Zechariah 12:1-9

 

Zechariah 12:1-9

The Salvation of Jerusalem

Zec 12:1  The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. 

Zec 12:2  Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 

Zec 12:3  And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. 

Zec 12:4  In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. 

Zec 12:5  And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God. 

Zec 12:6  In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. 

Zec 12:7  The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. 

Zec 12:8  In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. 

Zec 12:9  And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 

         1.     God Who is The Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and End, Speaks to Reveal His Will – vs. 1

a.      God has a message for Israel - Ezekiel 39:25-29 

b.     God is the Creator of Heaven - Genesis 1:1 

c.      God is the Creator of the Earth - Isaiah 48:12-13 

d.     The God of Heaven and Earth is the one who made Man

                                               i.     Deuteronomy 4:32 

         2.     Jerusalem Will Be Besieged Again – vs. 2

a.      The siege will be made by a global confederacy

                                               i.     Ezekiel 38:14-15 

b.     The global confederacy will be confounded in their efforts

                                               i.     Isaiah 51:17-23 

        3.     Jerusalem Will be Victorious – vs. 3

a.      Instead of like the last time, this time Jerusalem will be the clear winner. Because God enables them to crush their enemies

                                               i.     Ezekiel 39:4-6 

 

b.     This time Jerusalem will eviscerate their enemies

                                               i.     Zechariah 14:12 

c.      This time instead of Rome being the major protagonist, all the peoples of the earth will participate in this attack.

                                               i.     Revelation 16:12-16 

         4.     God Will Defend Jerusalem – vs. 4

a.      God will confuse the attacker’s weapons of war

                                               i.     Ezekiel 39:1-3 

b.     God will strike the enemy soldiers with madness

                                               i.     Zechariah 14:13 

c.      God will be watching over Jerusalem

d.     God will blind the weapons of the attackers

         5.     Jerusalem Will Believe in God in Their Hearts Once Again – vs. 5

a.      Again, unlike the latter siege of Jerusalem, this time there will be a unity among the Jews and an internal heartfelt faith in the salvation of God.

                                               i.     Romans 11:26-27 

         6.     Jerusalem Will Be Able to Go on the Offensive – vs. 6

a.      Jerusalem will not only be able to defend her own borders but be able to beat back her enemies with permanence.

                                               i.     Ezekiel 39:9-10 

b.     Jerusalem will again be inhabited with God’s people in the actual historical location.

                                               i.     Zechariah 1:17 

         7.     Jerusalem Will Be Able to Defend Her Borders – vs 7

a.      Unlike most of Jewish history, the Jews will finally be able to drive out their enemies. Even in the further outreaches of their settlements.

                                               i.     Zechariah 4:6 

         8.     The Logos Will Defend Jerusalem – vs. 8

a.      God will defend Jerusalem

                                               i.     Isaiah 37:35-36 

b.     The feeblest among them will be enabled to fight like the mighty warrior David

                                               i.     1 Samuel 18:7 

c.      A descendant of David will be like God

                                               i.     Romans 1:3-4 

d.     That descendant is also the Logos (or the Angel of the Lord) and is Jesus who is also God and the true defender of His people

                                               i.     Zechariah 6:12-15 

         9.     God Will Destroy All of Jerusalem’s Attackers – vs. 9

a.      Isaiah 54:17 

Zechariah 11:15-17

 

Zechariah 11:15-17

Woe Unto Those Who Choose to Follow the Anti- Christ

 

Zec 11:15  And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. 

Zec 11:16  For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. 

Zec 11:17  Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened. 

 

         1.     Zechariah Is to Experientially Know the Attributes of the Ultimate False Shepherd – vs. 15

a.     The reality is as long as God’s people are still on the earth there will be false shepherds

                                               i.     Ezekiel 34:1-4 

                                             ii.     1 John 2:18 

          2.     God Will Raise Up the Ultimate False Shepherd – vs. 16

a.     There is a Devil that wants to steal, kill and destroy

                                               i.     He has been defeated

1.     Hebrews 2:14-15 

                                             ii.     We have the power to tread on him

1.     Luke 10:18-20 

                                           iii.     Yet we are still to beware of him

1.     1 Peter 5:8 

 

b.     The Devil has a false shepherd who will claim to be the savior of the world

                                               i.     God will raise him up

1.     2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 

                                             ii.     He will not like the Jews

1.     Psalm 14:1-4

                                           iii.     He will not seek after the lost

1.     Luke 15:4-7 

                                            iv.     He will not heal the broken

1.     Luke 4:18-19 

                                             v.     He will not feed the flock

1.     John 21:17 

                                            vi.     He will consume some of the flock

1.     2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 

                                          vii.     He will render the flock defenseless

1.     Revelation 13:1-4 

          3.     God Will Destroy the Ultimate False Shepherd – vs. 17

a.     The Anti-Christ will abandon the flock in their hour of need

                                               i.     Revelation 13:7-10 

b.     The Anti-Christ will have a sword on his arm and on his right eye

                                               i.     Daniel 8:23-25 

c.     The Anti-Christ’s power will be dried up

                                               i.     Revelation 19:19-21 

d.     The Anti-Christ’s vision will be taken away

                                                              i.      Daniel 7:9-11 

Charlie Kirk

 This is a great discussion regarding the legacy of Charlie Kirk. So sad to see him gone and yet we know he is in a better place...

