Let us first look at the Torah, the “Word” of the Lord of hosts. The “Word” was the teachings or revelations of God sent to Moses (Moshe Rabbeinu) to the Israelites at Sinai. When the sages of Judah in the first and second century BCE began to ponder the divine depths of truth as transmitted to them in the oral Torah, the oral teachings that was given to the cohenim (priests of Israel), they understood that the Word of the Lord came down through the central Pillar of Grace that was at the ‘heart’ of the World of the Divine. At the center of this divine realm of the Sefirot, there was the Tiferet that was also called “Beauty”. It was through the Tiferet, that “Agency” of the Divine that the Monotheistic God of the Universe sent His messages to the prophets. According to the orthodox Jew called Yochanan, he wrote:

John 1:1-5 – “In the beginning was the Torah (Word), and the Torah was with YHVH and the Torah was YHVH. The same was in the beginning with YHVH. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made; In Him was chayyim (life); and the chayyim was the Light of men. And the Light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from YHVH whose name was Yochanan. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light that all men through Him might believe.

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the emet (truthful) Light, which lights every man that comes into the olam hazeh (this Age of world). He was in the Olam hazeh (this world), and the olam hazeh (this world) was made by Him and the olam hezeh (those living in this age) knew Him not.

He came to His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of YHVH even to them that believe on His Name; Which were born not of dom (blood), nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of YHVH.

And the Torah was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His tifereth (Beauty or Glory), the tifereth (Glory) as of the only brought for of the Abba, full of unmerited favor and emet (truth).” (Restoration Scripture)

This chapter carries significant import from the Almighty. It does not lead off with a single proclamation, “the word of the Lord of hosts”, but ten times in this chapter, the Lord of hosts certifies his proclamation and the reliability of the divine promise with a “thus says the Lord of hosts”. Let this be a warning to the theologians, who propose that this is a conditional prophecy and that a “spiritual Israel” will obtain the reward in a “spiritual Land of Israel”. What the Lord of hosts says, He will do! Therefore let us carefully look at this chapter.

The Lord is Jealous for Zion

Zechariah 8:2 – “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am zealous for Zion with great zeal;

with great fervor I am zealous for her;

This is number one of the “Thus says the Lord of hosts.” When the Lord of hosts becomes “Zealous for Zion” a lot of things begin to happen. The zealousness of God is HaShem’s jealousy for his Land and His city.

Compare this zealous nature with the words of the Prophet Joel.

Joel 2:18-19, 23-27 (parts), 28-32) - Then the Lord will be zealous for His Land, and pity His people. The Lord will answer and say to His people, ‘Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. (Restoration of the Land and the people.)….. But I will remove far from you the northern army, and will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, with his face toward the eastern sea and his back toward the western sea; (Northern Army not just Assyria and Babylon, nor even Rome as this was not fulfilled, but a future Gog-Magog or the King of the North (KON) …..Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you – the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil (Land of plenty with the restoration of rain and the abundance of natural resources) ……I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten (pestilence of natural predators or human predators. Remember the Midianites were like locusts) ……And My people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. (The fulfillment of the restoration forever is dependent upon God (HaShem) living in their midst) And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions… I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (The coming of the Holy Spirit as the latter rain) And I will show wonders in the heaven and in the earth; blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord (Cataclysms at the end of times) and it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant, whom the Lord calls.” (Second Coming of Yahshua and the Armageddon deliverance.)

Let us carefully look at this time sequence.

The Lord of hosts will be zealous for the Land of Israel.
The Land and the people will be restored. Consider carefully, the Land will be restored and the people living in the Land will be the beneficiaries.
The Assailants from the North (KON or Gog-Magog) will be driven toward the eastern sea and to their destruction.
Natural phenomenon will occur with the restoration of the early and latter rains and restoration in the bounty of harvest and natural resources.
Natural predators and human predators which caused famine in the land will be destroyed.
The people in the Land (Jews and the Assimilated Israelites) will be a sign that the Lord of hosts is living within their midst. Is this a sign of the restored Temple or Tribulation Temple?
The Holy Spirit will be poured out upon the people as the Latter Rain.
Then the signs of the time of the end will be shown. These signs are part of major world upheavals and cataclysm.
Mount Zion and Jerusalem will be delivered. From what? The Armageddon forces which choose to assault the city of God in preparation to assault God (other-dimensional alien forces)?

I will Dwell in the Midst of Jerusalem

Zechariah 8:3 – Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will return to Zion,

And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth,

The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’

Happy "Jerusalem Day," Yom Yerushalim!

This is number two of the “Thus says the Lord of hosts”.

To the prophet Zechariah, the Lord of hosts had already stated that He was zealous for Jerusalem and Zion. With this jealousy, HaShem was declaring His intention:

Zechariah 1:16 - “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,” says the Lord of hosts, ‘and a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.”

I am Returning and I will Dwell in Jerusalem

The question that needs to be asked at this time is; will the Lord of hosts return to the city of Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem before the Second Coming of Yahshua? Looking at the prior passage in Joel, we have to consider this passage.

Joel 2:27 - “And My people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.

What does this mean? When the process of restoration becomes an active process, the return of the early and latter rain, the lack of predators in the land (until Armageddon), will be a literal signal that the Lord of hosts is truly within the midst of His people.

The Lord of hosts dwells in His Temple

Since the dwelling of the Lord of hosts or the Shekinah glory has always been associated with the Temple, are we to assume that a temple will be a part of this dwelling place? This verse does suggest that the return of the Lord of hosts is associated with Jerusalem, the city of Truth, as well as the Mountain of the Lord of hosts, the Holy Mountain. Is this a pre-millennial event or is it foretelling what is to happen in the millennial or the restored kingdom of Israel, under the kingship of the messiah, Yahshua, who will rule with a rod of iron the kingdoms of the earth?

