Grosey's Messages

Bible Studies On the Book Of Zechariah.
Zechariah 1
1. How did the ministries of Haggai and Zechariah differ from and complement one another?
2. What was Zechariah's emphasis?
3. What is repentance and what is its place in the individual and the church?
4. Why is it important to call people to repentance?
5. What were the comforting words that the angel brought to Zechariah?
6. Are these words in any way to be appropriated by us today?
7. What is the significance of the vision of the four horns and the four craftsmen, and how can this be relevant for us today?
8. God disciplines and judges the hard hearted. How have you seen this in your lifetime?
9. God comforts and assures His repentant people. How have you seen or
experienced this in your life time? -




Zechariah 2 The third vision.
1. This passage is about the restoration of Judah and the yet future restoration of Jerusalem. Which parts of this chapter are yet future to us? Where does this fit into God's eschatological plan?
2. What is the significance of the measuring of Jerusalem?
3. This passage reminds us of God's protecting presence (4,5). How do these scriptures remind you of God's protecting presence?
Hebrews 13 :5,6 Lct your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Phil 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
John 10:27-30 My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish--ever! No one will snatch them out orMy hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 The Father and I are one."
John 6:37 37 Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of Him who sent Me: that I shou1d lose none of those He has given Me but should raise them up on the last day.
4. Did you know you were especially loved by God? What assurances does this give? What other Bible verses remind you of this truth? What hymns?
While this is an assurance for believers it is also a reminder for the lost.
Phi 1 :28 not being frightened in any way by your opponents. This is evidence of their destruction, bUl of your deliverance-and this is from God. 29 For it has been given to you on Christ's behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, 30 having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear about me.
2 Thess 1 Therefore we ourselves boast about you among God's churches-about your endurance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you endure. 5 It is a clear evidence of God's righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God's kingdom, for which you also are suffering, 6 since it is ;righteous for God to repay with affliction those ".,-ho amict you, 7 and to reward with rest you who are afflicted, along , with us. This will take place]at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaver: with His powerful angels, 8 taking vengeance with flaming fire on those who don't know God and on those who don't obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of everlasting destruction, away from the Lord's presence and from His glorious strength, in that day when He comes to be glorified by His saints and to be admired by all those who have believed, because our testimony among you was believed.
5. God invites those not enjoying His Presence and Protection back to Himself What part should this play in our church work today?

Zechariah 3
Zechariah 3 and 4 are about ministry. God Cleanses and Empowers His People for service.
What is Satan's main role against the believer? Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: The salvation and the power and the kingdom
of our God and the authority of His· Messiah have now come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out: the one who accuses them
before our God day and night. 11 They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death.
Who Is Our Advocate and what has He done and what does He do?
Hebrews 9:14-16 how much more will the blood ofthe Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?
15 Therefore He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions [committed)under the first covenant.
16 Where a will exists, the death ofthe testator must be established.
1 John 2: 1,2 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an • advocate with the Father-Jesus Christ the righteous One. 2 He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.
Rom 4:25
What is the Answer that is given to the Accuser? Hebrews 7:23-28
What is Assurance?
There is an Announcement in 3:8-10 What does the Stone represent
1 Peter 2:7,8, For it stands in Scripture: Look! I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and valuable cornerstone, and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame! 7 So the honor is for you who believe; but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected- this One has become the cornerstone, and 8 A stone that causes men to stumble, and a rock that trips them up. They stumble by disobeying the message; they were destined for this.
Matt 21 :42, Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes?[
Romans 9:32,33 Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
Look! I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over, and a rock to trip over, yet the one who believes on Him will not be put to shame.
Dan 2:34,35 As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it, struck the statue on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them.
35 Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Zechariah 4 5 Comforts to Discouraged Workers
There were seven lamps, one resting on eaeh of the seven branches of the lampstand, and each lamp had seven spouts (lips). Most such earthenware lamps that archaeologists
have found had only one spout for a wick. Here the picture is of a full complement of lamps (seven) that manifested the full complement of light (seven flames from each
lamp - 49 t1ames all-together). There were also two olive trees standing one on either' side of the bowl. Human maintenance of the lamps was unnecessary since the oil flowed from the trees to the reservoir to the lamps. This important feature of the vision stresses God's singular provision of the oil (ef. v. 6). "The two olive trees represent Joshua and Zcrubbabel, whose witness in that day is the prototype of the two witnesses of Rev.
11 :3-12. Actually no human being can be the real source of the power that actuates
God's witness. It is only as Joshua, Zerubbabel, or any other human being represents Christ, the true Priest-King, that he fulfills this vision. In their fullest significance the two olive trees speak of Christ, the LORD's Priest-King (ep. Ps. 110:4)." New Scofield. God Provides Power. 2 Cor. 12:9 But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me.
Discuss the symbolic use of oil.
Ephesians 3:20.21. Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think-according to the power that works in you- 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
God Uses Small Things 1 Corinthians 1: 20-31 Where is the philosopher? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn't God made the world's wisdom foolish? 21 For since, in God's wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached. 26-31 Brothers, consider your calling: not many arc wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. 27 Instead, God has chosen the world's foolish things to shame the wise, and God has chosen the world's weak things 'to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen the world's insignificant and despised things-the things viewed as nothing-so He might bring to nothing the things that are viewed as something, 29 so that no one can boast in His presence. 30 But from Him you arc in Christ Jesus. who for us became wisdom from God, as well as righteousness. sanctification, and redemption, 31 in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.
God Removes Obstacles (7) Matt. 16: 18. And 1 also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it.
The Lord is more concerned about His work than you are.
"and tho the wrong seem oft so strong God is the Ruler yet."

God Gives Promises (9) Ezra 3:8-11; 5:16,
Ezra 6: 14-18 14 So the Jewish elders continued successfully with the building under the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished the building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus,
Darius. and King Artaxerxes of Persia. 15 This house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

Zechariah 5 Removing Wickedness The Scroll
"At this point the series of visions takes a sharp tum from that which heretofore has been comforting, to a stern warning that the Lord (Yahweh) is a holy God and cannot brook evil" " ... before the blessing of the first five visions will be actualized, there will intervene in the life of the nation a period of moral declension and apostasy. God must and will purge out all iniquity, though He has promised untold glory for the godly in Israel"
'"This whole passage is very valuable as a commentary on the nature of Christ's rule in righteousness in the millennial period as well as the severity of His dealing with sinners once the day of grace is ended and the day of wrath and judgment is ushered in with the opening of the seven sealed roll of Revelation 5:1-9, loosing the seals, trumpets, and bowl judgments that dispossess Satan, demons, and the wicked men from the earth preparatory to the advent of the King of kings and Lord of lords to establish His rule and kingdom."
The Woman
The preceding vision described the future removal of individual sinners from the land through divine judgment, and this one pictures the eventual removal of all wickedness from the future "holy land" "The woman, made visible by the lifting of the lead cover, is still, like the evil she represents, mostly hidden from sight."
"As in the preceding vision, the earth (ha'arets) designates not merely Palestine, although this is the primary reference, and the removal of godless commercialism is first and foremost from 'the land,' which will then be in reality 'the Holy Land' (Zech. 2:12); but more broadly the term points to the entire millennial earth."
'The removal of Wickedness, like the removal of Joshua's filthy garments {3:4), was an act of free grace on the part of the covenant-keeping (hasid) God." "Shinar, besides taking the theme of Babylon as antagonist back to the very beginning (Gen. 10:10), creating thereby a kind of 'historical inclusio,' lends a more trans-historical sense to the message."
At the appointed time the woman Wickedness would set atop a pedestal as an object of worship, an idol {cf. Rev. 17-18). "Thus where Judah had been exiled was a fitting place for wickedness to be worshipped, but not in the land where God had placed his name. The idolatry of Babylon must once and for all be separated from the worship of the God of Israel."
What was Babylon (Shinar) known for? Genesis 11. Revelation 17 and 18.
What is the significance of the sins that are listed in the first vision?
The removal of Wickedness to Babylon may be a picture of .. ?






