Grace Bible Church
Pastor-Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Thursday,
June 4, 2020
Pastor Rick Kabrick
Well, what does the Lord remember? As we have seen in this book, the Lord remembers HIS people. HIS Remnant or the pivot, call it what you will.
All you see is the possible trouble, the walls, obstacles, and you’re ready to quit, sometimes before you even get started.
CH 1 the message is draw near to GOD and HE will draw near to you. That’s the message that the LORD gives Zechariah to start off his book.
So, in CH 1 the LORD expresses HIS anger toward those nations and then promises to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem and repopulate Jerusalem.
CH 2
The third vision of Zechariah depicts a surveyor measuring the s
ize of Jerusalem. The message is that in the future Jerusalem will be larger and without walls because the LORD will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem and will dwell in her.
Spurgeon said: “The pupil of the eye is the tenderest part of the tenderest organ, and very fitly sets forth the inexpressible tenderness of GOD’s love.”
The message is that in the future Jerusalem will be larger and without walls because the LORD will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem and will dwell in her.
CH 3 opens with the LORD, Joshua, and Satan. Imagine the scene…
Satan’s purpose is to accuse Joshua, Israel’s spiritual leader, of sin and failure.
REV 12:10, Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.
Joshua kept his mouth shut. He didn’t rebuke Satan, he let the LORD do it. That’s such an important lesson…
CH 4, The angel now gives Zechariah a vision of a lampstand fed oil from two olive trees. The trees provided oil for the lamps. The work to be done must be done by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by human power.
Just like the oil in the vision constantly was being supplied to the candle contraption – so too GOD’s spirit would continually provide the needed grace and strength for Judah’s governor to finish the work on the temple.
The vision of the evil woman in the basket symbolizes that GOD has restrained evil in Judea at that time. The woman is then sent to Babylon, representing idology being sent back to Babylon.
CH 6
The eighth vision shows four chariots pulled by four horses. Each represents a judging spirit sent from GOD.
But the next King would be the LORD Jesus Christ and HE will reign over the Church and then HE will reign on earth during the Millennial period.
Patriarchs = Abraham, Isaac and Jacob Joseph
Prophets = Moses to Samuel
Kings =
Priests =
Every type of leader failed in some way. Jesus would combine them all.
CH 7
In answer to a question about fasts related to the fall of Israel, the LORD spoke through Zechariah and said that ritual without the spiritual reality is worthless.
The LORD’S answer was that when they fasted and mourned the past 70 years, they were doing it for themselves instead of to honor and seek HIM.
CH 8
Zechariah gives statement about what the Lord will do in the future. Some will happen in the near time, but the more complete fulfillment will come when Messiah returns to earth to judge and rule and bless.
CH 9. A message against an area that extends from modern-day Syria down through the Mediterranean coast to Israel.
And many of those nations and cities in that area will be destroyed. But GOD will protect Jerusalem in that day.
CH 10 is addressed to the Jews and is full of promises of future strengthening of them and answering of their prayers.
CH 11 then is addressed to Lebanon at the beginning with threats of burning and destruction. And then for the majority of that chapter there’s this talk of shepherds and sheep and staffs being broken and 30 silver pieces being given to the potter, a prophecy of sorts as Judas would do the same.
CH 12 It is about a burden concerning Israel. The nations one day will come against Jerusalem. And GOD will protect that city and fight for it and will destroy those nations.
LEV 28:19, “You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves:
I am the LORD.”
DEU 14:1; 1KI 18:28; JER 16:6; 48:37
It seems apparent this is the LORD Jesus Christ, as the Shepherd. And it is GOD the Father who calls for the Shepherd to be struck.
This seems to suggest that only one-third of the Jewish people will survive the Great Tribulation. Some scholars believe it is a reference to the Babylonian captivity as well. But it seems that the Prophet here is talking about the end times.
Here is a verse that applies to all time, of all the believers what percentage are called the Pivot, the remnant? No matter what the number is, just be one of, be a part of that number.
Zechariah seems to have the very end times in view, when Jerusalem will be surrounded and attacked by some type of international force.
They still could not see that the Messiah must first be rejected and the nation brought to repentance as Zechariah mentioned in 11:12-13 and 12:10.
Since the mountains around Jerusalem are no longer needed as a defense, many believe that they can be flattened into a plain. This could be done by modern weapons or by GOD HIMself.
There many who teach this description of flesh dissolving teeth rotting etc are the effects of a neutron or nuclear bomb. We don’t know for sure but we do know they will be destroyed.
Our LORD told us to go to the ends of the earth with the Gospel and in the millennium the earth will come to Jerusalem to worship and honor GOD.
Zechariah ends his prophecy making it clear that GOD’s way is to make everything that was once profane holy instead.
If we have strayed from the LORD and HIS word, we need to return to fellowship with HIM by confessing my sin and changing our attitude to faithful obedience. (Rebound, recover and move forward).
Each of us is dependent upon the Holy Spirit’s power and ability to serve GOD the right way and with GOD’s intended results. Each of us needs to walk by the Holy Spirit, that is being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Ritual for ritual sake did not please GOD in the past and neither will it please GOD now.
GOD has disciplined Israel because of her sin, but her promised national future and blessing is sure and will happen.
History is marked by hatred and attacks against Israel and her people, and this will be especially violent before the LORD returns to rule as King over all the earth.
Just before LORD Jesus returns nations will be attacking Israel, but as the LORD descends to the Mount of Olives, many Israelites will realize he is the Messiah. They will go into mourning because they rejected HIM when HE came the first time.
GOD controls human history, even in the middle of terrible anti-Semitism and other chaos. Don’t give up on GOD when historical events are bad. Which will happen from time to time in the world.