Lesson 428 - Senior
Memory Verse
"He shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both" (Zechariah 6:13).
Cross References
I Prophecies of Christ's Second Coming
1. Words spoken of Joshua, the priest, and the re-establishment of worship at Jerusalem are prophecies of Christ and His coming kingdom, [ZEC:6:12-13]; [ZEC:3:8-9].
II Revelation of Christ
1. When Jerusalem shall be surrounded by the armies of the world, the Jews will cry out for their Messiah and Jesus will come in His Revelation, [ZEC:12:9-10]; [ZEC:14:1-3]; [MAL:3:2-6].
2. Christ's appearance shall be at the Mount of Olives, [ZEC:14:4]; [ACT:1:9-12].
3. There will be a tremendous earthquake and the Mount of Olives will split apart, forming a great valley, [ZEC:14:4-5].
4. At the appearance of the Lord, His saints will be with Him, [ZEC:14:5]; [REV:17:14]; [REV:19:11-16]; [JUD:1:14].
5. Tremendous phenomena of nature will accompany Christ's coming, [ZEC:14:6-8]; [PS:50:3-4]; [MAT:24:29-30]; [MAK:13:24-25]; [REV:6:12-17]; [REV:16:18-21].
III Millennial Reign of Christ
1. Christ shall reign supreme over the whole earth, [ZEC:14:9]; [PS:22:27]; [PHL:2:10-11].
2. The armies of the world will be defeated and Jerusalem will be a safe dwelling place, [ZEC:14:10-15]; [JER:23:5-6]; [REV:19:11-21].
3. All nations shall come to worship at Jerusalem or be punished, [ZEC:14:16-19]; [ZEC:8:20-23]; [ISA:66:23]; [MIC:4:1-2]; [HAB:2:14].
4. HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD will be the watchword throughout that glorious period, [ZEC:14:20-21]; I Thessalonians 3:13.
Notes
Not too much is known of the Prophet Zechariah. During the time of the Babylonian captivity, Zechariah was one of those who returned to Jerusalem for the purpose of rebuilding the Temple. The Jews were poor and feeble and the foreign oppressor was still strong and powerful. As a result, despondency and gloom had threatened the enthusiasm of the returned exiles. To encourage their faith in God, and to revive enthusiasm in the rebuilding of the Temple and the re-establishment of worship was the task of Zechariah. In so doing he gives some of the most glorious Messianic promises and some of the most detailed prophecies of the coming of the Messiah in His Revelation that are contained in the Word of God.
The Branch
Zechariah is instructed to adorn the high priest, Joshua, with crowns made of silver and gold and to proclaim him as a type of The Branch. Joshua was to carry to completion the building of the Temple and be installed as the ruling priest. From [ZEC:3:8-9], we learn that the LORD JEHOVAH is the BRANCH, and He is to be brought forth and will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. As Joshua was encouraged to rebuild the Temple and re-establish the true worship in Jerusalem, so shall the true High Priest, Jesus Christ, someday come back to this earth to establish His Kingdom and rule and reign in this earth.
Tremendous Events Prophesied
During Zechariah's lifetime and in the history of Israel, there had been much persecution and sorrow for God's chosen people. But as Zechariah was inspired of the Holy Ghost to write, he spoke of a time of trouble for Israel, which was far greater than they had ever had. In fact, it was to be a time when all the armies of the world should be gathered together against Jerusalem, and the city itself be so ravished that only half the population would be left in the city. Before these great events take place, we know from other prophecies that the Bride of Christ will have been taken out of the earth and will be enjoying the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. During this blessed time for the saints, the Great Tribulation will be in full force here on earth. The times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled; but in this time of great tribulation the Jews will finally call out for their Messiah.
At the start of this tribulation the Jews will fare quite well because they will make a covenant with the "prince that shall come," the antichrist. But as prophesied by Daniel, the antichrist will break that covenant in the midst of the tribulation [DAN:9:27]). He will turn against the Jews and will sit in the Temple and show himself as God [2TS:2:4]).
The world in general will have great tribulation such as has never before been known, but for the Jews it will be even worse. The Jews will have sorrow such as they have never had in all their sorrowful history, in fact two-thirds of all the Jews then living will die [ZEC:13:8]). In this time known as Jacob's trouble, the remnant of the Jews shall cry out to the Lord and they will accept Christ as their Messiah. "I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son" [ZEC:12:10]).
When they see the marks of Calvary in Jesus' hands they will ask, "What are these wounds in thine hands?" Then he shall answer, "Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends" [ZEC:13:6]). It will have been through awful suffering that this last one-third of the Jews who are left living will turn to Christ and be saved [ROM:11:26-27]). "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" [ZEC:13:9]).
