1-OT 38 Zechariah

Lesson #38 - Zechariah 2019 Before starting this lesson, read the book of Zechariah. You may find it helpful to read the book, go thru the lesson and then read the book once again. Since it is a short book, it will not be difficult to do. This is a book that is hard to understand. It is written in the Jewish style of picture language. It is only about Jewish issues. And there is very little background. However, we can draw on Nebuchadnezzar information from our previous lesson - the book of Haggai. 1 2 605 597 . The Jews had been taken into exile and lived in Babylon some 50 to 70 years, depending on the time of their exile. 3 deportations 586 BC Babylon In 539 BC, General Cyrus and the Medo-Persian army conquered JUDAH Babylon. After 3 years of developing and uniting the empire, Cyrus st becomes the 1 king of Medo-Persia. He tells the Jews they are now free to go back to their homeland. They can re-establish the nation of Judah and rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem. The Persian government will pay for it. In 536 BC, 50,000 Jews accept the offer, leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem, under a man named Zerubbabel. He has been appointed their governor. Once the people arrive in Jerusalem, they get settled on their family homes and farms. Then they go to the Temple grounds and build the altar of sacrifice on the foundation of Solomon’s altar. After this, they lay the foundation of the Temple building itself. THE RETURN OF JUDAH TO THE LAND 536 BC 50,000 But with opposition from their enemies and wanting more time for Judah their own projects, the people stop building. Fifteen years go by and nothing more is done on the Temple. This is when God begin speaks thru His prophet Haggai - in 520 BC, the 2nd year of Darius the Great. He was the 4th king of Persia. The book of Zechariah begins in the same year – the 2nd year of Darius the Great, 520 BC. The first verse also gives us Zechariah’s family tree – he is the son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo. These names have no meaning until we look at family records in the book of Nehemiah (12:4, 16). We discover they were part of the 50,000 who came to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel. Iddo, Zechariah’s grandfather, was a priest, which tells us he was from the tribe of Levi. This means Zechariah is also from the tribe of Levi. He is now the 4th prophet from this tribe. The others were Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Habakkuk. Zechariah came to Jerusalem with his parents and grandparents as a young child, somewhere between 5-10 years old. . When the book opens, BC BC 650 600 550 500 450 1050 1000 950 850 800 750 700 900 400 Zechariah is now a young man L ISRAE in his early 20’s. Because of Amos Elijah his youth, he is not yet qualified Elisha Jonah Hosea 70 yrs. in Esther Ezra Israel . to train or serve as priest. But Babylonian Saul David Solomon exile Nehemiah God has called him to be a AH JUD Judah . prophet along-side of Haggai. Judah Micah Jeremiah Joel On the chart we can see he is a Note: Lines reflect only the approximate Zephaniah Ezekiel Isaiah contemporary of Haggai. years of prophetic ministry. Their However his time of ministry is much longer – it lasts some 40 years from 520 – 480 BC. Habakkuk Daniel Nahum birthdate would be 20-30 yrs. prior to beginning of line. Obadiah BC 1050 1000 950 900 850 800 750 700 650 OUTLINE Messages written during temple construction - 520 to 518 BC. (before the Temple is finished) Messages written after temple construction - 20 to 40 years later, between 500 and 480 BC. 600 550 Haggai Zechariah 500 Chapters 1-8 Chapters 9-14 Malachi 450 BC 400 Haggai’s ministry had started first. 6th month of the Jewish religious year - our August – Haggai’s message of reproof. Haggai 1:4 He asked the people, How could it be the right time to always work on your houses and never the right time to work on God’s house? In just 3 weeks, the Holy Spirit convicted the people and they repented. The majority were glad to start building again. 7th month – September - Haggai gives God’s encouragement, I am with you and will provide. Haggai 2:4-9 With this, the people are motivated to keep building. However there is a small minority who are doing it only to look good and to fit in. Others had started building, not under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, but only on the basis of emotion. That was 2 months ago. By now, they are losing interest. Altho these 2 groups are small, there is a danger they could influence and discourage the rest. 8th month – October – God’s WARNING thru Zechariah. Zech. 1:1 Return to Me, declares the Lord Almighty and I will return to you.. 1:3 Do not be like your forefathers... 