Lesson 16 - Zechariah Chapter 8 Continued
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THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH
Lesson 16, Chapter 8 Continued

We were in Zechariah chapter 8 at verses 16 and 17 when we ran out of time,
so that’s where we’ll begin today.

CJB
Zechariah 8:16-17
16
These are the things you are to do: speak the
truth to each other; in your courts, administer justice that is true and
conducive to peace;
17
don't plot harm against each other; and don't
love perjury; for all these are things I hate,' says Yehoveh."

In Hebrew, truth is emet and justice is mishpat. It is rather common in the
Old Testament, after the Covenant of Moses was established, to use these two
words in association with one another. The intent is to explain far more than
an expected personal behavior; it is to become an attribute, an underlying
condition of Hebrew society… the entire congregation of Israel… including their
governmental system.

So, what is truth? How is it defined and where is it to be found? Truth and
being truthful are not exactly the same things. Truth explains how things really
are at their deepest level. Truth is not belief. Belief is a confidence one has
that something is factual. Belief doesn’t have to be real or rational. Truthful is
a description of not lying; it is communicating something you believe to be so,
faithfully and without intended corruption. A person can be truthful and
communicate something that is NOT the truth at the same time. At the
deepest level, the material, tangible and visible can be deceiving. It is the
divine spiritual underpinnings of something that make it truth. And, it is those
divine spiritual underpinnings that the Bible explains to us, and can be found
nowhere else. Therefore, when this verse in Zechariah is speaking of truth, it
is speaking ONLY of God’s Word to humanity. Who else but the Creator can tell
us truth?

The challenge for us lies in that human religious institutions invariably descend
into replacing truth with doctrines and customs… beliefs… that more reflect
what someone or some group wants to believe, versus what actually is at the
deepest spiritual level. This tendency to devolve truth into belief is human

Lesson 16 - Zechariah Chapter 8 Continued
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nature. One of the very best, perhaps the earliest, biblical examples of this
devolution is what happened in the Garden of Eden when Eve had an
interesting conversation with the Serpent.

CJB
Genesis 3:1-6 Now the serpent was more crafty than any wild
animal which ADONAI, God, had made. He said to the woman, "Did
God really say, 'You are not to eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2
The
woman answered the serpent, "We may eat from the fruit of the trees
of the garden,
3
but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the
garden God said, 'You are neither to eat from it nor touch it, or you
will die.'"
4
The serpent said to the woman, "It is not true that you will
surely die;
5
because God knows that on the day you eat from it, your
eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it had a
pleasing appearance and that the tree was desirable for making one
wise, she took some of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her
husband, who was with her; and he ate.

Eve veered from truth, and instead created a doctrine… she transformed truth
into a belief. But, truth is reflected in the previous chapter:

CJB
Genesis 2:16-17
16
ADONAI, God, gave the person this order: "You
may freely eat from every tree in the garden
17
except the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. You are not to eat from it, because on the
day that you eat from it, it will become certain that you will die."

Did you spot the difference? Truth is that Adam and Eve were not to eat from
the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Eve turned into in a false doctrine:
“You are neither to eat from it nor touch it, lest you die”. God said nothing
against touching the fruit. Only not to pick it and consume it. This is what
Church doctrine and Jewish tradition, often do. God’s truth, embellished or
twisted by a human, added to or subtracted from, turns truth into a belief
that now makes it NOT the truth.

Thus, in Zechariah 8:16 and 17, God is telling the Judeans to set aside their
manmade traditions… their long-held beliefs… and return to the truth. And for

Lesson 16 - Zechariah Chapter 8 Continued
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them… and for us… that truth is to be found in the Torah and the Prophets. By
this I do not mean to imply that we also don’t find truth in the New
Testament; because we do. But, because Constantinian Christianity… the
gentile-created faith that began around the 4
th
century A.D… has determined
to read and find as truth only the New Testament, then the Old Testament that
establishes all the principles and definitions of terms used by the New is
discarded. This by itself means that all that comes from taking only the New
Testament as truth will be doctrine and belief. It is as though we claim to use
the English language, but at the same time we discard the dictionary definition
of its words and replace each word with a new and different meaning. We have
experts and officials… secular and Christian… say that this is a good thing
because then each of us have the freedom (said to be the liberty given to us
by Christ) to develop our own definitions of words based upon our own
personal truths. Folks, this is spiritual anarchy and this has overtaken the
world, Christianity, and Judaism.

