Mystery # 1 : Zechariah’s Visions
Zechariah 1:8, I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom: and behind him were there red horses, speckled and white.
In today’s MOB we take a look at the Prophet Zechariah
whose ministry began in 520 BC. Zechariah whose name means “The Lord remembers” had a ministry of encouragement. Zechariah’s visions which are nine in number are all full of apocalyptic imagery, much like what we had seen in earlier MOB’s in Daniel and Ezekiel.
So it was one night, Zechariah’s visions from the Lord began. We know from earlier MOB’s as well that at least some references of the angel of the Lord are in fact references to a preincarnate appearance of Yeshua Jesus. So in this very first vision we see a man who is riding on a red horse.
Most scholars agree that the rider of the red horse symbolizes war and the end to peace on Earth as we know it. Revelation 6: 4 pretty much spells this out, And there went out another horse that was red, and power was given to him that set there on to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
So in the Tribulation hour, the time of Jacob’s Trouble, the red horse symbolizing war & death comes forward.
But what of the horses behind the rider on the red horse? These horses are speckled and white.
Some scholars believe that a speckled white indicates a type of triumph and victory for Judah, but also with the red horse, a hint that God’s Vengeance is close by as this is a type of “mixed” horse. The myrtle trees are often seen as a symbol of the church or the true children of God.
Zechariah asks the angel of the Lord what all this means in his vision, and Zechariah is answered by the man that was riding the red horse. He says to Zechariah that these are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and from through the Earth in Zechariah 1:10 The angels themselves answer the angel of the Lord in V.11, saying they have walked to and fro through the earth, and the whole Earth is at rest. So from this we know that the Earth has been patrolled by four angels (as represented by the four horses) of God.
The angel of the Lord asks how long the Lord of Hosts (the Lord Jesus Christ) will withhold his mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah. God’s Answer to the angel of the Lord was that God was going to direct his anger on those nations who chastened Jerusalem.
V.15 And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. Why is God doing this? When it comes to other gods and idolatry, God has always had a great jealousy for Jerusalem and for Zion. God cares so much for Jerusalem that he’ll return to Jerusalem with mercies and the Lord promises prosperity that shall be spread abroad (and around the World to be shared with all his children and those he has called sons and daughter of the most high) and the Lord will comfort Zion. God shall provide Jerusalem future blessings.
This God will give despite the countless transgressions against God. The vision didn’t end just yet, for in a second vision Zechariah lifted up his eyes and beheld four horns. Again Zechariah asked the angel of the Lord, what they represented. The horns scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem; this was the second vision that God granted Zechariah.
This vision concerns all the Gentiles that have afflicted God’s People and forced them to scatter free on parts of Judah Israel and Jerusalem to Assyria, Babylon, Egypt and Ethiopia (the four horns). The four horns really signify the nations that would pose a threat to Israel. The Lord (not the angel of the Lord) but the Lord himself then showed Zechariah four carpenters. These four carpenters represent God’s Intervention in destroying anyone who attacks God’s People. This intervention can either be supernatural or an actual physical Earthly Kingdom used by God to overthrow Judah’s oppression. The Lord tells Zechariah that the horns are there to frighten and scare all those who would oppress Judah and to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.
In our next MOB we will continue with the third vision that the Lord gave Zechariah, and that is a man with a measuring line. What we can take away from these two visions is that the Lord showed Zechariah his grace and mercy for Israel and his jealousy for her. The Lord also has anger and vengeance for those who try to destroy Israel.
And what of today what will happen to these Nations who do not stand by the side of Israel? In no way are we saying that Israel is perfect and free from guilt and wrong doing over history and certainly Israel has been guilty of it’s fair share of the calamities around the World (as have all nations for none are perfect save the Lord God).
So we are not promoting a Carte-a-Blanche / wipe the history slate clean for Israel as much as we are saying that whether one likes it or not, it doesn’t change God’s Desire and will to vindicate and restore his Holy Land, the land he chose to redeem. One has to take it up with God if they have a problem with God’s Plan of redemption for Jew and Gentile alike for all people Jew and Gentile will one day worship him in his Holy Mountain together as brothers and sister in the Lord.
What will come of the Nations who turn a blind eye to Israel and even now have turned their back on Israel and now no longer befriend the Holy Land?
Israel has become a cup of trembling upon the Earth. There are some nations that are quite prominent that seem to be heading in the direction of turning their back on Israel and soon we will find out the consequences of this being played out.
For scripture has already told us the outcome in Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all females of the earth be blessed.
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Mystery # 2: Vision # 3 : The Man with the Measuring Line
Zechariah 2: 1 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. The third vision of Zechariah is our next MOB. The measuring line or also known as the plumbline and is a symbol of Judgment of God. We read about the plumbline and what God intended it for in Amos 7: 7-8
Thus he showed me: and, behold the LORD stood upon a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, a plumb line. Then said the LORD, behold, I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people. Israel: I will not again pass by them anymore.
So in Amos, the plumb line was used to serve as the measuring of Israel’s sin and to reveal how far Israel had gone astray. But we see in this third vision of Zechariah that God now has taken the measuring line and has transformed it from a symbol of judgment (which we just read in Amos) into a positive symbol of blessing.
We read in Zechariah 1:16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem, with mercies my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. So now in the third vision, Zechariah sees a man holding a measuring line in his hand. Zechariah asks the man where he is going and the man answers, that he is going to measure Jerusalem.
There were angels around Zechariah during this vision talking with him. This vision mentions that Jerusalem will be overrun with people and cattle, much like an unwalled town (overflowing with people). The Lord will be the glory, within the City.
Many nations will join themselves together as one and become God’s People and this means that God has expanded his kingdom past the land of the Israelites and now encompassing the people from heathen and Gentile lands as well. V.10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. So the plumb line is now a measuring line that was once used solely as God’s Judgment and is now a sign and symbol of hope of God’s Glory to be manifested in Jerusalem, for the entire world to see and witness.
