All right, chapter 19, let's dive right in here. Verse number one, the Bible reads, thus saith the Lord, go and get a potter's earthen bottle and take of the ancients of the people and of the ancients of the priests and go forth under the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee. Again, Jeremiah is receiving the word of the Lord and he's being instructed on what to do and how to deliver the word of the Lord. And we see another reference here to a potter, but this is just a potter's earthen bottle. So last week we looked at the potter's house when he was forming and fashioning the vessel. And now the vessel is already completed here. And this is a separate illustration. There's a different reason. for this, but he tells them basically, okay, go get this potter's earthen bottle and bring it with you. And it's going to be used as an illustration later on in the chapter as he's delivering the message from the Lord. And he tells them to gather of the ancients of the people, so the The angels of people obviously are going to be elder. They could be older to be the elders of the city, but they're also going to be seen as these are the people that are in reputation. These are going to be people who would be rulers and respected and looked up to and it says and of the ancients. of the priests." So this is the audience that he's gathering to hear the word of the Lord. And he tells them, he says, take them and go unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate. And then he says, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee. and say, verse 3. So this is the message he's going to say. He brings them to the Valley of the Son of Man. He's got this audience. He says, hear ye the word of Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. So clearly he's referring to these ancients of the people, the ancients of the priests, as the rulers, as the kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth his ears shall tingle." And this is not a new message either. This message has already been preached. This almost the same exact verbiage has been used in previous chapters of Jeremiah. Specifically even in Jeremiah chapter 7 and we're gonna we're gonna actually look at that again a little bit tonight But he's expressing this evil this destruction that's going to come where he says man It's it's like it's gonna hurt your ears practice to make your ears tingle be like ooh, man now, you know when you get the the goosebumps or something like your ears are just gonna be like that is that is quite the destruction and It's profound. It is going to be that bad. Obviously, this is real, real, real, real, real serious. When things get so bad, people need to be paying attention. The problem is with these people, and this is why it even gets this point, is because they've already forsaken the Lord. So they didn't heed the other warnings, the warnings that could have helped them way earlier on before they've completely abandoned the Lord. They had been, you know, God has been sending his prophets and he's been giving instruction, but the people have been refusing and refusing and refusing. And then they forsake the Lord and they build all these altars unto false gods and start worshiping false gods. and just completely abandon the Lord until it gets to this point where he's like, okay, well now guess what? Now you're gonna get destruction that anyone that even hears about this, it's gonna bother them. They're gonna be like, whoa, that is severe. What in the world did these people do to be destroyed with such a destruction as this? And he says this here in verse four. He says, because they have forsaken me. That's what he starts off with. They forsook me. God was there, God helped them, God established them, God gave them their country, God gave them the law, God gave them everything, but yet they forsook him. They have forsaken me and have estranged this place and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocence. And this place, the Valley of the Son of Hinnom is also known as Tophet. And this is a place where child sacrifice, human child sacrifice was being performed like unto Molech. There was just this human sacrifice being done at this place, literally, where they're letting their children, they're passing them through the fire. And I mean, extremely wicked, right? Super, super wicked. But this is, I mean, when you let that sink in of the blood of the innocence being shed, we understand why God gets so angry and now is ready to judge with a judgment that like, man, this is gonna be epic. It's an epic judgment coming down because people need to understand how serious this is. And I'll tell you what, This isn't, you know, you could say, oh, well, we don't, you know, people aren't setting up altars today and taking children and burning them in the fire, right? We don't see that. That's not happening in America. But you know what? Child sacrifice is still happening in this country to the tune of thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, yay, even millions. And it still continues to this day. And it's legalized. And it happens through abortion. And this is something that, look, God does not take lightly at all, nor should he. The death, the blood of the innocents. It is ridiculous, especially when you have a people that just forsake God, and this is what they're doing. Now, here you could say, well, they were sacrificing it unto these other gods. Well, children today that are being offered up in there and being murdered and slain in the womb, they're also being sacrificed. It's just being sacrificed for the God of self, for the God of, well, whatever is going to be, you know, whatever I want to do, whatever is inconvenient for me, I don't want to have that. You know, I want to do this, and I want to have a career, and I want to, you know, I don't like this person, and I don't want to have their kid. And, you