Zechariah 9:14-17

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14 Then the Lord will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south, 15 and the Lord Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar. 16 The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. 17 How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women. ~ Zechariah 9:14-17

Today, in our text, we find ourselves at the final battle when God will conquer those who oppose His definitions of all things. This will happen when the Lord appears over them, His people, Israel. This description is consistent with the Second Coming of the Lord as described in the New Testament. The picture here is that of a sovereign guarding his people. When He appears, there will be a spectacular lightening show, and no one will be able to miss it.

The appearance of the Lord Jesus will happen with the sound of the trumpet. This will be the trumpet that will be sounded at His Second Coming. This can not be the trumpet that will be sounded at the Rapture because the Rapture will be unexpected, whereas this trumpet will be calculable due to the fact that we know the Tribulation will be seven years in length and we know that at the middle of the Tribulation, Satan will set himself up as God in the Temple in Jerusalem. And, then the Lord will return to His own. So, from the beginning and the middle of the Tribulation, we can calculate the Second Coming of Christ. This is not possible with the Rapture of the Church.

In v.15 of today's text we read, "and the Lord Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar."

The enemies in those days used to hurl stones, sometimes little slingstones, sometimes huge boulders with which they would crush the huge walls that often surrounded the cities. Whatever the enemy shoots at Israel, in that day, will bounce off and fall to the ground. 

It will be at this point that Israel will know for themselves the victory of the Lord and the joy that will accompany this moment. The battle being described here is Armageddon. And the armies of the world will amass themselves against little Israel, but Israel will overcome the stones, shouting with great joy.

The bowls here in v.15 harken to the bowl used to catch the blood of the sacrifices in the Temple which were splashed against the altar in the Old Testament. Israel will see the splattering of the blood of the godless before their very eyes. 

This description is consistent with what we read in Revelation 14:20 which reads, "They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the winepress as high as horses’ bridles for a distance of about one hundred eighty miles." 

The bloodshed will be visible from one end of Israel to the other, from north to south. As visible as the blood that would drip off the corners of the altar when the animals were cut by the priests for sacrifice. 

In v.16 of today's text we read, "The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown." 

Whenever a new monarch came to power, the people always wondered what type of King would the new king be. Scripture reveals the Lord Jesus Christ will be a different kind of a King, He will be the Shepherd King. 

The occupation of shepherd was not prestigious in biblical days and usually left to the lowly in the culture of the Bible.  Male shepherds were usually on their own, away from other human beings. In biblical days, shepherds very often cared for sheep that were not their own. 

The shepherd metaphor appears in 2 Samuel 5:2 where the Israelite people say to David “Yahweh said to you, you will shepherd my people Israel and you will be a leader over Israel.” 

King David was a type of the Lord Jesus in the Old Testament. At the end of time, as we know it, the Lord Jesus, in all His glory, will lay aside His crown and He will pick up the shepherd’s staff. Ezekiel tells us He will search for His sheep and seek us out. Interestingly, sheep have very poor eyesight. The good news is the Lord Jesus will guard His sheep all the day long.

In v.17 of today's text we read, "How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women."

God is so good and so loving that He sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ to save us. The Lord Jesus, Himself, became the path of salvation for the broken. He took our sins and removed them from us. Sin made us very unattractive, but the Lord Jesus has clothed us with His righteousness through the shedding of His blood. Through Him, we became attractive and beautiful to the most important One, the Father. And, in His kingdom, there will be an abundance of food and drink that we will never thirst or hunger again.

We are told in Revelation 21, in the New Jerusalem the foundations of the wall of the city will be made of precious stones and the twelve gates of the city will be twelve pearls. We are told the foundations and the gates represent God's people from the Old Testament and the New. In Christ there is a beauty that only the dwelling place of God explains. Having believed on His Son, we will be for eternity, the dwelling place of God. Thus, the beauty described here by Zechariah.

In Isaiah 57:15 we read, "And this is the reason: God lives forever and is holy. He is high and lifted up. He says, “I live in a high and holy place, but I also live with people who are sad and humble. I give new life to those who are humble and to those whose hearts are broken."

Truly it is the goodness of God that leads us to turn from our way to His. This is the posture that has enabled us to access the very presence of God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Zechariah 9:9-13

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9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. 11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. 12 Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. 13 I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and make you like a warrior’s sword. ~ Zechariah 9:9-13

As we come back to our study of the Old Testament prophetic book of Zechariah, we notice the attention goes from the promised conqueror, Alexander the Great, whom we considered in our last blog and podcast, to Israel's coming King riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. It is as if God is saying, "If I can use a pagan monarch to protect my people, wait til you see what I'm going to do through the Messiah." In today's text, the focus is off of the King of the Greeks and it is on the coming King of the Jews. 

In v.9-10 of today's text we read, "9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth."

In these two verses, we have the first and second comings of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is seen here in v.9 as the One who was lowly. In v.10, He is seen as the One who will conquer all. In the book of the Revelation, the Lord Jesus is presented, in Revelation 4, as the Lion and the Lamb. It was at His first coming that He died as a lamb led to the slaughter for the forgiveness of sin. At His second coming, He will be the Lion of Judah who will conquer all foes of righteousness.

