Zechariah 14

God remembers his promises

Zechariah

Gordon Churchyard

Chapter 14

v1 Look! A day will come for the *LORD! Then (the nations) will gather in the middle of (Jerusalem) to share the city’s wealth.

v2 I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem. They will:

• take the city;

• steal everything from the houses;

• *rape the women.

Half of the people will go into *exile. But the rest of the people will remain in the city.

v3 Then the *LORD will go out. He will fight against those nations. (It will be) like (when) he fought against them in (past) day(s) of battle. v4 In that day, his feet will stand on the *Mount of Olives, to the east of Jerusalem. A very big valley will split the *Mount of Olives in half, from east to west. Half of the mountain will move north and half of it will move south. v5 You will escape through my mountain valley. It will go as far as Azel. You will escape, as you escaped from the *earthquake at the time of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the *LORD my God will come. And all his *holy ones will come with you.

Notes

These verses mean that there will be a terrible battle in Jerusalem. Many nations will defeat Jerusalem’s people. But then God will appear. He will rescue the people in the city. He will fight for his people.

Verse 1 Notice that Zechariah does not say that a ‘day of the *LORD’ will come. Instead, he surprises his readers. He says that it will be a ‘day for the *LORD’. This makes it a special day. This *prophecy probably has only an *eschatological meaning.

Verse 2 This gives some details of what the nations will do to Jerusalem. They will defeat the city. Then they will enter it and rule it. They will take everything in the houses for themselves. The soldiers will *rape the women in the city. This means that they will force the women to have sex with them.

Verse 3 The great day of battle in the past was when the *Jews went out from Egypt, Exodus 14:13-14. But there were other battles, all through Israel’s history. (See Something to do number 1.)

Verse 4 The *Mount (or Hill) of Olives was to the east of Jerusalem. It was higher than the hill where they built the *temple. Some Bible students think that Mark 11:23 refers to the *Mount of Olives. (‘If you say to this mountain, “Let someone remove you and throw you into the sea”, it will happen.’) So perhaps Jesus thought of Zechariah 14:4 when he said those words. People could not escape Jerusalem to the east because of this hill. So, if a valley appeared through it, it would help people to escape from the city. Acts 1:1-11 tells us that Jesus went up to *heaven from the *Mount of Olives. Some Bible students think that he will return to it. Those Bible students therefore think that this will be ‘a day for the *LORD’.

Verse 5 Bible students do not know where Azel was. Uzziah’s *earthquake was about 750 *B.C. Amos referred to it in Amos 1:1. An *earthquake is when the ground shakes and buildings fall down. The ‘*holy ones’ are probably *angels, who are God’s servants in *heaven. Notice the change from ‘his’ to ‘you’ at the end of the verse. This often happens in books by the *prophets.

v6 On that day, there will be no (warm) light and no cold *frost. v7 It will be a day unlike any other (day). There will be no daytime and no nightfall. It will be a day that the *LORD knows (about). But in the evening, there will be light. v8 On that day, *living waters will (start to) flow out from Jerusalem. Half (will go) to the sea in the east and half to the sea in the west. (This will continue both) in summer and in winter.

v9 The *LORD will be the king over all the earth. On that day, there will be (only) one *LORD and his name will be the only name (of God). v10 The whole country will be like the Arabah. (It will be like it) from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem. But (Jerusalem) will stay high up and remain in its place. (Jerusalem will be) from the Gate of Benjamin to where the First Gate is. Then, (from there it will be) to the Corner Gate. And (then it will be from) the *Tower of Hananel to the Royal *Winepresses. v11 People will live in it. People will never again destroy it. Jerusalem will be safe.

Notes

After the terrible battle, God will rule the whole world. Everybody will realise that he is the only God. And Jerusalem will be a special city.

Verse 6 Some translations have ‘no light, no cold or frost’. Frost is a powder, like ice, that comes on very cold days and nights. But Bible students are not sure what this verse means.

