Well, Shalom, everyone. God bless you. We want to welcome you to the Bible classes. Of the Holy Scriptures and Israel, and we continue on with this amazing study of the, Book of Zechariah, Zechariah. This is a very interesting, part of the Word of God where the prophet Zechariah is providing us information concerning the plan and the program of God, for the nation of Israel. And we are so blessed to study, this prophecy of Zechariah. We have arrived to the eighth, chapter, and in this meeting today, we will read from verse nine to verse twenty-three, to the end of, chapter eight. Hopefully, you have a Bible in your hand, and you can turn to Zechariah, chapter eight. So let's pray together so we can commit, the meeting to the Lord.

Our God and our Father, thank you so much for the opportunity to be under the sound of the word. We confess that we need your help as we learn together from your precious word. Thank you for Yeshua, the Messiah, who loved us and gave himself for us. We ask it all, Abba, our Father in Jesus, in Yeshua's name. Amen. Amen. So here we are, beloved friends and dear brothers and sisters, turn with me to Zechariah chapter 8, and we have already covered in our previous meeting together the first eight verses of this chapter, and we are going to continue now with Zechariah chapter 8 and verse 9. And I'm reading, Thus says the Lord of hosts, Let your hands be strong.

Ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that a temple might be built. For before these days there was no hire for men, nor any hire for beasts, neither there was there any peace, any shalom, to him that went out or came in because of the affliction. I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.

But now I will not be unto the residue or unto the remnant of these people as in the former days, saith the Lord of hosts. For the seed shall be prosperous. The vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their due, and I will cause the remnant of these people to possess all these things.

And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the nation, all house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong. For thus says the Lord of hosts, As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, says the Lord of hosts, and I repented not, so again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. Fear ye not. These are the things that ye shall do. Speak, ye every man, the truth to his neighbor.

Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates. Let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor, and love not false oaths, for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord. For the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, The feast of the fourth month and the feast of the fifth, and the feast of the seventh and the feast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts. Therefore love the truth and peace and shalom. Thus saith the Lord of hosts.

It shall yet come to pass that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities, and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts, I will go also. Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, In those days it shall come to pass that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew. Saying, we will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. And I'm going to stop here at the end of this, eighth chapter.

You see, beloved brothers and sisters, presently in our study of the prophecy of Zechariah, we are right in that section that deals with the question concerning fasting. This is Zechariah chapter seven and Zechariah chapter eight. To remind you of the whole division of the, prophecy of Zechariah, specifically while Zechariah was called by God and was calling Israel to return unto him, to return unto the Lord, chapter one verses one to six.

Then from chapter one verse seven to the end of chapter six, God gave to the Jewish people eight visions through Zechariah. And these visions were visions concerning the restoration of the people of Israel, not only back physical restoration to the land, but also spiritual regeneration, when Israel as a nation will be restored fully to the Lord and enjoy the promised Kingdom Age. But we are now in chapter 7 and chapter 8, and in the last part of chapter 8, and in this last part of chapter 8, beloved brothers and sisters, we, we are, challenged, or God is challenging Israel concerning the fasting that they have experienced in their life. And some came from the north, from Bethel, they came down to Jerusalem, to Judea, to ask the priests, should we continue with the fasting that we have, done when we were carried away to Babylon? And so the Lord is giving them an answer through the prophet Zechariah, and he's really challenging Israel, and he's saying, really, was your fasting really for me?

Did you really fast for me? Was it real? He challenges them. And yet now he's telling them in this eighth chapter, he's now giving them an assurance of the restoration of Jerusalem, of Israel, of the Jewish people, both the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom, back to the land and back to the Lord. And although they failed because their, much of their fasting was not done for the Lord, it was not really brokenness before the Lord, but eventually Israel will be broken before the Lord and will turn to him and will be a restored nation. And so we are in the portion where Zechariah is receiving revelation from the Lord concerning the future restoration of Israel.

