 Accountable to God's Prophetic Word 14:2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. In these closing chapters, the Prophet Zechariah provides us with a classic example of how prophets in the scriptures foretold future events. Intertwined in these two chapters we read prophetic declarations related to contemporary events in Zechariah's time as well as some related to the first and second coming of Christ (Refer to the study notes for more information about this.). The prophesied results of Christ's first coming are referred to in 13:1. Jesus is referred to as the fountain that has cleansed the hearts, minds, and souls of countless millions from every corner of the globe. Zechariah describes the cost of this forgiveness in the killing of our great Shepherd. It is Christ who has tasted death for every man, woman, and child among humanity. It is this good news, the gospel, that compels us to bring the "fountain" of grace to a world that God still loves as much as the day He died for it (John 3:16). To do less than our best is to deny the very heart of the God we say we believe in. Also foretold by Zechariah is the tragic judgment that will fall upon the Jewish nation because of their rejection of Christ. The Roman armies, within a generation of Christ's death, decimated and scattered the Jews to the ends of the earth (13:8-9). Zechariah's prophecy next jumps into the future as he describes the events that lead up to the end of the seven-year tribulation and second coming of Christ. The battles, the devastation, and 1,000-year reign of Christ over the world all clearly parallel what is described later in Revelation. There has never been in the history of human civilization a book that can rival the prophetic accuracy of the scriptures. To deny this is to deny all reason and logic in the face of the factual fulfillment of biblical prophecy in history. It is equally absurd for us to say we believe the scriptures and its prophetic accuracy yet live as if the scriptures are only suggestions and not commandments from God. Our accountability to God's Word and its foretold warnings will be what we will be accountable for when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ (Rom. 14:10, 1 Cor. 3:10-17). Zechariah 13:1-14:21 Idolatry Cut Off 1 "In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. 2 "It shall be in that day," says the LORD of hosts, "that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. 3 It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, 'You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the LORD.' And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies. 4 "And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive. 5 But he will say, 'I am no prophet, I am a farmer; for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.' 6 And one will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' Then he will answer, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.' The Shepherd Savior 7 "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion," Says the LORD of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. 8 And it shall come to pass in all the land," Says the LORD, "That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: 9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; And each one will say, 'The LORD is my God.'" Zechariah 14 The Day of the LORD 1 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Makinga very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You. 6 It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish. 7 It shall be one day Which is known to the LORD— Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light. 8 And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur. 9 And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— "The LORD is one," And His name one. 10 All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin's Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. 11 The people shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction, But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. 12 And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths. 13 It shall come to pass in that day That a great panic from the LORD will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, And raise his hand against his neighbor's hand; 14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations Shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance. 15 Such also shall be the plague On the horse and the mule, On the camel and the donkey, And on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be. The Nations Worship the King 16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 20 In that day "HOLINESS TO THE LORD" shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the LORD's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 13:1-14:21 v. 1 Fountain – This speaks of water pouring forth from the ground in Jerusalem, but symbolizes the washing away of all the sins of the Jews by the spilled blood of Jesus Christ. He is the fountain spoken of in this verse. v. 2 In that day – This prophecy is distinct from the ones looked at in the previous verses. This one is not regarding the time of the end, but the time of the first coming of Jesus Christ. Idols – It is significant that after the return of the Jews from Babylon, the practice of pagan and idol worship was almost completely eliminated. Prophets – After returning to the land from Babylon, Jews began to believe that all prophecy had been brought to an end. They marked Ezra as the last of the prophets, and anybody claiming to prophesy after he died would have been considered a false prophet by the Jews. The teaching of the word of God replaced prophecy as the task of the spiritual leaders of Israel. The unclean spirit – This refers to the practice of various kinds of divination. After the captivity, the Jews put a halt to all such kinds of sorcery. v. 3 Thrust through – to put somebody to death v. 4 Every prophet – Since the land had been dominated by false prophets that had taught the people to go astray, the office of prophet lost the prestige that it once had. Whereas in the Old Testament, Jews revered their prophets, after Ezra, the office would be looked at as one of shame and contempt. This is the general mindset of most Jews for the last 2,000 years. In their place, rabbis, men who taught the word, came to hold the position and prestige once held by the prophets. v. 5 I am a farmer – These men who had been prophets would begin to lie to people and deny that they ever filled that role, stating that they'd always practiced some other kind of trade. v. 6 Wounds – The people will be so violently opposed to these prophets that they will use both corporal and capital punishment against them. These guys who use to call themselves prophets have been beaten because of their former office, and the marks that remain cause suspicions in the minds of the people they would meet afterwards. v. 7 Sword against my shepherd – It would be these same rabbis and this same culture that would ultimately crucify the Lord. The Man who is my companion – Here, God the Father is speaking of Jesus Christ as the second person of the Trinity. The Trinitarian doctrine teaches that there is only one God, but that He is three persons. This verse speaks of the distinction between the Father and Son. Strike the Shepherd – As with the earlier statement, this is another reference to the crucifixion of the Lord. Sheep will be scattered – This prophecy would be fulfilled immediately after Jesus' arrest, when all of His disciples fled from Him (Matt. 26:31, 56). The Little ones – This is referring to the