Remember the Garden of Eden? How God walked daily with the people He loved? Zechariah wanted God’s people to know: He planned to return them to their roots.
From the very beginning, God wanted to be with His people. The problem was always their sin. It separated souls from each other, from Him. But He would not give up. Though it looked like no hope lay on the horizon, God penned prophecies through Zechariah that pointed His people to a returning glory far greater than before. “I am going to bring my servant, the Branch…and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day,” He promised.
Though the people’s sins were great, God’s love was greater. Through David’s line, Zechariah said, God would send a Savior who would permanently end the power of sin over His people. Drawing them close at last, God would put His Spirit in their hearts. And forever they would live with Him in perfect righteousness, love, and community.
Sound like Paradise?
For those who believed Zechariah’s message, it kindled enough hope to handle their current crisis. It also encouraged them to start afresh living in the kind of selfless, proactively loving community God intended. They didn’t have to live as though doomed to destruction forever. They could live in joy over what’s to come—extending it to others through sacrificial service and love, just as their Father had done for them.
Believers today have this same hope. If God created Paradise once, He can certainly make it happen again. Jesus did come, fulfilling every true prophet’s predictions, and bridged the gap that once separated God from His people. Now, heaven waits for all those who have placed their hope in the One who brings it. God will walk with His people again, sharing His life and love for all of eternity.
But Zechariah wants to know: Will you be there with Him?
Who was Zechariah and why did God choose him?
What did Zechariah say about the Messiah? Read Zechariah 9:9-10:12 and Zechariah 14:8-9.
Today and every single day know that you are a child of God and He loves you!