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ZECHARIAH 14
This continues from the DELIVERANCE mentioned at verse 13:9.
“They will call on My name and I will answer them.”
The deliverance will come through Messiah’s
victory on all fronts during the Armageddon campaign. This subject was
introduced at Zechariah 12.
The last three chapters of the book form a
separate unit that deal ONLY with the second coming of the Messiah at the Day
of the Lord, with only a small section that looks to the first advent of the
Messiah.
The book of Zechariah has THREE points of
focus.
1. The period the restoration of Judah from the Babylonian captivity during
the 2nd to 4th year of the reign of Darius (520-518 BCE/3605-3607 AH).
Zechariah 1:1; 7:1.
A. Encouragement to the Jews concerning the building of the
temple in Jerusalem, which will be accomplished in just a few
years (516 BCE).Verse 1:16-17, “I will return to Jerusalem with
compassion;
My house will be build in it, declares Yahweh of Hosts.”
“My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and Yahweh
will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”
B. Promise of judgment on the nations that oppressed
Israel
during their time of discipline.
Zechariah 2:6-7
“Ho there! Flee from the north, for I have dispersed you as
the four winds of heaven. Ho Zion! Escape you who are living
with the daughter of Babylon. For
thus says Yahweh of Hosts,
After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder
you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.
For behold, I will wave My hand over them, so that they will be
plunder for their slaves. Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts
has sent me.”
This will occur in just two years (in
518 BCE) when Babylon is devastated
after revolting against Darius.
2. The first advent of the Messiah.
Before there can be a SECOND coming, there must be the FIRST coming.
Zechariah 9:9, the first advent
Zechariah 9:10, the second advent and kingdom.
Zechariah 11:1-14, Messiah’s arrival, betrayal and the judgment on the
temple
(Verses 15-17, the false prophet during the tribulation)
3. The second advent of the Messiah and the
Armageddon campaign
Zechariah 2:10-13, Arrival and kingdom
Zechariah 3:9-10, Restoration and kingdom
Zechariah 8:3-8, Restoration and kingdom
Zechariah 10:8-12, Re-gathering and kingdom
Zechariah 12-14, Second advent, Armageddon and Kingdom.
As with all the prophets, the FOCUS shifts from contemporary issues to the
second
advent, with quite often, only a subtle indication that the shift has been
made.
The arrangement of information in Zechariah chapter 14 is as
follows.
1. Verses 1: The summary of the benefits of victory.
2. Verses 2-3: The gathering of the nations and the descent of the Messiah.
3. Verses 4-5a: The descent to
Jerusalem and the great earthquake
that begins the battle of
Jerusalem.
4. Verses 5b-7: After the battle of
Jerusalem is begun, Jesus will
move on to Armageddon.
5. Verses 8-11: After Armageddon, Jesus will set up His kingdom. These verses
summarize the establishment of the kingdom and life within the kingdom.
6. Verses 12-15: These verses back-track and summarize the battle of
Jerusalem.
7. Verses 16-21: These verses then jump forward again to describe life during
the Messiah’s kingdom on the earth.
Zechariah 14:1: This states the final result of the defeat of Israel’s armies at the
battle of Jerusalem and the battle of Armageddon.
Verse 1
“Behold, a day is coming for Yahweh when the spoil taken from you will be
divided among you.”
This starts with stating the FACT of victory in the Battle of
Jerusalem. From there it will “back-track” to the details.
The result of defeating
Israel’s enemies will be the
acquisition of an abundance of material resources. This will be described in
more detail at verse 14.
When the nations, specifically the King of the North (Northern
alliance, Ezekiel 38:4-6), invade
Jerusalem, they will PLUNDER the
city, confiscating the wealth of the people. But when the victory is won, and
the invading armies are defeated, the people of Israel will not only RE-gain
their own wealth, but acquire much wealth from the invaders.
Zechariah 14:14
“And Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding
nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great abundance.”
Ezekiel 39:10
“And they will take the spoil of those who despoiled them, and seize the
plunder of those who plundered them.”
Isaiah 33:23,
“Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided;
the lame will take the plunder.”
Zechariah 14:2-5a: This summarizes the gathering of the nations
into Palestine, and the
physical descent of the Messiah to confront them.
"For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and
the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half
of the city will go into the exile, but the rest of the people will not be cut
off from the city.”
The phrase, “all the nations” is
hyperbole, but indeed, it will be the large majority of nations that gather at
that time in order to gain for themselves economic security in view of the
devastating effects the day-of-the-LORD judgments will cause.
Specifically, there will be,
FIRST: The king of the North and
the nations aligned with it.
SECOND: The kings of the East will gather. Revelation 16:12-16
THIRD: The king of the West, which will already have a presence there, will
move to protect itself.
FOURTH: The king of the South
“will collide with” the king of the West in the Palestinian area. Daniel
11:40.
This is not the battle of Armageddon which is seen at Revelation
19:17-21 and Joel 3:9-16. That will occur in the massive valley much further
North and West of Jerusalem in the plains of
Megiddo.
This is a specific attack on the city by a large military body that
plunders, rapes and takes captive.
Toward the end of the 70th
week of Daniel and during the DAY OF THE LORD judgments, there will be an
advance of the king of the North throughout the world and into Palestine. This
is portrayed at the 6th trumpet judgment of Revelation 9:13-21.
The Northern alliance will be
comprised of many nations as listed at Ezekiel 38:2-6.
This invasion of Palestine and
specifically the city of Jerusalem by the king of the North, will trigger the
gathering of the other nations into Palestine. This will then lead up to the
final confrontation in the valley of The Verdict, when Jesus will destroy all
the invading armies.
