All the Saints With Him – Zechariah 14:5

 “Thus the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with Him.”

These last chapters of Zechariah describe ‘that day’ when the Lord is coming.  It describes how Jerusalem will be attacked by an international force and that at some point, the Lord says He will step in and fight against those nations.  “Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle.  And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.  And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley.” (Zechariah 14:4)  This valley is described in scripture as a way of escape. 

In the midst of this description of the Lord’s coming, we get a glimpse of who comes with Him.  Glory be to God that He will bring His saints with Him!  It is so good to know – whether we die and go to be with Jesus, or are raptured to be with Jesus – once we are with Jesus we will ALWAYS be with Jesus.  “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”  (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Jesus loves us so much that He wants us with Him all the time.  He died for our sins so that He could clothe us in His righteousness.  Why?  Because He wants us to be with Him for eternity.  Whether Jesus is in Heaven or He comes to make His claim on the earth, He wants us with Him.  Here are some other scriptures of this beautiful picture of the Lord coming to earth with His saints:

“When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”  (Colossians 3:4)

“And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.”  (Revelation 19:14)

“Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,” (Jude 14)

“Christ will appear again. He is now hid; and the heavens must contain him; but he will appear in all the pomp of the upper world, with his holy angels, and in his own glory and his Father’s glory.  We shall then appear with him in glory. It will be his glory to have his redeemed with him; he will come to be glorified in his saints; and it will be their glory to come with him, and be with him for ever.  At the second coming of Christ there will be a general meeting of all the saints; and those whose life is now hid with Christ shall then appear with Christ in that glory which he himself enjoys.  Do we look for such a happiness, and should we not set our affections upon that world, and live above this?”  (Matthew Henry)  We are to encourage each other with the future that Jesus has for us.  A victorious future with Him.  There is a time coming when our Righteousness King will reign, and this gives us great hope.

But Jesus is not keeping us at arm’s length in the meantime.  Through His Holy Spirit, He is right here with us.  Jesus sees all and misses nothing.  He hears every prayer and knows all of our troubles.  While we are currently limited by our unglorified bodily form, or earthly tabernacle as the apostle Paul called it, we do not have to wait until we die or are raptured to start spending eternity with Jesus.  “We are told to seek those things which are above, and set our mind on things above. But how do we practically seek and set?  By spending time in the Word of God.  By spending time in prayer.  By spending time with things that build us up in God instead of merely entertaining us.  By gathering with others in the Lord.” (David Guzik)

One of the wonders of spending more time in prayer, the Word, worship, thanksgiving and serving is that you will long even more for the coming of our Savior.  You will lose your desire for the things of this world and you will desire the things of God. “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”  (2 Corinthians 5:8)  Furthermore, it will help make you ready for the day you meet Jesus.  “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  (Matthew 24:44)

Are you ready?  Is your family ready?  Are your friends ready?  “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”  Amen.  Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”  (Revelation 22.20)  “When will Jesus return?  No one can say.  Maybe today.  Maybe tonight.  Maybe tomorrow.  Maybe next century.  No one knows the hour He will descend from the clouds in great glory.  But make no mistake.  He is coming!”  (Charles Stanley)

If you are not sure you are ready for Jesus to come, leave us a comment with a phone number.  We will keep your comment and contact information private.

May you make yourself ready for the next coming of Jesus, and then may you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Fountain – Zechariah 13:1

“In that day, a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.”

We see in the last three chapters of Zechariah many references to ‘in that day.’  Most scholars concur that the phrase ‘in that day’ refers to the latter part of the Great Tribulation which culminates in the day of the Lord’s return.  As we have seen in Chapter 12, there will come a day when the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem “will look upon Me whom they pierced.  Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10)

We know that angels celebrate every time one single person sees Christ for who He is, repents of their sin and surrenders to His Lordship.  “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”  (Luke 15:7)  How great the celebration will be when a nation comes to Christ!  It will be a glorious time indeed, in Heaven. 

                                                              

So do you think this fountain is just then opened up?  Friends, it was opened on the day that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again.  “God, the everlasting Word, was made flesh and dwelt among us, and in fullness of time the weight of human sin was laid on him. In order to put that sin away he must die, for death was the penalty for guilt; up to the cross he went through agonies unspeakable, and at the last he yielded up his soul; and when he did so sin was put away, and the fountain for the cleansing of sin was effectually opened.”  (Charles Spurgeon)

When we are finally overcome by the bitterness of repentance for our sins against Jesus; when we mourn because we realize the incredible price our Savior willingly, and lovingly, paid for our sins; it is then that our eyes are opened to that fountain of grace.  The fountain existed all our lives, but until we saw our need for repentance – and repented – we could not see this precious fountain.  “The sinner does not find a Savior until he bewails his sin; when he sees his own filthiness then it is that the way to have that filthiness removed is made clear to him. God is always willing to forgive, but we are not always willing to be forgiven. The fountain is experimentally opened to each one of us when we spiritually discern it, believe in it, and are made partners of its cleansing power.” (Charles Spurgeon)

The fountain is open for sin AND for uncleanness.  God makes a distinction in His Word between these two.  The Hebrew word for sin here is “chatta’ah” (Strong’s 02403) has a root word “chatta’” (Strong’s 02398) which means ‘to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt.’  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)  Whereas the Hebrew word for uncleanness is “niddah” (Strong’s 05079) has a root word “nadad” (Strong’s 05074) which means ‘to retreat, flee, depart, move, wander abroad, stray, flutter.’  David uses this term in is prayer “Indeed, I would wander far off, and remain in the wilderness.”  (Psalm 55:7)  “Sin has separated us from God and brought upon us the divine wrath; uncleanness, which is a tendency still to sin, a defilement of our nature, prevents our returning to our heavenly Father, and entering into renewed fellowship with aim. This great evil in its double form is, according to the text, distinctly recognized by God; it is not winked at, it is not treated as a trifle that may remain, and yet man may be beloved of God and be happy; no, but the evil being there, preparation is made for its removal. The text says, not that the filthiness is concealed, that the transgression is excused, but that there is a fountain opened for the effectual removal of sin and uncleanness. In the gospel God never trifles with human sin. We proclaim full, free, immediate forgiveness to the very chief of sinners, but it is not in a way which makes men think that sin is trivial in God's esteem, for there is coupled with the declaration of pardon a description of the way in which God by the sacrifice of his Son renders it possible for him to be merciful without being unjust. In the substitution of Christ Jesus we see justice and mercy peacefully embracing, and conferring double honor upon each other.” (Charles Spurgeon)

Lastly, the fountain is inexhaustible.  What a relief to know that such grace continues to flow, undefiled.  No generation can pollute it.  No amount of sins can deplete it.  “There is a fountain opened; not a cistern nor a reservoir, but a fountain. A fountain continues still to bubble up, and is as full after fifty years as at the first; and even so the provision and the mercy of God for the forgiveness and the justification of our souls continually flows and overflows.”  (Charles Spurgeon)

Whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, if you have not repented of your sin and confessed your need for the Savior Jesus Christ, you will not get to experience the fountain awaiting you.  If you have repented of your sins and surrendered to Jesus, but have succumbed to your sin nature and therefore become estranged from God, there is a fountain awaiting you.  Ask Jesus, and He will wash away your tendency toward that old sin.  Abide in Christ and He will make you new.  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

There is a fountain open, and it is waiting.

May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.