The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word.
SPEAKER 03 :
Peace on earth. Well, it’s a nice sentiment and one that gets wished for a lot this time of year, doesn’t it? But is it even possible? Welcome to Through the Bible, where our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, gives us the answer to the question, is peace possible, from the Old Testament book of Zechariah. It’s a great study. So grab your Bible and open it to chapter 13. And while you do, Greg and I have got a quick ministry update, this time on our Uzbek language program.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, how exciting is it that we get to talk about what God’s doing in Uzbekistan?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah. I mean, that’s incredible. It’s not a country that you get a lot of news from. No, you don’t.
SPEAKER 04 :
And we don’t even always get a lot of response from that part of the world, because it is, if you think about the Stans, as they call it, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, so many of those countries are very Muslim-heavy in the population. And so this is really exciting to get some reports from our partner there.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yep. Why don’t we go ahead and read this? I’ll start. It says, I’ve seen your program. This is what somebody wrote in. I’ve seen your program, said a listener named Alamardon, and I have some questions. Alamardon had all kinds of questions for us. We answered his questions about the Bible and Christianity, sharing testimonies from Uzbek Christians. He seemed to be sincerely trying to understand, but something still didn’t make sense to him. I still don’t understand, he said. Finally, he asked the question that had really been bothering him. Why are Uzbek people accepting Christ? I’ve heard all you said, but I still don’t understand. Give me a real reason. Why would they leave the religion of their fathers? That’s such an interesting question. And obviously, as you referenced, that religion is Islam. Greg, why don’t you continue?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, and so the report from our partners goes on to say, we invited Amardan to church so that he could meet real Uzbek Christians and find out for himself. This last Sunday, he came. We believe that the Lord is working in Amardan’s heart. He still has many questions, and we continue speaking to him regularly. Please pray for the seeds that have been planted in his heart to take root. Steve, there’s so many things I love about this letter. First, it highlights the importance of our partners who are there on the ground. It also highlights something that we often reference, which is that, in general, ministry to Muslims is a long process. They need a lot of their questions answered. They are very thoughtful listeners.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 04 :
Also, I just want to point out, it said, I have seen your program, and then he’s a listener. They do a lot of work on social media. So he might have been saying, I’ve seen things on social media about your program, but he listened to the program. And I love that it says that they’re planting seeds in his heart, because we talk about flinging the seeds.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yep, yep. You never know where it’s going to take root. This next one comes from someone named Yesen. Can you please send me one of those electronic Bibles? I love Jesus very much. The way you talk about him is so different from what I read in the Koran. That’s interesting because you’re thinking, from what I read from another church. No, this guy, again, his point is with Islam, and he’s saying, I love Jesus very much. So hopefully he’s on the right path to faith.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, and that report indicated that they did send him a Bible, and he’s been talking with them about what he’s reading. And again, through the Bible, we love to talk about this. We are not the only thing God is doing around the world. We’re playing our part. We’re doing our best.
SPEAKER 02 :
Amen.
SPEAKER 04 :
All Christians need to understand we are part of a huge body of believers and we all work together. So let’s hear from Ramziza, who interacts with the team online almost daily and who says, I’ve been searching for God and the meaning of life for a long time. I see the truths from the Bible that you share. But when I read the Koran, it is so different. There’s that comparison again, Steve. And then he continues, why I can feel the truth in what you say about God. But everyone around me is against Christianity. I don’t know what to do.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, you can certainly pray. You can pray for this listener and the many others that are struggling and try to wrestle through. OK, how is Christianity different from Islam? Greg, why don’t you pray for us as we begin?
SPEAKER 04 :
Father, we do pray that prayer that Steve just articulated. Would you please help these searching hearts and these souls that are hungry for you the only way, the truth, and the life. And we pray it in Jesus’ name. Amen.
SPEAKER 03 :
Now here’s Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee and our study of Zechariah 13.
