Zechariah 8 - 14

God tells Zechariah about His plans for the future city of Jerusalem, the gathering point for the nations.  The city would be one of refuge for God's people, and one of attraction for the rest of the global community.  God's people would prosper once again and the reputation of His majesty and blessing would draw many to praise Him.  The nations that would raise themselves up against Israel would be soundly defeated.  The Promised Messiah King would arrive and bring salvation to His people, restoring Israel and Judah to their rightful places.  Zechariah assumes the role of a shepherd to illustrate how God's people had rejected His plan and His true Shepherd.  Because of this rejection, God's people would not deliver His people immediately, but would delay until a future point in time.  But He would deliver when the people realized their error and repented for piercing the One Who could deliver them.  At that point, God would restore the blessing to the land and avenge His enemies, providing a place of safety and security for His people.