Alas! for that day is
great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he
shall be saved out of it.
(Jer. 30:7; ASV)
Now we come
to one of the most discussed prophecies regarding Israel and her restoration
among Bible Students, the one we refer to as the Prophecy of Jacob’s
Trouble. The prophecy is recorded for us
in the thirtieth chapter of Jeremiah, and like the 83rd Psalm is
full of much for us to think about and filled with both darkness and
promise. That’s because just like the 83rd
Psalm, it is being fulfilled even as my readers read this.
I know the
last sentence in the foregoing paragraph will surprise some of our regular
readers, but in the spirit of letting God’s word speak for itself let’s see why
we believe we can make that claim. Part
of th proof starts with the very first three verses of the chapter:
“The word that came to Jeremiah from
the LORD: "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the
words that I have spoken to you. For behold, days are coming, declares the
LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the
LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and
they shall take possession of it."
(Jer. 30:1-3; ISV, underlining by me)
First let’s
note that this prophesy begins with the bold statement “Thus says the LORD,” so
the prediction is directly from God, in his own words. So we are assured of its fulfillment for what
he declares comes true (Isaiah. 55:8-11).
The rest of the prophecy, though, doesn’t support the thought that this
prophecy would see fulfillment in the tie of the return of the Jews from their
captivity in Babylon because it tells us that it would come after a destruction
so thorough that people would say that it was “incurable” (vs 11). That didn’t happen until the destruction of
Israel as a nation in 70ad.
So that
places the return of the Jews to the land of Israel past that, to our time, which
is what this series discussed, the many other remarkable prophecies already
discussed which point the way. So at God’s
due time the Jews returned and set up their nation. But it is not without trouble:
“Thus says the LORD: We have heard a
cry of panic, of terror, and no peace.” (Jer. 30:5)
We’ve
already seen how true these words are.
The 83rd Psalm predicted the trouble and lack of peace as
well and Israel is in a continuous state of war, one going all the way back to
its creation in 1948. Just the weekend
before which this was penned ( August 10-11, 2013) there was an announcement of
an impending release of “Palestinian” prisoners, many of whom murdered Jews in
their sleep with axes! So the war never
ends. This is consistent with the next
part of the prophecy:
“Ask now, and see, can a man bear a
child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman
in labor? Why has every face turned pale?” (Jer. 30:6)
Here is
where we come to the idea that “Jacob’s Trouble” is ongoing. Any woman who ever gave birth can knows how
it works out. The pangs start out far
apart and not really strong. Then as
time goes on they continue and grow closer together and stronger, more painful,
until the baby is born. Naturally fear and
even terror become more pronounced, especially with those giving birth for the
first time. But the real point is that
the process of giving birth takes time, lots of time.
The verse
above draws that parallel for “Jacob,” or Israel, as verse seven informs
us. Jacob’s Trouble is not a sudden
event, it plays out over time and we believe that time began in 1878 when the
time for exile ended. Although the Jews
did begin their return then, the Ottomans continued to place roadblocks in
their way. Britain occupied the Holy
land and at first tried to expedite the return of the Jews, only to later place
roadblocks of its own as the creation of the modern state of Israel drew near
because of politics. However, like childbirth,
Jacob’s Trouble does have an ending point:
“Alas! That day is so great there is
none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of
it.” (Jer. 30:7)
We do not
take this to mean that Jacob, or Israel, will be spared trouble. Rather, we take the verse to mean that Israel
will be spared what to the human mind will appear the inevitable conclusion,
destruction at the hands of the enemies overwhelmingly arrayed against it. That deliverance, though also expressed as
one reads on in this chapter of Jeremiah, will be the subject of the next
prophecy we plan to examine, the prophecy of Gog of Magog.