SPEAKER 01 :
Now, I want to just continue to review as we go through this section here, the fact that it’s such an important section and it has been so neglected today. And actually, it is rejected by… A great many of that so-called Bible believers, and they treat it, to my judgment, as bad as any liberal who rejects the inspiration of Scripture because they spiritualize it and have it mean something else. And as I go through this book, I’ve always appreciated it because I’ve always felt it was a neglected book. but I learn something new each time I go through it. In fact, I’m in a section right now that I want to say again, I do not feel competent and capable to interpret it on the high plane that it should be. I just feel that this is a section I would love to make it mean as much as we’d like to see it mean. I think that I could express what I’m thinking in the lovable language of the Pennsylvania Dutch. And they have an expression, we grow too soon old and too late smart. And I’m afraid that applies to my case in a very definite way in a section like this. Now, we have seen in this section that this chapter we are entering, which is chapter now 13 of Zechariah, that there is very definite progress being made here through a program that began with the first coming of Christ to the earth And at that time, he was sold for just a few pieces of silver, 30 pieces of silver. And at that time, he had ridden into Jerusalem, and only part of the prophecy of Zechariah was fulfilled at his first coming, which indicates the other part will be fulfilled at his second coming. But he was rejected as the good shepherd that gave his life for the sheep. And then another is to come. He hasn’t come yet and won’t appear until the church is removed from the earth. And then that false shepherd will come. He will be accepted and he’ll lead that nation as well as the world into the great tribulation period. And the only deliverance in that time is the coming of Christ to the earth to establish his kingdom. And he alone can bring peace. to this earth. So as we have come along in this particular program that is presented here, I would like to make some preliminary statements today because I consider this so important. It was back on December the 2nd or 3rd in 59, a Thursday evening, that a Boeing 707 took off from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, and it headed toward the sunrise. That jet plane bore the insignia of the President of the United States. And at that time, the President was beginning the longest trip that any President had made previously. He was to visit three continents and to confer with over a dozen rulers. He’d be seen by thousands of people. Now, the supreme objective of that trip at that time was peace. And President Eisenhower at that time expressed it by stating that it was an effort to attain peace with justice. Now, certainly that was a laudable and worthy objective. And for 19 days he traveled 22,370 miles. Now, since that time, every other president traveled farther, and they have tried to bring peace to this earth. Now, the longing and the prayers… of over a billion people at the time that President Eisenhower made that trip were with him because the world wants peace and the human heart desires peace above all else. Now, the very interesting thing is that he went at the season of the year when we celebrate the birth of a baby in which it was said, glory to God in the highest. and on earth peace to men of goodwill. Well, I must confess that back there in 59, I very sincerely prayed for him and my good wishes went with him and a prayer for success and a bone for yard. Now, I’m sure that many of you that listen to this program have learned not to entertain delusions of grandeur that he could have or that anyone since then would be able to bring permanent peace to the earth. I actually got the impression as I listened to him on television that he didn’t believe that he could actually do that. I don’t think he entertained any grandiose ideas as he was a military man and faced reality. But I think he hoped to relieve the tensions and just postpone the evil day. And he wanted, I think, to make plain the purpose and intents of this nation and to try and clear up misunderstandings and misrepresentations. But may I say to you today, after all these years have gone by, that it’s still true that a baby born 1,900 years ago is the only hope for permanent peace. He alone can and will bring peace to this earth. He holds in perpetuity the title Prince of Peace. This earth will not enjoy complete fulfillment until he comes. And the total purpose and entire redemption until he comes will not see peace upon this earth. And he has a program and a plan to bring in permanent peace. He will establish the kingdom of heaven on earth. Now, it’s Zechariah here, along with the other prophets, of course. But Zechariah in great detail sketches this program. Oh, maybe briefly, but he has a great deal of detail here. And you find that God has a program and plan for bringing in the kingdom. And in this book, there’s elsewhere, we find out something about the character of that kingdom. And we are going to note that as we go along. We’ve already seen that the kingdom has a great many physical aspects that always appeal to man. The desert will blossom as the