Let us return to the prophet Joel. If these prophetic events are in literal sequence as we are suggesting, and the events are in the book of the prophet Zechariah, then we have problem to resolve. It has been suggested by modern scholars that the latter rain of the Holy Spirit is an event at the time of the end, which will occur upon all flesh or all of God’s people. Who then are God’s chosen people?

Who are God’s Chosen People?

The first question, who are HaShem’s people? Yes, they are the chosen ones of the House of Jacob (Israel). Yes, they are the remnant of the chosen ones of Israel. And yes, they are the gentiles who accept the grace of God by faith in Yahshua, and are grafted as ‘wild olive branches’ unto the olive tree. According to Rabbi Shaul (Paul), he posed this question:

Romans 11:1-2 (parts) - “Has God cast away His people? (The Jews) Certainly not! …God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.”

Paul then proceeds to describe the olive tree as a depiction of HaShem’s chosen people when he states,

Romans 11:16-18 - “If the root (of the domestic olive tree) is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches (Jews) were broken off and you, (gentiles or the lost children of the House of Israel) being a wild olive Tree, were grafted in among them (Jews who have remained to the Torah), and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches (natural branches or the Jews which are all that remains or the remnant of the House of Jacob). But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.”

Who then is God’s chosen? We must conclude that God’s chosen include;

1. The natural branches of the olive tree that are the House of Judah (the orthodox Jews) who are still living in covenant with HaShem,

2. The natural branches (the Lost Tribes of the House of Israel or the House of Joseph or Ephraim, and the secular Jews who have returned to orthodoxy) that are re-grafted back into the olive tree, and

3. The wild olive branches who are grafted into the natural olive tree.

Does “Spiritual Israel’ represent God’s only Chosen Ones?

Does this leave room for a “spiritual Israel”, which totally replaces the natural descendants of the House of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? No! They must also be grafted into the natural olive tree, beside the natural olive branches.

The Protestant denominations, who make their institutional identity upon what is called “Replacement Theology”, where they think they are, “spiritual Israelites”, and are spiritually or literally replacing the Jews must be warned by Paul:

Romans 11:20-21 – “You will say then, ‘Branches (natural branches or the Jews) were broken off that I (Gentile, unnatural Branches of the wild olive tree) might be grafted in.’ Well said. Because of unbelief they (Jews) were broken off, and you (Gentiles or the lost children of the House of Israel who do not know their identity) stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.”

When will God Pour out His Holy Spirit?

The second question now needs to be asked, if God is to pour out His Holy Spirit upon ‘all flesh’ (Joel 2:28) and this is to occur “afterwards” (Joel 2:27), that is after HaShem’s presence is known to be in the midst of Israel, when will this occur? The literal textual evidence bears testimony that this will occur with the literal restoration of the early and the latter rain in the land of Israel, with the resultant growth and abundance of “open pastures”, trees bearing fruit, the fig trees and vineyard bearing an abundance of fruit, the threshing floors heaping with abundance after the Second Coming of the Messiah?

Most Christians today think this is a no-brainer. Of course, says the evangelical Christian, this will occur in the millennial kingdom with the full restoration of the Land of Israel and literal Israel, and of course, the saints, the “spiritual Israelites” will be safely raptured and safely tucked away in another dimensional heaven before the tribulation. Of course says the Seventh-day Adventist, who many are proponents of the “Literal Spiritual Israelite (all twelve tribes)” philosophy, this is the fulfillment in the “new earth”, which happens to occur after the millennium and will be inhabited by the redeemed, transformed and resurrected saints. To all of these groups a problem occurs, the ‘Latter Rain’ or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will not occur until after the Second Coming of Christ, either in the millennial kingdom or in the new earth.

In the days of Zechariah and the building of the Temple of Zerubabbel, there was no evidence that the Lord of hosts returned to the Holy Place in the presence of the Shekinah Glory. In fact, the Jewish sages have declared that the gift of prophecy left Judah when the first temple, the Temple of Solomon, was destroyed. The Temple of Zerubabbel never did have the Ark of the Covenant, nor did the Shekinah glory dwell within the Holy of Holiest. Malachi, being the last of the prophets to receive the gift of prophecy, ends the oracles of God to the Hebrews, according to the rabbabim.

As such, this part of the Zechariah prophecies remain as an unfulfilled prophecy. If our belief is correct, what the Lord of host’s states He will do, then we must assume that a literal fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophets in our present day is a distinct possibility.

The History of God Dwelling with His People

Throughout the Torah and the writings of the prophets, it was the goal of HaShem to dwell in the midst of His people. Understandably, God’s people carried a national or a religious identity, such as the Nation of Israel or the Jewish people. God deliberately denoted that genealogical lineage was by His own intent.

“Holy Spirit” – Painting by Curtis Doll Jr.

The chosen were not to include all the seed of Abraham, but only through the seed of the promised son, Isaac. Yes, the children of Ishmael, the Arabs, were not chosen. Even so, not all of Isaac’s seed were chosen, but only one was selected from within the womb, or in-utero. That chosen one was Jacob. In the prophet Malachi proclaims the Lord as saying:

Malachi 1:2-3 - “Jacob I have loved; but Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritage.”

Paul is very clear on this point:

Romans 9: 6-13 – “But it is not the world of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called.’ That is those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word of promise: ‘At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.’ And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, ‘the older shall serve the younger,’ as it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

The Dwelling Place of God must be Holy Ground

Dwelling in the midst of the people of God was fraught with many difficulties and hazards. For God to anchor the Sefirot of the “World of the Divine” on this earth, the point of contact with this earth, called the Malkhut, or kingdom, would have to be recognized as holy ground. Even Moses, standing near the burning bush in the Midian wilderness, took off his shoes by the command of the Lord because of the holiness of the place where God was. God’s presence in the midst of the traveling camp of Israelites in the wilderness trek to the Promised Land, led many to one conclusion, they had to be in a constant attitude of repentance and obedience to God, or the presence of the Almighty would be hazardous to their own lives. Constantly purifying themselves before God was an essential ingredient to national preservation, physically and spiritually. Whenever sin and evil entered their camp, they then were unable to perceive the God who dwelt in their midst. As such, they were not able to experience the divine presence.

