Zechariah (Ch 13-14)
During the Millennium the Feast of Tabernacle is prophesied to be reinstated, but sacrifices, the foremost of which is the Passover, is also hinted at. The differentiations of nationalities are reduced in importance and so are the sexes—there wouldn’t be Gentiles nor Jews; or a Court for the Women and another for the Gentiles in the Ezekiel Temple in Jerusalem, but only designated as Inner Court or Outer Court.
Zechariah 13
1 “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
— the Lord declares, “On that day a fountain will be opened for David’s family and for those who live in Jerusalem to wash away their sin and stain.
2 And it shall come to pass in that day,” saith the Lord of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
— and it shall come to pass that God will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, so that the very names which had formerly been in the mouths of men everywhere were no longer mentioned, and they shall no more be remembered;
— and God will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit who speaks through the false prophets, to pass out of the land. This is one of the results of the preaching of the Truth, as we see also in the case of the people of Ephesus when Paul proclaimed the true God to them. Cf Acts 19:19.
3 And it shall come to pass that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother who begot him shall say unto him, ‘Thou shalt not live, for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord’; and his father and his mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
— if a man still prophesies presumptuously, his father and his mother, who gave birth to him, will say, ‘You don’t deserve to live because you speak lies in the name of the Lord.’ Then his father and his mother, who gave birth to him, will stab him when he still prophesies; this is in line with the command of the Lord in the Old Testament. Cf Deuteronomy 18:20.
4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a garment of hair to deceive.
— and if those prophets still assert presumptuously that they possess the power to prophesy, they shall be ashamed every one of his vision when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment, after the manner of Elijah to deceive, to impress men with their status as prophets, just as men nowadays affect the dress, speech and manners of certain professions in order to make an impression;
5 But he shall say, ‘I am no prophet; I am a husbandman, for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.’ — but he shall say, ‘I am no prophet, I am an husbandman,’ vehemently disclaiming any connection with the prophetic profession; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth, rather, “a man has purchased me from my youth.”
6 And one shall say unto him, ‘What are these wounds in thine hands?’ Then he shall answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’
— and one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? the scars which he bore as a result of his wounding himself in the service of idols, 1 Kings 18:28. Then he shall answer, in trying to evade the issue and to place the blame elsewhere;
— those with which he was wounded in the house of his friends, possibly when lie was chastised in his capacity as slaves; and may be taken as a warning in our days when men are turning to deceivers for counsel and guidance.
7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the Man that is My fellow,” saith the Lord of hosts. “Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn Mine hand upon the little ones.
— awake, O Sword, against my Shepherd, concerning his Son, whom he calls “my Shepherd” the same one who addressed the people in Zechariah 11:12 (thirty pieces of silver),;
— and against the Man that is My Fellow, him who is also God, together with the Father, for the Messiah is the Son of God, who was in the bosom of the Father and by him begotten in the great scheme of things, who here summons the Sword for the Messiah’s Sacrifice, to carry out the infliction of suffering by which the redemption of mankind is to be carried out;
— smite the Shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered, to smite the Messiah even unto death; a word which Jesus applied to himself on the evening before his death, Matthew 26:31; and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones, literally, “I will bring back my hand upon the little ones” for he intended to redeem the wretched, the poor and lowly, for of these were to make up his Elect.
8 And it shall come to pass that in all the land,” saith the Lord, “two parts therein shall be cut off and die, but the third shall be left therein.
— and it shall come to pass that in all the land, saith the Lord, two thirds therein, the great majority of the people, shall be cut off and die, being offended in him and therefore rejected from his herd; but the third, only a small part, shall be left therein;
— “in all the land” Q, is this all Israel or all the earth? the context seems to indicate the later as this chapter and the next is concerning God dealing with all the nations. Just a thought, this would be something like 4 to 5 billion people dead! Could a soon new and vibrant Covid-2X (or a hybrid variant) do this job of killing thousands falling by the wayside? — as in Psalms 91 which prophesied what a Godsend pandemic could do
Nor of the pestilence that walk in darkness, nor of the destruction that lay waste at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee. Psalms 91:6-7
9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on My name, and I will hear them. I will say, ‘It is My people’; and they shall say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
— and God will bring the third part through the fire, the test of affliction and persecution as it soon came to the first congregation, and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is tried, Cf 1 Peter 1:6-7;
— they shall call on my name, and I will hear them, graciously giving them the attention which assured them of his certain assistance; God will say, ‘It is my people, and they shall say, Yehovah is my God.’ This has ever been the relationship obtaining between the God of the covenant and His Elect on earth, and this intimate communion is one of the miracles of the Chosen till the end of time. Cf John 14:23;
— they shall call on my name; my name is Yehovah (YHVH); God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה YHVH Yehovah (not Jehovah since the letter J wasn’t around but only after the sixteenth century; (more on this at the end)
Zechariah 14
1 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. — behold, the day of the Lord cometh, the Day of Judgement or the Lord’s Day; there is a parallel in Revelation “the Lord’s Day” of Revelation 1:10;
— and thy spoil that gained by the enemies in overcoming Jerusalem, that shall be divided in the midst of thee, the enemies then being at leisure and secure in the conquered city;
— further on “the Lord’s Day” is actually “the day of Judgement” (Encyclopedia Biblica, article “Lord’s Day”); in later years, when the Roman Catholic Church were getting so powerful this was reinterpreted to mean the day of Christ’s resurrection, Sunday; hence today, “the Lord’s Day” has presumptuously being transformed into a day of worship on Sundays.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished. And half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
— on the Day of Judgement, God will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle, the enemies being recruited from all countries of the world; and the city shall be taken and the houses rifled and the women ravished, a picture of an apparent complete overthrow of the Judah such as she experienced before the Chaldean captivity;
— and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, yielding to the power inspired by a Destroyer, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city, some at least would remain faithful to the true God despite the ravaging of the enemies.