The advance of the King of the
North is described at Jeremiah
25:15-38; Joel 2:1-11 and
Ezekiel 38-39.
The gathering of the other
nations into Palestine is described at Joel 3:2, 9-14; Revelation 16:12-16 and
Revelation 19:17-19.
So, many nations are gathered into
Palestine in an attempt to
“de-throne” the beast; the king of the west, and to gain material resources
for themselves. But it is only the king of the north, and the nations in the
Northern alliance that invade Jerusalem.
1. The city will be taken by the invaders.
2. The wealth of the city will be confiscated.
3. Women will be raped.
4. A huge number of people will either be chased out of the city (into exile)
or be assigned to go into exile, which would be slavery in a foreign country.
5. However, before complete control of the city can be accomplished two things
will happen.
A. The king of the West will split the Northern army into two halves.
B. Jesus will arrive from Edom and split the Mount of Olives into two
halves.
At some time during
this invasion by the Northern army, the king of the West will set up his camp
between the Mediterranean Sea (the seas) and the city of Jerusalem (the
beautiful holy mountain). Daniel 11:45a
"And he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the
beautiful Holy Mountain."
This effectively splits the
Northern army into 2 sections according to Joel 2:20. And in this condition
the invading troops in will perish as Israel fights against them in the
battle of Jerusalem.
"But I will remove the
northern {army} far from you,
And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land,
And its vanguard into the eastern sea,
And its rear guard into the western sea.
And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up,
For it has done great things."
The half that is driven west
will likely be among those who gather in the Valley of the Verdict (Joel
3:9-14). There they will be destroyed by the power of Jesus as He pours down
upon them “a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire, and brimstone.” (Ezek.
38:22). Ezekiel 39:4, 17-20; Revelation 19:21.
The half that is driven east
will be in Jerusalem at the north end of the dead sea. These will be defeated
by the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the clans of Judah.
Shortly after the king of the
west divides the northern army, Jesus will descend to the Mount of Olives,
causing it to split down the middle and form an East/West valley extending for
6 miles West of Jerusalem to Azel (Zech. 14:4). As a result the Northern army
will be greatly restricted and be unable to escape.
The arrival of the Lord will
serve as a catalyst for the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the clans of Judah,
outside the city, to fight the invaders.
Thus, “the rest will not be cut off from the city.”
THE PHYSICAL DESCENT OF MESSIAH
When these nations are sufficiently gathered into Palestine, and the invasion
of Jerusalem well under way, Jesus will leave His “seat” in the clouds and
physically descend to the earth.
Zechariah 14:3
“Then Yahweh will go forth and fight against those nations, as when
He fights on a day of battle.”
But before His physical descent ONTO the earth, Jesus will have
RETURNED in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. It is THIS
arrival that is the OFFICIAL second coming.
There
are three STAGES to the second coming of the Messiah.
(1) His
arrival in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory: This arrival will
in the sky ONLY. From his position in the clouds or ON THE CLOUD (Rev. 14:14)
He will pour out the judgments from God’s wrath through the trumpets and bowls
recorded in the book of The Revelation. There four phases to it.
(A) The SIGNS phase. Joel 2:30-31; Mat. 24:29-31; Rev. 6:12-14; Isaiah
13:10, 13;
(B) The arrival phase.
Mat. 24:30;
16:27; Rev.
6:15-16; Isaiah 30:27-30; 60:1-2; Ps. 96:13.
(C) The rapture phase.
Matthew 24:31-44; John 14:1-3; 1Thes. 4:14-17;
1Cor. 15:51-52
(D) The judgment phase. Rev. 6:15-17; 1Thes. 5:1-2.
(2) The second stage is His physical descent TO the earth at which time He
will personally confront the armies of the world that are gathered into
Palestine to loot and destroy the people of Israel. Through His physical
descent to the earth He will rescue the Jews and prepare for His earthly
kingdom.
There are four phases to it.
(A) The descent to Edom. Isaiah 34:6; 63:1-6; Hab. 3:3
(B) The descent to Jerusalem. Isaiah 63:1; Zech. 14:4; Joel 3:16.
(C) The descent to the Valley of Megiddo (Armageddon). Joel 3:9-16;
(D) The separation phase: when all unbelievers will be removed from the
earth and only
believers will be left alive to dwell on the earth in Christ’s
kingdom.
Ezek. 34:17-22; Mat. 25:31-46.
(3) The KINGDOM stage when Jesus sets up His 1000 year earthly reign.
There are four phases to it.
(A) The cleansing phase: Ezek 39:9-16.
(B) The building phase: Isaiah 60:4-11; 61:4; Ezek. 43:10-18; Dan.
8:15-26.
(C) The reigning phase: Isaiah 9:7; Jer. 23:5-6; Ezek. 37:24-28; Dan.
7:13-14.
(D) The completion phase: 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Revelation 20:7-10.
The Old Testament prophets viewed the second coming and the arrival of the DAY
OF THE LORD as having one starting point. They
did not make a distinction between the Messiah’s initial arrival IN THE CLOUDS
and His subsequent PHYSICAL descent to the earth. They viewed the second
coming as a physical descent to the earth that will begin the Day of the Lord.
Sometimes the prophets focused on the inception of the day of the Lord;
sometimes on some aspect of the judgment that will happen DURING the day; and
sometimes on the kingdom blessing that follows the judgment.
The reader/interpreter needs to be
very diligent to recognize the context in each of the passages.
But it is not until the New
Testament teaching by Jesus and the apostles that we learn that Jesus will
FIRST arrive in the clouds of the sky.
