Building God's House # 18: The Day is Coming, Zechariah 14

INTRO: There have been several days in my life that I couldn’t wait for. When I was a pre-teen, I couldn’t wait to get my driver’s license. When I was in high school, I couldn’t wait until graduation. When I was engaged, I couldn’t wait to get married. When we were pregnant, I couldn’t wait for our kids to be born. Now that we’re older, (I’ll probably regret saying this one day) I can hardly wait for the empty nest. We all have days that we’re waiting for. What day are you waiting for?

Christians are waiting for the Day of the Lord. James 5:7, be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. The Day of the Lord will be a great day! It is the day when the LORD returns, removes all the wickedness in the world, & sets everything right again. Won’t that be a great day?! That Day is Coming!

Zechariah 14 is all about that day. There is a whole lot in this chapter, and we can’t talk about it all in detail. So, we’ll divide the chapter into 3 headings- 3 things about the Day of the Lord.

1. It is a Day of REVELATION: Christ is COMING, Vss. 1-5

Zechariah 14:1-5, 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, Making a 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.

This whole passage is eschatological. Eschatology = study of last things

When people think about end times, their minds usually go to the book of Revelation (apokalupsis= unveiling). In this chapter we get a preview of the unveiling that will happen later. ILL: like a pre-show at an art exhibit, vernissage (French); soft opening before the Grand opening

In Zechariah, we have encountered some prophecies that were future to him but past to us, e.g., the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This prophecy was future to Zechariah & it is future to us too. It predicts a future day when God will gather the nations against Israel & Jerusalem to judge His people (not the 1st time either)- terrible things will occur. The Lord’s intention is not to annihilate Jerusalem but to refine it (Zech 13:7-9).

In the midst of this siege, the LORD will appear. He will return, & His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives (east of Jerusalem). When Ezekiel saw God’s glory leaving the temple in Jerusalem (prior to the exile to Babylon), the glory stood on the mountain east of Jerusalem. Ezekiel 11:23, And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.

When the Lord Jesus ascended, He did so on the mountains east of Jerusalem. Luke 24:50-51, And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. Bethany is a small village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. When Ezekiel saw God’s glory returning to the Temple (Ezekiel 43:1-3), it was coming from the east. When the Lord returns, His feet will touch down on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem (vs. 4).

When He lands, the mountain will split in two, doing 2 things: (1) giving the remnant of Israel an escape route, and (2) giving the LORD an entrance into the city. The LORD will come and all His saints with Him (saints= qadosh,holy ones).

Jesus’ 2nd Coming is the Christians hope and comfort! 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. In vs. 18 he says to “comfort one another with these words.” The return of Jesus Christ & the reunion of the saints is the hope & comfort of all those who believe in Jesus.

2. It is a Day of RECOGNITION: Christ is KING, Vss. 6-11

6It 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 Lordshall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be “The Lord is one,” And His name one. 10All 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.

These verses are at the center of this chapter. It is a description of the ideal conditions that will follow Christ’s return. Darkness is banished and there is only light. Living water will flow from Jerusalem, both east & west, bringing life to the whole earth. The LORD will be King overall.

Let’s get something straight now. We’re not waiting for Christ to return to be King, He is the King already but not everyone recognizes Him as King. But when He returns, everyone will know that Christ is the King of all kings. Revelation 19:11-16, Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

When Christ returns as King, He will strike down every enemy (Zech 14:12-15; Rev 19:11-21; Rev 20:7-10) & Jerusalem will dwell in safety.

The whole land will be lowered (become a plain) & Jerusalem will be elevated.Jerusalem will be the central focus of everything God is doing to renew the earth, e.g., water flows east & west; the boundaries are pushed north (Geba) and south (Rimmon); Jerusalem is at the center.

This is what is being described in Revelation 21:2, Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:23, The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. Revelation 22:1, And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

This Day is coming- a day of revelation when Christ returns, & you don’t want to miss it. It is a day of recognition when Christ is King, but don’t wait until then to recognize Him as your King.

3. It is a Day of RESTORATION: Christ is the CAUSE, 16-21

16And 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. 21Yes, 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 Lordof hosts.

These verses describe the end, or rather, the new beginning, of all things. When Christ returns, He will rule the nations with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15). His subjects will keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Feast of Tabernacles commemorated the Israelites dwelling in tents during the Exodus. It has a new significance in the age of Christ. Revelation 21:3, And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

At that time, everything will be “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” (20). We’ve seen this phrase in previous chapters. It is a callback to the gold medallion that was worn on the high priest’s turban inscribed with the words “holiness to the Lord.” When Christ reigns, everything is holy to the Lord- public life (horses bells), religious life (cooking pots), & private life (every pot)(BKC). All that is dishonest or unclean (e.g., Canaanite/merchant) will be gone.

God is restoring all things in Christ. Ephesians 1:10, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.

Adoniram Judson- The future is as bright as the promises of God. There is coming a day when all things will be made right in Jesus Christ. That Day is the Day of the Lord. It is a day of revelation, when Christ will come. It is a day of recognition, when Christ is King. It is a day of restoration, and Christ is the cause.

What day are you waiting for? Christ can come into your life right now. Christ can reign as king in your life right now. Christ can begin restoring your life right now.