1:4 Years earlier God had said about their ancestors, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me (Isa. 29:13) This new generation is repeating their actions - doing what looks good and yet resenting they have to do it. Zechariah tells them, If you obey God, you will have His strength, presence and help. But do not play games with God. Again the Holy Spirit works. Those who are guilty respond. They let God change their attitude and they obey. 9th month – November - God thru Haggai promises blessings. From this day on, I will bless you. I will bless you with the early rains. The royal line of David will continue thru Zerubbabel. Thru one of his descendants, My Kingdom will be established. Haggai 2:19-23 Two more months go by. The more the Temple takes shape, the more the people think of their future as a nation. Years earlier, Jeremiah had written the exiles in Babylon, telling them God had plans for them as a nation – to prosper them; to give them certainty and a future. That was 76 years ago. So now they are asking if God remembers those plans? How long will foreign kings be over them? Will God once again use them in ministry? Will they have a perfect Kingdom with their Messiah as King? How will they know when their Messiah comes? How will they recognize Him? Does God remember? God has chosen Zechariah to answer their questions because his very name means, God remembers 11th month - January - God’s first answer comes thru a series of 8 dreams. 1:7 There are 8 parts to God’s first answer. In our culture we would expect the 8 parts to be combined in just one dream. But in Jewish culture, there is only one picture or one major idea per dream. It will take 8 dreams to get the complete message. Dream 1 Horses and riders have patrolled the earth and found it in peace. 1:8, 11 Dream 2. There are 4 animal horns and 4 craftsmen or blacksmiths who destroy the horns. 1:18-21 or 2:1-4 Dream 3 A man tries to measure the city of Jerusalem. 2:1-2 or 2:5-6 Dream 4 Joshua, their high priest, has a robe and turban that are dirty. An angel gives him clean vestments. 3:1-4 Dream 5 There are 2 olive trees with a golden menorah between them. 4:2-3 Dream 6 A large scroll is moving across the sky. 5:1-3 Dream 7 A large wicker basket has a woman inside of it and is then taken away to Babylon. 5:6-11 Dream 8 4 chariots and horses go thruout the earth. 6:1-8 2 By putting all 8 pictures together, God is telling His people, I remember my promises. In regards to their INDEPENDENCE, He has patrolled the land and knows Persia is still in control. But eventually God will destroy Persia and 3 more world empires over them. They are the 4 horns. Horns in the Bible, are usually a picture of leaders over nations or kingdom. God will then use succeeding leaders and nations to destroy the power of the previous leader and empire They are the 4 blacksmiths or craftsmen. When God eventually destroys the final Gentile power, He will also restore Jerusalem. He will cause it to grow and prosper so much, it will be impossible to measure. In regards to their MINISTRY, He has taken away their sin of the past. He has cleansed their priests. He will use them as a nation to reveal God’s light to the world - the menorah. The two leaders who will help them are Joshua, their spiritual leader and Zerubbabel their civil leader – the 2 olive trees at that time. Jews who refuse to obey God’s laws will be punished. God’s laws were pictured by the large scroll. In regards to the FUTURE, one day Jerusalem will be absolutely holy. This is pictured by the woman, representing evil, taken to Babylon. In the Bible, Babylon is a picture of rebellion against God. The chariots and horses picture God’s judgment on all who have tried to destroy the Jews. The 8 dreams are a summary of God’s plans for the Jews, both short term and long term. The purpose is to encourage the people that God does remember. Zerubbabel, their governor, hopes the encouragement is enough to keep them building. But what if there is more opposition? What if they quit like the last time? If only we had military strength to protect ourselves. If only we were a bigger group with political power - our enemies would not even dare to show up. In answer to these thoughts, God tells Zerubbabel in 4:6 Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. It is not military might or political power that will ever guarantee their success. It is the power of the Holy Spirit. He was the One who convicted them to get them started again. He is the One who will see it to its completion. Human success comes from military might and political power. But spiritual success of God’s work will only be thru God’s power. God has told the people He remembers and will keep His promises. Their responsibility is to obey and allow the Holy Spirit to work thru them. As the Temple building progresses, the people have more questions. In the past, as long as they had a Temple, they always had a king. The two went together. So by the time this new Temple is finished, will God’s King be coming to prepare for His kingdom? Does God remember His promise about a future King? God’s second answer - It comes thru a drama