Zechariah 14 Summary Handout

By PastorAdmin | 09/28/2019

The Lord’s second coming, King of the earth, worship at Jerusalem

Summary

Israel’s prophesied future includes an international attack against Jerusalem (Armageddon Campaign in the Tribulation) at which time Yahweh God will return to the Mount of Olives and will defeat the attacking nations, change the geography, rule the world, and receive international worship. This again demonstrates that Yahweh God rules history and Israel has a blessed future.

Zechariah 14 outline

  1. Zechariah 14.1-2. The nations will brutally attack Jerusalem in the final phase of the Armageddon Campaign, and the LORD Yahweh, returns and fights for Israel.
  2. Zechariah 14.3-8. LORD Yahweh will return from heaven to the Mount of Olives, will defeat the armies attacking Israel, change the geography, and make an escape route for the besieged Judeans.
  3. Zechariah 14.9-11. The LORD Yahweh will be king over all the earth, the land of Israel will be changed appropriate to its importance, and people will live in security.
  4. Zechariah 14.12-15. The explanation of the victory: the LORD will violently close the Armageddon campaign by causing the aggressor forces to endure sudden shocking death, panic, infighting, loss of plunder, and death of their livestock.
  5. Zechariah 14.16-19. After the Millennial kingdom is established by Christ’s return to defeat Israel’s enemies, those who survived the Tribulation will submit to the LORD. Representatives from each nation will worship the LORD at the Feast of Booths, while the nations who refuse the LORD will endure drought.
  6. Zechariah 14.20-21. The entire nation, not just the priests, will now be Holy for the LORD because sin was paid for and now the LORD Messiah physically rules from Jerusalem.

