Tuesday, January 11, 2022

#1191 Zechariah 14 No Competing Light

 




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. Zechariah 14 ESV

Zechariah 14 Day of the Lord

Now as we come to the fourteenth chapter, we really come to the climax, the final establishment of the millennial kingdom, the end of human history, as it were. And it’s a tremendous chapter. It’s just loaded with prophecy. Some of it is very, very amazing. Some of it is very difficult to understand with our own limitations. But I do feel this way about it – I want to reaffirm this as we approach it. I do feel that we must interpret the fourteenth chapter literally. I read about five commentaries this week on this chapter that do not interpret the chapter literally, but they make it a symbolic chapter. They do not wish to have a restored Israel in their theology. They do not believe that God has anything left for the nation itself. They do not see a restoration of the people to the land in prophecy. They do not see an actual setting up of an actual earthly kingdom. And so there’s some question about an actual battle of Armageddon, et cetera. So they want to make these things figures or symbols rather than literal reality.

And in so doing they are left with some very, very, very difficult problems. In fact, no less a man of God than Martin Luther himself wanted to approach the fourteenth chapter of Zechariah in a figurative way. He wanted to approach it as symbol language. And taking a figurative approach, he confessed after writing this particular chapter in commentary fashion these words, “In this chapter,” said Luther, “I surrender. For I am not certain of what the prophet speaks.” In other words, approaching it from a figurative or symbolic angle, Luther could make really no convincing sense out of it. He went on in expounding the chapter but didn’t think it could have any reference to the end times and related it only to the period of the destruction of Jerusalem and all of the language was somehow symbolically fulfilled around 70 A.D. - J Mac

In 1919 there was written a commentary on Zechariah by a man named David Baron, B-A-R-O-N. In my judgment, it’s probably the finest work that’s ever been written on the book of Zechariah. And David Baron took a literal approach. He took a literal approach to interpreting this book when literal approaches to these kinds of things were not really very popular, simply because it looked impossible for these things to happen. This is what David Baron wrote in 1919.

“First of all, we have to suppose a restoration of the Jews into their land in a condition of unbelief, not a complete restoration of the whole nation, which will not take place until after their conversion, but a representative and influential remnant will return. It seems from Scripture that in relation to Israel and the land, there will be restoration before the second coming of our Lord, a very much the same state of things as existed at the time of His first coming when the threads of God’s dealing with them nationally were finally dropped, not to be taken up again until the times of the Gentiles should be fulfilled.” Now let me stop at that paragraph just to say this. Baron predicted a literal actual return of Israel to the land, a restoration of the nation in unbelief prior to any conversion experience. He goes on, “There was at that time a number of Jews in Palestine representative of the nation, but compared with the number of their brethren who were already Diaspora among the nations, they were a mere minority and not in a political independent condition.” - J Mac

A day is coming for the Lord - This is the Day of the Lord; this is when things start to speed up for His return, and the Day of the Lord will encompass His coming for His church, the refining here of Israel (the tribulation), and Christ going to war against His enemies, then His rule during the Millennial kingdom. Israel is now in part of the land, as they have been gathering there under a grant from the U.N., establishing a Jewish state in 1948, which is still very small compared to the covenant boundaries. This chapter amplifies the end of the last chapter, verses 8-9 in particular. We can see Israel in the land even now, but they are there in unbelief, awaiting the time when God pours out His spirit and they look on Him Whom they pierced, and they mourn for Him as an only Son, Israel's conversion. The Day of the Lord is a "day of reckoning", as was the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, God's punishment of Israel by Assyria, then Assyria and Judah's punishment by Babylon and so forth. God is holy and just, this is His response to the unrepentant and we will see also here His salvation for His sheep. There are two Days of the Lord that are still future in their fulfillment, the first is at the end of Daniel's 70 week, which will be the time of the Great Tribulation, and the second will be at the end of the millennium. 

…8And in all the land, declares the LORD, two-thirds will be cut off and perish, but a third will be left in it. 9This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’” Zechariah 14: 8-9


…11The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. 12For the Day of the LORD of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted— it will be humbled— 13against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan,… Isaiah 2: 11-13

9The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. 10But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare. 11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness… 2 Peter 3: 9-11

The spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst - So what land, power, and wealth Israel now has will be taken from them so easily that their enemies sort of have a picnic on the spot, splitting up the booty. This goes well with the teachings about the antichrist, that the world sides with him, and that Israel does also for a time, but in the middle of the seventh week he breaks the covenant with Israel, puts up an image of himself and demands their worship. 

