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Service Archives > Bible from 30,000 Feet - 2018, The > Flight ZMA01
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Flight ZMA01 - Zechariah 1-14; Malachi 1-4
From the series: Bible from 30,000 Feet - 2018, The
By Skip Heitzig
Skip Heitzig
Zechariah 1 (NKJV™)
1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
2 "The LORD has been very angry with your fathers.
3 "Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Return to Me," says the LORD of hosts, "and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts.
4 "Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds."' But they did not hear nor heed Me," says the LORD.
5 "Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?
6 Yet surely My words and My statutes, Which I commanded My servants the prophets, Did they not overtake your fathers? "So they returned and said: 'Just as the LORD of hosts determined to do to us, According to our ways and according to our deeds, So He has dealt with us.'"'"
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet:
8 I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white.
9 Then I said, "My lord, what are these?" So the angel who talked with me said to me, "I will show you what they are."
10 And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, "These are the ones whom the LORD has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth."
11 So they answered the Angel of the LORD, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, "We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly."
12 Then the Angel of the LORD answered and said, "O LORD of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?"
13 And the LORD answered the angel who talked to me, with good and comforting words.
14 So the angel who spoke with me said to me, "Proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "I am zealous for Jerusalem And for Zion with great zeal.
15 I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease; For I was a little angry, And they helped--but with evil intent."
16 'Therefore thus says the LORD: "I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it," says the LORD of hosts, "And a surveyor's line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem."'
17 "Again proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; The LORD will again comfort Zion, And will again choose Jerusalem."'"
18 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were four horns.
19 And I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these?" So he answered me, "These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."
20 Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen.
21 And I said, "What are these coming to do?" So he said, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one could lift up his head; but the craftsmen are coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it."
1 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand.
2 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."
3 And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him,
4 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.
5 'For I,' says the LORD, 'will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.'"
6 "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.
7 "Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon."
8 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.
9 "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.
10 "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst," says the LORD.
11 "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.
12 "And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem.
13 "Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!"
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.
2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.
4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, "Take away the filthy garments from him." And to him He said, "See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes."
5 And I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD stood by.
6 Then the Angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying,
7 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'If you will walk in My ways, And if you will keep My command, Then you shall also judge My house, And likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk Among these who stand here.
8 'Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
9 For behold, the stone That I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,' Says the LORD of hosts, 'And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
10 In that day,' says the LORD of hosts, 'Everyone will invite his neighbor Under his vine and under his fig tree.'"
1 Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep.
2 And he said to me, "What do you see?" So I said, "I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps.
3 "Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left."
4 So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, "What are these, my lord?"
5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord."
6 So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts.
7 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'"
8 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
9 "The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.
10 For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth."
11 Then I answered and said to him, "What are these two olive trees--at the right of the lampstand and at its left?"
12 And I further answered and said to him, "What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?"
13 Then he answered me and said, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord."
14 So he said, "These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth."
1 Then I turned and raised my eyes, and saw there a flying scroll.
2 And he said to me, "What do you see?" So I answered, "I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits."
3 Then he said to me, "This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: 'Every thief shall be expelled,' according to this side of the scroll; and, 'Every perjurer shall be expelled,' according to that side of it."
4 "I will send out the curse," says the LORD of hosts; "It shall enter the house of the thief And the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It shall remain in the midst of his house And consume it, with its timber and stones."
5 Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to me, "Lift your eyes now, and see what this is that goes forth."
6 So I asked, "What is it?" And he said, "It is a basket that is going forth." He also said, "This is their resemblance throughout the earth:
7 "Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket";
8 then he said, "This is Wickedness!" And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth.
9 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven.
10 So I said to the angel who talked with me, "Where are they carrying the basket?"
11 And he said to me, "To build a house for it in the land of Shinar; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base."
1 Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze.
2 With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses,
3 with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses--strong steeds.
4 Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"
5 And the angel answered and said to me, "These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth.
6 "The one with the black horses is going to the north country, the white are going after them, and the dappled are going toward the south country."
7 Then the strong steeds went out, eager to go, that they might walk to and fro throughout the earth. And He said, "Go, walk to and fro throughout the earth." So they walked to and fro throughout the earth.
8 And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, "See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My Spirit in the north country."
9 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
10 "Receive the gift from the captives--from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon--and go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah.
11 "Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
12 "Then speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying: "Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the LORD;
13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both."'
14 "Now the elaborate crown shall be for a memorial in the temple of the LORD for Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.
15 "Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the LORD. Then you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God."
1 Now in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev,
2 when the people sent Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God, to pray before the LORD,
3 and to ask the priests who were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and the prophets, saying, "Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?"
4 Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,
5 "Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me--for Me?
6 'When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves?
7 'Should you not have obeyed the words which the LORD proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?'"
8 Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying,
9 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion Everyone to his brother.
10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother.'
11 "But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear.
12 "Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
13 "Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen," says the LORD of hosts.
14 "But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate."
1 Again the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying,
2 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor I am zealous for her.'
3 "Thus says the LORD: 'I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the LORD of hosts, The Holy Mountain.'
4 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age.
5 The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls Playing in its streets.'
6 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?' Says the LORD of hosts.
7 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east And from the land of the west;
8 I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.'
9 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Let your hands be strong, You who have been hearing in these days These words by the mouth of the prophets, Who spoke in the day the foundation was laid For the house of the LORD of hosts, That the temple might be built.
10 For before these days There were no wages for man nor any hire for beast; There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in; For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.
11 'But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,' says the LORD of hosts.
12 'For the seed shall be prosperous, The vine shall give its fruit, The ground shall give her increase, And the heavens shall give their dew--I will cause the remnant of this people To possess all these.
13 And it shall come to pass That just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong.'
14 "For thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Just as I determined to punish you When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,' Says the LORD of hosts, 'And I would not relent,
15 So again in these days I am determined to do good To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear.
16 These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;
17 Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,' Says the LORD."
18 Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,
19 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'The fast of the fourth month, The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.'
20 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Peoples shall yet come, Inhabitants of many cities;
21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, "Let us continue to go and pray before the LORD, And seek the LORD of hosts. I myself will go also."
22 Yes, many peoples and strong nations Shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, And to pray before the LORD.'
23 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."'"
1 The burden of the word of the LORD Against the land of Hadrach, And Damascus its resting place (For the eyes of men And all the tribes of Israel Are on the LORD);
2 Also against Hamath, which borders on it, And against Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
3 For Tyre built herself a tower, Heaped up silver like the dust, And gold like the mire of the streets.
4 Behold, the LORD will cast her out; He will destroy her power in the sea, And she will be devoured by fire.
5 Ashkelon shall see it and fear; Gaza also shall be very sorrowful; And Ekron, for He dried up her expectation. The king shall perish from Gaza, And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
6 "A mixed race shall settle in Ashdod, And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
7 I will take away the blood from his mouth, And the abominations from between his teeth. But he who remains, even he shall be for our God, And shall be like a leader in Judah, And Ekron like a Jebusite.
