Why Truth Matters - Zechariah 14

33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” John 18: 33-38

A book was published in the 1970’s called, “The Church Before the Watching World,” by Francis Schaeffer. At the beginning of the book, Schaeffer states, “As Christians we say we believe in truth and in the practice of truth, and yet we face much untruth in the visible church. The problem is not new; error was present in the early church when councils were held to combat it. It was present in the medieval church until the Reformation reaffirmed the biblical faith. And it is present today.

The biblical teaching is clear. As the bride of Christ, the church is to keep itself pure and faithful.”

Biblical Theology as an academic discipline can be traced to J.P. Gabler. Gabler gave the inaugural address at the University of Altdorf, Germany, in 1787. In his address he distinguishes the difference between biblical and systematic theology. Simply put, biblical theology is the method of interpreting the Bible on its own terms. In other words, the goal is to understand Scripture in its original historical setting and to understand the specific words and terminology used by the writers of the Bible. Andreas J. Kostenberger and Richard D. Patterson in, “Invitation to Biblical Interpretation,” note that part of the purpose of biblical theology is to “seek to understand the theology of the Bible before systematizing its teaching on certain subjects and making application.” In other words, what does the text of the Bible actual say and what does it mean. And we are placing this at the forefront before jumping to conclusions and modern applications.

Now, before getting to our main text today, I want to share something from a book titled, “The Meaning of the Millennium,” by Robert Clouse. After discussing the four main views of the millennium, Clouse ends the book with a postscript. In it he asks, why would someone spend so much time and energy trying to understand eschatology? In fact, the biblical teaching on eschatology seems to be one of the most divisive elements in Christian history. However, Clouse concludes that you simply cannot ignore the doctrine. Why - because our attitudes about church, culture and current events are largely shaped and molded by the eschatological views that we hold. In other words, what we believe the Bible teaches about the end times and the second coming of Jesus effects how we will live and work. And I would add this occurs often without us even realizing it.

With that thought, let’s move to our main text which is Zechariah 14. Now, chapter 14 is the last chapter in the book, so let’s take a moment and consider the book and prophet we are talking about. Zechariah was a priest and it is believed he was a member of the Great Synagogue, which was a council of 120 leaders. This council later developed into the Sanhedrin. Zechariah was born during the exile in Babylon, but returned to Jerusalem with his grandfather, Iddo. Zechariah was a contemporary to Haggai, and both men were commissioned by the Lord to preach to the people about rebuilding the temple. Their challenge to the people moved them to action and the temple was completed in 516 B.C. Now, Zechariah is considered the most Messianic of all the minor prophets and his encouragement to the people was that the Messiah was coming and would restore the covenant and bless his people.

The book of Zechariah is divided into two parts, chapters 1-8 and 9-14. The first part of the book is clearly dated around 520 B.C. during the reign of Darius I. However, the dating of the last part, chapters 9-14, is a little more difficult. Most scholars believe it was written between 480-470 B.C., during the reign of the Persian king, Xerxes. However, I would point out there are some scholars who believe there is a possibility that the last chapters of the book were written by Jeremiah. Now why would they think that? Because of what it says in Matthew 27:3-10. This is where Judas, after betraying Jesus, takes 30 pieces of silver and throws it into the temple. Verse 9 states, “Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah”. Well, the prophecy is actually found in Zechariah 11:11-13. This is why some scholars believe Jeremiah wrote the last half of Zechariah. The way this is explained is that Matthew was combining prophecies from Jeremiah and Zechariah but only attributes the prophecy to Jeremiah, who was considered a more prominent prophet. I think it is best to say we don’t know for sure who wrote the last half of the book of Zechariah. Joyce Baldwin notes, “it is not possible to prove conclusively who wrote chapters 9-14… the fact remains that all fourteen chapters have been handed down to us as one book in every manuscript so far discovered. Even the tiny fragment of the Greek manuscript found at Qumran, which includes the end of chapter 8 and the beginning of chapter 9, shows no gap or spacing whatsoever to suggest a break between the two parts.”