When Jesus first “arrives” at the Day of the Lord, He will come in
THE CLOUDS of the sky with power and great glory. At that time He will use the
angels to gather the saints from the earth through the rapture, and they will
be taken to heaven. Following the removal of the believers, Jesus will remain
in the clouds, or rather, “sitting on the cloud” (Rev. 14:14), and will begin
His judgment agenda to “destroy those who destroy the earth” (Rev. 11:18).
But before He begins to pour out the wrath of God, He will await
the conversion of the 144,000 Jewish bond-servants who will trust in Christ
almost immediately after the arrival of the Lord and the rapture of the
saints. Revelation 7:1-8.
After the conversion/sealing of these bond-servants, Jesus will
pour out God’s wrath upon the kingdom of the beast, using angels for various
administrations of judgment. This is represented symbolically with the 7
trumpet judgments and the first 5 bowl judgments (Rev. 8-9, 16:1-12).
At Revelation 14:1-7, the 144,000 Jewish servant/evangelists are
seen after their conversion as servants of Jesus “The Lamb,” prepared to carry
the everlasting gospel to “those who live on the earth” (verse 6).
The urgency of the gospel proclamation is “because the hour of His
judgment has come” (verse 7).
In verse 8, the proclamation of judgment is made upon the age-old
Babylonian religious evil that has been in opposition to God’s viewpoint and
policy since its inception through Nimrod.
In verses 9-12 the proclamation of judgment is made against all who
worship the beast and take his mark.
At verse 13, a special pronouncement of blessing is made. During
the time period from the arrival of the Lord until the completion of Christ’s
judgment agenda, there will be many believers who die for their faith. These
will come under a special blessing as they will have endured and remained
faithful unto death. Revelation 2:10.
The time from the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the sky is the
time when the wrath of God will be poured out on the earth dwellers.
This is “the hour of judgment” of Revelation 14:7 and “the hour to
reap” of verse 15.
This “hour of judgment” will be executed from His “seat” in the
clouds without “touching down” to the earth.
Rev. 14:14-16
And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud {was} one
like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in
His hand.
And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him
who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap
has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
And He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth; and the earth was
reaped.
This reaping refers to the general outpouring of divine wrath on the
unbelievers which takes place through the 7 trumpets and the first 5 bowls.
Some interpret this to refer to the rapture itself. However, if Revelation
chapter 14 is viewed as chronological, beginning with the presence of the
144,000 at verses 1-5, and ending with the battle of Armageddon at verses
17-20, then the rapture cannot be in view. The rapture takes place BEFORE the
conversion of the 144,000.
More clearly, the raptured saints are seen IN HEAVEN at Revelation
14:2-3 playing harps and singing the new song. If the rapture has already
occurred based on the saints location in heaven, the reaping of verses 14-16
cannot be portraying the rapture.
The final act of “reaping” occurs through the 3 stages of the Armageddon
campaign. It is the last stage; the
MEGIDDO stage, that is in view at
Revelation 14:17-20.
”And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had
a sharp sickle.
And another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar;
and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put
in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth,
because her grapes are ripe.”
And the angel swung his sickle to the earth, and gathered {the clusters from}
the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath
of God.
And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the
wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.”
This is represented symbolically by the last two bowl judgments of
Revelation 16:12-20.
Bowl #6: is the gathering of the kings of the whole world together for the war
of the great day of God, the Almighty in the
valley of HarMagedon (verses 14
and 16).
Bowl #7: A great lightning and hail storm, and earthquake, which takes place
during the 3-stage descent of Jesus into Palestine.
Zechariah 14:3
This refers to the physical descent of Jesus from “heaven” (his seat in the
clouds) onto the earth. It has four phases to it (1) To
Edom, (2) To Jerusalem, (3) To
Megiddo, and (4) the separation phase when Jesus will separate all the
unbelievers from the believers and remove the unbelievers from the earth. The
New Testament does not show us the descent to Edom or to Jerusalem. It focuses
on the final location, which is the
valley of Megiddo, or as
Revelation 16:16 designates it, “Har-Magedon.” Revelation 19:11-16 seems to
focus on Christ’s arrival at Armageddon, without denying, of course, the
previous descents to Edom and to Jerusalem.
Since there are very clearly, three separate “confrontations,” or
DESCENT phases, it is obvious that the “descent” described at Revelation
19:11ff, must be placed at one of them. Since the context in the book of The
Revelation is the specific descent to “Har-Magedon” it is probably best to see
those verses as describing the descent of Jesus to the
Valley of Megiddo. The common
presentation by the Old Testament prophets was a GENERAL descent of the
Messiah to the earth. Then, more details were added depending on what specific
“confrontation” the prophet had in view. Revelation 19:11 COULD be referring
to the GENERAL descent of Jesus, with the details for Armageddon added at
verse 17. Here at Zechariah 14:4 the prophet sees specifically, Messiah’s
arrival at the battle of Jerusalem. However, at verse 5, Zechariah indicates
an ADDITIONAL “coming” that is different from the one in verse 4 when He
stands on the Mount. This one will be His descent to Megiddo for the battle of
Armageddon.
In conclusion, when all the passages are compared together, it can
be determined that the best order for the three “descents,” is that He first
goes to Edom, then to
Jerusalem, and then to Megiddo.
Here at Zechariah, Christ’s descent to
Edom is not mentioned. The prophet
makes a general statement of Christ’s descent to confront all the invading
armies. Zechariah then summarizes the descent to Jerusalem and the battle of
Jerusalem at verses 4-5a and 14. He gave many more details about this specific
battle IN and around the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem at Zechariah 12:2-8.
In fact, the general subject of chapter 12 is the battle of
Jerusalem while the general
subject of 14 is the battle of Armageddon.
