A common verse, that is used out of context, usually used in conjunction with Gen 12:3, ‘I will bless those who bless you’, to support a land and people after the flesh, is one from Zechariah 2:8, the apple of Yah’s eye.
The true apple of Yah’s eye is not a physical land called ‘Israel’, or people of the flesh called the ‘Jews’, but rather heavenly Zion/New Jerusalem/the Bride/The Body of Messiah…those who obey the commandments of Yah, born from above of the Spiritual Seed, through faith in the Son, Messiah Yeshua/Jesus.
Zechariah chapter 2 is not only in reference to the redemption concerning the New Covenant, but also the final restoration unto Him. So, let us go to Scripture, and break down the entire second chapter:
ZECHARIAH 2: 1-2
1 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and BEHOLD A MAN WITH A MEASURING LINE IN HIS HAND. 2Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, TO MEASURE JERUSALEM, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.(KJV)
What Jerusalem is being measured here? Is this pertaining to a physical Jerusalem that is no longer in covenant, or the spiritual Jerusalem?
♦Hebrews 12:22Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM. You have come to myriads of angels 23in joyful assembly, to the congregation of the firstborn, enrolled in heaven.(BSB)
♦Rev 21:9And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I WILL SHEW THEE THE BRIDE, THE LAMB’S WIFE.
10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me THAT GREAT CITY, THE HOLY JERUSALEM, DESCENDING OUT OF HEAVEN FROM GOD, 11Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15AND HE THAT TALKED WITH ME HAD A GOLDEN REED TO MEASURE THE CITY, AND THE GATES, AND THE WALL THEREOF. 16And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: AND HE MEASURED THE CITY WITH THE REED, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.(KJV)
ZECHARIAH 2:3-5
3And see, the messenger who was speaking to me was going out. And another messenger was coming out to meet him,4and he said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying, ‘YERUSHALAYIM IS TO REMAIN UNWALLED, because of the many men and livestock in it. 5‘For I Myself am to her,’ declares יהוה, ‘A WALL OF FIRE ALL AROUND, and for esteem I am in her midst.’ ”
The Body of Messiah=The land of unwalled villages, both those who dwell safely in the land(finished the race), and those who are still currently sojourning in a foreign land(still running the race):
♦Ezek 38:11“And you shall say, ‘LET ME GO UP AGAINST A LAND OF UNWALLED VILLAGES, LET ME GO AT THOSE AT REST SAFELY, ALL OF THEM DWELLING WITHOUT WALLS, AND HAVING NEITHER BARS NOR GATES,’(ISR98)
•Isa 60:18VIOLENCE SHALL NO MORE BE HEARD IN THY LAND, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; BUT THOU SHALT CALL THY WALLS **SALVATION**, and thy GATES PRAISE. 19The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD(YHWH) SHALL BE UNTO THEE AN **EVERLASTING LIGHT**, and thy God thy glory. (KJV)
A Body/Temple built with Living stones
•1 Peter 2:4Drawing near to Him, a living Stone – rejected indeed by men, but chosen by Elohim and precious –5YOU ALSO, AS LIVING STONES, ARE BEING BUILT UP, A SPIRITUAL HOUSE, a set-apart priesthood, to offer up spiritual slaughter offerings acceptable to Elohim through יהושע Messiah.(ISR 98)
Who is SALVATION and EVERLASTING LIGHT?
•John 8:12Therefore יהושע (Yeshua/Jesus) spoke to them again, saying, “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. He who follows Me shall by no means walk in darkness, but possess THE LIGHT OF LIFE.”(ISR 98)
ZECHARIAH 2:6-7
6“Get up! Get up! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD(YHWH), “for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD(YHWH). 7“GET UP, O ZION! ESCAPE, YOU WHO DWELL WITH THE DAUGHTER OF BABYLON!”
♦2 Cor 6:17Therefore, “COME OUT FROM AMOUNG THEM AND BE SEPERATE, says יהוה, and do not touch what is unclean, and I shall receive you.
♦Rev 18:4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
ZECHARIAH 2:8-9
8For this is what the LORD(YHWH) of Hosts says: “After His Glory has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—FOR WHOEVER TOUCHES YOU TOUCHES THE APPLE OF HIS EYE— 9I will surely wave My hand over them, so that they will become plunder for their own servants. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me.”