Now Zechariah chapters 9-14 is also in two parts, chapters 9-11 and 12-14. And we understand that chapters 9-14 are prophecy, speaking of future things, from the time the book was written. It is very likely that events described in the last half of the book are in fact now history. We could even look at chapters 9-14 as a progression through history. For example, chapter 9 is talking about Alexander the Great and the Maccabean wars. It also mentions the true king, Jesus Christ. The text moves to the rejection of Jesus and the judgment on Jerusalem. In chapter 12 the text talks about the salvation of the Lord, which clearly points to the New Testament and the coming of Jesus. The book ends with chapter 14, where there is a day or days of the Lord when there will be a great conflict against Jerusalem. But in the end God will save and protect his people.

Now, there are many who believe Zechariah 14 is talking about the end of all things, the consummation of God’s eternal city. They believe the chapter speaks of the second coming of Jesus and a last great battle between darkness and light. And honestly, I have no problem with this view.

But I would suggest we have to be very careful with Scripture. And I believe it is best to look at Zechariah 9-14 as an historical progression. In its context, the last half of the book (Zechariah 9-14) starts with the Greek period and goes all the way to Jesus and the New Testament era. The question becomes, how far into the gospel era does the prophecy go? Does it end with the Maccabean wars or possibly 70 A.D.? Because of the restoration by God mentioned in the chapter, it seems clear the text does extend beyond the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. So, let’s go to the text and see what it says.

Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. 5 And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

6 On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. 7 And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light.

8 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter.

9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one. Zechariah 14:1-9

Now before we start I want to point out that I do believe a prophecy can have multiple fulfillments. But I also believe that the fulfillments are specific and refer to specific events. While the Bible does give us broad principles, the specific fulfillment of Bible prophecy is what makes the Bible powerful, authoritative and divine. As an example, I have a book on my shelf about the Messianic prophecies of the Bible. This book contains over 300 Bible prophecies that Jesus fulfilled specifically. So, we have to be careful not to just look at broad principles, but realize there are very specific fulfillments of Bible prophecy.

So, what exactly is Zechariah 14 talking about? First, let’s consider that verse 2 says God will gather the nations against Jerusalem. Some authors have noted this has to mean an event in the future because this has never happened. Well, when we consider the book of Daniel as an example, the text discusses several nations, such as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. And Rome really was a composite of all the previous gentile nations, not to mention the Roman world covered a significant amount of the known world at its peak. Which, in effect, would be the nations of the world. Also, consider Revelation 13:1-2, which states, “And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.” The text of Revelation is alluding to the nations of Greece, Medo-Persia, and Babylon, but it is talking about Rome. In other words, Rome was a composite beast of all the previous nations or kingdoms.

Now, obviously because of the language being used in Zechariah, the text could refer to many wars. But I would point out that during the Jewish War, which lasted from about 67-73 A.D., Jerusalem was destroyed and many lost their lives, it was one of the most horrific events in the history of Jerusalem. However, according to Josephus, the Romans exiled about 97,000 people during the war. This was about half the city (vs. 2) We also have this strange text about the Mount of Olives where it is split in two. Did this really happen? Well, it was from this mountain that Jesus predicted the city of Jerusalem’s destruction forty years in advance (Matthew 24), and it was also from this mountain that Jesus ascended to heaven. During the Jewish war the Roman general Titus posted his army on the Mount of Olives before conquering the city. It is believed that a Roman road was built in the first century that actually split the Mount of Olives in two. So, this is literally true. The Mount of Olives was split in two. We will come back to this because I think there is an even deeper meaning here.

