Longing For The Authority Of God

You say everyone glad that you are here tonight. I don't have my phone up here to record, so I feel like I'm missing something here, but We going to be in Zakaria chapter 5 tonight. If you want to go ahead and get your Bibles and turn there. Zechariah Chapter 5.

And we're going to continue in our study. And Zakaria.

Now, I think we've looked at 5 of vision so far and Zachariah. And so far, all we talked about longing for the peace of God, longing for the presence of God. Longing, for the justice of God. Longing, for the righteousness of God and longing for the power of God. Remember the last time we talked about God is the god of small things and we talked about the olive trees and the Holy Spirit the oil and all and how he feels us and he empowers us for service. So all the first five of zechariah's Visions are really encouraging to the people there who were trying to build the temple, back in the build, the walls and it was, you know, during a very discouraging time, actually, when they had gotten back from from Babylon, after 70 years of captivity. So everything so far has really been encouraging. But tonight we going to look at something that's not quite as uplifting and I think that this applies to us as well. So as not only as the church but I want us to look at it also individually as well.

One commentator said this about the passage that we going to read tonight. He said before that long for a day of blessing can at last come before the beautiful symbolism of the fifth Vision shall at last be realizing Israel's restored Candlestick shall once again burn brightly. Both the land and the people must be cleaned from everything that the Fila for work is abomination or make us a lie. So what I'm going to do And in what I want you to do here is I want you to look at the last verse. Of chapter 4 verse 14. And this is what it said. So he said, these are the two in the morning was talking about Aruba bowl and Joshua, who stand beside the lord of the whole earth. And I want you to note that last phrase that he is the lord of the whole earth that God is. Now I'm going to read starting chapter 5 verse one, there's two visions. I don't know if we'll get through to Visions tonight but there's two visions here and they go together. So I'm going to read verses 1 through 11. The first vision is in verses 1 through 4, the second vision is verses 5 through 11, but since they go together, I'm going to read this at one time and as I read this and as you follow along, See if you can tell what the people are longing for here. Now, these These are, these are some wild Visions right here. I'm just telling you, if you wants to pick the Bible up and read this, just without any context at all, it would just be hard to understand this. All right, so here we go and verse 1. Then I turned and raised my eyes and saw there a flying scroll. That was a scroll

Something you ride on something, you can unfold it and or whatever. In Revelation you talk about unsealing, the scroll something with writing on it when he saw a flying scroll And he said to me, what do you see? So I answered, I see a flying scroll, it's lent is 20 cubits and its width 10 cubits. So this was like, 30 ft by 15. So that's not a flying scroll, I would call that a flying billboard billboard, we see out here on the highway some of the green signs there that tells you where you are flying through the air. So I said then he said to me This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole Earth. Every Thief shall be expelled according to this side of the scroll and every perjurer shall be expelled according to that side of it, so that had riding on both sides. He says, I will send out the curse, says the Lord of hosts, it shall enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears. Falsely by my name, It shall remain in the midst of his house and consume it with his Timber and stones and that's the end of the first vision. Art Vision. Number 2. Then the angel who talked to me came out and said to me, lift your eyes now and see what this is that goes forth. So I asked what is it? He said it is a basket that is going forth. So it is a display, a giant wicker basket going forth. So I asked, what is it? He said it's a basket that is going forth. He also said this, is there a resemblance throughout the Earth. Here is a LED disc, lift it up? And this is a woman sitting inside the basket. So there's a basket flying through the air.

And there's a land if you are a top on it and it's laying is real. Heavy probably seventy-five to a hundred pounds. And inside the basket is a woman. What in the world? All right. So what would he says? He says, the first seven, here is a lead, this lift it up and this is a woman sitting inside the basket. And what's this, then he said this is wickedness. And he thrusts her down into the basket in through the LED cover over its mouth. So evidently, she popped her head up and he said that this here is wickedness and pushed her back down and put the big heavy laptop back on the basket.