that Zechariah has to act out. According to 6:11, he is to take some silver and gold and form a single crown He is to place this crown on Joshua the high priest. Then he is to remove it and put the crown in the temple for safe keeping. It will serve as a reminder. Putting the crown on Joshua says the future king will be a high priest and King combined. Putting it in the temple for safe keeping, means the promise is secure, but it will not happen immediately. The name Joshua in Hebrew is Yehóshua or in its abbreviated form, Yeshúa. The name Jesus, in Hebrew is Yeshúa. Right now, Jesus is high priest, interceding on our behalf. He is a priest, after the order of Melchizedek. In the future, He will also be King over a literal, physical kingdom. God’s answer is, Yes, I will remember - I will give you a future king. 3 The people now ask their next question… Should I mourn and fast in the 5th month as I have done for so many years? 7:3 This was a fast to remember the destruction of Solomon’s temple 68 years earlier. So the people ask, when we finish the new Temple, should we keep fasting to remember the old Temple? The problem is that instead of fasting to deal with the sin that caused the destruction of the temple, they were only fasting to remember the destruction itself. God’s third answer – It comes thru instruction God says, Fasting is not about remembering tragedies of the past. Fasting is about a changing one’s life in the present. He then tells the people what He expects in their lives. 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. 8:16 If the Jews want to fast to remember some tragedy and it meets an emotional need, they are free to do it. It does not matter to God one way or another. What does matter to Him is their conduct. If there is continued disobedience and they are not willing to deal with it, that is when God wants them to fast. It is a way to say that the spiritual is more important than the physical. Fasting is a time to think and consider the seriousness of their disobedience. It gives the Holy Spirit time and opportunity to produce within them a desire and will to repent. Summary PART 1 Messages during Temple construction - 520 to 518 BC 1-8 God’s warning – Do not play games with God. He wants genuine repentance and genuine obedience. God’s answers 1. He uses dreams to say He remembers His promises about their independence, their ministry and their future. 2. He uses drama to say He will give them a future King. 3. He uses instruction to say if they fast, it should be about their disobedience - not about past tragedy What is important is their response to the Holy Spirit - to let Him change their lives. Some 20- 40 years go by. A new generation is born in the land and grows into adulthood. All the promises about their independence, a kingdom and a King have not happened. So the new generation now asks, does God remember? God answers in … PART 2 Messages after Temple construction - c. 500 - 480 BC 9-14 God’s plans for them in the immediate future - the next 500 years. 9 – 11 God’s plans for them in the distant future - more than 2000 years later. 12 - 14 TYRE PH ILI STI SY R IA A Jerusalem The immediate future… 500 BC to 30 AD Chapters 9-11 Chapter 9 God will judge Gentiles who want to harm His people The first part of the chapter is about Alexander the Great in the 300’s BC. God will use him to defeat Syria, Tyre and Philistia. These were major enemies of the Jews. According to verse 8, when Alexander comes to Jerusalem, he will not harm the Jews. The last part of chapter 9 is about the 100’s BC and the Greek king, Antiochus Epiphanes. He was determined to annihilate the Jews and the Jewish culture. God will raise up a family, the Maccabees, who will fight against the Greeks and win battles against tremendous odds. God will give them miraculous victories. Because of that family and the Jewish army who follows them, the Jews will survive as a people and nation. Chapter 10 He will judge Jewish leaders who want to harm His people The majority of Jewish leaders from the 500’s BC until the time of Jesus, lost sight of their purpose. Instead of caring about the people, they only care about power and money. God refers to them as false shepherds. God will destroy them and give His people a True Shepherd. Chapter 11 When the True Shepherd comes, the Jewish religious leaders will reject Him. Jesus said He was the Good Shepherd - the True Shepherd. 