In verse 5 the text states that God’s people will flee. You probably remember the text of Matthew 24 where Jesus says to flee to the mountains. In Luke 21 it states Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies. These chapters, as well as Mark 13, are talking about the Roman armies coming to Jerusalem during the Jewish War. Looking back at Zechariah, it is talking about the same thing. The events surrounding the Jewish War including God’s people fleeing, just as Jesus had instructed them to do, are found in the New Testament and in Zechariah 14.

The Christians did flee and went to Pella. Both Pella and the Mount of Olives are east of Jerusalem. And the early Christians would likely have traveled on the Roman road that split the Mount of Olives to go to Pella.

The earthquake that is mentioned is also found in the book of Amos, and clearly speaks of God’s judgment. And we understand that the beginning of the chapter is speaking about the events leading up to 70 A.D. when Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews were scattered all over the earth. God came in judgment against his people for rejecting Jesus, but at the same time, Christ inaugurated his kingdom.

Verses 6-7 seem to be a metaphorical mixture of light and darkness, justice and mercy. The prophets tell us the day of the Lord is a day of darkness, but of course, it is also a day of light. So, when God came in judgment, there was a purpose. He brought needed justice, but also it ushered in the light of the gospel. In verse 8 the text tells us that the living waters, Yahweh’s salvation, will flow from Jerusalem, to the east and to the west. And it shall continue, meaning the gospel will go out in every direction from Jerusalem and the stream of life will never cease.

One of the beautiful things about the prophets is how they predict events hundreds of years in advance and prophecy about the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ! In the book of Daniel in chapter 2 where the prophet interprets the king’s dream, there are four earthly kingdoms, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. And toward the end of the chapter after describing the fourth kingdom this is what Daniel says, “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever” (vs. 44). There is no end to the kingdom of Jesus Christ. It continues without end. This is what most Bible prophecy is about – Christ and his kingdom.

So, I want to pause here for just a moment. This text is so unique. It says that living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea. Now in a general sense we understand this means the gospel going out in all directions. But I think this specific language is significant. First of all, the word “sea” in the Bible typically represents the world. R. J. Rushdoony referring to Revelation 13 writes that sea means the unbelieving world. Looking at Revelation 17 we could say sea or water represents peoples, nations and languages. In other words, the living water of the gospel goes out into the world, to the east and west. A couple of things here to think about, Jerusalem is at the center of the earth, so saying half to the east and half to the west implies covering the entirety of the globe. But honestly, I think there is even more to this. If you remember back in verse 4, the Mount of Olives is split in two. And as we already noted, the Romans built a road that split the mountain. But remember the text says God is going to fight the nations that have come against his people. Ironically, while Rome was a great empire for many centuries, it was actually split into two parts, and we can remember the legs of iron from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in the book of Daniel. We had the Eastern and Western Roman Empire; God split it into two parts, just like the Mount of Olives was split in two by a Roman road. Now, it is also true the church split. You probably remember from history that the western Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church officially split in 1054. The excommunications from the split were not lifted until 1965. It is also true that the Crusades helped create a permanent split between the two. Nick Needham notes, “The creation of these Latin Crusader states did far more than the schism of 1054 to breed real practical division between Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic Christians. Wherever the Crusaders conquered, they forcibly took over the churches of Easterners and set up their own Western Latin bishops, to whom they expected Eastern believers to submit.” And we know from history that the Crusaders were very brutal in their tactics. Now, I am not suggesting these verses in Zechariah are referring to all of this. But I do think it is interesting that God split in two one of the greatest empires the world has ever known after that empire split the Mount of Olives. And not only that we know with the Emperor Constantine, the Roman Empire was changed. Constantine, who was a Christian Emperor, transformed a radical Christian persecuting empire into an empire that welcomed Christianity and made it the state religion. But he also did something else, he moved the capitol of the empire to Constantinople. This move really ended the influence of the western empire and in 410 Rome was destroyed by the Visigoths. Nick Needham writes, “The vast and ancient city, once the capital of the world, collapsed in flames, as the brutal Visigoths set its buildings on fire and massacred its population, sparing only Church buildings.”

