Well, my dear friends, we want to say shalom to you and welcome to our Bible classes. we were singing in the shadow of your wings. How wonderful to sing to the Lord and to be occupied with our Messiah, the Lord Yeshua, who loved us and gave himself for us. And, and so, beloved brothers and sisters, we are studying together today in the book of Zechariah, Zechariah, and we are now in the tenth chapter, and we are going to look at the second half. Of Zechariah chapter 10, actually from verse 8 to verse 12. We have covered the first seven verses in our previous meeting together, and we want to conclude with Zechariah chapter 10, doing this meeting with the help of the Lord.

So hopefully you have a Bible in your hand, and we ask you please to open your Bible to Zechariah chapter 10, and we will also pray together and ask the Lord to bless his word as we study this together. Our God and our Father, we just thank you so much for your word. Thank you for the, prophets of old that spoke concerning the many, many, blessings that you have for, for mankind. We just ask your blessing now upon us as we study, the prophecy of Zechariah. We ask it in Yeshua, in Jesus' name. Amen, amen. So turn with me to Zechariah chapter 10, and I'm reading, beloved brothers and sisters, from verse, 8 to verse 12. And so I'm reading. Verse 8, we read, I will hiss for them. The Lord is speaking to Israel through Zechariah. And he said, I will hiss. For them, and gather them, for I have redeemed them, and they shall increase as they have increased.

I will sow them among the people, and they shall remember me in far countries, and they shall live with their children and turn again. I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria, and I will bring them into the land of Gilad and Lebanon, and place shall not be found for them. And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waters in the sea, the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the deeps of the river shall dry up, and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart away. And verse twelve tells us, And I will strengthen them in the Lord, and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the Lord. And I'm stopping here, verses eight to twelve of Zechariah chapter ten. We are continuing on, beloved brothers and sisters, in that, very important study of the prophecy of Zechariah, and to remind you, as we do so every time when we are reading, a portion of the scripture, we are occupied with the message that the Lord had given to the re-return remnant of Israel, now returning after they were for seventy years in the land of Bavel, and they are now back in the land.

As they were in the land after seventy years of the captivity, the Babylonian captivity, time passed by. They rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem, although they have much opposition from the neighboring nations. And therefore, they were discouraged and they needed encouragement. And so God raised these prophets, Zechariah, such as Zechariah and Haggai, and ultimately Malachi, to minister to his people, to the returned remnant. They needed to be encouraged and strengthened, and Zechariah was one of these prophets, a post-captivity prophet that ministered to the Jewish remnant to return from the land of Babel. He ministered from about 520 BC, sometime to about 485, 487 BC, for quite a few years, and as he was ministering to his brethren, he was encouraging them to continue to follow after the Lord. We have covered the fact that the chapter one to chapter six, he received visions.

Eight visions. And through these eight visions, he ministered to the children of Israel, pointing to the fact that one day Israel will be restored and ultimately will, will be receiving the blessings of the Lord, even though there are opposition that they, they are experiencing and, and discouragement. Then he also received, beloved brothers and sisters, two, in the two of the chapter, they were dealing with the question of fasting.

And the final portion where we are studying now, chapter nine to chapter fourteen, is specifically ministered to Israel concerning the promise of the coming of the messianic age, the millennial age, the messianic kingdom. And in these chapters from chapter nine, verse one to chapter fourteen, verse twenty-one, Zechariah has two burdens. That he's presenting before the nation of Israel. Burden number one is mentioned in chapter nine, ten, and eleven.

And then we have the second burden is mentioned in, a chapter in, the following chapter, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen. And you notice how chapter nine begins, just to remind you, it says, The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach and Damascus. This is Zechariah chapter nine and verse, one. And then in chapter twelve and verse one again, The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, says the Lord, which stress, force the heavens and layeth the foundation of the earth. So these twofold burdens that the Lord has for the nation of Israel, and Zechariah was used by the Lord to present it before his brethren. We have covered chapter 9 already, and we have emphasized the fact that in chapter 9 specifically, there is a promise to Israel to rejoice.

