Zechariah 14:15-21

Zechariah 14:15

And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.

 

Not only will the enemies of Christ suffer but also their instruments of war will also suffer and will suffer the plagues which affected the people who came against the church.  The horse was used to carry the cavalry soldiers along with pulling chariots of war and the mule, camel, and donkey were used to carry the tools of war and their sustenance.  The plague is so thorough that not only the people are affected but their ability to make war is also destroyed.

 

Zechariah 14:16

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

 

“Every one that is left” is speaking about the remnant of true believers who went from enemies of God to children of God. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:  (Romans 5:1)  The feast of tabernacles was held as a remembrance of Israel’s journey in the wilderness.  Since all the Jewish Feasts were abolished at the coming of Christ, this is not speaking about reviving the physical feast but is speaking spiritually.  Notice the wording that it is year to year which means a perpetual keeping of the feast. 

 

And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.  (Exodus 12:14)

 

Notice in Exodus 12:14, Israel was commanded to keep the Passover forever.  Of course, again the Jewish Feasts have been done away with so we keep the Passover in Christ.

 

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:  (1 Corinthians 5:7)

 

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;  (Hebrews 9:11)

 

Christ is the Tabernacle as he tabernacled among his people.  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.  (Matthew 18:20) It was he who formed the New Jerusalem and those who become saved are celebrating their journey in the wilderness of this world and the fact that they became saved out of it and placed into the New Jerusalem.  Only then can they offer perpetual praise and glory to God as one partaking of the joyous feasts.  Zechariah 14:16 is speaking about those who have become saved and also the joy found in the New Heaven and New Earth where the true believer will spend eternity.

 

Zechariah 14:17

And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

 

What is in view in this verse is not the physical rain because the Lord stated that the Father makes it rain on the just and unjust, that is, those who are believers and those who are unbelievers.  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.  (Matthew 5:45)  The rain which is in view is the rain of the gospel.  Those who will not come to Jerusalem, to wit, the New Jerusalem where the LORD is worshipped in spirit and in truth are the non-elect and will not have the rain of the gospel.  Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.  (Hosea 10:12)  The rain of righteousness was promised to the true church in Judah as well as to every believer throughout history and in the future.  Those who are outside the church will have no gospel.  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.  (Revelation 22:15)

 

Zechariah 14:18

And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

 

In the book of Exodus, the country of Egypt is seen as a representative of the world as the Israelites were seen as a representative of the church of God.  The family of Egypt would be representative of the entire world of unbelievers in every country.  If they continue to reject and persecute the church then they will suffer the plagues of Zechariah 14:12.  As we saw the feast of tabernacles in verse 16 is symbolic of the Lord Jesus Christ who tabernacled among his people.  Those who are unsaved do not have the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and therefore are not partakers of his tabernacling among the people of faith.  As we read in this verse those of the family of Egypt come not up to the feast because they have no rain, that is, the rain of righteousness which is another synonym for the true gospel of Christ.

 

Zechariah 14:19

This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

 

Not only will the individual family of Egypt suffer the fires of eternal damnation but all the nations that neglect the feast of tabernacles which was fulfilled in Christ.  This means the entire world until the last day.  All the nations that reject and persecute the true church will receive the plagues or the great slaughter which will come on judgment day when all of the unbelievers will stand for judgment and be sentenced to eternal damnation thus losing all the material goods they cherished while living upon earth.

 

Zechariah 14:20

In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.

 

Now Zechariah ushers in a new era and that is the New Heavens and the New Earth. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.  (2 Peter 3:13)  It was quite common in ancient times that bells hung around the necks of the horses.  It was to accustom the horses to the sound of noise especially those horses which were used in war.  It is believed that they were shaped like cymbals which made a tinkling noise whenever they moved.  They were not only used as ornaments but to keep the animals together especially in a caravan.  The pots in the temple were not holy as these prepared the food for the priests and workers in the temple.  The bowls were by the altar and were used to catch the blood from the sacrifices and were considered holy unto the LORD.  As the verse in Peter states that the New Heavens and New Earth will have righteousness dwelling in it which means that there will be no vestige of sin and even the smallest object will be holy.

 

Zechariah 14:21

Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

 

Continuing the theme of the extreme holiness in the New Heavens and New Earth, every item shall be holy in that environment.  The sacrifice in view is not animal or blood sacrifice but the sacrifice of the new heart which is the sacrifice of praise which is offered to God through Christ.  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.  (Hebrews 13:15)  The people shall partake of the sacrifice freely as one takes of the seething food which means “ripe.”  Then finally there is no more Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.  This means there is no unsaved person in the redeemed house of the LORD as all have been saved through the Lord Jesus Christ.  Sin will be no more in the presence of the true believer just as idolatry was in the presence of Israel and caused them to sin mightily against the LORD.  The New Heavens and the New Earth will be comprised of complete holiness unto the LORD. 

 

Thus ends

The Book Of Zechariah