4 The distant future… still future to us Chapters 12 -14 Each chapter is about a different topic. They are not in chronological order. Chapter 12 God will keep His promise and eventually destroy all of the Jews’ enemies. Chapter 13 The Jews as a nation will eventually recognize and accept their Messiah. Verses 8-9 reveal that tragically, at the time of Satan’s kingdom, Satan’s man will kill two-thirds of the Jews. They will be the ones who have completely supported Satan’s man as their Messiah. For over 3 years, other Jews will have warned them, but they will refuse to listen. Then suddenly, Satan’s man will turn on them and kill them. The one-third who survive are the ones who never believed Satan’s man was their Messiah. As they see the warning signs, they will go into hiding and survive. As an entire group, they will repent and accept Jesus as their Messiah. They will ask Jesus to come and save them from Satan’s man and his armies. All Israel will be saved. Chapter 14 Jesus will return to this earth to rescue them and to establish His kingdom. God’s message in chapters 12-14 is the same as God’s message in the book of Revelation. Both in the 500’s BC and in 100 AD, when the Jews did not see the fulfillment of God’s promises, they wondered if He had forgotten them or changed His mind. So in both books, Zechariah and Revelation, in a vivid and uniquely Jewish style, God’s message is the same, I remember and I will keep My promises to you, as a Jewish people and nation. I will establish My kingdom with your Messiah as King. Zechariah 9-14 is God’s plan for the Jews’ survival and their salvation - in Old Testament times as well as the future. One final question. When their Messiah comes, how will they know who He is? So mixed within these chapters, there are 16 predictions about their Messiah What He will be like What He will do when He comes as Savior What He will do when He comes as King. What He will be like - revealed in His names Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates… I am going to bring My Servant, the Branch. 3:8 My Servant. Isaiah used this name when talking about the coming Messiah. Rabbi Paul said Jesus came in the form of a Servant. Philippians 2:5-7 When Jesus came to this earth the first time, He did not come as conquering King. He came as a servant. The Branch. Some Bibles translate it as Shoot or Sprout. It refers to David’s royal line. David is like the trunk of a tree. From him are other branches or kings. The Jewish Messiah will be a branch or king that descends from and continues David’s royal line forever. Jesus was from the royal line of David. The Cornerstone From Him, - from Judah - will come the Cornerstone. 10:4 Some Bibles have the word leader, to show it is talking about a person and not an object. But that removes the picture. Today, a cornerstone is nothing more than an engraved stone put in place after a building is finished. However in Jewish culture, the cornerstone was the most important part of the building. For a small house, it was usually a stone, the size of a very large boulder, with the sides cut at a 90 degree angle. It was placed in the corner of the foundation where two walls came together. Its purpose was to support the weight of the house as well as tie the walls together. If the stone were flawed, it would eventually cause the whole house to collapse. Therefore it was absolutely essential to choose a cornerstone that was perfect and reliable. Zechariah is saying that when the Jewish Messiah comes to set up His kingdom, the spiritual blindness of the Jews as a people and nation will be banished forever. With the Messiah as their support and foundation of truth, they will be permanently stable and united with Him. 5 In the New Testament, rabbi Paul confirms that Jesus is the chief cornerstone. The picture is saying that all the weight of our faith rests on Jesus. (Eph. 2:20) He is perfect; He is reliable. As the Cornerstone, He is the security of our faith and unites us as the Body of Christ. (see note at end of lesson) What the Messiah will be like He will be from the royal line of David but will come in the form of and with the attitude of a servant. He will be perfect and reliable. Faith in Him gives security that we have acceptance with God the Father. What will happen when the Messiah comes as Savior - His first coming. Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion. Shout, daughter of Jerusalem. See your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 9:9 Jesus did this on Palm Sunday. Zechariah is speaking. I told them (the head priests), if you think it best, give me my pay; but if not keep it. So they paid me 30 pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, throw it to the potter or the treasury - the handsome price at which they priced me. So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord to the potter or to the treasury. 