Zechariah 14

Zechariah 14:1

J. Gentiles Will Gather Against Jerusalem (14:1, 2)The day of the LORD here refers to the final siege of Jerusalem by the nations. The invading armies will divide the spoil they have taken inside the city. Half of the people will be taken into captivity and the other half will remain.

Zechariah 14:3

K. The Lord Himself Will Intervene (14:3-5)Then the LORD Himself will come to the Mount of Olives. The Mount will be split in two, half to the north and half to the south, with a very large valley between. “Thus the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with You.” Unger explains: To demonstrate his ecstasy, the seer passes from indirect to direct address, a phenomenon often met with in animated Hebrew style.

Zechariah 14:6

L. Cosmic Changes in Weather and in Illumination (14:6, 7)The precise meaning of this passage is so obscure that many modern versions (such as Moffatt, RSV, NEB, NIV) have adapted one or more of the ancient translations, which convey the idea “that all extremes of temperature will cease.” Baldwin gives as an alternative translation of the last clause of verse 6 in the Hebrew text, “’the splendid ones (stars), congeal,’ that is, lose their brightness.” The general meaning of the text is clear: the changes predicted will be cosmic in scope. Unger, who rejects the readings supported by the early versions as “obviously wrong,” sees the day as a period (the Day of the Lord), not a twenty-four hour interval. He ties this passage in with Isa_30:26 : Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD binds up the bruise of His people and heals the stroke of their wound.

Zechariah 14:8

M. River of Living Water (14:8)Living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half to the Dead Sea (eastern sea) and half to the Mediterranean (the western sea) in all seasons.

Zechariah 14:9

N. Christ Will Reign as King (14:9) The LORD shall be King over all the earth and He shall be acknowledged as the only true God.

Zechariah 14:10

O. Geographical Changes in the Land (14:10)All the land shall be turned into a plain, with Jerusalem elevated above the rest.

Zechariah 14:11

P. Jerusalem Inhabited and Secure (14:11)Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited, and the people who dwell in it will no longer be under the threat of enemy invasion and utter destruction.

Zechariah 14:12

Q. Plague and Panic Will Afflict the Gentile Foes (14:12-15)Chronologically these verses belong with Zec_14:3, which describes Christ conquering the enemies of Israel. These enemies will be struck with a terrible plague"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." There will be a great panic from the LORD. Rural Judah will assist in the defense of Jerusalem, and the spoil shall be great.

Zechariah 14:16

R. Gentile Survivors Will Worship at Jerusalem Or Be Under Penalty of the Plague (14:16-19)Surviving Gentile nations will come to Jerusalem annually to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Unger explains why: The Feast of Tabernacles is the only one of the seven Jewish festivals which is represented in this prophecy as being observed in the kingdom age. Why? It is the only one which at that time will be unfulfilled typically and the only one which will be in process of fulfillment by the kingdom itself. Those refusing to come and worship will suffer drought. Egypt is mentioned specifically as one of the countries that will have no rain if they are disobedient.

Zechariah 14:20

S. Even Common Utensils and Objects Will Be Sacred to the Lord, and Merchants Will Not Trade in the House of the Lord (14:20-21)In that day everything will be “HOLINESS TO THE LORD.” There will be no difference between “secular” and “sacred.” Even the bells on the horses and the common pots in Jerusalem and Judah will be sacred! The Canaanitea derisive term for a huckster or an unclean personwill be banished from the temple, the house of the LORD of hosts.