rose. The lame will leap, the blind will see. And then there are those that like to think of the golden streets that’ll be in the New Jerusalem. Well, that’s very sentimental and emotional. But when we get off on that tangent, we forget the spiritual aspects. And we’ve already seen here in this little book that the kingdom will be characterized by truth. You know, he’s mentioned that before, that the kingdom would be characterized by truth. Back in the 8th chapter, in verse 3, he had this to say, Thus saith the Lord, I am returned unto Zion. I’ll dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth. Well, I said when we went over that, it’s not that today, but it will be when he reigns there. And that’s important to see. And there’s no capital of the world today that is noted for truth. I don’t care what capital you attempt to go to. And then we are coming here in chapter 13, and we’re going to see that the kingdom he will establish is going to be characterized by holiness and righteousness. It says here in verse 1, “…in that day…” There shall be a fountain open to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I’ll cut the names of the idols out of the land. They shall no more be remembered. And also I will cause the prophet… and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. I’ll deal with that in just a moment. But you notice that the kingdom is to be characterized by holiness and righteousness. And over in the 14th chapter, and we’ll get to that later, why he’s going to say that the bells on the horses and the pots and pans are going to be holiness to the Lord in that day. then it’s also going to be characterized by freedom from fear. And we’re going to find that when we get over into the 14th chapter. Now, these are spiritual aspects of the kingdom and not the physical aspects. And we’re going to find also that joy will characterize the kingdom. And what a wonderful thing that is. And that’s given to us back in the 10th chapter, verse 6 and 7. I’ll strengthen the house of Judah. I’ll save the house of Joseph. and I will bring them again to place them, for I have mercy upon them. They shall be as though I had not cast them out, for I am the Lord their God, and will hear them. And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man.” And their heart shall rejoice as through wine. Yea, their children shall see it and be glad. Their heart shall rejoice in the Lord. Well, that’s going to be a time of great joy, you see. And then the important thing is there’s going to be peace at that particular time. It will be characterized by peace. And we are told in chapter 9, verse 10, I’ll cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, the battle bow, and he shall speak peace unto the nations. Now, that is the time when he comes to reign. Now, we’ve been following that program. They came the first time, they sold him, they rejected him, and turned him over to the Gentiles who crucified him. Then we find that there is a period of time that lapses. Zacharias is not talking about the church, but we know that this is the church period we’re living in today, and that will end. And when it does, then we find there’s going to appear a worthless shepherd, the Antichrist. And he won’t usher in the kingdom. He’ll bring in the great tribulation period. And then we find that his world dictatorship can only be ended by the coming of Christ to establish his kingdom upon the earth. Now, that’s what we have before us here. And this, I think, should be taken in a very literal way. Now, that’s the reason that I say there are many folk today think God has no future purpose with Israel. Now, you couldn’t read this passage of Scripture and dismiss it unless you spiritualize it away. And if you do, you do not have a very high view of inspiration of Scripture. You just don’t think God means what he says when he says it. And as we saw back in chapter 12, the center of that plan is Jerusalem. Now, in these last three chapters, 12, 13, and 14, Jerusalem occurs 21 times. Now, my friend, God wouldn’t have used it that many times unless He’d have meant Jerusalem. He wasn’t talking about London, or Paris, or Berlin, or Moscow, or Peking. He was speaking actually about the city of Jerusalem. And it’s quite interesting. that even President Eisenhower back in that day bypassed Jerusalem and they’ve been bypassing it ever since until the Arabs turned off the oil and Jerusalem somehow or another became rather prominent again. In fact, the matter is it had world attention for a while. So we take this literally. And I think your better conservative expositors today take that position. I have this quotation from Dr. Unger, whom I value very highly as an interpreter of this book. He has the finest book on Zechariah that I know anything about. Now, it’s a scholarly book, and you do need a little smattering of Hebrew to get through it. But it’s a wonderful book. I’m quoting from him now. Only a literal application of these prophecies to the restoration and conversion of the Jewish nation at the second advent of Christ can satisfy the scope of these prophetic disclosures. Other interpretations ignore the true scope of Zechariah’s prophecies as a whole. violate the immediate context, resort to pointless mysticalizing, and end up in a morass of uncertainty and confusion. And