Thank you for tuning us in. I'm Darryl Bailey. Service for Christ. Amen. As we get into our Wednesday in the Word from the book of Zechariah. Zechariah chapter 2. Follow us if you would. It's the 38th book between Haggai and the book of Malachi. As you go to the very Matthew Turn to the left, you'll go to Malachi, and right next to the left of Malachi, you'll find the book of Zechariah. Here, the 38th book, a prophetic book that deals with the future days of each and every one of us of concern. here as we look at Zechariah chapter 2 on this memorial occasion of 9-11. And so we'll be talking about the vision of the measuring line, God's promise of protection and restoration. I want to remember few things as we get into the Word of God tonight here in Zechariah that we'll be talking about a couple things here shortly especially the man with a measuring rod and how that Jerusalem comes under the Messiah and then how that Israel is going to be regathered here all of the future prophecy from the book of Zechariah and I want to also, before we go any further, get into the wonderful Word of God with a time of prayer. And I want to remember, continue remembering, Alicia Mason, 26 years old, with leukemia, and also Cheryl Parr that has cancer that's spread everywhere, and in her final days of that. I want to continue to remember Joel Bolton's father that passed, Phillip New, and also remember, continue to remember the Thomas and Davis and Hand family as well. Tim Forsythe, Happy Ferguson, Don Kline, Hazel Williams, Jimmy Ward, Cassie Evans, Heath Minter, Freddie Wolfe, Betty Sue Scott, Marshall and Virginia Worthington, Donna and Linda Cox, Justin Lindsey, Kathy Cantrell, Lyndon Rusty Lanier, Baby Hardin, also Whitney Haygood, my wife Lita Bailey, Vicki Dupree, Tina Bagley, Connie King, Clemmie Jackson, Richard and Marge Riley, and Jerry Waters. Also, I want you to remember our pastor Keith Dipsy and First Lady Amy in your prayers along with Lynn and Rusty Lanier, our leaders and all of our deacons at Bethel Crossroads. If you don't have a church, come and be with us. We'd love to have you and join us, amen, at Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church here in Taylorsville, amen. And so, let's have a word of prayer before we go any further. Heavenly Father, we come before you, Lord, and we ask, Lord, that you would give us that forgiveness of our daily transgressions, Lord. Father, Lord, I ask, God, if there's anything that's in our life that doesn't belong there, we plead the blood of Jesus and we come before you as a clean vessel tonight to be taking your word Lord to proclaim it to be able to teach it and Lord give glory and honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we seek your strength to put on the whole armor of God and as we journey through life each and every day with all of the evil with all of the conflict that's out there today equip us to stand firm in our faith and Lord to reflect your light in all that we do Lord, intervene in all of these areas where the death angel has come, where there's disruption of health, Lord, where there's problems with finances, Lord, where there are jobs, and Lord, I pray with family members and disruntals that are having a hard time in getting along, Father, I pray, God, that you'll resolve those conflicts. Bless all of our churches and our pastors throughout Georgia and the world. And Lord, I'm so thankful for an opportunity to speak on your word tonight. And I pray God that, Lord, that you'll renew our minds, transform our lives. And as we take Zachariah, may we look to see how that we can apply it to our lives right now. Lord, in Jesus' marvelous mighty name, save those that are lost before it's too late. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. All right. We look at what we're currently going through on the Hebrew calendar, which is the 10 days of repentance that we're going through currently right now. You want to talk about the Hebrew word, this is it, but it remains the 10 days of repentance. When you go from where we go from Rosh Hashanah in the month of September, that started out here on that Monday, and then we had Labor Day, it started 10 days here will go all the way and end Friday the 13th of the 10 days of repentance that is taking place. That's the time frame that we're in right now. And so. I thank God when we look at this, we're reminded of the calendar, of the Hebrew calendar, of what it stands for, amen, because as we look at this, it deals with the time of making our repentance to the Lord. It's a time that even as they come into Rosh Hashanah, that it's one that's always been celebrated And so I want to encourage you that if there's something that's going on in your life, this is that time frame on the Jewish calendar where they repent. I hope and pray that you can have some time in your prayer closet alone to be able to ask the Lord that if there's something wrong in your life, then You need to ask the Lord to forgive you of that, and don't let the devil continue to hold you in bondage about something that you haven't cleared and put under the blood of Jesus, amen. I want to also say for a gift that someone gave me of this Bible marker, amen, that Andy Anderson gave to me. I had a friend on Facebook that makes these. What a beautiful Bible marker that you can put in there. and it will be able to help you mark your places. I'll be using that. And as I look at this, I think of the Easter and the cross every time that I see this, amen. And so of all the things that we go through today as we get ready to go into our Bible study, amen. I wanna remember last Wednesday, this kicked off, but we didn't mention about it as we was doing our introduction to the book of Zechariah. But as those folks, along with the nine that were wounded, that we want to remember them. And also we want to remember the 23rd anniversary of 9-11-2024 here as well, as we mentioned those tonight. And so a lot of devastation that has happened. Can you imagine everything that's transpired over the years? that the many families that have been hurt. Conflict is something that hurts us all, even with what happened with Appalachian High School. And I like what one of the pastors said that I was listening to, and he said, you know what, you may not know what to say to somebody, but just being there with them will make all the difference. You may not have all the answers, you may not, even someone that's hurting, even if you can just try to be there for them, you may not have all the answers to say that would give them the heartache that they're going through, the grief to get them through that, but just being there for them and around them and beside them through this difficult time, can make all the difference in the world. You know, conflict does us a lot of harm. This coming November, as this