8 I will camp around My house Because of the army, Because of him who passes by and him who returns. No more shall an oppressor pass through them, For now I have seen with My eyes.
9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be 'from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.'
11 "As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you.
13 For I have bent Judah, My bow, Fitted the bow with Ephraim, And raised up your sons, O Zion, Against your sons, O Greece, And made you like the sword of a mighty man."
14 Then the LORD will be seen over them, And His arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord GOD will blow the trumpet, And go with whirlwinds from the south.
15 The LORD of hosts will defend them; They shall devour and subdue with slingstones. They shall drink and roar as if with wine; They shall be filled with blood like basins, Like the corners of the altar.
16 The LORD their God will save them in that day, As the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, Lifted like a banner over His land--
17 For how great is its goodness And how great its beauty! Grain shall make the young men thrive, And new wine the young women.
Zechariah 10 (NKJV™)
1 Ask the LORD for rain In the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.
2 For the idols speak delusion; The diviners envision lies, And tell false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; They are in trouble because there is no shepherd.
3 "My anger is kindled against the shepherds, And I will punish the goatherds. For the LORD of hosts will visit His flock, The house of Judah, And will make them as His royal horse in the battle.
4 From him comes the cornerstone, From him the tent peg, From him the battle bow, From him every ruler together.
5 They shall be like mighty men, Who tread down their enemies In the mire of the streets in the battle. They shall fight because the LORD is with them, And the riders on horses shall be put to shame.
6 "I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back, Because I have mercy on them. They shall be as though I had not cast them aside; For I am the LORD their God, And I will hear them.
7 Those of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, And their heart shall rejoice as if with wine. Yes, their children shall see it and be glad; Their heart shall rejoice in the LORD.
8 I will whistle for them and gather them, For I will redeem them; And they shall increase as they once increased.
9 "I will sow them among the peoples, And they shall remember Me in far countries; They shall live, together with their children, And they shall return.
10 I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt, And gather them from Assyria. I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, Until no more room is found for them.
11 He shall pass through the sea with affliction, And strike the waves of the sea: All the depths of the River shall dry up. Then the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, And the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
12 "So I will strengthen them in the LORD, And they shall walk up and down in His name," Says the LORD.
1 Open your doors, O Lebanon, That fire may devour your cedars.
2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, Because the mighty trees are ruined. Wail, O oaks of Bashan, For the thick forest has come down.
3 There is the sound of wailing shepherds! For their glory is in ruins. There is the sound of roaring lions! For the pride of the Jordan is in ruins.
4 Thus says the LORD my God, "Feed the flock for slaughter,
5 "whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt; those who sell them say, 'Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich'; and their shepherds do not pity them.
6 "For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land," says the LORD. "But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor's hand and into the hand of his king. They shall attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand."
7 So I fed the flock for slaughter, in particular the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs: the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bonds; and I fed the flock.
8 I dismissed the three shepherds in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
9 Then I said, "I will not feed you. Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other's flesh."
10 And I took my staff, Beauty, and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples.
11 So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the LORD.
12 Then I said to them, "If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain." So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter"--that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.
14 Then I cut in two my other staff, Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 And the LORD said to me, "Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd.
16 "For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.
17 "Woe to the worthless shepherd, Who leaves the flock! A sword shall be against his arm And against his right eye; His arm shall completely wither, And his right eye shall be totally blinded."
1 The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:
2 "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.
3 "And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.
4 "In that day," says the LORD, "I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.
5 "And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of hosts, their God.'
6 "In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place--Jerusalem.
7 "The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah.
8 "In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them.
9 "It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
11 "In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
12 "And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves;
13 "the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves;
14 "all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
1 "In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
2 "It shall be in that day," says the LORD of hosts, "that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land.
3 "It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, 'You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the LORD.' And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.
4 "And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive.
5 "But he will say, 'I am no prophet, I am a farmer; for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.'
6 "And one will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' Then he will answer, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'
7 "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion," Says the LORD of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.
8 And it shall come to pass in all the land," Says the LORD, "That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But onethird shall be left in it:
9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; And each one will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"
1 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
Malachi 1 (NKJV™)
1 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
2 "I have loved you," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'In what way have You loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" Says the LORD. "Yet Jacob I have loved;
3 But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness."
4 Even though Edom has said, "We have been impoverished, But we will return and build the desolate places," Thus says the LORD of hosts: "They may build, but I will throw down; They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, And the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever.
5 Your eyes shall see, And you shall say, 'The LORD is magnified beyond the border of Israel.'
6 "A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the LORD of hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, 'In what way have we despised Your name?'
7 "You offer defiled food on My altar. But say, 'In what way have we defiled You?' By saying, 'The table of the LORD is contemptible.'
8 And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?" Says the LORD of hosts.
9 "But now entreat God's favor, That He may be gracious to us. While this is being done by your hands, Will He accept you favorably?" Says the LORD of hosts.
10 "Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you," Says the LORD of hosts, "Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.
11 For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations," Says the LORD of hosts.
12 "But you profane it, In that you say, 'The table of the LORD is defiled; And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.'
13 You also say, 'Oh, what a weariness!' And you sneer at it," Says the LORD of hosts. "And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; Thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?" Says the LORD.
14 "But cursed be the deceiver Who has in his flock a male, And takes a vow, But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished--For I am a great King," Says the LORD of hosts, "And My name is to be feared among the nations.
1 "And now, O priests, this commandment is for you.
2 If you will not hear, And if you will not take it to heart, To give glory to My name," Says the LORD of hosts, "I will send a curse upon you, And I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, Because you do not take it to heart.
3 "Behold, I will rebuke your descendants And spread refuse on your faces, The refuse of your solemn feasts; And one will take you away with it.
4 Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, That My covenant with Levi may continue," Says the LORD of hosts.
5 "My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, And I gave them to him that he might fear Me; So he feared Me And was reverent before My name.
6 The law of truth was in his mouth, And injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, And turned many away from iniquity.
7 "For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
8 But you have departed from the way; You have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi," Says the LORD of hosts.
9 "Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base Before all the people, Because you have not kept My ways But have shown partiality in the law."
10 Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another By profaning the covenant of the fathers?
11 Judah has dealt treacherously, And an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem, For Judah has profaned The LORD'S holy institution which He loves: He has married the daughter of a foreign god.
12 May the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob The man who does this, being awake and aware, Yet who brings an offering to the LORD of hosts!
