ZECHARIAH 11-14 THE DAY OF THE LORD2011 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Zechariah 11-14 The Day Of The Lord

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2011. Well, this evening we're in the book of Zechariah, and we're starting in chapter 11. And as a reminder, Zechariah was a prophet of God to the people of Israel, and he was

After they had returned from captivity, you might remember Nebuchadnezzar and the king of Babylon. He conquered Jerusalem. He took the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the land of Judah, carried them away captive. For 70 years they were in captivity. And then he took the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the land of Judah,

And then God provided for them. They were released. They were allowed to come back into the land to specifically rebuild the temple. And they came back into the land. They began to rebuild the temple, but they didn't get very far and they kind of gave up. There was some opposition. There was some difficulties. And

And they stopped working on the temple. And for about 16 years, the temple was there just in pieces. Not being built. It was like half built. The foundation was built, but that was about it. And so...

The prophet Zechariah, along with Haggai, was sent by God to the people to encourage them and call them to get back to work on the temple, which is really the reason why God sent them back into the land. And so Zechariah's ministry is to encourage the people to get to work, to fulfill their calling, and to do the things that God had set before them.

The way that God used Zechariah to encourage and build up the people of the land to build was by looking at the future plans that God had for Israel. As the people were there, they were discouraged. The work ahead of them was very difficult. There was still opposition around them. Jerusalem was still a mess. And they were discouraged. They looked around. They were like, man, God's given up on us.

And so they were just focused on themselves for a long time, just trying to make ends meet, just trying to make things work for themselves and make sure they were taken care of. But they forgot about the call that God had given to them to rebuild the temple.

And so Zechariah is calling them to the work by reminding them that God is not done with them yet. That he still has plans for them. And so he's speaking much about what we would call the millennium. And he's basically telling the people, as bad as things look...

God plans to restore and bless Israel. He's not given up on you. He still has a work in store for you, and he still plans to bless you.

As we've been studying the book of Zechariah, we've been addressing really various time periods and we'll see that this evening in our study. And I want to take a little bit of time here in the beginning to set this foundation and then we'll work our way through our chapters. Because there's various time periods that we're talking about this evening and so I want to make sure you have a good understanding of what those time periods are.

So in Zechariah's prophecies, some of his prophecies were concerning his present day. He was talking about Zerubbabel. He was talking about Joshua. Those were men who were alive right when Zechariah was prophesying those things. They were called to get back to work, to do the things that God had called them to. And so some of the prophecies were immediately fulfilled.

Some of the prophecies that we'll see this evening even are regarding the first coming of Jesus, the thing that has already taken place and that we're about to celebrate here in a couple days with Christmas. Some of the prophecies of Zechariah describe the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and

This is something that took place about 40 years after Jesus ascended to the Father. In 70 AD, the Romans came and they conquered Judah, and specifically Jerusalem, and destroyed the temple. And so, some of the prophecies we'll see this evening are regarding that time period. Then, some of the prophecies that we'll be looking at are regarding the tribulation. This is something that has not happened yet, it's yet future.

For you and I as believers, we are looking forward to the rapture of the church where we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

But after the church is out of the picture, then the world is going to go through seven years of tribulation and trouble and trial like it's never seen before. And some of that will be talked about this evening as we look at Zechariah's prophecies. Now some of the things that Zechariah talks about are regarding the second coming of Jesus. The second coming is different than the rapture because the second coming is

Well, first of all, the rapture, we meet the Lord in the air. It happens in the clouds. He doesn't actually set foot on earth. But the second coming, as we'll see this evening, he actually sets foot on earth on the Mount of Olives. And so it's his actual return to earth. And at that point, he establishes his kingdom upon the earth and he rules and reigns upon the earth for 1,000 years.

That's what's known as the millennium. So there's these various time periods and it can be a little bit confusing as you go through these things, which one he's talking about and which one has been fulfilled and which one is yet to be fulfilled. And so I wanted to kind of prepare you for that. So as we jump back and forth between these time periods, you understand where we're coming from.

I really like the picture that prophecy is like a mountain range. I have here a picture for you of a mountain range. And some of you might recognize it. If you do, then, you know, don't shout out the answer. But as you're looking at the mountain range, there's similarities to the prophecies of Scripture. Because in the prophecies of Scripture, it's not always clear...

Which event the prophet is talking about and which event is closer, which event is more important. Much like looking at this picture, you see these different peaks of the mountain range. And if I were to ask you, which of these peaks

is closest? Which of these peaks is closest? You might be able to look and figure out, and you're looking at the perspective and trying to determine which one's closest. And then if I was to ask you, which one of these is the highest peak?

Now you might say this one here on the left is the highest peak, but in reality, it's not. It is actually there in kind of central California. It's Lone Pine Peak, and it reaches 12,944 feet. But the one on the right...

