Well, God bless you, my dear friends and dear brothers and sisters. Welcome to the Bible classes of the Holy Scriptures and Israel. And as we are singing that wonderful song, I'm eternally grateful to Jesus, to Yeshua, for all that he has done, for me, for you, for us. He has given us life and salvation. He has given us liberty. How wonderful it is to give thanks and to be reminded that we are throughout eternity, we are going to praise him for who he is and for what he had done.

For us. Well, my dear friend, we are going to study, continuing our study of the book of Zechariah, Zechariah, in chapter one. Hopefully, you have the Word of God in your hand, if you don't mind to open it, to the prophecy of Zechariah, chapter one. We are going to continue from verse seven at this meeting. And so let's pray. Ask the Lord to bless us, and we'll begin with the reading of Zechariah, chapter one, verse seven onward. And Abba, Father, thank you for the privilege of being under the sound of your word. Bless your word to our, to our hearts, we pray, for we ask it for your glory, in Yeshua's name. Amen, amen.

So, beloved brothers and sisters and dear friends, please turn with me to the first chapter of the prophet Zechariah. And I would like to continue with the reading. We have covered the first six verses in our previous meeting together. I would like to read from verse seven onward towards the end of the chapter. And so I'm reading Zechariah chapter one and verse seven, where we read, Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shevat, in the second year of the years, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, 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 that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro through the earth. And they answered, and they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and behold, all the earth sitteth still and is at rest. Then 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 threescore and ten years?

And the Lord, Jehovah, answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith 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 the affliction. Therefore thus says the Lord, I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies. My house shall be built in it.

Be stretched and, and, and he says in it, and says the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. Cry it saying, thus says the Lord of hosts, my city through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad, and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. And I will stop here, beloved brothers and sisters, with verse 17, because in Zechariah chapter 1, verses 7 to 17, we have the first of the eight visions that Zechariah will see concerning Judah, Jerusalem, and the people of Israel, the Jewish people. Now this is such an important portion of the Word of God. Oftentimes, sadly, we don't hear ministry on the prophets of Israel that prophesied concerning the, the not only the judgment that God have laid upon his people, the people of Israel, but the sure restoration of his people whom he have chosen to a future day when Israel as a nation will come to know the Lord Jesus the Messiah and be a restored nation in the coming days.

You see, beloved brothers and sisters, while we live in the present day of the church age, which really is a mystery that was not revealed to the sons of men, was hid in God according to Ephesians chapter 3, yet the whole, what we call Hebrew Scriptures, present before us the promises of God and God's dealing with the world through His earthly people, the nation of Israel.

And this is very important for us to understand if we are going to present and learn the whole counsel of God. God's dealing with the world, God's dealing with Israel, and God's dealing with the assembly. This is very, very important for us to understand. Paul said to the Ephesians elders in Acts chapter 20 that he presented before them the whole counsel of God. And this is very important for us as believers in the Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah to understand, to learn, to teach, and to emphasize. Why? Because it's not the plan of man. It's not man's opinion, not yours, not mine, not any other man. It is the mind of the Lord. It is the plan of God who has a purpose in his heart, and he is intending to fulfill all that which he has planned for himself, for his own glory, and the glory of the Lord Jesus the Messiah, whom he sent to this world.

Well, we have covered thus far, beloved brothers and sisters, the first six verses of Zechariah chapter one. We have looked at the introduction to the prophecy of Zechariah. We have learned that his name is Zechariah, his father's name was Berechiah, and his grandfather's name was Edo. By virtue of his name, we have already learned that his name was, his meaning, the meaning of his name is Zechariah, Jehovah remembers.

He is the son of Berechiah, the one that Yehovah, Yehovah is the blesser, Yehovah will bless, and his grandfather's name was Edo, Edmin, a witness, Yehovah will witness, will see to it that he will remember his people, will bless his people, and will see to it that his people, Israel, will receive the place that he has for them in the world, and that through them the blessing will flow to the world that is so much need of shalom and peace that can only come through the Lord Jesus the Messiah. So we have covered the first six verses.

