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What Does Jeremiah 29:8 Mean?
Jeremiah 29:1-16
What is the timing? It is the same as "the good fig, bad fig vision" (Jeremiah 24:1-10). This was after the early ones were taken away for their good and before the bad ones were destroyed. To put it in terms we can understand, it occurs after the apostasy but before the Tribulation. One can see a parallel between then and now. It is as if Jeremiah is writing this letter to us. We do not have seventy years of exile, God willing, but it still fits because we are in our own exile. Jeremiah advises us what to do.
At first, it seems to run counter to what we should be doing. For instance, the first chapter of Haggai says, "Do not build your house, build My house." But remember we are looking at this from a spiritual standpoint, not physical. So we have to translate Jeremiah's physical advice into spiritual advice. If we study it from that angle, it fits very well.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
How to Survive Exile
Jeremiah 29:8-9
The final thing is to beware of false preachers bringing dastardly doctrines, false hope, and sweet, silky, smooth words of honey. God says here, "I haven't sent them."
It is interesting that He says, "Don't even listen to your dreams which you caused to be dreamed"'because last night you may have had too much salsa or a certain "Death by Chocolate" before you went to bed! Seriously, we should be wary of our dreams. We will know if God has sent a dream. He is a revealer of secret things (Deuteronomy 29:29), and He will let us know that it is from Him. There will not be any mistaking it. But if it is a matter of heartburn, we can deceive ourselves into thinking that a dream has been divinely given yet has been totally contrived in our own minds. If we test the spirits (I John 4:1) and prove all things (I Thessalonians 5:21), we will be able to tell a "salsa" dream from a real dream.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
How to Survive Exile
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