…10This is what the Lord GOD says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan. 11You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will come against a tranquil people who dwell securely, all of them living without walls or bars or gates— 12in order to seize the spoil and carry off the plunder, to turn a hand against the desolate places now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and possessions and who live at the center of the land.’… Ezekiel 38: 10-12

…25Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress. 26Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed. 27And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.”… Daniel 9: 25-27

For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle - So God is sovereign, and He has brought all the nations to this one place. The city is under siege, taken and now the houses are plundered and the women raped. The treaty of the antichrist was not long lasting, and he is the foolish shepherd described in Zechariah 11: 15-17, the worthless shepherd who destroys the flock. This is purging out the dross from God's people, but something else is also happening.

Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.
15 “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. Revelation 16: 13-16

Now notice, he says in verse 2, “I’ll gather all nations.” Now there are going to be representatives from all over the world. And as I told you, the east, the west, the north, the south, they’ll all be represented there. The armies of the world literally are going to converge on that little area. And that doesn’t seem so remote anymore, frankly. Everybody in the world is very concerned. The Arab world is concerned about it. Russia is concerned about it. The west is concerned about it because of the tremendous resources that are there. The east, Red China and so forth, for the first time in history over the last ten years has showed great interest in the Middle East. So it’s not an impossibility by any means. - J Mac

Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations - Remember, humanly speaking, it was all over, the spoils were being divided, and they didn't even bother to haul it off. They were so confident in the their victory, it was so overwhelmingly decisive, that they had no fear of any repercussions, the whole of the world was here, both the democracy of the many and the might of the strong, who will come against this great tower? Well remember, God is sovereign, and He has already said what will happen. This is a great prize to the godless nations, it gives access to the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, it helps those looking for more resources, like China, spread out. There is a lot of oil in that region so ports there are important to the world, and Russia has wanted a port in this area for a long time. The materialist world can't see a problem here, they want the Bible to not be true, so they want the remnant to be eradicated and their might to make right, without God that's all there is. 

There were many days of battle when God won, when God fought for His people. And as He did then, so He’ll do in that future day. So He’s kind of like Joseph of old who made himself known to his brothers in their hour of deepest distress. So will God come in the great time of Jacob’s trouble. He’ll come out of the sky to fight for His people. And you and I well know that when He comes, He’ll come in the form of Jesus Christ. We’ll see more about that in a few moments. So what do we have then in the first three verses? We have the nations assembled to war against Palestine. The city has been taken and plundered. The spoil is being divided in the city. Half of the people remain. And all of a sudden the Lord arrives to fight. - J Mac

His feet shall stand on the Mt. of Olives - Then he says, for those who would be tempted to see this figuratively, "that lies before Jerusalem on the east", a real place and this is in real time. Look at the Ascension in Acts 1, He comes back the same way He left, from the east. 

…10They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.” 12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near the city, a Sabbath day’s journey away.… Acts 1: 10-12

And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two - A great earthquake announces the arrival of God. 

But I want you to notice this is not just something in Zechariah. The book of Revelation talks about similar things. In Revelation 16 and verse 18, it says – here you come with the final bowl, the final act before Christ comes, the final judgment at Armageddon. This is the same time period exactly. And it says at this time, “there were voices and thunders and lightnings and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were on the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And every island fled away and the mountains were not found and there fell on men great hail out of heaven, every stone about a hundred pounds.

Now you’ve got a worldwide cataclysm generated by some kind of a supernatural cosmic earthquake when the feet of Jesus Christ hit the Mount of Olives. Not exactly like the baby born in the manger the first time He came. He comes in worldwide power and immediately the world is going to know He arrived. In fact, many of them are going to scream for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them to hide them from His face because they know He comes in judgment. - J Mac

In the days of Uzziah King of Judah - He makes reference to a historical king, and a large earthquake that occurred during his time. Interestingly, Uzziah was a king who was given leprosy for trying to burn incense in the temple, something that only the priests could do. The priests held him back from further violating the law of God, and God turned his skin white in that moment that he cursed the priests. Whether we accomplish our evil or not, God has a right to judge what was in our hearts to do so, and He hates pride.

Lord, my God will come - That's Christ, and His armies. Israel will see Him, look on Him Whom they pierced.