And although the question was asked in chapter seven concerning the, concerning fasting, should we continue in fasting? In chapter eight, the Lord is giving them the answer at the end of the chapter, but before he gives them an answer concerning the fasting, he is giving them the promises of Israel's final restoration to himself. We have covered already the first eight verses. And in the first eight verses, Jehovah promised to restore Jerusalem in the future to himself. And you remember we did read, beloved brothers and sisters, in verse one and verse two, again, the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, I was jealous for Zion.

With great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. God is jealous over his people Israel. He is jealous over Zion. Sometimes Zion has a reference to Jerusalem. Sometimes Zion has a reference to the whole land of Canaan. Sometimes Zion has a reference to the people of Israel themselves. But Zion has a reference to the Jewish people, to the city of Jerusalem, and to the promised land of Canaan. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, when God said that he was jealous, he promised that he will return Israel, return the Jewish people back to the land. We read in verse three of chapter eight, Thus says the Lord, I am return unto Zion. I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth, Eir Ha'Emet.

And then the mountains of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. In other words, Jerusalem would become that place where nations will gather there, and the nation of Israel will be used as a priestly nation to be a source of blessing to the nations of the world. That takes us all the way to the Messianic kingdom at the end of the seven years of the tribulation. At the end of the church age, after the church will be taken at the rapture, the tribulation will take place, and ultimately the thousand years reign of the Messiah, Israel restored, and the world will be blessed. So now notice that once God said this in verses one to eight, he often time used, notice what we find out here, he used this expression, the Lord of hosts. Notice that? Chapter eight, verse one. Again, the word of the Lord of hosts.

The Hebrew word is Adonai Tsevaot. Yehovah Tsevaot is the Lord of the armies, is the Lord of the armies of Israel who make his promises and he will surely keep it, bring it to pass. How many times we find the word the Lord of Hosts in the prophecy of Zechariah. Verse 6, thus says the Lord of Hosts. Verse 6b, says the Lord of Hosts. Verse 7, thus says the Lord of Hosts. And now he continues from verse 9 to verse 17, and he's telling to Zechariah, exalting the people in the days of Zechariah. In other words, in the first eight verses, he took the Jewish people all the way to the Messianic kingdom, to the last days, and now he's speaking directly to the remnant of Israel.

Return from Bavel and were now in the land, they stopped to build the house of the Lord because of the opposition that they had, and the Lord raised Haggai, the Lord raised Zechariah, and ultimately the Lord raised Malachi to speak to this remnant, to encourage them to continue to build the house of the Lord and to establish the, the worship of the Lord in the city of Jerusalem and in the land of Israel. So he is now speaking in these next verses, verses 9 to 17, he is speaking to the Jewish remnant of the days of Zechariah to listen to the words of the Lord through the prophet Haggai and Zechariah. So notice once again, in verse 9, thus says the Lord of hosts, again, Adonai Tsevaot.

Jehovah of hosts, thus says the Lord of hosts, let your hands be strong. You see what happened? They were discouraged, they were dismayed, they were disappointed. Why? Because of the opposition that they have experienced from the, from the neighboring people who opposed them, who didn't allow them to build the house of the Lord, the Shomronim, and others surrounding the people of Israel who returned from, from Babel. So he's saying to them, let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the days that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, and that the temple might be built. So what does he do, beloved brothers and sisters? He's saying, you.

Who are now in that land, who stopped to build the house of the Lord, who were discouraged because of the opposition that you have had from without, those who oppose you. He said, be strong. Don't give up. Listen to the words of the prophet, of the Nevi'im. The Nevi'im here are specifically Chagai and the one that we are studying together, Zechariah. These two prophets, later on, of course, Malachi, Malachi was also raised by the Lord to preach. These were post Captivity prophets. You see, there was other prophets before Israel were taken to Babel, the Jewish people were taken to Babylon, but Haggai, beloved brothers and sisters, and also Zechariah, they were the one that would, we would call them post-captivity prophets. Haggai was speaking to them from about 520 to 518, very short time.