We have learned that throughout, as the introduction was presented before us, that what we learned from the prophecy of Zechariah, what we will learn through the prophecy of Zechariah, is that The dealing of God with his earthly people of Israel throughout the times of the Gentile. And we have presented an outline to the prophecy of Zechariah. There is an introduction to Zechariah's call in chapter 1 verses 1 to 6. There is the eight visions of the Lord about God's plan for Israel through Zechariah in chapter 1 verse 7 to chapter 6 and verse 15. And then if you remember we have also learned that in this portion of the word of God we will also have beloved brothers and sisters the fact that there will be from chapter 7 verse 1 to chapter 8 verse 23 there will be the full question of Israel concerning fasting and finally in Zechariah chapter 9 verse 1 to Zechariah chapter 14 verse 21 we have the two burdens of the Lord for Israel.

One will be of the word of Yehovah in chapter 9 verse 1 to 11 verse 17. Burden two will be of the word of the Lord, the word of Yehovah in chapter 12 verse 1 to the end, chapter 14 and verse 21. So we have introduction, we have the eight vision, we have the discussion concerning fasting, and we have the burdens of the Lord concerning His people of Israel. And in a sense, beloved brothers and sisters, the prophecy of Zechariah lead us all the way to the final coming of the Lord Jesus the Messiah, all the way to the tribulation period, even beyond.

All the way to the Messianic Kingdom, to the Millennial Age. It passes by throughout the first coming of the Messiah. It passes by the Church Age, going beyond the Church Age. It takes us all the way to the Tribulation Period, the second coming of the Messiah, and the thousand years reign of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. We can see it, the times of the Gentiles, when we look at the image that Daniel, that Nebuchadnezzar have seen, and Daniel gave the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar, all the times of the Gentiles, when the kingdom was taken over from the nation of Israel, handed over to the Gentile world, and the Gentile empires rose throughout these ages, the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Grecians, the Romans, the Romans, and of, ultimately, At the end of the days, the revived Roman Empire, and finally the second coming of Christ, of the Mashiach, who will destroy all those kingdoms and will establish, restoring Israel and establishing the Messianic Kingdom and his ruling over Israel as the King of Israel, the King of the Jews, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords for a thousand years.

And then cometh the end where we have the eternal order, the eternal state. So we are now in the beginning of the prophecy of Zechariah. And you notice, beloved brothers and sisters, that Zechariah will receive, beloved brothers and sisters, he will receive eight Eight, visions of which we are going to read, we read this, session of the first vision that we have here in, Zechariah, chapter one, verses, seven to verse, to verses seventeen. What is, notice that, as we are speaking about this first vision, very, very interesting, in the first vision, beloved brothers and sisters, we have the vision of the horsemen among the myrtle trees. The vision of the horsemen among the myrtle trees. This is verses seven to verse seventeen. This will be the first vision that Zechariah will receive and that will deal again with God's concern for his earthly people, the people of Israel. Now let me mention something here as we are moving along.

You and I can never change the plan of God for his earthly people of Israel. I know we live during the church age and we are concerned for the plan of God for the ekklesia, for the assembly, for the church, Jew and Gentiles united together in this body of Christ, the body of Messiah. And praise God for these amazing present days of the assembly, the ekklesia.

Where both Jews and Gentiles are united together into one body, and together we are making the ekklesia, the called out ones, and we are really a heavenly company. The church is a, is the bride of Christ. The church will come to an end, as very soon when the ch, when the rapture of the church will take place. We which are alive and remain, will not prevent them that are falling asleep. Together we will be taken out of here, and we will meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

But when we are going to be with the Lord in glory in heaven at the rapture of the church, which might take place at any time, from that time on, will soon after, there will be the beginning of the tribulation period. The tribulation period called in Hebrew Tzarat Yaakov. Tzarat Yaakov means Jacob's trouble. God is going to refine his earthly people Israel and ultimately will restore them to himself. And here we're learning, beloved brothers and sisters, from the very first, the very first vision that Zechariah received at 520 BC, even before the first coming of the Messiah, the first, before the church was born, God is revealing to Zechariah, who preached to the return remnant of Israel, After the seventy years of the captivity, they are back in the land. God is revealing to them the future plan of his to restore Israel back to himself. Now, let me just also mention that by the time the Jewish people returned back to the land after seventy years of, of captivity, under the Babylonian and Medo-Persian, they returned back to the land about fifty thousand Jewish people.

That's what the record in Ezra and Nehemiah that we have in the word of God. But These 50,000 and many more, perhaps it came later and born to the nation there, they already began to decline in their spiritual condition. They started good, they were refreshed, they started afresh, they started to rebuild the temple, but they began to slack and to turn away from the Lord once again.

