Coming Out of Exile Returning to the Promised

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land Part 1: Have We Learned Our Lessons? • • • November 13—Going Into Exile November 20—Surviving the Exile November 27—Break: Thanksgiving Eve Eucharist

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land Part 2: The Prophets of the Return • • • December 4—Haggai December 11—Zechariah December 18—Malachi

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land Session 4— The Prophecies of Zechariah or “No More Hummus Right Before Bed!”

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Book of the Prophet Zechariah is tied with Hosea as the longest book in the Minor Prophet with fourteen chapters!

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Book of the Prophet Zechariah is tied with Hosea as the longest book in the Minor Prophet with fourteen chapters! You could put Malachi and Haggai together along with Zephaniah and Habakkuk and still have room for Obadiah before you got to the same length as Zechariah.

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Book of Zechariah has four parts:

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Book of Zechariah has four parts: • A Prophecy on Repentance

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Book of Zechariah has four parts: • A Prophecy on Repentance • Eight Visions in One Night

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Book of Zechariah has four parts: • A Prophecy on Repentance • Eight Visions in One Night • A Pair of Prophecies about Jerusalem’s future

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Book of Zechariah has four parts: • • A Prophecy on Repentance Eight Visions in One Night A Pair of Prophecies about Jerusalem’s future Prophecies after the Temple had already been rebuilt.

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land Zechariah 1: 1 begins, “In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, …”

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land For context: • The 2 nd year, the 6 th month, the 1 st day—Haggai’s 1 st prophecy • The 7 th month, the 21 st day—Haggai’s 2 nd prophecy • The 8 th month, [day unknown]—Zechariah’s 1 st prophecy • The 9 th month, the 24 th day—Haggai’s 3 rd & 4 th prophecies

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The word of the LORD came to Zechariah … saying, “The LORD has been very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Return to Me, ” says the LORD of hosts, “and I will return to you, ” says the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 1: 1 -3

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds. ”’ But they did not hear nor heed Me, ” says the LORD. ” Zechariah 1: 4

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land “Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? Yet surely My words and My statutes, Which I commanded My servants the prophets, Did they not overtake your fathers? ” Zechariah 1: 5 -6 a

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land “So they returned and said: ‘Just as the LORD of hosts determined to do to us, According to our ways and according to our deeds, So He has dealt with us. ’” Zechariah 1: 6 b

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land Haggai’s 3 rd & 4 th prophecies came on the 24 th day of the 9 th month of the 2 nd year of Darius’ reign.

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land Haggai’s 3 rd & 4 th prophecies came on the 24 th day of the 9 th month of the 2 nd year of Darius’ reign. On the 24 th day of the 11 th month of the 2 nd year of Darius’ reign, Zechariah had eight divinely inspired visions during the night.

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The First Vision The Four Horsemen (1: 7 -17)

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Second Vision Four Horns and Four Craftsmen (1: 18 -21)

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Third Vision A Man with a Measuring Line (2: 1 -13)

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Fourth Vision The High Priest (3: 1 -10)

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Fifth Vision A Golden Lampstand Two Olive Trees (4: 1 -14)

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Sixth Vision A Flying Scroll (5: 1 -4)

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Seventh Vision A Woman in a Basket (5: 5 -11)

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Eighth Vision Four Chariots (6: 1 -15)

The Eighth Vision Four Chariots (6: 1 -15)

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land Almost two whole years after his night of divine visions, “(Now) in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, …” Zechariah 7: 1

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land Now a full twenty years after the exiles who chose to leave had returned from Babylon, “they” send two Babylonian officials, along with their men, to pray before the LORD and ask the priests and the prophets if they should continue fasting in the fifth and seventh months as had been their tradition throughout the Babylonian Exile.

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me?

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? Should you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited? ’”

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land ‘Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion Everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother. ’

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land “But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. ” Zechariah 7: 4 -13

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land Again the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor I am zealous for her. ’ “Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. ’” Zechariah 8: 1 -3

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land “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. The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls Playing in its streets. ’

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land 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.

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land 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 hands be strong. ’ Zechariah 8: 11 -13

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land 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. ”’ Zechariah 8: 23

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Lessons

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Lessons The First Prophecy: Be mindful of the prophets and, when needful, REPENT!

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Lessons The Visions: God has set this time, and this people for rebuilding, and is purifying his people.

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Lessons The Second Prophecy: Be mindful of the lessons of the prophets, and God will bless us and restore us once again!

Coming Out of Exile: Returning to the Promised Land The Lessons The Second Prophecy: “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. ”