Jeremiah 30 talks about the time of Jacob’s trouble, and the promise that God’s people (the 144,000) will be delivered. The Bible speaks of three times of trouble, which are described as greater than anything before or after. Jacob’s trouble is one of these. The prophet says, “Alas for that day is great so that none is like it, it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:7.
During this time, Jesus says, “I make a full end of all nations” Jeremiah 30:11. He will break the yoke of Babylon from off the neck of His people, (See Jeremiah 30:8; See also Isaiah 14:3-6) and will restore health to His people and heal them of their wounds. (See Jeremiah 30:17.)
God’s people need to be healed of their wounds because their wound is incurable (See Jeremiah 30:12), there is no medicine that will heal their wound because it is so grievous. (See 30:12, 13.) What is this grievous, incurable wound? It is not a physical wound, but a spiritual wound—the wound of sin. (See Jeremiah 30:14, 15.)
Although all sin is incurable without the blood of Christ and repentance, inspired writings specifically speaks of some sins as incurable. Could it be that these sins are afflicting God’s people in the last days? The reason they are incurable is not because the blood atonement of Christ will not cleanse the sinner from them, but because the victim of these sins will almost never humble himself to take the cure that God has provided. We can only be saved in God’s appointed way. Here is a brief list:
- Pride and self-sufficiency: There is nothing so offensive to God or so dangerous to the human soul as pride and self-sufficiency. Of all sins it is the most hopeless, the most incurable. Christ’s Object Lessons, 155.
- Rebellion: It would not have been safe to suffer any who united with Satan in his rebellion to continue to occupy heaven. They had learned the lesson of genuine rebellion against the unchangeable law of God, and this is incurable…. Lift Him Up, 19.
- Pride of opinion: The sin that is most nearly hopeless and incurable is pride of opinion, self-conceit. This stands in the way of all growth. 2 Mind, Character and Personality, 726.
- Envy: Men often confess and forsake other faults, but there is little to be hoped for from the envious man. Since to envy a person is to admit that he is a superior, pride will not permit any concession. If an attempt be made to convince the envious person of his sin, he becomes even more bitter against the object of his passion, and too often he remains incurable. 5 Testimonies, 56.
- Bigotry and prejudice: The most cruel, and the most incurable thing is bigotry and prejudice and it lives just as firmly in human hearts today as when Christ was upon the earth. 1888 Materials, 800, 801.
- Men who have large opinions of themselves: Men who have large opinions of themselves are often in error, but they will not confess this. Envy and jealousy are diseases which disorder all the faculties of the being. They originated with Satan in Paradise. After he had started on the track of apostasy, he could see many things that were objectionable. After he fell he envied Adam and Eve in their innocency. He tempted them to sin, and to become like himself, disloyal to God. Those who accept of his attributes will demerit others, misrepresent and falsify in order to build up themselves. These persons are generally incurable, and as nothing that defileth can enter heaven, they will not be there. They would criticize the angels. They would covet another’s crown. They would not know what to do, or what subjects to converse upon unless they could be finding some errors, some imperfections, in others. The Paulson Collection, 358, 359.
“There are existing evils in the church that no human power can heal…. All misapprehension produces unkindness, consciously or unconsciously, and then unkindness provokes retaliations, and strife propagates itself.” 18 Manuscript Releases, 348.
To the church and the church member who is incurable, Jesus is making the same plea as He did 1900 years ago: “Would you be made whole?”