Zechariah 6:1-8
This last of the eight [visions] shares so much in common with the first that the two, at least, must be viewed as book ends enveloping the whole series.
Perhaps the mountains represent the gateway to heaven from which these agents of judgment come. Another view is that they were Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives with the valley between being the Kidron Valley. A third possibility is that they are the two parts of the Mount of Olives that will split apart when Messiah returns to the earth (cf. 14:1-8). Nevertheless they are "bronze." "Always in Scripture symbolism, they [chariots and horses] stand for the power of God earthward in judgment (Jer. 46:9-10; Joel 2:3-11; Nah. 3:1-7). The vision, then, speaks of the LORD's judgments upon the Gentile nations north and south in the day of the LORD (Isa. 2:10-22; Rev. 19:11-21)."
"From first to last (cf. 1:10) the affairs of the nations are under God's direction, not man's. It is this certainty that makes prophecy possible."
Zechariah 6:9-15
"This is one of the most remarkable and precious Messianic prophecies, and there is no plainer prophetic utterance in the whole Old Testament as to the Person of the promised Redeemer, the offices He was to fill, and the mission He was to accomplish."
The Branch Is A Term For the Messiah Isa. 11:1; 53:2; Jer. 33:15; Hag.2:23; Mic. 5:2
He would build the temple of Yahweh. Zerubbabel, not Joshua, was God's choice to build the restoration temple (4:9-10), but Messiah, whom Joshua prefigured, would build the future temple for Yahweh (cf. Isa. 2:2-4; 56:6-7; Ezek. 40—43; Mic. 4:1-7; Hag. 2:6-9).
The Branch would bear the honor of royal majesty (Dan. 11:21; 1 Chron. 29:25), sit enthroned— Israel's priests never sat while ministering—, and rule on David's throne
(cf. 2 Sam. 7:16; Isa. 9:7; Luke 1:32). He would be a priest ruling as a king, and peace (Heb. shalom) would mark his dual offices.
When the Branch appeared, Gentiles from afar would come and help build the temple of Yahweh (cf. 2:11; 8:22; Isa. 2:2-4; 56:6-7; 60:1-7)
What is the temple that the Branch will build? It appears to be a literal building in Jerusalem during the Millennium where God will reside that will bring great glory to Him (cf. Ezek. 40—46). There will be no temple in the New Jerusalem in the eternal state (Rev. 21:22). Whereas the church is the temple of God (i.e., Christians corporately and local congregations of believers; 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Pet. 2:5), the church is not in view here. The equality of Jewish and Gentile believers in one body (i.e., the church) was a mystery that was unknown until God revealed it later (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 2:11—3:11).
"Here we have the end and consummation of all the prophetic Scriptures: the crowning of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only after the dark night of world judgment and punishment is passed, that the glorious light of Christ's coronation day will follow. This is one of the sublimest passages in the Scriptures on the Person and work of the Messiah."


Zechariah 7 Traditions and Traditionalism 1st of 4 Messages
Occurs midway, 2 years, into the temple rebuilding programme.
The Law of Moses only commanded one fast day, on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:29-34). In addition to this day, during the exile the Jewish people instituted four more feasts to remember key dates in the tragic defeat of their nation. Here are the additional feasts:

17day/4month Mourning the capture of Jerusalem Jer 52:6-30
9/5 Burning of Jerusalem and the destruction of Solomon's Temple 2Kings 25:2-10
3/7 Assassination of Gedaliah and the massacre of 80 men Jer 4:1-10
10/10 Beginning of Nebuchadnezzar's siege against Jerusalem 2Kings 25:1

How long should we remember and mourn over our past? Should we do things to remember either our sin or the tragedies of the past?
"There is no need to observe the sad anniversaries of our sins and their accompanying punishment, if once we are assured of God's free forgiveness. When He forgives and restores, the need for dwelling on the bitter past is over . . Too many of us are always dwelling beside the graves of the dead past." (Meyer)
Hypocrisy in fasting is rebuked. (4-7) God's word through Zechariah rebuked the people of God for what their fasting had become - indulgent pity-parties instead of a time to genuinely seek God. Their lives were not right when they did eat and drink - that they did for themselves, not for the LORD. A few days of fasting every year could not make up for the rest of the year lived for yourselves. Zechariah wasn’t condemning traditional faster, just the notion that spirituality could be turned on and off at will.
(8-10) The conduct God desires.

(11-12) The rebellious reaction of God's people.

(13-14) God's judgment on their disobedience. Shrugging shoulder

Name some good traditions we have nationally.

Name some good traditions we have in church.

What is the danger in tradition?
Matthew 15:1-14
Form is not a problem formalism is.




Zechariah 8 The Promise of Covenant Blessings in The Millenium

Chapter 8 not only contains two major messages from the Lord (vv. 1-17, 18-23) but 10 minor messages, that make up the two major ones." Thus says the Lord" introduces each of these minor messages each of which contains a promise of future blessing for Israel. In ch. 7 Israel was to repent and live righteously after the punishment of her captivity; here in ch. 8 she is to repent and live righteously because of the promise of her future restoration. Of a total of 36 occurrences of 'YHWH of hosts' in Zechariah, 15 are in this one oracle, which shows us its impossibility without the direct intervention of the Lord.
1. What does the jealous nature of God (Ex. 20:5) mean for us today, negatively and positively?

2. One day Jerusalem would be called the City of Truth and Mount Zion the Holy Mount. Discuss the significance of this. Isaiah 2:1-5, Micah 4:1-7, Zech 14:16,21.


3. In the millennial kingdom there will be peace (Isa. 65:20-25). How should we regard world peace today?

4. Sovereignly the Lord promised to deliver His people from the distant places
in the world where He had scattered them and to bring them back to live in
Jerusalem (cf. Isa. 11:11-12; Jer. 30:7-11; 31:7-8). Some organizations exist today to bring this about. To what extent should this be important for us today?


5. 'They will be my people, and I will be . . . their God' is covenant terminology, pertaining to intimate fellowship in a covenant relationship. How is this important for you today (Gen 17:7-8; Exod 6:7; 19:5-6; 2 Cor 6:16; Rev 21:3) ?

6. God has purposes in our afflictions and in our blessings (Zech 8:10-12). What are they?



One theological rationale for ethics, then, is awareness that God hates attitudes and actions contrary to his character. We are to love what God loves and hate what he hates.




Zechariah 9 The Coming Of The King
A. The Preparation For The King. Zech 9:8 I will set up camp at My house against an army, against those who march back and forth, and no oppressor will march against them again, for now I have seen with My own eyes.
Alexander the Great is predicted here. He destroyed Tyre Ezek 26:2 "Son of man, because Tyre has said concerning Jerusalem, 'Aha, the gateway of the peoples is broken; it has opened to me. I shall be filled, {now that} she is laid waste,'3 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. 4 'They will destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; and I will scrape her debris from her and make her a bare rock. Ezek 26:7 For thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will bring upon Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, chariots, cavalry and a great army.
1. But he didn’t destroy Jerusalem. What does this tell us about Prophecy?
God’s purposes? 1Peter 1:20 Ephesians 1:11 Romans 8:28

Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
2. Why was Alexander the Great’s conquest necessary to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus Christ?

B. The Presentation of the King. Zech 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Matt. 21:1-9; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-38.
In the ancient Near East rulers commonly rode donkeys if they came in peace (Judg. 5:10; 10:4; 12:14; 2Sam. 16:2; 1 Kings 1:32And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. 33 The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: 34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.
But they rode horses into war.
3. How would the coming of the Lord Jesus into Jerusalem in 33 AD be unlike the coming of Alexander the Great?

