Zechariah 2:1-13 - The Future Glory of Israel

Zechariah chapter 2 we're gonna look at verses 1 through 13 here tonight and we're looking at these 8 visions that Zechariah had in these first six chapters and these each one of these visions is sometimes some of them are very difficult to understand and we haven't even hit the hard ones yet so when we get to those you're gonna say oh boy how do I understand this and it's incredibly important if we know the images and we know the illustrations and the metaphors that are used throughout the scripture you're able to apply those to these particular visions so that you understand what the Lord is trying to communicate most of them are explained for us as in our study tonight and so that's that's a blessing it makes it very simple for you to understand the message that God is trying to communicate and so tonight we're going to look at the third vision of Zechariah and the application and God's encouragement here to the nation Israel that he has a plan and he's going to build not only the temple but he's going to build the city again and then the the prophecy looks way forward to the ultimate fulfillment of God's plan and fulfilling his ultimate building of the temple where he will reside himself and so we'll see that as we go along here so let's just begin let's read these first couple of verses here and we'll get into it verse 1 it says then I raised my eyes and looked and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand so I said where are you going and he said to me to measure Jerusalem to see what is its width and what is its length and there was the angel who talked with me going out and another angel was coming out to meet him who said to him run speak to this young man saying Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls because of the multitude of men and livestock in it for I says the Lord will be a wall of fire all around her and I will be the glory in her midst so this first vision that Zechariah has first noticed this little statement here many times people just read right by it but then I raised my eyes and looked and so this vision was Zechariah looking with his eyes open ad and seeing this whole scene in front of him now that is what a true vision is it's where your eyes are open you're looking at whatever you're seeing and then the next minute you're seeing a completely different thing and you're the only one who can see it no one else can and so this is a very important distinction now people come to me they ask me many times they say well I saw a picture in my mind is that a vision and I would say no it's not a vision but it is still a gift of the Spirit it is the gift of the word of knowledge where God gives you a picture and shows you something but it's not the same as a vision in numbers chapter 24 verse 16 here referring to bail on the Prophet it says the utterance of him who hears the words of God and has the knowledge of the Most High who sees the vision of the Almighty who falls down with eyes wide open and so very clearly here he is describing what a vision is he see something with his eyes wide open but he's seeing another picture that no one else is seen and so this is described in many places in next to this particular verse in numbers I have like seven different verses written down next to them if you want those verses I'll give them to you after the service just come on up and ask but they are all of the places in the scripture where you see the same description of what a divine vision is all about and so this picture that he sees is with his eyes completely open so he sees this man who obviously is an angel of the Lord and then another angel comes and he is told by this first angel to go and tell the young man what he is doing and what's going on here and so Zechariah asked him what is he doing and he responds I'm measuring the City of Jerusalem and its width and its length and so he's very clearly just describing a very simple activity and he's told that Jerusalem will be inhabited and it'll be inhabited with an overflow of people and so it'll be inhabited by a multitude of people with no walls now why is that important because at this particular time you have to remember they the people of God are there and they're building only the temple later on with Ezra and Nehemiah they come to build the city walls and so at this point they're building just the temple and the city walls are still broken down and yet at that moment these people feel very vulnerable because the people that are in the land are not real happy with them being there and so they're that vulnerability that they sense the Lord gives the vision to Zechariah that he might communicate to the well that the Lord's gonna take care of it all he's going to be that wall of fire surrounding them and God is going to bless them and the city is going to be inhabited with a multitude of people and so he that's why he says here in verse four run speak to this young man saying Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls because of the multitude of men and livestock and so this particular city he said is going to grow it's going to mature it's going to overflow with men and livestock but they are going to be had have this assurance that the Lord is taking care of them and he says here I will be a wall of fire all around her what what assurance would that give to you if you were in these particular people's shoes and you were fearful of what the people of the land might do to you the Lord says I am a wall of fire around you powerful now this wall of fire around them is something that what God has done this many times before in the book of Exodus chapter 14 verses 19 through 20 there you have a description of what took place as the children of Israel were coming out of Egypt and the Egyptian army is right behind them again put yourself in those people's shoes you see the Egyptian army coming after you and this is a mighty army and all you got is a pitchfork oh you've got as nothing to fight with how vulnerable would you feel at that moment and the Lord took