God’s Coming Kingdom
This morning I had a workout session with my athletic trainer. The fitness center has new equipment I am looking forward to using, but will need to get much stronger before I can take advantage of it. This evening Debbie and I will attend a formal event known as the “Respite Ball.” This is the main fundraising event for Fort Collins with a focus on providing “take away” for caregivers of those with developmental disabilities.
Yesterday I mentioned attending a site tour for oil and gas production. It is actually my second tour in the past two months. It has been interesting to learn more of the specifics about these operations.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Shout and be glad, Jerusalem. I am coming, and I will live among you,” says the Lord. “At that time people from many nations will join with the Lord and will become my people. Then I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord All-Powerful has sent me to you.” Zechariah 2:10,11 NCV
It is interesting that both Haggai and Zechariah prophesied at the same time. It was during the second year of King Darius. The Lord was beginning to restore God’s people to Jerusalem and the land of Israel. We see the the people were ready for captivity to come to an end but to return to Jerusalem, it had to be the right time and they had to be the right people.
“…This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: ‘Return to me, and I will return to you..” (Zech. 1:3 NCV) The prophet Haggai spoke and said to those in Jerusalem, “You look for much, but you find little. When you bring it home, I destroy it. Why?” asks the Lord All-Powerful. “Because you all work hard for your own houses while my house is still in ruins!” (Haggai 1:9 NCV)
So we see the Lord using the people in Jerusalem to get ready and begin to rebuild the Temple, while Zechariah spoke to those in Babylon and told them to “get themselves ready.” The Lord was looking for a “new” people to inhabit a “new” Temple and Jerusalem. In place of desolation and want, there would be plenty and people from all nations would dwell in Jerusalem and it would know the presence of the Lord.
The Lord shows Zechariah’s visions of horses and horns in revealing the spiritual activity of angels that was taking place to bring about their urn to Jerusalem. He was letting the people know that the nations (symbolized by the horns) that had punished Jerusalem and God’s people would now be punished by God.
The visions and words we find in Zechariah remind us of the words of Revelation. We see Revelation open with a vision of the glory of the resurrected Christian followed by four horses. We see animals with horns representing nations that will come against God’s people and we see the promise of the fulfillment of God’s plan when “God will be among His people.”
“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:2,3 NIV)
Just as God was using Zechariah and Haggai to prepare God’s people and God’s place we see that there is a place for God’s people being prepared, not by man but by God. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you…” (John 14:1) Our challenge and commitment is to be the people of God who are prepared and anticipating to be in the place where God is preparing for us and where He will dwell among His people.
That preparation requires us to live with God’s perspective and priorities in mind. The Lord spoke through Haggai and said, ‘The people say the right time has not come to rebuild the Temple of the Lord.’” (Haggai 1:2 NCV) We must see our world and our lives as God sees. That requires staying close to Him and not just settling for business and life as usual. We are called to live now with the future in mind. Just as the Lord is preparing a place, we must be a prepared people, being faithful and patient until the coming of the Lord and fulfillment of His promise.