country is fighting against itself, just like it did the many years ago between the North and the South of the Civil War. That conflict was devastating. Uh-oh, I've done hit something on here. I'm sorry. I'll see if I can get it back up. Me and my electronics, I don't pay attention to some of the things, and I hit things that I shouldn't. But let me see if I can get it back up there for us real quick. Amen. And I'll try my best to. But while I'm talking about that, hey man, conflict brings us a lot of heartache. I got all kinds of things trying to come up on here. Well, hopefully, hopefully we'll get them off. But during that time of conflict that we bring up, you know, when the Civil War was taking place, one of the things that we saw that took many years, that when the North borrowed money from the European Europe to pay for that war to beat the South, they did not get that debt paid off, listen to me, until 1930. That's right, yeah. Conflict causes a lot of headache in all of the many wars that, if you want us to look at that and realize how that brings us a lot of hardship when we have conflict in our lives, amen. And so, hopefully as we, see if I can get this back up. I'll try not to touch nothing else in a minute if I can get this back up and going. Bear with me, I'm one of those guys that if I touch the wrong thing, I can. And I may not even be able to get it back up, but if not, I'll try my best anyway. Here we go, let's see if I can get it without wasting much more time. See if it's coming back up now. I'll try my best. But that's what conflict causes us. And plus trying to pay off all of the bills that you deal with that is a devastating thing. 1930, they did not get the Civil War paid for. And so all of the troubles that we go through in life today, as a nation today, even this voting time in November, what all heartaches that it's going to cause us to get it done. Well, let me see if I can get this thing to come back up. Boy, it ain't been the first time I had problems with something like this. Well, it seems to be giving me a hard time, don't it? But I'll keep on. Let me see if I can get it back up in my thing. Wow. Always one of those moments when you lie that something like this happens. If not, I'll just leave it blank and go back and keep on talking about the Word of God. I like to show the Word of God, though, when I'm on. There's all kinds of things trying to get up on this thing. Who knows? We'll see as it continues to... Let's move right on there, man. I hated that, but you know, as we were studying for this, a young woman named Sarah found herself in the midst of a dire situation. faced with a devastating fire threatening her home. And so she made the courageous decision to rescue her pets amidst all of that chaos that she was going through. We realized that Sarah was calm and determined. and inspired to try to get through this difficult time in the midst of this devastating fire that was threatening her home. And so she wanted to rescue her pets. And as she was doing that, keep on trying to get this, see if I can get this thing back up and going. She demonstrated unwavering belief that she would be able to overcome all of the difficulty that was in front of her. And so, let me see if I can get this thing. But it illustrates the power of faith and hope in the face of challenges that all of us go through. Because I recently, Brother Darrell Pruitt had an employee that his house caught on fire and he got out. But he went back in to get his possessions and when he did, it killed him and he never made it out. You know, we never know sometimes through all of the tragic things that happen in life what could really happen to each and every one of us. Let's see if I can try to get this thing back to where I was a while ago. I may not be able to. I may have to go back in my files and see if I can get it back up. Just bear with me. But here we look, last time we talked about two visions in chapter one when we did our introduction, amen? And that, we talked about God's angelic horsemen, amen? And then that was the first vision of the eight that we talked about. But also, we talked about the second vision in chapter one, which is the horns and the craftsmen as well. Here in this second chapter of Zechariah, amen? Uh, we'll be looking at, uh, let's see if I can get this, everything that wants to come up on this thing. I don't want coming up. Let me see. Well, bear with me. I like to get it, if I can, get it back up. Everything's trying to log up on this thing. I don't normally get up here on this computer that often, and when I do, everything just tries to open up. But one thing about it is, whatever opens up, it don't matter to me because, hey man, ain't got nothing to hide no matter what. Everything can open up. But I thank God as we look and realize here we'll be talking about three particular things tonight in the book of Zechariah chapter two, the vision of the measuring line. Zechariah begins with a vision of a man with a measuring line. How would you like for somebody to come into your house and just start taking measurements of everything? You say, get out of here. Well, I'm telling you, Zechariah begins with a vision of a man with a measuring line, which symbolizes the measurement and the future prosperity of Jerusalem. Secondly, we'll be talking about God's promises as well, Amen, because when we look and realize that this chapter two highlights God's promise to protect Jerusalem and its future glory despite the current challenges facing the people. And thirdly, tonight, we'll be talking about the restoration because the visions emphasize the restoration and the expansion of Jerusalem, portraying it as a city without walls protected by God. And so, I'm glad. Boy, I'm gonna tell you, I think I'm gonna just give up on that. You'll just have to listen to the reading of the word. If you got your Bible out, you'll be just fine. Amen. And so the vision of the measuring line is Zechariah sees a man with a measuring line, symbolizing the assessment and the future expansion of Jerusalem. The vision signifies God's intention to restore and expand Jerusalem, and it measures the dimensions as a sign of its future prosperity and security into the future. And then in verses 3, 4, and 5, we see the divine protection and future glory, because the angel communicates that Jerusalem will be so populated that it will not need physical walls. Instead, God will be a protective wall of fire around it, and His glory will dwell within it. And it emphasizes God's divine protection and the promise of a glorious future for the city in the future days to come. In verses 6 and 7, we'll be reading and talking about the call to escape Babylon because it deals with a call to flee from Babylon signifying the call for exiles to return to Jerusalem. I'm glad in 2008, which