13 And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
14 Yet you say, "For what reason?" Because the LORD has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant.
15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.
16 "For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one's garment with violence," Says the LORD of hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously."
17 You have wearied the LORD with your words; Yet you say, "In what way have we wearied Him?" In that you say, "Everyone who does evil Is good in the sight of the LORD, And He delights in them," Or, "Where is the God of justice?"
1 "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the LORD of hosts.
2 "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderer's soap.
3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.
4 "Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the LORD, As in the days of old, As in former years.
5 And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien--Because they do not fear Me," Says the LORD of hosts.
6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
7 Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances And have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," Says the LORD of hosts. "But you said, 'In what way shall we return?'
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings.
9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.
11 "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the LORD of hosts;
12 "And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land," Says the LORD of hosts.
13 "Your words have been harsh against Me," Says the LORD, "Yet you say, 'What have we spoken against You?'
14 You have said, 'It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the LORD of hosts?
15 So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.'"
16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name.
17 "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him."
18 Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.
1 "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch.
New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Zechariah 1-14; Malachi 1-4 - The Bible from 30,000 Feet - Skip Heitzig - Flight ZMA01
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We're in the book of Zechariah tonight. And Lord willing, I want to finish the Old Testament tonight. That's just Lord willing.
So we want to jump right into it. This is the Bible from 30,000 feet. We are looking at a general overview. And we want to look at the last two books of the 39 books that comprise your Old Testament, the book of Zechariah and the Italian author Malachi after that-- I mean, Malachi-- and hopefully finish this out.
In the New Testament, there are many quotes from books like Genesis, Psalms, and Isaiah. Those are the three big OT, Old Testament, books that are quoted the most in the New Testament and for good reasons. The subject matter and the length of the book merit them being quoted a lot by New Testament authors. But what you may not know is the book of Zechariah is quoted about 40 times in the New Testament-- 4-0 times in the New Testament.
Why? Because it is so obviously messianic. And the New Testament authors knew that. And so much of the quotations that deal with the coming of the Messiah, the second coming are from the book of Zechariah.
If you were to read the Old Testament from cover to cover, and I assume some of you have done that, you would discover that there is not just one person named Zechariah. There are guess how many? 30 different Zechariahs.
This is one of them. And this is the most notable one of them. He was a priest, that is he was born in a priestly family. He was not born in the land of Israel. He was born in the captivity of Babylon, but then came back to Jerusalem. It's like the opposite of Daniel, who was born outside of the captivity and born in Jerusalem and then went into captivity and served in Babylon. This guy, Zechariah, was born in captivity and then went back to Jerusalem to serve. So it's just like the polar opposite.
He was a contemporary of another prophet we've already looked at by the name of Haggai. And they were sort of like two peas in a pod. They both had the same ministry, though very different styles. God used them to stir up the apathy of the people, who had come back from the captivity, started to build the temple, and after a year shut it down, got very busy with their own affairs, their own lives, didn't want to do anything for the work of the Lord in Jerusalem. So that the temple lay in ruins.
God raised up Haggai, who is like a kick in the pants, and Zechariah, who is like a pat on the back, very, very different ministries, very different styles, but effecting the same result. And I have to find my place, because I just accidentally closed my Bible. So I'm just sort of talking to you until I do that. And we're back in Zacharias, Chapter 1, OK.
If you want a time frame, and I know you do-- if you want a frame as to when he prophesied, he fits perfectly into the books of Nehemiah and Ezra. In fact, Nehemiah, Chapter 12 writes about Zechariah coming to Jerusalem. Ezra Chapter 5 and 6 talk about the ministry that he and Haggai had in inspiring the people to build. So he has already been mentioned. If you have read those books, that's not unfamiliar to you.
OK, what is his subject matter? Well, he is a prophet that has a sweeping scope. He is looking at the rebuilding of the temple that has been left and laid in ruins. And he'll go all the way to the future to the second coming of Christ, so something that is very local and immediate, the building of the temple, all the way to the first coming and even the second coming and even the millennial kingdom, all is mentioned and written about in this book.
His style is different. I've noted that. How was it different? Haggai, as I said, was in your face, pointed the finger, was very, very frank. This guy is more of a mystic, head in the clouds. And he sees visions, a series of visions about the future.
So when you read this book, it's not unlike reading the visions of Daniel or reading the visions of John in the Book of Revelation, these apocalyptic very symbolic visions. He's longer. He's more poetic. He's more prophetic than Haggai was.
Again, two different styles, but God uses them both to work in tandem. I like that. I like the fact that you and I may have different styles, but the Lord uses us all very uniquely. So they just form a good example of that.
By the way, the reason I believe the Lord used visions like in Daniel, like in Revelation, and like here in Zechariah, is because there's something about the poetry of a vision described that paints a picture in your mind that makes an impact, A, and transcends time and culture. So that when you read it years later, and even years and centuries later, the impact can still be felt because of the style in which it is written. That's why I think Revelation is written in that style.
Revelation opens by saying the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him, which He gave or sent to His servants and signified-- that's the word that is used-- signified, that is expressed in signs. So likewise Zechariah signified or expressed these things in signs.
The reason he wrote is to bring hope to the refugees, the captives, who had come back to Jerusalem. They were very small. Remember, out of about a million Jews in Babylonian captivity, only 50,000 of them return. They're a very small, vulnerable group. There's a lot of enemies all round them up. In Sumeria, there's Sandballat, Tobiah, and the whole crew wanting to shut them down. There's pressure in Persia from a subsequent king.
And so they're wondering about their future. Persia was so large, a world dominant nation. They were a small group. And they were there in fear, as well as now apathy.
Somebody once said every tomorrow has to handles, the handle of faith or the handle of fear and anxiety. It's essential that you grab a hold of the right handle. And that's where this prophet comes in. He wants the people of Judah to grab the handle of faith. God has good things in store for y'all. And so trust him.
So we begin the book. "In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, the son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet saying, 'The Lord has been very angry with your fathers. Therefore, say to them, thus, says the Lord of hosts, return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. Do not be like your fathers to whom the former prophets preach, saying thus says, the Lord of hosts, turn now from your evil way and from your evil deeds. But they did not hear nor heed me, says the Lord."
The people had returned to the city. But according to this, they have yet to fully turn to the Lord, return back to Him, return back to Him with a full commitment and devotion to finish building that temple, that center of worship for the nation to continue.
They had come back to Jerusalem. It was very different coming back from when they left it. And you know, you perhaps some of you have discovered-- I know I have-- whenever you go back to the place of your birth, the land of your birth, it's not the same. It's not what you expect. Things do change.
And they came back and saw not a temple standing, but a bunch of ruins. And every time they saw that pile of stones, it was a reminder that their forefathers had failed. And thus, the judgment had fallen. And they're there to rebuild those stones. And as I said, after a while they became apathetic. And both Zechariah and Malachi address that.