Verse 9 and 10, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, behold thy king cometh, and unto thee he is just and having salvation, he is lowly riding upon an ass, and upon the colt, the foal of an ass. He's speaking about the coming of the Messiah at his first coming. And then in verse 10 of chapter 9, he's speaking about the second coming of the Messiah, who is going to come no longer riding on a donkey, no longer lowly coming to provide salvation. He's coming to reign and to rule over this world, and Israel will be a restored nation. His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from river even unto the end of the earth. This is Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 10. Well, as Zechariah continued to share the first burden of the Lord, and the burden of the Lord is in connection with Israel ultimate restoration, to remind you that the church was born many years later, some 500 years later, and he's specifically speaking of the nation of Israel, the earthly people of God.

And he's ultimately wishing their ultimate Restoration. So he's giving them these promises of a coming kingdom, a coming restoration of Israel. And you can see it he's, repeating it, he's going over that again and again as he's presenting these two burdens here in chapter 9 to chapter 14. And we get some details, details that are very, very important and very helpful for us to see as we're studying these chapters. And so in chapter 10, where we are right now, we have covered the first seven verses, beloved brothers and sisters. And in the first seven verses, God through Zechariah pointed to Israel that Israel will be healed on the basis of the work of the Messiah in verses 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Ask of Jehovah for the, for rain, for blessing that will come in the future day, verse one. Jehovah point to the, to the false god which has no authority, no power in verse two. Jehovah's anger against the false, the false shepherds of Israel who led Israel astray, verse three. And verse four, Israel will ultimately be cued from the false gods and idols that they were inclined to follow after when they were led by the false shepherds of Israel. Then in verses five, six, and seven, Israel will be ultimately victorious over her enemies, he promised, beloved brothers and sisters, in the verses that we have concluded with in our previous meeting together. And remember what he does say in verse five, he did say, in Verse five, and they shall be a mighty, as a mighty man which tread down their enemies, verse five.

In a mile of the, of the streets, in a battle, they shall fight because the Lord is with them. Jehovah was and will be with the nation of Israel to defeat the nations in a future day. That reminds us of the time in previous days when Joshua entered into the promised land as the captain of the nation of Israel, and as long that Israel allowed the Lord to lead them and allowed the Lord to be their guide, they won victories and they defeated their enemies and they possessed the land.

But when they turned away from the Lord, they ended up losing out. And by application for us there is a great lesson because we also as believers today in the present day of the assembly, the church age, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, we wrestle against principalities and powers, against these powers of darkness. And we also learn from this that as long that we stay close to the Lord, the Lord uses us and blesses us and help us to possess our spiritual possession.

We did read also in verses six and seven that the Lord promised to strengthen Judah, Joseph, and Ephraim, ultimate restoration of the nation of Israel. I will strengthen, verse six, the house of Judah. I will save the house of Joseph. Verse seven, and they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man. And their hearts shall rejoice through wine, yet their children shall see it and be glad, their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord. Here he is promising that Israel in the future day, this is Judah, Yosef, and Ephraim, all the twelve tribes of Israel will ultimately be a nation that will rejoice in the Lord, will be a saved nation, and will be brought again into the place where God had given unto them. Judah I will strengthen, Joseph I will save, and Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, in verses six and seven. Well now we are going to move into the final part of chapter ten, and you can see that in a sense, beloved brothers and sisters, the Lord repeats What he will do on behalf of his people.

And you notice in these final verses of Zechariah chapter 10, verses 8 to 12, we have 14 statements here. Fourteen statements concerning the redemption of Israel and the regathering of the nation of Israel and the ultimate ultimately being a blessing to the nations of the world. This is so important. Remember what Isaiah said in the early days when Isaiah was by the word of the Lord ministering to the Jewish people before Israel were taken captive by the Babylonian, earlier by the by the Assyrian. You remember what Isaiah by the word of the Lord said concerning the nation of Israel.