The Revelation
When the Lord Jesus comes back to this earth at the Revelation He shall stand on the Mount of Olives, the very place from which He ascended into Heaven; but He comes this time as a mighty conquering King of kings and Lord of lords. His Revelation shall bring tremendous phenomena in the natural elements, the earth shall quake causing the Mount of Olives to divide and form a great valley; the sun shall be darkened, and the stars shall fall [REV:6:12-17]). Christ comes with the armies of Heaven riding upon white horses with Him. The tide of battle shall then be turned, for the Lord shall slay the armies of the world with the brightness of His coming and "their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth." This is known as the awful Battle of Armageddon in which the armies of the world shall be slain, and the fowls of the air will be called to eat their flesh [REV:19:14-21]). The antichrist and the false prophet will be conquered and cast into the lake of fire [REV:19:20]), and Satan will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years [REV:20:1-3]). In this tremendous conflict the powers of sin and darkness will be broken, Jerusalem will be rescued, and Christ will set up His Kingdom to rule and reign with His saints.
The Millennial Reign
A central world government will then be desired by all because the head of that government shall be Christ. The saints who come back with Him shall rule under Him, some over five cities and some over ten cities. From our text we see that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and keep the Feast of Tabernacles. The Passover Feast was fulfilled in Calvary's Lamb; the Pentecostal Feast was fulfilled at the outpouring of the Spirit; and now we are looking forward to the Feast of Tabernacles which will be fulfilled in the Millennial Reign. Under the Mosaic Law, the Feast of Tabernacles was a time when the people were to learn the Law from the mouth of the high priest. Our Great High Priest who is passed into Heaven is coming to set up His Throne at Jerusalem and the Law shall go forth from His mouth and all nations shall be gathered unto Him. "For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people" [ISA:2:3-4]).
Think of what a wonderful time that shall be. The Bible tells us that the desert shall "blossom as the rose"; and yet there shall not be great farm surpluses which shall rot away in the bins, but everyone shall have plenty to eat. There will be no vicious animals then, for "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD" [ISA:65:25]).
The blight of disease will be lifted from the earth, for we are told: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing" [ISA:35:5-6]). All weapons of warfare will be destroyed. "And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" [ISA:2:4]). "And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying" [ISA:65:19]).
Holiness unto the Lord
Jerusalem will be free from everything that is unclean and will be holy unto Jehovah. Horses, which are frequently mentioned as being beasts of war and bloodshed, will in the new age no longer be used for warlike enterprise. They will be devoted exclusively to the service of Jehovah whose name will be inscribed on the bells or plates as that of the owner. This same inscription, "HOLINESS TO THE LORD," was found upon a gold plate in the mitre of the high priest [EXO:28:36-38]) to designate him as a person consecrated to the service of Jehovah. The pots or vessels which served for semi-secular or unimportant services in the Mosaic priesthood will be considered in the new era as sacred as the bowl which caught the blood of the sacrificial animals. In fact, the whole land and everything in it will be holy unto the Lord.
To Participate
In studying the Bible we do not like to consider it as ancient history, nor do we wish to study prophetic events as though they were to happen in some distant future too far away for us to ever see in our lifetime. It is possible for every one of us to participate in this glorious time of the Millennial Reign of Christ.
How can we be sure that we will have the privilege to be there to enjoy the blessings of this earth without the curse, without wars and rumours of wars, without great armament races? The Bible tells us we are to look for and to be ready for the Rapture. In order to be ready for the Rapture we must be full overcomers, whether we are living on this earth, or whether we have gone through the vale of the shadow of death and our bodies have been buried in the ground. At the Rapture the dead in Christ shall rise first and we, which are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The Rapture will transport us to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb where we will escape the tribulation, which comes upon the earth. At the end of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, we then shall be among those who ride upon white horses in the army of the Lord that comes back to this earth. To be ready for the Rapture is a guarantee that we shall enjoy all the blessings of the Millennial Reign with Christ for one thousand years.
Oh, what glorious times await those who are willing to take the lowly way of the Cross, while in this present life! This humble way of following Jesus in a life of righteousness and holiness leads to the wonderful times when we shall live and reign with Him. After enjoying these blessings for one thousand years, God will have even greater blessings for us for He will then make a new heaven and a new earth which we will enjoy throughout the endless ages of eternity. These provisions defy the farthest reach of our imagination for "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."
Questions
1. What name or title was given to the high priest, which typified Christ, our High Priest?
2. In our text, what is prophesied that tells of Christ's sufferings?
3. What will be the spiritual condition of the Jews who are alive at the time of the Lord's return?
4. Who will come with Christ? or will He come alone?
5. Relate what transpires in the natural elements and in the armies of the world at the Lord's appearance.
6. Describe the Millennial Reign.
7. How can we be absolutely sure that we will be on this earth to enjoy the blessings of the Millennium?