Zechariah
What a rich book is this! Just loaded with imagery and revelation about God’s plans and His kingdom. In fact there is so much that I can’t possibly approach the full meaning in a few words. So let’s take a look at some highlights.
Zechariah, like Haggai, was a restoration prophet – prophesying to the Jews after they returned from exile in Babylon. Out of fear they had stopped building, and had to be prodded to begin again.
Starting with an admonition not to be like their fathers, Zechariah continues with visions similar to John’s revelation. Angels on horses patrolling the earth. Four craftsmen who will throw down the horns of the nations which have terrified Jerusalem…”Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord; for He is aroused from His holy habitation.”(2:13) The Lord is on the move, and big things are about to happen.
A man in a vision goes out to measure Jerusalem, but is stopped by an angel. No longer will Jerusalem be a city with walls, for there will be many people in it. The vision speaks of the day when the true Jerusalem will be the city from above, in other words, the church of Jesus Christ. And in that day, the Lord will be a wall of fire around her, protecting her by His own hand. (2:4-5)
We see the two olive trees standing by the golden lampstand. (You might remember these trees from Revelation). They symbolize the anointing of God – His Holy Spirit. Then comes one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.” (4:6) What God does, He does by His Spirit. No flesh can accomplish the purposes of God.
As he speaks of many events of the future, Zechariah comes to the moment when he says that the “Lord will be king over all the earth, and in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.” (14:9) He is prophesying once again about Jesus, the Messiah. Every knee shall bow to the name of Jesus.
I hope you will find the time to spend reading and re-reading this great book. As you prayerfully read, you will find much wisdom awaiting you.
Revelation 20-21
This is it: the back of the book. If you want to know how it’s going to end, or if you want to find out that justice will be done, you have it in these two chapters.
First we see that the devil and all of his companions will finally be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Their day of tormenting the earth is over for good.
At the great white throne judgment, everyone great or small will stand before the throne of God. The books will be opened, and everyone, great and small, will give an account for their life. Did they receive the gift of the Lamb’s sacrifice? If so, their name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If not, they have chosen to go with the devil and his crew.
Then a new heaven and a new earth will be revealed. Ones with no sorrow; no tribulation.
“And he said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.” Then the bride of Christ is revealed, and she is the new Jerusalem – the city without walls, coming down out of heaven. God’s kingdom, the church, is the new Jerusalem.
Actually the first fruits of this started showing up when Jesus said, “It is finished,” on the cross. After He paid the price and went to heaven, sending back His Holy Spirit to live within us, God’s kingdom was here. His kingdom is here now, living within the hearts of His people.
That’s why just any ole religion won’t do. There are not many paths to God; there is only one. And His name is Jesus.
Only through Jesus can men and women be cleansed and have the Holy Spirit living within them. It’s not based on good works. Good works will come, of course, but they will be the fruit of a life lived with God’s power and wisdom within. Artificial fruit won’t hack it. It has to be the real deal.
Yet for those of us who want to accept the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, we have His life within us now. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and collectively we are the new Jerusalem. His kingdom.
So right here, right now, there are parallel universes. There is the natural world, of which we all are a part. Then there is the spiritual world – God’s kingdom – which supersedes the former. Supernatural wisdom, ability, peace, joy, and strength are all available to those of us who wish to allow Him to live within us. Those of us who want to be part of His kingdom, His Jerusalem.
The day will come when that is all there will be. That’s what we have been reading about in Revelation. “And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it.”(21:24)
Exciting, isn’t it?
