A watchman prays and calls forth a burning torch

Isaiah 62

Isaiah’s Prayer for Jerusalem

¹ Because I love Zion,
I will not keep still.
Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem,
I cannot remain silent.
I will not stop praying for her
until her righteousness shines like the dawn,
and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.
² The nations will see your righteousness.
World leaders will be blinded by your glory.
And you will be given a new name
by the Lord’s own mouth.
³ The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see—
a splendid crown in the hand of God.
⁴ Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City”^[a]
or “The Desolate Land.”^[b]
Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight”^[c]
and “The Bride of God,”^[d]
for the Lord delights in you
and will claim you as his bride.
⁵ Your children will commit themselves to you, O Jerusalem,
just as a young man commits himself to his bride.
Then God will rejoice over you
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.
⁶ O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls;
they will pray day and night, continually.
Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord.
⁷ Give the Lord no rest until he completes his work,
until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.
⁸ The Lord has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength:
“I will never again hand you over to your enemies.
Never again will foreign warriors come
and take away your grain and new wine.
⁹ You raised the grain, and you will eat it,
praising the Lord.
Within the courtyards of the Temple,
you yourselves will drink the wine you have pressed.”
¹⁰ Go out through the gates!
Prepare the highway for my people to return!
Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders;
raise a flag for all the nations to see.
¹¹ The Lord has sent this message to every land:
“Tell the people of Israel,^[e]
‘Look, your Savior is coming.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.’”
¹² They will be called “The Holy People”
and “The People Redeemed by the Lord.”
And Jerusalem will be known as “The Desirable Place”
and “The City No Longer Forsaken.”

i

Bible Reading: Be part of the big picture of prophecy!

Zechariah (continued)
God used the prophets to reveal His plans and send His messages to His people. But we also must know that our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture.
Seeing Visions:  Zechariah received eight prophetic visions for Israel, which all follow the same pattern, a) introductory words, b) a description of the things seen, c) a question by Zechariah to the angel for the meaning, and d) the explanation by the angel.

In the visions we see that God is righteous as well as merciful. He judges and blesses too!

Zechariah 1:8, “In a vision during the night, I saw…” 1:9, “My lord, what do these horses mean?” 1:18,1:19,1:21, 2:1,2:2,3:5,4:2,4:4 (Read all the verses of how he saw visions and asked the angel what they meant)
1. The Man Among the Myrtle Trees (Zechariah 1:7-17) Meaning: God’s anger against the nations and blessing on restored Israel.
2. The Four Horns and the Four Craftsmen (Zechariah 1:18-21) Meaning: God’s judgment on the nations that afflict Israel.
3. The Surveyor with a Measuring Line (Zechariah 2:1-12) Meaning: God’s future blessing on restored Israel.
4. The Cleansing and Crowning of Joshua, the High Priest (Zechariah 3) Meaning: Israel’s future cleansing from sin and reinstatement as a priestly nation.
5. The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees (Zechariah 4) Meaning: Israel as the light to the nations under Messiah, the King-Priest.
6. The Flying Scroll (Zechariah 5:1-4) Meaning: The severity and totality of divine judgment on sin in Israel.
7. The Woman in a Basket (Zechariah 5:5-11) Meaning: The removal of national Israel’s sin or rebellion against God.
8. Four Chariots (Zechariah 6:1-8) Meaning: Divine judgment on Gentile nations.
 
God promised prosperity to Israel and Jerusalem
1:17 “The towns of Israel will again overflow with prosperity…” (also read 8:1-3) 2:4 “Jerusalem will someday be so full of people and livestock that there won’t be room enough for everyone! Many will live ouside the city walls. Then, I, myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the Lord. And I will be the glory inside the city!”
 
Prophecy of Jesus Christ, the Branch (the divine High Priest, the King)
2:10 ” Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you.”
3:8-9 “Listen to Me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring My servant, the Branch. ..and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.“
6:11-13 “…make a crown…Here is the Man called the Branch. He will branch out from where He is and build the Temple of the Lord. Then He will receive royal honor and will rule as King on His throne. He will also serve as Priest from His throne…”
Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet He is humble, riding on a donkey – riding on a donkey colt.”
 
