The Seventh Sunday of Easter (OTA)

Zechariah 2:1-13

And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! ² Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” ³ And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him ⁴ and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. ⁵ And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”

⁶ Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord. ⁷ Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. ⁸ For thus said the Lord of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye: ⁹ “Behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. ¹⁰ Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. ¹¹ And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. ¹² And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.”

¹³ Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

Zechariah sees a man coming with a measuring line. He is going to measure the length width and height of Jerusalem. But this city will not have walls. This city will be filled with a multitude of people and livestock. The Lord himself will be the protective wall around the people.

Most of us can read a passage like this and find it very interesting, but of little real application. The difficulty for people is to see the picture and scene put together to show the world something. Zechariah was given a great vision. The Lord makes known to him the future. This is significant because God is showing us how we will dwell together.

People from many nations shall be joined together. They shall be brought together, possibly flowing together into one place. This place will be where God is dwelling with his people. This place is called Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem has no need of walls because God will protect everyone. The New Jerusalem is where God comes to dwell with his people.

This has no real application for us, because we do not live in the New Jerusalem. But when the people of God gather together around the name, Word of God, they are gathered as the New Jerusalem. They strengthen one another and help encourage one another in our eternal hope. Jesus Christ is Risen, and we to shall arise. The Lord roused himself from his dwelling place and gathers you with him.