When the prophets wrote their prophecies, it was as if they saw the prophecies only, they didn't see the valleys between the prophecies or the mountain peaks, and valleys represent time. For them, it was like looking at a mountain range from a distance and it looked like all one solid peak. So, as in the case here, the first and second comings of the Lord Jesus were prophesied together, and Zechariah didn't see the gap of 2000 years that existed between these two verses. 

At His first coming, the Lord Jesus arrived on the eastern side of Jerusalem riding on a donkey. On that day, this prophesy in Zechariah 9:9 was fulfilled. In fact, Daniel 9:26 provides the exact timetable of the Lord Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem riding on a donkey. It was at His first coming the Lord Jesus came as a Lamb to provide forgiveness of sin to all who would receive the free gift through His death on the cross.

As mentioned before, v.10 is a prophesy of the second coming which will happen at the end of the Tribulation. At that time the Lord Jesus will rule like a Lion, and He will conquer all opposed to righteousness.

In v.11 of today's text we read, "As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit."

In ancient times, prisoners were kept in dried cisterns. You will remember Joseph's brothers threw him into a waterless pit in Genesis 37. That waterless cistern speaks of our hopelessness without a Savior, and those willing to admit their lost estate are primed to receive His free gift of eternal life.

This verse, v.11, is written in the perfect tense, meaning, it is as if it has already happened. And, because of the blood covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis 15, which the Lord Jesus fulfilled at His cross, the battle has already been won. God's rescue services were garnered the day the Lord Jesus went to His cross. And, during the Tribulation, many Jews will turn to the Lord Jesus for the first time and they will be saved. And, in the Millennium, they will live in perfect peace.

God says Israel has been in a dry well a long time but because of the blood of the covenant, they’re as good as out.  When the King comes, Israel will be freed from the pit of trouble, war, and suffering to know the liberty of the Kingdom of His peace and the reign of the Prince of Peace Himself. 

Then in v.12-13 of today's text, we read, "12 Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. 13 I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and make you like a warrior’s sword."

This prophesy, as most, has a double fulfillment. Not long after that day this prophecy was given, there was a group of Jews that were able, in 167 BC, to mount an attack against the Syrians who, under Antiochus Epiphanes, had subjugated and devastated that whole area and turned the temple into a false system of worship. And it was under the Maccabean revolt, under Judas Maccabeus, that they were able to withstand these sons of Greece, and the hosts that had come in to destroy their land. But the ultimate fulfillment will be when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again and strengthens Israel in the last days against the Antichrist. So the Maccabean revolt was just a preview of coming attractions.

There is always more with the Lord Jesus. More in this sense is that which pertains to life, righteousness and godliness. In Romans 4, the Apostle Paul tells us the first step toward life is that we, by faith in the atonement, have righteousness reckoned to us without having done a single righteous act. Only then will we begin to practice righteousness, as the new man is created according to the image of God in true righteousness and holiness. And, it will be natural in His kingdom for us to think and to live righteous and godly lives. That will be glory for sure.

Zechariah 9:1-8

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1 The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak and will come to rest on Damascus—for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel are on the Lord—2 and on Hamath too, which borders on it, and on Tyre and Sidon, though they are very skillful. 3 Tyre has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets. 4 But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire. 5 Ashkelon will see it and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, and Ekron too, for her hope will wither. Gaza will lose her king and Ashkelon will be deserted. 6 A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod, and I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines. 7 I will take the blood from their mouths, the forbidden food from between their teeth. Those who are left will belong to our God and become a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites. 8 But I will encamp at my temple to guard it against marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun my people,  for now I am keeping watch. ~ Zechariah 9:1-8

Today, we transition into Zechariah 9. In v.1-8, we discover the one who is described, as a conqueror, turns out to be none other than Alexander the Great. This prophecy was written centuries before Alexander was born. That’s why it doesn’t name him. He didn’t exist at the time of the writing of this prophecy. And yet, every detail of his crusade is clearly described in today's text. The Bible is God's word and it is true. We can thoroughly depend upon it. 

In v.1-2 of today's text we read, "1 The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak and will come to rest on Damascus—for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel are on the Lord—2 and on Hamath too, which borders on it, and on Tyre and Sidon, though they are very skillful."

In these verses God isolates Hadrak which is grouped with Damascus, Hamath, Tyre and Sidon. Many try to discount the Bible because it appears this city, Hadrak, can not be found in history. Yet, Hadrak appears in the inscriptions of Tiglath-Pileser III who indicated that it was located just to the North of Lebanon. This prophecy predicted the crusade of Alexander the Great, yet it was given some two hundred years before it was fulfilled.

In v.3-4 of today's text we read, "3 Tyre has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets. 4 But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire."

Tyre was built on a fortified rock, a half-mile off the coast. It was also built with a huge wall around the entire island which was 150 feet high. As a result, there, the Phoenicians felt fairly secure. When this prophecy was written, many scoffed at it, thinking Tyre was impenetrable. But, God knew otherwise. 

Israel had good relations with Tyre. In fact, King David and Hiram, the King of Tyre, were friends and they developed a deal where they would trade supplies. Hiram would give wood and some of the supplies of Lebanon for some of the grain and the olive oil that was grown down in Israel. When Solomon built the temple, it was Hiram who furnished the great cedar timbers that furnished the temple there in Jerusalem. 

Because both Jerusalem and Tyre were on the major trade routes, they competed in business. And, much later on, when Jerusalem finally fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC, the people of Tyre rejoiced, because now they would get the business that they had wanted for so long.  

