Introduction

Good day to all! Let us examine the final chapter of Zechariah. It is said that this book is the "Revelation" of the Old Testament. We have two approaches when seeking the theme of this chapter. One viewpoint is "The Lord reigns," but I think, the Lord God has always reigned, which is fine! But what does His reign have to do with us? Nothing!

If a person is very "old horse," loves the world, and indulges in the flesh, then the Lord God's reign is indeed a disaster for him. The first chapter of Genesis speaks of "God created all things," but what does this have to do with us? Nothing.

We study the Bible using another method, which is to find out what God tells us to do through Bible study. We should consecrate ourselves to the Lord! But has everyone consecrated themselves to the Lord? No! However, only those who consecrate themselves to the Lord will dwell securely. So the theme of this chapter is "In that day, those who consecrate themselves to the Lord will dwell securely."

If you look closely at this generation, it is full of all kinds of disasters. I thank God for sending disasters. Some question me: How can you say that? I tell you, what this generation lacks is the fear of God and consecration to the Lord. If you truly consecrate yourself to the Lord on earth, then you will dwell securely, without having to wait for that day.

On that day, people on earth will see that if they had known that consecrating themselves to the Lord would ensure secure dwelling, they would have chosen to consecrate themselves to the Lord long ago. Why wait until they are destroyed by God? I tell you, that's how the world is! So I encourage everyone to be a blessed person, but how can one be blessed? By consecrating oneself to the Lord!

I once said that living is a very simple thing, and some people thought I was being sarcastic, but living is indeed a very simple thing! If you consecrate yourself to the Lord now and can dwell securely, do you believe it or not? People insist on making such a simple thing as living very complicated.

I tell you, if you consecrate yourself to the Lord, living becomes very simple. You don't need to fear the boss, fear not having a job, fear this, fear that! Worry about this, worry about that! As long as you consecrate yourself to the Lord, you will dwell securely.

We, in the Chinese Mingding Doctrine, have a basic principle when studying the Bible, which is to talk about what is relevant to us. So what does the Lord's reign and His creation of heaven and earth have to do with us? Nothing! But can we read the Bible and find out its relevance to us?

This is the Day the Lord God Comes with His Holy Ones

Zechariah, in a vision, saw the Lord God descending from heaven with His holy ones. How did they descend? Let's look at the scripture:

On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. (Zechariah 14:4-5)

How did these holy ones descend? It was not until I read Revelation written by old John that I understood that when Jesus Christ comes again, this earth will experience the Third World War. In fact, that day is not too far away now.

After the Third World War, two preachers, two olive trees, will be killed, and they will lie on the ground in Jerusalem. Then the breath of life will enter them, and they will rise from the dead and ascend to heaven on a cloud.

In fact, after the Third World War, a certain country will unify the world, and the first thing they will do is persecute the church. At this time, the church will be persecuted to death!

Then Jesus Christ will come, and you will see two preachers, or possibly two churches, ascending to heaven while the whole world watches, like a live broadcast on the internet. Then they will ascend on a cloud, and at this time the last trumpet will sound, and God's people will be caught up together into the air, and then Jesus will come with His holy ones.

So what are the holy ones? Those who consecrate themselves to the Lord are called holy ones. Therefore, brothers and sisters, before God comes, learn to consecrate yourselves to the Lord. This is a very interesting thing. The first to third verses of this chapter speak of an incredible thing, that those who do not consecrate themselves to the Lord will be cut off!

Those Who Do Not Consecrate Themselves to the Lord Will Be Cut Off

A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women violated. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:1-3)

Alas! Women are violated, do you think this is a good thing? Houses are ransacked, the city is captured, possessions are plundered and divided among the people, what do you say has happened? In fact, through this sentence, one can see that God actually fights for Jerusalem after this event happens, don't you think it's very interesting? Too interesting!

Before God comes, He will cleanse His church. Those in the church who love money will have their money plundered; those who love houses will have their houses ransacked; the women in the city who love themselves will be violated, and half of the people in the city will be taken into exile. Jerusalem refers to the church, and many people in the church do not separate themselves and do not consecrate themselves to the Lord, and their end is very miserable.

Think about it, is the Third World War a joke? If our brothers and sisters are not prepared before the Third World War, and they all love the world, indulge in the flesh, discern good and evil, and as they grow older, their ability to discern good and evil increases day by day, then they are finished.

This passage of scripture speaks of the church experiencing very miserable things. Don't think that this is suffering for God. These people are not suffering for God! The previous chapter said that "treasure is refined by fire," and these people are the garbage slag after the refining, and they can die however they want.

But for God's people, God will fight for you. At this time, the Lord will go out and fight against those nations. If the remaining people still do not consecrate themselves to the Lord, when will they?

Our brothers and sisters must wake up and not think that if you buy a house with a permanent title deed, that house is yours. Many houses are still there, but the people are gone, and it has nothing to do with you. So brothers and sisters, you must know that a person who consecrates himself to the Lord will dwell securely, even when he is in the world.

So what does it mean to consecrate oneself to the Lord? Not loving the world, not indulging in the flesh, not discerning good and evil, loving God, and keeping and obeying God's word. If you love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, wouldn't that solve the problem? So the key to solving the problem is to consecrate oneself to the Lord!

