My what a joy it is to be able to come together and worship the Lord and look into his word. And I trust that you have prepared your heart and that it is soft and ready to receive what the Spirit of God has for you. This morning, will you take your Bibles and turn to Zechariah chapter one, we will resume our verse-by-verse examination of this amazing book in the Old Testament. 

And this morning, we are going to look at a passage of scripture that probably you have never studied before, because it seems to be one of those passages that you just kind of read and move on, because there's really nothing in there that's worth examining, or so we think. But we're going to look closely at verse seven, because it will reveal some amazing truths that will help prepare us for what follows in the eight visions that God gave Zechariah. Let me read Zechariah chapter one verse seven. 

"On the 24th, day of the 11th month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, as follows:..."

And my friends, what follows is a supernatural glimpse of the sovereign authority in the infinite power of God to fulfill all of his covenant promises to Israel, and by extension, to all believers in the church age. And for the next six chapters, Zechariah records eight visions that God gave him on a single night, visions that symbolize the profound spiritual and theological truths pertaining to the exaltation of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, the priest King, and how he will mediate his glory to the world through Israel, as well as the saints in the church age in his coming kingdom. 

And may I remind you that the kingdom of God is the central and unifying theme of the Bible. It encompasses all other themes, and the glory of God is the primary purpose. You must realize that God's purpose in redemption is to justify sinners that he might make us fit to enter into the kingdom to the praise of his eternal glory. In our church age, today, we proclaim Jesus to the world and we await his return to establish this kingdom. We await the establishment of an earthly kingdom where Christ will finally rule over every square inch of his creation. And my, how I long for that day, and that will happen at his second coming. And at the end of the Messianic reign, King Jesus will hand that kingdom over to God the Father, and the eternal state will begin. The Apostle Paul speaks of this in First Corinthians 15 beginning in verse 24 speaking of the end of the Messianic reign, he says, "... then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet." Then he adds, "When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all." Oh, what magnificent promises. What a stunning future awaits us. I'm sure you join me in saying that I grow weary of all the politics, especially this time of year, right? All of the godless, immoral, corrupt people; people that God has placed in authority over us. And I find it almost laughable that almost every day, new polls come out to tell you who's ahead, trying to predict the future. But you know the good news for we as believers? Is we know what the future holds. We know how it all is going to end. And it's not going to end with Kamala Harris or the other guy, right? What's his name, Donald Trump. It's going to end with King Jesus. And all through scripture, beloved, we see how God is the majestic sovereign over his universe, and we see that he manifests the glory of his infinite perfections through his kingdom program. We await the establishment of this kingdom reign on earth. And as we look at Scripture, we see that that will be the day when the saved and restored image bearers will finally rule and subdue the earth for the glory of God, as we were mandated to do in Genesis one. It will be that time when Jesus, the son of David, the Messiah, fulfills the Davidic Covenant; when he returns and he rules the earth and all the nations from Jerusalem with all of the saints. It will be that time when all the physical, national, societal and international promises of the biblical covenants are finally fulfilled, and I long for Christ's return. I long to see my king ruling on this earth. I long for the eternal kingdom that will follow. And that is why the prophetic Scriptures are so exciting to me, and I trust they are to you as well. They offer hope, they offer joy. They animate our worship of God as we contemplate all that awaits us in Christ and only a sovereign, omniscient, omnipotent God can predict the future and fulfill all that He has promised. I mean, think about it, about 27% of the Bible is prophetic, and the estimates kind of vary, but for the most part, it's estimated that there are 1817 prophecies in the Bible, and that 351 Old Testament prophecies were literally fulfilled when Jesus came. And we know, therefore, that the Bible is the only religious document in the world containing prophecy. And why is that? Because it is the only religious document that was written by the one and only true and living God; the only one who knows the future. Moreover, the one who has ordained the future and who will accomplish the future as he has decreed. Indeed, Ephesians 1:11 says that he, "... works all things after the counsel of His will." God speaks through Isaiah in chapter 46 and verse 10, saying, "'Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying "My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure..."'" 

Dear saints, never lose the wonder that in your hands you have the Word of the living God. And there is perhaps no greater proof of the veracity and divine authority of Scripture than fulfilled prophecy, which ignites within us the certain hope that all that God has promised will come to fruition just as he has said, including our future glory when all that he has promised in the biblical covenants will be fully realized; when all that he has ordained to allow in history will finally be completed. Indeed, everything is inexorably moving towards the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we study Zechariah's prophecies, we will see all of these things unfold. Moreover, we will see how these ancient prophecies apply to our lives today. 