The first night, then I raised my eyes and looked and there were two women that we have one in the basket. Now, here's two others. Coming with the wind in their wings, so they're in the sky and they have wings, I watch what it is for. They had wings like the wings of a stork And they lifted up the basket between Earth and Heaven. Now, when you think of a stork, what do you think of

Baby store with this store has wings or have the wings like a wings of a store and they grab the basket. Lifted up the basket between Earth and Heaven up in the air. So I said to the angel who talked with me, where they're carrying the basket. And he said made the build a house for it. In the land of shinar. When it is ready, the basket will be set there on this base. Now, let's be honest. What does that mean? I mean, if you just read that off the top, would you even have any clothes? I have no idea what this is talking about. You can even look at the contact that we studied about the piece, the presents, the Justice to righteousness, the power.

What is this talking about? Well, the first Vision, the 1st verses 1 through 4 talking about a curse. And talkin about a thief. And someone who uses the lord's name in vain a perjurer. What what do we think of someone? That's a thief and a perjurer? They're kinda they have fallen into what that three-letter word send? And then we see a woman and a basket. She pops her head up and Angel says, not to look at that. That is wickedness. Didn't send kind of Wicked. So what we're talking about here in these Visions is we're talking about judgment on sin. God judging sin and eventually cleansing the whole land of sin. Because what happens when this wickedness in this basket personified by this woman, the stork carries this woman off. It says to shine our we're shine. Are you by know where sign are in the ever heard of shinar is another name? Now, you probably going to start, maybe understanding a little bit. It's another name for Babylon.

Now, what is Babylon in the Bible? It is the epitome of wickedness and sin. It's what it is. In other words, the angel saying, carry that basket carry that Wiccan is Terry. That's in the Bible on where it belongs and you get it out of this land here. so, What we're longing for tonight? Who is the only one who can come onto this Earth, come into this world and get rid of sin, Jesus? What we're talkin about tonight. And whoever can do that, that must mean they have ultimate and all white party on Earth, the people are longing for the authority of God. Because we sit right here, not only will every Center be judged the perjurer. But wickedness itself, one day. We'll go as far as the East is from the West. This is what we talkin about longing for the authority of God. Well, Zacharias purpose. In writing is to tell us about the future of the Jews, actually and Jerusalem. But the future of the whole world is involved in that because God called Israel to bring a blessing or a curse scene to all the nations. So when you're talkin about Israel, And what's going to happen to Israel? In the end times where you're also talked about the rest of the world because we're all wrapped up in that because Israel's was supposed to be a blessing to all the nations fail to separate Visions here. Flying scroll and a woman in a basket. Both of these are connected. And both of these address the continuing iniquity or sin among the people, you see when they were exiled to Babylon, that could have, and maybe even should have cleansed. The people should have taught them a lesson. But even after the Exile, it looks like here that they're still impurity and sin among God's people here in Judah. So God removes lawlessness. We see that verses 1 through 4, Scroll 15 by 30 ft floating through the air that had riding on both sides now. So this I don't think that we should take this here. That God's only talkin about the thief and the perjurer. Now, let's look at this again. Look at verse 3. He says, then he said to me, this is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole Earth. Every Thief shall be expelled. Got rid of, I don't know if that means killed or what, but everything shall be expelled according to this side of the scroll and every perjurer shall be expelled according to the other side. So does that mean that he's just going to judge thieves and perjurers and everybody else gets a kind of a pass. That's what it sounds like but that's not the way that's not what God doesn't. Let me tell you what I think he's doing here. The part about the perjurer. Is taking God's name in vain. If you go to Exodus chapter 20, that's the third commandment. Thou shalt not. Take the Lord, thy God's name in vain. That's a perjurer. That's the third come. When he says about the thief, there's another Ten Commandment. The 8th that says, Thou shalt, not steal that. Here's what I think is happening. I think the scroll represent the law of God. That brings a curse on everyone who disobeys it. And that includes us because nobody can fully a bed. And the law was never meant. To save us. Anyway. Now, let me get my little pointer out here and I don't have any slides here. But let me look and see if I can find this. And I don't know where it is on this. Let me see if I can find it here.

