Well, we want to say shalom to everyone, and welcome to the Bible classes of the Holy Scriptures and Israel. We are blessed to be able to, read together the Word of God, to take some time, to learn from the Word of God together. We, trust that the Spirit of God will help us in the study of the, various books of the Bible, and we are studying the prophecy of Zechariah together now, and we pray that the Lord will help us to study the Word of God together. I hope you have your, the Bible with you. You may open it to Zechariah, chapter one. So let's pray. Let's ask the Lord to bless us today, and see what we can learn today from Zechariah chapter one.

So our God and our Father, we ask your blessing upon us. Help us. As we learn together from the Word of God, we ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus, our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Amen. Amen. Well, beloved friends, dear brothers and sisters, we are turning to Zechariah, Zechariah, in Hebrew Zechariah, chapter one. In our previous meeting, this will be the second meeting on the prophecy of Zechariah, and in our previous session, we began with some introduction, and we really read the first verse of Zechariah, chapter one, and verse one, and we want to continue from verse two, but for the context, I will read from verse one all the way to verse seventeen of Zechariah, chapter one. In the eighth month of the second year of the Rias, Came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying, The Lord hath been so displeased with your fathers.

Therefore say unto, say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn ye now from your evil ways and from your evil doing, but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord. Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?

But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? And they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us according to our ways, and according to our doing, so hath he dealt with us. Verse seven. Upon the fourth and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shavat, in the second year of the Rias, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berchiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom, and behind him were the red horses.

Speckled and white. Then said I, O my Lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these be. And the man stood among the myrtle trees, and answered and said, These are they whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro through the earth. And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is set a still, and is at rest.

And the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem? And all the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these three score and ten years, this is seventy years. And the Lord answered the angel of, the angel that talked with me, with good words and comfortable words, so that the angel that, communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy, and I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease, for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward, forward the affliction. Therefore thus says the Lord, I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies, my house shall be built in it, says the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. Cry yet, 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.

And I will stop here with this verse seventeen, dear brothers and sisters, as we are studying together this interesting book, the prophecy of Zechariah. In our previous meeting, beloved brothers and sisters, we have really just covered and provided some general introduction to the most interesting book of Zechariah. We have learned already, beloved brothers and sisters, as we read the first verse, if you remember, the first verse of the prophecy of Zechariah, in the eighth month, in the second year of the rise, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berchiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying. We were already introduced to this man by the name of Zechariah. As we have mentioned previously in our Bible class, the name Zechariah comes from two Hebrew words, Zechar, meaning remembered, Yah is a short form of Jehovah, Jehovah remembers.

He remembers the covenant that he made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And therefore, the name of Zechariah means Jehovah remembered. We have also mentioned that he was the son of Berechiah, and Berechiah simply means berach, come from the Hebrew word levarech, to bless. Jehovah will bless. So he is the Jehovah that remember, who will be Jehovah that will bless.

And then thirdly, we learn that the grandfather of Zechariah, his name was, was Edo. Edo means, Ed means, simply means, to, witness. God is going to be his own witness who will see to it that he will accomplish the blessing that he had promised for his people, the people of Israel. And he remembers, and he will not forget.

We have also mentioned in a previous meeting, beloved brothers and sisters, that Israel, the nation, the Jewish people, over the generation had various prophets that they prophesied to the nation of Israel. And we have seen, we have presented before you, beloved brothers and sisters, the prophets of Israel throughout history. Jonah and Joel and Amos and Hosea and Isaiah and Nehemiah and Nachum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk and Jeremiah. These were pre, as we have mentioned previously, these prophets were pre-exile prophets who prophesied to the nation of Israel prior to their exile to captivity.

Especially if you remember, prophesying to the northern kingdom that was removed in 721 BC, and then later on the prophets that prophet to Judah, such as Nachum, Tsephaniah, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah, who prophesied to the people of Judah, and including Isaiah as well, they were the ones that were prophesied, to the people of Israel, prior to the deportation. 721 BC Israel, 586 BC, Judah, and the one went to Assyria, the other went to Babylon.

We mention also that there were two prophets who prophesied during the captivity of Israel, such as Yechezkel Ezekiel and Daniel, who prophesied during the time of Israel, who have been in the, in exile. And finally, we are here now, seventy years have passed by, and Israel is now back in the land. In fact, much more than seventy years have passed by since the captivity of Judah. And here we have before us, beloved brothers and sisters, the prophet Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, who prophesied, we call them post-captivity prophets, who preached and prophesied to the Jewish people who have already returned from the land of Babylon. In our study of the book of Esther, we have learned that there are many Jewish people who remain in captivity, but here we have Haggai. Zechariah and Malachi prophesying to the Jewish people who are now in the land. And what's happening, they are in the land at 520 BC, Haggai and Zechariah rose to be a prophets in Judah, in the land, in the city of Jerusalem.