There is actually Mount Whitney, and it's about 2,000 feet higher than Lone Pine. And so the perspective makes it look like this closer one is higher, but in reality, it's the one farther out that is higher. And prophecy is a lot like that. Many times the prophets are talking about the coming Messiah saying,

And it's difficult to know, are they talking about the first coming or the second coming? They're talking about the trouble that's coming, and it's difficult to know, are they talking about the Roman conquering army, or are they talking about the Antichrist and his army?

And so you'll see some of that. Now, the important thing is not always the timing. The important thing is knowing that God fulfills his word exactly as he has declared. And some of the things are very clear. We know the timing. And some of them, well, we know it's going to happen. We don't know exactly how it all fits together. But we know that the Lord will accomplish his purposes in his time frame.

And so as we look at Zechariah chapter 11 through 14 this evening, keep that in mind that these are things that we know they're going to take place, but we don't always know the exact order and sequence of some of the things that he'll be talking about. Well, we pick it up here in chapter 11 and we'll start out looking at verses 1 through 3. It says this,

Open your doors, O Lebanon, that fire may devour your cedars. Wail, O Cyprus, for the cedar has fallen, because the mighty trees are ruined. Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has come down. There is the sound of wailing shepherds, for their glory is in ruins. There is the sound of roaring lions, for the pride of the Jordan is in ruins."

Here as we start out in verses 1 through 3 of chapter 11, Zechariah is looking at the destruction of the Roman army. And we'll see that as we go further into chapter 11 this evening. The Roman army, around 70 AD, came and attacked Zechariah.

and the surrounding region. And the path that they took was the northern part of the land. So they came up through Lebanon. And so he talks about, open your doors, O Lebanon, that fire may devour your cedars.

And cedars were the prized wood or prized tree there in the Lebanon area. And so he's talking about the path. And then he goes to talk about the area of Bashan there in verse 2, which is a little bit farther south of Lebanon. As the Roman army heads into Israel, this is the path that they took.

heading towards Jerusalem, where they're going to bring, where they're going to lay siege to the land, and then bring ultimate destruction to the city of Jerusalem. And so God is describing the path and the wailing of the shepherds there in verse 3, because their glory is in ruins. Now the people in Zechariah's day are looking around, and they're looking at ruins. And

God's calling them to rebuild, but he's also telling them there's another destruction coming. But as we'll see as we continue on in chapters 12 and following this evening, God is saying it's not for nothing though because the future still has some glorious things. God has some great plans for the nation of Israel.

And as he's talking about the shepherds wailing, we're going to be talking about the shepherds in the next few verses. And you might remember from last week in Zechariah chapter 10, verse 2, God says that the people are in trouble because there is no shepherd. And this is really the problem with the nation of Israel at that time. There was no godly leaders, no good shepherds who would lead them in the ways of God.

And without a shepherd, the people are lost and they're doing their own thing and they are perishing. They're falling apart, literally. And so God says in Zechariah chapter 10 verse 3 that his anger is kindled against the shepherds because they're not leading the people. They're not doing their job. And so now he addresses the shepherds in verse 4. Look what it says.

Then, says the Lord my God, feed the flock for slaughter, whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt. Those who sell them say, Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich, and their shepherds do not pity them. For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land, says the Lord. But indeed, I will give everyone into his neighbor's hand and into the hand of his king. They shall attack the land, and I will deliver them from their hand.

So I fed the flock for slaughter, in particular the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs, the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bonds, and I fed the flock. I dismissed the three shepherds in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

Then I said, I will not feed you, let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other's flesh. And I took my staff beauty and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples. So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the Lord. Then I said to them,

If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages, and if not, refrain. So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

And the Lord said to me, throw it to the potter. That princely price they set on me. So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. Then I cut into my other staff bonds that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Here as we looked at verses 4 through 14, we're talking about shepherding. We're talking about shepherds. And God is asking Zechariah to really give a visual to the people along with his message. And we've seen that many times in the prophets, that God has them act out certain things as an illustration to the message that he's called them to give.

And so here, God calls Zechariah to start tending some sheep. And he is to take two staffs and to begin to feed the flock for slaughter.

Now there's a lot of details that we can't get into this evening because of lack of time. I would encourage you to spend some time later on looking over these portions and allow God to challenge your heart still further. Because these things here in chapter 11, as we're looking at these shepherds, really have to do with the coming Roman army that conquers the nation of Israel. And the

The fact that they are not taking care of the flock. Look at verse 9 again. It says, Then I said, I will not feed you. Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other's flesh. I know that's a little bit gruesome to think about. But that is actually what took place when the Roman army laid siege to the city of Jerusalem.

They were not feeding them anymore. Let whatever's perishing perish. And actually, it is recorded that they were eating one another's flesh in order to survive the siege. In fact, Josephus records that more Jews died by the hand of each other than by the Romans because of the things that were happening within Jerusalem during the siege of the Roman army.

And so Zechariah is actually tending sheep to act out to illustrate what is about to happen to the nation later on under the Roman Empire. And so he's portraying for them this message about the need of a shepherd. And he has the two staffs there in verse 7. One called Beauty and one called Bonds.