Then, he who touches the apple of Yah’s eye, being Zion, touches Him, and why would it touch Him? Well, because the true Zion is part of His Body:
♦Acts 9:4And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus WHOM THOU PERSECUTEST: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.(KJV)
♦Col 1:18And HE IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY, the assembly, who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that He might become the One who is first in all.
19Because in Him all the completeness was well pleased to dwell,
20and through Him to completely restore to favour all unto Himself, whether on earth or in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of His stake.(ISR 98)
ZECHARIAH 2:10
10“Shout for joy and be glad, O Daughter of Zion, FOR I AM COMING TO DWELL AMONG YOU,” declares the LORD(YHWH).
♦2 Cor 6:16And what union has the Dwelling Place of Elohim with idols? For YOU ARE A DWELLING PLACE OF THE LIVING ELOHIM, AS ELOHIM HAS SAID, “I SHALL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM, AND I SHALL BE THEIR ELOHIM, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.“(ISR 98)
♦Hebrews 12:22But you have drawn near to MOUNT TSIYON AND TO THE CITY OF THE LIVING ELOHIM, TO THE HEAVENLY YERUSHALAYIM, to myriads of messengers, 23to the entire gathering and assembly of the first-born having been enrolled in heaven, and to Elohim the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24and to יהושע the Mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling which speaks better than the blood of Heḇel.(ISR 98)
ZECHARIAH 2:11-12
11“ON THAT DAY MANY NATIONS(GENTILES) WILL JOIN THEMSELVES TO THE LORD(YHWH), AND THEY WILL BECOME MY PEOPLE. I WILL DWELL AMONG YOU, AND YOU WILL KNOW THAT THE LORD(YHWH) of Hosts HAS SENT ME TO YOU. 12And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will once again choose Jerusalem.
In that day, many gentiles shall be joined to YHWH, they shall become His people, and again He will dwell in their midst :
♦2 Cor 6:16And what union has the Dwelling Place of Elohim with idols? For YOU ARE A DWELLING PLACE OF THE LIVING ELOHIM, AS ELOHIM HAS SAID, “I SHALL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM, AND I SHALL BE THEIR ELOHIM, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.” 17Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate, says יהוה, and do not touch what is unclean, and I shall receive you. 18“AND I SHALL BE A FATHER TO YOU, AND YOU SHALL BE SONS AND DAUGHTERS TO ME, says יהוה the Almighty.”(ISR 98)
♦Hebrews 8:10“Because this is the covenant that I shall make with the house of Yisra’ĕl after those days, says יהוה, giving My laws in their mind, and I shall write them on their hearts, AND I SHALL BE THEIR ELOHIM, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.(ISR 98)
♦Romans 9:23and that He might make known the riches of His esteem on vessels of compassion, which He had prepared beforehand for esteem, 24even whom He called, not only us of the Yehuḏim, BUT ALSO THE GENTILES(NATIONS)? 25As He says in Hoshĕa too, “I SHALL CALL THEM MY PEOPLE, WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, AND HER BELOVED, WHO WAS NOT BELOVED.” 26“And it shall be in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING ELOHIM.”(ISR 98)
So who are the children, or people of Yah/God:
Romans 9:7neither are they all children because they are the seed of Aḇraham, but, “In Yitsḥaq (ISAAC) your seed shall be called.” 8That is, THOSE WHO ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE FLESH, THESE ARE NOT THE CHILDREN OF ELOHIM, BUT THE CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE ARE RECKONED AS THE SEED.(ISR 98)
ZECHARIAH 2:13
13 Be silent before the LORD(YHWH), all people, for HE HAS ROUSED HIMSELF FROM HIS HOLY DWELLING.”
♦JOHN 1:14AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND PITCHED HIS TENT AMOUNG US, and we saw His esteem, esteem as of an only brought-forth of a father, complete in favour and truth.
♦John 6:51“I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Living Bread, WHO HAVE COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, and if a man will eat of this bread, he will live for eternity, and the bread that I shall give is my body that I give for the sake of the life of the world.”(APE)
♦Phil 2:6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and TOOK UPON THE FORM OF A SERVANT, AND WAS MADE IN THE LIKENESS OF MEN: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (KJV)
If you want to be the apple of Yah’s eye, and be apart of His Body, then you need to believe on the Son, who is YHWH come in the flesh, and abide in Him, producing good fruit:
♦Psalm 17:8Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings
♦Proverbs 7:2Keep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of your eye.