Unwittingly Christianity has taken this concept of individualized personal
relationships with God so far as to imply that with the Holy Spirit now dwelling
in us, He will give us each our own truth about what is good and evil… what is
sin. Former scriptural definitions, former scriptural laws and commands, no
longer universally apply. What is sin for us individually may not be sin for
others or for our group, and vice versa. This is what was happening within the
Hebrew faith of ancient times as it was being practiced by the Israelites, and
particularly in this passage it is addressing the Judeans. God says to practice
TRUE truth and TRUE justice that can only come from one source, with one
truth and justice code, one universal meaning for each term, and one creator
of it all. That was the only possible remedy for the ills of Judean society that
eventually led them into exile, and it is the only remedy for the ills of Christian
and Jewish society, which are leading into darkness.

Because the definition of terms is so important, then let us realize that true
truth defines true morality. Morality means the acknowledgement that there is
a good and evil, and we are obligated to avoid evil and instead to always do
good. It also means that good and evil must be defined for each specific
human behavior along the nearly infinite spectrum of all possible human
behaviors and choices. Therefore, the most basic principle of good and evil is

Lesson 16 - Zechariah Chapter 8 Continued
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to love… love God, and love our fellow human being. But, that is not sufficient
because how are we to know from God’s perspective what love is, and is not?
Thus, the 10 Commandments form a basic outline of how to love God and how
to love humans. However, even that is not sufficient, because of each of the
10 general commands about how to love, there are indeed so many different
cases possible that more nuance must be applied. Thus, around 600 case
examples of good and evil in our behaviors covering different areas of our lives
are objectively specified in a moral code called The Law of Moses. Even then,
not every possible human behavioral scenario was addressed for the Moses-led
Israelites, and due to our advanced societies of the 21
st
century even more
behavioral possibilities exist for us than for them. Thus, in His Sermon on the
Mount, Yeshua explained that behind each law and command of the Law of
Moses was a spiritual principle, and it was the understanding of these
underlying spiritual principles that would inform us about how to navigate the
limitless possibilities that can confront each of us in life, but aren’t specially
addressed by the Law of Moses.

Continuing in Zechariah 8:16, God says to administer true justice in their
courts of law. Interestingly, in this two-word phrase (true justice) we don’t
find emet mishpat, but rather mishpat shalom. If we were to apply the
nearly universal English translation of shalom used by Bible translators, which
is “peace”, then we have peaceful justice. That doesn’t make a lot of sense or
inform us of much that is useful. Shalom should in most cases be translated
as divinely given well-being. Shalom is a broad concept of wholeness and
completeness. So mishpat shalom is a justice system that reflects God’s
perspective, and uses God’s laws and commands to judge , thus producing a
good and proper result. Even more, this divinely inspired justice system ought
to produce a kind of shalom… a kind of divinely given well-being within the
Judean society.

Because the CJB takes some liberties with this verse, it substitutes the words
“in your courts” for the literal “in your gates”. In ancient Middle Eastern cities…
Hebrew and gentile… the city gates were designed with an adjacent open area
meant to be where important public discussions were held, court was
convened and justice meted out. It was a place of assembly for urban dwellers
and used for diverse reasons… holding trials being just one of them. So, in the

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current context of justice, “in your gates” is just another way of saying when
you hold a public trial.

The 3
rd
among the 4 foundational principles this passage says are to be
obeyed, is for the Judeans not to form evil thoughts in their hearts against
their fellow man. Better, the idea is not to plot in one’s mind something to
harm your fellow human. Almost always this concerns revenge for some
perceived offense. And finally, make no false oath. Generally, this is to be
taken in a judicial sense, so saying to commit no perjury captures it pretty
well. All these 4 principles together ought to reflect the character of Hebrew
society; it ought to be what everyone strives for as a congregation. In fact,
when first given to the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt in the form of
a covenant called the Law of Moses, it was presented to Israel as a
congregation, and the congregation as a group agreed to its terms.

Let’s move on the last section of chapter 8, which begins at verse 18.

RE-READ ZECHARIAH 8:18 – end

Martin Luther made the following observation about this section of Zechariah.
He said this in explain of what God intended to impart to the people:

“Keep only what I command, and let fasting alone. Yes, if you keep my
commandments, not only shall such fasts be over and come to an end;
but because I will do so much good to Jerusalem, all the affliction, for
which you have chosen and kept such fasting, shall be so forgotten,
that you will be transported with joy when you think of your fasting,
and of the heart’s grief on account of which you fasted for the time”.