And they were rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem during the reign of Darius the First. So Haggai was preaching. But you see, when it comes to Zechariah, Zechariah spoke and encouraged the people of Judah that returned back to the land a much longer time. And Zechariah was preaching. And later on, a few years later, some hundred years later, in about 420 to 397 BC, Malachi was By the Lord. And he was speaking to the later on, another, the next generation, and then there was a silence for 400 years until the Gospel of Matthew began with the coming of the Messiah, with the birth of the Messiah, and with the announcement of Yohanan HaMatbil, John the Baptizer, behold, you remember what John said, behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of this world. So this generation, to whom Haggai and Zechariah was preaching, it is to them that now the Lord direct his words of encouragement, and he's saying to them in verse 9, listen to these prophets.

Listen to these prophets which were now in the days of the foundation of the house of the Lord, which was laid. You see, the foundation was laid, but did not continue for about 15 years. And so now he's encouraging them to rebuild the house of the Lord, to continue with the building of the temple, that the temple might be built. In verse 10, we read before the return of the Jewish people back to the land, there was a desolation in the land. Notice it says in verse 10, for before, in other words, before you came back to the land, there were days when there was no hire for men, no any hire for beasts. Neither was there any shalom, any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction. For I said all men, everyone against his neighbor.

In other words, what happened before there was a time, according to verse 10, before the return of the Jewish people back to the land, there was no work for men or for even animal. In other words, there was unemployment. Secondly, there was no shalom, there was no peace there. And thirdly, there was no harmony among the people who were there, because what happened? The Lord, according to verse 10, He set all, all men, everyone against his neighbor. In other words, the Lord in judgment have allowed lack of harmony, and there was constant problems. And now that the Jewish people returned to the land, there was opposition against them, but also among themselves, when they did not continue on to build the house of the Lord, there was an internal friction among the people of Israel as well. So, verse 10, unemployment, not for men, not for animals, there was no peace, there was no harmony, and he's saying to them, you listen to the prophets now, and get up and continue to build the house of the Lord, which stop.

For some fifty years because of the opposition of the enemies of the Jews in those days. And so now in verses eleven and verse twelve and verse thirteen, the Lord through Zechariah is promising to them blessing. Yehovah promised blessing to the returned remnant. And notice what he's saying to them in verse eleven and twelve and verse thirteen. I will not be to you as I was to you before.

I'm going to be now that you are returned, now that the seventy years of captivity came to an end, and you are returned back to the land, I'm going to deal with you, Israel, in a different way. So in verse eleven he's saying to them, but now I will not be unto you, unto the residue, this is the sheri, the remnant that return, I will not be unto you, he says, to the remnant of these people as in the former days, says the Lord of hosts, I'm not going to, I'm not going to discipline you. I'm going to encourage you, to build you up, to strengthen you so you can continue to do, to build the house of the Lord.

What happened in the past, I sent Nebuchadnezzar to judge you, because you disobey me, but now I will not be unto you, or unto the remnant of these people as in the former days, says the Lord. The Lord of hosts. Verse twelve, For the seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heaven shall give the their due, and I will cause, listen to this, the remnant of these people to possess all these things. God made a promise to them. God made a promise, look Israel, look remnant of Israel, I judged you before because you violated my word. I sent you to Babylon, to Babel for seventy years. Now that you return, I'm going to be a blessing unto you.

I will allow you to enjoy the seed of the land. It will grow. The vine will give her fruit. The ground shall give her increase. And the heaven shall give their due. There will be rain from heaven, dew from heaven. And I will cause the remnant of these people to possess all these things. What a blessing it is.

Although it was not yet the messianic kingdom that is yet future, but God promised blessing to the returned Jewish people back to the land. And you know, just by application to us today, beloved brothers and sisters in the church age, in which you and I live in today, if we are going to return to the Lord, and if we will seek to have the Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah as the center of our lives, God promised blessing to his people, the desire to have his will. You see, we live in the days of the Laodicean days of the church age, when things are falling apart. The church of the Laodicean was a, was an unsaved church, and we live in those days.