care of them notice Exodus 14 it says the angel of God who went before the camp of Israel moved and went behind them and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them so it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel thus it was a cloud and darkness to one and gave light by night to the other so that the one did not come near the other all that night so here the Lord takes this pillar this cloud that's in front of them that's leading them moves around and comes behind them I mean would that not have given you just a little bit of encouragement you would have said well the Lord is on the move here oh I would have loved to have watched this and so a powerful demonstration that the Lord is our protector he is around us he is guiding us and so the Lord has set his angels about you and about me and he is watching over us I pray all the time in fact I did in our staff meeting today I prayed that God would just put his protective hand around this church and its property and because there are people who don't like us as Christians and I believe that we need to continually pray for that protection it says in Psalm 121 verse 4 behold he who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep Psalm 127 verse 1 unless the Lord builds the house they labor in vain who build it unless the Lord guards the city the watchman stays awake in vain now does that mean that you don't need a watchman no notice it says the watchman's will stay awake in vain unless they are trusting that the Lord is the one protecting them now when you come across these past kinds of scriptures and passages in the word you people go to the extreme and they think well then they don't really need walls if the words gonna be that wall of fire around them then they don't even need a while why did why should they need a wall well god still thought they needed a wall that's why he sent Azra and Nehemiah and they built the wall many times people read these passages and they think to themselves well if the Lord is my protector then I don't need to do anything to protect myself I don't need to lock the door on my house I don't need to lock the door in my car I don't need to have any kind of protection at all and that I believe is also an extreme if you read a little bit further and in Nehemiah chapter 4 verse 18 here's when this is many years later now they're building the wall notice it says and every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built and the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me so I mean Nehemiah was ready and everybody that was building that wall was ready and they had their sword on their side because the people of the land at this time were very aggressive toward them and threatened them and threatened to kill them all and so do you see the balance there I think that is an essential balance you take precautions and then you trust the Lord both of those are an essential thing I trust the Lord and I lock my door okay so very important principle and so here this is the simplicity of this beginning of this vision but notice then in verse 6 this is where it really gets interesting it's a he says up up flee from the land of the North says the Lord for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven says the Lord up Zion escape you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon for thus says the Lord of Hosts he sent me after glory to the nations which plunder you for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye for surely I will shake my hand against them and they shall become spoil for their servants then you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me sing and rejoice o daughter of Zion for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst says the Lord many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day now notice that little phrase there in that day now that's telling you that he's speaking future very clearly speaking of some future occurrence so as you're reading from verse 6 on through verse 13 it's clear he is intending a future reference here and so he says there many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day and they shall become my people and I will dwell in your midst then you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you and the Lord will take possession of Judah as his inheritance in the Holy Land and will again choose Jerusalem be silent all flesh before the Lord for he is aroused from his holy habitation so as you read this you say to yourself okay I don't understand he's saying come away and come out of Babylon well they're already have come out of Babylon so why is he telling him to come out of Babylon again he's telling them that he's going to judge the nation's he's telling them that he's going to come and live in their midst and as you read this your you're saying the Lord's gonna take possession of Judah in the Holy Land and will again choose Judah so is he talking about another time way in the future I believe he is you see first off in this section it is clear that when the Lord says that he is going to dwell in their midst that is only one time in history what time is that it is the time of the millennial reign of Christ that is where he will come and set up his kingdom here upon the earth and he will reign in Mount Zion in the city of Jerusalem over the whole earth so just by that one indicator in this prophecy it is still a prophecy that is still yet future and once you grasp that understanding then you say okay so he is telling Zechariah that he's going to bless that the city he's gonna be a wall of fire around them he's they're gonna multiply they're gonna be blessed and then he changes and turns to the ultimate future blessing where God is going to come and he's going to fulfill all of his prophet promises and all of the prophecies that are made toward the Jewish people in the future when he will come and be in their myths now many times prophecies in the Old Testament like this he speaks about a present occurrence something that he's going to do at that particular moment and then he