Jeremiah 23 - Jesus is coming to Israel
 1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD.
 5 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD,
      “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,
      a King who will reign wisely
      and do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved
      and Israel will live in safety.
      This is the name by which he will be called:
      The LORD Our Righteousness. 7 “So then, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ 8 but they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”
Though God scattered His people, He did so using the sinful actions of people who hated them. We know God uses all things, and this goes to show you, He uses all things.
But those people who took the actions used required punishment, and so God promised to punish them for their evil, and to establish a nation for the Jews. So, exactly is going to be punished? After all, we have a completely different set of countries today than we did when Jeremiah wrote this prophecy, including brand new countries that were all too willing to take part in the further scattering of God’s people. So, lets look and see where the Jews have been gathered from, and why.
Around 1900, the Jews were gathered from throughout Europe, where they were previously living in forced ghettos, with gates at the end, deprived of all property except for money, which Europeans around them would borrow at exorbitant interest… and pay back, lest they be shamed to admit they were associating with Jews. Therefore, one day, despite any friendly relations they might have with Israel today, the following countries may be included the prophesied punishments above:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Belarus
- Czech Republic
- France
- Germany
- Hungary
- Italy
- Poland
- Spain
- The Netherlands
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
I find it worth noting however, that during World War II, in addition to the Jews who were killed, the following countries were essentially conquered… perhaps punishment by God, at the hands an evil actor, like in Jeremiah 23:1? And then Germany itself was broken in two. That means that some of the countries with ghettos have been punished already:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Belarus
- Czech Republic
- France
- Germany
- Hungary
- Italy
- Poland
- Spain
- The Netherlands
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
So it would appear that nearly every country that persecuted the Jews in Europe through the 19th century has in fact been punished.Â
Though not punished in WWII, Spain had just been decimated by its won civil war, so Spain in fact has been punished. Turkey wasn’t actually established until 1923, having replaced its predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, in World War I, and so Turkey (or rather its predecessor) has been punished.
Finally, we have the United Kingdom, or essentially Britain. That country has been officially on the Jews’ side in WWI and WWII. Is Britain still to be punished? Not exactly, for the rulers of Britain during the 19th century and before was the British Monarchy, and that came to an end after WWII.
And so we see God’s Word being fulfilled in Europe.
The Jews were also scattered in Russia, which has been conquered in various ways over the decades.
Today, I believe we are watching His Word fulfilled in the Middle East… but He’s not done. When He is, Christ will have returned to rule. He will rule wisely and justly…
 6 In his days Judah will be saved
      and Israel will live in safety.
      This is the name by which he will be called:
      The LORD Our Righteousness.