Friday, December 19, 2014

Zechariah. Preparing for the Coming of the Lord


Like Haggai, Zechariah encouraged the people to continue rebuilding the temple. But he also challenged the people to rebuild their personal spiritual lives. Zechariah’s visions are both Messianic and apocalyptic. Zechariah’s prophecies about Jesus Christ in chapters 9–14 are quoted often in the four Gospels of the New Testament.
9 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true ajudgment,
and shew bmercy and ccompassions every man to his brother:
10 And aoppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the bpoor;
and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

The Lord calls upon us to execute true judgment, show mercy and compassion, don’t oppress the widow, the fatherless, the stranger, or the poor. We should also think good of others and want the best for them.

11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder,
and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant astone, lest they should hear the law,
and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former bprophets:
therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts.


The people of Zechariah’s time refused to listen to the Lord, they turned their backs and closed their ears so they would not hear. They closed their hearts to the spirit and rejected the prophets. Many today do the same thing. It was to the detriment of the people then and will be to the detriment of the people today.
9 ¶Rejoice greatly, O adaughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy bKing cometh unto thee: he is cjust, and having salvation; lowly, and driding upon an eass, and upon a fcolt the foal of an ass.

Zechariah gave hope for the children of the Israelites. He prophesied of Christ as King, who would come bringing justice and salvation. He would ride triumphant into Jerusalem on a donkey’s back. We find this prophecy fulfilled in Matthew 21

1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage,
unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
2 Saying unto them, Go into the village aover against you,
and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her:
loose them, and bring them unto me.
3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them;
and straightway he will send them.
4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy aKing cometh unto thee,
meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
7 aAnd brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way;
others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, 
aHosanna to the Son of David: bBlessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest.
10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
11 And the amultitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
 The gathering of Israel
6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph,
and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them:
and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the Lord their God, and will ahear them.
7 And they of aEphraim 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.
8 I will hiss for them, and agather them; for I have redeemed them:
and they shall increase as they have increased.
9 And I will asow them among the people: and they shall bremember me in far countries;
and they shall live with their children, and turn again.
10 I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of aAssyria;
and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.
11 And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea,
and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of aAssyria shall be brought down,
and the bsceptre of cEgypt shall depart away.
12 And I will astrengthen them in the Lord; and they shall walk up and down in his bname, saith the Lord.

In Zechariah 10, we learn of a future gathering of Israel where they will once again be favored of the Lord as they turn their hearts back to Him. The tribe of Ephraim will be instrumental in that gathering. From all the countries where they have been scattered, they will be gathered. In the Doctrine and Covenants we learn more about that gathering. The gathering is now. From every nation the Lord is calling to any who will listen to his voice. They will receive all the promised blessings of Israel. They will be the children of the Lord. They will be spared when wickedness is swept from the face of the earth. The parable of the harvest and the wheat and the tares is symbolic for what is taking place. The wheat(righteous) is being separated from the tares(wicked). As soon as it is time, the tares and all the stubble will be burned. The earth will be cleansed. The Lord will come in power and great glory to reign as king of kings on the earth. All the righteous hosts will be with him. The wicked will be wiped from the earth. It will usher in a time of peace and prosperity.

7 And ye are called to bring to pass the agathering of mine belect;
for mine elect chear my voice and dharden not their ehearts;
8 Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall be agathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to bprepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when ctribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked.
9 For the hour is nigh and the aday soon at hand when the earth is ripe;
and all the bproud and they that do wickedly shall be as cstubble; and I will dburn them up,
saith the Lord of Hosts, that wickedness shall not be upon the earth;
10 For the hour is nigh, and that which was aspoken by mine bapostles must be fulfilled;
for as they spoke so shall it come to pass;
11 For I will reveal amyself from heaven with power and great glory,
with all the bhosts thereof, and cdwell in drighteousnesswith men on earth a ethousand years,
and the wicked shall not stand.
63 Again, verily I say unto you, I will show unto you wisdom in me concerning all the churches, inasmuch as they are awilling to be guided in a right and proper way for their salvation—
64 That the work of the agathering together of my saints may continue, that I may build them up unto my name upon bholy places; for the time of charvest is come, and my word must needs be dfulfilled.
65 Therefore, I must gather together my people, according to the parable of the wheat and the atares, that the wheat may be secured in the garners to possess eternal life,
and be crowned with celestial bglory, when I shall come in the kingdom of my Father
to reward every man according as his work shall be;
66 While the atares shall be bound in bundles, and their bands made strong,
that they may be bburned with unquenchable fire.
67 Therefore, a commandment I give unto all the churches,
that they shall continue to gather together unto the places which I have appointed.
68 Nevertheless, as I have said unto you in a former commandment, let not your agathering be in haste, nor by flight; but let all things be prepared before you.
5 Verily I say unto you all: aArise and shine forth, that thy blight may be a cstandard for the dnations;
6 And that the agathering together upon the land of bZion, and upon her cstakes,
may be for a defense, and for a drefuge from the storm, and from wrath
when it shall be epoured out without mixture upon the whole earth.