C. The Peace Of The King Zech 9:10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. 11 As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. 12 Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;
4. How will this eventuate at the Second Coming?

5. How will this eventuate practically for Israel at the Second Coming? (Zechariah 14)

6. Several passages speak of the Lord as being a refuge for His people. How do we find this working out in our own lives? Ps. 18:2; 31:3; 71:3; 91:2; 144:2; Jer. 16:19; Nah. 1:7












Zechariah 10
Like the revelation in chapter 9, this chapter also has a near and a far fulfillment, the near being the revival of Israel's power under Judas Maccabeus in the second century B.C. and the far being the return and reign of Messiah. Chapter 9 presents the victory of God's people from the positive side for the most part, showing how the true Israel shall be made strong by the Lord and shall prevail. Without abandoning this point of view, chapter 10 brings greater emphasis to bear upon the negative side of the victory, namely, how the enemies shall be brought low. Yet particular stress is at the same time laid upon the gathering of the scattered Israelites.

God blesses with rain, no one else. The people who rely on false indicators of God's will (idols, horoscopes, mediums, humanism etc) wander like shepherdless sheep and experience much needless trouble.

1. Do we sometimes rely on other things than the Lord?

The Lord will strengthen His people. The weak sheep would become as strong as horses. The battle of Armageddon is probably in view (cf. 12:1-9; 14:1-8).

2. Some figures (v.4) picture the strong, stable, victorious, and trustworthy nature of Messiah's rule. What does each figure symbolize?


3. The Lord's infantry would defeat the world's apparently superior cavalry (v.5) Why would it be a mistake to think that the Lord will win the victory single-handedly?


4. How may we experience God’s strength in desperate times?


5. God’s representative, Messiah, would pass through the sea of His people's distress and banish it, as He had done to the Red Sea when the Israelites left Egypt in the Exodus (and as Jesus did when He calmed the Sea of Galilee). He would humble all Israel's enemies, of which Egypt and Assyria were only representatives. The Gentile leaders of the world, symbolized by Egypt's scepter, would no longer hold sway over Israel in the world. Messiah would also strengthen the Israelites in the Lord. They would walk all over the earth (exercise dominion over it) in His name (as His representatives and in harmony with His character).














Zechariah 11 Shepherds And Sheep
Chapters 9 and 10 present pictures of blessing and prosperity, but chapter 11 paints a scene of sin and punishment. Preceding the fulfillment of the prophecies of blessing are the apostasy of Israel and their rejection of the Good Shepherd, their Messiah, with the consequent visitation of God upon them in dire punishment."
Three shepherds are in view in this chapter: the wailing shepherds (vv. 1-3), the true
Shepherd (vv. 4-14), and the false shepherd (vv. 15-17).
Lebanon's famous cedars would perish. The cedar also became a symbol of the royal house of Judah (Ezek. 17:3-4, 12-13). Earlier Zechariah combined Lebanon and Bashan to indicate the whole land (10:10). All these trees suggest the people of the land as well as the land itself.
Zechariah, as God's representative, did away with three shepherds that had been leading his flock within the first month that he took charge of the sheep. These appear to have been real shepherds and a real month. At least Zechariah's action prefigured that of Messiah in taking over the leadership of His flock from other leaders of Israel who did not appreciate His leadership. Who these shepherds were or will be has been the subject of much debate. Some commentators identified specific kings, either Jewish or Gentile, who failed the Lord and were set aside before or during the siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Others believe the three shepherds refer to three classes of leaders, probably Israel's elders, chief priests, and scribes (cf. Luke 9:22). Another view is that they represent all of Israel's unfaithful human leaders.
Devour one another. The Jews did eat one another during the siege of Jerusalem in the first century A.D., and they will evidently do so again during the Tribulation. By withholding his leadership the shepherd abandoned the people to the consequences of their rejection of him: death, and mutual destruction. He simply let things take their course.
Wailing Shepherds 1-3 Wicked Shepherds 4-6
Wounded Shepherds 7-14 Worthless Shepherds 15-17

Contrast the Shepherds with the Good Shepherd of John 10:1-4.


How do Christians reject God’s leadership?


Discuss “soulish” religion and “spiritual” religion.


What sort of covenantal relationship is there between a church and God?


How does God discipline churches?




Zechariah 12 –14 The Deliverance And Salvation of Israel
Zechariah 12 The Repentance of Judah
The repetition of "in that day" and its equivalent 19 times in these three chapters sets these events quite clearly in the eschaton (end times). ". . . we place the entire passage in the time of the Great Tribulation and more specifically in the Battle of Armageddon, when the nations of the earth will make their last frantic effort to blot Israel out of existence, only to be met by the most crushing defeat at the hands of the Lord of hosts Himself.” Feinberg
12:1. Since God created the heavens and the earth He is well able to do what?

12:2 In what ways is Jerusalem today is a cup of drunkenness?

12:3 In what ways is Israel a burden on the nations?

Israel's national conversion 12:10-14
12 :10 "It is not so much a mourning for the act committed, but for the Person involved. Compare John 19:37; Revelation 1:7."

Describe repentance.

The unusual combination "they will look to Me whom they have pierced" and "they will mourn for Him" suggests two different individuals, but the deity of the Messiah solves this problem. Yahweh Himself would suffer for the people in the person of Messiah. The suffering could be figurative (they wounded His holiness) or substitutionary (He died in place of others). Other references to this text point to a substitute suffering (e.g., John 19:37Also, another Scripture says: They will look at the One they pierced.
Rev. 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Isa. 53:5 But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds. 6 We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, He did not open His mouth. 8 He was taken away because of oppression and judgment; and who considered His fate? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was struck because of My people’s rebellion.
The Jews will do this either just before the Messiah returns to the earth or when He returns to the earth (cf. Isa. 59:20-21 Jer. 31:31-37; Amos 9:11-15; Rom. 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.


i. Muslims claim Jerusalem as their third-holiest city, but Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran. In addition, "During the centuries when Jerusalem was under complete Arab control, no Arab ruler or Islamic leader ever made it the object of a religious pilgrimage - again a strange indifference toward a city which is now considered to be the third-holiest religious site in Islam after Mecca and Medina." (Dave Hunt)
ii. Jerusalem's importance to Muslims comes from the belief that in the Dome of the Rock shrine there is a rock where two significant things happened - where Abraham intended to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, and where Mohammed allegedly ascended into heaven. Though this tradition is firmly in the Muslim mind, it is of recent origin. It was invented by Yasser Arafat's uncle - Haj Amin el-Husseini, who was the past Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. He promoted this myth in the 1920's and 1930's to arouse Arab passions against the growing Jewish presence in Jerusalem.
iii. The verse in the Koran that describes Mohammed's trip to heaven is Surah 17:1: Glorified be He who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far Distant Place [al-Aqsa] of Worship the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! The Islamic interpretation says that the Inviolable Place of Worship is Mecca, and this is accepted by all. It then says that the Far Distant Place of Worship is Jerusalem - but this has no substantiation because Jerusalem had never been a place of Islamic worship to that time, nor would it be for centuries afterward. Jerusalem isn't even mentioned by name in the Koran, so how could it be a place of worship according to the Koran? Most significantly, inside the Dome of the Rock hundreds of verses from the Koran are inscribed - and Surah 17:1 is not among them! The very passage that later supposedly justified the building of the Dome of the Rock is not even included among the hundreds of passages of the Koran inscribed in it!
iv. The Dome of the Rock was built not because of the Koran, but because the Muslim ruler Abdal-Malik wanted to gain revenue from pilgrims and worshippers, and because he wanted to prevent the rebuilding of a Jewish Temple. Islamic passion for Jerusalem is indeed like drunkenness.
v. This is exactly fulfilled in modern Jerusalem. In recent peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Israel was willing to concede almost everything to the Palestinians in an amazing willingness to make peace. The only thing Israel would not concede was sovereignty over Jerusalem, and the entire deal was ruined over that one point. The problem between Jews and the Arab world has boiled down to one point: Jerusalem.
vi. If Muslim passion for Jerusalem is a mystery, the Jewish claim to the city is entirely Scriptural. "The very fact that Jerusalem is mentioned more than 800 times in the Bible makes it worthy of special attention. This unique city is the only one upon which God has bestowed His distinctive blessing and protection (Psa_132:13-14), and the only city for whose peace we are commanded to pray (Psa_122:6). God says He has chosen Jerusalem as the place where He has put His name forever (2Ch_6:6; 33:7; Psa_46:4; 48:1-8; 87:3). The new heavens and new earth will contain 'the city of my God...new Jerusalem' (Rev_3:12; 21:2). That there will be a 'heavenly Jerusalem' (Heb_12:22) but no 'heavenly' New York, Paris, London, Damascus, Cairo, etc. speaks volumes." (Dave Hunt, The Berean Call - September 2000)
"Consider how remarkable even this one prophecy is. Who could have imagined when the Old Testament was written that all the nations of the world would be involved in deciding the fate of Israel? And this involvement of all nations in dividing Israel has occurred exactly as prophesied and is still in the process of being implemented." (Dave Hunt)

