The Glory of the Lord Revealed - Zechariah 14

“Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem. The city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” Zechariah 14:1-2

In Deuteronomy 28:1, 15, the Lord issued the Law of blessings and curses... blessings if people obeyed His voice, curses if they did not. In Jeremiah 18:7-10, the Lord said, “The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.” Thus, the history of Jerusalem and the history of the world illustrates this kind of high tide and low tide pattern.

There is no guarantee in this world of everlasting peace, prosperity, love and joy. Jesus said just the opposite. In John 16:33, He said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Peace comes in knowing that God is going to create a new heaven and new earth that is everlasting, and it is full of love and joy. Creation was cursed due to sin that transpired in a garden. Creation was redeemed due to a resurrection that transpired in a garden. The empty tomb of Jesus is proof of His Messiahship and that all the rest of His promises will come true.

So, what about those curses of God on disobedience? How do we avoid them since we all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory? Galatians 3:13-14 says, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” So, Christ is the answer. He took the curse of sin upon Himself and gives the blessing of Abraham (His friend) to those who receive His Spirit by believing in Him. The battle for a right standing before God has been won by Jesus. All the blessings of God flow to us through Jesus.

For the most part, the people of Jerusalem had rejected the messages of God’s prophets, and so rejected the Lord. Thus, a day of spoilage was coming to them. A coalition of nations under the leadership of Rome would attack and take Jerusalem. Their homes would be robbed and women abused. Half of the people will become slaves. A remnant will be allowed to stay. [JFBC]

“Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley. Half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south.” Zechariah 14:3-4

In Luke 19:29, 39, Jesus was standing on the mount of Olives just before His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The disciples of Jesus were rejoicing and praising God with a loud voice and hailing Him as their king. The religious leaders were rude toward Jesus.

In Luke 19:41-44, Jesus wept over the city. He prophesied that enemies would surround the city and level it, because they [the leaders] did not recognize the time of God’s visitation to them.

In Luke 19:47-48, the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, while all the people were very attentive to hear Him. Thus, the city was split into two factions.

There was also a significant earthquake in this region when Jesus yielded up His Spirit while on the cross. Matthew 27:51 says that the earth quaked and rocks were split. It takes a significant shake to break rocks. Geologists studying Dead Sea sediments found evidence for a significant earthquake between 26-36 A.D., aligning with the timeframe of Jesus’ crucifixion.

“Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with You. It shall come to pass in that day that there will be no light. The lights will diminish. It shall be one day which is known to the Lord —neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen that it will be light. And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem. Half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea. In both summer and winter it shall occur. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be—the Lord is one, and His Name one.” Zechariah 14:5-9

These events may refer to the people escaping from the crucifixion scene through the valley outside Jerusalem. The prophecy speaks of no light in that day. Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, Luke 23:44-45, all record that while Jesus was on the cross, there was darkness covering the earth from the sixth hour (noon) until the ninth hour (3 PM).

50 days later, on the day of Pentecost, living water was poured out from the Lord in the form of the Holy Spirit. Jesus compared the Holy Spirit to living water in John 4:10-14 and John 7:37-39. He spreads to the east and west. Now, people in most nations of the earth are aware that Jesus is proclaimed by His followers as the King of kings. He is indeed King over the earth.

“In that day it shall be—the Lord is one, and His Name one.” His Name is Jesus. In Ephesians 4:5-6, Paul wrote, “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.”

“All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the first Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. The people shall dwell in it, and no longer shall there be utter destruction, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.” Zechariah 14:10-11

Zechariah prophesied, “The land shall be turned into a plain.” The Lord levels the paths so the Gospel can flow to all nations. Isaiah 40:3, Matthew 3:3, Luke 3:4, and John 1:23, all speak of “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord. Make His paths straight.’” Isaiah 40:4-5 adds, “Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low. The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

There’s a lot of talk these days about peace through strength. In Zechariah 14:10, the people of Jerusalem dwell safely because of the Lord’s strength. The Lord has innumerable angels. He has protected cities before via His angelic armies. See 2 Kings 6 and 19. Psalm 34:7 says, “the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him to deliver them.”

“And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: 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. It shall come to pass in that day that a great panic from the Lord will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor and raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand. Judah also will fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be gathered together: gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.” Zechariah 14:12-14

Commentaries and similar wording in other passages suggest that the above events refer to the destruction of the armies that Satan gathers to attack Jerusalem in the last days. Their flesh melts while they are still standing. Sounds like the impact of a nuclear bomb, but this is a divine judgment on enemies of God’s people. The coalition turns inward on itself and begins to self-destruct. The Jerusalemites collect the precious metals and apparel of their enemies. These items will not be destroyed in the fire that dissolved their foes.

2 Thessalonian 2:8 says that “the Lord will consume the Lawless One (the antichrist) with the breath of His mouth and with the brightness of His coming.”

Isaiah 66:15 says, “The Lord will come with fire and with His chariots, like a whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire.” In Isaiah 66:24, God says, “They shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

In Ezekiel 38:18, 22, the Lord says, “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel... that My fury will show in My face.” “I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.”

In Revelation 19:19-20 , “The beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him [Christ] who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

God is going to judge the nations who delight in war, thievery and destructive indulgences.

“Such also shall be the plague on the horse and the mule, on the camel and the donkey, and on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be. And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain. They shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” Zechariah 14:15-19

This passage parallels the description of the millennial era that is mentioned six times in Revelation 20. After the antichrist and his armies are defeated, there is 1,000 years of peace. Isaiah 2:2-4 and Micah 4:1-3, speak of many nations saying, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” “... They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Zechariah adds that the Lord will not give rain to the nations that refuse to worship Him at the Feast of Tabernacles. Rain symbolizes God’s favor. Plagues symbolize His wrath.

The Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths, Sukkot) is a harvest festival commemorating Israel’s 40 years of dwelling in temporary shelters after they left Egypt. God’s provisions of food and protection are celebrated and there is anticipation of the day when Messiah shall dwell among them. During this festival, people live in temporary booths made of branches.

There will be unconverted souls during the millennium, because at the end of the 1,000 years, Gog and Magog gather the nations to make war once again. See Revelation 20:7-9 for more details. [JFBC]

“In that day ‘HOLINESS TO THE LORD’ shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 14:20-21

The inscription, “Holiness to the Lord,” implies that even common things like horses and bowls shall be holy to the Lord. The “bells” were metal plates that hung from the necks of horses and camels. The metal objects tinkled by striking against each other. [JFBC]

“There shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord.” The Canaanite symbolizes an idolator, unclean and/or ungodly person. God’s people will want to be holy as He is holy. In Revelation 21:7-8, the Lord describes new Jerusalem as a city undefiled by sin.

Praise God that the day of holiness is coming. People will adore the Lord and enjoy His presence among them. Instead of Wall Street or Hollywood being major influencers of people’s hearts and minds, people shall be loving one another and loving the Lord. Instead of indulging in harmful substances and practices to cope with life, they shall be filled with peace and joy from the Lord. The Lord shall reveal His glory to them.


[JFBC] = Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary