Join us as we explore the profound promises of God about a peaceful future through the lens of Zechariah Chapter 8. Dr. J. Vernon McGee offers a compelling narrative, paired with Steve Schwetz’s insights, as we learn about the ministry work in Mongolia and how God’s word is making a profound impact. Discover the challenges and triumphs of spreading the gospel in challenging environments and the incredible narratives that unfold when God’s people rise to the occasion.
The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith.
SPEAKER 03 :
It seems like everywhere we look, the world is in chaos. But can you imagine a world filled with peace and safety? No traffic, no pollution, just clean air, quiet streets and children playing freely and older generations living with joy and dignity among their families. Well, that’s not just wishful thinking, it’s a promise that God makes about the future. Welcome to Through the Bible, as Dr. J. Vernon McGee walks us through Zechariah chapter 8, and we get a powerful glimpse of the coming kingdom, one that echoes the hope first shared by the prophet Isaiah. I’m Steve Schwetz, and as you grab your Bible and your seat on the Bible bus, Greg Harris and I have really an encouraging and also challenging update on how God is at work through His Word in Mongolia.
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Steve, one of the things that we try to do in these dialogues is kind of pull back the curtain and let people know what it is that it takes to do this type of ministry. And we would be less than honest if we said everything was onward and upward and glorious and golden. We have lots of amazing, wonderful things to tell, but it’s a lot of hard work for us to keep these ministries on track.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, and as we’ve said before, it’s the Lord ultimately that sets open doors before us and opens those doors. Sometimes those doors fling wide open. Sometimes they’re a little squeaky on the hinges and they don’t always open. Sometimes they hit you on the way through. And to continue that analogy, sometimes they open, you go through them, and you think you’re going to go through another one, and that door ends up being closed. And the ministry doesn’t go as far as we thought it would.
SPEAKER 04 :
But let’s go back to the beginning. And I actually was personally involved in this before I was on staff at Through the Bible. I was the president of FEBC, Far East Broadcasting Company, one of our great partners. And I was in Mongolia, and I started talking to the team there. You need to get Through the Bible in Mongolian. And finally, when I came on staff around 2013, 2012 – So about 12 or so years ago, we started it. And the exciting narrative, which was absolutely true, is that in 1990, there were about four known Christians. And by just another 15 years later, there were almost 100,000. And so the real encouraging thing is that – You know how all the New Testament epistles, Paul’s basically correcting bad theology and bad behavior.
SPEAKER 03 :
And that’s the beauty of Through the Bible is even when the underlying support organization, if you will, the leaders may change, as long as the content that is solid and secure and been taught consistently continues to go out, a lot of things that get bent kind of get straightened back again because Dr. McGee does such a good job taking you back to what the Word of God says and applies it to your daily life.
SPEAKER 04 :
That is such an important point. And we have seen leadership changes, and they haven’t maybe been exactly what we hoped for. It doesn’t mean that it’s a horrible situation, but the beginning was kind of an ideal. We had a wonderful brother that we thought the world of, and then there was a leadership change. And so we are focusing on the content is always key, like you said. Yeah. But but also this has opened up new opportunities. And talk about this veterinarian situation. It’s amazing.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, it’s an interesting statistic. There are three and a half million people in Mongolia, not very many. Yet there are 58 million livestock. So obviously your local veterinarian is a key guy or woman who is part of the industrial complex of that country. Yes. Well, and we partnered with some Christian veterinarians and they have a unique opportunity to be sharing with people as they’re as they’re They’re delivering aid to these different farm animals, all this livestock, and they’re handing out media players and sharing the gospel with them. And that’s been a very effective way of getting God’s word out in that country.
SPEAKER 04 :
And that’s an example of a door that we didn’t know was going to open when we went through the first door. And so, you know, what we want to encourage you is that if you pray, if you support, we are working hard to follow God through all the open doors.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, and pray that the Holy Spirit would rejuvenate what we saw as a very strong growth trajectory that’s now slowed a little bit, that the Spirit would move in that part of the world and that many people would come to Christ, the church would continue to grow and be built up. So, Greg, why don’t you pray for that and for the program as we begin?
SPEAKER 04 :
Father, we do ask you to continue to use our humble efforts to bless and strengthen the church in Mongolia. Lord, thank you that we can always rely on you through any challenges and that your word has the answers we need. We pray now as we study that you’ll open our hearts and minds in Jesus’ name. Amen.