And this morning, I wish to examine this seventh verse of chapter one, which is going to introduce the eight visions. Let me give you just a little sample, and I'll maybe give a little bit more at the end of my time with you this morning. But we're going to see in these eight visions, descriptions of a man riding a red horse standing among myrtle trees, four horns which have scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem. We're going to see a man with a measuring cord, measuring Jerusalem. We're going to see a vision of Joshua the high priest, standing before the angel of Yahweh and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. We're going to see a lamp stand with seven lamps and two olive trees. We are going to see a flying scroll. We're going to read about a woman in a basket and four chariots coming forth from between two bronze mountains. Doesn't that sound interesting? What in the world is the Lord saying? Well, we will find out, because I might also add that God will give us the meaning of these things, and we will trace these meanings and many other passages of Scripture that elaborate on them. 

Now, little bit technical, but I hope that this will help you see the genius of the Holy Spirit who has written these words through his servant, Zechariah. It's fascinating that these eight visions are arranged in what we call a chiasm, and that's derived from the Greek letter chi that looks like an X in English. A chiasm is a structural pattern, or a literary technique frequently seen in Scripture, where concepts will be repeated, or they will echo each other and explain each other, and each parallel will build to a focal point. For example, in Proverbs six, beginning in verse 16 through 19, we read, "There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him." And as you will see on the screen, you will see that "haughty eyes," that's 1a will revert, will relate to 1b down at the bottom, "and one who spreads" or sowsstrife, "among brothers." 

Secondly, "a lying tongue" matches "a false witness who utters lies." Thirdly, "hands that shed innocent blood" parallels "feet that run rapidly to evil." And the key focus of the entire section is "...a heart that devises wicked plans." Now I give that to you as a mere example. We see a similar chiastic construction in Zechariah's prophecy. We will see that the first vision and the last vision are paralleled, the second and the seventh are paralleled, the third and the sixth, and finally, the fourth and the fifth, which will be the center parallel consisting of prophecies concerning the Messiah. And therefore, that will be the most important; the focal point of all ofthe visions, what they are all pointing to, because it reveals the supremacy of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Now also bear in mind that the purpose of these visions was to reassure the beleaguered and discouraged exiles that God had not forgotten them, nor had he abandoned his future promises and purposes for his chosen people. You may remember a few weeks ago when we began the study, the context. First, God had sent Haggai to instruct the people to begin to build the temple. And then later he sends Zechariah to instruct them as well; to call them to repentance, to warn them, to comfort them. There were about 50,000 Jewish exiles that had returned to Judea after 70 years in captivity, and this was God's judgment on them for disregarding his law and and the word that he had given them through his prophets. And you will recall that when Haggai commanded them to rebuild the temple, they became very discouraged because they encountered much persecution at the hands of the Samaritans, and they felt like slaves in their own land because they were still under the rule of Darius, the ruler of the Medo Persian Empire. So as a result, they felt discouraged, they felt downhearted, they felt defeated. And so they became preoccupied with themselves. They began to focus on building their own homes, their own states; they neglected true worship. They began to fall into a pattern of of external worship, going through the motions, but they were not worshiping the Lord from their heart. By the way, all of these things are parallels that we must deal with even in our day. 

Well, obviously God knew all of this, so he first sends Haggai, then he sends Zechariah to warn them, to instruct them, encourage them. And the first six verses of Zechariah's message was one of calling them to repentance, because repentance was the key to spiritual blessing. It always has been. It always will be, and God's blessings are revealed in the eight dramatic visions that will follow, and together, they will provide a panoramic unfolding of the events that would eventually occur at the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ and the consequent millennial restoration of the nation Israel. 

Moreover, as I said earlier, they will provide for us some very practical, relevant insights for our lives today. But we must not neglect the rich truths in this little verse seven. And I have divided it into three real simple categories. Here we will see that God reigns, he reveals and he remembers. Let's look at it closely. "On the 24th day of the 11th month, which is the month of Shebat in the second year of Darius..."  Now, again, as I say, this is typically one of those verses that you read and you move on to the good stuff, right? That's typically what we do. But we want to ask the question, why would the Holy Spirit inspire Zechariah to record this? Is this little passage worthy of our consideration? What significance does it have beyond mere history and dating, and how would the original audience have received this? In other words, what is the authorial intent in this passage? Now, may I remind you that the apostle Paul tells us in Second Timothy 3:16 that, "All scripture is inspired by God." Not most, but, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable." In other words, even the flyover passages, even those passages that seem insignificant -  they're all "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good deed." So let's remember that as we look at this passage.