He was speaking concerning the nation of Israel and making this statement that Israel is a chosen nation that were chosen by God in order that they will give testimony to the Lord God of Israel. And you can see that that God had promised this throughout The scripture you can see it through the prophet Isaiah again and again promising that Israel the nation will ultimately be redeemed and be a blessing to the nations of the world. Look unto me and be saved all the ends of the earth for I am God and there is none else we read in the word of God concerning the nation of Israel. He said in chapter forty three and verse twenty one these people have I formed for myself why they shall show forth my praise.

Isaiah forty three and verse twenty one and you can see now in these final verses of chapter ten these fourteen statements that we have concerning the regathering of the nation of Israel and the fact that Israel will be a priestly nation serving among the nations of the world being a blessing. here in this world. Notice he began in verse eight, and I'll read verse eight. Actually, verse eight and nine, God promised to redeem the nation of Israel. And so we read in verse eight, I will hiss for them and gather them, for I have redeemed them, and they shall increase as they have increased.

Verse nine, I will sow them among the people, and they shall remember me in far countries, and they shall live with their children and turn again. Notice this statement, very interesting. First of all, you notice the word hiss for them in verse eight. The voice of God as Israel's shepherd, they will recognize. You notice he used the word in verse eight, I will hiss for them. The Hebrew word for hiss is the word lishrok. It's like to whistle. You remember what Jesus the Messiah said? My sheep hear my voice, and I know them. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. You see, the Lord Jesus the Messiah is the shepherd.

And here, in the context of Zechariah chapter 10 and verse 8, just like a shepherd whistling, when he's leading the flock in the field, he's whistling, and the sheep hear the whistle and the voice of the shepherd, and they follow him. And what God is promising here concerning the nation of Israel, again, it's, he's looking beyond, beyond those days of old, beyond the days of the church age, taking them all the way to the future day of the tribulation and ultimate restoration at the second coming of the Messiah. And he's saying, I will hiss for them. Eshreka lehen. Eshreka lehen. God is saying through Zechariah to the nation of Israel. Just turn with me for a second to the prophet Ezekiel. Just, just to mention this in Ezekiel chapter 34, we do read in verse 11, For thus says the Lord God, behold, I, even I, both search my sheep and seek them out.

As a shepherd seeketh out his flock. In a day that he is among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek out my sheep. I will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark days. Verse 13, and I will bring them out from the people and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them to their own land and will feed them upon the mountains of Israel. You see, God promised to restore his people, and he will whistle, and that shepherd, the Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, will whistle, will hiss, will call them, as he mentioned in John 10, my sheep hear my voice.

So they will hear the voice Of the Shepherd of Israel, Yeshua Jesus the Messiah. Secondly, still in verse eight, not only that he will hiss them, but he will, God will also redeem Israel to the land. He will gather Israel. He that scatters Israel, Zechariah said, as Jeremiah said, will also gather them. And so we read in verse eight B, and I will gather them, for I have redeemed them. See, God will gather, the Hebrew word gather is ekabetz otam, ekabtsam, I will gather them, to bring them to their own land. Why? Because I redeemed them. You see, while God is redeemed the nation of Israel, he will also gather them.

He will gather them, and that's so beautiful to hear, hear in verse, verse eight, I will Gather them, for I have redeemed them. You see, when Israel was under the hand of God's righteous indignation because of their sin and disobedience, he scattered them. But now, in the future day, he's promising to gather them because he redeemed them. See, you and I were redeemed not with corruptible things as silver and gold, given to us by some tradition from a vain conversation in a manner of life, but we were redeemed by the precious, precious blood of the Mashiach, of the Messiah, of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish. Well, the very same lamb that saved you and I, he will redeem the nation of Israel. That I here, that is mentioned in verse eight, I will hiss for them. And I will gather them because I have redeemed them. Who is the I? The I is the Lord himself, Jehovah, in the person of the Son, who have come down to this world in order to provide redemption for all mankind, but in the context of Zechariah chapter 10 is in relationship to his earthly people of Israel.

And so the second thing he says, I will gather them because I have redeemed them. But you notice what it says the next, beloved brothers and sisters, in verse 8, the third thing that we learn in verse 8, not only that the Lord will hiss for them, not only that the Lord will gather them because he had redeemed Israel, But the day Israel will be an increased numerically, Israel will grow and become multiplied numerically.

