The Birthright - Part 8: Jeremiah's Final Mission

THE BIRTHRIGHT – PART 8

JEREMIAH’S FINAL MISSION

Jeremiah’s Mission

Jeremiah was anointed as a prophet and was given a mission by and from God before he was born.  It is said that only three individuals were anointed before birth:  Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 1:5 KJV  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

He was not only an ordained prophet but was assigned as a prophet to nations.  Jeremiah was born in Judah and warned the Judeans concerning the approaching invasion of Babylon, but he was also to be a prophet to other nations, including more than merely Judah but also including the nation of Israel as will be shown later.  He was also given a special mission to accomplish by God.

Jeremiah 1:10 KJV  See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

Jeremiah 1:10 NET  Know for certain that I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted."

Not only did Jeremiah warn the nation of Judah of their impending destruction and captivity but also of the soon coming pulling down and throwing down of the throne of David and the kingship and kingdom of Judah.  As reported in the Covenant of David article, The Birthright- Part 7 the kingship and throne of David were promised by God to endure forever.  During Babylon’s initial assault, the reigning king, Jeconiah, was taken to prison in Babylon and Zedekiah was placed on the throne.  However during Babylonia’s second assault, the current king of Judah, Zedekiah, would die in a Babylonian prison and his heir sons would be killed.  Jeconiah was then released from prison and sent to Judah as a vassal king although he was viewed as the authentic king by the people of Judah.

None of Jeconiah’s sons ever reigned as king of Judah because God would not allow it.  The throne of Judah through his son Pharez was ending but would be continued through his twin brother Zarah, according to some sources.  Pharez and Zarah were twin sons of Judah and Tamar.  It appears in Jeremiah 22:30, the kingship of the Zarah line was coming to an end and the sons of Jeconiah were to never be allowed to rein in Judah, although the geneology of Jeconiah is included in the linage listed in Matthew and Luke concerning the mother and associate father of Jesus.

Jeremiah 22:30 KJV  Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.

Jeremiah was released from the Jerusalem court prison and was allowed to do as he pleased while under the protection of the captain of the Babylonian guard.

Jeremiah 39:11-12 KJV  Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying,  (12)  Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.

When Jeremiah was released, he traveled to Mizpah with some other survivors and came in contact with the King’s daughters (Zedekiah).  To make a long story short, a fellow named Ishmael killed the majority of the group but took Jeremiah, a few others, and the King’s daughters captive.  Ishmael’s authority was replaced and his successor, due to fear of Babylon, allowed Jeremiah and the girls to leave.  Against the advice of God, a person named Johanan took this group to Egypt.

Jeremiah 43:5-7 KJV  But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah;  (6)  Even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.  (7)  So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.

Isaiah appears to present a prophecy concerning Jeremiah, Barach, and the King’s daughters, and others say it is definitely a prophecy concerning these people.  The two verses do not seem to contribute to any of the context verses, but rather an additional thought added to the chapter.  The reader can be the judge of the context.

Isaiah 37:31-32 KJV  And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:  (32)  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.

This prophecy (and most of the Isaiah 37 chapter) is repeated verbatim in 2 Kings 19:30-31.

2 Kings 19:30-31 KJV  And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.  (31)  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.

By ship, Jeremiah supposedly took the King’s daughters, around Gibraltar, to some point up north to Ireland, according to some undocumented sources.  After going to Egypt, the Jeremiah story cannot be found in the Bible and outside sources are not factually reliable and do not always agree.

Pharez and Zarah

The story of Judah and Tamar is quite interesting but this section will only deal with the twin sons born to Tamar with Judah as the father.  As Tamar was in the process of delivery, one of the twins stuck out his arm and the midwife tied a red cord around his wrist, indicating the firstborn.  This red corded twin drew his arm back inside and the other twin was actually born first rather than the one with a red cord.  The first born was named Pharez.  His name is related to the Hebrew word for “breach” according to Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew dictionary. 

Genesis 38:29 KJV  And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.

Genesis 38:29 LITV-TSP  And it happened as he withdrew his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, How have you broken a break for yourself? And one called his name Pharez.

The oldest son is supposed to inherit the throne succession, which is not always the case, but in this particular one Pharez inherited the scepter promise of kingship and his linage continues through to the last king.

The following quote is from HW Armstrong and its authenticity and reliability is unknown with no supplied historical references.  However, I did find a website supposedly giving accurate information on the adventures of the Zarah family and the red-hand symbol of Ireland:  http://www.hope-of-israel.org/zara.htm  It must be noted, the “hope of Israel” version has the Zarahites going to Spain and then Ireland rather than through the Scythian nations.

  

History shows the descendants of Zarah became wanderers, journeying to the north within the confines of the Scythian nations, their descendants later migrating to Ireland in the days of King David.

Loose Ends and Conclusion

There is much more to this story, however it now actually becomes a story because there is no valid proof or historical references to prove any of the remainder.  I have already depicted some unprovable material but I will now call a halt to this series concerning the birthright.  Below is a basic summary of the remainder of the tale without any fine points, details, or scripture for those who haven’t actually figured the ending out yet.

Zarah, with the red cord, never had a family member on the throne of Judah.  The story of Pharez, Zarah, and the “scarlet thread” is in the Bible for a reason, but with no additional material.  According to some sources, Zarah was supposed to inherit the scepter promise but was denied.  When God ended the throne linage in Judah, it is thought or assumed the linage was transferred from the Pharez linage to the Zarah linage. 

The historical story of Judah, Tamar, Pharez and Zarah took place prior to the Egyptian slavery.  There is another story, with little or no verification, the disinherited Zarah line left Egypt (escaped) during the plagues and traveled to Spain and then Ireland where they remained even during the migration of the ten tribes (or some of them) to northwestern Europe.

Jeremiah supposedly took the King’s daughters, or at least one of them, to Ireland with the purpose of marrying a Zarah prince and establishing the scepter promise with the Zarah line of Judah among the deported Israelites.  The throne was moved from Ireland to Scotland and then to England where it is now.  The Stone of Scone which is considered to be Jacob’s pillow stone is also called the coronation stone and was supposedly taken by Jeremiah to Ireland.  This stone is currently underneath the coronation throne.

An Additional Note:  I recently read on Veteran’s Today Network that the Palestinians are the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh according to the opinion of Katherine Frisk.  Everyone has an opinion but no one has evidential documentation.