PM Home Bible Study Group; December 14, 2011

Zechariah 14:8-21
Theme: The Future of the World Powers, Israel, and the Kingdom of Messiah (9:1-14:21).

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

B. The Second Burden (12:1-14-21).

5. God’s Earthly Kingdom (14:8-21).

8 And in that day it shall be

That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem,

Half of them toward the eastern sea

And half of them toward the western sea;

In both summer and winter it shall occur.

9 And the LORD shall be King over all the earth.

In that day it shall be—

“The LORD is one,”[a]

And His name one.

10 All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem[b] shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.

11 The people shall dwell in it;

And no longer shall there be utter destruction,

But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

12 And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem:

Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet,

Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets,

And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.

13 It shall come to pass in that day

That a great panic from the LORD will be among them.

Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor,

And raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand;

14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem.

And the wealth of all the surrounding nations

Shall be gathered together:

Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.

15 Such also shall be the plague

On the horse and the mule,

On the camel and the donkey,

And on all the cattle that will be in those camps.

So shall this plague be.

16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain.

18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

20 In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar.

21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts.[c] Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

Footnotes:

a. Zechariah 14:9; Compare Deuteronomy 6:4

b. Zechariah 14:10; Literally She

c. Zechariah 14:21; Or on every pot . . . shall be (engraved) “HOLINESS TO THE LORD OF HOSTS”

* * * * * * * * * *

The closing words of the final burden of the prophet Zechariah are words of great hope and of a bright outlook. This book began with an announcement that God was angry with His people; but it closes with God’s promise to exalt them. It has been a message of “comforting words” (1:13)—a message through which He proved His declared; “’I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease; for I was a little angry, and they helped—but with evil intent.’ Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘and a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.’ Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem”’” (1:15-17). God has intended this prophecy to be good news to His covenant people Israel concerning their Messiah.

It is good news to us too. In His Sermon on The Mount, our Lord taught us to pray to the Father and say, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). And in this closing section of Zechariah’s prophecy, we read of that promised fulfilled; for it tells us of the establishment of our Lord’s earthly kingdom and of the glorious character of His reign.

Note that this passage tells us of how . . .

I. THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM IS ESTABLISHED (vv. 8-15).

The millennial reign is referred to as “that day”. Already, we have seen that the Day of the Lord is a reference to the events that surround the Lord’s return. But now we see that has a wide significance; and is “that prophetic period embracing the final phase of Israel’s chastisement and trouble, followed by her salvation and deliverance at the second advent of Messiah (the quintessential phase) and extending throughout the subsequent period of kingdom peace and prosperity, commonly called the millennium” (see Merril F. Unger, Zechariah: Prophet of Messiah’s Glory [Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978], p. 255). Note that the Messiah’s reign will be established . . .

A. With blessings upon the land (vv. 8-9). We’re told in verse 4 that, when the Lord returns, He will set foot on the Mount of Olives; and that a great earthquake will result that will cause the mountain to split and a great mountain valley to be formed. Apparently, this earthquake will open up an underground, perpetually-flowing spring of water; because we’re told, “And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; in both summer and winter it shall occur” (v. 8). The “eastern sea” refers to the Dead Sea; and the “western sea” refers to the Mediterranean Sea; and the fact that such specific directions of the flow of the water are mentioned indicates that this is describing something literal. Perhaps, as many Bible teachers suggest, it is describing the flow of water from the temple that is wonderfully described in Ezekiel 47:1-12. The fact that they are called “living waters” may reflect what it says in Ezekiel 47:9-10; “And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many.” The “living” power of these “living waters” is shown in that the promise to bring “life” to even the Dead Sea. (But when reading this, it’s hard not to also see a picture in it of the abundant “living water” that Jesus promised to give to those who believe in Him [John 4:13-14], which is the Holy Spirit [John 7:37-39]; and the promise of “a pure river of water of life” that will proceed from the throne of God and the Lamb in the New Jerusalem [Revelation 22:1-2]). What a change this will be in that dry land which we see today! What a picture of the blessings that will spread as a result of the reign of Jesus Christ; for, as we’re told, “And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be—’The LORD is one’, and His name one” (v. 9). The Lord will be honored as the exclusive Lord of all. There will be no other. And finally, the declaration of the Jewish Shema will be fully realized on earth—”Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

B. With an exaltation of Jerusalem (vv. 10-11). Right now, river waters could not flow through that land. Currently, the Arabah—which goes from the Sea of Galilee (652 feet below sea level) southward, past the Dead Sea (1,300 feet below sea level; but with hills 300 feet above sea level at Petra) and into the Gulf of Aqaba—forms the deepest depression on the face of the earth (see Unger, p. 259). But the earthquake that will have brought about the release of this underground flow will also bring about a leveling of the land into a plain through which the water may freely flow. As verse 10 tells us, “All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem.” In fact, the city itself shall become literally “elevated”; because as we’re told, “Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.” What is promised in Isaiah 2:2 will be fulfilled: “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it” (see also Micah 4:1). The former boundaries of the city will again be established (Jeremiah 31:38-39); and “The people shall dwell in it; and no longer shall there be utter destruction, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited” (v. 11).

