A Blog of Encouragement from our Pastors
The WEekly Word
WEeKLY WORD – 12/5/24
Zechariah 14:1-5
The final verses of Zechariah 13 describe God’s refinement of the Jewish people before His return to Jerusalem. Chapter 14 reveals how Yahweh returns to reign in Jerusalem.
While other prophets foretold the coming of Yahweh as the Messiah (Isaiah 9 & 11; Jeremiah 23; Daniel 7; Micah 5; and Zechariah 9), Zechariah 14:1-5 stands out for its vivid physical description of His arrival. As you read, note the striking physical details:
1 Behold, a day is coming for Yahweh when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. 2 Indeed, I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city will go forth in exile, but those left of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then Yahweh will go forth and fight against those nations, as the day when He fights on a day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. 5 And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; indeed, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then Yahweh, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!
Zechariah begins with a declaration of Yahweh’s coming justice. In verse 1, He promises to restore all the wealth stolen from Israel by Gentile nations. This kind of theft is described in the Old and New Testaments, even into the 20th century when Nazi Germany plundered the Jews across Europe. When God reigns in Israel in the person of Jesus Christ, these historic wrongs will be made right as His perfect justice comes to earth.
This process will begin when God permits the nations to lay siege to Jerusalem in verse 2. Many Jews will suffer; some will survive the siege, while others will flee in exile. In fact, Jesus warned about this, giving specific directions for when to flee in Mark 13:14.
Yahweh’s patience will run out during this siege. Verse 3 assures us of His imminent return to confront the nations at this point. God won’t let them destroy His nation because it would nullify His unbreakable covenants with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David.
In verse 4, Yahweh’s feet touch the Mount of Olives, splitting it in two. This geological shift provides a way of escape for the Jews trapped in Jerusalem. This split is a taste of Yahweh’s supernatural power before He wipes out the armies of the nations.
In verse 5, the refined Jewish remnant flees through this new valley created by Yahweh’s descent. At the end of verse 5 Yahweh moves to strike the world’s armies, but He doesn’t do so alone. His holy ones come with Him to defeat the nations. The New Testament explains that this army includes both angels (Matthew 25:31; Mark 8:38) and believers (1 Thessalonians 3:13 and Revelation 19:8-14).
One can only imagine that massive alliance of earthly forces converging on Jerusalem. Yet, when faced with Yahweh and His army, the defeat will be stunning. In comparison to the Messiah’s power, the might of these global forces will be insignificant.
As we seek to apply this passage, let’s consider one overlooked detail. In verse 2, one of the terrors of the siege is that the women of Jerusalem are “ravished” or “raped”. God’s plan is to allow this injustice along with many others prior to His return.
This passage teaches us three lessons about suffering prior to Christ’s return: (1) it must happen before God’s judgment comes, and (2) Christians can prepare ahead of time by understanding this suffering doesn’t mean God doesn’t care, but (3) looking back at verse 1, we can endure in hope, knowing God will bring perfect justice and comfort when He returns to earth.
Pastor David
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