Beauty, we'll see, really refers to Jesus, and we'll talk about that in just a moment. And then bonds refers to that brotherhood between Judah and Israel. But he's looking forward to this Roman army that's coming from the north, that will surround the city and will...

Well, the people are being prepared for slaughter by their shepherds because their shepherds are not leading them into the ways of God. If you remember, when Jesus was crucified, it was the shepherds of the people, the spiritual leaders of the people who turned him over to be crucified. And their rejection of the Messiah, their rejection of the Savior is actually referred to here in verse 12. In verse 12, it says...

Then I said to them, if it is agreeable to you, give me my wages. And what are his wages? It might sound familiar to you, and it should, because his wages were 30 pieces of silver. What's the significance? Well, you remember later on in the New Testament, Judas betrayed Jesus for how much?

30 pieces of silver. And actually this verse is quoted and it's referred back to in Matthew chapter 27 verses 3 through 10. This portion is referred to and this amount, this 30 pieces of silver is what is referred to.

Now this 30 pieces of silver was the amount that God had set for a servant. This was like the minimum that you could charge for or pay for in order to purchase a slave or a servant. In Exodus chapter 21 verse 32, he sets that 30 pieces of silver or 30 shekels of silver to repay for a servant who was put to death by an animal.

And so this 30 pieces of silver is referring to and actually pointing us to Jesus. And pointing us to the fact that he is part of what Zechariah is talking about and he is fulfilling this part. In fact, the details are pretty astounding there in verse 13 because he talks about throwing the pieces of silver into the house of the Lord for the potter.

And then you go into the New Testament in the book of Matthew, again chapter 27, and you find that that's indeed what happened. Remember when Judas was feeling remorseful for betraying the Lord, he takes the 30 pieces of silver back to the priests and the Jewish leaders, and he says, I don't want this. This wasn't right. And they said, well, we don't want it. It's blood money. We can't have it. And so then he throws it into the house of the Lord. And then they gather it up and they go purchase a field from a potter.

And so the details here of what is going to take place under, you know, when the Messiah comes, the first coming of Jesus, are really incredible. And so he's talking about the true shepherd that is coming. The people's shepherds are leading them astray. They're rejecting the Messiah. And they're bringing them to this ultimate destruction of the Roman army that is coming.

Because they rejected the true shepherd who is Jesus. He was sold at a slave's price. And then 40 years later, they were conquered by the Roman army. Now, much, much later, in fact it hasn't happened yet, the Antichrist, the false Christ, the person who will present himself as their Messiah, will come on the scene and

And they will receive that person. And that's what we see in verse 15 through 17. Look here with me. It says, And the Lord said to me, Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd. For indeed, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.

Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock. A sword shall be against his arm and against his right eye. His arm shall completely wither and his right eye shall be totally blinded.

And so Zechariah jumps forward now. Remember the mountain range? So he sees all these peaks and these different things regarding this idea of a shepherd. And so he's talking about the leaders of the people then. And up until the Roman army came, he's talking about the Messiah as the good shepherd. But then he's also talking about this false shepherd, the worthless shepherd that comes later on. This Antichrist who comes on the scene.

And so he is a foolish shepherd. He will be raised up, but he won't care about the people. Although he makes a covenant with Israel, he actually does not care about the people. And he will seek to destroy the people.

Now, I'm not going to get into a lot of the details regarding the Antichrist and the tribulation period. We spent a good amount of time on Sunday mornings last year going through the book of Revelation. And so if you want to dig into those things, I would encourage you to go back to those studies and spend some time there. But the Antichrist who is raised up will not care about the people. He is a worthless shepherd. And so God says, "...a sword shall be against his arm and against his right eye."

It's interesting that the scriptures talk about the fatal wound of the Antichrist and then his miraculous recovery. And it's probably a reference here to that wound that he will receive during the tribulation period.

Lots of details here. Lots of things that you could really dig into. And I was really fascinated as I was studying these things and wish we could spend maybe several weeks here. But we need to keep moving because there's more that God wants to show us. Now, there's a lot of doom and gloom here in chapter 11 and the shepherds and they're not leading the people and then the false shepherds coming and they receive him.

But now, as we start in chapter 12, we begin kind of the last section of the book of Zechariah, as he looks once again at the future glory of Israel, and the things that God has in store for them. And this is really the focus of Zechariah's message. He's reminding them, look at what God has in store for you, so that you can continue what God has called you to today. So let's check out chapter 12, starting in verse 1.

It says,

And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples. All who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.

Verse 6.

In that day, I will make the governors of Judah like a fire pan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves. They shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left. But Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, Jerusalem.

The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah.

In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David. And the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

God makes abundantly clear here in verses 1 through 9 that he is for Jerusalem, that he has plans for Jerusalem and the land of Israel, that he will defend them, that he will take care of them, he will provide for them, and they will become a mighty people, a mighty nation. I love in verse 1 how God first of all says, let me remind you of who I am.

