Zechariah 8

Chapter eight <*><*><*><*><*><*> After a reminiscence of the past misfortunes, caused by people's disobedience, Yahuweh now elaborates on the glorious future of Yerushalaim, which He shall bring about.
Verse 1-2 And came the word of Yahuweh Tzevaot to say:
"So says Yahuweh Tzevaot: "I am jealous towards Tziyon, jealous greatly and with burning anger greatly I am jealous for her!"" We could explain the word jealous as being protective and caring, but the Hebrew just says it plainly as jealous or envious.
This is totally correct. When we look at Yerushalaim at the present in the beginning of the year 5761 (Fall 2000) Yahuweh and His children also, are extremely jealous because Tziyon is in the hands of those who do not acknowledge the ownership of Yahuweh.
The Israeli Knesset shows by its actions that it has not put its trust in Yahuweh.
The holy place has been taken over by counterfeit religions.
And indeed Yahuweh is burning with anger over this.
People should start to realise this, because being the subject of Yahuweh's anger, means you are going to be at some time severely punished by Him.
The Hebrew grammar indicates that this is a once started and still ongoing jealousy and anger.
Verse 3 So says Yahuweh: "I am to return to Tziyon and I am to dwell in the midst of Yerushalaim. Then shall be called Yerushalaim city the truth and mount of Yahuweh Tzevaot mount the holy!" In Zech. 6:12-13 we learned that a temple would be build in Yerushalaim and here Yahuweh confirms that He is going to dwell there.

Secular Jews deny Him.
Orthodox Jews have adapted His Torah to their own human wisdom and desires.
Christianity in all its flavours has abandoned Yahuweh's Torah and denies the Hebrew roots of Yeshua and His Torah.
Counterfeit holy places occupy the city and surroundings.
A counterfeit religion is trying to eliminate any traces of Yahuweh and His chosen people from the city.