And, during these days, the believers of the assembly of the church are called to, to, to gather around the Lord Jesus the Messiah and to be occupied with him, and God promised blessing. For where two or three are gathered together unto my name, he promised that he will be in the midst of his people, and he will bless his people. Now, you see, these Jewish remnant that came back to the land, they were the ones that were, left Babylon and returned back to the promised land according to God's word. And God promised to bless them, to bless them materially and to bless them spiritually, that they can enjoy a relationship with the Lord of hosts. The seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give her fruit, the ground shall give her increase, and the heaven shall give her dew, and I will call the remnant of these people, these Jewish people that return back to the land, I will cause them to possess all these things.

Now, again, I would like you to understand that these people that returned back from Babylon did not know, had no idea about the church age which you and I are living in during that day. The church age was a mystery that was hid in God and was not revealed to the children of men. So as far as they were concerned, they were anticipating that it will soon enough come the Messianic kingdom, and the Messiah will return, and they will enjoy a tremendous promise of the kingdom. But of course, we know that it didn't take too long, and even this remnant have gone astray. And in 70 AD, beloved brothers and sisters, the later on, the temple, the second temple was destroyed by the Romans.

And since 70 AD, we were told that over 46 time, The city of Jerusalem was run over by one nation after another until 1948 when the nation again returned back to the land and yet still it's still not the way God of intending it to be that is awaiting the future Messianic kingdom when Israel will accept the Lord Jesus the Messiah himself. But God promised in verse twelve and in verse thirteen we read that both of the houses of Judah and Israel will be a blessing. Notice that we read in verse thirteen and it shall come to pass that as ye were a curse among the heathen all house of Judah and house of Israel so will I save you and ye shall be a blessing.

Fear not, but let your hands be strong. Now notice, when God judged his people, 721, he sent the northern kingdom to captivity by the Assyrian, who devastated, devastated the northern kingdom of Israel, persecuted them. You might say, caused havoc upon the ten northern kingdom that up till today, they are still scattered over all the nations of the world. They were like a curse in the judgment of God. Then later on, 586 BC, some hundred and thirty years later, it was the southern kingdom that were taken by Babylon. And we read in Psalm 137, by the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and we wept as we remember Zion. The suffering that they have experienced because of the cursed judgment of God upon his own people.

The nation of Israel and the people of Judah, notice the two of them are mentioned here, the house of Judah and the house of Israel. Why? Because the house of Israel was divided into these two kingdoms, ten tribes in the north, two tribes in the south. The house of Israel was divided into these two kingdoms when Rehovam, the son of Shlomo, did not submit to God, and it is because Salomon have gone astray from God. And God judged Solomon and took away his kingdom from him through his son Rehoboam. And then Jeroboam, Yeroboam was the leader of the, and the king of the northern kingdom. And Rehoboam remained the king of the southern kingdom, but both of them eventually have turned away from the Lord. But this remnant now returned back to the land and God promised them blessing. God promised them no more curse. He promised them that there will be a blessing. In Hebrew, bracha, vehayitem bracha.

The word curse, hayitem klala, now you will be a blessing, he's saying to them in verse 13. So fear not, but let your hands be strong. Listen to the prophets. Listen to their counsel. Build the house of the Lord and be a blessing. To the nation and to the nations around the nation of Israel. But now notice that from verse 14 and verse 15, Yehovah is now seeking the wellness of Jerusalem and the wellness of Israel. We read in verse 14 and 15, For thus says the Lord of hosts, As I thought to punish you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, says the Lord of hosts, and I repent and not, not, he says, so again I have thought, he says, I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah, fear ye not. Notice that, I thought in past days to punish you.

And I, I in my wrath, because you disobeyed me, I punish you, as I thought to punish you when your fathers provoked me to wrath. That was in the past history. Verse 14. And I did not repent, I didn't change my mind, I allowed you to experience the persecution by the nation, by the heathen. But now, so again, I thought in these days, verse 15, to do well unto Yerushalayim and to the house of Judah, do not be afraid. Imagine what an encouragement This was for the, for the people of Judah that were now back in the land. These are promises that God provides for them, assuring them of their restoration. Just don't be afraid. Listen to the prophet and continue on to build the house of the Lord. Notice that the temple and the house of the Lord is mentioned in verse nine, where it said that the second half of verse nine, he said, let your hands be strong, ye that hear these days the words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the days that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid.