I'm the one who stretches out the heavens. Now you can take a telescope and you can look far into the heavens and you can remember God is the one who stretched out the heavens. He's the one who holds it together. He says, I'm the one who lays the foundation of the earth. You can consider the earth and how the earth is established. And He's the one who holds the earth in His hands.

He says, I'm the one who forms the spirit of man within him. I'm the one who gives you life, God says. And so he wants you to remember, first of all, who he is. That he is the creator. That he is all powerful. Because the things he's about to say are going to sound, well...

In different generations, these portions of Scripture were kind of dismissed and spiritualized and allegorized and people thought, there's no way that these verses could be true because Israel is dispersed and there is no nation of Israel and Jerusalem isn't there.

And so they dismiss these verses that we're studying this evening. Now today, of course, we know Israel has been reestablished as a nation and they're back in the land and Jerusalem is a city, although there's much trouble and turmoil as a result. But God wants you to know, listen, I am the creator of the universe and I have said, this is my place. Jerusalem, it's my place. And I have plans for it. I'm going to protect it. I'm going to provide for it. And I'm going to bless my people in it.

Now over and over, throughout chapters 12 through 14, you'll see the phrase, in that day. It's repeated 16 times through the rest of the book. And in that day is not just a general saying, but it's a specific reference to what we would call the day of the Lord.

And the day of the Lord is not just, you know, one 24-hour period where the sun rises and sets or the earth rotates, however you want to look at it. It's not a 24-hour period, but it is a time frame that is being referred to and it's consistent all throughout the scriptures. This time period known as the day of the Lord includes the rapture of the church, the tribulation period, the

the second coming of Jesus, as well as the thousand year reign of Christ. And so he's talking about future things, still future for us today. Things that are going to be fulfilled.

He wants you to know, I'm the creator of the universe, and this is what I'm saying. These things are going to take place. They're yet future for us still, but they're going to happen. And so he says in verse 3, And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples. He goes on to say, a very heavy stone. All who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces.

Now it's interesting, as you look at the headlines, as you look at the news reports, as you look at what is going on, the multitude of people who want to wipe Israel off the map, who want to get rid of the Jewish people, who want to do away with Jerusalem, or take control of Jerusalem. And yet, as hard as they try, it's like a heavy stone. They're like holding on to it, they're grabbing, they're yanking, they're pulling, they're pushing, they're trying everything they can do.

But like a heavy stone, they're not able to move it. They're not able to overcome it. Why? Well, because this is what God said. God said, I'm going to make Israel a very heavy stone. Now, right now, Israel has a lot of attention and there's a lot of intensity. Jerusalem, of course, is right at the center of it. But this is just the beginning. It will become more and more intense.

And more and more we will see Jerusalem like a heavy stone. That all the peoples, it says there in verse 3, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. And so we understand that all the nations of the earth pretty much, almost, just about, are gathered against Israel. But God says all the nations will be gathered against it. And they're all going to push on this rock. They're all going to try to get rid of it. They're all going to try to conquer it.

But it will be like a heavy stone. And they will not be successful. He says in verse 4, In that day I will strike every horse with confusion. And so now God is declaring, They're going to try to get rid of Israel, but I'm going to protect them. And I'm going to strike the horses. I'm going to turn the warriors upon each other. There is going to be an attack on Israel. There's going to be an attack on Jerusalem specifically.

This is one of those things. We don't know the timing for sure. We don't know exactly when it's going to happen. In fact, the portion we're looking at right now could be referring to one of two battles. It could be referring to the battle described in Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39, where Russia, Iran, and Turkey, with a couple of...

Well, this evening we're in the book of Zechariah, and we're starting in chapter 11. And as a reminder, Zechariah was a prophet of God to the people of Israel after they had returned from captivity. You might remember Nebuchadnezzar and the king of Babylon. He conquered Jerusalem. He took the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the land of Judah, carried them away captive. For 70 years they were in captivity.

And then God provided for them. They were released. They were allowed to come back into the land to specifically rebuild the temple. And they came back into the land. They began to rebuild the temple, but they didn't get very far and they kind of gave up. There was some opposition. There was some difficulties. And

And they stopped working on the temple. And for about 16 years, the temple was there just in pieces. Not being built. It was like half built. The foundation was built, but that was about it. And so...

The prophet Zechariah, along with Haggai, was sent by God to the people to encourage them and call them to get back to work on the temple, which is really the reason why God sent them back into the land. And so Zechariah's ministry is to encourage the people to get to work, to fulfill their calling, and to do the things that God had set before them.

The way that God used Zechariah to encourage and build up the people of the land to build was by looking at the future plans that God had for Israel. As the people were there, they were discouraged. The work ahead of them was very difficult. There was still opposition around them. Jerusalem was still a mess. And they were discouraged. They looked around and they were like, man, God's given up on us.

And so they were just focused on themselves for a long time, just trying to make ends meet, just trying to make things work for themselves and make sure they were taken care of. But they forgot about the call that God had given to them to rebuild the temple.