That's not yet. It says, I will send out a curse. anyway, write the scriptures down here, Galatians 2:16 Galatians 2:21.

And Galatians, 3, 21.

And I'm looking for it here, but I'm having trouble finding it.

Okay. All right, well, those three scriptures in Galatians, talk about how the law was, never meant to save us because no one can keep the law. Matter-of-fact Romans 3:20 says, For by the law is the knowledge of sin. In other words, we have the Ten Commandments, we have the law, and I talked about this Sunday, all the laws supposed to do is not we, we can keep it but it's the show us that we need God's grace. The law shows us that we're Sinners. That's what the law was for. To show us that we were Sinners. So out of the Ten Commandments, why did the Lord's? Let these two that forbids stealing and swearing falsely. Well it may be because there's many people there at that time who were not tithing. They were not faithful and giving to the Lord robbing him of his tithe and offering Malachi talked about that in his book. They they were probably cheating one another, but there is a third. Another reason is simply this the third commandment If what is called the Central Command of the first table of the law? In other words, the first four laws, first four, ten commandments have to do with our relationship with God says, when you shall not take the Lord, thy God's name in vain that covers all the other three, other first tables of the law to three other verses and then 1/8 when it says, Thou shalt not steal. That covers all of our relationships with the other people. So, this is what I'm saying this billboard is flying. I don't think is talking about just these and perjurers. I think it covers the whole lot is popping by everybody. So, I think what the billboard is saying is everyone is guilty because those two Commandments Kind of in take all the other Commandments. What did James say whoever shall keep the whole law? And yet offend in one point he is guilty of what of all and I think this is what the way that we should look at this here. And now you think about this scroll? That's 30 by 15 strange dimensions If you go back in the Old Testament, the first team's, I think it's chapter 6 or 7 the dimensions of what was called the Portico on Solomon's Temple. Was 30 by 15. Was the exact size of this scroll. This scroll is flying through the air pronouncing judgment, and at the Portico, the priest would stand there and they would administer judgment and Justice to the people. So maybe that's why is this odd shaped? Because it was the same shape of the Portico on Solomon's Temple. And I think the implication here is this that as the people rebuild the Temple And I tried to establish right worship. They needed to do something with the sin that was within their own Camp. Is what this is saying. You know, they couldn't build the temple and expect God to be present and bless them if they continue to tolerate blatant, blasphemy and stealing from people and things like that. That kind of goes back to what we was talking about Sunday about Hedonism people. Just go out and just live the way they want to. And they think well, God's going to bless me but I'll just do whatever I want to do and I do. I just don't that's presuming on God's grace and these people here, we're presuming that God was just going to blast them, simply because we're, we're making an attempt to build the temple. But yeah, he's staying here. This this billboard is going out with a curse on it. Here. So the Law Courts had probably become perverted anyway, but God's judgment will always come and it will always ensure accountability and so look what happens in verse 4 Inverse for here. It's he says, I will send out, says, the Lord of hosts. It, she'll enter the house of the thief. And the house of the one who swears. Falsely by my name, this cursed, it shall remain in the midst of his house and consume it with his Timber and Stones. Well, this promise judgment, he alludes to two passages in in the law. And I let me give them to you and you can ride him down if you like numbers 511 to 28. The first one. And Leviticus 14:44, 245. No, let me tell you what that was talking about in the first passage when a woman was suspected of adultery The priests would write the curses. In a book for false swearing. Then he would wash them off with something called the water of bitterness and he would put this water. What was left over in a cup and he would make the woman that committed adultery. Drink it. And she would drink it. And if the water was bitter when she drank it, it would make her inside swell and sometimes they're inside, they would they would just fall out almost as if she was guilty within in the second passage. The regulations are given for dealing with houses that was contaminated with rot and mildew. If a priest finds that the house is unclean. He was supposed to destroy the house including It's stones in Timber. And that's what we see right here. He says and consume it with his Timber and stone. So this double kind of Illusion if you will makes the point even more dramatically. The thieves in The Purge Rose and all those who were guilty in the community are like they're like the guilt of an Unfaithful wife and they're, they're like the rottenness in a home there like mildew in a home, is what he said. That's what you're like. You're like an Unfaithful wife and so for the good of the community God had to He had the judge and he had to get rid of it. Well, we'll talk about this more next week, but when Jesus comes back, what is he going to do? Then there's something in Matthew that says, oh, we preached in your name and cast, out demons. We did this, we did that. And what Jesus say he said depart from me for, I never knew you. He's going to meet out, judgement to those who will not accept him. So when God's judgement of seeing comes, there's just no safe place to hide even in the privacy or the seclusion of your own home. It says these curses are going out and he said they're going to enter the house of the thief and the perjurer. There's nowhere to hide. Now, when I read that, I thought of this, in the Book of Revelation, when the Lord comes back and says the people There. We'll hide in the mountains from the Lord. Now, these people know that who the Lord is, and that he is the one true God. But yet, their heart is so hard. It says they hide in the mountains, instead of bound Anita Jesus. What they do is it says they cry for the rocks to fall on them and kill them. Can you imagine that your heart is so hard? You see Jesus standing there instead of giving your life to if you cry. You cry for a tree to fall on you and kill you. You would rather die than give your life to Christ. This is what this is looking at here. He says, he says you can hide. If you want to you can go in your houses. What are the cursed? They're coming to your house thief in Purge, Rick, and everyone else who's guilty and will tear those houses down. We will tear them down with this Timber and stones. And so this is God meeting out judgement, this is God cleansing. The people before the temple is built. Well, that's the that's the first vision.

