Day 1062: Jerusalem's enemies - Zechariah 14 vs 11 - 15

11 It shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction. Jerusalem shall dwell in security. 12-15 And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. And on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps. Zechariah 14:11-15 English Standard Version

Verse 11 spoke of the security that will finally belong to Jerusalem on a day that’s 'known to the Lord'. I said in the post on vs 8-11 that the word Jerusalem is most often used of the physical city. But it's also used in a figurative and spiritual way of the eternal dwelling place of God's people. Hebrews 12:22 speaks of believers having come “to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” And in the book of Revelation the apostle John described a vision of the 'new Jerusalem' coming down from heaven “like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2) But if Jerusalem is going to enjoy eternal security, what is the terrible fate of Jerusalem's enemies? (vs 12-15)

What an awful fate! Bible scholars who take this in a literal way will see it as a battle in the end times when those attacking the city of Jerusalem are destroyed by God. Indeed, there’s an incident in the Old Testament when Jerusalem was surrounded by the Assyrian army, and King Hezekiah prayed to God for deliverance. The Bible says: “That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning - there were all the dead bodies!” (2 Kings 19:35) God is indeed able to bring the terrible destruction that Zechariah speaks of.

But there are others who believe this section is a graphic way of describing the ultimate destruction of all who have been enemies of God's people through the ages. Like the plagues in the book of Revelation, it uses pictures people were familiar with to tell of the coming judgment of God. For example, listen to what John wrote when the Lamb (Jesus) opened the sixth seal of a scroll He received from God's hand:

“I watched as He opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?’” (Revelation 6:12-17)

Whatever we make of Zechariah’s words, it inevitably means that those who have been enemies of God will meet a terrible end. Jesus Himself used a graphic picture to warn of such judgement when He said “if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:47-48) Psalm 122 says: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they be secure who love you. Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” How crucial to not be among those who are hostile towards God and His people, but rather among those who have found the security that comes from belonging to Christ.