SPEAKER 03 :
Now here’s Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee as he continues his study in the book of Zechariah.
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Now, friends, we’re in the eighth chapter where we’re getting God’s final answer to these people who were complaining that they were going through a ritual and performing a liturgy and were being very religious. They were fasting. They were weeping and mourning and going through all of that. And God hadn’t blessed them. And the Lord made it very clear to them that the problem was not with the ritual. Problem was with them, that the ritual is inconsequential. In fact, it’s meaningless. When the heart is wrong, the ritual is wrong. God made that clear to them. And then he also made it clear that when the heart is right, the ritual is right. Nothing wrong with the ritual. The thing that’s wrong with the folk who are going through it. The people who are being religious are like this lady that I read about the other day that promotes our program, which she kept a young mother, married woman, from listening to our program for several years because of the life that she was living. And she was judging our program by that woman’s lie. May I say to you, you can go through a rite and a ritual. Now, God makes it clear now in the eighth chapter, and some like to call this the positive side of God’s answer. Well, it’s doubly positive because it’s God’s purpose concerning Jerusalem is unchanged by any ritual. And the important expression here, it occurs 18 times, is the Lord of hosts. Again, the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me saying, and this now is God’s answer. And he says that I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth. Now, Isaiah… had previously made it very clear that Jerusalem is to become the capital of the earth. In the second chapter, we read that Isaiah, the son of Amos, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem and shall come to pass in the last days. And Zechariah now is looking on to the last days, encouraging the people that they have returned and God has blessed them to a certain degree. But that’s a miniature of what is going to come yonder in the future, that there’s a glorious day in the future. And that won’t depend upon a ritual or a liturgy or a ceremony or jumping through somebody’s little hook thinking that will please God. God says it’s your heart that’s going to have to be changed. And God says he’s going to change their hearts and that the word of God would go forth from Jerusalem and be called the city of truth. Now, God says here that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, shall be exalted above the hills and all nations. shall flow unto it, and many people shall go and say, Come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of God of Jacob. He’ll teach us his ways, and we’ll walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And God makes it very clear that that’ll be the day that they’re going to beat their spears into pruning hooks, and they’re going to beat their swords into plowshares. But we haven’t come to that day yet. We better keep our atom bombs dry and ready for use. This mean, big, bad world we’re in, never know when you need things like that. You see, there is coming a day, and that is what Zechariah is talking about, when Jerusalem will be the city of truth. and the mountain, or the kingdom of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. In other words, the kingdom will be established. And he’s speaking of the millennial kingdom that is yet in the future. Now, we’ll see in these first eight verses that God’s ultimate purpose is not change concerning his people, or the land, and Jerusalem. And I’m reading now in verse 4. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for every age.” In other words, Jerusalem will be a place where old people can live. They won’t have to go out to retirement centers or senior citizen cities. Now, I want to say something here that I know is not very popular. These senior citizens Places of retirement, they’re painted to be very delightful places. But I don’t know about you, and I’ve been to several of them and may have to move to one before it’s all over with. But frankly, I don’t think they’re very healthy. I know that we stop at a certain one every now and then and eat lunch because it’s good food and reasonable. And I tell my wife, and she agrees with me on this, that it makes you feel very, very downcast. You go there and see nothing but old gray heads and people around. It’s going to be nice that in Jerusalem, they won’t have to have a retirement center. People will be able to live in Jerusalem. I think they’re going to improve on the method that they have today in the millennium. And not only will you have place for old people and they’ll be safe there and will be welcome there. And we’ll enjoy living there. And we’re told, verse 5, and the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets of it. Well, that means they’re not going to have automobiles. We’ll get rid of the smog and get rid of the pollution. Won’t be any pollution during the millennium because there’s not going to be any cars. And the streets of Jerusalem are going to be playgrounds for the boys and girls. So you’ve got old age here. You old people and you got young people, boys and girls. And I think it’s nice for grandma and grandpa to see the little grandchildren every now and then. Don’t want them too long. When they get tired, they get ornery like their grandmother. It makes it a little difficult for grandfathers. And so he likes to send them home after a while. But it’s wonderful that they can mingle. And I think it’s good for the little folks. To have a grandma and a grandfather that puts the arm around them and tells them how much he or she loves them. Because children need all the love they can get in this world. And this is a beautiful picture this year. Picture of old age and a picture of children. This is the millennium. Jerusalem