We will continue with Zechariah’s next vision in our MOB to follow.
Up next…
Mystery # 3 : Filthy Garments & All: New Garments (for the High Priest) – 4th Vision
The fourth vision of Zechariah is our next MOB as we read in Zechariah 3:1 And he showed me Joshua the High Priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. Joshua appears in this fourth vision, representing what God is going to do and that is to bring forth his servant, “The Branch”.
We know from studying the Book of Jeremiah who the Branch is. In Jeremiah 23 V.5 we read Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth.
This righteous branch is of course the Messiah Jesus. My servant, the branch is a reference to the Messiah’s service to God. This also corresponds to the Book of Mark, where Jesus is known as the man whose name is the Branch. It’s interesting for when we read about who we are to the Lord, then we become the branches and the Lord becomes the Vine whose keeps the branches connected to the Tree of life.
In Zechariah 6: 12, Yeshua is referred to as the branch of the LORD. In Zechariah 3:8 we read Hear now, O Joshua the high Priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. The removal of Joshua’s iniquity by taking away the filthy garments from him and putting on clean clothes for Joshua, the High Priest
signifies a type of National Cleansing from sin that is coming to Israel (you can go the Books of Isaiah and Ezekiel to read more about God’s Plan of national cleansing.) So there was Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord and of course the false accuser himself Satan was present (as he always is falsely accusing the brethren) trying to cause mayhem by accusing him. The Lord himself rebuked Satan for his evil and diabolical efforts.
So there was Joshua standing there in his filthy garment before the angel of the LORD. The Lord spoke saying take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold I have caused thine iniquity to pass thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. Clean clothes are put on Joshua the High Priest with the angel of the Lord standing by. God commands Joshua to keep walking in the Lord’s Statutes. God then mentions he will bring forth his servant, the Branch and refers to the Messiah as The Stone (The Cornerstone to be precise).
The Stone has seven eyes (the number of perfection) and some scholars believe the eyes on the stone are the eyes of a few of the prophets and Old Testament saints. The number 7 comes into play as well with the description of 7 spirits of God and the 7 stars.
In “that” day (a day in the future), the Lord of hosts states that every man will be called your neighbor. We too are sanctified when we come to the Lord, he washes our robes, whiter than snow and he will present us without spot or wrinkle before the Father God. Thanks be to God for the remission of sins and the shedding of the crimson blood of our Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary, a ransom paid in full for you and me.
Now we also get to put on clean clothes forever because of the grace, mercy and supplication of the Lord’s great love for us. It’s available to all of us, no matter who we are or what we have done, when we repent of our sins and invite the Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts as Lord and Savior.
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Mystery # 4 : Vision # 5 : The Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees
Zechariah 4: 1-3 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, And said unto me, what seest thou? And I said, I have looked and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top there of; And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
This is the fifth vision Zechariah was given by the Lord, and the angel of the Lord woke him up to give him this vision.
So this was not a dream but an actual vision of God. We see a vision from God of a candlestick or what is known as a Menorah.
This vision much like in the Book of Revelation features a heavy dose of the number 7 being played out over and over again from 7 candlesticks, 7 lamps, 7 pipes all representing the number of perfection with God (especially of note the 7 days of creation –with the 7th day being Shabbat the Sabbath day, God’s official Day of rest).
There is actual powerful symbolism here of the 2 olive trees on either side of the Menorah and we will get into that in just a little bit.
Zechariah asks the angel what he seeing and the angel first asks him if he knows what this is, and Zechariah says, no he doesn’t know what he is seeing. This was most likely a type of testing of the prophet’s heart since this type of “questioning” occurs with every vision that Zechariah has. At this point and time, the Angel of the Lord tells Zechariah that this is the Word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel with one of the most well-known scriptures of all time being quoted by the angel of the Lord.
Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit saith the LORD of hosts. This passage is meant 2 fold. On the one hand it is an indicator of how sufficient the Lord is in providing Zerubbabel what he needs to complete God’s Agenda, for it is God’s Spirit that will sustain him even though he is the governor of an insignificant province in the massive Persian Empire. This is all part of a plan of encouragement on God’s Part that will support and enable Zerubbabel to complete the temple that he had begun once he has returned from Exile along with the High Priest Joshua. It would take 14 years for the rebuild to take place.
Zechariah 4:9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house: his hands shall also finish it: and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. On the other hand, God wants every believer to know that nothing is going to get done with the consent of God’s Will, unless it is done for the Lord’s Glory and done in the Lord’s Strength. For only when we are weak then we are made strong by the Lord. The Lord didn’t come for the healthy, he came for the sick and the broken hearted. It will be done in accordance to the Lord’s Will and by The Power of God’s Holy Spirit. Let’s look a little further into this vision beloved. Zechariah asks the angel of the Lord what the olive trees, upon each side of the menorah are for.
Again the angel of the Lord asked Zechariah, if he did know what they were for. The angel of the Lord responded in Zechariah 4;14 The said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth. Just as the horses represented the angels that walked to and fro on the earth, the olive trees also represent a supernatural element with God, and that is of the anointed ones that keep watch with the Lord over the Earth. The anointed ones are most likely Joshua, the high priest and Zerrubbel the governor.
These two are indeed anointed by the Lord, and the Lord stands by them. Still other scholars believe that the anointed ones are the Lord and his Holy Spirit. In either case we know they are unmistakably anointed of God. The main thing here is that God wants to remind us that Jesus is the Light of the World and we need him to keep us lit with his Spirit as well as be salt as well as light. We also need to be daily refreshed by the Holy Spirit.
