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It is written:
Zechariah 13:7-9-Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. F8 And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the LORD, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: 9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ “
Throughout the Book of Zechariah, the phrase “in that day” is found numerous times. Some of them apply to the events of the First Coming of Jesus: some to the Christian Age: and some to the Second Coming.
What can we learn from these things?
Let’s study.
The Prophet Zechariah prophesied around 520 B.C., as a Messenger of God sent to encourage the people to continue rebuilding the Jewish temple. The first had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in 586, and the Jewish people who had returned from their Exile beginning in 536 were to rebuild the city and temple in preparation for the coming Messiah.
Let’s notice every example of “in that day” in Zechariah.
Zechariah 2:11-Many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.
This refers to the events of the First Coming and the Christian Age. The prophecy of “many nations” being joined to the Lord and becoming His people began to be fulfilled on Pentecost of Acts chapter 2. During the Christian Age, the people of God are all those from every nation who turn to the Lord.
Acts 2:38-39-Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Zechariah 3:10-In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘Everyone will invite his neighbor Under his vine and under his fig tree.’ “
This applies to the events of the First Coming and the Christian Age. Notice that in context, these events occur when the iniquity of God’s people is removed.
Zechariah 3:1-4-Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. 4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
Joshua and his companions were a ‘sign’ for what was to come during the Christian Age.
Zechariah 3:8-9-Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH. 9 For behold, the stone That I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
Throughout the Old Testament, the phrase “the BRANCH” was a prophecy of the Messiah, Who would be the Offspring of David (cf. Isaiah 11:1-2).
Zechariah 9:16-The LORD their God will save them in that day, As the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, Lifted like a banner over His land—
The events of this passage refer to the First Coming and Christian Age. This is made clear because in context, Zechariah contains a Messianic prophecy which was fulfilled during the First Coming of Christ.
Zechariah 9:9-Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
Matthew 21:4-7-All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 “TELL THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, LOWLY, AND SITTING ON A DONKEY, A COLT, THE FOAL OF A DONKEY.’ “. 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.
Zechariah 12:3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11-And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. 4. In that day,” says the LORD, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness…6-In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem…8-In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them. …9-It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem….11-In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
This prophecy is truly remarkable in that it takes into account the time frame of the First Coming, the Christian Age, and even to the Second Coming!
Notice specifically how this is made clear.
Zechariah 12:10-14-And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land shall 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; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
Zechariah 12:10 itself is applied to both the First and the Second Coming in the New Testament.
John 19:34-37-But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “NOT ONE OF HIS BONES SHALL BE BROKEN.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED.”
The same prophecy is also applied by John to the Second Coming.
Revelation 1:7-Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
What is especially interesting is the type of “mourning” that takes place. It has reference especially to the mourning that takes place when people repent of their sin and turn to the Lord for salvation. This is made especially clear when we consider the rest of the wording of Zechariah 12:10.
“Let me, while dwelling on the Jewish interpretation of this passage, reproduce a striking passage from Alshech, which, barring the mention of Messiah ben Joseph, might almost be accepted as a statement of the Christian view of this scripture. “I will do yet a third thing, and that is, that ‘they shall look unto Me,’ for they shall lift up their eyes unto Me in perfect repentance, when they see Him whom they pierced, that is, Messiah, the Son of Joseph; for our Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said that He will take upon Himself all the guilt of Israel, and shall then be slain in the war to make an atonement in such manner that it shall be accounted as if Israel had pierced Him, for on account of their sin He has died; and, therefore, in order that it may be reckoned to them as a perfect atonement, they will repent and look to the blessed One, saying that there is none beside Him to forgive those that mourn on account of Him who died for their sin: this is the meaning of ‘They shall look upon Me.’”” (David Baron, Zechariah: A Commentary on His Visions & Prophecies, 5290-5299 (Kindle Edition): Northfield, Chorley Wood, Herts.)
There are also references here to events that took place during the Christian Age. Notice in Zechariah 12:6 there is reference to Jerusalem being inhabited “again.” This is significant because Zechariah and the Jews were already living in Jerusalem, having returned from exile in Babylon. There is thus a prophecy that Jerusalem would again be devastated and the Jews brought back again.
In A.D. 70 the Roman Empire destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish people were removed, being dispersed throughout the world. Then, in 1948, the city of Jerusalem was again rebuilt and the Jewish state was reestablished.
Zechariah 13:1-4-In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. 2 “It shall be in that day,” says the LORD of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. 3 It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the LORD.’ And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies. 4 “And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive.
The events of this text (like those in chapter 13) describe the entire Christian Age, beginning with the First Coming and concluding with the Second Coming.
The fountain opened for sin and uncleanness is reference to Jesus’ atoning death on Calvary, and the “fountain” that was there made for sinners to be redeemed. This is made especially clear in verse 7.
Zechariah 13:7-Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.
The New Testament applies this to the First Coming of Christ.
Mark 14:27-Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I WILL STRIKE THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP WILL BE SCATTERED.’
