Jeremiah and the ARK - An Important NOW Word for the Church
Yes, you read that title correctly. And no, I did not make a typo. I know it was Noah and the ark. But, this VERY hefty and very timely word is actually in two parts - a warning through Jeremiah and a promise and encouragement through the symbol of the ark.
As the name suggests, this is a word for THE CHURCH. For believers, those who consider themselves to be in the Body of Christ. “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17).
There is a LOT to it, so please stick around and read the whole thing. Because, as is always the case with the Lord, He has a warning/correction and an edification/promise. Because He is the God of truth and love!
So, let’s jump in.
As I’ve said in several other words before, the time of “mixture” is over. There will be no more “one foot in Him and one foot in the world.” The time we are coming into now (that has already begun) will be a time of division.
As Exodus 8:23 says, “I will make a clear distinction between My people and your people.” God is going to make a clear distinction between those that are IN Him and those who are not. And the “not” does not only include unbelievers. It also includes those who call themselves believers, but are not actually IN covenant with Him and instead are mixed in with the world, the enemy, religion and/or their flesh.
This is why the Lord is sounding the alarm RIGHT NOW for His people to come out of the world. To come out of the mixture they knowingly or unknowingly have been in while there is still time, before the full weight of His judgment falls.
Part One - The Warnings Through the Words of Jeremiah
“But if you refuse to obey the Lord your God and if you say, ‘We will not stay here’ instead we will go to Egypt where we will be free from war, the call to arms and hunger,’ then hear the Lord’s message to the remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and live there, the very war and famine you fear will catch up to you and you will die there. That is the fate awaiting every one of you who insists on going to live in Egypt. Yes, you will die from war, famine and disease. None of you will escape the disaster I will bring upon you there.” -Jeremiah 42:13-17
Okay, now let me explain what He is saying symbolically through this. If you choose (because you do have free will, after all) to refuse to live His way (by obeying and fully surrendering to Him) and decide instead to go to “Egypt” (which means going along with the ways of the world), then you will be subject to all of the judgments that come upon the world in the coming days like war, famine and disease. He is warning His people that are refusing to come into a real, consecrated relationship of being a disciple because they don’t want to be persecuted, suffer or have to fight, that if they choose to go the way of the world instead, then He is warning them of what is to come.
“Listen, you remnant of Judah. The Lord has told you: ‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Don’t forget this warning I have given you today. For you were not being honest when you sent me to pray to the Lord your God for you. You said, ‘Just tell us what the Lord our God says and we will do it!’ And today I have told you exactly what He said, but you will not obey the Lord your God any better now than you have in the past. So you can be sure that you will die from war, famine and disease in Egypt, where you insist on going.” -Jeremiah 42:19-22
As things have intensified in the world in recent months, some people of God have been saying they want to know what God is doing or what He is saying. Yet, when prophets/pastors/teachers who are truly (keyword) in the Spirit of God share what He is saying, they don’t want to hear it, just like the people did in Jeremiah’s time. They only want to hear things that sound good to their ears or that make sense with their natural reasoning. So, like in Jeremiah’s time, the Lord is warning those who say they want to know what God says to do, but are still not obeying.
“Only a small number will escape death and return to Judah from Egypt. Then all those who came to Egypt will find out whose words are true - mine or theirs.” -Jeremiah 44:28
Again, this is a very powerful warning from the Lord about the great falling away that will happen in these end times. Unfortunately, many will be deceived and only a small number will go back to Judah (which represents being in true covenant with Jesus) instead of staying in Egypt (which again, represents the world). But, He is warning His people ahead of time… don’t wait until it’s too late, when you’ll find out who was telling the truth after all - Him or the world.
“Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, for I am with you,” says the Lord. “I will completely destroy the nations to which I have exiled you, but I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you, but with justice, I cannot let you go unpunished.” -Jeremiah 46:28
God is a God of justice. He always has been and He doesn’t change. So, we can’t pick and choose what characteristics of Him we believe in or when we want to believe in them. He is a God of justice and He will discipline those who who refuse to heed His warnings and follow His direction. But, the discipline is out of love. He is trying to get us to correct our behavior because He knows what is best for us. Just like any loving parent does with their child. He has to discipline those who refuse to obey Him, but because He is so gracious and merciful, He is warning them ahead of time to avoid the punishment!
“In those coming days, the people of Israel will return home together with the people of Judah. They will come weeping and seeking the Lord their God.” -Jeremiah 50:4
In these end-time days, as things in the world get crazier and darker, God’s people - both in His “original” Church (Jewish people) and the New Testament Church (Gentiles and Jesus followers) - will come back to the Lord, crying and asking for His direction and deliverance from the chaos happening in the world.
“They will ask the way back to Jerusalem and will start back home again. They will bind themselves to the Lord with an eternal covenant that will never be forgotten.” -Jeremiah 50:5
As they come back to Him, His people will ask how to get back into His presence and protection. And they will renew their covenant with Him by circumcising their hearts. Just like in Joshua 5, the people had to re-establish their covenant with God and circumcise themselves because all the men from the previous generations (who had been circumcised) had died in the wilderness.
The same is true now - so many generations have passed now since the original covenant was made with Jesus and have died in the “wilderness” (all the years the Church has been “wandering”), that the newer generations have “forgotten.” But now, this new covenant that is being re-established will be eternal and never forgotten.
I will explain more about the covenant a little later on. But, in the Old Testament, the sign of the covenant was physical. The people were circumcised physically to show they were in covenant with God. But now, post-Jesus, the sign of the covenant is spiritual. The circumcision is of the heart and happens when we allow Him to cut away our flesh by total submission to Him.
“My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray and turned them loose in the mountains. They have lost their way and can’t remember how to get back to the sheepfold.” -Jeremiah 50:6
Pastors (the shepherds) who have been preaching and teaching a watered-down, world-friendly version of the Gospel have led God’s people away from the original (and true) Gospel message. (Think of it like that old childhood game of “telephone” where one person whispers something to someone who passes it on to someone else and so on, and by the end, you’ve got a completely distorted message.) It has left believers like wandering sheep and they can’t “remember” how to get back into covenant with God. But, that is why the Holy Spirit is coming in for a massive revival and using the forerunners (the end-time messengers of prophets, pastors, apostles and teachers who are leading the way) to lead them back.
“All who found them devoured them. Their enemies said, ‘We did nothing wrong in attacking them, for they sinned against the Lord, their true place of rest and the hope of their ancestors.” -Jeremiah 50:7
There is SO much to unpack here, but I have to stick to what God told me to share. The important thing to know though, is that the reference here is about spiritual warfare. The evil spirits that work on behalf of the enemy and attack the people of God (like the vulture/fish encounter I shared in this word), say they have the legal right to do so (I will be doing a separate teaching on how the spiritual world operates like a legal system) because the people are sinning against God. And they are sinning by looking to other things - idols, the world, etc. - instead of to Him, where the real rest is found (that previous generations knew).
“Flee from Babylon! Save yourselves! Don’t get trapped in her punishment! It is the Lord’s time for vengeance; He will repay her in full.” -Jeremiah 51:6
Again, a CLEAR warning from the Lord for His people to come out of the commercial/seductive culture of the world. His punishment and vengeance will come against the government/culture/technology that is operating against God’s people, so He is warning His people ahead of time not to align with them.
“The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has taken this vow and has sworn to it by His own name: ‘Your cities will be filled with enemies, like fields swarming with locusts, and they will shout in triumph over you.” -Jeremiah 51:14
Right now (and in the coming days), the world/culture believes they can overpower and intimidate Christians, but God is sending the “locusts” - the Spirit-filled Christians/remnant/forerunners - into the cities and they WILL triumph because He is in control. (I will also be releasing a separate word on the “locusts.”)
