A Research of Zechariah 13
Introduction: Whats up everybody, we’re residing on the precipice of prophecy and the longer term is speeding towards us on the velocity of God’s windfall. At present we’re going to proceed our examine of the exceptional prediction made by the prophet Zechariah within the next-to-the-last e book of the Previous Testomony. However first, the ultimate e book of the Bible is Revelation, and it serves because the end result of your entire prophetic sweep of Scripture. Many individuals assume they will’t perceive the e book of Revelation, however I believe you possibly can. It’s less complicated than most individuals notice. On my web site I’ve a video course and in addition a e book out there, each entitled “The Fifty Closing Occasions in World Historical past.” I’d love so that you can test it out.
Now at present, earlier than we get to our passage in Zechariah, I assumed it is perhaps useful to offer you an outline of the Bible’s teachings concerning the Final Days.
In our current age, the apocalyptic risks to our world will enhance. For those who imagine within the imminent return of Christ at any second, then you definitely imagine He’ll seem within the sky with a shout, with the commanding voice of the archangel, and with a trumpet that may blow loud sufficient to awaken the lifeless. All of the believers, those that have died and people who are alive, might be caught up with the Lord, donning new glorified our bodies. That is possible the occasion that may set off a worldwide disaster that may result in the seven years of Tribulation. That is described sequentially in Revelation chapters 6 by 18.
Over the past half of the worldwide Tribulation, the world, led by the antichrist, will flip in opposition to Israel and search to destroy the Jewish folks as soon as and for all. That is the Battle of Armageddon. And that’s the place Zechariah 12 comes into play.
Zechariah 12:1 says, “The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the muse of the earth, and who kinds the human spirit inside an individual, declares: 2 “I’m going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the encompassing peoples reeling. Judah might be besieged in addition to Jerusalem. 3 On that day, when all of the nations of the earth are gathered in opposition to her, I’ll make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all of the nations. All who attempt to transfer it can injure themselves.”
Because the Lord Jesus Christ comes once more to the earth, He’ll pour out on the state of Israel and the Jewish folks a spirit of repentance and the attention that He’s really their Messiah. Zechariah 12:10 says: “And I’ll pour out on the home of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They’ll look on me, the one they’ve pierced, and they’re going to mourn for him as one mourns for an solely little one.”
That brings us to chapter 13. Let me learn your entire chapter for you—it’s solely 9 verses—after which we’ll exegete it sentence by sentence.
Scripture
13 “On that day a fountain might be opened to the home of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
2 “On that day, I’ll banish the names of the idols from the land, and they are going to be remembered no extra,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I’ll take away each the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land. 3 And if anybody nonetheless prophesies, their father and mom, to whom they have been born, will say to them, ‘You will need to die, as a result of you could have advised lies within the Lord’s identify.’ Then their very own mother and father will stab the one who prophesies.
4 “On that day each prophet might be ashamed of their prophetic imaginative and prescient. They won’t placed on a prophet’s garment of hair to be able to deceive. 5 Every will say, ‘I’m not a prophet. I’m a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.’ 6 If somebody asks, ‘What are these wounds in your physique?’ they’ll reply, ‘The injuries I used to be given on the home of my mates.’
“Awake, sword, in opposition to my shepherd,
in opposition to the person who’s near me!”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“Strike the shepherd,
and the sheep might be scattered,
and I’ll flip my hand in opposition to the little ones.
8 In the entire land,” declares the Lord,
“two-thirds might be struck down and perish;
but one-third might be left in it.
9 This third I’ll put into the fireplace;
I’ll refine them like silver
and take a look at them like gold.
They’ll name on my identify
and I’ll reply them;
I’ll say, ‘They’re my folks,’
and they’re going to say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
Exposition
13 “On that day a fountain might be opened to the home of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
Israel will see the Lord Jesus Christ as He comes once more, within the nick of time, to save lots of them and to reign over them as King. They are going to be shocked and they’re going to mourn and repent of their historic and private rejection of Him. And the Lord will save them. The ever-flowing fountain of His blood will cowl and cleanse them. Paul stated in Romans that on the finish of the story all Israel can be saved. This doesn’t imply each Jewish one that has ever lived. It’s referring to the modern nation and to the Jewish people who find themselves alive when Jesus returns.
The subsequent a number of verses inform us that when Jesus comes, He’ll put an finish to idolatry and to all false teachings and false prophecies. Have a look at verse 2:
2 “On that day, I’ll banish the names of the idols from the land, and they are going to be remembered no extra,” declares the Lord Almighty.
Israel has traditionally had a weak spot for idols. So will we, by the way in which. Something that turns into extra vital to you than the Lord Jesus is an idol. However the Lord will cleanse this behavior from the Israeli folks. Verses 2 and three say the identical factor about false prophets:
“I’ll take away each the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land. 3 And if anybody nonetheless prophesies, their father and mom, to whom they have been born, will say to them, ‘You will need to die, as a result of you could have advised lies within the Lord’s identify.’ Then their very own mother and father will stab the one who prophesies.
The Bible warns concerning the proliferation of false prophets through the seven years of Tribulation that precede the Second Coming.