children of Israel. The Lord is saying that after Jesus is crucified, He will "turn His hand" against them, meaning that He will judge the nation. This judgment would be accomplished at the hands of the Roman armies that would invade 40 years later. v. 8 Two-thirds – The vast majority of the people would either be killed or removed from the land of Israel during the Roman invasion, but there would be a remnant left there. v. 9 One third – This is referring to those that survived the judgments of Rome. Fire – They would go through a period of trial and testing that would last at least 2,000 years. They will call on my name – Ultimately, this remnant of people will turn back to the Lord and serve him again. Zechariah 14 v. 1 Day of the Lord – Although prophets often use this term to speak of any judgment brought by the Lord against a nation or people (Amos 5:18-27), it is used here to speak of the great and final day of judgment that God would inflict upon all nations. v. 2 All nations…against Jerusalem – Here Zechariah resumes his discussion from chapter 12 of the final battle between the Jews and the Gentile nations that would happen at the end of the Tribulation period. City taken – At first, before Christ returns, the Jews will be on the losing side of the battle. The city of Jerusalem will be conquered and taken over by Gentiles. Houses rifled – the belongings of the people will be plundered by the invading armies Ravished – means "raped" Half into captivity – speaks of another captivity of the Jews that will happen for a relatively short period of time under the Antichrist Remnant – Half of the people will remain and fight against the Antichrist and his armies. v. 3 The Lord will go forth – This is speaking of the return of Jesus Christ. He will literally return to the earth and will lead his armies into battle (Rev. 19:11-16). v. 4 His feet will stand – He will literally come to the earth and stand on the Mount of Olives. Mount of Olives – A mountain outside of Jerusalem, where Jesus delivered His famous sermon found in Matthew 24. Split in two – When Christ returns, there will be a great earthquake that will split the mountain in two and form a large valley. v. 5 You shall flee – the armies of the nations that would flee from the presence of Christ Earthquake in the days of Uzziah – This is speaking of a well-known earthquake that struck the land during the reign King Uzziah (Amos 1:1). All the saints with – When Jesus Christ returns He will come with all of those who had placed faith in Christ prior to the Tribulation. This will include those that died beforehand as well as those who were raptured to be with Him. v. 6 No light – It will be a day of darkness for most of the nations of the world, because they will be killed. v. 7 At evening – The light imagery that is used here is speaking of glory and peace. There is no glory and peace in the midst of the fighting, but as it all draws to an end the light will shine, and there will be victory which will usher in the millennial peace. Evening is used here metaphorically to speak of the end of the battle. v. 8 Living waters – This is a term that Jesus Christ used to speak of the gift that He would bring to all people that would believe in His name (John 7:38). It is here used to speak of the presence of Christ and the eternal life He would give to His servants. That they flow to the east and west is symbolic of the fact that Jesus Christ and His gift will be available to everyone. Eastern Sea – the Dead Sea Western Sea – the Mediterranean Sea v. 9 King over all the earth – The Lord Jesus Christ Himself shall rule as king over the earth. v. 10 Geba to Rimmon – This marks hill country to the north of Jerusalem that had been leveled, most likely by the earthquake mentioned in verse 4. Raised up – the rebuilding and refurbishing of the city Benjamin's gate…king's winepresses – Each of the things mentioned is a landmark in Jerusalem, which taken together refer to the entirety of the city. v. 12 Plague – This can refer to any serious malady that affects a large number of people and does not need to be the result of a disease, although it often is. Flesh dissolve…tongues dissolve – Some people theorize that this is the effect of nuclear radiation, which would result from the use of such weapons in the midst of these final battles. It should be pointed out, however, that the Lord inflicted this plague and doesn't need to use such tools to accomplish His purposes. v. 13 Great panic – This panic will spread amongst the people that had opposed the Lord and not those that remained faithful. Seize that hand of neighbor…against his neighbor's hand – Those that had followed the Antichrist and the world system will turn against each other after the great victory of the Lord and will begin destroying their own friends and allies. v. 14 Judah also will fight – Judah and its soldiers will also chase down the retreating hordes and conquer them. v. 15 Plague – The plague from verse 12 will affect livestock and domestic animals. v. 16 Everyone who is left – During the time of the millennial reign of Christ, there will be three groups of people: 1) Those saints that returned with Christ and are ruling alongside Him. These are already in their glorified heavenly bodies and cannot die. 2) Those Jews and faithful that suffered through the tribulation and survived, along with their offspring. These will still be able to die, but their standard of living will vastly differ from what we currently experience. 3) The Gentiles that did not take the mark of the Beast, renounced any connection to Him, and submitted to Christ. Go up from year to year – The peoples of the world will be living across the face of the earth at this time, but will make a yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship Jesus Christ. The LORD of hosts – This uses God's proper name for Jesus Christ, demonstrating that He is indeed God in the flesh. Feast of Tabernacles – This is a seven-day holiday celebrated by the Jews in September/October, commemorating the fact that the Jews spent 40 years wandering in the desert before entering the Promise Land. v. 17 Families – generally of clans and nations v. 18 Egypt – Egypt is given as an example of what will happen to those rebellious to the Lord during this period. For, although those in their resurrected bodies will be free from sin, the rest of the people will still sin from time to time. However, the effects of sin and its pull will be drastically reduced. v. 21 Canaanite – This symbolically means that the effects of the corrupt Canaanite religions that had led Israel astray throughout her history will finally and completely be done away with. "For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city." –Zechariah 14:2 As we read about the prophesied judgment of Jerusalem, God, we see how different the New Covenant is from that of the Old. And we thank You, Lord, that we are no longer bound under the Law of Moses. But we pray that we will not take lightly the price that Christ paid for us on the cross. We are still accountable to You, Lord. Help us to remember that. Junior High Ministry It has been great to get to know these Junior High students. I can't wait to see how God will use them and where He will take them. They have so much potential and it is great to see them seeking after God at such a young age. Prayer Points · that God would continue to work in this youth group · that He would bring up leaders among the students to reach out to friends who don't know God · that the Lord would bring the leaders together closely with like minds and purpose | |
We will be accountable ~ Bob Caldwell