is the capital of the earth. Jesus is reigning there. The church is out under dwelling in the new Jerusalem. Somebody says, I thought the church would be with him. I think the church will be with him. I think he’s going to commute back and forth every day from there. They won’t have all the tie up on the freeways in the millennium. He’ll be able to come from the New Jerusalem down. I don’t think it’ll take him maybe over a couple of seconds to make the trip, maybe not that long. And he’ll commute back and forth into the city of Jerusalem. That’ll be the capital of the earth. Then we’re told here, thus saith the Lord of hosts, if it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvelous in mine eyes, saith the Lord of hosts? God says, you don’t see what I see in the future. And if you think that what’s happening here is wonderful, and they were greatly impressed when that delegation came down, the temple is being rebuilt, and many of the people had built their homes, and there was an air of prosperity in Jerusalem. And they said, my, it does look like God is really moving here. And God says, if you think this is something, tell the truth. He says, this is nothing. compared to what it’s going to be in the future. Now, notice again how often the word the Lord of hosts or the Lord of armies occurs. Verse 7, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country. Now, that’s quite interesting. The east country is the place that they’ve come from. A great many have come out of Yemen even in this day. God says, I’ll bring my people from the east country and from the west country. Now, where’s the west country? Well, we’re part of it, I think. If you keep going west to Jerusalem, I notice when I take a plane, they fly out of there west and they just keep going west. And finally, I get back to Los Angeles. They’ll be leaving this country then. Just think what New York City will become. It will become a ghost town, practically, because there are more Jews there than there are in that land. So in the millennium, why, New York City is going to be a different place altogether because God’s bringing his people. He hasn’t performed this yet. That’s what he’s telling them. He says, if you in the remnant think what you see is wonderful, think what I see. Out yonder in the future. Verse 8 now. and I will bring them and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem and they shall be my people. They’re not his people now. Somebody says to me, do you believe that the Jews are God’s chosen people? I think I shock them a little. I said, no, I don’t think so. Well, they said, what do you mean? You say it on the radio. No, God’s chosen people today is the church. Ye are a chosen generation. You’re royal priesthood. Who’s he talking about? The church today is that. where both Jew and Gentile have been brought together and made one in Christ. And that’s the only real brotherhood that there can be in this world. And that’s the church. Now, the church will be removed. And then God will take these people. and return them to the land. And we’ve already seen in the visions that God will cleanse them. They need cleansing as we do. The church are a blood-bought, blood-washed people. Why? Because they’re sinners. And as we said the other day, we’re saved sinners right now. One of these days, I’m going to be a real saint. I’m a saint now by name, but my life doesn’t look like a saint, I’ll tell you that. It is something else. But one of these days, I’m going to be like him. And that’s going to be a glorious day. Now, these people are going to be transformed also. And God says they shall be my people. When? In that day. When what? When they go back to Jerusalem. They’re not in the city of Jerusalem. I’ve been through that old city of Jerusalem, and it’s filled with Arabs. They’re the ones that are living there today. Now, God says, and I will be their God in truth and in righteousness. And they’re not back there in truth. They still deny the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah. and they do not accept them. In fact, there’s no reference to God. I’m amazed, the leaders of that country today, how little, in fact, it’s practically nil, they say less about God than anybody else. In fact, I heard an Arab leader Say, if Allah wills it. Well, he didn’t seem to be ashamed of his God. But Israel doesn’t mention her God. They’re not boasting of him at all. But God says, I’m going to be their God in truth and in righteousness. And righteousness means things are going to be made right. What a picture that we have here. Now, let me continue to move on when we come here to verse 9 as we move on down. In fact, from verses 9 to 19. You have the remnant from Babylon are to hear the prophets Haggai and Zechariah in view of the perspective of the glorious future. Also there to keep the commandments. Just because they didn’t come back doesn’t mean that they’re excused from the commandment and they’re to listen to Haggai and Zechariah. Now, will you notice verse 9? Thus saith the Lord of hosts, let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets. And the prophets were Haggai and Zechariah. And they were the ones encouraging the people to build the temple, who were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. And encouraging now those that didn’t come up to help with the building of the temple. And they did help, by the way. Verse 10, For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beasts. In other words, unemployment was a real factor in the economics of the country at that time. Neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction. For I set all men, every one against his neighbor.” Now, we’re living in this country, and we’ve practically forgotten God. We’ve left him out. There are very few that make any reference to him that are in public life, except they may ridicule him, and they call him Jesus Christ Superstar, or something that is, to my judgment, blasphemous. And God is pretty well left out. And we are wondering why