know, whatever, whatever the reasons are, there's all these different reasons that people come up with. that are all just wicked where you just put yourself above the life of another person, of an innocent human being. Because of your selfishness and because you've turned and forsaken the Lord. Verse four says, because they have forsaken me and have estranged this place, and have burned incense, and I know the gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents. Innocent, innocent people. You know, there's no one more innocent than the child. Children are innocent in the sight of God, especially, and that's what matters most. That's why we believe children also go to heaven when they die. Little kids, babies in the womb, infants, children, these young ones, while they're still innocent, they die, they go to heaven. And hey, praise the Lord for that. But what a wicked thing that people are just, can callously shed the blood of innocence. And this is a thing we've been seeing a lot of, especially politically. And I don't know, I read somewhere, and I don't know all the details of this, but I was reading how there's been initiatives on the ballots now because the Roe v. Wade was overturned. And basically now, since that was federally recognized, going back to the state, because that, Open the door for for the abortions in all states would make it unconstitutional to prohibit. The abortions in the states and now because of that that overturn all the overturning of that ruling. There are people, there's states now who have been fighting to put in different legislation regarding abortion. And I know in some states, I think they're making it really liberal as far as being able to just conduct all manner of abortion. And that's, I mean, you want to talk about having the wrath of God on you? Like they've gone from where there was some restriction on it before to where it's just like practically up to the birth of the child or whatever. And look, it's a human being no matter what stage it's at. It is a person there and it is murder no matter what point after conception you are terminating that child. So it's the same value no matter what, but the longer it goes, that's just that many more kids or that much, you know, it's just like opening the door to have that many more murders. And God, look, this is one of the major reasons for the destruction that came. And obviously the murder of innocents is gonna go hand in hand with people forsaking the Lord. I mean, how could you call yourself a Christian and just go and murder innocent and shed innocent blood? Like that's, they don't go together at all. Now, obviously, can a person be saved? Yes, and commit some really horrible sin. Of course they can, but those two do not go together at all. Like you can still be forsaking God and doing this wickedness, even if you are saved. I mean, that is something a saved person can do potentially, but guess what? If you do that, you better be prepared for the punishment for the chastening, for the rebuke. And that's if you're a child of God, but even worse, you know, is just when the people in general are given over to that and they're voting for it and they're enacting this stuff. I mean, how wicked is that? Because they're filling the place with the blood of innocence, we're gonna see what God's gonna do. This is why he's bringing the judgment that's gonna make your ears tingle. It's one of the reasons. Verse five, they have built also the high places of Baal to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not nor spake it, neither came it into my mind. You know, I also mentioned it was about the states that were enacting the abortions, but I think there's also states that are trying to prevent it as well, right? So that's the unique thing about the United States of America. You've got these different states that are almost like little countries, at least when the federal government is going out of control and just forcing everything. Now, the federal government ought to ban all forms of murder. Anyways, it ought to just be understood that that's never acceptable. But we live in a backwards, perverted, twisted world. Now, I want to make a point to this. I brought this up in the past also, but it's just so fitting and so clear. When God is making this statement, about, you know, they built the high places of Baal to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal. He says, which I command, like, I didn't command that. You didn't get that from me. I'm not telling you to burn your children in a fire, nor spake it. So not only did I not command it, it didn't even come out of my mouth. Like, that was never even a thing. He says, and neither came it into my mind. Like, this was never a thing. It was never supposed to be a thing. It was never anything that you're ever supposed to do. And this completely debunks the god of Calvinism. And this is why I preach so hard against Calvinism, because it literally invents a different God than the God of the Bible. When it all boils down to it, look, you can talk all day about theology. You can talk all day and hunt down different verses. And look at the word predestinated. You can look at all these different things. But at the end of the day, you either have a God that has given us a free will, a will to choose to do right or wrong, a will to decide what we're going to do, or a God that just has stripped away any ability to make any choice. And those are two different gods that would be two different created beings, two different worlds. OK, and I'm sorry. A God that then is ultimately responsible, because if you don't have a free will, we're literally just doing everything that God would have given us the instruction to do, whether it's good or evil. So every word that's coming out of my mouth right now is literally just, well, that's just what God would have me to say. And everything that you think and