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Introduction to Chapter 14
 Chapter
14, takes us through several events before and after the return
of the Messiah and during the reign of Christ in the Millennium.
We see Jerusalem sacked by the armies of the Antichrist, we see the
nation escape to the Mt. Olives, we also see the return of
Christ and His kingdom established. The 14th
chapter, shows how the armies of the Antichrist are defeated,
from the perspective of those on the earth.
The Millennium is a major focus of this chapter, giving us a glimpse into
just how government on the earth will operate while, Jesus rules
from Jerusalem. How the nations submit to the rule of Messiah,
the Lord of Hosts who rules from Jerusalem.
Zechariah
14
The
Battle for Jerusalem
1 Behold,
the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be
divided in your midst.
2 For I will
gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city
shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half
of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the
people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then the Lord
will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in
the day of battle.
4 And in that
day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces
Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in
two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the
mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the
south.
5 Then you shall
flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall
reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the
earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my
God will come, And all the saints with You.
6 It shall come
to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will
diminish.
7 It shall be
one day Which is known to the Lord-Neither day nor night. But at
evening time it shall happen That it will be light. Zechariah
14:1-7
(1) The day of the Lord: This is the
period of God’s judgment on the nations, the transition between
the kingdoms of this age, and the kingdom of God. The Day of
the Lord is not just one particular day, but a period of the
time, also known as Daniel’s 70th week.
In
the Day of the Lord, Jerusalem will fall to the armies of
Antichrist, Jerusalem will be sacked and pillaged by the armies,
the Jews will flee into the mountains as Christ warns the
nation, when they see the Abomination of Desolation.
(2)
Gather all the nations: The 70th week begins with the peace agreement made
by the Antichrist, who guarantees Israel’s rights for
seven-years, allowing the Third Temple and sacrifice to
begin. At the middle point of the tribulation, Antichrist and
his armies will invade Jerusalem, and he (Antichrist) will
proclaim himself god and demanding to be worshipped (Matthew
24:15, Zechariah 12;9, ) by Israel and the world.
At the end of the tribulation, the armies of the Antichrist and
the nations gather again in Jerusalem, ending in Armageddon, at
the 2nd coming of Christ.
27 Then he
shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the
middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and
offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes
desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is
poured out on the desolate."
Daniel 9:27
The city
shall be taken: At the middle of the tribulation, the armies of Antichrist
will defeat the city of Jerusalem. In the book of Revelation,
the Antichrist kills the two witnesses and sets up an image of
himself in the Temple, demanding the whole world worship him.
(Revelation 11:7-10)
Jesus warned about this in Matthew 24:15-21, the time will be
unparalleled in the history of the world.
15
"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken
of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever
reads, let him understand),
16 "then let
those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
17 "Let him
who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his
house.
18 "And let
him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.
19 "But woe
to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in
those days!
20 "And pray
that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
21 "For then
there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the
beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Matthew 24:15-21
Half of
the city: The armies of
the Antichrist decimate the city, raping the women and taking ½
the people captive. The other half escapes via valley when theMount of Olives spits in two, causing a way of escape.
(3)
Lord… fight against …those nations: This refers to
the 2nd coming when the Lord returns, after the
nation of Israel, the survivors who escape the armies of
Antichrist via valley created in the Mount of Olives, accept
Jesus as their Messiah.
Another point to consider, the nations gather against Israel again at the
end of the tribulation period, therefore, in some way the armies
of Antichrist must have been defeated or pushed back from Israel
before the 2nd Coming, to gather again at the end.
(Revelation 16:16, 19:17-21). The scenario is not entirely
clear.
(4) His
feet on the Mount of Olives: This verse attests to the deity of Christ, because, we are
told the feet of the LORD will stand. Who is the Lord who
returns? The Lord is the Messiah, who rules as King over
Jerusalem, the Son of David. The Mt. of Olives splits in two at
the middle of the Tribulation period making a way of escape, the
Jews flee, and following the return of Jesus Christ (Messiah),
His feet stand on the Mt. of Olives.
Split in two:The
mountain splits, allowing the Jews to flee. This event is
referred too in four places in the Bible. (See Zechariah 14:4-5,
Isaiah 26:20-21, Matthew 24:15-21, Revelation 12:14-17)
(5) you
shall flee: Those who are
in Jerusalem at the time the armies of the Antichrist invade, if
they listen to the words of Jesus, will flee into the valley
created when the Mt. of Olives splits in two.(Matthew 24:15-21)
20 Come, my
people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the
indignation is past. 21 For behold, the Lord comes out of His
place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover
her slain. Isaiah 26:20-21
14 But the
woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly
into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a
time and times and half a time, from the presence of the
serpent.
15 So the
serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the
woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
16 But the
earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and
swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his
mouth.
17 And the
dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with
the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and
have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation
14:14-17
When the
mountain splits, there will be an earthquake, shocking the
armies of Antichrist, giving time for Jews to flee. For
1260-days, 3.5 years the nation will be protected by the Lord,
this is the 2nd half of the tribulation.
God will
come, And all the saints: In the end, the
nation is rescued by the Lord, “Me whom they pierced”
(Zechariah 12:10). Along with the return of the Lord, the saints
or holy ones return. The Hebrew word here is XwdqQadowsh, meaning
holy, is the same word translated saint in the Old
Testament. This term can also be read as angels, the point is
the Lord comes with his armies including both saints and angels.
