Zechariah 12:6-14 – Prophecy and Promise

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Offer the foundation, ye saints, of the Lord is laid for your faith.

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Welcome to Through the Bible. Over the last five years, we’ve been traveling through the entire Word of God. And now, well, the Bible bus is heading toward what our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, called Grand Central Station, the place where all the prophecies of Scripture converge. That’s right. We’ll arrive at the book of Revelation on January 1st. That’s just a few weeks away. But in this study, we’re going to hear about a remarkable prophecy in our study of Zechariah 12, verses 6-14. If you’re new on the Bible Bus, we’re glad you’re with us. I’m Steve Schwetz, and I’m excited to welcome you to our listening family that joins us in more than 250 languages around the world and growing. But don’t worry if it seems like you’re joining us maybe at the end of our journey. Well, Dr. McGee actually designed this study so that you can get on or off the Bible bus at any time during our five-year trip. And Dr. McGee also planned our voyage through Scripture so that we move back and forth between the Old Testament and New Testament, giving us really an integrated look at how God is at work and how much He loves us. Now, along the way, if you miss a study and maybe you want to catch up, well, you can download our app to take these messages with you on the go. Or the other option is to listen anytime over at ttb.org. Now, the last thing that you should know is how much we love to hear from Through the Bible family members like you. In fact, December is Letter Month. Dr. McGee started this tradition to really celebrate the work that God is doing in our lives as a result of studying His Word together, and we still love it. So let’s share one of those stories now. Here’s a note that we received from a listener in Ontario, Canada, who says this. How can I ever let Letter Month pass me by when this program has always been there for me these 40 plus years? It was even food for the soul of my deceased husband, Joseph, who I introduced to the ministry. It changed his life completely. And he always used Brother McGee’s notes and outlines in preparation of his Sunday school lessons. To God be the glory for the faithful servant who kept the word of God first and foremost. I love the Lord and I thank him so much for his sovereign care and providential appointment with Dr. McGeehan through the Bible. Now when I hear the one minute episodes, I stop and glean food for my soul. It’s better than my daily food. All I can say is God’s mercies are new every morning. Listening through the Bible is also new every day with mercies awaiting my thirsty heart that I might drink out of the fountain of living water Isn’t that an encouraging report? And then here’s a note. This is from a listener named Richard who shares this. I’m a new app listener and a new follower of the Lord. He has pulled me out of some dark times. Praying and reading the Bible has brought me closer to Jesus and a brighter future. I have accepted Jesus as my Savior, and I look forward to Bible study every day and to growing as his son. Well, that’s great, Richard. I’ll be sure to save you a seat. And what about you? Do you have a story to share? Well, if so, please email us at biblebus at ttb.org or write to us at Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. Or in Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. Or call and leave a message at 1-800-65-BIBLE. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, would you bless the teaching of your word now? Help us to gain wisdom and knowledge as your spirit speaks to our hearts. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now turn to Zechariah 12 as we make our way through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

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Now, again today, may I remind you that we are following this great panoramic program that Zacharias is presenting to us. It’s a prophetic program of God that relates to the future. Now, the Lord Jesus came 1,900 years ago. The world rejected him, and they sold him for 30 pieces of silver. But he’s now has redeemed us, not with silver and gold, but with his precious blood. And he was rejected then as he is, I think, today in the world. And yet there are many that are turning to him today and finding him as Savior. Now, he made the statement when he left that, “‘I’ve come in my Father’s name, you’ve rejected me, but if one comes in his own name, him you will receive.'” Well, that one is coming. someday, and he is called here the idle shepherd or the worthless shepherd, and that is a picture of Antichrist. Now, they accept him, but he will not bring in the millennium. He brings in the great tribulation period. And you find that that comes down on Jerusalem. And as we come to the second burden here, a second judgment that begins with chapter 12. It has to do with the second coming of Christ. We find Jerusalem under siege. And this is the result of the activity of Antichrist. And they’ve come in, the enemy from every direction. Now, God will intervene in their behalf, as we saw last time. And I pick up right where I left off in that particular connection. that God would assist them at that time. And you’re going to raise the