Slices
Prepare
Do you remember a time when everything changed across the world (perhaps last year’s pandemic)? What was it like to feel that sweeping wave of change over everything you knew?
Bible passage
The Lord comes and reigns
14 A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.
2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will 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 will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness. 7 It will be a unique day – a day known only to the Lord – with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.
8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.
9 The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.
10 The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up high from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses, and will remain in its place. 11 It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.
12 This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought 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 On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another. 14 Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected – great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. 15 A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.
16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. 18 If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
20 On that day holy to the Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty.
Explore
In this final chapter, Zechariah looks forward to the end times, when Jerusalem is again under attack but God’s greatest deliverance finally comes! The scenes are horrific, but they offer a sombre backdrop for the brightest moment. The feet of the Lord will again stand on the Mount of Olives (v 4)! He will return to rescue his people and establish his kingdom from Jerusalem! His coming will be so momentous that the impact will be felt across the land, indeed, across the world.
There are different interpretations of Zechariah’s words, but however you understand future events, allow the anticipation of Christ’s return to stir your heart today. He is coming again and that will change everything! For the enemies of God’s people, it will be a terrifying day (see 14:12–15). But for those who are allowed to live beyond that day, they will come to worship the God of Israel (vs 16–21).
Zechariah’s prophecy began with a call to holiness among the people of Israel (1:3). It ends with a confident declaration that the end of the story will be holiness, not only in Jerusalem, but from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (v 9).
Respond
As we reflect on Zechariah, let’s allow our hearts to be stirred again with anticipation of the return of Jesus – his coming really will change everything!
Deeper Bible study
‘The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives for ever.’1
This chapter’s imagery presents us with an end-times scenario. An international coalition wreaks havoc in Jerusalem but is in turn destroyed by the Lord. His appearance on the Mount of Olives introduces seismic changes to the world order, establishing his reign worldwide. Since Jerusalem is a relatively small city, the nations gathered against her would benefit from no major economic gain. The attack must therefore be for ideological reasons. We witness here the ultimate enactment on earth of the clash between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness! Guess who wins?
Jerusalem becomes the centre of true worship for the whole world, focused on the King, the Lord Almighty. He has at last descended to stand on the very hill from which he ascended in his disciples’ time. Hallelujah, Jesus has returned as promised!2 Note there are still pockets of resistance, and they will suffer the consequences of their refusal to worship the King (vs 17–19). His reign overall, however, is characterised by perfect harmony between Jew and Gentile, and by holiness.
All God’s people, in both the Old and New Testaments, were supposed to be holy,3 not just Israel’s high priest, whose turban bore the inscription HOLY TO THE LORD,4 quoted in verse 20. When Christ establishes his reign, absolutely everyone and everything will be holy, ie consecrated to God for his glory (vs 20,21). ‘… without holiness no one will see the Lord.’5 Dear Christian friends, if holiness is to be one of the main features of Christ’s future universal reign, shouldn’t we start getting into earnest practice here and now? From start to finish, this is what Zechariah’s message impresses upon us.
‘Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you … by changing the way you think.’6 Consider how to implement this!
1 1 John 2:17 2 Acts 1:11 3 Lev 19:2; 1 Pet 1:16 4 Exod 28:36–38 5 Heb 12:14 6 Rom 12:2, NLT
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 1 Samuel 16,17; Psalm 48
Pray for Scripture Union
Children and young people face many challenges: gang culture, violent crime and drugs, grooming and peer pressure. Heidi Beckham, Mission Events Coordinator, asks us to pray for their protection and that many will find help, support and encouragement through summer activities.