And remember that we are emphasizing the lesson for us too today, because in the church age, it happened the very same thing. After the Reformation and after the Church of Philadelphia began in the 1800s, when the gospel was preached and the preaching of the gospel, many souls were saved, became added to the assembly, to the ekklesia. It didn't take time, didn't take too long time, and there was a decline in the professing church where we find ourselves today in a day of decline, in the same condition of the days of the restored remnants of Israel at about 536 and onward. And you can see this is a repetition, it is a cycle in the lives of God's people. We began good, but we don't always continue good.

We depart from the Lord slowly but surely, and that's why there's constant warning by the word of the Lord, whether it is to Israel, return unto me and I will return unto you, or whether it is to the church, where the judgment must begin at the house of God. And there's always a warning for the people of God to turn back to the Lord and to have fellowship with Him. And so now that the Zechariah received the word of the Lord, who said to the people of Israel, or people of Judah already, in verse, verse four and five and six, which we have already read, Be ye not as your fathers. Unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, Turn ye now from your evil way and from your evil doings. But they did not hear nor hearken unto me, says the Lord. Your fathers, where are they? And the prophet, do they live forever?

But my word and my statutes, which I commended my servants the prophet, did they not take hold on your fathers? And they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts sought to do unto us according to our ways and according to our doing, so has he dealt with us. In other words, the Lord is saying to the returned remnant, he says, Turn ye now from your evil ways and I will return unto you. Don't be like your fathers. Don't do like the, the, your fathers in days of old. Return unto me, and I will return unto you. Hearken unto me, says the Lord. But again, as the cycle of the disobedience that happened in the life of God's people, often time the, the people did not turn to the Lord, and then the Lord had to judge them again.

And so, here now, and we continuing now in our chapter, chapter one from verses seven to seventeen, we have the first vision that, the prophet Zechariah received concerning the concern of the Lord, the love of the Lord for his people Israel, the desire for blessing for them, and the promises that he will bring it to fruition And he will have to deal with his people and to restore them unto himself. So you notice the first verses, we read first of all about the date. In verse 7 of Zechariah chapter 1 verse 7 says, here's the date, notice the date it says, upon the fourth and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shabbat, 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, the date was now the eleventh month.

The eleventh month is the Hebrew month of Shabbat. Here in the English it's called Sabbat or Sebat, but in Hebrew the word is Shabbat. Shabbat is the eleventh month in the Hebrew calendar. Now if you notice, beloved brothers and sisters, when you read verse 1, The Lord called Zechariah in the eighth month of the second year of the rise. In the eighth month, by the time we arrive to the first vision, three months have passed over already. The eight to the nine, the nine to the ten, the tens to the eleven. Now, if you just go back for a moment, one page back, go to the prophet Haggai. Haggai was a contemporary of Zechariah.

We read about Haggai that he also was called by the Lord during the time that Zechariah was called. In fact, here we learn. That Haggai, according to chapter one and verse one, in the second year of the rise king of the king, he said, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel, the son of Shattien. In other words, Haggai was already called in the six months, or in the second year of the rise, while Zechariah was called by the Lord in the eighth month in the second year of the rise. So you see, Haggai was called before Zechariah, a few months before him. And if you read to the prophecy of Haggai, you will notice that Haggai ministered about three months.

In chapter one verse one was the sixth month. In chapter two verse one it is the seventh month. In chapter two verse ten it is the ninth month. So the sixth to the seventh, the sevenths to the eighth, the eighth to the ninth, and Haggai apparently preached for about three months to six months, but Zechariah was speaking to the people of Judah, to the Jewish people for some fifty years.

Fifty years about, it's a long ministry and you receive visions after vision after vision from the Lord. So we read now in Zechariah chapter one and verse seven, upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shabbat, in the second year of the rise came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet. Same. So here come the word of the Lord to Zechariah on the eleventh month of the second year of the riots. This is the month of Shvat. Now in verse eight, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah in a form of a vision.

The word of the Lord came to Zechariah. Remember, Zechariah is more like very similar to Daniel. He received vision from the Lord. Very similar to Yohanan, John, the apostle received vision of the book of Revelation, the whole revelation of Jesus the Messiah. Here we have Zechariah and Daniel and Yohanan, John. You can see that these Servants of the Lord receive from the Lord, from the Lord visions that describe the plan of God. Here is a description of the plan of God concerning the restoration of the Jewish people, of the Hebrews, of the nation of Israel. So what does he see? Notice that in verse 8, Zechariah see a man riding upon a red horse. Notice that, we read in verse 8, And I saw, Zechariah is saying, 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, plural, speckled and white.

