Month: May 2024

“Then another message came to me from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem!’

‘And now the Lord says; I am returning to Mount Zion, and I will live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will be called the holy Mountain.'” (vv. 1-3, NLT)

‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But is it impossible for Me? says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.'” (v 6, NLT)

‘For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: I was determined to punish you when your ancestors angered me, and I did not change My mind, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. But now I am determined to bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. So don’t be afraid. But this is what you myst do: Tel the truth to each other. Render verdicts in our courts that are just and lead to peace. Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I had all of these things, says the Lord.’

Here is another message that came to me from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The traditional fasts and times of mourning you have kept in early summer, midsummer, autumn, and winter are now ended. They will become festivals of joy and celebration for the people of Judah. So love truth and peace.'” (vv. 14-19, NLT)

“Then this message came to Zechariah from the Lord: ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.

Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers to their ears to keep from hearing. The made their hearts as hard a stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through earlier prophets. That is why the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.'” (vv. 8-12, NLT)

“Then I looked up again and saw four chariots coning from between the two bronze mountains. The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by black horses, the third by white horses, and the fourth by powerful dappled-gray horses. ‘And what are these my lord?’ I asked the angel who was talking with me.

The angel replied, ‘These are the four spirits of heaven who stand before the Lord of all the earth. They are going to do His work. The chariot with the black horses is going north, the chariot of the white horses is going west, and the chariot with the dappled-gray horses is going south.’

These powerful horses were eager to et out to patrol the earth. And the Lord said, ‘Go and patrol the earth!’ So they left at once on their patrol.

Then the Lord summoned me and said, ‘Look who went north have vented the anger of My Spirit there in the land of the north.'” (vv. 1-8, NLT)

“I looked up again and saw a scroll fling through the air.

‘What do you see?’ the angel asked.

‘I see a flying scroll,’ I replied, ‘ It appears to be about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.’

Then he said to me,’This scroll contains the curse that is gong out over the entire land. One side of the scroll says that those who steal will be banished from the land; the other side says that those who swear falsely will be banished from the land. And this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: I am sending this curse into the house of every thief and into the house of everyone who swears falsely using My name. And My curse will remain in that house and completely destroy it – even its timbers and stones.” (vv. 1-4, NLT)

“Then the angel who had been talking with me returned and woke me, as though I had been asleep. ‘What do you see now?’ he asked.

I answered, ‘I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven wicks. And I see two olive trees, on on each side of the bowl.’ Then I asked the angel, ‘What are these, my lord, and What to they mean?’

‘Don’t you know?’ the angel asked.

‘No, my lord’, I replied.

Then he said to me: ‘This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength but My Spirit, say the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Nothing, not even a mighty mountain will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! My God Bless it! May God bless it!’ (vv: 1-7, NLT)

(The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)

Then I asked the angel, ‘What are these two olive trees on each side of the lampstand, and the branches that pour out golden oil through two gold tubes?’

‘Don’t you know?’ he asked.

‘No, my lord’, I replied.

Then he said to me, ‘They represent the two heavenly beings who stand in the court of the Lord of all the earth.'” (vv. 10B-14, NLT)

“Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. And the Lord said to Satan, ‘I, the Lord reject your accusations, Satan. I, the Lord , who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.’

Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, ‘Take off those filthy clothes.’ And returning to Jeshua, he said, ‘See, I have taken away your sins, and not I am giving you these fine new clothes.'” (vv. 1-4, NLT)

“Then the angel of the Lord spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: I you follow My ways and carefully serve Me, then you will be given authority over My Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk among these others standing here.'” (vv 6-7, NLT)

“When I looked again, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. ‘Where are your going?’ I asked.

He replied, ‘I am going to measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is.’

Then the angel who was with me went to meet a second angel who was coming toward him. The other angel said,’Hurry, and say to that young man, Jerusalem will someday be so full of people and livestock that there wont’t be room enough for everyone! Many will live outside the city walls. Then I, myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the Lord. And I will be the glory inside the city!'” (vv. 1-5, NLT)

“Three months later, on February 15, the Lord send another message to the prophet Zecheraiah son of Berekaih and grandson of Iddo

In a vision during the night, I saw a man sitting on a red horse that was standing among some myrtle trees in a small valley. Behind him were riders on red, brown, and white horses. I asked the angel who was talking with me, ‘My Lord, what does these horses mean?’

‘I will show you,’ the angel replied.

The rider standing among the myrtle trees then explained, ‘They are the ones the Lord sent out to patrol the earth.’

Then the other riders reported to the angel of the Lord, who was standing among the myrtle trees, ‘We have been patrolling the earth, and the whole earth is at peace.’

Upon hearing this, the angel of the Lord prayed this prayer: ‘O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, for seventy years not You have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. How long until You again show mercy to them?’ And the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked to me.

Then the angel said to me,’Shout this message for all to hear: This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “”My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong. But I am very angry with the other nations that are now enjoying peace and security. I was only a little angry with My people, but the nations inflicted harm on them for beyond My intentions. ‘

””Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I have returned to show mercy to Jerusalem. My Temple will be rebuilt, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and measurements will be taken for all the reconstruction of Jerusalem.””

“Say this also: ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The towns of Israel will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem as His own.'”(vv. 7-17, NLT)

“For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: ‘In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ‘The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ‘And the future of the Temple will be greater than its past glory,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ‘And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” (vv. 6-9, NLT)

“Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the remnant of god’s people began to obey the message from the Lord their Go. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent, the people feared the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: ‘I am with you, says the Lord! ‘

So the Lord sparked enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people. They began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies on September 21 of the second year of King Darius’s reign.” (vv. 12-14, NLT)