Shalom everyone. Please open your Bibles today in the Prophet Zechariah. A continual study in the Prophet Zechariah. We are in Zechariah chapter 1. Today we'll begin with verse 18, and we'll read into the end of the second chapter, Zechariah chapter 2 and verse 13. And actually, chapter 1 verse 18 to chapter 2 verse 13 is really in the Hebrew Tanakh, the Masoretic text, the total portion of the second chapter of the prophet Zechariah. For one reason or another, in the English text, we have verses 18 to 21 as part of the first chapter. But really, in the Hebrew Scriptures, chapter 2 began from verse 18. So let's read this portion, chapter 1, verse 18, into chapter 2, and verse 13. And I'm reading.

Then lifted I of mine eyes, and saw, and behold, four horns. And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. And the Lord showed me four carpenters. Then said I, What come these to do? And he speaks, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head. But these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it. Chapter 2 and verse 1. I lifted up mine eyes again and looked and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.

Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me to measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof and what is the length thereof. And behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, for the multitude of men and cattle therein. For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. Ho, ho, come forth and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord.

For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwelleth with the daughters of Babylon. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you, for he that touches you touches the apple of his eye. For behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants. And ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.

And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people, and I will dwell in the midst of thee. And thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And the Lord shall inherit Judah, his portion, in the Holy Land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord, for he is raised up out of his holy habitation. This is the end of the second chapter of the prophet Zechariah. Now, I know that when you speak about visions, when you speak about things that the Lord has shown to Zechariah, there are a lot of things that are symbolic here, and there are things that give us some symbolism that we really sometimes cannot understand.

Some of the books such as Daniel or Chazon Yochanan, Revelation, or the prophet Zechariah, and so on. Those are the kind of books that we find many symbolism there, which teaches us various lessons. But if we take those symbolism and take those messages, in this case, the visions that have been given to Zechariah, In light of other passages of Scripture, we can understand the purposes of God and the Word of God that would apply to ourselves as well today. Now, we are in Zechariah chapter 1, verse 18, and Zechariah chapter 2, verses 1 to 13. I read this whole portion together because really in the Tanakh, as I mentioned earlier, there is one chapter together.

It is the second chapter of the prophet Zechariah. In this second chapter, we have really two additional visions that the Hebrew prophet Zechariah had received from the Lord when he was preaching at about 520 BC to the remnant of the Jewish people who returned from Bavail. They stopped to build the house of the Lord. We already talked about it earlier. They have seized from the building of the temple, discouraged, dismayed, And Zechariah and Haggai were raised to present to them the word of the Lord. As I mentioned before, Haggai was more practical. Zechariah is a visionary. He received vision from the Lord. And he takes the messages that God had given to him beyond the present day of 520 BC.

And he talked over to the future restoration of the nation of Israel. And you know what an encouragement that must have been to the remnant of Judah. Why? Because they needed something to build them, to edify him, to give them hope for the future. Not only for today, but for the future. What is ahead of the nation of Israel? And so now we have covered the first vision from chapter 1, verse 7 to 17. In chapter 1 verse 18 to 21 we have the second vision and in chapter 2 verses 1 to 13 we have the third vision two visions we are going to talk about today in this ministry meeting first of all verses 18 to 21 we have the vision of the four horns and the four craftsmans here the Lord shows Zechariah a vision of four horns which represent four kingdoms and four craftmen which represent those who are going to take over the power of those four horns and let's look at this for a moment as we are moving along in this chapter and I want to mention one more thing you will notice here in this chapter that the name Yerushalayim, Zion, mentioned again and again and again and again.

You notice that it says in chapter 2, in verse 2, to measure Jerusalem. In verse 4, saying Jerusalem. In verse 7, deliver yourself, O Zion. In verse 10, sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion and in verse 12 he shall choose Jerusalem again the theme in these two vision it's the city. Of Jerusalem and the restoration of this city to the Lord himself so he began of course he takes zacharia now back in verse 18 and zacharia now lifting up his eyes notice that verse 18 then lifted up mine eyes and I saw and behold four horns every time when you read in the Bible about the horn it speaks of strength it speaks of power it speaks of kingdom that has a certain power and he's showing Zechariah as he lifting up his eyes this is a vision this is not a dream he literally sees four horns and those four horns as he sees them these are powers that have been risen over the generation to afflict the nation of Israel there are kingdoms that have been risen over the generation you see that immediately in verse 19 Zechariah asked a question and he received an answer he says in verse 19 i said unto the angel that talked with me what are these and he answered and he said these are the horns that have scattered Judah Israel and Jerusalem the Hebrew.

