The Mystery of Ephraim

Surprisingly, there are unspoken Will of God existing today! Like parents, God have their secret wishes for their children. So God sometimes has human characteristics.

But how do we know God’s unspoken Will if they were unspoken? To be unspoken would also mean unwritten, so what are they? Do they really exist?

Zechariah 7

¹ And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Darius that the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu,

— and it came to pass in the fourth year of King Darius, in the year 518 BC that the word of the Lord, by special inspiration, came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, in Chisleu, the ninth month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year;

— the year 518 BC is two years after the foundation of the temple was laid, Haggai 2:10 and nearly two years before it was finished, Ezra 6:15 when the work was going forward, and there was a great deal of reason to believe it would be completed;

² when they had sent Sherezer and Regemmelech and their men unto the house of God to pray before the Lord,

— when they send righteous Jews with Chaldean names Sherezer and Regem-melech and other men to pray before the Lord, they prayed in their half completed Temple, that is, by the returning exiles of Judea, these are first ones evidently having been born in exile and still bearing their strange names, to entreat Yehovah, literally, “to conciliate by caresses,”

³ and to speak unto the priests who were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Should I weep (mourn and fast) in the fifth month, separating myself as I have done these so many years?”

— and to speak unto the priests who ministered the sanctuary as the Targum explains it, who offered sacrifices and who were still to be consulted in matters of religion, Malachi 2:7;

— and to the prophets, also servants of the true God in the more specific sense, saying, Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, the month Ab: II Kings 25:8, the temple was burnt by the Chaldeans; and according to Jeremiah 3:12, it was on the tenth of this month which day was kept by the Jews as a day of fasting and humiliation in commemoration of it;

— as I have done these so many years? for this fast had become a custom since the Babylonian captivity; and now that the Jews were once more living in Palestine, this question was asked because of its importance for all the Jews, both at home and abroad.

⁴ Then came the word of the Lord of hosts unto me, saying,

⁵ “Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, ‘When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month even those seventy years, did ye fast at all unto Me, even to Me?

— speak unto all the people of the land and to the priests; his message concerning them all, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, the latter observation being in memory of the murder of Gedaliah, Cf Jeremiah 41;

— fifth month: 9th of Av, the destruction of the Temple, God’s dwelling place on earth; Exodus 25:8; God does want to be just the God who exists in the heavens, he is the God who wants to come down to dwell among men, in his Sanctuary; he wants to be with us but his dwelling place was destroyed;

— seventh month: 3rd of Tishri; when Gedaliah was assassinated; although Gedaliah was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar, this Babylon king was just an instrument in God’s hand; Jerusalem being his holy city and Judae being his holy land; allowing a Jewish Governor to rule over the land despite the majority of the people going into captivity;

— even those seventy years, during the entire captivity, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? Had it really been done in God’s honor, for the purpose of serving him: Feeling the same pain as he has? Sympathy with him for not having a home with us on earth? Or an feeling that his holy land was in ruin and under the control of the heathens? (for more on this, see the Unspoken Will of God)

⁶ And when ye ate and when ye drank, did not ye eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? — did not ye eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? asked the Lord;

— is it merely for your own refreshment and pleasure, and not for the glory of God; though that ought to be the principal end in eating and drinking, 1 Corinthians 10:31.

⁷ Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?’”

— should ye not hear the words who hath cried by the former prophets; as Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others; suggesting that it would have been much better for them to have regarded the exhortations and instructions which the Lord sent them by his earlier prophets, which would have prevented their captivity; and so would have had no occasion of fasting and mourning;

— when men inhabited the south when Jerusalem and the cities about it were full of people and enjoyed all the blessings of life in great plenty; and similarily with the plain, the land of Judea;

⁸ And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying, — and the word of the Lord saying; giving him orders to repeat what the former prophets had said;

⁹ “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, ‘Execute true judgement, and show mercy and compassions every man to his brother.

— thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, rather, “Thus spoke Yehovah,” in addressing the children of Judah in former days, before the exile, saying, Execute true judgement, literally, “judge the judgement of truth,”

— execute true judgement and check that the rich and mighty won’t escape judgement: see the on-going of today’s stories of Jeffrey Epstein, Virginia Giuffre, Ghislaine Maxwell, UK royal Prince Andrew with protection from Royalty; and those hovering around in Epstein’s private airplane: ex presidents Clinton and Trump; how are they going to face judgement from God?

— and show mercy and compassions every man his brother, those in poverty, the homeless, those in want of food, raiment or in whatsoever distress, whether of body or mind; so that kindness and compassion should be practiced at all times, Isaiah 58:6-7; Jeremiah 7:28;

¹⁰ And oppress not the widow nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.’ — and oppress not the widow nor the fatherless, the orphans, the stranger nor the poor, these four classes ever being in the care of the Lord, Isaiah 1:17; Jeremiah 5:28;

— and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart; thoughts of evil are sinful, and forbidden by the law of God, as well as actions, which agrees with our Lord’s sense of the law,

¹¹ But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

— but they refused to hearken, they were consistently rebellious, and pulled away the shoulder, like an ox who refuses to accept the yoke on his neck, and stopped their ears, Cf Isaiah 6:10, that they should not hear, like a backsliding heifer or a deaf adder.

