Zechariah 14

Zechariah 14:1-7

To what time the day here spoken of belongs is dubious, whether to the times of the gospel dymophrone or the great day of the Lord. Judgment and mercy are here mingled. 1. The gates of hell are here threatening the church, ver. 2, 3, and yet not prevailing. 2. The power of heaven appears here for the church, and against the enemies of it, ver. 3, 4, 5. 3. The events concerning the church are here represented as mixed, ver. 6, 7, but issuing well at left. 4. The spreading of the means of knowledge is here foretold, and the setting up of the gospel kingdom in the world, ver. 8, 9, which shall be the enlargement and establishment of another Jerusalem, ver. 10, 11. 5. Those shall be reckoned with that fought against Jerusalem, ver. 12—14, and those that neglect God’s worship there, ver. 17—19. 6. It is promised that there shall be great resort to the church, and great purity and piety in it, ver. 16, 20, 21.

1. Behold, * the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 1. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken, and * the houses rifled, and the women civilized, 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 is 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 eath, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the eath, and toward the west, and * there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountains 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.

We have here,

1. A day of judgment, v. 1, 2, which may refer to the taking Jerusalem by the Romans, when all the brutal rage of war was let loose, and half the people carried into captivity, a remnant being left, even those who, according to the divine warning, had before saved themselves by flight. Or this may better signify the prevalence of the powers of antichrist over the church for a while, so that few faithful shall be left.

4 X 2. A Bouru Chall A

2. A day of mercy, when Christ shall go forth to fight his people’s battles, to destroy their destroyers, v. 3. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the moons of wives, as when he ascended up from thence, and quickly after made a way for the Gentile world to draw near unto God, signified by the dividing afsinder the mountain, and opening a great valley between, in which Jews and Gentiles should assemble together and incorporate, eager to be admitted into the church, which shall now be exceedingly enlarged, v. 5. flying thither with as much speed as those in the days of Josiah fled from the earthquake; and there God’s pretence in the midst of his faints shall eminently appear.

Some refer this to the second coming of Christ, when they suppose he shall descend on that very foot from which he ascended; that the valley shall be the place where the dead shall be railed and assembled, many of whom will then be fleeing to the mountains to cover them from the pretence of the Judge, now appearing with ten thousands of his faints, and be more terrified at his coming than those were who fled from the earthquake in Uzziah’s days, which threatened to swallow them up. It must be conferred this prophecy is of very difficult interpretation. However we may learn, (1.) That the Lord Jesus will come to judge the world, and that it highly imports us to be ready to meet him. (2.) That it will be too late then to flee from his wrath, if we have not before betaken ourselves to the refuge of his mercy. (3.) That they will then be truly happy who can say, My God shall come, for he will be most welcome to all who have an interest in his love and favour.

3. It shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark. Which may refer either to the imperfect attainments of Christ’s faints upon earth, compared with what they expect hereafter; or to the dispensations of God’s providence towards his church, over which there still hang clouds of trouble whilst in this militant state below. But it shall be one day, a flour time that this will be the case, which will be known unto the Lord, who takes notice of his people under all their remaining infirmities and troubles, and hath appointed their end. At money time it shall be light: when the day of time shall come to its period, and eternity open to view, then all shall be light to God’s people for ever; when their faith and patience shall be crowned with glory, then sun shall no more go down, nor their moon with draw itself; and therefore in our present darkness and troubles we should wait still upon God, and hope for a happy issue at last out of all.

Some refer this to the spiritual reign of Christ, when his gospel shall be spread abroad in the latter day, and the darkness of Mahomedism, paganism, and popery, be utterly dispelled.

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 border 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 Rimmum, 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 wine-pretles. 11. And one 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 fume all the people that have fought against Jerusalem: Their first 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 out Jerusalem: and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel in great abundance.) 15. And he shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ash, and of all the beasts that shall be in their tents, as this plague.

Zechariah 14:8-15

Father bleflings are here promised to God’s Israel.

1. Living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, even the gospel, which began to be preached at Jerusalem, and went forth, from each to well, into all parts of the world, and will continue to the end of time to flow, till the earth shall be covered with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

2. Christ will erect an universal kingdom in the earth. All competitors will at last be destroyed: they shall be our Lord owned and acknowledged through the whole world; and his name one, every distinction of party, and difference of opinion and worship, will be laid aside, and all with one heart and one mouth shall unite in prayer and praise before him.

3. The church shall be glorious, abundantly replenished, and the abode of peace for ever. All the land shall be turned as a plain, every mountain and hill laid low, from Geba to Rimmum, all opposition destroyed, and Jerusalem, the gospel-church, lifted up as a beacon on an hill, whither all the converts shall flock together, so that it shall be filled with inhabitants from one end to the other, v. 11. Wars shall then cease, on civil discords nor ecclesiastical anathemas shall disturb the peace of God’s people; they shall dwell in safety, and none evermore make them afraid.

4. The enemies of the church shall be utterly cut off. Their once-pampered flesh shall be emaciated, and consume away; their eyes, full of consciousness, envy, false-loudness, shall rot in their sockets; and their tongues, defiled with blasphemy, reproach, and falsehood, shall perish. God will put his terrors in the midst of them, and in their confusion every man’s sword shall be against his fellow, so that they shall be their own executioners, for Rev. xvii. 16. The faints of God, who go forth to fight, will have nothing to do but to gather the immensity of rich spoils, v. 14. and the very brasts of these sinners shall share their plagues, and be destroyed with them, v. 15. All which seems much more applicable to the destruction of the anti-christian powers than to the dissentations and destruction of Jerusalem, to which it is by some referred.

5. ¶ 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 fume 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 beasts of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21. Yes, 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.

Zechariah 14:16-21

The destruction of the wicked shall bring a great accostion of converts to the church.

1. A remnant, according to the election of grace, who have dwelt among the enemies of Christ, shall now be brought home to him, and with his people go up from year to year to worship the King the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles: and that these Jewish festivals will be then observed; but Christ’s redeemed will, with such joy as they suffered on this occasion, commemorate his wonderful deliverance of them from the bondage of sin and Satan, and be excluded in their implications to him that he would perfect their redemption, and bring them into the heavenly Canaan, the final and eternal rest which remains for the people of God.

2. They who refuse or neglect this holy worship shall be punished with famine; either, literally, for want of rain the earth shall give them no food; or, spiritually, they shall be destitute of the heavenly influences of grace, and deprived of the gospel; given up to the curie of barrenness, and perishing in their iniquities. And if Egypt, which owes its fertility to the overflowing of the Nile more than to the clouds, be found among those who are culpable, her punishment shall be the same: He, who prevents the rain from falling on others, will prevent the Nile from overflowing them, and give them the same curie of barrenness and famine. Note, (1.) Though some sinners may think their situation will be a promotion to them from the threatened evils, they will find God’s arm can as easily reach them as others. (2.) They who live in neglect of God’s worship will surely die under his curie.

3. When the wicked are consumed, the church shall appear glorious in the beauty of holiness. Upon the very holy of their horses shall be engravem, as on the high-priest’s mitre, Holiness to the Lord, the people of Jesus being an holy priesthood; their profession being public, their conversation exemplary, and in all their actions, civil as well as religious, one uniform tenor