was a while back when I was there, there was a lot of folks that were still coming in from Ethiopia. because of the bloodline that was in Ethiopia Jews. And so, still, so many of them have transferred and made their way back to the home of Israel. But it highlights the idea that God has gathered his people from the nations and invited them back to their homeland. And then in verses 8 and 9, We'll talk about how God declares that he'll judge the nations that have oppressed his people and emphasizing that Israel is precious to him and it assures the people of a divine justice and the protection of their welfare. And then in verses 10, 11, 12, and 13, there's a call for silence and reverence because the chapter concludes with a call to rejoice as God's promises and His presence and a future where many nations will join the Lord and Jerusalem will be chosen once more and there'll be an invitation to reverence before the Lord as acts from His holy place. And so, here, this is the third of Zechariah's visions. The first one, Jerusalem will be rebuilt beyond its former size in splendor. And so, these are two glorious promises of this vision. Jerusalem will be rebuilt beyond its former size and splendor, but secondly, the Lord will be like a wall of fire around the holy city. filling and protecting it with his glory and his presence. And so it's the promise of the kingdom of God and of a new Jerusalem. The holy city will be a capital of the world and God's justice and righteousness will spread from the city throughout all of the earth, amen. Jerusalem will not only be a symbol of perfect peace and justice, but it also will be actually establish a spread of Christ's peace and justice to all of the world. And so in light of these two promises, all of God's people are called to flee from the lands where they've been scattered and join the Messiah in his kingdom. We'll be talking about three points, verses one through five. We'll be talking about the vision of a protective wall, as I said earlier. The second thing that we'll be talking about is a call to separate and return in verses six through nine. that it's a call to leave the Babylon of the world of life. It's a promise of blessing and a judgment on the nations. And lastly, we'll close out with the vision's impact that's on us today, because God's unwavering protection, amen, and a call to a spiritual renewal. and rejoicing in God's presence. Amen. And so, I thank God. We look, first of all, in verses one and two that we'll read. And I thank God the word of God tells us, I lifted up my eyes again and looked and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. You know, when we look, we see, in verse two he says, then said I, whither goest you? And he said unto me, to measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. And so when we look, we see the explanation of that third vision. a surveyor was going to measure the boundaries of Jerusalem. Now, reminds me of a story of a community that had envisioned a future expansion of their own town. Can you imagine? They want to make things look better in their town. And so, about like little Taylorsville that I live in, where you got a flashing light and a four-way stop at the railroad, and that's about it. And so, but This small rural town, through vision and planning, transformed it into a thriving city. The story could highlight an initial doubts and challenges faced by many communities across the United States, but it emphasizes the success that all of us can have when we expand our efforts. And I'm glad that how the measuring line in Zachariah's vision represents God's promise of future growth and prosperity, much like the communities determined to realize their vision. Every one of us, God's going to expand his city. But in verse one, he talked about that I lifted up mine eyes again and looked and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. Zechariah sees that man and he symbolizes the measurement of Jerusalem for its future expansion. And I'm glad that as we look at this, he goes on and he says in verse two, he said, then I said, where are you going? And he said to me, to measure Jerusalem to see what is its width and what is its length. He asked Zechariah where the man is going and he replies that he's measured Jerusalem to determine its dimensions signified a future expansion. And I'm glad that the Hebrew word measure means midal. It indicates evaluation, planning for future growth. I wonder how many of you have set goals this last part of the fall of the year and beginning of the year, and all of a sudden you're coming closer to the end of the year and you still have not reached your objective. And so when Zechariah saw that man with a measuring line in his hand, like a surveyor that you see out on the roads, He asked him what he was doing. And so I thank God. The divine protection and future for all glory, we see in verse three, he says, and behold, the angel who talked with me went forth. Another angel went out to meet him. And so that other angel, joining the first one who was proceeding toward the measuring, but we look and we're reminded, he goes on in verse 4, he says, he tells us that as this angel who's speaking with Zechariah meets another angel, suggesting a divine conversation, an instruction that's taking place. But he says in verse four, You know what? The angel instructs the other angel to tell Zechariah that Jerusalem will be so full of people and animals that it will need no walls for protection. Can you imagine that? because that's the days of the future that every one of us will be coming into. The young prophet and his generation desperately needed the hope that this message would give them. It was an urgent message, one that meant to encourage and motivate. Wouldn't it be nice for somebody to show up at your house? Or maybe you went to church Sunday and the pastor began to give you an encouraging message that you needed to hear. that everything's going to be all right. You're going to make it through this time of the upcoming election, and we're going to be blessed no matter who's going to be going to the White House. Wouldn't that be great to hear? And so it was an urgent message to encourage and motivate God's people to return to Jerusalem and to complete the great task that God had assigned them of rebuilding the Holy City and the Lord's Temple. You know, Jerusalem will become that great city without walls that will be secure and have a large population with abundance of food and livestock. In addition to being rebuilt and re-inhabited, it will be greatly blessed by God in the future. There'll be a safety and plenty for all. The new city will overflow its former boundaries, becoming larger, even more prosperous than ever before. And it will actually be too large for walls to contain. But on the other hand, there'll