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7.65 Zechariah -- God Dwells in Jerusalem

Chapter 8 is an enlargement of Vision 5, the two olive trees.  God promises to once again inhabit Jerusalem:

          "I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her" (Zech 8:2).

           God will bring back the exiles (the "remnant") and cause the land to be fruitful.

           "As you have been an object of cursing among the nations, O Judah and Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing" (Zech 8:13).

Yet in this end-time vision, the blessing is not restricted to Israel.

            "Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him....In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you'" (Zech 8:22-23).

           

This powerful prophecy has not yet been fulfilled.  We have had "many peoples and powerful nations" coming to attack Jerusalem (see below, Zech 14:2-3), but here they come to seek the God of Israel.  This is very close to the original promise to Abraham way back in Gen 12:

            "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Gen 12:3).

             In this promise, both the wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile is removed, as well as the rejection of the Gentiles by God Himself.  But only as the Gentiles "come to Jerusalem," in other words, accept God's revelation of Himself in the Bible and throughout Israel's history.

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