Again, verse seven, "On the 24th day of the 11th month..."  Hmm, you will recall in verse one of Zechariah one we read, "In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, the prophet." Now we know that that was in 520 BC. But now here in verse seven we read on the 24th day of the 11th month. So what has happened now is God is speaking to Zechariah about three months after his first revelation where he gave this little sermon on repentance, and it's at this point that he's going to receive these night visions. Now, why the 24th day? Why not just say the month that is was, why include that? Well, I find it interesting in Haggai 1:14, and verse 15, as well as 2:18, we read that it was on that same 24th day, five months earlier, that Haggai stirred the hearts of the people to resume the work on the house of the LORD of hosts. And this was so key. This was so central. This was God's passion, because this was where God dwelt amongst his people, where they offered sacrifices, where the Old Testament believer identified himself outwardly with the covenant of God and the covenant people, and where sacrifices were made and temporarily satisfied the just wrath of God against sinners, and pointed the people to the final, complete and perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God. 

But it was also on the 24th day, two months previously, according to Haggai 2:10, through 17, that he delivered a stern rebuke to the priests because of their impurity, and to the people for delaying the building of the temple. Moreover, according to Haggai 2:20 it was on the 24th day that Haggai had received the far-reaching revelation of the destruction of the Gentile world powers just prior to the establishment of the millennial rule of the greater Zerubbabel, namely the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. And there we read in Haggai two, beginning in verse 21 again, and this was given to him on that 24th day, "'Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, "I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones and kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and the riders, and the horses and the riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another. On that day," declares the LORD of hosts, "I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant," declares the Lord, "and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you," declare the LORD of hosts.'" And without getting into the details here, this was a foreshadow of the Messiah who would descend from Zerubbabel, who was a descendant of David, and would reestablish the Davidic line of kings after the exile. And all of this would culminate in the glory of the Messiah in the millennial reign. So this 24th day was a significant day. It was a special day that the Lord had communicated his Word and his will. And this is, I might add, a testimony to the perfect plan and absolute rule of God. And therefore it was a fitting day for him to continue his prophetic disclosures in these eight visions. And as I reflect upon this - and I don't want you to miss this - here we see beloved, that God is a God of order. God is a God of precision. God is a God of prophetic proclamations and completions. God is a sovereign God. And here we are reminded, therefore, number one, that God reigns. May I remind you folks that we do not worship a contingent God that merely reacts to circumstances outside of his control? No, no, no, we serve a sovereign God who has written history before it happens, and in His providence, he orchestrates all of the events of his creation and of his people to fulfill all that he has decreed in eternity past, which includes everything that's going gone on in your life, in the past, in the present and in the future. 

Now notice the second part of this introduction. He says, "On the 24th day of the 11th month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius." Now you must understand that prior to the exile, a statement like this would include one of the kings of Israel or Judah, one of their own kings would be stated in the reckoning, but not here. And so this is a reminder to the people that they are still under Gentile dominance. They still are ruled by a pagan monarch, not an Israelite or a Judean King, even though they're in their own land, what a reminder of the consequences of sin that causes you to long for the glory and the grace and the blessings of Christ, and that's what's happening here. What a salient reality, what a striking, yet sad truth. And it says, the month of Shebat." Well, this was the Babylonian name for the 11th month, and this was adopted by the Jews after the exile. And I might add, this is the only place it's used here in the Old Testament. 

