NEVILLE STEPHENS - THE ENGLISH TAFFY!!

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Zechariah Part 8

In chapter 7, Israelis sent representatives to ask the priests at the Temple whether they should continue their fasting and mourning in the fifth and seventh months. And God speaks to Zechariah, who is also a priest and tells these representatives that God is not impressed with their fasting. In fact, God says that He would rather have them obey His laws.

The LORD says:

Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?
- Zechariah 7:7 (KJV)

When King Saul disobeyed a direct order from God, the prophet Samuel came to Saul and said:

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
- 1 Samuel 15:23 (KJV)

Think about that statement for a moment.

Has God changed His view of rebellion?

I'm sorry, but the God of Samuel is the same God that we worship. And, if God viewed rebellion to be as evil as witchcraft, then we had better look carefully at ourselves to see if WE are in rebellion against God.

Paul emphasized the seriousness of this in his letter to the Church at Philippi:

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
- Philippians 2:12 (KJV)

Our churches have lost their willingness to obey God. We no longer fear God. And, when we say that we love God, it doesn't ring true. All of that means that we are rapidly approaching the same position that Israel was in, before THEY went into captivity.

All Israel had to do was obey, and they refused.

The message is the same to our churches:

All they need to do is obey.

Then, God speaks again to Zechariah, about Israel's disobedience and how they oppressed each other and refused to listen to the law and the prophets. God said:

Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts:

But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.
- Zechariah 7:13-14 (KJV)

Zechariah 8

Now, as we enter the beginning of another chapter of prophecy, let me emphasize again that God does NOT change. He is incapable of changing. He is the same God during the time of Zechariah as He is today. So, when God says this about Zion, the place where Jerusalem is:

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.
- Zechariah 8:2 (KJV)

If God was jealous for Zion with such great jealousy and fury, is that still true today?

You had better believe it!

In later chapters, we will see what God will do to those who try to interfere with Jerusalem, and what He does to them. In fact, we've already seen what God has been doing to the nations that burden themselves with Jerusalem.

Never interfere with something that God is jealous over. Never do that, unless you wish to be judged by God and suffer His wrath. I both fear and love God far too much to do that.

God continues with verse three onward, speaking of how He has returned to Zion, and yes this is present tense. And, He speaks of gathering Israel from the East and the West. That children will again play in the streets of Jerusalem. That men and women will reach old age. That He will dwell in the midst of them.

All of this will be glorious, but God set a condition upon His intentions:

15 So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.
16 These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:
17 And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord.
- Zechariah 8:15-17 (KJV)

Now, did Israel fulfill this condition?

For a short time, yes, they did fulfill this condition. But, only a short time. In fact, so short, Zechariah was eventually murdered by the people that God sought to bless.

The Second Prophecy of Chapter 8

You know that you have the beginning of another prophecy when you see a sentence like this:

"And the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me, saying,"

That's verse eighteen, and what follows is NOT a conditional prophecy. No, this prophecy speaks of a time in our future. Not only that, God speaks of something that is NOT in the covenant given to Israel at Mount Sinai.

This next verse is not about what Torah says...

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.
- Zechariah 8:19 (KJV)

That's a VIOLATION OF TORAH!

Doing this would be disobedience to God, unless something had changed. Unless, a new covenant was given to Israel. And, we know what that covenant is.

That right, the New Covenant made by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through His sacrifice on the Cross, His burial and His resurrection.

THAT is the New Covenant that will change the mournful fasting into feasting. And, a little bit later, towards the end of Zechariah, we'll see how Israel comes to faith in Jesus Christ.

Not only that, but there will be a geographic center to our faith: Jerusalem. We've never seen this before, although the Roman Catholic Church wanted Rome to be the geographic center of Christian faith. But, God did not choose Rome, and Roman Church has been in rebellion against God for more than 1900 years.

These last two verses make the point well:

Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
- Zechariah 8:22-23 (KJV)

Is this happening today?

No.

Has it EVER happened?

No.

So, it must be in our future. And, it can only happen after the Redemption of Israel and the cataclysm that occurs that crushes what's left of our civilization. But, as our civilization recovers from the ruins created by Ezekiel's Fire, people will go to Jerusalem to seek the Lord and to pray.

That day will be glorious, but even that time of glory will have an end. As people start to rebel against God again, the Restrainer will step out of the way, allowing the Antichrist to rise and conquer the world.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
שאלו שלום ירושלים

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My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you... Hosea 4:6

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I created five Android Apps that will help you read through the Bible in a Year. You can find them here:

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Sunday, 22 September 2024

"Zechariah Part 7" by John Little from "Revelation Six"

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Revelation Six - When The Four Horsemen Ride

Zechariah Part 7

John Little

Sep 21

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Zechariah 6 is the end of the vision that began in chapter 1. And, it also speaks again about the four horses, but it adds a something new to their description.

They are the Four Spirits that go forth from the Lord. And, they sound a lot like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Chapter 6 ends with a crown for Joshua the High Priest, and how this six chapter prophecy will be confirmed. Even more important, this prophecy speaks of Jesus coming and building the Third Temple - the Body of Christ.

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Thanks for reading Revelation Six! This post is public so feel free to share it.