Word for horn is keren plural is kranot kranot the keren the powers that have scattered the people of Israel they have been the power that have scattered Judah Jerusalem and Israel they are the nation that have scattered and dispersed the people of Israel now if you look from history You know very well that the beginning of the times of the Gentiles have started where the Babylonian came and took our Jewish people down from Jerusalem to Babel. And it was Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babel, the king of Babylon, who was the first power that had taken the Hebrews, the Jewish people, the southern tribes, to the land of Babel.

It was Babel, Babylon, that began really the times of the Gentiles. And from there on there were other nations that took over and they became the next kingdom the next power the next horn that was upon the face of this earth now we need to connect it of course with the book of Daniel it was Daniel the servant of the Lord who was in Babel and if you remember the king dreamed many dreams but there was one dream that really troubled him It says in the second chapter of the book of Daniel that Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams in verse 1. Where his spirit was troubled and his sleep break from him.

He dreamed many dreams, but there was one specific dream that really troubled him. And he wanted to know the dream. And you remember he went to his soothsayers, he went to those who were his helpers, and he asked them, those who knew the future, all sorts of questions. He said, tell me the dream. I want to know this dream. And the interpretation of the dream. But they couldn't. Neither tell him the dream, nor the interpretation. But then, the man of God, by the name of Daniel, he rose, and by divine inspiration, he received the information concerning the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed. And he said to the king, in chapter 2, in verse 31, He says, O king, you saw a great image.

This great image, whose brightness was excellent. Stood before thee and the form thereof was terrible and he says this image head was a fine gold his breast was a silver his belly and thigh was of brass and his legs was iron his feet was part iron and part clay Nebuchadnezzar saw this great image and he wanted to know what does this image represent and God has used Daniel to help him to understand that the head of gold represent the breast and the arms represent the mido-Persian kingdom and then the belly and the thigh of brass represent the Grecian the Greeks and then finally the legs and the toes represent the Romans kingdom and there was the four kingdom beloved brothers and sisters that rose over the generation the Babylonian the Middle Persian the Grecians and the Romans who scattered the Jewish people who dispersed the people of Israel who are represented here by the four horns of Zechariah chapter 1 and verses 18 and 19 so Zechariah asked tell me those horns tell me a little bit about them.

And he said to him in verse 19b these are the horns which have scattered Judah Israel and the city of Jerusalem and we know from that history from that time of taking the Jewish people to bevel all the way to the future messianic kingdom those four kingdoms the Babylonian the middle Persian the Grecian and the Roman Empire and it will be the revived Roman empire in the future who will still rule with the Antichrist as its head whom we are seeing here represented by the four powers the four kranot the four horns represented in verses 18 and 19 but then notice immediately in connection with these four horns he continually developed the vision and now the Lord showed him you notice in verse 20 and 21 for it says in the king James carpenters in the Hebrew is really harashim those who work with stone and wood some people call it four smith who work with steel some people call it those four craft men these are in names we have.

We can see now those who would rise up to destroy the previous kingdoms we see that in verse 21 then said i what come this to do what is the purpose of these four harashim craft men and he answered again notice he said and by the way the he here in verse 21 is none else but the angel that talked with him and as we said in our last meeting together that the angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Messiah before his birth in Bethlehem long before he entered humanity he's many times expressed in Scripture the son of God the Lord Jesus as the angel of the Lord not only an angel but the angel of the Lord we see him in Genesis 16 in Genesis 18 and we see him in Exodus chapter 3 with Moses the angel of the Lord end up to be Jehovah himself the son of God well he saw those four harashim craft men and he asked and he said what are those what did they come.

To do why are you showing these harashim or these craft men and so he answered him again the Lord answered him and he said to him these are the horns those four that he just showed them which have scattered Judah so that no man did lift up his head but these he's speaking now about the craft men are come to fray them and to cast the horns of the Gentiles out which have lifted up their horns over the land of Judah to scatter it so what he's really saying that those kingdom and their leaders who rose up with their power against Israel Judah Jerusalem to scatter them God have raised other men other leaders to take them away and as it says here to fray them the Hebrew word to fray it is to cause them fear to cause them stumbling to actually destroy them as it says here to fray them and to cast them out now this is interesting because now in these verses he's speaking about four men that rose up over the generation of the history of Israel.

In the diaspora to take one kingdom away and another kingdom had risen and this kingdom had to be taken away as well and another kingdom had been risen so what we really see here in those four craft men we see the four men that throughout history took the place of the previous kingdom In the case of the four horns, Babel had been taken over by Cyrus, the king of Persia. He is the first one that is seen here in typology through these craftsmen. It was Cyrus who was raised by God to take over the Babylonian and destroy the Babylonian kingdom. But the Middle Persian did not stay for too long as well, because in the third one, out of the fourth, we see Alexander the Great, the leader of the Grecian Empire, who when he was young, he pursued and took over the kingdoms of this world, and he replaced the Middle Persian Empire.

