PM Dec 30th Zech 12

December 30^th               Zechariah 12                 Second burden                         2nd Coming of Christ

1: The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. 2: Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 3: And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. 4: In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. 5: And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God. 6: In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. 7: The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. 8: In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. 9: And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10: And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 11: In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 12: And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13: The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 14: All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

 

Zechariah 13

1: In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. 2: And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. 3: And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. 4: And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: 5: But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. 6: And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 7: Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. 8: And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9: And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

 

Zechariah 14

1: Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 2: For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3: Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4: And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5: And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 6: And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: 7: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. 8: And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9: And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. 10: All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. 11: And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. 12: And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. 13: And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. 14: And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. 15: And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague. 16: And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even 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 whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 18: And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19: This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 20: In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD's house shall be like the bowl's before the altar. 21: Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

In the last three chapters of Zechariah the prophet records no less outstanding prophesies that previously. The prophesies regarding his first coming are understood to be literal and specific. The prophesies regarding his second coming are also to be understood to be literal and specific. It will be noted however that some prophesies are little understood until the time of their fulfilment. These prophesies regarding Christ’s second coming are given against the background of a God who stretched out the starry heavens and who made the foundations of the earth. He is the one who gave every man a spirit. The Lord says l will make Jerusalem the source of fear to all the nations around her. All those who come against Jerusalem will be totally destroyed. The people of Jerusalem will find their strength in the Lord their God. The Lord himself will defend the children of Israel. And even the weak will be as mighty as David. In the day when all the nations will rise against Israel the Lord will give a spirit of grace and prayer to them and they will see Christ as the one who they crucified. And they will mourn like the mourning of the loss of an only child. They will have great bereavement like that of a firstborn. All and every Israelite will mourn. There will be a general and great revival beginning with great fear and trembling and sorrow before God. On that day there will be a fountain opened to the house of David and to all who live in Jerusalem. It will be a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness. All Idols will cease forever in Israel. There will never again be spiritual adultery before the Lord. None will allow a false prophet to live in the land. Two thirds of the land will perish but the third will come through as through fire. They will be refined like silver and gold. They will call on the name of the Lord their God and he will hear them. And then there is this beautiful exchange – The Lord will say, You are my people. And they will reply, The Lord Jehovah is my God. Next Zechariah turns his focus on the day of the LORD. This is the great battle when all nations will gather against Jerusalem. Christ said of this time, You will be hated of all nations because of me. There will be battle, looting and rape and the people will be taken in servitude but the Lord will stand on the mountain of Olives (Where the Garden of Gethsemane was) And the mountain will divide causing a canyon lying east west. Men will flee and there will be no night or day. And living waters will flow out of Jerusalem half to the Dead Sea and half to the Mediterranean Sea. In that day the LORD will be king over the whole earth. The central part of Israel will be raised up the highest mountain in the earth and those who fought against Jerusalem will perish where they stand, including all their beasts. Those who do not die will every year go to Jerusalem to worship the King the Lord of Hosts. Those who refuse to go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord will have no rain the following year. They will go to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. It seems that Egypt will initially refuse to celebrate Tabernacles yet afterwards they will go. These prophesies are not only remarkable they are amazingly detailed. Zechariah says that the horses will have bells the inscription HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD. This will also be written on pots too in the house of the LORD. In fact every pot in all Israel will carry this inscription. There will never again be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts. There are some that mock at prophecy, yet we know that the 30 pieces of silver came to true exactly as foretold and so it will be with the inscriptions on the bells and pots - HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD.