SCENE 2 - (12-14) HIS SECOND COMING

1. Israel’s True Repentance – (12:1-13:9)

The previous chapter left us with questions about Israel’s future. The breaking of the staff “favor” opened the door for hostile predators to invade the land (v.10) and enslave its people. If Zechariah’s prophecy ended at 11:9&10: “I will not be your shepherd...I took my staff called favor and broke it, revoking my covenant,” we might be somewhat uncertain about Israel’s promised future. But these final chapters speak of triumph and victory as they focus on Israel’s repentance and Christ’s return.

Verse 1: An Oracle. This is the word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundations of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man with him.

As we noted in 9:1, so also this chapter begins with an “Oracle” or “burden” from the Lord. The first “Burden” is said to have been laid upon Hadrach, a gentile nation. This second section “concerns Israel” and her final refinement which transforms her into Jehovah's holy nation. No matter how dark the circumstances or uncertain the future, God's unconditional promises will prevail. This Oracle begins by affirming the future impregnability of Jerusalem.

Verses 2-3: I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding people reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem as immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

The final battle described in Revelation 16:16 as the Battle of Armageddon, is what Zechariah envisions in these verses. Israel has always been the hub of prophetic Scripture. The Abrahamic, Davidic, and new covenant all point to Messiah’s earthly reign from Zion “the city of the great king” (Matt. 5:35). However, Satan has been the chief protagonist of Christ throughout history. His last ditch effort will be to gather the nations of the world around Israel to prevent His coming and to try to exterminate all Jews from the face of the earth. But Jehovah is aware of his stealthy plot and states: “I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations” (v.4). As McComiskey explains: “The metaphors of Jerusalem’s impregnability continue with a reference to the attacking horses and riders. It is a picture of mass confusion, with the horses shying in terror, their riders unable to carry the battle to success because they are confused like madmen. As Yahweh fights on behalf of his people, he does not strike about indiscriminately, for he ‘opens his eyes’ on the house of Judah, protecting them in this onslaught” (The Minor Prophets, p.1210).

Chapter 12 mentions “that day” seven times (18 times throughout Zechariah). This expression, occurring many times in Scripture, refers to “the Day of the Lord” which extends from the Great Tribulation through Christ’s earthly reign. The signing of a seven-year peace treaty with Israel and antichrist triggers the beginning of “this Day” (Dan.9: 17). The day of the Lord is the theme of the Book of Joel. Malachi refers to it as “the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (4:5), and Jeremiah 30:7 calls it “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus refers to this same period as: “The great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt.24: 21). Later Peter concludes: “the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).

As the events described in the Olivet Discourse begin to converge on the last stage of human history, the nations of the world will begin their move toward Palestine. Israel will be surrounded on all sides. The call for their extermination will build momentum as antichrist breaks his seven year treaty moving his throne from Rome to the Temple in Jerusalem (2 Thess.2: 4; Rev. 13:7-8) In the midst of mayhem and carnage, surrounded on all sides by their enemies, Israel will cry out for Yahweh’s help and “in that day the Lord will save the dwellings of Judah... on that day, the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem …on that day I will set out to destroy the nations that come against it”(v.7-9).

Verses 10-14: And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pieced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a first born son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, and all the rest of the clans and their wives.”

As God begins to move on behalf of His ancient people with “the spirit of grace and supplication” their hearts will begin to respond in repentance. We are not told for certain if this word “spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit. Scholars differ in their interpretation. We know, however, that when God’s Spirit works, the human spirit is quickened. Paul reminds us in Romans 11: 25-26: “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.” God gives them a new spirit, prompting them to respond from their hearts. The spirit of grace precedes the spirit of supplication. With God’s “justice” we get what we deserve; with God’s “mercy” we don’t get what we deserve; but with God’s “grace” we get what we don’t deserve. Since God laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isa.53: 6), imputed grace comes to mean God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. This applies both to the Church today as well as Israel’s future.

