The True Holy Land!

6. The Land of Holiness

We draw this massively important chapter to a close.  We have been studying the Minor Prophet, Zechariah and in particular of late, Zechariah 14.  Over the last few blogs we have attempted to see the contextual message and the implications for us.

1. The Day of the LORD;

2. He Will Make a Way;

3. The End For Which the World Was Created;

4. Since You Know the Wrath of God ..... ;

5. Come and Worship. Gentiles Invited Too!

This article closes the chapter as we read Zechariah 14:20–21 (NIV),

²⁰ On that day holy to the Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. ²¹ Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty.  

Life in the New Heavens and the New Earth will bleed holiness.  Holiness will pervade every part of life.  Even the bells on horse harnesses will be engraved with the inscription: HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD.  All the vessels of the Lord's house will be holy.  Every utensil will be holy.  "Originally inscribed on the high priest’s turban (Ex. 28:36–38) to express dedication, the phrase is now applied to everything in Jerusalem, horses’ bells and cooking pots, because God’s presence sanctifies all around Him." [1]

There will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord.  Why?  Probably this is used metaphorically as the entire chapter represents in that there will be no unholy or ungodly people.

In Paul's letter to Ephesus he tells us very clearly: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love” (Ephesians 1:3–4, NIV)

Here we have the goal of sovereign, unconditional, irresistible predestination by the eternal God who, according to His own pleasure, chooses people to be saved -- saved from wrath and saved unto holiness.  As God has said, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” (Isaiah 46:10, NIV). As the prophet Isaiah elsewhere writes, recorded in Isaiah 14:26–27 (NIV),

²⁶ This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. ²⁷ For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

And Father, Your chosen people simply cry, Maranatha, Lord Jesus.  Come quickly. To God be the glory, great things He hath done.  As with the Apostle, the struggle and the battle with sin often causes us to cry out to Your, Lord Jesus, 'Who can deliver me from this body of sin.'  The answer rings from the Scriptures: Jesus!   And the day will come when we are thoroughly holy, through and through.  And the earth and all that's in it will be holy.  And a number to great to number, all the Elect of God will be holy.  Oh that will be glory for me.  And Christ Jesus will be glorified with His saints, forever and ever and ever.  Amen!

Now we envision the true Holy Land!

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1. Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: Bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Zec 14:20). Nashville: T. Nelson. 

Mercy in Justice

The Judgment of Nations

Our study now moves to Zechariah 9. "The last six chapters are made up of two messages probably delivered late in Zechariah’s life, and surely after the completion of the temple. These final “burdens” are filled with predictions. Some were fulfilled prior to the Messiah’s incarnation, some were fulfilled during the time of Christ’s earthly ministry, and some will only find a fulfillment in the end time when the Lord Jesus returns personally and visibly to bring about the historical manifestation of His kingdom." [1]

Zechariah 9 could well be divided as follows [2]:

              1.      The return of the king (9:1–17)
                a.      The divine warrior comes (9:1–8)
                b.      The king enters Jerusalem (9:9–11)
                c.      The king’s enemies destroyed and his people redeemed (9:12–17)

In this article we will look at vv1-8 the judgment of the nations by the warrior King.  "The oracle starts with Hadrach (9:1), an area in northern Syria that encompassed Damascus and neighboring Hamath (v. 2), after which it moves south along the coast through Tyre and Sidon (v. 2) to four of the five cities of the Philistines: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron (v. 5), and Ashdod (v. 6)." [2]  Here we see a character of God that is far from culturally exceptable.  God is portrayed as an avenging warrior consuming all enemies in His path.  But even in this path of divine justice and wrath there is mercy. Note:

