Quote of the Day

Thursday 28, 2011
FOX News

Regarding a string of huge tornadoes that struck across 6 southern states from Alabama to Tennessee about 2:00 pm Wednesday afternoon:

"We are now at a record for the month of April that has shattered every other month by three times since records were kept on tornadoes and where they have struck in America."

- Bill Hammer

According to Fox News, the normal tornado count for the month of April in America is 168.
This year with two days left in April there was recorded 654.

How Long?

Part 5
Post 183

At the end of post, Part 4 titled 70 Years we were left waiting for God’s reply to the question of; How long will your mercy be delayed on Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah? (Zechariah 1:12 paraphrased) and we are learning that the question is regarding a period far bigger than the 70 years of the Babylonian Captivity of 606 BC - 536 BC.
But just how big of a period?
THAT IS the question!

HOW LONG?

* * *

“And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.
So the angel that communed with me said unto me,
Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts;
I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great jealousy.” Zechariah 1:13-14

The specific wording and structure of this narration is critical when understanding what it is actually saying;
The angel understands to tell Zechariah to prophecy God’s great jealousy, by “hearing” the temper of God’s words more the words themselves. It was the “good and comfortable” in the words God used when answering the angel that was translated into his instruction to Zechariah. We know this because we are told the temper but not the words.

The full understanding of God’s heart in the matter is very important to the Jews who have been convinced over 1,878 years that God has utterly abandon them. (70 AD- 1948 AD and still continues though some temporary relief has been provided.)

But notice in both the question of Zechariah 1:12, and the answer of Zechariah 1:14, the Temple is not mentioned, nor the nation, but only the cities of a specific portion of the nation, including the Holy City and the concept of permanence in Zion its Spiritual life as enduring as a mountain. (Micah 4:1-2)

Zion; 6726 Tsiyown; the same (reg.) as 6725; Tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of Jerusalem.

Long ago the concept of Israel as the people of God has been forgotten as thought to be 'cast off by God'. There is a whole American religion of Replacement Theology because of the extreme duration of time that has passed in God’s apparent abandonment of Israel. How much more the thoughts of the Jews themselves!?

So God does more than share words that seem to have no meaning, He exposes his heart by answering with good and comfortable words!
The angel passes this on to Zechariah telling him to Cry (7121) his message:

Cry 7121 qara; a primary root [rather identical with 7122 through the idea of accosting a person met]; to call out to (i.e. properly address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications).

And that message to be cried is to declare God’s great jealousy for Jerusalem and for Zion, the permanence of all that Israel means; i.e. the holiness of God presented in a nation of humanity.

God’s great jealousy for Israel’s waywardness is part of the reason for the delay. *1
(read that later in order to stay on track now)

* * *

But that is not the end of God’s answer;
“And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease:
for I was but a little displeased (with Israel), and they (the heathen) helped forward the affliction.” Zechariah 1:15

Now remember this is still all a part of God’s answer to the question of How long?

And here we see that although God was displeased with Israel for her crimes against him, and he provided the required punishment for those crimes, it was not his action that brought on the greater suffering of the Jews.
The heathen, *2 in spite of their own comfort and luxury of life, took God’s affliction of the Jews as a starting point, and added much affliction of their own without cause.

This bit of information is profound in our understanding how the world actually works!
Is God in control or are the authorities of man in control?
The answer is; Yes.
And we will see a bit more how that works as this chapter develops.

But now lets continue with God’s answer to the question:
I am jealous…

* * *

“Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: …” Zechariah 1:16a
Therefore: Because of the previous information of God’s jealous feelings regarding Israel’s conduct, and the way the heathen have treated them, God makes a declaration of action; “I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies:”
The colon tells us what follows is a description of what he means by that.
But as we read it, pay attention to the tense of the statements;

Before the colon, God declares he IS returned with mercies.
Clearly the miraculous collection of Jews back to their ancient homeland from throughout the world, and the creation of the nation Israel after such a duration, are nothing short of God’s returned mercy on Israel...
but Jerusalem? Hardly!
The Jews are not even permitted in half the city, and the temple mount of the city is completely possessed by God’s enemies!
So we need God’s after colon description of what he means by such a statement; “I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies:...”;

God's explanation;
“…: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.” Zechariah 1:16b

God has declared his mercy has already returned because he has promised his house SHALL BE built in Jerusalem. (future tense)
And not only that, but a line *3 SHALL BE stretched upon the City. (again future tense)

Although this uniting of Jerusalem, and his temple construction have yet to take place, he declares his mercy HAS (present tense) returned to the city because the future plans are already in his mind to do.
In other words his forgiveness is already granted, only the required “incarceration” is in process, though compounded by the Gentile horns.

Now like I have just done, any systematic thinker would put the unification of the city before the temple construction. But God did not do this.
This seems to be a clue that the 3rd temple (his house) will be built while the city is yet divided, similar to the previous event of Ezra’s record. Again God uses type and shadow.

* * *

Then God goes one further, and tells the angel to instruct Zechariah to cry still more;

“Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts;
My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.” Zechariah 1:17 (lots of future promises)

God knows the timing of all things. It is mankind who tends to miss-interpret what God wrote in the attempt to make it fit for us in our time while we are ignorant of other important factors.
And so the Jews have long been disillusioned when God does not fulfill their interpretation of the timing, and then re-interprets the other parts to explain why God failed their original interpretation.
Christians tend to do the same thing, much as many have long awaited the revival of the Roman Empire through incomplete interpretation.

God knows the discouragement of the Jews, and so goes a long way to make the point that he really means what he wrote even though it does not look like it at this time. The declaration is sure.
God has declared by promise that he will indeed do all that he has said; “I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies.”
But there are other factors that require an extended delay.

So to avoid them from misinterpreting through discouragement and perhaps wavering faith, God specifically declares the spreading of his cities he means, will be due to and because of prosperity not scattering. Clearly this spreading is not to be confused with the coming scattering also prophesied.
Then he uses more good and comfortable words exposing his heart.
(I will not take the time here, but Zechariah chapter 2 goes into detail describing what he means by this!)

So we have to ask;

* * *

If God has such feelings for Jerusalem, why delay his promise?
This is the same thought behind the angel asking; “How long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?” Zechariah 1:12
The world is declared to be at rest, the punishment is paid, yet your mercy is still delayed. WHY?

Before God gave the answer, he showed his favorable heart toward them.
This is because the answer is not as desirable as they would like, and a rare part of the scriptural story that is abnormally NOT focused primarily on Israel, but on the Gentile nations.
In order to understand the answer correctly, we needed to first be sure of God’s affection for Israel, Judah, and specifically Jerusalem in the narrative.
The delay is not because God is angry at Israel and punishing them in excess for his own pleasure, (though some affliction was required). There is another reason.

Picture a father whose son committed a crime and was sentenced to prison.
While the father has forgiven the son, and uses the time to prepare great things upon his son's release, the father works with the troubled neighborhood kids which his son got mixed up with. This we can call the Times of the Gentiles.

* * *

Four Horns:
Now God describes this “other reason” for the delay:

“Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.
And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these?
And he answered me,
These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” Zechariah 1:18

Because there are 4 and at least in part seem to match, we tend to assume they are the four Great Beasts of Daniel 7.
But not all of then are included, specifically because of the identifier that makes them eligible for this list;
These four horns are in THIS list because they have scattered the three parts of the people of God.
So lets look to see how many of the Great Beasts of Daniel 7 actually did this:

We saw that the four Great Beasts represent: Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome/Caliphate 1 and 2. These were listed in Daniel 7 because of their unique diversity.

But regarding the scattering of the Jews, Persia actually returned the Jews to their homeland and to their religion. (Ezra 1:1)
Though greatly influencing the Jewish nation, Greece did not scatter the Jews either, but rather enhanced the Jewish nation by providing the scripture in the Greek language which is what the Jews spoke at the time.

Babylon indeed scattered the Jews when they destroyed the city and the temple in 597 BC, as did Rome in 70 AD.

So if Babylon and Rome are two of the four horns which scattered the Jews, But Persia and Greece are not, who are the other two?
Note: that the passage identifies three unique parts to the Nation; both kingdoms; northern (Israel) and southern (Judah), and the Holy City (Jerusalem). Zechariah 1:19

Both Babylon and Rome scattered Judah and Jerusalem but not Israel because Assyria previously conquered and almost permanently scattered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC *4.
The only other GDE (Global Dominate Empire) of Gentiles that scripture identifies is Egypt. (Daniel 2:36-43, Revelation 17:10-11) But Egypt did not scatter the Jews, the Jews came to them in time of famine and Egypt took them in, and eventually enslaved them, but never scattered them. (this was also prophesied; “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years.” Genesis 15:13 (the next verse appears highly prophetic for the future wealth of Israel, but we have to shut this off someplace and so I leave it for another time!)

So after reviewing all the Gentile GDEs that scripture identifies, we have found 3 of the 4 scatterers in this list, which are;
Assyria, Babylon, and Rome.

Because the Jews did not return for 1,941 years after Rome scattered them, we cannot have another scattering until after they returned, which they finally did in 1948 AD. Therefore situations like the holocaust must be seen as a part of the Roman scattering of the 3rd horn.

So there just isn’t a 4th that can accurately be said to have scattered the Jews.
This is yet another clue to the duration of; “How long?”

We see here in the context of timing, that the 4th horn (whomever it turns out to be) must scatter at least one of the three parts of the Jewish nation before God’s mercy can fall on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah. (Matthew 24:15-21)
If this has not happened yet, then logic says it must still occur in the future.
Daniel 7:21, 8:24, 9:26b-27 (did we see any flood? Is the consummation ended?), Ezekiel 24:13 (is their filthiness purged?) Zechariah 14:2, and many others, confirm this to be so. If the 4th scattering must yet occur in the future, the tangible application of God’s mercy cannot be fully activated until after that event.

So we can now identify the 4 horns as the authorities of; Assyria (Sargon II), Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar), Rome (Cesar), and a yet future scattering horn.

But great news! With the interpretation of the horses in Zechariah 1:8 now seen to apply in the global timeline, we are no longer speculating as to the identity of the source of the 4th scattering horn.
Because of what we have seen in the past several studies (and the remainder of the Revelation 17 study yet to come), we can be sure that our interpretation is no longer in the realm of speculation. Scripture has defined the parameters so narrow that with history finally coming to an end, we now have enough information to make an accurate interpretation.
The 4th Gentile horn to scatter Judah will be from the 2nd Islamic Caliphate shown as the speckled horse of Zechariah 1:8 also identified as the 8th beast king of revelation 17:11
The four scattering Gentile horns of Zechariah 1:19 are;

Assyria, Babylon, Rome, and the 2nd Caliphate.

* * *

Continuing:
“And the LORD shewed me four carpenters.” Zechariah 1:20
Now this verse just seems to come in from nowhere! But in the excitement don’t skip over the fact that this is the first time the LORD has dealt personally with Zechariah in this narrative. Up till now the guiding angel has been the translator as it were, but here the LORD himself shows him four carpenters. This will soon show significant.

Now any prophecy buff stops short and pays attention to the carpenters because this is completely new in prophecy. No other scriptural prophecy mentions carpenters, and this is very unusual.
Scripture nearly always supports scripture by overlapping concepts among its books and writers. But here this concept appears to stand alone.
What then are the four special carpenters that the LORD personally shows Zechariah?

An investigation into the unique word does not reveal anything surprising;
carpenters 2796 charash; from 2790; a fabricator of any material.
2790 charash; a primary root; to scratch, i.e. (by implication) to engrave, plough; hence (from the use of tools) to fabricate (of any material); …

What this word does tell us in its lack of surprise, is these carpenters use skills to make things from stuff. They are builders not destroyers.
I don’t see any direct connection, but Jesus was raised a carpenter. Same word.

