Zechariah - Chapter 14
THE FINAL DAY OF HOLINESS
ZECHARIAH 14
In the last half of the book of Zechariah we are given the great privilege of a view into the mind of God as seen through what He reveals about His plan for the end of all things within His creation. He shares these plans with us through His appointed prophet. We should remember that these writings were inspired and produced over 500 years before Jesus was born. How can we properly value these writings? We can do so by remembering that a number of them (all written before the fact) have already come true.
We have the great benefit of looking backward in time to several of these prophecies that have already been fulfilled.
The piercing of the Messiah in 12:10 was fulfilled. The smiting of the shepherd and the scattering of the people in 13:7 was fulfilled. Now this last chapter gives prophecy of a yet future siege of Jerusalem after the return of the Jews who remain mostly in unbelief, and of their deliverance by the appearing of Christ once more, begun when He stands on the Mount of Olives. So certain prophecies are now history. To believe that Jews are scattered and that Jerusalem was destroyed and that the Temple was left not one stone upon another requires no faith. It all is fact. To believe that Israel will be restored, Jerusalem on Temple Mount will be rebuilt, nations will amass against the Holy City chosen by God, and that Jehovah God in the person of Jesus will appear and resolve all things in Himself does require faith.
The first verses of chapter 14 are an expansion of the last three verses of chapter 13 and lead us back toward the time opened by chapter 12, telling us of the great siege of Jerusalem by Gentile armies. After a time of prosperity in Israel comes the agony of darkness. Nations gather against her and scripture teaches us that a covenant will have been arranged with the false messiah which fulfills the sad warning of Jesus when he said, “... if another come in his own name, him ye shall receive” (John 5:43). As we begin to study this final chapter, we should remember that Jehovah has come Himself to fight for His own before. In Joshua 10:14 we are told that there was no day like that day either before or after for Jehovah fought for Israel. In this later time of greatest need, He will do so again.
In verses 1-2 Jerusalem is under siege from the nations of the world. This attack was said by the prophet to be the work of God who gathers all the nations in this way. There have been consistent critics who have said this time was the time of Roman warfare in 70 A.D. Such an opinion must be false, because if that time no Messiah appeared to deliver His people. Here also we are taught that a remnant shall not be cut off. In 70 A.D. no remnant remained.
In verses 3-5 our Messiah intervenes on behalf of His people. He stands on the Mount of Olives, the mountain splits in two, creating a large valley where His people may flee. The Lord is said to come and to bring the saints with Him, which are the armies of heaven described in Rev 19:14. During the siege attack by the Romans many Jewish Temple leaders assured the people the Messiah would appear. He did not. This false teaching ignored the facts given by Zechariah that first must be a rejection and great repentance as given by Zechariah in 11:12-13 & 12:10. There was no repentance then and there is none yet now.
In verses 6-11 we see the time in which the Messiah's rule will change the earth after His complete defeat of all invaders.
Night itself shall not appear on that day.
Living waters shall flow from Jerusalem (½ to the east & ½ to the west).
The Lord shall be king over all the earth.
The land will change into a great plain.
Jerusalem will be raised upward.
Destruction will be no more.
Jerusalem will provide safety to all who inhabit her.
In verses 12-15 we see that her enemies are to be forever suffering in plague. Their flesh itself will dissolve while they stand not seeing it happen because their eyes will have also dissolved. Once more the ancient promise of God will be kept as he assured His people that those who curse Israel shall themselves be cursed.
Verses 16-19 allows us the wonderful news that all nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the true God, keeping the ancient feast of Tabernacles and those who do not come will continue to be cursed as rain will not fall upon them. So the 1,000 year kingdom shall begin and in verses 20-21 we are taught that the common will be made holy. Every common pot in Jerusalem and Judea will be considered holy and the words “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of horses, which was the inscription engraved on the head piece of God's high priests in ancient days (Ex 28:36).
All things will become holy as the Lord rules over all things. Zechariah ends his prophecy by teaching us that God's way is to make everything that was once common to become holy in His service. Such a change is exactly what he does through His Christ, our Lord, when He draws each of us who were dead in trespasses and sin to Himself and makes us each one holy by His Holy Spirit gifted to indwell.