Thus, here in chapter 14, the focus goes beyond the immediate
vicinity of Jerusalem and looks to the larger confrontation in the
valley of Megiddo at verses 5b-7
and 12-13 and 15.
Verse 14 suggests that once the battle of
Jerusalem is under way, Jesus will
then go to Megiddo and finish with the rest of the nations WHILE the clans of
Judah are winning the battle in Jerusalem.
But first, before He descends to the
Mount of Olives, He will go to
Edom to judge the nations that are gathered South and East of Jerusalem.
THE BATTLE OF EDOM
See Isaiah 34:5-15
The Old Testament teaches that Jesus will go
to Edom to destroy the unbelievers of that area and rescue the Israelites who
are hiding in the mountainous wilderness, having fled the oppression of the
beast at the midpoint of the 70th week.
It seems that the best TIMING for this
arrival to Edom will be the first of the three phases.
(1) The Lord descends first to Edom: This is
because Isaiah 63:1 shows us the Lord coming FROM Edom when He comes to
deliver the Jews in Jerusalem and Judah.
And because at Joel 3:16 shows us the Lord coming FROM Jerusalem when He goes
to confront the world’s armies at Armageddon.
(2) Thus, from Edom He descends to Jerusalem and stands on the Mount of Olives
to motivate the Jews to wage the battle of Jerusalem.
(3) And from there He goes to the valley of Megiddo for the battle of
Armageddon.
This will occur AFTER Jesus physically
descends to the earth in Jerusalem and stands on the Mount of Olives. This
serves as a catalyst for the clans of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
to fight the invading army. Zechariah 12, 14.
ZECHARIAH 14:4-5a
The descent to
Jerusalem
and the great earthquake that begins the battle of
Jerusalem.
MOUNT OF OLIVES
Verse 4
“And in that day His feet will stand on the
Mount of Olives, which is in front
of Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle
from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will
move toward the north and the other half toward the south.”
Jesus will come FROM
Edom and arrive in Jerusalem to
“fight against those nations” and will stand on the Mount of Olives, splitting
it into two sections, and actually dividing the city into three parts.
This splitting of the mountain will cause a
great earthquake.
The splitting of the mountain will create a
huge valley extending about 6 miles west of Jerusalem to Azel.
Habakkuk talks about this earthquake at Habakkuk 3:6b, after the Messiah is
shown to have come FROM the area of Edom.
“Yes, the perpetual mountains were
shattered,
The ancient hills collapsed.
His ways are everlasting.”
The earthquake is also described at
Revelation 16:17-20 in connection with the final bowl judgment.
“And the seventh {angel} poured out his bowl upon the air; and a
loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.”
And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there
was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon
the earth, so great an earthquake {was it, and} so mighty.
And the great city was split into three parts. . .”
(1) There it says that “the great city”
(Jerusalem) was split into three parts. This is not inconsistent with the
splitting of the mount of Olives down the middle. Zechariah’s facts do not
require ONLY a two-part division of the city. John’s vision simply adds
additional details to the results of the earthquake that will occur when Jesus
stands on the mount.
(2) There is a difference of opinion as to the identification of
“the great city.” It seems that since Babylon is mentioned in the next
sentence as coming under a separate judgment, the mention here of “the great
city,” refers to Jerusalem which is identified as “the great city . . . where
also their Lord was crucified,” at Rev. 11:8.
(3) “. . .and the cities of the nations fell.”
We have dramatic affects worldwide, from this earthquake.
This does not contradict the context
of Zechariah 14, but simply extends the effects of the earthquake to a
world-wide context. The focus of Zechariah’s prophecy is not worldwide.
(4) “And Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of
the wine of His fierce wrath.”
This is the ultimate judgment on Babylon (Babylonian evil), the ideology that
empowers and controls the king of the west (beast) through the influence of
Satan himself. The history of that ideology and its final demise is later
summarized in Revelation chapters 17 and 18.
However, this does not refer to the conquering of the capital city
of Babylonian Evil by the
beast at the midpoint of the week (Rev. 17:16-18). That will be a HUMAN take
over of the Babylonian system of evil. The 7th bowl judgment is a
DIVINE destruction of Babylonian evil.
And of course, at Armageddon, the beast ruler will be ruined and
cast into the lake of fire as described at Revelation 19:20 and 2Thes. 2:8.
(5) “And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.”
This is hyperbole. The significance is that every island and every mountain
are AFFECTED so that they are NOT as they were before. It does not mean that
the land is now “flat as a pancake.” Even Olives is not “flattened.” It simply
says that the mountain is split in half.
(6) And huge hailstones came down from heaven upon men (about 100 pounds
each).
This seems to be something that does
not occur in the context of Zechariah 14, the battle of Jerusalem. But it
could be coming upon the rest of the world during that battle.
Because of this the unbelievers are given further occasion to attack the
character and plan of God. “And men blasphemed God because of the plague.”
Zechariah 14:5a
“And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of
the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before
the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of
Judah.
After the earthquake, Zechariah tells us that the people will flee out of the
city through the valley that will be formed. This refers to the elderly, the
children, and any women who will not be fighting.
During the battle that follows His descent to Olives, the men will
be fighting in and outside of the city. Zech. 12:5-8;
14:14.
As indicated above, the arrangement of information in Zechariah
chapter 14 is as follows.
1. Verses 1-5a: This summarizes the invasion of
Jerusalem, the descent of the Lord
to Jerusalem, and the battle of Jerusalem.
2. Verses 5b-7: After the battle of Jerusalem is begun, Jesus will move on to
Armageddon.
3. Verses 8-11: After Armageddon, Jesus will set up His kingdom. These verses
summarize the establishment of the kingdom and life within the kingdom.
4. Verses 12-15: These verses back-track and summarize the battle of
Jerusalem.