I say amen to that, and I could even make it stronger than that, because I believe that it’s practically a denial of the inspiration of the Word of God. Now, this first verse I’ve read In that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David. Now, it’s in that day, and we’ve already determined that in that day refers to the period beginning with the great tribulation. It moves on into the millennial kingdom, and in between there is the coming of Christ to the earth to establish his kingdom. But this verse here does not refer to the first coming of Christ because at that time there was not open to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. Not at all. Actually, They rejected him and they crucified him. And even Paul could write in his day in Romans 10, 3, for they being ignorant of God’s righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. so that at the first coming, they have rejected him. And this fountain will be open at the second coming. And we saw back in chapter 12, and by the way, chapter 12 and 13 just go together because the program is presented here. And we saw in chapter 12 that it would be in that day that God would pour out his spirit upon these people. Joel talked about that. And that’s when these people are going to to have the fountain open to them. And that, of course, will be the fact that he was crucified for them. And they’re going to look upon him, and he puts it very definitely, they shall look upon me. And this is, remember, the word of the Lord. whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him. And as we said, that’s going to be a real day of atonement for these people when Christ comes, and they’re going to be greatly moved. The Spirit of God will take that veil from their eyes. And Paul makes it clear that the veil can be taken away from their eyes and from our eyes. If we really want to give up sin. You see, the problem with man’s heart trouble, not head trouble. No man has really an intellectual problem. He hasn’t got that many brains. No man has. To deal with the creator of this universe, with an infinite God. The problem is you just don’t want to give up your sin. That’s true of these people. That’s true of the Gentiles. That’s true of the world today. Let’s face up to it. Now he says here, verse 1, “…it shall come to pass in that day.” And he’s getting rather monotonous in using that expression, by the way. He uses that expression about as much as I use, by the way. All right, by the way, let’s look at this. “…saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land.” Now, when they returned from Babylonian captivity, they had taken the gold cure down in Babylon and came back and gave up idolatry as they had observed it before. But you see, there was these little household paraffin that they were using, and there were all kinds of little gadgets and fetishes that they were using. Even to this day, a great many so-called civilized people think if they wear a certain thing, it’ll ward off danger. Or if they put up a certain little gadget somewhere, why, it will ward off this, that, and the other thing. That was the kind of idolatry they were engaged in. And they shall no more be remembered. And also I will cause the prophets, now those were the false prophets, and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. Now, that has reference, of course, to the coming of Christ, and it means that the demons are going to be removed at that time. And you and I live in a world where they have been very active. We have attention called to it today, and it may be that we’re seeing an outbreak today as we draw near the end of the age. But very candidly, I think there’s been a manifestation of them all along, and they do it in a very subtle manner. But the reason this passage is so important, this is the only passage that speaks of the demons being put out of this earth during the millennium. And now in Revelation, we’re told that the prophet and the false prophet and the Antichrist, the one who is the willful king, and also the devil are going to be removed. But very frankly, nothing is said there about the demons. Well, here’s where it is, right here. And it stands to reason they would be removed also at that particular time. And we read, “…and it shall come to pass that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and mother who begot him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live, for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord, and his father and his mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesied.” Now, that seems strong, but that’s going to be a day, friends, when God Men are going to put God first. They betrayed him the first time, and he’s being betrayed today. But in that day, they’re going to be faithful to him and put him first, even if there’s a son that’s prophesying falsely. This is tremendous. Until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
SPEAKER 03 :
If we can help you find a resource that will deepen your study of God’s Word, just call us at 1-800-65-BIBLE or visit ttb.org. Again, that’s 1-800-65-BIBLE or ttb.org. And then be sure to hop aboard the Bible bus next time as our five-year study of God’s Word continues in the book of Zechariah.
SPEAKER 02 :
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