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DECEMBER 28
It
is very interesting that both Zechariah and Revelation are zeroing in on the
same battle and events surrounding the second coming of Jesus. Notice however
that in both books, the Lord is showing us what will happen from two completely
different perspectives. While Revelation is showing us what is happening in
heaven, at the same time, Zechariah (in our reading today and tomorrow) is at
ground level, in the city, showing us the carnage that will come to the Jews as
they cry out for the Messiah. When they cry out He will come and the tables
will be turned and then what we read today in Revelation 19:17-21 will take
place.
Zechariah 12-13
Zechariah
12
V.
1 This is a solemn declaration to the right of God to do what He is about to
do. It makes me think of what we'll be reading about Jesus in Revelation 19.
Also, this sounds like the way Paul begins some of his charges to Timothy in 1 and
2 Timothy, declaring God's majesty. God bases His right to save and to judge
based on the fact that He is the author of creation and the author of the life
of man. I'd say that gives Him the right, alright.
Vs.
2-3 We have seen before that God is very passionate about Jerusalem. God will
make Jerusalem a sliver in the world and everyone will become totally
preoccupied with trying to remove it. But the more they try to destroy it, the
more they will hurt themselves.
It
is hard to know what is really happening here, but it could be as follows. It
seems to me that just before the mid-point of the Tribulation, the army of
"Magog" will come into Israel to fight against Jerusalem and will be
supernaturally destroyed. The antichrist will come upon Jerusalem, kill the two
witnesses and defile the temple, declaring himself to be the Messiah or God.
The Jews will flee Jerusalem, as Jesus told them to and head for the hills,
literally. Toward the end of the Tribulation and very near to the time Christ
returns, it looks like the Jews will slowly come back into Judah and into
Jerusalem. Probably the antichrist will set up his headquarters somewhere else.
While he is preoccupied with hunting and killing Jews and believers worldwide,
he will also have to deal with the arrogance of "Babylon" and the other
nations that do not bow to him. Somewhere in this last year of the Tribulation,
and close to the end, the bowl judgments will be poured out. This would allow
the Jews to come back to Jerusalem. It could also be that some revelation is
given through the Spirit to draw the Jews back for the coming of Christ. It is
obvious from Scripture where He is to return.
As
the armies of the world begin fighting each other 75 miles north of Jerusalem,
it could be that the Jews retake the city and a portion of the antichrist's
army comes against Jerusalem to wipe them out. This could be the time that
Christ returns to save His city and His followers. We will see tomorrow that
this army will kill many and rape and pillage. It will look like extermination
is certain for those in Jerusalem. Those Jews who still haven't made a decision
will have their opportunity. It will be during this utter distress that they
call out to the Lord, saying, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
Lord." This is my take on things.
Notice
that in these last three chapters, the phrase, on that day, will be used quite a bit. It would be worth
underlining it.
Vs.
4-5 On that day, God will strike the
armies around Jerusalem with terror. It might be that lightning that Jesus
talked about. Those living around Jerusalem (the people in Judah) appear to be
holding back and not joining those who have gone into Jerusalem. But they will
see that the people who have believed and gone into the city to wait for the
return of Christ are suddenly given a supernatural strength and protection.
Vs.
6-9 This is fighting. The clans of Judah will be supernaturally inspired and
everyone will become a warrior. The people in Jerusalem will be like David in
his fighting ability. Those descended from David will be awesome and
unbeatable, like Samson. Though the main fighting is 75 miles north on the
plain of Megiddo (Har-Megiddo = Armageddon), the forces that thought taking
Jerusalem would be a piece of cake will be totally destroyed. When the
antichrist finds out that his troops are being swept way, he will be too far
north to do anything about it. Just for chuckles, look at the end of this
document and you'll find the route from Megiddo to Jerusalem.
It
is important to see all of the Bible together. Revelation shows us the
judgments on the world that weaken the structure of the nations. Revelation
shows the nations gathering to fight north of Jerusalem. Zechariah shows us
God's passion for His city, and the battle going on there when Jesus arrives.
Vs.