Haggai was preaching for a very short time, but apparently for the prophet Zechariah, which we study, he's speaking for some nearly 50 years. He's preaching to the nation of Israel, to the people of Judah who returned from captivity. And of course, after him, it's about 420, Malachi will be the last prophet of the, what we call the Hebrew scriptures, the Old Testament, before the Messiah will come, after 400 or 450 years of silence.

Now, we also, beloved brothers and sisters, mention that Haggai was a prophet of action, and Zechariah was a prophet of visions. And you will notice in our passage here that we will learn about visions that Zechariah had given to the nation of Israel. Now, why did Zechariah Preached and prophesied during, the, the time when the Jewish people returned, to the land, he presented before the Jewish people, he was a kind of a prophet that sought to encourage the people of Israel to continue and to build the temple in Jerusalem, and as he was presenting the word to the people of Israel, he is encouraging them as they are in the land. He is encouraging the Jewish people to finalize the building of the temple.

But secondly, Zechariah gives us a prophecy, giving the Jewish people, the remnant of Israel, a prophecy of God's dealing with the nation throughout the times of the Gentiles. He's dealing with the nation of Israel all the way to Israel's final restoration. So we have prophecies here in the book of Zechariah that takes us, that carries us through all the way to the second coming of the Mashiach, of the Messiah.

We have mentioned Zechariah 3, Zechariah 6, Zechariah 9, Zechariah 12, Zechariah 13, Zechariah 14. The prophecy of Zechariah takes us all the way to the future day of Israel's final restoration at the second coming of the Messiah. Now this was in the heart of Zechariah. He longed for the restoration of his people, and therefore he was serving the Lord among his people, prophesying until the time, concerning the time that will come in the future day. And that expression, I emphasize it many times, the times of the Gentiles that the Lord Jesus the Messiah mentioned in Luke 21 and verse 24 is a period of time that began at 605 BC, really, or 586 BC, the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, the times of the Gentiles began at 586. 26 BC, and it will end at the end of the tribulation, at the second coming of the Messiah, when Israel will be restored. The kingdom was taken from Israel, was handed over to the Gentiles because of the sins of the nation, so the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the, the, the Grecians and the Romans will, will cover the times of the Gentiles.

Once they revive Roman Empire, the final kingdom will take its course. At the end of this kingdom, the Messiah will come at the end of the tribulation, and he will restore Israel and restore the kingdom back to the nation of Israel under the kingship of Jesus the Messiah in the future day. And you and I were part of the ekklesia, the called out one in the church age, we are, in a part of the times of the Gentiles, but the church will be removed out of here before Tribulation will begin.

We will be out of here, those who believe in the Lord Jesus the Messiah during this present church age, and then the times of the Gentiles will continue, additional seven years or more, and finally will come to an end at the second coming of the Messiah, according to Revelation chapter 19, where he will come from heaven, and the church will come with him, the angels will come with him, and Israel will ultimately be restored after God will judge this world in righteousness. This is kind of a general outline that we have covered in our previous, meeting together. Now, it is interesting to notice, beloved brothers and sisters, that the prophecy of Zechariah, it provides us with eight visions.

The eight visions really begin with Zechariah chapter one and verse seven, and concluded with Zechariah chapter six and verse, eighteen. So what we really have, Zechariah received from the Lord eight visions that present before Zechariah the, the manner whereby God is dealing with Israel up till the final restoration of the nation of Israel. So you have, you will notice that you have the vision of horses in chapter one verse seven to seventeen, the vision of the four horns in chapter one verse eighteen to twenty one, the vision of the measuring line in chapter two verses one to thirteen, the vision of the court case and the message to Joshua in chapter three verses one to ten.

Then you have the vision of the lampstand and the olive tree in chapter 4, verses 1 to 14. Then you have the vision of the flying scroll in chapter 5, verses 1 to 4. Then you have the seventh vision, the vision, the vision of the, of a woman in a basket in chapter 5, verses 5 to 11. And finally, you have the vision of the four, of four chariots in chapter 6, verses 1 to 8. And then, of course, as, as these, visions are presented, there will be some interpretation and helping us to understand the meaning of each, vision. There will be a conclusion at the end of chapter 6, verses 9 to 15, the symbolic act and the conclusion that the, the, the Zechariah will receive from, the Lord as he Prophesy to the people of Judah. In chapter 7 and chapter 8, these two chapters, we have the subject of fasting, and God will challenge Israel concerning fasting.

