David’s Throne

Few ministers have sacrificed more for God’s Work than Jeremiah did. While in Jerusalem prophesying, Jeremiah was instructed by God not to marry and raise a family (Jeremiah 16:1-2). He probably wasn’t free to marry until he arrived in Ireland as an old man.

Remaining single was only the smallest of Jeremiah’s trials. He spent much of his life in prison, even as he wrote the book of Jeremiah. How could he endure such trials? Jeremiah was filled with the greatest vision in the Bible, and he didn’t just act like he believed it. Enduring intense trials proved that this vision filled his mind and life.

Jeremiah had a message for the leaders of the world of his time and for this end time. Sometimes that message focused on a particular leader.

King on David’s Throne

“Thus saith the Lord; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, And say, Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates: Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation” (Jeremiah 22:1-5). Remember, this is prophecy for the end time! This message was addressed to one person—the king on David’s throne! And it is specifically addressed to the King of Britain today, in London.

Where is David’s throne? It is in Israel—primarily America and Britain in end-time prophecy. We have proved that truth for over 70 years. These prophecies could not be understood without knowing where David’s throne is. God’s very elect must know all about David’s throne and where it is, or most of Jeremiah’s message could not even be understood today!

God promises success and prosperity if we heed these words. If we reject God’s warning message, desolation—total destruction—awaits us.

God is forcing us to choose between hope and disaster. But even if we choose disaster, there is still hope in the Great Tribulation—if we learn from it and repent. That is how merciful God is.

Notice how specific the message is: “Hear the word of the Lord, O king … that sittest upon the throne of David”! A specific leadership position is warned by Jeremiah’s message, which God’s very elect must deliver! “Thus saith the Lord; Go,” and “say” to the king. You can’t get much more direct. This is a command from God! We must know where to deliver this message. God has revealed the message only to those people who know specifically what they must do with it!

Our message is primarily for the nations of Israel because their destruction is prophesied to happen first, before the rest of the world falls. If we don’t know who Israel is, the book of Jeremiah and all Bible prophecy can’t be understood.

Who else on this planet fully understands the book of Jeremiah? Who else is specifically warning the royal family of Britain? Who else in this world is doing the Work that Jeremiah prophesied for this end time? Those questions are easy to answer.

God warns the royal family which sins they must repent of (verse 3). If they don’t, their short-term future is very bleak.

There is also a very inspiring message here for God’s loyal servants. Through these prophecies we learn how to be righteous kings and priests. These are positions we already have in embryo (Revelation 1:6; 5:10). We are preparing to rule with Jesus Christ on David’s throne. The righteousness Jeremiah describes must be obtained by God’s very elect.

Those in God’s Laodicean Church will lose their reward of sharing David’s throne in a headquarters position forever.

“For thus saith the Lord unto the king’s house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited” (Jeremiah 22:6). The nation becomes a barren wilderness. There is a direct connection between the unrighteousness surrounding what was once David’s throne in England and the death of America and Britain!

Jeremiah warns that each individual in Israel has a responsibility in connection to that throne. Ultimately, the whole world will submit to that throne. That is the throne on which Christ is to rule forever. The very elect is to share that rulership with Christ. That means we should have a deep concern for what is happening on that throne—now and forever.

Would God give these mind-bending prophecies against the rulers who once sat on David’s throne and the nations of Israel without revealing who and where they are?! That would make God a grotesque monster. But if God delivers these prophecies and they are rejected, then the royal family and Israel are to blame. They are the hard-headed rebels who refuse to understand.

This entire prophecy is mainly about David’s throne. Just how important is that throne to us today? Our job is to tell the nations of Israel that they have David’s throne and that their fate is directly tied to the righteousness or unrighteousness of that throne! Ignorance is no excuse.

The nations of Israel are to become a nuclear wilderness with uninhabited cities! How could God give us a stronger warning? How could we so fiercely rebel against such a nightmarish prophecy? How could we be so hard and refuse to heed?

Never, never, never has there been such a terrifying prophecy! It should bring every person in the U.S. and Britain to their knees in prayer to the great God!

Forsaken Covenant With David

Why is God bringing all this destruction upon the royal family that once sat on David’s throne? “And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city? Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them” (Jeremiah 22:7-9). They are punished because they forsook the covenant God made with David regarding that throne. The royal family has not yet entered into the new covenant with God. But they were nevertheless a part of God’s covenant with David because they sat on David’s throne. God gave them the honor, and with it came a heavy responsibility.

“And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13). God told David that his son Solomon would build His house, the temple, and that David’s throne would be established forever.

That throne continues to this day because of God’s covenant with David. The king spoke of this covenant just before he died. “Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel …. Yea, does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?” (2 Samuel 23:1, 5; rsv). God made an everlasting covenant with David. The throne of David will never cease, even throughout eternity! (Isaiah 9:6-7). Anyone in that royal line was part of that special throne covenant made with King David whether they know it or not.