We see him as the third person of the four harashim or the four craft men and the Grecian empire did not remain forever because the Roman Empire rose to replace the Grecian Empire and some suggest that the great leader of the Roman army is spelled here his name is pompey p-o-m-p-e-y some Bible teachers teach that he was that leader who led the Romans to take over the Grecian Empire and to remove them from their authority but what happened with the Roman Empire who had replaced the Roman Empire because the Roman Empire was not really destroyed the Roman Empire had been splitted and really what happened it slowly but surely diminished on its own there's no other kingdom that had been raised to destroy the Roman Empire the Roman empire had been divided and we see it in the image the two legs represent the division of the Roman empire the Roman Empire melted in and will be revived in the future day and there is a fourth.

Craftsmen who needed to destroy the future Roman Empire who will rise headed up by none else but the Antichrist himself and so we know that there is one that is coming in a future day who is ultimately going to destroy the future Roman Empire and that is none else but our Lord Jesus Yeshua the Messiah so we have the Babylonian have been destroyed by the leader Cyrus the Middle Persian have been destroyed by Alexander the Grecian have been destroyed through the leadership of Pompey and the revived Roman Empire will be destroyed by none else by our Lord Jesus the Messiah I want to show you this in these two passages that we have in the Scripture if you turn back to Daniel chapter 2 verse 44 we can see that it speaks of the Messiah who will destroy the revived Roman Empire chapter 2 verse 44 Daniel is telling Nebuchadnezzar in the days of these Kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed and the kingdom shall.

Not be left to other people but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand forever then verse 45 look who he's speaking about the one who will destroy the final kingdom for as much that you have seen that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands this stone is none else but the Messiah himself and that it break in pieces the iron the brass the clay the silver the gold the great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter and the dream is certain and the interpretation thereof is sure the book of netzer Daniel is saying to him you see the vision that you have seen representing those four kingdoms the Babylonian with the head the middle Persian with the chest the Grecian with the thighs the legs which is the Roman Empire the ten toes in the bottom then the stone coming out of nowhere from that mountain and falling upon this image and the whole image will be destroyed by that stone.

Which the builders rejected none else but the Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah who will ultimately destroy and take over the kingdom and establish here that messianic age i want to show you this with another passage in a new testament in the book of the Revelation chapter 19 and i want you to see it right there at the second coming of the Messiah it says in verse 11 John received the Revelation from the glorified Messiah and Yeshua is there we see him coming in his second coming and i saw heaven open and behold a white horse and he that sat upon him was called faithful and true and in righteousness he does judge and make war his eyes was a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself.

And he was clothed with vesture dipped in blood, and his name was called the Word of God. And the armies which were in the heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, and out of his mouth. Goers sharp sword and with it he should smite the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron and he treadeth the winepress of the furiousness and the wrath of almighty God and he hath on his virtue and on his thigh a name written king of Kings and Lord of Lord melech ham lachim this is the Messiah who is coming in his second coming beloved brothers and sisters which Zechariah have seen in this great vision that he has seen in the first chapter of his prophecy this is the second vision four horns four craft men the four horns dispersed Judah Israel Jerusalem the four craft men came and frayed out those four powers four horns but the final one is none else but our blessed Lord Yeshua the Messiah who will come in his second coming and he will judge this empire who will rise up in the coming days the revived Roman Empire headed up by the Antichrist the counterfeit Messiah and he will be the one Yeshua will establish the kingdom and he will be.

The king of Kings melech hamlachim and Lord of Lord adon haadonim so zechaiya now saw this second vision and he's amazed the Lord shows him you see he took him back historically from his point of time he was in 520 bc he took him back to the time that Nebuchadnezzar came and took Judah away from Jerusalem then he brings him all the way to beyond our time beyond the church age beyond the tribulation period all the way to the end of the tribulation period and he says the Messiah is going to come and he's going to destroy to fray the kingdom that will be ruling over this world in the future day the kingdom of the Antichrist and he will ultimately establish the messianic kingdom and he will be the one that will be the king of Kings and the Lord of lords and so now that he saw that second vision the Spirit of God shows us here that he had another one because we.

