By John Thiel, Lessons from the Life of Nebuchadnezzar Conference, Study 4, mp3

Nebuchadnezzar was chosen of God as a servant to execute God’s wrath upon Israel. We have some very important lessons to learn for ourselves in relation to him. Another very important item in these lessons is that God would use Nebuchadnezzar, and Judah could make their time under him tolerable if they would listen to God.

God’s work with Judah by the use of King Nebuchadnezzar continues in our research. This study now unfolds to our mind the tactical capabilities of God as He deals with both Judah and Nebuchadnezzar in their interactivity. As we behold this, we observe something very interesting. We have to come to know the complicated motives and impulses of our human heart. As God is working with Nebuchadnezzar to deal with Judah and as He works through these complicated activities for both parties, there is an experience that really boggles the mind. It is so complicated, and yet, God is able to handle it. These complicated activities of God in dealing with the complications of Judah and Nebuchadnezzar are spoken of in the Spirit of Prophecy. Sister White gives the picture of Ezekiel with the wheels within wheels that are going beside the four cherubim’s, and she expressed the complicated activities of those wheels:

A number of wheels intersecting one another were moved by four living beings. High above all these “was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.” “And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings.” Ezekiel 1:4, 26; 10:8. The wheels were so complicated in arrangement that at first sight they appeared to be in confusion; yet they moved in perfect harmony. Heavenly beings, sustained and guided by the hand beneath the wings of the cherubim, were impelling those wheels; above them, upon the sapphire throne, was the Eternal One; and round about the throne was a rainbow, the emblem of divine mercy. {PK 535.3}

As the wheellike complications were under the guidance of the hand beneath the wings of the cherubim, so the complicated play of human events is under divine control. Amidst the strife and tumult of nations He that sitteth above the cherubim still guides the affairs of this earth. {PK 536.1}

This is an extremely important subject that we need to absorb within us. As we see the complication of all that is transpiring around us, we must not despair, because God’s hand is working those complications of human interactivity. He had to deal with both Judah, in their complicated ways, and Nebuchadnezzar, with the procedures of his complicated heart.

The history of nations speaks to us today. To every nation and to every individual God has assigned a place in His great plan. {PK 536.2}

Think about it. As the nations are interplaying, every individual is interplaying, and God has assigned a place for every individual and every nation. In everything that we see transpiring around us today we are to learn from the history of the nations as to the trust that we are to have in God over this matter.

Today men and nations are being tested by the plummet in the hand of Him who makes no mistake. All are by their own choice deciding their destiny, and God is overruling all for the accomplishment of His purposes. {PK 536.2}

“Today men and nations are being tested,” that means all of us, “by the plummet in the hand of Him who makes no mistake.” He knows exactly what motivates us. This is what we saw in His knowledge of Nebuchadnezzar . “

All are by their own choice deciding their destiny, and God is overruling all for the accomplishment of His purposes.” Let us venture on in this complicated activity of dealing with the apostasy of Judah and of the other nations that we will be reading about, and with Nebuchadnezzar, that we may see how God’s hand is directing those complicated movements of the wheels and how that everything is going to turn out according to His plan.

The apostasy in Judah necessitated God’s intervention, and He was using Nebuchadnezzar to deal with it. Observe God’s appeal to Judah and what He wanted them to do in their apostasy so that they might avoid anything more than was necessary:

Jeremiah 27:1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, 3 And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; 4 And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; 5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that [are] upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. 6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. 7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. 8 And it shall come to pass, [that] the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

God is sending a message to the collection of nations that were coming together to counsel together as to how to deal with Nebuchadnezzar coming to attack them because he was already at work. God said to Jeremiah, Go amongst them, and put a yoke upon your neck and witness to them what they should do.

Jeremiah 27:11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein. 12 I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. 13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

Although the nation of Judah and all these other nations had reached a particular condition for which God had to deal with them through Nebuchadnezzar, He said, submit yourselves to King Nebuchadnezzar. Place your necks under his yoke. Don’t oppose him, and you will be able to remain and live in your land, and continue to till your own land and govern your own situation under Nebuchadnezzar, if you will submit yourselves. This is what is meant by the wooden or the iron yoke.