Essentially, these final verses of chapter 8 are more directly-given answers to
the inquiry brought by the delegation that came from Bethel concerning
whether they ought to continue with the tradition of fasting on certain days.
The words to open verse 18 tell us that another unit of oracles is beginning,
because the words are the standard formula we see in Zechariah to announce
it. What is now coming are 3 more oracles, but they are meant to be
understood as a unit. That is, they are related.

Lesson 16 - Zechariah Chapter 8 Continued
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Verse 19 speaks of 4 fasting days being observed by the Judeans. One in the
4
th
month, another in the 5
th
, then the 7
th
, and finally the 10th month. As for
the reasons for these fast days, the reality is that the order they are given
doesn’t mean that the associated events happened in that order one year. The
fast in the 10
th
month commemorates something that happened before the
other ones. The 10
th
month is when the siege of Jerusalem by Babylon began
in the 9
th
year of the reign of the Jewish King Zedekiah. It set off a series of
events that caused the Jews to create more fasting observances in the
following year, in the 4
th
, 5
th
, and 7
th
months.

CJB
2 Kings 25:1 so in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month,
on the tenth day of the month, N'vukhadnetzar king of Bavel marched
against Yerushalayim with his entire army. He set up camp against it
and built siege towers against it on every side.

The fast of the 4
th
month remembers when the Babylonian armies finally broke
in to Jerusalem, setting up a series of events leading to the end of Judah as a
Jewish Kingdom, and it is also when the leaders of Judah fled.

CJB
2 Kings 25:3-7
3
On the ninth day of the [fourth] month, when the
famine in the city was so severe that there was no food for the people
of the land,
4
they broke through into the city. All the soldiers [fled] by
night through the gate between the two walls, near the king's garden.
Because the Kasdim were surrounding the city, the king took the route
through the 'Aravah.
5
But the army of the Kasdim went in pursuit of
the king and overtook him on the plains near Yericho; all his troops
deserted him.
6
Then they took the king and brought him up to the
king of Bavel in Rivlah, where they passed judgment on him.
7
They
slaughtered his sons before his eyes. Then they put out Tzidkiyahu's
eyes, bound him in chains and carried him off to Bavel.

The fast of the 5
th
month commemorates the actual fall of Jerusalem. The
Babylonian army that had already entered into the city a month earlier,
burned down the king’s palace, the Temple, many houses, and they knocked
down even larger sections of the protective walls. This became known as the

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fast of the Ninth of Av, sort of the granddaddy of all the fasts of Judaism. Why
remember this on the 9
th
day of the month when the record of this even
clearly says the 7th? No one knows.

CJB
2 Kings 25:8-10
8
In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the
month, which was also the nineteenth year of King N'vukhadnetzar,
king of Bavel, N'vuzar'adan, the commander of the guard and an
officer of the king of Bavel, entered Yerushalayim.
9
He burned down
the house of ADONAI, the royal palace and all the houses in
Yerushalayim- every notable person's house he burned to the ground.
10
The whole army of the Kasdim, who were with the commander of
the guard, broke down the walls of Yerushalayim on every side.

The fast of the 7
th
month recalls the assassination of Gedaliah and many of
those who accompanied him, in retribution by other Jews because they saw
him as being a traitor by his accepting a position offered by King
Nebuchadnezzar to be the governor over Judah.

What do all these fasts have in common? They are all manmade annual fasting
days and were not authorized or commanded by God. And, to one extent or
another all had to do with the conquering of Judah by Babylon.

God says that all 4 of these self-proclaimed fasting days are going to become
feasting days of joy. The concept is that in the future, the sorrowful reasons
for fasting will vanish because the sorrows associated with them are going to
vanish. All that will remain is joyfulness and cheer for the House of Judah. We
need to be careful to parse the context properly, here. Whatever is going to
happen to end sorrow and the accompanying fasting will affect more than only
those technically belonging to the House of Judah; it will also affect those of
the House of Ephraim/Israel, because whether of Judah or Ephraim/Israel,
they are all legitimately Israelites. However, the House of Israel (in its most
technical political sense) being long gone as its own kingdom and scattered,
did not adopt some special fast days because of their demise. It was the
Judeans that did this. Therefore, since Zechariah is primarily about Judah
(Yehud) and the aftermath of the Babylonian Exile and now their return, then

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the discussion revolves around Judean history, and does not include the
history or circumstances of the House of Israel.