They become, it will become multitude, notice what it says in verse seven, they shall increase as they have increased. Now that is not only increase in spiritual knowledge, in spiritual appreciation of who Yeshua Jesus the Messiah, which every believer ought to do, but this is numerically. Israel will be a nation that will be as a sand of the sea. Let me just read you a verse in, in the book of Genesis chapter 22. You remember what God promised Abraham? In Genesis chapter 22, we read, listen to this verse, beloved brothers and sisters. Verse 15 tells us, Genesis 22 and verse 15, God made a promise to our father Abraham.

And he said to him in Genesis 22, after he was willing to offer his son Yitzchak, he said to him, the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and he said, by myself have I sworn, says the Lord, for because thou hast done this. And has not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and notice in multiplying, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore, and thy seed shall possess the gates of his enemies. God made a promise to multiply the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. You know, there's another verse, if you don't mind, please turn with me to Exodus chapter one, and you will notice what happened when Israel were in the land of Egypt. If you remember, beloved brothers and sisters, in Exodus chapter one and verse seven, and then verse nine we read, and I'm reading Exodus chapter one and verse seven, it says there, notice that in verse seven, and the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mightily, and the land was filled with them.

But then notice what we read. that the king wanted, the king of Egypt wanted to destroy them. And you remember what happened? That he threw to the river every Jewish boy, every Hebrew boy. He says in verse ten, come, come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply. And it came to pass that when, when, they fallen out any war, they join also unto our enemies and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. But you notice what we read, it's so, it's so interesting because the next verses, it tells us, I'll just read verse, twelve, it says, but the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied.

The more they afflicted them. The more they multiplied. In other words, God, in a supernatural way, preserved his people and caused them to multiply numerically. And although today we have some only 15 million Jewish people worldwide, after all the Holocaust and all the the the the the events that took place in the history of Israel, yet, beloved brothers and sisters, there the Lord is going to work about, and as we read in Zechariah chapter 10 and verse 8, that they will increase.

It says in chapter two, chapter one and verse twenty, therefore God dealt well with the wives, the midwives, and the people multiplied and waxed very mightily. In other words, there was an increase numerically among the nation of Israel. So back to Zechariah, to chapter ten and verse eight, we learn those three things. The Lord will hiss for them, he will whistle for them, to call them after him as a shepherd, he will gather them and, and bring them into their own land, the nation of Israel, and ultimately Israel as a nation will multiply numerically.

It is fascinating to see that these promises are promised now here some, some, two thousand five hundred years ago. Can you just imagine? Looking beyond this present age to the future day of the regeneration of the nation of Israel in the future day. Notice now in verse nine, as we continue. Now notice what the Lord will do in verse nine. In verse nine, he says that I will sow them among the nations. See, now Israel will be sown, verse nine, I will sow them among the people. Now notice this is very interesting because you see, in past days, God sowed them among the nations.

And because he disciplined them as a judgment upon the nation that disobeyed him, he scattered them and sowed them among the nation. The Hebrew word for sow is zara, he planted them, he sowed them, he placed them there. But now it's not going to be in the same way as it was in the past. Because he redeemed Israel, looking forward to the future day, and he will sow Israel. Why he will sow Israel among the people and among the nations of the world? Because Israel is called to be a priestly nation that will serve all the nations of the world. And when God will sow them among the nation is for the express purpose that Israel will serve the Lord among the nations.

Turn to Isaiah 61 with me back for a moment. In Isaiah chapter 61 we read in verse 6 of Isaiah 61, we read in verse 6, But ye shall be named the priests of the Lord, men shall call you the ministers of our God. Ye shall eat of the riches of the nations, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. In other words, Israel will be a nation that will be called the ministers of our God. In other words, the sowing of the nation of Israel among the nation will be for the express purpose that Israel will minister to the people in a millennial age, in a messianic kingdom.