Sometimes I say: "Alas! Loving the Lord your God, loving the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, why is it so difficult?" Such a good thing still needs to be persuaded, and it is difficult for these people not to love the world! If they don't regard the old horse as garbage, they can't live!

I used to receive a sister, a total of two people came, oh, I tell you, the logic system of these two people is: how can people live without sinning? I was thinking, how can people live without consecrating themselves to the Lord? God is going to oppose you and mess with you all day long, how can you live?

Later, these two people were kicked out of the church. One of them was a little smarter. After a while, she realized that something was wrong, because she was an official and was also involved in these things. Think about it, can those officials live without committing crimes? Can those monks live without committing crimes? In fact, it is difficult to be anything, because you have to commit crimes.

As a result, people came to investigate her superior, and good heavens, the next day they found that this superior had died at home. I don't know how he died! Did he drink poison or hang himself? We can't say for sure, anyway, she was scared enough and returned to us. Thank God! Protected by God, she was not cut off, but there was still a pile of garbage in her mind that did not consecrate herself to the Lord.

But you must know that the most fatal thing for us people on this earth is not sinning, but not consecrating ourselves to the Lord and opposing God! So those who do not consecrate themselves to the Lord will be cut off. They may be violated, or they may be exiled, plundered, captured, and then their possessions will be plundered and scattered. I am very moved!

Jerusalem Refers to the Church

Jerusalem does not refer to a certain place now. This place is not ranked in God's eyes. When you read about Jerusalem, Mount Zion, and the Mount of Olives in the Bible, these all refer to the church. When Jesus Christ comes again, we will see the church, which is the New Jerusalem, so the New Jerusalem is the church.

Before the New Jerusalem comes, there is still a thousand years, and the vision that Zechariah saw was at this time, when Jesus Christ reigns on earth. Zechariah discovered that there was no need for light in the city of Jerusalem, no need to light lamps, "the three lights will recede." This is not a matter of day and night, but that there is the glory of God in God's church, not relying on day and night, relying on sunlight, but relying on the glory of God.

So those who consecrate themselves to the Lord live in the glory of God! So how do you consecrate yourself to the Lord? By building the church, being edified in the process of building the church. If you do not offer yourself for God, it is difficult for you to build the church. If you use the old horse's stuff to love the world, indulge in the flesh, discern good and evil, and build the church, then you might as well give up. After you build it, you will suffer more sins.

On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a unique day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light. On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter. (Zechariah 14:6-8)

The church has living water, which is the word of God coming out of Jerusalem. After the word of God comes out of Jerusalem, half of it flows east to the Dead Sea and half of it flows west to the Mediterranean Sea. However, the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea are not specific places we are talking about. In fact, they refer to the underworld. Flowing into the sea means flowing to the places where people are going to die. In fact, the word of God is living water.

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So, without the Word of God in the church, how can there be living water? Look at us; no matter how tired you are in your service, no one gets "burnt out"! We don't have the word "burnt out" in our church, but in my previous church, it was often mentioned because there was no living water to nourish.

Without the Word of God and shepherding in the church, people become withered. It's not just about resting well; it's about being set apart to the Lord, receiving the Word of God, and letting it nourish the dark places within us that are about to perish. Those wet, cold, and dark places, devoid of light, need the Word of God to nourish them, winter and summer alike, allowing God's Word to illuminate us from within.

Of course, Jerusalem has always had living water; there's no such thing as being burnt out there. Therefore, many of the things we promote in the church are beyond our imagination. If I were to go back ten years, I couldn't have imagined the current situation: meetings every day from Monday to Sunday, week after week. How could anyone endure that? I tell you, even the pastors of the church aren't that busy.

But the church is a place to receive living water. By meeting every day, we actually save time because we save the time spent in sickbeds and dealing with calamities. Therefore, we don't get burnt out. I thank God! You have joined me in a great experiment: setting ourselves apart to the Lord, consecrating our time to God, and the results have all been good.

Don't you know, there have been some minor mishaps recently: someone dropped something into an electrical box and reached in to retrieve it. Isn't that courting death? But he always feels like he's got glory, but in reality, his head is full of rubbish. Isn't that just courting death?

Let God cleanse us; don't haggle with God. That's not a model of dwelling in safety. In the end, he himself said, "Teacher, thank God for disciplining me! If God hadn't disciplined me, and I continued like that, I would have been finished."

When shepherds are shepherding, they see the rubbish in people's minds very clearly, but people can't see their own problems. So we tell them, but they're not convinced. Do you understand the scripture we just discussed? If God doesn't discipline you, you'll go to the Western Paradise, or enter the Eastern or Western Sea.

The church must have the living water of God to nourish our thirsty hearts. God wants to reign in our hearts; the Lord will be king over the whole earth.

The Lord will be king over the whole earth. In that day the Lord will be the only one, and his name the only name. (Zechariah 14:9)

The Lord is unique in your heart; the Lord wants to be king in your heart. How good is that!