everything that you do, but not just you, not just people who love the Lord, but that goes for everybody. So in all the perverts, all the worst filth of the world and all the defiling that they do in the worst possible ways, it would also mean that, well, I mean, they don't have a choice. It's just, they're just doing what God would have them to do. And that is insane, and that is ridiculous, and that is not the God. That is not God Almighty. That is not the Lord. That is not Jehovah. That is not Jesus. That is a different God. And you could try to get all studious as much as you want and study as much as you want. That is not the God of the Bible, just plain and simple. And verses like this and many others will refute it. The fact that he's saying, look, I didn't command it, I didn't spake it, it didn't even come into my mind, there was never supposed to be a thing, man came up with that stuff. God didn't come up with it. He would have had to come up with it if he's instructing people to do it. If it's God's will that they do these things, he would have had to have thought of it first. Obviously, he knows all things. It's not like they did something that was unknown to God, but it's not something that he came up with. There's a difference. It's a thought that he's saying, it didn't even come into my mind. Because it's so wicked, which is also why he destroys it so much. And then, you know, again, consequences for actions and stuff, how could you be held responsible for anything if at the end of the day, you're only doing what God's making you do? That's ridiculous. Let's keep reading here, verse number six. And he's gonna explain why, but before we even get into that, keep your place here and let's turn to Jeremiah chapter seven. And that Valley of Slaughter is real interesting because it's fitting on two levels. One, because of the shedding of innocent blood that has happened there already. So yes, it is the Valley of Slaughter. And that's putting a name on it that is more appropriate than something like, oh, the Valley of the Son of Hinnom. So the Son of Hinnom was a person, and this is the, you know, Hinnom was a person who had a son, so the Son of Hinnom, oh yeah, that's his valley, right? That's just talking about a place for a man, right? That's someone's place. And that doesn't say anything good or evil, necessarily, inherently, right? Other than whatever name Hinnom had, which apparently isn't a very good one. And then the other name is Tophet, but saying no, no, no, that's not what to be called anymore. It's not gonna be known by those names to be called the Valley of Slaughter. And as we'll see in a minute, it's not just because of the slaughter of the shedding of innocent blood, but also because of the slaughter of the people who are going to be destroyed until there's no place to even bury them. But let's read in Jeremiah chapter 7. This same warning is given forth in chapter 7. We covered this when we went over chapter 7. And the only difference is here in Jeremiah chapter 19, verse number 1, It's it's given to the it's directed at the ancients of the people and agents of the priests, right? So it's more at the leadership It's more at the people in charge Whereas in chapter 7 it was it was I think it was just more broad because he's doing at the gates of the house of God So in Jeremiah chapter seven, beginning of chapter, it tells you, he's instructed, hey, go to the gates of the house of the Lord. And he's there preaching kind of for anyone that would come into the house of God. And judgment begins first at the house of God and the people at the house of God need to know the right way first, right? They need, they ought to be doing something about it. They ought to be receiving the message and being like, yeah, man, we got to fix this. We got to change it. We got to do something about this. And because if anyone's going to do it, it's going to be the people who are worshiping the Lord, right? You'd think so. That's who it should be. And then he's bringing the warning now to more of the ruling class. Yes, the priests too, the ancients of the priests, but it's the ruling of the priests, it's the ruling of their nation, of their city. But let's start reading in verse number 30 of Jeremiah chapter seven, the Bible says, for the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the Lord. They have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name to pollute it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. Therefore, behold, the days come, said the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of a slaughter, for they shall bury in Tophet till there be no place. And the carcasses of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth, and none shall fray them away. Let's go back to Jeremiah chapter 19. So we see there the destruction that is coming to that place where it literally says that the carcasses shall be meat for the fowls of the heavens. So the birds are gonna come down, the beasts are gonna come out and just start eating, like literally eating up the bodies of the people who are fall down dead. Like they're just left out in the open, which is already dishonorable, right? Normally when people die, we like to, deal with respect for the for the deceased even though yes the body is just a shell you still care for it and place it and plant it carefully in the earth and and show your give your your respects and and a good parting, right, with those people. But when people are just destroyed en masse and just left out on the earth, obviously that's a lot worse. So that is what is being told is going to happen. That's what's prophesied is going to take place. Jeremiah 19, verse number seven, the Bible says, and I will make void the council of Judah and Jerusalem in this place. and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies." So God is going to make their wisdom, their counsel, like nothing. He's