That a temple might be built. Listen to your spiritual leaders. Continue to build the temple. God wanted the house of the Lord to be built, and so the people of Israel will enjoy, to worship the Lord in the house of the Lord. So in verses 16 and 17, as he's speaking to the people during the day of Zechariah, encouraging them, in verse 16 and 17, Jehovah requests from the returned remnant, he requesting from them. Notice what is the request in verses 16 and 17. These are the things that ye shall do. Hear what I want you to do.

I want you to behave in a right way. You see, brothers and sisters, Even the letters that the apostles wrote to the local assemblies in Asia Minor, all the letters that the apostles, whether it is Paul, or Peter, or John, or Jude, or James, or Yaakov, whenever they wrote these letters, they were writing to believers in the assembly to correct them so they will live godly and behave in a right way. Well, God does so in the same way in past days to his earthly people Israel through the prophet Zechariah.

He says, this is the behavior that I want you to behave like or to do. And notice he give them here a list in verses 16 and 17. Number one, speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor. Don't lie to one another. Remember what the epistle tell us, lie not one to another. Speak the truth. To one another. This is what the apostle wrote to the Colossians, to the Ephesians, and so on. Speak the truth. Don't lie to one another. Secondly, execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates. Whenever you deal with an issue, execute right justice, justice and judgment in a right way. Execute judgment of truth and shalom and peace, emet and shalom. Whenever you deal with an issue, do it in a true way, in a right way, so you will have shalom, peace among yourself.

Thirdly, in verse 17, let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor. In other words, don't seek evil. Don't do evil to one another. Do the right thing, treat one another with respect, and don't, imagine in your mind, evil against one another. This is very, very important. And fourthly, he said, and love, and he said, he continues, and love no false oath. For all these things I hate, says the Lord. In other words, don't love falsehood. Don't love false promises.

I hate this, says the Lord. See, the Lord is telling them the manner whereby they are to behave. Listen to some of the verses that we read in Ephesians chapter four. In Ephesians chapter four, we as well as believers of this present age of the assembly, of the church age, we are called to behave in the same way towards one another. Apostle Paul says in Ephesians four verse thirty, grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and all wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from among you with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Mashiach's sake has forgave you. This is a behavior of God's people in every generation.

Notice in verse 2 of chapter 5, walk in love as Christ, as the Messiah also have loved you and have given himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling Savior. Turn to Colossians, notice that in Colossians, in chapter 3 and verse 12, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossian believers, chapter 3, and in verse 12, and he said to them, Put on therefore as an elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercy and kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

What an amazing exaltation we have here, beloved brothers and sisters. It was given to Israel in days of old, and it is given to the church in this present day. The standard is the same, the expectation is the same, and the remnant of Israel that came back to the land were called to have a behavior that is pleasing to the Lord. Amazing what we learn here for verses 9 to 17. And so notice that, as we mention in Zechariah chapter 8, verses 1 to 8, the Lord promised to restore the people of Israel back to Himself. And verses 9 to 17, the Lord, Yehovah, is exalting the Jewish remnant of Zechariah's days.

To be encouraged and to build the temple and, to recognize that God will deal with them no longer as a curse in judgment, but He will bless them, and He will provide them, them with the seed of the land, with the fruit of the land. The ground shall be in, receive an increase, and the heaven shall give their due. God promised to bless these Jewish people that are now back to the land after seventy years that their forefathers have experienced in the land of Babel.

So now, beloved brothers and sisters, that we have covered from verse nine to verse seventeen, the promises of blessing to the, generation that were now in the land. At about 520 BC onward, now in the last verses of chapter eight, verses eighteen to twenty-three, Yehovah is planning, and he's emphasizing this again, he's planning for the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish people, he's now, promising again the wonderful days that will come to pass in the future day. Again, remember this, brothers and sisters, if we are to understand the word of God, we must distinguish between Israel, the nation, and the church, the assembly. Israel is an earthly people of God. The church is a heavenly people of God.

