We have examined many passages in Zachariah's prophecies that are important for us to have an understanding of what's gonna be taking place in the future. But it's these final three chapters, chapters 12, 13, and 14, that are gonna be the most important for our future study of Revelation, which will begin sometime toward the end of summer, first part of fall. And that's because These prophecies give the necessary background understanding to Revelation. Without understanding Zachariah's prophecies in their context, in their grammatical context as well, It is too easy to get to Revelation and misunderstand it, reading into it headlines, reading into it a theology you already decided before you even looked at the text. We need to look at what God has already said to understand, and Scripture interprets Scripture. Verse one begins, Zechariah chapter 12. You can find it by going to Matthew and going back to, right toward the end, Matthew 12. It begins, the oracle of the word of Yahweh concerning Israel. So this is the second oracle that Zechariah has received from Yahweh. Remember the term oracle also translated in some of the versions is burden. It's a message that has some burdensome element within it. They're almost always a prediction of a threatening or an admonishing character. And these two oracles certainly fit within that. The first oracle in chapters 9 through 11 told of the coming destruction of Israel's enemies, and then God enabling Israel to overcome those enemies. This second oracle concerns what is commonly referred to as Armageddon, at least in eschatology. That word only occurs once in Revelation 17, but it becomes a term for talking about these last times of final battle. Here it is this final battle as well as a purging of Israel and then establishing the remnant of Messiah's kingdom. Now neither of these oracles were dated but the location of them at the end of the book of Zechariah and their subject matter suggests that Yahweh gave these to Zechariah toward the end of his ministry. The purpose of the first oracle encouraged this remnant to be steadfast in the worship of God and following him in light of his promised protection from enemies and then the prophecies of a glorious future. The purpose of the second oracle was twofold. First, there is a warning that God's wrath is going to come and it is going to destroy Israel's enemies and also purge out the ungodly from among Israel. And second was to instill a hope in the godly by describing a future kingdom of Messiah. A kingdom that would be secure. A kingdom that would be without a curse. A kingdom that would be holy to the Lord. Now verse one continues with a description of Yahweh's power displayed in what He has done and what He is doing. This description affirms God is able to carry out all the actions He says He's going to do that are going to follow it. It says, thus declares Yahweh who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. The declaration points back to what God did, recorded in Genesis. Yet it uses three participles, which is interesting, because that gives a sense of something that's continuing in the present. And indeed, in some ways, it is. There's a continuing action that God has. Genesis 1-1 tells the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Psalm 104, two through four, has an interesting statement that God who covers himself with light, as with a garment, and it says, stretching out the heavens like a curtain, laying the beam of his upper chamber in the waters, making thick clouds his chariot, and walking on the wings of the wind. So there's a current stretching out. According to astronomy, the galaxies, the universe is still expanding. It's still being stretched. Hebrews 1.10 tells us, in the beginning, the Lord laid the foundation of the earth. Establishing that foundation, the earth would not be moved. Psalm 104, verse 5. And we know that God formed Adam from the dust to the ground. And then he breathed into Adam the breath of life, so he became a living soul. That life continues as long as that breath is within man, Job 27.3. Psalm 146.4, both speak of that. When the breath of God within you is gone, your body dies. He provides life. That's an ongoing thing, isn't it? And so it's interesting then that we find in Colossians 1.17 and Hebrews 1.3 statements that it is Jesus who upholds all things by the word of his power. It's a description that if God is not taking action currently, everything will fly apart. And indeed, physicists don't even know why an atom holds together. They have a magic force, they don't even know what to call it. But the atoms hold together. Otherwise, they shouldn't. But they do. Christ holds us together. He holds all things together. And so, able to do all these things, and we are confident that every decree that He makes within this oracle, He will carry out. That was the purpose of starting from that. The God who did this in the past, who continues to uphold all things in the present, will carry out everything that He decrees for the future. In the three chapters that we're gonna be looking at in the next couple weeks. There are 80 declarations of what will happen in the future. Nine in chapter 12, 21 in chapter 13, and 49 in chapter 14. I think God's serious about this, don't you? Verse two begins an invitation from Yahweh that cannot be turned down. Behold I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples all around. Now the one in siege against Jerusalem will also be against Judah. But it will be in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who heave it up will be severely injured and all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. Now verse 2, the declaration here is a focus on Jerusalem as a magnet that God is going to use to draw all nations into one area that he might judge them. The phrase cup that causes reeling refers to God's wrath being poured out on the wicked. The cup or the basin is used as an analogy of a wine container. and that wine representing the wrath of God that has been poured out upon the wicked, and it'll be poured out at the proper time. Deuteronomy 32 told of this long before. Romans 2.5 uses the same kind of language. The wrath of God like wine being poured out. The root word translated here as reeling refers to being shaken, agitated, resulting in a staggering in this kind of context. It's cognate was used in Isaiah 51, 17. It expresses the same idea. It says this. Awaken yourself, arise, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of Yahweh the cup of his wrath, the chalice of reeling you have drained to the dregs. And he chastened them. Isaiah 63, 6 also connects God's wrath to the people responding as if drunk, saying, I trod down the people in my anger and made them drunk in my wrath. They staggered under it. Jeremiah 25, 15 through 17 gives an even more detailed description using the same analogy. For thus Yahweh the God of Israel says to me, take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand and cause all the nations to whom I send it to drink it. They will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them. Then I took the cup from the hand of Yahweh and made all the nations to whom Yahweh sent me to drink it. So this same kind of analogy used for actions already passed, used for actions present at the time of the writing of this, and for future actions still to come. We find the same analogy used in Revelation several times, Revelation 14, 10, 16, 19, 18, 6. God's wrath is poured out. Now for those who want to say the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament, this demonstrates that's not true. Yes, his wrath was poured out in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, he tells about a wrath to come that's going to be poured out. In Revelation, it says the same thing. It's the same God. He is a merciful God. He's a loving God. He's a kind God. He's a gracious God. But he's also a just God. And his wrath will come upon the wicked. So the nations of the earth then will lay siege against Jerusalem and Judah but the end result will not be according to their purpose. As we'll see later in this oracle they have a virulent anti-semitism and it's going to cause horrible suffering but in the end they will not have victory and instead they will suffer God's wrath poured out upon them. Now, in verse 3, God uses a different analogy. He describes Jerusalem as a heavy stone. A heavy stone for all peoples. In this analogy, the siege is described as the effort to lift up this heavy stone, resulting in an injury to themselves. One commentator was a bit blunt. He said the people who come and lay siege to Jerusalem, trying to lift this heavy stone, give themselves a hernia. Well, who are these people? The end of the verse states all nations will be gathered against it. Anti-Semitism becomes worldwide. Knowing that that's coming in the future, we really should not be surprised by the expressions of it in our own current time. The purpose statement of Hamas, of their existence, what they strive to do, includes the annihilation of Israel. The phrase, from the river to the sea, means there is no Israel. Their actions of October 7th, of pillaging, the destruction, the hostage taking, the murder, the rape, the mutilation of the elderly, and all the way down to infants, simply brought the war that they'd been fighting into the open. And though it is proper for any nation to defend itself and defeat its enemies, if possible, after such an attack, even within our own nation, we have seen a rise of an anti-Semitism. There's been much support for Hamas. They're the perpetrators of the atrocities and they have vowed to continue them if they can possibly get that opportunity. Nothing's changed with them. Never be surprised how agitators can get ignorant people to form a mob and do stupid things, including violence. And so we have seen it on our college campuses of our elites, our young people who are getting well-educated, and they're only becoming educated fools. If you're being taught things that are lies, then you will believe those things. Feinberg points out in his commentary the various prophecies concerning this future union of nations against Jerusalem and Judah will consist of the following. Daniel 2 and 7, Revelation 13 and 17 speak of the revived Roman Empire. Daniel 11 speaks of an Assyrian power. So that would be the nations to the north and to the east of Israel. There is a northern confederacy, Ezekiel 38 and 39, that goes up to Gog and Magog, that goes up into the Russian territories. And then there's the kings of the east, Revelation 16. But in the end, this coalition of nations is going to find that they're fighting God. The next section of the oracle Yahweh declares He will take six specific actions in four categories. In that day, declares Yahweh, I'll strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with madness, but I will open my eyes to watch over the house of Judah while I strike every horse and peoples with blindness. Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, a strong support for us are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through Yahweh of hosts, their God. In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a fiery laver among pieces of wood and a fiery torch among sheaves. So they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples while Jerusalem will again be inhabited in its own place in Jerusalem. Yahweh also will save the tents of Judah first so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be magnified above Judah. In that day, Yahweh will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And the one who stumbles among them in that day will be like David. And the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh before them. And it will be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem." The reference to horses and riders here is to the military. And the military here is dumbfounded. Calvary was an extremely important aspect of military might in the ancient world. Yahweh takes direct action to cause every horse to be bewildered, confused, stupefied. The end of verse four specifically cites that blindness is the reason for this. And obviously, if you suddenly went blind, you wouldn't know where to go. You would be confused. Yahweh also strikes the riders, the horses, with madness. That's a wild and helpless panic. Deuteronomy 28, 8, 28 lists the same three plagues, bewilderment, madness, and blindness, as what God will do to those that will not follow his commandments. There it's a warning to his own people, but the same things then apply to other people as well. Actually, what is described here has always been a problem for military. If you look through military history, there's usually a problem of failure of equipment. don't have the equipment that's necessary to be able to carry out your campaign. Or the soldiers and the commanders go into a panic and instead of thinking through the battle plan and what would be right in order to win, they just respond. If the panic's too great, they just run away. You know, it's hard to win a battle if you're going the opposite direction, right? But these have always been problems in military history. They're current problems in the military, and they will certainly be problems in the future, regardless of how sophisticated the weapons of warfare become. Next is a Jewish defense. So in contrast to Yahweh's actions against his enemies and blinding them, the text tells us he keeps his eyes open, and upon is the house of Judah. He instead is going to lead them. He's going to empower His people to have a victory. Verse 5 says the clans of Judah will acknowledge that God, Yahweh of hosts, is the one that is supporting them. That term host, that's a military term. Yahweh, the head of the army, the God of the army, that is the one who's empowering them. How effective will the army be that is controlled by Yahweh? Verse 6 describes making Judah a mighty military force that defends themselves and destroys the enemy that surrounds them. The analogy used is a laver or a basin. That would be a pan in which embers are carried to ignite another fire. Remember, they didn't have big lighters. They didn't have matches. So the easiest way to take a fire from one place to another was to use a fire pot. A pan or a basin, you'd carry it, coals in that and then you'd bring it and you'd catch more wood on fire in somebody else's house or wherever you needed it. And obviously if you have a torch and you put it to sheaves, basically straw, it's going to ignite very quickly. And that is the description here. The Jews will be like a fire that will consume their enemies on both the right and the left, all those that are surrounding them. That's going to be expanded on in verse 8. But the result here is the defeat of their enemies. The Jews are able to regather in Jerusalem and it remains their capital. Okay, they had to go out, defeat the enemy, they return, Jerusalem remains their capital. How much effort is the world made trying to keep the Jews from having Jerusalem as their capital over the years? Next is direct defense by Yahweh, verse 7. his intervention in defending the nation. First it says, he will also save the tents of Judah. Now that refers to the outlying areas. And outlying areas are very vulnerable. Let's face it, a tent offers no defense against an invading army. And when your population is that scattered, you don't have much defense against an invading army either. You're overwhelmed. So usually rural areas are dependent upon the cities, in the ancient world that would be a walled city, to provide defense. A place they can flee to, or a place that has a concentration of military that forms an army and can come out and help defend them. Yet here it says that God is going to intervene and the rural areas, the outlying areas, the tents of Judah will be defended first. They're not going to be dependent upon Jerusalem. And the result is going to be everyone is going to recognize it is Yahweh that has brought about the victory because all glory belongs to Him. It should be noted that at the time of Zachariah, when he received this oracle, Jerusalem is still largely in ruins. Its walls have not been rebuilt. That would