Dec 26, 2022
ZECHARIAH 10-11:
As
we have seen before, the Lord loves names and delights to give new
names. In Zec. 8 He said,
Zec. 8:3 NLT Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will be called the Holy Mountain.
In Zec. 9 we read the verse Matthew quotes in chapter 21 about Jesus coming riding on the foal of a donkey. The verse is also alluded to in John 12:15. And we heard this verse about the New Jerusalem:
Zec.
9:16 NLT On that day the
LORD their God will rescue his people,
just
as a shepherd rescues his sheep.
They
will sparkle in his land
like
jewels in a crown.
ISAIAH 63:
In
chapter 62 we read promises like what I shared above about the Lord
giving names:
Is.
62:4 NLT Never again will you be called “The Forsaken
City”
or “The Desolate Land.”
Your new name will be “The City of God’s
Delight”
and “The Bride of God,”
for the LORD delights in you
and
will claim you as his bride.
And similarly at the end of that
chapter:
Is.
62:11b NLT Look, your Savior is coming.
See,
he brings his reward with him as he comes.’”
12 They will be called “The Holy
People”
and
“The People Redeemed by the LORD.”
And
Jerusalem will be known as “The Desirable Place”
and
“The City No Longer Forsaken.”
We will see the fulfillment of all this in the last chapters of Revelation.
REVELATION 17:
In
chapter 16 we heard all 7 of the Bowl Judgments. At the time this
judgment happens and the bowls are poured out on the earth, it
seems that 100% of the people are opposed to God. No one repents
when the judgments happen, but instead curse God. And there are
preparations for a final battle of Armageddon with God. However
God’s voice from the throne says that “It is finished.” This seems
to refer to the punishment against Babylon. In John’s day, Babylon
was a code word among Christians for the city of Rome— the capital
city of the empire, which was built on 7 hills. In our day Babylon
pictures the united evil world system supported by immoral
commerce.