Israel is a nation that God had promised to give them the land of Canaan and to use them as a nation to be a light to the Gentiles. The church promises is in heaven. In my Father's house there are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, Jesus the Messiah said to the disciples in the upper room before he went to die on the tree. And then he says, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and I will receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also. The promises of the church is heaven, spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. The promises to Israel the nation are both physical blessings in the land and spiritual blessing in relationship with Yehovah, the, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And so now notice that in the last verses of chapter eight, as the Lord is describing his promised blessing to, to Judah and to Israel and to the Jewish people, in now in verse eighteen to verse twenty three, we learn once again the Lord's plan for his earthly people, the people of Israel. In, notice also that, and I want to mention that, when in chapter seven they came to ask The people in Judah in the temple to ask them should we continue with the fasting chapter seven verses three to five should we continue with the fasting in the fifth month and in the seventh month we did so in the past should we continue here in the land the Lord did not answer them yet now he's going to answer them in these last verses in light of the plan of God for Israel's final restoration to the Lord and so in verse eighteen the word of Yehovah came once again to Zechariah notice that verse eighteen and the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me saying once again the word of the Lord of hosts d'var Adonai, d'var Adonai Tsevaot in verse eighteen once again verse nineteen Israel Fasting he's promising to them will ultimately will turn into feasting.

From fasting it will turn into feasting. In the future day you will no longer need to fast. You may need to do so now, but in the future day God promises to Israel is that they no longer will need to fast and mourn, but their feast, their fasting will turn to feasting. And notice what we read in verse 19. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the first of the fourth month and the first of the fifth, the first of the seventh, and the first of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts, before therefore love the truth and love peace. You see what he's telling them. All the fasting that you had fasted because of the disciplinary act of God, because of your disobedience, this fasting that you have experienced in Babylon, in Babel, and you ask if you should continue it now in the land of Canaan, in the city of Yerushalayim, he says, there is a day coming that all these fasting will turn into feasting.

All the tzom, in Hebrew, fasting is tzom, will turn into simcha, into feasting, into celebration. So notice, the first of the fourth month, and of the fifth month, and of the seventh month, and of the tenth month. Now, if you turn with me for a moment to 2 Kings chapter 25, 2 Kings chapter 25. There you will find out that these fasting came upon the people of Israel because of what happened when the disciplinary act of God by bringing upon them the Babylonian to be taken captive.

And by this allowing the Babylonian to destroy the city of Yerushalayim and to carry the Jewish people to Babel. Because of these beloved brothers and sisters, they had to fast. They had to fast. And notice we find here in second King chapter twenty five. Listen to this. Just gonna going to read a few verses here in this chapter. And it came to pass verse one. Second King twenty five and verse one. And it came to pass in the ninth year of the reign, of his reign, this is Tzedekiah's reign, in the tenth month, and in the tenth day of the month that Jeru, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came, he and all his host against Jerusalem, and they pitched against it, and they built fort against it round about. They are now besieging the city of Yerushalayim. It was on the tenth month, of the tenth, the tenth day of the tenth month in the Jewish calendar.

Then notice, I'm just jumping, verse two, and the city was besieged until the eleventh year. King of King Tzedekiah, and in the ninth day of the fourth month, now time passed by, and a few months passed by, and the city of Jerusalem was taken on the fourth month. Therefore, there was a fast on the tenth month, when the city was besieged, and on the following fourth month, when Jerusalem was taken.

Now, if you just move forward a little bit further into verse seven, and there of verse eight, it says, and in the fifth month, on the seventh day of this month, which is the, the, nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, came Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzardan, the captain, the god, and a servant of King of Babylon, out to Jerusalem, and he burned the house of the Lord. Here is on the fifth month, the house, the temple was burnt with fire.

And so there was another fasting. So there was a fasting on the tenth month, there was a fasting on the fourth month, there was a fasting on the fifth month, and finally in verse 25 of this 25th chapter of 2nd Kings, but it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael, the son of Nehaniah, the son of El Shammah of the seed royal came, and ten men with him, and they smote Gedaliah, that he died. He was one of the leaders of Israel, of Judah, during the days before the Babylonian came, he was, or when the Babylonian came, he was the one who led Israel, and he was killed.

And so you have a Gedaliah who is fast. So you have a fast for the time when Jerusalem was besieged, a fast for the time when Jerusalem was taken, a fast for the time when Jerusalem's temple was burned, a fast for the time when Gedaliah was killed, and that's occurred when the Babylonians came to take the Jewish people away to the land of Babel. So now back to our chapter eight of the prophecy of Zechariah, according to verse nineteen, God made a promise.

He says in verse nineteen, Israel, I promise you, the Lord of hosts says, the fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, the fast of the, the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah now joy and gladness. No more fasting, but Feasting, joy and gladness, joy and gladness, sason ve'chimcha, sason ve'chimcha for the people of Israel. And he says, notice, therefore love the truth, love peace, love the truth and love peace, love emet and love shalom, he is saying to them. I promise you that I will turn your mourning into feasting. Amazing promise for the nation of Israel. And now as we are concluding with this, beloved brothers and sisters, verses 20, 20, 21, 22, and 23, the last four verses, Jerusalem, God promise will be the centers of the whole world and a blessing to the whole world. We read in verse 20, Thus said the Lord of hosts, It shall yet come to pass, again, looking to the future, that there shall come people and the inhabitants of many cities.

The word peoples are amim, nations. The word cities are arim, many towns and cities. So many nations from many cities, they will come, the inhabitants of these cities and these nations, the inhabitants of one city will say to another, according to verse 21, Let us go. Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts. I will go also. They will encourage one another. Can you just imagine when the nations will call one another to say, Let us go to worship the Lord. In the city of Yerushalayim, in the land of Israel. Verse 22, yet many people and strong nations shall come. They will come to seek the Lord of hosts where? In the city of Jerusalem, in Yerushalayim, and to pray before the Lord. You see, that is the purpose of God to use his people Israel to be a blessing to the nations of the world.

And that will come to pass in a future day. When they will come to Jerusalem, the temple will be in Jerusalem, the Messiah will reign in Jerusalem, and the nation of Israel a restored nation. And another nation from all the nations of the world will come to the city of Jerusalem to worship the Lord. Listen to Isaiah. Turn with me to Isaiah.

Isaiah tells us in Isaiah chapter two, just turn for a moment to Isaiah, and I want to read what Isaiah wrote in his days concerning the future day of the nation of Israel. Listen to the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah. Beautiful verses. It says in verse one, it says, the word of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains. In other words, the temple in Jerusalem will be established above all the mountains of this earth, and shall be exalted above hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his path. For out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. In Hebrew, Ki mitzion tetzet Torah, ve'dvar Adonai miYerushalayim.

For the out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, from Jerusalem. Verse four, He shall judge among the nation, and shall rebuke many people, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. That is the future that is awaiting, beloved brothers and sisters, when Israel is restored at the second coming of the Messiah.

What amazing days are awaiting for Israel and for the nations of the world. And the call is, according to this verse five, the call is, O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the Lord. When Jacob will return to the Lord and walk in the light of the Lord, there will be a blessing to the whole world, and that will take place at the end of the tribulation period. Now quickly, let's just conclude now. In the last verses of Zechariah chapter eight, so we can conclude the meeting together today. So notice what we read in these last verses here. It says in verse 22, Yea, many people and strong nations shall come, and they will seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, in Yerushalayim, and they will pray before the Lord.

At that time the Mashiach will reign and rule, the Messiah will rule in these days, and the nations will come to the city of Jerusalem. Notice what we read at the final verse, that I think it is very interesting. There will be a contrast from the days in which we live in today, and the days that will come to pass in the future day. Thus says the Lord of hosts, listen, this is the word of the Lord.