(See Matthew 24:30, 25:31, Revelation 19).
(6) that
day…no light: This lights are
also diminished in addition to the Earthquake, allowing the
nation to flee.
(7) one day:
It is a unique day, known only to the Lord, similar to when the
Red Sea split in two allowing Israel to escape the armies of
Pharaoh.
Jerusalem in
the Millennium
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," And His name one.
10 All the land
shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of
Jerusalem. 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 Hananeel 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. Zechariah
14:8-11
(8) In
that day: That day,
referrers to this unique period, the Day of Lord, and what
follows. Following the return of Christ, and the establishment
of Jerusalem as the capital of the Lord’s earthly kingdom,
waters will flow.
Living
waters: These waters
will flow from the Temple, where the throne of Christ will be,
out toward the Dead Sea and a second stream toward the
Mediterranean Sea. The Dead Sea (Eastern Sea) comes to life, as
opposed to being dead today, because of the amount of salt.
(Ezekiel 47:8-9)
(9) Lord
shall be King: Jesus will be
King, the rejected Messiah, will rule over the nation. The same
King who entered Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) will rule
over the earth (Zechariah 9:10)
9 "Rejoice
greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having
salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a
donkey.
10 I will
cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem;
The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the
nations; His dominion shall be 'from sea to sea, And from the
River to the ends of the earth.' Zechariah 9:9-10
This verse
also demonstrates the deity of the Messiah, who is King of
Jerusalem, but also called the Lord of Hosts in verse
16. The King of Jerusalem is God Himself, the Messiah, who
returns to rule over His people.
(10)
Jerusalem shall be…. This is
literally Jerusalem, not Jerusalem a metaphor. This is an
important point to understand, since many teach a non-literal
understanding of scripture. Some try to force scripture to fit
their view, and in order to do this they need to make scripture
symbolic. So when the Bible refers to Jerusalem, they try to
force a symbolic meaning.
Here however, very specific points are made regarding the gates
of literal Jerusalem, so there could be no mistake.
Jerusalem in a very literal sense is implied.
(11) The
people… The city will recover from the destruction, which occurs in
the tribulation.
The
Plague against the armies of Jerusalem
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. Zechariah 14:12-15
(12)This
shall be the plague: In verses, 12
to 15, we are given a view of what happens before the Lord rules
the city as King. How does God destroy the armies, which
surround the city of Jerusalem at the 2nd Coming.
Flesh….
dissolve… Their bodies
will literally dissolve while they stand, and the blood will
flow throughout the land of Israel. The birds will come and eat
the decaying flesh of the armies, both human and animal flesh.
Revelation tells us the blood will flow as high as the horses
bridal throughout the length of Israel (Revelation 14:20).
Revelation also refers to the birds, feasting on the flesh of
the armies.
17 Then I
saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud
voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven,
“Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,
18 “that you
may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of
mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them,
and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and
great.”
19 And I saw
the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered
together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and
against His army. Revelation 19:17-19
(13) In
that day….great panic….
The armies, which come against Jerusalem begin to fight each
other as the plague breaks out amongst them. A similar event
happened in the days of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:22-24) as
the united armies of Ammon, Moab and Mt. Seir were sent against
Israel, they ended up fighting each other.
(14) Judah will fight: At the 2nd
coming, the Jewish people will receive a super-natural power
from the Lord, we are told the feeble will be like David, and
the house of David like God (Zech. 12:8).
Wealth
gathered:
Judah will be victorious because the Lord Himself will fight
against those nations and establish His kingdom. The wealth of
the nations will be gathered in Jerusalem.
(15) All the cattle: The animals will suffer the same plague as the armies of
Antichrist, with their flesh dissolving while they stand.
The
earth during in the Millennium
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. 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. Zechariah 14:16-21
(16) It
shall come to pass: In the Kingdom
of Messiah, the nations will be repopulated and the nations will
come to worship the Lord, who is King over the earth. The
nations and people born on the earth will come to Jerusalem on a
yearly basis to worship King Messiah, who is the Lord, ruling
from Jerusalem.
(17)Families…..do not come up: Even in the
Millennium, with all necessities met nations and people will
still be ungrateful for the Lord’s provision. The nations if
they choose not to go to Jerusalem, the nation will not have
rain. People and nations will have freedom of choice in the
Millennium, the limits of sin will be clearly defined in the
law. False prophets and idols will not be permitted, but people
could choose or not choose to go to Jerusalem and worship, the
consequence being no rain on the nation.
(18)
Egypt: Specifically,
in the Millennium, Egypt will be a nation. At some point it
seems Egypt, will not send people to Jerusalem, with the
resulting punishment of no rain. When this takes place in the
Millennium is not clear. The point being, nations will have the
choice to worship or not worship, but there will be
consequences.
(19)
punishment of….nations: At the end of
the Millennium, Satan is released to tempt the nations one final
time, testing those born on the earth. This event could also
be looking toward the end of the Millennium, when the nations
rebel against Christ, before the Great White Throne Judgment
(Revelation 20:11).
7 Now when
the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his
prison
8 and will
go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of
the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle,
whose number is as the sand of the sea.
9 They went
up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the
saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of
heaven and devoured them. Revelation 20:7-9
(20)
bells of the horses: Here we have a
seen in the city of Jerusalem during the Millennium,.
(21)Every pot in Jerusalem: Jerusalem
is a city dedicated to the Lord, in every way.
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