The Literal Dwelling of God on this Earth is represented by a Literal Manifestation

In Joel, the Lord of hosts, once against promised that He would dwell with them. (Joel 2:27) That presence of the Unseen One would accompany a manifestation that they could realize in literal form, the pouring out of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, not just on the selected chosen ones, but upon all flesh.

Moses and the Burning Bush – Digital Art by Ted Larsen

People of all nations, tribes and people would experience this divine manifestation. (Joel 2:28-32) This was later experienced by the early church at Pentecost in a micro-mini-drama of what will occur in the time of the end. (Acts 2:33, Galatians 3:14). Yet the ultimate fulfillment recognized by all religious scholars and Jewish sages is yet in the future. Why? Because it says that God’s Spirit will come upon ‘all flesh’, not just the chosen ones.

The Divine Spirit of the Holy One is a Literal Manifestation

What has been apparent since the days of the prophets, there is a genetic defeat in man. Whatever there is in the spirit of man, we are unable to do what is right consistently. We can have good intentions. We desire to do it, choose to do it, wish to do it, and even torture our body and soul to force ourselves to do it, but we cannot do it. Because of the genetic transformation of sin, man is not capable of doing what he cannot do. What do we do? Frankly, there is nothing we can do except to accept the power from HaShem, the God of Israel.

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit is being Possessed by God

The only hope for mankind is that the divine Spirit of the Holy One Himself will inhabit us, empower us, and possess us so we can do what we cannot naturally do on our own. Possession is the name of the game. The only autonomy that man has is to choose. We can be possessed by the Lord of hosts or we will be possessed by the satanic forces of evil and darkness.

Yet this possession by the Almighty is a natural possession. We were designed by the original blue-print, the image of God, to be possessed by God. The genetic foundation within us is but the hardware of this marvelous computer, designed by God. The possession of God provides the uncorrupted language by which we, as marvelous biological computers, fulfill the ultimate limits of our creation.

Yet, the presence of the Holy One will not just be with us, but will now be within us. (John 14:17) The astounding promise of HaShem to Joel and the prophets is that God’s presence and the eventual final salvation of all mankind is that God will take up literal residence within us. (Joel 2:27, Isaiah 32:15, 44:3, Ezekiel 36:27, 37:14, 38:29)

John the Baptist, as the forerunner to the messiah understood one thing clearly, the purpose of the ministry of Yahshua was to prepare the kingdom of God on earth by making the Holy Spirit available to all people. (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33) It was Peter who appropriated the promise of Joel to the Pentecostal experience (Acts 2:16-21), yet it was only a local Jerusalem experience, which would within a few months become a world-wide experience.

God will Dwell in the City of Truth and on His Holy Mountain

ARTcnet.com Presents an ELYAH Succot painting Will return….and dwells – In the days of Zechariah, the city of Jerusalem was in a massive rebuilding program and the temple of the Lord was being built again. Yet the verb used to be translated, “will return” is recognized to be a future event (LXX, RSV). God had future intentions which as we now look in the past, did not have direct literal fulfillment in the days of Zechariah.

“And I Will Bring Them to My Holy Mountain” (V'Havie'aisim el Har Kodshi) – Painting by Elyah Succot

City of Truth – The Hebrew for truth is emeth, meaning firmness, trustworthiness, dependability, stability, and faithfulness. The LXX calls it ‘the true (genuine) city.”

Isaiah 1:26 - “I will restore your judges as in days of old, your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.

Zechariah 8:16 – “These are the things you are to do: ‘Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts, do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,’ declares the Lord”

Holy Mountain – The Holy Mountain is used over and over again in the prophets as synonymous with Jerusalem. Is this Mount Zion, the Temple Mount or Mount Moriah or the Mount of Olives? It appears that the Lord of hosts lays claim to this whole chain of mountain peaks. (See Isaiah 27:13, 66:20, Jeremiah 31:23)

Isaiah 27:13 – “So it shall be in that day; the great trumpet (shofar) will be blown; they will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, and they who are outcast in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the Holy Mount at Jerusalem.

Isaiah 66:20 – “Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules, and on camels, to My Holy Mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord.”

Jeremiah 31:23 - “Thus says the Lord of host, the God of Israel: ‘They shall again use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I bring back their captivity; The Lord bless you, O home of justice, and mountain of holiness!’”

Zechariah 14:20-21 - On that day HOLY to the Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty…”

Longevity will return with Obedience to God

Zechariah 8:4 – Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem,

Each one with his staff in his hand because of great age.

This is number three, of “Thus says the Lord of hosts.” Longevity or a long life was regarded as a reward for obedience. (Genesis 15:15, Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 4:40, Ps 91:16, and Isaiah 65:20) To die an early death was recognized as a punishment for sin. (Psalms 55:23)

This may sound strange in this modern scientific world, yet we must reanalyze the world of the ancients in the eyes of the modern scientists. If HaShem designed the blueprint of mankind and how man was made to function, then dietary and nutritional support of our biological system would a part of living a holy life. The original diet given to Adam and Eve, as a “light beings” was a diet of fruits of the vines, plants and trees or parts of the plant that were renewable and would not kill or harm the plant itself. As such tubers and roots (potatoes, carrots, and beets) were not a part of the Edenic diet.

