Reflections on Zechariah 14

Zechariah 14 (Contemporary English Version)


1. The LORD will have his day. And when it comes, everything that was ever taken from Jerusalem will be returned and divided among its people.
   
2. But first, he will bring many nations to attack Jerusalem--homes will be robbed, women raped, and half of the population dragged off, though the others will be allowed to remain.
   
3. The LORD will attack those nations like a warrior fighting in battle.
   
4. He will take his stand on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem, and the mountain will split in half, forming a wide valley that runs from east to west.
   
5. Then you people will escape from the LORD's mountain, through this valley, which reaches to Azal. You will run in all directions, just as everyone did when the earthquake struck in the time of King Uzziah of Judah. Afterwards, the LORD my God will appear with his holy angels.
   
6. It will be a bright day that won't turn cloudy.
   
7. And the LORD has decided when it will happen--this time of unending day.
   
8. In both summer and winter, life-giving streams will flow from Jerusalem, half of them to the Dead Sea in the east and half to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
   
9. Then there will be only one LORD who rules as King and whose name is worshiped everywhere on earth.
   
10. From Geba down to Rimmon south of Jerusalem, the entire country will be turned into flatlands, with Jerusalem still towering above. Then the city will be full of people, from Benjamin Gate, Old Gate Place, and Hananel Tower in the northeast part of the city over to Corner Gate in the northwest and down to King's Wine Press in the south. Jerusalem will always be secure and will never again be destroyed.
    
11. (SEE 14:10)
    
12. Here is what the LORD will do to those who attack Jerusalem: While they are standing there, he will make their flesh rot and their eyes fall from their sockets and their tongues drop out.
    
13. The LORD will make them go into a frenzy and start attacking each other,
    
14. until even the people of Judah turn against those in Jerusalem. This same terrible disaster will also strike every animal nearby, including horses, mules, camels, and donkeys. Finally, everything of value in the surrounding nations will be collected and brought to Jerusalem--gold, silver, and piles of clothing.
    
15. (SEE 14:14)
    
16. Afterwards, the survivors from those nations that attacked Jerusalem will go there each year to worship the King, the LORD All-Powerful, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters.
    
17. No rain will fall on the land of anyone in any country who refuses to go to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD All-Powerful.
    
18. This horrible disaster will strike the Egyptians and everyone else who refuses to go there for the celebration.
    
19. (SEE 14:18)
    
20. At that time the words "Dedicated to the LORD" will be engraved on the bells worn by horses. In fact, every ordinary cooking pot in Jerusalem will be just as sacred to the LORD All-Powerful as the bowls used at the altar. Any one of them will be acceptable for boiling the meat of sacrificed animals, and there will no longer be a need to sell special pots and bowls.
    
21. (SEE 14:20)
    

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Zechariah's prophecy culminates in the great "day of the Lord." In this last chapter of the book we have one of the most detailed descriptions of Christ's millennial reign given in scripture. The chapter begins with the bringing of Gentile nations in battle against Jerusalem. This is thought to be just prior to the events of chapter 12. Here the Lord brings the nations against Jerusalem in what may be the so-called Battle of Armageddon which happens during the Tribulation. The nations are being victorious, dividing plunder from the city among themselves as the inhabitants watch. They will take half of the city into exile, leaving the rest there. Just when it seems that all is lost for Jerusalem, there is a sudden turn. The Lord goes "out to fight against those nations." (verse 3) This is the point of the battle described in chapter 12.

Beginning with verse 3 of this 14th chapter, the tables have turned. The Lord is leading the battle against the gathered nations from His position on the Mount of Olives. His means of turning the battle against the attacking armies is an earthquake that splits the Mount of Olives in half, "forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south." In orchestration with the earthquake there will be darkness caused by an absence or diminishing of sunlight and moonlight. There is a familiarity about these events that reminds one of the day of Christ's crucifixion. On this day the whole world order will change. "On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea, in summer and winter alike. On that day Yahweh will become king over all the earth--Yahweh alone, and His name alone." (verses 8-9) This day, with the new world order it brings, will come peace to the people of Jerusalem. They "will live there, and never again will there be a curse of destruction. So Jerusalem will dwell in security."

Meanwhile, the armies that warred against Jerusalem will be struck - both man and beast - with a plague causing their flesh to rot. This will be accompanied by a great panic that will turn man against man within the armies. Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem will gather the plunder of these armies, much of which was probably what the armies had just gathered from these inhabitants.

With the destruction of the armies that warred against Jerusalem, all becomes calm. Then the survivors from all nations will worship the Messiah in Jerusalem. Those who do not go to worship the Messiah will go without rain. No longer will the Lord tolerate any rival worship of other gods or idols. No longer will people be allowed to credit inanimate objects with what God has done!