Zechariah 12:1-3---The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
It is easy to see why the Jews got mixed up about Jesus first and second comings when you read the prophecies in Zechariah. In some cases, a prediction of His first coming is followed by the second in the next verse. There would only be one more prophet, Malachi, between Zechariah and John the Baptist. No wonder he speaks so much of the coming Messiah and the ultimate restoration of Israel. In our passage today we see the final great battle of Armageddon. The armies of the world surround Jerusalem. In these last three chapters of Zechariah's prophecy, we see the purging of Israel, their repentance and acceptance of the Messiah, and the Messiah's establishment of His reign over the earth. Look at your newspaper today. There is probably an article on the conflict over this tiny nation. It is not even 1% of the landmass of the Arab nations that surround it, and yet it has become an immovable rock. Time and time again the Arabs have tried to move it, only to injure themselves. It is the zeal or jealous love of the Lord that is accomplishing this. The Creator of heaven and earth made a covenant with Abraham, and He is keeping it. Yes, it has been kept in the spiritual sense, but reading these last three chapters of Zechariah, you can see that it will be fulfilled in the Messianic Israelites as they recognize their Messiah.
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