So when Zechariah is seeing this vision, what does he see? The first thing that he sees according to verse 8, he sees a man. The Hebrew word is ish, a man. That ish, according to this verse 8, is riding on a red horse. Now again, the word, often time we think about the red horse, looking at Revelation chapter 6, the red horse often has a relation to warfare, to a conflict, to a judgment that is going to come. Which he, this man, this man that rode on this red horse, is really speaking of the fact that he is going to ultimately come in judgment. You remember when you look at Revelation chapter 6 and you have these four horses that are mentioned there, and these four horses also have one of them with the red color.

So the red often time in scripture speaks of warfare, of blood, representing conflict and war and judgment that is going to come. And you notice it used the word ish, amen. In verse eight, A. But beyond, as, as Zechariah is looking at the vision, and you see a man riding on a red horse, where does the red horse is standing? It's standing among the myrtle trees.

And notice that we're in the bottom. So that horse and the horse rider is really, standing among the myrtle trees. This place was in the bottom, really here, really here on earth. And the word for bottom come from the Hebrew word metzula, and metzula translated really to the word bottom or a low place or a shady place. He is there by a shady place, by the myrtle trees, and there he is really, these myrtle trees is in Pluon, he is really among the nations of the world. He is coming to observe what is going on among the nations of the world, and remember this, in relationship to his earthly people of Israel. He is kind of viewing, he is observing, he is riding on a red horse, and he sees how, and what is going on here on earth.

right where among the myrtle trees, that were in the bottom. The word for bottom comes from the Hebrew word metzula, and metzula simply means a shady place, a bottom, a low place, where you get some shade, and it really represents that he's there among the nations of the world. Now, notice, he doesn't only see a man riding on a red horse, and he's among the myrtle trees representing the nation, which is in the bottom, in a shady place, in a low place. But what he also sees, he sees in the very same verse eight, beloved brothers and sisters, he also see that behind him, Behind that man that is riding on a red horse, there were other, notice that he said, and behind him were the red horses, notice in plural now, other horses, and those horses were red as well, but also speckled and white.

The, the, the Hebrew word for speckled is surkim. They were adumim, surkim, and also levanim. There were three colors, red colored, speckled, which is basically, has to do with more or less like brown and, and yellow, and the white, horses, and those that were, coming there upon, riding after him. Now, that is very interesting. Now, let me remind you, beloved brothers and sisters, that often time in Scripture, in the Word of God, we do read that when the Lord Jesus is coming at his second coming, he's also coming on a horse. Let me just turn to, with you to Revelation, chapter, 19 for a moment. Turn with me to Revelation chapter 19. And in Revelation chapter 19 and verse 11, we do read, and I saw heaven open, and I beheld a white horse, and he that sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness doth he judge and make war, and his eyes were as a flame of fire, and so on.

And it's interesting that it gives us a description of the, of the Messiah at his second coming in Revelation chapter 19 and verse 11. In fact, we do see, beloved brothers and sisters, that as the, as the, as the Lord is coming from heaven, that he's really coming with in judgment. And if you read a little bit later on in verse 14 of Revelation 19, it says, and the armies which were in heaven followed him. And notice the word armies is in Revelation 19 and verse 14, they were plural. You and I who are part of the church gonna come with him at his second coming, but the angels are going to come with him as well at the second coming of the Messiah. But here, Zechariah receive a vision from the, from God concerning his plan and purpose for the nation of Israel.

Now, that is what he says. He sees, number one, a man, but I want you to notice that, beloved brothers and sisters, this man here, as you will read the text, you will notice that he is called here the angel of the Lord, and he's also called here an angel. There are three names that we have here concerning this man. On the one hand, he's called a man, on the other hand, he's called an angel, and another time he's called the angel of the Lord.

And every time in the Word of God, when the expression is the angel of the Lord, it always have a reference to the pre-incarnate appearing of Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, of God the Son, before he took union humanity with his divine nature in the city of Bethlehem, when he was born to the Virgin Miriam, here we see his pre-incarnate appearance of the Son of God, of the Mashiach himself, Yeshua, before he took union humanity, before his incarnation. Now, to emphasize this, I just want, for a moment, to, remind you of some, verses concerning the pre-incarnate Messiah. Now, if you turn with me, for a moment, please, back all the way to Genesis chapter 16.