God has made it known where the light comes from in this World, it comes from him. We read in Revelation 2:1 that the seven candlesticks are indeed the seven churches, the Menorah or candlesticks is then the church; the seven lamps do not have light of their own. God has lit them with the light that comes from him alone.
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Mystery # 5: The Flying Scroll (Vision # 6)
Zechariah 5:1 Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll.
We are now in the 6th vision of Zechariah, and the word roll or scroll is a reference to God’s Holy Word. God wants the Israelites to know that they need to obey his holy word. There are 2 sins that go all the way back to the Book of Exodus and the 10 Commandments that are in violation here that God wants Zechariah to address and this flying scroll will emphasize this. This of course was a huge flying scroll measuring roughly 30 feet long by feet 15 feet wide.
The first commandment that is violated is the one, thou shalt not steal. The second commandment is thou shalt not swear (taking the Lord’s Name in vain). Those that violate God’s Commandments willfully and without repentance shall be cut off from the Lord.
The angel of the Lord then replies to Zechariah, asking him what else he sees. In still another vision (the 7th one) Zechariah is told what he is seeing is an ephah, which is a type of unit of measure. There is a woman sitting a midst of this ephah and this part of the vision represents a type of wickedness. Two women who had wings came out of the ephah and lifted the ephah between Earth and Heaven.
Zechariah asks the angel what are they going to do with the ephah and the angel of the Lord tells him that they are going to build a house in the land of Shinar. This was a vision representing God’s Desire to see the wickedness removed from the Holy Land. God was challenging both Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel to make sure they were equipped to be able to purge the land of all of it’s wickedness. It began with the Flying Scroll and it culminated in the last part of this vision with the removing of the ephah.
The place where God wants to build his Holy Temple is in Shinar (an old name for Babylon).
Babylon was for all intent and purposes a representation of both wickedness and evil. This would be the place where God would rebuild his temple and he needed both Joshua and Zerubbabel to be bold and courageous in setting up the Holy Temple in the land of wickedness and evil. This was to be their form of encouragement that the prophet Zechariah was to share with them.
Our take away in making Eschatology relevant to your life in today’s contemporary World is that amidst despair and discouragement, in a World full of darkness and evil as we have today, do not forget God’s Desire to take your Ephah, your measure of the Holy Spirit, and make it count against the darkness.
Never consider your impact as insignificant. God can use each and every believer’s conviction to live a souled out life for Christ, for his glory and a powerful testimony to the Lord.
Our final vision, the 7th one, the Four Chariots is coming up next.
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Mystery # 6: Vision # 7 :Four Chariots coming From Between the Mountains
Zechariah 6:1 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains: and the mountains were mountains of brass. We now have the final vision, vision # 7 of Zechariah’s vision, from God. Now we see four chariots representing the four spirits of heaven.
Do not be confused with the 4 world empires that we covered back in the Book of Daniel Ch.7 v.1-28. These chariots in this passage symbolize God’s Power that has been directed earthward for the purpose of Judgment.
Psalm 68:17 reads The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. So from this scripture we know that the Lord himself has a chariot and they are frequently at Mount Sinai. There were many biblical citing’s by the Prophets and others of supernatural occurrences of the angelic host being seen in chariots in the sky above the Mountains in the Old Testament. In our featured scriptural passage in our MOB on this edition of Mysteries of the Bible, we take a look at the 4 chariots that came from in between two mountains and these were not just any mountains, they were mountains of brass.
Isaiah 66:15 reads, For behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. Just like in the Book of Revelation Ch.19 V.12, 15, fire and the sword are mentioned here in Isaiah, and once again the Lord is mentioned as having a chariot that is like a whirlwind. So let’s discuss the four chariots and as have seen before, the different colored horses represent the different spirits of heaven. The first chariot has red horses, the second chariot has the black horses, the third chariot is the white horses and the fourth chariot had spotted grey horses. These were the four chariots that pulled the Divine Judgment of God.
Zechariah as he has done in every vision asks the angel of the Lord what these 4 horses mean and the angel tells him, they are the spirits of the heavens. These spirits are walking to and fro, back and forth from Heaven to the Earth. The black horse covers the North Country as does the White Horse. The spotted gray or “grizzled” horse covers the south country. Where did the first chariot with the red horses go? No interpretation is provided for the red horse. Zechariah does not even get a confirmation from the angel of the Lord of what any of these 4 spirits as represented by the colors, means.
Zechariah 8:13 And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong. Obviously what is more important to God is that the chariots are pulling the Divine Judgment of God and not what colors they are. The colors of the horses may or may not be geographical locations but the description is very vague – relegating it to the North and South Countries.
There is no exact correlation from Zechariah’s first vision that included horses of different colors that also represented spirit beings and this one. The colors are only similar in part. In this last vision, there are not four horses; there are eight horses (2 per Chariot). The horses in the first vision, were rider less (except for the one man riding upon the red horse). In this vision all the horses are pulling chariots, so the horse connection between vision 1 and 8 cannot be made with any certainty. Instead what we can know with great certainty is that the Lord will be sending his judgment to both the North and South Countries, for they have sinned against the Lord.
Even with this pending judgment coming upon the Earth, the Lord ends the vision on a positive note stating that his Branch (stemming from the root of Jesse, that being the Lord Jesus Christ) will rise up and the temple will be built and the people will know the Lord of Hosts was the cause of it, they will obey the Voice of the Lord, their God. Just to show that God lives up to his word, historically speaking Zerubbabel led the first group of exiles back to Jerusalem in 536BC.
Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel from the tribe of Judah and was the governor of Jerusalem and Joshua the son of Jehozadak was the high priest. The Temple rebuild was started in 536BC, and then there was a break of fourteen years.