All man-made kingdoms come to an end. It is the very hand of God that raises up nations and takes them down. Those who persecuted God’s people were removed from power.

Now, I believe the chapter so far has been building up to verse 9, which appears to be the most important verse in the chapter. This is what it says, “And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.” Now before getting into this, I want to quote Daniel 7 verse 13-14.

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

Now, some scholars believe that Zechariah 14:9 is referring to the millennial reign of Jesus Christ! Who am I to argue? But does this mean his reign in the future or at his first coming and ascension to the right hand of the Father? Now, there are many other passages that use this kind of language. But certainly I agree that here in Zechariah it certainly is talking about the millennial reign of Christ. The question becomes when did this reign began? Some would argue that this is in the future, at the end of history. But honestly it seems clear from what I have already read and the New Testament passages, that the reign of Christ began with his first coming. The millennium began with the first coming of Jesus. We could even argue that the inauguration of the kingdom began with the destruction of Jerusalem when the kingdom became Christian. Put another way, when both Jews and Gentiles were welcomed into the new kingdom of Jesus Christ. The gentile Christians, as evidenced by Scripture and history, produced the fruits of the kingdom. We should realize that much of the Bible is prophesying about the first coming of Jesus and his kingdom. Jesus himself said in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” My point is that Zechariah is a prophecy about how Jesus is king and reigns. This was established when he lived a perfect life, became the sacrificial Lamb of God, died on the cross and rose from the dead. I believe that the events of 70 A.D. are the culmination of the kingdom of God – a transition from the Old to New Covenant. Where God comes in judgment to finalize his reign by removing the old covenantal system and setting up his new kingdom that would cover the earth.

We should remember that the statement in Zechariah 14:9 points to the victory of Christ. He is king! Satan has tried to usurp his authority but has been defeated. Jesus reigns now and forevermore!

Now before moving on to the rest of the chapter I want to point something out. Whenever I talk about eschatological ideas, it becomes clear the perspective I am coming from. The truth does not have to be popular. Zechariah 14 begins with, “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord.” And with that beginning as with the rest of the chapter, interpreters often classify Zechariah 14 as discussing the second coming of Jesus. However, the term, “day of the Lord” is used many times in Scripture and we know often events described in the Bible have been fulfilled in history. Ralph Woodrow in his book, “His Truth is Marching On” talks about this. Woodrow lists out four different places, Edom, Egypt, Babylon, and Jerusalem, where you have “day of the Lord” prophecies that are about events in the past. So, why would Zechariah be any different? I honestly think the biggest problem we have is that we don’t know history very well and have been encouraged to push certain prophecies into the future. But of course when the prophecies were written, they were in the future. But that does not mean they are now.

With that, let’s continue through the rest of the chapter. Now, as we move to verses 10-11, the interpretation can be difficult. However, if we interpret verse 9 as the beginning of the New Covenant, which is also the beginning of Christ’s millennial reign, the text does make sense.

Thomas McComiskey in his commentary on Zechariah gives his own translation of the text. I will state it here: “And all the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will change, [becoming] like a plain, and it will rise and remain in its place from the Gate of Benjamin to the site of the first gate – to the Corner Gate – and from the Tower of Hananel to the King’s Winepresses. And they will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell secure.”

I would suggest to you this refers to the New Jerusalem. The text tells us that Jerusalem will experience great changes, but will rise and become secure. It is not just a restoration and rebuilding of the city. It is a great change. It is the New Jerusalem. So, what does that mean? Well, we could look at Ezekiel 40-48, the new city-temple, or of course Revelation 21-22. But what is all of this describing? David Chilton deals with this topic extensively in his book on Revelation. He quotes John Owen who believed that the Bible’s metaphorical language of heaven and earth refer to the Mosaic covenant. Owen states that Isaiah 65-66 prophecy about the gospel age, not the eternal state. To put it another way, Jesus came, lived a perfect life, became our sacrificial lamb, arose to glory and the right hand of the Father. But he also came in judgment in 70 A.D. to destroy the corrupt Old Covenant structure, which was changed and replaced with the New Covenant purchased by his blood. And I believe Zechariah 14 is describing this very thing, the transition from the Old to New Covenant. The Old Jerusalem is changed into the New Jerusalem and God’s salvation went out into all the earth.