I'm going to take you over to verse 7 of that first chapter. "On the 24th day of the 11th month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, the son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet."
I'm not going to read all these visions. But there is a series of eight visions about building the temple, all relating to rebuilding the temple. Chapters 1 through 8 are all about rebuilding the temple. Chapters 9 through 14 are all about the Messiah who is coming, coming again, and will rule and reign forever.
The first vision beginning in the verses we just read are about a man standing among the myrtle trees seated on a horse. Behind him are other horses. It is a short, but sweet vision about how God intends to prosper the nation of Judah back in the land.
Verse 8 says, "I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse. It stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow. And behind him were horses red sorrel." Which is sort of like a reddish brown and white.
Laurel trees are not big trees. They top out at about 8 feet or so. But they're hardy. They're evergreen and they're hardy. Hard to kill them.
And this is a picture of the nation of Israel. They had been attacked so many times. They had recently been decimated by the Babylonians, before that the Assyrians. But they're still there. They're back. And so it's a vision of hope that they're going to be able to withstand even this, what they have gone through.
Down in verse 16. "Therefore, thus says the Lord"-- you'll see how He flushes this out-- "I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy. My house shall be built in it, says the Lord of hosts. And a surveyor's line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem." There is going to be some expansion going on. There is going to be building going on.
In Chapter 1:18 takes us to this second of those eight visions. And this is a vision of four horns. Now, if you know your Bible, you know that horns are symbols of authority, symbols of power, usually symbols of powerful nations. And these are nations that at one time had Israel under their thumb. They were in control. They were dominated over, Israel and Judah.
And as the vision continues, there are four stonemasons or craftsmen that break these horns or lose the horns. They get rid of them. So they overpower them.
Let's read, verse 18, "I raised my eyes and I looked, and there were four horns. And I said to the angel who talked with me, what are these?" It's always a good question if you don't know what you're looking at, especially when it comes to biblical things. You know, sometimes we like to not our heads like, yeah, that's really deep. It's so deep I have no idea what you're saying.
So it's better to just say, hey, what's up? What am I looking at? What do these things mean? So he does.
"And so he answered me, these are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. And then the Lord showed me four craftsmen." We don't exactly know who these nations are. My guess is they represent the same four nations as seen in the prophecy of the book of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar saw an image of gold and silver and bronze and iron and iron and clay. Gold was Babylon, followed by Medo-Persia, followed by Greece, followed by Rome, all of which subjugated and persecuted the Jewish people.
Daniel had his own vision of the same kingdoms. But in his vision in Daniel 7, it was wild beasts. It seems that these four horns fit those four nations as once dominating Israel, but all being pushed aside and Israel surviving through the midst of it.
Chapter 2 brings us to the third vision. And that is a vision of a measuring line. Remember, we just read about that, a surveyor's line over Jerusalem because it's going to expand.
So Verse 1, "I raised my eyes and I looked and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, where are you going? He said, to measure Jerusalem to see what is its width and what is its length."
The vision goes on to basically explain that Jerusalem however big it was at that time would expand and grow. Interesting side note, 3,000 years ago-- and you can still see the early settlements of Jerusalem-- 3,000 years ago, the population of Jerusalem was about 2,000 people at its peak. And it covered-- the whole city enclosed in walls covered only 10 to 12 acres. That was the city of Jerusalem, 10 to 12 acres enclosed by a wall, 2,000 people. That was Jerusalem.
Today, the population of Jerusalem is not 2,000 people. It's 875,000 people, close to a million people in one city. The square mileage of the city of Jerusalem, far from 10 to 12 acres, is 49 square miles. It has expanded. That measuring line has gone way out. There's gridlock in the Holy City.
Over in Chapter 3, we get vision number four. It's a vision of Joshua, not Joshua in the Old Testament after Moses, but Joshua the high priest who served alongside Zerubbabel. Remember Zerubbabel? We've already noted his name. Zerubbabel was the civic leader, like the mayor or the governor of the city. Joshua was the religious leader, the high priest. And this is a vision of the cleansing of the high priest emblematic of the cleansing of the nation itself.
Verse 1, "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him." Now, we can relate to that, can't we? We, who serve the Lord, we, who follow Jesus, we have an adversary. That's what Satan means, an adversary, an enemy, who opposes everything you want to do or activate in serving the Lord. He wants to oppose you.
And this is interesting, Verse 2, "The Lord said to Satan, the Lord rebuke you Satan." Now, that's interesting. He didn't say, I rebuke you Satan, which He could. He can. He is the Lord who created the devil. He created Lucifer, who became the devil.
But the Lord said the Lord rebuke you. He used the third person. The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? Speaking of Joshua. "Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and was standing before the angel. And he answered and spoke to those who stood before saying, take away the filthy garments from him. And to him he said, see, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes."
I see here something that I've always felt strongly about. When it comes to spiritual warfare, we should never deal directly with the devil. I've heard believers become very emboldened. And they'll be praying and in their prayers sort of pivot from praying to God to talking to the devil, which I think it's just never good. Why pray to him? And say something like, Satan I rebuke you in Jesus' name. Or Satan we rebuke you.
Even the Lord didn't use the first person. Even the Lord said, the Lord rebuke you. So you say, well, why is that a model? Because we see it again in the New Testament Book of Jude, Verse 9, where we are told that even Michael the Archangel when disputing with Satan over the body of Moses dared not bring a reviling accusation against him. This is Michael the Archangel fighting another demonic archangel, the devil.
And it said, he didn't even bring a reviling accusation, but rather said the Lord rebuke you. So I don't even like to talk to the devil. I don't think it's good form for a Christian to have conversations with them. The Bible says resist the devil, not carry on a negotiation with the devil.
Don't even talk to him. When the devil knocks at your door, ask Jesus Christ to answer it. You don't have to even engage him. And let's just say you don't have to worry about him.
Oh, it's the devil. So? What's new? Oh, it's the devil.
Sometime go study one of the great hymns of the church written by Martin Luther called, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." There's great lyrics in that hymn. And one of the stanzas goes something like, and though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, we shall not fear for God has willed his truth to triumph through us. The Prince of Darkness grim we tremble not for him. One little word shall fell him. God will speak one word and he'll be incarcerated, and he'll eventually be destroyed.
The song goes on to say, his rage we can endure for lo for his strength is sure and his doom, Satan's doom, is sure. So good to study the scripture and into study those who use the scripture to write their worship songs like that.
Now that's the fourth vision. The fifth vision is in Chapter 4. It's a vision of a menorah. Do you know what a menorah is? A seven-branched candelabrum that was in the Tabernacle, later on in the Temple. It is a fire that burned before the Altar of Incense and the Table of Showbread. It was representative of the presence of God among his people.
