“Behold, I will command,” says the Lord, “and cause them to return to this city. They will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.” (Jeremiah 34:22)

Jerusalem Will Be Burned With Fire

One of the oldest cities in history, Jerusalem has had a rich story in the unfolding of God’s plan to redeem humankind. When Abraham returned from rescuing his nephew from the captivity of warring kings, he was met by Melchizedek, king of Salem. This is apparently an ancient name of Jerusalem. It was not until the time of David that the city of Jerusalem fell into the hands of God’s people. David made Jerusalem the capital of a united Israel, serving also as the religious center of Jewish law. Jerusalem was called “the city of David.”

Solomon would secure the history of Jerusalem when he built the temple. The Temple of Solomon would stand for nearly four hundred years. After the death of Solomon, the kingdom of Israel divided into ten northern tribes (Israel) and the two remaining tribes (Judah). The northern tribes would last for two hundred years before being completely destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 BC. Judah remained as the faithful of Israel, but their demise came at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, when he began the conquest of Judah in 606 BC.

During the tumultuous days of the divided kingdom, God sent His prophets to warn the people of the coming wrath of God. The prophets Amos and Hosea warned the northern tribes to repent. Isaiah and Micah prophesied during the Assyrian age to the people of Judah. When the Babylonian threat became real, the prophets Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah warned the remaining remnant of God’s wrath upon disobedience. Jeremiah watched his beloved nation crumble in rebellion to the word of God. During the final forty years of the kingdom of Judah, Jeremiah preached a message of Israel’s doom.

While there was a respite from the apostasy of idolatry under the leadership of Josiah, the people of Israel turned their backs on God and filled the land with religious and political moral degradation, culminating in the Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah described the wrath of God upon His people in terms that were shocking politically and personally dangerous, as the prophet told the people what God would do to the temple and the city. No one could imagine the great city of Jerusalem would be destroyed. It was impossible anyone could destroy the temple of God. Jeremiah warns the people that the Babylonians will come to Jerusalem, conquer the city, and burn the city and the temple with fire. Jerusalem will become a city without inhabitants.

Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC and burned the city and the temple. God’s word came true. Few people believed Jerusalem would be destroyed. Fewer still could accept that the temple would be burned and destroyed. All the warnings of Jeremiah went unheeded. The people’s rejection did not change the will of God. What God promised would happen came to pass. The people’s unbelief is why so many will be unprepared for the eternal day of judgment. It seems impossible that God would punish anyone. Most reject the idea of eternal punishment with fire. Like the Israelites of old, they believe that God could and would not punish the rebellious. They were wrong.

Jeremiah’s words should sound true today, reminding a rebellious world of the coming destruction of the world. There will come a day when the word of the Lord will destroy the earth, and all men will stand before a gracious God in judgment. That judgment will be fair and righteous. All those who refused to obey the will of the Father will be cast into a lake of fire. Eternal punishment will begin. The word of the Lord is true. Only the few who believed in the word of God will be saved. There is a great day coming. Judgment.