The entire land, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed, and Jerusalem will live in safety. (Zechariah 14:10-11)

Why can people live in safety? Because we put God first! We may have the Tower of Hananel and the royal winepresses in our hearts because we regard building the church as a glorious Mingding Doctrine, so there will be no more curse, and those who are set apart to the Lord will live in safety.

Those Who Are Not Set Apart to the Lord Will Experience Calamities

So, those calamities you are experiencing are actually good. Don't think that God is not in control. If you become a monk, does God no longer care? I tell you, monks are not under the authority of Buddha; monks are under the authority of the God who created the universe. Of course, Buddhism says that Buddha is a great god, and that's fine if they choose to believe that.

But I want to tell you, those who are not set apart to the Lord will experience calamities. Look now, officials are being arrested, big businessmen are being arrested, some are jumping off buildings, jumping into the sea, jumping off overpasses, and some are going to jail. Observe carefully, those who oppose God and oppose the church will have this kind of fate:

This is how the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. (Zechariah 14:12)

Have you seen it? People with cancer undergo constant chemotherapy and radiation, eventually becoming emaciated, with sunken eyes and rotting tongues. Oh, how much suffering they endure!

On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. They will seize each other, and each will raise a hand against another. (Zechariah 14:13)

At that time, they won't even know if they are alive or dead, and they will still be blaming others!

Judah will also fight in Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected – great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. A similar plague will strike the horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all the animals in those camps. (Zechariah 14:14)

If you are not set apart to the Lord, won't you live in this kind of situation? Can the hospital solve your problems? Ask the doctor how many problems he can solve. Can he solve sunken eyes and wasting flesh?

Conversely, these problems may even be related to them. You undergo chemotherapy and radiation, and they collect the money. Some say that doctors are supported by patients, and lawyers are supported by criminals. It's really like that. Look carefully, the current situation is very tragic. Then, the wealth of all the surrounding nations, God gathers them and gives them to the church. How good it is to have God! Why must people experience calamities?

I tell you the truth, I'm not trying to scare you, but throughout history, for example, the Roman Emperor Nero, who was one of the most severe persecutors of the church, had a very tragic end. Many Roman emperors who persecuted the church had very tragic ends. It's not that the church wants to kill them, but God puts them to death.

Nations Willing to Submit to God Will Also Worship God

Those who oppose God, those who deserve to be destroyed, Jesus has already killed them with the sword of his mouth. Then, those who have a little bit of sense, those who have not been destroyed, on that day, when they see the Lord coming to earth to reign, ruling with an iron scepter, they will all come to worship God! If you do not worship, God will attack you with this plague.

I tell you, one calamity, one cancer, one small virus cell can make people miserable. What can people do? Some time ago, a person with uremia, also known as kidney failure, came to our church. After coming among us, he got a little better and went back to running to lose weight. But the key to solving the problem is really to submit to God. Let me read to you:

Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. If any of the nations do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16-19)

I tell you, even after Jesus comes, cancer, chemotherapy, and radiation may still exist. Can our brothers and sisters hear the Word of God? Can we hear Zechariah talking about such a terrifying situation and begin to turn back to God?

Even those nations, those who have a little bit of sense, know that they must come to worship God. If you don't come to worship God, you can try it, but it will be very difficult. What can you do if God doesn't send rain? You will be burnt out!

Not sending rain and dew also refers to not having the Word of God to nourish their thirsty hearts. For example, if you don't come to the meeting and save the time, you can decorate your house beautifully and take good care of your things, but if God sends a calamity, it will put an end to all your things.

I guess this passage is talking about the time in Revelation when Jesus Christ reigns on earth with his people for a thousand years.

On That Day, Everything Will Be Set Apart to the Lord

On that day HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 14:20-21)

This passage sounds a bit rustic, talking about bowls and pots, but it's actually talking about the old Marx's idea, "Man is iron, food is steel, if you don't eat one meal, you'll get hungry." This is the logic of old Marx. People who belong to old Marx must have food to live. Is man living entirely by food? No! When you are set apart to the Lord, you live by every word that comes from the mouth of God, and you will never be hungry!

I tell you, we live by the Word of God, and if we live, we will dwell in safety. Living is a very simple thing. You don't have to wait until the day when Jesus comes again. Now, if you are willing to be set apart to the Lord, God will do this wonderful work in you.

On that day, "HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses." Even old Marx lives by the words that come from the mouth of God. How can this be? The meaning of what I am saying is to express how important it is to be set apart to the Lord.

"Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty," which means that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Man lives by God's nourishment! If God is nourishing you, will you lack food and clothing? No! If you carefully keep and follow God's Word, will you lack food and clothing? No! It is good for man to live by God.

So, don't wait until that day to be set apart to the Lord. Be set apart to the Lord now, become a saint in God's eyes, be a treasure in God's eyes, and then use faith to be able to pass through trials and fire, until you are trained to be a person set apart to the Lord.

If you believe in God, no matter what you do, you will not lack any good things. Isn't living a very simple thing? Those who are set apart to the Lord will dwell in safety, Amen! May these words be fulfilled in you.

That's all for our Bible study this time. I really hope that all the brothers and sisters can learn to be set apart to the Lord. May God bless everyone!

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