But in Chapter 4, it's a vision of a menorah that I would best describe as an automated menorah. Before the days of modern technology, it's a seven-branched candlestick. Above it is a collecting bowl that had olive oil into it. Pipes went out from this bowl to the heads of the lamps to keep them lit. And on either side of the menorah and this receptacle were two olive trees.
So the oil was olive oil. So the olive oil was being produced by the olive trees, fed into the receptacle and by gravity taken to the lamp stand. So you know usually the price would have to fill it every day. This thing's automated.
Check this out. Verse 1, "Now the angel who talked with me came back and waken me as a man who was wakened out of his sleep"-- oh, by the way, all of these eight visions happened in one night. You think you have weird dreams after your pizza with onions at 11 o'clock at night. Eight of these crazy visions inspired by God, not pizza, not falafel, not hummus, not onions, but the spirit of God in one night.
So he gets woken up. "And he said to me, what do you see? So I said, I'm looking. And there's a lamp stand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it. And on the stands seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it. One at the right of the bowl. The other at the left. So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me saying, what are these, my Lord. And the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, do you not know what these are?" And I like it. I love his honesty. "I answered, no."
"So he answered me, this is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord of hosts." You recognize that verse. Very famous, very familiar to you, often quoted. "Who are you, oh, great mountain before Zerubbabel? You shall become a plane. He will bring forth the capstone with shouts of grace, grace to it."
In other words, whatever obstacles you face in rebuilding this temple, it's going to happen. You tell Zerubbabel this vision. God's going to do it. It's not going to be by human strength. It's not going to be by human wealth. But by the power of the Spirit it'll get done. Rely on that, Zerubbabel.
Don't say we don't have enough money. We don't have enough resources. Just get it done. God will give you what you need. "Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord." I love this, because that's how I explain the existence of this fellowship in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
I didn't come here with a demographic study of the area or being financed by a group with a vision and a plan and we're going to do this and do that. I had no experience and I had no idea what I was doing. And those who know me say, and you still don't. And if that's so, I'd rather keep it just like that. It's a good arrangement, because I may not, but He does.
And so, well, how do you explain the success of the church? Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
There are three more visions, which we will not look at, all about the same theme. Jerusalem is going to be built. The obstacles are going to be removed.
Chapters 9 through 14 take us to that messianic portion of the book, all the way to the millennial reign of Christ, the kingdom on Earth, the first coming of Jesus, as well as and most principally the second coming of the Messiah. Keep in mind these prophets did not see the gap that you and I know to be the church age between the first coming of Jesus and the second coming has been an age of grace, 2,000 years of grace, where people from all over the world and different generations different tongues, largely Gentiles have come to believe in the God of Israel through the Messiah, the Jewish messiah, Jesus.
Prophets didn't see that gap. They saw these processes as all sort of a screenshot. I often use the illustration, it's like looking at a mountain range from 40 miles away. It looks postcard flat. But as you get closer, you see that the peaks are separated by valleys. And if you go over it, like if you take the tram over our own mountain, which looks just like a big flat mountain from this town, when you go on the tram, you see the different peaks and the little valleys between them. And so the prophets just saw the mountain range. They didn't see the distance between the events that happened.
Now, I have a good example. Take you over to Chapter 9. Chapter 9:9, we have in two verses, two comings of Jesus, the first coming and the second coming with a gap between the verses of now about 2,000 years. So again, both comings seen sort of as one event.
This is sort of like Isaiah 61. Remember that text? Jesus quoted that in the synagogue in Nazareth in Luke, Chapter 4. And the text of Isaiah is "the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, to open the prison doors to those who are captains, to proclaim the year of liberty, the acceptable year of our Lord." Then Jesus closed the book and said, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
However, he closed the book and stopped the text in the middle of a verse. There is a comma in that verse of Isaiah 61. Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. Prison doors to those who were captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to proclaim to acceptable year of the Lord-- comma-- and the day of vengeance of our God.
That comma between the first and second phrase is a 2,000 year-long comma. I preached a whole message once on that comma. You say, well, I've heard you do a verse. No, I just did the comma.
So you have a verse that includes the first coming and the second coming, the tribulation and the second coming of Christ. But Jesus wisely and correctly closed the book before the verse ended, the day of vengeance of our God, because that would be the tribulation period. So he closed it and said, today, this scripture is fulfilled in your ears. Now, we're waiting for that rest to be fulfilled. So you see it here.
Verse 9, Chapter 9, "Rejoice greatly, o, daughter of Zion. Shout o, daughter of Jerusalem. Behold your King is coming to you. He is just and having salvation lowly riding on a donkey, a colt, the foul of a donkey." Does that sound familiar? That prediction was fulfilled in the New Testament by Jesus on April 6, 32 AD, according to Sir Robert Anderson who tabulated the dates.
It was precisely 173,880 days after March 14, 445 BC when the declaration was given by the Persian monarch to go back and rebuild Jerusalem. And Daniel said from the going forth of the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah, the prince, will be 173,880 days to the very day Jesus showed up from the eastern side of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives walking with his men, his disciples. And he'd been there before on several feast. Normally, they would walk all the way into the city.
But something was different on this day. He asked for something he never asked for before. He said go into the village next to you and get me a donkey. It's tied up. There's a couple of donkeys there, a mom and her colt. Bring them to me. Don't ask a-- if somebody stops you and says, what are you doing? Just say the Lord needs it, and they'll let him go.
So they were over there. They go, what are you doing? They go, let's try this. He said try it. Lord need it. OK, take it.
So they took the donkey. Jesus sits on the donkey, comes into Jerusalem. For the very first time, he allows himself to be welcomed publicly as the Messiah. And then he stops midway. And he begins looking at Jerusalem and weeping over it.
And in Luke 19, he says something very significant. He said, If only you had known, especially you, in this your day, the things that make for your peace, but they are blinded hidden from your eyes. Therefore, your enemies will surround you, cast an embankment around you. Your city will be leveled with your children in it. Not one stone will be left upon another because you did not know the time, the day of your visitation." He held them accountable to know when he was coming because he gave them the timetable.
And the tip-off, the clue should have been, he's riding a donkey. Hello, Zechariah 9:9. He's coming on a donkey. Kings rode donkeys in times of peace. They rode steeds, horses, stallions in times of war. That's why when Jesus comes back, Revelation 19, he's not on a donkey anymore. He's on a horse to rule and reign, to conquer the world, to put an end to what has been going on. But here, as the prophecy predicted, he's riding a donkey.
