Letter to Pastors

January 7, 2010

Dear Pastors:

From my motel room in Brownsburg, Indiana, where the Bride of my Youth and I are, after having conducted her mother’s funeral yesterday, I write you this snowy Friday morning.

This morning one of our Bible Chapters read was Jeremiah Chapter 29, which was written around 599 B.C. during the time that Nebuchadnezzar's carrying the Israelites away into captivity in Babylon.
Thus those "apples of God’s own dear eye," the Everlastingly Covenanted People, whom some of you preachers, bless your hearts, believe like George W. Bush and Condi Rice, and the Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, and even in our day the Huguenots, that, "we of the Church" have replaced the Jews and that God is through with them. It matters not to me whether you are a "died in the wool Texan," as my friend Garry Way is, or red neck as my friend Bryan Sharp is, or a Hoosier as my wife and our three sons are, or a Cajun as my friend Cecil Ballard is, or a Tar Heel as my brother-in-law Woody, whom my wife and I are to eat with he and Sandy and their son Junior and his wife Paula, this evening, are, YOU ARE WRONG, YOU ARE WRONG, YOU ARE WRONG!
But, as one of my Special Forces Colonel friends, James "Bo" Gritz, used to say, "Every man does that which he is big enough to do!" So, if you are big enough to flaunt "Replacement Doctrine Theology" in the eye of Almighty God, and "get away with it," have at it. It won’t be one hair off my leg.
In Jeremiah 29 the Nation of Judah was reeling under the blow of captivity. Jehoiakim, like our "obamessiah", was a ruler, who would have brought even a "strong state" to the brink of ruin. Frivolous and superficial, despotic and brutal, Jehoiakim was greatly detested. And, for three years, Jehoiakim [2 Kings 24] observed his oath of allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar, at the end of which he refused to pay his annual tribute, trusting in Egypt to help him maintain his independence.
2Ki 24:1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.
2 And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets.
3 Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did;
4 And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon. [A byword here, the same God that was against the shedding of innocent blood, the sin of the sodomites, and treatment of his chosen people, the JEW, has not changed his mind about those things in 2010.]
5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
Then, we read that Jehoiakim goes out into eternity to meet his maker and give "an account" for all he had done, and he was succeeded by his youthful son of 18 years, Jehoiachin, who ruled but three brief months; for Nebuchadnezzar came up against Jerusalem and besieged the city and forced the king and his "queen-mother, his servants, and the officers of his court to go into captivity to Babylon [597 B.C.]
6 So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
7 And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. {Jehoiachin is also called Jeconiah and Coniah.]
9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.
10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.
11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.
12 And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.
13 And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.
14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
16 And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
19 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
20 For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
Jehoiachin lay in prison 37 long years, till Evilmerodach, the successor of Nebuchadnezzar, released him. 2Ki 25:27 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;
28 And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;
29 And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.
30 And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.
Now, whether I am an "Adopted Okie," a "Hoosier," a "Red Neck," a "Tar Heel," a "Cajun" or a "died in the wool Texan," whatever I say, whatever I write, best be in "tune" with the Holy Word of the Living God relative to the "Everlastingly Covenanted People," or I shall only be "sounding brass and tinkling cymbal."
The Prophet Ezekiel, who shared Jehoiachin’s captivity, regarding him as the last legitimate ruler of Judah as the first 13 verses of Ezekiel 19 brings out, and verse 14 solidifies: 14 And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a scepter to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.
Brethren, the Judah then that remained, no more deserved the "name." Only the miserable dregs remained. The choicest spirits were taken into exile. Ezekiel was among them, and possibly Daniel and his three companions, although, they may have been brought to Babylon at an earlier period.
