Zechariah 14:16-19 teaches …

“16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.”

“Every one that is left,” what a frightening clause! Only a fraction of humanity lives through Armageddon! Due to the fierce Wrath of God, His Righteous Judgment!

As in Revelation 19, when Jesus returns to earth at Armageddon … “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”

That remnant of Zechariah 14 goes annually to Jerusalem “to worship the King,” that being Jesus, “the Lord of Hosts!”

But note this too. The Old Testament Feasts will apparently be reinstituted in the life of (now Redeemed) Israel, that little Nation. Specifically, “Tabernacles!” (A time of rejoicing!) Verse 16 of our Zechariah Text states this explicitly, with verse 18 repeating it.

And any detractors, refusing to worship the King … will be punished. With Egypt being mentioned specifically, as well as any other nations. The consequences: “no rain” plus some sort of “plague!”

The amazing thing to me is that anyone would hesitate at worshipping Jesus, after all will have occurred! This surely proves (or at least illustrates) the “old sin nature” residing in natural mankind! Do remember, human beings will still be born to human mothers during that thousand year era.

Still, the main point … Jesus has returned!

All is (or soon shall be) well!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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I have referred many times to the surviving Jewish “remnant” who will enter the Millennium. Jews who have (miraculously) evaded the clutches of Anti-Christ … that devilish fiend who will have diligently sought to exterminate every single one of them!

Well, today’s Text helps with that issue …

“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” Zechariah 13:8-9

We’ve just been told some specific information about that (Jewish) “remnant!”

Only a third of the Israelites will live. This is even worse the infamous Holocaust! There six million (European Jews) of fourteen million (worldwide Jews) perished! (A ratio of about 43%.)

During the Tribulation apparently 66% of Jewry (two-thirds) will be murdered or die from starvation, persecution, etc.

Horrible days ahead!

(Thank God for 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 … the Rapture of the Church. Which some of us still believe is pre-Tribulational.)

But … in the midst of that darkness … look what God is going to do with that remaining “third” of the Jews. This is pure Bible Prophecy …

“They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” Zechariah 13:9, as cited above, today’s Text.

Hallelujah!

Clearly God has (for seven years) been “purifying” that remnant, putting them under conviction (humbling them) … getting them “ready” for Jesus’ Appearance during the Battle of Armageddon!

And they, that relative “few,” will be saved!

Thus the Tribulation is, in a way, God’s refining furnace!

Jeremiah was right, when discussing this terrible period: “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:7

“The time of Jacob’s trouble,” seems like it’s not dealing with the Church at all, but Israel! (One reason I believe the Church will be “gone” by then.)

I hope some questions have been answered this morning.

And from where I sit (a motel room in Marietta, Georgia, preaching a Revival in a nearby Church) … this world is rushing headlong and care-free toward that Day, that terrible “Day of the Lord,” the Tribulation!

Zephaniah 1:14 … “The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.”

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

The Gentile “remnant” surviving the Tribulation will be much smaller (looks to be so, deducing from the Book of Revelation) than the Jewish third. Multiplied millions dead!

The devil is the champion of death!

So are his companions; atheism and communism and socialism and anarchy!

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Zechariah 8:20-23, glorious verses indeed …

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: 21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. 22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. 23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.”

And Who is the Authority behind these Prophecies, these Promises? None Other than “the Lord of Hosts!” Whom I believe to be Jesus as depicted in Revelation 19:11-16 … “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

This is the Lord of Hosts!

But back to Zechariah …

First just the “people,” then the “inhabitants of many cities,” then again, “many people,” finally he adds “strong nations!” Zechariah’s terminology … all coming to seek the Lord of Hosts “in Jerusalem!”

This is Millennial!

Why are they coming?

“To pray before the Lord!”

This has never happened before, not on this scale! But it’s on God’s Calendar! Some day …

Men and women “speaking the languages of all the nations!”

Sort of a Millennial Pentecost!

Worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ!

And loving Israel!

Ten men loving one Jew!

Better yet … ten men begging a single Jew to befriend them! To favor them! To introduce them to Jesus!

This is not anti-Semitism, this is pro-Semitism! A word that might not even be yet coined!

No wonder the whole Tenor of Scripture is one of longing for the dear Lord to return!

An old song, really a hymn, says it well …

“Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Doth his successive journeys run;
His Kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.”

Beautiful!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

He could come get us this very day!

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Our Text today is found in Zechariah 8:4-8. And, like so many other Bible Passages we have studied, this one adds another unique “touch” to the Doctrine of the Millennium.

Anyone not believing in a literal “1,000 Year Millennium” (a redundancy, I realize) has a lot of allegorizing or spiritualizing or explaining to do … throughout the whole Old Testament! Maybe this is one reason that crowd does not preach much from the Old Testament, come to think of it!

Now our Text …

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. 6 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts. 7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; 8 And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.” Zechariah 8:4-8

“The Lord of Hosts” is one of God’s Names that implies warfare! It means “Lord of the armies” in Hebrew, precisely. When this Text becomes reality Jesus will have just defeated Israel’s enemies at the famous Battle of Armageddon.

During the ten-century Millennium … death will be a relatively rare event. Thus the reference here to the “old men and old women.” But yet human births will continue! Israel as a saved people… but still in their natural bodies, far as I can tell … will continue life much as we know it. Just under godly, sinless Leadership! Israel and anyone who had loved her and supported her through the Tribulation. Thus marriages will yield “boys and girls!” Lots of them apparently.

This condition (all joy and peace) will be “marvellous” in the eyes of earth’s inhabitants! But to God … all things are possible! (“Marvellous” translates the Hebrew “pala” … implying “miraculous,” that hard to accomplish!)

A whole world, earth … at peace!

Again the Lord uses the verb “to save!”

“Yasha,” the very semantic root of the nouns “Saviour” and ultimately “Jesus!”

God’s people (Israel) dwelling “in” and “around” Jerusalem!

And our Paragraph’s closing Words … “and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.”

Wow!

Who would even want to explain that away?

I guess anyone who hates (or does not love) Israel!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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We have recently seen two “Millennium Texts” from the Book of Zephaniah. Now today (and the rest of this week) we shall be looking at the Book of Zechariah. See the difference, Zephaniah and Zechariah?

Both are post captivity Prophets, but one is much longer than the other. And more apocalyptic, too. Zephaniah has only 3 chapters … while Zechariah has 14!

This morning our Focus is Zechariah 2:10-12 …

“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. 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 thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.”

“Lo, I come!” That’s Jesus speaking, I believe. Not His First Coming, but His Second Coming is here in view.

Coming to dwell (the verb here being “shakan” as in Shekinah Glory) in the midst of His people, in the Holy land!

And Israel “knowing” Jesus to be the Messiah, the Saviour!

And Jesus claiming Israel as His Own possession, “His portion!”

Jesus choosing Israel “again!”

Does this imply He had already chosen them but they rebelled? So in time … He forgave them (after they repented) and is now choosing them again?

Sounds like it!

Oh, the breadth of the Grace of God!

And the depth of the Love of God!

Israel .. .singing and rejoicing!

Because she is right with God, with Jesus!

The Redeemer Who is now also an Inhabitant of Jerusalem!

That sounds good!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Yes, this occurs in the Millennium!

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