relationships (Zechariah 13:1-9) Getting Through the Fires of Life

(Zechariah 13:1-9) 

“On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for defilement.

2 “And it will come about on that day,” declares the Lord of armies, “that I will eliminate the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 3 And if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who gave birth to him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because you have spoken falsely in the name of the Lord’; and his father and mother who gave birth to him shall pierce him through when he prophesies. 4 Also it will come about on that day that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not put on a hairy robe in order to deceive; 5 but he will say, ‘I am not a prophet; I am a cultivator of the ground, because a man sold me as a slave in my youth.’ 6 And someone will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will say, ‘Those with which I was wounded at the house of my friends.’

7   “Awake, sword, against My Shepherd,
     And against the Man, My Associate,”
     Declares the Lord of armies.
     “Strike the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered;
     And I will turn My hand against the little ones.
8   And it will come about in all the land,”
     Declares the Lord,
     “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish;
     But the third will be left in it.
9   And I will bring the third part through the fire,
     Refine them as silver is refined,
     And test them as gold is tested.
     They will call on My name,
     And I will answer them;
     I will say, ‘They are My people,’
     And they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

By the end of the Tribulation, two thirds of the earth itself will have been destroyed.  At the battle of Armageddon, Jesus will come again and have the victory.  He will then take all those (about one third of the people) who have become believers during the Tribulation into the Millennial kingdom where He will establish and maintain peace on earth.  Therefore, these believers will have come through the "fire" of the Tribulation.  All unbelievers in the Tribulation will go through the fire but will not come out.

Understand that at death, all people will have to go through the fire, and all people will be judged.  Unbelievers will be judged and punished according to their sins, and none of them will be justified.  But it is the one sin - the unpardonable sin - that has them on this course!  That is the sin of rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ and His salvation.  Just so, every person who does not want the Lord Jesus in their lives, will live their eternity in a place that is 100% without Jesus!  Also understand that God is good, and all good gifts are from the Lord.  So hell is a place that is 100% without goodness, as well.  But this is each and every person's choice in life.

For believers, salvation in Jesus and trusting in Him brings us through the fire, when we pass from earth to heaven.  Because all our sins have been forgiven, our account has been wiped clean, and Jesus has covered us with His righteousness and given us His indwelling Holy Spirit of promise as our eternal protection.  Therefore, we will be judged according to the good deeds done with right motives.  All other "good" deeds will be burned up, and we will be rewarded for those that come through the fire - those done with pure motives - in Jesus' love, strength and righteousness.

For right now, when we go through tribulations in our lives, we need to realize that these are tests meant to refine us.  Like in verse 7, which is a reference to when Jesus was arrested and the disciples scattered, instead of becoming scared, discouraged or bitter, we can look to the Lord for our help in order to see what a mighty work He will do in us and around us.  Trusting in Him will bring us through "the fire" of our struggles.  This is not only how one's faith and relationship with the Lord will grow stronger, but this is also how our testimony to others will shine out.  Making an impact in the relationships around us, requires us to have a strong, personal relationship with the Lord!.