Restoration
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The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
“Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you.
For behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ ”
This chapter illustrates a common biblical prophetic technique in which a prophet speaks of two events- these events maybe be distant from one another.
Maybe there is no clear connection to these events. But they way he speaks of each event as if they are connected and the immediately followed each other.
It’s as if the prophet were seeing and describing two distant mountain peaks- one behind the other- without describing the long valley between them.
Often, in fact, the prophet himself didn’t see the valley because God didn’t reveal all the details to him.
Some of Jeremiah’s prophecies of Judah’s restoration occurred in history, which other can only be accomolished when Christ returns.
He said write your prophesy in a book. This book would be a comfort to the exiles after Jerusalem fell.
This book would be a book of hope that the days are coming when God will restore His people.
Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah.
“For thus says the Lord: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace.
Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all faces turned pale?
Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.
The return of Israel and Judah to the land will be preceded by a time of national distress.
“We heard a voice trembling, of fear, and not peace.
He compared the time to be like a man clutching himself like a women going through labor.
This will be so devasting that there is nothing like it in comparison.
He called it “the time of Jacobs trouble”
“At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.
Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man’s heart will melt,
And they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; They will be amazed at one another; Their faces will be like flames.
Behold, the day of the Lord comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it.
Wail! GOD’s Day of Judgment is near—
an avalanche crashing down from the Strong God!
Everyone paralyzed in the panic,
hysterical and unstrung,
Doubled up in pain
like a woman giving birth to a baby.
Horrified—everyone they see
is like a face out of a nightmare.
Watch now. GOD’s Judgment Day comes.
Cruel it is, a day of wrath and anger,
A day to waste the earth
and clean out all the sinners.
The tribulation is described as a future seven-year period when God will finalize His judgment on the unbelieving world and discipline Israel
This period is derived from the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27, which speaks of 70 weeks (490 years) decreed for the Jewish people, with the final week (7 years) being the tribulation
The tribulation is characterized as a time of God's wrath, punishment, and judgment
It is divided into two 3.5-year periods, with the second half known as the Great Tribulation
The purpose of this period is to judge people living on earth and prepare Israel for their King
The Christian church will be removed from the earth before the tribulation in an event called the rapture
During this time, two witnesses will appear, possibly as prophets with ministries similar to Elijah and Moses, to deliver God's message and perform miracles
The tribulation will conclude with the return of Christ
The tribulation is a future seven-year period of time when God will finish His discipline of Israel and finalize His judgment of the unbelieving world.
But yet all will not be lost because some will be saved out of it.
Judgement will fall but beyond that salvation arises.
Even captivity the promise of a future tribulation. All of these woes what peeks from the ashes is the Light of Christ salvation.
Sometimes we ask ourselves how can God be so harsh.
But we forget about the patience of God.
God tolerated idolatry, injustice, child sacrifice and rebellion for roughly 350 years.
Reference: 1 Kings 11:9–13 — God told Solomon the kingdom would be torn apart because of his sin, but not in his lifetime.
After that, the kingdom split:
Northern Israel (10 tribes)
Southern Judah (2 tribes)
From Solomon’s disobedience (~931 BC) to Jerusalem’s destruction (586 BC) = ≈ 345 years
From Jeremiah’s personal ministry to judgment = ≈ 40 years.
And before the tribulation period God allowed not centries but millenniums to past before the tribulation period.
Long suffering isn’t weakness but its power under perfect control.
And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’
🕎 Hebrew Word Picture: “Longsuffering” — אַפַּיִם אֶרֶךְ (’erek ʾappayim)
📖 Key Verse: Exodus 34:6 – “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.”
🔤 Word Breakdown:
• אֶרֶךְ (’erek) → “long”
• אַפַּיִם (ʾappayim) → “nostrils” or “anger” (literally “nose”)
Together, ’erek appayim literally means:
“Long of nose” or “slow to breathe hard in anger.”
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🖼️ Hebrew Word Picture:
In Hebrew thought, anger was pictured through the flaring of the nostrils — when someone got angry, their nose would “burn hot” (Ex. 4:14).
So to be long-nosed was to take a long time before your nose gets hot — a vivid way to say someone is slow to anger.
💭 Word Picture:
Imagine a mighty man standing calm and steady while provoked — his chest rising slowly, his nostrils barely moving, holding back wrath that could easily be unleashed. His strength is measured not by how quickly he reacts, but by how deeply he restrains.
That’s the Hebrew portrait of God:
Strong enough to destroy instantly — but patient enough to withhold.
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✝️ Greek Word Picture: “Longsuffering” — μακροθυμία (makrothymia)
📖 Key Verse: 2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is… longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish…”
🔤 Word Breakdown:
• μακρός (makros) → “long” (distance or duration)
• θυμός (thymos) → “temper,” “passion,” or “heat”
So makrothymia literally means:
“Long-tempered” — or “having a long fuse.”
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🖼️ Greek Word Picture:
Think of a candle with a very long wick — it burns slowly before reaching the flame that ignites the explosion.
Or picture a mighty warrior with power in his hand, yet he keeps his sword sheathed, waiting, hoping for repentance instead of wrath.
💭 Word Picture:
A divine patience that stretches across time — a God who holds back judgment, giving space for mercy to work. His “fuse” is long, not because He’s weak, but because His love outweighs His wrath.