On That Day” (Future Deliverance); Second Coming of Christ
12:10 “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on Me whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as for an only son.”
13:1 “On that day a fountain will be opened… a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and impurity.” 2 “I will remove from the land both the false prophets and the spirit of impurity that came with them.”
13:9, “This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.”
14:1 “Watch, for the day of the Lord is coming…” 20 “On that day…and the cooking pots in the Temple of the Lord will be sacred as the basins used beside the altar.”

Foreshadowings: Prophecies about Jesus Christ through Zechariah: Messiah would come and dwell in our midst (Zechariah 2:10-12; Matthew 1:23); the symbolism of the Branch and the Stone (Zechariah 3:8-9, 6:12-13; Isaiah 11:1; Luke 20:17-18); His Second Coming (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:33-37). Jesus is the Savior of Israel, a fountain whose blood covers the sins of all who come to Him for salvation (Zechariah 13:1; 1 John 1:7).

Practical Application: Today, we too must prepare to meet our Lord’s Second Coming. We are called to:

1. Listen to the Holy Spirit and be led by the Spirit.
2. Obey God’s word and live His Word.
3. Live a life ministering to God (as chosen people, royal priests, holy nation).
4. Be the the living temple (the Holy Spirit lives in you) for the holy God.
5. You are called to be a part of the big plan too! Are you praying for Jerusalem?

Who we are in Christ:

1 Peter 1:2 “God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and His Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.” 14 “So you must live as God’s obedient children.” 2:1 “So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.”
2:4-5,9 “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple… And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What is more, you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God…for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.”

Bible Reading: A prophet who sees eight visions

The Bible is God’s Book. Genesis tells us God began our history. Revelation tells us God wins. We also find ourselves becoming major characters in God’s development of this history book and His plan for lives on this earth. It is therefore important to read this Book and find out what God has planned for us.
THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH  Author:  1:1 the Prophet Zechariah. Date of Writing: between 520 and 470 B.C.
Purpose of Writing: God has used His prophet to teach, warn and correct His people, also showing glimpses of God's future glorious plan.
Key Problems: Refusal to listen to the Holy Spirit through the prophets; disobedience to God's word resulted open doors to spiritual attacks- manifestations of  evil conducts and hardships: economic failure, physical enemies' threats, moral breakdowns,breakdown of social-economic, political, legal and religious system. 

Big Picture: The people of God did not know God or the word of God. They departed from the plumb line of God and tried to meet their needs by swinging to either sides of the plumb line: Rejection (due to unbelief) or Rebellion (due to pride), becoming victims or the criminals. 
Result of Refusal to listen to the Holy Spirit
7:5-6 "Say to all your people and your priests, "During these seventy years of exile, when you fasted and mourned in the summer and in early autumn, was it really for Me that you were fasting? And even now in your holy festivals, aren't you eating and drinking just to please yourselves?" 12 "They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the messages the Lord sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets." 7:13, "'When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,' says the LORD Almighty." 14 "They turned their land into a desert."

SOLUTIONS OFFERED BY GOD for their immediate problems:

(1) A Call to Return to the Lord: establish right relationship with God (rebuild the Temple and right worship)

Zechariah 8:10 " Before the work on the Temple began, there were no jobs and no money to hire people or animals. No traveler was safe from the enemy, for there were enemies on all sides. I had turned everyone against each other." 11 "But now I will not treat the remnant of My people as I treated them before" 12 "For I am planting seeds of peace and prosperity among you."
Zechariah 1:3, "Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty." 1:4 "Turn from your evil ways and stop all your evil practices." 1:6, "But everything I said through My servants the prophets happened to your ancestors, just as I said." 2:6 "The Lord says, Come away! Flee from Babylon..."