"We know of a surety, because God has said it, that the Jews will be restored to their own land, and that they shall inherit the goodly country which the Lord has given unto their fathers by a covenant of salt for ever; but, better still, they shall be converted to the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and shall see in him the house of David restored to the throne of Israel." (Spurgeon)
". . . like Thomas their excruciating and inexpressibly penetrating cry of deepest contrition will be, 'My Lord and my God!' (John 20:28)."

12:11 Probably the place where King Josiah died and or where the people mourned his premature death near there, as late as the writing of Chronicles, is in view (cf. 2 Chron. 35:20- 27)

Perhaps the political and priestly families received mention because they were those chiefly responsible for Messiah's death. When these leading families mourned, all the other citizens would follow their example. The families of Nathan and Shimei may have been the most prominent families of their kind in Zechariah's day. Zerubbabel came from Nathan's line (Luke 3:23-31), and the Shimeites presumably dominated the Levitical classes in the postexilic era. "Nothing can excite to repentance like a view of the crucified Saviour."

Isa. 59:20-21 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. 21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
Jer. 31:31-37; Amos 9:11-15; Rom. 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Rev. 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.












Zechariah 13:1-9 A Fountain Cleansing From Sin And Impurity
In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. 2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. 3 And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. 4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: 5 But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. 6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. 8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

1. Describe the relationship between the Tabernacle furnishings of the Altar and the Laver. How is this relevant to this passage? 1 “On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem, to wash away sin and impurity.

2. John 19:31 Since it was the preparation day, the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special day). They requested that Pilate have the men’s legs broken and that [their bodies]be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other one who had been crucified with Him. 33 When they came to Jesus, they did not break His legs since they saw that He was already dead. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35 He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows he is telling the truth. 36 For these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: Not one of His bones will be broken. 37 Also, another Scripture says: They will look at the One they pierced.
This passage describes a two foldness about the death of the Saviour. Two hymns describe this two foldness, one by Wesley and one by Toplady. What is the relationship between cleansing and purifying? What effect will this have on Israel? What effect does this have on the believer today?

3. Are there similarities between Isaiah 53 and this passage? What is the significance of “my fellow” in verse 7?

4. Why is it important for Jewish people to repent now?

5. Describe the importance of verse 9







Zechariah 14 The Day Of The Lord
Describe The Coming Of The Lord
Acts 1:9-12 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. Also Rev. 19:11-16,
Rev. 16:18-19And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Matt. 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Col. 3: 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
1 Thess. 3:13; To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
Jude 14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all..
In that day the luminaries will dwindle and there will be a reduction of light on the earth (cf. Joel 3:15-17; Amos 5:18). Other passages also predict cosmic phenomena in the Day of the Lord (Isa. 13:9-10; Joel 2:31; 3:15; Amos 5:18; Matt. 24:29-30; Rev. 6:12-14; 8:8-12; 9:1-18; 14:14-20; 16:4, 8-9). Bear in mind that this "day" is an extended period of time, not just a 12-hour or 24-hour period. Here the end of the Tribulation is in view all of which the prophets spoke of as the Day of the Lord along with the Millennium.
Describe The security of Israel 14:9-11
Probably the water will be literal, but it certainly has symbolic significance as well (cf. Ps. 46:4; Ezek. 47:1-12; John 4:10-14; 7:38; Rev. 22:1-2). The land around Jerusalem would become level whereas Jerusalem itself would be elevated (apparently due to a great earthquake. In view of the place names mentioned, this verse probably refers to the literal city and its topography.
Isa. 2:2-5
Describe The destruction of Israel's enemies 14:12-15
Describe The worship of the sovereign King 14:16-21
The remaining former enemies of Israel who would not die would bow to the sovereignty of Yahweh Isa. 60:4-14; Phil. 2:10.

Luke 16: 19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”


We stand in a very beautiful Mediterranean villa , every room luxuriant: marble floors exquisitely polished with beautiful white marble pillars adorning every doorway. The balustrade surrounding the roof top sunning area is wrought iron, adorned with gold leaf, from which you can look out over the fields behind the house that reach down to the river below.
As you look over towards the front of the house you see the high stone walls that surround the garden, beautifully adorned with fountain and olive trees.
The owner of the mansion sits adorned in fine linen, a purple wrap about his shoulders, he is too full from eating to move about much, so his wife robed in purple organizes the house.
Here he is, a certain rich man. His robes ironed so impeccably. The smell of venison and roasted partridge still lingers in the air.
What more could this man have? He has all that he wants to be happy. He rises and looks over the balustrade, and there below near the gate, he spies some poor fellow. A snarl curls his lip, and he says to the amusement of his guests, “Watch this”, walking around to where the balustrade makes its way to the back of the house, he leans over to call to the gardener below. “Release the dogs”. His three fine hunting dogs, which double as watch dogs at night stand on tethers away from the house. The gardener moves over to release them from the pole that holds them away from the guests this day.
Our host returns to the guests, and says “Let’s see how fast this fellow runs.”
The dogs bound around to the front of the house, and race like greyhounds to the front gate. There they see their helpless victim, and begin to growl and bark. But their victim with soft coaxing tone, soon has them yawning, as they frolic around him. One leans to lick his hand, another licks at the sores on his legs, sores that were his reason to be lying at this gate, as a beggar. Their tongues lick his ulcers, driving away the flies. Lazarus has friends at last.
A little later on that day, as the guests are leaving having feasted well, they pass Lazarus there at the gate. But he’s not begging now. He lies over, still leaning against the gate post, but his face is into the sun. One of the servants reaches down to stir him, but there is no movement. He doesn’t respond. The poor fellow is dead. One of the servants hurries back to our friend to tell him the news. The servant has a bit of compassion at least, and soon persuades the host that Lazarus shall soon stink up the area. He receives permission to take another servant , bare Lazarus away, dig a hole out of sight, and drop him into it quickly.
But it is not Lazarus they have buried, just his sores. Lazarus has already gone, borne away not be servants, but by angels; they’ve taken him up to heaven, carrying him, talking praising, rejoicing all the way. Abraham stands ready to greet Lazarus, and the saints of all ages. He is welcomed home. He has a mansion, his own robes, white and clean, and one day his old emaciated body will be rejoined to his soul in an incorruptible body, pure and healthy, straight and strong.
But lets go back to that fine Mediterranean home. The owner has been receiving guests again to day. The servants welcome each new visitor, and in the great hall, they call each name and introduce them to the guests already assembled. But there is one guest who the servant does not welcome, and does not announce, but he enters anyway. Who is it coming in? How dare he just walk straight in among the guests. Our host, the certain rich man, looks aghast! He knows this visitor for it is death! There is a sudden hard thump on the floor. And the chatting guests are stunned to silence. The certain rich man is dead! Motionless. Still. The guests silently file out, as our certain rich man’s wife clings to his lifeless body.
The next day the excitement in the town is great. All the wealthy folks of the neighbourhood are gathering. Those from whom he had bought his linen and purple. Those who dealt in horses, and cattle. The merchants and the government officials are all gathering at his house. A site has been chosen past the enclosure and past the fountain. The side of a nearby hill has been excavated, and bright new marble has been arranged as an entry to the place of his burial. Great swelling eulogies shall be made, and many will speak of his fine clothes and his fine appetite. And six men will carry his body, wrapped in fine white sheets of linen, adorned with flowers, spices and fragrant incense, they carry him into the sepulcher.
But the certain rich man is not there. No more than Lazarus was in the hole down further. The rich man is not buried there, only the shell in which he lived is buried there. The rich man.. well look with me here at the text.
Hell Is An Actual Place
Matthew 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Matt 13:49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matt 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Hell Is An Awful Place
Matt 11:23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

