Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Za 2.1 and following. Indeed, these visions that probably seem very obscure to us were no less so for the young Zechariah. But how does this one do every time a new riddle arises? He is not afraid to question his heavenly companion. Let us follow his example. Our interest in the Word will always be pleasing to the Lord. To understand its wonders, let us ask Him to open our minds (Ps 119. 18; Luke 24:44-49; 2 Tim 2:1-7). Thus the horns of the 2nd vision correspond to the horses of the first, that is to say to the great empires of the nations, seen here under their character of power (Dn 8:3-14). God-raised workers (such as Cyrus) will end their power.
The 3rd vision that interests us, is about the restoration of Jerusalem. Currently desolate, with its ruined walls, charred gates (Neh 2:11-17), the city will be inhabited again. The Lord will be around her a wall of fire, and her scattered poor will be gathered there in safety. God’s love for them is so great that he who touches them “touches the apple of his eye” (Dt 32:7-14). Above all, they have the promise of the presence of Jehovah in glory in their midst. The same privileges today are the part of God’s children.
The first and second visions give us, as a general idea, the fate of the empires, oppressors of the Jewish people. Some of these things are undoubtedly accomplished, but the Spirit of God does not stop on them, for prophecy always has in view the future glory of Christ, and this is what the third vision presents to us. “And I looked up, and looked.” How much it is to be desired that we know how to apply these words to ourselves! Looking up is the way to connect with God, to receive His answer; it is the attitude that suits the one who expects something from Him. If we look down we cannot understand Him or His thoughts, for then we fix our gaze on earthly things of no value to our soul. “Look for the things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God.” The young prophet Zechariah sees, looking up, all of God’s thoughts about Jerusalem. “And here is a man, and in his hand a cord to measure.”
Because the cord is used to circumscribe a lot (Mi 2. 5). “And I say, ‘Where are you going? And he said to me: I am going to measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is.” At the time of this vision, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed and its walls overturned; alone, the foundations of the temple were laid, and yet the angel said: I am going to measure Jerusalem! “And behold, the angel who spoke with me went out, and another angel went out to meet him, and said to him, ‘Run, speak to this young man, saying: Jerusalem shall be inhabited like the open cities.'” This future Jerusalem was to overflow beyond all its limits, far dissimilar from that which the sons of transportation were to rebuild. It will be full of men and cattle who will come to dwell there (Jer 33. 7-13). It will take the cord to measure of an angel to take its dimensions. The walls of this Jerusalem will not guarantee it when the nations of the end come to besiege it and sack the city. But on the day when the Lord returns as true king to Israel, “she will call her walls salvation and her gates Praise” (Isaiah 60. 18), or as it is said here, “I will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be her glory in her midst.”
The second part of the chapter begins at verset 6: “Flee, flee therefore from the land of the north,” said the Lord, “for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven,” said the Lord. The land of the North is Chaldea, where the Jews were “scattered and spread among the peoples in all the provinces of the kingdom” (Est 3. 8), as in the four winds of heaven. The remains of Judah had just left this land. No doubt they were not complete (Ezra 8), and this call could be addressed immediately to those of the people who had remained behind; but, as always, it has to do with the end time. It resounds in the prophet Isaiah (52. 11): “Go, go; get out of there; do not touch what is impure! Come out of the midst of her, be pure, you who carry the vessels of the Lord!” We find it even more pressing in the prophet Jeremiah: “Flee from the middle of Babylon, and save each his life! Do not be destroyed in his iniquity, for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance: he returns his reward to him.”
“The sign of the Son of man” is precisely his appearance in glory. After this glory he will gather his scattered chosen ones; for in this passage, as in Zechariah, there is a question of the gathering of Israel. Ps 73. 24, express this thought again: “You will lead me by your counsel, and after glory you will receive me.” Then the nations that have oppressed God’s people will have to pass under judgment. “They will fall prey to those who served them.” Judah will be a sword in the hand of Jehovah to fight these nations and destroy them. “Exult, and rejoice, daughter of Zion! for behold, I come and will dwell in your midst,” said the Lord. And many nations will join the Lord on that day, and they will be for my people, and I will abide in your midst; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.” For Jerusalem is called to rejoice because Christ is in its midst. Many of the saved among the nations will enjoy the privileged position of the holy city. “And Jehovah shall possess Judah as his share in the holy land and he shall again choose Jerusalem.” “The Holy Land” is a land purified of iniquity. The time will come when Jehovah, having done His wonderful work in the midst of His people and purified His city, will once again regard it as the dwelling place of His choice.
Let us compare, like the prophet, the times to come with the present time, and we will be filled with joy. We would only have sadness and despondency if we put the present state of God’s house in relation to its past condition. Yes, let us rejoice as we think about the future. Jesus will be the glory of both the new and the old Jerusalem in its midst and the center of praise for all its redeemed!