5. Verses 16-21: These verses then jump forward again to describe life during
the Messiah’s kingdom on the earth.
THE BATTLE OF JERUSALEM
From Edom, Jesus goes to
Jerusalem
to fight with the armies gathered there. Zech. 14:3,
“Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He
fights on a day of battle.”
He stands on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and causes a great earthquake.
Zech. 14:4.
”And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front
of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle
from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will
move toward the north and the other half toward the south.”
The splitting of the mountain and the great earthquake, as well as the unusual
“rotting” plague, will cause great panic to fall upon the enemy troops who are
still alive.
THE PLAGUE
“Now this will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples
who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand
on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will
rot in their mouth.” Zechariah 14:12.
This plague will begin in the
Jerusalem vicinity but will also
affect the armies gathered in the
valley of Megiddo.
Zechariah 12:3-4 focuses on the plague as it affects the invaders
in the city. Zechariah 14:12-15 extends the plaque beyond
Jerusalem to all the other nations
that are gathered into Palestine.
This is NOT use of a nuclear weapon because the casualties are selective
rather than total. We know this because there will still be some “hand-to-hand
conflict going on between the invaders and the Israelites at this time. It
might be some kind of “selective” or “individual” biological weapon, but
whatever it is, it will cause a great panic among them so that they are even
confused about who they should be fighting. Zech. 14:13
“And it will come about in that day that a great panic from the LORD will fall
on them; and they will seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will be
lifted against the hand of another.”
As seen at Zechariah 12:5-8, the Jews will win the battle of
Jerusalem through Messiah’s
support. But it seems that it is WHILE they are engaged in this battle, Jesus
will move on to Megiddo to destroy all the other nations that have assembled
in Palestine.
“Then the clans of Judah
will say in their hearts, ‘A strong support for us are the inhabitants of
Jerusalem through the LORD of hosts, their God.’
“In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of
wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand
and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of
Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem.
“The LORD also will save the tents of Judah first in order that the glory of
the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be
magnified above Judah.
“In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one
who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of
David {will be} like God, like the angel of the LORD before them.
Verse 12:7
"The LORD also will save the
tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of
the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be magnified above Judah."
It appears that the plague will
first affect the invaders who are outside the city, so that the clans of Judah
will be able to defeat them and move into the city to rescue it from the
invading troops that are still there.
Verse 12:8
"In that day the LORD will
defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in
that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the
angel of the LORD before them."
The clans of Judah will move
into the city and be the Lord’s instruments of victory as they fight like
David the warrior.
Zech. 14:14
And Judah also will fight at
Jerusalem; and the wealth of all
the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in
great abundance."
This is a summary of the end-result of the entire conflict.
After the invaders in
Jerusalem are defeated and the
nations at Megiddo are defeated, there will be an abundance of material
resources to be gathered by the peoples.
ZECHARIAH 14:5b-7: After the battle of
Jerusalem is begun, Jesus will
move on to Armageddon.
Zechariah 14:5b
“And the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him.”
Zechariah already showed us the physical descent of the Lord when
He CAME and set foot on the
Mount of Olives. In other words, in the flow of the narrative, the Lord is already
there. This then refers to a DIFFERENT coming – one that follows his arrival
in Jerusalem, and is LARGER in significance and impact.
This then, refers to His movement to confront the armies assembled
at Armageddon and is where Revelation 19:11ff properly belongs. The same order
can be found by advancing from Rev. 16:21 to Rev. 19:11. (Chapters 17 and 18
are parenthetical to summarize the rise and fall of the “Babylonian” system of
evil).
Joel speaks of Him coming FROM
ZION at Joel 3:16, “The LORD roars
from Zion,” as He goes to “the valley of Yahweh’s judgment” (verse 3:12); “the
valley of the verdict” (verse 3:14).
Revelation 19:11-16
“And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it
{is} called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
And His eyes {are} a flame of fire, and upon His head {are} many diadems; and
He has a name written {upon Him} which no one knows except Himself.
And {He is} clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The
Word of God.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white {and} clean,
were following Him on white horses.
And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the
nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine
press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND
LORD OF LORDS.”
When Jesus comes from
Edom to conclude His victory over
the nations, He arrives at
Jerusalem and stands on the
Mount of Olives. This will serve as a catalyst for the inhabitants of the
city and the people of
Judah to fight the invaders (Zech. 14:14). But Zechariah gave more details
about this battle in chapter 12:4-8.
ON TO MEGIDDO
Zech. 14:5b
1. Then the LORD, my God, will come:
It is important to note that this is NOT His arrival at the Day of the LORD.
Nor is it His arrival in
Jerusalem
when He steps foot on the Mount of Olives (verse 4). But it refers to his
movement from Jerusalem to the Valley of Megiddo. As I already noted, this is
probably what John is shown at Revelation 19:11.
2. {and} all the holy ones with Him!”
The “holy ones” that come with Him refers to His army of angels.
At Revelation 19:14, they are called “the armies which are in heaven, clothed
in fine linen, white and clean.”
Some think that these armies are the believers of the church who come back
with Jesus to reign with Him. They suppose that the white garments require
that this army be believers because white represents righteousness. They make
the association back to Rev. 19:7-8, where through the preparation of the
church as the “bride of Christ,” she is given white garments. However, angels
also where white garments as is indicated at Rev. 15:6.
“and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple,
clothed in linen, clean {and} bright, and girded around their breasts with
golden girdles.”
The argument rages, but it seems very unlikely to me that Jesus would bring
His bride into battle with Him. It is much more likely that she waits in
heaven for His victory and the preparation of the earth for His kingdom. In
fact, the narrative makes it perfectly clear that AFTER Christ’s victory at
Armageddon and the establishment of His earthly reign, then the bride comes
down out of heaven as is described at Rev. 21:2.