In reality, there is no command from God to the Bethel delegation to abolish
their 4 annual manmade fasts. Rather, He says that the fasts are going to turn
into joyous feasts at some point. Clearly, this has never happened in Jewish
history, and so this can only be an End Times prophetic expectation. There is a
Jewish legend that in times past, after Zechariah’s prophecy regarding these
fasts, that the fasts were suspended. But, as time went on and when the Jews
experienced troubles, they would start them back up again. There is nothing
recorded inside or outside of the Bible that such was ever the case. Judaism
today still keeps all 4 of the fasts spoken about here, none of which has
anything to do with their latest exile… the Roman exile… and their return in
1948.

What was supposed to be the catalyst for changing the fast days of the
Judeans into joyful feast days? It would not be because of a direct command
of God, but rather it would be when Jerusalem (meaning the people who live
there) loves and pursues truth (emet) and peace (shalom). Or better,
pursues truth and divine well-being…wholeness. Put another way, it is when
they finally let go of all their manmade customs and traditions and instead
determine to follow the Torah and the Prophets. The End Times, after Yeshua
returns, is when truth and shalom will be instituted, and by the sheer weight
of this world-changing circumstance, the fasting comes to an end. This fits the
probable meaning of these passages quite well, and it comports with other
books like Revelation that speak more extensively about Israel and the End
Times,

Verse 20 begins the 2
nd
of this final group or unit of 3 prophetic oracles. It
says that in the future peoples and inhabitants of many cities will come to
Jerusalem. Bible translators have always had some problems with this verse
because of the Hebrew word amim; it is a plural word meaning peoples. Who
is this talking about? We know this is an End Times action. Even so, some
translators have decided it is better to take the word amim as singular and
just make it people. Nonetheless, it is most regularly assumed that the terms
peoples and nations are synonymous… that is, both terms are talking about

Lesson 16 - Zechariah Chapter 8 Continued
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non-Hebrews; peoples in the sense of their humanity, and nations in the sense
of their political identity. I lean more towards those who think that peoples is a
very broad designation indicating Israelites and others who have made some
cultural or faith identification with them. Since Judah (now called Yehud) was
now some mix of Samaritans, and a few hold-over Jews who had never left,
along with various other ethnicities that had wandered into Judah and stayed
after the Judeans were hauled off to Babylon, it probably is referencing them.

As for the inhabitants of other cities who also come to Jerusalem, there is a
line of thought (with pretty good evidence behind it), that as it is used here, it
is an idiom that means (or at least includes) civic leaders. That is, these are
leaders and officials of other cities who come with the rest of the population.
When in the Old Testament we encounter difficult words used awkwardly such
as we have for the last several verses, and what they say doesn’t seem to
make good sense in any typical way we can understand, rather than then
assuming it must be an error, it is more likely than not that we are
encountering an expression or an idiom that was used and known by the
people at that time, but its meaning has been lost to history. So, sometimes
we have to step back and look at the larger, not fully literal meanings of words
and phrases to grasp what point or message it is that was being made (that’s
the nature of expressions and idioms, their meaning is apart from the sum of
their words). I think this is one of those times. We also have to grasp that as
tribalism and the nomad lifestyle gave way to cities, central governments, and
sedentary living in the Holy Land, then some common terms gained a little
different meaning. For instance, the term “cities” went from meaning politically
independent towns of substantial size often having their own king, to more
meaning a particular classification of towns that included a central place that
had a defensive wall. It was also understood that cities were part of a larger
community of outlying rural areas, whereby the city served as a market place
for the farmers and herders to sell the food they produced, and also where
when danger approached, the local rural inhabitants would run to it for
protection behind its tall and thick walls. This was in return for allegiance of
the rural folk to that city’s officials and leaders (or king), as well as
occasionally serving as part of that city’s work force. Bottom line: here in
verse 20, the “inhabitants of many cities” probably meant all those living in
towns associated with and surrounding those walled cities, and they weren’t

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necessarily all Jews. As was typical for when Zechariah lived and wrote, a mix
of people and ethnicities had moved into the mostly vacated Judah after the
Judeans were deported to Babylon, and these new folks had figured out a way
to live together under a common set of rules and understandings, and were
now a more cohesive group that saw themselves as a collective having
common interests.