Zechariah 11:1-14

 

Zechariah 11:1-14

The Logos Will Correct His Wayward Sheep

Zec 11:1  Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. 

Zec 11:2  Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down. 

Zec 11:3  There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled. 

Zec 11:4  Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter; 

Zec 11:5  Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not. 

Zec 11:6  For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them. 

Zec 11:7  And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock. 

Zec 11:8  Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me. 

Zec 11:9  Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. 

Zec 11:10  And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. 

Zec 11:11  And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD. 

Zec 11:12  And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 

Zec 11:13  And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD. 

Zec 11:14  Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. 

          1.      The Pride of Israel Is Broken – vs. 1-3

a.      Frustrated by years of rebellion, Rome launches a massive invasion into Israel to deal with the Jews once for all, in 67 AD. Zechariah uses the imagery of a trees to symbolize Israel’s power and might. Many Jews had sought refuge in northern Palestine to escape political unrest. They are the first to be destroyed by Vespasian and his army.

                                               i.     The trees can also be symbolic of the Temple complex that will be burned with fire. – vs. 1-2

1.      1 Kings 6:14-16 

                                              ii.     The young lions are symbolic of the cities and villages that would be burned. These are the same areas which had been destroyed in judgement long before by Nebuchadnezzar. – vs. 3

1.      Ezekiel 19:6-7 

           2.      The Pride of Israel is Consumed – vs. 4-10

a.      Israel will be set aside for slaughter – vs. 4

                                               i.     Matthew 23:33-39 

b.      Rome will massacre the Jews and claim they had a right to do it – vs. 5

                                               i.     Rome will murder the Jews

                                              ii.     Rome will sell Jews into slavery

                                            iii.     Rome will claim they are doing God a service

                                             iv.     Rome will become fabulously wealthy off the gold they plunder from the Temple

                                              v.     Rome will justify their actions because the leaders of the Jewish revolt didn’t care about their followers

c.      God will not save Israel from this horror – vs. 6

                                               i.     There will be no mercy for anyone - Hebrews 10:29-31 

                                              ii.     They will be delivered into the hand of the king that they claimed was their own – Ceasar

1.      John 19:14-15 

                                            iii.     The Jews will be plagued with constant infighting

d.      The Glory and the Unity of Israel will crumble – vs. 7

                                               i.     The Beautiful Staff represents the pleasant and peaceful glory of Israel

1.      Proverbs 16:24 

                                              ii.     The Bands Staff is representative of the bonds of love and union that God has with Israel

1.      Hosea 11:1-4 

e.      All three leaders of the Jewish revolt will be laid low in the time of one month.  – vs. 8

                                               i.     Simon bar Giora; John of Gischala; Eleazar ben Simon

f.      The Olive Tree which symbolizes Israel will be cut down and another will take her place – vs. 9

                                               i.     During the siege of Jerusalem there will be horrible starvation. Because the defenders will destroy their own food supplies, while fighting among themselves.

                                              ii.     The flower of Jewish leadership will die

1.      Romans 11:7-10 

                                            iii.     Starvation will be so bad that many will resort to cannibalism

g.      The Glory of Israel was not broken until the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and God’s covenant with His people was temporarily ended until fulness of the Gentiles has come. – vs. 10

                                               i.     Luke 21:20-24 

          3.      The Pride of Israel is Blinded – vs. 11-14

a.      Only the humble will see the work of the Logos in those trying times. This is because Jesus does not come as a warlord but as a suffering Messiah – vs. 11

                                               i.     Isaiah 53:3-6 

b.      The leaders of Israel paid 30 pieces of silver for the betrayal of their Messiah, Jesus – vs. 12

                                               i.     John 11:49-16; Matthew 26:14-16

c.      They valued Him at the price of a common slave – vs. 13

                                               i.     Judas, who betrayed Jesus, threw the money back at the Jewish leaders in the house of the Lord

1.      Matthew 27:3-5 

                                              ii.     The Jewish leaders used the money to purchase the potter’s field. - Matthew 27:6-10 

d.      God broke the unity of Israel when they crucified His Son Jesus – vs. 14

                                               i.     Romans 11:17-24