Verse 7 This day will be one continuous day. There will be no night, Isaiah 60:19-20 and Revelation 21:25; Revelation 22:5. Probably, only the *LORD knows when it will happen, Matthew 24:36.

Verse 8 Jerusalem needed wells in the city for water. When the *LORD stands on the *Mount of Olives (verse 4) there will be plenty of water. It will be ‘living water’. That means ‘water that gives life’. In Psalms 46:4-5 and Ezekiel 47:1-12, there are similar promises. Perhaps Jesus thought about these words of Zechariah in John 7:38. Some Bible students think that verses 6-11 change the promise that God made in Genesis 8:22. Now there will be no seasons, because the rivers will bring water to the land.

Verse 9 In several Psalms (93, 97 and 99) we read, ‘The *LORD is king.’ Jesus said, ‘The time has come and the kingdom of God is very near’, Mark 1:15. A kingdom is a country that has a king. The *Jews always believed that there was one God. ‘The *LORD our God is one *LORD’, Deuteronomy 6:4. But now everybody else will agree.

Verse 10 The hills north and south of Jerusalem will become flat. Jerusalem will then not need them to defend the city. Arabah is the valley of the River Jordan. Geba was 6 miles north of Jerusalem and Rimmon was 35 miles south of Jerusalem. But the city itself will not become flat. The places in the city are:

• east (Gate of Benjamin)

• west (Corner gate)

• north (*Tower of Hananel)

• south (Royal *Winepresses)

Verse 11 The number of people who live in Jerusalem will never again be small. Probably not many people lived there while Zechariah was alive. But it would be different in the future.

v12 The *LORD will strike all the nations that fight against Jerusalem with this *plague:

• Their muscles will *rot while they are still standing on their feet.

• Their eyes will *rot in their heads.

• Their tongues will *rot in their mouths.

v13 And on that day there will be a great fear of the *LORD among them. And each man will seize the hand of his neighbour. Then people will attack their neighbours. v14 And, also, (the people from) Judah will fight in Jerusalem. (They) will collect the wealth of the nations that surround (Jerusalem). (There will be) a very great quantity of gold, silver and clothing. v15 And a similar *plague (will strike every) horse, *mule, camel, *donkey and cow in the (enemy) camp. The same *plague (will happen to them).

Notes

In this passage, Zechariah explained how God will defeat Jerusalem’s enemies.

Verse 12 Zechariah said that a *plague will strike the armies that will attack Jerusalem. A *plague is a bad thing that happens to many people at the same time. Here it is an awful disease. It will make people *rot (turn into a nasty pile of dirt), before they die. Perhaps Zechariah remembered what happened to Sennacherib’s army in 2 Kings 19:35. Then, 180 500 of them died in one night!

Verse 13 People are so eager to escape that they kill each other to do so. They are so frightened that they will do anything to get away.

Verse 14 The people from Judah and Jerusalem fight together against their enemies. They will collect very great wealth.

Verse 15 Even the animals will die. There will be no horses to ride away on. *Mules and *donkeys are similar to horses.

v16 This is what will happen to (people) from the nations that fight against Jerusalem. Everybody that does not die will go up (to Jerusalem) every year. There, they will *worship the king (who is) the *LORD of Everything. Also, they will have a wonderful party at the *Festival of Tabernacles (Tents). v17 If any people do not go up to Jerusalem, they will have no rain. (These are the people that do not) *worship the *LORD of Everything. v18 And if the people from Egypt will not go up (to Jerusalem) to join in, this will happen. The *plague with which the *LORD punished the nations will happen to them. (These are) the nations that did not go (to Jerusalem) to the wonderful party at the *Festival of Tabernacles. v19 This shall be the punishment for Egypt. And (it shall be) the punishment for all the (other) nations. (These are the nations) that do not go up to the wonderful party at the *Festival of Tabernacles.

Notes

God will not merely be the king of Jerusalem. God will be the king of every nation. And people from every country will gather in Jerusalem for the annual *Festival of Tabernacles (tents). But if any nation refuses to come, God will punish that nation. Such a nation will have no rain.

