I decided to devote much of yesterday to completing my study of the timing of Jeremiah 25:15-38. I’ve been studying this passage for the past six years in-depth, yet it’s only been these past few days where I feel I made significant progress in understanding this important passage.
Today I share my research findings concerning Jeremiah 25:15-38. I will focus particularly on verses 27 to 33, which I believe provide enough textual clues to make a determination about when this prophecy will be fulfilled.
- Note 1: This is a fairly long article. However, a major reason why this article is so long is that I placed Bible verses inside of tables. I felt that placing Bible verses inside of tables would make it easier for you to compare various verses. Let me know if you prefer that I do not use tables in the future. This is my first time using tables in a blog post so your feedback on this would be welcomed. (if you're not viewing this article on the blog website and the tables are not appearing, you can read the original article at this link)
- Note 2: Although this is a fairly long article, I did not include all the verses I had available. I included enough verses to provide you an idea of where I believe Jeremiah 25:15-38 fits in the prophecy timeline.
Jeremiah 25:15-17
Recall that Revelation 14:10 and Jeremiah 25:17 are very similar. Both verses mention a wine cup of the God’s wrath that the nations shall drink from:
| Jer 25:15 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. Jer 25:16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. Jer 25:17 Then took I the cup at the LORD'S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:
| Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. |
I noted last week that the apparent connection between Revelation 14:10 and Jeremiah 25:15-17 suggests that the fulfillment of Jeremiah 25:15 onwards is in the future.
Jeremiah 25:18-26
Also recall that Jeremiah 25:18-26 contains a long list of nations and kings who will “drink” from the cup that contains the wine of the Lord’s wrath. Several of the nations listed in Jeremiah 25:18-26 appear in other prophetic areas like Zephaniah 2.
- Jer 25:17 Then took I the cup at the LORD'S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:
- Jer 25:18 To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;
- Jer 25:19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;
- Jer 25:20 And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,
- Jer 25:21 Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon,
- Jer 25:22 And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea,
- Jer 25:23 Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,
- Jer 25:24 And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert,
- Jer 25:25 And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes,
- Jer 25:26 And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.
The key verse is Jeremiah 25:26, which says that eventually every kingdom on earth shall drink from the cup of the Lord’s wrath. As you will see shortly, the time period when the nations shall drink from the cup of the Lord’s wrath is the Day of the Lord.
Jeremiah 25:27
Jeremiah 25:27 suggests that those who drink the wine of the Lord’s anger will be brought down.
- Jer 25:27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.
This thought is echoed in Isaiah 63:6, which is a verse that concerns the End Times:
| Jer 25:27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. | Isa 63:4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. Isa 63:5 And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. Isa 63:6 And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth. |
Jeremiah 25:28
The Lord assures that the nations will drink from His cup in Jeremiah 25:28
- Jer 25:28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.
The Lord’s assurance that the nations shall drink from His cup in Jeremiah 25:28 parallels Jeremiah 49:12 and Obadiah 1:16. Jeremiah 49:12-13 concerns the End Times desolation of Edom while Obadiah 1:15 places the warning of Obadiah 1:16 in the Day of the Lord.
| Jer 25:28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink. | Jer 49:12 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it. Jer 49:13 For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes. Oba 1:15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. Oba 1:16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. |
Jeremiah 25:29
The Lord says He will begin to bring evil on the city which is called by His name and then states that “all the inhabitants of the earth” will eventually be punished in Jeremiah 25:29.
- Jer 25:29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.
I was confused why the Lord would bring “evil on the city” which is called by His name when I first read Jeremiah 25:29. The city which is called by the Lord’s name is identified as Jerusalem in Daniel 9:16-18.
- Dan 9:16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
- Dan 9:17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
- Dan 9:18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
The prophecy of Jeremiah 25:15-38 was given prior to the final Babylonian invasion of the Jerusalem (Jeremiah 25:1) so it is possible that verse 25:29 could refer to the final Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem. However, the language in several verses in Jeremiah 25:15-38 remind me of the language found in verses about the End Times.
- I discovered over the last few days that there are several Bible prophecy passages that suggest that Jeremiah 25:29’s fulfillment is likely during the End Times.
