Jeremiah 51:14 adds, The LORD of hosts hath sworn by himself, saying, Surely I will fill thee with men, as with caterpillers; and they shall lift up a shout against thee. God is still speaking about Babylon. Verse fifteen adds, He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding. God said that He was the Creator of everything, and we either believe that or we don't. Whether we believe it or not does not change that fact. Verse sixteen continues, When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures. This is a further statement of the power of God. Verse seventeen states, Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. God said that men were brutish, or stubborn, in their worship of idols, or false gods, because these idols have no life in them. Verse eighteen adds, They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish. God said that these idols were a vanity, or nothing, and that when they were needed that they would vanish. Idols, which are all things we put our faith in instead God, will always fail to save us spiritually. Verse nineteen declares, The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name. God said the people of Jacob, those who had entered into a covenant relationship with Him, were not like the Babylonians, who hadn't. What separates Christians from the rest of the world is their relationship with God. Verse twenty adds, Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; God said the descendants of Jacob, His covenant people, were the ones that He was going to use to defeat the powers of the world that stood against Him, and this would be done by His power and plan. Verse twenty-one continues, And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider; When we stand by faith in God today, there is no power that can defeat us in the end. No matter how bad things may look in the eyes of the world, through faith in Christ we have an everlasting victory. Verse twenty-two says, With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid; Verse twenty-three adds, I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and hiss flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers. God said that He would defeat all who stood against Him, and He did this by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God does not bring us victory by military might, but by faith in Jesus Christ alone. Verse twenty-four declares, And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD. God said that the Babylonians were going to be punished for their war against His people. Though the Babylonians may have been allowed to defeat the people of Judah because they had turned away from God, it was not to be an everlasting victory. Those people of Judah and Israel who either remained true to God or returned to Him by faith were still the people that God had chosen to work through. We as followers of Christ today are the people that God will work through to reach the world with the gospel. Verse twenty-five adds, Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain. God said that even though the Babylonians might think of themselves as a mighty mountain He would break them down like simple stones. Verse twenty-six continues, And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the LORD. God said when He broke the Babylonians down that there would be no way for them to be built up again. When God one day comes in judgment, those people and things that He tears down will be torn down forever. Verse twenty-seven states, Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers. Verse twenty-eight adds, Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion. God told the Babylonians to get ready for the coming war.
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