But Israel remained unrepentant, and the Lord saw that they must be punished for their sin; so He instructed Jeremiah to make yokes and bonds and place them upon his neck, and to send them to the kings of Edom, of Moab, of the Ammonites, and of Tyrus and Zidon, commanding the messengers to say that God had given all these lands to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and that all these nations should serve him and his descendants for a certain time, till God should deliver them. They were to declare that if these nations refused to serve the king of Babylon, they should be punished with famine, with the sword, and with pestilence, till they should be consumed. “Therefore,” said the Lord, “hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. {4T 168.4}

As the king of Babylon came, the nations were going to rise up against him to try and stop him. But what were they driven by? By their false teachers and sorcerers and their different enchanters. He makes the point very clearly, don’t listen to them, listen to My word.

But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord; …” {4T 168.4}

Ambassadors came from the various nations named to consult with the king of Judah as to the matter of engaging in battle with the king of Babylon. But the prophet of God, bearing the symbols of subjection, delivered the message of the Lord to these nations, commanding them to bear it to their several kings. This was the lightest punishment that a merciful God could inflict upon so rebellious a people, but if they warred against this decree of servitude they were to feel the full rigor of His chastisement. They were faithfully warned not to listen to their false teachers, who prophesied lies. {4T 169.2}

Sister White paints the picture for us. They were all there, all the ambassadors from these different countries coming to Judah, and now in walks Jeremiah with a wooden yoke over his neck:

The amazement of the assembled council of nations knew no bounds when Jeremiah, carrying the yoke of subjection about his neck, made known to them the will of God. But Hananiah, one of the false prophets against whom God had warned His people through Jeremiah, lifted up his voice in opposition to the prophecy declared. {4T 170.1}

Here we are having a very interesting picture. Here is the servant of God proclaiming what God said should be done, and there is another person who claims to be a servant of God, who says the opposite.

Wishing to gain the favor of the king and his court, he affirmed that God had given him words of encouragement for the Jews. Said he: “Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon: and I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the Lord: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.” {4T 170.1}

“Saith the Lord.” Mark very carefully what is being pictured here in front of our mind’s eye. Here are two servants of God. One of them claiming to be and the other one being the true one. The true servant gives the direct word of God and tells them, submit yourselves under King Nebuchadnezzar. This cuts right into the pride of nations. They want to have their own kingdom; they don’t want to be submissive to another king. Here comes this self-made prophet and he says, “The Lord hath said, be of good courage! Don’t worry! The king will finally be overthrown! He will bring back all the things that he has taken and all the captives. In two years it’s going to change! Don’t listen to Jeremiah! Be of good courage, it’s depressing what he is telling you.” He is trying to get on the good side, and this is the important lesson today, because we are exactly on the same level of people trying to take away the pressure that we are burdened under with the yoke of today’s circumstances. They say, it’s alright, the Lord is going to save us, it’s going to be fine; whereas the Lord says, I have some instruction for you that is different.

Jeremiah came with the wooden yoke over his shoulders and what did Hananiah do?

Jeremiah 28:10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and brake it. 11 And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

Are you noticing something? What did the prophet Jeremiah do? He just walked off. He was opposed. Did he fight back? No.

Jeremiah 28:12 Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah [the prophet], after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13 Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. 14 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also. 15 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. 17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

The parallel to our time is stark. For us in these last days do we like to hear the kind of messages that have been communicated here? Did we like to hear some of the material in our previous message? No. We would like to hear smooth things. We would like to hear pats on our backs that we are doing God’s will. But God’s true messengers and God’s true messages will always show us what God’s will is, because He is interacting in a different way to what we anticipate. It is too complicated for us to work our way through this.

God had said that His people should be saved, that the yoke He would lay upon them should be light, if they submitted uncomplainingly to His plan. {4T 172.1}

Can you see the important message? Submit uncomplainingly to the difficulties that are in your way as you follow the Lord. Then it would be light for you.

Their servitude was represented by a yoke of wood, which was easily borne; but resistance would be met with corresponding severity, represented by the yoke of iron. God designed to hold the king of Babylon in check, that there should be no loss of life nor galling oppression; but by scorning His warning and commands they brought upon themselves the full rigor of bondage. It was far more agreeable to the people to receive the message of the false prophet, who predicted prosperity; therefore it was received. {4T 172.1}

Can you see the parallel? The people want to hear smooth things – prosperity – and that is what they will receive. But to receive the true word of God, no thank you.

It wounded their pride to have their sins brought continually before their eyes; they would much rather put them out of sight. They were in such moral darkness that they did not realize the enormity of their guilt nor appreciate the messages of reproof and warning given them of God. Had they had a proper sense of their disobedience they would have acknowledged the justice of the Lord’s course and recognized the authority of His prophet. God entreated them to repent, that He might spare them humiliation and that a people called by His name should not become tributary to a heathen nation; but they scoffed at His counsel and went after false prophets. {4T 172.1}

We are here picturing this conflict of human pride in Judah and the others nations, the pride of Nebuchadnezzar and the interplay between the two which God wanted to orchestrate so that it would not be a severe one for the Hebrews if only they would submit. He wanted to shed upon them the understanding of their sins and have them learn a little bit more peacefully than how it would otherwise be; but no.

Can you see what is natural in the human heart? “I don’t want to have my sins continually brought before me; I don’t want to submit myself this way.” But if I do I will find peace, but they don’t want to have that. God said, I am going to give you the peace; but no. God purposed to intervene and hold in check the idolatrous king of Babylon. If they would submit themselves to him, the king of Babylon had a particular nature that would be happy for them to have their government.

King Nebuchadnezzar had a peculiar nature, an innate sense of justice and right. In order not to arouse the king with his ferocious nature, God said, “Place yourselves gently underneath him; he is going to give it easier for you. He is going to leave you in your nation. He will let you continue to live as you would in partial freedom. But if you don’t follow my direction, you are going to arouse his other side.” This is the reason why God says, “Do as I say so that you get an easier road, because I know Nebuchadnezzar, and if you don’t do as I say, then you are really going to get hit hard.”

With what tender compassion did God inform His captive people in regard to His plans for Israel. {4T 173.1}

They were faulty, they were sinful, they were rebellious, but with what tender compassion He dealt with them.

With what tender compassion did God inform His captive people in regard to His plans for Israel. He knew what suffering and disaster they would experience were they led to believe that they should speedily be delivered from bondage and brought back to Jerusalem according to the prediction of the false prophets. He knew that this belief would make their position a very difficult one. {4T 173.1}

It was a false belief and it would make their position difficult. He knew that. What would a demonstration of insurrection arouse in Nebuchadnezzar?

Any demonstration of insurrection upon their part would have awakened the vigilance and severity of the king, and their liberty would have been restricted in consequence. He desired them to quietly submit to their fate and make their servitude as pleasant as possible. {4T 173.1}

What God commands is not arbitrary. He says, I am going to let King Nebuchadnezzar deal with you rebellious people but he has a certain characteristic inside of him that if you don’t arouse him, he will be a very fair-minded king, and you will only be under a wooden yoke. But don’t arouse him, because if you do you’ll be under his iron yoke.

We are not to arouse the wicked. Don’t arouse them, because if you do they are going to come down upon you like a yoke of iron. But if you quietly let them be the good part of their nature, we’ll be able to function.

Would Judah heed the message of God via Jeremiah? No. They would rather listen to the false prophet. The tug-of-war manifested itself by the false messengers.

Jeremiah 7:3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, [are] these.

They were looking at Solomon’s temple, at all the glory of their own assurances and they said, “We are God’s church, nobody is going to do us any harm. God is with us. Although Nebuchadnezzar has done this to us already, he hasn’t yet killed anybody.” The false prophets said, we are God’s church, you’ll be alright. “The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.” We see the parallel of this with us today.

It was far more agreeable to the people to receive the message of the false prophet, who predicted prosperity; therefore it was received. It wounded their pride to have their sins brought continually before their eyes; they would much rather put them out of sight. {4T 172.1}

Those who pursue a course of rebellion against the Lord can always find false prophets who will justify them in their acts and flatter them to their destruction. Lying words often make many friends, as in the case of Ahab and Zedekiah. These false prophets, in their pretended zeal for God, found many more believers and followers than the true prophet, who delivered the simple message of the Lord. {4T 174.1}

Isn’t this what is happening? What is the lesson for us? The Spirit of Prophecy gives us the lesson loud and clear in reference to the boasting claim; “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, are these. Aren’t we the true church of God?”

