It was on this day in the year 519 B.C. that the prophet Zechariah received the Word of the Lord in a vision that predicted the restoration of Zion. This is recorded in the very first chapter of Zechariah and also includes a question asked by the Angel of the Lord:

“O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?” And the Lord answered the angel who talked to me, with good and comforting words…Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it.” (Zechariah 1:12-14, 16)

This vision and the associated prophecy had a lot to do with the 70-year Babylonian captivity and the subsequent return to Jerusalem of those who had been taken into captivity. It is also important to realize that many prophecies have more than one application. There are several examples throughout Scripture proving this, and this prophecy is not an exception. It is interesting that exactly 2415 years later, Theodore Hertzl, wrote his book, Der Judenstaat in which he predicted the third restoration of Zion. 

The point is this: Zechariah’s prophecy is not limited to something that happened in the past, but speaks also of something that is happening right now. Three chapters later, the same prophet sees the vision of the Golden Menorah flanked on either side by two olive trees. The menorah flanked by two olive branches would later become the emblem for the state of Israel (not the Star of David as some believe). It is my conviction that one of these olive branches is the one that Paul referred to as the “wild branch” – the one that is grafted in contrary to nature. Of course, that wild branch represents people who were not born Israeli but who have joined themselves to the God of Israel through the Messiah. 

It should be clear to all that we are living in the time of the restoration of all things. We are living in the time when Yeshua will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and we are living in the time when He is building His house. As the Psalmist said:

You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, has come. For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, and show favor to her dust. So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord and all the kings of the earth Your glory. For the Lord shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory. He shall regard the prayer of the destitute and shall not despise their prayer. This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord. (Psalm 102:13-18)

The phrase “generation to come” implies that it is the last generation. Many believe that ours is that last generation, meaning that we are undoubtedly living in the time of restoration. But are we ready for this restoration? Are we prepared for lies ahead? Are we prepared to meet our King? If not, then let us commit to making ourselves ready, today. The bride is obligated to “make herself ready” (Rev. 19:7) in expectation of entering the presence of the Bridegroom. It is time for the wild branch to cease being wild and become one with the tree that we have been grafted into that we might bear fruit. I hope these thoughts for today bless you in some way. 

Shalom.