switches to the future the ultimate fulfillment of what he's promising here and the Lord will be that wall of fire around the city of Jerusalem and he will again choose Jerusalem now notice he says here he says up flee from the land of the North says the Lord for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven says the Lord now that's the first indicator that this is talking about a future dispersion of the people and a future regather ins of the people now were the children of Israel when they went into Babylon where they spread to the four winds of heaven no they were not they were taken as a unit into Babylon and then they were released from Babylon back to their land so immediately you say okay so when are the Jews going to be scattered throughout the four winds of heaven or the whole earth basically that's a metaphoric terminology for the whole earth from the four winds of heaven when is that going to take place well there is a very clear statement by Jesus in Luke 24 21 24 so Luke 21:24 he says and they shall fall referring to the Jews by the edge of the sword and that will be the Roman sword so this particular regather inspect from Babylon occurred in 508 BC and they stayed in the land controlled by the Gentiles until the Romans ultimately took over they rebelled against the Romans the Romans came in 70 AD and they destroyed the city in the sanctuary and they dispersed them all over the kingdom all over the Roman Empire and that is when they were dispersed to the four winds so notice let me read it again and they shall fall by the edge of the sword and led away captive into how many nations all nations and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled now there's so much in that that one verse but just notice he says they're gonna fall by the edge of the sword they're going to be scattered again so they were taken into Babylon and 606 BC to 587 BC and then they were basically released again and they came back into their land and they are free so to speak still controlled by Gentile nations and they stay there until the Romans destroy them they are scattered throughout the whole world and basically the Jews have no homeland from 70 AD till 1948 and 1948 the United Nations proclaimed the nation Israel came into existence again and so it says here they will be led away captive into all nations and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles and that Jerusalem was in the hands of the Gentiles from that point forward and it says until now that word until implies that the Jews will be regathered once again back into their land so they will Jerusalem will be controlled by Gentiles until a certain time in history so Jesus is talking here 1,900 years later we know that this is what took place so does God know the future oh yes and he says here and that until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled so with this regather ins back from the four winds they are going to come from the and jesus said they will come from the four corners of the earth back into their land why is he use that term four corners of the earth because it's that's the terminology used here so it's those images all are used multiple times in the scripture to give you that indication and so then God sends the Messiah after they are regathered so this is one of the most important things to see in this particular prophecy and in the prophecies that you will read of God's regather ins of his people back into their land there are always two things that are associated together in Scripture over and over again God says I'm bringing them back into their land and then I am coming to be their king I'm coming to reign over them and that's what this text is telling us here he says here in verse 10 I will dwell in your midst verse 11 in the middle of the verse and I will dwell in your midst verse 12 the Lord will take possession of Judah you see when he takes possession of his land he's going to set up his kingdom on this earth so why when the nation Israel became a nation again in 1948 did Bible scholars say the Lord is coming soon because they knew these passages of Scripture they're all through the Old Testament almost every single Old Testament prophet makes a pronouncement a statement somewhere in there their prophecies that this is God's ultimate end he's going to bring his people back into the land and then he's coming again so you should be excited when Israel took possession of the city of Jerusalem again in 1967 after the six-day war Bible students said get ready and you should be ready because in an hour in which you think not the Son of Man comes so be ready because he is coming he is he is at the doors let me tell you and so God sends the Messiah judges the nation's that have destroyed Israel that's declared in verses 8 and 9 he says he sends me to the nations which plunder you and he who touches you touches the apple of his eye for surely I will shake my hand against them and they shall become spoil for their servants and you're gonna know that he is the Lord that he has spoken this that he has sent this angel to give this information when you see that come to pass you're gonna be absolutely sure so this is a message that is so powerful so clear and so one day the world is going to come against Israel again fully and completely and God will come to judge those nations that will be that will take place at the Battle of Armageddon and the final battle upon this earth he will judge those nations and they will become spoil for their servants and their their power will be taken from them so the Lord makes it very clear what is about to take place I was reading a an article that came to me in an email here not just a couple of days ago where the leaders in Israel are talking openly now about annexing all of the rest of the territory there which is called Samaria and they're talking openly of annexing this all this territory that they took at the end of the six-day war and I guarantee if that takes place that will any two-state solution they call it a one-state solution that's at I don't know that