And so Zechariah is calling them to the work by reminding them that God is not done with them yet, that he still has plans for them. And so he's speaking much about what we would call the millennium. And he's basically telling the people, as bad as things look,

God plans to restore and bless Israel. He's not given up on you. He still has a work in store for you, and he still plans to bless you.

As we've been studying the book of Zechariah, we've been addressing really various time periods and we'll see that this evening in our study. And I want to take a little bit of time here in the beginning to set this foundation and then we'll work our way through our chapters. Because there's various time periods that we're talking about this evening and so I want to make sure you have a good understanding of what those time periods are.

So in Zechariah's prophecies, some of his prophecies were concerning his present day. He was talking about Zerubbabel. He was talking about Joshua. Those were men who were alive right when Zechariah was prophesying those things. They were called to get back to work, to do the things that God had called them to. And so some of the prophecies were immediately fulfilled.

Some of the prophecies that we'll see this evening even are regarding the first coming of Jesus, the thing that has already taken place and that we're about to celebrate here in a couple days with Christmas. Some of the prophecies of Zechariah describe the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and

This is something that took place about 40 years after Jesus ascended to the Father. In 70 AD, the Romans came and they conquered Judah, and specifically Jerusalem, and destroyed the temple. And so, some of the prophecies we'll see this evening are regarding that time period. Then, some of the prophecies that we'll be looking at are regarding the tribulation. This is something that has not happened yet, it's yet future.

For you and I as believers, we are looking forward to the rapture of the church where we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

But after the church is out of the picture, then the world is going to go through seven years of tribulation and trouble and trial like it's never seen before. And some of that will be talked about this evening as we look at Zechariah's prophecies. Now some of the things that Zechariah talks about are regarding the second coming of Jesus.

The second coming is different than the rapture because the second coming, well, first of all, the rapture, we meet the Lord in the air. It happens in the clouds. He doesn't actually set foot on earth. But the second coming, as we'll see this evening, he actually sets foot on earth on the Mount of Olives. And so it's his actual return to earth. And at that point, he establishes his kingdom upon the earth and he rules and reigns upon the earth for 1,000 years.

That's what's known as the millennium. So there's these various time periods and it can be a little bit confusing as you go through these things, which one he's talking about and which one has been fulfilled and which one is yet to be fulfilled. And so I wanted to kind of prepare you for that. So as we jump back and forth between these time periods, you understand where we're coming from.

I really like the picture that prophecy is like a mountain range. I have here a picture for you of a mountain range. And some of you might recognize it. If you do, then, you know, don't shout out the answer. But as you're looking at the mountain range, there's similarities to the prophecies of Scripture. Because in the prophecies of Scripture, it's not always clear...

Which event the prophet is talking about and which event is closer, which event is more important. Much like looking at this picture, you see these different peaks of the mountain range. And if I were to ask you, which of these peaks

is closest. Which of these peaks is closest? You might be able to look and figure out and you're looking at the perspective and trying to determine which one's closest. And then if I was to ask you, which one of these is the highest peak?

Now you might say this one here on the left is the highest peak, but in reality it's not. It is actually there in kind of central California. It's Lone Pine Peak and it reaches 12,944 feet. But the one on the right...

There is actually Mount Whitney. And it's about 2,000 feet higher than Lone Pine. And so the perspective makes it look like this closer one is higher. But in reality, it's the one farther out that is higher. And prophecy is a lot like that. Many times the prophets are talking about the coming Messiah...

And it's difficult to know, are they talking about the first coming or the second coming? They're talking about the trouble that's coming, and it's difficult to know, are they talking about the Roman conquering army, or are they talking about the Antichrist and his army?

And so you'll see some of that. Now, the important thing is not always the timing. The important thing is knowing that God fulfills His word exactly as He has declared. And some of the things are very clear. We know the timing. And some of them, well, we know it's going to happen. We don't know exactly how it all fits together. But we know that the Lord will accomplish His purposes in His time frame.

And so as we look at Zechariah chapter 11 through 14 this evening, keep that in mind that these are things that we know they're going to take place, but we don't always know the exact order and sequence of some of the things that he'll be talking about. Well, we pick it up here in chapter 11 and we'll start out looking at verses 1 through 3. It says this,

Open your doors, O Lebanon, that fire may devour your cedars. Wail, O Cyprus, for the cedar has fallen, because the mighty trees are ruined. Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has come down. There is the sound of wailing shepherds, for their glory is in ruins. There is the sound of roaring lions, for the pride of the Jordan is in ruins."

Here as we start out in verses 1 through 3 of chapter 11, Zechariah is looking at the destruction of the Roman army. And we'll see that as we go further into chapter 11 this evening. The Roman army, around 70 AD, came and attacked Zechariah.

Jerusalem and the surrounding region. And the path that they took was the northern part of the land. So they came up through Lebanon. And so he talks about, open your doors, O Lebanon, that fire may devour your cedars.

