Zechariah - First Century

Before we look into the book of Zechariah, and I hope you will take a good look, I first wanted to remind you how important this is; JESUS revealed all things, please hear His every word. Jesus fulfilled and revealed many a prophecy spoken of by Zechariah and others whom the spirit spoke. Jesus said this concerning what was written by the prophets of ol':

(KJV) Mat 11:12-15 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

ALL CAPS for emphasis, not shouting : )

Jesus said all the law and prophets prophesied until John. That's all the OT prophets. There was war in heaven from the day JOHN THE BAPTIST was born, the prophets had spoke of this. (Got an ear for truth regarding John the Baptist, and hence, the day of the LORD?)

Jesus said:

Mat 11:9-10 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee".

That John the Baptizer was more than a prophet, yea, He was spoken of here in Zechariah. And the cleansing of JERUSALEM, more than meets the eye. Many OLD testament prophecies have been fulfilled in the NEW testament. Jesus said:

Luk 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Luk 21:21 Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
Luk 21:22 For THESE be the days of vengeance, that ALL things which are written may be FULFILLED.

Jesus said this many times in more way than one:

Luk 21:32 Verily I say unto you, THIS GENERATION shall not pass away, till ALL be FULFILLED.

Mat 23:36 TRULY, I SAY TO YOU, ALL THESE THINGS WILL COME UPON THIS GENERATION!


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ZECHARIAH

The prophecies given to the prophet Zechariah were pertaining to the Christ to come, He came. Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 WERE about Christ coming in the first century, yet many say 14 is not. Perhaps a good study will reveal 14 is too.

*Zechariah chapter 9: 9 FULFILLED -see- *John 12:14-16 - A very humble LORD came into town on a donkey!:

Zec 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Joh 12:14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
Joh 12:15 Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.
Joh 12:16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.

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*Zechariah chapter 10:2 FULFILLED -see- *Mat 9:36 - The people had no shepherd, they were scattered. The shepherds (the Scribes and Pharisees) leading the flock ( "the people"; the Jews) were not good shepherds, so a Good Shepherd, even "Beauty", was sent to them...

Zec 10:1 Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
Zec 10:2 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.

There were many workers of iniquity in Jerusalem, some employed by the Temple, and even by others. Jesus was the best shepherd Jerusalem ever seen, but she did not know Him, she chose not to believe even after...

Mat 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Mat 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
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*Zechariah chapter 11:7-13 FULFILLED -see- *John 17:12, Mat 26:14-15, & 27:3-8 - Concerning the "Beautiful" "Good Shepherd" we call JESUS, and His losing one, the betrayal by Judas Iscariot for 30 pieces of silver. ( "woe to that man"... Jesus said )

Zec 11:7 And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
Zec 11:8 Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
Zec 11:9 Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.
Zec 11:10 And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.
Zec 11:11 And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.
Zec 11:12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
Zec 11:13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

There were two sent from God, God called them "beauty and bands". As I see it, these were no other than John the Baptist and Christ. Zechariah had also prophesied of Judas Iscariot:

Joh 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

Mat 26:14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
Mat 26:15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
Mat 26:16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

Mat 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
Mat 27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
Mat 27:5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Mat 27:6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
Mat 27:7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.
Mat 27:8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.

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But His "own people" killed Him, even the "Beauty" of God's eye, the beloved Son of God...

*Zechariah chapter 12:10 FULFILLED -see- *John 19:32-37 - Concerning ; "they shall look upon me whom they have pierced".

Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Zec 12:11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

Joh 19:32 Then came the soldiers, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.
Joh 19:33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they broke not his legs:
Joh 19:34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
Joh 19:35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
Joh 19:36 For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
Joh 19:37 And again another Scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains:
Mat 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Mat 24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
Mat 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

So God decided to cleanse the land and said there would be great mourning in Jerusalem. This was FULFILLED by 70 A.D.

