Zechariah 5:5-11

– Zechariah receives 8 visions from the lord.  This is the 7th one…

v5 – angel – means messenger

a. they can talk/are male in gender/created by God all at once – Rev 5:11

b. created with a free will

one third fell with Satan – Rev 12

c. They are never to be worshipped – Rev 19:9-10

v6 – Ephah – this is a basket – a measuring device

a. The largest measuring device of the day

b. The basket is spreading things to the entire earth

c. Sin is spreading – the power of the world system

d. Appearance or resemblance – means their eye

What are your eyes on?  1 John 2:15-17

Matthew 6:22-23

v22 – The lamp of the body is the eye

– Be single focused

v23 – A bad or evil eye – wanders and looks around at everything but Jesus.  This brings corruption to one’s life

vs7-8 – This basket had a lead cover on it

a. This lead cover is heavy and presses sin and worldliness down

b. One woman – one sin – worldliness

c. The woman is sitting in the basket – do not get comfortable with your sin

The lid represents the church being the restraining force in the last days

***2 Thess 2:1-12 – The Restraining Force

v6 – Restraining – speaks of holding something back

a. The restraining force is actively @ work

b. The church is holding back sin

Time – v6 – this is a definite specific  fixed time that the Lord has determined

v7 – A spirit of lawlessness is already at work

Taken out of the way – means out of our midst/to move something out

– This is the church and not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit remains on earth. He is everywhere at once because He is God

v8 – AND THEN – when the influence of the church is gone, all hell is unleashed on earth

v9 – Zechariah lifts up his eyes and sees something.  Wind is strong and things are happening at a quick pace

2 women come in the wind and had wings like a stork – represents a new wave of sin coming to earth since the church is gone…

People are still being saved because of the presence of the Holy Spirit…

The basket of sin is being separated from Israel and then 2 things happen:

All Israel gets saved

Jesus returns