In Matthew 24, Jesus stated about these days: “Be careful that nobody deceives you. For a lot of will are available my identify, claiming, ‘I’m the Messiah,’ and can deceive many…. And lots of false prophets will seem and deceive many individuals…. At the moment if anybody says to you, ‘Look, right here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he’s!’ don’t imagine it. For false messiahs and false prophets will seem and carry out nice indicators and wonders to deceive, if doable, even the elect….” (verses 4-5, 11, 23-24)
The approaching of Jesus Christ might be unmistakable, and He’ll silence all these false voices. Going again to Zechariah 13, verse 4 says:
“On that day each prophet might be ashamed of their prophetic imaginative and prescient. They won’t placed on a prophet’s garment of hair to be able to deceive. 5 Every will say, ‘I’m not a prophet. I’m a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.’ 6 If somebody asks, ‘What are these wounds in your physique?’ they’ll reply, ‘The injuries I used to be given on the home of my mates.’
In different phrases, these false prophets, shocked by the looks of the true Messiah, might be deeply ashamed of themselves. They’ll take off their distinctive garments that prophets wore, and they’re going to declare they’re simply farmers.
We additionally know that false prophets typically practiced self-mutilation. The clearest instance of this within the Bible is when the prophets of Baal appeared earlier than Elijah on Mount Carmel. The Bible says, they slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their customized, till their blood flowed (1 Kings 18:28). Because the folks examine these false prophets who’re ashamed and attempting to faux they’re nothing however farmers, folks will say, “Then what about all these scars and wounds. It appears to me such as you’ve been reducing on your self like a false prophet.”
The false instructor will say, “Oh, I used to be injured at a good friend’s home.”
So these first six verses merely inform us that when Jesus returns and Israel sees Him and mourns over Him and is forgiven by the fountain of His blood, He’ll banish all of the idolatry and false teachings which have so harmed His folks, the nation of Israel.
That’s the primary a part of Zechariah 13. The ultimate part of this chapter is within the type of a poem or tune. This part will not be as simple to interpret. The whole lot hinges on how we determine the shepherd in verse 7. Within the prior chapters, Zechariah stated there can be two shepherds who would face off sooner or later—the Good Shepherd, who’s Christ; and the Evil Shepherd, who’s the antichrist.
This shepherd right here on this tune is undoubtedly Christ, and this tune recollects what occurred to Him when He got here the primary time. This can be a little poem that summarizes what has occurred between Israel and its shepherd. Verse 7 says:
“Awake, sword, in opposition to my shepherd, in opposition to the person who’s near me!” declares the Lord Almighty. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep might be scattered, and I’ll flip my hand in opposition to the little ones.
This was fulfilled on the crucifixion of Christ. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the person near God, was struck and His sheep have been scattered. Jesus Himself quoted this verse in Matthew 26:31: “Then Jesus advised them, ‘This very evening you’ll fall away on account of me, for it’s written: I’ll strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock might be scattered.
And what occurred consequently? The Romans got here and massacred the Jewish folks and destroyed the nation of Israel for 1900 years. Verse 8 says:
8 In the entire land,” declares the Lord,
“two-thirds might be struck down and perish;
but one-third might be left in it.
That is similar to what the prophet Ezekiel stated concerning the Babylonian invasion. In Ezekiel 5, the prophet Ezekiel shaved off his beard and divided it into thirds. One third he reduce up with a sword, and one other third he burned with hearth. One other third was to be flung into the wind. Just a few hairs have been to be saved and tucked away someplace protected. Ezekiel was predicting what would occur to the inhabitants of Israel through the Babylonian Invasion. A 3rd died within the sword; a 3rd have been burned within the rubble; a 3rd have been dispersed with the winds; and some remained protected.
I imagine Zechariah could also be saying one thing comparable concerning the coming Roman Invasion after Christ is rejected in Jerusalem. However, actually, the last word success of that is possible an image of Israel through the Nice Tribulation. Two-thirds of the Jews will perish through the Nice Tribulation. One-third might be saved and refined like silver and they are going to be saved by the return of Christ.
Verse 9 says: This third I’ll put into the fireplace; I’ll refine them like silver and take a look at them like gold. They’ll name on my identify and I’ll reply them. I’ll say, ‘They’re my folks, and they’re going to say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
Conclusion
So let’s wrap up. The primary half of Zechariah 13 is an outline of the nationwide salvation and cleaning of Israel. The nations of the world might be gathered across the nation of Israel, and the antichrist will assume he’s on the verge of attaining Hitler’s Closing Answer of the destruction of each final Jew on earth.
However Jesus will return at that second. The Israelites will see Him and acknowledge Him in the end as their Messiah. They’ll mourn and repent, and He’ll open up a fountain of grace for the forgiveness of sins. And they’re going to sing a tune that claims, in abstract:
When the Shepherd got here the primary time, He was stricken and the sheep have been scattered. Two-thirds of Israel has perished, however one-third stays. We have now gone by the fireplace, however we are actually calling on His identify and He’s answering us. And He says, “They’re My folks, and in the end they’ll say, “The Lord Jesus Christ is our God.”
Wow! I want I may return and educate chapter 12 and 13 once more; they’re so poignant, so emotional; so prophetic. And so they put our present occasions into context for us. We all know the place issues are headed.
Properly, subsequent week we’ll press on into the ultimate chapter of Zechariah and we’ll see the way it all ends.