Let's try to put it in perspective. And all analogies break down at some level, so bear with me. Imagine that we are conquered by Russia, and that we are taken into Russia, and we have been there for some 70 years. China then conquers Russia, and China allows us to come back to our beloved country, but everything's in ruins. You're trying to establish your home, but you are still under Chinese power. That at some level, is what is going on here. It. But it would have been even harder for the Israelites, because they would have remembered in their history all of the magnificent things that God had done for them, all the ways that he had manifested his power on their behalf; all of the ways he had delivered them, all of the things that he had done, all of the things that he had promised. And now look where they're at. So naturally, they felt like they were slaves in their own country. In fact, we read their lament in Nehemiah nine and verse 36, "'Behold, we are slaves today, and as to the land which You gave to our fathers to eat of its fruit and its bounty. Behold, we are slaves in it. Its abundant produce is for the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins; they also rule over our bodies and over our cattle as they please, so we are in great distress.'" So you see, the people are still living in what the Bible calls, "the times of the Gentiles." Jesus spoke of this in a number of passages. For example, in Luke 21 verse 24 he speaks of this time he says, "'... they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.'" And as we look at Scripture, we see that the times of the Gentiles began under Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC, and will continue until the Lord returns and liberates Jerusalem from Gentile rule and establishes his millennial kingdom. And the following eight prophetic visions all look forward to this time of consummation: the consummation of the season of Israel's sorrows and the inauguration of the nation's prominence in the millennial glory. 

And I might add that even today, Israel is still in many ways in exile. They're still plagued by Gentile domination around the world, and it will get exceptionally worse under the rule of the Antichrist. Perhaps you heard Benjamin Netanyahu speech at the United Nations. I tuned in and watched it, and it was fascinating that virtually all of the nations represented there left the room in defiance of him, in hatred of the Jewish people. In fact, the UN has for many years been ground zero for anti semitism around the world. In fact, the UN has condemned Israel more than all other countries combined.

Folks, this is such a testimony along with all of all that's happening in our country and around the world. It is such a testimony to the irrational and barbaric influence that Satan has on the rulers of the nations and how he is trying to use the rulers of the nations to thwart the purposes of God in the establishment of his kingdom and his purpose to fulfill his covenant promises to Israel and ultimately, as well, to the church at the second coming. How sad to see the blindness of so many Jewish people. And I might also add, to see the salvation of so many that I am aware of even in Israel today, among some of the most devout. Paul speaks of this in Romans 11, beginning in verse 25 he says, "For I do not want you, brethren..." speaking to Gentile believers, "I do not want you [Gentile believers] to be uninformed of this mystery -  so that you will not be wise in your own estimation - that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; so all Israel will be saved, just as it is written, 'THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB. THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.' From the standpoint of the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." 

And may I remind you that Israel was God's unique focus of redemption in one dispensation - that in the Old Testament - while the church, consisting of both Jews and Gentiles, has been the focus since their rejection. And ultimately, God's focus will return, once again, to Israel during the pre-kingdom judgments, also known as Daniel's 70th week, also known as the tribulation, And his focus will return to them, as well, during the millennial kingdom, and then all of the remaining promises pertaining to Israel will be literally fulfilled; including all of the earthly blessings and the earthly Messianic kingdom. And certainly we see in the prophetic literature how Israel plays such a pivotal role during this time. 

Now today, the church shares in the promises of Israel, but not in her unique identity as a chosen nation. Again, as I just read in Romans 11:28, "From the standpoint of the gospel they," referring to unbelieving Israel, "are enemies for your," Gentiles, 'for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice, they," unbelieving Israel, "are beloved for the sake of the fathers;..." And verse 29 again, "...for the gifts that are," that is the unmerited blessings of divine grace, "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." Folks, it is impossible to escape the conclusion that God's plans for Israel are literal. Amos sounded Israel's hope in Amos nine and verse 14, where God says, "'I will restore the captivity of My people Israel.'" And in verse 15, I"' will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them,'" says the LORD your God." And any plain, normal meaning of language in the Old Testament describes the ultimate and permanent restoration of God's covenant people, Israel, in their ancient homeland at the end of this age. And the New Testament heaps more and more evidence of all of this. And what a thrilling anticipation this would have been for those early saints; those exiles that had come back into the land who were so disheartened. And what a blessing it is to us in the church age, as we look back, as well as look forward, to all that God has promised to faithfully fulfill; and to witness God faithfully fulfilling his covenant promises to national, ethnic Israel, who, to this day, remains hostile towards their Messiah. Because of Israel's rejection of her Messiah, the mystery, as we read in Scripture, the mystery phase of the kingdom was ushered in as the church became the temporary replacement of Israel and the new custodians of divine truth as we proclaim the Gospel; the body of Christ, where Jews and Gentiles are described in Ephesians 3:6 as "heirs together" and sharers together in the promises of Christ Jesus. 