we are having all this trouble with the different groups. They call them minority groups. And not only the racial divisions, but the social divisions, economic divisions, geographical divisions. All of these things enter in today, and there’s never been a time when there’s been so much talk about let’s get together, let’s put the thing together, and let’s stand together as a nation, and let’s do this as one people, and all of that kind of talk that comes from leaders today, and let’s do this, and let’s do that, and we accommodate this minority group and that minority group, and we get farther and farther apart. You know why? Because we’ve left God out. God says you’re not having peace and there’s division among us, all kinds of division, almost warfare that’s taking place, turmoil and violence. What’s the matter? Oh, my, every politician who runs for office, he’s got the solution to it. The only thing is he doesn’t have the solution for it. And I want to say to you, I don’t have the solution. But the Word of God says, there’s no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. And the answer seems to be that we need to get God back in the picture. We need to turn to him today. What a picture we have here. Now, will you notice verse 11? But now I will not be unto the residue of this people, as in the former days, saith the Lord of hosts. God says, I don’t intend to bless you as you are now, or as you were before I sent you into captivity. But he says, I’m going to bless you. For the seed shall be prosperous, this is verse 12, the vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its increase, and the heavens shall give their dew, and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. And God brought prosperity to that nation for a period of time. And I think that the great judgment came upon them, of course, when they rejected the Messiah and Titus the Roman destroyed the city and scattered them throughout the Roman Empire. And they’ve never returned from that, according to the word of God. Verse 13, it shall come to pass that as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong. And of course, at the time I’m making this tape, there’s still fingers being pointed at Israel. And practically all of Europe has deserted them because of the oil situation. And they are finding out that they’re not worth more than a gallon of gasoline. It’s a tragic situation. They’ve become a curse among the nations. And anti-Semitism is growing again throughout the world. But God says, when I’ve saved them and I bring them back to that land, they’re going to be a blessing to the world. You see, I believe that that nation will be the priests for the Gentile nations of the earth to stand between God and the Gentile nations. That’ll be in the millennium. Verse 14 says, For thus saith the Lord of hosts. Notice how often that occurs. Thus saith the Lord of hosts. As I thought to punish you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord of hosts. And I repented not. God says, I didn’t change my mind about that. So again, have I thought in these days to do good unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Fear ye not. God says, I intend to bless you. And I intend to bless you, not because you’ve been through a ritual. That hasn’t anything to do with it. These are the things that ye shall do. Speak every man the truth to his neighbor. Now we’re back to the Ten Commandments. As I said, many expositors feel that God’s putting down on them the Ten Commandments here. Well, we saw it in the seventh chapter. Here it is again. He says, speak every man the truth to his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates. And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor. Don’t covet your neighbor. Don’t lie. Don’t steal. Don’t commit adultery. And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor. And love no false oath. For all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord. Now, the Ten Commandments. show you some of the things that God hates. They’re not given to save you, but they’re to show you and me that God hates these things that are in our lives. And therefore, we need to turn to him. Now, verse 18. And the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me, saying… Here he goes again. What repetition we have. God wants you to know he said it. Now, this is tremendous. Verse 19. Thus saith the Lord of hosts… The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore, love the truth and peace. God says, I never gave you fasts. I gave you feasts. God gave to them seven feast days. God says, I don’t want you to come before me with a long face and that pious look that you have. I want you to come before me with joy. My friend, a lot of us are not enjoying being Christians as we should. God wants us to have a whole lot of fun, you know. And I think the big fun center for Christians ought to be the local church. Somebody says, oh, you mean to have a volleyball court? No, I mean come together and study the Word of God. That ought to be fun. And there’s something wrong with you, Christian. Studying the Word of God is not fun. Until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
SPEAKER 03 :
Looking for tools to grow in your walk with the Lord? Well, why don’t you download our app? Or you can always visit ttb.org to access all that we’ve got available for you. Or give us a call anytime at 1-800-65-BIBLE. You can also write to us at Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. Or in Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. And be sure to meet us back here next time as we make our way through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
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Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.
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Through the Bible exists to take God’s whole word to the whole world. And we invite you to stand with us with your faithful prayer and financial support. Where will God’s word go today?
