Teacher: Pastor Chet Lowe

Main Scriptures: Zechariah 8, Psalm 2, Colossians 1, 1 Corinthians 15, Isaiah 11

Date of Message: December 15, 2022

• Review
  • In chapter 8, the Jews had asked if they needed to continue fasting
    • God revealed their hearts—that they were acting entitled because of all their “sacrifices” for Him. He had never asked for them to fast
    • God reminded them that He was going to be faithful to His promises, not because of their works but because of His faithfulness
• Zechariah 8:20-23
  • In 1948, the nation of Israel was regathered into a nation. It was known as the “gathering in unbelief” (Ezekiel 11:17).
    • But there will be a future day of belief for the Jews. It will be a “gathering in belief”
      • We know this will happen in Jerusalem at the end of the 7 year tribulation
        • Jerusalem is Jesus’ inheritance from His Father (Zechariah 2:10-12, Psalm 2)
        • This will happen after the battle of Armageddon
          • God will protect the nation of Israel and make Jesus king of the entire earth (Zechariah 14:1-9, 16)
      • We know a few people will survive the tribulation, and they will be known as sheep and goats (Matthew 25; Daniel 12:1, 11-12)
        • The sheep are identified as believers by their good works to the Jews. They will be welcomed into the millennial kingdom
        • The goats will not believe and will await judgment
      • We know this kingdom will be on earth (Psalm 72:7-11, 17-19; Isaiah 11:9; Ezekiel 40-49; Amos 9; Daniel 7:13-14)
      • We know it will be 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-6)
        • 3 major perspectives of the millennial kingdom
          • Amillennialism
            • Believe it is a spiritual 1,000 years, not a physical 1,000 years
            • Scriptures are seen as allegorical
            • Developed in 3rd century
          • Pre-Millennialism
            • Believe it is literal and historical
            • Believed by the early Church (Matthew 6:9-10, John 18:36, Colossians 1:13, Luke 21:25-33, Acts 1:9-11)
          • Post-Millennialism
            • Believe it is a physical reign through the Church
            • Believe the Church will initiate the coming of Christ and that the world will improve the closer we get to it (…but 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13)
      • We know Satan will be bound during this time (Revelation 20:1-3)
        • The enemy is not completely bound now (1 Peter 5:8)
        • Jesus did take away the power of death away from the enemy on the cross (Matthew 12:29-30)
        • In the second coming, He will take away all his power
      • We know there will be people ruling on thrones (Revelation 20:4-6)
        • We know from Revelation 4 that there are at least 24 thrones (Representing the 12 apostles and 12 tribes)
        • We know the Church will be ruling and reigning
          • The first resurrection will be those who are raptured alive in Christ and who’ve died in Christ when the rapture happens (1 Corinthians 15:20-25)
        • We learn here that the tribulation saints (the sheep) may become priests
          • They are the second resurrection. They’ve died in belief in the tribulation
            • The first priests were the Levites. The tribe of Levi had originally been cursed by Jacob for murdering the people of Shechem. But when they repented and stood for God when all the other tribes were worshipping the golden calf, their redemption was seen through their appointment as priests
            • The new priests may be tribulation saints. They rejected Christ before the rapture. But they’ve repented and stood for God in the tribulation. Their redemption may be seen through their appointment as priests.
• Our belief about the future affects our behavior today