God so loved His Chosen People that He continually tried to get them to turn from their sins. He knew that if they didn’t, they would face a day of reckoning. It happened to the Northern Kingdom of Israel; it was fast approaching the Southern Kingdom of Judah. As a last ditch effort, God had Jeremiah commission Baruch to write all the Words the Lord had given him so that King Jehoikim would hear them and turn both his heart and that of the people back to Yahweh. We see what God said in Jeremiah 36:2-3:
“Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
The prophet ordered Baruch to take God’s Word to the men of Judah and read them publicly. His hope, expressed in Jeremiah 36:7 was that:
“It may be that their plea for mercy will come before the Lord, and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.”
He was hoping; although given past history, Jeremiah probably didn’t really believe that the king and his subjects would repent. Interestingly, the officials in the king’s court were moved by God’s Word and were fearful at what might come to pass. In fact, in their knowledge of the king and his hard heart, they warned Jeremiah and Baruch to hide themselves for when the king retaliated.
Probably quaking in his sandals, one of the governmental officials brought the scroll into King Jehoikim’s presence and read it to him. In Jeremiah 36:22-24 we see the results:
It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him. As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments.
It was good that God gave the officials prescience in the matter, because the king ordered Jeremiah and Baruch to be seized; however, God kept them providentially hidden. He then commanded Jeremiah to replicate the previous scroll with His Words. In the course of that, the Lord pronounced judgment upon King Jehoikim in Jeremiah 36:31:
“‘And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.’”
For all the Words that the king didn’t want to hear about the Lord’s impending punishment upon Judah, and despite Jehoikim burning the book that Jeremiah wrote, that was immaterial to God. He had given Judah plenty of prior warning. Regardless of the king’s reckless response to Yahweh, the hammer of the Lord would descend upon this people.
Many times in history we see various book burnings. For one reason or another certain books are banned – typically by governmental authorities – and the people are commanded to bring all their “subversive” tomes to destroy them in a massive bonfire. One of the most prevalent of such burnings through the ages is when it’s decided that God’s Word cannot have a place in a particular society. Just like Jehoikim casually destroyed the scroll because of his disdain for God, so it has been elsewhere over the years.
We are getting close to a similar situation today. God’s Word has been removed from the public sphere as the love of many has grown cold. Churches are feeling increased pressure not to meet or not to bring forth the true Gospel, and many have capitulated. Before long, many more will do so. Given the examples in Australia and Canada of governmental overreach that is turning each nation into a tyrannical dictatorship, how long will it be in these places before officials order all Bibles to be confiscated and burned? Will we see God’s Word become exceedingly rare and be forced underground? I think so.
Since these two countries are the template for what is intended by the purveyors of the Great Reset, a.k.a. The New World Order, the question then becomes: When will America succumb to the same dictates?
Likely, the globalist elites will have to run a false flag operation that “necessitates” the confiscation of all guns in our nation. As long as we have firearms, the authorities fear the people. If the circumstances can be manipulated that all weapons “must” be removed and people comply in large measure, we’ll go downhill quickly after that. Surely, because Bibles are such a threat, after the guns, they’ll go after the Bibles.
Throughout all this, God is in the heavens watching and laughing at the meager attempts by man to eliminate Him. They will not succeed. The true people of God will remain to stand firmly and boldly. Soon, God will remove we who love Him by snatching us to be with Christ in the clouds, and He will bring down His wrath upon this unbelieving world.
Even then, He will raise up a new generation of believers during the Tribulation. However, their boldness in Christ will have quick and serious repercussions. The Biblical text indicates that most of these will be martyred. Choosing Jesus in this treacherous time to come will be very costly.
I believe that we as believers today will see some level of persecution, i.e. trials and tribulations. However, God will not allow us to go into and endure THE Tribulation. For this we can rejoice!
Before this wonderful day that the Lord removes us from the earth, we have an obligation. The Great Commission has not yet ended. We are to occupy while we remain and do all that we can to bring God’s Word to those who don’t know Him. Perhaps some will be spared the horrors of those awful seven years looming on the horizon.