Let me let's look at the second one. Again, we won't finish this tonight and I'm hesitant to hesitant to even start it. But let's let's read it again. And I'm going to talk a little bit about it and then we'll finish it up next time. Verse five in the angel who talked me came out and said me, lift your eyes now and see what this is. The ghost Forest. So I asked, what is it? He said it's the basket that is going forth so we had a billboard. Now we have a back. He also said this is the resemblance about the Earth years away at this, lift it up and this is woman sitting beside inside the back. Then he said this is wickedness and he thrust her down into the basket and through the leg cover, over its mouth. I raised my eyes and look into other women coming with the wind and the Rings for had wings like the wings of a stork. They lifted up the basket between Earth and Heaven. So I said that angel to talk to me where they care in his basket. He said me to build a house for, in the land of shinar for. It is ready to for when it is ready. The basket will be set there on this base. Well, this one here, if you look at it, closely resembles, the first one,

Is concerned with removing evil from the community were removing seeing. But in the first Vision, judgment is what removes the evil here in this vision. They just expol it from the land. They they they put it in a basket and send it somewhere else, so it's not necessarily judgment. So, this Vision begins with the angel showing Zachariah basket going out to the whole land. The basket is much larger than normal sitting inside the woman, whose visible, when the ribs removed, and then the angel says, now, this woman symbolizes wickedness, I think this woman being hidden inside May symbolize that the evil that was among the people was largely hidden from a lot of people site just like in Ireland. Can you imagine? the evil that goes on in Washington DC, that we don't even know about in politics government, the evil that goes on that, we never hear anything about Goes on and I think this is why it says that she was in there and they didn't say or she popped her head upside all ice making this note, put her back down in there. So what kind of evil do is interview here? Remember the person was staffed in perjury but this here just says, wickedness, it doesn't say anything what anyone did or anything like that. So what do you think is talkin about? Well, I think there's a subtle kind of a subtle clue here because it says here, Did I see a basket that word for basket is the word FIFA. So, what's to eat for? Well, in those days?