Are the carpenters from God? We are not told.
What materials do they use? We are not told.
Are they men, angels, nations or other representations? We are not told.
But Zechariah did not ask; What are these? As he has before, (Zechariah 1:9,19)
and the LORD, nor the angel shows him what they are as done before, (Zechariah 1:9,10,19)
Therefore we can conclude they are what they seem to be and don’t need further explanation; They are carpenters.

“Then said I, What come these (horns and carpenters) to do?
And he (the LORD) spake, saying,
These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head:…” Zechariah 1:21a

Now what we should find curious is; Why would the LORD himself choose here to enter the conversation personally just to repeat what the angel already said in the preceding verse? And why would Zechariah ask what they do if the angel just told him?
Hang on to that thought.

The phrase; “So that no man did lift up his head” is indication that the hopeless situation did not allow the possibility of a successful defense, and so as history now shows in part, hiding was the best defense, and quiet endurance was the only course.
If you ever wondered why the Jews did not retaliate in the Holocaust, this verse tells us the horn did such a job of it that no one dared.
If ever we wanted to find Hitler in the Scriptures I think it would be safe to include him here in the 3rd horn of the Gentiles that scattered Judah, perhaps not as the identified scatterer, but fulfilling; “so that no man did lift up his head” playing the role of a spiritual henchman of the Roman horn that scattered. This too may be a prototype example of that 4th scattering yet to come.
Why do we not see the horrors of the holocaust noted specifically in scripture?
I suggest it is to emphasize the greater horrors of the still future holocaust that IS mentioned; (Isaiah 10:5-6, Zechariah 13:8-9, Jeremiah 4:9-13)

Now lest we take up a bitterness toward God on behalf of the Jews who seem to be endlessly abused, I remind you that eternity in Hell is a very long time.
These acts and durations of suffering here are in proportion, trivial tools used to bring repentance to anyone who will respond… before eternity comes.

Judah:
When the LORD personally entered the conversation in verse 20, the entire concern is now focused specifically on Judah; no independent northern kingdom of Israel, and not the city of Jerusalem as mentioned previously in verse 19.

We might see the focus only on Judah perhaps because both halves of the scattered nation are now united into one and Jerusalem is the capital, therefore the identification of Judah now covers all three previous independent and uniquely scattered parts, just as now calling the new nation “Israel” identifies them all. *5

But I am persuaded that the 4th horn only scatters Judah;
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation,… Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:” Matthew 24:15-16
It seems that Jesus meant specifically Judah, just as he said through Zechariah! (the different spelling is only a translational issue between OT Hebrew and NT Aramaic written in Greek. The Language of the New Testament a very informative read. (http://www.answering-islam.org/Bible/nt-languages.html)

Perhaps this exclusivity is because at the time of the next scattering, the City is still in the hands of the enemy, and the region formerly called Israel is also occupied by non-Jews, leaving only the area and people of Judaea to be scattered.
But there is a prophecy that seem yet to be fulfilled;
“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
But the LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the North, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.” Jeremiah 16:14-15

This 1948 'bringing' has indeed brought them from all the lands whither they have been driven, but I never hear of anyone praising God for bringing them from the land of the north. Further, I really don’t hear it said that the LORD lives because he brought them home at all. This recent event seems be attributed to circumstances.

I believe this is because this return is not the return which God refers to.
There will be another, and God himself will play such a miraculous part that all nations everywhere will say; The LORD lives, that brought his people back to their land by his power alone!

It is my belief that the LORD himself now gets involved directly in the narrative of Zechariah to show his personal involvement with the carpenters during the time of the last scattering.
This is prophetically and practically very important as it identifies that the Church age of Faith is raptured and God has again returned to personally act on behalf of the Jews through actual observable miracles as in the days of old.

Carpenters:
“…but these (carpenters) are come to fray them (the horns), to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.” Zechariah 1:21b

This apparent repeat of verse 19 may be here because that verse was spoken by the angel and this verse is spoken by the LORD, but I don’t think such purposeless repetition is in keeping with the scriptural nature, nor do I think Zachariah forgot what the angel said just one verse previous.
As the scriptures have shown a propensity to do, I am now alert to the 4th item in any list perhaps having further divisions.
Because verse 19 speaks of 4 horns, lets examine this verse 21 as if these 4 horns are further divisions of the 4th horn in verse 19.

* * *

Divisions of the 4th horn:
In this theory we notice that the 4 horns of verse 19 scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem,
But the 4 horns of verse 21 only scatter Judah.
Now we also notice that these last 4 horns lifted up their (collective?) horn (singular).
This lends to support our theory that these verse 21 horns are collectively under the singular 4th scattering horn of verse 19.
And although the verse 19 horns specifically scattered the three parts of the Jews, the verse 21 horns specifically did such a job of it that “no man did lift up his head:”
The colon suggests the second part is directly tied or relational to the first part.
Since it is not necessary for a colon to describe the carpenters come to fray the four horns that so oppressed these head hangers, I believe the colon is an application of immediate help arriving so quickly that a metaphorical breath cannot be taken between the parts; “…so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them…” the one part is inseparable from the other.
Of course I openly recognize this is speculation.

Since Israel has now returned to their homeland as a nation, we now must watch for this 4th and final scattering, perhaps coming from four sources all for a singular purpose.

“O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.” Isaiah 10:5 (emphasis added)

* * *

Greece:
Because we saw Greece as the white horse in Zechariah 1:8 we need to find other scriptural support to verify that Greece is indeed a player in the last days events.

Daniel 8:19-23 has a mysterious 'encapsulating' verse that has never fit well into any interpretation of events that I have read;

“And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.” Daniel 8:19

In the question of “How long” of Zechariah 1:12 the indignation was for three score and ten years, and the angel was complaining about the events at the end of God’s indignation. This verse in Daniel seems to fit here like a glove, so lets continue to see if the rest fits as well.
Clearly these next events have already played out in history very accurately, but we cannot just ignore that first verse indicating what is yet to come in the end of the indignation.
Since these events historically have already occurred but the indignation is not yet over, we must accept the plausibility that by the identification in Zechariah 1:8 the portion of Greece will play out again in an even fuller way than history records;

“The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.” Daniel 8:20-21

Here scripture has interpreted itself for us so there is no mistake. And we have already applied this passage of prophecy to identify these elements of the past GDEs to affect Israel. And now we get to the intended focus;

“Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.” Daniel 8:22

History has shown that the first half of this prophecy perfectly fulfilled the events following the death of Alexander the Great; Alexander died and his great Grecian Empire was divided into 4 kingdoms. *6

Then Rome conquered them all, and the Greek empire ended significantly before “the last end of the indignation” which obviously continues still today.
So clearly those kingdoms of the four horns that stood up for the power of Alexander, cannot fulfill the prophecy that follows in the passage when related to the encapsulating timeline of verse 19;

“And in the latter time of their kingdom…” Daniel 8:23
(this gets a bit messy)
Yes this prophecy was completely fulfilled in the latter time of their kingdom.
But THEIR kingdom, those of the 4 Generals of Alexander the Great, was not in the last end of the indignation which is still not arrived. Therefore those 4 kingdoms were not what the angel was ultimately showing Daniel.

“: for at the time appointed the end shall be.” Daniel 8:19
What took place at the end of those previous four kingdoms was not the end, because the appointed end has not yet come even 2,186 years later. (2011AD + 175 BC = 2186 years since the end of those four kingdoms and the beginning of Antiochus IV until now.)

Daniel’s chapter 8 prophecy declares that in the last end of the indignation; considering the fact, or similar to the fact, that four stood up for Alexander’s power, four other kingdoms would also later rise from the nation of Greece, (not from the Empire of Greece.)
Now read the verse again with this distinction:
“Now that (great horn) being broken, Whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.” Daniel 8:22

(the Septuagint words it; “…but not in their power.”) either way, the point is that although they stand up out of Greece, an authority outside Greece gives them the permission to rise.

So far there seems to be no sign of this occurrence… So far.

“And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full…” Daniel 8:23a

As these four kingdoms in the latter end, come to an end,
At the same time the transgressors have run their course and are also coming to their end, THEN….

“…a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.” Daniel 8:23b

Again, history shows this prophesied event already took place through Antiochus IV (Epiphanies) the 8th king of the Syrian dynasty, 175 BC- 164 BC, who’s reign followed his brother Seleucus, (I Maccabees 1:10, 6:16 used historically only)
But we still cannot ignore that previous verse encapsulating the narrative. (Daniel 8:19)
Therefore we are forced to contemplate that perhaps Antiochus IV was but a type and shadow of one yet to come at the time of the end of the four kingdoms yet to stand up out of the nation of Greece, much as was done the first time.
“Whereas” is the key word in the verse to support such a theory.
Try to read the verse without 'whereas' and the entire verse falls apart.

I propose the verse reads with this intent;
"Whereas four stood up for it, (as they did),
four kingdoms shall (also) stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." Daniel 8:22 (proposed explanation inserted.)

This theory tends to again be supported by 2 lines of the 4th verse of Daniel 11;
Alexander’s kingdom shall be divided “and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled:… even for others besides those.” (meaning others besides the four that rose after him.)
and 11:14b “Also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.” Meaning their self exaltation of robbing is unknowingly done to validate the vision, ensuring it remains until it is later fulfilled, but they themselves fail to fulfill it in their time.

“And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.” Daniel 8:26

What possibly could the angel have meant regarding this vision by saying “the vision of the evening and the morning”?
Clearly the vision of Chapter 8 (which we reviewed only part) is a two-fold vision of two different times, one in the later part of the indignation (evening) and one even beyond that in the end of the end of the indignation (morning).
Morning refers to an end of the night, and this is in keeping with the angel's complaint that the 'night' of the 70 years had passed but the indignation seemed to continue. Zechariah 1:12

We have seen this prophecy is sprinkled with these indications of its dual fold purpose, and this seems to confirm the Greece interpretation.

At the time of the end of the four later kingdoms from Greece but not Greek (Daniel 11:4b-c), the last GDE at the end of the end of the indignation, produces the rise of the Antichrist as we shall later confirm in Revelation 17.
Again the wording of the verse does not declare the Antichrist rises from these four kingdoms, it only identifies his rise at the time of their end. (Daniel 8:23)
I intend to later develop this Greece theory with other scripture, but for now lets continue with the question of “How long?”

* * *

The First Go-Round:
As we continue we are told this fierce king has great success… “and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.” Daniel 8:24b, (Jeremiah 4:9-31)

Antiochus IV did great damage to the Temple and the Jews, but I find no history declaring that he actually destroyed the holy people, not to mention that the Jews were not mighty at that time.
The Jews had been repeatedly bludgeoned by the two kingdoms of; Ptolemy’s Egypt, and Seleucus’s kingdom of the Middle Eastern region colliding with Israel as the battleground between them.
This 400 year era, mistakenly known as “The Silent Years” between the Old and New Testaments, is actually pre-recorded prophetically in great detail by Daniel 11.
Chuck Missler does a superb job of detailing this history in his Daniel exposition available on DVD at khouse.org
(you really need to be listening to his daily podcast!) Missler’s Podcasts

So although Antiochus IV failed to fulfill the prophecy as stated (though he gave it a good try in his prototype of the Abomination of Desolation Daniel 11:31), there is no doubt the holy people described here are indeed the Jews, and so we again see that God’s lack of mercy extends clear to the end of the end of the indignation long past that of Antiochus, because the destruction of the Jews has yet to occur in this way, and that, only after they become mighty!
This fierce king will scatter Judah so that no man will lift up his head: but the carpenters are come to cast out the scattering horns of the Gentiles.