And I just read, because we have a passage in Genesis 16, we can read it from Genesis 18, we can read it in Genesis 19. There are various passages that present before us the pre-incarnate appearing of the Lord Yeshua Jesus, the Messiah. But let me just read from Genesis 16, verses 7 onward. Genesis 16, verse 7. Notice, and the angel of the Lord found her, and we know this is Hagar, Hagar, Hagar. He found her by the fountain of water in the wilderness, by the mountains in the way of the, of Tushur. Verse eight, And he said unto Hagar Sarai, and he said, Hagar, Sarai, maid, he says, Whence comest thou, and whither thou goest? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, and it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard thy affliction. Verse twelve and thirteen, And he will be a wild man, his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him, and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. And notice what we read in verse thirteen, And she called the name of the, of Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou God seest me.

All along we read, And the angel of the Lord found her, and the angel of the Lord said unto her, and the angel of the Lord said unto Hagar, and the angel of the Lord said unto her, when we arrive to verse thirteen, she called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou God seest me. In other words, Hagar understood that this angel of the Lord that appears to her is much more than just an angel, but he is the angel of the Lord, and he is much more than just an the angel, he is none else but God himself. That was a pre-incarnate appearing of the Son of God, of our Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah. He appeared to Hagar before his incarnation. Let me read you another verse, beloved brothers and sisters. Turn to Genesis chapter 18 now.

And in Genesis chapter 18, verses 1, 2, and 3, we read, And Jehovah Appeared unto him, this is unto Avraham, in the plain of Mamre, as he sat down in the tent door in the heat of the day. And he, this is Avraham, verse two, lifted up his eyes, and he looked, and what does he see? Lo, three men stood by him.

And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent, and he bowed himself toward the ground. And notice what he said. And he said, My Lord, the Hebrew word is Adonai. Adonai, this is a much more than just Adoni, my master, but this is Lord God, my Lord, Adonai. Adonai, if I found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee from thy servant. Again, three men appeared before Avraham.

We learn from chapter 18 and chapter 19 that one of them was none else but Yehovah, the Lord Himself. And then that the other two men were angels that later on went into the city of Sodom to judge the city of Sodom and to take Lot out of the city of Sodom. Well, beloved brothers and sisters, we will see this as we are studying that this man that Zechariah sees in this first vision is none else but the pre-incarnate Messiah, Christ.

This is God the Son in His pre-incarnate appearing before He was born to the virgin Miriam later on in the city of Bethlehem, Judea. And so back to Zechariah. Chapter one, in verse eight, Zechariah sees the first vision, a man, a man riding on a red horse. You see also in verse eight, this man is standing in the lower part, in the metzula, in the bottom part of this earth, among the myrtle trees representing all the nations. Then behind him there were other horses, which have different colors, red, speckled, and white. And while Bible teachers might divide on what is the meaning of these colors, some believe that these colors represent, various responsibility, and really these are angels, servants of the Lord, that following the, following that man, the pre-incarnate Messiah, and doing his bidding. To remind you that the angels are always called in the Word of God the servants of the Lord. They do God's bidding.

Are they not ministering spirits? Hebrews 12 in chapter 1, the last verse, they are called to serve God's people, whether it is the people of Israel or whether it is the assembly, the ekklesia, the angels are called to serve the Lord. And here we have the, the man that is called the angel of the Lord, that is called also the, the angel who is, pre-incarnate appearing, is viewing what's going on here in this world during the times of the Gentiles in relationship to his earthly people, the people of Israel. Well, in verse 9 now, back to our chapter, Zechariah 1 and verse 9, so in verse 9, now that Zechariah sees it, that vision, and so in verse 9, Zechariah is questioning this man. But you notice this time, he is called an angel.

Notice that in verse eight he's calling man. Now then said I, O my Lord, he's calling him Lord, what are these? In other words, he, he, Zechariah, now that received that vision from God of that man riding on this red horse, having behind him other horses and, and a, representing angels riding on these other three colored horses. Now, Zechariah is asking this man who is now is presented before us as an angel. And so we read in verse nine, and he said, O my Lord, what are these? He's asking him concerning these other multitude of, of, horses, and upon them, of course, there are angels that doing the beating of the Lord, and notice, and the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these be. In other word, the, the angel, that man, is saying to, Zechariah, I'm going to show you what these are, what these be, what are they doing?