be no need for walls. Now, notice that, you know, Zechariah 38 and 39, where everything hits the fan back in the day, God'll wipe out that enemy, whether it's Russian, and all the Muslim nations that come up against Israel back in that time. But this is telling us in the future how abundance already, you see, if that enemy thinks that they're going to wipe out the nation of Israel, if the Muslims think they're going to take them out, you got another thing coming. Because Zechariah is already talking about prophesying in the future how much Jerusalem is going to be, the bounds of it are going to be expanded, praise God. And so Jerusalem will be protected by fire of God's holy presence, filled with His glory. And God's presence is described as a wall of fire, a holy fire that will surround and protect them. Not only will the Lord's presence surround the city, but His presence will be a glory within it. And so God's glory, kabod, is the Hebrew word for glory. Kabod, K-A-B-O-D. His splendor, His honor will make the city known throughout the whole world. And because of the Lord's presence, Jerusalem will be honored among all the nations. Amen. And so, we look, and as I read verses four and five, and he said in him, run, speak to this young man, saying Jerusalem shall inhabit as a town without walls, for the multitude of men and cattle therein. Verse five, for I says, notice, it's got an S on that, sound like I'm speaking bad English, huh? For I says the Lord will be under her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. The ancient Arabs built watch fires for protection around their camps, but the Messiah will be the wall of fire to Jerusalem and a canopy of the glory in the midst of her with his Shekinah glory. Boy, I thank God. It's the vision of a protective wall. And so, I'm glad we see that it talked about the measuring line, the divine protection of the fire, and the restoration and the rejoicing that is dealt with, amen. But secondly, we also see a call to separate and to return, because here is the regathering totally of Israel. And verse six, ho, ho, come forth, flee from the land of the north, says the Lord, for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of heaven, says the Lord. And so, The Lord is issuing a very strong call to the people to flee the comforts and pleasures of pagan society. That's what Babylon stands for, the world and the pleasures of the world. Boy, you know what? There ain't never been so much temptation today as ever. Why, man, not only do you got the temptation where it used to be, oh, a man's looking at another woman. or a woman may be looking at another man. Now you got a man looking at a man. Now you got a woman looking at a woman. And then all of the temptations in this old wicked society that we have today that's ungodly, that is an abomination against the Word of God. And so all of the temptations... Man, I'm going to tell you something. You know what? I was reading a book by Michael L. Brown, rabbi, and he was talking about, you know what, he was born in 1955. Well, if he was going to look at something pornographic, he would have had to know somebody that had a magazine that he would have been able to go and say, can I look at that magazine to look at that pornography? That's the sign of the times, even back when I was growing up. But today, Why our eight years old and our young kids, if they don't, they can go to a media device and they can pull up most of the horribles of the horrors of this world that you've ever saw right in the fingertips today. That they just touch the media and all of a sudden they've got all of these images where the time of all of the centuries back, they started out and all they had was, they had a book to read. Finally, they got a telegraph. And finally, they got telephones, amen. And all of a sudden, slowly over time, from the horse to the carriage to the automobile, that things travel as fast as they do. I remember when I went to Korea, they had this Mars equipment where if I called home from Korea, I'd have to tell, over, and they'd say, over. and uh they didn't have no iPhones they didn't have anything like that back then. I remember uh the technology where I had some starlight scopes come in them things were big old things like this a man to turn uh daylight into night uh vision back in those days a man but they perfected all of this technology that you can see more than you ever need to see and so I'm glad it reminds us of the story of Exodus from Egypt to illustrate the call to escape from oppression and recount how the Israelites were called to leave Egypt and journey to the promised land, emphasizing the urgency and the hope to return from Babylon, illustrating the theme of deliverance and the transition from captivity to freedom. And so, Every one of us. He says in verse six, Ho, ho, come forth and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord. The call to flee from the north refers to the Babylonian exile. and the threatening abroad that refers to the Jewish dysphoria. Too bad as I had all of that on this screen. If anything, the worst I'll do is I'll put it on PDF and put it on sermon audio for you to look at later that I'll have, amen. And so I thank God as we look at verse 7, it says, deliver yourself, O Zion, who dwells with the daughter of Babylon. Now, as we look at this, he tells us that, deliver yourself, he's talking about Zion represents Jerusalem, or the Jewish people that is urged to separate itself from Babylon, symbolizing worldly corruption and exile. And the Hebrew word, palat, It means deliver. And the Hebrew word bat, B-A-T, which means daughter. And so we look and we're reminded of what it's talking about here because each and every one of us as we go through life, amen, why should any people Why should any people who have received all the promises of God today even really be worried about anything? We've got our name written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, but there's so many people that are lost and on their way to hell. And so the answer is that we've got to flee from the world today, the Babylon that's out there, and return to Jerusalem in our own spiritual conditions, amen. There's so many people that when COVID come out, they never came back to church. They're not in an environment of a church family. They have no one praying for them regularly like they should because they're out on their own, away from the church family. Many people have become comfortable and complacent in the foreign lands where they've been exiled here. In some of the Jewish exiles, Babylon was the only place that they knew. The Babylonians had resettled the people. and allowed them to engage in trade and commerce. And therefore, many had grown attached to the new worldly society and its prosperity. I wonder how many of us have got so