Now, I do want to point out that the physical city of Jerusalem was restored. It was rebuilt and did continue after 70 A.D. And certainly the passage is also talking about this with the words, “Jerusalem will rise and remain in its place” and “Jerusalem will dwell secure.”

Next, we have verses 12-15. In these verses the attacking nations will receive a great plague. God fights for his people and again there are consequences for oppressing God’s people. So, do we know exactly what it is talking about? Well, I do believe that there is one specific fulfillment for sure. Remember, according to what I have said, the great war mentioned is the Jewish and Roman war from 67-73 A.D. Do you remember what Roman general conquered Jerusalem? Well, originally the war started with Vespasian, but it was his son, Titus, who finished the job. And just a few short years later in 79 A.D., Titus becomes Rome’s emperor. But something else very significant happens in 79 A.D. Consider this, under the leadership of Titus Jerusalem was attacked and destroyed, and nine years later, he would become the emperor. Titus became emperor in June 79 A.D., and in August of that same year Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed several Italian cities, including Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Oplontis. When the volcano erupted it covered the surrounding cities with smoke, lava and ash. In case it has been a while since your science class, the volcanic lava and ash would have killed people in probably 3 to 5 seconds. Meaning, the ash would have consumed their flesh before their bodies dropped to the ground. Let’s read verse 12, “And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.” Now some translations use the word, “rot” while others use “consume”. Either way, the meaning is essentially the same.

Concerning this event the Roman historian Cassius Dio states, “the amount of dust, taken all together, was so great that some of it reached Africa and Syria and Egypt, and it also reached Rome, filling the air overhead and darkening the sun.” Cassius goes on to say that the eruption brought a great pestilence upon Rome. While we cannot know for sure that this event with Mount Vesuvius is a fulfillment of Zechariah 14:12, it is certainly a likely fulfillment considering the timing of the events.

Now, as we continue through the verses, we come to verse 16-19, which mention a very significant feast. Let’s read it.

Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. 17 And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. 18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. 19 This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.

If we go back to when this feast was originally instituted in Leviticus 23, we note this was an annual feast that required a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The feast lasted for 8 days and temporary booths were built and the people lived in the booths for 7 days. The feast is also a joyful celebration of the harvest season. The feast occurred in the Jewish month of Tishri and commemorated the time when Israel was in the wilderness and the people dwelled in temporary shelters or booths. On the first and eighth days no labor was permitted, and the eighth day was a solemn assembly called Shemini Atzeret. Every day during the seven days, a priest would pour water into a bowl that drained into the altar. This, of course, had great spiritual significance. The Feast of Tabernacles points toward the New Testament age of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The prophetic message of the feast is that the age of the Messiah would usher in the presence of God, him dwelling or tabernacling with his people. What is even more telling about this feast and its significance is what it states in John 7. The Apostle tells us that Jesus attended the Feast of Tabernacles privately after telling his brothers he would not be coming to the feast. Then, in the middle of the feast, Jesus begins teaching in the temple. And on the last day of the feast Jesus proclaims, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” Jesus is speaking of the Holy Spirit and again you can see the spiritual significance of the water being pour out during the feast.

