Zechariah 8:1-23. And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.” Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.” For thus says the Lord of hosts: “As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.” And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
Jerusalem was in ruins, devoid of my people, just as your country is currently populated with people whose hearts are in ruins, who do not know me or do not follow me. They are empty vessels, but I am willing to inhabit any and all hearts that turn to me in honest desire. Just as I was able to rescue my people from all over and return them to Jerusalem, so I can restore this country to what it once was. If my people will turn to me, repent and truly follow me. Not follow a definition of me that suits them, not follow a false me, not follow a me that glorifies them. If my children would repent of their sin, especially the sin of the worship of false gods, then I will inhabit them and they will restore this country. Just as I told Zechariah to finish the task of building my temple, so I will tell you to complete your task. You are also laying a foundation and helping to build, but not a temple of stone. You are busy on the construction of a people who are mine. You are to continue working on leading others to me, showing others how to live close to me, battling against evil and dark forces.Just as Israel and Judah became known as cursed nations, so the USA is becoming more of a laughing-stock for the rest of the world; your country is no longer respected as it once was; it is no longer feared; it is no longer a shining beacon of light to the rest of the world. I will restore that, once my people have returned to me and are ready to live correctly. Do not allow false teachers or prophets to speak lies when you hear them. Honor me, above all else. Seek my face, my word, my instruction, my pride in how you are living. But, in order to reach the time of redemption, the time when I will restore your nation and its people, my temple must be rebuilt. Stay the course. (2018)
Amanuensis 