BLOG

Zechariah, Prophet of God's remembrance, part 43

Zechariah 14:9 is a messianic prophecy, telling us that He will be “king over all the earth” (NASB). The word translated “earth” is eretz, which means “land” and usually refers to the territory of ancient Israel. It does not normally refer to the planet Earth but to the ground as distinct from the sea. Given a proper context, the word at times may apply to all of the ground on the planet.

We see this clarified in the New Testament, where Paul speaks of Christ’s dominion over all (1 Corinthians 15:27, 28) and being the universal King of Kings over all nations (Revelation 15:4). The old land of Israel is shown to be a mere working model, a type and shadow of a greater universal Kingdom.

With that in mind, Zechariah 14:10, though it speaks in an Old Covenant context, may also be understood in a greater New Covenant context:

¹⁰ All the land [eretz] will be changed into a plain [arabah, “plain, desert, arid, sterile place, wilderness”] from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise [ra’am, “rise, be lifted up”] and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the King’s wine presses.

If we take this in a literal sense, it appears that the hills and mountains of Israel will drop in elevation, except for Jerusalem itself. The southern part of the land, along the fault line from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea, is currently known as the Arabah. It is an arid region. Zechariah seems to present us with the idea that the hills and mountains (representing small and large kingdoms) will lose their productivity due to less rain.

The root of arabah is arab, “dusky, be darkened toward evening.” But “Jerusalem” will be exempt from this sterility, because it “will rise” or be lifted up above the other hills that have suddenly become a sterile plain.

New Covenant Interpretation

Is this really about a change of topography? It seems far more likely that it is a prophecy that runs parallel to Isaiah 2:2,

² Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it.

It is clear to most people that Isaiah 2:2 is not about topography but about elevating the house of the Lord to a position of prominence over the nations. This prominence is not based upon military power but upon the power of revelation as to solving the world’s problems. Hence, they come to learn the laws of God, so that they may shed sterility and become prosperous in every way. So the house of the Lord becomes a house of prayer for all the people (Isaiah 56:7).

But this view immediately takes the prophecy out of any literal Old Covenant context and gives it a New Covenant meaning—as Isaiah clearly intended and the New Testament confirms. Hence, “Jerusalem” is the heavenly city, not the earthly city. As I have stated before, as a rule of thumb whenever we read positive things about Jerusalem, it speaks of the heavenly city, and when we read of negative things pointing at Jerusalem, it speaks of the earthly city.

Zechariah 14:10 speaks positively about Jerusalem, and so we interpret it accordingly. The same is true for the next verse, Zechariah 14:11,

¹¹ People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security.

This is interpreted in Revelation 22:3, “There will no longer be any curse.” The house of the Lord will be the source of the river of life, watering 12 kinds of fruit trees, whose leaves are “for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). Whereas the earthly Jerusalem had become a curse, the heavenly city blesses all nations, fulfilling the Abrahamic calling (Genesis 12:3).

The Plain

Zechariah 14:10 gives us specific parameters of this “plain” extending both north and south of Jerusalem. It is said to extend north to Geba (“hill”).

Geba: A city in Benjamin, modern “Jeba,” which stands on the top of a steep terraced hill, six miles or ten kilometres north east of Jerusalem and three miles or five kilometres from Gibeah, on the edge of the Wadi Suweinit looking northward to the opposite village of ancient Michmash, modern “Mukhmas.”

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1387/nasb95/wlc/0-1/

The plain also extends south to Rimmon (“pomegranate”), which was in the territory of the tribe of Simeon, south of Judah. The wording suggests that this plain runs all the way to the wall and gates of Jerusalem. That hardly seems possible, as it would show the city on a mountain with steep ridges surrounding the plain.

It is more feasible, from a natural standpoint, to interpret this figuratively, rather than in terms of literal topography.

Those Who War Against Jerusalem

Zechariah 14:12 says,

¹² Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouths.

This gory description correlates again with the description of a nuclear explosion in Isaiah 29:6,

⁶ From the Lord of hosts you will be punished with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, with whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

I have already shown that God’s “enemies” are NOT those whom God leads in battle against Jerusalem. His enemies are those who already occupy the city, specifically those who remain hostile to Jesus Christ (Leviticus 26:40, 41, 42). In essence, God’s enemies are those who fight in support of the earthly city which God has put under a curse. These are the ones who fight against the people of the New Jerusalem, the overcomers.

If Isaiah did indeed speak of a nuclear explosion, we know from modern example in 1945 how this could affect men’s flesh, their eyes, and their tongues. It is truly a horrific scene and ought to motivate us to give warning to all who are in danger.

Zechariah 14:13 continues,

¹³ It will come about in that day that a great panic from the Lord will fall on them; and they will seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will be lifted against the hand of another.

This, perhaps, points to the battle of Gideon, where 300 Israelites who qualified by God’s standards brought panic to the camps of the Amalekites, the Midianites, and the children of the east. Judges 7:22 says, “the Lord set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army, and the army fled…”