And he will show Israel that even in their fasting, the fasting was not always sincere, and it was done out of care for the Lord and brokenness before the Lord, and the question of fasting will be mentioned in chapter 7 and chapter 8. And then, of course, in chapter 9 to chapter 11, chapter 9 verse 1 to chapter 11 verse 17, we have the burden of the word of the Lord for Israel. In these chapters 9, 10, and 11, you have the burden that the word of the Lord, the word of Jehovah towards the nation of Israel, and finally we have another burden, the second burden of the word of Jehovah in chapter 12 and 13 and 14, beloved brothers and sisters. So we have covered already verse 1, and we have learned, beloved brothers and sisters, that in verse 1, Of these chapters, Zechariah chapter one and verse one, we receive an information concerning the person of the prophet Zechariah.

He's a prophet, notice that, it says here that he is the son of Berchaya, the son of Ido, and he was the prophet. The Hebrew word Navi in Hebrew, Navi is one that speaks forth the mind of God, speaking for the word of the Lord. And in every generation in Israel's history, God raised men such as the prophets of Israel. He raising men today as the in the church age, the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the teachers to minister to God's people in order to to share with them and to call them always back to the Lord, to be restored to the Lord. And so that was verse one, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah.

And Zechariah, Jehovah remembered, the son of Zechariah, Jehovah blesses the son of Ido in his time. God will fulfill the promises and bless his people Israel at the end of the times of the Gentiles. In verse two, we continue, beloved brothers and sisters, the Lord reminds Israel. He's reminding Judah of his displeasure with their forefathers. And notice what he's saying. The Lord has been so displeased with your fathers. You see, these restored people of Judah are now in the land.

And they were away from the land for seventy years because God was displeased with their fathers. Why? Because the fathers of the nation of Israel violated God's word, did not keep the Shabbat rest for the land, did not submit to his word, and therefore it made it necessary for God to remove them out of the land. Remember what we have already read in Deuteronomy chapter 27 and chapter 28, that God says, I will curse the nation. The Hebrew word lekalel, when he, when God's word will be violated by the nation, then God will ultimately will discipline his people. He loved his people, whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and he scourges every son whom he receives.

And you remember, God had to remove Israel from, the, land. And therefore, God was not pleased with their forefathers. And how important to be reminded. Thank God there were fathers, forefathers who were godly in Israel's history, but there were those who were not and did not follow the Lord. And even, beloved brothers and sisters, even the godly among Israel suffered alongside with the one who did not live a godly life among the nation of Israel. For example, Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, they were carried away to Babel.

But they were carried away to Babel, not because of anything wrong that they have done. They sought to please the Lord, but the nation of Judah, the people of Judah, in their wayward ways, they were Were carried away to to Bevel, and godly from among the nation were disciplined alongside of the nation himself. So he's mentioning this, God was not pleased. It says the Lord has been so displeased with your fathers. Just turn with me for a moment to Matthew chapter 21. In Matthew chapter 21, when Yeshua the Messiah was here before his death, in chapter 21, we read in the Gospel of Matthew, listen to what Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah said to the disciples, to the people, to the spiritual leaders of Israel in chapter 21 and verse 33, Jesus the Messiah said, hear another parable.

There was a certain household in which planted a vineyard and hedged it round about and digged a winepress in it and built a tower and let it out to husbandmen. He left Israel in charge over the vineyard. And then we read, and he went to a far country. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, and that they might receive the fruit. God wanted fruit from his people.

And there have been men, two key servants, and they beat one, they killed the other, they stoned another, they stoned another, and again sent here another servant. In other words, here we have, beloved brothers and sisters, God discerning servant of the servant of the servant, and the Lord Jesus the Messiah is speaking to the nation, a parabolo, a mashal. He's showing them through this example of a man that built, that planted a vineyard, and applying it to his own people, to the nation of Israel. He says, here, I have handed to you the responsibility to be there, to live for me in that vineyard, but look what happened.