The temple rebuild project restarted again in 520BC and was finally finished in 516BC. God as he always does, had kept his word to Zerubbabel and Joshua as prophesized through the Prophet Zechariah. God will keep his word as well for all matters of future history, God has already considered them as already done and completed. You can have confidence in the one and only true wise God, Yahweh.
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Mystery # 7 : Jerusalem : You Shall be a Blessing
God’s future blessing for Israel and specifically the City of Jerusalem is very positive indeed. God wanted the prophet Zechariah to communicate that he is dwelling in the City of Jerusalem and Judah is to be exalted among the nations and made holy. As often is the case, we can see the prophetic passages of the Old Testament allude to the Book of Revelation. Such is the case here, where in Book of Revelation 21:3, we read, And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
This passage is mentioned as occurring at the time of the establishment of the New Jerusalem, after the first heaven (the original Heaven God created) and the first Earth (the original and only Earth that God has created) had passed away. John the Revelator sees the Holy City, the New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven.
This is the New Heaven coming down to the New Earth. It is at this time when God will dwell among all men and will tabernacle (which means a place to worship and commune with God) with them. More is going on in this passage from Zechariah then just this however. God wants to challenge those that think it is too difficult for him to achieve this. Zechariah 8:6 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; if it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, shouldn’t also be more marvelous in mine eyes? Saith the LORD of hosts.
God promises to gather his people from the East Country as well as the West Country. For the Lord’s Plans are to regather his people from their worldwide dispersion, bringing them back to him so that they can receive their true identity, that Yeshua had intended for them, all along. God wants the people to obey the prophets for someday the fasts would turn to feasts, as all nations from throughout the World will come to see the Lord in Jerusalem. We go back to the Book of Revelation 21 -24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it; and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. V.25-26 And the gates of it shall not shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
So praying for the peace of Jerusalem as stated in Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee, is something God tells us all to do. We know in the scheme of God’s Plans to restore the Earth. If God desires it and it’s his will, who are we to not obey his plans and commandments?
Beloved, we are all dear to the Lord and God sent his son to die for everyone who has ever lived on the planet. God indeed has a plan of redemption for us all, Jew and gentile alike. However God has and always has had a special place for Israel in the end times for we know unmistakably that Jerusalem will be blessed by Yahweh.
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Mystery # 8: His name is Yeshua : A King in Zion
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy king cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
My what a Messianic Prophecy this is this prophecy is also known as the Prophet Zechariah’s first burden. His burden is describing the coming of Messiah Yeshua, the King of Zion, the Lord Jesus Christ. It begins with the scene as described in our feature passage of this week’s MOB of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. All the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John record this very significant event. On a prophetic note, this prophecy merely says that Jerusalem’s King of Kings and Lord of Lords would come, but says nothing about the people’s reception of him.
This is important from an Eschatology view point because we know from our review in Daniel, that Yeshua’s entry into Jerusalem and the people’s rejection of him marks the end of Daniel’s sixty –ninth week. Let’s go back to that passage in Daniel 9:26 And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself, and the people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. So we know that the 70th week of Daniel has been reserved for God’s Tribulation when there shall be total mayhem and destruction running rampant throughout the Earth.
So back to Zechariah’s prophecy, we are now dealing with that 70th week of Daniel and how God is going to deal with Israel in these very last days.
We know that Israel will no longer be a military power at that time, for God will cut off the chariots and the horses and the battle bows as well.
For the Commander in chief and the Lord of hosts is the Prince of Peace and not war. The Lord will exercise worldwide dominion from sea to sea. We have already mentioned God’s Plan to regather Israel and save Israel. Zechariah 9:16 And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people; for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land. The Lord is not only going to defend Israel, the King in Zion will save the people in their land and they shall be his flock.
Cannot we all see, God’s great love for both his people, Israel and for all those who turn to him? The Prince of Peace shall speak peace to the heathen and to both Jew and Gentile; he offers his measure of redemption and grace.
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Mystery # 9 : Deliverance and Restoration : Israel in the Last Days
Zechariah 10:6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the Lord their God, and will hear them.
The deliverance of Israel in the last days is God’s future blessing of Israel that we are dealing with in this edition of MOB. It doesn’t go without a stern warning to the false shepherds who would lead Israel astray. In Zechariah 10:2 we read that because there was no true shepherd to lead the people they followed the false shepherds. This lead the people into idol worship, into the sins of the occult and evil practices, and of living life’s built on lies.
We read in Zechariah 10:2 For the idols have spoken unity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd. God says he is angry against these false shepherds and he has and will punish the goats (remember Yeshua separating the goats from the sheep in Matthew 25:3). Jesus will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left.
God will visit his flock for the purposes of restoration and blessing. We have seen God display his judgment upon Israel and the World over and over again, as we have seen a righteous and Holy God purge a sinful, wicked and rebellious people of their sinful ways. Now we see a God of mercy and love, seek to restore his people unto him.
We get images of the cornerstone who is Jesus and out of him the nail which of course represents both the strength of God’s Promises and the nails represent the actual nails that were driven into the flesh of Yeshua.
The nails caused the Son of God’s blood to flow, and that would ultimately result in God’s plan of redemption and Grace. For indeed this is God’s Plan of Redemption, and his blessing of restoration that will take place during Yahusha Ha Maschiach’s millennial reign as the Messiah of all mankind.
In V.5 we read that the Lord and his angelic hosts will fight for Israel against her enemies, and they will be as mighty men and warriors against their enemies, and these very same enemies, they will confound. God’s Plans are to strengthen the house of Judah and save as well the house of Joseph. The Lord will have mercy upon Israel and it will be as if there never was any conflict between the Lord God and Israel for God will reconcile the people back to him, and order will be restored once and for all.
It’s God’s Desire that none shall perish, and that all will come to repentance and the saving grace and redemption of the Lord as provided through the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He died for all mankind, whether they recognize it or not. The great deliver, the Lord, is the entire planet’s deliverer and your deliverer as well.