What who is doing? What these other horses, speckled white, red, speckled and white, I'm going to show you what are these. He's saying to Zechariah. So you notice now, beloved brothers and sisters, in verse 8, Zechariah sees a man, in Hebrew, esh, a ish. In verse 9, this ish, this man, is speaking to Zechariah, and he's an angel, malach in Hebrew, a messenger of God. But you will notice again that he's much more than just another angel, he's the angel of Jehovah. And so he's saying to Zechariah, I will show you what these be.

And so now in the next verses, verses 10 and 11 of this first chapter of the prophecy of Zechariah, and now that, that, that pre-incarnate Christ, Messiah, He's giving an answer to Zechariah, he's helping him to understand that vision. And so we read in verse 10, And the man, notice that, interchanging. The angel that talked with me, now again back he's called the man, as we have him in verse 8. He saw a man, and then the angel that talked with me, said to me, and then, and the man, notice the angel is the man, that told him, I'm going to tell you what is this, then the man that stood among the myrtle trees, among the nations, the myrtle trees representing the nations of the world, here below, underneath, and he says, he's saying to him in verse 10, He answered and he said, These are they whom Jehovah has sent to walk to and fro through the earth.

So what we learn here, that the Lord have sent these angels to go to and fro through the earth. That expression here, beloved brothers and sisters, this expression that we have here for to and fro in that verse 10 in Hebrew, they are called to walk around, to go back and forth, back and forth, go and see what is going on here in this world.

Go and view, it is again a vision, go and view what is going on among the people of the world and how they relate themselves to my people, the people of Israel. How are they dealing with them? How is the situation going on? Now again, we know that God does not need to send anyone. He knows exactly very well what's going on, but he gives these visions to Zechariah to help us who are learners, who are human beings, failing people. Yes, forgiven, yes, redeemed, but he's helping us to understand how God is over everything. He knows he's sovereign, his providence is, he is, he's ruling over the affairs of this world. Now, does that remind you of someone else that have gone to and fro?

That have walked throughout the earth to see what's going on here in this world. Turn with me to the book of Job for a moment. Let me just read to you a verse or two from the book of Job. If you remember, beloved brothers and sisters, in, concerning Job, as we read, concerning him, you know, in Zechariah chapter one and verse, ten, we read that these, these are they which the Lord has sent to go to walk to and fro throughout the earth. Well, turn with me to Job chapter, one, and listen to what we read in Job chapter one. It says, there was a man of the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was perfect and upright, and, one that feared God and eschewed evil.

And you remember a little bit later on, we do read concerning, Satan. Remember Satan was, he is an angel, a fallen angel, beloved brothers and sisters. He fell into, sin and God had to judge him. But notice what we read in verse seven of Job one. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered him, the Lord, and he said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? You see that? The angel, the fallen angel, Satan, going to and fro. He's going to and fro to cause problems. He's going to and fro to cause to harm the people of God. He's going to and fro to go against God.

But God has his angels that follow him, that they are going to and fro to view, to evaluate the condition that exists here upon the face of this earth. Notice in Job chapter two, we read again, it's in verse, in verse one and two of Job chapter two, it said, and there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord. Then Satan came also among the present about, among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said unto Satan, from whence comest thou?

And Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro in the earth. And for walking up and down in it, you see the devil, Satan, is also viewing what's going on here in this world, but his wish is to harm the people of God, is only to hurt the people of God, but God's servants, the angels who obey the Lord, go to and fro to evaluate what's going on here in this world in order to restore and to protect his people in the context of Zechariah, the people of Israel. You remember what Peter said in 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 8, be sober, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, is a roaring lion walking about. Notice that, he's going to and fro, walking about, seeking whom he may devour.

Satan want to devour God's people, but God's Servants, the angels, the ministering spirit, they are concerned with the people of Israel, the people of God. They are also concerned about you and I today. The angels are ministering spirits according to Hebrews chapter one, it says at the end of the chapter, are they not all ministering spirits sent forth? You see, God sent them to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation, Hebrews chapter one and verse fourteen.

So Zechariah sees in this vision a man sitting on a red horse, that man was the pre-incarnate Mashiach. And he's there among the myrtle trees in the lowest part in the Metzula, in the, in the shade here below on earth. Behind him, following him, other angels, angels that following him, they are riding on horses that are red and, speckled and white, which represent their service here for the Lord, here upon the face of this earth. And Zechariah wanted to know, what are these things? Who are they? And, he said, the angel, that man who is called also an angel, saying to Zechariah, well, these are they that were sent from the Lord, they are going to and fro throughout the earth.

