This is the first of three. The other two follow.
Day and Night

One of Jesus’ favorite declarations back in King James’ time was, “Verily, verily, I say....” He said that when He wanted to emphasize a point that He was making. Repeating it was a polite way of saying, “Listen up. You need to hear this.” He was also implying that what He was saying was not already commonly known.

Verily, verily introduces the thought I ran over today. I had to back up and take another look. There are some groups that teach that God has abandoned the Jews. He is done with them and the final destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was the headstone on the grave of God’s work with Israel. I encountered that argument recently. So imagine my surprise when my reading took me to Jeremiah chapter 33, which repeats chapter 31 (verily).
23 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 24 “Have you not observed what this people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which the Lord chose, He has rejected them’? Thus they despise My people, no longer are they as a nation in their sight.”

Like a dog at full run, hitting the end of this leash, I was snapped around about 180 degrees in a heartbeat. What did that say? Yep. Even back in Jeremiah’s day people were discounting the promises to Israel made by the Sovereign, Unchangeable God. Volumes have been written on both sides of this controversy. But the Verily statement takes two verses to settle the matter.
25 “Thus says the Lord, ‘If My covenant for day and night stand not, and the fixed patterns of heaven and earth I have not established, 26 then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.’”

Notice the negative statements. “If the covenant for day and night stand not,” and (paraphrase) “I did not establish the patterns of heaven...” The assumption is that God did do that. We are back to the creation question again. Taking God out of creation negates His promises to Israel. But I digress.

Now for the coop dee grass. (French) If God’s order of day and night and seasons should fail,
“‘...then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.’”

So our definitive question is, “Did the sun rise this morning and will it go down tonight?” In fact the Lord is so adamant in this point that He repeats it. (Earlier in the book, but still significant in its meaning and import.)

31:35Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The Lord of hosts is His name:

Notice that He threw in the tides as well. Then He continues,
36 “If this fixed order departs From before Me,” declares the Lord, “Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation before Me forever.” 37 Thus says the Lord, “If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done,” declares the Lord.

He upped the ante here. Now you have to measure the foundation of the earth (easy peasy) AND measure the heavens. (We talked about that recently. Psalm 19.1.1 http://thegatheringplacehome.myfastforum.org/posting.php?mode=editpost&p=30301 and
Israel in the Future http://thegatheringplacehome.myfastforum.org/sutra30380.php#30380)

And, as discussed in “Israel in the Future,” that ultimate fulfillment could not be the Temple Nehemiah and Ezra built, known as Herod’s Temple in Jesus’ day. That temple was destroyed and the chapter 31 prophesy finishes of with–well you read it for yourself.
38 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the city will be rebuilt for the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The measuring line will go out farther straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah. 40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the Lord; it will not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.”

Titus, the Roman in AD 70, made mincemeat of this promise if the present Jerusalem is NOT part of God’s plans.

So who you gonna’ believe? Titus the Roman or Jeremiah (and Yahweh Who spoke through him)? The Lord said it twice, “Verily, verily....”