complacent since COVID came in and we haven't never even returned back to church. We're doing all kinds of things ever since then. There's been a long time since we've actually set foot in a church house. And so, you know what, that bothered me. Matter of fact, I miss one Sunday, I feel bad. You know, every one of us ought to have a desire in our heart to be with the rest of the local church. And so here, the majority stayed behind in Babylon, preferring the pleasures of the pagan society and their own formal culture and religion. instead of going back to what they used to be like as Judas and as Jews to practice their religious practices of being Jews. And so it was these complacent exiles that the Lord was now appealing to. They were unaware of the Lord's plan to judge Babylon, and so the people needed to flee because their sins had already caused God to judge and scatter them once before. And so, as they have remained, the people needed to flee the worldly environment because in order to escape the coming judgment as well. And so I thank God in verse 7 that he tells us, Amen. He goes on as we read, this is what he said, Deliver yourself, O Zion, who dwells with the daughter of Babylon. Boy, I'm going to tell you something. Judgment was coming against the pagan society of Babylon and all the unjust societies of the world. And so the Lord had already judged Babylon using the Medes and the Persians. But further judgment was coming because the ultimate judgment would come at the end of the world. And therefore, God's people must flee from all of the foreign lands, a picture of the world, in order not to suffer those nations being judged. And so, whatever temporary short-term pleasures that the people were enjoying, they would not be worth the cost of God's wrath. And so, we see the vision of God's servant, the branch of his anointing. Because when we look at verse 8, And so it proclaims the fact that Joshua and all who are with him, the high priest of that time, are to give all of their attention to the very important announcement that is about to be made, even though Joshua was not privileged to see the vision of Zechariah. No doubt, Zechariah related it to him for word. And so, can you imagine As we see this taking place, a man, that Zachariah, the Lord's judgment on the nations. You imagine how justice was served to those who had done wrong to others at that time. A story was about a company that exploited workers. but was eventually held accountable in court for doing that. And how God's promises brings justice to all nations in the world and those that have harmed Israel ensure that they're all going to face consequences for their actions just as justice prevailed today if someone mistreats somebody. Well, I can't stand to see somebody mistreated. the judgment would have an ultimate fulfillment because Christ has spent time in glory, probably of reference to his glorification after ascending to and sitting at the right hand of God the Father, amen, that these enemy nations would not only face judgment in the near future. They plundered they're going to be plundered by the nations that they have plundered but would also they're going to face the ultimate judgment that when Christ returns to judge all nations and because of that coming judgment Remember, this is prophetic. This is future all of God's people needed to flee that foreign land of the captivity they needed to quickly return to the promised land and Zechariah was a little bit right during the time of Haggai, but right after that. And so, we look at the apple of the Lord's eye because he goes on and he tells us in verse 9, for, behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua upon one stone shall be seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave the graven thereof, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. He says for behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua. It's a symbolic of a Messiah because What did I read in verse 8 the branch my servant the branch? And so I'm glad upon one stone shall be seven eyes it signifies the Holy Spirit upon Christ with the number seven implying a perfect union. And so John saw the same vision in Revelation 5, verse 6, that Zechariah was seeing. These coincide. John also saw the seven horns, which Zechariah did not see, which pertain to a total dominion, that this was because Christ had already gone to the cross. guaranteeing that the dominion had not yet taken place at the time of Zechariah, whereas the seven eyes speaks of a perfect illumination, as stated, that the seven horns speak of a perfect dominion, that all made possible what Christ did on the cross for every one of us. He says, Behold, I will engrave the graving there, says the Lord of hosts. And so, as the branch that supplies life and food to all people, praise God, who rest beneath its shadow, hallelujah, and so as the stone, he is to them an imperishable foundation that will build upon. I will remove the iniquity of that land, One day that the Lord says the visible return to earth When all Israel shall be saved after the great tribulation and the ungodliness that turned from Jacob And I'm glad that Israel will mourn and repent for three days. On the third day, they'll live according to Hosea that he talks about. And so I'm glad that he's the apple of the Lord's eye. The people needed to flee because the day is coming when the Messiah will raise that hand of judgment, amen. And so God's final act of vengeance and justice and truth that Jesus Christ is the Messiah will be established, amen. And so I thank God That we look and we realize pretty good. I think I might have cut turn the page when I shouldn't on that one Amen, hang on. Let me get back to Verse. Oh, yeah, I did When you turn the pages, you got to be careful. Let me go back to verse 9 for behold I will shake my hand upon them and they shall be a spoil to their servants and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me and And he says in verse 8, For thus saith the Lord of hosts, After the glory has he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye. And so the nations which spoiled Israel did so under the guidance of the Lord because of kingdom with the statue of the gold statue that was standing up that had the different parts and went all the way down to the toes of clay and iron according to the Roman Empire and all of those empires that went through there, amen. And so I'm glad that when we look and realize that he says in verse 9, And he goes on, he tells us in verse 10, And so I'm glad that when we look, Zechariah conveyed yet another great promise of God to his dear people, the reality of glory of Christ's coming kingdom and the Messiah's kingdom on earth that is coming through. And so we see the vision of a protective wall in verses 1 through 5. a measuring line, a