going to make it void. He's going to make it empty. Like, we're getting rid of your stupid wisdom and the wisdom of man and whatever foolishness you think. is allowing you to perform such wicked acts. He says, I'm gonna cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hands of them that seek their lives. And their carcasses will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth. And I will make this city desolate and in hissing. Everyone that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof. Look at verse nine, and I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters. And they shall eat everyone the flesh of his friend in the siege and straightness, wherewith their enemies and they that seek their lives shall straighten them. And don't just read over. Imagine being in a situation where people are turning to their own children to survive and to get food. How hungry do you have to be? How bad do things have to be? For some people, they would never do that, right? They would rather die than have that happen. But in order for that to even happen for anybody, you know that that's the last resort. That's just like the last possible thing that anyone would ever do, ever, would be not just to eat human flesh, but to eat like of your own. So yeah, when we're talking about your ears are gonna tingle when you hear that stuff, this is how bad it gets. It's like, what could be worse? Right, being in a worse situation. That is so bad because, I mean, if you think about it, the parents and the people are making that choice to do that. It's different even than being held captive by someone and them doing things to you. Because you're not actively choosing to do anything. But when you choose to do something so wicked like that, that's a whole other level of horror. and punishment. Obviously, they don't have the choice. They're being besieged. So the enemy's coming and circling them around and making sure they get no supplies coming in and completely starving them out. But good night. What a horrible situation to find yourself in to where people are going to be actually eating people. I mean, I would rather just take my chances and die on the battlefield than turn to that. Right? I mean, to me, that just seems like the better option, to say, OK, I'm going to fight you with my last breath. Maybe I could wound somebody or something. I don't know. I mean, that'd be what I would hope for. But I mean, it's just a horrible, horrible situation to be in. I know it's not pleasant to think about. It's not pleasant to read. And we shouldn't be comfortable just sitting here looking at this chapter. It is something that ought to bother us. And it ought to bother us. And you know what? People don't want to think about things like abortion. They don't want to think about the murder of the innocent. Yeah, it's not a pleasant thing to think about, but you know what? You need to think about it. It needs to come up. It needs to be serious. It needs to be completely condemned. It needs to be outlawed. It ought to be something that never should happen. It ought to be something that people can't just get away with and pretend like it's not a big deal and it's not a thing. No, it is a big deal. It's a very big deal. You're killing life. You're killing babies when you get an abortion. You're murdering little babies. Just as much as you could think of a baby out of the womb being destroyed and dismembered, it's the same thing happening just inside of the womb. It doesn't matter the size of the child. That doesn't make it okay. The viability outside of the womb doesn't change anything. It doesn't all of a sudden make it fine now because it's just really little. That's like saying, oh, well, this person who's on life support, they can't really do anything anyway, so let's just kill them. This person that needs some extra help to survive in this world, some medical help or whatever, yeah, let's just, let's not, I mean, they can't survive on their own. I mean, my kids can't survive on their own. Well, some of them can probably at this point, but the smallest ones can't. These kids can't survive on their own. Brother Preston's kids can't. He just leaves them. They're just like, all right, we're going home. And he just leaves them here. And they're just like, OK. I mean, how long are they going to last? How long? As long as they can find stuff in the fridge? If they're left to themselves, they can't. Does that mean, well, I mean, I guess they don't really hold any value then, right? I mean, they can't really survive on their own. It's insane. It's insanity. It's stupid arguments by people that don't use logic. They just have really, really wicked hearts. And I'm sorry, even if something bad happens, even if a woman's forced or whatever, the answer to evil is not evil. It's not. Oh, so someone did bad to you, so let's kill this innocent person that's inside of you now. It's wickedness, man. It's wickedness. And, you know, there's a lot of talk. There's a lot of things happening politically right now. And everyone's getting all excited about the, you know, the changes that come or whatever. And who knows what's going to happen? I'm not, I'm not excited really at all. Honestly, like just honestly, I just look at this stuff. It's the same stuff. And the older you get, you're going to realize, been here before, been here, done that. And what really happens? Nothing. Oh, one thing here, one thing there, okay, whatever, yeah, fine, but like, and we're talking about the real things. And we already know, politically, he's not gonna do, nothing's gonna happen about abortion. That's never been on the plan, that's never been on the agenda, and look, we're talking about things, I preached on this when I was preaching on, you know, right before the election, on things that we ought to be looking at. This is key. Life. Like the murder of innocent blood is going to bring judgment