question, well, why in the world does he intervene on their behalf because they have rejected him? Well, we’ll see why in just a few moments. Now, I’m going to read verse 6. He says, “…in that day will I make the governors of Judah like a hearth of fire among the wood.” and like a torch of fire and a sheath. And they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left. And Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.” And again, I remind you, we’re talking about Jerusalem. We’re not talking about Rome or Washington or Geneva, Switzerland or any place like that. We’re talking about Jerusalem, and it’s a geographical spot over there in Judah, and he’s already identified Judah and Jerusalem together, and he’ll be doing it again in this next verse. Verse 7, “…the Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.” In other words, they would be looking down, as it were, on the rest of the country. I’m of the opinion that people today in one section have a tendency to look down on people from other sections of the country. I have been very much amused at the reaction people get to my accent. And many, very frankly, write letters, and they start in by saying, I started listening to you, and I thought you were just some wild-eyed ignoramus. Well, there’s some people still think that. But anyway, these folks kept listening. And we saw beyond that accent, you had been to school. You had at least finished the sixth grade. But anyway, the point that I’m trying to make is our tendency, it’s the tendency of all of We folk who’ve been born in Texas, we’ve been given the impression that there was nothing beyond the borders of Texas, that it just happened to be the place, you know. And the chosen were in Texas. And there’s some of my fellow Texans that still believe that. And that is human nature. Now, if the Lord manifested himself first in Jerusalem, And to the house of David, then they would look down on the rest of Judah. They’d say, these are country roobs, hillbillies. After all, the Lord didn’t manifest himself to them first. God says, I’m going to choose them first. And you remember the Lord Jesus had something to say about the first will be last and the last will be first. I think that one of the, well, we’re going to get many shocks when we get to heaven. I think one of the greatest surprises and shocks We’re going to get, we’re going to find that there are people up there we didn’t think were going to be there, and there’s going to be some mess in there we thought were going to be there. That’s number one. And then we’re going to find out, really, who are the people that God had really recognized as being those that were his servants and were doing faithfully what he wanted done. And it’s not what we think down here at all. I think we’re going to get a shock. And God makes it clear now to these people, I’m going to manifest myself to Judah first. And that’ll give Jerusalem and the house of David something to think about. Now, in verse 8, in that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And he that is feeble among them at that day shall be like David. David was quite a soldier. And if you don’t believe that, why read the account concerning his own son Absalom. Read the account of how he took that nation all scattered and divided and brought it together and how he dealt with the Philistines. David was a great administrator, a great soldier, a general, great at strategy, a man of tremendous ability. And he says now in that day, every man, the weakest, will be just like David. And David shall be like God. And to me, that’s one of the most thrilling statements you can have. David will be like God. May I say to you, you want to know something? There came one in David’s line who is God. David’s going to be like God. And that is the Lord Jesus Christ who was born to Mary of the household of David. He was born in Bethlehem because she went down there to be enrolled. She belonged to the house of David. Joseph had to be enrolled. He was the house of David, but he had nothing to do with the birth of the Lord Jesus. And so they went down there and he was born in the family of David. And we’re told this is the book of the generation of Jesus Christ. That’s the way the New Testament opened. Born of whom? Of David. That’s mentioned first in the New Testament. And also goes back to Abraham. But David is mentioned first. And here you have it. Now we are told, verse 9, and it shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. Now, there will be a converging of all the nations. We’re going to see that in a great deal of detail when we get to the book of Revelation. And all of these great prophecies are like trains or planes. coming into a station or an airport. All of these great themes of prophecy that originate elsewhere in the Bible, they come into the book of Revelation like a great airport or like a union station. They all converge in that book, and we’ll see that when we get to that place. But there is coming against Jerusalem. In that day, the enemy from the outside. Now, why is God going to protect them? And why is God going to deliver them? Well, we have the reason given here. And that’s in verse 10. He says, and I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace. and of supplications, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. Now, this is another reason why I do not believe the present return to that land is a