As we read the Bible, we see different prophets pointing to a final battle that will take place at the end of time. They all make it abundantly clear that the LORD will return and defeat his enemies once and for all. Yet, despite their unity regarding how the story ends, they all communicate this story with unique imagery to highlight various aspects of the same story.
In Zechariah 14, the LORD, through Zechariah, tells us what will happen when Christ returns again at the end of time. Before he returns, things will get really bad. Things will seem bleak for God's people. But, at the right time, the LORD will come down, save his people, and destroy their enemies once and for all. A second exodus is coming. And depending upon which camp you find yourself in, this passage can be incredibly terrifying or unbelievably comforting.
In these verses, we see that, in the end, the whole world will wage war against God's people. And, at that moment, they will profit from their oppression of Jerusalem. But, soon after, the LORD will come down and deliver his people. And when he comes to save his people, he's also coming to destroy the nations.
So, as we wrestle through this very complex chapter, I want you to consistently ask yourself, "Which camp are you in?"
To those who reject Christ, to those who are an enemy of God, these words should be incredibly terrifying. But, to those who have pleaded for mercy and experienced the cleansing work of Christ, these verses should be unbelievably hopeful.
There's no middle ground in Zechariah 14. You are either God's enemy or God's friend. You are either a recipient of God’s wrath or a recipient of God’s mercy. If your allegiance resides in your own kingdom, death is on your horizon. Things may go well for you now, but that prosperity is fleeting. But, if your allegiance resides in Christ's kingdom, life is on your horizon. Things may be difficult now, but an eternal blessing is on your horizon.
So, “Which camp am I in?” is the question we will ask ourselves today.
Let's dive in.
"[1] 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.
[10] The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. [11] And it shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction. Jerusalem shall dwell in security.
[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.
[13] And on that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. [14] Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. [15] And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps.
[16] 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.
[20] And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, "Holy to the LORD." And the pots in the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the altar. [21] And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day."
WORSE BEFORE BETTER
There are two things I want us to take note of here at the start of this final chapter.
First, I want us to see and understand that God is saying things will get worse before they get better. Before the LORD goes out and fights in battle on behalf of his people, he will "gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle." The language used to describe how the nations will treat Jerusalem here is dreadfully horrendous. Houses plundered. Women raped. People going out in exile. Nothing about this is good. Things will get worse before they get better. Difficulty is on the horizon for God’s people. God will first draw in their enemies to later destroy their enemies. Things will become more difficult the closer we get to the end of time. So, those who the blood of Jesus has cleansed should expect trials. Allegiance to Jesus will undoubtedly lead to difficulties in this life.
MINORITY OVER MAJORITY
The second thing I want us to see here is that siding with the majority is not always best because the majority is not always right. Here we have the entire world— all nations— surrounding Jerusalem for battle. You have the majority oppressing the minority.
If acceptance from the masses is the lord of your life, you will undoubtedly find yourself on the wrong side of history. When we let the opinions of the mob shape our worldview, we will wade into some dangerous waters.
LITERALLY OR SPIRITUALLY?
Now, let's take a quick detour here for a moment.
There are differing opinions over who Jerusalem is here, and I think we need to unpack that for a moment.
Some believe it to be literal Jerusalem. They would interpret the majority of Zechariah's words literally, meaning that you have all the nations surrounding one city, Jerusalem, with their swords drawn for battle. The entire world is oppressing the single city of Jerusalem.
Others, however, interpret Jerusalem to symbolically reference the church. Their primary argument is that it's strange to imagine the entire world surrounding just one city. Therefore, they would interpret these words to symbolically represent the world's oppression of the church, the spiritual people of God. Before Christ returns, the whole world will be oppressing and abusing the Church.
There are valid arguments on either side, and we simply don't know which interpretation is true because it hasn't happened yet. To say that you know for certain what this passage is saying is unbelievably arrogant. It's completely fair and warranted to call someone a heretic for denying the deity of Christ. But it is neither fair nor warranted to call someone a heretic for interpreting these verses symbolically or literally. Brothers and sisters, we must wade through the muddy waters of apocalyptic literature with tremendous grace and compassion.
