Today is the 23rd day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is great to be here with you today around the global campfire as we gather and keep warm together.

I imagine that it is all decorated in here. It is beautiful. It is a beautiful oasis that we have here to take the next step forward together.

On this Christmas Eve Eve. I literally can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve. It is like here we are. But this is where we are.

And we are here around the global campfire to take the next step forward. And so that is what we will do.

We are working our way through the book of Zechariah. Today we will read Zechariah chapters 4 and 5.

The messenger speaking with me returned and woke me like one who awakened someone who is asleep. Then he said to me,

What do you see? I said, I see a lampstand made entirely of gold. It has a bowl on top. The bowl has seven lamps on top and seven metal pipes for those lamps.

It has two olive trees beside the lampstand, one to the right of its bowl and one to the left.

I responded to the messenger speaking with me, What are these, Sir? The messenger responded to me,

Don't you know what these are? I said, No, Sir, I don't. He answered me, This is the Lord's word as a rubibel.

Neither by power nor by strength, but by my spirit says the Lord of heavenly forces.

Who are you? Great mountain. Before the rubibel you will become a plain. He will present the capstone to shouts of great gratitude.

The Lord's word came to me. The hands of the rubibel laid the foundation of this house and his hands will finish it so that you will know that the Lord of heavenly forces has sent me to you.

Those who despise a time of little things will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the rubibel's hand.

These are the seven eyes of the Lord, surveying the entire earth.

I responded to him, What are these two olive trees in the right and left sides of the lampstand?

Then I responded a second time, What are these two olive branches that empty out gold and oil through the two gold pipes?

He said to me, Don't you know what these are? I said, No, Sir, He said, These are the two anointed ones standing beside the Lord of all the earth.

I looked up again and saw a flying scroll. He said to me, What do you see? I said, I see a flying scroll, 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.

He said to me, This is the curse going out across all the land.

Anyone stealing will be purged according to what's on one side of the scroll and anyone swearing lies will be purged according to what's on the other side.

I sent it out, says the Lord of heavenly forces. It will come to the house of the thief and the one swearing lies in my name.

...