divine protection, a wall of fire where no walls will be there, a restoration and a rejoicing that we've already talked about, the call to separate and return in verses six, seven, eight, and nine, a call to leave the world today that is standing for us today. and live and get back into the local assembly of the church, amen. And so a promise of blessing and a judgment on all nations that came against the nation of Israel and his people, amen. But lastly and closing, in verses 10, 11, 12, and 13, the vision's impact on us today. the vision's impact on us today. Because, again, that he talked about in verse 10, about singing and rejoicing, O daughter of Zion, for lo, I come and I will dwell in the midst of you, says the Lord. And so it speaks of the coming kingdom. an age when Israel will have accepted Christ. You know, now there's only messianic Jews, but you've got those orthodox Jews that they don't believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, but they will when they go through because the tribulation is just for the Jews to get on board. And so, if you're caught during that time, when all the church has been raptured out, you better count yourself lucky if you make it through that. You better get on board. You better ask the Lord to be the keeper of your soul and come in and fall under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit and ask Him to save your soul. And so, I'm glad Israel, as this time, amen, he says, for lo, I come, speaks of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sing and rejoice, O daughters of Zion, for lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you, says the Lord. And so he's speaking of the second coming of the Lord, and the last phrase that pertains to Christ upon his second coming, dwelling in Jerusalem, actually in the holy temple itself. And so this is something that I'm dealing with in my study in the book of Zechariah as well. And so the Messiah is reigning in Zion. And so when we look and we realize that God invites Jerusalem to rejoice because he'll come to live among them, symbolizing his restoration and presence, amen. And so in verse 11, many nations will convert as well. He says, and many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day and shall be my people. And I will dwell in the midst of you and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me unto you. And it refers to the many Gentile nations. Listen. which will accept the Lord as Savior at the outset of the kingdom age. They'll be looked at as God's people, exactly as Israel. And so, it doesn't necessarily mean that every person in these nations will accept the Lord, for some won't. But I'm glad right here at verse 11, when you read this, this is hope for every one of us, even America, that where you try to find the prophetic of a nation like us as America, they will, however, be forced to serve the Lord. Those other nations that are out there today, I'm glad that they're going to have to Give yes and amen to their own condemnation because I'm glad that each and every one of us know that the Lord of hosts As it refers to the fact that Israel at the second coming will then know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ that they Crucified was the Messiah and I read it again and many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day and shall be my people and I will dwell in the midst of you and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me under you." And so I thank God when we look and realize that even God will reclaim Judah and Jerusalem as his chosen land, reaffirming the sanctity, the special status of the region itself. And so The last part of verse 10, as we join that voice of the Father and Son together, he said, I like this, I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. Boy, somebody ought to say amen to that. When coupled with that, the Lord of Hosts has sent me, and He's making that there is no distinction between the identities of Christ and His Father, the Messiah and the Lord God, and it signifies because we learn in the New Testament that Christ and the Father are one, according to John chapter 10, verse 30, and John chapter 14, verses 9 through 11. and that before Abraham lived, Christ existed because he always was. Before Abraham was, I am. I remember reading that in John chapter 8, verse 58. It speaks of the eternal nature of Jesus Christ. He was with the Father in the beginning. He has always existed. This is why Christ is also called the Alpha and the Omega of the beginning and the end. And though these verses are a reminder of the truly awesome and supreme nature of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now, there's five significant promises that are made at the close of this third vision. And like I said, I wish I had my PowerPoint to go on. But in verse 10, again, will you look with me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for though I have come and will dwell in the midst of you, says the Lord. The Messiah will come and live within Jerusalem. God's people which were commanded to shout and be glad because the Lord was coming to live among them as the promised Messiah, our eternal King. The millennial promise, hallelujah. When Christ established his kingdom on earth, I'm glad that he will rule from Jerusalem and dwell with his people forever. Boy, this is just like getting into the temple over in the book of Ezekiel, amen? Wow. And so, but in verse 11, we see all the nations will be converted because he said, and many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day and shall be my people and I will dwell in the midst of you and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me unto you. And so, the nations will trust or join the Lord because of His people, praise God. And so, I'm glad that long ago the Lord had promised to bless all the nations through His chosen people, Israel. And yet the promise was made again. Christ, the Messiah, will unite many nations to the Lord. And many people will rejoin to God because of Jesus Christ. But this is a great promise. to all of us Gentile nations and peoples, those that are not a part of Israel. Here is that promise in verse 11, that the Messiah will unite all people to God through His death and resurrection. Amen. Boy, tell me that the Old Testament is an important place, God. And He has indeed reconciled man to God, according to Romans chapter 5, verse 10. And so I'm glad that a person that trusts in Jesus Christ is joined to the Father. He or she is adopted as a child of God and they become a part of God's family according to Paul's writing in Galatians chapter 3 verse 26 and Galatians chapter 4 verses 5 and 6. Read it later on when you get a chance. And so additionally in the last days People from every nation who submit to Christ's rule, trusting Him for their