10-14 These people in Jerusalem will see the Lord return to the Mt. of Olives.
Many of them are believing, but those who are not will be cut to the heart just
like the Jews were after Peter's message in Acts 2:37. They will weep and
repent for the entire history of Israel. The houses of Nathan, Levi, and the
Shimeites were all branches of David's descendants.
V.
10 This is quoted in John 19:37 regarding Jesus.
V.
11 This is a reference to the mourning of the people when King Josiah was
killed. Josiah was killed on the plain of Megiddo. Although the word
"Armageddon" only occurs in Revelation, this is a clear allusion to
the place and the battle that will rage there.
Zechariah
13
Vs.
1-6 These verses express the complete cleansing that will take place on that day, from sin and from all forms
of deception and lies.
Vs.
7-9 This will be the devastation to Jerusalem as that army attacks. In the
press of this battle, as the people are losing and dying, they will cry out, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
Lord. The lightning will come and terrify the army. The people in
Jerusalem, first, will be inspired with joy and superhuman ability like Samson
or one of David's three champions. The battle will turn as the Lord appears and
arrives to save His city.
To
see how devastating this battle at Jerusalem is, look at the first four verses
of tomorrow's reading. When the Lord comes, it will look very, very bad for the
Jews in Jerusalem. Then, at the moment He comes, the armies are terrified; the
unbelieving Jews mourn in repentance and trust Christ, and those who had
already believed are already feeling their muscles bulging and are ready to mix
it up.
Revelation 19
Meanwhile
in heaven…..
Vs. 1-3 This
multitude are those killed in the Tribulation as seen in Revelation 7:9. They
are praising God for the coming judgment.
It is hard to grasp
that the destruction and judgment of "Babylon" is such an important
event. It reminds me of Genesis 15:16 where God told Abraham that He wouldn't
give him the land yet because the iniquity
of the Amorites is not yet complete. Apparently the full measure of
the saints was finally martyred in Babylon and now the sin of mankind and the
full measure of guilt were complete. With the judgment of Babylon, the full
righteous wrath of God could now roll. But it isn't only judgment that is
complete.
Vs. 4-5 This worship of the elders and creatures is because
of this pivotal event.
Vs. 6-10 Now, I'm not sure how all of this worked toward the
announcing of the marriage supper of the
Lamb at this point, but it did. That is, I think the order of events is
important. The marriage supper has to occur after the Tribulation is over.
Something in what has just happened also opened the door for the announcement
of the marriage supper celebration of the Lamb and the church, His Bride. The
destruction of Babylon and the vengeance on the blood of the saints was
important.
V. 6-7 This multitude is the church and they are announcing
the marriage.
V. 8 These righteous
deeds didn't make her pure, but were a symbol of her redemption in Christ.
This is our work in the harvest. For we
are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand, that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:10).
V. 9 So, we see the Lamb and there is the Bride, the church.
The church is given this special honor. It is important to realize that God has
special things planned for different groups of believers. Also, there is a
difference in rewards and position. For example, the 24 elders are limited to
24. That position and those rewards are granted only to them. There are those
who believed in the OT, before Christ; most of whom will not be resurrected
until the end of the Tribulation/ the beginning of the Millennium. So, who is
invited to this marriage feast? It seems that this feast will be on the earth,
and those invited will be all who are resurrected at the coming of Christ, as
well as those who enter into the Millennial Kingdom of Christ.
V. 10 John was overcome by all of this and fell down to
worship the messenger, but the angel gently corrected him. Earlier when John
fell down to worship, it was Jesus, so that was OK.
So what does it mean, the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy? If prophecy means, "the
telling of things to come," then inherent in talking about Jesus is the
revealing of God's past, present and future program of redemption and judgment.
Vs. 11-21 Now in very quick order we have the second coming
of Christ. Apparently the stage was fully set with the destruction of Babylon.
It really is interesting that in Zechariah we've been reading what will be
happening in Jerusalem, in growing detail, while this is going on in heaven.
Vs. 11-16 Now the King is coming to fight.