Have eight visions in those first six chapters we saw now the vision of the four horns and the four craftsmen and now he gives him a beautiful sight of the future of Jerusalem and that's why in the song that we sang, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Why? Because it will soon come to pass when Jerusalem is going to be restored and Israel will be established in its own land. And so now in verses 1 to 13 of the second chapter, we have the third vision, the vision of the man with a measuring line. Listen to these brothers and sisters. The vision itself is given to us in the first five verses it says in verse one and i lifted up my eyes again he sees it's not merely a dream it's a literal vision that he sees i lifted up my eyes again and i looked and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand then said i where they goest thou and he said unto me to.

Measure Jerusalem to see what is the breadth thereof and what is the length thereof and behold the angel that talked with me went forth and another angel went out to meet him and he said unto him run speak to this young man saying Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls a multitude of men and cattle therein for i says Jehovah i will be unto her Jerusalem a wall of fire round about and i will be the glory the kavod in Hebrew in the midst of her in the midst of Jerusalem now what he does he gives him another interesting vision and the interpretation of the vision immediately following he explained the vision to Zechariah and he's giving him a vision of a man that have a measuring line now that is extremely interesting the Hebrew word for line is hevel and the word for measuring is midah in other words there's someone who have a rope and the rope have a certain measure he's using this rope and he's going now to take a measurement.

You know you and i those of us that have been carpenters i've been a carpenter i used to use a lot of tape measure many times wherever i go i put a tape measure i used to build boats many years ago and we used to take tape measure and build and measure cut to make sure that we cut to the right size and every time in Scripture when you read that word measuring line you know very well that that speaks of the fact that God beginning to give us indication that he is going to begin to restore the nation of Israel to restore the city of Jerusalem now that man that we have here in verse 1 again sometime he's called the angel of the Lord sometime he's called a man it's the same person that we read about him earlier in chapter 1 and verse 8 chapter 1 and verse 10 is the man who sat on that red horse in chapter 1 and verse 8 is the same man the Messiah himself the pre-incarnate.

Messiah he is now holding this rope in his hand and he's ready to go to take a measurement and it says here in verse 2 the Zechariah asked the question you know Zechariah was a curious individual he sees this vision he want to know what's going on what are those visions what they are going to teach me and how can i share this with our people Judah so he said unto this man that had this measuring line in his hand he says where do you go and then he began to receive the answer from this man and you notice he says here in verse 2 the man answered him he said unto me i got to measure Jerusalem i want to see what is the breadth of the city of Jerusalem and what is the length i want to see how wide and how long is the city of Jerusalem he's going to measure the city it is in view of restoration and so as he is giving this.

Explanation to Zechariah in verse 3, 4, and 5. The word of the Lord is now sharing with Zechariah concerning Israel and Jerusalem's future. I want to emphasize one more time that word Yerushalayim. Again, I want to repeat what I said before. You notice the word Jerusalem here, it's mentioned consistently again and again with the word Zion or Zion in Hebrew sometimes the Bible call Jerusalem Jerusalem or shalem other time the Bible call Jerusalem Zion every time when you hear the word Zion or Zion or Yerushalayim it is strictly speaking about the same thing Jerusalem is Zion and Zion is Jerusalem and it is the same location that we know today in the land of Israel in the land of Canaan it's nowhere else he's not talking about measuring any other place in this world he's talking about measuring the city of Jerusalem the city of Zion unfortunately many people take these passages Christians without understanding its application and apply this to the church you don't have any church truth here we have here the future of the restoration of the.

Nation of Israel we as the ecclesia as the church have a great hope we read today in Revelation chapter 21 to be in the heavenly Jerusalem wonderful hope but Israel also have a great hope to be restored to the very city of Jerusalem as well turn with me to the Psalms for a moment and You can see that the Scriptures at times uses Zion and Jerusalem in the very same statement. Psalm chapter 51 and verse 18 says this, Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion. Build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Very same verse. When he speaks of Zion, he's speaking also of the city of Jerusalem. Psalm chapter 76 look at this verse also take a note of this and verse 2 in shalem this is Jerusalem also his tabernacle and his dwelling place in Zion in Zion same verse Jerusalem Zion the same city the same place every time the Bible teaches concerning Jerusalem and Zion it is the same verses there are many other verses Psalm 102 and verse 21 Psalm 135 and verse 21 Psalm 147 and verse 12 i think i'm going to read that Psalm this praise the Lord of Jerusalem praise thy God or Zion same city a same place which now the Lord in a vision is going to measure concerning the future restoration of the people of Israel so he has the line in his hand he's going to measure the width and the length of the city of Jerusalem and then in verse 3 the angel of the Lord is met by another angel it says in verse 3 and behold the angel that talked with me went forth and another.