2Kings 24:14 tells us: And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. To these melancholy captives Jeremiah addressed a letter of cheer and consolation in Jer 29:1-14.
I know Brethren that I am no "Jeremiah," but from the perspective which I see when I hear and know of all the "brethren" who are falling for the "Catholic Doctrine of Replacement Theology" hook, line, and sinker, sometimes I think, "Man, you sure do look lonely and pathetic." And, yet, Jeremiah was not absolutely alone; for there were Zephaniah, Nahum and habakkuk, and probably others, who were contemporizes, both in time, and certainly in "doctrine."
The "false leaders" back in Jeremiah’s day, as in ours, for example, said, "Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah." Jer 18:18 Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.
Such words, to Jeremiah, must have been as exasperating. Indeed, it called forth from Jeremiah the most powerful and passionate invective in all his prophecies.
Jer 18:21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.
23 Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.
And even Ezekiel likewise indulges in caustic sarcasm concerning them, when he said: Eze 13:10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter: Brethren, if our "mortar" is untempered, then our built walls won’t stand!
Now, what resulted was a "most instructive contest" taking place between Jeremiah and Hananiah, in the Temple, the priests and the people being judges.
The "question" at issue was the "duration of the Captivity." Jeremiah had said it would last two generations; Hananiah predicted that within two years the exiles would return, with Jehoiachin at their head.
Jeremiah was right; but, the people, of course, sided with Hananiah, using my parlance, saving themselves "time and money," which I’ve always taught one has to expend if you are gonna help people. Jeremiah was put to silence, for it is always easier to believe "smooth things" than it is things which cost "time and money."
The effect of such controversaries, then, as today, was to "confuse" and perplex the people. Remember now, Scriptures plainly teach "God is not the author of confusion." All external criterion was wanting for the "weigh in, in the balances" with God Almighty.
I received a text message from a young preacher this week about another controversary raging in our time, with certainly the textual matter, simply saying "sad." Thats how Jeremiah must have felt. And, thats how this almost 71 year ole beat-up, worn-out, preacher feels about what is being said about "us-the Church" replacing the "Everlastingly Covenanted People."
The fase prophets preached "peace." Jeremiah preached "punishment." They emphasized the Power of Jehovah God; Jeremiah emphasized ‘HIS MORAL BEING AND RIGHTEOUSNESS.’
They stood on the moral level of the masses; Jeremiah was laboring to raise the masses to a higher plane.
Their words did nothing to awaken conscience; Jeremiah was ever reminding them of their sins, and the inevitable retribution that awaited them.
Time alone demonstrated the untruthfulness of their predictions. The cause of their blindness was their "inadequate conception of the ethical nature of Jehovah God."
In justifying "Scripture with Scripture," Brethren, in this context, it is important that we look at the "most graphic picture" painted in Lamentations 4:13 For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her,
14 They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.
15 They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there.
Scripture has many applications, and what we need do is apply these scriptures to our
controversaries of today.
To change the subject, but, to stay with the same people, let me mention something that my Jewish Friend Gil Ronen writes from Israel:
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday against "any new assault" on Gaza, CNN quoted state-run Nile TV as reporting. Mubarak and Netanyahu met in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Egypt's state press said that Mubarak emphasized to Netanyahu "the necessity for Israel to reconsider its position and policies, and to take the initiative and conduct procedures that will build trust with the national Palestinian authorities."
A statement on the Prime Minister's website said that "Netanyahu reiterated that he believes that a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians is possible provided that the latter are willing to end the conflict."
Netanyahu "asked President Mubarak to act to persuade the Palestinians to move to direct, intensive and serious negotiations -- in which all core issues will be raised -- forthwith."
The PM's Office added that "Netanyahu said that Israel is committed to aggressively fighting terrorist elements in Gaza that endanger its security and peace."

