While Revelation 6 contained the judgment of non-believers, Revelation 7 contains the protection for the sealed. This devotional reading sets the scene with a look at an Old Testament passage.
Nuggets
- Salvation comes to Israel first.
- Salvation comes through the Savior and the Holy Spirit.
In the last devotion, we started talking about sealing believers to keep them safe from the destruction of the sixth seal.
To me, this portion of the verse throws a wrench into our thinking the Church has already been raptured.
Let’s set it up by looking at Zechariah 12: 7-9.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in the Opening the Seals series
Salvation to Israel
“And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them. And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn” (Zech. 12: 7-10 ESV).
Salvation comes to Israel first.
Salvation to the Tents of Judah First
Israel is God’s chosen people. “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deut. 14: 2 ESV).
They were chosen long before Jesus came to be their Savior. But this doesn’t imply that the salvation is automatic.
Salvation only comes through belief in Jesus.
McCaul explained it this way. He wrote, “The text informs us that Jesus of Nazareth, whom the Jews crucified, and whom for hundreds of years they have blasphemed, will yet upon these Jews pour His Holy Spirit, lead them to repentance, forgive their sin, and restore them to His [favor].”
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Let’s unpack this.
The Jews crucified Jesus. True, they had to get the Romans to do their dirty work, but they were the instigators.
Zechariah prophesied this would happen. In the end, though, they would look upon the One they pierced and mourn their actions. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.
I know. We trip over McCaul’s order of pouring, leading, forgiving, and restoring.
While I don’t think God pours out His Spirit on someone who has not yet accepted Jesus as Savior, He does send His Holy Spirit to convict us. That is an outpouring of His love.
But that is what God is all about. “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ezek. 36: 27 ESV).
God is about the leading, forgiving, and restoring by pouring out His Spirit.
This outpouring is possible because of God’s grace and mercy. It leads to true repentance.
That makes the Holy Spirit the Spirit of grace. We would not have grace in our hearts if the Spirit did not come and show us our need for God’s forgiveness.
What is true repentance? We are not just sorry for our sin. We turn from our sin and toward God.
True repentance leads to inward transformation of our hearts. This changes our minds and nature.
If we have a complete transformation that stems from our understanding of the sins we have committed and we turn from these sins, that can only come through the work of the Holy Spirit. We can’t do that on our own either. It must come from God’s grace.
House of David and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem
But what is it talking about “… that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah” (Zech. 12: 7 ESV)?
That is a fancy way of saying God’s salvation was available to all. The house of David is the royal elite. Everyone else was identified as the inhabitants of Jerusalem. We know Jerusalem was representative of the entire Jewish nation.
But don’t miss the response required of the Jews. “… they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn” (Zech. 12: 10 ESV).
The Jews — as do everyone — must acknowledge the condition of their hearts. They are without a Savior. They need to repent.
Looking and Mourning
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn” (Zech. 12: 10 ESV).
Salvation comes through the Savior and the Holy Spirit.
Let’s go back to the look and mourn part of verse 10. This reads that one of the sins Jews must repent of is the crucifixion of Christ.
Pour Out a Spirit of Grace
God’s Word tells us that He will pour out His Spirit on His people.
- “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2: 28 ESV).
- “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants” (Isa. 44: 3 ESV).
- “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn” (Zech. 12: 10 ESV).
- “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you” (Prov. 1: 23 ESV).
- “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Ac. 2: 17 ESV).
This outpouring of the Holy Spirit, promised at the ascension, was fulfilled at Pentecost.
- “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Ac. 1: 8 ESV).
- “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Ac. 2: 1-4 ESV).
McCaul disagrees with me here. He contended this is a future event.
I agree it will also be a future event. I believe that Pentecost was just one instance of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Rees listed what some of the instances — when all is said and done — will be.
- Pentecost
- Conversion of the Jewish nation
- Conversion of Gentiles
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That I can see. We aren’t limiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Look on Whom They Have Pierced and Mourn
We might want to justify the Jew’s actions because Jesus had to shed His blood to redeem us. Salvation would not be available without His death.