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Mystery #10 : The Flock of the Slaughter
Zechariah 11: 3-4 There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds: for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions, for pride of Jordan is spoiled. This saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter.
The flock of the slaughter, who are they? Why is the Lord saying to the Prophet Zechariah for the flock of the slaughter to be fed? It sounds familiar to something the Lord once said as well in John 21:15-17, 3 times the Lord Jesus Christ said to Peter his disciple, feed my sheep. We will see how all this is related in just a little bit. The flock of the slaughter were those Israelites who had rejected the true shepherd, Yeshua Jesus. They even rejected Jesus in favor of tyrannical rulers like King Herod and the roman ruler, Pontius Pilate. So Israel became the flock of the slaughter.
God had intended to bless Israel, but because they rejected the Messiah that the Father God, Yahweh had offered them, Israel ended up forfeiting these blessings. Jesus, being the Good Shepherd tended to his “doomed” flock. His ministry focused on the poor and the afflicted and the broken hearted. We have seen the mention of the shepherd and the flock before, case in point, Hebrews 13:20, Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the Sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant. The Leader of the flock is indeed the Lord Jesus Christ without him, we are indeed led to the slaughter.
Romans 8: 36 says it best, As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. So in the beginning, the flock of the slaughter were those who rejected their Messiah and would die in their sins without a plan of redemption. They are led to the slaughter to this very day,
especially if there is no Good Shepherd to chase off the wolves (in sheep’s clothing) or those that would lead the sheep intentionally to the slaughterhouse. Jesus is the Good Shepherd of the flock beloved. Don’t become one of the flock of the slaughtered, become one of the flock, Jesus flock. Isaiah 53:6 says it all, All we like sheep have gone astray.
Each of us has turned to his own way: But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. He was oppressed and he was afflicted. Yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb to Slaughter And like a Sheep that is silent before it’s shearers, so he did not open his mouth.
The Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the World became our Lamb of slaughter, so that we didn’t have to become one of the flock of the slaughtered beloved.
Amazing Grace.
Coming up Next…
Mystery # 11: He was Betrayed : The Messianic Prophecy of the Blood Currency
Zechariah 11: 12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price, and if not forbear. So they weighed for my price thirsty pieces of silver. What was and is the cost of betrayal? What constitutes the currency of blood? Truly blood money was purchased at the expense of Messiah Jesus when Judas Iscariot decided to betray him, the Son of God for a mere 30 pieces of silver. All the money in the World, all the riches of the World, never mind the riches of the Universe could never suffice his betrayal of course.
Here we have the Messianic Prophecy that speaks of Judas Iscariot, a one-time disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, who let Satan enter his heart so that he would betray the Lord Jesus Christ, Yeshua. Going back to the Mosaic Law, thirty shekels was the price that an owner of an ox was to give for the compensation in the event that the oxen had gored another man. This law can be found back in Exodus 21:32. These words that the Prophet Zechariah wrote are more than just words, they are prophetic as they point towards the decision that Judas Iscariot made to betray the Lord. Matthew 26:14-15 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
So it was, the price of the blood money for selling out Yeshua did indeed go to the potter for his field as we read in Zechariah 11:13, And the LORD said unto me, cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty piece of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD. Look beloved, how this prophecy mirrors what is written in Matthew Ch.27:9, 10. After Judas, realizing what he had done in betraying the Son of God, he repented of his sin and he brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders that gave him the blood money in the first place. Judas had recognized he helped the shedding of innocent blood in turning on the Lord and he took the shekels and he cast them down on the temple floor. He then left and of course as most know, he hung himself in despair, committing suicide.
Then in Matthew Ch.27 V.6-7 we read And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, it is not lawful for us to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took council, and brought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Scripture tells us that potter’s field is known as the field of blood. In V.9, the messianic prophecy comes full circle and becomes complete. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the Prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, when they of the children of Israel did value. And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me. So not only is this a messianic prophecy of fulfillment in Zechariah 11:12, it is a messianic fulfillment from Jeremiah as well. The odd thing here is nowhere in the Book of Jeremiah can this be found. Jewish tradition suggests that Zechariah had prophesied “in the spirit of Jeremiah.” It’s always possible that Jeremiah spoke these words and never actually wrote them down. No matter the origin of this messianic prophecy, it came from the prophets of Old and was fulfilled in the New Covenant (the New Testament during the time the Lord Jesus Christ was alive on the Earth during the years of his ministry).
Once again we see what the Apostle Paul meant when he said the following, concerning the accuracy and truth of scripture, it is not from man, it is from God. 2 Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
The inherent, God Breathed Word of God, beloved, you can count on the Bible as the true Word of God. Read it, rightfully divide it, be absorbed and consumed by it and meditate on it day and night that it be a lamp to your feet and a light to your way. It is the Sword of the Spirit and it is what the Lord came for, to subdue evil in the World, purge it from the World and separate the good from the bad, in that God could fully restore the Earth and Heaven one day to his Glory.
Coming Up:
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Mystery # 12 : The Antichrist (is the Idol Shepherd)
Zechariah 11:16 For lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still; but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be, upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly destroyed.
Who is this one that the Lord has raised up, this idol shepherd? Why has the Lord raised up this idol shepherd and why is he like an idol as in idol worship?
In our MOB we will look closely at this idol shepherd and we will answer these questions and more as we define the description of not only a foolish shepherd as v.15 calls this shepherd, we will take a closer look at the descriptive of this person which will reveal that the word foolish actually can actually translate to “evil” in the original Hebrew root of the word.