And cedars were the prized wood or prized tree there in the Lebanon area. And so he's talking about the path. And then he goes to talk about the area of Bashan there in verse 2, which is a little bit farther south of Lebanon. As the Roman army heads into Israel, this is the path that they took.

heading towards Jerusalem, where they're going to bring, where they're going to lay siege to the land, and then bring ultimate destruction to the city of Jerusalem. And so God is describing the path and the wailing of the shepherds there in verse 3, because their glory is in ruins. Now the people in Zechariah's day are looking around, and they're looking at ruins. And

God's calling them to rebuild, but he's also telling them there's another destruction coming. But as we'll see as we continue on in chapters 12 and following this evening, God is saying it's not for nothing though because the future still has some glorious things. God has some great plans for the nation of Israel.

And as he's talking about the shepherds wailing, we're going to be talking about the shepherds in the next few verses. And you might remember from last week in Zechariah chapter 10, verse 2, God says that the people are in trouble because there is no shepherd. And this is really the problem with the nation of Israel at that time. There was no godly leaders, no good shepherds who would lead them in the ways of God.

And without a shepherd, the people are lost and they're doing their own thing and they are perishing. They're falling apart, literally. And so God says in Zechariah chapter 10 verse 3 that his anger is kindled against the shepherds because they're not leading the people. They're not doing their job. And so now he addresses the shepherds in verse 4. Look what it says.

Then, says the Lord my God, feed the flock for slaughter, whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt. Those who sell them say, Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich, and their shepherds do not pity them. For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land, says the Lord. But indeed, I will give everyone into his neighbor's hand and into the hand of his king. They shall attack the land, and I will deliver them from their hand.

So I fed the flock for slaughter, in particular the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs, the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bonds, and I fed the flock. I dismissed the three shepherds in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

Then I said, I will not feed you, let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other's flesh. And I took my staff beauty and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples. So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the Lord. Then I said to them,

If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages, and if not, refrain. So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

And the Lord said to me, throw it to the potter. That princely price they set on me. So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. Then I cut into my other staff bonds that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Here as we looked at verses 4 through 14, we're talking about shepherding. We're talking about shepherds. And God is asking Zechariah to really give a visual to the people along with his message. And we've seen that many times in the prophets, that God has them act out certain things as an illustration to the message that he's called them to give.

And so here, God calls Zechariah to start tending some sheep. And he is to take two staffs and to begin to feed the flock for slaughter.

Now there's a lot of details that we can't get into this evening because of lack of time. I would encourage you to spend some time later on looking over these portions and allow God to challenge your heart still further. Because these things here in chapter 11, as we're looking at these shepherds, really have to do with the coming Roman army that conquers the nation of Israel. And the

The fact that they are not taking care of the flock. Look at verse 9 again. It says, Then I said, I will not feed you. Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other's flesh. I know that's a little bit gruesome to think about. But that is actually what took place when the Roman army laid siege to the city of Jerusalem.

They were not feeding them anymore. Let whatever's perishing perish. And actually, it is recorded that they were eating one another's flesh in order to survive the siege. In fact, Josephus records that more Jews died by the hand of each other than by the Romans because of the things that were happening within Jerusalem during the siege of the Roman army.

And so Zechariah is actually tending sheep to act out to illustrate what is about to happen to the nation later on under the Roman Empire. And so he's portraying for them this message about the need of a shepherd. And he has the two staffs there in verse 7. One called beauty and one called bonds.

beauty, we'll see, really refers to Jesus, and we'll talk about that in just a moment. And then bonds refers to that brotherhood between Judah and Israel. But he's looking forward to this Roman army that's coming from the north, that will surround the city, and will

Well, the people are being prepared for slaughter by their shepherds because their shepherds are not leading them into the ways of God. If you remember, when Jesus was crucified, it was the shepherds of the people, the spiritual leaders of the people who turned him over to be crucified. And their rejection of the Messiah, their rejection of the Savior is actually referred to here in verse 12. In verse 12, it says...

Then I said to them, if it is agreeable to you, give me my wages. And what are his wages? It might sound familiar to you, and it should, because his wages were 30 pieces of silver. What's the significance? Well, you remember later on in the New Testament, Judas betrayed Jesus for how much?

30 pieces of silver. And actually this verse is quoted and it's referred back to in Matthew chapter 27 verses 3 through 10. This portion is referred to and this amount, this 30 pieces of silver is what is referred to. Now this 30 pieces of silver was the amount that God had set

for a servant. This was like the minimum that you could charge for or pay for in order to purchase a slave or a servant. In Exodus chapter 21 verse 32, he sets that 30 pieces of silver or 30 shekels of silver to repay for a servant who was put to death by an animal.

And so this 30 pieces of silver is referring to and actually pointing us to Jesus. And pointing us to the fact that he is part of what Zechariah is talking about and he is fulfilling this part. In fact, the details are pretty astounding there in verse 13 because he talks about throwing the pieces of silver into the house of the Lord for the potter.

