Zechariah Meditation (Raising Up Revivalist) - Part 1
This time as I read through the book, I understand that this book is about end time promises primarily pointing to the revival of Jerusalem, the restoration of its glory and majesty. However, God raises up Jerusalem as a prototype for all other cities of the nations. God is using this city to speak to His people all over the world, watch how I'm going to deal with this place and I'll do the same in your individual lives as well as corporately to the church and to the governments all over the world. So it is crucial for us to see the principles that are implies here, it can be very personal as well as very critical for the state of the our nations. We also need to be care full to always be in context of the book as well as not too extreme on pointing all scriptures to personal and spiritual reality forgetting about that this is primarily about a nation. And all of its content are prophecies of the reality of the coming days, it is not allegory mostly but reality. It will really happen in other words. Mountains will split, the holy angels and saints will all be gathered with the King of all Kings coming from heaven to earth. So Zechariah really is an exciting book for us to dig deep and meditation. It can give us a picture of the future, it can apply to us today as God is fulfill the spiritual aspect of the book all over the body of Christ, as well it can give us a passion for Israel and its destiny.
Today I focused mostly from Chapter 7-14. As you read through it notice how God is saying he will revival Jerusalem, how he's going to fill the streets once again. What I'm getting is that God is also telling us that God will revive the church history, the long awaiting revival where churches and congregations are filled with fresh souls that season will be revived again, worldwide.
Ha! We think revival to come to Japan, Taiwan, America is such a difficult tasks. We only dream of it, talked about it. Now God is saying is it really hard for me to do such thing? Habakuk says if I would tell you ahead you would not believe me. It may be marvelous in your eyes, but for God it is nothing. You see God is not like a man, a thousand years is like a day to the Lord. When He spoke through the lips of Jeremiah of captivity and returning, it was for a 70 year prophecy and Jeremiah spoke before 70 years even though the prophecy was given as exact as the Lord's timing He doesn't miss a mark and He won't be late in fulfillment. You see if I heard Jeremiah preaching during my 20's about the coming judgment, and it did not happen over 5 years, I will start doubting Jeremiah's words. Then when it came, I have to wait another 70 years to see the fulfillment of promise I'd be 90 at the time, my hope could be completely loss by then. If it's true with Jeremiah's words, how much more truer of this reality from the life of Daniel? Same with Joseph and David, God gave them previews of the glory yet the word of the Lord must test the heart, to get the impatience and immaturity out of them, to train them to live according to God's timing, to train them in eternity's view, so they could be count worthy in Millennium we must be used to eternity now! Then Jesus, man! He had to wait thousands of year to fulfill His prophecy to return to the earth to rule and reign. Isaiah says, you have hidden me in your quiver even though you've made me perfect and strong the most lethal weapon of the world, I cannot show any strength or even hint of my existent, all you want me to do is to rest and wait till the timing comes. What a lesson God is teaching His church to pray and without cease and not get tired to pray and watch. Will I find faith when I return? Can you keep watch with me for an hour, when nothing happens for decades will you keep watch with me? God is calling a people the revivalist the remnant he's raising up to get trained on God's timing for God's purposes. That's what I want to discuss about Zechariah.
Then Chapter 8 continue to lay down these amazing promises about revival in our terms. God will prosper our spiritual lives, the Kingdom for advancement and gaining great grounds in the earth. As to before we were like a curse stench to the world, now we are treated as princes we became blessings to our nations, highly priced (v13). God constantly speak courage to these revivalists or these laborers. Yes though you cannot see now, your environment are opposite from what you believe now, but be strong! Be of good courage! Now all these promises are true God is requiring these revivalists to be burning with righteous flames of fire. To live righteously peacefully with people around, make the wrong things right. We must burn with what burns in Jesus' hearts. The gospel it changes the heart attitudes of our hearts that we begin to hate unrighteousness and love righteousness, this will look very practical in our daily lives. Any ways of injustice lying cheating all that must be out of our lives. Porn is injustice to another woman and immoral to us and our family. Greed over money withholding generosity is a sin of the heart because we withhold the resources of heaven to be unleashed so kingdom will can be done on earth. Speaking evil to someone or behind their backs open great opportunities for Satan to bring in witchcraft control and attacks against God's people. All these things are what God is dealing with us on the deeper level in our hearts. These revivalist God is raising up will have a high standard of righteousness in their hearts, a high value for godliness. It is inviting the judgment of God into their own hearts, so they bow so low before Christ, letting Jesus making decision and convicting them on every turn. It is not establishing their own righteousness through work and performance. It is a heart transformation by the conviction of the Holy Spirit this actually makes them broken and humble. They became flames of house of prayer themselves constantly praying and burning with righteous flames of prayer. These are the revivalists God is raising up.