Some amazing events took place as recorded in "Wars of the Jews" and "Antiquities of the Jews", recorded 74/75 AD By Flavius Josephus. He was a Jewish priest and historian of the temple. ( You can download the "Antiquities of the Jews", and "Wars of the Jews" as FREE add-ons to the e-sword software, a FREE e-Bible that offers many translations and tools at www.e-sword.net. )

It is a large history book with much to consider, all wars of the past included. By 70AD the Romans had sieged Jerusalem. Events that preceded the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70AD...

-For seven years leading up to 70AD, 1,337,490 perished. A great tribulation indeed.
-A star appeared in the likeness of a giant sword in the sky.
-A comet was seen, lasted a week.
-There was a massive earthquake, more than 8000 died.
-The sea roared and bodies of merchants washed up for weeks.
-An army of horsemen appeared in the sky!
-A frightful noise was heard, a pop that sounded like the universe exploded.
-A heifer gave birth to a lamb on the temple grounds.

*And as the Temple was made desolate:

-A voice was heard born from heaven saying "LET US REMOVE HENCE!".
-The huge-massive door to the temple swung open welcoming the invaders.
-Tens of thousands were killed.
-Not one stone of the temple was left upon another because there was gold between each one, and the Roman army pried apart each one.

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*Zechariah chapter 13 FULFILLED -see- *Mat 26:30-32 - "I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad." As the "Water" of Life from Christ spilled upon Jerusalem, Our God was angry with "his people" the "little ones" who smote the Good "Shepherd" and cried out for his blood. The "sheep" of the flock were the Apostles:

Zec 13:7 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.
Zec 13:8 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.

Mat 26:31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
Mat 26:32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.


Zecheriah chapter 14

And Zechariah chapter 14 is no different. Just as chapters 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 were pertaining to Christ coming in the first century, so too is chapter 14 a close relative, within that same generation. It pertains to the same cleansing of Jerusalem as the previous chapter, the cleansing of Jerusalem that Jesus spoke of, even within His generation just like He said, from roughly 66.5 - 70 AD. JESUS had warned those "Canaanite" ( Z 14:21 ) Gypsy's to stop trading on temple grounds, a very angry JESUS said Stop That! But did they stop? No. Did they stop worshiping Diana? No. Did they stop sacrificing animals? No. Did they repent? No. But still time was left for repentance. Forty years later, by 70 A.D., The Stone had come fallin', enough was enough. This chapter is all about that, and the redemption through Christ that was to follow:

Zec 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
Zec 14:2 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.
Zec 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
Zec 14:4 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.
Zec 14:5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like 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.
Zec 14:6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
Zec 14:7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
Zec 14:8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
Zec 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
Zec 14:10 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 winepresses.
Zec 14:11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
Zec 14:12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that 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.
Zec 14:13 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.
Zec 14:14 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.
Zec 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.
Zec 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.
Zec 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.
Zec 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.
Zec 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.
Zec 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.
Zec 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.

Know this, As the spirit speaks, all is not as it seems. That the mountain of Olives near Jerusalem cleaved to the east and west and a valley opened up for his people is better understood spiritually, not literally. That is to say the high and proud mountains among his people the Jews were to be made low and scattered, and the low and humble valleys were to be lifted up and broadened. Those who come to mind as the highest of the high minded were workers of the temple in Jerusalem, a group called the "Pharisees". Those who come to mind as the lowest of humble valleys who were lifted up, Mary, the humble maid and mother of Jesus, his humble working class Apostles, and the poor despised Gentile nations all around Israel to have received the light in their hearts, the Messiah.

Mary spoke of how the proud were thrown down, and the humble were lifted up...

Luk 1:46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,
Luk 1:47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
Luk 1:48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
Luk 1:49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
Luk 1:50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
Luk 1:51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
Luk 1:52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
Luk 1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
Luk 1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
Luk 1:55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever."

Even as reading "He", "Me", or "I" in previous chapters, it was not the prophet speaking, but the Holy Spirit speaking through the prophet, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these three are as one, this has come to pass. His "coming" was a day of vengeance, His reward was certainly with Him, and Christ said He would not be "HERE" or "THERE" , and here or there is anywhere, even a dirt hill mountain in Israel, or even upon a little chair called a THRONE, somewhere in JERUSALEM.