(2) A Call for Justice and Mercy: establish right relationship with each other

7:9-10 "Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other. "
9:16-17 "But this is what you must do: tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. Don't scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the Lord."

(3) God promised that this can be achieved by the Holy Spirit (they must be led by the Spirit and not by flesh)

4:6 "This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.
4:10 "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand."
8:6 "All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God's people. But is it impossible for Me? says the Lord God Almighty. "
10:12 "By My power I will make My people strong, and by My authority they will go wherever they wish. I, the Lord, have spoken."

End Times Witnessing: Hear the Voices from the Sea

The Watchman slept around midnight and woke at 4am. He had been pondering on how to make his class more passionate about reading God’s Word. Before he slept he asked the Holy Spirit to intercede for him. When he woke he was led to read the following verses from 2 Chronicle 17:
“⁷ In the third year of his reign he sent his officials… to teach in the towns of Judah. ⁸ With them were certain Levites…and the priests … ⁹ They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the LORD; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people. ¹⁰ The fear of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats.”

So the watchman was encouraged. He also received in his spirit how to teach too, what faith in action activities to conduct for the coming lesson. He was filled with enthusiasm after seeing this fresh vision of a wonderful big picture, with clear details of the event ahead.

The Lord indeed confirms His Word. “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3).

The watchman then continued to intercede for his class and even those who have chosen not to turn up for the class. He felt a deep sorrow for them. He knew in his spirit that time is short and he has been assigned only ten lessons for this term (August to October). He also knows that those who come will be greatly blessed just as he is, in obedience to the Lord.
This morning he was led to read the psalms. He finished with Psalm 119 and Psalm 98. Psalm 119 reconfirmed the wonderful work that the Lord will carry out for those who love and value His Word. Psalm 98 is a new song that the watchman is urged to sing for the Lord this morning. So he sang. The whole hall was filled with voices from the sea, even though his house was many miles away from it.

The Holy Spirit continued to teach him until dawn!

¹ Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
² The LORD has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
³ He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
⁴ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
⁵ make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
⁶ with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
⁷ Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy;
⁹ let them sing before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.

End Times Witnessing: A Prayer from a man very precious to God

The Watchman heard, “Read and take note why Daniel was very precious to Me.” So the Watchman read and was filled with comfort and joy!

Daniel’s Prayer for His People (Dan.9:1-24)

¹ It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians.^{[a] 2} During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the Lord, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.^{[b] 3} So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.

⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

“O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. ⁵ But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. ⁶ We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.
⁷ “Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. ⁸ O Lord, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. ⁹ But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. ¹⁰ We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets. ¹¹ All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice.
“So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin. ¹² You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem. ¹³ Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. ¹⁴ Therefore, the Lord has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The Lord our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him.
¹⁵ “O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. ¹⁶ In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors.
¹⁷ “O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.
¹⁸ “O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.
¹⁹ “O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”

Gabriel’s Message about the Anointed One

²⁰ I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain. ²¹ As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice. ²² He explained to me, “Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding. ²³ The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision.
²⁴ “A period of seventy sets of seven^[c] has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.^[d]

End Times Witnessing: How to pray according to God’s will?

The Watchman heard,
“Watch how you intercede! Do you not know that I will do this for My own name’s sake? “
O watchmen, call for the Lord’s name to be honored. Give glory to Him alone! Learn from the men of faith how to pray!

1. Exodus 9:16
   But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.
   
2. Exodus 20:24
   An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you.
3. Numbers 6:27
   “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”
4. 2 Samuel 7:13
   He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
5. 1 Kings 8:18
   But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.
6. 1 Kings 9:3
   And the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.
7. 2 Kings 21:4
   He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My name.”
8. Psalm 25:11
   For Your name’s sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
9. Psalm 31:3
   For You are my rock and my fortress;Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me.
10. Psalm 79:9
    Help us, O God of our salvation,For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, For Your name’s sake!
11. Psalm 89:24
    “But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him, And in My name his horn shall be exalted.
12. Psalm 91:14
    “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
13. Psalm 109:21
    But You, O GOD the Lord,Deal with me for Your name’s sake; Because Your mercy is good, deliver me.
    