I personally lean towards interpreting Jerusalem as a symbolic reference to the church. But I don't land here because I have difficulty imagining the world surrounding one city. In fact, I think we would be terrible students of the Bible if we deny specific interpretations simply because we can't fathom them being true. God is on the throne, and he sets the earth in motion. He does not have to submit his actions to our reason and logic. Instead, our reasoning and logic must submit to his will and actions. So, I would argue that we should always interpret the text literally unless the author has given us a reason to interpret the text symbolically. And I believe Zechariah has given us reason to interpret Jerusalem in a symbolic sense.
If you remember, in chapter 2, Zechariah had a vision of a young man seeking to measure Jerusalem with a measuring line. As he's getting ready to do this, the angel of the LORD stops him and tells him that Jerusalem will become a city without walls. Jerusalem will become a city full of people and livestock, where many nations will come and join themselves to the LORD. It will become a place where God will dwell with his people, and it will be a place that God will protect with holy fire.
I believe Zechariah 2 speaks of the church, the spiritual city of God. And this has been the framework through which I've interpreted most of Zechariah. Here in chapter 14, I think Jerusalem is a symbolic reference to the people of God, the church.
But, here's the thing. None of this has happened yet. So I could be wrong. It's quite possible that Zechariah is laying out verbatim what will happen at the return of Christ. We don't know for sure now, but we will know for sure someday. One day the fog on the mirror will be removed, and we will see clearly what was once murky.
So, either way you interpret these words, I think we can both agree that Zechariah is highlighting how the majority will rise up against the minority. All of the nations, all of the world, will be gathered against the city of Jerusalem. No matter how powerful, one city cannot stand against all nations. So, at the end of time, It will appear that God's people are surrounded by inescapable doom. On their own, they stand no chance. Yet, at the right time, God will intervene on their behalf. When half of the city will go out into exile, and the rest of the people will be cut off from the city, the LORD will "go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle." And when the LORD arrives, the mountains split and the nations fall.
A SECOND EXODUS
The imagery given to us here is the LORD appearing on the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives was a large mountain that sat before Jerusalem on the East. It’s a mountain that would be visible throughout all of Jerusalem. And when the LORD appears on the mountain, it will split in two, creating a valley of escape for God's people.
Does that language sound familiar to you? This is exodus language.
On the one hand, the Mount of Olives provides protection. But, on the other hand, it also offers prevention. Like the Red Sea, the Mount of Olives prevented God's people from escaping. Yet, similar to the Red Sea, the LORD will split the mountain to save his people, allowing them to flee to Azal.
What is Azal? No one is certain because this is the only reference to Azal in the Old Testament. There is a lot of speculation over what this could be. Some have attempted to change the text to a more widely recognizable name, like Beth Ezell, a place we find referenced in the book of Micah. But all we know is that Azal is a place of escape for God's people in Jerusalem. Some translate it to mean "the way of escape shall be made easy." So Azal will be a place of refuge for God's people. When Christ comes and stands on the Mount of Olives, the mountain will split in two, allowing God's people to flee to safety. Simply put, the return of Christ will usher in safety for God's people. Jesus will provide an avenue for them to escape from disaster, and they will dwell with their LORD in safety forever.
VICTORY IS COMING
As we continue to read in verses 6-11, we see the natural order of creation beginning to be thwarted because of God's presence with his people. There will be no light, cold, or frost. There will no longer be day or night; it will always be light. This imagery is used throughout Scripture to communicate what life will be like in God's everlasting kingdom. In Isaiah 60:19-20, we see the sun and the moon will “be no more,” and the LORD, himself, will be their “light.”
Similarly, we see the book of Revelation describe the New Jerusalem as a place where the gates will never be shut by day— and “there will be no night there (Rev. 21:25).” "They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever (Rev. 22:5)."
So, here Zechariah is standing next to Isaiah and John and pointing ahead to the future, describing what life will be like for his people once the final battle is won. There is coming a day when God will be with his people forever in perfect harmony. He will be their God, and they will be his people. "The LORD will be king over all the earth," and "on that day he will be one and his name one." The one who promised difficulty is also promising victory. On this day there will never again be a decree of utter destruction. Jerusalem will dwell in security forever. The sovereign LORD is saying that there will be nothing for his people to fear. Christ will reign in peace forever. Living water will never dry up.
