Zechariah 14:1-8

Zechariah 14:1-8

The Return of the Logos

 

Zec 14:1  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 

Zec 14:2  For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 

Zec 14:3  Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 

Zec 14:4  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 

Zec 14:5  And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 

Zec 14:6  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: 

Zec 14:7  But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. 

Zec 14:8  And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 

 

         1.     Jerusalem is Besieged by Evil – vs. 1-2

a.     Zechariah takes us back to the beginning of his vision described in Chapter 12 and give us more details about the second coming of the Messiah. – vs. 1

                                               i.     Zechariah 12:1-4 

b.     Jerusalem will seem to be almost defeated when the Global Confederacy which attacked her stops to divide the spoil. – vs. 2

                                               i.     All the nations of the world are involved in this Global Confederacy – vs. 2a

1.     Psalm 2:1-6 

2.     Revelation 16:14 

                                             ii.     The city will have fallen – vs. 2b

                                           iii.     The women will be ravished – vs. 2c

                                            iv.     Many will be led away to slavery – vs. 2d

                                             v.     Many will have been killed – vs. 2e

          2.     Jerusalem is Delivered – vs. 3-5

a.     Then the Lord will attack the Nations of the Global Confederacy – vs. 3a

                                               i.     Joel 3:9-16 

                                             ii.     Which means that this description of a siege of Jerusalem cannot be:

1.     Nebuchadnezzar’s siege

2.     The Roman’s siege in 70 AD

3.     Or any other major siege of Jerusalem in history

b.     The Lord will fight for Israel like as in the days of old – vs. 3b

                                               i.     2 Chronicles 20:15 

c.     God incarnate will stand on the Mount of Olives Again – vs. 4a

                                               i.     Acts 1:9-12 

d.     The Mount of Olives East of Jerusalem – vs. 4b

e.     The Mount of Olives will be cloven in half, and a huge valley will be formed in the wake – vs. 4c

                                               i.     Micah 1:3-4 

f.      The people of Jerusalem will escape through the valley – vs. 5a

g.     The people of Jerusalem will be able to reach the safety of Azal – vs. 5b

h.     This will all be caused by a great earthquake that happens when Jesus returns – vs. 5c

                                               i.     Revelation 16:17-19 

i.      These are all the events that lead up to the return of Zechariah’s Lord and God who is Jesus – vs. 5d

                                               i.     Matthew 24:29-31 

j.      Jesus will be at the head of a great army of saints – vs. 5e

                                               i.     1 Thessalonians 3:13 

          3.     The Dawning of a New Day – vs. 6-8

a.     In the New Kingdom there will be nor more Shadow – vs. 6

                                               i.     2 Peter 1:19 

b.     In the New Kingdom there will be no more night – vs. 7

                                               i.     Revelation 21:22-25 

c.     In the New Kingdom, Jerusalem will be the source of Living Water – vs. 8

                                               i.     Revelation 22:1-5  

Zechariah 13:1-9

 

Zechariah 13:1-9

The Cleansing of Jerusalem

Zec 13:1  In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. 

Zec 13:2  And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. 

Zec 13:3  And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. 

Zec 13:4  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: 

Zec 13:5  But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. 

Zec 13:6  And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 

Zec 13:7  Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. 

Zec 13:8  And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 

Zec 13:9  And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. 

 

         1.     In the Last Days There Will be a Cleansing Fountain in Israel – vs. 1

a.      There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins that will cleanse all who come to it.

                                               i.     The blood of Jesus washes away sin - 1 John 1:7 

                                             ii.     The blood of Jesus changes who we are - Isaiah 1:16-18 

                                            iii.     The blood of Jesus takes away our desire for idols - Ezekiel 36:25-27 

                                            iv.     The blood of Jesus sanctifies us - 1 Corinthians 6:11 

                                              v.     The blood of Jesus regenerates us - Titus 3:5 

         2.     In the Last Days Idolatry Will Be Cut Off in Israel – vs. 2-5

a.      God will perform a twofold form of cleansing: - vs. 2

                                               i.     The memory of the former idols will be lost

1.     Micah 5:10-15  

                                             ii.     The false prophets will be removed

1.     False prophets will be dealt with judicially at the family level – vs. 3

a.      Deuteronomy 13:6-11; Matthew 10:37-39 

2.     Former false prophets will be forced to cover their identities because they are so afraid of righteous punishment. – vs. 4-5