And then you go into the New Testament in the book of Matthew, again chapter 27, and you find that that's indeed what happened. Remember when Judas was feeling remorseful for betraying the Lord, he takes the 30 pieces of silver back to the priests and the Jewish leaders, and he says, I don't want this. This wasn't right. And they said, well, we don't want it. It's blood money. We can't have it. And so then he throws it into the house of the Lord. And then they gather it up and they go purchase a field from a potter.

And so the details here of what is going to take place under, you know, when the Messiah comes, the first coming of Jesus, are really incredible. And so he's talking about the true shepherd that is coming. The people's shepherds are leading them astray. They're rejecting the Messiah. And they're bringing them to this ultimate destruction of the Roman army that is coming.

because they rejected the true shepherd who is Jesus. He was sold at a slave's price. And then 40 years later, they were conquered by the Roman army. Now, much, much later, in fact, it hasn't happened yet, the Antichrist, the false Christ, the person who will present himself as their Messiah, will come on the scene and

And they will receive that person. And that's what we see in verse 15 through 17. Look here with me. It says, And the Lord said to me, Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd. For indeed, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.

Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock. A sword shall be against his arm and against his right eye. His arm shall completely wither and his right eye shall be totally blinded.

And so Zechariah jumps forward now. Remember the mountain range? So he sees all these peaks and these different things regarding this idea of a shepherd. And so he's talking about the leaders of the people then. And up until the Roman army came, he's talking about the Messiah as the good shepherd. But then he's also talking about this false shepherd, the worthless shepherd that comes later on. This Antichrist who comes on the scene.

And so he is a foolish shepherd. He will be raised up, but he won't care about the people. Although he makes a covenant with Israel, he actually does not care about the people. And he will seek to destroy the people.

Now, I'm not going to get into a lot of the details regarding the Antichrist and the tribulation period. We spent a good amount of time on Sunday mornings last year going through the book of Revelation. And so if you want to dig into those things, I would encourage you to go back to those studies and spend some time there. But the Antichrist who is raised up will not care about the people. He is a worthless shepherd. And so God says, "...a sword shall be against his arm and against his right eye."

It's interesting that the scriptures talk about the fatal wound of the Antichrist and then his miraculous recovery. And it's probably a reference here to that wound that he will receive during the tribulation period.

Lots of details here, lots of things that you could really dig into, and I was really fascinated as I was studying these things, and wish we could spend maybe several weeks here. But we need to keep moving, because there's more that God wants to show us. Now, there's a lot of doom and gloom here in chapter 11, and the shepherds, and they're not leading the people, and then the false shepherds coming, and they receive him.

But now, as we start in chapter 12, we begin kind of the last section of the book of Zechariah, as he looks once again at the future glory of Israel, and the things that God has in store for them. And this is really the focus of Zechariah's message. He's reminding them, look at what God has in store for you, so that you can continue what God has called you to today. So let's check out chapter 12, starting in verse 1.

It says,

And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples. All who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.

Verse 6.

In that day, I will make the governors of Judah like a fire pan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves. They shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left. But Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, Jerusalem.

Verse 1.

The one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem."

God makes abundantly clear here in verses 1 through 9 that he is for Jerusalem, that he has plans for Jerusalem and the land of Israel, that he will defend them, that he will take care of them, he will provide for them, and they will become a mighty people, a mighty nation. I love in verse 1 how God, first of all, says, let me remind you of who I am.

I'm the one who stretches out the heavens. Now you can take a telescope and you can look far into the heavens and you can remember God is the one who stretched out the heavens. He's the one who holds it together. He says, I'm the one who lays the foundation of the earth. You can consider the earth and how the earth is established. And He's the one who holds the earth in His hands.

He says, I'm the one who forms the spirit of man within him. I'm the one who gives you life, God says. And so he wants you to remember, first of all, who he is. That he is the creator. That he is all powerful. Because the things he's about to say are going to sound, well...

In different generations, these portions of Scripture were kind of dismissed and spiritualized and allegorized and people thought, there's no way that these verses could be true because Israel is dispersed and there is no nation of Israel and Jerusalem isn't there and

And so they dismiss these verses that we're studying this evening. Now today, of course, we know Israel has been re-established as a nation and they're back in the land and Jerusalem is a city, although there's much trouble and turmoil as a result. But God wants you to know, listen, I am the creator of the universe and I have said, this is my place. Jerusalem, it's my place. And I have plans for it. I'm going to protect it. I'm going to provide for it. And I'm going to bless my people in it.

Now over and over throughout chapters 12 through 14, you'll see the phrase, in that day. It's repeated 16 times through the rest of the book. And in that day is not just a general saying, but it's a specific reference to what we would call the day of the Lord.

And the day of the Lord is not just, you know, one 24-hour period where the sun rises and sets or the earth rotates, however you want to look at it. It's not a 24-hour period, but it is a time frame that is being referred to and it's consistent all throughout the scriptures. This time period known as the day of the Lord includes the rapture of the church, the tribulation period, the

the second coming of Jesus, as well as the thousand year reign of Christ. And so he's talking about future things, still future for us today. Things that are going to be fulfilled.

