ZECHARIAH

(520 B.C.)

17

 

Zech 1:16        Assuredly, thus said the Lord: "I graciously return to Jerusalem.
                        My House shall be built in her – declares the Lord of Hosts – the
                        line is being applied to Jerusalem…My towns shall yet
                        overflow with bounty. For the Lord will again comfort Zion; He
                        will choose Jerusalem again."

 

Zech 2:8          "Jerusalem shall be peopled as a city without walls, so many shall
                        the men and cattle it contains. And I Myself – declares the Lord –
                        will be a wall of fire around it, and I will be a glory inside it.

 

Zech 2:14        "Shout for Joy, Fair Zion! For lo, I come; and I will dwell in your
                        midst – declares the Lord. In that day many nations will attach
                        themselves to the Lord and become My people, and I will dwell in
                        your midst. Then you will know that I (the Lord) have been sent to
                        you by the Lord of Hosts…
                        Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord!
                        For He is roused from His holy habitation.

 

     The Lord of Hosts usually designates God. The one dwelling in Zion is Melchizedek, the other Lord. These passages are end of the Age because Jerusalem is without walls, bounty overflows, the "Lord" dwells there in glory, and many nations attach themselves to the Lord. Note, that in 2:14, the Lord says that, "you will know that I have been sent by the Lord of Hosts," thus making a definite distinction between the Lord and the Lord of Hosts. The Lord (Melchizedek) is the speaker who declares he has been sent by God (the Lord of Hosts) to dwell in Zion. Without the understanding of the two Lords concept, this verse and others like it are impossible to decipher.  Zechariah next says:

 

Zech 6:15        Men from far away shall come and take part in building the
                        Temple of the Lord.

 

     It would appear that the 3rd temple will be built by many who live far away – perhaps these are the remnant of Israel who are gathered from all over the world; including the coastlands, afar, across the sea. "Israel" has been previously identified as Christendom in an earlier discussion. Some of those who come from far away to build the temple may be Christians from America and Western Europe, those remnants who are faithful to God.

 

Zech 8:2          Thus, said the Lord of Hosts: There shall yet be old men and
                        women in the squares of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because
                        of their great age. And the squares of the city shall be crowded with
                        boys and girls playing in the squares…Though it would seem impossible

                        to the remnant of this people in those days, shall it also be impossible to
                        Me?…I will rescue My people from the lands of the east and from the
                        lands of the west, and I will bring them home to dwell in Jerusalem.

                        They shall be My people.

 

     Certainly, this pleasant and peaceful Jerusalem scene is impossible to conceive in the present – but we will see its day of fulfillment come. Notice the reference to "great" age possibly hinting at the extended longevity of the coming age. Notice that God has to save "His people" that are gathered from all over the world. This is because of the intense persecution they will be under. These saved people are the same "captives" as those that are "ransomed" by the Lord after his messianic entrance, as previously discussed in other scripture references.

 

Zech 8:11        But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as before
                        declares the Lord of Hosts – but what it sows shall prosper:

                        The vine will produce its fruit, the ground will produce its yield,
                        and the skies shall provide their moisture.…
                        And just as you were a curse among the nations, O House
                        of Israel and House of Judah, so, when I vindicate you, you
                        shall be a blessing.

 

     The long age of persecution, prejudice, and marginalization of faithful Jews is swept away as restoration is enacted. The dry land from the present and progressive drought in the Middle East will receive the rain of forgiveness and will yield great bounty through God’s mercy.

     The Lord tells us:

 

Zech 8:16        You must love honesty and integrity…
                        Speak the truth to one another…
                        Render true and perfect justice in your gates…

 

     Also, the Holy days of fasting "become occasions for joy and gladness." Repentance blooms into joy.

 

Zech 8:22        The multitude of nations shall come to seek the Lord of Hosts in
                        Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord…ten men from every
                        nation will take hold of every Jew by a corner of his cloak and say,
                        "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."

 

     Notice the use of the "Lord of Hosts" for God and "the Lord" to designate Melchizedek the one who "dwells in Zion." The distinction here is clear. The next paragraph is anything but clear and represents the confusion of two separate "radio broadcasts" located very close together so that the prophecy contains elements from both broadcasts.