The second coming and the millennium: Zechariah 12 -14
The Lord will perform miracles for the Jews at the second coming.
9 ¶And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to adestroy 
all the nations that come against bJerusalem.
10 And I will apour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
the spirit of bgrace and of supplications: and they shall clook upon me whom they have dpierced,
and they shall emourn for him, as one mourneth for his fonly son, 
and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Chapter 13
6 And one shall say unto him, What are these awounds in thine hands?
Then he shall answer, Those with which I was bwounded in the house of my friends.
9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will arefine them as silver is refined,
and will btry them as gold is ctried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them:
I will say, It is my dpeople: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.
Chapter 14
3 Then shall the Lord go forth, and afight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 ¶And his afeet shall bstand in that day upon the cmount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east,
and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west,
and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north,
and half of it toward the south.
8 And it shall be in that day, that aliving bwaters shall go out from Jerusalem;
half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And the Lord shall be aking over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.
10 All the land shall be turned as a aplain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem:
and bit shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her cplace, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate,
unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses.
11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction;
but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

The Lord will destroy all nations who come against Jerusalem. He will pour out his spirit upon them and show grace and mercy. He will refine them and forgive them. The Lord will fight for them. He will be their king. Living waters will flow from Jerusalem and there will be no more destruction, but only safety. D&C 45 puts it this way:
47 Then shall the aarm of the Lord fall upon the nations.
48 And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this amount, and it shall cleave in twain,
and the earth shall btremble, and reel to and fro, and the cheavens also dshall shake.
49 And the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it;
and the nations of the earth shall amourn, and they that have blaughed shall see their cfolly.
50 And calamity shall cover the amocker, and the scorner shall be consumed;
and they that have watched for iniquity shall be hewn down and bcast into the cfire.
51 And then shall the aJews blook upon me and say:
What are these cwounds in thine hands and in thy feet?
52 Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them:
These wounds are the wounds with which I was awounded in the house of my friends.
I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was bcrucified. I am the cSon of God.
53 And then shall they aweep because of their iniquities;
then shall they blament because they cpersecuted their dking.
There will be physical changes in the earth after the Lord comes.
4 In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness:
and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord,
two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be aleft therein.
Chapter 14
4 ¶And his afeet shall bstand in that day upon the cmount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east,
and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west,
and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north,
and half of it toward the south.
6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the alight shall not be clear, nor dark:
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night:
but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
8 And it shall be in that day, that aliving bwaters shall go out from Jerusalem;
half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea:
in summer and in winter shall it be.
10 All the land shall be turned as a aplain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem:
and bit shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her cplace, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate,
unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses.
17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King,
the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

The horses will be blind, two thirds of the land will be cut off and die. The Mount of Olives will cleave in half and make a great valley, half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south. The light will not be clear, nor dark. At evening it will be light. Living waters will go out of Jerusalem. The land will be turned into a plain and be lifted up. There will be no rain upon those who do not come up to Jerusalem. The earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake.
We can look forward to these events that will happen when the savior comes again:
8 In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David;
and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.
9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will arefine them as silver is refined,
and will btry them as gold is ctried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them:
I will say, It is my dpeople: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.
Chapter 14
5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea,
ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the aearthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah:
and the Lord my God shall come, and all the bsaints with thee.
8 And it shall be in that day, that aliving bwaters shall go out from Jerusalem;
half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea:
in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And the Lord shall be aking over all the earth:
in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.
10 All the land shall be turned as a aplain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem:
and bit shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her cplace, from Benjamin’s gate
unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate,
and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses.
11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction;
but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the aheathen 
round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.
16 ¶And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations
which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to aworship the bKing,
the Lord of hosts, and to keep the cfeast of dtabernacles.
20 ¶In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, AHOLINESS UNTO THE LORD;
and the pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be aholiness unto the Lord of hosts:
and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and bseethe therein:
and in that day there shall be no more the cCanaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.