But I would submit to you that Israel is never absorbed into the church. It remains distinct from the church as an ethnic people, and as a nation they still have a prophetic future. God promised Abraham that Israel would one day be a great nation, that they would rule a land that stretched from Egypt to the Euphrates, according to Genesis 15:18. He promised that one day the nations of the earth would stream to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, Isaiah two and verse two. And in Isaiah 60 beginning in verse 20, we read, "'For you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be over. Then all your people will be righteous. They will possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified." So therefore, the present church age must be seen as part of the ongoing fulfillment of Old Testament promises that culminate in the Messianic Kingdom. And Israel is just a magnificent object lesson to all of us in how God deals with mankind. He saves some, he judges others to reveal his glory through Christ. 

Now back to the text, even in the short introduction of these eight-night visions, we are reminded of God's sovereign rule, and you will see this unfold. We are reminded of his commitment to fulfill all of his promises, and what a tremendous hope this is to all believers as we watch that plan unfold, as we watch him fulfill all that He has promised to all of his kingdom citizens. And as I was meditating upon these passages, I was thinking to myself, my in so many ways, I feel like those exiles, don't you feel that way? I mean, this land is not our home. We are aliens here. We are sojourners. We're in exile. And we watch the news, we see how depressing it all is, but as I said earlier, we know how it all ends, because God has promised. God is sovereign, and he is faithful to fulfill all of his promises, because number one God reigns. 

But number two God reveals. Notice again the text, "On that 24th day of the 11th month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, as follows:..." I love that phrase, "the word of the LORD." Literally, the word of Yahweh. Beloved, never lose the wonder of this. This is the Word of God. And these visions, and their partial interpretations are divine revelation. They were seen in the spirit and heard through verbal revelations from the Lord God himself. These were not dreams, because, as we will see, Zechariah was very much awake. He was very conscious. He was able to ask questions. He was able to interact with the Lord, and what a marvelous reality that the Lord God would speak to Zechariah, as well as to us, through his word. I mean, where would we be without his word? Can you imagine that if we didn't have his Bible, where would we be? I'll tell you where we would be. All you have to do is turn on the television and you will see people that live in a fool's paradise. It is so sad to hear them being interviewed and to see them. I mean, some of these people look so bizarre that you question if they're even human. I mean, what you witness are people who have no fear of God, who are absolutely lost in their sins, and they are dead spiritually. It is such a tragic thing, these people need Christ. They need to come to faith in Christ. They need the Lord. And faith comes by hearing, and hearing by what? It's by the word of Christ. That's what they need. I think of Psalm 33 beginning in verse four, "For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness." It goes on to say, "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, in the breath of His mouth, all their host." It goes on to add, "Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him....The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance." And what a marvelous reality that the word that came to Zechariah, and by extension to all of us, proves the fact that God is active, that he is involved, that he has a powerful presence as he accomplishes all ofhis purposes. And folks, you must remember that his word can never be separated from his person, because who he is, is proclaimed, revealed, disclosed in his word and in what he does through his personal presence and his power. For the Word of God is "living and active" more than anything else. It's like a "two-edged sword."  It pierces as far as the division of the soul and spirit, the joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And then to know that Jesus is the preexistent logos, the preexistent word; the one who was God, and with God, from eternity, according to John one.

So what is happening here in these eight visions is more than just the impartation of information, but rather, you must realize that the divine revealer, the pre incarnate Son of God is personally and powerfully active in caring for his depressed and disheartened people. And his word and his presence and his power extends to each of us today. I mean, think about this, the very word that spoke the universe into existence is also the word that unveils the future prophecies that God himself breathed out and gave to his prophets. So the Lord communicated his will and his purposes to Zechariah; a magnificent picture of Israel's future. And as we will see, he not only addresses the exigencies of their current condition, that is, the needs of their own condition, but also it reaches all the way to the completion of his covenant promises in the kingdom age. And that is what's so amazing, the unimaginable, glorious promises for everyone who has come to faith in Christ. 

