December 28, 2014
The prophet Zechariah wrote around 520 BC. This was 500 years before Christ and 2500 years before the present age. His little book is filled with Messianic prophecies. Here, we see a Messianic reference to “an only son,” a “firstborn” who the people of Israel would “look on” and finally acknowledge as the Messiah whom they had “pierced.” Recognizing Him they would “mourn” and “grieve bitterly.” Certainly, the prophecy that they would pierce the Son has already come to pass at Christ’s crucifixion. But that they would acknowledge Him and mourn has only partially come true. A great outpouring of the Spirit took place at Pentecost and thousands of Jews were saved. Yet, most Jews have rejected Christ. Zechariah’s prophecy points to a future time when a great spiritual awakening will take place among the Jews, so that they embrace Christ as their Messiah. This will happen before true peace comes to Jerusalem.
December 27, 2014
God revealed the fall of Babylon to John. Since the actual city of Babylon had fallen to the Persians over 500 years before John’s Revelation, this must be taken as a symbolic reference to a future event. Some see Babylon as symbolizing Rome (historic view), others see the city of New York, but a more convincing view is that Babylon symbolizes the world economic system. In this view, a sign of the end times is that the world will have a unified world economy that makes nations and merchants wealthy, while others are enslaved by it. Ultimately, Babylon will fall. Those who depend on the world’s economy will be disappointed. Those who depend on God’s provision will be satisfied.
December 26, 2014
Christianity is always only one generation away from extinction. God does not have grandchildren. The faith must be passed on like a baton in a relay race. The Israelites who took possession of the Promised Land were faithful, but they forgot the command to pass their faith on to their children. So, the author of the book of Judges observed: “After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10). Every good parent wants their children to be well educated. But every godly parent knows that the most important task is to teach their children of God’s “mighty acts.”
December 25, 2014
Everyone has a god, someone/something they idolize and worship. The atheist worships reason, the hedonist bows to pleasure, and the pantheist prays to nature. Yet, all are humanists at heart and have chosen themselves as god and gone their own way. Some will find fleeting moments of happiness and distraction. But only those who have recognized the LORD as God will know true JOY!
December 24, 2014
The vision that God gave the prophet Zechariah has a striking similarity to the one He gave John in the Revelation. Here, the “four spirits” and their chariots are similar to the four horsemen of the apocalypse (Rev. 6). In Zechariah, the four chariots are connected to the four directions of the compass, as God sent them out to “patrol the earth” and administer His justice on the nations. There are many interpretations as to the meaning of these four chariots, yet one thing is clear. They “stand before the Lord” and they go out to “do His work.” God is not a passive observer, nor an absentee landlord of His creation. He is ever-vigilant and active in His sovereignty. And He is not silent. He has revealed His plans to His people. We may not fully understand the details, but we can clearly see the overall arc of the story the Divine Author is writing. One day, the Son of God will judge the living and the dead and all creation will bow to His eternal reign. The rebellion will end and Christ will reign.
December 23, 2014
When we pray to the Lord with understanding we eventually stop praying for what we want and find our wants met in Him. We stop praying for a place of peace and safety and we see that God Himself is our “refuge.” Let the prayers of David guide you on how to pray. Turn down the volume and busyness this Christmas to pray. Pray not until you feel inner peace, but until you are so stirred by God’s radiant glory that you are captured by the amazing light that still points to Christ.
December 22, 2014
“The Branch” is a title referring to a coming King in the line of David. The Davidic line in Zechariah’s day was preserved (in Zerubbabel), but no longer in possession of the throne. A branch is part of a family tree that has yet to reach its climax. One from David’s line would again take the throne, yet in this future day this “Servant/Branch” would be both King and Priest. The high priest, Jeshua (Yeshua, Jesus), and his fellow priests were “symbols of things to come,” they foreshadowed the coming Messiah who would combine the offices of king and high priest and make all of His followers a kingdom of priests with Him. This messianic prophecy is partially fulfilled in Christ’s first coming, but will be completely fulfilled in His soon return.
December 21, 2014
This is God’s Word. It is what it claims to be. It can do what it says it can do. The prophet Zechariah had the privilege of speaking to the returning exiles to Jerusalem. Their forefathers had been overthrown and taken captive 70 years before as the old prophets had predicted. Unlike their forefathers, the returning children were repentant and ready to believe. Along with the book of Daniel, this little book is filled with images that aren’t seen again until John takes them up again in his revelation of Jesus. Zechariah is filled with Messianic prophecy that Jesus fulfilled. What God revealed to and through Zechariah, He has done. Yet prophecy in the Scriptures tends to have a threefold fulfillment: Present (or immediate), ongoing and future. Our faith is built up by the fulfillment already seen, and our hearts are filled with hope by taking hold of those promises that we can apply now and look for in the future.
December 20, 2014
Who are these two “prophets” (witnesses)? Since Scripture is the best interpreter of Scripture, as a rule, the Old Testament is best understood through the lens of the New Testament. But an understanding of the book of Revelation often requires a reversal of this approach, as it is filled with Old Testament imagery and reference. The description of the “two prophets” is a clear allusion to the “two olive trees” found in Zechariah 4. There, the angel told Zechariah that these two are “the anointed ones who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth” (Zech. 4:14). Those with a historical view of Revelation have named various heroes of the faith in the early church as the identity of the two witnesses. But holding to a futurist view of Revelation, I believe that these two witnesses are yet to come. Their identity is not named, yet their description brings to mind the ministries of Moses and Elijah. Certainly, they are the two who stood with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration. Perhaps, they will be the ones who stand for Him again in the future at the end of days.
December 19, 2014
John was given a scroll to “eat” in his vision, just as the prophet Ezekiel had been given one in his (Ezekiel 3:1-3). For both of them, it was as “sweet as honey” when they chewed on it, but unpleasant when they digested the impact of its message. God’s Word is sweet to the believer whose ears are open to hear it, yet it is “sour” as they consider those whose ears will not. Our joy in God’s future plans of judgment is tempered by the realization that many that we love and care about will not escape His divine wrath. We therefore commit to keep chewing on God’s sweet Word, yielding to its work in us, and announcing its message to others. Perhaps, those we love will eventually open their ears to hear. And relieve our soured stomachs.