Jeremiah 44:11

 Jeremiah 44:11 says, Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. The people of Judah had fled to Egypt and continued in their defiance of God.  God said that since they would not listen to His warnings and return to Him that He was going to utterly destroy them.  No matter where people go today,  if they refuse to listen to God's call to repentance and instead continue to worship false gods, they will one day face His judgment.   Verse twelve adds, And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.  God said that all who fled to Egypt for protection instead of obeying Him would die by the sword or pestilence.  If people look for safety anywhere today other than in God, they will one day face the utter destruction of all that they put their faith in.  Instead of being a blessing to God, the people of Judah were going to become a reproach.   Verse thirteen continues, For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:  God said that His punishment of them had not been escaped by fleeing to Egypt.  They were still guilty of the same sins and would face the same punishment.   There is nowhere that we can go that God's law does not apply.  Verse fourteen concludes,  So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.  God said that even though those who had escaped to Egypt had a desire to return to Judah, none would.  No matter what people may hope today, if they do not come to God through faith in Jesus Christ they will not be going to live in Heaven one day.  Verse fifteen states, Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,  All those who dwelt in Egypt, men and women, answered Jeremiah.  Verse sixteen adds, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee.  They said that they would not obey the word of God that Jeremiah had spoken to them, just as many people will not obey to the gospel today.  Verse seventeen continues, But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.  The people said they would continue to worship the queen of heaven as their fathers, kings and princes had done, and that everything went well for them.  They were in Egypt where they had fled for their lives,  but were still putting their faith in false gods that they credited with bringing them peace and prosperity in the past.  Some people will never give up worshipping false gods no matter how badly things go.  Verse eighteen declares, But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.  They credited not worshipping the queen of heaven as being the source of their suffering.  Verse nineteen adds, And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?  The women asked if they had worshipped the queen of heaven without the knowledge of the men.  No matter who is responsible for the worship or false gods, and even if everyone joins in, it will never be right.