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| 1 And the word of Yahweh of hosts came, saying: |
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| 2 Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, I am jealous for Zion with a great jealousy,–Yea, with great wrath, am I jealous for her. |
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| 3 Thus, saith Yahweh, I have returned unto Zion, and will make my habitation in the midst of Jerusalem,–and Jerusalem, shall be called, The city of fidelity, and the mountain of Yahweh of hosts, The mountain of holiness. |
Dwell in the midst – A promise to the natural seed of Israel. R11:5
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| 4 Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Yet shall old men and old women sit in the broadways of Jerusalem,–Yea, each one with his staff in his hand for multitude of days: |
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| 5 And, the broadways of the city, shall be full of boys and girls,–playing in the broadways thereof. |
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| 6 Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Because it will be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people, in those days, In mine own eyes also, shall it be marvelous? Demandeth Yahweh of hosts. |
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| 7 Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Behold me! saving my people out of the land of the dawn,–and out of the land of the going in of the sun; |
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| 8 And I will bring them in, and they shall have their habitation in the midst of Jerusalem,–and shall become my people, and, I, will become their God, In faithfulness and in righteousness. |
Dwell in the midst – Chapter 8 teaches of Israel's return and the building of Jerusalem. R107:6*
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| 9 Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Let your hands be strong, ye who are hearing, in these days, these words,–from the mouth of the prophets who, on the day the house of Yahweh of hosts, was founded, [foretold] that, the temple, should be built:– |
That the temple – The antitypical Temple, the glorified Church. R2021:1
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| 10 That, before those days, hire for man, could not be obtained, and, hire for beast, was there none,–and, neither to him who went out nor to him who came in, was there success by reason of the danger, Yea I let all men loose, each one against his neighbour. |
Before these days – During the time of trouble. D530
Connecting the trouble with the building of the great spiritual Temple. R2760:6
Preceding the building of the true antitypical Temple, the glorified Church. R2021:1
There was no hire – Want of employment--the natural outcome of growing want of confidence between man and man. HG22:2; R2515:2
Nor...any peace – But warfare between capital and labor, emperors and peoples. CR44:5
But trouble, more general and greater than the world has ever yet known. (Dan. 12:1) R1243:1
The affliction – Oppression. (Leeser) R2021:1
For I set all men – "For I will let loose all men," (Leeser) The trouble will be worldwide. There will be no place of safety except under divine providence. R2021:1
Every one – Every man for himself. R2460:6
Against – In competition with. R2515:2
His neighbour – In the country as well as in the city. F555
As soon as the political and financial powers begin to crumble, the warfare will become anarchy. SM454:2
Worldwide anarchy, accompanied eventually by all the horrors of the French Revolution. R1912:2, R5526:3; OV341:2
The climax toward which things are leading. R5790:6
Selfishness will be its basis. R4074:3, R4208:4, R5526:3, R2760:5; SM266:1; OV146:2; D530
Brought about by the cloudburst of truth and the rising waters of knowledge. R5604:5
Anger, hatred, malice of one nation against another will extend to persons. R5569:2
We are to expect the same condition in the church. R4208:4
Anarchy, the general uprising of the people, will bring on the great time of trouble of the Scripture. R5526:3; OV341:2
Brought on by the influence of Gospel enlightenment and the spirit of liberty operating in an unregenerate and selfish heart. OV146:2
In a time of anarchy brought on by the neglect of the golden rule. R2313:6
As a consequence of the world losing confidence in itself. SM734:2
The spirit of anarchy will spread from nations to individuals. OV419:4
Demonstrating that earthly blessings are really injurious to those out of tune with the Infinite One. HG639:4
For the government to advocate the taking of a side in the present war (1914) would foster the spirit of anarchy. R5569:2
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| 11 But, now, not as in the former days, am I to this remnant of the people,–Declareth Yahweh of hosts; |
