Category Archives: Appearance

Appearance, Bible, Christ's Return, Deliverance, Devil, End Times, Eternity, Evil, Following, Glory, God's Will, Heaven, Hell, Judgment, Miracles, Return, Scripture

ESCAPE ROUTE

ZECHARIAH 14:5

“And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just 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!”

I have had the opportunity to participate in a couple of Escape Room experiences. You know – those rooms set up to allow groups of people to problem solve a situation, gather clues and follow directions to get out of that room. There is always a way out if the team can just figure it out. Fortunately, I was able to escape each time, lol.

Look back at verse 4 of Zechariah 14 for a second. It says, “…the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west forming a very large valley…” That valley is the one referred to in today’s verse. Azel was obviously a village on the other side of that valley. The earthquake mentioned here is not in historical records but must have been massive for it to have been remembered two centuries later. But the best part of this verse is the last phrase – “Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!”

APPLICATION

Wow, there’s a lot in that verse, huh? Where do we start? First of all, let’s address the escape route that God will make for the people of Jerusalem on that day. He does the miraculous to achieve His purpose. He is still doing that today. We can all probably recount a story that was nothing less than miraculous. Will you join me in looking around for those today? God is still providing a way out for us. We can share the story of Jesus with someone who is lost today and provide them with that miraculous way of escape from the punishment of hell.

How about the Lord returning with “all the holy ones”? Won’t that be a sight? I plan to be there. These “holy ones” will include His legions of angels and perhaps all the saints. That last part is us, the believers, who are with Him in glory. That is shouting ground. Look at Jude 1:14-15. “14 Behold, the Lord has come with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Whether I am with Him or not when He returns to earth to judge it, the fact of the matter is He is coming with authority. He is coming back as King and Judge, not a baby in a manger. He is not coming back to spend years teaching. No, He is coming back to issue forth judgment on the unbelieving masses and on the evil one himself. What a day that will be!

What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see. And I look upon His face, the One who saved me by His grace…What a day, glorious day that will be. 

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Abiding, Appearance, Beauty, Bible, Blessing, Loveliness, Scripture

LOVELINESS AND BEAUTY

ZECHARIAH 9:17

“For how great will their loveliness and beauty be! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine, the virgins.”

I am sure you have all seen a beauty contest. Contestants are judged on their beauty and poise. Sometimes they are even judged on a talent. When I was in high school, my girlfriend was crowned Miss Pelham in our hometown contest. Needless to say, my chest was a little puffed up.

God is not talking about worldly beauty and loveliness. The Hebrew words are worthy of a look. “Loveliness” means goodness, gladness, welfare. It’s a word that has meaning that is directed toward others. “Beauty” is just that – beauty. Was God saying the Israelites are all beautiful physically? Of course not. Their beauty was all based on their relationship to Him. What a great expression towards His people!

APPLICATION

How lovely and beautiful are you? Well Carl, I have been told I am a really nice person. That is not what God means by this. Our loveliness and our beauty cannot be tied to worldly opinions. Ours is tied directly to how we live out the Word of God. Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

This kind of thinking will turn us into lovely and beautiful believers. It will come out in the way we treat others. It will be exposed to strangers. We will not be able to keep Jesus from spilling out on others. They will see His loveliness and His beauty in us. Remember, it is NOT about you. It’s all about Him.

I will never be called beautiful based on my physical features. As I age, I see more and more physical imperfections. But it is my prayer that people see my loveliness and my beauty that is based on Jesus. When He shines forth, that is all that matters. Be lovely and be beautiful for Jesus!

I praise You, O God, for making me more and more like You so Your loveliness and Your beauty can be seen.

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Agreement, Allegiance, Appearance, Battles, Bible, Surrender, Trust, Victors

BLOWHARDS

ZECHARIAH 9:14

“Then the LORD will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning; and the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet, and march in the storm winds of the south.”

I have had the displeasure of knowing a couple of blowhards in my lifetime. What is a blowhard? It is someone who boasts and brags about all the things they have done or possess. They are usually way over the top in believability. No one likes to have to listen to them go on and on about their exploits.