I sent servants, you beat the one, I sent another, you killed the one, I sent another, you stoned another one. So I sent other servants, more than the first, and they did unto them likewise. But lest of all, remember he said unto them, His son. And he said they will reverence his son, but when the husbandmen, the farmers, saw the son, and they said among them, This is the heir, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and they cast him out of the vineyard, and they slew him. And when the Lord, therefore, the vineyard cometh, what will he do to those husbandmen?

They said unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and he will let out his vineyard unto a husband, another, other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruit in their season. And you notice what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 21 and verse 42, and he says unto them, Jesus said unto them, Did ye never read in the Scripture the stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? This is the Lord's doing, it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore I say unto you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to another nation, bringing forth the fruit thereof. Now, of course, we are now living in a church age, and the judgment of God fell upon Israel because of disbelief and rejection of God's ways, and ultimately also, sadly, the rejection of the Messiah at his first coming, and God's discipline came upon the nation.

Now, sadly, a repetition of happening in church history. Same thing. Beginning well, and the church began well, and as time passes by, from Ephesus to the Laodicean days, and the same thing has happened in the history of the church. And that's why, beloved brothers and sisters, it is only the Lord Jesus, the one that is promised that he will ultimately be the one that will restore according to his will and according to his plan. The Lord has been so displeased with your fathers, he's saying, to the returned remnant after the seventy years of captivity.

Now he's reminding them that they need to be faithful as they are now returning back to the Lord, returning back to the land, but then again there was a departure from the will of the Lord. And Zechariah was raised by the Lord, by Jehovah of hosts, to speak to the restored remnant, to the restored people of Judah, to be faithful to the Lord and to continue to follow him. The Lord was so displeased with your fathers in verse 2. Now notice he's moving along in verse 3, Beloved brothers and sisters, and the Lord appealed to Israel again, to the people of Judah, and again he's appealing them again, and beloved brothers and sisters, this is so important for us because remember that in our first meeting we read two verses from the New Covenant, the Brit HaChadashah, the New Testament, Romans 15 and 1 Corinthians 10.

And we read for whatsoever things were written aforetime, they were written for our learning. In other words, we today are called to learn from Israel's history in order that we will ourselves apply this to our own lives and realize that we need the Lord's help, we need to be turning back to the Lord. And so notice what he's saying to them here in verse three, he's appealing to them, he's appealing to Judah, appealing to Israel, turn ye unto me, turn ye unto me. The Hebrew word is shuvu elai, shuvu elai. In verse three, he said, therefore say thou unto them, in other words, the Lord is telling Zechariah to say to the people of Judah who is now a return remnant, he said to them, you tell to them, thus says the Lord of hosts.

Turn ye unto me, Shuvu Elai, says the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, says the Lord of hosts. That word, the Lord of hosts, in Hebrew the word is Yehovah Tsevaot. It really has to do with the, the army, the Lord of the armies of Israel. The Lord of hosts. The Lord of the armies. He's the Lord that will maintain his glory, he will fight for his glory, he will deal with all that, despise him and turn against him. And he's saying to, now to Zechariah, he said, Zechariah, you say to Israel, to Judah, Thus says the Lord of hosts. Thus says Yehovah Tzevaot, that word Yehovah Tzevaot, the statement, the Lord of hosts will be mentioned in the book of Zechariah more than fifty times.

Yehovah Tzevaot, Yehovah Tzevaot. Thus says the Lord of hosts, now notice, tell ye unto me, in Hebrew, Shuvu Elai, says the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, Ve'ashuvah Eleichem, says the Lord of hosts. In other words, God wants the people, now again, beloved brothers and sisters, these Jewish people, these nation of Israel are now back in the land.

And they are called to submit to the Lord and to return to him because apparently it didn't take too long and there was a departure now by the remnant that have already returned to the Lord. Again. Think with me, and the lesson is tremendous, beloved brothers and sisters. Look at the lesson that we learn who are part of the ekklesia, ekklesia, the church, the ekklesia.

In, throughout two thousand years of church history, in the early days of the assembly of the church, there was a, a, a fresh start, and there was a faithfulness to the Lord, and, and if you read Revelation two and three, you can see what the Lord says to the church of Ephesus, to the assembly in Ephesus. But as you look at the, at the progression throughout church ages, throughout the church age, you can see that there was a dark ages. There was a time, a dark age, when the, the, the, the professing church have departed from the Lord. And it is only later on in about eighteen hundred where there was a revival. Actually earlier there was in fifteen hundred where Martin Luther has a kind of, there was a revival, there was a reformation, but even that have declined again. It is a cycle like in the book of Judges where there was no king in Israel and every man does that which was right in their own eyes and then God judge his own people, he's sending away, he's sending them away for captivity for a few years, then he raise another judge.