And to remind you, beloved brothers and sisters, they are ministering spirits, beating, doing God's beating, serving God's people in the context of Zechariah, the people of Israel. So now, in verse 11, what they are doing, they report of those angels, those servants, what they are reporting, they are going to and fro. And so in verse 11, they answered, now notice again, they answered the angel of the Lord. Now notice this is the third, we might say, the third way in which this man is being presented. In verse 8, he's presented as a man, Ish. In verse 9, he's presented as Malach, an angel. And in verse 11, he's presented as the angel of Jehovah, the same person.

The man, the ish, the malach, and malach Yehovah, the angel of the Lord. And so what are these angels that riding on these horses that follow after him do? They are giving him a report. They are going to and fro upon all the earth, throughout the earth, and now they are coming with a report, just like we have read in Job 1 and Job 2. And so they coming now, they are answering to the angel of the Lord, malach Yehovah, that stood among the myrtle trees. You notice that? That man that stood among the myrtle trees, for verse 8, is the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees.

And what do they answer him? They stood among, they said to him, we walk to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is sitting still and is at rest. What he's really saying, by the way, the word steal and rest simply means in this, in this, verse, eleven, that, they are on the earth, the earth continue on, yoshevet v'shaketet in Hebrew. Yoshevet v'shaketet, they are steal, and they are here, at rest. Yoshevet v'shaketet. In other words, things continue on.

The plan and the program of God for his earthly people Israel seems to be delayed, and this, angel of the Lord received the report from these angels in that vision that everything is for the nations around, everything is okay, while the program for the people of Israel seems, seem to be outwardly Not continuing on. Israel is not restored as yet to what God had intending for them.

And so Zechariah, again remember 520 BC, Zechariah is presenting, preaching to the remnant of Israel that returned back to the land now. They are now in a decline. And now after 70 years that God had judged them and sent them to Babel, now that they return, it seems to be that they return, heaven come to the glorious days that God have intended and promised for Israel.

And so Zechariah is concerned. And so now, beloved brothers and sisters, from verse 12 to verse 17, here we have now Zechariah. Now that he heard these from, from, the angel of the Lord, now the angel of the Lord that gave this information to Zechariah, now you find out how interesting, that that angel of the Lord, that is, is, among the nations of the world, represented by the, the, the myrtle trees, he's now interceding on behalf of his people of Israel. This is so beautiful to see.

You remember, beloved brothers and sisters, if you just for a moment turn with me to the Gospel of Luke, into the Gospel of Luke, there are those two passages that we have there. In Luke chapter thirteen and verse thirty-four, you remember what Jesus the Messiah was praying? You remember how much concern he had for his people Israel and for the city of Yerushalayim? He was crying at his first coming because Yerushalayim did not accept him. And we read in verse thirty-four, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killeth the prophet, this is verse thirty-four of Luke thirteen, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killeth the prophet and stoneth them that are sent unto thee, how often, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen doth gather her brood under her wing, and ye would not.

You see, he longs for the restoration of Yerushalayim. It's not only for Jerusalem, it's not only for the Jewish people, it's not only for Israel, but it's for himself. I want to restore you. I wanted to gather you as a hen gather her chicks, but you don't want. And that's why he says, your house shall be left unto you desolate. Verily I say unto you, you shall not see me until the time will come when you will say, Baruch haba b'shem Adonai. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Your house shall be left unto you desolate. You will not see me until you are going to repent and turn to me, until you are going to say, Baruch haba b'shem Adonai. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. And so you see now back to Zechariah. And you can see, beloved brothers and sisters, it is not unusual for the Son, the Messiah, to pray for on behalf of his people.

It is not unusual. In fact, before we go to Zechariah, go to John chapter 17 for a moment. The Lord Jesus, the Messiah, prayed for the saints of the church age as well. John 17 and verse 1, these words speak Jesus, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and he said, Father, the hour is come. Glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee. Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him, and this is eternal life, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, and Yeshua HaMashiach, whom thou hast sent.

I glorify thee on the earth, I have finished the work which thou hast given to me, and now, he says, notice, O Father, glorify thou me with thy own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto these men that thou hast given me out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee, and I have given to them. And notice he began to pray. Notice verse 9, I pray for them. I pray not for the world, Yeshua said.

