A FALL YET TO COME

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars! Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan; the dense forest has been cut down! Listen to the wail of the shepherds; their rich pastures are destroyed! Listen to the roar of the lions; the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!”

Zechariah 11:1-3

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

When we left the last chapter, things were looking up for the people of Israel. God was restoring and rejuvenating them from captivity, sending remnants back to the homeland in three waves. These were the Israelites who had left Judah and not to be left out, we saw where God was also bringing back His people who had been scattered to Egypt and Assyria, the Ephraimites. The common thread between the north and south was that prosperity, protection, and prominence were being brought back to the Israelites.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last.

We know that because as Zechariah 11 opens, we find an ominous prophecy of a fall yet to come on Israel, a fall that will occur after the Messiah was rejected. More on that in tomorrow’s message but for today, let’s look at the warning of another coming judgment on God’s people:

“Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars! Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan; the dense forest has been cut down! Listen to the wail of the shepherds; their rich pastures are destroyed! Listen to the roar of the lions; the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!” Zechariah 11:1-3

The imagery here is one of destruction and falling within Israel and the period is believed to be after Jesus was crucified, the God-sent Messiah who had been long prophesied and yet rejected for the most part by the Jewish people. The Israelites had hoped that Jesus had come to save them from the Roman oppression and refused to see that He had come to save them from far more than that. And so they put Him to death and in response, God allowed the Romans to have their way with His people, further subjecting them to their rule and tearing down the prestige and dignity God has once restored.

The removal of power is striking in the vision God sends in our passage today. The Israelites were likened to the cedars of Lebanon which were renowned for their quality and tall stature but note those cedars would be stand but rather be devoured by fire and taken down, symbolizing the fall of the Jews at the hands of the Romans. Further illustration came as the Israelites were compared to the cut down oaks within the dense forests of Bashan, the destroyed rich pastures of the plains, and the ruined thickets of the Jordan. All would leave the nation in a spirit of defeat, anguished and saddened by the depth of their loss.

Indeed, the scope of God’s judgment would be wide and far reaching, something that should come as no surprise. After all, the Israelites were responsible for the murder of His Son, an indictment we will look at closer as we continue to study from chapter 11 tomorrow.    

As for present day application, think about what awaits anyone who rejects Jesus today. Here’s what the Book of Revelation promises:

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15

The book of life is pretty easily explained.

If you have accepted Jesus as Savior, your name will be in the book and you will go on to eternal life. The dead here who were in Christ Jesus will be resurrected to new life and live forever. Those alive in Jesus will be taken with Him along with the resurrected dead to the new heavens and earth to inhabit the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-5).

Conversely, if you have decided to reject Jesus in your life, then your name will not be found in the book of life and you will be cast into the lake of fire, the fire of God’s final judgment following on the coattails of death and Hades. And don’t think this is just a quick incineration and it’s all over. It’s not that easy. Rather, it’s an eternal life spent suffering in damnation. And if that doesn’t scare you enough to change your stance regarding Jesus, then perhaps you are just plain crazy.

Eternal life or damnation. There are really only two choices.

The Israelites decided to reject Jesus and judgment followed. The same happens when it comes to receiving everlasting salvation or condemnation. It’s just on a more permanent scale.

So where do you stand today? What lies ahead as far as your eternal destiny?

If you are without Jesus, I recommend you come to Him today, receive Him as Savior, and add your name to the all important Book of Life. You’ll never regret that you did.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com