“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.”
This is further confirmed at Rev. 21:9-14, where the wife of the Lamb is
clearly identified as the New Jerusalem. Thus, it is clear that the wife of
the Lamb is NOT an “army” that follows Him into battle, but a “bride in
waiting” in her heavenly city until the Groom secures a safe place for them to
live.
Later, these angels will participate in a “gathering” of
unbelieving souls OUT FROM the earth after the great slaughter is accomplished
(Mat. 13:40-43).
THE DARKNESS
As Jesus leaves
Jerusalem, a “total” darkness envelops the land.
Zechariah 14:6
“And it will come about in that day that
there will be no light; the glories will dwindle.”
This is the translation according to the “written” tradition rather than the
oral tradition of the Hebrew Bible, which the NIV represents as, “no cold or
frost.”
This does not refer to the “initial” day of the Lord signs, but to a specific
and unique time of darkness that immediately precedes Messiah’s descent to
Armageddon.
The two periods are different.
It is clear that after the DARKNESS at the 6th seal
arrival of the Lord in the clouds of the sky, there will be many months of
judgment through the trumpets and bowls. It is after that, when the Lord will
descend into the Valley of Megiddo, that
there will be another period of great darkness.
Zechariah 14:7,
“For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day nor
night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.”
The “initial” darkness that occurs at the arrival of the Day of the LORD, is
not “total.” The very idea that the moon turns into (the color of) blood
indicates a quality of darkness different than what is in view here.
We must carefully analyze all the “darkness” passages in order to
distinguish clearly the two different events.
As Joel develops the Armageddon confrontation, he writes,
“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of the decision!
For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of the decision.
The sun and moon grow dark,
And the stars lose their brightness,” (Joel
3:14-15).
This is not talking about the “initial” arrival of the Day of the LORD, but
the effect of That Day in reference to Armageddon. It is already here, but it
is NEAR in the Valley of decision.
Joel 3:16
“And the LORD roars from
Zion
And utters His voice from
Jerusalem,
And the heavens and the earth tremble.
But the LORD is a refuge for His people
And a stronghold to the sons of
Israel.”
Here we see the order of movement. FROM Jerusalem He goes somewhere else. We
know that location to be the valley of Megiddo.
Thus, in the same way that great darkness will immediately precede
the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the sky at the 6th seal of
Revelation 6:12-14, so also great darkness will precede His arrival to the
valley of judgment at Armageddon.
THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON
I will let the very Scriptures themselves describe what happens, with very
little commentary.
Rev. 19:19
And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to
make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army.
Here the armies of the East, West and North have regrouped to join forces
against the Son of God. Once gathered here, God will judge the assembled
nations and destroy them.
Joel 3:12-14
Let the nations be aroused And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat (Yahweh’s
judgment),
For there I will sit to judge
All the surrounding nations.
Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.
Come, tread, for the wine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
That which causes the various nations involved to move into
Palestine, is the political,
military, religious and economic influences placed upon them by the demonic
powers that control the beast and the false prophet.
Rev. 16:13-14, 16
And I saw {coming} out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the
beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like
frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the
kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day
of God, the Almighty.
And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called
Harmagedon.
DINNER TIME!
The peoples who are assembled in the valley are to be physically killed
through the military prowess of the Lord Jesus as He wields the sword of His
mouth and scatters the enemy on the face of the battlefield. Since the bodies
of the dead will be left lying on the ground for later burial by the Jews at
the beginning of the Kingdom, it provides an abundant food source for the
scavengers of the animal kingdom. Thus, they are called to gather in
anticipation of the divine meal that will be provided to them.
Rev. 19:17-18
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a loud voice,
saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great
supper of God; in order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of
commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those
who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small
and great.”
Ezek. 39:17-21
“And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Speak to every kind of
bird and to every beast of the field, “Assemble and come, gather from every
side to My sacrifice which I am going to sacrifice for you, as a great
sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood.
“You shall eat the flesh of mighty men, and drink the blood of the princes of
the earth, as {though they were} rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of them
fatlings of Bashan.
“So you will eat fat until you are glutted, and drink blood until you are
drunk, from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
“And you will be glutted at My table with horses and charioteers, with mighty
men and all the men of war,” declares the Lord GOD.
As already observed, total darkness will envelop the whole land of Palestine.
At “evening time,” Jesus breaks through the heavens with His own glory
piercing the darkness, and all the nations see Him coming upon them.
MESSIAH’S PERSONAL VINTAGE
Revelation 14:19-20
And the angel swung his sickle to the earth, and gathered {the clusters from}
the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath
of God.
And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the
wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.
This distance of 200 miles includes the entire area affected by the influx of
nations into Palestine. The land
of Israel itself is only 160 miles from North to South, but this number should
probably be taken as “square mileage” covering all directions from
Jerusalem.
Rev. 19:21
And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who
sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
The summary of this final battle finds ALL the people who have gathered,
killed and placed on the “table” of the battlefield as a divine meal for all
the predatory animals that have been invited.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NORTHERN ARMY
Ezekiel 38:18-23; Joel 2:18-20; Zech. 12:2-9;
14:12-15;
Through both the battle of
Jerusalem
and the battle of Armageddon, the Northern army will be totally destroyed.
This army receives special attention in the Scriptures since it will have
accomplished such a devastating ruin in Israel.
Although viewed separately, by comparing Scripture with Scripture, it can be
determined that the destruction of the Northern army takes place at the final
battle described above.
Ezek. 38:18-20
“And it will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of
Israel,” declares the Lord GOD, “that My fury will mount up in My anger.