In v.5 of today's text we read, "Ashkelon will see it and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, and Ekron too, for her hope will wither. Gaza will lose her king and Ashkelon will be deserted." 

History tells us that exactly what Zechariah predicted, happened. Alexander the Great, after taking the city of Tyre, which he had taken after Damascus, now turned south on his way to Egypt and stopped in the area of the Philistines. And these are the cities of the Philistines that are mentioned. And he overtook the Philistine cities, Ashkelon, Gaza, and Ekron. 

History tells us that Alexander had the King of Gaza chained to a chariot, and they drug him around the city of Gaza until he died. And, when the people saw this, they were completely deflated and their hopes were completely dashed.

In v.6 of today's text we read, "A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod, and I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines."

It was the policy of Alexander to mingle conquered peoples together. To not let them go back to their land, but to bring in people from different lands and and mix it up so that there wouldn't be an independent group that would develop out of it. It would hinder their independence because there would be a mingling of languages and cultures and customs. And so a mixed race settled in Ashdod.  

In v.7-8 of today's text we read, "7 I will take the blood from their mouths, the forbidden food from between their teeth. Those who are left will belong to our God and become a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites. 8 But I will encamp at my temple to guard it against marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun my people,  for now I am keeping watch."

God uses imagery here that depicts the Philistines as a man who has just come back from a pagan sacrifice. He still has the bloody meat of something that has been offered to an idol in his mouth. Notice at the end of v.7 that Ekron will be like the Jebusites. Jebus was the ancient name for Jerusalem. The Jebusites occupied that city. And then, Israel, under the leadership of David, overtook the city, and eventually all of the Jebusites were just assimilated into Israel. God predicted this would happen to Ekron of the Philistines and it did at the hands of Alexander the Great. 

History also tells us is that when Alexander came to Jerusalem, he treated those in Judea with great kindness and respect. Having subjugated Egypt and taking over that area, when he returned through Israel again, Alexander had a whole different mindset. The Jewish historian, Josephus, tells us that there was a high priest by the name of Jeduah who met Alexander with a company of priests. And Jeduah brought the scroll of the Book of Daniel and showed Alexander the prophecies of his crusade from Daniel. Alexander read how God had predicted his victories in advance. This so impressed Alexander that not only did he spare Jerusalem, but he also offered a sacrifice in the temple of Jerusalem and worshipped the God of Israel there.

This is the whole point of prophecy. Not that we would be amazed by the prediction, but that we would be amazed by the predictor, God Himself. Worship is unlike every other Christian experience, it is an end in itself. Worship is ascribing worth to God, and any time we do things His way, we are worshipping Him. Worship that glorifies God must be expressed in conscious awareness that this is the ultimate goal for which He created and redeemed us. We do not worship God in order to attain some higher end, or to accomplish some greater goal. We worship Him because it is the point of our existence. Worship is merely a door through which we proceed into something more important, knowing God personally.

Zechariah 8:16-23

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"16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; 17 do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord. 18 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me. 19 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.” 20 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, 21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ 22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.” 23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.'" ~ Zechariah 8:16-23

We are justified in the sight of God only through the perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Justification is a one time event in the life of the believer. In fact, after being justified by Christ, the believer becomes "Born Again" because the Holy Spirit has moved in and awakened the believer's spirit to God.

On the heels of believing in Christ, the believer enters into Sanctification which is different than Justification. Whereas Justification is a one time event, Sanctification is a process whereby God is inculcating His culture into our being. This is what God is doing in today's text, He is teaching the children of Israel about His culture His way of thinking and living.

A careful study of Old Testament history reveals Israel got caught in a cycle of their own sin. This process can be seen in the book of Judges. Once Joshua died, and every man did what was right in his own eyes, they started going through this cycle of sin. The first stage marked the people's rebellion against God. They did not want God to rule over them. So, God brought them into the second stage whereby He allowed their enemies to rule over them. The third stage started when they cried out to the Lord for help. It was at that point that they entered fourth stage when God sent them a deliverer who was used of God to bring them back to Him.  

In v.16-17 of today's text we read, ""16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; 17 do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord."

Here, God gave to Israel His culture. Through this teaching, God reminded the people of Israel to speak the truth, to be honestly just, to not deliberately hurt one another, and to not lie about one another. These four rather easy disciplines bring the culture of God to bear on any group of people. 

In v.18-19 of today's text we read, "18 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me. 19 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace."

As we have pointed out before, these four fasts were all added by the people, they were not prescribed by the Lord. But, notice what God says here, "(They) will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah." 

The fourth month fast reminded Israel of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. The fast of the fifth month was the fast that reminded the destruction of the temple. The fast of the seventh month reminded Israel of the murder of Gedaliah who was the governor at that time. And the fast of the tenth month reminded Israel of the mourning for the day the final siege of Jerusalem. All these fasts rendered much weeping and mourning. And, God is saying here, "All things work together for the good of those who are learning to give their hearts to the Lord and are the called according to His purposes." 

In v.20-22 of today's text we read, "20 This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, 21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ 22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.'"

The context of these verses will be the Millennium. After the Tribulation will be over, people all over the world will come to the Lord Jesus as He will sit on His throne in Jerusalem. The pilgrimages are going to come from every corner of the globe. The whole world, at that time, will seek the Lord. 

In v.23 of today's text we read, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you." 