a.      They will not speak of their visions

                                                                                                     i.     Micah 3:6-7 

b.     They will dress in the humblest of clothes in hopes of blending in

c.      They will deny ever being a prophet

d.     They will claim that they are farmers in order to hide their identity

           3.     This is All Because of a Crucified Shepherd – vs. 6-7

a.      While there is much debate about what verse 6 means, I believe it fits better in the context of verse 7 than the previous verses. The reality is that it is hard to know for certain. One thing for sure is that it certainly fits with the picture of a suffering Messiah that Zechariah has already identified so clearly.

                                               i.     Jesus was crucified for the Jews – vs. 6a

1.     Psalm 22:16; Isaiah 53:5-6 

                                             ii.     Jesus was crucified by the Jews – vs. 6b

1.     John 11:49-52 

                                            iii.     Jesus was crucified by the sword or the authority of the Roman governance – vs. 7a

1.     John 19:15-16 

                                            iv.     Jesus is a part of the Godhead – vs. 7b

1.     Colossians 1:15-19 

                                              v.     Jesus, who is the good shepherd, was smitten for us – vs. 7c

1.     Hebrews 13:20-21 

                                            vi.     The sheep will be scatted – vs. 7d

1.     Matthew 26:31 

         4.     God Will Purify Israel – vs. 8-9

a.      Many millions of Jews will die in the judicial cleansing by God – vs. 8

                                               i.     Romans 9:27-29 

b.     Yet God is not done with ethnic Israel and plans to restore them after their time of purification – vs. 9

                                               i.     The Jews will be refined - Isaiah 43:1-2 

                                             ii.     They will again call on God - Zechariah 12:10 

                                            iii.     God will again hear their cry - Joel 2:32 

                                            iv.     God will recognize them as His people again - Zechariah 10:6 

                                              v.     They will see God as their God - Jeremiah 32:38 

Zechariah 12:10-14

 

Zechariah 12:10-14

The Spiritual Salvation of Jerusalem

 

Zec 12:10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 

Zec 12:11  In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 

Zec 12:12  And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 

Zec 12:13  The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 

Zec 12:14  All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. 

 

       1.     There Will Be Some Day Be a Great Revival Among the Jews – vs. 10

a.     What does true heartfelt revival look like?

                                               i.     Revival begins with and act of God working in the heart of man through the Holy Spirit

1.     Ephesians 2:4-5 

2.     Ephesians 2:8-9 

                                             ii.     Revival begins in the House of Israel after millennia of unrepentance

1.     Ezekiel 39:27-29 

2.     Romans 11:26-29 

                                           iii.     Revival begins with a Spirit of grace which produces a genuine cry for salvation

1.     Titus 3:5-6 

                                            iv.     Revival begins when we look to Jesus

1.     John 19:33-37 

                                             v.     Revival begins when we take responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus

1.     Romans 5:6-9 

                                            vi.     Revival begins when we realize how much Jesus suffered for us

1.     Isaiah 53:3-6 

                                          vii.     Revival begins when we consider how much the Father gave up for us

1.     Romans 8:32 

       2.     That Revival Will Produce a Heartfelt Longing for the Messiah – vs. 11-14

a.     Instead of joyous celebration at the incredible military salvation of Jerusalem, described in the beginning of chapter 12, there will be a deep sense of mourning. – vs. 11

b.     Instead of moving on with life unchanged, there will be a deep sense of national repentance and mourning for the Messiah they crucified so long ago. The people of Israel will seek to be alone in their tremendous grief. – vs. 12-14

                                               i.     Every family will seek to mourn individually

                                             ii.     The House of David will mourn individually

                                           iii.     The House of Nathan will mourn individually

1.     Luke 3:31 

                                            iv.     The House of Levi will mourn individually

1.     Deuteronomy 10:8 

                                             v.     The House of Shimei will mourn individually

1.     Numbers 3:17-18 

                                            vi.     Every family will seek to mourn individually

c.     Salvation is not communal; you must seek to be saved individually before the cross of Jesus

                                               i.     Mark 10:28-31 

                                             ii.     John 3:3