In these days He has instituted no new plan to preserve the purity of His people. As of old, He entreats the erring ones who profess His name to repent and turn from their evil ways. Now, as then, by the mouth of His chosen servants He predicts the dangers before them. He sounds the note of warning and reproves sin just as faithfully as in the days of Jeremiah. But the Israel of our time have the same temptations to scorn reproof and hate counsel as had ancient Israel. They too often turn a deaf ear to the words that God has given His servants for the benefit of those who profess the truth. Though the Lord in mercy withholds for a time the retribution of their sin, as in the days of Jeremiah, He will not always stay His hand, but will visit iniquity with righteous judgment. {4T 165.1}

We are being given a direct parallel under the guidance of the Spirit of Prophecy. She uses the story of Jeremiah and Nebuchadnezzar and apostate Jerusalem. This false idea that is resonating even today as they were saying back then, The temple of the Lord are these. That was what they thought was their security. Notice in the following statement the parallel and see what we may rely on which will set us into danger:

As our numbers are increasing, broader plans must be laid to meet the increasing demands of the times; but we see no special increase of fervent piety, of Christian simplicity, and earnest devotion. The church seem content to take only the first steps in conversion. {4T 535.1}

We don’t want to go too deep, only the first steps. This is the parallel. Go deeper. Recognize your sins. Place yourself under the yoke. “Oh, no, we don’t like that; just the beginning of conversion is lovely. Jesus has died for us, and everything is wonderful.”

They are more ready for active labor than for humble devotion, more ready to engage in outward religious service than in the inner work of the heart. {4T 535.1}

Can you see what this is about? We can get excited about doing the Lord’s work! More labour, more going out to do missionary work, go, go, go! And what is missing? Humble devotion. They are “more ready to engage in outward religious service than in the inner work of the heart.”

Meditation and prayer are neglected for bustle and show. Religion must begin with emptying and purifying the heart, and must be nurtured by daily prayer. {4T 535.1}

But because we become very active in Christian labour, Sister White says:

The steady progress of our work, and our increased facilities, are filling the hearts and minds of many of our people with satisfaction and pride, which we fear will take the place of the love of God in the soul. {4T 535.2}

That is precisely what happens. All the machinery of doing the Lord’s work becomes fascinating. It fills us with satisfaction and pride and it takes the place of the love of God.

Busy activity in the mechanical part of even the work of God may so occupy the mind that prayer shall be neglected, and self-importance and self-sufficiency, so ready to urge their way, shall take the place of true goodness, meekness, and lowliness of heart. {4T 535.2}

Here we have a very strong warning for us. Yes, we want to use our capabilities and facilities to spread the word around, but as the Lord as shown me, I can get so busy doing that that I don’t concentrate on my own spiritual welfare. We have this to consider.

The zealous cry may be heard: “The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.” “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” But where are the burden bearers? where are the fathers and mothers in Israel? Where are those who carry upon the heart the burden for souls and who come in close sympathy with their fellow men, ready to place themselves in any position to save them from eternal ruin? {4T 535.2}

Where is that? The temple of the Lord. We are so occupied in the temple of the Lord that we cannot do that which God asks us to do in all reality.

What is it that constitutes the wretchedness, the nakedness, of those who feel rich and increased with goods? {OHC 349.4}

She is referring to the Laodicean message. She is here giving us the answer of Jesus when He says, You say you have all this wealth and all this goodness, but you are wretched, poor, miserable, blind, and naked, and you don’t know it. What is that constitutes this?

It is the want of the righteousness of Christ. In their own righteousness they are represented as clothed with filthy rags, and yet in this condition they flatter themselves that they are clothed upon with Christ’s righteousness. . . . They may be crying, “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are we,” while their hearts are filled with unholy traffic and unrighteous barter. {OHC 349.4}

What can the soul be full of?

The courts of the soul temple may be the haunt of envy, pride, passion, evil surmising, bitterness, and hollow formalism. Christ looks mournfully upon His professed people who feel rich and increased in the knowledge of the truth, and who are yet destitute of the truth in life and character. {OHC 349.4}

What counts is what is in my heart in my relationship with God. That is going to be seen by people around me to witness of God’s glory. But no, the people rely upon something else.

