King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Chapters: ZECHARIAH 1-4
Study: The Alpha And Omega
Hello My Friend,
I do not care how many times that I have read Zechariah, I always forget until I get back to it that it has one of the greatest prophecies concerning Christ and the Trinity of God. While we, with our own reasoning, cannot fathom the idea that God is omnipotent and can be anywhere and everywhere at the same time, we must understand that He is God and it was necessary for Him to be in the form of these three different persons. Why? Well, think about it, He is the Alpha and Omega, [Revelation 1:7-8,18 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.]
The Book of Zechariah contains fourteen chapters and was written by Zechariah, it was written to the new generation of Jews who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. The timeline for these events took place around 520BC. The purpose of the book was to renew a spiritual commitment with God, and to warn them of the coming second judgment when Christ returns. What we are to learn from the book is that God is in control of all affairs, His infinite love and care are in all who receive Christ, who is His BRANCH, [Zechariah 3:8 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.]
We do not read much about the three persons of God, or what we call the Trinity of God, one Almighty and the only living God, distinguished as three different persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Spirit), but we should not have to have it spelled out to us. The same faith that we have in God sending His only begotten Son is the same faith that we need for everything else concerning God. John, describes it this way, [1 John 5:6-8 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.]
Can you see the need for all three? The Word is Christ, [John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.] Well, hopefully after we read through Zechariah you will be able to understand it a little more. Two months after Haggai began to encourage the Jews to get back to rebuilding the temple, God, sent Zechariah with a message. He reminded them that their parents were the reason why Jerusalem was a shambles and they were in Babylon in the first place.
[Zechariah 1:2-6 The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers. 3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. 4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. 5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? 6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.]
[according to our ways, and according to our doings,] God, has always dealt with creation the same way, from the very beginning, He warned that sin of any kind brings death, and it truly does. We can ask God all we want why evil exists in the first place, but the truth of the matter is this we are the ones who bring evil. God, does not want to force us to love Him, He wants us to love Him willingly, which is why He gave us freewill, but if we choose Him, then He does expect some respect and some loyalty, and if we are going to go the way of Satan, then that is all on us, [2 Timothy 2:11-13 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.]
I do not know why, but I love this, [If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful:] You can deny Him or try to turn Him into an image that you want Him to be, but that does not change who He is, and the fact that God, came here in the flesh to save those who truly believe, not only the Gospel, but every word written in His Word. God’s Word, is eternal, and each and every thing written in it has and will come to pass as it is written. Jew or Gentile, we will all stand before Jesus. Now, we who are saved will not face the same judgment, but that does not mean that we will not face judgment while we are here. There were many believing Jews in Jerusalem who wondered what would happen to the Jews in Babylon and if God would ever restore the kingdom in Jerusalem. Well, God, sends Zechariah some visions that sound a bit familiar.
[Zechariah 1:8,10,12-14,16 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. 10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. 12 Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? 13 And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. 14 So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. 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.]
[And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me] This is another one of those books where it is actually God speaking to Jesus, who is the angel of the Lord, God, being the LORD of hosts. The word hosts means, a mass of persons (angles or man), regularly organized for war, awaiting an appointed time. So, the LORD is Jesus, and He commander and chief to both man and angel. We are soldiers in His army, and He is preparing us all for battle, we are just waiting for the appointed time in which He will return to come and get us, [2 Timothy 2:1-4 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.]
[I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion] Why do you think God is jealous for Jerusalem? God, gave them everything they ever dreamed us, and yet it was never enough, they still lusted after the worlds treasures. God, judged them and showed them His great mercy over and over again, and yet it was never enough, they still lusted after the worlds gods. Of course, He is going to be jealous, look how jealous we get when we are neglected or picked over, and He is jealous over us as well, [Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:]
Now, as much as God wants all of mankind to be saved, He also gives each and every one of us the freewill to make that choice ourselves. God did not choose the Jews to be His people based on their obedience to Him, they were no better, and often even worse that the world, He chose them because on one man’s faith, and that was Abraham. It displeases Him more to see just how at ease they are with all the evil going on in the world, and in fact, are a part of it. God, goes on to show Zechariah another vision, one in which He will judge those who lead His people astray.
[Zechariah 1:18-21 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. 19 And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. 20 And the LORD shewed me four carpenters. 21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.]
[These are the horns which have scattered Judah,] The four horns are the powers, states, and kingdoms from the four corners of the earth that caused Israel to go astray and scattered from their inheritance. The carpenters, on the other hand are the instruments of God, who would destroy the horns, driving them out of God’s inheritance, thus returning Israel to Jerusalem. In other words, God, is going to separate the true believers from the unbelievers, and when He does, it will be to their own eternal death. Jesus, gave a good illustration of this with a parable concerning wheat and weeds (tares).
[Matthew 13:24-25,27-30 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.]
God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, while fully God, walked the earth in their own individual persons since creation, in fact, God, speaks in terms of “Us” when He created this big ole universe, which He built for man, [Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.]