Now lets not forget that this passage of Daniel 8:19-26 is couched in the context of “what shall be in the last end of the indignation.”

So we see that;
• There must yet rise four kingdoms from the nation of Greece,
• The Jews must obtain a king,
• The Jews must become a mighty people,
• And they then must again be scattered and destroyed. (Jeremiah 4:9-13)
This is a growing list of significant events yet to be fulfilled before the indignation can be said to be over and God’s mercy fall on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah!

And so at the end of this passage, which is identified as 'the last end' of the indignation, we find the events that seem to delay God’s “mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah,…” (Zechariah 1:12) which cause the angel to ask; “How long?”

* * *

The reason for the Delay:
Here in the last part of the last verse of Zechariah 1:21, we are given the big picture reason for the extremely long delay in God’s mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah.

The delay is primarily for the Gentiles that lifted up their power (horn) over the land of Judah for the purpose of scattering it, helping to forward the affliction further than God’s displeasure required, which Moses himself brought upon the people by not following God’s clear instructions, thereby creating prophecy that must be fulfilled much as Judas betrayed Jesus to death by his own will though it was all along in the pre-plan of God.

I know that is really hard to wrap your head around;
Who is in control of our lives, God or man? The answer is Yes.

This Gentile period as reason for the delay is confirmed in the Daniel 8 passage; “And in the latter time… when the transgressors are come to the full…” Daniel 8:23a
This reveals that there is a designated period allowed for the transgressors.
Scripture calls this the Times of the Gentiles; “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” Luke 21:24

Now it is often rightfully concluded that this period refers at least in part to the Diaspora, but wrongly concluded that it is therefore ended now that the Jews have returned to Israel. The context shows this period does not end until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled, and that fulfillment is directly related to a pre-determined time it will take for the haters of God to fill up their transgressions. (Daniel 11:35c, 8:19b)
and we now know THAT is not until after the four kingdoms rise from Greece, the holy people get a king, and become mighty, the fierce king rises at the end of the four kingdoms, the holy people are destroyed, and the last GDE of Gentiles is frayed by the carpenters and cast out.
That GDE we now know to be the last of three parts of the 4th Great Beast of Daniel 7:19-25, and is also described as the last of the four horns which scatter Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. (Zechariah 1:19)

* * *

Carpenters:
At this point I am very curious about the four carpenters that come to fray the Gentile horns, but have yet to find anything I can connect directly.

Fray 2729 charad; a primary root; to shudder with terror; hence to fear; also to hasted (with anxiety).
(See also Deuteronomy 28:26, Jeremiah 7:33)

Beyond this I have found nothing yet in scripture to expound on these four carpenters.

* * *

Conclusion:
So how long will the LORD not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which he has had indignation these threescore and ten years?

Until the Gentiles who now possess control of the earth fill up the transgressions allowed by the prophecy of scripture which allowable transgressions were increased by the failure of Moses to follow the direction of God.

There is one more clue to the duration found in the cryptic “threescore and ten”.
60+10= 70

This is commonly called the 70 weeks of Daniel;

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city,
to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” Daniel 9:24

You will notice that the first purpose of the duration is to finish the transgression, as we just saw in Daniel 8:23a
Everything else in the list comes to completion behind that.
Both the Jews and the Gentiles walk their own timelines. It just so happens that the two are concluded at the same time; at the end of the 70 weeks. *7

It is all a part of God’s very carefully designed plan with a purpose, not haphazardly written as we go, but fully calculated and written down in his Book ahead of time.
God is the author of a very great and complex story in which we find ourselves characters.

So is God in control or are the authorities of man in control?
We begin to see the answer is; Yes, depending on your perspective.

* * * * * * *

*1 Exodus 20:5a “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous 7067 God,…”

jealous 7067 qanna; from 7065; jealous.
jealousy 7068 qinah; from 7065; jealousy or envy.
7065 qana; a primary root; to be (causative; make) zealous, i.e. (in a bad sense) jealous or envious.

We see that Strong’s cannot not actually define jealousy. The word is used more in a causation state. We are to use the context of scripture to understand jealously by God’s reaction. And by continuing the verse we see a very great consequence for invoking God’s jealousy;
“…, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;” Exodus 20:5b

So lets go to the modern dictionary for more info;

Jealous: see ZEALOUS 1. Exacting exclusive devotion; intolerant of rivalry. 2. a. Disposition to suspect rivalry in matters of interest and affection. b. Prompted by such apprehension; as, jealous fears. 3. Suspiciously watchful. 4. Archaic & Dialectal - Zealous; devoted. 5. Now Dialectal - Distrustful; suspicious. 6. Vigilant or exact in observation. Synonymous See ENVIOUS.
- Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 5th edition 1948

Obviously we don’t rely heavily on such a modern interpretation of a word used in 422BC but we can get the very general idea of what God meant by jealous.
Value 4. And 5. Show a difference in root meaning from the Archaic use to Now, which helps us see that our greater negative focus we place on the use today is different than originally intended. Clearly God’s intended use lends heavily on Zealous though he did actually use the word Jealous here with intention.
Therefore we cannot escape that even in removing the greater negative mindframe we have regarding this word, that God indeed IS jealous, he does not GET jealous!

This is troublesome to get ones mind around when comprehending GOD, and cannot actually be done until we alter our present negative attitude toward the word!

When a young woman is smothered by her boyfriend’s jealousy, we understand that he has a problem that affects her uncomfortably and even inappropriately because she has not committed to the relationship the level of exclusivity that he already has.
Until she does, she should not be obligated to levels beyond her commitment. If he does not like that, he can move on or adjust his own levels to match.
Such an exclusive commitment comes in the resulting marriage and is the tool to quiet a jealous heart because such a commitment now exists between the two. This is the whole mindframe regarding the solemn vows; To have and to hold, in whatever comes, foresaking all others, till death do us part. (or words to that effect)

Because we live in a day when a large percentage of our population now believes that living in a state of fornication is honorable, we then view jealousy as always a problem emotion that must be dealt with when it appears.
But God’s values have not changed, ours have.
According to God, jealousy is an honorable and valid emotion. Lets explore why:

If your spouse, which has vowed to you alone for life according to the intention of God, is true and faithful so that you see their love for you in their eyes (so to speak), then jealousy has no reason to become green, though still present in the relationship in a wholesome roll.
It is this healthy jealousy that keeps the devotion singular on both sides, aggressively defending the marriage from destructive intrusion; Me for you and you for me, exclusive to each other, forsaking all others, as the vow intends.
Jealousy says; This exclusivity is critical to the success of the relationship.

Jealousy turns green and even ugly when there is cause, or the perception of cause, to fear this exclusivity is in jeopardy.

So if this wholesome jealousy turns green and ugly, what is the cause?
If the cause is that another has turned your spouse’s heart away from you alone, then the jealousy is justified. And if you conduct yourself in a way that causes your spouse to perceive your heart has turned, then the jealousy is again justified.
Justified jealousy is a proper emotion demanding resolution to a problem. *1B

In such a case, jealousy is seen to be a problem only to the wayward heart.
In today’s social mindframe of selfishness, a jealous spouse is perceived as smothering and must be corrected because; “I want to be free to act as I like, forsaking the emotions of my spouse.”
The problem heart then is not the jealous one, but the wayward one.

Now of course this discussion becomes endless when we add the contention of the jealous spouse that first drove the other's heart to another, but since this is God were talking about being jealous, we can ignore this side issue here since God does not possess such character flaws. God has not caused the problem:
“Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you?
Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.” Isaiah 50:1

The scriptures are bursting with God’s 'husband' perspective of his people as his wife.
If we his people (Jew or believing Gentile) read his words with a selfish heart, then we will see him as restrictive and demanding; a tyrant husband from which we need to escape.
But if we humble ourselves and confess our selfish heart, when we read his words we will be able to see his heart full of love breaking for our waywardness.
I am amazed to read the entire book of Jeremiah which was once to me harsh and demanding, but now page after page is God’s loving heart pleading with his adulterous wife to come home. The entire book of Psalms is God urging our comprehension that our heart is wayward and needs to run to him for our own good!

Almost like covering ones eyes and picking out of a hat full of similar choices, the following passage was selected.
At the first read it invokes self protection, a defensive reaction accusing God of being angry and violent… green with jealousy.
But seriously contemplate God’s righteous heart in reading the passage with the question; Not “How does this apply to me?”, but asking; “What is God’s heart motivating this?”
(Psalm 50:16-23)

The heart of fear knows I deserve God’s wrath, and so wants to avoid even the thought of it, let alone reading it.
But the heart of repentance runs to God begging for him to accept our sorrow for hurting him by our wickedness.
If we really know our God, we know his incredible heart of love toward us. But we also know our heart is wicked and needs to be corrected.
After seriously contemplating the above recommendation, the very next chapter read in such humility, will be very comforting! Psalm 51
Now pick up your revived love for God and go read Jeremiah not with the heart of fear, but to hear his heart of love!

Is God jealous? You bet! And that is a healthy thing, without it he would have forsaken us long ago! We need to become as jealous for him, earnestly desiring the greatest intimacy possible to the exclusion of all other offensive interests. (I Corinthians 9:24)

*1B Even in the jealousy of the young boyfriend, there is a valid perception of a problem that must be addressed.
The proper solution is the only difference, because of the lower level of commitment entered by one or both parties. The jealous boy should use the wisdom of the jealousy to instruct him that the girl is not committed, and so move on before greater damage is done, he has no rights beyond that. (and vice verse)

*2 Heathen 1471 gowy; apparently from the same root as 1465; (in the sense of massing); a foreign nation; hence a Gentile;

*3 line 6957 qav; from 6960 [compare with 6961]; a cord (as connecting), especially for measuring; figuratively a rule(er); also a rim, a musical string or accord. Compare 6978

6960 qavah; a primary root; to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. collect; (figuratively) to expect.
6961 qaveh; from 6960; a (measuring) cord (as for binding).
6978 qavqav; from 6957 (in the sense of a fastening); stalwart.

Different from the measuring line 2256 of Zech 2:1-2.

Clearly this definition is very specific among all the tiny variations used in defining similar words.

So we see that this word “line” here, is specifically meaning the tool that binds together through encompassing (measuring) a specific parameter, as opposed to a measuring line binding together for the sake of measuring.

The point is that God declares he will at some time carefully “survey” Jerusalem for the sake of uniting the entire city, not leaving any small parts out by oversight.
Though it is divided now, this prophecy grantees a very calculated and complete unification.

*4 the two kingdoms (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Kingdoms1.html)
Although I find some interpretative flaw in this writing, the information is useful and the easiest to provide here.

*5 Israel and Judah reunited:
We seem to love to take one verse extracted from the message, and set it on a pedestal of sure proof for our interpretation.
Example:

“…Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel;… and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms anymore at all:…” Ezekiel 37:21-22

After the miraculous return of the Jews in 1948 to create a new nation in their old land, this passage has been used in confidence that they will never again be uprooted and scattered.
With this interpretation we are free to pack all the remaining end times events into a very short period of time, neatly arranged into a simple schedule which is expected to suddenly happen at any moment.
But God has consistently shown in fulfilled scripture that such simplicity is rarely his way.
So in an attempt to make sure we have the intended message from God, lets expand our extraction to include a usually ignored troublesome entry in the middle of the verse:

“…Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel;
and one king shall be king to them all:
and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms anymore at all:…” Ezekiel 37:21-22

Now we see that although most of this prophecy was indeed fulfilled in 1948, we have a significant element missing in the recipe that would result in the promise at the end.
Israel does not yet have a king.

Now you might suppose this is nitpicking, they do have a single elected leader for the now reasonably unified nation, so perhaps this is just word play of insignificance.