Whatever happened during the fall of Adam, it changed the digestive and biological functions of mankind. At this time the diet was expanded to include meat, the flesh of certain domesticated animals, which were not carnivorous or scavengers. With our world of knowledge about cardiovascular disease, does meat and fat kill men and bring a premature death? Yes. Then why did God give meat for man to eat? The essential proteins and a limited amount of fat are still recognized as necessary for the hormonal and endocrine system of man. Then the question is, is it a sin to eat meat? No. Is it a sin to eat a diet of unlimited fat and unclean meats? Yes. Recognizing that after the Flood of Noah, the limitations to the diet of man were severe, yet while our present diet cannot be perfect or Edenic in nature, longevity can still be recognized as a blessing from God and obedience to His commands.

Yet what we see in this verse may reflect a world at peace and the inhabitants enjoying secure borders and a safe and stable environment to live. This obviously does not reflect modern Israel today, yet it may reflect a time in the future of this world’s history when men shall say, Peace, peace, before a day when destruction shall come upon all mankind. Let us not confuse this era with the New Earth after the millennium. In the New Earth, we will never grow old, so the aging process is not apparent in that glorified state. Here we see senior citizens living and sitting in peace on the city streets. Is this a messianic text? It appears to be so.

Zechariah 8:5 – The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.

Where verse 4 depicts a land of safety where the elderly can peaceably reside on the streets of the city, this verse depicts an era, however brief, when children, a symbol of a healthy growing population and a secure national state will play without fear of mortars, bombs, and assassins.

The Remnant are made separate and distinguished

Zechariah 8:6 – Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days,

Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’ says the Lord of hosts.

This is number four, of “Thus says the Lord of hosts.”

The word marvelous is an interesting word in the usage by the Hebrews. The Hebrew word, pawlaw, (Strong’s 6381) comes from the primary root meaning to separate or to make distinguished, either in the literal and symbolic meanings. Yet these marvelous things is not just an ecstatic expression, but had to do with things that are “hidden”, performing miracles, literal manifestations of things too high, or wondrous works.

At this point in the prophecy, a remnant is already identified. The Hebrew sheriyth (sheh-ay-reeth, Strongs’s 7611) already identifies a residual, a surviving or final portion that has escaped or that has remained. Yet in reference to this text, this is still yet into the future, even in to the time of the end.

Restoration of God’s people from the Lands of the East and West

Zechariah 8:7 – Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west;

This is number five, of “Thus says the Lord of hosts.’

Yes, the Lord of Hosts will save all of His chosen people. We must keep in mind that the exiles from Judah in the land of Babylon, returned from the land of the east. At the time of Zechariah and Ezra, even some of the House of Israel also returned with the Judaites, but this return was also from the land of the east, where they had been dispersed into exile and bondage by Assyria. (Isaiah 11:11-12, 43:5-7, 43:5-7, Jeremiah 30:7-11, 31:7-8,) Another way of looking at this phrase is “from the rising of the sun and from the setting of the sun.” (Psalms 50:11, 113:3, Malachi 1:11) Scholars of the dispersion of the House of Israel have discovered that the House of Israel, though initially sent into exile into the land south of Ararat and the Black Sea, eventually began a migration that dispersed these peoples into China, the Indian continent and westward to the tribes of the Celtic, Angle Saxon, and other central European tribes.

Some of these exiles were called Ghomeri, coming from people of the House of Omer, the father of Ahab, King of Israel. These were later called Gomorra’s and then Cimmerians and traced to central Europe. Another name identity is the name Isakki or Saki or the children of Isaac, later to be known as the Saxons. If there are people to be saved from the dispersion from the land of the west, it is a prophecy yet unfulfilled and as yet future to our day.

The “lost sheep of the House of Israel”, in which Jesus claimed was His ministry (Matthew 10:6, 15:24, Luke 15:4) was to be sent, were the lost “chosen ones” of the House of Israel, that were also known as the House of Joseph or the House of Ephraim. It was not the gentiles or the Samaritans, but rather the woman from Canaan, near Tyre and Sidon, that Jesus directed this ministry. This woman did not know her identity, but Yahshua did.

Zechariah 8:8 - I will bring them back, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.

They shall be My people and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness.’

The God of Israel imprints His Name over Israel

Here is the renewal of the covenant with the House of Jacob (both of the House of Judah and Israel). As Jeremiah had spoken:

Jeremiah 31:33 - “Behold the days are coming, say the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put My Torah (law) in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Have the lost sheep of the House of Israel been forgotten? Not according to the prophets. The day will come, when the Lord of Hosts will renew His covenant at the time of the end. This covenant relationship will be an intimate relationship with HaShem, their God. (Zechariah 13:9, Genesis 17:7, Exodus 6:7, 29:45-46, Leviticus 11:45, 22:33, 24:38, 26:12, 26:45, Numbers 15:41, Deuteronomy 29:13, Jeremiah 24:7, 31:33, 32:38, Ezekiel 34:30-31, 36:28, 37:27, Hosea 1:9-10, 2:23, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Hebrews 8:10, Revelation 21:3)

Prophecy of Restoration comes when the Foundation of the Temple is laid

Zechariah 8:9 – Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Let your hands be strong,

You have been hearing in these days, these words by the mouth of the prophets,

Who spoke in the day the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord of hosts,

That the temple might be built.”

Beishamikdashhashlishi_1 This is number six, of “Thus says the Lord of hosts.”

Painting of the Messianic Temple by American Jewish artist Elisheva Rubin

Words of encouragement were for the residents of Jerusalem by the words of Zechariah. The foundation of the temple of Zerubabbel was laid but the erection of the house of the Lord had languished from the dates of 536 and 520 B.C. Sixteen years, the native residents within the land, the Samaritans, prevented the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem and the building of the temple ground to a halt.

Can we find an application to the modern Israel, where the Palestinians have used every political, spiritual and physical meanings of depriving the Jewish people the privilege to identify the site of their ancient temples, the temples of Solomon and Zerubabbel (Herod) through archeological research? Even the ancient prophets spoke of temple far more glorious in the future, yet the Temple Mount or even the Gihon site as the proposed sites of these ancient houses of the Lord lies languished in ruins or under more recent structures.