And then he restore his people after they cry for repentance and they repent before the Lord, he bring them back and then for a while there is shalom, there is peace, there is rest in the land and then another time comes and there is a departure. The cycle continue on, continue on. In every generation among God's people, Israel or the assembly, the church.

And if you see the progression in the study of the second and third chapter of the book of Revelation, you will see the same process existing. And about the 1800, there was a revival among God's people, the church of Philadelphia, where there was brotherly love, the preaching of the gospel, there was a restoration, but then again, there was a decline, and there is a decline, as we live today in the last days in the Laodicean age. So he's saying to them, turn unto me, and I will turn unto you, like Revelation 3 to the Laodicean, behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man open the door, I will come in and sup with him and he with me. I am knocking on the door, turn to me, and I will turn back unto you.

I'm not gonna follow you in the ways of sin and evil doing. Repent, turn to me, and I will return unto you. Turn to Isaiah for a moment, chapter 44. Isaiah chapter 44, and there we read in verse, Isaiah 44 and verse 20, 22. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgression, and as a cloud thy sins. Return unto me, for I have redeemed thee. This is prophetically speaking about Israel's future. Return unto me, for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heaven, for the Lord has done it. Shout, ye lower parts of the earth, break forth into singing, ye mountain, O forest, and every tree therein, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob and glorified himself in Israel. Look into the future day. Return to me.

You will see the blessing that I will provide for you. Look at chapter 55 of the prophet Isaiah. The need to return back to the Lord. In chapter 55, beloved brothers and sisters, we read in verses 6 and 7. There we read in verse 6, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and unrighteous men his thought, and let him return, notice the word return, shuvu, lachuv in Hebrew, to turn around, to return, to let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

God want to restore his people, he want his people to turn to him, and he promised to turn back unto his people, and he's saying through Zechariah to the return remnant, who have already departed again, he says, says the Lord, therefore say unto them, thus says the Lord of hosts, turn ye unto me, and I will return unto you, says the Lord of hosts. Now, Jeremiah said that, Hosea was speaking to Israel and saying, return unto me, and I will return unto you. Notice just one more verse in Malachi, the last book of the Tanach, of the, what is known, the, the, the Hebrews, the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures, in Malachi chapter three and verse seven, we read, Even from the day of your fathers ye are gone away from my ordinances, and have not kept them return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

You see, even the last prophet of the return remnant of Judah was charging, or God charged Israel through Malachi to tell them, Return unto me, because there was a departure again, beloved brothers and sisters, by the returned remnant to the land. And no wonder that four hundred years later, four hundred and fifty years later, after Malachi was speaking and there was silence, when John the baptizer, when Yohanan the baptizer preached, he said, behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, the spiritual leaders of Israel did not accept him.

And that's why 70 AD judgment came. Again, S 721 judgment and 586 judgment was prior to it. And up till today, during this church age, Israel, the nation, as a nation, did not yet. Return as a nation to the Lord. And this mystery age of the church age in which you and I live in today, that will come to conclusion very soon, at the end of these days before the tribulation will begin.

And so God is appealing to Israel, return unto me, and I will return unto you. Shuvu Elay, ve'ashuvah Elechem. God desire the people to return to him. And brothers and sisters, listen, this is a principle that applies in every generation. It is the day when the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, will say to you and I in the same way, because we oftentimes depart from the Lord, depart from his word, depart from his ways, and he's calling us. To return to him, that's why the epistles, the thirteen epistles that Shaul Paul wrote, plus the other epistles that are written by others, they were written in order to minister to the believers in this present day, so the believers will, who are already redeemed, who are already part of the ekklesia, the church, the assembly, but they were written to correct us.

It is a corrective ministry to challenge us to return to the Lord, to return to the Lord, to walk with the Lord, to have fellowship with the Lord. And when we are away from the Lord, to repent of our sins, we can come to the throne of grace, and we can find help and grace in time of need. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, 1 John 1 and verse 9. The principle remained the same. The application to our life, though God is dealing specifically with his earthly people of Israel, and he's intending to restore them, he, the application is to us in our life today. So now that he mentioned, to them to turn to him, he's asking, he's challenging them in verse four, and he says, look, he's saying to them, don't be like your fathers. Verse four, don't be ye not as your fathers unto whom the former, now notice that, the former prophets have cried, saying, thus says the Lord of hosts, turn ye now from your evil ways and from your evil doings, but they did not.