Angel went out to meet him and then notice what he says in verse 4 to this angel he said unto him run speak to this young man and say to him Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein the angel of the Lord the pre-incarnate Mashiach speaking to the other angel and he telling him you go run quickly speak to this young man apparently Zechariah was called here a young man Haggai must have been probably older than Zechariah because Zechariah prophesied to our nation to Judah for about 40 50 years he shared the message of the word of God and so he was a younger man and this young man Zechariah he looks around what does he see Jerusalem is still not built the temple itself is not built the Jewish remnant is discouraged the enemies against them the house of God is not being built he needed his word of encouragement by the Lord himself through the angel that was sent and so he was.

Told to listen to the word from the Lord he says you go and tell this young man that Jerusalem is going to be yet inhabited as towns without walls and for a multitude of men in other words there were fewer people now in the city of Jerusalem and he said to him listen don't worry there is coming a day when there will be multitude of men inhabiting the city of Jerusalem and there will be a town without walls now again brothers and sisters why do we need walls walls are usually surrounding a city for protection Babylon had a great wall of protection but somehow it had been destroyed a wall symbolically speaks of protection and Israel needed a protection but one day he's saying that Jerusalem we're going to be inhabited as towns that has no walls in other words there will be a time where you don't need to have fear of enemies no longer fear of those who will come to destroy the city and it says here there will be multitude of men and cattle.

Therein taking over the future day when the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt and they will not need this external protection because God himself is going to be the protector of the people of Israel and the city of Jerusalem in the future day. He moved on and he said to him in verses 5, here's the message to Zechariah about Jerusalem's future. He says, for I says the Lord, I will be myself unto her a wall of fire round about and i will be the glory in the midst of her in verse 5 he gives him the interpretation he says listen in a future day Jerusalem will not need a physical wall because that's not what will protect the city of Jerusalem God is saying he will be unto Jerusalem a wall of fire he will be unto Jerusalem glory in the midst of the city of Jerusalem now just couple of thoughts here you notice that he used the word i will be unto her every time you see Israel in the city of Jerusalem mentioning Scriptures always in a feminine way why because.

Israel is the wife of Jehovah just the same like the church the ecclesia is the bride of Christ the bride of the Messiah you see it throughout Scripture the church is never looked upon in a masculine way always a feminine always as the bride to cherish and to love and to care also to submit same thing with Israel Israel as a wife of Jehovah is to love and to care but to submit to the authority of Jehovah and this is the way we see in Scripture the wife of Jehovah Israel the bride of the Messiah the church God loved Israel and Christ the Messiah loved the church and gave himself for the church so here we see Jerusalem we see Israel in a feminine way as a wife and she will be the one that the Lord himself will be like a wall of fire round about the city of Jerusalem.

When Israel left Mitzrayim, left Egypt on the way to the promised land, God led his people with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. You read it in Exodus chapter 13. And that fire or that glory the Hebrew word for glory is kavod or shechina the shekinah glory the presence of God in the midst of his people and God is saying to Zechariah look what you see today it's nothing Zechariah yes you encourage the Jewish remnant to rebuild the temple but I'm taking you beyond this time. Zechariah, I'm going to take you to the future day when I will be to Israel, a wall of fire, and I will be to Israel, a glory in the midst, in the center of the city of Jerusalem.

It takes him to the future day, to the millennial age, when the Messiah will reign and rule in the coming day. Now, in light of just these two thoughts, I want to read two passages. Turn with me to Exodus chapter 40, when the tabernacle was finished and the presence of the Lord came in the midst of the nation. So look what it says in chapter 40 of Exodus in verse 33, saw Moses finish the work. Verse 34, and a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation because the cloud abode their own and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

We see this historically where God set his name in the tabernacle and his glory rested. The Shekhinah in Hebrew or Shekinah glory rested. And we will see it in the future when his glory is going to rest upon the future city of Jerusalem where the temple will be built there. One more verse, please. If you turn to Ezekiel chapter 44, it says in verse 4, speaks about the restoration of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the future kingdom, house of God. Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house. This is the temple in the messianic kingdom. And I looked and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord and I fell upon my face.

So Exodus gives us the tabernacle historically. In the book of Kings, we have the temple where Solomon built. The glory of the Lord rested in the tabernacle, in the temple. But the temple had been destroyed. Now there is no temple in 520 BC. They were just beginning to build it, but they stopped. So Zechariah encouraging them to build the temple, but he takes them to the future day when he says, The Lord himself will be a wall around the city of Jerusalem, and the glory of the Lord will rest there. He will be the one that will inhabit the city of Jerusalem and the temple in that city.