Zechariah Summary explanation of each section

  1. Zechariah 14.1-2. The nations will brutally attack Jerusalem in the final phase of the Armageddon Campaign, and the LORD Yahweh, returns and fights for Israel.
    1. Zechariah 14.1. A future time is coming which is in the Day of the LORD. At the first part of this special day (period of time) the invading armies will divide up the spoil taken from Israel. “Among you” NASB means the invaders in your midst divide it up, not the people of Jerusalem. See Joel 3.2,12,14 for more on the day of the LORD.
    2. Zechariah 14.2. Now some details. The LORD has brought the invading armies. It is in this battle that the LORD will judge those nations. Note five stages: 1. Jerusalem captured, 2. Houses plundered (robbed), 3. Women raped, 4. Half the population of Jerusalem exiled, 5. Half of the population will remain in the city. When one compares Zechariah 13.8 it seems that the half left in the city are one-sixth of the population of the Jerusalem area.
  2. Zechariah 14.3-8. LORD Yahweh, in resurrection body, will return from heaven to the Mount of Olives, will defeat the armies attacking Israel, change the geography, and make an escape route for the besieged Judeans.
    1. Zechariah 14.3. The LORD Yahweh now descends and enters the battle against the nations that are attacking Israel as noted in Zechariah 14.2. This summarizes the verses which follow.
    2. Zechariah 14.4. The LORD descends from heaven to the Mount of Olives (Acts 1.11-12). He causes a change in the geography. The Mount of Olives is just to the east of the temple mount across the Kidron Valley. The LORD Jesus splits the Mount of Olives from east to west resulting in an east west valley.
    3. Zechariah 14.5. This newly formed valley becomes the route for the Judeans to escape from besieged Jerusalem. Azal is an unknown location east of Jerusalem. The God caused physical disruption in the land recalls the great earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah, also named Azariah, around 760 BC (Amos 1.1) The LORD and his holy ones will come to earth at this time. The holy ones are angels and resurrected believers (Matthew 25.31; 1 Thessalonians 3.13; 2 Thessalonians 1.7-10; Revelation 19)
    4. Zechariah 14.6-8. There will be awesome changes in physical creation (Joel 2.31; 3.15; Amos 5.18; Isaiah 13.10; 24.23; Matthew 24.29-31; Mark 13.24–25; Rev. 6.13; 8:12). “In that day” is the day of the LORD. A gloom will overwhelm the land until evening, at which time the light of the LORD’S return will shine. And, water will miraculously flow out of Jerusalem to the east (dead Sea) and to the west (Mediterranean). This will provide the life-giving water to the region year around, and continue in the Millennial Kingdom, providing a basis for prosperity. See Joel 3.18 and Ezekiel 47.1-2.
  3. Zechariah 14.9-11. The LORD Yahweh will be king over all the earth, the land of Israel will be changed appropriate to its importance, and people will live in security.
    1. Zechariah 14.9. At the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom all will recognize his complete sovereignty and rule. His name will be revered. Psalm 2 and Matthew 6.9-10 speak of this. Philippians 2.9-11 indicates that all people and angels will recognize Jesus’ majesty. The enemies of Israel will have been destroyed. Zechariah has already called Yahweh the LORD of all the earth (Zechariah 4.14; 6.5). John calls him King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 17.14; 19.16).
    2. Zechariah 14.10. In the great geologic changes Jerusalem will be raised and made even more prominent (Isaiah 2.2), and people will live in security (Isaiah 32.18; 33.20; Zechariah 3.10). Geba is a Levite town six miles north of Jerusalem. Rimmon is a town south of Jerusalem.
  4. Zechariah 14.12-15. The LORD will violently end the Armageddon campaign by causing the aggressor forces to endure sudden shocking death, panic, infighting, loss of plunder, and death of their livestock.
    1. Zechariah 14.12. The plague (מַגַּפָה maggephah plague, torment, pestilence, Exodus 9.14; Numbers 14.37) will cause their flesh, their eyes, and their tongues to rot (מקק maqaq to fester, rot, decay, Ezekiel 4.17) right where they stand. See the plagues the LORD brought on Egypt, Exodus 7-11. Whatever kind of attack this will be, it will be quick and deadly.
    2. Zechariah 14.13-15. The LORD will cause a panic, and the aggressors will fight against each other. Furthermore, the Judeans will fight heroically. Finally, the victory is complete over the enemy and even their livestock.
  5. Zechariah 14.16-19. After the Millennial kingdom is established by Christ’s return to defeat Israel’s enemies, those who survived the Tribulation will submit to the LORD. Representatives from each nation will worship the LORD at the Feast of Booths, while the nations who refuse the LORD will endure drought. The Feast of Booths honored the LORD for his provision during the Exodus from Egypt.
  6. Zechariah 14.20-21. The entire nation, not just the priests, will in that day be Holy for the LORD because sin was paid for and the LORD Messiah will rule from Jerusalem. They will truly fulfill their priest nation status of Exodus 19.5-6.
    1. Zechariah 14.20. The inscription that was originally on the turban of the high priest, Holy to the LORD (Exodus 28.36-38), will even be inscribed on bells worn by horses—a demonstration that all creation is holy for the LORD.
    2. Zechariah 14.20-21. The cooking pots in the temple will now be just as sacred as the cooking pots at the altar. Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judea may be used to cook the sacrificial food— all the pots will be holy. No Canaanite, probably referring to dishonest merchants or any ungodly person (same Hebrew word for both Canaanites and merchants) will defile the temple. Redeemed Israel is holy to the LORD. They are the LORD’S people in the land he promised to them, and he is their king.

So what? Application

  1. Question: if Zechariah were the only prophetic book in the Bible, what are the expectations for the future?
  2. A great war is coming in the middle east in which Israel will be savagely attacked. The LORD will return to the Mount of Olives, personally defeat the enemy, rescue Israel, change the physical landscape of Jerusalem and the surrounding area, and reign in Jerusalem as king over all the Earth. Yahweh wins.
  3. No person, no nation, no army, no weapon is able to defeat the LORD when he enters any battle. Yahweh wins.
  4. Both physical and spiritual salvation will come to Israel in the future, but only through the LORD Yahweh, Jesus Messiah. Yahweh wins.
  5. All nations will worship LORD Yahweh, Messiah Jesus. Also see Philippians 2.6-11. Yahweh wins.
  6. The current trends of history show that today people and events are moving toward the Day of the LORD that Zechariah writes about (2 Thessalonians 2.1-12). The world is more open about sin and evil, but we learn that the LORD controls history. History is moving toward the LORD’S goal in which sin and evil will be removed and righteousness will reign. Yahweh wins.