And, read my books and guides for free:

I created five Android Apps that will help you read through the Bible in a Year. You can find them here:

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Zechariah Part 7

Zechariah 6 is split into two parts. The first part is about the Four Chariots, and the second is about the crown given to Joshua the High Priest. Both are very significant in completely different ways.

The Four Chariots

Let's actually read what is said about these chariots:

1 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.
2 In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;
3 And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.
4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?
5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.
7 And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.
8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
- Zechariah 6:1-8 (KJV)

Notice the coloring of these horses. In Revelation they are White, Red, Black and Green. I know that translators say that last horse is Pale, but the original Greek says Chloros - Green. And, verse three might have been why the translators of Revelation called the fourth horse Pale.

Why?

Because the Hebrew word for 'bay' is אמץ (Ah-moh-ts). Unfortunately, there are different definitions to that word, depending on how it's pronounced. And even then, the same pronunciation can have two different meanings. However, we are talking about a color. And Ahmots means ash-grey. And, 'Ash Grey' would be quite a pale color.

Now, when you look up this word in a concordance or interlinear, they might say 'strong'. But, that's a different word with a different pronunciation. If the word meant 'strong', it would still be spelled אמץ, but the pronunciation would be 'Oh-mets'. And, since the context of the description of these horses are about their color, and because of the pronunciation of the word in the verse... we must stick with ash-grey or maybe 'grey-brown'.

The Grisled horses?

Grisled must be an old English word for spotted, because that's what the Hebrew word 'bah-rode' means.

So, we have five horses, with two that are together. Revelation actually does the same because of what follows the Pale horse.

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
- Revelation 6:8 (KJV)

What color of horse does Hell ride?

Is it spotted?

What are these horses?

Zechariah asks that, and the angel responds with, "These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth."

Is that what the horses and horsemen are in Revelation 6?

I would have to believe that the answer can only be a resounding YES!

Now, this does not mean that we are watching a different view of the removing of the first four Seals. These spirits are going out at a different time than Revelation 6. And, it appears that God uses these spirits to judge the Earth.

Why?

Well, after the White and Black horses went to the north country, the angel said this to Zechariah, "Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country."

Now, do the colors of the horses indicate what they do?

In Revelation 6, we see each rider given something specific, and was given a specific duty. Zechariah does not describe that here. Yet, the differences in colors would seem to show that these horses have different duties, and it would be natural to assume that these duties are similar to what Revelation describes. So, that would be my operating hypothesis.

White Horses - a conquering empire

Red Horses - Violence

Black Horses - Scarcity

Ash-Grey Horses with the Spotted Horses - Death and Hell

And, at the time when the White and Black horses went to the North, something happened that made the angel less angry, or more at peace. Some judgment happened up there.

What could have happened or be happening around 520 BC?

Well, there were a bunch of revolts that Darius had to put down across his empire. That could account for the actions of the White and Black horses. Then, he invaded Europe, going after the Scythians. Then, Darius had to beat up Greece for fomenting revolt in Anatolia. He was the guy who lost the battle of Marathon. So, there was a lot of stuff going on up in the North that these two horses would have been a part of.

But, what did the Red Horses do?

They aren't mentioned as doing anything. However, the rebellion that Darius had to spent two years putting down might have been the work of the Red Horses, instead of the White and Black that I mentioned earlier.

The Crowning Of The High Priest

Then Zechariah is commanded to do something unusual. With his own hands he is to create a crown for the High Priest, so that the High Priest would also be king. And THAT is highly unusual until you think of who Jesus is. Jesus is both our High Priest AND our King. But, let's see what this section actually says:

9 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
10 Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;
11 Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;
12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord:
13 Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
14 And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the Lord.
15 And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.
- Zechariah 6:9-15 (KJV)

Now, remember that this is during the time of Ezra. The gold came with Ezra. So, Zechariah takes the silver and gold and builds a crown for Joshua the High Priest, and sets it on his head. Then verses 12 and 13 say:

12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord:

13 Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

Is God calling Joshua the High Priest, the Branch?

No.

First of all, the word Branch is not branch. We've talked about this before, it's actually bloom or sprout. Not a branch. But, that's less important than who is being talked about:

Jesus

But, what temple does Jesus build?

Well here is what is said in John 2:

18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
- John 2:18-21 (KJV)

The Body of Christ is the Third Temple, and there shall never be a need for a fourth. And, the fact that Jesus is also our King, brings this prophecy to life. This means that Zechariah was speaking about Jesus.

Then, one more thing is said:

15 And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.
- Zechariah 6:15 (KJV)

To prove that this six chapter prophecy was from the Lord, God will bring people from far away to build in this temple, and even the city.

Where did we see this?

The coming of Nehemiah, from Persia.

That confirmed to Zechariah that the vision and prophecy were true. But, it also proved to everyone else who might have thought that Zechariah had eaten the wrong mushroom. However, there is one more thing to contemplate.

Who is building in the Third Temple, the one that Jesus built - the Body of Christ?

You, me and everyone else who is a member of the Body of Christ. We are also those who are far off and have come to build in the Temple of the Lord, which is the church.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
שאלו שלום ירושלים

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My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you... Hosea 4:6

————————————

And, read my books and guides for free:

I created five Android Apps that will help you read through the Bible in a Year. You can find them here: