Posts tagged ‘zechariah’
Zechariah’s Message and Warning Also Applies to Christians
Zechariah insisted that the Israelites follow God with a pure heart, an undivided heart. This would require quickly admitting when they failed. We need to do the same thing. We need to acknowledge our failures before God, not to dwell on them. Not to beat ourselves over the head with them. We must admit and confess them so that we can regain fellowship with God once again. Christians who do not do this may think they are in fellowship with God, but they are not. They are in fellowship with themselves only. This can happen to any Christian! It’s happened to me and it’s likely happened to you.
Zechariah’s Near and Far Visions, Pt 3
If we live according to the desires of our sin nature (even after we have received salvation), we will continue to “die.” We will die spiritually because our fellowship with God in Christ will be broken. Out of fellowship, we will begin to act no different from those who are lost. However, if we do what we are obligated to do – put to death the deeds of the body by submitting ourselves and our desires to God – then we will continue to live and even grow spiritually.
Zechariah’s Near and Far Visions, Pt 2
Clearly, the angel’s words (who simply reiterated what the Lord was saying), point to the future when the Lord’s words will find fulfillment. If we look at Israel since the time of Zechariah, there has been no time during which the above texts has found fulfillment. Yes, we can look at Israel today and understand that there are many unwalled villages (kibbutz), where there appear to be communal gardens and vineyards shared by people living in homes nearby. However, if we take the two verses as a while, the full force of the meaning of these verses has not been, nor is in effect. There is a constant danger against the people living in Israel from outside forces who wish to see that nation destroyed.
Zechariah’s Near and Far Visions, Pt 1
In the Bible, a “horn” is normally understood to mean “power,” whether from an individual, a group of people, or an empire. Commentators of course disagree on the exact meaning, with some believing the “four horns” represents all Gentile powers (v. 21), to the four corners of the earth, while others believe these horns are representative of Babylon, Medes-Persians, Greece, and Rome (from Daniel 2, 7). Regardless of the exact meaning, it likely refers to Gentile powers that God used to scatter the Israelites from their Land after continued rebellion. However, as is always the case, God holds these “horns” responsible for the way they treated His peculiar people.
Recent Comments