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| 12 For, the seed, shall be secure–the vine, shall yield her fruit, and the land, yield her increase, and the heavens, yield their dew,–and I will cause this remnant of the people to inherit all these things. |
Shall be prosperous – Already we perceive that we are in the gray dawn of that glorious day which God hath appointed. R1248:3
Shall give her fruit – Wholesome restraints, wise rulings and righteous discipline, shall bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness. R1248:3
And the ground – The earth also shall be saved-- recovered from the divine sentence or "curse." R5078:4
Remnant of this people – Then the Lord shall reign over regathered Israel in Mt. Zion. R4796:4
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| 13 And it shall come to pass that–Just as ye had become a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So, will I save you, and ye shall become a blessing,–Do not fear, let your hands, be strong. |
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| 14 For, thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Just as I planned to bring calamity upon you, when your fathers provoked me, saith Yahweh of hosts,–and I relented not, |
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| 15 So, have I again planned, in these days, to do good unto Jerusalem, and unto the house of Judah,–Do not fear! |
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| 16 These, are the things which ye shall do: Speak ye the truth, every man with his neighbour, truth and the sentence of peace, pronounce ye in your gates; |
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| 17 And let, no man, devise, the injury of his neighbour, in your heart, and the oath of falsehood, do not love,–for, all these, are things which I hate, declareth Yahweh. |
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| 18 And the word of Yahweh of hosts came unto me, saying: |
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| 19 Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts–The fast of the fourth, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the eleventh, shall become to the house of Judah a gladness and a rejoicing, and pleasant appointed meetings,–But, truth and peace, see that ye love. |
And peace – "God hath called us to peace." (1 Cor.7:15) R2946:3, R2947:1
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| 20 Thus, saith Yahweh of hoses,–It shall yet be that there shall come in peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities; |
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| 21 And the inhabitants of one city, shall go, unto them of another, saying, Let us be going on to pacify the face of Yahweh, and to seek Yahweh of hosts,–I also, will go! |
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| 22 So shall enter many peoples, and strong nations, to seek Yahweh of hosts in Jerusalem,–and to pacify the face of Yahweh. |
In Jerusalem – In that Millennial time. PT385:2*
Fleshly Israel will be recognized as the chief nation of the earth. R83:2
To be the capital of the world under the Millennial Kingdom arrangements. OV69:1; A296; CR157:2
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| 23 Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, In those days, [it shall be] that ten men out of all the tongues of the nations, shall take hold,–yea take hold of the skirt of every one that is a Jew, saying–We will go with you! For we have heard [that], God, is with you. |
In those days – When the earthly phase of the kingdom is established. A296; C293; D628
The days of the building of the Temple and the time of trouble spoken of in verses 9 & 10. R107:6*
That ten men – Representing all other nations of the earth that will gather about Israel at that time. PT384:1*
Of the nations – "All nations shall flow into it." (Isa. 2:2) A297; D628
Him that is a Jew – "Salvation is of the Jews." (John 4:22) In the restitution work, fleshly Israel shall be used as a medium through whom salvation from spiritual Israel shall flow to all. C293
Fleshly Israel will, in the near future, be recognized as the chief nation of earth. R83:2
We will go – All nations, learning of the blessings of restitution to be bestowed in Israel, will say, "Come, let us go up." (Isa. 2:3) R4796:1; Q170:8
We have heard – The world will notice the blessings of health and prosperity bestowed upon Israel and wish to obtain the same. Q171:T; R4555:3
God is with you – Jewish restitution is the first item of the many blessings to be poured upon mankind. OV66:2, OV85:2; C287
They will say: "He has done for the Jew first; but he will also do for us." R4840:5
Verses 20 to 23, together with Ezek. 37, help to prove that the New covenant is with fleshly Israel only. R4530:1*
Thus, from Israel, under the New covenant, through Israel's Mediator, a way of approach to God will Be opened up for all the Gentiles. OV96:3; R1341:2
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