Zechariah 8:10 – For before these days, there were no wages for man nor any hire for beast;

There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in;

For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.

Very little documentation is written on the fighting between the Samaritans and the Jews in the days of Ezra, Nehemiah and Zechariah, but it appears to be more than political word barrages. In reading the sefers (books) of Ezra and Nehemiah, the rebuilding of the temple and the city walls only occurred under terrorist assault upon the Jewish people from the Shomron and the West Bank regions where Samaria was located in those days. When they built, their weapons were always at their sides. Yet, before the entry of the Jews into the Land of Judah, the land was non-productive, and wages for hire was available in a land which had regressed back to nomadic living.

The Jewish Lawyer and Scribe Ezra describes those days:

Ezra 4:4-6 - “Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote them unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.”

How reminiscent it is today, when the Palestinians and the surrounding Moslem nations are doing everything in their power to prevent the settlement of the Jewish people and the building of a temple to define the restored nationhood of the children of Jacob. This hindrance includes not only physical fighting, but physical and emotional terrorism; stacking the courts of the world (United Nations) and the courts of world opinion (International news media) with accusations against the people of Jerusalem. What is of interest today, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) spawned a multitude of terrorist’s cells over the decades, each now competing for leadership control and hegemony to the land. Today with the evacuation of the Jewish people from the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians are fulfilling their prophetic destiny. Hamas, under the leadership of the Moslem Brotherhood is raging throughout the region. What we now have seen, the Palestinians are being set man against man, neighbor against neighbor.

During the seventy years of exile, the land of Judah laid waste and was a battle line for various factions seeking hegemony over the dry parch landscape. The Samaritans (a blend of conquered peoples by the Assyrians and a few Israelite remnants) and other people’s who had infiltrated and amalgamated who intermarried with a few castoff Jews who remained in the land were the primary inhabitants. So also during the exile from Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the land of Judea was denuded of vegetation by the Romans and has lain barren for the last 2000 years. What little vegetation that grew back naturally was systematically destroyed by the Turks, the Moslem rulers of the lands during the Middle Ages and the dominion of various Syrian, Arabian, Turk, Egyptian, and British rulers since that day. Take a look at the drawings of Palestine by the Scottish artist David Roberts in the mid 19^th century, and you will see a land desolate, nonproductive, and dormant and Jerusalem, a city forgotten in the mist of time.

Even today the Palestinians have weakened considerable the strength of Judah, as represented in the Land of Israel and the government of Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert . The government of Sharon was on the verge of bankruptcy, the Nation of Israel is divided between the Zionists who followed the dreams of the international globalists and the orthodox Jews who desire to prepare the land for the coming of the messiah. Eight thousand Jewish people are now political refugees within their own nation, since being expelled from their homes in the Gaza Strip at Gush Katif in the summer of 2005. The European Union, and the United States state department applauding Sharon’s courage for the Gaza Disengagement while the country is on the verge of civil war. One year later, in the summer of 2006, the internationalist globalists incited the Hezbollah capture of two Israeli soldiers on the northern border of Israel. Soon Lebanon’s infrastructure was lying in ruins by the IDF Air Force, while Galilee had Katyusha rockets raining down upon them by the thousands.

The building industry suffered considerably within the land, especially in reference to the ‘Settlements’ in which the whole world rails against Israel for building within the land of the Shomron (Samaria) and the West Bank in which the international community has given the Palestinians political hegemony over. The power elite in the Gaza Strip are no longer the political ancestors of Yassir Arafat but the followers of al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Eastern Gate on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in the 1850s – Artist David Roberts

The Palestinian leadership, no matter which terrorist organization that they belong, they have only one position towards Israel; accusation and terror, and the virulent desire to drive every Jewish person into the sea to the destruction with the annihilation of the entire Jewish race. This was how the ancient Samaritans treated the Jews when they returned back from the Babylonian captivity. All building even within Jerusalem itself had to be done with one hand for building and one hand holding a weapon of war. Take also a cosmic view of the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan. This is how Satan, the ultimate and cosmic accuser of God’s chosen has only words of condemnation before the Lord of hosts at the time of the end. Here is HaSatan, the “Father of Middle Eastern terrorism” whose plan for the ultimate control of this entire planet is reaching its ultimate fulfillment. These are Satan’s agents as one national group is pitted against the other to their ultimate destruction.

The Remnant of the House of Judah and Israel

will be Prosperous and a Blessing to all Nations

Zechariah 8:11, 12 – But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts.

‘For the seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give its fruit, the ground shall give her increase,

And the heavens shall give their dew –

I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these.

The Lord of hosts gave a promise to Zechariah and Zerubabbel that He would treat the remnant returning to the land of Israel differently than He treated those living in the land during the exile. This promise will be renewed today, for the Land of Israel is now a testimony of a land of productive harvests. The seed and the vine have blessed by the dew of heaven and now produce a large portion of the fruit and vegetable produce for the nations of Europe.

Zechariah 8:13 – And it shall come to pass that just as you were a curse among the nations,

O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you,

And you shall be a blessing. Do not fear; Let your hand be strong.’

Once again the Lord is speaking to both the house of Judah and the house of Israel. It is possible that a few of the inhabitants of the house of Israel may have gone back with the Jewish reparations to the land under the leadership of Ezra. (Ezra 8:35), yet this cannot be counted as a restoration of the House of Israel and is not recognized by the rabbabim in the land today. Yet, not only will the Lord of hosts save both houses but He will restore them to be a blessing. (Jeremiah 31:1-31, Ezekiel 37:15-28) The Jews of the 1^st century were not a 0740568-R3-E016 blessing to God or to the land. Their behavior was volatile as they engaged in one uprising after another.

The Eastern gate on the Temple Mount 150 years later with Muslim Cemetery planted in Front of the Eastern Gate by the Ottoman Turkish Governor in 1530 CE (Exodus 44:1-3) to Prevent the Return of the Jewish Messiah – Photo by Robert Mock

Yet, here then we hear an order from HaShem. “Let your hand be strong.” The Hebrew, chazac, (khaw-zak) gives definite impression that the combined houses of Judah and Israel would be courageous, and able to seize, fortify, repair, and conquer. As such the people would wax mighty, withstand all manner of tribulation, behave valiantly, be lean, tough, and be able to constrain the enemies around them. What a valiant statement to the people of the land of Israel.

God’s Promise, I will be Good to the House of Judah and to Jerusalem

Zechariah 8:14, 15 – For thus says the Lord of hosts:

“Just as I determined to punish you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I would not relent,

So again in these days I am determined to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear.’

This is number seven, of “Thus says the Lord of hosts.”

Once again, when the Lord Almighty gets very angry, the infinite forces of universal energy begin to change. To withdraw Himself totally would be total annihilation of all life, yet by changing or withdrawing the protective energy forces, the forces of control and domination are allowed to reassert their destructive heads. Once again the Lord reverts to a period of true ‘cause and effect’. Feeling the wrath of God is caused by God withdrawing His presence from His people. When God leaves, destruction reigns over one’s life. God’s love and mercy can no longer protect us. So Judah was punished by HaShem by withdrawing and isolating Himself as the protective force of His people.

Yet at the time of the end, the Lord promises that He will “do good” to his favorite residence, Jerusalem and the house of Judah. This promise is followed by an order, Do not fear. I am your God, and I am in control. Watch and have faith.

Zechariah 8:16-17 – These are the things you shall do;

Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;

‘Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; and do not love a false oath.

For all these are things that I hate,’ says the Lord.

In chapter 7, we reviewed the requirements of obedience to the Lord. These included:

Administer true and proper ordering of the law in your administrative offices and courts of justice. (Zechariah 8:16, Isaiah 42:1,4, Micah 6:8)

Leviticus 19:36 - “Ye shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Show mercy to all people. This was to be a ‘faithful love’. (Hosea 10:12, 12:6)

Leviticus 19:34 - “If a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him”

Have compassion to all people

Leviticus 19:34 - “But the stranger (alien) that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shall love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

Do not oppress the widows or the fatherless, the alien or the poor.

Zechariah 7:10 - “And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, or the poor;

Do not think evil of each other.

Zechariah 7:10; 8:16 - “And let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.”

The Destruction of the Holy Temple and Jerusalem in 70 CE by the Romans

The Minor feasts surrounding the Fall of Jerusalem

Zechariah 8:18, 19 – Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying

‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: This is what the Lord Almighty says:

‘The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions

And happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”

Fast of the Tenth Month – Siege of Jerusalem

‘And the fast of the tenth’ – Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem on the 10^th day of the 10^th month.

Jeremiah 52:4 - “Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his (Zedekiah, king of Judah’s) reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around.”

2 Kings 25:1-2 - “Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his (Zedekiah, king of Judah) reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.”

The Fast of the Fourth Month – 17^th Tammuz-Capture of Jerusalem

‘The fast of the fourth month’ - capture of Jerusalem on the 17^th of Tammuz

2 Kings 25:3-4; Jeremiah 52:6-7 - “By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no good for the people of the land. Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gates between two walls, which were by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city...” (2 Kings 25:3-4, Jer. 52:6-7)

Hebrew-Jewish Events that occurred on the 17^th of Tammuz

c. 1450 BCE – The incident of the Golden Calf at the base of Mount Sinai.

586 BCE – The forces of Nabopolaser, the general over the forces of Nebuchadnezzar, entered Jerusalem.

2^nd century BCE - Erection of an idol in the temple by Apostomos, possibly during the Maccabean period.

70 CE – The forces of Titus entered the city of Jerusalem and the temple and the temple was destroyed.

2006 CE – A commando unit of Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers and triggered the onset of the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah War in Lebanon and Northern Israel.

The Fast of the Fifth Month – 9^th of Av - Destruction of the Temple

‘The fast of the fifth month’ – The destruction of the temple of Solomon on the 9^th of Av

2 Kings 25:8 - “It was on the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem that is all the houses of the great, he burned with fire.”

Hebrew-Jewish Events that occurred on the 9^th of Av

1200 BCE - Israel told by God in the wilderness that that generation would not enter the land of promise.
586 BCE - The Babylonian army destroyed the Temple of Solomon.
70 CE - Titus and the Roman army destroyed the Temple of Herod.
135 CE - "Bethar" the stronghold of Bar Kochba, fell ending the last trial for Jewish Independence.
136 CE - Rome began to erect the pagan city on site of the Temple dedication.
1096 CE - The first crusades began.
1290 CE - The Jews were expelled from England.
1306 CE - The Jews were expelled from France.
1492 CE – The Jews were expelled from Spain by the signed order of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. On July, on the 9^th of AV, all Jews had to be out of Spain. Columbus, according to renewed historical data, a Genoese Jewish marine captain, sailed from Spain after worshipping the Shabbat on his last day in Spain before heading to America.

1648 CE - Chmelnicky massacred tens of thousands of Polish Jews.
1914 CE - Declarations for World World I began.
1942 CE - Plans for the annihilation of Jews began with the deportation of the Jews from the Ghetto of Warsaw.

1994 CE, July 16 - The twenty-one pieces of Shoemaker-Levi comet began its bombardment on the planet Jupiter.

2006 CE – The Vatican sponsored Rome Peace Conference put the finishing touches on the Peace Accord that successfully inplanted the international forces of NATO into Lebanon and the northern borders of Israel.