“A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod, and I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines. I will take the blood from their mouths, the forbidden food from between their teeth. Those who are left will belong to our God and become a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.” (Zechariah 9:6–7, NIV).  "God’s removal of these idolatrous practices is not unexpected in this section on the judgment of the Philistines. But the second part of Zech. 9: 7 introduces a surprising twist, revealing that God’s purpose is not merely the cleansing of the land but also the creation of a remnant from the Philistines . . . This remnant is not granted second-class status in Judah but is honored as leaders in Judah." [3]  We are left with the question, "Why?"   Why would God show mercy to many Philistines? We are neither told why or how, but for certain God's sovereign will, although secret, is righteous.   “For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy . . . Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.” (Romans 9:15–18, NIV)

A second act of Divine grace is seen in verse 8: “But I will encamp at my temple to guard it against marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now I am keeping watch.” (Zechariah 9:8, NIV).  God's judgment of the nations is intended to arrive at a place of security and protection for His people -- forever.  "The supernatural and lasting protection here promised must anticipate the Second Advent of Messiah, whose coming is the subject through the rest of this message." [4]

As the previous prophecies of Zechariah anticipated the Messiah's promise to rebuild His people; and we are now made aware that concurrently He will dispose their enemies and provide everlasting protection, I am reminded of the promise of Jesus: “. . . I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18, NIV).  

 

 Father, Your terror should strike mind-blowing, body-crushing fear in us. You hate evil.  You are angry with the wicked every day.  Your holiness demands that you bring justice upon all those who fail to repent.  Yet even in the display of Your wrath, you remind us that there is mercy and protection for those of Your elect.  Apart from Your mercy, where would any of us be today.  So because of Your mercy it becomes my (our) delight to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to Your service.  This is holy and this is reasonable.  Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to Thee.  For the glory of my Savior, the eternal joy of Your Elect and the salvation of the lost.  Amen!

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1. Believer’s Study Bible. 1991 (W. A. Criswell, P. Patterson, E. R. Clendenen, D. L. Akin, M. Chamberlin, D. K. Patterson & J. Pogue, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (Zec 9:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
2. Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (1752). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
3. Boda, Mark J. (2009-05-26). Haggai, Zechariah (The NIV Application Commentary) (Kindle Locations 8157-8159). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
4. The MacArthur Study Bible. 1997 (J. MacArthur, Jr., Ed.) (electronic ed.) (1350). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.

A Picture and the Purpose of the Church

2 John 12–13 (NIV),

¹² I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. ¹³ The children of your sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings.

The aforementioned verses are commonly understood as the 'final remarks' or 'concluding thoughts.' John realizes that visiting them in person would be more beneficial than continuing to write about additional things. The phrase "so that our joy may be complete" was the purpose of his first letter. “We write this to make our joy complete.” (1 John 1:4, NIV).  John's ambition (ἡ χαρὰ ὑμῶν πεπληρωμένη ᾖ) in his letter of encouragement, correction and warning is that their joy and his joy might be πληρόω [play·ro·o], full, overfilling, completely realized. Jesus spoke of the same purpose for his disciples: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete . . . I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.” (John 15:11; 17:13, NIV).

The relationship between pastor and people, the elders and the flock -- the goal of instruction, correction and encouragement in the Gospel seems to be for this important reason: our fully realized joy (and may I add: eternal joy!).  One hears, often enough, that doctrine divides.  Many would want to dismiss doctrine.  Give me Jesus, not theology.  But the opposite is the case. "Doctrinal deviation threatens the joy of the church because it destroys unity and imperils the approving presence of Christ in personal lives and the corporate assembly." [1]

So the letter concludes with greetings from the "children of your elect sister."  This again is undoubtedly the members of a sister congregation -- possibly even the congregation that John was a part of.  Again we have significant insight into the attitude of congregations.  This church was a "sister" church because the membership were made up of people "chosen in Christ" -- the Elect.  Someone asked me recently, "Which denomination is the true denomination?"   Part of my answer is this:  

" A faithful church is made up of born-again, regenerated members who admit they only see in part, who are convinced that what they believe is an honest representation of the Scriptures and who love and respect other churches of like faith and mind, albeit acknowledging their differences."