It was a measuring basket. It was used in Commerce and it was used to measure flower Barley & Grain. And sometimes it was tampered with by the merchants and they would say, oh, you got such a such pounds here when you really didn't have that and they were cheating. The people in their Commerce. Matter of fact, an ephah would hold 39, quarts. It was the biggest measuring that they have in Israel and they would, they say, okay, well, let me get 39 course. Let me get 15 courts, and they may give them 10 or 11 or 12. And then, the scales would show o r fifteen. They were cheating the people. If you go back and look in Amos talks about this, A lot about the people being cheated by the merchants matter. Fact, Amos said he said, the people are making the eephus small and the shekel great. In other words, they were getting a small amount of flour or grain but they were given a lot of money for that small amount. So they were cheating, the people in the only appropriate way you want the call, that was wickedness and that's what Mike, I said, listen to this verse, I copied it down. He says, am I still to forget old Wicked house, you were ill-gotten treasures and the short people which is a cursed shall acquit. A man with dishonest scales with a bag of false weights So they were, they were cheating. The people. And so, the woman Inside the basket, then is a picture of wickedness that is present because of dishonest commercial transactions, that let me say this and will close

Where do you think? Where do you think that they got this from? Because the Jewish people They were a farming Society. They were not merchants not many at all. Where do you think they'd be learn to do this Babylon? Play Babylon was a merchant City though. They had everything there and see all the Jews who were born in Babylon, who didn't even know anything about their Homeland. They were born in 7 years. Just think how many people were born in Babylon? That would you wish and all they learn they went from being a country boy to be in the city boy. Country girls and city girls in the country. You do for me and you in the city, you do, merchants you sell things, and you make things expensive things in. This is probably You see it. You would think maybe it was a Dollar Tree because that's the reason they went to Babylon because they wouldn't Worship the Lord. But that's not it. They got over that he's not doing this because of idolatry what it is is commercialism. Think about it in our own, in our own world today. Thinking of all, the dishonest game that we have, you know, in all parts, in the end of our economy, just the dishonesty of it, all the raising of the gas prices. It just so happens on July 4th a week before, it's not that much. Why is gas so expensive? That's when everybody wants to travel. That's when we can make all of our money. It's just, so just so evil, you would think well, this is probably where the Jewish people learn that they became people of the city and successful Merchants. So it was this Spirit of competitive commercialism that this woman represented in this basket here and it was just so repulsive that they just shove your head back down there and just put a layer they don't you even come out anymore because of that. Anybody have any questions on this? I know it's kind of difficult and I probably didn't articulated in a nice good way and all, but just understand when you read it, and it's hard for you to understand, it's hard for me to understand that. I have to read it, read it, read it, read it and study it at all. But but that this is very timely because we're talking about getting rid of sin, getting rid of wicked people and then getting rid of sin, totally. And all you have to do is just go to the last days and look at the Book of Revelation. That's exactly what price is a foreshadowing of Christ coming. Depart from me for I never knew you those who reject him and then just getting rid of all the sin on Earth, because that's what heaven is heaven. Is no sin in heaven. So that's what it is. Less bright, father we thank and praise you. Love you tonight, Lord for your word, it's very difficult passage here tonight. Lord, the Lord just help us all to be good interpreters and help us to apply your words are like Lord. And a way that it will make us more like you Lord help us understand the difficult, hard sayings of the Bible, may your Holy Spirit speak to us and teach us Lord and direct us in the way that we should go. Lord, I pray for our church now and I pray for all those, he's going to be traveling this week and Lord, for all those who are still sick with covid, maybe in the variant Lord, we pray for them. And what I just pray for our nation right now, Lord that we would turn back to you because I feel like you sent out the flying scroll to America and Lord is up to us to read it and the turn from our Wicked Ways and turn back to you. 4th in Christ's name, I pray. Amen.

All right, we'll finish this next Wednesday.