Perhaps.

But how long have we been learning that God does not choose his words casually? If he said king, he meant king.
But lets go ahead and ignore that for now and move on to include the verses that follow in context:

“Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them:
So shall they be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 37:23

So Israel is now a unified nation. True.
But they don’t have a king.
And neither have they stopped defiling themselves.
God has not cleansed them.
and they are still not functioning as God’s people.
and God has not yet shown himself to be their God in the full sense of prophecy.

THREREFORE to suppose this prophecy now promises that the new nation of Israel will never again be divided into two kingdoms is stretching this prophecy, possibly beyond its intended time of application.
So surely we should not further extend this prophecy, still unfulfilled, to assume that means Israel will never again be scattered!

With this understanding we are free to comprehend other passages of prophecy showing yet a fourth scattering.

*6 After Alexander:
“The sudden death of Alexander left his generals without any plan whereby the vast territories he had conquered should be administered. Some of his followers, including the rank and file of the Macedonian army, wanted to preserve the empire. But the generals wanted to break up the empire and create realms for themselves. It took more than 40 years of struggles and warfare (323-280 BC) before the separate kingdoms were carved out.”…
“10. After putting some of his satraps to death, Alexander the Great put four of his most trusted generals in charge of certain areas of his empire. After he died, three of the generals wanted the empire to divide into separate kingdoms under their management. In Babylon, the oldest general, Seleucus, was governing. He was a very powerful man and was satrap of the entire eastern Persian Empire. In Egypt, Ptolemy I was the satrap and acting Regent before Alexander's death, ruling from Memphis. He now wanted total control of Egypt for himself.
In Thrace, Lysimachus was the satrap, who ruled on the edges of Macedonia, endeavoring to take over the country…. Cassander wanted to retain the kingship of Macedonia and the leadership of the Greek States. Seleucus, Lysimachus, and Ptolemy were also content to keep charge of what they already controlled… - After Alexander

It seems then that history shows four kingdoms rose from the ancient Empire of Greece through four generals that stood up for it exactly as prophesied... but that does not mean the evening and morning interpretations have both been fulfilled!

*7 I plan to address the basics of the 70 weeks of Daniel in my next post.
*

Easter

and "Good Friday"
Post 182

As I watched the news this week it seemed that it should have been refreshing that the media focused for a moment on the memorializing events taking place on the Via Dolorosa. *1
With all the great turmoil brewing in the world, there seems to be a heightened sense of faith that surely must be a good thing… right?
But what I saw were large crosses being carried up the crowded path, some bearing living men acting out the crucifixion of Jesus. There were people in costume as Roman centurions and some drenched in representations of blood acting out Jesus. The entire scene looked no different that any other religious celebration around the world.

Along the defined rout, established not in fact but by design of the Catholic Church, there are nine Stations of the Cross commissioned by the Pope which celebrate questionable events that tradition claims took place on that fateful day, but only possibly 6 of the 9 can be found in the scriptures at best, and most of those are not located in the proper place. *2

My intent here is not to criminalize the memorial… No, actually it is.
The Catholic Church has successfully bastardized the whole event of Jesus’ Crucifixion, actually going so far as to excommunicate the early memorializers of the actual events on Thursday morning, the latest day the death of the Crucifixion could have taken place according the math in Scripture. *3

What I saw in the news taking place on “Good Friday” was a paganization by heathens *4 of the historic events.
Very harsh words I know.
But viewing the memorializing events as they take place in reality, what makes the acts of our Savior, and those of the memorializers now any different than those self-abasing monks of Buddha, or the glass crawlers of Hindu, or the pilgrimage of Islam? We have created a religion out of our faith!
There is nothing more destructive to faith than religion, because faith is based on something real while religion is based on fabrications of the mind and emotions.

Islam is a real faith because they worship the real Devil though they call him Allah.
Yet in Islam they too have a problem with followers making a religion of their faith. Those religious but unfaithful are what we now call Islamic moderates.
Since the faith of Islam is dark and murderous, the faithless moderates are a welcome diversion.
And in this warm socializing acceptance comes the natural demand that Christians become faithless moderates as well, it just makes us all happier bed-fellows in our new "virtue" of globalization.

The confusion continues to grow thicker as the blasphemous Catholic Church that once burned alive the faithful Christians, is now itself identified to the world AS Christian. *5
So today when the Catholic Church does this or that, the world is told it is Christian just as the pagan activities on the Via Dolorosa are claimed to be Christian though they now represent almost nothing actually Christian, yet highly religious.

Just in case your not confused enough, they also now call the memorialization of Jesus' subsequent Resurrection; “Easter” after a Babylonian goddess Ishtar *6 the goddess of sex and fertility which is the source concept of all the rabbits and eggs now associated with Jesus’ Resurrection.
Fertility - New life, it all fits so nice!

In stead of saying; "Happy Ishtar Day" (Easter), the early Christians greeted each other with; "He is Risen!" and the reply was; "He is Risen in deed!"
But those days are long gone for the "modern Christian".

* * *

Why am I making a big deal out of this?
Because in days long ago Christians were burned at the stake for defying the Catholic Church regarding the Bastardization of the faith, but today there is hardly a Christian home that does not color eggs and decorate with rabbits though they have no clue how blasphemous this is!
For one hour some might go to church and in solemn ceremony contemplate the sacrifice of God our Savior on our behalf. But the rest of the week is full of Ishtar’s glory.

When God sent the Jews into exile for worshiping other gods, what do you think they were doing? Like us, it was all just innocent fun! *7
But when you spend more time and devotion with Ishtar than with Jesus, ON THIS DAY after his sacrificial death for you!, what do you suppose should be His reaction?

* * * * * * *

*1 "The Via Dolorosa (Latin for Way of Grief or Way of Suffering) is a street, in two parts, within the Old City of Jerusalem, held to be the path that Jesus walked, carrying his cross, on the way to his crucifixion. The current route has been established since the 18th century, replacing various earlier versions. It is today marked by nine Stations of the Cross; there have been fourteen stations since the late 15th century, with the remaining five stations being inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The route is a place of Christian pilgrimage." - Via Doloraosa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Dolorosa)

*2 The Curse:
"And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven." Deuteronomy 29:19-20,
"And there shall in no wise enter into it (New Jerusalem) any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." Revelation 21:27
"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Revelation 22:18-19
"...for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:10

By manipulating, adding to, or subtracting from the word of God, we cause what was true prophecy to fail. This leads to confusion and loss of faith.

* * *
Lets examine one such example:
According to tradition and the Catholic Stations, clearly sanctioned by the Church, there were at least three "falls" of Jesus on his journey to the cross.
But Scripture gives us only one suggestion of anything that could be interpreted as such, though prophetically a fall of Christ is impossible.
So lets read the verse to see if we can confirm that Jesus ever fell on his way to the cross;
"And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus." Luke 23:26 (see also Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21)
Now what we get from this example is the practical validation of Jesus' direction to his followers;
"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Matthew 16:24, (see also Luke 14:27)
Simon was the physical representation of how we must follow Jesus in a very practical way, not in some intangible mental game, but with our whole being we endure the burden of the cross laid on us as we follow behind in Jesus path. "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." Matthew 10:22
Note that Simon did not volunteer to bear the cross, it was put upon him by those who killed our LORD. But notice too that Jesus did not need Simon's help to successfully make it to the crucifixion. There is no scriptural evidence that Jesus ever fell.

Why did the Romans who so mercilessly treated Jesus earlier, make Simon now bear his cross?
Was it their own idea, or did God put it into their minds to fulfill a prophetic message...or both?
"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them..." John 16:1-4a
It is our roll as followers to bear the cross of Christ which we are given. And today by the thousands Christians are suffering and giving their lives just as Jesus prophesied. Persecution (http://www.persecution.com/public/newsroom.aspx)

Again this cross bearing of Simon was a type and shadow of how each of us must bear Christ's spiritual cross and tangible suffering as we partake of his example. This participation is also evidenced by our water baptism as we die to ourselves and rise to a new life in Christ in the example of his own death and resurrection.
These are not just nice religious ceremonies, they are events which supernaturally alter our life when applied with understanding.

God's message in prophecy is so important that a slight infraction by Moses cost him from ever entering the promised land.
His severe punishment was not because what he did was so horrible, but because he did not follow God's instruction and so marred the prophetic message of the Christ.
In the first of two events, God instructed Moses to STRIKE the rock for the water to come forth, (Exodus 17:6) and everything went as planned.
But in the second similar event, God instructed Moses to SPEAK to the rock for the water to come. (Numbers 20:8) But Moses got in the way of the prophetic message and forgot himself.
In frustration with the people, and perhaps a bit of self confidence from having done this once before, he STRUCK the rock to get the water, not even once but twice.(Numbers 20:9-11)
This did not please God, and cost him entry into the promised land. (Numbers 20:12)

The reason why this was a big deal to God, is because the life saving water to spring from an impossible source, was a prophecy of the arrival of the Messiah from the obstinate Jewish people...twice.
We usually interpret this prophecy to mean; the first time he came he would be stuck. And so he was.
But the second time he comes he is to be requested;
"For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Matthew 23:39
I submit that for an accurate application we must understand that Jesus the Christ is represented by water, the rock represents the Jewish people.
God intended the people to be struck the first time, and the Messiah would come.
But in Moses failure to follow instructions, he brought on the "double beating" of the Jews which now must come in order to fulfill the prophecy which Moses created by his disobedience to the instruction.
This concept is carried in the prophecy; "...for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction." Zechariah 1:15b

God's prophecy is very specific and important to him as there is virtually nothing in any creation anywhere as sure as God's prophecy, not even a voice from heaven itself! (II Peter 1:18-19)

So now how accountable do you suppose the Catholic Church is for officially declaring against the report of scripture that Jesus fell three times on his way to the cross?
or declaring that Jesus was killed on Friday making a lie of Jesus declaration of 3 days and 3 nights in the grave?
"...O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." Isaiah 3:12b
How accountable are the pilgrims who make a grand religious experience out of walking the historical (but wrong) footsteps of Jesus in an emotional connection before heading home to continue in their daily sin while feeling extra righteous for the effort?
Am I saying a vacation to the Holy Land is ill advised? no.
But care must be taken not to turn your faith toward emotional imagination. (Romans 1:21, Jeremiah 13:10)

*3 Thursday Crucifixion Death:
Matthew 28:1-6, mark 16:1, Luke 24:1, John 20:1 all tell plainly that Jesus rose from the grave before early on the first day of the week, when the women discovered him risen. And to be sure we don’t mess it up, the passage says the first day follows Sabbath (Saturday);
“In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre...
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Matthew 28:1-6
So we know that Christ rose before early on Sunday morning, possibly even Saturday night.

Jesus told us before the event that he must be dead specifically three days and three nights;
“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40 (don’t forget to read and contemplate verse 41 as well!)
No matter how hard you try, you simply cannot get three days and three nights to fit between Friday and early Sunday.
The acts of the Romans conveniently show that it was public knowledge that Jesus had declared he would be dead three days;
“Command therefore that the sepulcher be made sure until the third day,…” Matthew 27:64a

There is something important about the “three” days and nights duration as we see the evidence all through scripture in type and shadow;
“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” Acts 20:29-31
(see also Revelation 8:12)
By the capitalization of this point, we know that if Jesus rose from the grave before early on Sunday morning, he could not have been killed after early Thursday morning, making the event of the crucifixion primarily on Wednesday with his death as early as Wednesday night and his subsequent resurrection as early as Saturday night.
"...as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week..." suggests that it was not yet Sunday Morning when the women found him already risen.
Not to make a religion out of the day, Jesus rose in secret and we celebrate his resurrection on Sunday Morning when the event was discovered, fulfilling the prophetic message of the feats.