According to Barbara Richmond, now Leah Rafaeli with the Jewish Lekerev Report reported in 2001:

Barbara Richmond (Lekarev) - “Historically, the twenty-one days extending from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of AV represented a notable time of bitterness and destruction for the Jews. According to the Rabbis, the demon that prevails during this time is also called "ketev" meaning destruction/bitterness. The Jewish Rabbis regarded "Ketev" not solely as a plague, but a demon with authority to cause death and destruction through plagues. It was during this precise time that the Lord's prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem was fulfilled.

On the 9^th of Tammuz 70 C.E. the Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem. For three weeks Roman troops ransacked and destroyed the city until on the 9th of Av, they burned the Temple. In both the Babylonian and Roman captivity, the Temple was destroyed on this agonizing date.

During the Holocaust, the Nazis systematically chose the 9th of Av to carry out murderous and other demonically inspired actions against the Jewish community. The prophet Zechariah spoke of these dates in Zechariah 8:19: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'The fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth {months} will become joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah; so love truth and peace.'

The fast of the fourth month was to be conducted on the 17th of Tammuz representing a day of mourning because of the capture of Jerusalem and the various other calamitous events that took place on this date. The fast of the fifth month was to take place on the 9th of AV because of the historical tragedies that occurred on this date. These periods of mourning and fasting were to be conducted until the promise of the coming restoration of Judah and the Messianic Kingdom. The ancient leaders recognized that the righteous must be hidden in the secret place of the Most High during this time of trouble, which they believed was a dress rehearsal for the birth pangs of Messiah. In Isaiah 26:17-21, the prophet Isaiah speaks of a season when the righteous are directed to hide them while wrath and indignation take its course.

Zephaniah 2:3 also prophetically forecasts a season when the Godly are directed to seek the Lord...seek righteousness... and seek humility and perhaps be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. According to these Rabbis, the heat of the noonday from 12:00 until 3:00 was a time of extreme activity for this evil Spirit. Even a review of recent years will reveal that this season of time has produced considerable destruction through storms, droughts, floods, extreme heat and famine. If this evil prince continues to go unchecked through intercessory prayer, then great destruction will come to people. We must be brought out of darkness into light so that we would not perish because of a lack of knowledge concerning this spirit and its operations.

On July 16, 1994, which is the 9th of Av on the Hebrew Calendar, the twenty-one pieces of Shoemaker-Levi comet began its bombardment on the planet Jupiter. Jupiter is commonly recognized as a symbol of idolatry and paganism. One of the most devastating events in the history of Israel occurred when the image of Jupiter was placed in the Temple of God. We continue to observe the feast of Hanukkah as a celebration of the victory of the Maccabees in removing this pagan god from the temple and re-instituting temple worship.

It is clearly prophetically significant that the Shoemaker Levi comet began its assault on the planet Jupiter on this notable date. The Heavens declare the Glory of God. It is also significant that the comet was broken into twenty-one pieces also representing the twenty-one days extending from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of AV, the season which this prevailing spirit operates with its greatest authority.

Even though Jupiter is a symbol of idolatry for the pagan world, it is also a term for righteousness in the Hebrew language. The Hebrew name for Jupiter is Tzedeq and comes from the word meaning "righteous" or "righteous one". It is from this term that the name Melchizedek is derived denoting "King of Righteousness". Clearly, we can see that Satan has perverted Jupiter into a symbol of idolatry. However, we can glean understanding from this term as a symbol of righteousness in the hope of Rembrandt. The Prophet Jeremiah Mourning over the Destruction of Jerusalem. our being cleansed by the Truth of God's Word thereby making us a suitable habitation for His Holy Spirit so that we can share in His holiness.”

The Fast of the Seventh Month – Tzom Gedaliah –

The Assassination of Gedeliah

‘The fast of the seventh month’ – the assassination of Gedeliah,

Nebuchadnezzar’s governor of Judah, slain at Mizpah by Ishmael, son of Nethaniah

The Prophet Jeremiah, the Grandfather of King Zedekiah, Mourning over the Destruction of Jerusalem

– Painting by Rembrandt

Jeremiah 41:1-5 – 2 Kings 25:25 - “Now it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family and of the officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah; and there they ate bread together in Mizpah. Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him arose and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is, with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.”

This minor fast day, Tzom Gedaliah, is the day after Rosh Hashanah (Tishri 3). It commemorates the assassination of Gedaliah, the last governor of Judea. After the destruction of the first temple (586 B.C.), the Babylonians had appointed Gedaliah to be the governor over the remaining Jewish population. Gedaliah was a supporter of Jeremiah, the prophet and was a respected ‘neutralist’ in the Jewish community. Rather than joining the Egyptian faction that sought cessation from Babylonian rule, Gedaliah chose to cooperate. As such he was assassinated by the zealots and super-patriots of his day and thus ended the hope of Jewish sovereignty. This led to the final dispersion of the Jewish people. (Jeremiah 41-42)

Men will grab the Tzit-Tzit of a Jew and come to Worship in Jerusalem

Zechariah 8:20, 21 – Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘Peoples shall yet come, inhabitants of many cities.

The inhabitance of one city shall go to another, saying,

Let us continue to go and pray before the lord, and seek the Lord of hosts.

I myself will go also.

This is number nine, of “Thus says the Lord of hosts.”

Here we see the evidence of a massive revival in the Land. When one city after another are vying and encouraging each other to beseech the Lord of hosts in supplication and prayer, the spirit of revival will sweep the land.

Zechariah 8:22 – Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come

To seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem,

And to pray before the Lord.’

Think seriously. Is this a reference to the fulfillment of the promise of the Gentile blessing in the Abrahamic covenant? (Genesis 12:3, Galatians 3:8, 26-29, Isaiah 55; 5; 56:6-7; and Mark 11:17) Here is a twist of religious expectation. The Christians believe the Jews will come to them to find fulfillment in their belief in Yahshua (Jesus). The Messianic believers believe that they are a bridge between the Gentiles and the Jews. The Jews believe the gentiles will find their salvation in the Torah and will seek the Torah by coming to the land. Whatever represents the primal source of Truth, one thing is clear, all will eventually come to Jerusalem to seek and pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Whether this will happen before the coming of the Maschiach or occur during the messianic kingdom after the destruction of the Armageddon forces, Jerusalem, the City of Truth, will be the source where the Lord will reveal His truth.