“And in My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare {that} on that day there
will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.
This is the earthquake that occurs when Jesus stands on the Mount of Olives.
“And the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field,
all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on
the face of the earth will shake at My presence;”
The extent of this earthquake will be such that there will be massive
destruction both of natural and manmade structures.
“the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse, and
every wall will fall to the ground.”
As already noted, one result from this earthquake will be the panic among the
invading soldiers.
Ezek. 38:21, “And I shall call for a sword against him on all My mountains,”
declares the Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother.
Zech. 14:13, And it will come about in that day that a great panic from the
LORD will fall on them; and they will seize one another’s hand, and the hand
of one will be lifted against the hand of another.
Ezek. 38:22
“And with pestilence and with blood I shall enter into judgment with him; and
I shall rain on him, and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with
him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
This language describes the “physical” mechanics of destruction.
Revelation 19:21 says that they were killed by the “sword which came from the
mouth” of Jesus. The word, “sword” is symbolic speaking of the actual physical
destruction that will be accomplished by the “torrential rain, with
hailstones, fire, and brimstone.”
This torrential rain will also fall throughout the world as “the cities of
the nations” are judged.
Rev. 16:17-21
And the seventh {angel} poured out his bowl upon the air; and a loud voice
came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.”
And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there
was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon
the earth, so great an earthquake {was it, and} so mighty.
And the great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations
fell. And Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of
the wine of His fierce wrath.
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon
men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its
plague was extremely severe.”
EZEKIEL 39 repeats and amplifies relating it to the gathering at Armageddon.
Ezek. 39:1-5
“And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,
“Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal;
and I shall turn you around, drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts
of the north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel.
“And I shall strike your bow from your left hand, and dash down your arrows
from your right hand.
“You shall fall on the mountains of
Israel, you and all your troops,
and the peoples who are with you; I shall give you as food to every kind of
predatory bird and beast of the field.
“You will fall on the open field; for it is I who have spoken,” declares the
Lord GOD.
In addition, the homelands of the Gog alliance will come under judgment from
God.
Ezek. 39:6
“And I shall send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in
safety; and they will know that I am the LORD.
An important factor concerning the Gog invasion is the time that it occurs.
There is much debate as to whether it occurs prior to the 70th week of Daniel,
during the first half of the week, last half, or at the end in association
with the battle of Armageddon. Ezekiel 39:7-8 is valuable in placing the
timing for this invasion.
“And My holy name I shall make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I
shall not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that
I am the LORD, the Holy One in
Israel.
“Behold, it is coming and it shall be done,” declares the Lord GOD. “That is
the day of which I have spoken.
It is stated that after the defeat of Gog in Israel, that God will not let His
holy name ever be profaned again. Were this invasion and defeat to occur prior
to the 70th week, then after the beast begins to reign and throughout the
Armageddon campaign, God’s name will continually be profaned and violate this
promise. It is therefore not likely that this invasion should be placed prior
to the 70th week. Furthermore, the burial of bones that takes place for 7
years requires a peaceful environment which will not exist until after
Armageddon (Ezek. 39:12-16).
Ezek. 39:9-10
“Then those who inhabit the cities of Israel will go out, and make fires with
the weapons and burn {them,} both shields and bucklers, bows and arrows, war
clubs and spears and for seven years they will make fires of them.
“And they will not take wood from the field or gather firewood from the
forests, for they will make fires with the weapons; and they will take the
spoil of those who despoiled them, and seize the plunder of those who
plundered them,” declares the Lord GOD.
All the plunder of the invading armies will belong to Israel.
Furthermore, there will be an abundance of flammable items which the people of
Israel will use in place of firewood - perhaps for cooking purposes or
heating. Whether this will be “needed” during the first 7 months of the
kingdom age or not, is a side issue. The language otherwise communicates a
“closure” that can only come at the completion of Armageddon.
CLOSURE AND GLORIFICATION
Ezek. 38:23
“And I shall magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the
sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the LORD.”’
Ezek. 39:21-24
“And I shall set My glory among the nations; and all the nations will see My
judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them.
“And the house of Israel
will know that I am the LORD their God from that day onward.
“And the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their
iniquity because they acted treacherously against Me, and I hid My face from
them; so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and all of them fell
by the sword.
“According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I dealt
with them, and I hid My face from them.”’”
The nations will see and understand. That is, those survivors of the nations
who have trusted in Christ as the Savior.
Zech. 14:16
“Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went
against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD
of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.”
Ezek. 39:25-29
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Now I shall restore the fortunes of Jacob,
and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I shall be jealous for My
holy name.
“And they shall forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they
perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their {own} land with no
one to make them afraid.
“When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of
their enemies, then I shall be sanctified through them in the sight of the
many nations.
“Then they will know that I am the LORD their God because I made them go into
exile among the nations, and then gathered them {again} to their own land; and
I will leave none of them there any longer.
“And I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I shall have poured out
My Spirit on the house of Israel,” declares the Lord GOD.
ZECHARIAH 14:8-11: After Armageddon, Jesus will set up His kingdom.
These verses summarize the establishment of the kingdom and life within the
kingdom.
Verse 8
"And in that day living waters
will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other
half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter."
This describes the wonderful
agricultural environment that will exist during the Messiah’s kingdom. The
LIVING waters from two rivers will provide a FRESHENING effect on the polluted
water of the Dead Sea, so that the water will be healed and become fresh, and
spawn many kinds of fish. This will also results in an abundance of fruit
trees growing beside the two rivers. “The fruit will be for food and the
leaves for healing.” The details of this are described at Ezekiel 47:1-12.