Hell Is An Alone Place
23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
2 Thess 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;


Hell Is An Agonising Place 23 And being in torments in Hades,
Fire send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’
Matt 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Isa 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Rev 21 :8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Complete Memory
25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things;
2 Kings 25:7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
Clear memory memory in future state will probably be so rapid as to embrace all the past life at once. We do not know, we have no conception of, the extent to which our thinking, and feeling, and remembrance, are made tardy by the slow vehicle of this bodily organisation in which the soul rides.
But then all our operations of thought and feeling will be enhanced marvellously, like the difference between a broad-wheeled waggon and an express train! The drowning man, when he comes to himself, tells us, that in the interval betwixt the instant when he felt he was going and the passing away of consciousness, all his life stood before him; as if some flash in a dark midnight had lighted up a whole mountain country — there it all was! Maclaren

Comprehensive memory Conscience Perhaps this is the worm that never dies.
It seems as if, in another world, memory would not only contain the whole life, and the whole life simultaneously; but would perpetually attend or haunt us. A constant remembrance will be brought before us of all that we have been. There are memories that will start up before us, whether we are willing or not.
I remember an old castle where they tell us of a foul murder committed in a vaulted chamber with a narrow window, by torchlight one night; and there, they say, there are the streaks and stains of blood on the black oak floor; and they have planed, and scrubbed, and planed again, and thought they were gone — but there they always are, and continually up comes the dull reddish-black stain, as if oozing itself out through the boards to witness to the bloody crime again! The superstitious fable is a type of the way in which a foul thing, a sinful and bitter memory — gets ingrained into a man’s heart. He tries to banish it, and gets rid of it for a while. He goes back again, and the spots are there, and will be there forever.
And when that voice comes, ‘Son, remember!’ to the living soul of the godless, unbelieving, impenitent man, there is bound to him the murdered past, the dead past, his own life; and, in Milton’s awful and
profound words, ‘Which way I fly is hell — myself am hell!’
There is only one other modification of this awful faculty that I would remind you of; and that is, that in a future life memory will be associated with a perfectly accurate knowledge of the consequences and a perfectly sensitive conscience as to the criminality of the past. You will have cause and consequence put down before you, meeting each other at last. You wont be saying, I wonder f it will all work out in the end. You will see your crime and your punishment and will agree with it.

Hell Is An Always Place
26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

Matt 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
The Scripture says absolutely that their punishment shall not have an end, Mark 9:44, "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Now it will not do to say that the meaning is that their worm shall live a great while, or that it shall be a great while before their fire is quenched. If ever the time comes that their worm shall die, if ever there shall be a quenching of the fire at all, then it is not true that their worm dieth not and that the fire is not quenched. For if there be a dying of the worm and a quenching of the fire, let it be at what time it will, nearer or further off, it is equally contrary to such a negation - it dieth not, it is not quenched. Jonathon Edwards

Hell Is An Agreeable Place
27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
The Character of God Demands It

Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The Dignity of Man Demands It man is responsible and accountable
The Awfulness Of Sin Demands It
The Meaning Of The Universe Demands it
The Cross Of Christ Demands It
Hell Is An Avoidable Place
30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent. 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
Today there are five voices calling to you.
There is the voice of the certain rich man. This “parable” probably is not a parable. It is not introduced by the word “parable” or “like” in the introduction unlike any other parable in the New Testament. It probably is a true story. And right now, that man is where he ahs been for 2000 years and will be for eternity. His voice cries out to you today from beyond the grave “Do not come here! This is an avoidable place, repent!”
The voice of Lazarus cries out to you today. He says to you “come to where I am, enjoy peace with God now and for eternity, you need not perish in your sin, turn to the Saviour.
The voice of Moses cries out to you today, and the voices of the prophets. That’s what the Lord Jesus was saying. There is enough evidence in the Bible to point out that this is all true and you must repent.
The voice of the prophets.. Let’s take one, John the Baptist implores you today as he implored 2000 years ago “Flee from the wrath to come”
And the voice of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ implores you today. , ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
He has been raised from the dead, the best attested fact in all history! Here His voice.
Acts 17:30 but now [God]commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
He implores you
Matt 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Will you come to Him and find Him as your Saviour and Lord? He invites you today, right now to come to Him let Him be your Saviour and Lord, and avoid Hell.

Our approach to worship is undoubtedly the most important issue facing churches today.
One writer says “Six new highly flawed styles of worship may be observed, often all mixed together.
There is personal pleasure worship, which puts the worshipper’s enjoyment in first place, rather than God’s desire.
There is worldly idiom worship which borrows from the current entertainment music of the world with its rhythms, instruments, actions and show biz presentations heedless of all the Bible’s warnings about loving the world.
There us aesthetic worship, which imagines that orchestras,, bands and instrumental solos are real expressions of worship, as if God is worshipped through these things, whereas Christ said “God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
There is ecstatic worship in which people work themselves into highly emotional and even semi hypnotic states, whereas Scripture says that we must always pray and sing with the understanding./ There is shallow worship which reduces hymns to choruses conveying one or two elementary ideas, because solid spiritual themes are not wanted.
There is informal worship, in which casual jokey trivia injecting leaders turn churches into sitting rooms, so depriving the Lord of dignity, reverence grandeur and glory.
It is as though evangelical churches have caught six viruses at the same time. How can churches keep themselves unspotted from the world, if the world has overtaken the worship? “
Worship In The Melting Pot, by Peter Masters, Wakeman Press. Pg 10.