When this verse was written, the Jews were highly despised. In that day, this prediction was looked upon as most improbable. The idea that the Jews would be so elevated that people all over the world would want to be in their presence because God will be with them was unheard of at that time. But, in the future, in the Millennium, God promises Israel will be the center of the world.

And, notice the word "ten" used here in this verse. "In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.'" 

You will remember that the number ten represents completeness. The whole world will ardently seek out the influence of the Jews because they will embrace God's culture. But, there will be some conditions. The four things mentioned in v.16-17 of today's text, honesty, justice, love, and trust, will be the means by which the world will be drawn to Israel. This will be the reason their culture will be so inviting because to those who have it not, it will be golden.

Zechariah 8:9-15

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9 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophets said who were present when the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty. 10 Before that time there were no wages for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safely because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,” declares the Lord Almighty. 12 “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. 13 Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.” 14 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,” says the Lord Almighty, 15 “so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid. ~ Zechariah 8:9-15

We return to our study of Zechariah 8 where God reminded the children of Israel that if they walk in His culture, they will experience His great blessing. In our last blog and podcast, we highlighted the promise that God made to His people to restore them back to the promised land. And, as we have noted before, this regathering of the people into the land was a glimpse of the work that God will yet again do for Israel at the end of time. 

Ezekiel 20:33–38 speaks of a regathering of the people to the land, which must take place before the Tribulation. Ezekiel 20:34 describes God bringing the remaining people of Israel back “from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out.” 

The phrase “with wrath poured out” is a descriptive reference to the Tribulation. Thus, in order for this to occur in history, Israel must be back in the land before the Tribulation. This passage clearly says that it is the Lord who will bring them back. The current nation of Israel is in the process of fulfilling this passage. It is said that nearly half of the world's population of the Jews is currently in America. It is my guess that when the treaty is forged that will allow Israel to rebuilt its Temple in Jerusalem that God will use that to get the remaining Jews back into the promised land.

In v.9-11 of today's text we read, "9 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophets said who were present when the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty. 10 Before that time there were no wages for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safely because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,” declares the Lord Almighty."

These Jews who had returned to the promised land had no money to pay men or to provide for animals. And, there wasn’t any peace in the land. There was all kinds of conflict and strife among the people. In these verses, Zechariah described the hassles of the people trying to rebuild the city. The first group came back with Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest, and they immediately built the altar. As a result, they began to perform sacrifices once again. Then, they laid the foundation for the Temple, but then everything went bad. They had outside enemies, the Samaritans, who were hassling them. And, as I noted before, the work on the Temple halted for a short time.

Then, in the second year of Darius, a new commitment began in Israel and they began to work again and then Zechariah wrote his prophecy just as they began the new work. God used Zechariah to encourage and comfort the people as they tirelessly worked. And so, in v.11, God reminded them that hard times precede God's blessing, if we walk in God's culture.

In v.12-13 of today's text we read, "12 The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. 13 Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong."

In these verses God reminded Israel of the law of reaping and sowing. God, in His faithfulness, rescued Israel and brought them back into the land in which they were now living. And, He had a plan for them to return to living under His blessing, but, they had to have willing hearts. The people of Israel had to choose to be defined by God and His culture rather than their culture or the culture of this world. Choosing to be defined by God is choosing to obey His word. 

One of the most popular means by which the enemy uses to get us to not be defined by God is materialism. We are told in this world that the accumulation of stuff makes us important. The world tells us if we acquire the best of things, we will be happy. 

The Lord Jesus once asked, "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" Then He continued, "For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done." Clearly, the answer is to be defined by God. We do this by giving safe haven to His word in our lives and allowing it to define us.

In v.14-15 of today's text we read, "14 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,” says the Lord Almighty, 15 “so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid."

God's preference of us is influenced by the willingness of our hearts to invite Him to define us. And, just as He was faithful to punish disobedience, He promises to bless obedience. This isn't earning God's favor, this is accessing His favor. The sorrows of the past are meant to be God's pledges for the promise of a blessed future. And, God’s promise included His punishment of Israel's enemies.

Three hundred and sixty five times in the Bible God says what He said at the end of v.15. God wired our brains to experience fear. It is a primary emotion. There is a reason and many purposes for our fear as we respond to triggering stimuli. When God says, “Do not fear” he is not commanding us to shut off a part of our brain. His point is: Where do you go when you fear? God wants us to run to Him. Fear can paralyze us, yet when we fear in His presence, He uses that fear to produce in us our next step of faith, even in the midst of the fear! 

Fear, at its center, is a perceived loss of control. When life spirals, we grab for anything we can manage. The more insecure we feel, the more our flesh raises its ugly head. This is what was happening in Zechariah's day and God addressed it with His faithfulness. 

The gospels lists 125 Christ-issued imperatives. Of these, twenty-one urge us "do not be afraid." We encounter fearful moments because through them, we learn of His faithfulness. When we give God the time, He will always add another sentence establishing His faithfulness. And, as we walk in His culture, daily, we will increasingly discover that He who has promised is faithful.

Zechariah 8:1-8

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1 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.” 3 This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.” 4 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. 5 The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.” 6 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?” declares the Lord Almighty. 7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. 8 I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.” ~ Zechariah 8:1-8

As we transition into Zechariah 8, the promise of God to restore the people of Israel to the promised land comes into plain view. Whether it is the church of the New Testament or whether it is Israel of the Old Testament, God has always manifested boundless love toward His children. And, true love is not just something God says, it is something He does. This is what Zechariah 8 is all about.

