The Scattering of Israel
Jeremiah 30:7 – “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.”
One of the most important things to remember concerning the Great Tribulation is that it has a Jewish aspect to it. Jeremiah writes, “…it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble…” Jacob was the man in the book of Genesis whose name was changed to Israel. Israel’s twelve sons became the heads of the twelve families, or tribes, of the nation of Israel. The Great Tribulation has much to do with the nation of Israel – “it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble.”
While some insist that the above verse is not referring to the Great Tribulation, scripture makes it clear that the verse concerns the Great Tribulation. The previous verse makes this clear:
Jeremiah 30:6 – “Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, AS A WOMAN IN TRAVAIL, and all faces are turned into paleness?”
This passage of scripture is talking about a time that is compared to a woman in travail. Paul calls this time the day of the Lord:
I Thessalonians 5:2, 3 – “For yourselves know perfectly that the DAY OF THE LORD so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, AS TRAVAIL UPON A WOMAN with child; and they shall not escape.”
I have already discussed in detail that the day of the Lord is a time period which is initiated by the Great Tribulation (see my recent posts entitled The Day of the Lord – parts 1, 2, and 3).
Jeremiah’s very description of “Jacob’s trouble” shows us that he is speaking of the Great Tribulation:
Jeremiah 30:7 – “Alas! for that day is great, SO THAT NONE IS LIKE IT: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.”
What does Jeremiah say about time of “Jacob’s trouble?” He says there is no day like it! This exact description is given in scripture to describe both the day of the Lord, and more specifically, the Great Tribulation. I brought out these scriptures in part two of my posts on the day of the Lord, but I will list them again for the benefit of the reader:
Joel 2:1, 2 – “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for THE DAY OF THE LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; THERE HATH NOT BEEN EVER THE LIKE, NEITHER SHALL BE ANY MORE AFTER IT, even to the years of many generations.”
Daniel 12:1 – “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, SUCH AS NEVER WAS SINCE THERE WAS A NATION, EVEN TO THAT SAME TIME: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”
Matthew 24:21 – “For then shall be great tribulation, SUCH AS WAS NOT since the beginning of the world to this time, no, NOR EVER SHALL BE.”
Mark 13:19 – “For in those days shall be affliction, SUCH AS WAS NOT from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, NEITHER SHALL BE.”
The Great Tribulation has a Jewish aspect about it. No one can study it without seeing the significance of the nation of Israel during this dreadful time. At this time, I will examine several passages of scripture that reveal God’s dealings with Israel during the Great Tribulation.
The Scattering of the Jews
In Jeremiah 30, it is clear that during the time of Jacob’s trouble, the Jews will be scattered. I will not comment much on this subject, as I already have done so in part 3 of my series entitled The Day of the Lord. At the close of Jacob’s trouble, the Lord promises to gather Israel out of the nations to which they have been scattered:
Jeremiah 30:10, 11 – “Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”
It is only reasonable to believe that if, after the time of Jacob’s trouble, God is going place Israel in their own land, then during the time of Jacob’s trouble, Israel must be scattered. The scattering of Israel is a major Bible teaching regarding the nation of Israel in the Great Tribulation. Christ brings out the point in great detail in the Olivet Discourse:
Matthew 24:15-20 – “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day.”
Christ says, “Let them which be in Judaea FLEE!” He goes on, “Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house!” He further instructs those who see the abomination of desolation (an event described in my previous post) not to return back to take their clothes. In addition to this, Christ further instructs them to pray that their flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day!
Two things are clear regarding the above passage; first, that Christ is dealing with the Jews during the tribulation; and second, that the Jews will be on the run during that time. Christ’s mention of the abomination of desolation regards the Jewish temple and the abominations committed in it during the Great Tribulation. “Let them which be in Judaea FLEE!” Judaea is a land of Jewish occupancy. Christ then gives a prayer request – He requests that they pray that their flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day! The Sabbath is of Jewish concern. The Jews will have a flight (or, a time of fleeing) in the Great Tribulation. Christ instructs them to pray that it will be neither in the winter, nor on the Sabbath day!
TO BE CONTINUED…