God, will use any means necessary to get us out of danger from being corrupted by the world any further, which is why He does send judgment, but that does not mean that He will not protect us from the world’s judgment. As God continues showing Zechariah these visions, He sees a man with a measuring tape in his hand, and he begins measuring Jerusalem, and anyone within the walls will be protected.
[Zechariah 2:1-5 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. 3 And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, 4 And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: 5 For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.]
[Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls] Those walls will be extended freely as if there were no walls at all, yet be as safe as if they were like a fortress. Jesus, is the one with the measuring tape, after all, He is the Master builder of His Church, so, you better believe that He will straighten us out so that every brick that He places on top of us will be fortified, [1 Peter 2:5-6 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.]
[and will be the glory in the midst of her.] Who will be in the midst of Jerusalem when Jesus is walking the earth, gathering all those whom have not yet received Him yet before the total destruction of the earth? The glory of the LORD Himself, who is none other than the Holy Spirit. You see, right now, the Holy Spirit indwells each and every saved soul, He is the light that shines in all His glory through those whom have accepted Christ as their Saviour as they do the work of Christ. The day will come when Jesus returns and the Holy Spirit will not indwell souls, each and every soul that gets saved at that point would have to be done under their own personal conviction and willingness to accept Christ as their Saviour. God, goes on to explain the day when both Jew and Gentile, will unite as one while the rest of the world in judged.
[Zechariah 2:8-11 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. 9 For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me. 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. 11 And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.]
[for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.] Who are the apple of God’s eye? What Christ will do for His Church will be clear proof of God’s care, protection, and love toward His children. The second that we even believe that Jesus saves us from judgment is when He accepts us, and we become one of God’s children and the apple of His eye. Not only that, He cleans us up, changes our clothes, and even gives us the power to fight off Satan. We must understand that we are not in a physical war, it is a spiritual one in which Jesus and the Satan are at odds with each other, although Satan is only allowed to go so far. While Jesus promises eternal life, Satan, sets out to destroy every soul that God creates. Through Zachariah, God shows us the opposition that Jesus faces with the devil, and while he is in his glory right now, there will come a time when He will overthrow Satan once and for all.
[Zechariah 3:1-4 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.]
[is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?] Joshua is another name for Jesus, and Satan even tempted Jesus, and for a little while as Jesus hung on the cross, Satan thought that he had defeated Jesus, and for three days he was in his glory. That was until the day that He resurrection and knocked him right off his feet. We do not know why God allows Satan to walk to and fro between heaven and earth, but we do know that every soul that Jesus redeems has been plucked out of the fire by the hand of Jesus and Satan will never be able to pluck it from His hand, [John 10:28-30 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one.]
God makes it simple for us to have eternal life, believe in the sinless death, burial, and resurrection of Christ as our redemption and atonement for sin, and accept Him as our Saviour. It is that simple, He started with the Jews, then went to the Gentiles, even though He never denied anyone at anytime. The LORD of hosts is His name, and He will save all who come to Him willingly, [Zechariah 3:8-10 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. 9 For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 10 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.]
[upon one stone shall be seven eyes:] On that stone are seven eyes, that they may look many ways, just as Christ looks over us, [1 Peter 3:12-13 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?]
[I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.] Of course, we know that Jesus is the BRANCH, He is also the VINE, and we who are saved are His branches, we Gentiles are graphed into the VINE through our faith in Him, [John 15:3-5 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.]
[shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.] This reminds me of that Jesus said, [Mark 13:28-31 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: 29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. 30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. 31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.]
Perhaps the most important aspect of being a Christian is having faith not only in God, but Christ as well, it is not enough just to have faith in God, we must believe in Christ and all that He is, including that He is God in the flesh. We all live by faith, whether we would like to admit it or not, even the worst skeptic has to have some kind of faith that they will succeed in what they are doing. Zechariah also gives an account to God sending Zerubbabel to Jerusalem to help rebuild the temple, God gives him another vision about candlesticks and olive trees, and the angel speaking to him gives him the meaning of the dream.
[Zechariah 4:9-14 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. 10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth. 11 Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? 12 And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? 13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. 14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.]
[These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.] This is Christ and the Holy Spirit. The Son was to be sent by the Father, and so was the Holy Ghost. Remember, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as our Comforter until He returns in the flesh. They both stand by God, ready to go as soon as He gives the order to come and get His children, [John 14:1-4 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for making me one of Your children, not by my own works or even obedience to Your commands, but solely by my faith and trust in the Gospel of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Lord, You know the intentions of our hearts, as You allow the devil to bring circumstances and affliction into our lives. Let Your Spirit, lead us, guide us, and keep us in Your Word so it is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Remind us that we are not doing this for our salvation, simply to honor You, thank You, and to bring others to You through Him as well so they do not have to end up in the fire. In Your power and might I know that I can do all things, fill me with your grace, lead me with Your power, and let me keep my heart always trusting You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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