The reference to the Man Who is the Companion of Yahweh is especially interesting. It had the meaning of Someone Who was of the same Nature as Yahweh, and His Friend. Thus we see an intimacy between Yahweh and the Companion.
“Second, as mentioned above, the smitten shepherd is identified as “My associate” (v. 7). He is associated with YHWH (“ the LORD”). The Hebrew term geber ‘amiti (“ the man close to me”) implies one united to another by possession of common nature, rights, and privileges. The only other use of this term is in the priestly context of Leviticus (Lv 18: 20; 19: 11, 15, 17; 24: 19; 25: 14-15, 17) where it has the idea of neighbor, fellow, associate, or companion, and is closely related to the word ‘ah (“ brother”), such as in Lv 19: 17; 25: 14. J. Baldwin defines this as one “who stands next to me,” indicating essentially an equal. 16 In all of the early Christian discussions of this passage, the shepherd has a positive function as the one who is on God’s side. 17 The Targum translates Zch 13: 7 as: “O sword, be revealed against the king and against the prince his companion who is his equal, who is like him …” indicating the two figures share a royal connection. The shepherd is often used as a figure of the ruling king, as in 1Kg 22: 17 where the prophet Micaiah predicts that the absence of the king would result in the sheep (Israel) being scattered on the mountains. The historical interpretation therefore understands this “associate” as a member of the failing Davidic dynasty (Zerubbabel or Elnathan). However, James Smith contends, “It is not likely that God would apply this epithet even to the most godly among men whom He might appoint as shepherd over the nation. Only one man could be denominated God’s equal, and that is the Messiah.” 18 Since this equates the Lord who struck the shepherd with the shepherd himself, the only shepherd that would qualify would be a divine Messiah. This identification is appropriate biblically (cf. Isa 9: 6-7; Jer 23: 6; Dan 7: 13; Pss 45: 6-7; 110: 1). In theological terms, the shepherd is a man, but he is also deity, and such a person could only be the God-man, the Lord Jesus (cf. Jn 1: 1; 8: 58; 14: 9-10; 17: 24; Rm 10: 13; Col 2: 9; Ti 2: 13; Rev 1: 8; 22: 12-13 with Isa 44: 6).” (J. Randall Price, “The Striking Of The Shepherd King,” in Michael Rydelnik, Edwin Blum, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy: Studies and Expositions of the Messiah in the Old Testament, 1306-1307 (Kindle Edition): Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers)
This passage refers to events that would take place during the Christian Age, including the ending of the miraculous gift of prophecy. The Apostle Paul says this took place when the Word of God was completed and the New Testament Scriptures were brought to fruition (1 Corinthians 13:8-10). The “unclean spirit” may have reference to sin, which power was broken when Jesus died on the Cross. If the reference is to demonic spirits, we know that this will be fulfilled when Jesus returns at His Second Coming (Revelation 20:11-15).
The text of Zechariah 13 goes on to describe the way that the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed, which took place with the Roman siege in A.D. 70.
Zechariah 14:4, 6, 8, 9, 13, 20, 21-And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south….6-It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish….8-And in that day it shall be—That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur. 9-And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be “The LORD is one,” And His name one…13-It shall come to pass in that day That a great panic from the LORD will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, And raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand;…20-In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21-Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.
Finally, we have reference here in Zechariah again to the events of the Christian Age, beginning with the First Coming and continuing through to the Second Coming.
Notice the reference in Zechariah 14 to the “living water.”
Zechariah 14:8-And in that day it shall be—That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.
The “living waters” is a reference to Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
John 4:10-Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
John 4:14-but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
John 7:38-39-He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
The nations gathered together against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:1-3) were fulfilled when Rome destroyed the city in 70 A.D. Yet there will be a day when the Lord returns. Notice the reference to His Second Coming in Zechariah 14.
Zechariah 14:6-7-It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish. 7 It shall be one day Which is known to the LORD Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light.
Jesus described this Day of the Second Coming, known only to the Father:
Matthew 24:36-But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
Mark 13:32-But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
The beauty of Zechariah’s prophecies and their fulfillment provide powerful lessons for Christians.
First, we are reminded of the prophetic accuracy of the Word of God. One of the greatest evidences that we have that the Bible is inspired of God comes from the field of prophecy and fulfillment. Zechariah showcases some amazing examples of this!
Second, these references in Zechariah teach us about the identity of the Savior. Throughout Zechariah, we see that the Messiah is the Angel of the LORD as well as His Companion. He is God, yet not the same Person as God the Father. He is also going to be remarkably and astonishingly Man-God with us (Matthew 1:23-24). He is the Shepherd, Who would guide His sheep.
Third, Zechariah teaches us about the violent death of the Messiah that would take place at the allowance and direction of God Himself. As the Good Shepherd, He would lie down His life for His sheep. This was done to remove the sins of the people, to make a way of salvation and healing possible for whosoever will (Revelation 22:17).
Finally, this all reminds us about the fact that Jesus will return. Are we ready for that day?
Acts 2:38-39-Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.
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