* * *
The Catholic Church has gone to great lengths to obliterate the Wednesday-Thursday Crucifixion and the memorialization of it by obscuring the original event with their own fabricated religious memorial abusing the historical account almost beyond discovery;
"Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great & Holy Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels. It is the fifth day of Holy Week, and is preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday.
The date is always between 19 March and 22 April inclusive, but these dates fall on different days depending on whether the Gregorian or Julian calendar is used liturgically. Eastern churches generally use the Julian calendar, and so celebrate this feast throughout the 21st century between 1 April and 5 May in the more commonly used Gregorian calendar. The Mass of the Lord's Supper initiates the Easter Triduum, the three days of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday that commemorate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. It is normally celebrated in the evening, when Friday begins according to Jewish tradition." - Holy Thursday (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Thursday)

*4 Heathen 1471 gowy; (Hebrew) apparently from the same root as 1465 (in the sense of massing); a foreign nation; hence a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts. - Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.

*5 "Fox's Book of Martyrs" by John Foxe is a meticulous and horrifying record of thousands of Christians unspeakably murdered by the Catholic Church. A very inspiring read to strengthen your resolve as a Christian and learn about the true history.

*6 Ishtar:
“Ishtar was above all associated with sexuality: her cult involved sacred prostitution[dubious – discuss]; her holy city Uruk was called the "town of the sacred courtesans"; and she herself was the "courtesan of the gods". Ishtar had many lovers;” - Ishtar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishtar)

"Astarte (Greek Ἀστάρτη, "Astártē") is the Greek name of a goddess known throughout the Eastern Mediterranean from the Bronze Age to Classical times. Originally the deified evening star, she is found as Ugaritic ‘ṯtrt ("‘Aṯtart" or "‘Athtart"); Phoenician "‘shtrt" (‘Ashtart); and Hebrew עשתרת (Ashtoret, singular, or Ashtarot, plural), and appears in Akkadian as Dingir, the grammatically masculine name of the goddess Ishtar; the form Astartu is used to describe her age. The name appears also in Etruscan as (Pyrgi Tablets), Ishtar or Ashtart.
Astarte was connected with fertility, sexuality, and war. Her symbols were the lion, the horse, the sphinx, the dove, and a star within a circle indicating the planet Venus. Pictorial representations often show her naked. - Astarte (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astarte)

*7 “For they went and served other gods, and worshiped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:” Deuteronomy 29:26
This memorialized plastic Jesus we glue to our dash and worship in our imagination, is just such a god whom God did not give us.
*

Ryan's Bill

Post 181

Before moving on, lets look at one example to see how we can apply the concept of the previous post to America today;

Clearly America cannot continue spending at the levels we have been.
Only an evolutionist might believe that spending has nothing to do with our debt.
Or that perhaps our spending is simply an evolution into a higher level of abundance.

For the rational thinking individual looking at our reality, we must do something about our debt which is now in the multiplied Trillions.

This is the perspective that sent the record breaking number of TEA party (acronym for; Taxed Enough Already) to Congress, upsetting the democratic majority in the House, with the promise to cut 100 Billion from the budget. *1

Frankly 100 Billion is so insignificant in the scale of Trillions the Democrats should have yawned as they casually waved their hand to pass it. 100 Billion would not have even been noticed in the extravagant shopping spree our congress seems to be on.

But true to greed, they could not bear to loose even the cost of a cup of coffee as they rush off to Macy’s for more jewelry.

So the Republicans fought hard and feel proud to have “won” 33 Billion in cuts over the effort to keep the Government open.
Anyone who is even slightly following these events can see this is not any kind of solution to America’s addiction to spending.
It is far less that wrestling away one cigarette from a 25+ pack a day smoker, and thinking you helped them. (a thousand billion makes one trillion, and we just kept them from spending 33 billion.)
But its worse than that. In essence we just kept the smoker from adding 1 cigarette from the many packs he intends to add to his 25+ pack a day problem, and in the time it took us to talk him out of it, he just smoked another 100!

Of course my representational scale is off, but you can't comprehend billions and trillions anymore than I can! don't miss my point.

* * *

But now we have this freshman congressman Paul Ryan who is submitting a bill for the 2012 Federal spending year, to cut 6 trillion. *2
Finally we are beginning to touch this problem with the first sign of seriousness.
This would indeed force the government to actually think about which store they might have to drop from the day's spending spree.

But it would also shake things up enough to potentially cause the markets to stagger, and some desirable programs to end.
The addicted cry like drama queens that it could destroy America!

But the question is not; Will this destroy America?
The question is; Will this save America?

These are very real situations we are facing, and the actions taken or neglected will have significant affects for sure.

But at the very best outcome we can imagine, will a 6 Trillion dollar budget cut fix America’s problems?

Will it stop the drugs from ravishing our youth?
Will it stop the hatred growing among our population?
Will it stop the irreconcilable differences between husbands and wives?
Will it stop the high fuel prices, or the homes from being foreclosed?
Will it stop the job losses?
Will it feed your children? Or keep you safe?

Will a 6 Trillion dollar spending cut keep America from falling?

* * *

The Jews of the past in our last study, had very real problems.
And when their nation became weakened to such a place I have just described, they were then threatened by a foreign nation that desired to conquer them.

And like any logical person dealing with real problems, they turned to real help.
They called Egypt on the red phone to ask for aid.
And this makes perfect sense.
(At the time, Egypt was a very great nation, a supper-power as we would call it.)

So what do you suppose Israel’s congressmen would have said to the religious nut-job that gets his five minutes to speak before congress, when he said;
Don’t call Egypt to help us.
Our problem is that we have offended God almighty.
All the troubles we are facing today are directly related to that offense.
The only solution for us is to humble ourselves before God,
Cry out to him for help,
Seek his perspective in why we are in this condition,
Turn from our wickedness in all that we do.
Only then will God hear from heaven,
Forgive our sins,
And the result will be the national solutions we desire.
(II Chronicles 7:15 paraphrased) *3

According to the historical record, the ancient Jews laughed such preachers to scorn, and their nation was destroyed, and they were taken captive. Apparently the supper-power of Egypt just wasn't enough help.

The next time they faced such a situation, they listened to the preachers, and did as was suggested, and God blessed them in their endeavors.

Today America stands on the edge of the same cliff for the very same reasons.
Only the names and locations have changed.
Same God, same offenses, same problems, but we have the advantage of looking back on two historical examples for us to choose from.

* * *

I am greatly in favor of the Ryan bill as I know it.
It is a step in the right direction.
But this step is only further folly if we as a nation continue to refuse to recognize the God that created this nation in the first place.

I hear these brave and honorable TEA party congressmen earnestly addressing America’s financial peril. But where is the voice of repentance? Where is the beseeching God for our aid?
These options are not even on the table because we have yet failed to implement the previous step;
We refuse to humble ourselves before God in recognition that he even IS our God!

“Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation…” - Obama *4

The time for polite avoidance of offending none-believers is way past!
Those avoidances are the major factor in why we are here in the first place.
Now is the time for Congress to become bold before the nation, our congressmen must humble themselves before the Maker, not in private but in the congress, on camera before all nations, representing the repentance of the people!

But they will not do this because they are We.
They are simply people of the population like you and me whom we have elected to the office.
And we as America are not humble before God, and we elect people who reflect our values.
Therefore the problem in America first lies behind the doors of every home.
The solutions must originate there.
Voting in a party with the identification of “Taxed Enough Already” is so missing the whole point of our problems!

They are doing exactly what we sent them there to do.
And may God bless and protect them as they do what we ask them to do.

But we have not sent the right people to do the right job!
When your mother is dying you don’t send the manicurist, you send the preacher.

This is why I have clearly and boldly declared that God will indeed judge America for her crimes against him, He himself gave us Obama to destroy us, because even now while we stare our doom in the face, we refuse to turn unto God so that he would turn unto us! (Zechariah 1:3)

But our problem is much worse than that of Ancient Israel, because unlike God’s promises to always retain a remnant of Israel to return home, He has made no such promises to America. When we are destroyed there is no coming back!
Israel was incarcerated for her crimes, America is on death row!

Don’t you for second think this accusation is not aimed directly at you because you are a Christian.
You will notice the very first line in the short list of the requirements to bring God's aid;

“If my people, which are called by my name…” *3
The problem in this once great land is not the godless.
It is those who think they are godly and are not! (Revelation 3:15-22)

* * * * * * *

*1 Promise to cut 100 billion:
what is the right answer
(http://hotair.com/archives/2011/04/05/tea-party-express-chief-the-gop-should-keep-its-promise-to-cut-100-billion-but-a-shutdown-is-a-bad-idea/)

*2 Ryan’s Bill:
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) Tim Ryan congressional site
(http://paulryan.house.gov)
This proposed bill is not yet available for public viewing.

“While significantly better than a continuation of the Obama budget projections, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) budget still leaves the United States with a national debt of more than $22 trillion in 2021 and a $344 billion annual deficit in that same year — hardly numbers that will excite fiscal hawks.

Of course, the left is howling already, as they prefer the Obama model, which projects a 2021 deficit of $774 billion with a total federal debt at $26 trillion.

To put this into perspective, our current national debt is $14.2 trillion. Our national gross domestic product is approximately $14.9 trillion (GDP is the size of the entire U.S. economy). Even with Ryan’s proposal, the national debt will grow larger than the entire U.S. economy before the end of the calendar year.

Right now, the federal government is burning through $130 billion a month more than it brings in, and the Ryan proposal would slow this rate of cash-burn down, but it merely slows the fiscal death spiral with no pathway to balancing the budget and beginning the process of paying off the federal indebtedness.” - the hill.com
(http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/economy-a-budget/154069-ryan-bill-is-not-enough)

*3
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14

*4 Not a Christian nation:
"Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation..." Youtube Senator Obama speech
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmC3IevZiik)

"...I've said before that one of the great strengths of the united states is, although as I've mentioned we have a very large Christian population we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation, we consider ourselves a nation of citizens, who are bound by ideals and a set of values." - Youtube Obama speech in Turkey
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIVd7YT0oWA)

If we are not a Christian nation, just what ideals are we bound by? What set of values? Where did they come from?
*

Seventy Years

(again and again)
Zechariah 1:12
Post 180


The point of this 1st chapter of Zechariah is centered on the question of “How long”.
That question is a significant focus of my entire blog and our present study of the last Global Dominate Empires (GDE) to affect Israel and the rest of the world.
This and at least the next post are dedicated not to the answer, but to the question, with the answer following after.

* * *

In our last study we saw the wandering horse scouts proclaim; “We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.” Zechariah 1:11
“Then (as a result of what they said) the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?” Zechariah 1:12
“and the LORD answered the angel…” v.13a

So now we have the focus of the next narration answering the question; “When will the lack of mercy on Israel end?” *1 as God proceeds to give the answer.

But before we just go on to learn the answer, we need to understand the tri- *2 layers of this narration.
The historical layer receives understanding from the ancient layer, which in turn explains the prophetic layer. The prophetic layer then gives meaning to the historic layers.
But because the historic study gets very complex quickly, I will save that for the book, and here just take a very short look at only some of the elements in both the historical layers that are key to explaining the prophetic layer as it applies to world events we see happening today:

* * *

History:
All reasonable scholars, at least superficially recognize the historical context of this passage relating to when it was written. So lets take a moment to understand this lack of mercy that had already lasted 70 years; (a score is 20, so three 20s= 60. 60+10 is 70.) *3

The Israel of the released Babylonian captivity, and the ministering angel speaking with Zechariah, were not confused as to the length of their captivity. It was the calculated sentence by God their judge, to pay for crimes against Him as clearly shown in their subsequent history of II Chronicles 36:11-23.
With all the recognized valid accusations against them listed there, verse 21 identifies that the historian recognized the specific crime that demanded a specific payment;
“(The preceding events of captivity happened) To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.” II Chronicles 36:21

That historical record written after the fact, refers to the specific duration foretold in prophecy by Jeremiah before the captivity began;
“And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” Jeremiah 25:11
So now we have the pre-event prophecy and the post-event historic record showing that they knew the specific length of the captivity, and the just cause.
Ezekiel too, had full understanding that this 70 year punishment was a matter of fact ordained by God, and for this understanding Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel could boldly declare to the king; it was God’s will that they submit to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and take their captivity as punishment from God.