Later on he will say, I pray not only for them, but they that those that will come to faith later on. And he's speaking about you and I, beloved brothers and sisters. He's praying for the assembly of the believers of this present age in John 17, even though the church was not born as yet, in anticipation of the birth of the assembly. Amazing to see, but now back quickly to our chapter in Zechariah chapter 1 and verse 12. I don't think we will continue too far, but in verse 12, the angel of Jehovah is speaking to Jehovah. The son is speaking to the father, as we have in John 17. Here we have the pre-incarnate Messiah who appear here on earth in the vision that he gave to Zechariah, the first vision. He's now praying on behalf of Israel, the nation.

And in verse 12 to 17, he's praying, the angel of the Lord, verse 12, praying, speaking to Yehovah, and he's asking him two things in verse 12. How long will you not have mercy upon Judah? And verse 12b, when will you restore the people of Israel? Listen, I'm reading verse 12. And the angel of the Lord answered and said, notice, he's speaking now. Oh, Yehovah of hosts. He's the angel of Yehovah, and he's speaking to Yehovah. He's the angel of the Lord, and he's speaking to the Lord. And he's saying to him, how long wilt thou have not mercy, will have not mercy on Jerusalem? Luke 13, oh, Yerushalayim, Yerushalayim. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how long would have I gathered thee as a hen gathereth chicks? How long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem?

And notice, not only in Jerusalem, and on the cities of Judah. You see, even though the remnant was now there, but they had opposition from the Samaritans who opposed them from building the temple in Jerusalem. They had discouragement, disappointment, and they were already begin with the decline, and they needed encouragement from, from the Lord. And so the angel of the Lord is speaking to the Lord, and he's saying in prayer, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem? And on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these seventy years, the three score and ten years, you have Disciplined the people of Judah for seventy years.

And now they have returned, the discipline have taken place by the rivers of Babylon. There we sat down and we wept, the Jewish people said when we remember Zion, Jerusalem. Then they that took us captive said unto us, sing unto us one of Zion's songs. They couldn't sing because they were in a strange, how shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?

Well, now they're back. But now a decline again continues on, opposition from without, opposition from within, and the prayer of the angel of the Lord, the angel of Jehovah to Jehovah himself, the son, is speaking to the father, just like we have in John 17. Praying on behalf of both of them, notice Jerusalem and the city of Judah. He doesn't speak about the buildings. He's not concerned with the building as much as he's concerned with the people of Jerusalem. Every time you read Jerusalem, it's not so much the city and the building, but it is the people that belong to Jerusalem. Every time you read the cities of Judah, it's not so much the buildings around, but are the people that dwell within those buildings. He said, against which thou hast an indignation. For seventy years. According to Jeremiah chapter 25, God punished the Jewish people seventy years in captivity because the Jewish people violated his word.

And so now, beloved brothers and sisters, just let me read verse 13, and we will stop with that. Here is Yehovah's good comfort, good words of comfort that he gave to the angel, that he gave to that man, that he gave to the angel of the Lord. In verse 13 we read, And Yehovah, the Lord answered the angel that talked with me. This is, Zechariah is seeing in his vision that the Lord is answering that man, that angel, that angel of the Lord that spoke with Zechariah.

And apparently what he hears him saying, good words, And comfortable words, good words and comfortable words. In Hebrew we read, good words, devarim tovim, devarim tovim u'devarim nichumim. There is a comfort, comfortable word that he is giving comfort for the people of Judah. He is intending to comfort them because of the years of judgment that was laid upon them. Remember what Isaiah said in Isaiah 40 and verse 1, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. For she has received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

God is speaking comfort for his people of Jerusalem, for his people of Judah, for the people of Israel, who is intending, he's intending to restore back to himself. Well, time is passing so quickly, and we just have to stop until the next meeting together, and we would be very happy to have you join us for our next meeting together as we are going to continue with this first vision that Zechariah sees, that vision that deal with the horsemen among the myrtle trees.

And the promise of God to, the angel of the Lord, the pre-incarnate Messiah for the people of Judah, the people of Israel. And that really, is the wonderful promises, and we can get comfort in this because for you and I today, my dear friend, dear brothers and sisters, the Lord is giving us comfort as well today. The Lord is going to take His heavenly company as well, and take us to be with Him in glory. And we will be with the Lord Yeshua Jesus, the Messiah, for time and for eternity. Why? Not because we are faithful, but because He is faithful, and He is intending to fulfill every promise which He have made.

Well, Abba Father, Thank you for your word. Bless your word to us all, we pray. Comfort our hearts, encourage our hearts, we pray, for we ask it in Yeshua, in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. Well, God bless you, my friend. Until the next time, we say shalom, shalom. God bless you.