This army with the Lord might be angels, but who knows. Just
to keep things in perspective, this battle will result in the deaths of all of
the opposing soldiers. This then is not Jesus sending out His angels to
separate the wicked from the righteous. That will happen once Jesus is
established on His throne. That is the judgment Jesus referred to as the
separation of the sheep and the goats. On the other hand, those who are
unbelieving and die here will be sent to Hades where they will sit in
punishment to be resurrected to judgment before the white throne at the end of
the Millennium. Then they will be sent to hell, the lake of fire.
V. 15 That Jesus will rule with a rod of iron is simply saying it will be with unbending
truth. No one will be able to tell Jesus He doesn't know their hearts or that
He is misjudging their motives.
Vs. 17-21 Putting everything together, Jesus first returns
to Jerusalem, to the Mount of Olives and saves Jerusalem. This is visible to
everyone, including the armies to the north who now turn all of their fire
power (if they have any) on Jesus. I suppose that since Jesus shows up with an
army, they think they can fight against Him. Obviously one angel could decimate
a human army, but so could anyone with the Lord who was empowered by the
Spirit. In Zechariah we have already heard that the believers will be given
superhuman ability. The appearance of a human army could inspire arrogance on the
part of the armies gathered. They probably think they can put up a fight and
win. That might be the human side of the fight. It could also be that on the
spiritual side of things, another battle is raging between Satan's angels and
Michael and his angels.
V. 20 There is not a lot of drama or fanfare here. The
antichrist and the prophet are captured and they are immediately thrown into
the lake of fire. They become the
first official inhabitants of hell. What a great honor.
V. 21 Everyone else who is killed goes to Hades, that place
of waiting, in punishment until they stand before Christ for judgment.
This is all coming. Knowing Jesus means we know these events
are certain. The same blood that saves is the same blood that judges the sin of
the world. Now is the time to work in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who will make disciples, until the time when Jesus comes.
Psalm 147
This
is a great psalm. Underline or make a list of the things God does. Once you see
this pattern, you also see when the pattern is broken, like in vs. 5 and 10-11.
Vs.
1-6 It is interesting reading this immediately after Zechariah and Revelation.
Vs.
7-11 In my Bible v. 9 of this psalm is immediately to the right of Revelation
19:17-18. That, too, is pretty interesting. Verse 11 says it all.
Vs.
12-20 The Lord's interest in Jerusalem/Zion is something we are used to by now.
God will call all nations there during the Millennium for blessing.
Vs.
15-19 It is interesting to me that suddenly we have all of these references to
the Word. Didn't we just see the Word on a white horse?
V.
20 is meant here to be a privilege, but in Israel's history, knowing God's
decrees, and disobeying them, has also been what has led to judgment. But here,
having the Word is their joy.
Proverbs 31:1-7
The words of King Lemuel are vs.
1-9. We know nothing about this guy. No king of Israel ever had this name. God
knew who he was and here are a few words Lemuel's mother taught him.
V. 2 I read this and laugh. How
often do parents look at their sons and say what
are you doing? Here, she has to ask him three times. I wonder what he was
doing. J
Obviously the repetition emphasizes her love and concern for him.
V. 3 This is immorality,
adultery or sexual excess. We saw what it did to both David and Solomon.
Vs. 4-5 This caution is toward
drunkenness and excess, not drinking within bounds. Jesus drank wine.
Vs. 6-7 Excess in drinking is OK
for those who are on their deathbed or those who have suffered a great tragedy,
probably to get them to sleep.
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are interested in growing
deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the
growth of a discipleship culture in the church, that is, groups of 3-4
disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to
reach out and make disciples, who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most
universal and important discipleship manual we have and it is the key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here,
or what we are to be doing, or whom we are to be following. My comments are
only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of
God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are
designed to keep us, as disciples, focused on Christ and our role in His
harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be
willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their
growth as disciples, making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
Anyone reading along with us is
welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own
observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition
or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any
point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as
I understand it. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are reading.
Remember,
the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a supplement, a disciple’s
commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we will keep following our
Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make
disciples. Being in the Word every day,
sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the essential essence of
being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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