The Angel of the Lord Appears
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An expository
study of Zechariah 1:7-21
The first vision
For your own profit and
better understanding, may I suggest that you read our text first, then go on to
peruse my comments with the open Bible handy. In this way, you will see exactly
to what I am referring. This is the way that a Bible study works and the idea
is to perceive what the Author, the Holy Spirit, wanted to share with His
prophet, Zechariah, so that he would write His thoughts, first of all, for the
benefit of the people of his day. Then, as He knew perfectly well, these words
would be transferred through the millenniums until they found the people, who
would experience personally their final fulfillment.
The angelic patrol
Three months after the Word
of God came to Zechariah, which would be in the month of February, the 11th
month of the same year, 520 B.C., of the reign of Darius, the prophet had his
first vision (v.7). Although these visions occurred in the night, they were
true visions and not dreams. Zechariah mentions various times that he
consciously ‘lifted his eyes’ (v.18; 2:1; 5:1; 6:1). In 4:1, the angel awakened
him from sleep, so that he could see a vision and in 5:5, he commanded him to
lift his eyes. Zechariah writes of eight visions.
In order to know the
significance of the visions, he asks ten questions. Blessed is he that asks
questions, for he will receive answers. The mysteries of the Kingdom of God are
made known to such people (Mt.4:10-12). There are many, who are interested in
having experiences, but to Zechariah, the experience was not as important as
the significance. He wanted to understand what God was doing in his day,
knowing that it also had future significance. We have a prophet in Zechariah,
who marked the coming of the Messiah in a distant future. He asked and we
benefit, because he not only shared the things that he saw, but joined them to
the answer given him.
The Stricken Shepherd
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God
is pleased with His plan of salvation, because of the victory that only this
plan could obtain to justify many and bring them to a perfect salvation… sure,
great and strong. We must be careful not to subtract any glory from this
salvation by emphasizing too much the part that pertains to man. It may become
an ineffective “salvation” (here today, gone tomorrow), depending on man’s
faithfulness. In this prophecy, we learn an essential doctrine: Salvation is of God.
An expository
study, verse by verse of Zechariah
“The Lord was pleased
to crush Him, putting Him to grief” Isaiah 53:10
Chapter 13
Who caused Christ’s death?
“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and
against the man, My Associate… Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be
scattered…!” (v.7) We don’t have to have
any doubts about Whom this prophecy refers, because Jesus quoted it: “Jesus said to them, You will all fall away
because of Me this night, for it is written, I will strike down the Shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered” (Mt.26:31). Jesus knew that
the prophecy of Zechariah was to be fulfilled that night. God spoke in the last
times by His Son (He.1:1 & 2), but the Son said that His doctrine was not
His, but the Father’s (Jn.7:15 & 16). Therefore we have a perfect oneness
between the word of Christ in the flesh and the prophetic word, ordained by the
Father.
The
Lord of Hosts is commanding the death of His Son… “Oh sword, awake… strike!” We need to understand that He Who caused
Jesus’ death was, principally, the Father. He must know and believe this
emphatically. In no way was Jesus the victim of wicked men. All was part of the
plan of God, since before the foundation of the world (1 Pt.1:19-20). The
central verse of the gospel is “For God
so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son”. He came to the world to die at the command of His
Father. Peter wanted the Jews to recognize their guilt in killing their
Messiah, but he also gave them to understand that there was a greater purpose
behind this act: “This Man, delivered
over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God…” (Acts 2:23). As
in the case of Joseph and his brothers, although they were wicked and guilty of
all his suffering, Joseph caused them to know that behind all of it was a
greater and nobler plan. It was to save lives and further the eternal purpose
of God (Gen. 45:5-8; 50:17-20,24). He is the Lord of Hosts.
The Second Coming of Christ
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It’s quite appropriate on Christmas Day, don’t you think,
to look ahead to His second coming? There’s quite a difference! He came as a
baby, laid in a feedbox in a stable for animals. He returns with His armies as
the King of Heaven, descending upon the Mount of Olives. As His feet rest upon
it, the mount splits in two, opening up a valley in the middle, which extends
to the east. His people escape from Jerusalem and the world’s forces, led by
antichrist.