So we have the third vision of the man that had in his hand a measuring line. He's measuring Jerusalem. He's planning now to put things in place. He's going to restore that city and establish the Messianic kingdom. Gave that vision to Zechariah. So now he continued and he gave the meaning and he explained that third vision to Zechariah in verses 6 to 13. So in verse 6 and 7, Zion is called to flee from the north. The Jewish people are called to flee from Babylon. It says here in verse 6, Ho, ho, come forth and flee from the land of the north, says the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of heaven, says the Lord.

Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwelleth with the daughter of Babylon. So what we really see here, that now just the same as the Jewish remnant had to leave Babylon and come to establish the land again at that time when they left in the time of Zechariah. But now he's really taking us to the future day. The Jewish people are still scattered today. They have been scattered in Zechariah time. They are scattered today. They will still be scattered until the time of the end of the church age. But the call of God is for Israel's restoration. So he's calling them. He says, Ho, ho, flee from the land of the north.

Sayeth the Lord, I have spread you. In other words, God says, I have scattered you. Yes. I discipline you, but I want you now to be restored. Flee from these places. Deliver yourself. And again, he's using now the word, O Zion. O Zion, they dwell with the daughters of Babylon. You notice that? What does that mean? Zion are really representing the people of Israel, the Jewish people, the Hebrews, who are now dwelling, as it says here in verse 7, with the daughter of Babylon. Scattered around, dispersed among the nation. And he's saying to them come deliver yourself from the people with whom you are dwelling right now that takes us really to a time of the awakening of the Jewish people to realize the need of being restored to the land if we can see that in our times today there seem to be there is a fresh awakening call for the Jewish people to go back to the land now i know that more than half of Jewish people is still scattered among the nations of the world today we have over seven million Jewish people who are in the land of Israel but it's not everything it's only the awakening the beginning but there will be a time where all the Hebrews gonna have to come back to the land of Israel God who scattered them he will gather those Jewish people from all these four corners in Jeremiah chapter 31 and verse 10 we read he that scattered Israel will gather him and will keep him as a shepherd does his flock the same God who has scattered the Jewish people he will awaken them.

And he's calling them all Zion flee deliver yourself flee from the north come back to the promised land because I am going to establish the city of Jerusalem in the coming day. So we read now in verse 8, Jehovah will send the Messiah to deal with Israel's enemies. For thus says the Lord of hosts, after the glory, have he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you. For he that touches you, touches the apple of his eye. This is a precious verse. This is a verse that I believe everyone have to really take seriously to recognize that when the nations have persecuted Israel, they really touch the apple.

Some use the word the pupil, the very delicate part of the eye of God. It is only an expression how dear is the nation of Israel to the heart of God. The apple is the delicate part of the human eye today, the pupil that's very sensitive. In fact, in Hebrew, it's called Bavat Eino. If I'll touch your eye, this little pupil, you will immediately desire to. Move that hand or to move that finger immediately because it is affecting your eyesight. It's Something that is very dear to you. You would not want anybody to touch the apple of your eye. And really what we learn here.

That he is going to send the Messiah. Who is going to come to judge the nations that spoiled the nation of Israel. Or the Jewish people. And our brothers and sisters just look at history. Nation of the nation. Every nation that rose against Israel. End up somehow under the disciplinary act of God. Every nation. Do you know that the feasts that Israel keep today, almost every feast, came as an outflow of a judgment that came upon another nation. Beginning with Passover, Pesach. Pesach, God passed over the homes of the Hebrews, but did not pass over the homes of those who are the Hebrews' enemies. In this case, the Egyptians.

Chanukah, God judged Antiochus and the Grecian Assyrians who have destroyed the temple by giving the people of Israel a feast called Chanukah in the judgment of those nations that came against the Jewish people. Even the independent day, 1948, where Israel became a state, in Hebrew we call it Yom HaAtsma'ut. Israel became independent after the judgment that God had judged the nations that have ended up persecuting the Jewish people. Those who have persecuted the Jewish people are not there in the same power as they have had before. And what we really learn here in verse 8, the two Jehovah's you can see here, and the lords of hosts said after the glory hath he Jehovah sent me Jehovah the son unto the nations which spoiled you why in judgment because he that touches you touches the apple of his eye that reminds me of the covenant that God had made with Abraham in Genesis chapter 12 in verse 2 and 3 i will make you a great nation and i will bless thee and make thy name great and you shall be a blessing and i will bless them that bless you and i will curse him that curses you now i want to apply it to the church because the church is just as dear as Israel to Jehovah to the Lord you and i were part of the body of Christ the body of Messiah are just as dear to the heart of our blessed Lord Jesus the Messiah and when there will be a persecution of Christians.