In those days, it shall come to pass that ten men shall take a hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt, in Hebrew tzitzit, the skirt of him that is a Jew. Saying, we will go with you. Why? Because we have heard that God is with you. Now, I find this extremely interesting.

Extremely interesting. Why? It's not because there is something better among the Jewish people than any other nation, beloved brothers and sisters. Not at all. But the promise is that in the future day, the Jewish people will fulfill that which God have called them to be. He called them to be a nation that will be light to the nations of the world, or Lagoim. So, in these days, ten men will take a hold of From all the languages of the nations of the world, even to take a hold of the skirt, the word for skirt here is the Hebrew word tzitzit. You know, tzitzit, according to Numbers 15, is the undergarment that is underneath the clothes that the Jewish people wearing today, but it is the, the, that which God said to the, to Israel in the book of Numbers to, to have this tzitzit in the corners of the garments that will show to others as a testimony that they belong to the Lord.

If you remember, I just read this verse in Numbers chapter 15 and verse 38, speak unto the children of Israel and bid them that they may make them fringes, tzitzit in Hebrew, in their borders of the garments. Throughout their generation, and that they put upon the fringes of the borders a ribbons of blue, and it shall be unto you for a fringe that ye may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord to do them, and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after that which ye use to go a-hooing, that ye may remember to do all the my commandments and be holy unto your God. You see, when God requested from the people of Israel to put the tzitziot, the tzitzit in the corners of the garment with the color of blue, that remind them of heaven and that they belong to the God of heaven, the purpose behind it was to remind them The day belong to God, and the day are to obey the word of the Lord.

But sadly, in a full sense of the word, Israel didn't fulfill it throughout the generation, including today. That is awaiting the day of the restoration of Israel, when Israel as a nation will be a restored nation, and they will ultimately be a blessing to the nations of the world. And in those days, it shall come to pass that ten men, very interesting, the number ten speak of responsibility. Ten men will take a hold of, of all the languages and of all the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, we will go with you. Why?

Because we heard that God is with you. You see, as long that Israel as a nation has not yet returned to God, returned to the Messiah, they cannot fulfill the promises of God for them as a nation. And that's why the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, in Luke chapter 13 and verse 34 and 35 said these words. Notice that and we will conclude with that. In Luke chapter thirteen, we do read, beloved brothers and sisters, in verse, thirty four and thirty five, and I'm reading, verse thirty four says, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not.

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate, and verily I say unto you, ye shall not see me until, notice the word, until. Until the time come when ye shall say, Baruch haba b'shem Adonai, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. When Israel will say, Baruch haba b'shem Adonai, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, it will be then that ten men shall take hold out of all languages, of all nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. That, beloved brothers and sisters, are waiting the day of Israel, a spiritual regeneration, when a nation shall be born in a day, and Israel the nation. Will come to know the Mashiach Yeshua and acknowledge the one that came once to die and to pay for the sin of this world, that became the Lamb of God that takes upon himself the sin of the world, he will come again.

This same Jesus that is taken out from you shall come again in a like manner. And ultimately Israel will acknowledge him and the future blessing of the Messianic kingdom will come to fruition. The temple will be rebuilt, the Messiah will rule and reign. And Israel will be a light, all the goyim alike, to the nations of the world under King Yeshua the Messiah. What a day that will be and it is promised here by the Lord of hosts through the prophet Zechariah. To the nation of Israel that are now in the land. Well, beloved brothers and sisters, I'm going to stop with that.

We will pray, we will close the meeting in prayer, and we will continue in the will of the Lord next time, next week with the study of Zechariah chapter 9. So let's pray together. Let's just conclude the meeting in prayer. Our God and our Father, we just want to thank you for your love and your care for us, for your promises. We know that all your promises are yes and amen through the Mashiach Yeshua, through Christ Jesus. So bless your word, thank you for the prophecy of Zechariah, and we commit ourselves to you for the remaining of the study, for we ask it in Yeshua, in Jesus' name. Amen, amen. My dear friend, God bless you until the next time. We say to you, Shalom, Shalom.