They did not hearken unto me, says the Lord. In other words, don't be like your fathers, because I will discipline you. If you will be like your forefathers. And you notice what he says, be not as your fathers unto whom the former prophets have cried out saying. Now who are the former prophets? You remember we did say, beloved brothers and sisters, as we have already did in the introduction, the pre-exilic prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Yoel, Amos, Ovadiah, Yonah, Michah, Nachum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah.

We have already mentioned about the, the, the, the prophets who preached during the exile, such as Yechezkel and Daniel. So these were the former prophets. They have spoken to the nation. They have cried unto the nation. But you notice that They have cried, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, they do, they did the very same thing that the Chariot does, the very same thing that Haggai did, the very same thing that Malachi will do, they cry to the, to the people of God, and they're saying, Return unto me, and I will return unto you. But sadly, sadly, notice what we read at the end of verse four, but they did not hear, they did not hearken unto me, saith the Lord.

That's why, if you remember, we read already, 2 Chronicles 24, verses 17 to 19, 2 Chronicles chapter 36, verses 15 to 21, of the deportation, the galut in Hebrew, galut, Ashur and galut Bavel, the, the, the, the deportation that happened by the Assyrian and the deportation that happened, the galut, the, the captivity that happened by, by the, Babylonian. And you know how it is, brothers and sisters, isn't it true? It reminds us, really, of our own hearts, that when we are in the presence of the Lord and enjoying the things of the Lord, we are so blessed. But when we depart from the Lord, the Lord had to discipline us, and then when He disciplined us, then we remember The joy that we have in his presence. There's a song that we sing, in thy presence we are happy. In thy presence we secure. In thy presence, in the presence of the Lord, in the presence of the God of Israel, Israel were blessed.

In the presence of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, believers are blessed today who belong to him. They are blessed, but when we depart from him, there's no joy. And so when Israel have left, was carried away, Judah was carried away to Babylon, then we do read, by the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yeah, we wept. When we remember Zion. There we hang our harps upon the willows in the midst of the earth, and their day that carried us away captive in cry or requite of us, saying, and they, they that wasted us, requite of us, a mirth. And they said, sing unto us one of the Zion songs.

And you remember what these poor remnant of Israel, poor people, Jewish people in Babylon, they said, how shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? No joy, no happiness, no blessing. Why? Because they violated God's word, and that's why they couldn't sing. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, in verse, four, the Lord is appealing to the people, the returned people of Israel, and Judah, he says to them, you, don't be like your fathers. Don't be like your fathers. Don't be like your fathers, whom the former prophets cried to them. Shuvu Yisrael, Shuvu Yisrael, return, O Israel.

The Lord of hosts said, turn you from your evil ways and from your evil doing, but sadly, they did not hear. They did not hearken unto me, says the Lord of hosts. And so now, the Lord is challenging them in verses five and verse six. And notice what he's saying to them, beloved brothers and sisters. In verse five, the Lord asking Israel, Judah, a question. And he asking them and he's saying, where are your fathers today?

Your fathers, where are they? This is the question that the Lord asked. Look, look at what happened to your fathers. Look at the consequence of their evil doings. Look at the consequence. You know, the truth of the matter that God's people, though the chosen people, though belong to the Lord, when they disobey the Lord and go astray and be disciplined by God, they end up in a sad state. Where are they? So notice the Lord is asking, Israel, he says in verse five, he says, your fathers, where are they? Ayahim, where are they?

So now notice in response, Israel, who is now not in a healthy spiritual state as they began with when they returned to the land under Ezra and Nehemiah, now they are saying here, they say to the Lord, they are really asking, the Lord, well, okay, you're asking us where is our fathers, well, the prophets, the former prophets, they preached to the nation, to the, to the, to our fathers, but look, even they do not, do not live, they die as well. You see in verse five, the, the, this is a respond, really, in verse, verse five beats a respond to God's question, your fathers, where are they? So the people of Israel said, and the prophets, do they live forever? In other words, they were saying, well, God, you see, even the prophets that you send to the fathers who challenged the people of Israel to return, to come back, look, even they died. And as it says here at the end of verse five, he said, they, do they live forever?

In other words, yes, you discipline our fathers, our forefathers, and yes, you send the prophets. But to both of them, they eventually passed away and gone out of the scene. You see, that question, where is the prophets? In other words, where are they that prophesy? Even they eventually die and go out of the way. But you see, they should have not said that. If you turn with me for a moment to 2 Peter chapter 3. 2 Peter chapter 3, notice what we read in verses 3 and 4. Peter is looking back at history. Remember that Peter in his ministry, he was the apostle to the circumcision, and his first and second epistle, he actually wrote to Hebrew Christian, to Messianic Jews, to Jewish believers.