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
The cord:
· Jerusalem
Jos 10:1 Adoni Tsedek, king of Jerusalem, learned that Joshua had seized Ai and devoted her by prohibition, that he had treated Ai and his king as he had treated Jericho and his king, and that the people of Gabaon had made peace with Israel and were in their midst. Jg 19:10 The husband did not want to spend the night, he got up and left. He reached the front of Jebus, which is Jerusalem, with the two donkeys and with his concubine. 2 Sam 5:6 The king marched with his people on Jerusalem against the Jebusians, inhabitants of the land. They said to David: Thou shalt not enter here, for the blind and the lame will repel you! Which meant: David will not enter here. 1 Kings 2:11 The time David ruled Israel was forty years: in Hebron he reigned for seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years. 1 Kings 10:2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large retinue, and with camels carrying herbs, gold in very large quantities, and precious stones. She went to Solomon, and she told him all that she had in her heart.
· The Duty of Haste
-The king’s affairs require it 1 S 21. 9 The priest answered: Behold the sword of Goliath, the Philistine, which you killed in the valley of the terebinths; it is wrapped in a sheet, behind the ephed; if you want to take it, take it, for there is no other here. And David said: There is no such thing; give it to me.
– Greetings prevent him 2 Kings 4:29 And Elisha said to Gehazi: Girdy your kidneys, take my staff in your hand, and leave. If you meet someone, don’t greet them; and if someone greets you, don’t answer them. You will put my stick on the child’s face.
-The urgency of the work requires it 2 Ch 24:5 He assembled the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go through the cities of Judah, and you will collect money throughout Israel every year to repair the house of your God; and put eagerness into this matter. But the Levites did not hurry.
The recklessness of the one who castrates the messenger of God 2 Ch 35:21 and Neco sent him messengers to say: What is between me and you, king of Judah? It is not against you that I come today; it is against a house with which I am at war. And God told me to hurry. Do not oppose God, who is with me, lest He destroy you.
-Hurry to the places of prayer Zec 8:21 The inhabitants of one city will go to another, saying: Let’s implore the Lord and seek the Lord of hosts! We’ll go too!
Hasten to deliver the message Mt 28:7 and promptly tell his disciples that he rose from the dead. And behold, he precedes you in Galilee: this is where you will see him. Behold, I told you.
Hastening to give the invitation Luke 14:21 The servant, on his return, reported these things to his master. Then the angry master of the house said to his servant: Go promptly into the squares and streets of the city, and bring here the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.
· Growth of the kingdom
Ps 72:16 The wheat will abound in the country, at the top of the mountains, and their ears will stir like the trees of Lebanon; Men will bloom in the cities like the grass of the earth. Isaiah 55:5 Behold, thou shalt call nations which thou shalt not know, and the nations which do not know you shall come unto you, for the sake of Jehovah, thy God, of the Holy One of Israel, who glorifies you. Isa 60:5 You will then tremble and rejoice, And your heart will leap and expand, When the riches of the sea turn to you, When the treasures of the nations come to you. Mk 4:31-32 It is like a grain of seneve, which, when sown in the earth, is the smallest of all the seeds that are on earth; 32 but, when it has been sown, it rises, becomes greater than all vegetables, and grows great branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell under its shadow.
· Restoration of Israel
Isaiah 60:10 The sons of the stranger will rebuild your walls, and their kings will be your servants; For I have struck you in my anger, but in my mercy I have mercy on you. Ez 20:40 For on my holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel, says the Lord, the Lord, there the whole house of Israel, all those who will be in the land will serve me; there I will receive them favorably, I will seek your offerings, the first fruits of your gifts, and all that you will consecrate to me. Zec 1:17 Cry out again, and say, Thus saith the Lord of hosts: My cities will still have goods in abundance; the Lord will still console Zion, he will still choose Jerusalem. Zec 14:11 One shall dwell in his womb, and there shall be no more prohibition; Jerusalem will be safe. Ml 3:4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to jehovah, as in the old days, as in the years of old.
From the above, we note that two blessings are announced: 1° Jehovah himself, like a wall of fire, will defend the holy city from any enemy who rises up against it and He will serve as his guarantee. 2° He will be Her glory in her midst, He will dwell in her midst. This blessing belongs, like the first, to the future time when the glorious Messiah will make Jerusalem his home. “The Lord chose Zion; he desired it to be his dwelling: This is my rest in perpetuity; here I will dwell, for I have desired it” (Ps. 132:13-14). Let’s not forget that we Christians possess this blessing today, despite the ruin of the Church, while it is still future for Israel, and that it will never possess it in the same way as we do. The Lord dwells among His own in Spirit. This blessing surpasses all others. For His glory had left the temple, as Ezekiel revealed to us; but at the end of the book of this same prophet we see it return to the thousand-year-old temple. This is what Zechariah announces to us here: “I will be her glory in her midst.” The horns of the 2nd vision correspond to the great empires of the nations, seen here under their character of power (Dn 8:3-14). God-raised workers (such as Cyrus) will end their power. The 3rd vision is about the restoration of Jerusalem. Currently desolate, with its ruined walls, charred gates (Neh 2:11-17), the city will be inhabited again. The Lord will be around her a wall of fire, and her scattered poor will be gathered there in safety. God’s love for them is so great that he who touches them “touches the apple of his eye” (Dt 32:7-14). Above all, they have the promise of the presence of Jehovah in glory in their midst. The same privileges today are the part of God’s children. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “the vision of the golden candlestick and olive trees or the parable of spiritual light.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.