you have ever read anything by a gal named caroline glick she wrote a book about this one state solution to the problem and that is a clear intention that most likely will occur if that does occur I guarantee you the entire world will turn against Israel they will in fact that might be the tipping point most of the nations I mean the United Nations they hate Israel and they every declaration they make every resolution they make is always against Israel and so there are certain nations that are still friendly to Israel how long that will be I don't know but one day the scripture says in fact turn over with me to here to Zechariah we will get there in a while in a few weeks chapter 14 Zechariah 14 verse 2 he says for I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem Zechariah 14:2 I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem the city shall be taken the houses rifled the women ravished half of the city shall go into captivity but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city and then it says then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as he fights in the day of battle and in that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which faces Jerusalem on the east and the Mount of Olives shall space split in two from east to west making a very large Valley half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half toward the south and so this is that description of that time so one day the entire world will come against Israel that little tiny sliver that's about the size of New Jersey I mean it's a tiny little nation but that's what's coming and God says I'm going to shake my hand and they're done that's all it takes a little shake and it's all over it doesn't even have to speak a word just shakes his hand stop and it's done that's power and so he fights against those that have fought against his people and destroyed his people notice he describes them here it says at the end of verse 8 for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye what does that mean well this particular phrase is used many times in the scripture it's let me give you a couple of passages Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 10 it says he found him in a desert land and in the wasteland a howling wilderness he encircled him this is referring to the nation Israel he encircled him he instructed him he kept him as the apple of his eye and then David prayed in some seventeen eight he said Lord keep me as the apple of your eye hide me under the shadow of your wings and so this this terminology is always used in reference to keeping the Lord protecting the Lord at protecting his people and and guarding his people the apple of his eye this word apple the Hebrew word literally means pupil the pupil of his eye now think about it the pupil of your eye is the most sensitive to light it's the most sensitive part of your your body I mean it's anything comes anywhere near your face quickly I mean you're gonna flinch your eyelids are going to close to protect your eye that's something that God has created you and created within you and you you protect that that part of you because it is the most important part of your body without your eyes without the pupil of your eyes you can see nothing it's interesting also I read a one commentator he said he said think of this he said when you have the right light and you are looking into a person's eye you can see a reflection of yourself have you ever seen the reflection of yourself in someone's pupil it can be done it interesting thing God is allowing us to see well he keeps us as the apple of his eye we are we're a reflection of his image we are created in His image think about that for a minute it's a powerful truth a powerful image and so God here promises to come and dwell in their midst now this particular part of this prophecy is again you see this over and over again in Isaiah chapter 35 verse 4 here the Lord says to his people say to those who are fearful hearted be strong do not fear behold your God will come with vengeance with venn with recompense with the recompense of God he will come and save you so notice here God tells the people through the prophet Isaiah he said one day your God is going to come now these are all reference next to the the prophecies concerning them the Messiah coming so this is why they the people when they thought Jesus was the Messiah and he started talking about his death they said wait a minute we that doesn't compute isn't the Christ to live and dwell with us forever we're about to come to one of those passages in our study in John but there are several of them and so when when people recognize that they they're coming they're seeing these passages of Scripture they've been taught these truths when the Messiah comes is God coming to be in their midst and so again multitudes of passages make this absolutely clear that this is who is coming the god that has promised all of these truths and he will only come in this manner when he comes again at his second coming the second coming of Christ is going to be the beginning of the millennial reign of Christ where he reigns for a thousand years on this earth so what is the millennial reign of Christ going to be like I've given you in your notes there just a brief outline and the passages of Scripture these passages are a whole study all in themselves I don't have the time to go through each one of them but I've given them to you so that you might be able to study them I'm also going to post these on our on our website so that if you want to look at them down the road or somebody wants to study this later they will have access to them but let me just go through what this time is going to be like politically the millennial reign is going to be simply Jesus governing with absolute authority from Mount Zion in the city of Jerusalem he will rule it says in Psalm 2 verses 6 through 9 he will rule from Mount Zion Isaiah 24 23 specifically says that rule would be in the city of Jerusalem in jeremiah 23:5 it says that he will reign in righteousness and he will reign in