Zechariah 7:8-8:8

Zechariah 7:8-8:8
[8] And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,
[9] Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
[10] And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
[11] But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
[12] Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
[13] Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:
[14] But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.
[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.

Zechariah 7:8-8:8 is a prophecy of the earthly ministry of Christ, Israel's refusal of the King, Israel's fall, the time of Jacob's trouble, the Second Coming to Israel, the "post tribulation rapture" of believing Jews, and the Millennium. Notice that the ''Dispensation of Grace", "Mystery Age", or "Church Age" is not found in the prophecy. The prophecy goes from Israel's rejection of Christ's Gospel of the Kingdom straight to the "Time of Jacob's Trouble", "last days", Daniel's 70th week, or sometimes incorrectly called "The Tribulation". 

Verses 7:8-10 record Christ's Gospel of the Kingdom
Verses 7:11-12a record Israel's rejection of Christ and their Fall
Verses 7:12b-14 record the Time of Jacob's Trouble
Verses 8:1-3 record the Second Coming of Christ to Israel
Verses 8:4-8 record the "post tribulation rapture" of Jewish saints to Jerusalem for the Kingdom


Zechariah 7:8-8:8
[8] And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,
[9] Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
[10] And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. (This is a prophecy of Christ's message to Israel under the Gospel of the Kingdom. Compare "execute true judgement" with Matt. 7:1-5 and John 7:24. Compare "shew mercy and compassions" with Matthew 5:7. Compare "oppress not the widow" with Matt. 23:14 and Mark 12:40. Compare "oppress not the stranger" with Matt. 23:15. Compare "oppress not the poor" with Matt. 5:3, 11:5, 19:21, etc. Compare "let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart" with Matt. 5:8, 5:28, 15:8, 15:18-19, etc.)
[11] But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
[12] Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts. (Compare "refused to hearken", "stopped their ears", and "lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets" with Acts 7:51-57...Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,)
[13] Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:
[14] But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate. (Compare the "great wrath" of verse 12 with Luke 21:23, Isa. 54:8, 57:17-23, 60:10, Ezek. 7:12, and Jer. 30:1-24, 32:37.)
[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. (The Second Coming of Christ to save Israel from the persecutors in Daniel's 70th Week and establish the Kingdom. Compare "city of truth" with Matt. 5:35 and Acts 1:6.)
[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. (Rapture of believing Jews at the end of Daniel's 70th Week: See Ezekiel 11:16-20, 20:33-38, 28:25-26, 34:1-31, 36:16-38, 37:1-14, 37:21-28,  39:23-29, Jeremiah 23:1-8, 30:1-31:9, 31:31-34, 32:36-42, 33:1-18, 50:18-20, Isaiah 10:20-23, 14:1, 26:19, 27:12-13, 51:11, 54:5-9, Micah 2:12, Hos. 1:11, Zeph. 3:15-20, etc. and Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21.)

Notice how the nearly 2,000 year long "Dispensation of Grace" or "Church Age" was completely left out of the prophecy. The prophecy puts no gap at all between the time in which Israel "stops their ears" and rejects the Kingdom and when God's Great Wrath (Time of Jacob's Trouble) begins. The Kingdom being offered to Israel was rejected in Acts 7:51-57 (see Acts 1:6, 2:14, 2:30, 3:19-26, 7:51-57), but no "Great Wrath" happened. In fact, the exact opposite happened. Instead of pouring out "Great Wrath" on Israel, God revealed the "Dispensation of Grace" to the chief of sinners and shewed him "exceeding abundant grace". When Israel fell in Acts 7, God sent the gospel to the Gentiles and no longer offered the Kingdom to Israel. The mystery age began and now all believers are put into the church which is the Body of Christ. This Dispensation will continue until "the fullness of the Gentiles be come" and then God will resume His dealings with Israel (Rom. 11:25). See the scriptures below

Romans 11:
[11] I say then, Have they [Israel] stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
[12] Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
[13] For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
[14] If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
[15] For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? 

Romans 11:
[25] For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
[26] And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
[27] For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
[28] As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 

Romans 15:
[15] Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God,
[16] That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. 

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Ephesians 3:
[1] For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
[2] If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward:
[3] How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
[4] Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
[5] Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
[6] That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
[7] Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
[8] Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
[9] And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

1 Timothy 1:
[11] According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
[12] And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
[13] Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
[14] And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
[15] This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
[16] Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

For more Scriptures on the "Church Age" being a great mystery not found in prophecy, see:
http://av1611studyblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/pre-tribulation-rapture-vs-wanderings.html

--Eli Caldwell