Day of the Lord according to Zechariah (Part One of a new Series)

Zechariah 14

1 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

First thing we must take notice of here is the fact it is YHWH who gathers the nations together against Jerusalem. It is in His plan for them to come against His city. Jerusalem is not saved at this point, it is overtaken. The houses pillaged and the women will be raped. Half will be taken captive, the other half seem like they will be killed. YHWH speaks of a remnant of His people not dying.

3 Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. 4 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. 5 Then you shall flee through my mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with you. 6 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.

It is at this point YHWH comes down to fight against these nations in which He gathered together against Jerusalem. This is when His feet set down on the Mount of Olives. The valley is created here. This valley plays a major role in later prophecies. YHWH instructs men and women to flee at this time. We see here another passage which sounds very familiar. YHWH comes with all the saints. During this time the sky will be darkened and there will be no light. During the entire day there will be no light, but the following evening, there will be light again.

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.

Living waters will flow from Jerusalem, this phrase comes from other portions of prophecy as well. YHWH will be king over all the earth after the earlier battle.

10 All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.

YHWH will turn the whole of the land into a flatland. Jerusalem will be raised up and inhabited again. This means Jerusalem cannot be Mystery Babylon.

11 The people shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction, But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. 12 And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.

People will live in Jerusalem and it will no longer be utterly destroyed. Again, Jerusalem will be inhabited. Now, what happens to those who came against Jerusalem? Flesh dissolves, eyes dissolve, and their tongues dissolve.

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; 14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations Shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.

Men against Jerusalem will be panic stricken. Judah will fight at Jerusalem. The surrounding nations will pool their wealth in an attempt to destroy Jerusalem.

15 Such also shall be the plague On the horse and the mule, On the camel and the donkey, And on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be.

The plague will be spread against the animals as well.

16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

There will be people left on the earth who were not believers, and who actually fought against YHWH during the day of the Lord. They will go to Jerusalem each year to worship YHWH, and keep His Feast of Tabernacles. This means the Feast Days will be at minimum reinstated during His reign on Earth. Whoever chooses not to come to Jerusalem and worship YHWH will be stricken with a plague. They will have no rain in their country.

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.

Holiness to YHWH will be the entrapment on the horse collars. Sacrifices will be at least reinstated during His reign. No longer will there be any unbeliever living in Jerusalem.