A New Jerusalem - Zechariah 8

“Again the Word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; with great fervor I am zealous for her. Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, the Mountain of the Lord of hosts, the Holy Mountain.” Zechariah 8:1-3

Zealous with great fervor for Jerusalem... the Lord shall see it become a City of Truth.

In Micah 4:2, the Lord prophesied, “Many nations shall come, and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the Law shall go forth of Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.’”

In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

In Acts 2:5, “there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.”

In Acts 2:41-42, “Then those who gladly received his word [Peter’s message] were baptized, and that day about 3,000 souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

In Acts 8:1, “Great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.” The Law went forth of Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

In Revelation 21:2, “John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

In Revelation 21:24, “The nations of those who are saved shall walk in its [New Jerusalem’s] light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.”

In Revelation 22:3, “There shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it [New Jerusalem], and His servants shall serve Him.”

The zeal of the Lord shall bring all this to pass, otherwise, it would not have happened.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each one with his staff in his hand because of great age. The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: if it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, will it also be marvelous in My eyes? says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 8:4-6

People shall no longer need to place metal bars over their windows as people do in many cities. The elderly shall sit safely in Jerusalem’s streets and watch their boys and girls playing together in the streets. The Lord will bring about this age of peace, togetherness, love and joy. Eyes will be amazed what they see. Only the Lord could do this!

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: behold, I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west. I will bring them back, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness.” Zechariah 8:7-8

The Good Shepherd brings His sheep together. They will be glad to be identified with Him and He with them. There will be nothing fake or manipulated about this. It will be authentic and heartfelt love for one another.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: let your hands be strong, you who have been hearing in these days these Words by the mouth of the prophets, who spoke in the day the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord of hosts, that the temple might be built. For before these days there were no wages for man nor any hire for beast. There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in; for I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor. But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days, says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 8:9-11

The above passage properly places all the glory at the feet of God. Their hands had been weak. Their ears had been deaf to God’s voice. They could not see or feel Him. They were working without the pay of His presence. They had no peace. They were far from God and unable to get along with each other, but then, the Lord, by His grace, initiated a new era. God Almighty, Creator of the universe, brought about a divine transformation in them and around them. Personal relationships with the Lord, that He initiated by His grace, made all the difference.

“For the seed shall be prosperous. The vine shall give its fruit. The ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew—I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these. And it shall come to pass that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, let your hands be strong.” Zechariah 8:12-13

The seed that made them prosperous is Christ. He is the vine. When we abide in Him, the increase comes. Heaven rains! The curses of the Law dissipate because we are blessed in the Beloved.

Galatians 3:13-14 says, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Jesus took the curses to the grave that we lawbreakers deserved. He resurrected from the dead and breathed new life into us. We were just dust but then, He breathed into us the Holy Spirit so we can love, to be at peace and to jump with joy. The new disposition that Christ has given us makes us a blessing to the nations. Praise the Lord!

“For thus says the Lord of hosts: just as I determined to punish you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath, says the Lord of hosts, and I would not relent, so again in these days I am determined to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear. These are the things you shall do: speak each man the truth to his neighbor. Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace. Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor. And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate, says the Lord.” Zechariah 8:14-17

As God was determined to punish sin, He is now determined to empower His people to speak truth, to do what is right in the public square, and to cease harboring evil thoughts against one another.

“Then the Word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: the fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.” Zechariah 8:18-19

In Zechariah 7:3, the people wanted to know if they needed to weep when they fasted as they did in the past. The answer is no. Thanks to the difference God shall make in their lives, these former fasts shall become cheerful feasts where they experience joy and gladness. You want this? The Lord says, “Love truth and peace.” The Lord’s calling to them in Zechariah 7:8 was to execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone on his brother.

In Isaiah 58:6-9, the Lord had said, “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to undo the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out. When you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you. The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer. You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’”

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: peoples shall yet come, inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord, and seek the Lord of hosts. I myself will go also.’ Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord of hosts: in those days 10 men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’” Zechariah 8:20-22

What a difference it makes when people are filled with love for God and love for people. People from many cities begin to pray before the Lord in Jerusalem. Men from every language grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you.” This happened in measure on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2, but what we learn from Revelation 7:4-8 and 14:1-5, is that one day there will be 12,000 Jews from each tribe of Israel who will serve Christ and proclaim it.

In Revelation 7:9-10, John sees “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” In Revelation 7:14, an angel explains to John that these people came out of the great tribulation. In Revelation 14:14-16, the Son of Man gathers into heaven a great harvest. This affirms the Word that God gave the Apostle Paul in Romans 11:12. He wrote, “Now if their [Israel’s] fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!”

Yes, there shall be a New Jerusalem where Jesus Messiah is loved, worshipped and proclaimed! As the Lord declared in Revelation 21:2, New Jerusalem shall come down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. God will be with her and she with God... one in heart, soul and mind! Glory! Hallelujah!