But one day the lies will be dealt with and Yerushalaim will be the city of truth. Tziyon the mount of Yahuweh will be a Holy Mountain. Holy means, set apart by Yahuweh for Yahuweh. Our prayers are that Yahuweh may hasten that day.
Verse 4-5 So says Yahuweh Tzevaot: "Again shall be seated Old men and old women in the streets Yerushalaim and man his support in his hand (in) abundance (of) days. Then the streets (of) the city to be filled (with) boys and girls to be playing in her streets!" The well being of the extremities of the population, old people and young people are mentioned to indicate the whole range of occupants that shall live in peace and prosperity to a very old age.
Verse 6 So says Yahuweh Tzevaot: "Because it will be too difficult in the eyes of the remnant the people this, in the days those, also in My eyes it will be too difficult?" declares Yahuweh Tzevaot. Yahuweh was looking at our days and for sure most of the remnant of Israel in those, our days, not only think it is too difficult for Yahuweh; they also show it by their actions.
No one really trusts Yahuweh to restore Yerushalaim; they go out of their way to make a false peace treaty to try to protect the city.
We know from Daniel's prophecy, Dan. 9:27, that a temporary treaty allows them to resume the sacrificial system in safety.
However, this treaty will be violently broken and again the people might think it to difficult for Yahuweh to bring peace to Yerushalaim. Yahuweh confirms here that things which seems difficult or impossible by mankind, are still possible by Him. This verse is therefore given especially to the generations that came after the Babylonian exile. It has given hope to the many generations of the Diaspora and kept them together.
It is still the hope for those few Israelites that have kept their trust in Yahuweh. Unfortunately they are far in the minority.
Verse 7-8 So says Yahuweh Tzevaot: "Watch me delivering my people from land of the sunrise and from land of the sunset.
And I shall bring them and they shall dwell in the middle of Yerushalaim and they shall be me to a people and I shall be to them as Elohiem in truth and in righteousness!" The translations that use East and West are not completely correct. The Hebrew uses on purpose land of sunrise and land sunset to indicate from all over the world, because the sun travels over the whole world.
What Yahuweh really says is: "So you think it is to difficult for me? Watch me bringing my people in, from all over the place!" Notice that Yahuweh uses Yerushalaim as the focus, because it is the centre of Israel. There can be no Israel without Yerushalaim and the promises to Israel all centre on Yerushalaim. The claim from the Jews that Yerushalaim is the capital of Israel and should be undivided, is totally correct and legal in the eyes of Yahuweh.
Verse 9-10 So says Yahuweh Tzevaot: "To be strong your hand, the ones hearing in the days these, at the words these, from the mouth (of) the prophets, who (are) in the days of foundation laying House-Yahuweh Tzevaot, the temple to be build. Because before the days those, reward mankind not there was and reward the animals was not and the going out and the coming in without shalom from adversary and send off all mankind man to an other person." You have to read this Hebrew way of word arrangement a couple of times to let it make sense. Most translations differ from each other and give a different meaning to the text.
Yahuweh is talking to the people that are building the temple after the exile. They have to listen to the words of Zecharyah and Chaggay to enable them to be strong. These were the prophets during the laying of the foundation of the house of Yahuweh and they are telling about the promised future of the temple and the people of Israel.
Before the days that Yahuweh started to intervene, there was no reward for men and beast and there was no peace from the enemy, which made it difficult to come and go.
No one helped the other; they send the other one off, without seeing to their needs.
We can read about this in the books Ezra and Nehemiah.
The context of the rest of this chapter indicates that this is also applicable to the future temple builders after the Diaspora.
Verse 11-12 " And now not as days the ones before, I (shall be) to the remnant of the people this," declares Yahuweh Tzevaot.
"Because to seed the shalom, the vine to give its fruit and the Earth to give products and the heavens shall give dew and I give as a possession, at the remnant the people this, all these." I will not be so to the remnant of this people, that is Israel in the future, like the way I was to Israel in the past, says Yahuweh.
There is a double meaning to this passage. Seed thrown in the Earth does need Shalom, which is overall well being, to be able to grow undisturbed. But descendants are also called seed and they shall have shalom. Also, Israel is often compared to a vine and therefore Israel shall be fruitful in all their works. The Earth shall support them aided by the heavens.
Looking at Israel now, Tishri 5761, The Shalom is far from Yerushalaim and Israel. However, the promise stands and one day it shall be so.
Verse 13 "And it be like as you were curse according to the nations house Yehudah and house Israel. Yes deliverance to you and you to be blessing. Do not fear shall be strong your hands." Never more so as in this time, the beginning of 5761, have the nations declared Israel to be a curse. Everybody is blaming Israel for standing up for its own existence.
But there will be deliverance and Israel does not have to fear because Yahuweh will make their hands strong.
Verse 14-15. Because so says Yahuweh Tzevaot:
" Like as I considered to do hurt to you because of provoking (of) your fathers to me." Says Yahuweh Tzevaot, " And not did I have compassion. Yes I return my consideration in the days these to do good to Yerushalaim and to house Yehudah, do not fear!" To you, does not mean to the individual people listening at that time, it means the nation Israel as a whole over the ages. The days these, are referring to the future and including the era past our time.
Verse 16-17 "These the things which to do, speak truth man to an other person. Truth and judgment shalom judge in your gates. And man at evil (to) an other person not to devise in your hearts and oath deceptive do not love, because all this (is) that I hate!" declares Yahuweh. The gates were from olden days the places where business was conducted and Kings and Magistrates sat to judge between the people.
These are the basic principles of the Torah which are condensed in the great commandment: "Love the other person as you would love yourself" Leviticus 19:18 The basic message is thus: "Fear not I shall give you peace and prosperity I the time to come and in the meantime keep my Torah and do not do the things I hate." Let well that different from past warnings, heeding to this warning at this time is not a condition for the coming Shalom. <*><*><*><*><*><*> Now we get a further message from Yahuweh in the following verses, about the coming era of shalom.
Verse 18-19 And came the word of Yahuweh Tzevaot to me to say:
" So says Yahuweh Tzevaot: "fasting on the fourth and fasting on the fifth and fasting on the seventh and fasting on the tenth shall be to house of Yehudah for joy and for pleasure and for times good and the reliability and the shalom of love!"" The fast on the fourth was for the capture of Yerushalaim, the fasting on the fifth was for the destruction of the Temple the fasting on the seventh for the death of Gadalyahoo, Jeremiah 41:2, the fasting of the tenth to commemorate the start of the attack on Yerushalaim.
All these fasts were in relation to the conquering of Yehudah by the Assyrians.
Yahuweh did not instigate them; they were made by the Jews to lament their misfortunes.
These misfortunes did befall them because they did not heed the word of Yahuweh and the warnings of the prophets.
Yahuweh shall turn these days of mourning into days of gladness and goodness and reliability in Yahuweh and the peace and well-being that his love shall bring.
Verse 20-21 So says Yahuweh Tzevaot: "To which shall come peoples dwellers from cities many. And shall go dwellers one to one (another) to say: "We go travel for prayers before Yahuweh also to seek to find Yahuweh Tzevaot. I go myself"" Many people from all over the place will feel the need to go and travel to find Yahuweh.
This is interesting, because at the present I do not have to travel to find Yahuweh. He is residing in me and I can turn to Him at any time without having to move.
This, might therefore indicate that at that time, the time of the indwelling of the spirit of Yahuweh is over. In other words the ekklesia which was bestowed with the temporary condition of being the Earthly temple, 1Cor.3:16-17, has been removed as foretold in 1Thes.4:13-18.
Verse 22 "And shall come peoples many and nations countless to seek to find Yahuweh Tzevaot in Yerushalaim for prayers before Yahuweh" And indeed this is after the time that Yahuweh has installed Himself again in the temple in Yerushalaim.
Verse 23 So says Yahuweh Tzevaot: "in the days the they, regarding when, shall grasp ten men from all tongues (of) the nations to keep hold of at garment corner (of) man Yehudah, in order to say: "We go with you because we heard Elohiem with you!"" In plain English, "Regarding those days, then ten men . . ."
Israel has been already despised for over two thousand years by the other nations. However, Israel shall be the favourite of all mankind, because Yahuweh has fulfilled His promise to restore them as His people.
The hunger of mankind toward the blessings of Yahuweh is apparent from the fact that they will grasp the clothing to stop an Israelite and try to get his attention.
Depicting 10 men going towards one Jew show the superiority of the Jew in the coming Era.
At least this is some compensation for being the underdog for so long, and this only because Yahuweh has chosen them for His own.
However, before this shall be a reality some things still have to happen and the following chapters will go into some of these happenings. <*><*><*><*><*><*>

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