But even before God sent them into “prison” he, through Jeremiah the prophet, encouraged them that a promise would follow the sentence of exactly 70 years;
“For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.” Jeremiah 29:10

And just as prophesied, at the end of 70 years *4 the Jews were released in 536 BC by Cyrus king of Persia the new GDE, for the goal of returning to Israel and begin rebuilding their temple. (Ezra 1:1-4, Daniel 6:28)….

* * *
Historical events:
Through the first year the people, recently freed, went to work with great joy and enthusiasm;
They built an alter to God, they kept the obligatory feasts, they held daily burnt offerings, and gave freewill offerings to the LORD. (Ezra 3:1-7)
And after the proper preparation they broke ground and began to build the foundation for the temple in the second year. (Ezra 3:8-13) There was great joy even though they were troubled by “the people of those countries”. (Ezra 3:3)

Imagine, after 70 years of captivity they were finally home and supposed in God’s favor just as God through Jeremiah had promised!
But in their self-absorbed enthusiasm they missed what the prophecy actually said;
His good word toward them was for the purpose of their return. What comes after that was up to them, good or bad.

And soon they ran into increasing opposition by the people who had squatted on their land while they were away in “prison” *5. (Ezra 4:1-6) The general opposition and lawsuits lasted for about 71 years until king Artaxerxes Longimanus became the king of Persia in 465 BC. (Ezra 4:4-6) *6
Then the adversarial squatters (Ezra 4:10) stepped up the opposition and hired lawyers who wrote a letter (Ezra 4:11-16) full of specially crafted misleading truth to the new king, convincing him to put a “stop work order” on the temple of the people he governed but never actually knew,*7 and “Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius (II) king of Persia.” (423-404 BC) Ezra 4:24 *8
This cessation from temple construction lasted about 44 years, (The rise of one king to the second year of the other: 421 BC Ezra 4:24) and in that time the people turned to occupying their private lives, fulfilling their own desires, and basically forgot the temple since they were forbidden to build it. They were just happy to be home building a new life!... but for 114 years? (70+44) *6

* * *

Now lets think about this:
In the first 70 years the people obeyed the law as they were focused on building the temple. But because their efforts were based only on gratitude and not on love, they did not respond well to discouragement. Because they saw less to be grateful for over time, the efforts and enthusiasm waned.
And don't forget the discouragement of opposition began back at the beginning when they arrived home. (Ezra 3:3)
So at the decree to stop construction about 71 years into it, the discouragement was already well mature, and they gave up easily. And with the failed hopes of faith, came a failure to obey the law of the God who seemed to fail them.
Sabbaths were a part of those laws, so we can be confident they stopped giving the land her required Sabbaths upon receiving the decree; perhaps much as America began in the 70s to keep her stores open on Sundays in violation of her long traditions honoring Sundays. Without the cause of faith, it just makes good economic sense.

Now I don’t have the year the decree to stop work was made, and so for validation provide the earliest date possible as the first year of Artaxerxes Longimanus, making it 44 years without providing a Sabbath for the land. (465-421 BC)

So after only one generation they were already on their way to another captivity!
What happens if the trend was allowed to continue? The obligatory payment of the forgotten Sabbaths comes due again!
And since learned sins are very difficult to break, if this guaranteed problem was to be cut off, NOW was the time to deal with it in the bud while it was still new. “…Behold now is the accepted time: behold, now is the day of salvation.” II Corinthians 6:2

It was here, in the second generation, born and raised in the sins of their fathers whose faith had grown weak in the captivity, that God sent Haggai and Zechariah to prophesy to their children before this trend became entrenched and the captivity doomed to repeat.

“Then the prophets, Haggai… and Zechariah, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.” (Era 5:1)

“Be ye not as your (grand*9) fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.
Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live for ever?
But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? (for 70 years of captivity)
And they returned (to the homeland afterwards) and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.” Zechariah 1:4-6
In otherwords their historians who recognized they were the cause of the captivity, recorded it all in their Chronicles of history declaring that God did to them just as he had warned.
But in spite of all the documented proofs of history that God will do as he has said;
“…This people say, (because of the troubles and the stop work order;) The time is not come, the time that the LORD’s house should be built…
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways…because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.” Haggai 1:2,5,7,9b

And now we know when the Book of Zechariah and our chapter of discussion was written, and the circumstances that brought it on! And it brings new seriousness to the words we read.

It was AFTER the 70-year “incarceration” was over, and their fathers had returned home in praise to their God, finally free of oppression, but they were weak in faith and heartsick to find they still faced struggle and opposition!
And it went on year after year for 70 years until their struggle became a deeply entrenched way of life.
Now the new generation, only one generation removed from captivity, had been doing the very same offenses as those who went into captivity. And the date the debt comes due again was doggedly on its way!
What a wakeup call they got from Haggai and Zechariah!

And it worked! The people woke up!
They realized suddenly that the problem was not God's failure to help them, but that they had failed God!
And so they began in earnest to again obey their God, and started fresh in building the temple so that they could again in obedience sacrifice according to God’s law. (Ezra 5:2)
And so they altered their learned course, finally becoming Jews - the children of God, no longer Jews - the servants of nations!

* * *

So why did they struggle for so long before figuring it out?
The problem was directly related to their perception of what God intended to do for them.
They believed that after the incarceration was paid, God would bring them home as promised. But they assumed that meant God was going to pamper them as well.
They perhaps unconsciously, felt that God owed them comfortable times after experiencing such oppression (as if it was undeserved), and were therefore frustrated by God’s “lack of mercy” on their troubles upon coming home, much as a convict might feel as he steps through the prison gate onto the streets of civilian life; penniless, jobless and friendless. And angry that no one would give him work.
Not joyful to finally be paid up and released from the incarceration he brought upon himself, but grumbling that “the man” had dumped him on his own.

But God’s perspective was significantly different;
“If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: THEN will I remember…” Leviticus 26:40-41 (capitalized emphasis added)

This entire disparity between views is an issue of perspective.
Their perspective was the same “government owes me a living” mentality of America today.
In one perspective it is all about me, in the other it is all about God.
Which one is the perspective in your own life as you deal with your struggles?

Notice in the perspective God desired them to have, there is a needed recognition of:
• Their own guilt,
• The related guilt of their fathers which they have emulated,
• Their specific offenses against God,
• Their general contrary life toward God,
• And the recognition that God was therefore contrary to them and was the actual source of the problems they faced. (James 4:6)

We, like they, tend to view all this through a narrow contextual lens of religion, carefully segregating it from science.
But God is very clearly showing them, and us, that this IS science!
This is a calculable, repeatable, tangible cause and effect applied in our reality.
And even more amazing is that God does the work of doing the calculating, and writing the findings in His Book for us so that we can figure it out sooner!

Only in this specific and true awareness that the problem is both scientific and religious, can the actual solution be found.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." II Chronicles 7:14

Notice the specific order of the healing process;
• Become a child of God through repentance to the receiving of forgiveness (my people)
• Deliberately turn your attention from self-centered, to God-centered.
• Begin a serious and intentional communication with God, with expectation.
• Then earnestly seek the God who does not yet respond to your prayers.
• Thus, discover your sins that hinder his response, and turn from them.

Without this specific and earnest approach, there is an incredible natural ability to block out the true cause and resort to enduring the consequences as unknowable and therefore unavoidable.
This is the all too common trend I see in struggling Christians today,
And the deeply seated trend I see in the Jews as a people.
It is just the nature of sinful man… whatever he chooses to call himself.

But while a pagan might seriously evaluate all possible causes in searching for the answer, the Christian and the Jew is sure he has the religious cause covered already, and so will not explore that possibility. (Revelation 13:15-16, Matthew 9:12-13)
In this way, the seeking Pagan has better chances of success than the Christian or the Jew! (Matthew 22:3-10 but don't ignore 11-14 lest you become a Universalist.)

It was while the Jews were stuck in this blind religious mind frame of failed faith, that Zechariah had his vision of the word of the LORD as God pled with them like he had with their fathers;
“Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, Saith the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 1:3
This is the scientific key to stopping the continuation of the consequences, not eradicating a punishment already deserved.
They had recently paid the debt and were freed, but had not yet altered the mindframe from what got them into trouble in the first place.
God's answer to this problem is the simple recognition of just whose reality this is!

When you play Monopoly, the game only works as it was intended when you play by the rules of the Maker. That simple acceptance eliminates the plethora of complex and confusing variations that spring up by ignoring such a foundational truth. "Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes." Deuteronomy 12:8 (verse 9 is a powerfully important key to finding God's rest! Hebrews 4:1-3)

Now to really understand God’s heart in this matter, you should read the short book of Haggai for some very personal evaluation for your own faith as well as learning God’s argument with the not-so-newly-anymore returned people.
If you have the right heart you may learn the reason and source of your own similar troubles and those of your nation! But remember as you read it; it may look like a rules issue but it is actually a perspective issue. (See also II Chronicles 15:1-7,12-15)
One additional aid: if you read the book and recognize yourself in the events of the text, but cannot resolve the cause in your mind, it is because you have not yet allowed the truth to break down your wrong pre-assumption that you are right with God.
Like the Jews who believed they were right with God because their father was Abraham (Matthew 3:9), it is your wrong doctrine of salvation that blinds you to the evidential facts of reality! (Proverbs 6:23, 10:17, 29:1)

Have you ever heard someone after many years of a specific character flaw, continue to dwell on an old memory of better days; “I'm not like this… This is just a temporary phase… Years ago God did such and such for me.”
These are ways of perpetually denying a real problem that exists now, by living in the past, be it real or imagined.
I believe at the time of the wakeup call, these Jews were still thinking of themselves as poor captives who deserved a break, even after 115 years! (536-421 BC) The complexity is that the original thought was based on a wrong premise of captivity. The rules of God's reality says they deserved their punishment.

The discouraged Jews in their self-absorbed perspective might have argued with God; “Hey, We were born in captivity because of the sins of our fathers. Our fathers came home in faith eager to build your temple, but were constantly opposed on every side. And now the king has commanded us to stop work. Why are you mad at us? Go make the king let us build.”

That sounds like a reasonable argument doesn’t it?

But from God’s perspective; “The 70-year incarceration was indeed due to your forefather’s sins. But that is over and your fathers are now dead. I kept my promise and brought you home. The sins that are happening now are yours; though they be the same sins your fathers sinned. My argument is your self-absorbed heart. If you really wanted to build the temple you would find a way to let me help you get it done. But you let yourself be so easily discouraged because it is still all about you.
And so as I described in Haggai, I have made your self-absorption a heavy burden in the desire to encourage you to turn to me. (Haggai, paraphrased)
"If you turn to me, I will turn to you, I am the LORD.” (Zechariah 1:3, paraphrased)

It is here in this situation that Zechariah gives his prophecy, and between the two prophets the people were suddenly awakened to their real situation, and began again to earnestly build the temple, which was THEIR rightful application to a corrected heart. (Ezra 5:2)

This time when their adversaries opposed them, they had the determination to face it down in the confidence God would prevail through them, and so it happened with them, (Ezra 5:3-6:15) just as it did once before, many years earlier. (II Chronicles 15)

Does that then fulfill the purpose for the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah?
HARDLY!