One of the reasons the United States has always provided for and protected the nation of Israel is due to the fact that we have long understood God's word regarding Israel. As early as Genesis 12 God has said over and over in His word, "Those who bless Israel, I will bless, and those who curse Israel, I will curse." 

In v.1-2 of today's text we read, "1 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.'"

The root word here for "jealous" means to burn, or to glow. So, God's love for His people is seen in His burning protection of us. God’s jealousy for Israel has always been a product of His love, and His love can clearly be seen in Him bringing them back from Babylon into the promised land. In addition, His love will be seen in what He will do for Israel in the millennial kingdom of Christ after the Tribulation. 

In v.3 of today's text we read, "This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain."

In Zechariah’s day the Jews had been in Babylon in captivity for 70 years. They were taken there when Nebuchadnezzar came and destroyed the city and flattened the temple and wiped out everything. God allowed this in order to purge Israel of their idolatry and to reveal to them His great love for them.

At this point in time, Israel had come back to the land under the leadership of Haggai, Zerubbabel and Zechariah. It was these willing men of faith whom God used to complete the building of the temple and the wall and the city of Jerusalem. God had promised the people the city would be rebuilt, the temple would be restored, the wall would be complete, and they would be restored to their land. And, that was only to be a token of what God was going to do in the end of time, in the millennial kingdom of Christ.

Now, ever since the Babylonians had come in and wiped Israel out, the Jews had established a whole series of fasts, which were times of mourning and sorrow. And in each of those fasts, they would go without food and they would weep and wail. Now that the city was being rebuilt, a group of people came from the town of Bethel to the priest and the prophets, asking whether the fasting was necessary.

God's answer to their question in Zechariah 7 was negative, as we considered in our last blog and podcast. And, through that response, we learn something about His love. Sometimes love responds negatively. True love sometimes disciplines us which often hurts more than we think we can endure. 

In our text today, God's love is seen as positive. Here, God gives the people of Israel incredible promises for the future. In fact, He gives them the ultimate gift, the promises relative to the final kingdom. Jerusalem will become safe for all. They will no longer fear suicide bombers in that day. They will be absolute safe and free of harm. 

In v.4-8 of today's text we read, "4 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. 5 The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.” 6 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?” declares the Lord Almighty. 7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. 8 I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God." 

This prediction is not only of a return of the people to the land, but also of their return to the Lord. Today, the people have been brought back into the land, but their hearts have not turned back  toward the Lord, yet. The Jews have been from all over the world being gathered back to the land of Israel, but the best was yet to come. When they, in the end times, turn back to the Lord, and recognize the Lord Jesus as the whom they have pierced, God, then, will dwell among them the way He has always wanted to dwell among them. 

Nothing is too hard or impossible for the Lord. Ten times in this chapter God says "This is what the Lord Almighty says." The number ten is a number of completeness in the Bible. We count in increments of ten and so ten has always been representative of wholeness or fullness. So what we have here is God presenting the fullness of His program in the millennium to Israel. Here, He is giving the complete picture of that which awaits believing Israel.

Incidentally, the name YHWH appears 22 times in this chapter. And, attached to this covenant name of God are His promises  including His punishment (v.2), His presence (v.3), His peace (v.4-5), His power (v.6), His populating (v.7), His people (v.8), His prosperity (v.9), His preference (v.14), His pleasure (v.19), and His prominence (v.20-23).

We access many of God's promises through our obedience to His word. In that day, Israel will look on Him whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as an only Son and their stony hearts will be replaced with hearts that will yearn to bring glory to their KING. The Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross to save all, including the Jews. One day, this will be the reality for the Jews, as well as all those who trust in His promises. 

Zechariah 7:8-14

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"8 And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 9 'This is what the Lord Almighty said: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ 11 “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry. 13 "'When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty. 14 ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.'" ~ Zechariah 7:8-14

As we continue our study of Zechariah 7, we notice that in v.8-14 God presses into the heart of the people of Israel a bit more. Essentially God is telling the people of Israel to choose a personal relationship with Him rather than choosing to be  religious.

In v.8-10 of today's text we read, "8 And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: 9 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’"

The basic truth in the faith is that we treat one another with grace, dignity and love. Jeremiah says the same thing as Zechariah in Jeremiah 7:4-8 which reads, "4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, 'This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!' 5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6 if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. 8 But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless." 

Religion is trying to behave well enough in order to presumably garner the favor of God which is a total waste of time. Since it is so plastic and phony, religion hardens our hearts. We innately know that it is not real so we deal with God and others in an unreal way. And, the plastic always gets brittle after a while.

In v.8-10 of today's text, God highlights, justice, mercy, and compassion. These three are in keeping with God's character and when our hearts join with His, we will treat one another accordingly. 

James wrote, "True religion is to visit the widows and the orphans." 

Christianity isn’t going through certain rituals, thinking that in doing so God will like us more than He does. Christianity is to first have a heart felt relationship with God that in turn causes us to take care of those who can not take care of themselves. Christianity is loving others expecting nothing in return. Going through any routine without heart involvement is revolting and definitely a waste of time.

At the end of v.10 in today's text we read, "Do not plot evil against each other."