You see, in Exodus chapter 19, God said that there are, they will be a priestly nation. But Israel failed to accomplish this at the, at the early days, and they didn't accomplish what God had intended for Israel. But now in the restoration of Israel, at the second coming of the Messiah, Israel will fulfill exactly what God called the nation of Israel to be. You know, my dear friend, the dear brothers and sisters, do you know that you and I today are also called priests? Every true believer, according to the book of Peter, 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 5 and verse 9, we are called a holy priest and we are called a royal priest.

And now I'm going to read 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 5 said, Ye also as a living stone that built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Every believer today is a priest in their sphere of service. 1 Peter 2 5. Also in verse 9, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation, a peculiar people. In other words, in this present day of the church age, of the assembly age, every true believer is a holy priest going into the presence of God, and a royal priest coming out of the presence of God in order to minister and to share with others the things of the Lord.

Although we have in a in the local assembly, the local church, we have the place of a brother, the place of a sister, but nevertheless every true believer today is a priest. The true church saints are priestly people. Every true believer is a priest, Kohen. And Israel, the nation, is called to be a priestly nation, which will be sown among the nations in a future day in order to administrate and minister and share and edify and build up the people of God during the messianic age, during the messianic kingdom.

I continue in verse nine of chapter ten that Israel will remember God among the nations. This is so beautiful as well. They shall remember me in far countries. In other words, Israel will no longer be forgetting the Lord and being influenced by the Gentile world to move to follow after other gods. No, because now Israel will be a blessing to the nations of the world. The messianic kingdom will be a kingdom where the Messiah will rule and reign, and Israel will no longer forget the Lord, but they will remember God.

And it is wonderful to see the promises of God, and not only so in verse nine, the sixth thing that we learned about the future of Israel, that Israel will live with their children and ultimately turn again. According to verse nine, that Israel as a priestly nation will be sown among the Gentile world, the nations of the world, at that time will be a redeemed people, and they will minister to them, but also will come back and return back again. They will live with their children in such a way that they will be pleasing to the Lord. What a day is awaiting, beloved brothers and sisters, that Zechariah is pointing out here in verses eight and nine. So in this final portion of Zechariah chapter ten, Israel will be fully restored, verses eight and nine, as we have this before us, Israel as a nation will be a redeemed nation that the Lord will hiss for them, he will call them, he will gather them, they shall increase numerically, they shall be sown among the gentile nation to be a blessing and ministers unto the nations of the world, they will not forget God, they will remember God, and they will ultimately live among the nations of the world, but also return back to the, to Jerusalem, to the, to the future.

temple where the Messiah will rule and reign over the nations of the world as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And so now that we have these statements mentioned, the first six statements in verses eight and nine of Zechariah chapter ten, in verses ten, eleven, and twelve, God will gather Israel, he's emphasizing, you notice he's repeating it and emphasizing it and saying it in a different way, in a different words. In verses ten, eleven, and twelve, God will gather Israel from among the nation, and notice what we read here, in verse ten, I will bring them out of Egypt. Why does he mention Egypt again?

Because he's looking back to the days of old, when he redeemed Israel. You see, every time we celebrate Pesach, Passover, we always rehearse the redemption story. We always go back to what happened when our forefathers came out of the land of Egypt. We were slaves. We were in bondage. And God had to redeem us. And Egypt is a picture of the world. Egypt is a picture of, the place where the, the, the gods of Egypt were against the true and living God of Israel.

Exodus 12, 12 says us the God has something against the gods of Egypt. And so he's bringing to memory again, and he's looking forward. He says, I will, notice that I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt. So he's speaking, looking back at history and reminding Israel through Zechariah what happened in days of old. You see, the believers, you and I today, when we gather together around the Messiah, around the Lord Jesus in remembrance of him, what do we do when we remember the Lord Yeshua in his death, burial, and resurrection? We're going back again over every week. On the first day of the week, when we remember the Lord in his death, we are going back all the way back to some 2,000 years ago when he died on the tree, on the cross. And again, and again, and again. Why? Because it remind us of our redemption. It remind us of the price that was paid.