C. With the destruction of Israel’s enemies (vv. 12-15). Zechariah’s attention is pulled away from the glories of the city to the destruction of those who had sought its ruin. These things were already spoke of in 12:1-5; but here, we’re given further detail. Note that there are three means of destruction brought upon the nations who, under the rule of the Antichrist, will seek to destroy God’s people:

1. A horrific plague on the enemy (vv. 12, 15). We’re told, “And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths” (v. 12). A dreadful, remarkably rapid flesh-eating disease will take them so that they almost become skeletons while they stand against the city. It will also dissolve the eyes that had eyed God’s holy city with evil intent, and the tongues that dared to speak blasphemously against the King who sets up His rule there. This will apparently not only affect the people themselves; but, as it says in verse 15, “Such also shall be the plague on the horse and the mule, on the camel and the donkey, and on all the cattle that will be in those camps.”

2. A self-destructive panic that overtakes their armies (v. 13). In 12:4, we’re told of the madness that will overtake the enemies of Israel at this time; and now, we’re told of how this madness will turn them one against another: ” It shall come to pass in that day that a great panic from the LORD will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, and raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand . . .” (v. 13). This supernatural insanity will be much like what God had done for His people in times past—such as He did in the days of Gideon (Judges 7:22), and of Jonathan and Saul (1 Samuel 14:20), and of King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:23).

3. A super-human victory by the inhabitants of Jerusalem (v. 14). In 12:8, we’re told that at this time, “the one who is feeble among them” in Jerusalem “shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them.” Here, we’re told of how “Judah also will fight at Jerusalem” (v. 14). And what’s more, it will be clear that God intended this victory for His people, because “the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.” It will be as it was in the victory God gave to Jehoshaphat against the Ammonites—when, providentially, the troops of Ammon and Moab came to the battle they were about to lose wearing an abundance of valuables and precious jewelry (2 Chronicles 20:25).

II. THE MESSIAH’S RULE IS HONORED (vv. 16-21).

After the events are told to us that establish the Messiah’s reign on earth, we’re told of the character of that reign. It will be honored . . .

A. With mandatory worship from the nations (vv. 16-19). Those survivors of the nations that had sought to destroy God’s people will come and bow to their King and worship God at Jerusalem. We’re told, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (v. 16). Dr. Unger writes; “Many answers have been given why only the Feast of Tabernacles or Festival of Booths will be observed in the millennium. The answer is: it is the only one of the seven feasts of the Lord which at that time will be unfulfilled typically and the only one which will be in process of fulfillment by the kingdom itself. The Passover (Leviticus 23:4-5) was fulfilled in the death of Christ the Redeemer (1 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Peter 1:19). The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6-8) is being fulfilled in the holy, separate walk of the believer in fellowship with his Savior (1 Corinthians 5:6-8; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Galatians 5:7-9). The Feast of Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:9-14) was fulfilled in the resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:23). The Feast of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-23) was fulfilled in the formation of the Church at Pentecost fifty days subsequent to the resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16; 12:12-12). The Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25) will be fulfilled in the future regathering of Israel at the beginning of the kingdom (Isaiah 18:3, 7; 27:12-13; Ezekiel 37:1-14). The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32) in its prophetic feature will be fulfilled in the conversion of Israel at the second advent (Zechariah 12:10-13; 31:1) and preparatory to the millennium. Only the Feats of Tabernacles at that time will be unfulfilled in its prophetic aspect as typical of the kingdom rest of Israel after her regathering, and the blessedness typified by that festival will be in process of fulfillment throughout the kingdom age” (Unger, pp. 265-6). God’s will discipline those nations which will not honor Him at this time; because as we’re told in verses 17-19, “And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.”

B. With holiness prevailing in Jerusalem (vv. 20-21a). The Feast of Tabernacles foreshadowed God’s promise to ‘tabernacle’ (dwell) with man. “He who sits on the throne will dwell among them” (Revelation 7:15). And whereas there had been a prevailing unholiness among the people, there will then be a prevailing ‘priestliness’ among them. Even the most common of things will be “holy”: “In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them” (vv. 20-21a). God will not only condescend to dwell in their midst; but they themselves will be fit for such a dwelling with respect to every aspect of life.

C. With nothing unclean in God’s house (v. 21b). We’re told that, “In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts” (v. 21b). “Canaanite” was not only the name of the people group who occupied the land before it was given by God to His people, but it was also proverbial for someone who was deceitful and cunning. “A cunning Canaanite! Deceitful scales are in his hand; he loves to oppress” (Hosea 12:7). Back in Genesis 13:7, when there was strife between Abraham’s herdsmen and those of Lot, we’re told, a special point is made of the fact that the Canaanites were in the land. But now—at the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham—we’re told that there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord. Truly, wickedness will be removed from His people!

* * * * * * * * * *

This describes not only the close of the book of Zechariah, but also leads us to close of Israel’s history as a specific people group on this earth 1,000 years later—to be followed by the creation of the New Heavens and the New Earth with the New Jerusalem as its glorious centerpiece. With these promises, God’s initial promise to Israel long ago is fulfilled: “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation . . .” (Exodus 19:6). And all of it is under the glorious reign of Jesus Christ!

May His Day come soon!