Verse 16 The *Festival of Tabernacles was an important *festival. A *festival is a party with much music, food and drink. A tabernacle is a tent. In this *festival, the *Jews made tents or huts. They lived in them for two weeks at the start of October. This *festival was very ancient. It was probably the one in Judges 21:19 and 1 Samuel 1:3. In this *festival:

• All the people came to Jerusalem. There would not be enough room for them all to sleep in the houses. This is one reason why they made tents. Also, it helped them to remember their journey from Egypt. Then they lived in tents for 40 years, Leviticus 23:42-43.

• The people listened to God’s laws, Nehemiah 8:14-18.

• Everybody could come. Both *Jews and people who were not *Jews could come.

• People gave thanks to God for the harvest, Deuteronomy 16:13.

Zechariah *prophesied that this *festival would bring all nations together. After God defeats his enemies, the whole world will *worship him in Jerusalem.

Verses 17-19 People that do not come up to the *festival will be sorry! There will be no rain. This means that there will be no crops and no food. The people in Egypt did not need rain, as they used water from the River Nile to grow their crops. But God still expected them to come up to Jerusalem.

v20 In that day, (the words) ‘*Holy to the *LORD’ will be on the bells of the horses. And the pots in the house of the *LORD will be like the bowls on the *altar. v21 Yes! In that day, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be ‘*Holy to the *LORD of Everything’. And everybody that offers (something) to the *LORD will take from (these pots) and cook in them. And in that day, there will not be a *Canaanite in the house of the *LORD of Everything.

Notes

Verse 20 Exodus 28:36 tells us that ‘*Holy to the *LORD’ was on the hat that the Chief Priest wore. This meant that he had to be *holy always. ‘*Holy’ means ‘very, very good’. Only God is really *holy. But he considers that his people are *holy too. Jeremiah 2:3 says ‘(All) Israel is *holy to the *LORD.’ Even the horses were *holy, because they did not still carry soldiers to war. And the pots and bowls in the *temple were certainly *holy. They used the bowls to scatter animal blood on the *altar in the *temple. They used the pots to cook the animals that they offered to God. Each family would offer some to God and then eat the rest, Leviticus 7:15.

Verse 21 The bowls remind people of religion. The pots remind people of the other parts of life. ‘In that day’ there will be no difference. So people would be *holy when they prayed. But they would also be *holy at other times. Even when they were working, they would still live *holy lives. Everything will be ‘*holy to the *LORD’. We can translate ‘*Canaanite’ in two ways:

• It may mean someone that lives in Canaan. Such a person is probably an enemy of God. Read the note on Armageddon below.

• It may mean someone that trades. Many Canaanites were traders. Jesus put the traders out of the *temple, Matthew 21:12-13. Perhaps Jesus was acting Zechariah’s *prophecy.

Armageddon

Many Bible students think that Zechariah 14 describes the battle of Armageddon. They think that this chapter describes the events at the end of the world. Jesus will return to the earth at the place where he left it. He left it from the *Mount of Olives. So these Bible students think that he will return to it there. He will fight a great battle and defeat all the nations of the world. Then he will be king over a new earth.

The word ‘armageddon’ comes from two *Hebrew words: Har (the hill at) Megiddo (a place in northern Israel). There was a great battle in and near Megiddo. Judges 4 and 5 describe what happened. Judges 5:19-21 says, ‘the kings of Canaan fought in Taanach, near the waters of Megiddo. The stars in their courses fought from *heaven against Sisera. The river of Kishon carried them away.’

Sisera was a leader of the *Canaanite armies. They fought against God’s people, Israel. But God’s people did not fight. They just watched what God did. Something happened up in the skies. This is why Judges 5:20 mentions the stars in *heaven. (The stars’ courses are their paths through the skies.) There was a great storm. The storm made the water in the River Kishon rise. Sisera’s *chariots stuck in the mud. Then Barak (the *Jewish leader) and his people chased the *Canaanites and defeated them. The River Kishon flowed past Har Megiddo. Judges 5:19 calls the river ‘the waters of Megiddo’. Taanach was a place near to Har Megiddo.