And you see, that's what God is doing again and again. And now he's saying in verse 10 that he will bring them out of Egypt. In other words, again, he's saying it in another way, as he have mentioned in verse 8, I will redeem them. Here he's saying, I will bring them out. From Egypt, from the land of Egypt, from the world, from bondage, from sorrow, from being scattered, I will bring them back. Again in verse 10, I will gather them out of Assyria. Why does he mention Assyria? Because the northern kingdom of Israel was, the ten tribes were taken captive by the Assyrian. Galut Ashur, we call it in Hebrew. The deportation, and when Israel was scattered, and have gone by the Assyrian, they have been taken captive and were scattered.

You can read it at the end of the book of Second Kings. So Assyria took captive the northern ten tribes of Israel because they have turned away from God. they were scattered. So notice how God is mentioning here, He mentioning Egypt, taking us back, to some 3,500 years ago, when Israel came, the whole nation came out of bondage. And then taking us back to gather them out of Assyria, taking us back to the time when Israel were taken captive by the Assyrian, and the northern ten tribes were dispersed. But he's already mentioned in verse six, that he will strengthen the house of Judah, he will save the house of Joseph, and the house of Ephraim shall be a mighty man. In other words, there's a promise of restoration of these ten tribes as well.

It's amazing the way the Word of God, sometime a repetition, saying the same thing in a different way, with a different words, in a different context, bring us to remember the way where God have ta- have redeemed his people from the judgment because of the sin and disobedience. In verse 10, the third thing that we learn in verse 10, is that God said, I will bring them into the land, notice of Gilad and Lebanon.

Notice that? I'm reading verse 10 at the end, and he said, I will bring them into the land of Gilad. The land of Gilad is on the, you know, it's like, as you enter into the Promised Land, it is, the land that was on the eastern side of the Jordan River. You remember these two and a half, two and a half tribes that remained on the other side of the Jordan, that God still gave this to them, and He will help them, He will bring them into the land that was given to them. And also, you notice he used in verse ten at the end, and Lebanon, the place shall not be found for them. In other words, Israel will receive every portion of the Promised Land that God had promised to His people. This is very interesting because Lebanon, present-day Lebanon, is also part and parcel of the Promised Land. If you look at the, read the book of Numbers and other portions of the Word of God, you see in the map that when God had promised Israel the Promised Land of Canaan, it's far larger than what Israel possessed today.

And so here we have, while Israel did not possess Lebanon in days of old, here we have the promise that he will bring them, according to verse 10, into the land of Gilad and into the land of Lebanon. And notice it says here in verse 10 at the end, and place shall not be found for them. In other words, there will be a settlement, they will settle there. There will be so many of the people of Israel in the future day that they will rest there. They will be, as it were, they will be, as it says at the end of verse, ten, and place shall not be found for them. A full settlement, full rest, full rest in a future day. There's a verse in Isaiah 54 that we should read. Isaiah 54, the first a few verses, Isaiah 54 verses one, two, and three, and there we read, and I'm reading, Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear, break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child.

For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitation. Spare not, and lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

You see, verse five, he said, for thy maker is thine husband. The Lord of hosts is his name, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. You see that? The God of Israel promising to restore Israel and to give Israel all that which he's intending for them. He's their husband. See, we today call the bride of Christ, but Israel, the nation, is called the wife of Jehovah. Thy maker is thy husband. Thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. Again, beloved brothers and sisters, we must understand this, that This is the word of the Lord, and it is not because one nation is superior to another nation. It is not because of one person is superior to another person, but it is the sovereign will of God.

Just as the same as with respect to the believers of the church age, we were chosen in Christ, in the Messiah, before the foundation of the world. It is the sovereign will of God. That is what is called election, and the God's providence and God's sovereignty. He is the creator, and he have elected things to be the way they are to be.