* * *
Transition:
Yes, Historically it was at a time long after the 70 years incarceration was history, when the temple lay still unfinished and the people were discouraged from the constant opposition, that the wandering scout angels found the world to finally be at rest. (Zechariah 1:1-11)

And so with the proclamation of rest, the angel of Zechariah cried out to God in essence; “If the world is at rest, and the 70 year punishment is over, why do you yet hold back your mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah?” Zechariah 1:12 paraphrased
But such a paraphrase looses a layer! The angel intentionally worded it “threescore and ten” years. (We will soon learn why in later posts)

Now a curious thing happens in God’s reply to the angel’s threescore and ten;
We will eventually see that his answer is clearly more than their 70 year situation fits.
Did the application work for them? Yes, though I have no idea their interpreted representation of horses as it applied to the powers of their day. *10

And now approximately 2432 years later, we see that the two examples of history were shadows of the prophetic situation today.
Because there is more to this prophecy than fit their situations, we will see that this prophecy was written in their day, reflecting on the shadow of their past, but even intended for full application in a much later time now upon us. *11

* * *

Déjà vu all over again: *12
In 33AD, Israel had again completed in a grand way, an established history of committed crimes against their Creator, but this time the Crimes were different and far greater, and so the justified incarceration was greater as well. (Matthew 23:37-39 and compound punishments of Leviticus 26)
And so after years of Haggai style troubles with their Roman oppressors, they failed to hear God’s message and were again uprooted from their homeland, this time by the Roman GDE, and sent into all the world as vagabonds for what turned out to be 1878 years, (70AD to 1948AD) Far longer than the 70 years because this time their sins were far greater than neglecting the Sabbaths for the land. But the cause-and-effect of judgment remained scientifically consistent.
Then when paid, as promised, God again called them to return to their homeland, and so they returned to the land of their fathers, creating the nation again on May 14, 1948;
“That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.” Deuteronomy 30:3-5
So far, the historical account of God’s track record of prophecy is flawless.

And just as before, they are overjoyed with their long awaited freedom, rejoicing in their God who miraculously brought them home!...
But they are so self-absorbed they don’t read the prophecy right and fail to understand the point of what it said;
“And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shall return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
That then the LORD…" (and a promise follows.) Deuteronomy 30:1-2
Is this the heart of Israel today?
Clearly not. I am appalled at their hopeless paganism even after their miraculous return!
So do we now see the results of the promise that follows?;
…“And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live”… Deuteronomy 30:6
Why has God not fulfilled verse 6?
Because they have not fulfilled verses 1-2.

So can the blessings of Deuteronomy and the promise of 30:3-5 apply to them now without them applying 1-2?
I don’t think so. Though symbolically fulfilled in 1948 as a shadow of things to come, that promise is actually for yet another time when they will fulfill the required heart of verses 1-2!
Then Hosea 5:15 will be fulfilled, and Zechariah 12.
But not until.
For Israel today there are other prophecies that apply (Ezekiel 37:1-22);

"When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria:...and they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face."
"They return, but not to the most High:..." Hosea 7:1-2,16

But perhaps. Just perhaps, in the symbolic 37 years left before the wandering horse angels stand among the myrtle trees in the bottom, to declare world rest, maybe the Jews will recognize their crimes against God and repent.
Otherwise the consequences of their own sins will come due again as a repeat of the last Diaspora we read in Jeremiah 16! which was to last so long that declaring to them an expected end of it would have been pointless;
"Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed?
wilt thou (God) be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?" Jeremiah 15:18

"Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good." Jeremiah 18:11
So is it Islam and the Imperial forces that are the source of Israel's troubles, or God himself in response to their own sins?

But because they now have a long documented history of how God responds to sin, and is proven faithful to his promises both favorable and unfavorable; if they continue to ignore God’s desire for them the payment due is a compound debt of Leviticus 26 for stubbornness, added to their punishment for worshiping other gods.

Now don’t miss that the cause of the recently ended global incarceration they call an exile, was different than the Sabbaths neglect, and so the payment required was different too;

“Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? What meaneth the heat of this great anger?
Then men (such as me) shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt: (the covenant found in the Torah specifically the Chumash. [1st 5 books of the Christian bible])
For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:
And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:
And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.” Deuteronomy 29:25-28

Like Zechariah pointing out they were about to repeat the sins of their fathers that sent them into 70 years of captivity,
I am now pointing out that they are repeating the sins of their fathers that sent them into 1,878 years of Exile!
But remember this Exile was not primarily because of breaching the Sabbath of the land.
This was for worshiping other gods.
Take another look at the strange wording of the last line in verse 26; “For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he (God) “had not given unto them.”

Why would the Holy Spirit cause this to be written this way?
The translators of the Septuagint have wrongly included ‘them’, a word not in the original; “26 and they went and served other gods, which they knew not, neither did he assign them to them.” - http://www.ecmarsh.com/lxx/Deuteronomy/index.htm (sic.) the italics indicating inclusion for clarification.

God would never assign other gods to his people, but he would and did through scripture, assign to them THE prophesied Messiah who was his Son, part of the single triune God, to be worshiped.
But they rejected Jesus as their corner stone and set up their own Christ-less religion, void of any blood sacrifice, which was the very foundation of their original faith!
The amazing events that “just happened”, resulted in this “unexplainable” predicament of having no sacrifice for sins, because Jesus is God’s only provision, and came as the fulfillment of, and therefore no longer applicable, animal sacrifices!
“…Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?” Matthew 21:42
God promised the Messiah, he sent the Messiah, They rejected the Messiah, and are now left without any scriptural salvation… But its God’s failure to provide? (Zechariah 13:6-7) Reject his Messiah and he takes away your animal sacrifice crutch.

This historical blindness and resulting crime against God, is a clue to the cause of the next holocaust; (Zechariah 13:8-9)
It is my belief that the Jews will receive the Antichrist as their messiah, which we are now learning will be the Islamic Mahdi. So the previous holocaust was because they rejected God's provided Messiah, the next will be for worshiping one that God did not send to them!
"I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive." John 5:43

Now notice; there was not provided a revealed specific duration for this crime as there was for the Sabbaths, but rather, Daniel discovered in prophecy past a set of 70 periods of 7, called weeks *13, which remained secret with God until it was prophesied by Daniel and revealed by history.
“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29
Now what the Jews do after returning from the Diaspora is a revealed responsibility because it has now been revealed.

All this was the part they overlooked in their excitement to experience Gods promised return to the land in 1948, just as those of long ago overlooked the important part.

And like before, their homeland is now possessed by squatters, who simply moved in while they were away in “prison” and now are not happy to see them return.
But this time, not learning from the past, since it was so long ago, they were deceived in the telling that their adversaries just wanted to live in peace alongside them;
“If you would only give us a bit of land to call our own.”
And so they gave it. But it wasn’t enough.
Their adversaries wanted more, and so turned to lawyers who by foreign authority (though strangely not a GDE), took from them the temple mount by persuasion, disallowing them to develop it.
And so discouraged by the perpetual opposition and attacks, they turned to their self-absorbed lives of struggling to survive as a way of life. And in their failed faith to build the temple, they by force abandon the actual law (Torah), replacing it with interpreted law (Talmud) to fit there new circumstances. But in this fabricated faith they were not able to retain the power of God, and returned to the paganism of the nations from which they recently came.
And the struggle became a lifestyle, even embraced, until other than a strictly held ceremonial religion, they forgot the God who called them home though they daily talk of him philosophically. Frankly, they now worship a dead god of their own making, not the living God whom they rejected.
Their radio talk-shows break my heart as they speak of deep faith but with a hopeless heart, perpetually blaming the Romans for their original troubles, and now America, Imperialism, and Palestine for their present troubles, all the while they continue to ignore their own responsible sins which caused God himself to send the Romans in the first place, and now sends the pagan nations of the world to trouble them. Israel National Radio - (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/radio/)

And now America follows close behind in the type and shadow abandonment of her God to her own destruction, long allowing her elected presidents and congress to willfully violate and ignore her very foundational laws which were established from the Holy Bible; largely from the 5 books of Moses as viewed through the New Testament of the Messiah.
So who is causing the troubles we now see in America?
God himself!
And for the same purpose; “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 1:3

So again the prophecy of Haggai is very applicable for their nation, and now our own, as we wait for the time of Zechariah 1 to come to pass, resulting in the cry; “How long?”

According to my calculations of the myrtle tree, we still have between 37 to 87 years before the wandering horse scouts will find the world at rest. (Zechariah 1:8-11) because of other factors we will eventually explore, I believe it is closer to the 37.
But while we wait, there are big things the scripture says will take place… and precious little of it is pleasant!

I pray that this refresher of these prophecies used the last time for the very same situation, might stimulate the same response as before!
But prophecy suggests otherwise.

* * *

The Jews today in their self-absorbed perspective seem to argue with God; “Hey, We were born in exile because of the sins of our forefathers. We come home in faith, eager to build your temple, but we are opposed on every side, and the UN has commanded us to stop work on the temple mount, and now wants to divide our holy city.
Why are you mad at us? Go make the UN let us build.”

That sounds like a reasonable argument doesn’t it?

But from God’s perspective; “The 70-weeks" of exile was indeed due to your forefather’s sins. But that is over and your forefathers are now dead. The sins that are happening now are yours; though they be the same sins your fathers sinned. My argument is your self-absorbed heart. If you really wanted to build the temple you would find a way to let me help you get it done. But you let yourself be discouraged because it’s still all about you.
And so as I described in Haggai, I have made your self-absorption a heavy burden in the desire to encourage you to turn to me. (Haggai, paraphrased)
If you turn to me, I will turn to you, I am the LORD. (Zechariah 1:3, paraphrased)

And now in a more complete fulfillment than before, the message of the wandering horse angels applies today because the prophecy was actually made primarily for these last days as I have suggested in the past several posts, and will clearly show in those that follow.

* * *

Modern Times:
At this point it would be speculation for me to more precisely identify the specific modern date of the angel’s declared world rest. But we now have the information necessary to more closely discover that specific time;

Babylon (red horses), the rising Caliphate (speckled), and Greece (white) all need to be involved in the time of this declared rest, AND Persia (black) needs to be missing as a player.(Zechariah 1:8)
Therefore this event of rest cannot have already taken place, nor declared so by the wandering scout angels, because the second Caliphate has not yet come, and Persia is not powerless.
We must investigate how that rest will come and what it will look like when it does come, before we can interpret the time more accurately.
But while we watch the violence of the Caliphate rising today we rightly fear what that means, yet here in Zechariah 1 we are shown a time of genuine global rest not long after its rise, (since its rise is only a very short event on its nonstop way into perdition. Daniel 12:7, Revelation 12:14, Revelation 17:11)

So how does Zechariah 6:8 fit into the picture of chapter 1?
Chapter 6 is an explanation of the last four GDEs on the planet directly related to the chronological great diverse beasts of Daniel 7, while Zechariah 1 is a specific point in time which identifies the active elements of that moment.

So where is Persia (now generally Iran) in this last days declaration of rest?
Clearly Iran is a heavy player as we observe today… but times change quickly! God has plans for Iran.
Yet notice; Iran is fully Islamic today, and not at all the Persia it once was.
The intent and desire of the Iron spirit (beast) is to overpower and consume all others; conformity by devouring power and fear. (Daniel 7:7,19)
This description does not fit the kingdom of Persia; though they were mighty in conquest they were not merciless and destructive to nations, as shown by their returning Israel to her lands and faith.
Iran has now been consumed by Islam’s Iron Empire spirit; to the extent it now has a self-sacrificing desire to destroy Israel at any cost.
So the silver spirit of ancient Persia is no longer a player, though the geography once called Persia and now called Iran, is still in play…(for a time).
Call it new management, but the black horse of the north country shown in Zechariah 6:6 is the key we need to interpret other last days prophecies regarding "the north country". (Jeremiah 6:22, 10:22, 23:8 ect. ect.)
Today, Iran is now under the influence of the spirit of Iron and striving with God’s opposing speckled horse spirit. Watch how this plays out in modern history.