And he's, and he's speaking to them, and he's telling them in, 2 Peter 3 verse 1, he says, This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you, in both which to stir up your pure mind by way of remembrance. I want to remind you, brethren. Verse 2, that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandments of, of us, the apostles of the Lord, of the Lord and Savior. I want to remind you, brethren, of what the prophet says in Dave of old, and of what we, the apostles, saying to you now, and that you will know what will happen over the generation. And then in verse 3, he says, knowing this, First of all, he said, that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying, notice what these scoffers will say, where is the promise of his coming?

Look, where is the promise of the coming of the Messiah, the coming of the Lord, the coming of God to establish the promised kingdom? Where is the promise of his coming? The scoffers will say, and notice it says here in verse three, walking after their own lusts. They would know this first that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

But Peter said in verse five, for these they willingly are ignorant of the word of God. In other words, the scoffers, they don't take the word of God seriously, and they mock the word of God, and they're not submitting to the word of God, and they do not subject themselves to the word of God, and therefore they will ultimately be disciplined by God.

And so you see in verse five, I'm back to Zechariah chapter one in verse five, God asked Israel, where are your fathers? What he meant, he didn't mean, where are they as if he didn't know where they are. He's saying to them, where are they? Where, where was their spiritual condition when they disobeyed me? Did it help them? Did they benefit from that?

They were carried away by the Assyrian, the northern kingdom, 721 BC. They were carried away by the Babylonian, Judah and Benjamin, 586 BC. The temple was burned, Jerusalem destroyed. Look, look at the state of those that violate God's word. And you know, brothers and sisters, especially today, the last days in which you and I live in today, in Christendom, it is the same thing. And in the world around us, even the unregenerated world, they said there is no God, God is not going to come, everything is okay, we can do as we please. And people don't realize that they need to turn to God because God is a holy and a righteous judge. He loved the world, He gave His Son, the Messiah came, that whosoever will believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life, but he that has not the Son shall not see life. John tell us in John 3, 36, judgment will come.

So in a sense, when they responded to the Lord like this, when he said to them, where is your father? So they, in a callous way, they said, well, okay, but even the prophets, they did not live forever, they died. But you see the difference between the prophets who served God and ministered to the people of Israel and the fathers who disobeyed God and were judged by God is this. The prophets, the servants of the Lord who ministered God to the nation of Israel will be blessed. They were blessed in their lifetime by pleasing the Lord, even though they have suffered for their testimony to God, the testimony to the, to the people of the word of the Lord, but they will be rewarded and will be blessed eternally.

So there is a two You see the days, all died, but those that left the scene, how did they leave the scene? Were they living for the Lord or not? You know, for us, it's the same thing. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, of the Messiah. Second Corinthians 5 10. And every one of us will have to stand before the Lord. The question is, did we return to the Lord in our heart? Did we went, did we come back in repentance and say, Lord, I need your help. I'm, I, I'm, I've gone wrong. And the Lord is always ready to receive his people, to forgive their sins. So now notice that, and we're gonna, we will conclude with that in verse, in verse, six.

God's word will never change. God is saying to Zechariah, to say to the people of Israel, Oh yes, the fathers passed away, the prophets passed away, but God's word will never pass away. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will not pass away. Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah said. So, so notice what we read in verse six. God is saying through the prophet Zechariah, but my words and my statutes, which I commended my servants, the prophet, did they not take hold on your fathers, of your fathers? In other words, whatever I prophesied or whatever I spoke through the prophets of, of Israel to the nation of Israel, did they not come true?

Did not I fulfill what I, spoke to you, Judah, to you, Israel, through the prophets? He's saying in verse six, did they not take hold of your fathers? And they returned and said, notice what they're saying to him. Now notice what they're saying in verse six. God's word will remain the same. The people returned. Now notice that. Now what we see because of the encouragement of Zechariah, the people now responded. And so we read in verse six, and they returned. Notice how beautiful it is. When God appealed to them and God spoke to them and God challenged them, how wonderful it said, and they returned and they said, well, like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways. And according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. In other words, Lord, whatever you say about us, you are right.