But the intention behind it is blessing to the world. The church today is called to be a blessing to the world. To bring many to the knowledge of the Savior. Israel is called to be a light to the nations and a blessing to the world. That's what we learn from these beloved brothers and sisters. Listen to the final portion here in verses eleven and twelve of of Zechariah chapter ten. In verse eleven, God will visit the nations with affliction. You see, one day, all those that brought, persecuted God's earthly people, Israel, will be ultimately judged by the Lord. And so we read here in this verse eleven, it says, and he shall pass, notice, through the sea with affliction.

It says here, and shall smite the waves in the sea. And all the deeps of the river shall dry up, and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart away. Now notice, he's using this word, the sea, the waves, the river. What does he mean that he shall pass through the sea with affliction? The sea, in the word of God, is oftentimes a representation of the nations.

And there's a day coming in which the Lord will judge the nations. One day, those who afflicted, the nation of Israel, God will deal with those nations. Notice, if you turn with me to Revelation chapter 17. Notice how the scripture present the nations, the seas in the word of God, oftentimes representing the nations of the world. Revelation chapter 17 and verse 1, we read, And there, and there came one of the seven angels, which had the seven vials, and he talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither, and I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that, notice, that sitteth upon many waters. Many waters. The whore, this is the false church, sitting upon the many waters among the nations.

Then notice verse 15, and he saith unto me, The waters Which thou sowest where the horse sitters are, people and multitude and nations and tongues. The word of God interpret itself. And so when he's speaking in Zechariah chapter, ten and verse eleven that he will afflict, will come with affliction through the sea and through the waves and through the river, he's speaking about the affliction, the judgment that will come upon those nations that have inflicted suffering and sorrow upon his own people. God will deal with these nations in the coming days, beloved brothers and sisters. Just turn with me for a moment also to Isaiah chapter eleven.

And there we read in chapter eleven, I'll just read this verse as well, Isaiah eleven verses eleven and twelve, and you notice he's speaking about Egypt and Assyria, Isaiah eleven verse eleven says, notice, And it shall come to pass that in that day that the Lord shall set his hand against, again the second time, to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea, and he shall set up an ensign for the nation, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. You see, what we really learn is that God will Ultimately bring Israel back to himself out of all the nations, but he will ultimately pass through with affliction upon those nations that oppose him and inflict sorrow and suffering upon his people.

And so notice that. Now just to draw nigh to the end of this portion of scripture, he will ultimately bring down the pride of Assyria and the pride of Egypt, according to verse 11 as well. It says here, and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart away. The scepter represent the king. Egypt will no longer have that king to rule.

And it was Egypt that held the people of Israel in bondage for these years. And it was Assyria that took the northern kingdom of Israel to the Assyrian captivity. So all the pride and arrogance, you see, pride cometh before a fall. God resists the proud, but he gives grace unto the humble. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and he will, he will exalt you in due time, we read in his word. And so notice the judgment of God. He, notice this verse again, verse eleven, he will pass through the nations with affliction, and he will, he will cause the pride of Assyria to be brought down, and he will cause the scepter, the ruler of Egypt, to depart away. That representing before us, beloved brothers and sisters, the judgment of God, the judgment of the nations that will take place in a future day. You see, beloved brothers and sisters, God will ultimately judge the nations.

And he will, ultimately will humble the proud. He will ultimately be the one that will cause everyone that were proud and arrogant and selfish and deny God and God's way and God's people, will ultimately will judge those nations, beloved brothers and sisters. And so as we are drawing nigh towards the end of this, very interesting chapter ten of the book of Zechariah, in verse twelve, two more things we read in verse twelve, beloved brothers and sisters, God will strengthen Israel in Himself. He says in verse, twelve, this is the final verse of, Zechariah chapter ten, I will strengthen them in the Lord.

You see, again, Israel as a nation will be strengthened in the Lord. Judah and Joseph and Ephraim that we read of them in verses six and seven, they will be ultimately strong in the Lord. You know, this is interesting because it remind us in every generation that we are to be strengthened by the Lord. We are called to be strengthened by the Lord. You remember what Paul said to the Ephesian believers in Ephesians chapter six and verse ten? Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. We are called to be strong today as believers in these days of, of the rejection of the Messiah as part of the ecclesia, of the assembly. We are called to be strong today.

