Zechariah Chapter 14
Chapter 14 takes us through several events before and after the return of the Jesus the Messiah at the Second coming. Chapter 14 also allows us to observe events within the millennial reign of Christ.
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. This is a portrait of the Kingdom of God, referred to in the New Testament. If Israel would have accepted Jesus, we would have moved toward the Millennium reign of Messiah.
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 also a period of the time, also known as Daniel’s 70th week (Daniel 9:27), it is also known as the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:6-8)
Jeremiah 30:6-8
(6) Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale?
(7) Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it. (8) “And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.
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 againt 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 the Mount 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(Jehovah) 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 mount of Olives 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 Qadowsh, 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). Jesus ascended from the Mt. Olives in Acts 1 along with 2 angels into the clouds, Jesus would return in “Like” manner, on the clouds, with the angels in glory and power in physical form.
Zechariah connects the First Coming and the Second Coming with the Mt. Olives and Jerusalem.
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Act 1:9-11
(6) that day…no light: This lights are also diminished in addition to the Earthquake, allowing the nation to flee. The Jews flee into the Mount of Olives in the middle of the tribulation when the abomination of desolation takes place. This could refer to the middle of the Tribulation or the events at the end of the Tribulation when Christ returns with the armies of Heaven.
(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. When the Bible refers to Jerusalem, they try to force a symbolic meaning, this is referring to Jerusalem in the future.
The land from Geba to Rimmon will be made flat, the southern area of Jerusalem, while Jerusalem itself will be elevated. So when someone approaches Jerusalem in the Millennium, the city will be high, on a mountain top. This is similar to the picture projected in Ezekiel 40:2, Isaiah 2:1-4.
Isaiah 2:1-4
(1) The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
(2) It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,
(3) and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
(4) He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
(11) The people… The city will recover from the destruction, which occurs in the tribulation. The king of Jerusalem will be the Messiah, The LORD God will rule over the whole earth from His capital city. Jerusalem will be the seat of worldwide government, over the nations with the saints ruling and reigning with Messiah.
Safely inhabited: God will be a wall of fire around the city (Zechariah 2:5), the saints will rule with Him over the nations (Daniel 7:27).
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, surrounding the city of Jerusalem at the 2nd Coming? Here we are given the graphic portrait of what happens to the armies.
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.
In the judgment of the sheep and the goat of Matthew 25:31-46, the survivors of the tribulation are gathered before the throne of Christ, the “goats” are sent to hell while the “sheep” (the believers) enter the millennium. These individuals will repopulate the earth. Their offspring will be the nations of the Millennium.
(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, that 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. The earth will be Theocracy government, administered by the “saints”. The 12 disciples will administer the 12 tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28)
(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
The Feast of Tabernacles: The population of the earth will explode during the Millennium, though Satan and his forces are removed, people will still come to Jerusalem to celebrate the liberation of the earth in the annual feast. Humanity will still have a fallen nature without Satan’s influence, so people born in the Millennium, will still need to be instructed and taught the ways of God.
Zechariah 8:22-23
(22) Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.
(23) Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'”
Satan at the end of the Millennium, will be allowed to test the inhabitants of the earth, he will cause a rebellion against God’s rule at the end. Those who entered the Millennium will be saved, but their offspring will have never endured the temptation of Satan, prior to his being “released from his prison”. These final rebels of Satan will surround the city of God, the Millennial Jerusalem, then at a specific point Judgment will commence, ending the Millennium.
Following the end of the Millennium,
there will be:
- Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-13)
- Casting of the lost into the lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14-15)
- The Heavens and the Earth will melt away (Revelation 21:1, 2 Peter 3:12, Isaiah 34:4)
- New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21:1-22:5, Isa_65:17-19, Isa_66:22; 2Pe_3:13)
(20) bells of the horses: Here we have a seen in the city of Jerusalem during the Millennium. Horses will used as part of commerce and transportation in the Millennium. The knowledge and celebration of God will be throughout the world.
(21) Every pot in Jerusalem: Jerusalem is a city dedicated to the Lord, in every way.