 

Zech 9:9          Rejoice greatly, Fair Zion:
                        Raise a shout, Fair Jerusalem!
                        Lo, your King is coming to you.
                        He is victorious, triumphant,
                        Yet humble, riding on an ass,
                        On a donkey foaled by a she-ass.
                        He shall banish chariots from Ephraim
                        And horses from Jerusalem;
                        The warrior’s bow shall be banished.
                        He shall call on the nations to surrender,
                        And his rule will extend from sea to sea
                        And from ocean to land’s end.

 

     The first six lines of this verse pertain to Jesus who entered Jerusalem on an ass. The second six lines describe the activities of Melchizedek, the World Messiah, who puts an end to war and who reigns over all. Also, Melchizedek comes riding the "white horse" of Revelation to conquer and not an ass which is the symbol of peaceful entry chosen by Jesus. Otherwise, Jesus and Melchizedek are similar and easy to confuse from the standpoint of the prophet. They are both Sons of God, both divine beings and both "Kings." One is the King of the spiritual Kingdom of Heaven and the other is King of the external Kingdom of God on earth. Next we have:

 

Zech 9:14        And the Lord shall manifest Himself to them (Judah)
                        And His arrows shall fall like lightning;
                        My Lord God shall sound the ram’s horn
                        And advance in a stormy tempest.
                        The Lord of Hosts will protect them.

 

     Modern Israel (Judah) is under siege in 9:14, and Melchizedek enters to protect the people, who will therefore survive and become part of the Judah remnant. A loud "horn" or trumpet is sounded on Melchizedek’s arrival and is used to proclaim liberty to these captives at the end of the age, which is the beginning of Melchizedek’s sovereignty. This proclamation of liberty is part of the general restoration of freedom and property that occurs during a Jubilee year of Jewish tradition. The Jubilee year occurs after every seven weeks of years (49), on the 50th year. It is proclaimed by the sounding of the trumpet on the 10th day, of the 7th month, (10 days after their New Year’s Day). This day is the most solemn and holy of all Jewish holidays and is called, Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur occurred this year on September 20th, 1999. This day is also referred to as the Day of Atonement, when through prayer and fasting all are delivered of their sins and made right with God. The Jubilee was God’s way of stopping the rich from getting richer and the poor from getting poorer. It levels the playing field so to speak. When Melchizedek comes it will be a day of salvation, restitution, and liberty for an entire world. And so, we prepare the way of the Lord Melchizedek because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Regarding the Jubilee, the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying:

 

Jubilee

 

Lev 25:8          Thou shalt reckon to thyself seven sabbaths of years, seven times (Septuagint)     seven years; and they shall be to thee seven weeks of years, nine and forty years. In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall make a proclamation with the sound of a trumpet in all your land; on the day of atonement ye shall make a proclamation with a trumpet
in all your land. And ye shall sanctify the year, the fiftieth year, and ye shall proclaim a release upon the land to all that inhabit it; it shall be given a year of release, a jubilee for you; and each one shall depart to his possession, and ye shall go each to his family. This is a jubilee of release, the year shall be to you the fiftieth year: ye shall not sow, nor reap the produce that comes of itself from the land, neither shall ye gather its dedicated fruits. For it is a jubilee of release; it shall be holy to you, ye shall eat its fruits off the fields. In the year of the release even the jubilee of it shall each one return to his possession. And if  thou shouldest sell a possession to thy neighbour, or if thou shouldest buy of thy neighbour, let not a man oppress his neighbour.

 

     Before leaving this topic of the Jubilee, let’s consider what might happen with property ownership in general when Melchizedek returns. In ancient times the Lord declares:

 

                        And the land shall not be sold for a permanence; for the land
                        is mine, because you are strangers and sojourners before me.

 

     This will save people from arguing and carrying on. The wealth of the world does not belong to any man but rather to God and is to be used for the benefit of all, including the unborn generations that will also briefly sojourn here. We are shepherds, caretakers, and servants and everything we have is given us from above.

     Returning to Zechariah on the subject of Melchizedek’s return:

 

Zech 9:16        On that day:
                        He shall pasture his people like sheep.
                        They shall be like crown jewels glittering on His soil.
                        How lovely, how beautiful they shall be.
                        Producing young men like new grain,
                        Young women like new wine.

 

     Unlike man, God looks upon his faithful children as His treasure, we are his "Jewels" and not the conquests, kingdoms, power, or glory. We probably only grasp a tiny bit of how fully He loves us. Infinity is hard to get ones arms around.

 

Zech 10:2        For the teraphim spoke delusion
                        The augurs predicted falsely
                        And dreamers speak lies
                        And console with illusions.
                        That is why My people have strayed like a flock
                        They suffer for lack of a shepherd.
                        My anger is roused against the shepherds,
                        And I will punish the he-goats (oppressive leaders)

 

     The teraphim are astrologers, the augurs are the "experts," and the dreamers are perhaps the psychics. Again, the shepherds are singled out for their lack of concern for the flock they are supposed to care for.

 Zech 12:2

 Behold, I (the Lord) will make Jerusalem a bowl of reeling for the peoples all around. Judah shall be caught up in the siege upon  Jerusalem, when all the nations of the earth gather against her. In  that day, I (the Lord) will make Jerusalem a stone for all peoples to lift; all who lift it shall injure themselves. In that day – declares the Lord – I will strike every horse with panic and every rider with  madness…(The clans of Judah) shall devour all the besieging peoples right and left; and Jerusalem shall continue on its site, in Jerusalem.

 

Zech 12:7        The Lord will give victory to the tents of Judah first…

                        In that day, The Lord will shield the inhabitants of Jerusalem…

 

     The odds against modern Israel (Judah) in a war against "all the nations" are a million to one. But with God and Melchizedek on their side, the tables are turned and modern Israel becomes a "cup of reeling" to the nations of the world. This is a unique event, God’s justice enters a new phase in human history – no longer will the strong be allowed to trample the weak. The age of strictly human sovereignty is over and it ends with a harvest of bloodshed and destruction for the aggressors.

 Zech 14:2 

For I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem for war: the city will    be captured, the houses plundered; and the women violated; and a  part of the city will go into exile. But the rest of the population will  not be uprooted from the city.

 

     These are very precise prophecies of what exactly will occur just prior to Melchizedek’s entrance. Written over 2500 years ago these prophecies are as close to certain as it is possible to get. The history of what is about to happen has already been written far in advance.

 

Zech 14:3        Then the Lord will come forth and make war on those nations… on
                        that day, He will set his feet on the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem
                        on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall split across from east to west,
                        and one part of the Mount will shift to the north and on the other part to

                        the south, forming a huge gorge…and the Lord my God, with all the
                        holy beings, will come to you.

                        In that day, there shall be neither sunlight nor cold moonlight, but
                        there shall be a continuous day – only the Lord knows when – of neither
                        day nor night, and there shall be light at eventide  (14:6).

 

                        In that day, fresh water will flow from Jerusalem, part of it to the Eastern
                        Sea (Dead Sea) and part to the Western Sea (Mediterranean), throughout
                        the summer and winter. (14:8)

 

Zech 14:11      And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall
                        be one Lord with one name…never again shall destruction be decreed, and
                        Jerusalem shall dwell secure…(14:9)

 

                        In that day, even the bells on horses shall be inscribed "Holy to the

                        Lord"…every metal pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy to the
                        Lord of Hosts…in that day there shall be no more traders in the House
                        of the Lord of Hosts (Temple). (14:20)

 

     The Mount of Olives splits in two at the time of a large regional or global tectonic event/events. As a result, water flows to the drought stricken land from out of Jerusalem. Recently, for the first time, water has been noted trickling out from under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This is a precursor of what is to come. The precursor events of prophecy are already happening.

     On the day of Melchizedek’s arrival, there is described a "continuous day" but without light from the sun or moon. Perhaps, this is because of a global cloud cover resulting from tectonic/volcanic events or even nuclear explosions. The source of the light then may be Melchizedek himself.

     "In that day" and "never again" identify this passage as a messianic passage, as does the Lord (Melchizedek) being made King over the earth. We conclude Zechariah and proceed to Malachi, the last of the biblical Old Testament prophets.