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THE BATTLES IN JERUSALEM

“The greatest of all wars is to be fought about the holy land.”

Zech. 14:1 -- "Behold” says the Lord, “the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee."

Zech. 14:2 -- "For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city." (2TG #41 p18)

“The first event predicted is a war against Jerusalem, in which all nations participate. In that war a part of the people inJerusalem go into captivity, but the rest remain in the city.” (1TG #20 p11)

“In view of the fact that Jerusalem is to be protected by a wall of fire (Zech. 2:5) while the house of Judah reigns there, it is definite that the battle here described must be fought before the house of Judah is established. In that battle the nations will defeat the rulers of the Promised Land. Then it is that the house of Judah commences to be set up.

“As the warring nations besiege the city, and rifle the houses, also ravish the women, they are by no means righteous nations, but since not all the inhabitants go into captivity, and since all are not cut off from the city, it must be that the wicked are taken away and the righteous left in to join the house of Judah. (1TG. #19 pp3, 4)

THE REBUILDING OF THE KINGDOM BY THE CARPENTERS

“As to the means which are to make possible the return of God's people to their own land, we shall read--

Zech. 1:18, 19 -- "Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

“Anciently the kingdom of Israel occupied the northern portion of the promised land, and the kingdom of Judah occupied the southern portion of it. The former was scattered by the kings of Assyria and the latter by the king of Babylon. Those who returned to Jerusalem in the days of Zechariah were from the kingdom of Judah, the Jews, but as the kingdom of Israel was assimilated by the nations, it consequently lost its racial and national identity. The powers that scattered both Judah andIsrael are, you note, symbolized by the four horns.

Zech. 1:20, 21 -- "And the Lord shewed me four carpenters. Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it."

“Here the same powers which scattered Judah and Israel are again seen, not as horns, but as carpenters; not to scatter God's people, but to build for them, and to cast out the horns (powers) of the Gentiles -- those who rule the land. Plainly, then, on one hand the nations which do not rule Palestine are to (arise as "horns") against those who rule it, and on the other hand they are to (rise as carpenters) for the people of God. Thus will "the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Lu. 21:24. (1TG. #11 pp10, 11)

“Previously the prophet saw these as four horns, as powers that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem throughout the Gentile nations, but as the angel projected the prophetic view to the time of the end he saw them as four carpenters; that is, as "horns" they come to "fray" and to "cast out the horns of the Gentiles" from the land of Judah, but as carpenters they obviously come to build for Judah. Evidently, then, when the horns (powers) of the Gentiles are cast out of the land, and God's people are brought into it, then "the times of the Gentiles" shall have been fulfilled.” (1TG #12 p15) (See Tr. #14 pp24, 25)

“Let us ever remember that those who once wrecked the ancient kingdom and cast out its people, shall now come to build it up and to cast out the horns of the Gentiles who now rule the land, so even our enemies of yesterday God puts working for us today.” (1TG #11 p13)

“Who is to drive the Gentiles out of the land? -- The answer is in Zech. 1:14-17, 20, 21 -- Obviously one part of the Gentile nations shall come against the part that is in the Holy Land, and chase them out to make room for God's people. Then will the Lord's feet stand on Mount Olives and the Mount shall cleave in the midst thereof and make therein a very great valley. Thus shall the Lord open the way for His people to flee there to the "valley" where the Lord's feet stand, and all the saints with them (Zech. 14:4, 5).” (2TG #44 pp50, 51)

Zeph. 2:3, 6, 7 -- "Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger.... And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the Lord their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity."

“Now, the fact that the Lord is to destroy all the inhabitants in the land of the Philistines (Zeph. 2:5), and at the same time make it dwellings for "shepherds, and folds for flocks," shows that He is first to drive out of the land all the wicked, all those who are not seeking meekness, then He is to set up the "house of Judah" in it.

“The only Jews and Arabs that may remain in the land will be those who seek the Lord, the God of Moses.

“And the only people that will get there are those who will stay there. The land is reserved for the kingdom of antitypicalJudah. The nation and the kingdom that will not serve her "shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted." Isa. 60:12.” (1TG #22 pp26, 28)

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE HORNS/CARPENTERS,THE HOUSE OF JUDAH ESTABLISHED.

Zech. 14:3, 4 -- "Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south."

“At the time Jerusalem, that now is, falls, the Lord's feet shall stand upon Mount of Olives and there make a very great valley; that is, remove the obstacles and hindrances, and thus prepare the land for the returning of His people. Then it is that the prophecy of Zechariah 10:8 -- that the Lord shall "hiss" for His people -- will have met its fulfillment.

