah 33:16 – In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety, and this is the name by which she will be called: ‘the LORD is our righteousness.’”

Ezekiel 48:35 – “The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about, and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘The LORD is there.’”

Isaiah 29:1 – “Woe, O Ariel, Ariel the city where David once camped! Add year to year, observe your feasts on schedule.”

MORE BIBLICAL NAMES FOR JERUSALEM

In addition to the historical names, there exist many poetic names for Jerusalem in the Bible:

• Ir Ha’Emet                        (Zech 8:3) – City of Truth
• Kiryah Ne’emanah          (Isa 1:25) – Faithful City
• Kiriyah Aliza                     (Isa 22:2) – Joyful City
• Gai Hizayon                      (Isa 22:1) – Valley of Vision
• Ariel                                   (Isa 29:1) – Lion of God (Also the name of a modern Israeli city)
• Kiryat Hannah David       (Isa 29:1) – City of David’s Camp
• Drushah                            (Isa 62:12) – Desired one
• Gilah                                  (Isa 65:18) – Joy
• Tzur Hamishor                 (Jer 21:13) – The Rock of the Plain
• Neveh Zedek                    (Jer 31:22) – Dwelling of Righteousness
• Oholivah                            (Ezek 23:4) – My Tent is in Her
• Ir Ha’Elohim                      (Ps 87 v 2) – City of God

*  And, of course, this one:   Klilat Yoffi (Lam 2:15) – Encompassing Beauty

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END OF PART 7: RESTORATION OF ISRAEL FROM JEREMIAH

ronaldf@aapt.net.au

Most of the time when we talk about “Children of God,” we think of pre-teens, not grown people. We don’t consider that all humans are “children” to our Creator. After all, no matter how old we get in earth time, we’re all still children to Him. (emphasis mine)

In 1 John 2:1, John refers to those he’s writing to as “My little Children.” John was advanced in age by this time, and he had a strong paternal feeling for the fairly new believers. The churches of his day were just about into the second generation since the resurrection of Jesus, as 1 John was written between 95 and 110 A.D. in Ephesus. John was the only apostle to die by natural causes at an advanced age. It is obvious that there were false prophets and antichrists already at work in this world, trying to pull believers away from the true Word – Jesus. From 1 John 2 through 5, he gives detailed warnings about this.

John also gave believers the instructions for getting forgiveness for the sins they would commit. The sacrifice for all sin was made by Jesus, and any attempts to make further sacrifices would be an insult to His shed blood. It would be as if Jesus did not do enough to cover us. Instead, all who have received and accepted Jesus have the Holy Spirit in us, and to obtain forgiveness we follow 1 John 1:8-10. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [also see Romans 3:23]. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

As a final warning, in 1 John 5:10-12, he emphasizes what Jesus said in John 14:6; “Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself/herself. Whoever does not believe God has made Him a liar [not wise at all], because he/she has not believed in the testimony God has borne concerning His Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” There are no exceptions given.

As stated, we all will sin as long as we’re in these mortal human bodies, yet God stands ready to forgive all His children when asked. To be sure, this does not eliminate the possibility of being disciplined by our Heavenly Father, as given in Hebrews 12:5-8. The one sin that leads to “death” (forever in Hell), is to reject the gift that Jesus has given to all of us. For the gift to be ours, we must “open” (accept) it and claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior. John makes it clear in 1 John 2:22-23; “Who is the liar but he/she who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he/she who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.”

Jesus made it clear in a couple of instances that we should approach the Kingdom of Heaven with the innocence of children. Matthew 19:13-15; “Then children were brought to Him, that He might lay hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven’, and He laid His hands on them and went away.”

Referencing the growing instances of abusing children today, consider the Savior’s words in Matthew 18:4-6; “Whoever humbles himself/herself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever cause one of these little ones, who believe in Me, to sin, it would be better for him/her to have a great millstone fastened around his/her neck, and be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Fernando Ortega released a song in 1997 called “Children of the Living God.” It’s a definite praise and glory song that seems so simple, yet there is meaning that runs deep. It’s a song that is for “Children” of all ages. Consider the words:

(1) Children of the Living God, come and sing, sing out loud. Children of the Living God, sing to the Living God.

Sing of the wonders He has made; bird in flight; falling rain. Sing of the wonders He has made; sing to the Living God.

(ref) How He loves us, with great love, He who sits enthroned above; for our lives He spilled His blood; sent His Spirit like a flood. Children of the Living God, sing to the Living God.

(2) Sing of His gentle healing hands, how they found the lowliest man; sing of His gentle healing hands; sing to the Living God.

(3) Sing of the mercy that He gives; though we sin, He forgives; sing of the mercy that He gives; sing to the Living God.

(4) Sing of the morning when He comes, in the clouds, glorious Son; sing for the morning when He comes; sing to the Living God.

The mercy of God allows us forgiveness of our sins, and for us to be longing for and looking for the appearance of our Savior when He comes in the clouds to take true believers up to meet Him and be kept from the coming wrath, just as God promised.

The biggest issue present is to have Jesus as our Savior before the Trumpet of the Lord sounds, and the shout of the archangel takes place. The process to do this is so simple that one pastor has labeled it the “ABCs” of Salvation. It’s given in Romans 10:9-13. First is “A,” admit we are all sinners in need of a Savior. Then, “B,” believe Jesus died for our sins and was raised up from the tomb to conquer sin and death for all who would receive and accept His gift. Finally, “C,” Call on the name of the Lord, and you will be saved.

No mysterious initiation ceremony; no secret words to memorize and repeat; no works to gain favor; no purchase price whatsoever. The song lyric, “Jesus paid it all; all to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain; He made it white as snow,” is absolutely on the mark. As I stated earlier, to think we can do anything to earn/buy Jesus’ gift is an insult.

For those who reject the Son of God, their eternity will be in the Lake of Fire with Satan and all his fallen angels (demons). This is described in Revelation 20:11-15. No one who has received and accepted Jesus will be at that judgment. All who are saved will be with Him forever.

By the way, there’s no third option, and to try to accept Him after your last breath on this earth will not work.

Take control of your “forever” and ask Jesus to forgive you and be your eternal Savior. Now wouldn’t be too early as His coming for us is imminent – right at the door. It could be any day, hour, minute, second now. Proudly declare that you are one of the “Children of the Living God,” and He will in no way pass you by.

Hope to see you there when we fall at the feet of Jesus to worship Him in person at last.

Maranatha! Shalom!

huebshman46@gmail.com