not happen until 44 B.C. That's another 50, 60 years or more. At that time, Zerubbabel, who is the son of the royal line, will come and he will govern, but he's not king. There won't be another Jewish king on David's throne until Messiah reigns. Verse 8 gives some detail about Yahweh's defense of Jerusalem. It says, Now David, if you are familiar with the Old Testament stories about him, was a mighty warrior. Saul has killed his thousands. David has ten thousands. He's not a guy I would want to have gotten into a battle with, okay? He knew what he was doing. So this is talking about those who are feeble, those who are stumbling, those who are weak, those who are cowardly, end up, God intervenes and makes them mighty warriors like David. That's pretty incredible, right? Then it says that he'll make the house of David like God and specifically the angel of Yahweh before them. Well, what's he referring to there? Well, if the feeble become mighty warriors in the house of David, here probably a reference to the military aspect of it, then they become like Yahweh of hosts. Now, what is the angel of the Lord able to do? Well, you might recall that in 2 Kings 19 One angel, the angel of the Lord, took out 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. That's kind of the army I want to be part of, right? That's who I want to be with. That's how this is described. Verse 9. The fifth time here, Yahweh marks it, what he's going to do. Now it states, in that day. That's an important phrase throughout this whole oracle. In that day is referring to the day of the Lord, the day of Yahweh. The day when all these events start. And here it began with Jerusalem becoming this magnet, this cup of reeling, which is going to draw all nations to it, that God is then going to take judgment. Now it says that Yahweh is going to seek to destroy all the nations that came against Jerusalem. The nations that sought to destroy Judah and Jerusalem are going to instead be destroyed themselves. Now this is not a reference to all nations around the world because in Zechariah 14 we're going to find that the nations still exist and they have to come to Jerusalem year by year to worship the Lord. So there is a remnant that's left, but it is referring to all those that are surrounded, the military that they had sent, none of them escaped. Now if your army has been out on campaign and it's completely destroyed, it will affect your nation. You're going to have some political change. So these nations that did exist are going to be radically changed after that. Continuing on, we find there's going to be spiritual repentance. The remaining verses in Zechariah 12 describe a deep spiritual repentance among the Jews as a result of Yahweh's actions. Verse 10, and I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication. So that they who will look on me whom they have pierced and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son. They weep bitterly over him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. In that day there will be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadaridmon in the plain of Megiddo. And the land will mourn every family by itself, the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves. The family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves. The family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves. The family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves. All the families that remain, every family by itself, their wives by themselves. So repentance occurs because, in contrast to Yahweh's enemies upon whom he pours out his wrath, here he pours out on his chosen people the spirit of grace and supplication. Grace is unmerited favor. Supplication is the petition for that such favor. And then the reason for the mourning is described in the rest of the passage. Throughout the scriptures, it is God's actions that cause a repentance. It is God's actions that bring a person to conviction of sin, what they have done wrong, so there will be repentance from it, and mourning over that sin. Pointed out in Psalm 14, repeated by Paul in Romans 3, is that there are none that are good, there are none that understand or seek God, because all have turned aside. It is God that takes action, he does so here. And so the Spirit does His work, He brings them to conviction about their sin, and specifically it states, they will look on me whom they have pierced. I think we all know who that's a reference to, right? Because John 19, 34 through 37, which describes Jesus on the cross, and the soldiers were commanded to go and break their legs so that they will die faster. When the soldier comes to Jesus, he's already dead. To make sure he's dead, He sticks his spear in his side and blood and water flow out. He'd been dead long enough that the serum and the platelets are already separated. John then goes on and he cites this specific verse as being now fulfilled. The one who had been pierced. Now to this point in time, there have only been a small percentage of Jews that will look to the sacrifice of Christ as the atonement for sin, repent and believe and be saved. But in the future, there's going to be a profound change that's going to end up affecting the whole remnant. All that is left, the whole population, their change is going to begin with an acknowledgement that Jesus is the Messiah. That died due to their own sinful actions, resulting