on a nation. And it's going to bring judgment that'll make your ears tingle. And if someone can't stand for that, for outlawing that, then what good are you? What good, what piece of crap human being are you if you can't even say that, yeah, we ought not to destroy children in the womb? I'm sorry, you're garbage. You're garbage if you can't stand for that. It's the most basic fundamental thing. Can we protect our little ones? Can we? Can we stand for that? And you think it gets me mad? I mean, look at how mad God gets. Keep your place in Jeremiah 19. Turn, if you would, to 2 Kings chapter 25. Because we see the fulfillment of this, of this prophecy, of the warning that Jeremiah is given here in Jeremiah chapter 19. When Nebuchadnezzar comes down in 2 Kings chapter 25, Verse number one, the Bible reads, and it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the 10th month, in the 10th day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came, he and all his hosts, against Jerusalem. Which, by the way, that's where they're at. They're in Judah, they're in Jerusalem, right, where Jeremiah's preaching. And pitched against it, and they built forts against it roundabout. So they surround Jerusalem. And the city was besieged until the 11th year of King Zedekiah. So from the ninth year and the 10th month unto the 11th year. So maybe not a full two years, but that's a long time to not have anything coming and going just within a city, right? It's not like they don't have access out to the fields and out to anything else. That's literally just within the city walls. So whatever store you have stored up within that city, I mean, how long is that gonna last? How much food do you have in your house? If you weren't allowed to leave your house, for example, How far is that gonna get you? And everyone's gonna have a little bit different amount, right? And then, okay, well, there's a grocery store. Well, how long is that gonna last when they don't get supplies either? I mean, that's gonna be gone in an instant, right? Everyone's gonna be going, pulling stuff off the shelf. You see it happens, right? So this is what would happen, I mean, over a year, well over a year. Up to two years, whatever. We don't know exactly. I don't see the months listed here. That's how long they're being besieged. Oh, excuse me. It says on the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine prevailed. So in the 11th year, the ninth day of the fourth month. So we do have the time frame there from the 10th month to the fourth month. So a year and a half. The famine prevailed, and there was no bread for the people of the land. So basically, all of the resources were just consumed by that point. And it says, and the city was broken up. And all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate. So the king goes in, and he destroys them. And that's when the city ultimately falls. But since there was no bread, there was no more food, obviously, it gets to the point where, like, in Jeremiah 19, he's saying people are starting to eat other people. That's how bad it gets. Let's go back to Jeremiah chapter 19. So clearly it comes to pass. This warning that's delivered comes to pass. As every word of God comes to pass. Everything that God says happens. Verse number 10 of Jeremiah 19. Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee. So remember, He was supposed to get the bottle of clay and then start preaching his message at the Valley of the Son of Hinnom. And then God instructs him after he's warning them about how bad that destruction is going to be. And then he says, you take that bottle and smash it. and shalt say unto them, thus saith the Lord of hosts, even so will I break this people and this city as one break of the potter's vessel. I mean, this is all meant, this is a prop, right? That's meant to sink in and get into their minds and like, stay with them. And he just smashes that vessel, just imagine a clay pot and just smashing it down on the ground, it just goes, it's just gonna shatter into a whole bunch of pieces. And he says, even so I break this people in the city as one break of the potter's vessel that cannot be made whole again. You can't fix that, right? It's not like you break a vase or something and it's got this big crack and you could like glue it back together and you see this line or whatever. When you shatter it like that, there's just, you can't pick up the pieces, right? It's like Humpty Dumpty. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again. But this is showing us the destruction that God's going to bring. and the reprobate status. Like you cannot, there's no remedy of this. There's no coming back. Like when this destruction happens, there's no fixing this. It's utter destruction. It's completely destroyed. Just like that bottle, and they shall bury them in Tophet till there be no place to bury. So there's gonna be a slaughter so bad that there's not even gonna be a place for the graves. That's how bad, that's how many people are gonna die. Thus will I do unto this place, saith the Lord, and to the inhabitants thereof, and even make this city as Topheth. And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah shall be defiled as the place of Topheth, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the hosts of heaven, and have poured out drink offerings unto other gods." So the destruction that he's talking about happening at Tophet is also going to happen at Jerusalem. And it's because of all their worshiping of these false gods that were happening at their houses. Verse 14, then came Jeremiah from Topheth, whether the Lord had sent him to prophesy. And he stood in the court of the Lord's house and said to all the people, thus said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns, all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks that they might not hear my words. God is angry that he's sending