“Come out, My people flee from Babylon. Save yourselves! Run from the Lord’s fierce anger.” -Jeremiah 51:45
Doesn’t get much clearer than that. Again, Babylon represents the culture of the world. And AGAIN, God is warning His people to save themselves and come out before His anger/judgment falls.
“Get out, all you who have escaped the sword! Do not stand and watch - flee while you can! Remember the Lord, though you are in a far-off land, and think about your home in Jerusalem.” -Jeremiah 51:50
Don’t hesitate. Don’t hang back to “see what happens.” Heed God’s warnings now and flee. He wants His people to remember Him and come back into covenant with Him where they belong, even though they may have wandered far from it.
Okay! Now, that we have all that out there. You’re probably thinking… how? How do I get “back” to Him? How do I get back into covenant with Him? What does “coming out of the world” look like?
Well, I’m glad you asked. Because that’s the second (and best) part of the word He gave me to share. And this is where the “ark” comes in.
Part Two - “The Ark”
Just like in the times of Noah, there is now (and will be) chaos and darkness in the world because of un-Godly behavior and choices by the people. But, Noah found favor with God because he did things His way.
God directed Noah and his family onto the ark because that’s where the provision, protection and blessing was. Although there was a major storm going on outside the ark, inside - they were taken care of, protected and provided for.
“But, I will confirm [establish] my covenant with you, so enter the boat…” -Genesis 6:18
God is confirming/re-establishing His covenant with those who do things His way and is calling them into His protection. In the Old Testament, the ark was physical. But now, the ark is spiritual. (Are you starting to see the pattern here of how the physical in the OT foreshadows the spiritual in the NT/beyond?)
The Ark of the Covenant was where God’s presence resided. So, the “ark” now is His presence. Just like the physical ark provided Noah with provision, protection and blessing. And how David observed the ark of the Lord brought blessing when it went to the home of Obed-Edom (2 Samuel 6:11). Coming into the spiritual “ark” of God’s presence will provide us with provision, protection and blessing now. That is where the shelter from the storms of the world will be found.
In fact, the definition of an “ark” is a vessel, a specially-built container to preserve and protect something precious inside.
There were 3 arks in the Bible - 1) Noah’s ark, which provided salvation from the wrath of God, 2) the “ark” that Moses was placed in as a baby that represented protection from the wrath of man and 3) the Ark of the Covenant, which allowed people to be in communion with God and be in His presence. All three of these “arks” pointed to Jesus - HE would later come and provide salvation from the wrath of God, protection from the wrath of man and open up communion with God and the ability to be in His presence.
So, now HE is the ark!
And the way to it is right there in the name - the Ark of the Covenant. It’s through the new covenant we have in Jesus!
Covenants
A “covenant” is a contract, promise or binding agreement between two parties. And God makes many covenants with His people throughout the Bible.
God made a covenant with Adam in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1 and 2), where He promises dominion over the earth, tells them to reproduce and inhabit the earth and blesses them with eternal life. After the fall, the ground is cursed and man will have to struggle to make a living from it, there are thorns and by the sweat of his brow, man will have food to eat, women will have pain in childbirth and death is introduced.
In Genesis 6:18, God confirms His covenant with Noah and repeats the original promise that He gave to Adam in Genesis 9:1-3 by blessing him and his sons and telling them to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. It repeats the creation covenant and is basically a re-creation or start over for the world.
Then, in Genesis 12, God promises blessings to Abram (Abraham): “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.’”
The covenant was unconditional (Abram and his descendants didn’t have to do anything to earn it). But, the sign of the covenant would be their circumcision. If they refused to be circumcised, they were declaring themselves outside of the covenant (by choice) and therefore, wouldn’t receive the promised blessings.
Then, the law (or Mosaic covenant) was temporary and conditional. It introduced the blessings of being God’s chosen people and was a pre-cursor to grace through Jesus. As Galatians explains, it was meant to show the people their need for a Savior and their inability to keep the law or earn the blessings (even though they thought they could).