Of believers in Yeshua, God is going to deal with those nations, with those people, in his time, in his ways, because he that touches you, touches the upper of his eye. This is amazing when we see that vision that Zechariah has seen here in this chapter. So now, verses 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, notice he developed this by giving him the meaning and the interpretation, explanation about this vision he says in verse 9 the Lord will judge his people's enemies for behold i will shake mine hand upon them and they shall be a spoil to their servants and ye shall know that the Lord of host has sent me again the Messiah is speaking the Lord of host has sent me and he says that he will shake his hand upon them it's like when a teacher is shaking his hand on a student or when a parent says no no no to you you watch it you're gonna get it and when God's hand is being shaken against.

The enemies of his people he surely is going to bring about this discipline this judgment again the word Jehovah of hosts Adonai Tsevaot the Lord of the armies he has the power to bring this to fruition so in verse 9 he gives them the assurance that he will judge Israel's enemies in verse 10 beloved brothers and sisters he is now telling Jerusalem to sing and rejoice you know there is not much rejoicing to be done when there are so many enemies and so many people are against you but there is much reason to sing when God brings about the restoration and the redemption of Israel. So he says, sing and rejoice.

Rani v'simchi, sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion. For lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. Do you know the first time the word song is found in the Bible? Do you know whenever the Bible teaches us the first time really we have song in the Bible is in Exodus chapter 15, when redemption came. Then sang Moses and the people of Israel this song unto the Lord. Oh, they sang. Why they could sing? Well, they couldn't sing in Egypt. They couldn't sing away from God. It was noise when someone is singing without the song of redemption. But once Israel had been redeemed and they crossed the Red Sea, they began to sing.

There is a peace in the heart. The joy in the heart, knowing that now we have been redeemed by blood and we have been redeemed by power in the Red Sea and we are on the other side, we can sing and rejoice and sing this song unto the Lord. You know, it's the same thing for us today. You know, I used to sing many songs before I became a believer, but those songs were not songs of joy and eternal relationship with God. It was a worldly songs. It was an earthly songs. Songs that, you know, cannot lift up above the ceiling, can lift us up above the ceiling and no more.

But when a person becomes a believer, and his affection is set with the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, you can sing because you have someone that you can sing about. Someone who loves you, who paid a price for your sin and sins, who was willing to go to judgment at the cross on your behalf. You have a reason to sing as a forgiven person. And that Jehovah here that we have is none else of Jehovah the Son, God the Son in the person of Yeshua the Messiah, as we know his Hebrew name today. He is the one that is seen here as coming in a future day to dwell and to be in the midst.

Notice that he will dwell in the midst of the people you know when we read today in the new testament Yeshua said to the disciples in Matthew 18 and verse 20 for where two or three are gathered together unto my name there am i in the midst of them in fact we believe that when we are sincerely and honestly gathering around the Lord today he is the center of the gathering saints who gather around him in submission to his will not in pride and arrogance not in self-justification no but in humility he's promised to be in the midst of his people you see Israel in a future a day will be broken before the Lord and he's promised then you can sing and rejoice because i am going to dwell in the midst of you but not only Israel beloved brothers and sisters you see Israel is called to be a priestly nation that through the nation of Israel through our nation Israel blessing out to flow to the nations of the world so he continued here with this third vision.

It says many nations look at this verse 11 many nations shall be joined unto the Lord in that day and shall be my people and i will dwell in the midst of thee this is Jerusalem and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me unto thee you see you have Jehovah is speaking sometime we hear Jehovah that has a reference to the father other time Jehovah sent me in a person of the son you see here the triunity of the Godhead we see here the teaching concerning the persons of the Godhead now the thought of many nations let's not mix between Israel and the church in the church we have many people who gathered from all the nations of the world Jew and Gentile and we are part of the body of Christ but with respect to Israel in the future it is Israel will be established as a nation and there will be many nations who will recognize the God of Israel and will be the ones that will desire to be in the midst along with the nation.

Of Israel and they will come to be joined unto the Lord and to the nation of Israel a verse that i must read again the prophet Isaiah we are talking about prophetic word concerning the future days look what Isaiah said including the nations of the world that he prophesied in chapter 2 of the prophet Isaiah the Lord is speaking and he says this in verse 1 the word that Isaiah the son of amots saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem and it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above all hills when all nations shall flow unto it.

And many people shall go and say, Come, come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his path. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem from Jerusalem again you notice the word Zion and Jerusalem interchanging it has to do with the very same city in the very same locality you know it will be a day to see the nations now not opposing Israel anymore not preparing ammunition to try to shoot directly into the land of Israel not to shoot from Gaza strip or from lebanon or from Syria or from iran or from Egypt or from any other nation surrounding the city of Jerusalem and the land of Israel no more in fact the opposite will happen they will come and we say come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob why because out of Jerusalem the law will come the word of the Lord from Zion from Jerusalem this is the place where God set his name and many nations shall be joined unto the Lord what a day that will be how far are we today from.