3 Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. — then the Lord shall go forth and battle against those nations as he fought like “at the Red Sea” which the Targum adds and on the many occasions when he went forth to fight with them and for them as King David and many others did.
4 And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley, and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south.
— and on that day, God’s feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives, this location being considered the center of the earth and the throne of the Lord as he makes ready for judgement, which is before Jerusalem on the east;
— and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, an earthquake having this effect as the earth trembled under the footsteps of the Almighty;
— and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south, thus opening a road from Jerusalem straight toward the east.
5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal. Yea, ye shall flee as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee.
— and ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains for safe hiding-places; see, Isaiah 2:19; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal, a small town east of Mount Olivet;
— yea, ye ‘shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah; and the Lord, my God, shall come; his advent being looked for by his elect ‘with joyful expectation, and all the saints, the holy angels, with thee.
6 And it shall come to pass in that day that the light shall not be clear nor dark. — on that day there shall be no light nor dark, cold nor frost, literally, “the glorious things will withdraw themselves,” evidently said of the lights of heaven, the sun, moon and stars;
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord — neither day nor night; but it shall come to pass that at evening (‘e·reḇ) time it shall be light.
— and it will be a day unlike any other, for it will be one continuous day, known only to the Lord, and there will be no more day nor night for there will be light even during the evening; that is, from 6 pm to midnight.
8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the hinder sea; in summer and in winter shall it be.
— in both summer and winter, life-giving streams will flow from Jerusalem, half of them to the Dead Sea (but the Targum differs, saying it is the Persian Sea) in the east and half to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
9 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one.
— and the Lord will be the King of kings over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped; the Lord to be glorified wherever his Word is proclaimed.
10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; and it shall be lifted up and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s Gate unto the place of the First Gate unto the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananeel unto the king’s wine presses.
— the land will stretch out spaciously around Jerusalem—from Geba in the north to Rimmon in the south, with Jerusalem towering at the center and the commanding city gates—Gate of Benjamin to First Gate to Corner Gate to Hananel Tower to the Royal Winery—ringing the city full of people;
11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
— and men shall dwell in Jerusalem and there shall be no more danger nor any destruction, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited; never again will Jerusalem be destroyed; but will be a safe city.
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people who have fought against Jerusalem: their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
— and when the vials are poured out there shall be more plagues, whereby the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem, those who oppose the Kingdom and its work;
— their flesh shall rot away while they stand upon their feet, so that they would rot away in a living death, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth, all these punishments making them unfit for further attacks upon the city of God.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor.
— and on that day there will be a great tumult, a confusion and panic; there will be a revolution from the Lord; and everyone shall lay hold of his neighbor, and every hand fighting against another. Mass hysteria when that happens. Panic! fellow citizens became soldiers fighting and killing each other—total terror!
14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together: gold and silver and apparel in great abundance.
— and Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem, its citizens taking part in the warfare against the enemies threatening their lives; and the wealth of all the nations round about shall be gathered together, the treasures of the enemy, their most precious possessions, gold and silver and apparel, in great abundance.
— other translations say, even Judah shall fight against Jerusalem; this could only be possible if (a) there is a civil war; or (b) Jerusalem is composed of descending heavenly saints, of whom the Jews of Judea couldn’t even recognize the returning Messiah with his multitudes of Revelation 19; so they fight each other.
15 And so shall be the plague on the horse, on the mule, on the camel and on the ass, and on all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.
— and so shall be the plagues of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass and all the livestock and beasts that shall be in their camps, as this plague so that the defeat of the enemy would be complete in every way; that is, all the enemies of the Kingdom of God who persist in their enmity will inevitably be destroyed.