11:12-13 When Zechariah writes this, the temple has been in use some 20-40 years. The religious services are well established. Joshua, the high priest has died and his son or possibly even his grandson has replaced him. He does not have the same spiritual interests, so the attitude of the priests under him has changed. They use their ministry to become rich and live in luxury. Zechariah is from the tribe of Levi. By this time he has had his training. God tells Zechariah to start serving as priest. Zechariah wants to lead his people in worship of God. But within a short time the people reject him and he gets no pay for his work. So he goes to the head priests and asks, will you pay me for my work as priest? If you think I was worth something, give me my wages; otherwise, forget it. The leaders give him 30 pieces of silver. God tells him to put the money in the temple treasury. This amount is significant in the Old Testament. Back in the days of Moses, 1000 years earlier, God said 30 pieces of silver was the price given to a person if their employee or servant was killed by a neighbor’s animal. Over the centuries in Jewish culture, the phrase 30 pieces of silver came to mean, token price - what you paid when you were required to give something, but you did not think it was worth anything. In the days of Zechariah, bad priests are receiving huge sums of money. Zechariah serves as a godly priest but is paid the least amount possible a token wage - 30 pieces of silver. Zechariah is saying that when their Messiah comes, Jewish leadership will consider Him worthless. In the days of Jesus, the Jewish religious leaders were only interested in power, profit and control. Jesus comes as the Good Shepherd, but is rejected by the religious leaders. When Judas asks them, how much is Jesus worth if I deliver Him to you?, the head priests say, 30 pieces of silver. Judas accepts it and later returns the money to the temple treasury. The religious leaders think Jesus is only worth a token price, the price of a dead slave. God the Father says, Awake O sword against My Shepherd… 13:7 When the Messiah comes, He will be killed, not just by the people. God the Father is also involved. Awake O sword against my Shepherd, against the Man… 13:7 The Messiah who is killed will be a Man. …who is close to Me, who is My Associate. 13:7 The Hebrew word means, being alike because of sharing the same nature. God the Father is saying the Messiah is someone who is His equal. He will be like Him because they share the same nature - the divine nature. This verse says when the Jewish Messiah comes, He will be humanity as well as deity. He will have a human nature and a divine nature. This was true of Jesus. …strike the shepherd that the sheep may be scattered. 13:7 Jesus quoted this phrase in the garden of Gethsemeni, when the soldiers arrested Him and the disciples ran away. Jesus verifies this verse is about Him. (Mt. 26:31) 6 Zechariah tells the Jews what their Messiah will be like and what will happen when He comes as Savior. He writes this between 500-480 BC. When Jesus began His ministry c. 30 AD, everything happened as was predicted. If the Jewish leaders had used only the book of Zechariah, they could have known that Jesus was the promised Messiah. What will happen when the Messiah comes as King - His second coming. I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. Israel will truly be the Holy Land. 3:9 He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea (from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea) and from the River (the Euphrates) to the ends of the earth. Jesus will be king in His physical kingdom. 9:10 And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the One they have pierced… The Jews in the future will accept Jesus as their Messiah and grieve that as a people, they rejected Him when He came the first time. 12:10 On that day His feet will stand on the Mt. of Olives, east of Jerusalem and the Mt. of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 14:4 When Jesus returns to this earth, a powerful earthquake will change the geography. The land area for the city of Jerusalem will be expanded so much that it will be impossible to measure. All of these last details are yet future. Zechariah assures the Jews, God remembers and will keep His promises, not just in the immediate future, but also the distant future. Zechariah is writing specifically about the Jews and to the Jews. But he also gives us a message. He gives us the key to Israel’s future as a people and nation. We can be sure that God is not finished with the Jews. Thruout the book, God the Father shows He is aware the religious leaders will reject their Messiah, when He comes the first time. Yet thruout the book He states, they will accept Him in the future. They will have a King and Kingdom. The Jews, as a people and nation are still part of His plan. The promises of the distant future are not made with any conditions or if’s. All the way thru, God says when I do this, when I do that. God will remember and will keep His promises. Zechariah also gives us the key to our lives in the present - our spiritual success. All of us would love to change the corruption and godless culture in the world around us. We have thought, If we had more believers elected to office; if we had more money to have political influence, then we could change the laws. Often we would like to change our churches to be more effective in reaching out to people. If we had more exciting music or programs; if we had a bigger church we would make a bigger impact on