Zech. 14:5 -- "And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee."

“Having thus opened the way for the re-establishment of the house of Judah, His people, who beforehand have been informed of it through present Truth, will flee to the valley, to where the Lord's feet stand, as quickly as if they were fleeing from an earthquake; and all the saints thereafter follow after them. There are several facts in this scripture itself which prove that this event is premillenial: (1) Note that the Lord's feet stand on the mount in the day of the war in whichJerusalem is taken by the wicked nations. (2) Those that flee to the valley do not descend from Heaven. (3) They can not be the wicked for they do not flee away from the Lord, but flee to Him, to where His feet stand. (4) All the saints follow after them. "Early Writings," p. 75, makes a double application of this scripture, a post millennial one.

"In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open Mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness." Zech. 12:4. That is, God surprisingly confuses the wicked that they begin to act like mad men. At the time the Lord brings this to pass, He protects the house of Judah.

"In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem." Zech. 12:6.

“When the Lord smites the armies of the nations, He also makes the rulers of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood. Thus shall they with the "everlasting gospel" devour all the heathen round about, and thus shall Jerusalem be inhabited safely by God's faithful people.

“So it is that "in the days of these kings [not after their days] shall the God of heaven set up a Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, but It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and It shall stand for ever." Dan. 2:44.

“Then it shall come to pass that "many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Mic. 4:2.” (1TG. #19 pp 3-6)

Zech. 14:12 -- "And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth."

“In one of the preceding verses we are told that the Lord is to fight against all those who fight against Jerusalem. And now in this verse we are told of the means which the Lord will employ in that warfare. He is not to use man-made weapons, but a plague.

Zech. 14:13 -- "And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour."

“Besides the plague, there shall be a great tumult -- a confusion and excitement that will turn every man against his neighbor. Thus shall the Lord defeat the enemies of His people.

Zech. 14:14 -- "And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance."

“During this conflict of the nations, the Kingdom of Judah is to be restored. She also shall fight at Jerusalem, and shall gather to herself the wealth of the heathen.

Zech. 14:15 -- "And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague."

“The plague falls on both men and beast that are found in the tents of the unbelieving.” (1TG. # 20 pp12, 13)

“Before closing, though, let us in a few words summarize what we have studied this afternoon. Just before the kingdomof Judah is established in Jerusalem, the city shall be besieged, the houses shall be rifled and women ravished. Not all, though, shall go into captivity. The residue are not cut off from the city, they obviously become a part of the house ofJudah. At that time, when Jerusalem has fallen and the Lord has removed all obstacles and hindrances for the gathering of His people, then it is that the house of Judah is re-established. God's people shall flee to the "valley" as quickly as though they were fleeing from an earthquake. The Lord smites the armies of the nations, while at the same time He protects and exalts His own people.

“Through the prophet Zechariah, God promises to His people in our day adequate and constant spiritual light. FromJerusalem in that day shall flow forth the living Truth. Then it is that "many nations shall come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord." What a prospect! And what a tragedy if any of us should fail to do our part to usher in that glorious day.” (1TG #19 pp8, 9)

Nah. 2:6, 10, 13 -- "The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.... She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.... Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard."

“Here the prophet predicts that Assyria's capital city will be emptied, and her palace dissolved. Clearly, then, the kingdomof Judah is set up in time of war and turmoil.” (1TG #24 pp12, 13)

THE END OF HUMAN IDOLS AND THEIR WORSHIPERSANDTHE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS

Zech. 12:5-14 -- "And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God. In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.

"In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me Whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

"In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; all the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart....

“The revival and reformation herein presented -- mourning and heart searching caused by appreciativeness of God's great mercy and goodness -- shall be in the day the governors of Judah say, "The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength," in the day the Lord makes even the most feeble among them as David, and the house of David as God, as the angel of the Lord.

“When this thorough reformation takes place then the cleansing fountain shall be opened to the whole house of David. In that day the wicked shall be cut off and kept out of the house of David, and the false teachers, "prophets," shall feel ashamed of having ever taught their private interpretations of the Scriptures. Then shall men fully realize that though they could be taught by men to keep cattle, yet no man could teach them to prophesy; that this office is restricted to the Spirit of Prophecy, that no prophecy of the Scriptures is of private interpretation. (2TG #44 pp 46-49)

Zech. 13:1, 2 -- "In that day [in the day the great mourning takes place] there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. 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."

