Zechariah 8 - 14
Zechariah receives another message from the Lord that he will be returning to Mount Zion and will live in Jerusalem. This will cause Jerusalem to be called the Faithful City. He assures the people that he will rescue his people from the east and from the west. He’ll bring them home again, they will be his people and he will be faithful and just toward them as their God. He urges them to finish the Temple. He gives them rules to live by that he has given them before. He says the traditional fasts and times of mourning are now ended. They will become festivals of joy and celebration for the people of Judah.
He gives messages against the land of Aram and the city of Damascus and then a lot of other places. He tells the people to shout in triumph because their king is coming to them – righteous and victorious, yet humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt. A wonderful prophecy fulfilled by Jesus as recorded in Matthew 21. He promises to repay two bessings for each of their troubles.
Israel should be delighted by the prophecy recorded in Zechariah 9:15 = “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will protect his people, and they will defeat their enemies by hurling great stones.” Wow! And he also says: “Though I hjave scattered them like seeds among the nations, they will still remember me in distant lands. They and their children will survive and return again to Israel.
It’s not hard to believe what is recorded in Zechariah 12 – “I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves.
We also see more prophecy about Jesus – “They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. He talks in chapter 13 of the fountain that will be opened “to cleanse them from all their sins and impurity.” He talks of Christ standing on the Mount of Olives , east of Jerusalem, and that mountain splitting apart with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. “Then the Lord my God will come, and all his holy ones with him. On that day the sources of light will no longer shine, yet there will be continuous day! … life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing continuously in both summer and winter. … And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped.”
Those who are now fighting Israel should take note of Zechariah 14:12 – “And the Lord will send a plague on all the nations that fought against Jerusalem. … On that day they will be terrified, stricken by the Lord with great pain.”
Tomorrow, we’ll read Esther 1 - 5.
Luke Air Force Base
Good morning....welcome to the United States of America ! Make sure you read to the end, that's where it gets really good!
| True Story.....
Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were... A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall.
When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit.
The complaint:
'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base:
Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyn's early bird special?
Any response would be appreciated.
The response:
Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m. , a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-1 6s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.
At 9 a. m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured..
A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.
The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning air show'? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.
Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr. "Send 'em up, I'll wait!"
Love it! This has got to be one of the greatest quotes of all time.
I thought this might make you smile. :-) ...conversation overheard on the VHF Guard (emergency) frequency 121.5 MHz while flying from Europe to Dubai.
Iranian Air Defense Site: 'Unknown aircraft you are in Iranian airspace. Identify yourself.'
Aircraft: 'This is a United States aircraft. I am in Iraqi airspace.'
Air Defense Site: 'You are in Iranian airspace. If you do not depart our airspace we will launch interceptor aircraft!'
Aircraft: 'This is a United States Marine Corps FA-18 fighter. Send 'em up, I'll wait!'
Air Defense Site: (.... total silence)
God bless our troops. There is something about a Marine that makes other countries listen to reason. How ALL phones SHOULD be answered! GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA .
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Until next time…
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