Similar events will happen when this world ends. God’s people will watch as God himself defeats the enemy. We do not know how. But we can have confidence in God. What God did once (in Judges Chapter s 4-5) he can do again. This time the enemy will not only be Canaan. Canaan is an example of people that do not serve God. But, in the future, the enemy will be all the nations of the world that do not love God.

Zechariah 12:11 refers to Megiddo. Perhaps, as Zechariah wrote his book, the *Holy Spirit reminded him about Megiddo. Zechariah remembered what had happened at Megiddo in the past. And Zechariah realised that such events could happen again. They could happen at Jerusalem in the future.

The word Armageddon appears only once in the Bible: Revelation 16:16. This describes a great battle at the end of time. In this battle, Jesus defeats Babylon. Babylon means all the bad things in the world. The good thing about Armageddon is that afterwards, Jesus will be king of everything. As Zechariah says, he will be the *LORD of Everything!

Something to do

1. Read some of the ‘past days of battle’:

• the defeat of Jericho, Joshua 6

• the defeat of Jabin, Judges 4

• the defeat of Ethiopia, 2 Chronicles 14:8-15

2. Add to your *table after chapter 9 (Something to do number 2) Acts 1:11-12.

3. Use your complete *table after chapter 9 to tell as much as you can of the story of Jesus. (See Something to do number 2.)

4. Study Armageddon in Revelation chapter 16.

lord ~ someone in authority; ‘my lord’ means ‘sir’. With a capital L, a name for God.
LORD ~ the covenant name for God that his servants use.
covenant ~ an agreement. God’s covenant with his people was a special agreement.
rape ~ to have sex with a woman, when the woman does not want it.
exile ~ away from home; or, a person that lives away from home. ‘In exile’ means away from home.
Mount ~ a hill or mountain.
earthquake ~ when the ground shakes and buildings fall down.
holy ~ very, very good; only God is really holy. ‘Holy ones’ is sometimes a name for angels.
angel ~ a servant of God from heaven; usually we cannot see them.
heaven ~ a name for the home of God; it can also mean the sky.
prophecy ~ words that a prophet speaks.
prophet ~ someone who tells people what God is saying.
eschatological ~ about what will happen when Jesus returns to earth at the end of time. Eschatology is the study of this.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
temple ~ a special house for God (in Jerusalem) or a house for false gods (in places like Babylon).
heaven ~ a name for the home of God; it can also mean the sky.
angel ~ a servant of God from heaven; usually we cannot see them.
heaven ~ a name for the home of God; it can also mean the sky.
prophet ~ someone who tells people what God is saying.
frost ~ a powder, like ice, that comes on very cold days and nights.
tower ~ a very high building.
winepress ~ a very big basket. In this, people begin to make wine from fruit called grapes.
plague ~ a terrible disease that happens to many people at the same time.
rot ~ to become a nasty pile of dirt.
mule ~ an animal like a horse.
donkey ~ an animal like a small horse; people ride on them.
mule ~ an animal like a horse.
worship ~ to tell someone that you love them and you will obey them.
festival ~ an important happy event. There are often great meals. People often sing and dance.
festival ~ an important happy event. There are often great meals. People often sing and dance.
prophesy ~ tell people what God is saying.
holy ~ very, very good; only God is really holy. ‘Holy ones’ is sometimes a name for angels.
angel ~ a servant of God from heaven; usually we cannot see them.
heaven ~ a name for the home of God; it can also mean the sky.
altar ~ a special table where the priests burned gifts to God in the temple.
temple ~ a special house for God (in Jerusalem) or a house for false gods (in places like Babylon).
Canaanite ~ someone who lives in Canaan; probably an enemy of God; OR someone who trades.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
chariot ~ a special cart that soldiers used. Horses pulled chariots.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
table ~ a number of boxes to show information clearly.