Zechariah 12

Zec 12:1 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.

Here is a reminder of just part of the greatness of God and how we are dependent upon His mercy for any good that comes from the earth. God laid the foundation of the earth and formed the spirit that is in man. This is our spirit that makes the difference of whether we live or die. This is not to be confused with the Holy Spirit which also comes from God and is given to mankind but with requirements. To receive the Holy Spirit one must already have his own natural spirit given when we are conceived in the womb. The Holy Spirit only comes when one is saved from sin and believes in Jesus Christ as Lord. This is the promise given to all who believe.

Zec 12:2 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.

This is being fulfilled to this day. Jerusalem is the cause of all the Middle East trouble. All nations will come against Israel in the last days in which only the Lord Himself will be able to save her.

Zec 12:3 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.
Zec 12:4 In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
Zec 12:5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.
Zec 12:6 In that day will I make the governors of Judah like a hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.

Even though Israel is back in her land now, it is only a partial fulfillment. Israel will gain back all the land God originally promised to her. It was only removed because of sin. When Israel repents of sin and turns to God entirely, noting shall stop her from receiving all that God promised to Abraham. No power or armies in al the earth shall be able to stop it. When God is for someone, no one can come against it. It is futile to try.

Zec 12:7 The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.

The kingdom will be restored under Christ similar to the kingdom in the days of David. David will be raised from the dead and literally rule under Jesus Christ.

Zec 12:8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.
Zec 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

This should cause the United Nations, the United States and all the world that seek to devour Israel or make judgments against Israel to fear and tremble. To fight against Israel will one day be fighting against God. must walk in the fear of God and trust Him to work out the things that are wrong in Israel. We must not ever fight against them or we will face the judgment of God.

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.

Jesus Christ is God that came in the flesh to be born of a virgin. Jesus is God the Son. When we see Jesus it is the same as seeing God for He is the Son of God thereby being God. Verse 10 shows us the redemption of Israel. They will finally recognize the one whom their ancestors pierced is the very Messiah Moses and the prophets foretold was to come. Just like the brothers of Joseph didn't recognize Joseph when they saw him the first time, they recognized him when they saw him the second time when he was revealed to them.

The Jews didn't recognize Jesus the first time He came but they will recognize Him the second time because their eyes will be opened and they will see the Jesus is the Christ whom God sent to save them from their sins and from all the enemies around them.

The first coming of Jesus was to die for sins and make a way of salvation in which a soul can be saved from the wrath of God and that soul be granted eternal life in which the fall of man caused all mankind to lose. Jesus reversed the curse by becoming a curse for us.

At His first coming the Jews were looking for an earthly Messiah to save them not from sin but from Roman oppression. They didn't seem themselves as sinners in need of salvation. That is what we all are though before we come to Jesus Christ for cleansing from sin and to receive God's Holy Spirit.

At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, there will be indeed a deliverance from enemies on the earth but first will come a cleansing from sin.

Zec 12:11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
Zec 12:12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
Zec 12:13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
Zec 12:14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

In order to be saved from sin, one has to recognize that they are sinners in need of a savior. When we mourn for our sins, it is the first step to being saved from sin and entering into the kingdom of God. The moment we believe, we are saved from sin. The Holy Spirit draws us and comes to us. We become born again by God's spirit. We then can be baptized in the Holy Spirit so that we can be equipped as vessels God can use to save others.

This whole chapter tells of God's plan for Israel to finally wake up and see that the stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. Hallelujah.

Zechariah Chapter 13