And therefore, we are to be able to stand for God and to live for God, we are to be strengthened by the Lord. Israel will ultimately be strong in the Lord. He will strengthen the nation of Israel in the future days so they can follow him and live for him. You remember what he said to Joshua in Joshua chapter one and verse, six, be strong and of good courage. For unto these people thou shalt divide for an inheritance the land which I have sware unto their fathers to give them, God said to Joshua, before he entered into Canaan.

He continued to say, Only be thou strong and very courageous, verse seven of Joshua one, that thou mayest observe to do according to the law which Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn not from it neither to the right nor to the left, for thou, then thou may prosper and with us wherever thou goest. In verse nine of Joshua chapter one, he continued, he said, Have not I commanded thee, Joshua? Be strong and of good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Brothers and sisters, the principle remained the same in every generation. For Israel in the past, when Joshua brought Israel to the Promised Land, for you and I believers who are in this present day, we are called to be strengthened by the Lord, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, and for the restored nation of Israel in the future day, they will be strengthened by the Lord, not by might, nor by power, says the Lord, but by my spirit, says the Lord.

Strength cometh from the Lord. And so in verse twelve, I, notice what God is saying, I will strengthen them in the Lord. Now it's very interesting because you have the word I will strengthen them, and then I will strengthen them in the Lord. In a sense, what you see here is the two persons of the Godhead. I is speaking about the Mashiach, the Messiah, who is Jehovah the Son. We'll strengthen them in the Lord, in Jehovah, this is Jehovah the Father.

We have, we can see it again and again, how the triune God working together, the Father, the Son, the Spirit, although we don't have this expressly presented before us in the, in the, in the Tanakh, because it's not as, as, as clear, you might say, although it is there, as we have it, it's not as we have it in the New Testament, in the New Covenant today, after the Messiah came, but nevertheless, all the triune person of the Godhead working together for the benefit of his people, Israel, and the restoration of the nation in the future day. And the conclusion Or for Zechariah chapter ten that that God will cause Israel to walk uprightly. This is so precious.

This is so precious. He's speaking again to Zechariah about the nation of Israel and he said at the end of verse twelve, And they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the Lord. They shall walk up and down in his name. This is, beloved brothers and sisters, the Lord will produce in the life of his people that Israel will be a serving nation who will walk not as up and down, up and down.

In and out, they will be a nation that will walk up and down in the Lord. This is speaking of full salvation and full service of the Lord among the nations of the world. Like I mentioned earlier, what Isaiah said in his prophecy, Isaiah 43 and verse 21, where we did read, Beloved brothers and sisters, these people have I formed for myself that they may show forth my praise. That is the call of the nation of Israel, that God is intending for the nation, but that will come to fruition only when Israel will ultimately be a redeemed nation. No wonder the Apostle Paul said, and I'm going to conclude with this, Paul, Shaul Paul said in Romans 11, he says there in verse 25 and verse 26, he says to the brethren, he said, For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part happened to Israel until.

Until the fullness of the Gentiles become in, and so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written, there shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. God mentioned that, God promised that, and God will ultimately fulfill what he intend to fulfill on behalf of his people, so they can minister among the nations of the world and be a priestly nation and a blessing to the nations of the world. They will honor God, they will accept the Messiah, and they will rule and reign with him for a thousand years. What a day that will be. How wonderful. And you and I who are believers during this present day, the church age, we will come and reign with the Lord as well, and we will rule with him over this world.

While Israel the nation is restored here on earth, and King Messiah will rule and reign in a future day, and blessings will flow to the nations of the world. We are looking forward for this day. We are longing for this day because the Lord longs for this day, and he will surely bring this to pass. Well, my friend, God bless you. May the Lord encourage you. May the Lord open your heart to come to know Yeshua the Messiah as your Lord, Messiah, and Savior, and also to serve him here in this world that need to hear the message of the grace of God. Well, our God and our Father, thank you for your word. Bless your word to our hearts, we pray, for we ask it in Yeshua, in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. God bless you, my friend. Until the next time, we say shalom, shalom. Bye-bye.