Foolish is often a connotation for something meant to be perverse or impious meaning, not showing respect or reverence especially for God. Synonyms that we know that are often associated with this are the words ungodly, unholy, sinful, wicked, immoral, unrighteous, sacrilegious, heretical, profane, blasphemous, irreverent and a person who acts wickedly. Does any of this remind you of someone we know of, who will appear on the scene in the end times?
Indeed this is a description of the Antichrist that will come in the last days to persecute Christ’s Church. Zechariah wants the readers to know that this Idol Shepherd has serious negative and unmoral tendencies. No other person mentioned in God’s prophetic word matches this description except the Antichrist.
For it is Satan who gives power to the beast. The Antichrist at this time has now become completely demonically possessed, and may even be a type of demonic hybrid. By hybrid we mean he may be made from the DNA of an antichrist type seed like Hitler or Nimrod (the inspiration for the Tower of Babel) or Satan himself. The people who will worship the beast are like robotized sheep chanting in unison, who is like the beast and who can make war with him? This is just after the beast, the Antichrist suffers what should be a fatal wound to the head, but instead of just dying, in an anti-God resurrection, the beast rises from the dead.
So now everyone is thinking this is truly God, this Antichrist has deceived them all with this demonic resurrection.
From the mouth of this beast comes great blasphemies and the Antichrist continued doing this for 42 months (roughly 3 ½ years) which of course mirrors the time that Messiah Yeshua was cut off and the 69th week of Daniel comes to an end, leaving that 70th week still unaccounted for, the time of the Great Tribulation, the 70th week of Daniel. So here is the Antichrist blaspheming God, cursing him. Here is the Antichrist, making war with the saints and in fact overcoming them (there are many Christians to die under the Antichrist’s regime). The Antichrist will have power over many nations and people. And almost everyone will worship him for they are those who have not had their names written in the Book of Life – the Lamb’s Book of Life to be exact.
The passage goes on to mention the False Prophet, the 2nd beast rising from the sea (the millions of people) which initially came on the scene speaking like a lamb but in truth was a dragon himself since he was satanically possessed. He will get mostly everyone on the planet to worship the Antichrist, which will be easy after the miracle head wound is healed from what might be a staged assassination attempt.
There will also be fake signs and wonders, like the fact they will make fire come down from Heaven (or appear to make it come down from Heaven). All these fake miracles will lead to great deception and they will worship the image of the beast (which scripture says the word came by a sword and not a gunshot). This False Prophet will be given power to give life unto the image of the beast (Some think this is a Hologram) that the image of the beast will speak and cause many to worship the image of the beast, or be killed.
Everyone , both rich and poor, small and great, slaves and the free are then commanded to receive the Mark of the Beast in their right hand or in their foreheads we will cover this in much more detail in future MOB’s especially devoted to an extensive study in the Book of Revelation. We covered both a little of the Antichrist and as well the False Prophet. We now the Antichrist is a political ruler of the World who will bring a false sense of peace.
Yeshua, in fact warned his disciples of this lying deceiver saying in John 5:43, I am come in my father’s name and ye receive me not. If another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. We could keep going on with this, as more descriptions of the Antichrist are found in the Book of Daniel Ch. 7 -9 and 2 Thessalonians Ch.2. The Second Beast we spoke about here is of course the False Prophet, the religious leader. The penalty for letting the False Prophet fool and deceive everyone into worshiping the Beast and his Image is taking the Mark of the Beast in your right hand or your forehead and then being cast into the Lake of fire, forever.
So what else can we know of the Idol Shepherd? He will not attend to those who are cut off and broken, searching for spiritual nourishment), he will have no compassion for children, the unborn or the young or for that matter, the old, the sick, the meek, the poor & homeless, the diseased, the handicapped and crippled. He will destroy them all, beginning with the most vulnerable. He will rip them into pieces and eat (the flesh of the fat which is their vitality). He will tear with his claws his victims into pieces. If this sounds savage and demonic, then you understand who the Antichrist really is.
After this horrendous description of the true nature of the Idol Shepherd we just covered, the Prophet Zachariah wants us to know that the Idol Shepherd that left the flock (and abandoned God) who has his sword in his hand (to kill and destroy) will find that he is rendered useless by God. His arm, his strength, his might will become ineffective and no longer to create destruction (his arm shall be dried up), his right eye that he was using for his demonic vision to plan his course of destruction and mayhem, will also be put to an end by God (as his sight God shall utterly darken).
The Antichrist will only have Power and dominion for a short time. During that time he will be as a ruthless and evil as one can be and except the days be shortened for the elect’s sake, no life’s would be spared. For it’s not just the Antichrist we have to contend with, it is the Antichrist spirit and the opening of the very Gates of Hell with Cern and other dimensional portals allowing the unleashing of demonic terrors from the bowels of the Abyss to come forth.
Remember Yeshua’s Words beloved in Matthew 16:18, And I say also unto thee. That thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church: and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. Nor shall an Idol Shepherd prevail against it. Amen.
Next…
Mystery # 13: Jerusalem : A Cup of Trembling & A Burdensome stone to the Nations
Zechariah 12:2-3 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
On this edition of MOB, we visit one of the most well-known Old Testament Eschatology Prophetic Passages. In between our last MOB in Zechariah an amazing prophetic book we dealt with the Foolish Shepherd. In Zechariah 11:13, we have an amazing prophetic passage dealing with Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of the Lord Jesus involving the 30 pieces of silver that ended up going to the Potter’s field. At the end of Zechariah 11: v.15 -17, we have a description of the Antichrist to come.
There will be a type of idol shepherd that will lead the people astray on purpose, he will not heal the broken or feed those in need. He will instead tear and destroy and rip to pieces all those he is able to devour. This description matches up to the description of the Beast in The Book of Revelation Ch.13: 4-18. The prophecy ends up revealing the doom that the Antichrist brings to the World.