deliverance and salvation, will be joined to the Lord and become a part of Christ's kingdom. And so, all people who trust in the Lord are the ones that the Father, the Promised Son, and the very people whom the Father has given as an inheritance to His Son. And so we see in verse 11, also that last part that we read, he says, and I will dwell in the midst of you and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me unto you. The Lord promised to live among his people. And so, whether it was the Father or the Son speaking, difficult to determine, but in truth, it could have been both, since Father and Son are truly one in purpose and in spirit. We know that Jesus Christ is the manifestation of the Lord on earth, that the Father fully dwells in the Son, according to Colossians chapter 2, verse 9, and Colossians chapter 1. It talks about it in verses 15 and 16 as well. that I referenced. And so the Lord will surely live among His people in all fullness, in all glory. Praise God. And through Christ, the kingdom of God will fill the whole earth. And I'm glad that the great promise that God gave to His beloved people, that same promise, amen, that He gives to everyone who believes in the one He sent, His only Son, Jesus Christ, amen. And so we see that it tells us in verse 11 that the people who know God The people who will know that God sent Christ, the Messiah, when he comes to live among God's people, many people deny that Christ is Messiah in a lot of nations today. Even more tragic are those who deny the need for a savior of any kind. But nevertheless, in the last days, when Christ comes to judge the world, listen to me, and to live among his people, The whole earth will know that he was sent by God the Father, and the evidence will be indisputable. And so in verse 12, and the Lord shall inherit Judah, his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. I'm glad that the entirety this and all of the tribes as Evident in Ezekiel chapter 48 as I said this coincides with Old Testament prophecy I'm glad that at the second coming the Lord shall choose Jerusalem again and so the Lord will receive the land of Judah all Israel and as his inheritance. Even those ones that have hijacked and tried to take some that don't belong to them, they're gone. Boy, when he comes back and splits that, boy, I'm going to tell you on the Mount of Olives, man, and all of a sudden the geography changes, amen. Boy, I thank God. The capital of Jerusalem, the Lord already owns the land of Judah, and as well as the rest of the earth, for he created it. But through sin, the human race has polluted and taken over the land and God's rule. And at that time, the people of Judah, Israel, all others, have come to know the Lord, will be given to Christ as his promised inheritance, amen. And so, I'm glad the land of Israel, the people of Israel, and the promised seed of Abraham, all believers will have Christ as inheritance. And he'll rule the land with perfect justice and righteousness. that will protect every individual in that time. Remember, we're talking about the future. Boy, we ought to be doing the two-step right now, man. Oh, my goodness. Man, I thank God. I'm going to tell you something. When we look at this, not one of the father's children will be lost. So the Lord promised to choose Jerusalem to be the capital of the world How do you know that because Micah chapter 4 says so that's why and when the Word of God says it it will be and so Here the significance of that impact that at the same time to encourage and to motivate the wavering exiles of Zechariah's generation the promises to encourage every one of them that The presence of the Lord on earth is going to bring peace and security justice and equality, health and prosperity, the end of sin and guilt, and the end of corruption and exploitation, all of this, no more fear and anxiety, no more confusion, amen. And so, all the end of hopelessness and despair and depression, amen. The end of all tears and sorrow, amen. Because the vision of the measuring line, God's promises of protection and restoration. And this is what it will be like to inherit the kingdom of God. Christ's kingdom will bring an end to everything evil and undesirable and bring to fulfillment everything that is desirable and good. And so, perfect peace and security, eternal joy and prosperity, all coming to earth. This great promise of Christ and His Kingdom in the future days. The promise given to every true believer that is born again into the Kingdom of God. And the Lamb has been recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life. But lastly, verse 13. Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord, for He is raised up out of His holy habitation, during this period of His indignation against Israel, which has lasted now for almost 2,000 years. You see, the Lord is silent. The mouths of nations have been and are filled with proud boastings. But the day is coming when He'll come forth from His presence. and raise up out of his holy habitation and will come back to this earth to claim his own. I'm glad not only the nation of Israel, but his bride, the church. And so, in the closing words of this vision, the Lord gave a strong warning to the human race. Everyone must be silent before the Lord because his holy judgment is about to be aroused. And so, a call for silence before God acknowledging his authority and the fact that he has arisen to act from his sacred place and so his judgment that's been aroused against his enemies and so when we look at this he's raised up, he's awakened from his holy habitation, which is what? Heaven. That's right. He's aroused himself from heaven to visit the earth, and the Lord himself was coming in human flesh to live and suffer among his people, but their hands would put him to death. And he would suffer far greater than ever before for all of our sins of the world. He would take upon himself not only our sins, but also the sin of the whole world. And he would pay the penalty for our sins. He would die for us, amen. He would pay the ultimate price for the rebellion and for salvation, suffering and condemnation and judgment that was due every one of us. He paid our price, amen, by his own death and suffering. He would bring salvation and eternal life to all who had gone astray. And so, when we look, as I close out, if we're compelled by God's judgment or by His grace, it makes no real difference because the most important thing is that we seek the Lord for salvation. And the most important thing that we must seek and grab hold of is eternal life. Let me say that again. One of the most important things that you need to get a hold of is eternal life that he so graciously offers us from the cross of Calvary. It is a free gift. There ain't nothing you can do. You can't work and earn your way into heaven. It's free. The Lord is aroused from His holy temple. The Messiah has already come and He's soon going to come again, is what the future of Zechariah chapter 2 is ending with right here. He'll come for both salvation and He will come for judgment. Both are the promises of God. He says, I promise, amen. The promise that we inherit is up to each and every one of us. Therefore, we must make a choice tonight. That you say, today's the day of salvation. We don't have no promise of tomorrow. This could be it tonight. Which promise do we seek? Will we choose life or will we choose death? All the promises of God are fulfilled in Christ. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1, verse 20, and those promises, Christ is God's answer to every problem on earth that we've got. Both God's grace and his judgment lead people to repentance. Both are part of a wonderful work in this world. His work on behalf of sinners and the Lord is merciful and he's just. He both judges and he forgives sin. And God promises for every one of us, those who repent and trust Christ for their salvation and will receive that forgiveness and it will pay for the penalty of our sin that we would have had to pay for ourselves because not a one of us could ever be able to pay the debt that we were involved in. And so he promises judgment for those who do not repent. By refusing to repent and trust Christ, We forfeit our right to God's salvation and therefore God's promises of judgment and mercy are each intended to bring us to repentance. And I'm glad which of these would you choose tonight? Whether it be grace or would it be judgment? Depends on us, huh? And yet only the Lord knows which we need most at this particular time in life because the point to remember is that He uses both judgment and He uses mercy in our lives to turn our sinful hearts back to Him. Boy, is it my eyes? Is it my ears? Is it my hands? Is it my feet that gets me in trouble with my temptation? The number one, this heart right here, before the eyes, before the ears, before the hands and the feet and everything else that we get involved in with temptation today, right here, this heart. You need to turn things over to the Lord. And so, as we encounter a powerful vision of God's promise to restore and protect his people, This reassures us of an unwavering commitment to our safety and our well-being. We're invited to return to him, leave behind our sins, and embrace the blessings and the protections that he offers, just as the people of Jerusalem were called to rejoice in verse 10. We're called to live in the joy of God's presence and promises. And as we reflect on this vision, let us remember tonight that God's protection and restoration are available to us right now, guiding us to live renewed and joyous lives. Boy, I'm glad I enjoy my salvation, ain't you? How can we experience God's protection in our daily lives as I close out? We seek him through prayer. We study the word. We remain under his divine protection. We engage in a daily devotion. Whether Wednesday night Bible study, whether it's in Sunday school, we align our lives with his teaching that helps us stay connected and focused to his guidance and his care. What steps can we take, each and every one of us, what steps can we take to be able to have ourselves aligned with what we need to, amen. Each and every one of us as we go through life today. I hope and pray that we can align ourselves with him. And so I thank God with that vision of the measure line, God's promise and protection and restoration each and every one of us as I get ready to close out. I hope and pray that you got something from this tonight. But I hope what steps can we take to spiritually renew ourselves as God calls us to do. We begin by examining our lives and look and realize that where we may be conformed to the world's standards, or we conform to the Bible or the moral standards. Practicing regular repentance, there's nothing wrong with that. Seeking forgiveness. committing daily spiritual disciplines like prayer and meditation. You know what? If it was easy, everybody would do it. You know what? Sometimes we get ready to go and this body wants to fall asleep at night when we want to go and have prayer because it's worked. But I'm going to tell you, we got with it today. Some days I do labor. I work for a living. I do labor's work. where I work at. Amen. And I'm proud to say that. Amen. And there's a lot of folks that do. There's some folks that just go in and they just don't even try to do their job. They half-step and they're looking for a blessing. God blesses us when we do what we should. And so our daily spiritual disciplines like prayer and meditation on scripture renew our minds and our hearts. And lastly, how can we cultivate a spirit? of joy and rejoicing in God's promises by focusing on all the positive aspects of our relationship with God. Acknowledging our past faithfulness that we are able to have an attitude of and gratitude of joy sharing our testimonies. This past Thursday, these young men got out in the hallway. Nobody else said nothing. No adults did. No faculty, no staff. And they had a testimony service. And several of them that went for about 30 minutes. Boy, you talking about good young men generation. That's right. We still got great young people that are saved by God's marvelous grace, and they ain't afraid to share their testimony and their witness about their Lord and Savior. Praise His mighty name. Thank you, Lord, for that. And so we look at the positive aspects of our relationship, and we celebrate the blessings in our lives and reinforce the joyfulness that it's good to be in the family of God. Amen. And so I hope and pray that each and every one of you, as we get ready to close out, I hope and pray that as we go our separate ways, that you will find a place where you need to be. Ask the Lord to give you strength in the areas of your life that you're lacking in and be moved closer in your relationship because the future is what I've been talking about tonight. And when it says it, It's as if it's already done, that the Lord is coming back for His people. And we're going to be in the temple that'll be larger than it's ever been, that coincides with the book of Ezekiel. And I hope and pray, let's close out with a time of prayer. Father, thank you for the promises of your protection and your restoration that's revealed tonight in your word, that we pray for your guidance as we strive to leave behind all of our sins and embrace the new life that you offer. Help us to live out your promises daily, oh Lord, and Lord, to share the joy of your presence with those around us, that we ask for your grace to save sinners and for repentance for those who believe in Jesus' marvelous mighty name. Amen. God bless you. Sorry about the technical difficulties. May God bless you.