the community. All of us have friends and family we would like to change to believe in Jesus, to believe correctly or to live within God’s boundaries. If we could just learn the right arguments or be more persuasive or even just keep nagging, they would be convinced. Even in our lives, we would like to be more successful in ministry. We have thought… If we had different spiritual gifts, had more confidence or had the right connections, we could be more effective. We have tried these methods. They may bring human success, but it will not be lasting. Spiritual success - whether it be in the world, in our churches, our families or in our lives - spiritual success can only come thru the Holy Spirit. It is His power, His influence, His work and His conviction. It is only as we are led by the Holy Spirit, that we will ever see results. Not by might, nor by power, but by MY SPIRIT, says the Lord. 7 EXTRA INFORMATION FOR THE STUDIOUS AND INQUISITIVE From page 6 – Jesus, the Cornerstone Zechariah 10:4 says the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, will come from the tribe of Judah. The term “cornerstone” can refer to either a stone in the corner of the foundation itself or to a stone that is placed directly above the foundation cornerstone. The foundation cornerstone bears the weight of the house as well as unites the walls in that corner. As one author said, it was “the most important stone in the structure, the one on which its stability depended.” (Expositor’s Greek Testament, on Ephesians 2:20) The cornerstone resting on top of the foundation stone serves a different purpose. It is carefully cut level and squared, making it vertically straight or plumb. It then is the guide for the rest of the stones on that row so they are level and plumb. It will continue to be the guideline to make sure that each row above it remains plumb and level. It also ties or unites the walls at the corner. Zechariah is talking about the foundation cornerstone. He is referring back to and building on Isaiah’s statement. This is what the Sovereign Lord says, See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. Isa. 28:16. In the New Testament, Paul says that Jesus is the cornerstone of the foundation of the apostles and prophets. The apostles and prophets are the major human authors of God’s Word. So Paul is saying that the foundation of our faith is based on Scripture, Jesus is the Cornerstone of that foundation, the One on whom our faith is resting. Age of Zechariah - How we determine him to be 20-24 years old The angel refers to him as a young man 2:4 Zechariah is not referred to as a priest. Training began at 25; ministry began at 30. So he must be under 25 years old. Dates for the building of the 2nd Temple Foundation 536 BC Rest of Temple 520 -516 BC Finished in 516 BC Ezra 6:15 The woman in the basket - Explanation of Zechariah’s vision 5:5-11 In Scripture, “evil” is symbolized by a woman. In the Hebrew language, the word “evil” is feminine, so it must be symbolized with the feminine. However this does not mean the Bible is prejudiced against women or is saying that women are evil. The evidence of this is found in the rest of the vision. It is 2 other women who get rid of the evil. They are said to have wings and take the evil from Jerusalem to Babylon or Shinar. Babylon always represents rebellion against God. 8 What God says about the Jews and about Jerusalem in the future In the book of Zechariah The evidence that God is not finished with the Jews as a people and nation Whoever touches you (Jewish people) touches the apple of His eye 2:8 I will save My people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be My people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God. 8:7-8 Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember Me. They and their children will survive and they will return. I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be room enough for them. 10:9-10 And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the One they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. 12:10 In the whole land, declares the LORD, two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name and I will answer them; I will say, They are My people, and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God. 13:8-9 And I Myself will be a wall of fire around Jerusalem, declares the LORD, and I will be its glory within. 1:5 The LORD …will again choose Jerusalem 2:12 I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. 3:9 I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth… 8:3 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. 9:10 I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling… On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. 12:2-3, 9 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. 4 On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and His name, the only name. It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure. 14:3, 9, 11 9