He wants you to know, I'm the creator of the universe, and this is what I'm saying. These things are going to take place. They're yet future for us still, but they're going to happen. And so he says in verse 3, And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples. He goes on to say, a very heavy stone. All who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces.

Now it's interesting, as you look at the headlines, as you look at the news reports, as you look at what is going on, the multitude of people who want to wipe Israel off the map, who want to get rid of the Jewish people, who want to do away with Jerusalem, or take control of Jerusalem. And yet, as hard as they try, it's like a heavy stone. They're like holding on to it, they're grabbing, they're yanking, they're pulling, they're pushing, they're trying everything they can do.

But like a heavy stone, they're not able to move it. They're not able to overcome it. Why? Well, because this is what God said. God said, I'm going to make Israel a very heavy stone. Now, right now, Israel has a lot of attention. And there's a lot of intensity. Jerusalem, of course, is right at the center of it.

But this is just the beginning. It will become more and more intense. And more and more we will see Jerusalem like a heavy stone. That all the peoples, it says there in verse 3, uh...

though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. And so we understand that all the nations of the earth pretty much, almost, just about, are gathered against Israel. But God says all the nations will be gathered against it. And they're all going to push on this rock. They're all going to try to get rid of it. They're all going to try to conquer it. But it will be like a heavy stone. And they will not be successful. He says in verse 4, In that day I will strike every horse with confusion.

And so now God is declaring, they're going to try to get rid of Israel, but I'm going to protect them. And I'm going to strike the horses. I'm going to turn the warriors upon each other. There is going to be an attack on Israel. There's going to be an attack on Jerusalem specifically.

This is one of those things. We don't know the timing for sure. We don't know exactly when it's going to happen. In fact, the portion we're looking at right now could be referring to one of two battles. It could be referring to the battle described in Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39 where Russia, Iran, and Turkey with a couple of other nations come against Israel and God supernaturally defends them. You can check out Ezekiel 38 and 39 for the details there.

Or it could be referring to the battle of Armageddon, which is the battle that is taking place when Jesus returns.

There's good scholars on both sides. And so you can kind of work through that and determine which you want to hold on to. Again, it's looking at the mountain range. It's kind of hard to tell which one's higher, which one's he talking about. It is going to happen. We know that for sure. We'll find out the timing as the events unfold for sure and for real. So there's going to be an attack. And God says, I'm going to protect them. I'm going to provide for them.

Not only that, but he's going to strengthen them. He says in verse 6, In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a fire pan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves. Basically what he's saying is, all the nations that come against Jerusalem, they're going to be like chaff, like kindling, like fire.

you know, fuel for the fire. And then Jerusalem and the leaders, they're going to be like fire. They're going to just rip through them. They're going to tear them. They're going to be very strong against their enemies. So strong, in fact, in verse 8, God says, in that day, the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David. Remember David, the mighty warrior, right? The one who is feeble.

Anybody feeble here? No, I'm just kidding. But think of like the feeble person, right? The person who's not strong, you don't look at them and go, oh, mighty warrior. God says in that day, the feeble person among God's flock, they will be a mighty warrior like David. They will be, well, they will have the strength and the power of God with them to be victorious in the battle that is ahead of them.

And so God says in verse 9, it shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And so there's going to be a great battle against Jerusalem and God is going to bring great destruction. Verse 10, and I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication.

Then they will look on me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for him as one mourns for his only son and grieve for him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

And the land shall mourn every family by itself, the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves, the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves, the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves, the family of Shimei by itself, and the wives by themselves. All the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves. So now we see a great mourning that happens. And what causes this mourning?

Well, God pours out His Spirit upon them when something very important happens. They look on the one whom they pierced. Specifically, it says, they look on me whom they pierced. Picture that for a second. God is speaking through Zechariah and He says, they look on me whom they pierced.

Who is the one that they pierced? Of course, that's a reference to Jesus. And so, another indication here, another clear teaching of Scripture that Jesus Christ is God. He's the one speaking through Zechariah. And he says, they're going to look on me whom they pierced. The Jewish people as a whole rejected Jesus as their Messiah. They are going to, later on, receive the Antichrist as their Messiah.

The Antichrist will make a covenant with them for seven years, but it tells us very clearly that in the middle of that seven-year covenant, he's going to break the covenant, and he's going to stop the sacrifices that are going on. He's going to set up an image of himself in the temple, and proclaim himself to be God, and demand that all of the world worship him as God.

Other portions of Scripture make this very clear that at that time the Jews will realize they received the wrong Messiah. They'll realize that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

And that is probably what is being referred to when he says, they will look upon me whom they pierce. It could also be talking about the second coming where Jesus physically returns. And that's a possibility. Either way, they are going to see Jesus. They're going to realize that Jesus is the Messiah. And then there's going to be great mourning.

Now this is not really a bad thing. It's like what Paul says, godly sorrow which brings repentance in 2 Corinthians 7, verse 10. And so he describes this. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.