people, delivering the word of the Lord, and nobody's listening, and no one's paying attention, no one cares. And he says, well, this is what's gonna happen now. Here's what you've brought upon yourself. Turn, if you would, to 2 Kings chapter 23, and I just wanna make this one last point here, because this is important to note. The time of Jeremiah's preaching is largely during the reign of King Josiah. It is. This is like a lot of this is taking place during that time. And this is, I don't think this is a coincidence either, that Josiah has this heart to turn to the Lord and actually is able to postpone the judgment of God because of what he does. Now I would also add though that clearly that just because Josiah was this great leader and his great king Who commanded all of these things he had the power and authority to do and started getting things you know trying to get the children of Israel right with God getting people in Jerusalem and and and and getting rid of abominations and just trying to clean things up and He did that, yes, but the hearts of the people still weren't just drawn back to the Lord. Maybe some people were, I don't know. I mean, it's hard to say, but I would also say this though, is that that wasn't all just because of Josiah himself either. He's hearing preaching. So if in the story, in the book of the Kings and Chronicles, we see, you know, they find the book of the law, And then he goes and consults with Huldah, the prophetess, and hears from her. And because Jeremiah is not just preaching in some podunk town that nobody hears of, he's going and getting the rulers and the elders and the ancients. He's preaching to people where I guarantee you the king is going to hear about these things and know what Jeremiah is preaching. This isn't just done under rock. This isn't done to just people who no one even knows about. It's clearly being taught and being preached to people who are of influence and would definitely be able to bring word to the king. Hey, there's this guy, have you guys heard what Jeremiah's preaching? You hear what that guy, that crazy guy, he's all this hellfire and brimstone preacher, that guy, can you believe what he said? You know they're gonna be talking about that, but Josiah, I think, is receiving of that. He was receiving the word of the Lord because we look at his actions, we look at what he did. at least King Josiah took to heart this preaching. And this is why, you know, the preaching is always important. And even if there's impending doom and destruction, you still preach the word of God because you never know who's going to be impacted by it and what's going to happen. Even if it's just during that time and even if it's just for them to say, okay, hey, we're going to get a little bit of relief because you have turned your heart to the Lord and people are doing better now. It doesn't mean judgment's never going to come, but let's do what we can while we're here and who knows what's going to happen. You know, don't have a defeated attitude that just says, oh, we're heading into the end times and there's, you know, It's going to just get really bad. It's going to be like the days of law and the days of Noah. And everyone's just going to be super wicked and stuff. And what's the point? No, the point is, look at Josiah. That's the point. God had already determined after Manasseh that he was going to bring judgment on the people for the murdering of the innocent people and all the people, the blood of the innocents and everything like that. But then Josiah came along. And God said, OK, I see your heart. I like that. I like that attitude. I like they're going to change some things. It's not gonna prevent me from, it's not gonna completely stop me from doing the judgment. It's still gonna come, but you know what? I like that and go for it, right? You'll have peace in your days. You'll be able to get these things done that I would have you to do. And that can happen no matter how far off we are from, you know, there's gonna be destruction. There has to be judgment for all the innocent blood that's been shed. I firmly believe that's gonna happen. But God doesn't deal quickly, usually, especially in matters like this. He gives space for repentance and things. Man, we pushed it so far already with the Lord in this country, in our nation, a nation that's supposed to be a nation of his people. It's supposed to be people who claim the name of the Lord. I mean, that's how it began. That's how the people here, by and large, this country has been founded off of people who hold the Bible in regard and have mirrored laws based off of what this book says and would claim the name of the Lord as their God. That's a fact. But now to go from that and to become this great powerhouse of missions and preaching the gospel and the freedom and the liberty that's come along with serving the Lord and the blessings that come from making the Lord your God into what we've become now. Yeah, of course there's gonna be, of course God has a lot of wrath and anger built up over all the sins that have been going on, the wickedness that's happening here. But, we still will preach and we will still warn. And Jeremiah, look, these are some of the hardest sermons probably in the Bible from Jeremiah, because it's extremely negative and it's really bad. I mean, this is just like, whoa, a lot of doom and gloom, but you know what? For some people, it's a good act. And we're gonna preach the word of God. And look, what was Jeremiah? Did Jeremiah just come up with all this doom and gloom on his own and just say, I'm just gonna preach this stuff because I hate these people. No, not at all, actually. He's preaching it because God told him to. It's God's word that he's preaching. It's not his own. He's not using his own imagination to preach stuff and saying, oh, I don't really like this stuff, so I'm just going to yell about it. No, thus saith