Zechariah 12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.
It was important to the LORD to remind the people Who was speaking. There were many false gods in Zechariah’s day. The Jews had just come out of captivity and they were exposed to false religions there. Now they were back in Israel and they needed to be reminded there is only One true God. It was worthless for them to consider any false god.
The true LORD stretched out the heavens. He put the stars in their place. The planets are in their place because God put them there. The Sun and the moon are also in their place according to God’s design. It is important to believe the truth, not the lies of man.
The LORD also laid the foundation of the earth. The mountains were formed by God and their positioning was changed with the flood. There are valleys and canyons and lakes and rivers that are the result of the flood. God laid the foundation of the earth and He maintains it. Man can make superficial changes, but he cannot change the general layout of the earth.
The LORD also formed the spirit of man within him. Man would not exist without God. Thus man must understand he is accountable to God. Every person will answer to God one day.
Verse 2 talks of a time when Jerusalem will be a cup of trembling. This cannot refer to the Babylonian captivity because that is past already at the time of this writing. It is sometime in the future. Again, we have the Scriptures and we know that this is referring to the end of the Tribulation time. Jerusalem will be under the control of the antichrist, and he will be hunting down any Jew he can find. No one will be safe in that city. We know that Jerusalem has been under siege several times in the past. However, those times were over at the time of this writing. We know that Jerusalem will be under siege in the future, and according to the Scriptures we know that will be during the Tribulation. Revelation 16:12-16 will help you to see the timeframe of the fulfilment of this prophecy. We see there that it will be fulfilled during the battle of Armageddon.
In verse 3 it tells us that all the people of the earth shall be gathered together against Jerusalem at that time. The antichrist will have convinced all the lost to join him in what he believes will be the final attack against the Jews and Christians. He and his followers will be sadly mistaken and God will protect His city for His great name’s sake.
In verse 4 we learn more about that war. There will be a massive slaughter at that time. We have noted in our study of Ezekiel, that the war mentioned in chapter 38 will be fought with horses. Some people assume that because it speaks of horses, it must be from the past some time. When we look at our foolish government in Canada and their “green” agenda, it is quite possible that there will be a shortage of fuel at the time of the Tribulation. We do not know. The Bible does not give us that detail. The Bible does tells us that the blood will be to the horses’ bridles during the battle of Armageddon. Horses will be involved.
In verse 4-5 we read that as the LORD is fighting that battle, He will also be protecting the saved Jews. God can do that. He can destroy the wicked and save His people. It is never wise to fight against God. God has shown us in recent history how He can protect Israel while destroying nations around her. Israel today is not a God-fearing nation. God would prefer that, and at the end of the Tribulation, they will become a God-fearing nation. That will be a blessed time. It is necessary for them to turn to Him in repentance and they will do that at that time.
They will finally have enough of fighting against the LORD. They will have enough of aligning themselves against the LORD. He will protect them and show them and the world, that He is in charge. He can protect His people in the midst of chaos.
God can still do that today. God can still get His Gospel out even if our governments want to silence It. God has many ways to stop evil from advancing at will. He can accomplish His will at any time. It is important to know Him and submit to Him. Opposition to the Truth will exist until the earth is destroyed by fire. However, in the midst of that opposition, God is still supreme. He still supersedes all and He still makes it possible for Truth to be proclaimed. As Psalm 19 tells us:
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
Pastor Bartel