And as we read "the feast of tabernacles" in 14, we can properly say (Strong's Concordance); "A celebration in the lair of the victim and entity Jesus Christ of his sacrifice", a remembrance of Christ who is the true feast and tabernacle:

[Hebrew 8:1-3] Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.

It has come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved. YEHOSHUA is His name, meaning "YEHOVAH saved". If a Jew will call upon the LORD, that Jew will be saved from eternal death. There is no Jewish clause for salvation, God sent His beloved son that all who confess Him and call upon His name shall be saved. And so it is that many Christians, holy pots and vessels, gather in the new Jerusalem every year to remember the "celebration in the lair of the victim and entity Jesus Christ of his sacrifice", a remembrance of Christ who is the true tabernacle. God put away the old way of the blood sacrifice of animals for a better way, the old feast of tabernacles that was a part of the daily sacrifices became grievous to God, so He set in place a new tabernacle:

Isa 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
Isa 1:12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
Isa 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Isa 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

This was the part of the Prince of this world, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords whom we call JESUS:

Eze 45:17 And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.

Hebrews chapter 8 is all about this!

( LITV )

Heb 8:1 Now a summary over the things being said: We have such a High Priest, who sat down on the right of the throne of the Majesty in Heaven, Psa. 110:1
Heb 8:2 Minister of the Holy of Holies, and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man.
Heb 8:3 For every high priest is set in place to offer both gifts and sacrifices; from which it is necessary for this One also to have something which He may offer.
Heb 8:4 For if indeed He were on earth, He would not even be a priest, there being those priests offering gifts according to the Law,
Heb 8:5 who serve the pattern of and shadow of heavenly things, even as Moses was divinely warned, being about to make the tabernacle: For He says, "See that you make all things according to the pattern being shown to you in the mount." Exodus 25:40
Heb 8:6 But now He has gotten a more excellent ministry, also by so much as He is a Mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
Heb 8:7 For if that first was faultless, place would not have been sought for a second.
Heb 8:8 For finding fault, He said to them, "Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and I will make an end on the house of Israel and on the house of Judah; a new covenant shall be,
Heb 8:9 not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day of My taking hold of their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I did not regard them, says the Lord.
Heb 8:10 Because this is the covenant which I will covenant with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord, giving My Laws into their mind, and I will write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
Heb 8:11 "And they shall no more teach each one their neighbor, and each one his brother, saying, Know the Lord; because all shall know Me, from the least of them to their great ones.
Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesses, and I will not at all remember their sins and their lawless deeds." LXX-Jer. 38:31-34; MT-Jer. 31:31-34
Heb 8:13 In the saying, New, He has made the first old. And the thing being made old and growing aged is near disappearing.

Jesus is the true feast of unleavened bread and the water of life. "Whoever eats of this bread will never hunger, and he who drinks of this water shall never thirst again", JESUS said. That old way HAS disappeared and a better way covers the earth. Gather for this feast in the spirit within the new Jerusalem, she is the mother of us all:

Gal 4:25 For this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not; for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath a husband.
Gal 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

As the lightning shines from east to west, so too is the kingdom of God. Jesus, He reigns in the kingdom of God, the kingdom is inside of me. The kingdom of God what a mysterious thing!

And may the blessings of God rain upon all nations who are pleasing Him, all people and nations who bring their LIGHT into THE KINGDOM OF GOD and the Lamb. Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth for all those pleasing him.

The JERUSALEM of the first century, SHE was cleansed and pardoned just like God said He would do. I say woe unto any leader and that whole nation, any who will lead an army against Jerusalem, God will destroy you. But unfortunately for the Jews, there is no Jewish clause for salvation without Christ. If a Jew will call upon the Father for salvation through Christ, that Jew will be saved from eternal death. And so it is, because eternal life is the promise, there is no more death, that's what Christ has done for us.


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