Now, between Verse 9 and 10, the period at the end of Verse 9 is a 2,000-year period, the age of grace, the church age. Now, Verse 10, we're into the second coming. "I will cut off the chariot for Ephraim"-- that's a euphemism for the nation of Israel. It's one of the large tribes-- "and the horse from Jerusalem, the battle both shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the river"-- that is the Euphrates-- "to the ends of the Earth."
This is Messiah's peaceful reign after His second coming. You may want to write in the margin, Isaiah, Chapter 2, because in Isaiah, Chapter 2, and the book of Micah, I think, Chapter 4-- they quote each other-- "and they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn to make war anymore." That's Messiah's reign from Jerusalem. And that is the same, shade of meaning here in this verse.
Chapter 10 speaks about the blessings of the future kingdom, Chapter 11 the rejection of the King. In Chapter 11, can we just do this very quickly? Verse 10, "I took my staff, beauty, and I cut it in two that it might break the covenant, which I had made with all the people. So it was broken on that day."
Verse 11 of Chapter 11, "Thus, the poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. And I said to them, if it is agreeable to you, give me my wages. If not, refrain. So they weighed out for my wages"-- how much? 30 pieces of silver. "And the Lord said to me, throw it to the potter, that princely price they set on me. So I took the 30 pieces of silver, threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. Then I cut in two my other staff, bonds that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel."
The Prophet here speaking of Jesus paints the picture of Christ as a shepherd asking his flock, what am I worth to you? Expecting them to say, oh, you're worth everything to us. You have immeasurable worth. But they say, you are worth less than a slave gored by an ox. Now let me explain that.
In Numbers, Chapter 21, 30 pieces of silver was the price you would pay for a slave gored by an ox. So that's very low. So basically, they're saying, you are worth to us less than a slave. Your value to us is only 30 pieces of silver.
Now, Matthew 27 goes on to say that this is the fulfillment-- Judas Iscariot fulfills this prophecy because he took 30 piece of silver for betraying Christ. That's all Jesus was worth in fulfilling that prophecy. Threw it into the house of the Lord. They bought a potter's field. Judas hung himself in that potter's field. So that prophecy was fulfilled here.
Chapters 12, 13, and 14 are about the second coming of Christ. And interspersed in that-- the kingdom age is there as well-- but interspersed in that is the last battle of the nations of the world that gather against Jerusalem in the end of days. So I take you now to Chapter 14 where we will bring Zechariah to a close.
And noticed something in Verse 3 of Chapter 14. "Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations." You really have to read all of 12 and 13 to really get the flow of that, but we just don't have the time. I trust you've done it before. And this is 30,000 feet, so "The Lord will go forth and fight those nations"-- judgment it is already decreed about these nations before these versus-- "he'll 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."
It's always fun to pull this out while we're standing on the Mount of Olives and just to realize what has happened, what will happen from that place. And the Mount of Olives will be split in two, making a very large valley. Half of the mountain shall be moved toward the north and half toward the south.
When Jesus ascended up into heaven, he didn't ascend up into heaven from Jerusalem, but from the Mount of Olives outside of Jerusalem. Right? It says he took his disciples out to the Mount of Olives and then a cloud lifted him up, and they watched him go into heaven. And so the disciples are looking up, because, you know, he was here. Now, it's-- [WHIRRING SOUND] they kind of saw him rising, checking it out.
And so as they're looking up, an angel appears and says, you men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus who is taken from you will so come again in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven. How did Jesus go into heaven? In a cloud, visibly, physically visibly from the Mount of Olives. How will Jesus return? In a cloud, physically, visibly to the Mount of Olives. And this time it'll be split in two.
I've been told on a number of occasions by tour guides that there is a fault line that runs from the Syro-African Rift, that great tectonic plate formation that formed the nation of Israel, that fault line rides runs directly under the Mount of Olives. So that fault line is waiting for a very specific footprint. And when his foot touches down, I think that fault will be active and that valley will be formed when Jesus returns to the Earth.
Verse 8, "And in that day there shall be living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half toward the eastern sea, half toward the western sea. In both summer and winter it shall occur. The Lord shall be King over all the Earth. In that day, it shall be the Lord is one and His name one."
I have interesting little tidbit about that. But I don't have the time, because we have Malachi to finish. So sorry about that. That's very cruel probably to say that.
But go down to Verse 16. It shall come to pass-- now, we're looking future now. We're looking past the second coming. We're looking into the kingdom age now. Messiah is reigning on Earth. It says he'll be King over all the Earth. We read that.
Now, watch this. "It'll come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King of the Lord of hosts and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles." So if you're not able to join us on a tour of Israel, you'll get there. In fact, it seems that there'll be a delegation from every nation. You might be part of that delegation to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. So you'll get to see it in the Kingdom Age.
But it is worth a trip before the Kingdom Age, because it's nice to see a before and after view, because if I read is Ezekiel right, it's not going to look anything like it does today. And if you want to see the places that represent the biblical places where things took place, it's kind of good to see it before that point.
OK, now, we're in the last book of the Bible. We can do this. Short book, four short chapters. The book of Malachi-- I mean, Malachi. It is the bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. It takes us all the way to John the Baptist. He's mentioned in this book. He fulfills prophecies mentioned in this book.
Now, you usually think that Malachi is the last Old Testament prophet. No, the last Old Testament prophet was John the Baptist. You say, how do you figure? Well, Jesus said all the prophets prophesied until John. So Jesus designated John the Baptist as the last of the OT, Old Testament, prophets.
And we should move on. I have to catch myself sometimes, because my mind goes to these places. And I've got a real it back in.
So there's a style in this book called a dialectic style. Dialectic style meaning it's a question and answer. Or better yet, a proposition followed by an objection followed by a reaction. And so that's the style that is seen throughout the book. Because of that, Malachi has been called the Socrates of the Old Testament, because of this very unique style of his prophecy.
OK, so it is post-exile. The people are back in the land. I already mentioned they're apathetic. They're divorcing their wives. They're not good with finances. They're withholding their tithes. All of these things are addressed in this book.
But notice the first few verses. "The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, says the Lord. Yet you say"-- here is that dialectic style. "Yet you say in what way have you loved us?" Imagine saying that to God. God says, I love you. We say, prove it."
"Was not Esau Jacob's brother, says the Lord. Yet Jacob I have loved." So there is this resistance that we see in this book. Go down to Verse 6, "A son honors his father. A servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is my honor? And if I am the master, where is my reverence? Says the Lord of hosts. To you priests who despise my name, yet you say in what way have we despised your name?" And He answers that question.
Go down to Chapter 2. This continues as he uncovers several of the issues they have I mentioned. They're dealing with money. They're dealing with their spouses, et cetera.
Verse 13 of Chapter 2 says, "This is the second thing you do, to cover the altar of the Lord with tears with weeping and crying. So he does not regard the offering anymore, nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. Yet you say, for what reason? Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth with whom you have dealt treacherously, yet she is your companion"-- or your covenant companion for life and the wife by covenant.
