The nations were in turmoil and God was angry; he was getting ready to take action.  He wanted people to understand what was going to happen so he sent Jeremiah and the other prophets to let them know what to expect.

“Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7

Prophecies About Ammon

The Israelite tribe of Gad settled in Ammon when Israel entered the Promised Land. That territory should have been devoted to the worship of God, but that’s not what God saw there. The Israelites in Gad were worshiping the Ammonite god Molek.

“This is what the Lord says, ‘Has Israel no sons? Has Israel no heir? Why then has Molek taken possession of Gad? Why do his people live in its towns?’” Jeremiah 49:1

God was going to drive out of the region of Gad the Ammonite god Molek along with his priests and officials. But like so many of the other nations God punished, the Ammonites didn’t believe it could happen to them.

“‘Why do you boast of your valleys, boast of your valleys so fruitful? Unfaithful Daughter Ammon, you trust in your riches and say, ‘Who will attack me?’ I will bring terror on you from all those around you,’ declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty. ‘Every one of you will be driven away, and no one will gather the fugitives. Yet afterward, I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 49:4-6

Some of the places God destroyed became completely uninhabitable, like Sodom and Gomorrah, and the great cities of Nineveh and Babylon. God promised that some of the other places he destroyed would be inhabited again someday — like Ammon — which is now known as the nation of Jordan.

Then and Now

Today if you visit the regions where Ammon, Moab and Edom stood you won’t see very many green valleys that boast of their fruitfulness. That part of the world is vast, dry desert due to severe climate change thousands of years ago.

Beneath the sands of Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia lie huge reservoirs of shale oil derived from the bodies of dead plants and animals that once filled the land. It’s been thousands of years since they roamed there, but the oil deposits indicate that part of the world was lush with plants and full of animal life long ago.

God, who sends rain to water the earth, stopped sending it to Ammon, Moab, and Edom. But the land where they lived was blessed with oil and mineral deposits and they comprise most of Jordan and Saudi Arabia’s income today, enabling people to inhabit the region now.

Prophecies for Edom

The region known as Edom is now northwestern Saudi Arabia. The Edomites were descendants of Esau the brother of Jacob (whose family became the nation of Israel). God said to them,

“But I will strip Esau bare; I will uncover his hiding places, so that he cannot conceal himself . . . Edom will become an object of horror; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds . . . No one will live there; no people will dwell in it.” Jeremiah 49:10, 17-18

If you look at where Edom used to be, the land is truly stripped bare. There’s almost nothing there these days – no towns, no neighborhoods.

A pastor at our church once talked about how “sin splashes.” When people sin it doesn’t affect only them; it messes up the lives of people they are close to. Someone who offends God cannot hide behind innocent people and think they are safe from God’s wrath, but it’s more likely that the innocent will be hurt by sin’s consequences along with them.

Edom is a case in point: Apparently the lives that were lost when Edom fell included the lives of widows and orphans.

“His armed men are destroyed, also his allies and neighbors, so there is no one to say, ‘Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive. Your widows too can depend on me.’ This is what the Lord says, ‘If those who do not deserve to drink from the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it.’” Jeremiah 49:10-12

Jehoiachin Succeeds Jehoiakim

King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah and captured King Jehoiakim, deporting him to Babylon for a while. Nebuchadnezzar also looted the temple and put some of its sacred objects into the temple of his god in Babylon. Eventually Jehoiakim returned to Jerusalem and died there. His son Jehoiachin succeeded him on the throne, but he was little more than a puppet king under Babylon’s domination.

Both Jehoiakim and his son did evil in God’s eyes and God was finally done with this family of kings.

“‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord, ‘even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off. I will deliver you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear – Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians. I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country where neither of you was born, and there you will both die. You will never come back to the land you long to return to.’” Jeremiah 22:24-27

Jehoiachin was the last king of Israel from David’s line – until the Messiah was born hundreds of years later.

“Record this man [Jehoiachin] as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.” Jeremiah 22:30

The Final Heir to David’s Throne

God was angry with the leaders of Israel who scattered and destroyed his people. He was going to punish them, but he was also going to take over the shepherding of his flock.

“I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.” Jeremiah 23:3

God planned to give his people better shepherds in the future, but also a great king.

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land . . . This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.” Jeremiah 23:5-6

Jesus Christ fits the description of this greatest of all kings. After two thousand years, he is still reigning and his kingdom is still spreading across the earth.  Everything he has ever done is just and right and he is the Savior who saves all who receive him as their king.

False Prophets

False prophets get away with their lies because they are very persuasive and they tell people what they want to hear. Often false prophets fall into sexual sin because their powers of persuasion make it easy to take advantage of people. They encourage wrongdoing because telling sinners what they want to hear makes them popular and brings them reward. God sees all of this and he says,

“ ‘Among the prophets of Samaria I saw a repulsive thing: they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray. And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.’” Jeremiah 23:13-14

False prophets often have dreams to back up what they say and a dream is a convenient tool for prophecy because it allows no independent confirmation. Who can say whether someone else’s dream is true? An authentic prophet prophesies from the Word of God, not a dream.

“[God says], ‘Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully . . . Is not my word like fire,’ declares the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? . . . Therefore, I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. Yes, I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares’. Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,’ declares the Lord.’” Jeremiah 23:28-29

The world, and especially the Internet, is full of people prophesying from their imaginations and dreams. If you are immersed in the truth of God’s Word everyday, you are far more likely to recognize a false prophet when you hear one. God gave you his Word to make you wise. Use it and you won’t be led astray by false teachers.