Yes, there are multitudes of congregations around the world, but for those in Christ -- truly chosen by God and born of the Spirit, we all share the same heavenly Father.  These multitudes of congregations then are multitudes of sister churches.  All human calls for unity are vain and redundant.  True believers and faithful churches are one.  

Father, in the small but profound letter of John, he concludes with some very poignant thoughts. These thoughts beg important questions from the depth of my soul.  Do I seek the eternal joy of my congregation?  Above all the other things, do the people of my church long for and seek my joy?  Do we view other churches of like faith as sisters -- and long for their joy?  These questions are challenging and provide well-needed correction to my thinking.   We are so often fraught with territoriality, clannishness, and protectionism.  Forgive us Father for such immature myopia. Grant to us eternal joy -- the joy that comes from the Savior, by the Spirit -- for Your glory.  Amen.

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1. Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (2442). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Have You Met "The Chosen Lady"?

One of John's devices during times of persecution was to use cryptic language (e.g. The Book of Revelation).  So an non-Christian gets a hold of this letter and reads these opening words, “The elder, To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth—” (2 John 1, NIV).

To the casual reader there is little doubt that John is writing to an individual woman.  However it is more probable that John is writing to a local congregation.  This word lady used here is kyria; and is the same word as “Lord” in the New Testament -- except that it is feminine here (and in verse 5: “And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.” (2 John 5, NIV)).  So the normal word for lady and the normal word for Church is not used.  What is used is the feminine form of lord.  Interesting?

The letter is also addressed to her children.  If the "lady" is the local congregation, then her children are significantly her members.  This metaphor is extended to the end where greetings are sent from another local church, referred to as her "chosen sister." “The children of your sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings.” (2 John 13, NIV)

 

"The English word “church” has its roots in the Greek word kuriakon: 'that which belongs to the Lord.'" [1].  So John the Elder is communicating with a local congregation and its members and in essence he writes to:

To the people who belong to God (κυρίᾳ), whom God has chosen (ἐκλεκτῇ) and her members (τέκνοις).

This opening phrase should inspire, assure and inform our life in the Body of Christ, the Church today.   This opening phrase exalts the preeminence of Christ in God.  It highlights His desire and His purposes for the Church today.   The Church and its members are the Lord's.  They are His by election and by possession.  Paul wrote elsewhere:

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, NIV).

Whether we are talking about the local congregation or its members (as regenerated participants in the Body), we are talking about men and women who are not their own; and are called to honor God, preeminently and ultimately.  John uses this metaphor intentionally.  By employing the notion of family (children/sisters) he is emphasizing the organic bond between believers and churches.  On the contrary, if one is not "born from above" they neither belong to God, nor are they members of the local church.

One can also presume the the line between the individual member and the local body is very thin, when it comes to apostolic thinking.  There seems to be a convergence of categories in the Bible so that the individual never forgets that he or she is part of the larger whole. And alternately, the local church never forgets that it is made up of important and significant individuals.   The Bible does not discount one for the other.

What an amazing life that I get to live, Father!  I was chosen in Christ before the foundations of the world and now I'm part of a community of people chosen in Christ before the foundations of the world.  Together we are a chosen congregation of believers -- elect from every nation; all belonging to God, for the purpose of bringing Him glory and honor.  And this community of elect people that meet together and serve together have a bazillion sister congregations all over the world.  Born-again, blood bought, called-out ones, all chosen in Christ, by God, for His supreme glory.  This is the "purpose driven life" -- to magnify and glorify the risen Lord in all His glory.  My purpose today is to make much of Jesus.  Every breath is to expel the matchless glories of our merciful Savior.  Every decision of the will and every act of the body is to be a road-sign of His glory.   Every thought and every feeling is to be raptured into joy unspeakable and full of glory.  You, Father, are worthy of this and much more.  May Your Spirit cause this to occur in me.   For Jesus sake,




 



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1. Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.