This brings us to Ch.12, where we are now dealing with the second burden of the prophet Zechariah. This passage deals with the final siege of Jerusalem and God’s Judgment on the Nations that have attacked Judah. Most of the World will have both a fear and a type of antagonism towards Israel, wishing it was not always drawing so much Global significance and ramifications as it continues to do, presently.
In V.3 the Lord describes Jerusalem as becoming a burdensome stone for all the nations and people to deal with.
But as we find out that burden takes on a far more ominous tone, if anyone interferes or burdens themselves with the affair of Jerusalem and Judah, God will cut those nations into pieces. This is mentioned while stating that all the people of the Earth will be gathered against Israel.
God plans to smite all those who come against Israel. The Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the angel of the Lord will be present at the house of David.
In Zechariah 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. For God plans to pour out his grace and supplication upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the house of David and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born. So we have here the spiritual impact of the Lord’s Return, his second coming.
The return of the Lord Jesus Christ completes the deliverance from the siege of Jerusalem. God will pour out the spirit of grace and supplication and finally genuine sorrow and repentance will come from the Jewish people, when they realize finally that they demanded the Messiah Yeshua, to be killed. They will finally realize the messiah they have been waiting for, was already on the Earth and he is the one, the only one who can redeem them.
In that day, there will be a great mourning in Jerusalem, but it will give way to great rejoicing, for the people of Israel, have finally been redeemed. Jerusalem, the one-time cup of trembling is now the Holy City that all will come to see, the Messiah Yeshua reside in. No longer will it be a burdensome stone, it will be the chief cornerstone that the foundation for all mankind can be built upon, a cornerstone of hope, redemption and restoration.
Next…
Mystery # 14: Messianic Prophecy fulfilled : The Lord’s Shepherd who was wounded in the house of his friends
Zechariah 13:6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. Let’s put this scripture verse together with the visual graphic above to get the point across in an even more clear fashion.
Such powerful words, it’s hard to imagine anyone reading the scripture passage above and thinking it is referring to anyone but Yeshua Jesus. Yet, some Jewish scribes try to desperately find another interpretation, not realizing the hundreds more messianic prophecies in the Old Testament that describe the earthly ministry of Jesus to a “T” with 100% accuracy in depicting the exact details of what would unfold at a much later time.
If we had the time and space we would cover the 300 some messianic prophecies as they are the greatest evidence for not only the authority of scripture but the proving correct of the affirmation that Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha’Mashiach is the Son of God and the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He is the Messiah and the one and only Savior for all. It doesn’t matter whether you choose to recognize him as such for all will bow down and profess he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords one day.
As The Book of Hebrews puts it, in Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the diving asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts, and interests of the heart.
Try as some might to argue away these Messianic Prophecies; no one really can do so for they are the supernatural handiwork of the Lord God Almighty, Yahweh. As the verse we just referred to in Hebrews indicates, there is no defense against the Word of God. We have seen the foolish shepherd, the Idol shepherd and now the only shepherd that really matters, the good and great shepherd of the flock, the Lord’s Shepherd, Yeshua.
So in this passage the prophet Zechariah speaks of a time coming when the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be purged of sin once and for all. All the idols will be cut off from the land, all the false prophets and the unclean spirits that are involved in their practices of the occult, mystism and even Mystery Babylon will be cast out from the land.
In this time, truth will be proclaimed and those that commit false prophesizing will be put to death. The false prophets will be put to shame. And so it will be when the house of David, Jerusalem and Judah cast their eyes upon Yeshua they will ask him where he received his wounds, and in a forgiving as possible tone, God in all his mercy will state, he was wounded in the house of his friends.
If it wasn’t meant to be the Lord then why does V.7 read as follows, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. The Lord of hosts is saying once, he the Lord is smitten and rejected by Israel, the people would be scattered. The Lord mentions that a third of the people will be cut off and will die but a third part shall be left. And that third part will be brought through the refiner’s fire and the purging. They will be the people of the Lord God. Some Israelites were fortunate enough to see their Salvation literally with their own eyes such as Simeon, who held the Lord Jesus in his arms. Others will see their Salvation and savior to come.
We go back to Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born.
So the Jews will realize that they let their Messiah be killed and they will know unmistakably that it is Yeshua who is their Messiah, and for that matter, the entire World’s Messiah, the Light of the World. The Lord’s Shepherd is the good shepherd of the flock, follow him beloved, be with the flock and the Good Shepherd will protect you from the wolves and the wild beasts that would seek to destroy you.
Next…
Mystery # 15 : All Nations Against Jerusalem
Zechariah 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle: and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished: and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
In this the final chapter that the Prophet Zachariah writes about the coming Day of the Lord and the effect it will have on both Jerusalem and Israel. Initially it will seem like the judgment of God is upon Israel, as Israel will reel from the impact of being attacked by pretty much all the nations of the World. The City and the land will be devastated and destroyed, many will be killed, some will made into slaves, and many women will be violated. It is a horrific scene, it would seem that God has abandoned his people, or has he?
In V.3 everything changes as we read, Then shall the LORD go forth and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. So from this we know that the Lord is a veteran of warfare, he is not foreign to it.
After the victory of destroying the nations who stand against Jerusalem, the Lord will stand on the Mount of olives (the same place that the Lord had ascended into Heaven and the same place that the Lord’s Shekinah Glory had last appeared), which is east of Jerusalem. We are told that there is going to be a great activity in the Valley of the Mountains and the Lord God will be present, as will his saints. It is not mentioned what Valley it is, but it is more than likely to be at Megiddo, the Valley of Jezreel. We know that as the Battle of Armageddon the last great battle of Planet Earth.
On this particular day there will be no Day and Night, all will be light, as in the Light of the Lord. The living waters will flow out of Jerusalem emptying into the Ocean. It is at this time that the World finally recognizes the Lord Jesus Christ, for who he truly is. Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. It is at this time that no more destruction will happen to Jerusalem, it is now a place to safely inhabit forever. Finally there will be peace in the Holy Land.