in a profound mourning for him. Described as mourning for an only son. Your only child, if that child dies, the mourning is great. Or it says, for a firstborn. And then it says, like the mourning of Hadarimon in the plain of Megiddo. Like, what is that about? This is the death of Josiah. He had made an excursion to try to hold off the Egyptian army and is killed. And when he is brought back to Jerusalem, there's lamenting done by him, for him. Jeremiah laments for him when his body's returned. That's in 2 Chronicles 35, 22 to 27. The fact that it's marked out here means it was quite in a lament. Josiah was the godly king that was finally giving hope to a nation. And what followed him was pretty bad. The personal nature of the mourning is emphasized in verses 12 through 14. Each family and group and the individuals within it are noted as mourning by themselves. Deep grief seeks seclusion. It's hard to mourn that deeply with other people. There's a time you need to be separated by yourself. The houses of David, Nathan, Levi, and Shemai are all noted representing royalty, prophets, priests, and the lowest Levite clan. The Shemites were the clan that was designated to carry the physical aspects of the tabernacle. But now that a temple was built, they really didn't have much to do. So that's the lowliest. Chapter 13 then continues on. Remember, our chapter divisions are not in Scripture themselves, so this oracle is given as one section. Chapter 13 continues a description of the spiritual renewal that's going to occur with three specific events occurring marked out by in that day. These are the opening of a purifying fountain, a cutting off of idolatry and false prophets, and then those prophets hiding their identities. Verse 1, His father and mother who gave birth to him will pierce him through when he prophesies. It will be in that day that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. They will not put on a hairy mantle in order to deceive. But he will say, I am not a prophet. I am a cultivator of the ground. For a man sold me as a slave in my youth. And one will say to him, what are these wounds struck here between your arms? And he will say, those with which I was struck in a house with my friends. Now verse 1 speaks of a fountain being opened on that day. Jeremiah 2.13 and 17.13 both refer to Yahweh as the fountain of living waters that the people rejected in favor of cisterns, broken cisterns that don't even hold water. Now the analogy in both of those passages is referencing the Lord as the source of life springing up and never running dry. The fountain here in verse 1 is specifically for cleansing though. Cleansing from sin and impurity so it's more likely an allusion to the Levitical ceremony cleansings from sin and defilements. Such ceremonial washings were always done with water that was flowing, such as from a fountain, not with stagnant water as from a cistern. Those who mourn over their sin will pursue actions reflective of a setting aside of the things of the world in order to pursue holiness. There's a cleansing. This fountain is actually completely in keeping with the prophecy in Ezekiel 36, 25 through 28 that God would sprinkle clean water on them and they would be cleansed from their uncleanliness and their idols. They would be given a new heart, a new spirit within and they would walk with God in His statutes careful to do all of His judgments. So Ezekiel spoke about the same thing of a future time when this would be done. This is a fountain that would emanate from Jerusalem. Well, what happened to Jerusalem? Well, that was the site of Jesus' crucifixion. And it is Jesus' sacrifice that cleanses us from sin, isn't it? John 1, 7 is specific on that. His blood cleanses us from all sin. 1 Peter 1, 18 through 19 specifically cites that our redemption was purchased with the blood of Christ. Hebrews 9, 13-14 ties the blood of Christ with cleansing. In Ephesians 5, 25-27, though a passage dealing with the command of husbands to love their wives, it says Christ has loved the church and then it specifically states what did Jesus do? His sacrifice was to sanctify the church, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word that he might present to himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and blameless. Christ's death was about cleansing us, producing within us holiness. Titus 3, 5 through 7 also speaks of this cleansing work of Jesus. who saved us not by works which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy through the washing of regeneration, by the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by his grace, we become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. So the fountain of cleansing, whatever his specific reference is, is eventually going to take us back to Christ, isn't it? Because that's the real source of cleansing. It would be fulfillment of all the ancient prophecies. Now verses 2 and 3 then describe the next action of Yahweh. He cuts off the names of the idols from the land so they're no longer even remembered. But he also removes the false prophets and the unclean spirits. Now it's been pointed out that after the exile, the worship of the ancient idols that had so often been a thorn and a stumbling block to Israel did not occur again. They weren't worshiping the Baals and the Asherah. But certainly all sorts of new religions developed, seem like they continue to develop, and