The spirit of grace and supplication turns to “mourning” when they see “the one they have pierced” descend from heaven to the Mount of Olives. When Jesus first appeared to His disciples following His resurrection, Thomas was absent. Thomas refused to believe the news unless he personally put his hand into His nail prints. The next time He appeared, Jesus invited Thomas to put his finger into the prints of His hand and thrust his hand into His side. His response was immediate: “my Lord and my God.” The New Testament refers to Zechariah 12:10 on two occasions: John 19:37 applies the piercing of this verse to the piercing of Christ’s side by Roman soldiers, and Revelation 1:7 alludes to the same event when he states: “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him.” Godly sorrow does lead to repentance (2 Cor.7: 10) and Israel’s sorrow will be deep and convicting. The mourning is described as being like “the mourning of Hadad Rimmon in the valley of Megiddo,” apparently alluding to 2 Chronicles 35: 21-25 where great mourning takes place over the death of King Josiah by the Egyptian forces of Pharaoh Necho in the valley of Megiddo.

The expression “each clan by itself” and “their wives by themselves” (v.12) seem to emphasize the sincerity of their repentance. This is more than just a public emotional outcry. It is individual and corporate expressions of true penitence on a national scale. This mourning begins from the top with the royal house of David and the family of his son Nathan (2 Sam.5: 14), filtering through religious leadership of the house of Levi and the family of Shimei son of Gershom (son of Levi). While the civil and religious leadership leads this national repentance, it extends to every clan in Israel.

As the Holy Spirit continues His work of conviction, repentant Israel will begin to feel divine cleansing like a gushing spring. When this rushing fountain “opens to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (13:1), idolaters and false prophets will be removed. False prophecy was still a problem in the postexilic period (Neh, 6:12-14). Jesus and His Apostles also foresaw this problem in the end times (Matt.24: 4-5,11,15,23-24; 2 Thess.2: 2-4; Rev.9: 20; 13: 4-15). Antichrist will embody this “spirit of iniquity” by spreading his false teaching in an attempt to deceive the whole world. Zechariah 13: 1-6 indicates that the Lord will not only expel these false prophets from Israel but also eliminate the powerful delusions that led them astray. This “Day” previously alluded to in the symbolic flying scroll of 5: 1-4 and the ephod of 5: 5, both depicting the evil that plagued Israel, are removed by the Lord Almighty from the Land in one day (3: 1-10).

So complete will God cleanse Israel that He uses a hypothetical scenario in verse 3 to show what would happen to anyone who acted as a false prophet. His own parents would follow the command in Deuteronomy 13: 6-10 by saying: “you must die, because you have told lies in the Lord’s name” and stab him to death. Every prophet would then feel ashamed and as one author put it, admitting their deceptive claims and like a slithering snake, crawl back into its hole. Kenneth Baker in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (p.685-686) summarizes verses 4-6 this way: “Because of these stern measures, a false prophet will be reticent to identify himself as such and will be evasive in responding to questioning. To help conceal his true identity, he will not wear ‘a prophet’s garment of hair’ (v.4), such as Elijah wore (2 Kings 1: 8). Instead, to avoid the death penalty (v.3), he will deny being a prophet and will claim to have been a farmer from his youth (v.5). And if some suspicious person notices marks on his body and inquires about them (v.6), he will claim he received them in a scuffle with friends as discipline from his parents from childhood. Apparently the accuser, suspects that the false prophet’s wounds were self-inflicted to arouse his prophetic ecstasy in idolatrous rites (as in 1 Kings 18: 28)”

In the last three verses, the “Oracle” focuses on Israel’s plight after the Shepherd is struck. The language clearly refers to the: “sheep” as the people of Israel and the “Shepherd” as Jehovah. In 11: 17, it was the false shepherd who is struck; in 13: 7, it is the Good Shepherd who is struck. The pierced figure in this verse is the same figure in Isaiah 53: 5 who’s piercing and death leads to the redemption of “the many.”

Verses 7-9: “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!” declares the Lord Almighty. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones, in the whole land.” Declares the Lord, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; Yet, one –third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say,’ They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.”