16 And it shall come to pass that every one who 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.
— and everyone that survives of all the nations which came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to worship the King of kings, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, to join with the Kingdom in its worship of the one true God.
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.
— and it shall be that whoever refuses to go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain and all the other physical and spiritual blessings of the Lord being withheld from them.
18 And if the family of Egypt go not up and come not, upon whom there is no rain, there shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen who come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
— and if the family of Egypt, representative of anyone who still refuses to go up to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, there should have no rain, or the lack of rain would be its plague or infliction; there shall be the plague whereby the Lord will smite the nations that refuse to be received into the Kingdom and take part in its worship.
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
— this shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a fact borne out by history and experience that the enemies of the Lord, in opposing his Kingdom and refusing to accept his Word, entrench themselves behind a wall of their own foolishness and shut themselves out from the highest physical and spiritual blessings, but to keep the Feast of Tabernacles;
— and not Easter, which is a form of worshipping Astarte, one of the titles of the Chaldean goddess, the queen of heaven, the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, fertility and sex. She is featured in the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the “Ishtar Gate” was part of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon;
— nor Mithra or Mitra (the Sun-God whose birthday many drunks honor and celebrate on December 25th which they christianised as Christmas), Zeus and others; called “gods of the earth” in distinction from the God of heaven; and men shall worship these earthly gods, acknowledging their supremacy, everyone from his place today, Protestants or Catholics alike;
— those who rebel and continue to resist will be horsewhipped! Nar, those who resist would suffer judgement by the sword, by famine, by pestilence and spending years in captivity to repent there (for more see Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years and A Sword from the South!).
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;
— on that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, or “upon the trappings of the horses” as the Targum renders it; and this intends either the horses slain in war, whose bells or trappings should be devoted and applied to holy uses; or the horses that carried the people up to Jerusalem to worship there, or horses in common;
— holiness unto the Lord; and the “pots” in which they cooked the sacrifices shall be like “the bowls before the altar” which held the blood of the sacrifices to be sprinkled at the altar; yea, all festivals in Leviticus 23 will be reinstated as prophesied in Ezekiel 46;
— every pot that were used to remove the ashes, they too will be like gold and of silver, like the sprinkling basins that are before the altar; either like them for number; they shall be many because of the numerous nations coming to offer sacrifices like the Jews did, like them as the Targum paraphrases it, shall be many;
— Rashi: there will be upon the bells of the horses: On the bells that are hung on the horse for beauty between its eyes (Pesachim 50a). Those, too, will be consecrated to make service vessels: sprinkling basins for the blood and pots to cook the flesh of the many sacrifices.
21 yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts, and all those who sacrifice shall come and take of them and boil therein. And in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.
— yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts, all the ceremonies of the Law for which the foremost is the Passover, which would still be kept as a memorial, not just by Jews but by all nations;
— and all they that sacrifice shall come and participate in the Jerusalem Temple, preparing for the sacrificial feasts demands extra utensils, hence pots would be used as bowl to collect blood for the altar and both would be deemed holy;
— and on that day there shall be no more differentiation of being Canaanite nor Jews in the house of the Lord of hosts, no godless people being permitted as members of the Kingdom of God, but are all Godly;
— the nearer the Kingdom approaches its perfection, the clearer is shown there is no cleavage between those who are in truth the servants of the Lord and those not, because all will bear the name of his people after the day of redemption; and those who were against the Lord Almighty would have collapsed long before the Last Day but during the Day of Judgement. Selah!
~~~
More on God’s name, Yehovah.
God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה YHVH Yehovah, which are embedded in the Masoretic text over 6000 times, yet when translated into our English language most had been translated as Lord, or LORD, which are titles, but not his name. His name is יהוה Yehovah, or YEHOVAH (but there are no capital letters in Hebrew).
It wasn’t until 1524 that Gian Giorgio Trissino, an Italian Renaissance grammarian, invented the letter J that this new letter started to take a hold in the writings of western Europe. Even in 1611 when the English Bible the King James has our subject of study by the prophet Jeremiah, he was known as Ieremiah. So Jehovah is a very late comer.
The following verses with the LORD erred in translation. His name Yehovah should be used:
I am the LORD; that is My name. And My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. Isaiah 42:8
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. Joel 2:32
“I am sought of them that asked not for Me; I am found of them that sought Me not. I said, ‘Behold Me, behold Me,’ unto a nation that was not called by My name. Isaiah 65:1
When we call our God, the LORD, we err, because his name is not the LORD, which is a title. His name is YEHOVAH! May We all ask for his forgiveness, and may Our merciful God forgive us all.
The Mystery of Ephraim 
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