Friday - Zechariah 14 - The Return of Christ to the Earth

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ECHARIAH covered a tremendous amount of territory in his concluding chapter. The future events which were in his mind are familiar to us. Zechariah describes for us certain details about the final return of Christ to the earth (not the rapture) and the establishment of His kingdom here. Here (as in many passages of Scripture), this whole program is dubbed "the day of the Lord." Much like the days began in darkness in Genesis 1, the day of the Lord will begin with a black darkness. Jerusalem will be invaded (vs. 2). A great defeat will appear to be inevitable.  But the Son will rise and shine brightly at the dawning of THE Day of the Lord. Jesus Himself will fight for Israel in the battle of Armageddon (vs. 3). He will return to this earth, just as promised (vs. 4). In fact, He will come, and we will be with Him (vs. 5 plus Jude 1:14 & 15 and I Thessalonians 4:14).

Additionally, in vs. 8 there is a clear reference to the river of life that will be flowing out of the temple during the Millennial Kingdom (see also Ezekiel 47:1-12). Obviously, Christ will be King (Zechariah 14:9). The population of the world will increase exponentially (vs. 10).  Jerusalem will become the safest place on the planet (vs. 11). The enemies of Israel will be dissolved (vs. 12-13). Israel will become wealthier than ever before (vs. 14). The surviving Gentiles will worship Christ (vs. 16) - well, most of them will (vs. 17- 19).  And, holiness will dominate the earth (vs. 20-21).  What a day that will be!

Thursday - Zechariah 13 - Wounded Hands

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REAT judgment is coming against Israel just prior to their return to Jehovah. This is not news really. We have read it and discussed it frequently. Yet, here in Zechariah 13 we find what seems to be another allusion to that day of wrath - vague perhaps, but an allusion, nonetheless.  More particularly though, this passage refers to the judgment of God against Israel as it was poured out upon the Messiah at His First Advent. In Matthew 26:31 it is recorded that, between His celebration of the Passover with His disciples and His arrest in the garden, Jesus quoted from Zechariah 13:7 - "Jesus said unto them, 'You all will be offended because of me this night: for it is written, 'I will smite the Shepherd, and  the sheep of  the flock shall be scattered abroad.""

Elsewhere in Zechariah 13, there are other reminders of the plight of Christ. There was a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains (Zechariah 13:1). Jesus was rejected by His own people; "thrust through" by the very nation that begat Him (Zechariah 13:3). He told them the truth and they accused Him of lying. Again, Jesus came meek and lowly, presenting Himself as a servant (Zechariah 13:5). And, we know very well about the wounds in His hands that He received "in the house of His friends" (Zechariah 13:6). Again, Zechariah 13:7 appears to be strongly messianic. The sword of God's wrath was drawn against the Good Shepherd of Israel. The phrase, "the man that is My fellow" seems to point to the nature of the relationship between Jesus and His heavenly Father. The closing section of this chapter directs our attention to the work of Christ on the cross. A remnant of Israel will be saved. They will call on the name of the Lord, and their faith will bring healing into their relationship with Jehovah.

Wednesday - Zechariah 12 - The Jews will Accept Their Messiah

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OR me, the zenith of this chapter is verse 10. To Zechariah, God says, "They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him..."  This moment will come at the time when Jesus reveals Himself as King and Judge. It will happen at the end of the Tribulation, which will be the beginning of the last Millennium of human history. A chief event will be the battle of Armageddon. It will be a time of salvation in Israel (vs. 3, 6 & 8). It will be a time of terrible judgment against all of the enemies of Israel. But the Jews will weep as they are rescued.

The Jews originally rejected their Messiah. There were both Jews and Gentiles who participated in His crucifixion. It shouldn't be a surprise then that when the Jews corporately realize and accept that Jesus of Nazareth was and is the Son of God, they will be overcome with emotion concerning their own guilt; concerning the long span of time that they remained in unbelief; concerning the simple fact that they crucified their own Savior and King. Think of the day of atonement that was established in Moses' lifetime (Leviticus 16:29-34). Twice in that passage of Scripture, it is recorded that the Jews were expected to "afflict their souls." The comparison is obvious; however, they will not have to be commanded or required to weep when they see the nail-prints in their Savior's hands. The response will be natural.

Tuesday - Zechariah 11 - The Good Shepherd & Some Very Bad Ones

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HE shepherds of Israel were kings. David was a shepherd. I mean, he was a simple shepherd of actual sheep - much like Peter was a simple fisherman catching actual fish.  God got ahold of both of those men. Peter became a great fisher of men. David became the shepherd of a nation (2^nd Samuel 24:17). He was a good one too. But, not many of the shepherds who came after him did as well with their keep. Still, there are a couple of superlative shepherds coming in the future for Israel.  One absolutely good; the other the most dangerous pretender of all time; the son of perdition; the antichrist. This chapter points to both men.

Messiah is found easily in vs. 12. We know from Matthew 26:15 that Jesus was betrayed by the first son of perdition (Judas) for 30 pieces of silver. Zechariah 11:16 then seems to point us toward that evil shepherd who will turn against Israel midway through the Tribulation period.

Now, even though God is using the enemies of Israel to accomplish some of His eternal purposes, the opponents of Jacob's offspring will someday pay dearly for how they have abused God's elect nation (vs. 17). Even Zechariah, with his 2 staves (Beauty and Bands) illustrated the great harm that was going to be Israel's. Yet we know that salvation will still come to them in the hands of their final Shepherd, someday. God bless the dawning of that day!