Revelation 22:1-2
Verse 9
"And Yahweh will be king over all the earth; in that day Yahweh will be the
only one, and His name the only one."
This is a simple and concise
statement of the sovereign rule of the Messiah. Isaiah 9:7;
The emphasis on Him and His
name being the “only one” restates the truth of chapter 13:2
"It will come about in that
day," declares the LORD of hosts, "that I will cut off the names of the idols
from the land, and they will no longer be remembered ; and I will also remove
the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.
This of course, is how the
kingdom of the Messiah will begin. There will be no unbelievers. Only believes
will enter into the kingdom. However, as years go by and people are born, the
sin nature will still deceive and influence the soul of people to eventually
reject even the personal presence of the Messiah on the earth. Throughout the
years, people will once again turn to false gods and false prophets. But these
people will be severely punished as indicated at chapter 13:3-6.
Verse 10
“All the land will be changed
into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise
and remain on its site from Benjamin's Gate as far as the place of the First
Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's wine
presses.”
This describes the land
transformation that makes the wilderness and desert areas wonderfully
functional in an agricultural economy. Isaiah 35:1-2
Verse 11
”People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem
will dwell in security. “
1. The removal of the curse
in the land of Israel:
A. Removal of the “national” curse. This was described at Zechariah 8:13
that indicates, Israel will now be a source of great blessing for all
the
nations.
B. Removal of the “physical” curse on the land: Revelation 22:3; Isaiah
11:6-8; 64:25;
2. The security of Israel: Israel will never again be oppressed by other
nations and peoples.
Isaiah 65:21-23; 33:20;
Ezekiel 39:26;
ZECHARIAH 14:12-15: These verses back-track and summarize the
battle of Jerusalem. Details were also seen in chapter 12:4-8
Verse 12
Now this will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples
who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand
on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will
rot in their mouth.
The exact nature of this
plague cannot be determined with certainty, but it appears to be some kind of
biological weapon, since it will affect the animal life in the area as well,
as seen at verse 15.
Verse 15
”So also like this plague will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the
camel, the donkey and all the cattle that will be in those camps.”
It also seems to be
selective, since there will still be many who will be fighting even though
many will be blind and panic-stricken.
Verse 13
It will come about in that day that a great panic from the LORD will fall on
them; and they will seize one another's hand, and the hand of one will be
lifted against the hand of another.
Zechariah 12:4
”In that day, declares the Lord, I will strike every horse with bewilderment,
and his rider with madness.”
Verse 14a
”Judah also will fight at Jerusalem.”
This “neutralized” condition
of the invading armies will still require the people of Israel to fight and
destroy the troops. The details of this battle are found at chapter 12:5-8.
Verse 14b
“and the wealth of all the
surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great
abundance.”
After the defeat of the
invading armies, there will be an abundance of material resources that Israel
will claim for itself. This was already discussed at verse 1.
ZECHARIAH 14:16-21: These verses then jump forward again to
describe life during the Messiah’s kingdom on the earth.
Chapter 12 did the same thing in verses 10-14.
Verse 16
Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went
against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD
of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.
The ones who are left are
ones who have not been killed in the battle. But more than that, they are the
survivors of the Lord’s evaluation process after the battle of Armageddon. It
is at that time that all the people of the world will be gathered before the
Lord (either symbolically or literally) and all the unbelievers will be
removed. This will leave only believers to go alive into the Messiah’s earthly
kingdom. This is described by Jesus at Matthew 25:31-46, and is known as the
“sheep and goat judgment.”
As a result, the peoples of
the nations will come to Jerusalem and worship AT LEAST once a year at the
Feast of Booths (tents, tabernacles).
Verse 17
”And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to
Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on
them.”
The kingdom will begin with
believers only. However, after many years, there will be many people born and
who will grow up as unbelievers.
Eventually, these will
influence various nations to resist worshipping the Messiah in Jerusalem. The
judgment from Christ at that time will be to judge their economy. The language
that is used is in the context of an agricultural economy. When it actually
happens, the judgments will be based on the nature of the world’s economics at
that time.
Verses 18-19
”If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on
them; it will be the plague with which the LORD smites the nations who do not
go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. This will be the punishment of Egypt,
and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast
of Booths.”
This is stated simply to
indicate an EXAMPLE of what might happen.
Verses 20-21a
The focus now is on the
spiritual life of the people of Israel.
”In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, "HOLY TO THE
LORD." And the cooking pots in the LORD'S house will be like the bowls before
the altar.
”Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of
hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them.”
The whole of secular life
will be devoted to worship as it was originally intended through the social
and religious code of the Mosaic law.
However, before their worship
routine is established, there will be the initial NATIONAL mourning of the
people of Israel. They will realize fully that Jesus, whom their forefathers
had rejected, is indeed the promised Messiah. Zechariah 12:10-14 describes
this initial sorrow.
It will come after they are
in the kingdom. The Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all the people of
Israel and they will fully understand the failures of the past.
This pouring out of the
Spirit and the resultant mourning will not happen prior to the kingdom. There
is no “time” or “opportunity” for the formal mourning of the nation, as is
described by Zechariah, to occur prior to the defeat of the invaders and the
establishment of the nation as secure on its own land.
Verse 21b
”And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts in
that day.”
Of course, the Canaanite
people have long been destroyed, but the term is used to REPRESENT those who
are in rebellion against the Lord; those who actively engage in idolatrous
activity. They are described by Ezekiel as foreigners who are “uncircumcised
in heart.” (Ezek. 44:7). Only those who are RIGHT with God will be allowed to
enter into the temple of God.
Joel 3:17, “So Jerusalem will
be holy,
And strangers will pass
through it no more.”
Revelation 21:27
”And nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall
ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book
of life.”
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