And now, Jesus is the new covenant!
“The day is coming,” says the Lord, “When I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.” -Jeremiah 31:31
“But, this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.” -Jeremiah 31:33
Because the people weren’t able to keep the law and were constantly sinning against God and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) - which is why you see examples of people in the OT dying for doing one thing wrong - God sent Jesus to fulfill the law Himself. He took ALL of the punishments and did not receive any of the blessings, so we could receive them through Him. He also gave us the ability to follow His statutes by putting the Holy Spirit in us.
“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” -Ezekiel 36:26-27
Jesus is the “second Adam.” He is the new beginning. The new covenant. He broke the curse that was given to Adam and mankind after the fall. (Which is why we see the thorns on His crown and the sweat in the Garden being repeated with Him.)
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us - for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” - in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” -Galatians 3:13-14
We are heirs of the covenant of Abraham through Jesus (his seed). And the original covenant of Adam through Jesus, who restored the original promise from Eden by breaking the curse.
And just like it was for Abraham - the “key” is faith. That is our part of the covenant! It is ALL about trusting and believing God’s word is enough.
That was the basis of Eden - to trust and believe God. Period. It wasn’t until the enemy came and made Adam and Eve second-guess God that that changed. So, even though it may seem odd to us today, that’s how it was originally intended to be. Which is why God is calling His people to “remember!”
God said it, so it is.
“My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that gone out of my lips.” -Psalm 89:34
“God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?” -Numbers 23:19
The new covenant of Jesus is FREE, but it is conditional.
The blood of Jesus is what establishes the new covenant since blood was required for atonement and cleansing of sin. But, instead of repeatedly sacrificing innocent animals, Jesus’ blood (as the lamb) was shed for us once and for all.
So, we must come under the blood of Jesus to be in the covenant with God. (Just like in Exodus, when the people had to put the blood over their doorposts for the angel of death to recognize that they were in covenant agreement with God and under His protection.) That’s why it’s conditional - because we must CHOOSE to do so. And, we do that by belief and trust.
That’s why it’s free - we don’t have to earn it. But, we do have to choose it. And that is an action! It is not just words, it is an actual heart decision to choose Him above everything else, including ourselves. THAT is the spiritual circumcision of the heart that is a sign of the covenant. It is the evidence.
(On a side note, this is why the “sinner’s prayer” can’t be taken as a sign of eternal salvation. You can still “fall away” or apostasize - fall away from the faith. Not because you can “lose” your salvation, but because there was never an actual real heart change in the first place. That’s why it’s about checking your heart. Because once you’ve truly laid down your life and become a new creation in Christ, He will give you the power/grace not to fall away.)
And that is what it means to go “into the ark.” To “bind themselves with the eternal covenant,” to get back into His protection, provision and promises. That is “coming back into the sheepfold” or “going back to Jerusalem" - to come under the blood of Jesus and nothing else. Which means, not looking to the world or ourselves, but only to Him. And believing and trusting His word.
It really comes down to what we believe.
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” -Proverbs 23:7
It’s why we hear Jesus talking about belief (and unbelief) over and over again in the Bible. It’s why He praises the belief/faith of the woman with the blood, the Roman centurion and the blind beggar. And why Revelation 21:8 lists the cowardly and unbelieving right there in the list with murderers and idolaters! (I know… I had to double check that too!)
It’s always about the HEART with God!
Now, is the time when God is calling His people back into a true covenant with Him. Not the surface-level idea we’ve been taught through man’s religion. It is about circumcision of the heart (submitting to His will over our own, letting Him cut off our flesh and be consecrated), which brings us into the “ark” of the covenant where the protection, provision and blessing is.
It’s where the freedom is. And where the LIFE is!
So, flee from the world! Come running humbly back to God, let Him circumcise your heart and come into the abundant life that Jesus died for you to have!