“He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever” (2 Samuel 7:13). The Hebrew word for “name” could also be translated family. The covenant was made so that this throne would be a part of God’s Family.

God gave them a clear warning in the Bible about how they would be corrected if they sinned. “I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men” (verse 14). God wanted to make the ruler His son (or daughter), and He would be their Father. It’s a God Family throne. If the rulers on that throne sin, God said He would chasten them with the stripes of men. Often that means God would cause them to be defeated in significant military battles or wars.

However, David’s throne always continues. “But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David” (verses 15-17). That throne must continue. Christ will sit on it when He returns. It was established forever. All we have to do is believe God—believe what He says in the Bible.

What if the royal family of Britain fails to heed this extremely strong warning? God will send destroyers against those who forsake God’s covenant with David (Jeremiah 22:7-9). Jeremiah is very descriptive of their end. “Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem” (verses 18-19). The ancient rulers were only a type of what is to happen in this end time. The royal family of Britain will receive the “burial of an ass” if they don’t repent!

The conquerors won’t refer to the royal family as “Ah lord!” or “Ah his glory!” They won’t call them “Your Royal Majesty” or “Your Royal Highness.” The throne in Britain was the greatest royalty the world has ever known! Do our people ever ask why? How did such an unparalleled royalty begin? How did it develop? It happened for only one reason: God’s covenant with David. The royal family of Britain will get the same type of treatment they have rendered to the royal Family of God! That is why British royalty will receive the burial of an ass if they don’t repent. Nothing majestic about that end. That is how God corrects them for their evil.

A Covenant With the Levites

At the same time God made a special covenant with David, He also made a covenant with the Levites, or God’s ministry. The question is, why?

“Moreover the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:1-3). Jeremiah was still in prison. The expression “mighty things” means “hidden things” in Hebrew. That means God’s revelation was given to Jeremiah—“that which you know not.” So if we are going to understand about David’s throne, we must have it revealed to us by God. It is beyond man’s knowledge.

If you find God’s Work today, God will still be revealing secrets “which you know not.” Just as in Jeremiah’s time, it will revolve around a man. The revelation came to one man—Jeremiah. That method eliminates great confusion. God didn’t reveal to Jeremiah and Baruch or a group of men. God still uses one man, even if that man is imprisoned in a muddy dungeon as Jeremiah was. And so it is today.

That means if you are going to find God, you must look for His revelation from God’s man, but he will not be a man of stature in this world! The person to whom God gives revelation will not be exalted in this society. Instead, he and his followers are persecuted by this world as Jeremiah was.

Much of Jeremiah’s book was inspired while he was in prison. No matter where you find God’s revealed prophecy or truth, cling to it—even if it emanates from a dark dungeon. Find the man to whom God is revealing His truth.

“For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn cereal offerings, and to make sacrifices for ever” (verses 17-18; rsv). This is the temple service that was performed by the priests. God’s Church is His temple today.

Here is a twofold covenant. God made a covenant that David’s throne would never lack for a ruler. He also promised that there would always be a true ministry to teach the revealed truth about that throne. This is an unbreakable promise from the omnipotent God that there would be a continual flow of new revelation about that throne in the end time. You are reading that revelation now. This very moment you are a part of this prophecy! The amazing truth of David’s throne is a major part of our whole work. That is why our television program is today called The Key of David.

“And the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers” (verses 19-21). Breaking these two covenants with David and with the Levites is just as impossible as breaking God’s covenant with day and night. Man can’t stop the Earth from turning on its axis; neither can he break these two covenants. The fulfillment of these two covenants is more certain than day and night!

Herbert W. Armstrong fulfilled God’s end-time covenant concerning the ministry. “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name” (Revelation 3:7-8). God gave Mr. Armstrong the key of David. That was specifically revealed through his book The United States and Britain in Prophecy. Only God’s end-time Elijah was commissioned to restore the key of David (Matthew 17:10-11). That is why we print that same book by Mr. Armstrong. Nobody else was commissioned by God to produce their own version after he died. God is using the Philadelphia Church of God to build on the foundation that Mr. Armstrong laid. The pcg has built on that foundation. We have a book titled The Key of David and another titled The New Throne of David. God has revealed a much fuller understanding of the book of Jeremiah to our Church.

God established His government through Mr. Armstrong—one man. It is the same government that is to be administered from the throne of David forever! All of God’s Laodicean churches today have rejected that government. That is why God no longer reveals new truth to them. But God has deluged the pcg with new revelation, and it will continue to flow to God’s very elect. That is how God is fulfilling His special covenant with the ministry today, related to David’s throne.

God calls the ministry which fulfills that covenant today “my ministers” (Jeremiah 33:21). God’s ministers are the modern-day Levites. They teach God’s revealed truth about David’s throne (verse 22).