An expository
study of Zechariah, verse by verse,
chapter 12:9-14
and chapter 14:1-5
The Battle of
Armageddon (Rev.16:16)
“and they
gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon”
(Hebrew: Har signifies
mountain and the name is Magedon)
Chapter 12
God
Himself, creator of man, will deal with him in His time (v.1), joining all
nations in the battlefield of Armageddon, under Mount Megiddo in the Valley of
Jezreel, 60 miles northwest of Jerusalem. This valley has a tremendous history
of battles. An expert declares that he doubts that there is another part of the
world, where so many have occurred. Here are some that are mentioned in the
Bible: Judges 5:20 y chapter 7; 1 Samuel 31:1-13; 1 Kings 18:40; 2 Kings 23:30;
2 Chronicles 35:20.
This
is the scene of the war on the “great day of God”. From there, the battle will
spread over a great part of Israel. Zechariah’s account is of the principle and
most important part… the attack on Jerusalem (v.2). There, outside the city,
blood will flow like a river (Rev.14:20). It may surprise us how many portions
of Scripture tell us of this “day of the Lord” (Ps.2:1-9; Is.66:15-16; Joel
3:12-21; Mt.24:29-51; Mt.25:31-46, 2 Thes.1:6-9; 2:8; Rev.14:20; 16:12-16;
19:11-21).
The
prophet speaks of world-wide opposition, in which the nations of the earth will
no longer tolerate Jerusalem… mainly because in that time, the Jews, who have
made a pact with the antichrist, will refuse to worship him. “I will make
Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples” (v.3). The difficulties within the
city and the “offenses” (such as we hear in the news at this moment… civil
rights, war crimes, etc.) become intolerable for the “united nations”. In this
prophecy, they will join for the last time against Judah and Jerusalem.
According
to the purpose of God, they will join to be destroyed (v.9), and He will come
to save His people, who will find themselves in the worst of scenarios; two
thirds of them will die (13:8) and one third will be greatly refined and tried
(13:9). At that point the will call upon the name of the Lord and thus
recognize their Messiah.
Latter Rain
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Zechariah
10 has to do with the return of the Jews to the Promised Land. God has “hissed”
for them and they have heard and responded (v.8). Millions have arrived and
continue to arrive. How the world and the devil hate the Zionist Movement!
Chapter 10 tells also of the people who have no true shepherd: “My anger is kindled against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders”. Jesus wept over the flock that was as sheep
without a shepherd. They had governors, but no true shepherds…
This
article challenges God’s people concerning their understanding of the Bible. Matthew
refers to the abomination of desolation and says, “let the reader understand”. Do you understand these things? I have
heard some remark, “Bible understanding is for the teachers and not for
everyone.” I have also heard about those, who “know a lot about the Bible, but
don’t live it”. Forget this kind of thinking! They are really only excuses to
cover ignorance and we have no need to hear them… Truthfully we seldom hear
Bible teaching. What we generally hear from the pulpit are ideas, related to a
theme, and the one who is sharing finds verses to back those ideas.
The Latter Rain
An expository study
of Zechariah
“Be patient, brethren, until the coming of
the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient
about it, until it gets the early and late rains.” James 5:7
Chapter 10
Ask!
Merry Christmas, 2014!
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The time for buying,
preparing and sending Christmas cards goes by too fast. It’s a shame, because
we really enjoy those seasonal tasks and, of course, we enjoy receiving them
even more. At least, by means of this blog, Margaret and I can send you our
most sincere wishes that you would have a most meaningful Christmas… to all
those who read the articles, listen to the audible messages and the few videos
that we offer, many blessings throughout the season!
With those greetings, I want
to attach two articles concerning Christmas that we offered a couple years ago.
I hope that they will help you to celebrate the birth of Christ. One comes to
us from the past, well over 200 years ago and the other is from a contemporary,
John Piper. We will finish with the powerful lyrics of Charles Wesley,
expressed in his carol, Hark the Herald
Angels Sing. We begin with George Whitefield (1714-1770), such a
distinguished man of God in church history, who not only had a favorable
opinion of Christmas, but also strongly believed that Christians should
celebrate it.
The Introduction to Zechariah
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An
expositional Bible study
How privileged we are! God
has surrounded us with divine riches for our good! The treasure over all others
is His Word, for which He has endowed us with the supernatural faculty to be
able to grasp it. He has given us the mind of Christ, which is governed and
guarded by the Holy Spirit. To be illuminated concerning spiritual, heavenly
things is a great work of the triune God. We also have the opportunity to learn
mutually from each other, sharing what we have received, and for me it would be
a pleasure to leave you with some things that I have learned while studying the
first verses of the book of Zechariah. Would you like to study this book verse
by verse? There is simply no question that an expository study is the most
profitable approach to studying the Word and the best way to deliver a Bible
study is to explain verse by verse what the Scripture presents. We really do
not have enough of that kind of teaching.