Zechariah 8:23 – Thus says the Lord of hosts:

‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man,

Saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’

This is number ten, of “Thus says the Lord of hosts.”

Here is the promise of a universal movement to return to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. People of all nations will be drawn to the spiritual power of the Hebrew faith and religion. Why? There will be literal and physical evidence that God (HaShem) is with them. The land will be blooming with abundance, the vineyards will overflow with wine, the olive trees and produce will be marketing to a world who is feeling the decline of natural produce from the land.

Jewish Holidays and Life Cycles

This will be the day when Jewish wines will be more sought than the best wines of France. This will be the day when the world under the onslaught of natural forces will see declining farm production. The citrus and fruit produce and Jewish imports will be sought after. The Land of Israel will be recognized as the ‘Breadbasket’ of the world. Even so, the blessing of the Lord also suggests a national and spiritual reformation that will sweep the ‘Land’. National pride will not be sealed by Zionist zeal under the banner of power, greed and control, but rather under the national pride that they truly hold the ‘Oracles’ of HaShem and wish to return to a faithful life of Torah observance.

When men from every nation will grab the hem of the sleeve, it is in reference to a shuwl (Hebrew) which implied the bottom edge or hem or a skirt or train. This hem or skirt is known today as the tzit-tzit, the fringe of the tefillin, the outer robe of the rabbis and the Tzaddiks, the righteous sages if Israel. It was they who were recognized to hold special powers.

It was the tzit-tzit, that hung off the tefillin of Yahshua (Jesus) that the ‘women with a bloody issue’, and was healed. It also the tefillin with the tzit-tzit that was wrapped around the little girl who had died in Capernaum by Yahshua, and she was raise to life. It was the tzit-tzit, that special mantle of Elijah, that he threw back to Elisha, and gave Elisha that special source of miraculous power. It was this same mantle, according to some traditions, that cloaked the body of John the Baptist in his prophetic ministry in the wilderness.

Go to Chapter 9 –

The Oracles of God and the War on Terror

Topics

The Oracle of God as the War on Terror against the Lebanese and Syrian Terrorists

The War of Terror against the Palestinians

The Intifada and the War on Terror

Zion’s Coming King

The Covenant of the Blood

Judah, the Bow, Ephraim the Arrow and the Sons of Zion as the Swords of the Lord

The Angel of the Lord brings His Arrows of Lightning and becomes Israel’s Shield

Index for the Commentary on the Prophecies of Zechariah

The Redemption and Restoration of Jerusalem and Israel

Zechariah 1 - God remembers and God blesses at the Appointed Time

Zechariah 2 – God sets His sights to Rebuild Jerusalem

Zechariah 3 – The Priesthood is Re-consecrated for the Temple

Zechariah 4 – God sends Israel His Anointed Ones and His faithful Eyes

Zechariah 5 – The Flying of the Megillah and the Cleansing of the Land

Zechariah 6 – The Four Chariots, Temple is Built and Israel is a Theocracy

Zechariah 7 – Replace Feasts of Fasting with Obedience, Justice and Mercy

Zechariah 8 – Let us Feast with Joy – God returns to Dwell with His People

The Oracles and Judgments of the God of Israel

Zechariah 9 - Part One – The Burden of the Lord on the Fertile Crescent

Zechariah 9 - Part Two – The God of Israel wants Damascus to be One of His Zions

Zechariah 9 - Part Three – The Prelude to the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah War – Global News

Zechariah 9 - Part Four – The Israeli-Hezbollah War in the Summer 2006

17 Tammuz to the 9^th Av 5766 – Global News

Zechariah 9 - Part Five – The Oracles of HaShem against the Palestinians

Zechariah 10 – Latter Rain - Restoration of the Houses of Judah & Joseph

Zechariah 11 – Part One – The Good Shepherd and the Oracles against Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and the Palestinians

Zechariah 11 – Part Two – The Good Shepherd and the Unification of the Houses of Judah and Israel

Zechariah 12:1 – The Creator and the Throne of the God of Israel

Zechariah 12:1 – The Creator, the Worlds of Creation, the Spirit of God, and the Souls of Man

Zechariah 12:1-2 – Jerusalem, a Cup of Trembling

Zechariah 12:3-14 – Jerusalem, a Burdensome Stone

Zechariah 13 – The Gihon Fountain flows from the Temple of the Lord

Zechariah 14 - I will gather all Nations to battle at Jerusalem

The Lord’s feet will stand on the Mount of Olives

Message from BibleSearchers

BibleSearchers scans the world for information that has relevance on the time of the end. It is our prayer that this will allow the believers in the Almighty One of Israel to “watch and be ready”. Our readiness has nothing to do trying to halt the progression of evil on our planet earth. In our readiness, we seek to be prepared for the coming of the Messiah of Israel so that goodness and evil will be manifested in its fullest. Our preparation is a pathway of spiritual readiness for a world of peace. Our defender is the Lord of hosts. The time of the end suggests that the Eternal One of Israel’s intent is to close out this chapter of earth’s history so that the perpetrators of evil, those that seek power, greed and control, will be eliminated from this planet earth. The wars of the heavens are being played out on this planet earth and humans will live through it to testify of the might, power, justice and the love of the God of Israel. In a world of corruption and disinformation, we cannot always know what the historical truth is and who is promoting evil or mis-information. We cannot guarantee our sources but we will always seek to portray trends that can be validated in the Torah and the testimony of the prophets of the Old and the New Testament.

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