August 28, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Zechariah? Here’s today’s reading:
Zechariah 14 (NIV)
The Lord Comes and Reigns
1 A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.
2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city…..Continue Reading
This chapter pictures the triumphant return of Israel`s Messiah as the divine king. Thus it portrays the fulfillment of eschatological psalms such as Psalms 93,96-97,99 which envision the universal earthly reign of the Lord. [ The Bible Knowledge Commentary] It starts off with plundering by other nations and through much of the tribulation and then the Lord comes in and fights for Israel. He will be King over the whole earth. The survivors of the divine judgement will come to worship Him. It is very gruesome what happens to these nations during the judgement and defeat of these nations. Every knee will bow that Jesus is Lord. One of the things that will be done is the Feast of Tabernacles reminding the nations that the Jewish people dwelt in booths when God brought them out of the land of Egypt. They were to have this feast for seven days throughout their generations. [ Lev 23; 33-43.] There is a phrase in the last verse in this chapter that was a little puzzling at first when I read it. [ and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.] Here is how the Bible Knowledge Commentary states it. [ In the Old Testament a Canaanite had become symbolic of anything ceremonially unclean and ungodly. The dishonest merchant in Hosea 12;7 is lit., the Canaanite.] That helps clear it up to me. God bless us as we finish Zechariah and go on to the next book.
Zechariah has some awesome prophecies. The last battle against Israel. Their enemy’s are not fighting against men but God. Good luck. Those that attack might want to read zechariah ch. 12. Verses 10-12. They will realize the one they pierced Jesus was and is the messiah. Imagine the Pharisees of Jesus time Bowing before him. Chapter 13. Awesome. The fountain of Gods mercy as Pastor Peter talked about this past Sunday. It’s just never ending. We so don’t deserve Gods mercy even as his children. Never mind being an enemy of God. Cleansing of evil in the last days Idols. False prophets no longer against God. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter. Jesus said this when he was arrested. A remnant of Israel one third still trusted and will be refined through fire. Doesn’t sound like a fun time at all. Chapter 14. Much easier to understand the day of the lord where he destroys his enemies and reigns on earth over his people. Then revelation. We read these future events and sometimes it’s like a fictional story. These are events that are actually going to happened. It’s hard to grasp all of it.
God always has good plans for the Israelites… no matter what..
Military strategy, gather all of your enemies to one place and then strike:
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.
(this must be where they got that scene from “Raiders of the Lost Ark”.)
God preserves the remnant and the nations come to worship:
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.
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.
This day I do look forward to: when the power and glory of God will be undeniable and all those who oppose Him will be put in their place! I very much hope and pray that they come to their senses first, but for those who have mocked and defied and violated others and led people astray…I would love to see the look on their faces when Jesus says, “I’m back”. But this time not as a meek Savior but as a Sovereign ruler with whom you don’t mess. When I read passages like this, I also wonder about those who think God and Jesus are just about love and everyone and everything is ok. Well how does rotting people’s eyes and tongues out fit with that…the flesh rotting from their bones…I also see in this chapter affirmation of a literal kingdom on earth where Jesus rules over all of it and He will make sure people come in line with His wishes…with both blessing and discipline. Fits well with the millennial kingdom mentioned fairly briefly in the book of Revelation….
Zechariah 14
Zechariah 14
The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. Looking forward to it!