¹² Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in His Spirit by the former prophets. Therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts.

— yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, like the hardest stone, impervious to every impression from without;

— lest they should hear the Law, the books of Moses, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit, inspired by his spirit, by the former prophets, who were the instruments of God in making known his will; therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts as shown in the captivity of Judah.

¹³ “Therefore it has come to pass that as He cried and they would not hear, so they cried and I would not hear,” saith the Lord of hosts.

— therefore it is come to pass, the Lord by the former prophets called them to repentance and obedience: that as God cried, in the exhortations of his prophets, and they would not hear, so when they called and cried when in trouble, now it was God’s turn not to hear, saith the Lord of hosts;

¹⁴ “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned; for they laid the pleasant land desolate.”

— but I scattered them with a whirlwind, denoting the fierceness of his wrath, and the strength of his fury, among all the nations whom they knew not, strange to them in language, customs and religion;

— thus the land was desolate after them that no man passed through nor returned, all of Judea practically being a wilderness; especially after the Jews were carried captive into Babylon; for the rest, after the death of Gedaliah, fled into Egypt: for they laid the pleasant land desolate,

— the children of Judah themselves being to blame for the desolation which came upon the land, a land flowing with milk and honey; but later they received the just punishment of their sins, their land became desolate: they have but themselves to blame for their afflictions, though their pride would attempt to deny it;

— “scattered them . . . among all the nations” Judah was scattered only to Babylon, but this captivity together with Israel, is going to be like a whirlwind among all the nations “whom they knew not,” hence this is prophetic for the endtime, in our time.

Zechariah 8

¹ Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, — the phrase, “to me” is not in the Hebrew text; but is implied there as the Masora observes; and undoubtedly it is to be understood; as it is by the Targum, “with me.”

² “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.’

— thus saith the Lord of hosts, I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy “for Jerusalem and for Zion” as in Zechariah 1:14; I am jealous in a most vehement affection toward Jerusalem as in Zion.

³ “Thus saith the Lord: ‘I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the Holy Mountain.’

— thus saith the Lord, I am returned unto Zion or as the Targum renders it, “I will return to Zion” once more occupying the dwelling-place of his honor in the midst of his people, which he had forsaken because of the wickedness of the idolatrous nation;

— and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth, where the Lord’s truth is, the truth of his eternal Word, would once more be found; where his Temple stood, the holy mountain because it is the center of the true worship of God;

— the mountain of the Lord of hosts; which will be established upon the top of the mountains, Isaiah 2:2; and where the Lord will be seen and exalted in his glory, even the Lamb, with the hundred and forty four thousand with him.

⁴ “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand because of great age.

— thus saith the Lord of hosts, there shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, since they would not be torn away in the fullness of their strength by war and pestilence, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age, literally, “because of the multitude of his days.”

⁵ And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.’ — without any fear of any enemy, the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof;

— it is a beautiful picture representing the extremes of life dwelling in all security and happiness in the midst of the Holy City, the blessings of the Messianic Age.

⁶ “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘If it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvelous in Mine eyes?’ saith the Lord of hosts.

— thus saith the Lord of hosts, If it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, in the eyes of those who had returned from captivity, should it also be marvelous in the eyes of the Lord.

⁷ “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will save My people from the east country and from the west country;

— thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will save my people from the East country, from the rising of the sun, and from the West country, from the setting of the sun, so that Yehovah would rescue his people from all lands, as far as the sun shines;

— during the Babylonian captivity, it was only from the East, but this from the West must be prophetic for the endtime;

⁸ and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be My people and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.’

— and I will bring them and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness. This is truly the glory of the Millenium when as John writes, we saw his glory, the glory as of the begotten Son and the Father.

⁹ “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, who were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.

— thus saith the Lord of hosts, Let your hands be strong, full of good courage for doing the work of the Lord ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, namely, Haggai and Zechariah;

— which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the Temple might be built. These prophets had begun their activity at the time when the foundation of the second Temple had already been built, hence this could be referenced the Ezekiel Temple among the returning exiles.

¹⁰ For before these days there was no hire for man nor any hire for beast, neither was there any peace for him that went out or came in because of the affliction; for I set all men, every one, against his neighbor.

— for before these days there was no hire for man nor any hire for beast, for the yield of the land at that time was so small as hardly to be called fair wages, Haggai 1:6-11;

— neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction, there was so much envy and hostility among the people themselves, and on account of jealousy stirred up by the Samaritans, that the ordinary life were continually being interfered with; for I set all men every one against his neighbor, as the account of Nehemiah shows.