Verse 16, "For thus says the Lord of Israel, he hates divorce for it covers one's garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. Therefore, take heed to your spirit that you do not deal treacherously."
Now Chapter 3 and 4, which brings us to the close, these are the most famous two chapters in the book of Malachi. This is where most quotes come from and most of our attention is known on these last two chapter. You'll see why.
Verse 1, Chapter 3, "Behold I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger"-- so that's the second messenger in this section. The first messenger mentioned right up front. This is now the second messenger. "Even the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold he is coming, says the Lord of hosts."
So there's two messengers. One is called the Lord. One is somebody announcing the Lord.
This is predicted at the time the temple wasn't even finished or they had slowed down on it. For this prophecy to be fulfilled, there has to be a temple standing, because he's the Lord of the covenant. He's going to come to that temple suddenly. "Even the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight." So this is why this book provides the bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Now, when Malachi is done, which will be soon-- well we're almost done with it-- there's going to be 400 years of silence before God speaks again to the Father of John the Baptist, Zacharias, that Elizabeth is going to have a child, who's going to be the messenger that fulfills this. So God breaks his radio silence after 400 years.
Now, go over to Chapter 4:5. Look at that. We're already at the end. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the children, the heart of the children to the fathers, lest I come and strike"-- or smite-- "the Earth with a curse."
When Jesus was transfigured up in the Galilee region in front of his disciples, Peter, James, and John were with him. Two people appeared with Jesus on that mount of transfiguration. One was Moses. One was Elijah. They were talking about the cross. They were talking about the coming kingdom.
Here is the prediction, God says, "I will send Elijah the prophet before the coming, the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Now, notice the description of what he will do. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, the hearts of the children to the fathers.
An angel, as I mentioned, appears to Zacharias 400 years later, father of John the Baptist, said you're going to have a boy, going to call his name John. He's going to be God's messenger. He is going to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers, which troubles us a little bit or makes us wonder, well, wait a minute, that's Elijah the prophet who's coming. So in the previous chapter, I'm going to send my messenger who's going to make the way for the Lord, the messenger. Now, he says Elijah the prophet is going to come.
Now, as I turn to Luke, Chapter 1, I'll read to, as we're closing this out. Verse 15 of that first chapter, "The angel says to Zacharias. He will be great in the sight of the Lord. He won't drink wine or strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also"-- watch this-- "go before him in the spirit and in the power of Elijah"-- quoting now the prophet that we just read-- "to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
OK, John the Baptist is born. He comes on the scene. He starts preaching, starts baptizing. They come to him and they ask him, right in his face, are you Elijah? And he says, what? No. Are you that prophet, the Messiah? He said no.
So he denies being the Messiah. He denies being the prophet Elijah. Although the angel said to his dad, he's going to be Elijah-like, right. OK, it gets even more fun than that. In Matthew, Chapter 1, Jesus speaking, quoting Malachi in Verse 10 of Chapter 11 of Matthew, Matthew 11:10, "Behold, I send my messenger before you. Prepare your face. Prepare your way before you. Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women, there is not risen one greater than John the Baptist, but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violence take it by force for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John."
Now watch this. "And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come." Now we're complicating it a little bit, right? Because Zachariah hears from the angel he's going to be like Elijah. Yet John the Baptist said no, I'm not Elijah. Now, Jesus says, if you can receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.
OK, now I'm going to resolve it. Matthew, Chapter 17-- don't worry, we're closing this book very shortly. I know my time's up. Chapter 17 of Matthew, "His disciples asked him," Verse 10, "saying, why then do some of the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Well, the scribes are right, because the prophet said that, right? "Then Jesus answered and said, Elijah truly is coming first and will restore all things."
So he's speaking future. John the Baptist has come and gone, right. He says Elijah will be coming in the future.
But Verse 12, "but I say to you that Elijah has come already and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of whom? John the Baptist.
OK, so put it all together for you. John the Baptist was a forerunner of the messenger. He came having an Elijah-like ministry. In a sense, he was Elijah fulfilling the ushering in of the Messiah. But the real prophet Elijah, who died, whom Jesus met on the mount of transfiguration, will come again before Jesus shows up the second time.
When does he come? I think Revelation 11. There are two prophets. And if you look at their description, they smack almost identical of what they're able to do and their description of Moses and Elijah. That happens before the-- so I hope that solved the puzzle for you. John the Baptist was in a sense Elijah, but not the real prophet Elijah. Was Elijah-oid, Elijah-like. But the real prophet Elijah will be resurrected, will come to the Earth, and will have a ministry before Jesus.
OK, the Old Testament ends. And what is the last word in the Old Testament? What's the last word? Every Bible opens to-- curse. Mark that. Because the last verse of the Bible in the New Testament revelation says the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, amen. The Old Testament ends with a curse. The New Testament ends with a blessing.
Jesus came to remove the curse introduced in Genesis, maintained here all the way through the book of Malachi. But as it says in the Gospel of John, Chapter 1, "The law came by Moses," which brought a curse, "the law came by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."


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Part of my East to West series featured in Hawaiian Airlines HQ.
Acrylic, colored pencil on wood panel.
"Red Ladies" is a series I created in an attempt to find a solution for marrying the two styles I seem to go back and forth between in my work (illustrative/clean cut/graphic VS. sketchbook/textured/blocky).
All pieces are acrylic and colored pencil, with metallic gold accents, on wood panels.


Four days after signing a three-year, $15.025 million deal with the Ravens, offensive tackle Austin Howard still hasn't practiced with his new team and it isn't clear why.
"Just like I said yesterday, the same answer as yesterday, it's in the trainer's hands," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said after Tuesday's training camp practice, the last full workout before Thursday's preseason opener against the Washington Redskins.
Howard, 30, had surgery in January to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his shoulder. The Ravens signed him about a week after he was released by the Oakland Raiders on July 28. Howard took a physical for the team before the deal, which includes a $3 million signing bonus, a $1.525 million base salary this season and option years in 2018 and 2019, became official.
It isn't clear whether Howard's absence is a result of his offseason shoulder surgery or another injury problem cropped up in recent days. Harbaugh said after Saturday night's practice at Navy that Howard was going to practice Monday, but he has not been on the field.
"I don't have any expectations for that kind of stuff," Harbaugh said. "You try to do what's best for the players and what's best for the guys and getting them ready to play. That's in their hands. That's in their ballpark."
Howard obviously won't play in Thursday night's preseason game, but the Ravens would certainly like to get him on the practice field as soon as possible so he can start building some chemistry with the rest of the offensive line.