I think to understand these verses in Zechariah; you have to understand the Old Testament feast and what it represents. In the Bible, the Bride of Christ, or we might say, the New Jerusalem, is not a specific city but is the New Testament Church. We have just discussed the Old Testament feast that was observed through the time of Christ, but honestly it pointed to the coming of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

What I am saying is that these verses are using Old Testament language because that is when it was written, but the prophecy of Zechariah is about New Testament times, and this feast symbolically points to the New Testament. So, are these verses talking about a literal feast during the millennium in the future, or is it talking about the fulfillment of the feast, which is Christ himself. The Feast of Tabernacles united all nations in worship. The passage tells us Jesus is king over the whole earth. I believe when Zechariah uses the feast language he is talking about the living waters of the New Testament. We must remember that in the New Testament, the gentiles were brought into covenant with God; where all nations are to worship the true King of Glory.

So, what are we to make of the punishments listed for the peoples or nations who do not observe the feast? The Feast of Tabernacles occurred at the harvest. So, naturally rain would refer to abundance or prosperity or fruitfulness. In a general way rain symbolizes life, for it is necessary for survival. I also find it very interesting that many of the non-Christian nations in the Middle East are arid.

“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.” Revelation 21:22-27

The very end of Zechariah 14 points to the holiness of God. The house of the Lord will be made holy. This is accomplished by the coming of Jesus, his payment for our sin, and the righteousness he freely gives upon our acceptance of him as Lord and King. The entire chapter of Zechariah 14 is about the passing of the Old Covenant and the transition to the New Covenant under Jesus. It is hard for us to understand how much had to change and be removed for this transformative change to take place.

In Revelation 5 it states, “Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” (vs. 1-5)

The book or scroll with the seven seals is none other than the New Testament. But the New Covenant coming also means the Old Covenant is passing away, and this process included the judgment of God on apostate Israel. We don’t typically think of the New Covenant in this way, but Jesus is a warrior-king, he is a mighty conqueror. Bringing in the New Covenant means all of the old corrupt religious practices must end. So, the foundation of Christ’s kingdom is built on the purity of Jesus and not religion or a corrupt priesthood. Zechariah 14 is talking about exactly the same thing. The New Covenant being fulfilled by the wonderful sacrificial blessing of Jesus, while at the same time it crushes the enemies of God and false religious systems.

When we think of Zechariah 14, we are automatically thrust into eschatological thinking. There is no way around it. In fact, the book of Revelation and Zechariah 14 have much in common. I have already pointed out that often these texts are talking about the same events. But I want you to consider something, the New Testament in general has the same message as well. What do I mean? Well, consider the parable of the tenants in Matthew 21 (vs. 33-44).

“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

It is the same message – God first sends the prophets. In fact, in Matthew 23 when Jesus speaks to the religious leaders, do you remember what he tells them about the prophets? Here is what he says in verses 29-36.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

God judged his own people for their great sin in rejecting the prophets and Jesus. And at the same time he gives the kingdom to others who will produce the fruit. From the time of the second century, Jerusalem became a gentile city and Christianity, which was the kingdom Jesus set up, became mainly a gentile movement. In fact between the Jewish war and the Crusades, Israel and Jerusalem was inhabited mostly by Christians.

The two greatest signs or messages from this chapter are in verse 8-9. “On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.” Christ is king over the earth and his salvation and kingdom has come to all people. Even with all the literary and symbolic language, the message is the same – Christ has come to both save and judge. While passages such as Zechariah 14 are given over to futuristic approaches – the truth is Christ already came, his kingdom has already been established. His salvation, blessing, kingship and kingdom are right now!

And if what I am telling you is true, then how is this going to change how you see the world – your view of the church, culture and current events. How you live your life. If what I am telling you is true, what does this mean for Christians? It means instead of focusing on the latest and greatest prophecies, and looking for the next sign, we should be manifesting the kingdom of God wherever we go because we already have that on the inside of us. The kingdom is now! We are world-changers right now because we already have everything we need to change the world with the light of Jesus Christ. Are you going to sit around and wait for God to pull you out of this world, or are you going to follow the mandate of Scripture and take the light you already have and shine it into the darkness for good. What you believe matters! Knowing the truth makes a difference. “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.”