Tues.’s Devo - The Coming Army 12-21-21

Read; Zechariah 1:1-21; Revelation 12:1-17; Psalm 140:1-13; Proverbs 30:17 Zechariah means “Yaweh Remembers.” He was both a prophet and a priest. God called him to remind Israel and Judah of their past. He begged them not to be like their ancestors who refused to repent and turn to God. He reminded them that everything the prophets had said then came to past and everything the prophets said now would also come to pass. Three months later, Zechariah had another vision where he saw the horses of Revelation 6. Zechariah was shown a rider on a red horse. In Revelation, the red rider was the one to take peace from the earth which would result in war. In his dream the red horse rider was joined with the brown and white horses. They represented death, famine, war and power to take out 1/4th of the people on the earth in Revelation. These are the counterparts of the ones in Revelations. These are God’s riders sent to patrol the earth. They found that the whole earth was at peace. God announced why they were there. God was angry at the nations that had inflicted harm on his people far beyond his intentions. He was also angry with his people for not repenting. He was going to show mercy for them, but He wanted his Temple built. God showed him the four nations that had come against Israel as four horns. Then he showed him four blacksmiths or masons that would be used to terrify those nations and throw them down to destroy them. In Revelation we have the picture of God’s nation as a pregnant woman. She had a son, Jesus and Satan was ready to snatch him up. He was caught up to heaven in his resurrection and the woman fled into the wilderness where God took care of her. (This is the church in persecution.) War erupted in heaven as Michael and his heavenly army fought against the dragon and his demons. The dragon lost and he and his demons were forced out of heaven. He and his demons were thrown down to earth where he roams about deceiving the world into thinking he has power. He went after the church to persecute it. Persecution only made it stronger. Satan went to deceive the Church with his lies. His words were like a flood of water but the earth helped the church by swallowing the words. Then the devil went after the children and the saints. This is war that we are in. It is not one we can see with our eyes though we can see its results. It is a war of the mind and the spirit. We have been given spiritual weapons of our warfare which are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. We have to take every thought in obedience to the knowledge of Christ. Lord help us to rejoice when we have nothing tangible to be happy about. Help us to praise when we are down and help us to love and give when we feel depleted and lacking. You are our source of strength and might. We trust in You.