Then we also know the speckled spirit opposing the iron spirit is, among others, under the influence of God’s higher commanding red spirit that opposes hell’s higher commanding spirit of Babylon.
And the battle of the spirits is getting ugly as men submit to the spirit of evil while God’s called are taking up spiritual defense against it. (Ephesians 6:10-18)
But this is no Hollywood movie, this is reality!

Regardless;
Following the historic pattern, Israel has paid her debt and is now back home as God promised. What happens now is a result of her own relationship with God.
And true to the pattern, because of her understandably confused faithlessness, she is struggling with growing opposition, and yet we see by historical application of prophecy the world can be declared at rest even while Israel continues to struggle, just as before. The representing scout angels of Zechariah 1, in keeping with the four spirits of the winds in Zechariah 6, are representing regions of global power, not the odd independent peoples that have a local aggressive bone. This interpretation is proven by the history of the times in which Zechariah gave the prophecy and how it applied to their events.

So after Babylon and the new Caliphate rise, and Persia is diminished, the world is found to be at rest while Israel continues to struggle, the angel of Zechariah 1:12 can then ask; “how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou has had indignation these threescore and ten years?” *13

That is the question!

* * * * * * *

*1 All About Israel:
If the whole topic and point of this chapter directly relates to Israel’s troubles, why should I take my time to learn about it if I am not a Jew?
The rest of the chapter will explain that in the next posts. But in short, according to God’s perspective, the entire temporal world revolves around Israel as the planets revolve around the sun.
We now see as foolish the scientists who once thought something other than the sun was the center of the solar system. So we will one day have the knowledge to understand that Israel is the center of all that happens on the earth.
If the sun has troubles, you can bet the earth and the other planets will face repercussions, and so it is with Israel. (Zechariah 13:1-3 , 14:2)
As long as we thought the solar system revolved around the earth, we were unable to rightly interact with the science of it. And so it goes with Israel in every way; scripturally and temporally. When Israel is in trouble, so are all the nations and families of the world.
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:3, (also; 18:18, 22:18, 26:4)

*2 Tri-: A combining form meaning: 1. Characterized by, or having, three, or three parts;
as in tricycle. 2. Three times or in three ways; also, into three, as in trisect.
- Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 5th edition 1948
[note: this does not suggest three of something, but a combining of three to make one.]

*3 Counting:
When Jeremiah prophesied the Babylonian captivity, he did not use this “threescore and ten” terminology, but simply said seventy years.
That is because the entire 70 years was a mathematical calculated unbroken sentence for the crime of failed Sabbaths that must be paid consecutively.
Yet here in the angel’s query, he was also speaking of the same 70 years, but in a more romantic way… for a cryptic reason.
This “threescore and ten” is not supposed to be romantic, it’s just the way they talked. No different than when we put groups of numbers together like; Twenty-three. We say it like this because we count in “groups” of 10s; so we have 20 and a fraction of another 10 to total 23.
Their counting includes a numeric group called a score, which simply means 20, like a dozen means 12 for us; so they add 3 score and a fraction of another score (10), to total 70.
Three score and ten, is similar to saying three dozen and five.
It’s just a way of speech.

But God does not waste words or ways of speech.
There is hidden within this normal accounting method, an actual cryptic message of yet another time than that of the simple 70 years of Babylonian captivity of the angels query, just as the use of representing horses allowed Zechariah’s prophecy to accurately apply it to two different events thousands of years apart.
And like the interconnected analogy of the horses to explain multiple related parts of reality, so the use of ‘threescore and ten’ can be accurately applied to more than one interconnected event.
This romantic accounting of 70 is what allows for a strange insertion of time between groups, we call the 70 weeks of Daniel 9. (much more in following posts)

*4 Was it exactly 70 years?
I have often wondered why the scriptures remain silent with information that would make my historical search easier, and as I try to include into a writing all that I learn in the search, I discover the original thought disappears in the volume.
With a learned trust that the scriptures always prove true when researched, we can avoid the confusing and distracting volume and maintain the thought it is conveying. But if the scriptures are not trusted, it takes a lot of heavy research to find it true.
Many before me have gone to great lengths to do the research, and I have studied them, as well as done my own investigation.
It is a shame that the entire world of thought cannot be written in a single book, but we will have to leave such things to another day or another work.

Historically it is difficult to show in few words the proof that the captivity lasted exactly 70 years, due to a number of variable angles, perspectives, events, and records:

“Exile 597-538
The Chaldeans, following standard Mesopotamian practice, deported the Jews after they had conquered Jerusalem in 597 BC. The deportations were large, but certainly didn't involve the entire nation. Somewhere around 10,000 people were forced to relocate to the city of Babylon, the capital of the Chaldean empire. In 586 BC, Judah itself ceased to be an independent kingdom, and the earlier deportees found themselves without a homeland, without a state, and without a nation. This period, which actually begins in 597 but is traditionally dated at 586, is called the Exile in Jewish history; it ends with an accident in 538 when the Persians overthrow the Chaldeans.” - http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Exile.html

There are many such legitimate and illegitimate arguments in determining the actual start date of the captivity, let alone the start date of God’s indignation that Daniel used as his baseline to begin calculating.
Now although we don’t have in concrete the actual date the indignation began, we do have the exact year they were released; 536 BC. So we are able to start with the release and count backwards 70 years to the beginning. 536+70 = 606 BC. And we find that indeed the first siege of Israel which made them subservient to Babylon happened in 606 BC. The common 597 BC date is the third siege when Jerusalem was destroyed and the nation dispersed. But by the math we understand that God’s indignation began in 606 when Israel’s independence was lost.
While Sir Robert Anderson’s “The coming prince” has done a marvelous job showing the understanding and math that Daniel used, I marvel that the prophets never showed their work, they simply told the sum, and the sum is true.
So according to common recorded history, the captivity lasted less than 70 years.
Yet as a man living the experience of the captivity and doing the research, Daniel understood the 70 years was near completion. (Daniel 9:2) and it proved out that his calculations were correct.

*5 Type and Shadows:
For our prophetic study it will be important to note the various ways in which the squatters opposed them, in order to recognize the same methods used today:
• Through fear of conflict, (Ezra 3:3)
• Through deceitful “requests to help” because of false claims of historic worship of the same God. (Ezra 4:1-2)
• Through heavy discouragement and construction complications (Ezra 4:4)
• Through lawsuits and legal battles (Ezra 4:5)

*6 Relevant Persian timeline:
606 BC - 1st siege; Babylon conquers Israel and some takes captives; “70 years of Servitude” begins.
586 BC - 3rd siege; Temple and City destroyed and “70 years of Desolation” begins.
550 - 530 BC: Cyrus king of Persia Not yet the GDE.
536 BC - Darius takes Babylon for king Cyrus making this the first year Cyrus is the GDE and king of the Jews.
536 Cyrus releases Jews to Israel to build temple in the first year of his control. (Ezra 1:1) 70 years fulfilled for the people.
534 BC - Temple foundation begins (Ezra 3:8) and is completed (3:10-12)
522 - 486 BC: Darius becomes king of Persia
485 - 465 BC: Xerxes king of Persia
465 - 424 BC: Artaxerxes Longimanus king of Persia
??? Artaxerxes’ decree to stop work on the temple (Ezra 4:17-24)
445 March 14 - Decree of Longimanus to rebuild Jerusalem (Ezra 2:1,6-7)
none the less, lawsuits continue unstopped to frustrate the construction (Ezra 4:5)
423 - 404 BC: Darius II king of Persia
Temple construction continuously frustrated from Cyrus to Darius (Ezra 4:5)
421 BC - Zechariah and Haggai prophesy (Ezra 5:1,Haggai 1:1, Zechariah 1:1)
Temple construction resumes unauthorized (Ezra 5:3)
421 - Darius II allows rebuilding the temple and decrees to stop the hindrances. (Ezra 6:6-12) and so the hindrances finally stopped (Ezra 6:13)
417 BC Temple is completed! (Ezra 6:15) (had to be Darius II because Artaxerxes followed (Ezra 7:1)
This makes Zerubbabel 137 years old at completion! (Zech 4:9, Ezra 3:8)
404 - 358 BC - Artaxerxes II king of Persia
???-7 Decree of Artaxerxes II for Ezra to go help Nehemiah with the city construction still in progress (Ezra 7)
358 - 336 BC Artaxerxes III and IV kings of Persia
336 - 330 BC : Rule of Darius III last king of Persia GDE
Persian Timeline was an aid to this outline.


*7 Guided research:
Truly there is nothing new under the sun.
We see in Ezra 4:11-16 a carefully crafted letter of truths which the king would be able to research and verify but still effectively guiding the ruler to the ends the writers desired.
And so we see in Ezra 4:18 the king did his own research of what he was told to look for, thereby thinking his conclusion was flawless, and he found it to be just as he was told. Ezra 4:19-20 And so the king commanded to do with great diligence, just what these guiding men wanted him to do. Ezra 4:21-22
But the king never found in his research the decree of Cyrus the king to let them return and that the kingdom would pay the bills!
That information had to be searched by the guidance of others. Ezra 5:17
Upon such a search that information was also found true, and a completely different decree made to result in the opposite ends from the first. Ezra 6:6-12
It has been rightly said; “The power of influence is always greater than the position of power.”

*8 Darius II:
We know it was not Darius III (336-330) because the decree from Darius to resume the work was sent still in the life of Zerubbabel. (Ezra 5:2)
Therefore the stop work order lasted 14 years

*9 Grand fathers:
Scripture uses the term fathers to mean previous generations much as our founding fathers wrote about our forefathers. Fathers simply means earlier generations.
Fathers 1 ab; a primary word; father in a literal, and immediate, or figurative and remote application.

*10 Multiple application:
And now we understand the use of “horses” in the message; so that it could accurately apply to the powers then, and now again with different powers thousands of years later!
This is not Nostradamical, this has a specific purpose.
And so does the wording of threescore and ten.


*11 Context:
It is most always rightly cried error when someone uses half a scripture to validate a point. We strongly demand that context must be maintained when interpreting scripture. And so this is usually true as we judge the validity of an interpretation.
But Jesus himself showed a trend of using only half a scripture, apparently out of context, to make his point. (Luke 4:16-21 vs. Isaiah 61:1-3)
I hesitate to make this point because this passage was not provided in Matthew, showing us that this concept was not intended for the Jews. It is a truly complex and dangerous thing to rightly validate one thought with only half a verse because the other half does not seem to apply!
Yet we can analyze Jesus’ use and recognize that the other half DOES apply, just not at that moment. Jesus was using a passage written for a later date, to apply part of it to a shadow of an earlier time. This is the same application of Zechariah 1.
But I am not using half a concept to validate my interpretation… They were!
The entire prophecy is applicable this time, just as that one Jesus used partly then, is fully fulfilled at his return.

*12 Déjà vu:
(French pronunciation: [deʒa vy] , meaning "already seen") is the experience of feeling sure that one has already witnessed or experienced a current situation, even though the exact circumstances of the previous encounter are uncertain and were perhaps imagined. - déjà vu

* 13 Threescore and ten, called the Seventy Weeks:
This has evolved into an entire post all its own coming next.
*