Just to give you a picture of His coming, look at Revelation 19. When He comes, I want you to know, He’s coming in battle regalia. He’s coming to win a battle. He’s coming to judge the ungodly. And it says in Revelation 19:11, “And I saw heaven opened” – this is the same scene and John is looking at it. It’s the same moment. The Mount of Olives is about to be split. Here He comes. “I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse” – literally in the Greek it means a dazzling brilliant horse. “And He that sat on him was called Faithful and True and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.” Here He comes. “And His eyes were like a flame of fire.” That speaks of righteous judgment. “And on His head were many crowns.” That speaks of sovereignty. “And He had a name written that no man knew but He Himself.” And I don’t know what that is because nobody knows. “And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood.” And this is the blood splattering of the war. “And His name is called the Word of God.” So we know who it is. It’s Christ.

“And the armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” You say, who’s this? That’s us, folks, and I’ll show you in a minute. “Out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations. And He shall rule them with a rod of iron. And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God. And He has on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” What an incredible scene. - J Mac

What I’m saying is that you’re going to be there. You say, you sure about that? I’m absolutely sure you’re going to be there, because in 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 13 it says this, “Even at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” Now wait a minute, what are you talking about, Paul? Well, I’m talking about you. “To the end that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” He’s saying I want you to be ready for that time. I want you to be a part of that. You say, well it seems to me he’s just indicating for us to be ready. Where do we get to be a part of it? Well to complete Paul’s thought you have to go to Colossians chapter 4 – chapter 3, pardon me, verse 4. It says this, “When Christ who is our life shall appear” – that is at His manifestation – “then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” In Jude verse 14 it says, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints.”

Now basically saints can refer to angels, can refer to Old Testament saints, and refer to New Testament saints. I’m sure the angels will be with Him. That may be the primary reference of these texts. I’m sure the church will be with Him because that has to be the only reference indicated in Colossians 3:4. And it is possible that at that very moment the resurrection of the bodies of the Old Testament saints will occur and they’ll accompany Him as well. And so the saints will be there. I know we’ll be there because when He shall appear, we shall appear with Him in glory. - J Mac

On that day there shall be no light - What a backdrop as the true Light of the World appears with His armies. All the distractions are gone, and in the dark comes forth the glory of God, the Shekinah of God's Spirit that departed from this same direction, Christ who ascended now descends again. It is all Israel can now see, and they mourn for Him, they look on Him whom they pierced and God grants them repentance unto salvation.   

…8Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear. 9Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming— cruel, with fury and burning anger — to make the earth a desolation and to destroy the sinners within it. 10For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.… Isaiah 13: 8-10

It shall continue in summer as in winter - It will not dry up, as many of the streams in that area of the world are temporary, only flowing during the rainy season. It will be perennial rather than intermittent.  

On that day the Lord will be One and His name One - There shalt be no other gods before Him, it will be evident to all and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. He is the coronated King over all.

Jerusalem shall dwell in security - Her true king has arrived, the Lord of all the earth, the Creator of the Universe.

There flesh shall rot while they are still standing - Israel's protection from the world is complete in Christ. His judgment is instant, pure, and final.

…3Then the angel who was speaking with me went out, and another angel came out to meet him 4and said to him, “Run and tell that young man: ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the multitude of men and livestock within it. 5For I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’ ”… Zechariah 2: 3-5

And the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other - God's enemies turn upon each other like in the days of Gideon. 

Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem - They were running and beaten, but now like we saw earlier in Zechariah where each becomes as a David, and in chapter 12 where Israel turns out to be not quite the light thing to lift. 

…3On that day, when all the nations of the earth gather against her, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who would heave it away will be severely injured. 4On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and every rider with madness. I will keep a watchful eye on the house of Judah, but I will strike with blindness all the horses of the nations. 5Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts: ‘The people of Jerusalem are my strength, for the LORD of Hosts is their God.’… Zechariah 12: 3-5

Go up year after year - As simple as it reads, the nations come to worship Christ, Israel becomes a light, and the people left throughout the world in that day learn about the Lord. They come to see the King of kings. They come to know true religion.

There shall be no rain - No one will live in God's kingdom, in His creation that does not acknowledge Him and His right as the Potter. Sadly, there will be a revolt at the very end of the Millennium.

And there will no longer be a trader in the house of the Lord - 

Then he closes by saying, “And there won’t even be a Canaanite in the place.” You say, what’s He got against Canaanites? Why does He say that? The word Canaanite, beloved, is a byword. It’s an epithet. It’s a title. It’s a figure of speech referring to a morally and spiritually unclean person. The Canaanites were unclean, morally and spiritually. And the word Canaanite became a proverb in Israel for a degenerate person. In the kingdom there won’t be a degenerate person. What a time. What a time. Anybody who comes along that way, the Lord will judge. And the whole world will be holiness unto the Lord. - J Mac




















































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