“In the Last Days, Jerusalem Will Be Restored, Judah Will Be Gathered, and the Lord Will Bless His People beyond Anything in the Past”
Zechariah 8:1–8
1 Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying,
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.
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.
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 for very age.
5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
6 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the Lord of hosts.
7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
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.
Roy A. Welker wrote:
“Like Joel, and the other prophets, Zechariah vigorously condemned Israel’s sins, yet he foresaw a restoration of God’s favors as a reward for repentance and adherence to His laws. . . . He was an optimist who loved to linger on the bright and beautiful things of life, though not afraid to recognize and make known the ills that needed to be corrected. He liked to think of Jerusalem restored to her one-time glory, filled with many families of happy children and with prosperity and peace abounding all around; with hate and selfishness banished and God’s tender care and love guiding His children. . . .
“Too often are people prone to consider the gloomy side of the messages of the prophets. A little care will lead to the realization that the bright side overshadows the darker one and reveals a hope for the future in which God and right will triumph and the world emerge in righteousness as He wills. Zechariah was one whose visions of light excelled many others.”
(Spiritual Values of the Old Testament [1952], 308–9.)