Church, we look forward to a day when we will dwell with God in all his glory for all eternity. Though we may be tried by fire now, we look ahead to a day when the embers cool. We look ahead to a day when we will be completely safe and secure with our Lord forever. We look ahead to a day when people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will safely worship and serve their King forever.
DESTRUCTION IS COMING
What a hopeful message this is for the sheep who belong to the good shepherd. The return of Christ will usher in safety for God's people. But the return of Christ will also lead to the destruction of their enemies.
If you skip down to verses 12-15, you see that when God comes, he "will strike all who 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." This is dreadful language. The ones who once plundered God’s people will be plundered by God. Justice will fall upon the shoulders of the wicked.
Richard Philips, while commenting on these verses, says, “The point of these verses is not merely the reality of God’s final judgment, but the terror of it for those who are condemned and sentenced to eternity in hell.” This is a fate that no one wants. There’s an inescapable plague that will fall upon the wicked. Their flesh will rot while they’re standing. At the start of the chapter, the nations are the ones plundering the houses in Jerusalem, taking their riches. But here we see a significant reversal. The wealth of the nations will be collected in great abundance. Everything they gathered will come to ruin. Philips goes on to say “They will be bereft of all the worldly comforts and joys with which they dulled their spiritual awareness in this life. The terrible irony for them is that it is the church, which has not even sought such treasure, that receives the riches they have loved.”
Folks listen. It's possible to flourish in this life through oppression and wickedness. It's possible to ride the train of sin throughout your life and enjoy the benefits of the ride. But please know where that train will lead. The train of sin will only lead to eternal pain, misery, and destruction. A day will come when a plague will fall on the wicked, and destruction will be their doom. The mighty nations who stood against Jerusalem will fall when Christ returns.
FEAST OF BOOTHS
Verses 16-19 paint this picture of the redeemed coming to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Booths. From the nations that come against Jerusalem will be a remnant that looks upon Christ and are saved.
The Feast of Booths would have been one of three pilgrimage feasts (Passover, Pentecost, and Feast of Booths). A pilgrimage feast meant that all Jewish men would be required to travel to Jerusalem with their families. It was an exciting week-long celebration held after the harvest around September or October. It was a time to celebrate God's complete harvest provision, pray for a good rainy season, and remember God's faithfulness to provide for his people in the wilderness after they left Egypt.
Each family was to celebrate this feast by building booths (tents) in the open fields, on streets, or on their rooftops. In layman's terms, this would be a nationwide campout. My wife would be miserable. This was to remember that God's people had to dwell in booths whenever they were brought out of slavery in Egypt. They were to live in these tents for seven days, observing the stars and remembering God's faithfulness to his people.
In alluding to this feast, Zechariah is pointing to a time when God's people will celebrate God's provision and deliverance for all eternity. There will be no reasons to mourn; there will only be reasons to celebrate. Upon his return, Christ will usher his people into an everlasting place of joy and celebration. For all eternity, we will rejoice and celebrate the deliverance we experienced in Christ.
HOLY TO THE LORD
Then, in verses 20-21, we see the beautiful reality that one day, there will no longer be a distinction between the common and the holy. All will be made holy.
"Holy to the LORD" was a phrase/term used to describe the attire of the priest. In Exodus 28:36, we see the priests of the LORD commanded to wear a headpiece with a plate on it that said, "Holy to the LORD." The rare phrase of “holy to the LORD” will become so common that it’s on the bells of horses. Not only that, but every pot in the land will be holy to the LORD. There will no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day. Thomas McComskey says, “So pervasive will be the rule of righteousness in the new order that even the most common objects will be holy to God. Nothing will belong to the sphere of the common or profane.”
One of the many beauties of the gospel resides in how the gospel humbles those in high positions and exalts those in low positions. In God's kingdom, all are holy through the cleansing blood of Christ. We cling to the hope that we will one day stand holy and blameless and above reproach before the LORD. Christ died so that he might “present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkly or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Eph 5:27).” So, if your faith resides in Jesus, you look forward to a day when we will all be declared holy and blameless before the LORD because of the work of Christ on the cross. And together, we look ahead to the hope that one day, we will dwell securely in a purified city.
Zechariah was writing to a people who were still in great despair. But, he’s been telling them that God has not forgot them. In fact, God will remain faithful to them all throughout history, even in the midst of fire. And for those who cling to the good shepherd who was pierced for his sheep has great reason for hope.