On top of that God is giving them a grace to fast and live radically the lifestyle of the gospel. You see these words are given the to revivalists, but in context was given to the remnant of Israel to those who still remain faithful, that is all who have ears to hear and obey, that is everybody! Revivalist is not only limited to the chosen group, it is to those whoever will follow. And here God once gain gave the promises of those who chooses to fast and the promises that will follow! I'm amazed at what the fast reprisents here:
Fast of fourth month = (Tammuz) Law tablets were broken, daily sacrifices were ceased, Apostemus burned the law, and introduce an idol in the holy place, when Romans break into the city
Fast of the fifth month =(Av) Temple was destroyed 2 times, Bethel was conquered
Fast of the seventh month =(Tishri) Day of atonement, die by sword or famine on the account of golden calf
Fast of the tenth month =(Tevel) siege of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar, death of Ezra
These are events for fasts that I picked out by choice not including all events. But as we can see is all about the longing of God returning to His dwelling place and repentance of we'd not been gatekeepers and good stewards of what had been entrusted to us. All these fasts are pointing for the longing of the days of revival, when God's glory and presence is in our mist. These dates are marks of the Judgments of God where God require us to humble ourselves and remember what had happened. God we must turn to you again, how we are sorry that we'd not lived a life worthy of you and resulting in destruction of your house. This is the lifestyle of these remnant. They will fast and pray because they remember how revival was with them, how the glory was in their mist but now the enemy had invaded the land and taken the ark captive. God is calling us to fast again so that He will return the joy of our salvation.
At the end of Chapter 8 God again promise 10 nations shall go along this path of revival, they will seek the God of Israel. This is so prophetic for the time we're living in especially in Asian nations. Today God is calling the reformers the rebuilders of God's house to rise again. It is high time for us to know who we are and what is coming. We need to get a vision and revelation to position ourselves for the blessings ahead.
Resources: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6033-fasting-and-fast-days
Today I focused mostly from Chapter 7-14. As you read through it notice how God is saying he will revival Jerusalem, how he's going to fill the streets once again. What I'm getting is that God is also telling us that God will revive the church history, the long awaiting revival where churches and congregations are filled with fresh souls that season will be revived again, worldwide.
v8:6 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Because it will be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days [in which it comes to pass], should it also be marvelous in My eyes? says the Lord of hosts.
Ha! We think revival to come to Japan, Taiwan, America is such a difficult tasks. We only dream of it, talked about it. Now God is saying is it really hard for me to do such thing? Habakuk says if I would tell you ahead you would not believe me. It may be marvelous in your eyes, but for God it is nothing. You see God is not like a man, a thousand years is like a day to the Lord. When He spoke through the lips of Jeremiah of captivity and returning, it was for a 70 year prophecy and Jeremiah spoke before 70 years even though the prophecy was given as exact as the Lord's timing He doesn't miss a mark and He won't be late in fulfillment. You see if I heard Jeremiah preaching during my 20's about the coming judgment, and it did not happen over 5 years, I will start doubting Jeremiah's words. Then when it came, I have to wait another 70 years to see the fulfillment of promise I'd be 90 at the time, my hope could be completely loss by then. If it's true with Jeremiah's words, how much more truer of this reality from the life of Daniel? Same with Joseph and David, God gave them previews of the glory yet the word of the Lord must test the heart, to get the impatience and immaturity out of them, to train them to live according to God's timing, to train them in eternity's view, so they could be count worthy in Millennium we must be used to eternity now! Then Jesus, man! He had to wait thousands of year to fulfill His prophecy to return to the earth to rule and reign. Isaiah says, you have hidden me in your quiver even though you've made me perfect and strong the most lethal weapon of the world, I cannot show any strength or even hint of my existent, all you want me to do is to rest and wait till the timing comes. What a lesson God is teaching His church to pray and without cease and not get tired to pray and watch. Will I find faith when I return? Can you keep watch with me for an hour, when nothing happens for decades will you keep watch with me? God is calling a people the revivalist the remnant he's raising up to get trained on God's timing for God's purposes. That's what I want to discuss about Zechariah.