“Two things stand out clearly in these verses: (1) that the house of David must come into existence before the cleansing fountain is opened; (2) that the cleansing begins with cutting off the names of the idols, and throwing out of the land thefalse prophets and the unclean spirits.

“In our previous study of the tenth chapter of Zechariah, we learned that these idols are the kind that speak; that they are men. There is no doubt, therefore, that these are ministering brethren who the laity are idolizing. As a result, the laity are blindly following them, and whatever decisions their "idols" make concerning what is truth and what is error, what is sin and what is righteousness, those are the decisions which the laity does carry out. These "idols," therefore are creating a situation similar to that which the priests, scribes, and Pharisees created in the days of Christ's first advent. Consequently, the idol-worshipers are not troubling themselves to personally investigate fresh messages, and they are thereby ignorantly following men rather than Christ and His advancing Truth. These, along with the prophets and the unclean spirits, shall pass out of the land. (1TG #18 pp14, 15.)

”When this fountain "for sin and for uncleanness" is finally opened "to the house of David," the crowning evidence will be seen that the consolidation of the two kingdoms is an accomplished fact, and that the time has come for the proclamation of the gospel in all the world.

”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." Zech. 13:2. That is, at the time that this gospel-proclaiming kingdom is set up, it will be a church without guile -- free from all idolaters and false teachers. And it shall be fed by "one shepherd...even My servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them." Ezek. 34:23, 24.” (8Tr. pp18, 19)

Ezek. 36:24-27 -- For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them."

“After He gathers them from all countries and brings them into their own land, then it is that He promises to cleanse them eternally from their filthiness and from their idolatry -- to remove all the defects that sin has wrought upon them. Then it is that He gives them a new heart, puts His Spirit upon them and enables them to unavoidably keep His judgments. Mark carefully that regardless of our ideas and opinions all these things take place after God's people return to their father's land.” (1TG #15 pp8-10)

“When this cleansing takes place, then it is that a new heart and a new spirit will be given to all who are now striving to grow in the knowledge of God, and who are then found in the Kingdom. After this heart operation takes place, to do the will of God will be but a natural thing: There will no longer be a struggle against the carnal heart.” (1TG #51 p12)

“As the fulfillment of this scripture is yet future, it proves that at the present time everyone of us is unclean, and that none of us is walking in God's statutes and keeping or doing His judgments, for after the Lord takes us from among the heathen and into our own land, "then" He says, He will cleanse our hearts and cause us to walk in His statutes and keep His judgments. Hence, how can one talk about the sins of another without condemning himself? "This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." (John 15 :12. (4SC #10-12 p12)

"For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." Rom. 7:19-25.

“From these verses of Scripture you see that the law of the ten commandments, the eternal law which always was and always shall be, is the law which defines sin, and which judges a man either right or wrong. Now, since all mankind has broken this law, they are all condemned to eternal death, but we thank God that Jesus died in our stead and arose again, making us free from the condemnation of the law. Yes, His death and resurrection make us all free from the death which transgression of the law imposes.

“All who repent of breaking the law, and accept Him as their Saviour, arise to walk in newness of life. A life that is in harmony with the law is indeed the righteousness of Christ. They, moreover, no longer sin, their salvation is secured because, says the apostle John, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." -- 1 John 2:1. He therefore cannot sin, or stay in sin. He is righteous in the Lord.

“Until the Lord takes us back to our own land, though, there to change our hearts and to write on them His law (Ezek. 36: 24-28), until then the struggle in which the apostle Paul found himself -- a struggle to obey the law of the Spirit while the law of the flesh is against it -- is to be our lot. But we thank God Who gives us power to overcome day by day in the Lord our Saviour.

“Though we fall seven times a day, though we sin unintentionally, if we arise and run the race we shall win. We cannot lose, because we have an Advocate, even Jesus Christ, the Righteous. Our assurance of salvation is therefore guaranteed.” (2TG #19 pp6-8)

“None of the living can actually be cleansed from all their marks of sin while among the Gentile nations, you see. They must first be separated from the hypocrites and Gentiles, then brought into their own land, there to be sprinkled with clean water, cleansed from all their filthiness and from all their idols, when they get to their own land, not before. Even a new heart is to be given them there, and a new spirit also. Thus will the Lord cause them to walk in His statutes and keep His judgments forevermore. Thus shall they return and dwell in the land of their fathers, Palestine, and thus shall they be God's people eternally. These things, you see, are premillennial.” (2Tg #33 p13)

Next: Kingdom to be attacked by Gog Only and also by all nations