This day today you talk about the Lord people don't want to hear even to our own people you talk about Yeshua he's despised and rejected by our nation and by many people in the world nations do not want to hear about him men love to have their own religious systems but not joining themselves unto the word of God unto the Lord himself but that will end beloved brothers and sisters it will end one day when they will end up to recognize who Yeshua is bowing to his authority and will ultimately accept him and will join to the Lord and to the Lord's people who will be restored the Jewish people you shall be my people i will dwell in the midst of thee you shall know that the Lord of hosts have sent me unto thee and that's also a touching word they will know that the Lord have sent him to be there now turn to the gospel of Luke you remember when Jesus came at the first coming in Luke chapter 19 verse 41 remember it says in Zechariah.

They will know that the Lord has sent me but when he first came you see it says here in chapter 19 of Luke verse 41 when he was come near he beheld the city this is Jesus the Messiah he wept over the city and he said saying if you had known even thou at least in this thy day the things that belong unto your peace but now he says they are hid from thine eyes for the days will come upon thee he says that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee and compass thee round and keep thee in on every side and they shall lay thee even with the ground and thy children with thee and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another because you had not known the time of thy visitation.

You see, when Yeshua came at his first coming, Israel did not wait for his coming. They did not recognize him and did not acknowledge him. They didn't know that he was the promised Mashiach. And that's why he wept over the city of Jerusalem and he said, crying, desiring to restore the nation, he said, you didn't know now the time of your visitation. They were blinded to the fact that the Messiah has come. And so earlier in the same book of Luke, in chapter 13, he cried this cry. And he said that Luke chapter 13 and verse 34, he says, O Yerushalayim, Yerushalayim, which killeth the prophets and stones them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen does gather her brood under her wings but ye would not behold your house shall be left unto you desolate and verily I say unto you ye shall not see me until until when until Zechariah chapter 2 and verse 11 and they will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me unto thee they will know it in the future Zechariah prophesied this concerning the second coming of the Messiah in the first coming of the Messiah Israel rejected Yeshua the Messiah the son of God and he said to them you will not see me until Ad Asher until the time cometh when you will say Baruch Haba B'Shem Adonai blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord that's what the angel of the Lord revealed to Zechariah concerning the second coming of the Messiah in the first coming he was rejected.

In the second coming he will be accepted by the nation of Israel and so brothers and sisters in conclusion verse 12 the Lord shall inherit Judah he will yet choose Jerusalem listen to this and Jehovah shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land and shall choose Jerusalem again you know many times i take tours to Israel to visit the holy land but the only time in the but that the word holy land is mentioned is right here Zechariah chapter 2 and verse 12 it is the land of Israel it is the land of Canaan most of our people our own families are very secular the vast majority haven't accepted the Messiah and they need to await the day when they will come to know the Messiah know God then when God has his name there and establish the messianic kingdom where Yeshua have his rightful place it will be admat kodesh the land where there will be holiness unto the Lord but the Bible calls it here in this text and the Lord's portion is the holy.

Land to God it is set apart for him men have abused it men have caused all kind of things to happen there but as far as God's concern he will establish this land his name is going to be there and it's going to be recognized as the holy land and he shall choose Jerusalem again this expression choose Jerusalem again is mentioned in chapter one you remember in verse 17 cry yet saying thus says the Lord of hosts my cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion and shall yet choose Jerusalem he is yet going to do so as we have here in this verse And let no one ever tell you that God had finished with Israel, that the church replaced Israel.

That is not Bible. The church is the church. Ecclesia. Israel is Israel. Two companies distinct from another, yet in harmony, in light of the truth of the word of God. God is yet going to restore Israel to choose Jerusalem and notice what he says to the world around us there ought to be silence upon the world because the Lord is going to rise there in the midst of the nation he says be silence all flesh the Hebrew word is has kol basar all flesh be silent you don't have to say anything be silent before the Lord why because whatever we say if it's not in accordance with his will he will put us to silence men will have to be silenced before the Lord to recognize let God be true and every man a liar God's word will surely come to pass be silent all flesh before the Lord for he is raised up out of his holy habitation he will establish the land, establish the people, establish the kingdom, establish the Mashiach, the Messiah, and he will be the one that will be established in his holy habitation in the holy land of Israel and in the city of Jerusalem.

May the Lord hasten this day and bring about the day. Of Jerusalem restoration and the Jewish people being established back in the land.