who knows what new religions are gonna be developed between now and the coming of the day of the Lord. So idolatry continues on, just different forms. They may not call it Baal, they may not call it Asherah, but there are certainly idols throughout Israel. If you're familiar with Israel at all, you recognize it is not the religious nation we would think it would be as Christians. We assume things. It's a very secular nation. And a lot of the things that they allow within their laws are abominations to God. And if you look at even the religious nature within Israel, there is a minute minority that actually worships the God who is creator and maker of all things. The God who saved them through the sacrifice of Messiah. Very few are Messianic Jews. So there's gonna be a lot of idolatry, even if it's tied up in the secularism, the worship of themselves. But what's gonna come in the future? That's all gonna be cut off. not even remembrance of the idolatry that had existed. In addition, the false prophets, these would be the teachers of false religions, the teachers of idolatry, they will be cut off. And then it says the unclean spirits, that's the demons, they will be cut off. Now from that, it would appear that since Satan is bound during the millennium and these demons are cut off, Prior to that time, it's also then the demons are probably restricted as well. Makes the Millennium look even better, doesn't it? You don't have to continue with your own sin and you don't have to contend with demons prompting other people to sin. Now this spiritual revival is so strong that supreme value is placed on the proper worship of God to the exclusion of any falsehood. Now verse 3 seems extreme because here the parents are the ones who have a son that is giving prophecy and throughout that section it's false prophecy. They are the ones who bring to bear the commands of God that such a prophet is to be eliminated, to be killed. The commands in Deuteronomy 13, 6-11. The parents kill their son for being a false prophet. So that seems extreme. And yet, that is exactly what needed to be done. They would be the most familiar with their son and his bent toward false prophecy. You need to understand, Jesus was very direct, Matthew 10, 37. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Tragically, too often, professing Christians demonstrate a greater love for their sinful children than they actually do for God. That's demonstrated by a toleration, an acquiescence, sometimes even an enablement of their children to pursue their sinful things, whatever they may be. Don't do that. Okay? Yes, we love our children. We love even the wayward ones. We love our prodigals. But we love God more. And we beg God for the soul of our wayward children. And we speak the truth to our wayward children for the sake of their souls. That's where the two merge together. A love for God and a love for your children is a begging of your children. Begging God on behalf of your children or begging your children to repent. because we'd like them to spend eternity with us. We'd like them to spend their lives in the present and living a life that actually is worth living instead of all the complications that sin brings into their lives. So speak the truth to them, even if they don't like it, even if they falsely accuse you, you don't love me because you're not approving of what I do, or even if they reject you, love God more. Luke 15 gives us the story of the father of the prodigal. That's the model for us. This man who anxiously kept looking. And in looking, you knew he was busy praying that God would get a hold of his son, bring the repentance, and return him. And so there was rejoicing when he did. That becomes our position. An additional result of this revival is pointed out in verses four through six, and that is these false prophets are going to do everything they can to hide that fact that that's who they were. They're ashamed of any visions they have had or will have. They will no longer dress like a prophet. That's the hairy garment. That was a way they could deceive people. See, I'm dressed like a prophet, so I must be a prophet. Believe me, right? So it goes on. People who will dress in the garb or make themselves look like clergy in order to fool people like they actually are. Although I guess most clergy don't even dress with suits and ties anymore, do they? I guess not. Maybe there's something to be said for the mainline denominations where it's easy to see who is the pastor. The guy's walking around in jeans and their shirt's tucked out. The jeans are okay, but why is their shirt tucked out? I don't know. I guess it was a trauma I had in junior high school trying to get into shop class. Your shirt's outside. Tuck it in or you're not getting into class. It just sticks with me. Don't be sloppy. All right. Enough of that. But they would try to fool people by dressing the part. They're not going to do that anymore. They're going to deflect the accusations. No, I'm not a prophet. I'm a farmer. In fact, I was sold into slavery to be a farmer when I was a little kid. So I couldn't be a prophet. And then someone might point out, because a common practice, it's described well in 1 Kings 18, 28, the prophets of Baal were slashing themselves. The blood was pouring out. It was usually on the chest. That's why it says between your arms, it's your chest area. You got all these scars. You got the scars of a prophet. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. No, not from that. And so they'll even make absurd excuses. That happened when I was with my friends. What kind of friends do you have? So anything to defer it, that's also gonna be part of it. I want nothing to do with this. This is genuine spiritual revival in every aspect. But then we get to verse seven. Now the previous verses, the ones that are gonna follow verse seven, speak of the day of the Lord, which is still yet to come. But verse seven is a reference to what has already happened at the first coming of Messiah. Says, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man my associate, declares Yahweh of hosts. Strike the shepherd that the sheep may be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones. Earlier in Zechariah 12, 10 through 14, the death of Messiah was attributed to Israel. Here, this verse reveals the divine decree that was behind it. The redemption of mankind required God the Father to have God the Son put to death as the payment for sin that Jesus might be the just and justifier of all who believe. It's Romans 3.26. In the Garden of Gethsemane, remember what Jesus prayed in great agony. My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as Thine will. This cup of suffering, let it pass. But there was no other way. And so the Father's will was that Jesus yield up his life to redeem sinful man. And Jesus did just that. He willingly yielded up his life. The payment of sin would be paid so that we can be redeemed and offered forgiveness. But in smiting the good shepherd, there was a consequence to the sheep. They're going to be scattered. Now on the night that Jesus betrayed, what happened to the disciples? They scattered. And later on, we find that the followers of Christ, due to persecution, scattered around the world. But that actually is what they were supposed to have done. They were supposed to take the gospel to every nation. So the persecution just helped that along. But for the Jews in Israel, they also were eventually scattered. The rebellion against Rome resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple in AD 70. The Jews that were there were scattered. the Jews that should say that survived because there was a great slaughter. The Bar Kokhba rebellion in AD 135 resulted in the remaining Jews also being scattered and so the nation of Israel ceased to exist until 1948. And they migrated all over the world eventually even here to the Americas. It then continues on, it says, even the little ones, the little ones are a reference to the remnant that survived the Roman conquest. It says God's hand would be upon them. In what sense? Well, we saw this in our study of Daniel. Daniel 11, 35, to refine, to purge, to make them pure until the end time. And so the last two verses in chapter 13 then describe this future purging. So the oracle had to go back and have a different time element of Jesus being crucified, the shepherd, the good shepherd is smitten, to explain the scattering and then the purging that's going to come in the future. Now that's a shocking passage the first time you read it. Because in chapter 12, and actually in the previous oracle, it would look like, it seems like, you certainly get the impression that Yahweh's offense of Jerusalem means that none, or at least very few, are harmed by the invading armies. Remember in the early oracle, Yahweh had drawn the people back to Israel, back to Jerusalem. Now Jerusalem has become a cup of reeling and he's drawn the armies there. And those armies are going to have some success. In fact, as described here, it's their initial invasion is going to cut off two-thirds, cut off and perish, destroy, kill. Only one-third is going to survive. The invading armies then are used by God to accomplish his purpose in purging his people, as goes back to so many other prophecies we've already looked at. God is holy, and he will punish wickedness. His toleration is incredible. He's so long-suffering. But there becomes a point he's already warned us about. He is going to purge. that those invading armies will accomplish that purpose, and then they themselves will be destroyed. Now this is one of those passages that those that want to replace Israel with a church will balk. They want the promised blessings to the nation of Israel as God's chosen people, but they don't want the curses, the purgings, the refinements that the prophecies concerning Israel speak about, and this is one of them. Remember, the focus of this oracle is Yahweh's actions related to the people of Jerusalem and Judah, not the church. And God is going to purge them. The refinement described in verse nine is also described in Ezekiel 22, 19 through 22. Ezekiel recorded this, therefore thus says Lord Yahweh because all of you have become dross therefore behold I'm going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem as they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin of the furnace and blow fire on it in order to melt it so I will gather you in my anger and my wrath and I will lay you there and melt you I will collect you together and blow on you with the fire of my fury, and you will be melted in the midst of it, as silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it, and you will know that I, Yahweh, have poured out my wrath on you." No, that's not one of those passages that makes you feel good, is it? But it