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: Monday, September 20, 2021
Chapters: Zechariah 1-4
Message: The Alpha And Omega
Hello My Friend,
The Trinity of God, one Almighty and the only living God, distinguished as three different persons, in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, [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.] 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 is necessary for Him to be in the form of these three different persons. After all, He is the Alpha and Omega, [Revelation 1:8,18 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.]
Two months after Haggai began to encourage the Jews to get back to rebuilding the temple, God sent Zechariah with a message, [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.]
[But my words and my statutes,] You can deny them or try to change them all you want, but 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, and face judgment. Now, we who are saved will not face the same judgment, but that does not mean that we do not fear what is to come to our loved ones if they do not get saved. There were many believing Jews who wondered what would happen to the Jews in Babylon and if God would ever restore the kingdom in Jerusalem. God sends Zechariah some visions to explain what was going to happen.
[Zechariah 1:8-12 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. 9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. 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. 11 And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest. 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?]
[Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts,] This is another one of those books where it is actually God speaking to Jesus, who is the angel of the Lord, and God, who is the LORD of hosts. I never did this before but, 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.]
[how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem] So, Jesus is asking God, the Father, when He will get over His anger toward the Jews, and then God gives Him the answer, [Zechariah 1:14-16 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. 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. 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.]
[for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.] 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, there 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. And this is exactly why God only chooses those who choose Him, and is Jealous for His people, Jew or Gentile, unless we are saved, we face the same judgment, and He will have no other gods before Him, [Romans 2:9-11 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 11 For there is no respect of persons with God.]
God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, walked the earth in their own individual forms, Jesus being both in the form of man and God, and the Holy Spirit, being in the form of the glory of God. God is so jealous over us that He will use any means necessary to get us out of danger from being corrupted by the world any further. So, while He does use the world to chasten us, that does not mean He will not protect us from them once the chastening is over. As God continues showing Zechariah these visions of God and Jesus talking to one another, He assures the Jews that He is still their God and will be with them, He judged them, it is over, and now He will protect them.
[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.]
[will be unto her a wall of fire round about,] What is the wall of fire that surrounds God people, who are the apple of His eye? The Holy Spirit, and He actually indwells in each and every saved soul, and not Satan or anyone else can touch our soul. The Holy Spirit will remain in us until God brings us home, but the day will come when Jesus returns and the Holy Spirit will not be here, each and every soul that gets saved at that point would have to done so under their own personal conviction and willingness to accept Christ as their Saviour. And 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.]
[and I will dwell in the midst of thee,] Of course, this is Jesus who actually dwells in the midst of us as we speak. The second that we even believe that Jesus saves us from judgment is when He accepts us, and 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 devil are at odds with each other, and it is our souls that are up for grabs. While Jesus promises eternal life, the devil 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 3:7-8,10 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by. 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. 10 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.]
[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.]
Jesus Christ Magnified: [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.]
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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