The idea of plotting against others, bringing false accusations in law is the outflow of a heart that has not engaged God. We can’t worship God while we’ve got some bitterness, or some grudge, or some backbiting, or some gossip, or some lawsuit. We can’t worship God unless our hearts are right with Him. And, once our hearts are made right with Him, we can not expect that treating people badly would be pleasing to Him. God is not interested in how many feasts we keep. He is not interested in how we bow down before Him or how we bend and pray or how we read our Bibles or how we sing or how we attend services or how we recite a creed when our hearts are far from Him. What God desires is a heart that has experienced His love and is subsequently loving towards others, even after they have hurt us.

In v.11-14 of today's text we read, "11 But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. 12 They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry. 13 When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty. 14 ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.'"

Even though the people had been chosen of God, they had substituted ritual for reality. Even though they had a history of worshipping God, they had lost sight on the importance of their hearts being engaged with Him, thus they had become religious and ritualistic. In fact, in v.11 of today's text, there is a three-step progression toward a hardened heart. 

The first step toward a hardened heart is "refusing to pay attention (to God)." God's word did not find safe haven in their hearts; it went in one ear and out of the other. Thus, it could not change their hearts.

The second step toward a hardened heart is when "stubbornly they turned their backs." This phrase describes the behavior of an ox when it will not take the yoke. The people of Israel had come to the point where they didn’t listen to God and they treated Him flippantly. And then, when God tried to place His culture within their hearts, they shrugged and they turned their hearts away from Him. 

The third step toward a hardened heart is that the people of Israel "covered their ears."

Our ears function as gate-keepers. If our ears are "closed" then nothing gets to our hearts. Our refusal to listen to God is always a matter of the heart. In Matthew 11:15, the Lord Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." And, in Proverbs 8:34 we read, "Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors."

Since the people of Israel refused to hear God and listen to Him, they chose religion instead of reality. Our hearts were created to find fulfillment in a personal relationship with God. And, when we run from God, our sin traps us in so that we can not operate normally. So, when the people of Israel rejected God, they, for 70 years, went into captivity in Babylon. And, when their captivity was over, sadly, many didn't return to the promised land because they had become comfortable living in Babylon. 

My friends, comfort is a huge enemy to us. But, we all want to be comfortable, we all hate pain, We all hate discomfort. And, yet it is God's megaphone with which He speaks the deepest truths into our existence.

Reality comes from hearing the word of the Lord. And, when we get real with Him, we can experience reality as He meant it to be. True intelligence is the ability to listen to God. Wisdom is not something we are born with, it is not something intrinsic to us.  We must listen for it! And, we learned it from God once our hearts are engaged with Him.

Zechariah 7:1-7

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1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev. 2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the Lord 3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?” 4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? 7 Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’” ~ Zechariah 7:1-7

As we transition today into Zechariah 7, we discover it had been two years since the people of Israel had returned to the promised land of Israel from Babylon. It was 518 B.C., and the temple was halfway built. As a result, the people were encouraged because all of the obstacles had been removed for the rebuilding of the Temple and Jerusalem. Yet, there was a great danger the people would fall into a pattern that they fell into in the past. And as it turned out, they fell back into it again. Once back in the promised land, the people fell prey to ritualism which always has as its goal the disengagement of our hearts from God.

In v.1 of today's text we read, "In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev."

The time was the end of November and the beginning of December. And, a small delegation came from Bethel to ask the priests of the house of the Lord about the issue of fasting. 

In v.2-3 of today's text we read, "2 The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the Lord 3 by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?" 

In the Book of Leviticus God prescribed one day that the Jews were to fast. And it was in the seventh month, it was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The Lord said on that day you will afflict your souls. That was the only day that God prescribed for the Jews to abstain from food, and remember Him. 

But, as time went on, the Jews, after the captivity, decided to fast on days that were not prescribed by the Lord. They added several days to keep their memory alive regarding the Babylonian captivity and the destruction of Jerusalem. In fact, four days were added to the one day that God had given. 

The phrase at the end of v.3, "as I have done these so many years" reveals their fastings were a real pain to them, and so, they were inquiring about the validity of their rituals. They innately knew their problem was the fact that they were going through the motions. 

In v.4-7 in today's text we read, "4 Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 5 “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? 6 And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? 7 Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?" 

In His response, God let the people know that He didn't really care about their added religion. He had not prescribed these extra four days for fasting. God is all about the sincerity of our hearts, not the ceremony that we keep. He could care less about our rituals. God always is most interested in a personal relationship with His people. But, all through time man thinks he must earn God's favor, all the while missing the point of a heart to heart relationship with the Lord.

The idea of fasting has always been a voluntary restraint from food in order that we might give our hearts to the Lord more fully. It has never been about our performance, it has always been about our relationship with Him. So, rather than being driven by the need for food, we do well to be led by God's Holy Spirit in our worship of God. When we do this, we position ourselves to be defined by God most.

In v.7 God grants perspective on the subject of religion. All of the fasts the Jews were observing, all of them were commemorating disasters brought on by their own sin. They would have been a lot better off listening to and obeying God.

Biblical fasting is a product of a broken heart. We must be careful to never think because we have performed a religious formality that we worshiped God. True worship is that which comes out of the heart that has experienced the touch of God. And, obedience to the Word of God is really the real issue. 

In addition, we must be careful to hear the words of the Lord. The people had come up with these additions themselves. These were their words, not the Lord's words. And, the sad thing is the whole reason they went into Babylonian captivity in the first place was due to the fact that they did not listen to the Lord.