Then Chapter 8 continue to lay down these amazing promises about revival in our terms. God will prosper our spiritual lives, the Kingdom for advancement and gaining great grounds in the earth. As to before we were like a curse stench to the world, now we are treated as princes we became blessings to our nations, highly priced (v13). God constantly speak courage to these revivalists or these laborers. Yes though you cannot see now, your environment are opposite from what you believe now, but be strong! Be of good courage! Now all these promises are true God is requiring these revivalists to be burning with righteous flames of fire. To live righteously peacefully with people around, make the wrong things right. We must burn with what burns in Jesus' hearts. The gospel it changes the heart attitudes of our hearts that we begin to hate unrighteousness and love righteousness, this will look very practical in our daily lives. Any ways of injustice lying cheating all that must be out of our lives. Porn is injustice to another woman and immoral to us and our family. Greed over money withholding generosity is a sin of the heart because we withhold the resources of heaven to be unleashed so kingdom will can be done on earth. Speaking evil to someone or behind their backs open great opportunities for Satan to bring in witchcraft control and attacks against God's people. All these things are what God is dealing with us on the deeper level in our hearts. These revivalist God is raising up will have a high standard of righteousness in their hearts, a high value for godliness. It is inviting the judgment of God into their own hearts, so they bow so low before Christ, letting Jesus making decision and convicting them on every turn. It is not establishing their own righteousness through work and performance. It is a heart transformation by the conviction of the Holy Spirit this actually makes them broken and humble. They became flames of house of prayer themselves constantly praying and burning with righteous flames of prayer. These are the revivalists God is raising up.
On top of that God is giving them a grace to fast and live radically the lifestyle of the gospel. You see these words are given the to revivalists, but in context was given to the remnant of Israel to those who still remain faithful, that is all who have ears to hear and obey, that is everybody! Revivalist is not only limited to the chosen group, it is to those whoever will follow. And here God once gain gave the promises of those who chooses to fast and the promises that will follow! I'm amazed at what the fast reprisents here:
Fast of fourth month = (Tammuz) Law tablets were broken, daily sacrifices were ceased, Apostemus burned the law, and introduce an idol in the holy place, when Romans break into the city
Fast of the fifth month =(Av) Temple was destroyed 2 times, Bethel was conquered
Fast of the seventh month =(Tishri) Day of atonement, die by sword or famine on the account of golden calf
Fast of the tenth month =(Tevel) siege of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar, death of Ezra
These are events for fasts that I picked out by choice not including all events. But as we can see is all about the longing of God returning to His dwelling place and repentance of we'd not been gatekeepers and good stewards of what had been entrusted to us. All these fasts are pointing for the longing of the days of revival, when God's glory and presence is in our mist. These dates are marks of the Judgments of God where God require us to humble ourselves and remember what had happened. God we must turn to you again, how we are sorry that we'd not lived a life worthy of you and resulting in destruction of your house. This is the lifestyle of these remnant. They will fast and pray because they remember how revival was with them, how the glory was in their mist but now the enemy had invaded the land and taken the ark captive. God is calling us to fast again so that He will return the joy of our salvation.
At the end of Chapter 8 God again promise 10 nations shall go along this path of revival, they will seek the God of Israel. This is so prophetic for the time we're living in especially in Asian nations. Today God is calling the reformers the rebuilders of God's house to rise again. It is high time for us to know who we are and what is coming. We need to get a vision and revelation to position ourselves for the blessings ahead.
Resources: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6033-fasting-and-fast-days
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