fulfillment of any prophecy of Scripture, because the Scripture makes it very clear, not only here, but Joel has this, that God is going to pour out upon them the Spirit of grace, that is, the Holy Spirit. And He’ll pour out the Holy Spirit upon these people during this period. And because of that, there’s a fusion of the Holy Spirit that’s come upon them, and they are now his witnesses. And you find that he protects them in the great tribulation period because we have that pause that’s given in order for the angels to seal 144,000 of these people. Now, that 144,000 means the people that we understand as Israel that live in that land. Not any people today that just arbitrarily claim it for themselves without any basis at all. This has to rest upon facts. And the book of Revelation makes it very clear, 12,000 out of each tribe. And if you’re going to claim to be one of the 144,000, then you can be sure of one thing, you’re not saved today. Because if the rapture took place, you’d not leave the earth and you’d go into that period. when they’re sealed for the Great Tribulation period. And it doesn’t mean any group today, but it does mean these people. And you’ll find another group was sealed. I do not know the number, because it was such a large number, it’s not even given to us, of Gentiles that are to be sealed during that period. And they are going through the Great Tribulation, and they will stand for God during that period. Now, the church has been removed. The Holy Spirit, as I understand it, doesn’t leave the earth. He now returns to what he was doing before the day of Pentecost. That is, he would come upon certain of these people. Now there is a pouring out of the Spirit upon them. And I’m of the opinion that the remnant that will be back in that land. Now, I don’t think that what’s happened over that a day since they became a nation in 1948, that there’s been any time that you could say there’s been the pouring out of the Spirit of God. Now, when that takes place. They’re going to recognize Christ as their Savior. And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him. Now, that’s going to be the fulfillment of the great day of atonement. when they are going to look upon him. Now, chapter 13 is going to develop this a great deal for us. It’s going to open. In that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. And then if you drop down to verse 6, you’ll find, And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? And he shall answer, those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. Now, they are going in that day to look upon him whom they pierce. And that question will be asked of him. There’ll be one that’ll say, well, look. What do these wounds mean? We didn’t expect our Messiah, our King to come with these wounds that you have in your hands and feet and in your side. And he’s going to say to them, well, I got those in the house of my friends. And then he’s going to say at that particular time, I came before. You didn’t accept me or receive me. Now I’ve come back. Now they began to mourn because of that. And he still calls them friends, just as he did Judas. You remember, he called Judas even after he betrayed him. Wherefore art thou come, friend? Calls him friend. Now, we find that we have very definitely this verse quoted in the New Testament. I would recommend that, in fact, verse 7, where it says, “…smite the shepherd.” And that’s in Matthew 26, verse 31 through 67, and Mark 14, 27, 65. But I’ll get to that when we get to the next chapter. It’ll be important when we get there. Now he says here, and the explanation is given, why is he going to defend Jerusalem? He’s poured out the spirit of grace upon it. And my friend, that’s the only way today that you and I are indwelt by the Spirit of God. You don’t have to seek and groan and grunt and think you become a super-duper saint in order to have the Holy Spirit. All you have to do is to come as a sinner to Jesus Christ and accept and receive him as your Savior. Then you’re indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God today. Why, Paul could write to the Corinthians. He called them babies. He called them carnal. He called them fleshly. In fact, he had very little to say that was good about those people there. And yet he could say to them, what? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? He’s the spirit of grace. He doesn’t indwell me. and fail me because I’m super duper or I’m a little ahead of somebody else. I’m not. I’m way behind most. It’s because of his grace that he does these things. And that’s the way he’s going to do it for these people. And since he’s been so gracious to me, I’m not going to object to him being gracious to these people either. And they’re going to know him when the veil is lifted from their eyes, as Paul has said. But that doesn’t mean they’re not responsible. Anytime any one of them, his heart will turn to Christ. Why, Paul makes it very clear. The veil will be removed, and you’ll see Christ as his Savior. And my friend, that’s true of any sinner today. And you’re not lost because you haven’t heard the gospel. You’re not lost because of this, that, or another thing. You are lost because you’ve made a definite decision to reject Jesus Christ. You see this idea today that somehow or another you and I are not responsible. You and I, though it’s by grace, you and I are responsible to respond to the marvelous, infinite, wonderful