As indicated at the end of v.7, there was a time when Jerusalem was inhabited, a time when it prospered. Everything flourished because they had listened to the Lord. They came to the place where they were no longer listening to and obeying the Lord. If the people had listened to God and walked in obedience, they would have never gone into Babylonian captivity. God never sanctions religion with its rituals and routine. He is against religion because it is man made and it removes the involvement of the heart in our worship of Him. We will either be captivated by that which will destroy us or we will be captivated by the One who will flourish us. The choice is ours.

God has given humanity free will, and if we choose to disregard God, and do what we want, the fruit of free will will be painful. When we find ourselves at this point, we find comfort in the One who allowed Himself to be caught in our pain. When dying on the cross, He received the fruit of our free will, and He made it possible for us to engage God with our hearts. 

Zechariah 6:9-15

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9 The word of the Lord came to me: 10 “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon. Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 11 Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jozadak. 12 Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. 13 It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ 14 The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. 15 Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God.” ~ Zechariah 6:9-15

Today, we return to our study of the book of Zechariah. In our last study, we considered that at the end of time as we know it, God will exact His judgment on Babylon which had its beginning at the Tower of Babel. Ultimately, evil will be gathered up under the name Babylon under which organized evil had its beginning among man. And so, when the end comes, God will judge Babylon by wiping it out. At that point the fight against evil will be over.

In v.9-11 of today's text we read, "9 The word of the Lord came to me: 10 “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon. Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. 11 Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jozadak."

During this time in the history of the nation of Israel, every now and then, a new caravan of once captive Jews would return to Jerusalem from Babylon. Now, on this particular day a caravan of latecomers arrived having left Babylon years after the first group had come back. And this group was made up of men named Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Josiah who desired to contribute their gold and silver to the rebuilding of the temple.

Interestingly, these men had God-honoring names. Heldai meant "the Lord’s world." Tobijah meant "God is good." Jedaiah meant "God knows." And Josiah meant "the Lord supports." So they all had names that spoke positively of the character of God.

Now, on that very same day that the Lord spoke to Zechariah, this caravan arrives. God's providence always dovetails beautifully. And Zechariah is told to go and meet them. And, according to v.11, Zechariah was told that these men would bring silver and gold for the temple, but God tells Zechariah to take the silver and gold "and make crowns" of it. The word "crown" is written in the plural in the Hebrew and so it should read "crowns." And, in the Old Testament, with the exception of one passage, the priestly office and the kingly office were always kept separate. According to our text, the crown was meant for Joshua the high priest. 

Now, in Hebrews 7:1-3 we read, "This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever."

 A careful study of Melchizedek reveals he was the Lord Jesus in His pre-incarnate state. And, the afore quoted passage says he was a "king of righteousness” and a "king of peace. Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever."

In v.12-13 we read, "12 Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. 13 It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.'"

You will remember the word, "branch" in the book of Zechariah refers to the future Messiah who will come to the Jewish nation. This is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. And, this message that the Lord has given to Zechariah has a double fulfillment: one for Joshua the high priest and the other for the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

These visions the Lord gave to Zechariah were not only for the Jews of Zechariah's time, they also refer to the Messiah in the future. The "branch" is the Messiah who will come at the end of time. Just as Joshua was the high priest then and would be given strength by God to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, there will come another who will build the future temple. His name will also be Joshua or Yeshua and He will also receive the crowns of priest and king. 

In Revelation 19 we read of a vision of the coming Christ which reads, "And he says, I saw heaven open and behold, a white horse and He who sat on him was called, Faithful and True. And in righteousness, He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head, were many crowns. And He had a name written that no one knew except Himself." 

So here, the vision is of a priest who sits upon his throne. Interestingly, a King, who is both King and priest. The Lord Jesus will be both in His kingdom. When He came the first time, He cleansed the temple. And then just after He left, God came in 70 A.D. and destroyed the temple. But there’s coming a day when God will send the Messiah back to rebuild the temple. 

In v.13 we read the Branch or Messiah "will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two."

In the end, the Messiah will come to be the King and the Priest of all. In Psalm 110:4 we read, "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'"

Melchizedek was a priest who was also a king. The Messiah will be the same. According to Hebrews 1:3, the Lord Jesus is at the right hand of the Father right now as a priest. And, in Hebrews 1:13, all things had been put under His feet a King. And as King, He rules. And as Priest, He intercedes. The Lord Jesus will make peace between the office of king and the office of priest. In His kingdom, there will be no separation of Church and state.

In v.14-15 of today's text we read, "14 The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. 15 Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God."

The far off ones in v.15 are the Gentiles who will make a contribution to the building of the Millennial Temple. And, they will be a people who were not a people who will become God’s people in God’s kingdom. The fulfillment of His kingdom will happen because God has so planned it. But whether or not we are participants in it will be dependent upon whether we obeyed His voice.

According to Jewish tradition, Zerubbabel’s temple had a big high window in it up somewhere on the wall. And hanging in that window at the height of the temple, hung the crown of Joshua, a constant reminder that the King was coming. And, this King will include you and me in His kingdom, because as High Priest, He died for His creation.