How plainly is pictured the position of those who think they have all the truth, who take pride in their knowledge of the Word of God, while its sanctifying power has not been felt in their lives. The fervor of the love of God is wanting in their hearts. {OHC 349.2}

This is the lesson from the past. The Judah of old didn’t want to be corrected, they wanted to say, No, we are the temple of the Lord. So it is today in the Laodicean condition. As we live today on the brink of final destruction, just like Judah was – with the final destruction of the burning of their city and their temple – so it is today. A severe darkness and wickedness is upon the land. Many claim to be messengers to attack the messenger of the Lord, to say, No, what you are saying isn’t true; it’s what we are saying that is true. It is the same scenario. But like in the days of Jeremiah, we are given messages that are not pleasant or tolerable to the ears of those who want to do a great work.

As Jeremiah said, submit yourselves to the wooden yoke. Submit yourselves to the authorities. Don’t raise your voice against them. It is the same message today. The message of the Lord to us today is in Amos chapter 5. Are we prepared to listen to the message of the Lord, or are we going to fall into the same trap as did the Hebrews of the past?

Amos 5:10 They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

The condition of the church is then mentioned in verses 11 and 12. What is the message that God gives for the prudent like He gave in the past? Don’t rock the boat.

Amos 5:13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it [is] an evil time.

It was an evil time for Judah at that time; it is an evil time for us today. If you are prudent, be very careful. Don’t arouse the wickedness of the wicked. Jeremiah said to Judah that they should submit themselves to the fair treatment of the good side of Nebuchadnezzar. Walk carefully. Follow the specific counsel of the Lord, and avoid stirring the powers of corruption unnecessarily. You can go on working in the peaceful way of the Lord and under the radar if you don’t arouse them. That is the counsel of the Lord for us today. Yet today there are all these prophets and all these so-called preachers of God’s word who are saying, We must resist the Babylon of today; we must tell Babylon how terrible they are, and not submit ourselves to them. Don’t listen to these smooth preachers, they will say to you. They want to have a different representation. They want to rebel rouse.

Caution is to be prayerfully exercised by everyone who believes the truth. There are trying scenes before us, and we need to exercise great caution, keeping the door of our lips while the wicked are before us. {TDG 250.2}

Wicked King Nebuchadnezzar was right there, and if they would keep their lips and not arouse anything against him, he would give them peace. We will see how Zedekiah aroused him. We will see how, by disregarding the counsel of Jeremiah, the arousal of King Nebuchadnezzar brought an iron yoke upon the people. This is what will be in the last days also if we are not listening to the direct counsel of the Lord.

We shall have to meet in our experience with men having fanatical zeal which will provoke those who hate the truth and it will be necessary to preserve a calm attitude and not state all we do know, for impressions will be made upon human minds that will, under the influence of Satan, grow to large proportions. {TDG 250.2}

Can you see the parallel? The iron yoke instead of the wooden one – large proportions.

There is need of watching unto prayer. The evils we shall meet have long been gathering and like a storm, will come upon many when they least expect it. While they cannot be charged with originating the evil, they precipitated it. Charges will be made which believers cannot refute, because they have not shown wisdom in the use of either the pen or the voice. {TDG 250.3}

Many laws will be enacted for the government of nations, calculated to oppress; and old laws that have practically become of none effect, will be resurrected. We need to move forward in our work understandingly and in faith, under the wise generalship of Jesus Christ. A great work is to be done for the Master in proclaiming the last message of mercy to our world, and we are dependent upon authorities and powers to find passage from one end of the world to another, and as long as we are dependent upon the powers that be, we must not divorce ourselves from them, for this is a worldwide message. {TDG 250.4}

We cannot arouse Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. We must work as under the wooden yoke not to be finally crushed prematurely. The message is exactly the same. By understanding the good side of the Papacy, if there is a good side. There is. Every man, even the priests of the Papacy have a good side about them. As we meet these Jesuits, let us not arouse them. It is exactly the same thing. Don’t arouse anybody. Slip under the radar. This is the counsel of the Lord for our day. If we will listen to what the word of God is telling us for now, we will still be able to do the missionary work that God wants us to do, in apparent peace. But arouse them and it will be cut off.

May God help us to learn the lessons. Here is another profound lesson, Not to arouse the bad side of Nebuchadnezzar. If we will do it wisely, then we may even win Nebuchadnezzar’s people. This is our possibility if we will listen to God.

Amen.