An evangelist that I trained at OBC stated some months ago, in opposition to our positions on the Jews, "What is the big deal about the Jews? What about the Chinamen?" Show me in the Holy Scriptures where Jehovah God made a covenant, an Everlasting Covenant, by the way, with the "Chinese" and I will see your point! It's not there!
As far as this ole man is concerned, it is really a matter of "Whose side are you on?" I am unequivocally on the side of the Jews. You can be on the side of the Egyptians if you want, I am not. Now, yes, I would like for there to be peace between the "so-called Palestinians" and the Jews, but, of Ishmael, the writer of the Book of Genesis said, "his hand shall be against every man...." Throughout the sordid history of the Ishmaelites, that has been the truth.
Whatever the Jews find that Hamas, one of the proxy armies for the Iranians, are doing in Gaza, which endangers the security and stability of the nation of Israel, or its citizens, then, regardless of what Muburak has said, Israel has to take care of "matters."
In what I have mentioned to you from Jeremiah’s writings, the time frame involved Jehoiakim, who had come to the throne as the "vassal’ of Egypt, with the consequence being that the Egyptian party was dominant in Jerusalem.
Jeremiah came on the scene as the chief representative of the party that favored the supremacy of the Chaldeans "as the only way of safety." Time, and history, have both proved Jeremiah right.
Jeremiah 26 shows that the "naysayers" with the populace, brought Jeremiah before the civil authorities, urging that capital punishment should be inflicted on him for his threatening.
There were those, thank the Lord, in Judah, who endeavored to protect ole Jeremiah, and appealed to the precedent of Micah the Morasthite, who had uttered a "like prophecy" in the reign of Hezekiah; and so for a time, Jeremiah escaped.
Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, seems to have had influence to secure Jeremiah’s safety. In the fourth year of Jehoiakim, Jeremiah was commanded to write the predictions which had been given him. Brethren, let me say this, "Ole JAV would be "scared to death" to take any position which might contravene the only possible thing of safety which he sees in Genesis 12:3, "Bless the Jews." Otherwise, any other position curses them.
Jeremiah deputed Baruch to write the predictions and to read them publicly on the fast day. Baruch was summoned before the princes, who advised that both he and Jeremiah should conceal themselves, while they endeavored to influence the mind of the king by reading the roll to them.
But, Jehoiakim read three or four leaves and then destroyed the roll. He gave orders for the immediate arrest of Baruch and Jeremiah, who, however, were preserved from the angry king.
The Prophet, at the command of God, rewrote the roll, adding "besides unto them many like words" [Jer 36:22]. To this period is assigned the prophecy in the valley of Benhinnom [Jer 19,] and his ill treatment at the hand of Pashur.
Moving then on to Zedeikah’s reign, B.C. 593, Hananiah prophesied that the power of the Chaldeans would be destroyed and the captives restored from Babylon [Jer 28:3.] Hananiah corroborated his prophecy by taking off Jeremiah’s neck the yoke which he wore by Divine Command [27:2.]
Jeremiah then consequently was told what to prophesy. Jer 28:13 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.
It was probably not until the latter part of the reign of Zedekiah that Jeremiah was put in confinement, as we find that "they had not put him into prison" when the army of Nebuchadnezzar commenced the siege of Jerusalem [37:4-5.]
The approach of the Egyptian army, and the consequent withdrawal for a time of the Chaldeans, brightened the prospects of the Jews, and the king entreated Jeremiah to pray to the Lord for them.
The answer, however, received "from the Lord," was that the Egyptians would go to their own land, and that the Chaldeans would return and destroy the city [37:7-8.]
Well, all this angered the "princes," as I am sure some of the words of this ole man does the "dandies" of our day, so Jeremiah’s "dandies" made the departure of Jeremiah from the city the "pretext" of accusing him of desiring to the Chaldeans.
Jeremiah’s "dandies’ got him cast into the prison in spite of his denial, where he would doubtless have perished but for the interposition of Ebedmelech, one of the royal eunuchs [37:12-38.]
The king seems to have been favorably inclined toward the prophet, but, for fear of his "dandies," consulted with Jeremiah secretly [38:14-28.]
In one of those secret interviews Jeremiah obtained a milder imprisonment in the "guard-court" belonging to the royal citadel [37:17,] and while in prison he bought, with all requisite formalties, the field at Anathoth, which his kinsman Hanameel wished to get rid of [32:6-9] THUS SHOWING JEREMIAH’S FAITH IN HIS COUNTRY’S FUTURE.
I am not a gambler. I did marry a "gambler’s" daughter! Bless her heart, even as a member of Bethesda Baptist Church, Brownsburg, Indiana, Mammer, my ‘now-in-heaven’ mother in law, liked to buy her lottery tickets. She would say, "Now, James Allen, you know that one of these days my ship is going to come in!"
But, were I a mind to "gamble," I would never bet on the Ishmaelites against the Jews. That is a bad lottery ticket boys [by the way, I’ve never bought even one lottery ticket.]
Preachers, if you can help me with my "Deaf Football Players" trip, it looks like right now that I am going to have to come up with something in the neighborhood of $7,000.00 by Feb. 12th to pull some of those deaf "chestnuts out of the fire," who are going with me! $50, $100, $500 or a $1,000 would really be a blessing on these expenses which I shall have to come up with. God will bless you as a consequence. Checks should be made out to Yedidim of Israel and sent to Jo Harding, 5517 NW 23rd, OKC, Ok., 73127. Apprise her please what it is for!
When we do the "Booklet" we are going to make up, with the 12 offensive plays [1 per page] to give to the IDF units, we will put your name in the back of that booklet. Each page will show blocking assignments. I will then take those assignments and make "3 Lessons per page from Football about Combat." Thats what we shall leave with the IDF units. All who support us ont his trip will have their names on the back cover of that 12 page booklet.
I remain, on the side of the Jews! You "dandies" can line up with the Egyptians!
　
JIM VINEYARD
YEDIDIM OF ISRAEL
PS YOU KNOW, I DON’T REMEMBER IF I TOOK MY MEDICINE TODAY OR NOT!