Great Day Pt. 2

Great Day Part Two

Series: The Minor Prophets

Text: Zechariah 14:1-11 Introduction: (What?)

In chapter 13 we saw God cleansing His people and preparing them to judge the world. The chapter ended with a mutual commitment. God said, “They are My people.” and the people said, “The Lord is our God.” The stage is set for “The Day of the Lord” which refers to His wrath being poured out on unrepentant mankind (Rev. 15-16) to come. Zechariah explained in chapter 14 the events that would lead up to the wrath of God being poured out, and what would happen to His people at that time. We have Bad News, Good News and Better News.

Examination: (Why?) 1. The Bad News

Zechariah 14:1–2 “Look, a day belonging to the Lord is coming when the plunder taken from you will be divided in your presence. I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle. The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.”

This is one of those prophecies that has both a short-term fulfillment and a long-term fulfillment. The short-term fulfillment came when the Romans conquered Jerusalem. They completely destroyed the buildings and walls. They raped the women they had left alive, and they looted every home with the owners looking on.

However, Zechariah’s prophecy is more likely referring to the long-term fulfillment which we find in Rev. 16 (turn there and read) This is when the wrath of God is poured out on the whole world of sinners. The prophet Joel, in his book, gave most of it to describing the “Day of the LORD”. The Prophet Isaiah spoke of this day in Isaiah 2:12 “For a day belonging to the Lord of Armies is coming against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—it will be humbled—”

This will be a time like in the days of Noah in Genesis 6:3 “And the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain (or strive) with mankind forever, because they are corrupt.”

Notice that God is the instigator of the ravishing of Jerusalem. These events are described in Jeremiah 30:5–7 “This is what the Lord says: We have heard a cry of terror, of dread—there is no peace. Ask and see whether a male can give birth. Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale? How awful that day will be! There will be no other like it! It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.”

This outpouring of the wrath of God upon the enemies of Israel will clear the way for the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom. The way that “Jacob” (Israel) will be saved is through the miraculous intervention of God.

2. The Good News

Zechariah 14:3–5 “Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations as he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. (The Mt. of Olives was the launch pad when Jesus ascended and will be the landing site when He returns.) The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for the valley of the mountains will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. (spoken of in Amos 1:1 “The words of Amos, who was one of the sheep breeders from Tekoa—what he saw regarding Israel in the days of King Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.”)

Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with him.” These “holy ones” are angels of heaven plus the saints of the LORD who will make up the Army of the LORD on that day.

The good news is that God will vindicate His people by fighting for them against those who have plundered and ravaged Jerusalem. Not only that, but He will miraculously provide a way of escape for His people. He does this by planting His feet on the Mount of Olives and splitting it in two, (possibly caused by a great earthquake) forming a valley through which His people can escape the onslaught of their enemies. Interestingly in 1964, a geological fault line was found at the current site of Hotel of The Seven Orchards, which is also the top of the Mount of Olives of in Jerusalem. Another point of interest is that no one has been able to determine where “Azal” is other than to say it had to be near Jerusalem so that the escapees could get there on foot.

3. The Better News

Zechariah 14:6–11 “On that day there will be no light; the sunlight and moonlight will diminish. It will be a unique day known only to the Lord, without day or night, but there will be light at evening. On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea, in summer and winter alike. On that day the Lord will become King over the whole earth—the Lord alone, and his name alone. All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be changed into a plain. But Jerusalem will be raised up and will remain on its site from the Benjamin Gate to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. People will live there, and never again will there be a curse of complete destruction. So Jerusalem will dwell in security.”

This is a very surreal scene. As the Jews are fleeing through the valley that was produced by an earthquake, the lights will go dim. (“there will be no light; the sunlight and moonlight will diminish”) Also there will be no day/night. Consequently there is no way to track time, but there will be light at evening. This “light at evening” will be the glory of Christ. (John McArthur Study Bible) Isaiah 60:19–20 “The sun will no longer be your light by day, and the brightness of the moon will not shine on you. The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your splendor. Your sun will no longer set, and your moon will not fade; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and the days of your sorrow will be over.”

Isaiah 30:26 “The moonlight will be as bright as the sunlight, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter—like the light of seven days—on the day that the Lord bandages his people’s injuries and heals the wounds he inflicted.”

On that day Jesus will become the king of the whole earth. The water that flows out of arid Jerusalem is that described by Jesus in John 7:38 “The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.””

This water, flowing out of Jerusalem which had no river nor water source in it, would go all the way to the Dead Sea and to the Mediterranean Sea. It would not dry up in summer or freeze in winter. This “living water” (Holy Spirit, the Gospel) will cover the whole earth (represented by the Eastern Sea in one direction and the Mediterranean Sea in the other).

Application: (How must I prepare for the “Day of the Lord”?)

In the last message we mentioned the importance of being part of the “first resurrection”. That means that you are destined for eternity with Christ. The only way you get there is by an on-going surrender to Christ.

Feast of Tabernacles (or booths) ended just two days ago on Oct. 6. This 7 day feast is a reminder of God’s provision during the Exodus, and later during the various captivities. Today it is also a precursor of the time when people from all over the world will come to Jerusalem when Jesus reigns over the earth.

Today, if you are not certain of your relationship with God, I urge you to surrender to Jesus.