grace of God. And God saves us then not because of our ability and not even by our faith, but he saves us by the precious blood of Christ. This is quite a wonderful passage of Scripture, if you please. Now, verse 11 here of chapter 12. In that day, aren’t you getting just a little tired of hearing him talk about in that day? Well, you haven’t heard anything yet. All the way through to the very last chapter and last verse of Zechariah, he’s going to talk about in that day. And by now, we ought to know what in that day means. It’s that period of time as we saw, I think it was a couple of programs back where I dwelt upon this very important thing here, the day of the Lord. What does it mean? And this day of the Lord begins when the church leaves at the rapture and the great tribulation begins. And then it will continue right on through the millennial kingdom and the time that all rebellion is put down and the eternal kingdom begins. And that kingdom just continues, the thousand-year kingdom, except it’s not a testing time at all. And everything is fixed then for eternity. So that this is a very marvelous section of the Word of God. Now I continue on. In that day, there shall be a great morning in Jerusalem. This is the real day of atonement. That’s the only day that they were to weep. God told them on that day. And that’s the day that atonement was made for their sins. In that day shall there be a great morning in Jerusalem. And my friend, may I just pause to say this because it’s so important to say it. There is today a great deal of so-called gospel preaching happening that says, come to Jesus, he’s going to make you over, and you’re going to be a new personality, and you’re going to be able to attain your goal, and all attractions are offered to you. May I say to you, what do you really think about your sins? Have you ever mourned about them? Has it ever broken your heart? that you’ve been a sinner, oh, my friend, that is the one thing that this poor preacher here right now can say to you. When I look back upon my life and see some of the things that I did in the past, I tell you, it breaks my heart. It’s for that that my Savior died. And there ought to be that in the Christian life. The one thing that is missing, Today, it used to take place at the old Methodist altars in the old day, and I’ve seen it in those meetings when men and women would come weeping down to the altar and accept Christ. I see very little of that today. They come down smiling, you know, they’re going to get a new personality. My friend, you’re an old, rotten, dirty, filthy sinner in his sight. And even your good things are bad to him. He says our righteousness is filthy rags in his sight. And if my righteousness is filthy rags, you ought to see what the filthy rags are. May I say to you, if you and I could see ourselves as God sees us, we couldn’t stand ourselves. We’d get rid of this conceit today and this self-sufficiency that we have. Oh, how the church needs, and may I say this carefully, it needs a real baptism of repentance. That is the thing that is needed today. Repentance on the part of believers, repenting of their sins. Verse 11, in that day shall there be a great morning in Jerusalem as the morning of the way this is given to us here. Pronunciation is Hadadrimmon, but it could be Hadadrimmon, and either one is accurate. And so into how the word is divided in your translation. And it refers back to the Valley of Megiddon and to the time of Josiah. Josiah was greatly loved by the people, and when he died, why there was great mourning for him. Jeremiah wept over him as he wept over no one else. Verse 12, and the land shall mourn every family apart, the family of the house of David apart, their wives apart, the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart. This is something many of us even today need to do privately. The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart, the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart. All the families that remain every family apart and their wives apart. A real mourning. What great sin have they committed? They had rejected their Messiah when he came the first time. Think what it’s going to be when he comes a second time and those that have heard the gospel message and have turned it down. May I say to you, that day is coming on this earth. Today, if you’ll hear his voice, harden not your heart. Open up your heart and receive Christ as your Savior. Until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.

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If you don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, well, today is your day. Turn to Him now. For more information, you can click on How Can I Know God in our app or at ttb.org or give us a call at 1-800-65-BIBLE. Now in our next study, we’ll hear that the millennium will be a time of great joy and peace as well as freedom from fear. What will that feel like? Well, find out right here on Through the Bible next time.

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All to be my own. Sin had left the crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.

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Today’s study with Dr. J. Vernon McGee is brought to you by Through the Bible, and it’s made possible by the generous prayer and financial investments from listeners like you on the Bible bus all around the world.