14. Psalm 143:11
    Revive me, O LORD, for Your name’s sake!For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
    
15. 2 Samuel 7:21
    For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them.
    
16. 2 Kings 20:6
    And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.”’”
    
17. 1 Chronicles 17:19
    O LORD, for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.
18. Nehemiah 1:9
    but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’
19. Isaiah 42:8
    I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.
    
20. Isaiah 43:7
    Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
    
21. Isaiah 48:11
    For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it;For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.
22. Isaiah 43:25
    “ I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.
23. Isaiah 45:4
    For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.
24. Isaiah 66:5
    [ The LORD Vindicates Zion ] Hear the word of the LORD, You who tremble at His word: “ Your brethren who hated you, Who cast you out for My name’s sake, said, ‘ Let the LORD be glorified, That we may see your joy.’ But they shall be ashamed.”
25. Ezekiel 36:32
    Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”
26. Daniel 9:17
    “O our God, hear Your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For Your own sake, Lord, smile again on Your desolate sanctuary.
27. Daniel 9:19
    O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
28. Jeremiah 14:7
    O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, Do it for Your name’s sake; For our backslidings are many, We have sinned against You.
29. Jeremiah 14:21
    For the sake of your reputation, Lord, do not abandon us.Do not disgrace your own glorious throne.Please remember us,and do not break your covenant with us.
30. Zechariah 13:9
    I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”
31. Malachi 1:11
    For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the LORD of hosts.
32. Malachi4:2 “But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.^[a] And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.

Fasting broke this woman's stronghold

It was an ordinary evening service but at the end of it, a woman came to the front and gave a testimony. This was the same woman who had come often for prayers to be delivered from one financial problem that became a heavy yoke on her neck.
She did not know how to pray much and one midnight prayer meeting she volunteered to pray. She took the mike and decided to sing a song. She spoke, “Abba, Father, I want to sing a song for You.” Then she sang the song of four stanzas over and over until the leader came and told her to stop. After the meeting she apologized and said she did not know how to pray and she felt she was out of line. But a prayer leader told her it was alright as the Lord had heard her ‘prayer’ (song). She came again to another midnight prayer meeting. Again she offered the same song to the Father in heaven. Again a prayer leader had to stop her as she was repeating the same stanzas a number of times. (Indeed, it was her heart-felt ‘prayer’ and God had heard her!)The testimony was powerful. She testified that she had been trying to sell her small food business but to no avail. The shop was making losses and she owed a large sum of money to the shop owner. When interested parties came to look at the shop they could only offer a price less that one-quarter of what she owed. Meanwhile she also had the problem of her own home being occupied by a group of men lodgers who refused to pay rent or move out.
She and her own family lived above her rented shop but was given the ultimatum by the shop owner to move out within that week and move all their stuff too in addition to repaying all her debt, a colossal sum she could not afford.
She fasted and prayed. On the third day, the shop landlord came and told her he would not postpone his eviction and demand of the full payment of her debt. He also knew that she had tried for a long time to sell her business but there was no taker. But she merely answered him that it was alright as her Father would help her. He said her father was dead and surely ‘he’ could no longer help her. But this woman said, “I have another Father in heaven who will definitely help me!”
The shop owner, an unbeliever, shook his head and went off to take his breakfast.
Later in the morning, he came back and told her he had decided to buy the business from her for the total sum she owed him, thus canceling all her debts!
In the same evening she went home to see if she could clear a space to put one of her rather large cupboard (from the shop) and found that her house was totally empty of lodgers. The next door neighbors told her that in the middle of the night before, they suddenly moved out, everyone of them in a hurry!
The woman was overjoyed as her Father in heaven indeed helped her mightily and all within the third day of her fasting and praying! (A modern day Esther story. Her enemies were annihilated!)