Zechariah 14
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Intro
Intro
Well here we are, we are in the last chapter of the book and in the midst of this, we are looking at the second coming of Jesus into the world and the prophecy that is tied to it.
So lets come back and look at chapter 14, here in ....
Verse 1
1 Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst.
The day of the Lord is a day when His justice shall prevail. He will punish the wicked and will save his elect, the people He loves…
The word Behold implies a lot of emphasis… Now, a time of great importance.
Spoil taken from you indict judgement coming to Jerusalem, ie…Israel. Now this is a departure from previous chapters where they were promised they would be strong and no one would overturn it.
The destruction of Jerusalem, the continual wars until the end of the age, and the desecration of true worship of the Lord all echo chap. 14. God;s people tend to think they are undeserving of judgement but we know the Lord is a righteous judge. Judgement from the Lord begins with the people of God.
The New American Commentary: Zechariah 11. Israel’s Battle and Victory (14:1–15)
The destruction of Jerusalem, the continual wars until the end of the age, and the desecration of true worship of the Lord all echo chap. 14.
Two verses of Scripture
6 Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house.
Ezek 9:6
and.....
17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Dividing the spoils of war refers to the idea of an invading force dividing their spoils of Israel’s own people.
Now verse 2
2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
The gathering of the nations, the battle there in the city and the struggle that will ensue will be to help purify His people. To drive them away from their sins of idolatry and worldliness...
Let me jump you over to
16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.
Zechariah prophesied that half the city would go into exile. That would be a painful reminder to them of what they have already seen happen in the midst of their people.
But their is hope, a remnant of people would miraculously remain in the city, the biblical concept of a remnant is a solidly covenant idea with the Lord and his love for his people. His people would never be fully cut off.
Verse 3
3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle.
The Lord pictured as a warrior is a common motiff in the OT. On the day of the battle points to to that specific time in history that this has already been appointed.
Verse 4
4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.
Here is a particularly wonderful verse, for it speaks of the second part of his return to the earth His advent.
He will return once in the air to gather His church and then later, he will return to establish his rule and reign.
The mount of Olives refers to the place he departed, remember
11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
A very wide valley refers to the Valley of Jehoshaphat—the valley of Yahweh’s judgment This great valley will allow the faithful remnant to escape the armies that have captured Jerusalem
Listen to ;
2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land,
Now verse 5
5 And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
The splitting of the mount of olives is to help provide an escape for them on that day. It is not meant to be a place of refuge.
Then he will come and the saints with him...
9 It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Verse 6-7
6 On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost.
1 Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, 3 the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong. 4 Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 And the angel answered and said to me, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward the south country.” 7 When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. 8 Then he cried to me, “Behold, those who go toward the north country have set my Spirit at rest in the north country.”
9 And the word of the Lord came to me: 10 “Take from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah. 11 Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. 13 It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’ 14 And the crown shall be in the temple of the Lord as a reminder to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.
15 “And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”
1 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. 2 Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord, 3 saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: 5 “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? 6 And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? 7 Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’ ”
8 And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10 do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” 11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13 “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, 14 “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.”
6 On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. 7 And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light.
The conditions of the day, unique to say the least my friends. “There shall not be altogether light nor altogether darkness,” but an intermediate condition in which sorrows shall be mingled with joys.
Verse 8
8 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter.
Zech q4:8
Living waters is seen there…
1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.
18 “And in that day
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and the hills shall flow with milk,
and all the streambeds of Judah
shall flow with water;
and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord
and water the Valley of Shittim.
Ez 47:1
Now on to verse 9
9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.
His reign established, and it brings forth the idea of the Shema, there is only one God this day.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
One religion over the entire world. This my friends is the picture that points us to the millennium reign of Christ.
and then verse 10
10 The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.
The term plain pictures the Jordan valley, extending from Mount Herman to the Gulf of Aqabah. Here is an entire pllain but Jerusalem will remain above, lifted up as it His city.
Jerusalem is elevated above all North, South East and west.
Verse 11
11 And it shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction. Jerusalem shall dwell in security.
In security , Jerusalem will never suffer or fall again. It is His city, and his people.
Verses 12-15
12 And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
13 And on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. 14 Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. 15 And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps.
Wow, what a commentary.
One final time the prophet speaks of the judgment that precedes the kingdom. God will strike the heathen forces who have gathered against Jerusalem.
This is a plague similar to that which struck the Assyrain army in
36 And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.
This plague caused panic so that they all began to attack one another. causing panic so great they will begin to attack one another.
God will enable His people to fight, and God will send a plague that will extend even to al the animals.
God willl destroy them all by the Mesisah
verses 16-19
16 Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. 17 And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. 18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. 19 This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.
This is a very important passage. It speaks that some gentiles will go into the Millennium kingdom alive, along with the redeemed.
it appears that a converted remnant form the heathen nations will make a annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, and to celebrate some of the Jewish celebrations of the feat of the booths or tabernacles as it is also known as. John MacArthur.
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 14
All the nations of the world, including Egypt, will worship Yahweh (see Isa 19:21 and note). They will be subject to judgment for failing to observe Yahweh’s laws, just as Israel is.
The celebrations of the booths, tabernacles and some say two other things will be celebrated, The feast of the New year and the passover as well will be celebrated and used as worship as well.
All of these are to remember and celebrate the one time sacrificeal death burial and resurrection of Christ to redeem the world from their sin.
Now the last two verses 20-21
20 And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the Lord.” And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar. 21 And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.
Horses that were once viewed as a unclean animal are now viewed as clean, and are holy to the Lord with bells on them. Just as the high priest has a turban on his head to signify that he was set apart and for the Lord only.
Even the pots, the lowest vessel in the temple will enjoy a elevated status, just like the bowls used at the altar.
The trader refers to an expression used of the people of Canaan, it represents all the unbelievers and foreigners. But there is no longer any foreigners because everyone now comes to the worship of YHWH.
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 14
Refers to the Valley of Jehoshaphat—the valley of Yahweh’s judgment (compare Joel 3:2). This great valley will allow the faithful remnant to escape the armies that have captured Jerusalem (Zech 14:5).
1 Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. 5 And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
6 On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. 7 And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light.
8 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter.
9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.
10 The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. 11 And it shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction. Jerusalem shall dwell in security.
12 And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
13 And on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. 14 Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. 15 And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps.
16 Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. 17 And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. 18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. 19 This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.
20 And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the Lord.” And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar. 21 And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.