Zechariah Part 8

In chapter 7 of Zechariah, God speaks to the people with scorn, when they ask if they should continue weep and fast, telling them that they should have obeyed Him before Judah and Israel were destroyed. And, He spoke of their disobedience that cost them everything.

Then, in chapter 8, the Lord speaks two prophecies to Zechariah. The first shows His intent to build Zion and bless the people, but with some subtle conditions that we know that they did not follow.

However, the second prophecy is yet to be fulfilled, and hints at a new covenant.

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Zechariah Part 8

In chapter 7, Israelis sent representatives to ask the priests at the Temple whether they should continue their fasting and mourning in the fifth and seventh months. And God speaks to Zechariah, who is also a priest and tells these representatives that God is not impressed with their fasting. In fact, God says that He would rather have them obey His laws.

The LORD says:

Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?

 - Zechariah 7:7 (KJV)

When King Saul disobeyed a direct order from God, the prophet Samuel came to Saul and said:

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

 - 1 Samuel 15:23 (KJV)

Think about that statement for a moment.

Has God changed His view of rebellion?

I'm sorry, but the God of Samuel is the same God that we worship. And, if God viewed rebellion to be as evil as witchcraft, then we had better look carefully at ourselves to see if WE are in rebellion against God.

Paul emphasized the seriousness of this in his letter to the Church at Philippi:

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

 - Philippians 2:12 (KJV)

Our churches have lost their willingness to obey God. We no longer fear God. And, when we say that we love God, it doesn't ring true. All of that means that we are rapidly approaching the same position that Israel was in, before THEY went into captivity.

All Israel had to do was obey, and they refused.

The message is the same to our churches:

All they need to do is obey.

Then, God speaks again to Zechariah, about Israel's disobedience and how they oppressed each other and refused to listen to the law and the prophets. God said:

Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts:

But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.

 - Zechariah 7:13-14 (KJV)

Zechariah 8

Now, as we enter the beginning of another chapter of prophecy, let me emphasize again that God does NOT change. He is incapable of changing. He is the same God during the time of Zechariah as He is today. So, when God says this about Zion, the place where Jerusalem is:

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.

 - Zechariah 8:2 (KJV)

If God was jealous for Zion with such great jealousy and fury, is that still true today?

You had better believe it!

In later chapters, we will see what God will do to those who try to interfere with Jerusalem, and what He does to them. In fact, we've already seen what God has been doing to the nations that burden themselves with Jerusalem.

Never interfere with something that God is jealous over. Never do that, unless you wish to be judged by God and suffer His wrath. I both fear and love God far too much to do that.

God continues with verse three onward, speaking of how He has returned to Zion, and yes this is present tense. And, He speaks of gathering Israel from the East and the West. That children will again play in the streets of Jerusalem. That men and women will reach old age. That He will dwell in the midst of them.

All of this will be glorious, but God set a condition upon His intentions:

15 So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.

16 These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:

17 And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord.

 - Zechariah 8:15-17 (KJV)

Now, did Israel fulfill this condition?

For a short time, yes, they did fulfill this condition. But, only a short time. In fact, so short, Zechariah was eventually murdered by the people that God sought to bless.

The Second Prophecy of Chapter 8

You know that you have the beginning of another prophecy when you see a sentence like this:

"And the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me, saying,"

That's verse eighteen, and what follows is NOT a conditional prophecy. No, this prophecy speaks of a time in our future. Not only that, God speaks of something that is NOT in the covenant given to Israel at Mount Sinai.

This next verse is not about what Torah says...

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.

 - Zechariah 8:19 (KJV)

That's a VIOLATION OF TORAH!

Doing this would be disobedience to God, unless something had changed. Unless, a new covenant was given to Israel. And, we know what that covenant is.

That right, the New Covenant made by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through His sacrifice on the Cross, His burial and His resurrection.

THAT is the New Covenant that will change the mournful fasting into feasting. And, a little bit later, towards the end of Zechariah, we'll see how Israel comes to faith in Jesus Christ.

Not only that, but there will be a geographic center to our faith: Jerusalem. We've never seen this before, although the Roman Catholic Church wanted Rome to be the geographic center of Christian faith. But, God did not choose Rome, and Roman Church has been in rebellion against God for more than 1900 years.

These last two verses make the point well:

Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

 - Zechariah 8:22-23 (KJV)

Is this happening today?

No.

Has it EVER happened?

No.

So, it must be in our future. And, it can only happen after the Redemption of Israel and the cataclysm that occurs that crushes what's left of our civilization. But, as our civilization recovers from the ruins created by Ezekiel's Fire, people will go to Jerusalem to seek the Lord and to pray.

That day will be glorious, but even that time of glory will have an end. As people start to rebel against God again, the Restrainer will step out of the way, allowing the Antichrist to rise and conquer the world.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
שאלו שלום ירושלים

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My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you... Hosea 4:6

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Keep this ministry alive with a donation.

And, read my books and guides for free:

https://revelationsix.com/books/

I created five Android Apps that will help you read through the Bible in a Year. You can find them here:

https://revelationsix.com/android-apps/

If you miss my rantings about geopolitics, idiocy, resource collapse and incompetent globalism, follow me on Twitter.

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