¹¹ But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days,’ saith the Lord of hosts. — but now, since their relationship was restored,

— the Lord will not be unto the residue of this people, to the small congregation which had returned from Babylon as in the former days, saith the Lord of hosts, being ready once more to gladden them with the rich blessings of His goodness and mercy.

¹² ‘For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

— for the seed shall be prosperous, or “there shall be a seed of peace” the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, all crops showing great productivity;

— and the heavens shall give their dew, affording the necessary moisture to secure growth; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things, these being evidences of His goodness.

¹³ And it shall come to pass that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.’

— and it shall come to pass that as ye were a curse among the nations, 0 house of Judah and house of Israel, Jeremiah 42:18, so will I save you and ye shall be a blessing, an example of God’s blessings of mercy. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.

¹⁴ “For thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘As I thought to punish you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ saith the Lord of hosts, ‘and I repented not,

— for thus saith the Lord of hosts, As I thought to punish you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, Jeremiah 31:28, and he could not, in point of fact, without denying his own holiness, fail to execute his jidgement,

¹⁵ so again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Fear ye not.

— so again have I thought in these days, now that the covenant relation was once more established with Jerusalem and the house of Judah. Fear ye not, since God is gracious for the sake of the Messiah, therefore men have no reason to fear as long as they put their trust in him.

¹⁶ These are the things that ye shall do: Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor; execute the judgement of truth and peace in your gates;

— these are the things that ye shall do, as an evidence of the new relation which obtained between them and the God of the covenant, Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor. In your gates so that all their dealings, particularly those pertaining to their courts of law, would be in agreement with God’s laws and principles,

¹⁷ and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath. For all these are things that I hate,’ saith the Lord.”

— and let none of you imagine evil In your hearts against his neighbor, deliberately planning harm and love no false oath, for perjury makes the administration of justice impossible;

— for all these are things that the Lord hates. It is a most emphatic declaration, spoken with great solemnity and it holds true for all time. God hates and despises wickedness in every form and he wants those who are his children to wage continual warfare against every transgression of his Laws and Judgements.

¹⁸ And the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me, saying,

¹⁹ “Thus saith 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 joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love the truth and peace.’

— thus saith 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, special days of fasting and affliction which the Jews had observed during their captivity in memory of certain dark days in the history of their nation, Cf Zechariah 7:3;

— shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful feasts, of highest happiness, but why? They are not commended fasts? Why would they burst out with joy and gladness?

(1) the fast of the fourth month: 17th of Tammuz (postponed to 18th); Jeremiah 52:6-30 the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem before its fall in 587 BC and in 70 AD (July 17, 2022)

(2) the fast of the fifth month: 9th of Av (postponed to 10th); II Kings 25:2-10 the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BC; the Second Temple in 70 AD on the same dates (August 6, 2022)

(3) the fast of the seventh month: 3rd of Tishri; Jeremiah 41 when Gedaliah was assassinated in 582/1 BC (September 28, 2022)

(4) the fast of the tenth month: 10th of Teveth; II Kings 25:1 the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586 BC (January 3, 2023)

— those who keep those fasts above will burst out with “joy and gladness and cheerful feasts!” (for more on understand such joy and blessings, see the Unspoken Will of God)

²⁰ Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘It shall yet come to pass that there shall come people and the inhabitants of many cities.

— thus saith the Lord of hosts, It shall yet come to pass that there shall come people, representatives of all nations and the inhabitants of many cities, of the foremost centers of the world;

²¹ And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts. I will go also.”

— and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another in mutually encouraging and admonishing one another, saying, Let us go speedily, literally, “Going let us go, with speed and earnestness,”

— all nations to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts in an invitation and exhortation to worship the one true God; I will go also, the vivid form of speech showing the alacrity with which men would respond.

²² Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.’

— yea, many people and strong nations, the foremost countries of the world shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem to become members of his holy congregation and to pray before the Lord, to worship Yehovah.

²³ “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days it shall come to pass that ten men out of all the languages of the nations shall take hold, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, “We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”

— thus saith the Lord of hosts, In those days it shall come to pass that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, that is, men of all different nations, speaking so numerous tongues, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, in great eagerness;

— saying, We will go with you, casting their lot with the people of the Lord in every way, for we have heard that God is with you. This has been fortasted during the New Testament era, when people from various nations have actually come and begged Christian missionaries to come to them and preach the Kingdom of God. The glorious conversion of all nations in the age of the Millenium is here clearly foretold, and in a most graphic manner.

For more about the Calendar, see Is there a Calendar Omen?

For more details, see An Autopsy of JERUSALEM in the AD 70 INFERNO

~ by Joel Huan on April 26, 2023.

Posted in Minor Prophets