tells you something about the holiness of God. Matthew 24, 22 describes this period as being so bad that if the Lord did not cut short those days, no life would have been saved. And yet for the sake of the elect, those days were cut short and the refinement process yielded a purified people. Malachi prophesied about that, Malachi 3, 2 through 4. Now refinement removes both the impurities are there, that's what the refinement process will do, but what it leaves behind and tests is a purified people, a tested people, a proven people. They're proven to be pure, and that is this remnant. And that is why Paul could say in Romans 11, 26 and 27, quoting partially from Jeremiah 31, 31 through 34, that all Israel will be saved. Just as it's written, quoting from Jeremiah, the liver will come from Zion, you remove ungodliness from Jacob and this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins. So the wicked are removed and what's left are the pure. Those who actually do believe. Those who had mourned over Christ. Those who mourned over their sins. They're the ones that are left. And so the prophecy of Jeremiah is fulfilled. All Israel will be saved. But it's only this remnant. A small portion. But that small portion calls on Yahweh. Calls on the name of the Lord. The line of Seth continues on. Remember it was in his day in Genesis, the end of Genesis four that talks about the men began to call the name of the Lord. Well that was the purpose in calling Israel to begin with. A people to be his own, a people who would call on him and he would be their God and they would be his people. And so it ends that that's exactly what's gonna happen. This is the fulfillment of Leviticus 26, 44 through 45. which told about an eventual restoration, as well as Ezekiel 11, 19 through 20, and Ezekiel 37, 37 through 38. All these prophecies deal with the same issue. Israel will be what it was always meant to be. The people of God, the chosen people of God, and God will be their God. Yahweh will be their God. Armageddon, comes from a term that means mountain of the ghetto. It's Revelation 16, 16. It refers to this place where these armies of the world gathered to wage war during the tribulation period. That's what Zechariah has been talking about. He's been describing what's going to take place then and in that location when all these armies from around the world lay siege to Jerusalem and Judah in a final effort to annihilate the Jews because of their supreme hatred for God. Understand that's where anti-Semitism comes from. They hate God. But God intervenes and those armies will be annihilated. But not until after they've completed the work that God gives them to do in purging and refining his people so that only this one third remnant of pure people, of holy people, righteous people, those who actually love Yahweh and are seeking to follow him are left. And so yes, in reality, all Israel will be saved at that time. So there's a horrendous amount of evil that is going to be coming in the future. And the evidence is mounting that it may be coming sooner than any of us would like. True. All of us would like that to be put off. Because we don't like what has to happen before we get to what we are looking forward to. And so you have to emphasize the other as well. after that tribulation period is going to be Messiah's kingdom, where he reigns. And it is going to be a world we can't really quite imagine. We can dream about it, and it's a great dream, but can we really imagine a place, a kingdom, a time when there is righteousness throughout the land? There is no cures. no curse at all, there's complete security, and people are holy to the Lord. What will that be like? Righteousness reigns in Messiah. And so for that reason, we can face the future, even the bad things that we know will be coming, and yet have confidence and say, come what may, Maranatha, even so, Lord, come quickly. Father, thank you for the truth of your word, even the hard things that are scary. And certainly it is scary to read about Armageddon and the destruction that's going to happen, the annihilation of so many people. Yet, Father, in the midst of that, you demonstrate your own character. You warn, you plead, you beg. You've paid the price for mankind already. And those that will be purged are those who have rejected. They refuse the offer you've given them of eternal life in the Lord Jesus Christ. They refuse to turn from their sin and turn to Christ. So Father, thank you for that long suffering. How long you will continue, we do not know. But we're grateful for every day, even as 2 Peter tells us, that every day of delay, your long-suffering patience, we count as salvation. It's another day that those that we know and love, and even those we don't know, Even our enemies may yet be given one more chance to hear the gospel, to turn to believe, and become brothers and sisters in Christ. Father, our desire would be to take as many to heaven as possible with us, for them to join us in the family that you've created of those who are your followers. So Father, even in facing the turmoil we know that will come, we know you are on your throne, you're reigning. And even in these things, you are in control. And you will bring about through it what is necessary so that there will be a future reign of Messiah on David's throne in Jerusalem. And we are looking forward to being able to be part of that. In Jesus' name, amen.