So we see that God reigns, God reveals, but finally, God remembers. Notice again, "...the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, as follows:..." Now, why would he give these names? Why would he give all that's going to follow? And as we will see, it's because God remembers his covenant promises and he is faithful to fulfill them. Notice in this second revelation that God gives to Zechariah, the Lord repeats the names of Zechariah's father and grandfather. Now, names are very significant in Scripture. They carry profound meaning. Zechariah means "Yahweh remembers," and of course, this will be the dominating theme all through Zechariah prophecy. Yahweh remembers and he keeps his covenant promises. And Berechiah means "Yahweh blesses," a name that foretells God's blessing on Israel solely because of his grace. And Iddo means, "in its time." A reassuring name that forecasts the certainty of God's plans being accomplished according to his predetermined timing. And what a comfort this must have been to those beleaguered exiles, because Yahweh remembers his covenant promises. He has not forgotten or abandoned us. Yahweh blesses those who trust and obey in him solely on the basis of his unmerited grace. And also Yahweh accomplishes his plans according to his perfect and his predetermined timetable. And what a blessing it is to all of us to be reminded that God reigns, God revealsand God remembers. 

And when you look at the eight prophetic visions God revealed to Zechariah, you begin to get the scope of all that he remembers. Let me close this morning with a brief overview of those eight visions, and I'm going to give them to you in the chiastic construction where the first vision and the eighth vision will parallel one another and so forth. Vision one, we see him expressing his compassion for Jerusalem and Judah, his jealous love for them, and he remembers his promises to bless them and punish the nations who sought their destruction. And the parallel vision eight, he remembers his promises to take action on judging those nations of the whole earth by deploying the chariots of his heavenly hosts to accomplish his plans at the end of the age. 

Vision two and vision seven are parallel. Vision two tells us how he remembers the nations that mistreated Israel, those that scattered Judah and cast them out, specifically Babylon, Medo- Persia, Greece, Rome and a future modified Roman Empire. And he remembers his promise to judge them and to subjugate them to his rule. And in vision seven, we see the parallel where he remembers the worldliness of those nations, the false religious systems that they practiced, and how that wicked world system infected everyone, and he remembers his promise to remove them forever. 

Vision three and vision six go together. In vision three, he remembers the gracious choice of Israel to be his chosen nation, the nation through which he would reveal the Messiah and bless all of the nations of the world, and his promise to protect them, his promise to rebuild the temple and Jerusalem so that they can all share in the millennial blessings. And then in vision six, he remembers his promise to enforce all of his covenant promises, to condemn the reprobate, to punish impenitent sinners. 

And then visions four and five are the centerpiece of the chiastic construction. And there, in vision four, he remembers his promise to intercede and cleanse and restore his people by the person and the work of the Messiah so that they can share in the millennial blessings - Israel's great high priest, their ultimate King. And in vision five, he remembers his promise to overcome darkness with the radiant light of his presence, the Shekinah. As Jesus reminds us in Luke two and verse 32 that he is, "'A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, and the glory of Your people Israel.'" 

So what a wonderful and much needed reminder to these disheartened people that the light of the presence of the Most High God has not been extinguished. And my, how we can be encouraged with that today. Dear saints, everything is dark, and it's going to get darker, but God still shines above those dark clouds of wickedness on the earth. His light is eternal, and as the light of the world, Jesus came the first time to save sinners, but when he returns the second time, the world will see the unveiling of his glory and the light of his presence. So may I challenge you this morning, dear saints, contemplate these realities that our God reigns, he reveals in his word, he remembers all that he has promised. And I would challenge you to let these great themes occupy your mind and your heart every single day of your life, not just when you hear an exposition like this. But let these be the great truths that become the center of gravity around which your whole life will orbit, so that you remember who God truly is, and you will reflect upon the glory of his greatness; the infinite truths of his attributes, all of those wonderful things. 

And then also realize that he reveals himself through his word which should occupy your mind and your heart on a daily basis, lest you walk in darkness. And then to remember that he remembers. And remember all the things that he has promised, knowing that he will fulfill them for our eternal joy and his eternal glory. Let's pray together. 

Father, thank you for the magnificent truths of your word as we continue to examine all that you have for us in these passages and as we apply them to our own lives today. I pray that each one of us will find ourselves falling more and more in love with the lover of our souls, and that we might live in a way that others might see who he is and what he has done and what he has promised to do. And Lord for those that might be within the sound of my voice that know nothing of what it means to be in true, saving, intimate faith with Christ, I pray that you will bring such conviction to them that they will be miserable until they bow the knee to the Lord Christ, confess their sin and cry out for the mercy that he will so quickly give. I pray that you will accomplish this to the praise of your glory, for it's in Christ's name that I pray, Amen.