Gentiles in the Kingdom of God? Oh, my! Paul should have given a "trigger warning" when he told first-century Jews that God was offering reconciliation even to the Gentiles. As soon as he said that, he needed a "safe space." But Zechariah had promised this, 500 years earlier. In fact, several Hebrew prophets had made it clear that God's plan would bring salvation to all nations and races. Today we open Zechariah, chapter 9, and find some prophecies that have already been fulfilled in astounding detail. Here's Pastor Jim.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

If God is always the same, why does He change the way He deals with people? The Almighty is "working His plan," as we might say - working out His agenda on the earth. So from time to time we can expect a dramatic shift in His interactions with a group of people. We'll see a stellar example of that today in Zechariah, chapter 8. And we'll look toward the final goal of all God's activity with the nation of Israel.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

God's patience is enormous...but not infinite. If we sinful human beings can get mad at injustice, imagine how God feels about ongoing rebellion against what's right. In the first chapter of Zechariah we saw the Lord "very angry," and now in chapter 7, He describes feeling "great wrath." This is not the God of popular myth, but the real one, compared in the New Testament to "a burning fire."

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

It's much easier to give God some repetitious religious ritual, than to give Him our will! You'll remember that a prophet had told the first king of Israel, "to obey is better than sacrifice," but many kings and many catastrophes had passed into history when Zechariah had to relay the same message - again. Some pious folk had brought a question to the religious elite, and God answered it.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Can a person fast irreverently? Of course the answer to my question is "Yes." The Pharisees abstaining from this or that brought them no closer to God. And 500 years earlier some Jews were already on the wrong track with this. They had a question about fasting, and they were apparently sincere. The Lord's response through Zechariah must have shocked them: God wasn't impressed. At all. Our religious rituals aren't what He's after.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

All we need to make theocracy work...is a perfect man! When religious authority and political authority are combined, bad things usually happen, but there will be One who'll make it work. He is the incorruptible man, or as Zechariah called Him, "The Branch." With this prophecy, as with many others in the Bible, we see a near-term, partial fulfillment, pointing toward a final, big-picture fulfillment.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Let's shed some more light...on lampstands.Our new message taken from the book of Zechariah will revisit chapter 4 - just briefly - to talk about the imagery of lampstands. If you remember John's vision of Jesus walking among the 7 golden lampstands in Revelation, you know they're important prophetic symbols. Then we'll move on to the middle of chapter 6, to talk about what Zechariah heard, after he stopped seeing visions.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Sin is the most serious disease of all. The only known cure for it is death! In our study of the prophet Zechariah we've come to the last of his 8 visions. And what he sees - horses, angels and judgment - reminds us of what John prophesied concerning the valley of Armageddon. There will come a time when God gathers all wickedness, and destroys it. In today's Right Start we'll also get some tips on how to apply what we've been seeing in the visions of Zechariah. Here's Pastor Jim

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

A mysterious scroll, two anointed ones, and a woman named "Wickedness." Are we in Zechariah, or Revelation? The connection between the Apocalypse and Zechariah's prophecy are as strong as they could be, here in the early chapters of Zechariah. If we allow scripture to interpret scripture, this almost-last book of the Old Testament will be a great help in understanding the final book of the New Testament. We'll get another glimpse of angelic intervention, of sin exalted and at ease, and of sin judged and purged.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Zechariah may have asked a dumb question, but I'm glad he did! We all know what a menorah looks like: it's that 7-branched oil lamp used in the temple. So Zechariah, the priest, might have known one when he saw one. But in his fourth vision he saw a very weird lampstand connected to a bowl connected to olive trees, and he had to ask the angel, "What are these, my lord?" Yes, I'd like to know that, too. What do these represent? Here's Pastor Jim to show us the answer, from Zechariah, chapter 4.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.