Zechariah 6:1-8

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1 I looked up again and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains; the mountains were made of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, and the second chariot had black horses. 3 The third chariot had white horses, and the fourth chariot had horses that were heavily spotted. 4 I responded and said to the messenger speaking with me, “What are these, sir?” 5 The messenger answered and said to me, “These are the four winds of heaven that are going out after presenting themselves to the Lord of all the earth. 6 The one with the black horses is going to the north country; the white ones are going to the west; and the spotted ones are going south.” 7 Then the powerful ones approached, intent on going to patrol the earth. He said, “Go! Patrol the earth!” So they patrolled the earth. 8 Then he called out and said to me,“Look, the ones going north have provided rest for my spirit in the north.” ~ Zechariah 6:1-8

Today, we come to another vision in Zechariah 6. This is the eighth vision so far in the book of Zechariah. Today's vision helps us to see how God will judge the world and set up His millennial kingdom in the end. 

In v.1 of today's text we read, "I looked up again and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains; the mountains were made of bronze."

In this verse God references two mountains, Mt. Zion and the Mt. of Olives. These two mountains are geographical places in Jerusalem. And the valley between them is the Kidron Valley. At the Second Coming of Christ, He will set his feet on the Mount of Olives, causing a massive earthquake, and the valley will be widened all the way down to the Dead Sea. 

Bronze is a symbol of judgment in the Bible. The bronze altar was the altar of sacrifice that took place for sin, out in the outer court. Judgment will come at the Second Coming of Christ and it will be felt on these two mountains and in this valley. If we haven’t trusted in Christ’s atonement, God will judge our sin by banishing us from His presence for eternity. Today’s passage describes the latter.

In v.2-3 in today's text we read, "2 The first chariot had red horses, and the second chariot had black horses. 3 The third chariot had white horses, and the fourth chariot had horses that were heavily spotted."

These four chariots are chariots of war. Chariots in those days formed the storm troops of an ancient army. These will be vehicles of divine judgment on the unbelieving nations of the world. These four chariots will come out from between these two mountains. 

In Revelation 1:15-16 we are given the image of Christ with feet of burnished bronze. And so, we have here a powerful scene of judgment, and the war chariots will come down this valley between these two mountains. 

According to Zechariah 14:4, "His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in its midst thereof toward the east and toward the west and half of the mountain removed toward the north, and half of it toward the south." 

God will create a whole new valley there, a huge, massive one and that will be the place the judgment of God will be hurled out onto rebellious man. This will happen at the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As you may already know, in the Bible the number four stands for universality. And, here in v.2-3 we have four chariots. According to Revelation 6, when the tribulation period begins, there will be four horsemen that are parallel in terms of color with the four that we have here in today's text. They will appear in the same context of final judgment. 

In v.4-5 of today's text we read, "4 I responded and said to the messenger speaking with me, “What are these, sir?” 5 The messenger answered and said to me, “These are the four winds of heaven that are going out after presenting themselves to the Lord of all the earth."

These angels will come out of heaven to carry out God’s judgment. Notice, they will stand before the Lord to do His bidding. In Revelation 7:1-2, we have a similar designation of the angels. So, as is always the case, the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself.

In v.6-7 of today's text we read, "6 The one with the black horses is going to the north country; the white ones are going to the west; and the spotted ones are going south.” 7 Then the powerful ones approached, intent on going to patrol the earth. He said, “Go! Patrol the earth!” So they patrolled the earth."

The black horses will go to the north country. And, most often, in the Bible, the north country refers to Babylon. The white horses will go out after them and the spotted ones are going toward the south country, which is almost always a reference to Egypt.  

So this angelic army of God will go out throughout the earth from the presence of the Lord to do His bidding. God’s final judgment will cover the whole world. Nothing will escape His worldwide judgment. And, according to Matthew 24-25, it will be at that time Christ will come in His glory. And at that point, the nations of the world will be gathered into this valley, the valley of Jehoshaphat, and they will be judged. 

Finally, in v.8 of today's text we read, "Then he called out and said to me,“Look, the ones going north have provided rest for my spirit in the north."

God’s Spirit will be appeased by His judgment. He will be satisfied from those who have gone to the north country because it will be from the north that the worst of all enemies will come. According to the book of the Revelation  this final evil will be Babylon. 

Sadly, it doesn't have to be this way, because as we read in Romans 5:1, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Since many will not receive the free gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, God's righteous requirements will have to be exacted on them. For us who believe on the Lord Jesus, God has exacted His righteous requirements on His Son at the cross.

All of this is to say, the Bible can be completely trusted. The Bible reflects consistently the mind of God. God inspired it, and therefore the Bible doesn’t contradict itself. This is not to say that we all do not have many questions about the Bible and we struggle to figure out its meaning. Ultimately, inspiration is a matter of faith, and no matter how fervently it is believed that doesn’t mean it is comprehended. Our problem is we do not do the hard work to understand the culture within which a certain passage was written. I have found that when I do the hard work of understanding a passage, its veracity is always born out.

I think of the Hittites who are mentioned many times  in the book of Genesis. And, because no ancient historian mentioned them, and because they appeared to leave no archaeological footprint, critics of the Bible relegated them to the realm of myth. The critics reasoned that, since they had no archaeological evidence of a Hittite civilization, it must never have existed, and the Bible must be wrong. However, many archaeological discoveries, beginning in 1876, have since proved that the Hittites were a powerful people in the 15th and 16th centuries B.C. You see, when we do our homework, the Bible is proved to be God's word and it can be trusted completely. No archeological finding had ever proven the Bible wrong.