Whatever you said about our forefathers, surely came to pass. God fulfilled his word that he has spoken to his people. When he spoke judgment upon those who rebelled against him, it came to pass. When he spoke through the prophet blessing upon the nation of Israel, it came to pass. God's word is eternal, it never changes. His promises will surely come to pass. Now quickly, just a verse or two in Isaiah chapter 40. If you turn with me to Isaiah chapter 40 at verse 6, 7, and 8, where we do read. Isaiah 40, verse 6, it said, The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry?

And notice what we read, All flesh, rather all people, is grass. And all the goodliness thereof, the best of that grass thereof, is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass, we read in verse 7. People, you and I, the human race are like grass. The best of us, the most goodly, the best of us, is really like the flower of the field. This is like grass.

And then he says in verse 8, The grass withereth, and the flower, flower's fading, but the word of the Lord Shall stand forever. People will come and go. People, the greatest, the best of men today, the presidents and the kings and the rulers and the judges and the pr- and all the great men of this earth, they are like the, like grass.

They will fade away. And if they will not turn to the Lord, they will be disciplined by the Lord. If they will not repent of their sins, they will be eternally separated from the Lord. And God's people as well, if they do not turn to the Lord, God will discipline his own people because judgment must begin at the house of the Lord.

He will discipline, although God's people are eternally forgiven because of the work of Christ, the work of the Messiah. But the word of the Lord shall stand forever. It never changes. It never changes. Chapter 55 of Isaiah. There we read in verse 8, Beloved brothers and sisters, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth, and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, verse eleven, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth, God said to Israel through Isaiah in chapter fifty five and verse eleven.

It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the things whereunto I sent it. Beloved brothers and sisters, God's word will remain the same, and so what we learn in in Zechariah chapter one and verse six, God's word is true, although the fathers They have gone. And even the prophets, they are not living here forever. The Lord will bless them because they are faithful, but the word of the Lord remain forever. The word of the Lord remain forever. Now finally, just to read Matthew chapter 24, and there, beloved brothers and sisters, I would like to read at verse 35. Matthew 24 and verse 35. Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah said before he died, before he was buried, before he rose again, before he ascended, before he sent the Holy Spirit of God to establish the ekklesia, the church, the assembly. He said before his death, heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass.

Away. So, beloved brothers and sisters, in the first six verses of Zechariah chapter one, God is calling Israel to return to himself, and he says, Return unto me, and I will return unto you. Shuvu elai ve'ashuva eleichem. Don't stay away, return to me. And the lesson for us here in these first six verses is just as Yehudah, the Jewish people, returned now after the seventy years captivity, they didn't take too long, and there was again departure.

As we learn from church history, after there was a reawakening and restoration to the Lord and to his word at about the 1800s, The Church of the, of Philadelphia, brotherly love, it didn't take too long. And there was a departure, and we live in the Church of the present age, of the Church of the Laodiceans, where, what we, people rule, and not the Lord is ruling, and that's why the Lord is saying, Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

He desire to come in, to have fellowship with his own people. And so we read in Revelation chapter three in verse, in, when he's writing to the church of Laodicea, and to the angel of the church of the Laodice, of the, of the Laodicean write, we read in verse fourteen, These things says the Amen, the faithful and the true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou were cold or hot, so then, because thou art lukewarm, and rather, and, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because you say I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and you do not know that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. And that's the condition that existed in the time when the restored remnant came back to the land.

And that's why God is saying, Shuvu Elai, return unto me. That's why the Lord Jesus said, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. Revelation 3 and verse 20, In every man, hear my voice and open the door, I will come in unto him and I will sup with him and he with me. To him that overcometh, he want his own people to be restored to him, to overcome that condition and come to him. How much grace and how much help we need as the Lord is speaking to our hearts in the power of the Spirit of God. May the Lord help us to see this. And these first six verses of Zechariah chapter 1, God is calling Israel to return unto him. And from now, from chapter 1 verse 7 all the way to the end of chapter 6, we have eight visions.

That will, that will be shared with Israel through the prophet Zechariah to show them God's manner whereby he's intending to restore his people, and it will only happen when ultimately his people Israel will repent and turn to him and really trust in the person of Yeshua Jesus the Messiah, the, the Redeemer who came to give his life for all mankind. May the Lord bless his word, my dear friend. May the Lord help us to understand that as we study together the prophecy of Zechariah. And so, our God and our Father, we thank you for your word. We ask that you will bless your word to our hearts. Help us to understand the word, for we ask it in Yeshua, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Well, my dear friend, until the next time. we say shalom, shalom. Bye-bye.