However the same cannot be said for the remainder of the people from the Nations that fought against Jerusalem.
The Lord will unleash the 4 riders of the apocalypse and they will finish what they started. The Lord will send a type of plague or disease upon his enemies, a disease that will rot away their skin completely,
rendering them like living dead corpses. As well, neighbor will fight against neighbor and many of the foes of Israel will slaughter one another.
Then the animals will die, horses, mules, camels, donkeys and other animals will die from this plague the Lord sent.
Not everyone will die however, some will repent from the Nations that had come against Jerusalem and these ones will pay homage to the Lord and will go to Jerusalem every year to worship the King,
Every eye will behold him…All will come to see the Lord of Hosts and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles was a time to spend celebrating the end of the wandering in the wilderness, so now the Feast of Tabernacles will signify the ending to the wandering and searching for the true Messiah.
He has been found and his name is Jesus. Just as the nations of the World were punished for turning on God and Jerusalem, now these nations’ survivors all will worship the Lord and will come to Jerusalem to glorify God and worship him in person. There will still remain those that still refuse to worship the Lord even though the Lord allowed them to live. To those who would defy giving God his glory due to him, the Lord will allow no rain to occur and lands like Egypt, will have no rain and will suffer from the plague as well. This is their punishment for remaining heathens and not coming to the Feast of Tabernacles to worship him.
Zechariah 14:19 says This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
For in that day, the Holiness of the Lord will be declared throughout Jerusalem and Judah and throughout the World. Fighting against the Lord is futile; no one can win against God. Even Satan knows he’s already been defeated, it’s a losing cause. The Lord will be glorified, beloved the only question is will you be on board with it or will you remain in defiance, waiting for the times of draught and the plague to make your life miserable, unto death?
God has a much better future plan for you. Remember again what the Lord said in the Book of Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you; saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Some versions state that the Lord’s Plans are to prosper his people and give them a future. That is what God wants to do for you today, if you only will take his hand, and trust and obey. God will give you a future and give you all the hope you need, forever.
Next…
Mystery # 16 : Elijah :The Ministries to come
Malachi 3: 1 Behold I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. We end our studies of the Old Testament with the Prophet Malachi’s writings concerning the coming of John the Baptist, a forerunner of Messiah Yeshua. It is important that we conclude the Old Testament with the prophetic scriptures involving the one who paved the way for the Messiah’s first coming and of course, all the prophecies pertaining to Yeshua.
Malachi 3 begins with God announcing that he’ll send his Messenger John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord. The Messenger will speak about repentance and the new Covenant promised first to the Jews and then the Gentiles. The Lord wants to communicate that when he comes, it will be judgement day for some. For sure some will welcome the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus and others will surely dread it. For the Lord will be a refiner’s fire that chastises those he loves and calls his own, and the Lord will clean them of their sin like fuller’s soap.
That is the Lord will basically clean and bleach (what fuller’s soap does) those he loves as part of the atonement /sanctification process.
God will bear witness against those who practice sorcery and adultery, and those who bare false witness and curse and oppress others. Then in Malachi 4, when Malachi refers to the coming of the Lord’s Day he describes it as such in verse 4, For behold the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven: and all the proud, yea, all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them either root nor branch.
Scripture talks about the Earth as it is on fire. That of course speaks to the judgment that fire represents there will be two types of fear present here, there will be those that love God and approach him with fear and trembling and tremendous reverence. Then there are those who fear God and his impending judgment for they know God is Holy and Just and they have not repented of sin in their life and now face God’s Judgement.
For those that fear the Lord, he is the Son of Righteousness, with healing in his wings and the Lord will nurture his flock and protect them (the good shepherd we just read about in one of our last MOB’s).
For the wicked, the Lord will tread down on them, until they become ashes under the feet of the LORD. The Lord promises this, saith the Lord of Hosts. Just to prove God is never changing and is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow with no shadow of turning,
God, reminds Israel, to remember the laws of Moses his servant and all that he commanded of the people (The 10 Commandments). It’s these statutes, that God will preside his judgment upon mankind. Those covered by the Blood of Jesus with not face God’s Wrath, they will be judged by how they lived their lives as children of God and followers of Christ. Those that have denied the Lord will be subject to judgment under the law and all have fallen short of the Glory of God, scripture tells us.
In Malachi 3:1 we began with the description of the Messenger to come that would pave the way for the Lord, and his eventual coming to the Earth, once in his first coming to die for the sins of the World and a second coming dealing with the Lord’s Judgment and rule over the World as Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
Now in Malachi 4:5 we learn that John the Baptist had come in the spirit and power of Elijah as Luke 1:17 states, And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the LORD. Then in Matthew 17:10 Yeshua Jesus makes a distinction between the Elijah who is yet to come and John, the Baptist who came already.
In Matthew 17:10-13, After Jesus had appeared with Moses and Elijah during his transfiguration scripture states, And his disciples asked him saying, ‘Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them.” Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
So in Malachi 4:5 it is written, Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. So why does God send Elijah the prophet? The answer is found in the next verse, which is the last verse of the Old Testament, And he shall turn the heart of the father’s to the children and the heart of the children to their father’s lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. The very exact words we had encountered in Luke 1:17. Once again God’s prophetic word rings true and accurate.
The coming of John the Baptist and the Second Coming of the Lord, they are indeed tied together beloved. John had paved the way for the Ministry of the Lord, and now the Lord would fulfill all with his coming back on the Day of the Lord. This is an exciting finish to the Old Testament and a wonderful transition to the New Covenant of our Lord and Savior Yeshua Ha’ Mashiach, the Lord Jesus Christ.