justice over this earth and so think about this because if there is anything that we long for it is justice and righteousness in our land because that is when men rule other men that doesn't always happen does it it just doesn't and I don't care which political party is in power it doesn't happen okay so don't put your faith in any president or any man there your you'll yes you will find certain individuals who are surrendered to God and they will do a good job but we are still faulty human beings there's only one king that's going to reign in righteousness and justice and that's Jesus in revelation 19:15 he says that he's going to rule this earth with a rod of iron in other words he is not going to take any guff from anybody it's going to be absolute authority and rule and it'll always be in righteousness and justice for us we are going to have glorified bodies it's that the scripture is clear this mortal is going to put on immortality he is going to give us a new body and those glorified bodies will enable us to fulfill our ministry in that millennial reign of Christ here on earth and we're going to be involved in that judgment that he brings and the rain that he has over this earth in Revelation 2 26 and 27 it says that he's going to give you and me power over the nation's that means you're going to rule and reign with him for a thousand years here on this earth and you're going to be a part of that rule and that reign in Revelation 3:21 it says that we will sit with him in his throne this is what he promises to anyone who overcomes he said I will grant you to sit with me in my throne Wow if he didn't say that I would never say that in Matthew 19:28 it says that some will judge the 12 tribes of Israel in Luke 19 17 and 19 it says that others will rule over cities so some will rule over nations some will rule over the Jews themselves some will rule over individual cities socially the scripture says that there will be world peace and righteousness will prevail God's blessings and his promises will be fulfilled to the nation Israel and I as a a35 verses 1 through 10 it says that healing and joy will be for all people healing and joy to all people Isaiah 54 13 he says great peace will flood this earth why because the righteous reign of Christ will be taking place Isaiah chapter 2 verse 4 it says that nations will learn war no more no war won't that be great I mean there is a continuous war someplace on this planet every day no war looking forward to that day the physical and animal creation its describes that creation is going to be delivered from the curse once and for all and no in the harmony will between the all the the people on the earth and the animals on this earth will be restored Romans chapter 8 verses 19 through 21 creation will be delivered from this the destruction and the ruin of sin Isaiah chapter 11 verses 6 through 9 there it says the lion will lay down with the lamb Isaiah 35 verses 1 & 2 the desert will blossom like a rose Isaiah 51 33 through 6 it says the earth will be restored back to the Garden of Eden Isaiah 65 20 through 25 there it declares that the people on the earth will live for a hundred years and then die and so there is going to be food to the plenty health and I mean to live till you're a hundred everybody live until they're a hundred I mean it's gonna be incredible so you say well who are these people that are going to be living to a hundred years old these are people that make some that make it through the Tribulation Period and people that will be born after that fact that are have not submitted themselves yet to Christ and that is why we are going to reign and rule with him on this earth those are the individuals who don't have glorified bodies at the end of that millennial reign of Christ the Lord will pass away this heaven this earth and he will create a new heaven and a new earth because he has fulfilled all of his promises that he has given to his people and so that is the day we're looking forward to and notice one last thing here the last verse verse 13 be silent all flesh now why does he tell him that be silent be quiet all flesh just be quiet I mean after you read these promises that he's going to regather his people yet again he is going to deal with the nation's yet again he's going to come and set up his kingdom on this earth and fulfill all of his promises we should just be silent in other words being all be in a place of reverence he's he wants his people to be amazed at what he has promised to do that's that's his point he says here be silent all flesh before the Lord for he is aroused from his holy habitation and when the Lord has aroused from his holy habitation look out because it's it's going to be a very interesting place on this planet but he is going to ultimately turn it back to the way it was during the Garden of Eden oh boy what isn't that gonna be neat I'm telling you what on earth the Millennial not the Millennials but the Millennial individuals are going to experience because they're going to experience a world like we have never known and it's gonna be pretty cool let's go to him in prayer father we thank you so much for the incredible promises that you have given and Lord we believe you're going to fulfill every single one of them not one jot not one tittle not one thing we'll fail of what you have said you are faithful and you're faithful to us you're faithful to protect us you're faithful to fulfill your promises and so Lord we just we put our trust in you we surrender our hearts to you we bow our knees to you what we want to rule and reign with you in this new heaven and this new earth one day and Lord until that time make us lights make us your witnesses Lord fill us with the power of your Holy Spirit that we might have that power to be your witnesses here in this lost and dark world in Jesus name we pray they meant

Channel: Pastor Steve Carr

Views: 1,105

Rating: 4.4285712 out of 5

Keywords: Apple of His Eye, Apple of my eye

Id: OZ8su6GsBKE

Length: 45min 10sec (2710 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 13 2016