Tuesday, November 02, 2021

Zechariah 14:6-11

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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. ~ Zechariah 14:6-11

Today, we continue our study of the final chapter in the most Messianic book in the Old Testament. Long before mankind rebelled against God, He remedied man's desperate situation. God, before the creation of this world, approached His Son who agreed to be the sacrifice for all of mankind's sin.

As we re-enter our study of Zechariah 14, we find ourselves at the end of all time. The Tribulation or the time of Jacob's trouble has taken place, and now, the Lord describes what will happen on earth after His Second Coming.

In v.6-7 of today's text we read, "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."

When the Lord Jesus returns to earth, all of the stars and the sun will go out. This event has been revealed many times throughout the Old Testament. This is not something just extracted out of this one text. Repeatedly the Old Testament reveals the day when God changes the patterns of heaven. 

In Revelation 6:12-14 we are told the lights of heaven will go out, the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll, and, the stars will fall out of the sky like figs overriped when the tree is shaken. It will be, as if, all of creation will bow down in the presence of its Creator as He makes His grand entrance.

In Isaiah 13:9-10 we read, "9 See, the day of the Lord is coming, a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. 10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light."

On the one hand this day will be great, and on the other, it will be cruel. In the midst of the blackness will come the blazing revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. For those who embraced not the truth, they will end up on the losing side. And, it will be, at that moment one third of Israel will turn to their Messiah in belief and they will be wonderfully saved and spared from the judgment of God.

In v.8 of today's text we read, "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."

Jerusalem was the place where Abraham went up on Mount Moriah to worship the Lord with his son, Isaac. And, it was there that the Lord provided a ram that was caught in the thicket. A clear picture of the coming Savior who would die on Mount Moriah for the sin of mankind. 

Jerusalem was also the place where King David established his capitol as king of Israel. The phrase “City of David” is used of Jerusalem 45 times in the Bible. As indicated by the Lord Jesus in John 4, Jerusalem was the place of the true worship of God.

In the New Jerusalem, living water will flow continuously. In Revelation 22 we read about this stream that will flow from Mount Moriah which is in Jerusalem. The stream will split in two, one part will go down to the Dead Sea, and the other will go out to the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem was the only city that God chose to put His name. Incidentally, the Bible mentions Jerusalem more than any other city, about 800 times.

The living water spoken of here was the main subject between the woman at the well in John 4 and the Lord Jesus. This woman had been through six men, none of whom satisfied her. Unbeknown to her stood before her, her seventh man. The seventh man is the source of this stream of living water. We all long for certain things that we think will satisfy us, but the Lord Jesus is the only One who will satisfy our deepest longings.

In v.9-10 of today's text we read, "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."

In the crowning of the Lord Jesus as King, He will not only be the King of heaven, He will be the King on earth. And, the deceptive worldwide one world religion that will arise during the Tribulation will be no more.

According to v.10, from Geba to Rimmon will become like the Arabah which is the name of the valley that is the deepest valley in the world. It runs from the Sea of Gailee to well south of the Dead Sea. It is the lowest, longest and flattest valley in the world. The picture the Lord is giving here of the New Jerusalem is of its terrain around it. From Geba on the north to Rimmon on the south is going to be the most perfect valley. And, this valley will raise Jerusalem up as if it were the most brilliant diamond on the most beautiful ring. The New Jerusalem will be dazzling.

In v.11 of today's text we read, "It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure."

In the new Jerusalem, which will be the capital city of the new heavens and the new earth, there will be no temple in it for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb will be its temple. In the New Jerusalem, death will be swallowed up by life. As a result, the fear of death will no longer hover over the people of Jerusalem. And, there, there will be no more sin, no more curse, and no more heartbreak. Our greatest reality of the New Jerusalem will be that we will be in God's secure presence forever.