Harbaugh noncommittal about Thursday: Harbaugh said Monday that he expected quarterback Ryan Mallett to play "pretty extensively" in Thursday's preseason opener. He was noncommittal about the rest of his starters.
Harbaugh is traditionally conservative in playing his starters in the first preseason game. It will be interesting to see if he's even more cautious this year, given the number of injuries the team has endured in training camp so far.
As it is, the Ravens have a number of starters, or at least top backups, who have either been not practicing or limited to individual drills. That list includes quarterback Joe Flacco, wide receiver Breshad Perriman, offensive linemen Howard, Marshal Yanda and Alex Lewis, and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Maurice Canady. None of those players are expected to play Thursday.
Redskins coach Jay Gruden told reporters Tuesday that he's still deciding how much he'll play his starters.
End zone: Harbaugh had no updates on the status of Flacco and Humphrey. Both Humphrey and Lewis have missed five consecutive practices. … Harbaugh praised second-year defensive end Bronson Kaufusi, saying he's "never seen a guy work harder." Kaufusi missed all of last season after he broke his ankle in training camp. … Former Ravens cornerback and return man Asa Jackson signed Tuesday with the San Francisco 49ers.


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Former Shelter Dog Makes Theater Debut
Dec 27, 2016 | 3 Minutes
Mori was selected to play the role of Sandy in a local theater production of Annie. Patrice tells the story of his theater debut.
In July, I received a call from a friend who had been approached by a mutual acquaintance looking for a "light-colored, fluffy" dog to play the role of Sandy in a musical revue of Annie. I called the number to find out more.
That phone call introduced me to Enrapt, a small theater in Pickens, SC, that was founded in 2014 by Breann Griffin-Nicholson. When founding Enrapt, Breann's dream was to share the arts with her small town and create a passion in the hearts of people who may not have opportunities to experience the arts. Breann's vision for Enrapt is to provide community members with opportunities to experience theatre first hand with acting, directing, and more. Auditions for a musical revue of the classic, Annie, were held in mid-July.
I had limited time to meet Breann to find out what would be involved with working on the play. Logistics and time commitment were my greatest concerns. Breanne brought her niece, Nevaeh Ranes, who would be playing the role of Annie to see how she and Mori would interact. They came to an obedience trial where Mori was competing.
Breann along with Annie and her family approached me right as I was going into the Utility ring. It was an abrupt first meeting. When I came out of the ring, they marveled at Mori's performance (which happened to be an NQ). We introduced ourselves and found a quiet corner in the noisy venue to make formal introductions. As we talked, Mori leaned up against Nevaeh, laid at her feet, and the bond was formed. We played with some simple recalls to see if Mori would respond. It was clear to everyone that Breann had found her Sandy.
My final dilemma was logistics. Considering the travel time between work and home, then to the theatre, it would be impossible to make rehearsals on time. Breann agreed to fold our scenes in when we got there. Nevaeh and her mom, Bethany Ranes, agreed to let Mori stay at their house on the days we would need to be at the theatre earlier for dress rehearsals and performances. When I was able to make arrangements for my other dog during those critical dates, I called Breann and told her that Enrapt had found their Sandy.
"The joys of working in theatre became 10 times more exciting when we received news that we would be able to have a real live dog for our musical revue of Annie. We wanted to be able to have a live dog so that our musical numbers really came to life for the audience," Breanne said. "We were giddy when Patrice decided that she and Mori were on board and ready to commit a lot of time to the production of this musical revue."
When we started rehearsals, neither of us knew what to expect. It was thrilling, but, also, terrifying. We started Mori in slowly and let him adapt to the new environment, lights, music, and to the noises of little girl giggles. Before long, Mori was put on the stage in the small, quaint black box theater and work began.
"We were thrilled to see Sandy join Annie's side with such discipline and excitement. Over the weeks of rehearsals and runs, Patrice worked with Mori and with the actors in his musical numbers. The hard work paid off because his performance was impeccable," Breann said. "Mori got into the swing of things quickly and before long, his ears were perking up to his musical numbers and he was heading for the stage door seconds before his entrances. He truly had become a theatre dog before closing night."
I, personally, learned so much from being involved in this project. After four years of obedience competition, Mori had the skills to execute his musical numbers, but I really had no idea how I would translate those skills from the obedience ring into a theatre environment. I knew how my dog learned. I knew his challenges.
As we rehearsed and numbers didn't go as planned, I would analyze the situation on the long drive home and come up with several possible solutions to work through the issue the next time. Breann and her student director were receptive to my ideas and together we helped Mori, and the actors who shared his scenes, succeed. I cannot find the words to describe the experience.
At the end of August I showed up with a light, fluffy dog to be a prop on stage; by the final performance in November, I was helping with costume changes, organizing props, and babysitting "orphans" back stage. Not to mention the friendships I made, all because I took another chance with my not so perfect pup to see where a new road would take us.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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HMRC has warned firms promoting tax avoidance schemes could be fined up to £1m, the Financial Times reports.
HMRC has written to several firms it has identified as "high-risk promoters" following the inclusion of measures to stamp out tax avoidance in the latest Finance Bill.
Treasury minister David Gauke says the crackdown will "tackle the small minority of tax advisers who are persistently uncooperative and are not transparent in their dealings with HMRC".
According to the FT, HMRC believes there are currently around 20 firms responsible for aggressive tax avoidance schemes. This year's Finance Bill has given the Revenue powers to monitor certain firms.
If these firms breach specific conditions, they will be publicly identified and forced to hand over product and client information.
The continued crackdown on tax avoidance has seen the number of new tax avoidance schemes reduced from 116 in 2009/10 to just 28 in 2013/14.
A fine for being "persistently uncooperative", but not breaking the law – watch out little Jonny sat in the back row of class – you'll be next in this nanny knows best nonsense. This is a dangerous precedent (not that it's been tested yet) This is all too late in the day anyhow looking at the dramatically reduced number of promoters – more Govt spin after the damage has been done. By now the public have enough information about the questionability of these arrangements to make their own decision – and more to the point "the public" don't use these arrangements anyway.
Hmmm…like so many things the devil of this is in the detail. Fined for promoting tax evasion – certainely – that and more, it's criminal, literally. But avoidance is legal, and comes in various shades of grey. One assumes ISA's and Pensions won't be deemed "aggressive" . Some other products slide into the greyer area, with HMRC revieweing all sorts of schemes which use pretty standard reliefs, and then there's schemes which can involve "shop front" offshore post box addresses as a "jolly good wheeze" aiming to apply odd loopholes for purposes for which they were never intended.
One would hope that if both provider and intermediary had been open with HMRC, they would then, 2 years down the line, not slap on a fine. Equally it would be nice if having been furnished with full details of any proposed scheme HMRC would say yay or nay…….some chance!