As we have discussed in earlier messages, the holy place of the Tabernacle has a correspondence to the soul of man within him.
Man is made up of body, soul and spirit. 1 Thess 5: 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Before you became a Christian you were spiritually dead towards God. But now that you have been made spiritually alive towards God, our souls need to be sanctified.
The description of the sanctification of the soul is set forth in the description of the furnishings of the Holy Place in the Tabernacle in the wilderness.
We have discussed the importance of the golden lampstand.
We have seen how it corresponds to John 8: 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
We must remember that our souls need enlightenment and perspective to understand things from an eternal perspective We must bring the Lord as light into our souls each day.
Psa 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.
We have discussed the importance of the Table of shewbread. And how it corresponds to John 6:35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.
We must remember that our souls have needs, and all those needs are met in the Lord Jesus Christ. We should not seek fulfillment or satisfaction of our fleshly desires anywhere else but in Christ. When our souls have deep needs for companionship, for sustaining we must seek the Lord.
Tonight we shall be encouraged by studying the altar of Incense which speaks to us of prayer and worship.
We have struggles in our souls with temptation. The flesh wars against the Spirit there.
1Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul
We have found that the three furnishings of the Holy Place correspond to the three areas in which our souls are tempted.
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. 16 For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.
The lust of the flesh…. Corresponds with the table of shewbread. If we focus on Christ as the One who meets our deepst needs, then lusts of the flesh lose their power.
The lusts of the eyes, if we focus on Christ we gain a true perspective to life and are enlightened.
The boastful pride of life. As we focus on true prayer and true worship, the pride on our own achievements and effort is nullified.
The Altar of Incense was a hollow box-like structure 1 cubit square and two cubits high. It was constructed out of Acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold on the sides and the top.
There were horns on this altar, which we assume to have been 4 in number, though this is not specified. These were also overlaid with gold. It had a golden crown on the top - a rim or a wreathen border so that the fire on it would not fall to the ground. Fire from the Brazen Altar burned upon the golden grate of the Altar of Incense, Lev. 16:12, and every morning and evening the priest burnt sweet incense upon the fire. once a year on the Day of Atonement fire from this Golden Altar was taken in a Golden Censer (Heb. 9:4) into the Most Holy Place and incense was burnt before the Lord, Lev. 16:12.
The alter of incense helps us to understand what true worship of God is all about.
However, in these days, there is much that could and should be called fleshly or soulish worship.
Have you ever wondered why the reformation opposed much of Catholic worship styles in the 16th century? The reformation was a reformation in worship in many ways.
Catholicism had become ornate and Aesthetic in its worship practices. Images, processions, soaring naves, stained glass windows, costly and colourful robes, rich music Gregorian chants has strong appeal to the soulish nature of man. It speaks to our desire for aesthetics. It encourages our pride in what we can offer God.
The spiritual giants of the reformation turned back to the Bible, unitedly embracing the principle that true worship is intelligent scriptural words whether thought or sung, winged by faith to the ear of the Lord.
1689 London Baptist Confession of faith.
Worship 1. The light of nature shows that there is a God Who has lordship and sovereignty over all, is just and good, and Who does good to all. Therefore He is to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart and all the soul, and with all the might. But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God has been instituted by Himself, and therefore our method of worship is limited by His own revealed will. He may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan. He may not be worshipped by way of visible representations, or by any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.

Justin Martyr wrote his description of early Christian worship: Justin Martyr’s Apologia (c. A.D. 150) Notice its simplicity and its focus on the Word of God: Worship in truth!
And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who cares for the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead. Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss. There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying Amen.
What Are The Characteristics of Spiritual Worship Described By the Altar of Incense?
The Incense was comprised of 4 elements which were used in equal amounts and carefully blended together. A harmony of various things is necessary to produce worship pleasing unto God.
(i) Stacte, an aromatic gum obtained from a shrub which grew in the mountains of Gilead. Stacte means to "drop of distil".
(ii) Onycha was a shellfish found in the Red Sea which used to feed on the stems of fragrant plants at the waters edge and thus itself become saturated with perfume. The shell was finely ground to make a fragrant spice. A life which feeds on the Lord Jesus, will have the necessary fragrance to adequately worship the Lord. The crushing work of humility is a further indispensible requirement or the ministry of worship.
(iii) Goldbanum was collected from a large shrub which grew in the mountains of Syria. It was said to have insecticidal properties. This gum flowed whenever part of the plant was broken. This speaks to us of the necessity to have a broken and contrite attitude to maintain true worship. This in itself will keep at bay the spiritual insects of pride and self sufficiency and complacency.
(iv) Frankincense was obtained by making a incision in the bark of a rare Arabian tree at evening. overnight the precious gum oozed out. In the morning the hard white substance was collected and beaten into a useable form.
The fragrance which was produced on the Golden Altar was pleasant to God. It was for God's benefit and not for the priest's that this incense was burned. Even Jesus offered Himself to the Father for a "sweetsmelling savour" EPH. 5:2 and we ourselves are said to be a sweet savour of Christ unto God. 2 COR. 2:15 - We exist for His pleasure. We are His people He has made us and not we ourselves. PS. 100.
It was the fire which produced the fragrance. There was a certain odour in the 4 elements before they were burnt hut this did not compare to the overpowering fragrance released by the burning process. This is typical of the fire of the Holy Spirit. He enables us to have a life which is a sweet savour unto God. 2 COR. 2:15.
This Altar was the furnishing nearest to God's actual presence than any other. REV. 8:3 speaks of it as being "before the throne". EX. 40:5 declares that the Altar of Incense was to be "set before the Ark of the Testimony". This again shows the unique relationship between this worshipping the Lord and His actual presence. He is known in worship in a way that He can never be known through other facets of Christian privilege or service.
John 4:21 Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The Samaritans were fervent in their belief that worship should not be offered in the temple in Jerusalem, but rather on Mt Gerizim. They were strong on this because, as a mixed race between the remnants of the tribes of Israel and the Philistines and other races, they wre unacceptable to the Temple worship. The Lord was saying that worship must be in truth. It must be worship prescribed by God. And it must also be in Spirit. It mustn’t be carnal or fleshly in its make up.

What are the characteristics of mere fleshly worship?
Lev 10: 1 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and presented unauthorized fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them [to do]. 2 Then flames leaped from the Lord’s presence and burned them to death before the Lord. 3 So Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when He said: I will show My holiness to those who are near Me, and I will reveal My glory before all the people.” But Aaron remained silent.