God is not saying He is a blowhard (but I bet He can really blow hard). Albert Barnes tell us these winds of the south were the most vehement and destructive. Isaiah 21:1 says, “As whirlwinds in the south sweep by, He cometh from a desert, from a terrible land.” These winds smote the four corners of the house where Job’s children were, and they perished. The Lord is promising the people that He will be the power and the force to defeat their enemies.

APPLICATION

The theme of these last few verses has been on God’s defense of His children. That theme continues with today’s verse. The Lord says He “will appear over them.” He still does that today. Then He says, “His arrow will go forth like lightning.” The next storm you see that produces thunder and lightning, remember this verse.

He “will blow the trumpet.” The Lord is commanding His forces to defend us. He is marshalling the troops. And finally, He “will march in the storm winds.” God is a powerful force, much powerful than any force we have ever seen. He could literally puff something and destroy it.

Why do I rehearse all of that to you? To remind you, once again, that you are not alone in your battles. God is right there beside you, behind you, in front of you, below you and above you. He has you covered. But you need to be in His will and following Him if you expect this protection. Are you?

O Lord, my God, You are so powerful. Thank You for exercising some of that in my direction.

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Abiding, Appearance, Bible, End Times, Following, God's Will, Messages, Scripture

SENT BY THE LORD

ZECHARIAH 6:5

“The angel replied to me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out after taking their stand before the Lord of all the earth,”

Years ago, I used to go to Washington, D.C. to lobby for issues that involved children. I was sent by the agency I worked with or another childcare agency. My role was to represent the group that sent me. I was to argue for their needs, not my own.

These four spirits (which we saw in the horses and chariots) had been “taking a stand before the Lord.” So, we must believe that they were receiving their orders. Why was this important? Because the people needed to know that God was aware of what had been happening and what would happen. These four spirits could only do what He allowed.

APPLICATION

Just like those four spirits, we may be sent by the Lord to accomplish His mission. Now, we don’t physically stand before the Lord in heaven, but we do stand before Him, don’t we?  Ephesian 6:14 says, “Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,” Who do you think is dressing you for battle?

We come to the Lord and stand before His holy throne every day as we pray and study His Word. You may be seated at your table or physically laying prostrate on the floor, but you are spiritually standing before His throne. Listen closely. You don’t want to miss His order. He wants to send you out.

I have received lots of orders in my lifetime from various bosses or supervisors. Some I did not like. Others I was okay with. But what I thought really didn’t matter. When I stand before my Lord, I will receive whatever He gives me. I will do my best to follow His command. I don’t always do it well, but I am trying. What is the order you have from the Lord? Can you hear Him?

I will serve only You, O Lord. It is You I want to follow.

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Appearance, Battles, Bible, Confession, Deception, Evil, Forgiveness, Judgment, Salvation, Scripture, Sin

THE APPEARANCE OF EVIL

ZECHARIAH 5:6

“And I said, ‘What is it?’ Then he said, ‘This is the ephah going forth.’ Again he said, ‘This is their appearance in all the land.’”

Let me begin this blog by saying that I cannot get the picture of our world right now as it relates to this verse out of my mind. Every day when I walk around our city, I see the appearance of evil. Maybe the Lord has just given me spiritual eyes right now. I do not want to sound judgmental. Believe me, I know my sins stink just as bad. But there just seems to be a flaunting of sin all around us.

God, through the angel, is showing Zechariah the ephah, the measuring basket, that is full of the people’s sins. They had been unrepentant. Their sins were rampant. They had reached a full measure demanding justice. Some scholars equate the use of the ephah with their sin of stealing mentioned earlier since they would use it falsely for measuring grain to sell.

APPLICATION

I recall my late brother-in-law telling me that the older he got, the more he saw how sinful he was. The light exposes sin, and the closer we get to it, the more we see it. Look at the words of Paul in Ephesians 5:11-13. “11 Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.”

Our sins will be exposed one day. As a matter of fact, they are exposed now to God. He knows everything we do. I love verse 8 in Psalm 90 which says, “You have placed our guilty deeds before You, our hidden sins in the light of Your presence.” Actually, I don’t really love that verse, but you know what I mean.

Don’t let your sins fill the ephah. Empty them out every day. Confess them to the Lord and seek His forgiveness. If you are not a believer in Jesus, come to Him now and receive forgiveness and eternal life. If you are a believer, purify your heart and walk in holiness today.

Cleanse me, Father, and let me walk hand in hand with You today.

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