Moving to verse 21 that continues the thought of peoples and nations going to
Jerusalem:

CJB
Zechariah 8:21 the inhabitants of one city will travel to another
and say, "We must go to ask Yehoveh’s favor and consult Yehoveh-
Tzva'ot. I'll go too."

But, there are better more literal translations that tell us a bit more.

YLT
Zechariah 8:21 Yea, gone have inhabitants of one To another,
saying: We go diligently, To appease the face of Jehovah, To seek
Jehovah of Hosts -- I go, even I.

While the term inhabitants gives us the impression that this is talking about
the common people in general, the remainder of the verse helps us to
understand that this verse is more speaking about the leaders. Even the final
words “I go, even I” clearly means the leadership, if not the chief leader. From
the context of the entire Book of Zechariah, and from similar verbiage using
the same idiom in chapter 7, we come to understand that “to appease the face
of Yehoveh” or “to ask Yehoveh’s favor” are actually political vocabulary terms.
The absolute authority of Yehoveh is the point, and the various civic leaders
coming to Him indicate their submission to that authority.

Various English words are used to translate the Hebrew halak. Some like the
CJB dampen the intensity of this word with saying it means “we must go”,
while other translations say diligently, or speedily, or even “at once”. The idea
is these leaders are compelled by all that has happened to urgently go to
Jerusalem to demonstrate their allegiance to Yehoveh, no doubt out of a
combination of fear and newly acquired respect. Who are the inhabitants of

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these many cities? First, obviously it is only those who do recognize Yehoveh’s
authority (even if only very recently), and second, there will be an expanding
scope of precisely which cities and leaders are involved. At first, only Judean
cities, and then later (End Times) it increases to become cities worldwide.

We find the same thought in Isaiah chapter 2 and in Micah chapter 4.

CJB
Micah 4:2 Many Gentiles will go and say, "Come, let's go up to the
mountain of Yehoveh, to the house of the God of Ya'akov! He will
teach us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths." For out of
Tziyon will go forth Torah, the word of Yehoveh from Yerushalayim.

Folks, this day is coming and we need to prepare for it, and encourage others
to do so as well. The Prophet Ezekiel warns what happens to the nations
whose leaders do not join the other leaders who do go to Jerusalem to seek
the favor of Yehoveh as they are supposed to. Words like this in various Old
Testament passages continue to flummox me as to why the Christian world
that I came from still refuses to acknowledge it. After all, this is primarily
talking about the End of Days, which has captured the imagination of the
Church for a few decades, now. But, I suppose when we throw away the Old
Testament teachings, or even minimize them, then of course the truth
becomes distorted or lost altogether. Over and over, we are told that it is the
Law, or the Torah, that the nations will come to Jerusalem to learn. It is this
Torah knowledge that allows them to walk in God’s paths and to lead their
people to do the same. Why would people already studied in and following
God’s ways (biblically defined as the Torah) feel urgently compelled to go to
Jerusalem to learn them? Because, while the gentiles that are mentioned
might in some way be devoted to God, they did not know or do His ways.
Instead, they know and do manmade doctrines that they had believed were
His ways. They do what they have been told by their religious leadership to
believe. And this is largely because they have been discouraged for centuries
from reading or taking seriously the very information that these prophets say
the gentile leaders will finally submit to, and go to Jerusalem to finally learn.

I truly believe that this is not entirely future; it is a process that has already
begun. We see it primarily in the form of the Hebrew Roots and Messianic

Lesson 16 - Zechariah Chapter 8 Continued
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movements that are erupting all over our planet. It is those who already
worship the God of Israel, and who trust in His Son Yeshua, who have seen
the light and now want to diligently learn God’s ways, and have also come to
realize that we find these ways in His Torah. The very first seeds for this
movement were sewn over 400 years ago when the Pilgrims came to America
to do just what the Hebrew Roots movement is doing today. It has taken a
very long time before that small seed turned to seedling, then to sprout, then
to a tree and subsequently to bearing fruit. But, amazingly, you and I live in
the time when the blossoms that will become that fruit have formed, and the
first evidence of the fruit has appeared. Don’t let it pass you by.

Verse 22 emphasizes that what has been said in verse 21 is absolutely going
to happen.

CJB
Zechariah 8:22 Yes, many peoples and powerful nations will come
to consult ADONAI -Tzva'ot in Yerushalayim and to ask ADONAI's
favor.'