The first important passage is Joel 2:9-11 which concerns an invasion of Jerusalem prior to the start of the Day of the Lord (see Joel 2:1 and 3:2 for evidence that the invasion described in Joel is prior to the start of the Day of the Lord).
| Jer 25:29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts. | Joe 2:9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. Joe 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: Joe 2:11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? |
Ezekiel Chapter 7 appears to be another prophecy about this invasion of Jerusalem prior to the start of the Day of the Lord (“the day of trouble is near”). Verse 7:5 depicts the invasion force as “evil”, which is the term used in Jeremiah 25:29.
| Jer 25:29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts. | Eze 7:5 Thus saith the Lord GOD; An evil, an only evil, behold, is come. Eze 7:6 An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come. Eze 7:7 The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains. Eze 7:8 Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations. Eze 7:9 And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth. |
Isaiah 51:17-23 is a passage about Jerusalem recovering from drinking the cup of the Lord’s fury, which Jeremiah 25:17-18, 29 prophesizes that the city will drink from. In addition, both passages suggest that the nations will drink from the cup of the Lord’s fury after Jerusalem drinks the cup. Finally, Isaiah 51:22 suggests the passages’ fulfillment will be in the future since the Lord promises that Jerusalem will never drink from the cup of his wrath again.
| Jer 25:17 Then took I the cup at the LORD'S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me: Jer 25:18 To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day; … Jer 25:29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts. | Isa 51:17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. … Isa 51:19 These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee? Isa 51:20 Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God. … Isa 51:22 Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again: Isa 51:23 But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over. |
We can further demonstrate that the placement of Isaiah 51:17-23 (and Jeremiah 25:29) is in the future by comparing the passage with Zechariah 12:1-3-another End Times prophecy passage. Isaiah 51:22 referred the cup that Jerusalem drank from as the “cup of trembling” and verse 51:23 suggests that Jerusalem’s attackers will also drink from the cup. Zechariah 12:2 says that the Lord will make Jerusalem a “cup of trembling” to those nations who surrounded and attacked the city.
| Isa 51:17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. … Isa 51:22 Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again: Isa 51:23 But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over | Zec 12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Zec 12:2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. Zec 12:3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. |
Finally, we can further demonstrate that the placement of Isaiah 51:17-23 (and Jeremiah 25:29) is in the future by comparing Isaiah 51:22 with Joel 3:2. The Lord says in Joel 3:2 that He will plead for His people when he gathers the nations in the valley of Jehoshaphat (nearby Jerusalem) prior to the start of the Day of the Lord (Joel 3:12-14). Isaiah 51:22 describes the Lord as God who pleads for His people when He will make the nations drink from His cup of wrath.
| Isa 51:17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. … Isa 51:22 Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again: Isa 51:23 But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over | Joe 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. … Joe 3:12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Joe 3:13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. |
Jeremiah 25:30
Jeremiah 25:30 focuses on the Lord’s punishment of the nations.
- Jer 25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
Joel 3:13-14, Revelation 14:19-20, and Jeremiah 25:30 each refer to the winepress.
| Jer 25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. | Joe 3:13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. Rev 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. Rev 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. |
Jeremiah 25:31-32
Jeremiah 25:31-32 mentions that the Lord will plead with all flesh, and will raise a whirlwind:
- Jer 25:31 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.
- Jer 25:32 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.
Joel 3:2 parallels Jeremiah 25:31 since both verses say that the Lord will plead with the nations
| Jer 25:31 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. | Joe 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. |
Jeremiah 30:23-24 and Jeremiah 23:19-20 are both passages that concern the End Times. Each passage mentions suggests that the Lord will raise a whirlwind to punish the wicked.
| Jer 25:32 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. | Jer 30:23 Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. Jer 30:24 The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it. Jer 23:19 Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. Jer 23:20 The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. |
Isaiah 66:15-16 is part of another passage that concerns the End Times. Isaiah 66:15-16 mirrors Jeremiah 25:31-32 by mentioning that the Lord will plead with all flesh and stir up a whirlwind.
| Jer 25:31 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. Jer 25:32 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. | Isa 66:15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. Isa 66:16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. |
Jeremiah 25:33
Jeremiah 25:33 tells us that there will be a great slaughter worldwide:
- Jer 25:33 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.
Both Jeremiah 25:33 and Isaiah 66:16, which again is a verse concerning the End Times, mention a great slaughter.
| Jer 25:33 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. | Isa 66:16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. |
Isaiah 34:2-8 again suggests that the great slaughter (described in Jeremiah 25:33 and Isaiah 66:16) will take place in the future: during the Day of the Lord:
| Jer 25:33 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. | Isa 34:2 For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. Isa 34:3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. … Isa 34:8 For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. |
Summary
Jeremiah 25:15 onwards is a prophecy that concerns a future invasion of Jerusalem prior to the start of the Day of the Lord and then the slaughter of the nations of Earth during the Day of the Lord. The entire punishment is depicted by the nations drinking from the wine cup of the Lord’s fury.
Given this, it is no surprise that the nations and kings listed in Jeremiah 25:18-26 are mentioned in other Bible prophecy passages.
- Recall that Egypt is listed in Jeremiah 25:19. Identifying the timing when Jeremiah 25:15-38 will be fulfilled has implications on understanding the prophecies concerning Egypt and other places. I hope to have more about this soon…