Peter Masters writes “Contemporary worship involves ecstatic worship, as opposed to 'spirit and truth' worship. The latter requires that Christians pray and sing with the understanding. 'Ecstatic', by contrast, has to do with using earthly techniques to stir the emotions and produce an exalted state of feeling.
Ecstatic worship takes place when the object of the exercise is to achieve a warm, happy feeling, even great excitement, through the earthly, physical aspects of worship, such as the songs and music. Among charismatics this is eagerly pursued, the programme being carefully engineered to bring worshippers to a high emotional pitch, and often to a mildly hypnotic state. In non-charismatic circles the objective is more modest, but essentially the same – to make an emotional impact.
We do not accuse the advocates of new worship unfairly, because they say it themselves in their books and worship guides. The upbeat opening 'number' will (they say) have such-and-such an effect upon worshippers, and then the music should take this or that direction to maintain the mood, and after that move on to another tempo, volume and key. Instruments, arrangements, chords and beat should be woven into a pattern that will bend and sway the feelings of the people to maximise their worship.
Often, tremendous musical expertise goes into the 'production' of a service. But it must be realised that any attempt to make a direct impression on the emotions by the use of music or any other earthly tool, is ecstatic worship as opposed to spiritual worship. The latter does not seek to manipulate the feelings by earthly techniques, but derives its joy from sincere spiritual appreciation of the Lord, of His words, and of the great doctrines of the faith.
Of course, music (and instrumental accompaniment) is permitted by the Lord, but it is not to be deliberately deployed as a means of arousing feelings. 'Feelings' in worship should be our response to things we understand and appreciate in our minds.
As we have already noted, worship is words, whether thought, said or sung, and it is only as we are moved primarily by these, and by a view of the Lord and His work, that we have genuine and legitimate spiritual feelings. Emotions fanned into flames only by sentimental or stirring music may be enjoyable feelings at a purely human level, but they are not worship.
The same goes for all artificially generated feelings. If a preacher moves people to weeping by telling 'tear-jerkers', their sense of need for God or their repentance will be nothing more than short-lived emotionalism. If, however, the people understand their need through hearing the Word (which is surely moving enough), their conviction and repentance will be genuine and lasting.
Music cannot move the soul, only the emotions. Valid worship starts in the mind, or understanding. If it bypasses the understanding, it is not true worship. If it is aided by 'external' things, such as skilful and emotionally moving playing of bands and orchestras, it is compromised.
Such worship reminds us of the Israelites who wanted to supplement manna with other foods. Today many say to God (in effect) – 'You are not enough; I need loud or rhythmic music in addition, to excite me.'
Every element of worship must be understood, to be valid. We are spiritually moved, not by melody, beauty or spectacle, but by what we understand.
'Worship,' says Puritan Stephen Charnock, 'is an act of the understanding applying itself to the knowledge of the excellency of God . . . It is also an act of the will, whereby the soul adores and reverences His majesty, is ravished with His amiableness, embraceth His goodness, enters itself into intimate communion with this most lovely object, and pitcheth all its affections upon Him' (Works, 1.298). The latter engagement of mind and soul can only follow the initial stirring up of the understanding.
We repeat yet again that in Christian worship we have the privilege of many beautiful tunes, and we are allowed to sing with accompaniment, but these must be kept within reasonable bounds, so that we never depend on them to contribute heavily to our feelings. The new worship, however, is all about music and song being used in such a way that there is a direct influence upon the feelings.
The new worship sets out to stir emotions externally and artificially. It is all so like Catholicism in this respect. Their worship, we have seen, is an aesthetic offering. It is also ecstatic, designed to engage and satisfy the emotions. It is true that the theatricalism of Catholic tradition is different from contemporary worship in some ways. It bombards the senses with smells and bells, processions, chants and so on. The old Latin mass was not about understanding but making an impression on the senses. Touching requiems were composed to move people emotionally.
The mystery plays of Rome were calculated to appeal to and move the feelings. The medium was considered to be more enjoyable and emotionally effective than the message, and we are back to this in present-day evangelicalism. Contemporary Christian worship shares the same theatrical and earthly aims as Rome.
Today, leading pastors encourage worship procedures designed to move, please, uplift and entertain. Sincere thoughts and words, and views of the Lord and His Word are simply not enough.
A word must be said about the extreme manifestation of ecstatic worship, which really amounts to mystical worship. This happens when the emotional impact of music and song is intended to assist the impression of a 'direct touch' of God, or an extraordinary sense of union with Him.
In true mysticism this is sought by such techniques as contemplation and of endlessly repeating thoughts. In charismatic worship it is worked up by powerful musical manipulation, the participants swaying with closed eyes, upturned faces and outstretched hands, yielding themselves wholly into the influence of the words and music.
Words of their choruses and hymns often claim a direct touch with the Lord, or a strong sense of His surrounding arms. Instead of approaching God by faith, and reflecting on His sure Truth and His wonderful work, such worshippers seek a direct mystical impression of God's presence. Mystical worship represents the extreme flank of ecstatic worship, but it now has an immense following around the world. The understanding is unfruitful, but this hardly matters. Spirit and truth are outmoded. Artificially induced feelings are king.
Is mystical worship coming into non-charismatic circles? The alarming answer is that it is firmly established.”


Seeker sensitive” service: focus on experiences designed to entice “seekers”… use of multi-media “images” designed to stimulate emotions, less authoritative “communication” techniques, dialogue, dance, rock music
“Though most evangelicals mention the preaching of the word as a necessary or customary part of worship, the prevailing model of worship in evangelical churches is increasingly defined by music, along with innovations such as drama and video presentations. When preaching retreats a host of entertaining innovations will take its place. Traditional norms of worship are now subordinated to a demand for relevance and creativity. A media-driven culture of images has replaced the word-centered culture that gave birth to the Reformation churches. … Music fills the space in most evangelical worship, and much of this music comes in the form of contemporary choruses marked by precious little theological content. Beyond the popularity of the chorus as a musical form, many evangelical churches seem intensely concerned to replicate studio-quality musical presentations…. An incredible attention to detail marks many of these services, with transitions and modulations carefully premeditated so that the worship experience moves smoothly from one segment to the next—just like on television.” R. Albert Mohler, “Expository Preaching: The Center of Christian Worship.”
Contemporary worship is fully aesthetic in purpose and practice. God is the audience and worshippers are performers. Skilful instrumentalism is part of the offering of worship. At the dawn if world history Abel’s offering was accepted by the Lord because it was the very act God had commanded – a humble offering representing the need for atonement. Cain’s offering, however was rejected, because it presented his own skill, labour and artistry. It was a works offering. To parade before God our skills as an act of worship us surely nearer to the offering of cain than that of Abel.
Christians who have begun to savour new worship sometimes ask – “But what shall we do with our gifts if we cannot express them in worship?” Here is the heart of the matter. Worship is not the exercise of our gifts but the exercise of our minds and hearts. For many people this is the lost genius of worship, the principle that has disappeared from sight – that worship is not the presentation to God of skill or beauty , or of personal gifts, but the communication of the soul with God, through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ alone and by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.
Kent Hughes, who is Senior Pastor of the College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, has written perceptively on this issue. Hughes put it this way: "The unspoken but increasingly common assumption of today's Christendom is that worship is primarily for us--to meet our needs. Such worship services are entertainment focused, and the worshipers are uncommitted spectators who are silently grading the performance. From this perspective preaching becomes a homiletics of consensus--preaching to felt needs--man's conscious agenda instead of God's. Such preaching is always topical and never textual. Biblical information is minimized, and the sermons are short and full of stories. Anything and everything that is suspected of making the marginal attender uncomfortable is removed from the service….Taken to the nth degree, this philosophy instills a tragic selfcenteredness. That is, everything is judged by how it affects man. This terribly corrupts one's theology."
A. W. Tozer said some decades ago: "We have the breezy, self-confident Christians with little affinity for Christ and His cross. We have the joy-bell boys that can bounce out there and look as much like a game show host as possible. Yet, they are doing it for Jesus' sake?! The hypocrites! They're not doing it for Jesus' sake at all; they are doing it in their own carnal flesh and are using the church as a theater because they haven't yet reached the place where the legitimate theater would take them.
Tozer takes his argument further: "It is now common practice in most evangelical churches to offer the people, especially the young people, a maximum of entertainment and a minimum of serious instruction. It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend the meeting where the only attraction is God. One can only conclude that God's professed children are bored with Him for they must be wooed to meeting with a stick of striped candy in the form of religious movies, games and refreshments."
This has influenced the whole pattern of church life and even brought into being a new type of church architecture designed to house the golden calf. So we have the strange anomaly of orthodoxy in creed and heterodoxy in practice. The striped candy technique has so fully integrated into our present religious thinking that it is simply taken for granted. Its victims never dream that it is not a part of teachings of Christ and His apostles. Any objection to the carryings-on of our present gold calf Christianity is met with the triumphant reply, "But we are winning them." And winning them to what? To true discipleship? To cross-carrying? To self-denial? To separation from the world? To crucifixion of the flesh? To holy living? To nobility of character? To a despising of the world's treasures? To hard self-discipline? To love for God? To total commitment to Christ?
Os Guinness is "spot on" when saying "[we have seen a change] from the emphasis on 'serving God', to an emphasis on 'serving the self' in serving God." The object of faith is no longer Christ, but our self-esteem; the goal of faith is no longer holiness, but our happiness; and the source of our faith is no longer the Scriptures, but our experience. Christian music currently reflects this. We are producing a generation of people that "feel" their God, but do not know their God.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981), pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, wrote, "Any teaching...that starts with us and our needs, rather than the glory of God, is unscriptural, and seriously unscriptural. That subjective approach… is what has led many astray for so many years."
John Calvin said: “I know how difficult it is to persuade the world that God disapproves of all modes of worship not expressly sanctioned by His Word … But since God not only regards as fruitless, but also plainly abominates, whatever we undertake from zeal to His worship, if at variance with His command, what do we gain by a contrary course?” (The Necessity of Reforming the Church, p. 7)

Would you rather have in your life what man can achieve through manipulation of the emotions and will in worship? Or would you rather see God Himself at work as your soul comes to complete dependence upon Him?
Revelation 8:2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand in the presence of God; seven trumpets were given to them. 3 Another angel, with a gold incense burner, came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the gold altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up in the presence of God from the angel’s hand. 5 The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; there were thunders, rumblings, lightnings, and an earthquake.