The number of people is going to be “many”. The gentile nations (their
leaders) that come won’t be only the smaller ones, but the superpowers as
well. The entire spectrum of nations from weakest to strongest will be
represented. Jerusalem will be the center of the world. Truth is, it always has
been; it just hasn’t been recognized. Certainly, at the time this was written,
Zechariah and his readers would have thought of the Persian Empire as the
superpower that will eventually come to bow down to Yehoveh in Jerusalem.
However, if this were to be speaking of the year 2024, we’d be picturing the
leaders of China, Russia, and the USA submitting. If the Lord tarries, then
perhaps the superpowers of today will be others than these 3.

Finally, in verse 23 we read:

CJB
Zechariah 8:23 Yehoveh-Tzva'ot says, 'When that time comes, ten
men will take hold- speaking all the languages of the nations - will
grab hold of the cloak of a Jew and say, "We want to go with you,
because we have heard that Elohim is with you."'"

Lesson 16 - Zechariah Chapter 8 Continued
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“What that time comes”, and in some Bible versions “in that day”, are common
biblical terms referring to the End Times. Using the number 10 (10 men)
presents a standard biblical symbolic number. 10 is both a round number, and
a number denoting something that is fully whole and complete. It is symbolic
of being universal. And, it is the sum of two other special biblically symbolic
numbers, 7 and 3. Very likely the use of 10 men is to represent all humanity,
because it also says these men are speaking all the languages of the nations.
To grab hold of the cloak means to submit, to have loyalty towards, to want to
follow. This is a well-known gesture of the ancient world, so this interpretation
is solid. So, universally, this prophecy says that the gentile world will turn
away from anti-Semitism, which is the hallmark of Islam and also of
Christianity since the 4
th
century, and instead want to join with Jews even if
somewhat subserviently.

This goes hand in hand with the entry into a Golden Age of Israel as expected
by Jews, which is also spoken of as, and synonymous with, the Millennial
Kingdom of God by gentile Christians.

I also want to once again point to the typical translation of the last words of
verse 23, where most Bibles says “we have heard that God is with you”. What
it actually says ‘we have heard that Elohim is with you”. Is this speaking about
God? Yes it is… no disagreement there. However, the term elohim when
pointing towards God is (in my opinion) meant to depict Him in the role of the
chief administrator of Heaven and Earth. It adds the element of authority over
what goes on in both Heaven and Earth. There is no English word or phrase
that can exactly translate the 2 different uses of elohim in the Bible…. First as
one of several titles for God, and second, as the name of the class of divine
beings in Heaven that serve on God’s Divine Council. Partly this is because
Christianity simply doesn’t want to deal with its implications and would rather
stick with old and traditional explanations and traditions. But, I think that
unless something comes along that can prove it wrong, to understand one of
God’s attributes as being the chief administrator over all the lesser
administrators (the elohim in Heaven, humans on Earth) this is the best way
to think of it.

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I want to close this chapter of Zechariah with a couple of remarks. A major
take-away is that we see the expansion of these several oracles and prophetic
utterances as widening from a purely Judean perspective to a global universal
perspective. It begins only with the Jews who have returned to Judah. Then it
widens to them plus the Jews that have not returned to Judah. Then it widens
again to all of them plus the mixed people of various ethnic backgrounds who
now live in Judah but who are loyal to the Judeans and the Temple in
Jerusalem. And then, finally, its scope becomes planet-wide to include the
people of all nations and ethnicities. Step by step, stage by stage, the
influence of God over the Judean community expands in the End Times to the
worldwide community.

The second take-away is that the story about a delegation coming from
Bethel to Jerusalem wondering if they should end fasting celebrations since the
70
th
year of exile is upon them, teaches that in the end, there will be no need
for fasting observances. Nothing but feasting and joyfulness will abound, and
so stopping the fasting observances of the past will become obvious.

Finally, even though faith in, and allegiance to, Yehoveh will eventually be
universal, nonetheless the capital of this faith for the entire world will be
Jerusalem in Israel. And, even though the bulk of the Christian world today
thinks the Temple building era is over because since Yeshua, all of His
Believers are literally the new temples of God, all the Prophets agree that
there will not only be a glorious physical Temple built, complete with a
Priesthood to operate it, but that God demands it and it is His Son who will
lead the building of it.

It is the Jews… one of the world’s tiniest populations, living in one of the
world’s tiniest countries…that will be that linking force between God and the
gentile world.

We’ll stop here and take up Zechariah chapter 9 next time.