the Lord. It's what God said, and he's just saying, OK, well, I'll say it then. What do you want me to say? I'll do it. And that's what we need to be willing to do, because only God is what has power anyways. And as much as I like looking up to heroes like Jeremiah, I like looking up to heroes like Ezekiel, I like looking up to the heroes of the faith of men who have yielded themselves to the Lord. What is it that made them great? It wasn't them. What is it that brought all the power and any of the change? And what is it about Josiah? It was the Lord. It's God's power, it's God's word. It's preaching His words, not your own, not some great, it wasn't Tertullus that's getting all the glory of God. He was a great orator. He might be able to sway people, but the real power comes from the Lord. And the people that we look up to are the people who are yielding themselves to God to just do whatever it is that God would have them to do and say whatever it is God would have them to say. And glory to God. Let's look at some of the actions, some of the results, though, of King Josiah here, because it's not a coincidence that Jeremiah is preaching these warnings, and Jeremiah specifically is talking about Tophet and the Valley of the Son of Hinnom. And we see what Josiah actually does during his kingship. Verse number 3 of 2 Kings 23, the Bible says, and the king stood by a pillar. made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and with and all their soul to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book and all the people stood to the covenant so he's saying we're getting back right with God here's the book of the law here's a covenant he's saying we're renewing ourselves today and we're gonna commit ourselves to follow the Lord And look, Jeremiah is not mentioned at all by name in 2 Kings and any of this stuff. He doesn't need to be. Jeremiah was just a man preaching the word of the Lord, and Josiah was a man who wanted to follow the Lord. So who cares if Jeremiah's name is even mentioned at all in that chapter? It doesn't have to be. God's will is being done, regardless of who exactly it is that's doing it. But let's keep reading here. Verse four, and the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the door to bring forth out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal and for the grove and for all the hosts of heaven. And he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel. So the first thing he does, he said, we're getting all the idolatry out of the house of the Lord. We're getting all this garbage, all this stuff that doesn't belong in God's house out and we're burning it and destroying it and stamping it out. It has no place here, and we're not going to put it away in a storage. We're not going to just lock it up somewhere. We're not even going to just throw it in a dumpster. We're grinding it to powder. We're destroying it. We're making sure nobody's going to use this. It's gone. They're burned. The ashes are just taken out. Verse five, and he put down the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem, them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the hosts of heaven. He took them out. I mean, literally, he took them out. These are the wicked people causing the people to sin, and go after these strange gods, and bringing curses upon people. No, you're gone verse 6 and he brought out the grove from the house of the Lord without Jerusalem unto the brook hydron and burned it at the brook hydron and Stamped it small to powder and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people And he break down the houses of the sodomites. Amen He break down houses of sodomites that were by the house of the Lord Where the women wove hangings for the grove? I mean that shows you how far out of whack things are when the sodomites are moving in right next to the house of the Lord and how comfortable they are just being right up next to the house of the Lord. You've let things slip way too far if that's the case. Verse eight, and he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah. and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense from Geba to Beersheba and break down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua, the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city. Verse nine, nevertheless, the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren. And look at verse 10, and he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom. that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech." So what did he do? He destroyed it. He destroyed that place. He destroyed the place of Topheth of the Valley of the Son of Hinnom. Which, again, was prophesied as what God wanted to have happen. He wanted that place destroyed. And it was destroyed. But then also Jerusalem was destroyed, just as Jeremiah was prophesying and preaching about as well, because that was, both of those were part of Jeremiah's, the two main places, Jeremiah 19, first he started in Tophet, the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that's destroyed. And then he says, okay, and now Jerusalem is gonna be destroyed just like Tophet's destroyed. That was the message in Jeremiah 19. And we see both of those things take place. Even shortly for this, I would say, with Josiah carrying out that destruction of Tophet and destroying the priests that were burning incense on the Baal and all that. And then of course, a little bit later is when the destruction came ultimately on Jerusalem through Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. But still not that much later, because right after Josiah, essentially, his children is when Babylon starts coming in. It's not many years after the death of Josiah that all the invasion and everything else starts to happen. So he has a few children that end up taking the throne, but that's a whole other topic you can get into and study out later.