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“He shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.”—Zechariah 3:1
The immediate purpose of this vision given to the prophet is not hard to discover. Joshua, the priest in tattered garments is a picture of the Jewish people in their distress following the many years of captivity. He is ministering before the Lord in robes unfitted for his work. The old adversary of God’s people, the devil, chooses that moment to resist them and seeks to turn away God’s favor from them, but that same …
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“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord.”—Zachariah 4:6
My message to you this morning is as homely in title as it is simple in development. Yet, despite simplicity and homeliness, there is a certain profundity connected with it, since, from beginning to end it presents the subject as God Himself deals with it in His Word.
The text itself is the beginning of this treatment. The angel’s answer to Zachariah’s query is, “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith …
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“And when Jesus was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?”—Matthew 21:10
The pages of human history are replete with instances of royal occasions. There have been accessions, ascensions, and acclamations with such ceremonial auspiciousness that people of all lands have become irrepressively hilarious at the pompous procedures. Preparations in the extreme are planned and presentations of appropriateness are bestowed upon the regal subject, but Israel’s King was accorded no such honors. “He came to His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:11). The kingdom was unrealized, for the King was unrecognized. This …
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We can be grateful that the 33-day war between Lebanon and Israel is over and that a peace-keeping force will be installed to prevent a repeat of the hostilities we witnessed just months ago. But unfortunately, we can be quite sure that conflicts will erupt in the Middle East again, somewhere and at some time. I might be a pessimist, but I don’t believe that a permanent peace is possible in Israel.
The basic roots of the conflict go back to A.D. 638 when the Muslim caliph Omar captured Jerusalem, beginning a 450-year period of Muslim rule over the city. …
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“Thus saith the Lord of hosts, If thou wilt walk in my way, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my court; and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.”—Zechariah 3:7
The Revised Version of the last phrase reads thus: I will keep thee a place of access among those that stand by.”
How we need to grow in the understanding of the Word of God! The real Christian life, the Christ-like life, is that which is grasping constantly, day by day, by the …
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This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).
Back of this old text is one of the most striking and beautiful visions of the Old Testament. The prophet Ezekiel is standing in the sanctuary which represents the Church of God and the Christian life. On one side stands the golden candlestick with its sevenfold light, the ancient type of the Holy Ghost. It is the only light of the sacred chamber. There are no windows to God’s tabernacle. The light of …
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There are many good things that a man can do in the world today. But I have a conviction that the greatest work any of us can do is to help lead people to Jesus Christ. You do not have to be a “full-time Christian worker” to be a soul-winner. In fact, many of our greatest soul-winners are dedicated men and women who hold “ordinary” occupations, but who use every opportunity to witness for Christ.
We use the word “soul-winner” so often, and yet I wonder if we really know what it means? Perhaps it would be helpful to us …
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Stand with Me on the Mount of Olives
As we stood on the Mount of Olives, the words of the prophet Zechariah kept coming to mind, “On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east.” (Zechariah 14:4, ESV).
This wasn’t my first visit to the Mount of Olives. But on this particular trip I co-led to Israel just weeks ago, I was especially awed to think that the most spectacular event of all history will take place on this spot… affecting every person who has ever lived on planet Earth. …
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