The voice of the Lord suddenly sounds, summoning a sword to strike the Shepherd. The context seems to indicate a divine cooperation within the Trinity that the Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, should be “struck.” Peter refers this Shepherd as a lamb “chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times” (1 Peter 1: 20). When the Shepherd is killed, the sheep are scattered, in fulfillment to judgment pronounced on disobedience (Deut.28: 64; 29: 24-25). Not long before His death, Jesus applied this verse to the scattering of His disciples (Matt.26: 31-32), but the context indicates a broader application. Verse 8-9 points to the Nation, “in the whole land,” as being scattered. Again, Kenneth Baker is insightful: “They depict a refining process for Israel. While what happened in A.D. 70 at the hand of the Romans may have been an initial stage in the progressive fulfillment, the final and complete stage is yet future, for Israel as a whole is not in the proper covenant relationship with God described in v.9. The fact that a remnant will survive (one-third) (v.8) reveals God’s mercy in the midst of judgment” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, p.687).

The symbol of refining gold or silver, illustrates the trials Israel will go through before Messiah reigns. The carnage and death of A.D. 70 is a precursor of the final conflict Israel will experience during the great tribulation. This genocide under antichrist’s rule will wipe out two-thirds of Israel’s population. But God’s protection of the refined “third” will guarantee a purified and prepared people for the coming Messianic Kingdom.

THE WARRIOR KING APPEARS

A SUDDEN BURST OF LIGHT APPEARS

A HUSH OF AWE SURROUNDS THE STAGE

AS YAHWEH TAKES THE LEADING ROLE

IN HISTORY’S LAST PROPHETIC PAGE.

THE WARRIOR-KING STEPS FROM HIS THRONE

AS HE REVEALS THE BATTLE PLAN

THE NATIONS GATHER TO DESTROY

THE JEWISH RACE FROM OFF THEIR LAND.

THE “DAY” DESCRIBED BY PROPHETS PAST

TAKE SEVEN YEARS TO BE FULFILLED

AS ANTI-JEWISH FORCES JOIN

AT ARMAGEDDON’S BATTLE FIELD.

THE SIEGE SURROUNDING ZION’S HILL

WILL BE A ROCK THAT CANNOT MOVE

AS HORSE AND RIDER SEEM CONFUSED

LIKE DRUNKARDS IN A STUPOR MOOD.

THE MIGHTY GOD WILL BE REVEALED

THOUGH JUDAH’S ARMY SEEMS SO SMALL

THEY WILL BECOME A FLAMING TORCH

AND HEAR THE PROMISED VICTORY CALL.

THE HEBREW RACE HAS YET TO TURN

FROM UNBELIEF TO GOD ALONE

FOR BLINDNESS STILL IN PART REMAINS

TIL THEY CONFESS THEIR HISTORY’S SHAME.

BUT WHEN THE VEIL OF UNBELIEF

IS TORN AWAY BY CHRIST’S RETURN

REPENTANT JEWS WILL TURN FROM SIN

AND CLAIM THE ONE THEY PIERCED AS KING.

YET JUST BEFORE THE TRUMPET SOUNDS

THE ANTICHRIST WILL DO HIS BEST

TO KILL THE SEED OF JUDAH’S RACE

UNTIL ONE THIRD ARE LEFT IN PLACE.

IN PREPARATION FOR HIS REIGN

MESSIAH’S REMNANT WILL GO THROUGH

THE TEST OF THOSE REFINED BY FIRE

TO SERVE AS PRIESTS IN WHITE ATTIRE.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS

1. THE LAST THREE CHAPTERS TAKES A LEAP INTO THE FUTURE AT CHRIST’S RETURN TO EARTH. HOW DOES CHAPTER 12:1-3 DESCRIBE JERUSALEM IN THE FINAL ARMAGEDDON CONFLICT? WHEN AND WHERE DOES THIS TAKE PLACE?

2. SEVEN TIMES THE EXPRESSION “IN THAT DAY’ IS MENTIONED. WHAT MIGHT THIS REPETITION SUGGEST ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR “DAY?”

3. WHAT CRISIS EVENT IS HAPPENING IN JUDAH THAT DRIVES THEIR ATTENTION GODWARD AND WHAT IS THEIR RESPONSE (vs.1-6)?

4. CHAPTER 13 DESCRIBES THE PROCESS IN ISRAEL’S CLEANSING. HOW ARE SOME OF THOSE WAYS USED ACCORDING TO VERSES 1-6?

5. WHAT TRAGIC EVENTS TAKE PLACE IN THIS FINAL REFINING PROCESS THAT PREPARES THE REMAINING REMNANT TO HIS MILLENNIAL KINGDOM (VS.7-13)?