Don’t Let The Devil Rob You Of Christ’s Soul-Filling Sufficiency!
Exodus 25:23 “You are to construct a table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high. 24 Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding all around it. 25 Make a three-inch frame all around it and make a gold molding for it all around its frame. 26 Make four gold rings for it, and attach the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 27 The rings should be next to the frame as holders for the poles to carry the table. 28 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold so that the table can be carried by them. 29 You are also to make its plates and cups, as well as its pitchers and bowls for pouring drink offerings. Make them out of pure gold. 30 Put the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.

I SUSPECT that to many the term ‘shew-bread’ conveys little more meaning than if the Hebrew words had been lifted over into our version. The original expression, literally rendered, is ‘bread of the face’; or, as the Revised Version has it in the margin, ‘presence bread,’ and the meaning of that singular designation is paraphrased and explained in my text: ‘Thou shalt set upon the table, bread of the presence before Me always.’ It was bread, then, which was laid in the presence of God. The directions with regard to it may be very briefly stated. Every Sabbath the priests laid upon the table which stood on one side of the Altar of Incense, in the Inner Court, two piles of loaves, on each of which piles was placed a pan of incense. They lay there for a week, being replaced by fresh ones on the coming Sabbath.

The Tabernacle in the wilderness Pictures the Tri-unity of God, Father Son and Holy Spirit.
Tabernacle Pictures the triunity of the Person 1Thess 5: 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
And the temptations On The Wilderness
Tabernacle Pictures Christ’s sufficiency for our souls.
Light of the world John 8:12
Table of shewbread Jesus as bread of life.
To right opposite lampstand the table of shewbread.
In order to enter Holy Place through tent brazen altar place of sacrifice, atonement.
The laver. Cleansing, regeneration
Light of Glory and character of Saviour reflected in his Light

The Pattern For The Table
It typifies His life and ministry
Materials: Acacia wood, hard and incorruptible desert wood.
Overlaid with pure gold,
Continually set before the Lord. Bread, 12 loaves, twelve tribes,

Shewbread.. the bread of the face, or bread of the presence, set before the face of God who dwells in the Holy of Holies. Bread.. staff of life. Foreshadowing the true bread.

It reminded the jewish people of a very important event
Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
They're hungry. Five weeks into a journey, their knapsacks, their lunch pails are empty and they are complaining, and they said, "Moses, you brought us out here to die."
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily."
In other words, they're not to gather on the Sabbath so the day prior to the Sabbath they are to gather twice as much so they have something for Sabbath.
Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, "At evening you shall know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt. And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord; for He hears your complaints against the Lord. But what are we, that you complain against us?" Also Moses said, "This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord."
Then Moses spoke to Aaron, "Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, "Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints."' Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.'" So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was.
And Moses said to them, "This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: 'Let every man gather it according to each one's need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.'"
Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one's need. And Moses said, "Let no one leave any of it till morning." Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted.
And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. Then he said to them, "This is what the Lord has said: 'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.'" So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said, "Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none."

Psalm 78: 17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness. 18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. 19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? 20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people? 21 Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; 22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: 23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, 24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. 25 Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full. 26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind. 27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: 28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. 29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire; 30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, 31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel. 32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.


Lev 24:5 And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. 6 And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. 7 And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
No leaven.. no sin..
Sin is a substitute for what God can give.
We substitute entertainment for worship
We substitute alcohol and drugs for peace.
We substitute happiness in possessions for eternal security.
We substitute Matt 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
We substitute things that will not satisfy.
Like the woman at the well I was seeking For things that could not satisfy:
And then I heard my Savior speaking: "Draw from my well that never shall run dry".
Chorus Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up, Lord! Come and quench this thirsting of my soul;
Bread of heaven, Feed me till I want no more Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!
There are millions in this world who are craving The pleasures earthly things afford;
But none can match the wondrous treasure That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord.

John 6: 30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? 31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Bread only desired by the living. Corpse doesn’t desire bread.
He gives new life, and plants a desire for bread. A desire for Him as spiritual food.
John 6: 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

Jesus said you're thinking of the physical, I'm thinking of the spiritual, and I want to get deeper than the physical need. I want to talk to you about your spiritual need. And ladies and gentlemen, every one of us sitting here today have felt that hunger at times in our life when we've tried every avenue of life to find something that satisfies that, but when the night settled in and the loneliness of darkness crept around us, we were faced once again with the reality that we were still hungry, and that we were still empty. And the next day would be a time when we would try once again to satisfy that hunger.
And what Jesus says is I am the one that you really need. I'll satisfy the hunger of your heart. I'll make you know that you're complete in me, and I'll give to you life everlasting.

We are tempted to feed our souls with husks of this world rather than Bread of Life.
We have a deep need. Someone said to me this week that they have a great big whole in their soul, they just can’t find anything to help them fill it. I directed them to John’s gospel.
The Christian counselor qand author Dr. Larry Crabb notes that there are two main needs in the human soul: the need for significance and the need for security. Many of our problems in relationships and in our characters, he says are derived from fulfilling these needs outside of God’s ordained plan for meeting those needs.
The Lord Jesus is the solution to all of these deep personal needs.
1. Don’t let the devil rob you of a soul filling SecuritySecurity about your salvation and your relationship with God is such a very important need.
"To lose your wealth is much, To lose your health is more,
To lose your soul is such a loss As no man can restore."
But not onlyto be saved, but to know that you are saved is a deep deep need. And that need is met so easily in the Lord Jesus.
"I need no other argument I want no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died— And that He died for me."
But still as Christians we ebb and flo in our assurance. Yet there is something we can know: Its not our hold on Him that counts, but His hold on us!
"My love is oft-times low, My joy still ebbs and flows,
But peace with Him remains the same! No change Jehovah knows.
"I change, He changes not; My Christ can never die;
His love, not mine, the resting-place; His truth, not mine, the tie."
2. Don’t let the devil rob you of a soul filling Satisfaction
O Christ, in Thee my soul hath found, And found in Thee alone,
The peace, the joy I sought so long, The bliss till now unknown.
Refrain: Now none but Christ can satisfy, None other name for me;
There's love, and life, and lasting joy, Lord Jesus, found in Thee.
I sighed for rest and happiness, I yearned for them, not Thee;
But while I passed my Saviour by, His love laid hold on me.
I tried the broken cisterns, Lord, But ah! the waters failed!
E'en as I stooped to drink they'd fled, And mocked me as I wailed.

a. Don’t let the devil rob you of a soul filling joy
Exceeding joy.
1 Peter 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
The devil will attempt to substitute happiness in happenings for joy that reaches us even in pain.


b. Don’t let the devil rob you of a soul filling love
Exceeding Love
His forever only His who the Lord and me shall part?
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jeremiah 31:3 I have loved you with an everlasting love
Today folks search for love in all the wrong places. Some women seek to fill up that love vacuum by their husbands. And when the husband can never fill that God defined love vacuum , they move to another or another or another who they hope will fill that love vacuum. There is only One who can fill that love vacuum, the Lord Himself!

c. Don’t let the devil rob you of a soul filling peace
Phil 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The devil’s substitutes for peace are temporary and shallow, sometimes its peace through avoidance of conflict. Sometimes its peace by substances such as alcohol or drugs or tv. All of these are temporary shallow and fading methods.
There is only one peace that fills and satisfies the soul, and it’s a peace that passes all human comprehension.


In the greatest difficulties, in the heaviest trials, in the deepest poverty and necessities, He has never failed me; but because I was enabled by His grace to trust Him He has always appeared for my help. I delight in speaking well of His name. - George Muller -