The Lord will be the protector. The feeble will have no need to fear. The people will be refined and call the Lord their God. The Lord will come in glory with all the righteous hosts. Living water will flow out of Jerusalem. There will be no more destruction and Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. There will be an abundance of wealth. Everyone will worship the Lord as King of Kings and keep the feast of tabernacles. The city will be a holy place.
“In beautiful imagery, Zechariah taught that in the Millennium peace and righteousness will prevail to a point where everything (symbolized by such trifles as the trappings on horses and earthen jars) shall be holy and pure and where “there shall be no more the Canaanite [the wicked] in the house of the Lord of hosts” (v. 21).”(OT Manual)
We need to be prepared for the second coming. When things get hard many of us give up. Things will get very hard before the second coming. It will require extreme diligence to finish strong. Here are some thoughts about what it takes to finish strong by a latter day prophet:

“Finishers Wanted”
Elder Thomas S. Monson made this interesting analogy about those who complete their tasks:
“On sunlit days during the noon hour, the streets of Salt Lake City abound with men and women who for a moment leave the confines of the tall office buildings and engage in that universal delight called window shopping. On occasion I, too, am a participant.
“One Wednesday I paused before the elegant show window of a prestigious furniture store. That which caught and held my attention was not the beautifully designed sofa nor the comfortable-appearing chair that stood at its side. Neither was it the beautiful chandelier positioned overhead. Rather, my eyes rested upon a small sign that had been placed at the bottom right-hand corner of the window. Its message was brief: ‘Finishers Wanted.’
“The store had need of those persons who possessed the talent and the skill to make ready for final sale the expensive furniture that the firm manufactured and sold. ‘Finishers Wanted.’ The words remained with me as I returned to the pressing activities of the day.
“In life, as in business, there has always been a need for those persons who could be called finishers. Their ranks are few, their opportunities many, their contributions great.
“From the very beginning to the present time, a fundamental question remains to be answered by each who runs the race of life. Shall I falter or shall I finish? On the answer await the blessings of joy and happiness here in mortality and eternal life in the world to come.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1972, pp. 69–70; or Ensign, July 1972, p. 68.)
Elder Thomas S. Monson gave the following six marks of a true finisher:
“Times change, circumstances vary, but the true marks of a finisher remain. Note them well, for they are vital to our success.
“1. The Mark of Vision. It has been said that the doorways of history turn on small hinges, and so do people’s lives. We are constantly making small decisions. The outcome determines the success or failure of our lives. That is why it is worthwhile to look ahead, set a course, and at least be partly ready when the moment of decision comes. True finishers have the capacity to visualize their objective.
“2. The Mark of Effort. Vision without effort is daydreaming, effort without vision is drudgery; but vision, coupled with effort, will obtain the prize.
“Needed is the capacity to make the second effort when life’s challenges lay us low. …
“3. The Mark of Faith. Long years ago the psalmist wrote: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man: It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps. 118:8–9.) Recognize that faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other.
“4. The Mark of Virtue. ‘… let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly. …’ (D&C 121:45.) This counsel from the Lord will provide staying power in the race we run.
“5. The Mark of Courage. Courage becomes a living and attractive virtue when it is regarded not as a willingness to die manfully, but the determination to live decently. Have the courage—
“‘To dream the impossible dream;
To fight the unbeatable foe;
To bear with unbearable sorrow;
To run where the brave dare not go.
“‘To right the unrightable wrong
To love, pure and chaste, from afar;
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star.’”
[Joe Darion, “The Impossible Dream.”]
—and you will thus become a finisher.
“6. The Mark of Prayer. When the burdens of life become heavy, when trials test one’s faith, when pain, sorrow, and despair cause the light of hope to flicker and burn low, communication with our Heavenly Father provides peace.
“These, the marks of a true finisher, will be as a lamp to our feet in the journey through life. Ever beckoning us onward and lifting us upward is he who pleaded, ‘… come, follow me.’ (Luke 18:22)” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1972, pp. 71–72; or Ensign, July 1972, pp. 69–70.)

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