The name Zechariah means “the
Lord remembers” and that name would serve as title for the book. Israel has
been in captivity for 70 years and now the Lord is bringing them out of that
situation and helping them to return to their land. Zechariah was the son of Berechiah
and the grandson of Iddo. He may have been only an infant when he returned from
Babylon with his grandfather. We know nothing of his father. Possibly, he died
when Zechariah was very small, but his grandfather, on the other hand, is
mentioned in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah (Ez.5:1; Neh.12:4, 16). Often in
the Bible a grandfather is presented as the father of a certain person, so that
it is not unusual that Zechariah is sometimes called the son of Iddo.
Haggai and, Ezra were contemporaries of Zechariah. Esther was queen some years later than the events that took place in this book, and Nehemiah rebuilt the walls still later. Lastly Malachi prophecied. Zechariah, as his grandfather Iddo, was a priest, but to
become a prophet is not something, which can be inherited from ancestors or
from belonging to a certain tribe; it only happens to someone to whom the Word
of God has come.
Grace, Grace to It!
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An expository study
with some comments on Revelation 11:1-15
Zechariah
4:7-14
The great mountain of
opposition is always there to hinder the work of God (v.7). In this case of the
reconstruction of the temple, we see it clearly in Ezra 4. But in chapter 5, in
obedience to the Word of God, the work is begun anew and, in chapter 6, Darius
made an edict, in which he prohibited any interference in this work, but God’s
people know that it was only in compliance with the Word of God (6:14). The
word was detained for a while, but had to be completed, because what is of God
is never left half done.
Faith (Mt.17:20; 21:21)
removes the mountains of opposition (2 Co.10:5; 2 Th.2:4). So that the work of
the temple can begin and the first stones of the foundation be laid, the
mountain must be made a plain. If the plan of God is followed, He removes the
obstacles. Who are you, oh great mountain? It may be great, but soon and
easily, it will fall and there will remain no evidence in its place. And how
will it be done? Well, as Zerubbabel and Joshua moved forward (by faith – Ezra
5:2), the obstacles were removed before them. They began to work before the
edict of the emperor arrived with permission to proceed.
In our days, we are witnessing
the final installment of this prophecy, as the nations oppose Israel and
especially its temple (Be sure that you are on Israel’s side, or you will be
resisting the fulfillment of a prophecy that is well over 2,000-years-old!). The opposition will be dissolved, when the
Messiah returns the second time. All Israel will be saved (Jer.51:25; Dn.2:34,
45; Ro.ll:26). The word of the prophet is essential here, because by human
power there are no guarantees, and at times, no possibilities, but the Word of
God assures that it will be finished. Christ, the living Stone, comes again to
take His place.
By My Spirit
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Zechariah, chapter four, verses 1-6. An expository study
 |
| Jonathan Goforth (1859-1936) |
The heart of every Christian should burn with a longing to see a
pure moving of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, many are more interested in what
man can do for them. Jonathan Goforth, the great missionary, who saw revival in
Mongolia and other parts of China, made the following comments in his book, By
My Spirit, after attending a worldwide missionary convention: Never
have I experienced such keen pain and disappointment as I did that day. Of the
many who addressed that great missionary gathering, not more than three
emphasized God the Holy Spirit as the one essential factor in world
evangelization. Listening to the addresses that day, one could not but conclude
that the giving of the Gospel to lost mankind was largely a matter of better
organization, better equipment, more men and women… the dethronement of the
idol of ecclesiastical self-sufficiency was apparently too great a price to
pay.
A Vision
The angel
didn’t talk to Zechariah in a dream; he woke him in order to speak to him
(v.1). It is not my intention to say that God never speaks by dreams, because
the Bible gives us examples, in which He does, but they always take place in
extraordinary situations. In this book we read of various visions and angelic
visitations, but remember that God is giving revelation that will form part of
the Bible and, in Zechariah’s case, he is prophesying of the coming of the
Messiah and of events related with the end of this era. The book will instruct
millions of people in the entire world for many centuries. More than being an
extraordinary message, it is unique and inerrant, perfectly inspired by the
Holy Spirit.
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