Those people who are loyal to God will be called “Your Majesty” or “Your Royal Highness” forever! They are the true royalty of God today. They will rule from David’s throne for all eternity.

A Great Work

Jeremiah worked extremely hard to deliver God’s message to Judah. “From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the Lord hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened” (Jeremiah 25:3). His routine was “rising early and speaking.” This expression is used 12 times in the Bible. Jeremiah uses it 11 times. It simply means that he was very urgent and hardworking in getting the Work done.

Where did he get that urgency? “And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear” (verse 4). God was always urgent and hard-working in sending prophets to warn Judah. Jeremiah was being inspired by God. Here is the key to our success in God’s Work. We must be urgent the way God is! There is nothing more urgent than getting God’s Work done! Are we filled with God’s urgency? That means God’s Work must become our work.

This is why so few people are doing God’s Work. Generally an individual doesn’t love God and His Work more than he does his own life; his individual work is more important than God’s Work. The very elect know that they work for God. And nothing is more urgent. How rare are such people on this Earth.

God will send the king of the north to conquer our people (verses 5-9). Anciently, it happened exactly as Jeremiah prophesied. But again, this was only a type of what is coming upon America, Britain and Israel (biblical Judah) in this end time. How could a message be more urgent?

“Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle” (verse 10). The voice of happiness will disappear. We need to look at this verse spiritually. The voice of the Bridegroom—Christ—and the voice of the Bride—God’s wife, the very elect—will disappear. The “light of the candle,” or lamp, is going out. That lamp is burning in God’s very elect Church (Revelation 2 and 3). That means God’s message will stop, except for the two witnesses in the Great Tribulation. There will be “a famine in the land … of hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11).

Where is the lamp today? Where is the Bride? If you know where the Bridegroom is, you know where the Bride is! God’s very elect know who they are. They also know they are the only ones delivering God’s revealed message. Only they have God’s lamp in this dark world. If you can’t see God’s only lamp in this dark world, you are blind. And God’s very elect know how terrifyingly black it will become spiritually in this world when they are taken to a place of safety. Then the Work as we know it today will come to an end. Nobody else will be able to repent and escape the Tribulation.

How could a work be more urgent?

“And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations” (Jeremiah 25:11-13). After Israel, it will be Babylon’s time to suffer punishment. These prophecies of Jeremiah are “against all the nations.”

Jeremiah only went to Judah. This is a prophecy that only the pcg can totally fulfill. God is warning the whole world about “all that is written in this book” of Jeremiah. Only the pcg understands what Jeremiah prophesies about God’s Laodicean Church. And only we directly see Babylon rising in power and getting ready to attack its “lovers.” Only we have the message and the power to deliver it!

God is revealing all of the book of Jeremiah to the pcg. That new revelation is added to the foundational revelations given to Herbert W. Armstrong. But only we understand all the words of Jeremiah. Only we can fulfill this prophecy completely.

Here is what sets God’s very elect apart. They know that God’s revelation comes only to them. They know this means a heavy responsibility. They must deliver that revelation to the entire world. Only they have the message to deliver!

This prophecy is aimed directly at the pcg today. We must urgently get the message delivered. It is the people of Israel’s only hope. This message is against them. They must repent to be saved from the worst catastrophe ever! “For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it” (verses 14-15). We are to “cause all the nations … to drink it.” Cause is a strong verb. It depicts the kind of effort God expects from us. It is a cause that includes God’s strong judgment.

“And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. Then took I the cup at the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me” (verses 16-17). The word “drink” in verse 16 is a more intense Hebrew word than the word “drink” used in verses 15 and 17. That means this message must be very intense to the point that it stirs people to “be mad”! It is the most difficult message they or anyone else have ever heard!

God will send all the words of Jeremiah to all the nations of this world. And it’s a message of the worst suffering ever. It’s such a nightmarish message that it will drive people mad.

God says we must cause the nations to drink. A courageous and vigorous message must be delivered. It will take the urgency and courage of God to fulfill this commission. The nations are not to just glance at the message or take a sip—they must drink. The prophecy states that Jeremiah “made all the nations to drink.” But Jeremiah only wrote this message in a book. He never delivered it. Only we can deliver this message today and make them drink! That means a very powerful warning!

Even those nations “in the utmost corners” must hear the warning! (verse 23). Also those nations in the desert (verse 24). That includes the “mingled people”—the strangers and aliens. Nobody is exempt. This is God’s message to the whole world—every person on this Earth.

What if they don’t heed? “A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground” (verses 31-33). God has a great controversy with this world. The “slain of the Lord” will be from one end of the Earth to the other. Millions of dead people will be “dung upon the ground.” They won’t be “buried.” “The primary idea is that of heaping up a mound …” (Gesenius’ Lexicon). High mounds of dead bodies, like piles of dung or manure, will fill the Earth!

God is going to speak to man in the only language he understands!

Continue Reading: Chapter 10: Hope in Anathoth