However, the Jews must acknowledge the previous disobedience and repent of it. Where their ancestors refused to acknowledge Jesus as God’s Son, they must. This is similar to our choosing obedience where Adam and Eve chose disobedience.
That is what looking at Christ means. It isn’t a physical observation. It is a spiritual reflection.
We all must look to a crucified Jesus through faith to guide us toward God and repentance. This is to break us so that we mourn our disobedience. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps. 51: 17 ESV).
This is the beginning of humility and faith.
Jesus wanted this. “And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ …” (Lk. 23: 34 ESV).
What all were the Jews mourning? Surely, their nation’s part in the death of Christ. They would be sorrowing over their treatment of the King of kings — an innocent Man.
I doubt that was all. They would be mourning that mankind disobeyed God, forcing Jesus to go through this horrible death to redeem us.
They would also have to be acknowledging and mourning their own sins. God doesn’t accept a general repentance for all the sins committed by others. He is going for the personal.
Making the Connections #1
Both the Savior and the Spirit are needed. Salvation can only be gained through the Savior. Salvation can only be applied through the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit only points us toward Jesus. He convicts us of our need for the Savior. That is His only message — our restoration to a relationship with God through the forgiveness gained by belief in the Savior.
When we accept God’s gift of salvation, the Holy Spirit is the one who regenerates us.
Making the Connections #2
M’Cosh had a good explanation of a goat misidentifying as a sheep. He wrote,
“As long as the heart is untouched by the Spirit of grace, it either remains in a state of utter insensibility in reference to God and sin on the one hand, or, on the other [hand], it is troubled with feelings of reproach and fear, but without being persuaded or changed. Mere natural reproaches of conscience and alarms of coming judgments may stun the heart for a time, but they cannot break or melt it. The very people of God have reason at times to mourn over a narrowness of heart, over unfitness for the service of God, and an aversion to spiritual things. But while they are straitened the Spirit of the Lord is not straitened.”
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Salvation is more than just saying the words. Our hearts must break at the thought of our disobedience to God. That must be shown by a changed heart and lifestyle.
In other words, our desire for salvation must be shown by genuine obedience to God.
Making the Connections #3
Let me say it again. We cannot gain salvation without the work of the Holy Spirit.
We can’t read God’s Word and figure it out for ourselves. That is because we can do the actions without looking to the Savior.
Rees gave a beautiful explanation of this. He wrote,
“The Holy Spirit is here promised as a ‘Spirit of grace.’ He is the author and giver of all grace, of all goodness. The Holy Spirit is the author of all preventing grace. We never really forsake sin, we never truly turn to God by any strength or goodness of our own. It is God who begins, as well as perfects, the good work in our hearts. The Holy Spirit is the author of all renewing and sanctifying grace. Every attempt to renew and sanctify our heart and conduct must, if we depend solely upon ourselves, be altogether in vain. The Spirit can renew us in righteousness and true holiness after the image of Him that created us, and make us new creatures in Christ Jesus unto good works. The Holy Spirit is the author of all quickening and reviving grace. Our souls too often cleave unto the dust; our hearts become cold and dead.”
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Hawes reminded us that this begins with the prayers of the disciples. We mourn for our past unfaithfulness in witnessing and look to our need to tell others of God’s love before the Day of the Lord occurs.
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How Do We Apply This?
- Seek the Savior and the Spirit.
- Prove ourselves God’s children by having the presence of the Savior and the Spirit in our lives.
- Experience revival through prayer and penitence.
- Ensure we have a personal relationship with God, including wrestling with God and being humbled by Him.
- See Jesus through the eyes of our hearts to cultivate and grow our faith.
- See Christ as crucified by following the ordinances of the Gospel.
- Put the proper emphasis on repentance.
- Understand that the hopes and privileges of the Gospel are the product of repentance.
- Follow up repentance with sanctification and joy.
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Father God. The sealed are Your children. We want to be counted among Your children. Help us to seek You while you humble and prove us. Amen.
What do you think?
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