Commentary on Zechariah Part 2 (No. F038ii)

Zechariah Chs. 11-14 (RSV)

Chapter 11

Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars! ²Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, for the glorious trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the thick forest has been felled! ³Hark, the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is despoiled! Hark, the roar of the lions, for the jungle of the Jordan is laid waste! ⁴Thus said the LORD my God: "Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. ⁵Those who buy them slay them and go unpunished; and those who sell them say, `Blessed be the LORD, I have become rich'; and their own shepherds have no pity on them. ⁶For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, says the LORD. Lo, I will cause men to fall each into the hand of his shepherd, and each into the hand of his king; and they shall crush the earth, and I will deliver none from their hand." ⁷So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slain for those who trafficked in the sheep. And I took two staffs; one I named Grace, the other I named Union. And I tended the sheep. ⁸In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me. ⁹So I said, "I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die; what is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed; and let those that are left devour the flesh of one another." ¹⁰And I took my staff Grace, and I broke it, annulling the covenant which I had made with all the peoples. ¹¹So it was annulled on that day, and the traffickers in the sheep, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the LORD. ¹²Then I said to them, "If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them." And they weighed out as my wages thirty shekels of silver. ¹³Then the LORD said to me, "Cast it into the treasury" -- the lordly price at which I was paid off by them. So I took the thirty shekels of silver and cast them into the treasury in the house of the LORD. ¹⁴Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. ¹⁵Then the LORD said to me, "Take once more the implements of a worthless shepherd. ¹⁶For lo, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for the perishing, or seek the wandering, or heal the maimed, or nourish the sound, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs. ¹⁷Woe to my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword smite his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be wholly withered, his right eye utterly blinded!" (RSV)

Intent of Chapter 11

vv. 1-17 God then addresses Lebanon in this prophecy with symbols. They are then linked to the flock and the wail of the shepherds. These events are tied in to the Last Days. The time- frames of Gilead and Lebanon and Israel and the Churches of God are all tied together in the one sequence and God is dealing with them all.

This period went on for a long time and the false systems rose and ruled the earth with the kings with whom they played the harlot. This is the religion referred to in Revelation as Mystery Babylon. God delivered none from their hand because of their apostasy.

v. 7 Religion became a business and continued to grow and exploit its own people. God destroyed the staffs of Grace and Union.

vv. 8-13 In one month God does away with the three shepherds. This aspect is examined in the paper Measuring the Temple (No. 137). This is the thirty years of the end days called the “Mourning for Moses”. The flock is devoured by its own that trample each other and abuse and falsely accuse one another. The text then reverses to deal with the Messiah and the wages paid for his betrayal at thirty pieces of silver.

vv. 14-17 The staff of union was then broken between Israel and Judah. Until that time Israel was in the north where they had been sent but many still were in union with Judah. However, Judah was destroyed and dispersed and in the same century the Persians and Romans weakened Israel and its allies and they moved into Europe. The bond was broken. That continued for 1800 years until the Twentieth century when God began to deal with Israel and Judah once again.

In 1916 God began to deal with Egypt and set aside the Holy Land through the power of Ephraim. In 1917 Jerusalem was retaken and the Jewish homeland was declared in the Balfour Declaration. In 1948 Israel declared independence and fought its first war. In 1944 Lebanon declared its independence but in 1948 was involved with the Palestinian refugee crisis, which saw many move into Tyre and other parts of Lebanon. The eighty years of Egypt went from 1916 to 1996. The Church of God was reorganised over forty years at this time from 1927 to 1967. They did not properly deal with the flock of God and they were cast to the idol shepherds and in 1967 were tied in to the end days with the nations of Israel with whom they were supposed to guide in prophecy but failed to properly serve. One time cycle of nineteen years was allowed (see also Forty Years for Repentance (No. 290) and False Prophecy (No. 269)).

Israel and Tyre and Lebanon and Gilead were all given seventy years from 1948. In those years the other nations, including the Ten Tribes, would become fat and dwell carelessly.

Remember the two arms of the prophecy of Pharaoh’s Broken Arms (No. 036). The two arms were of forty years duration from 1916 to 1996. They were separated from the first section by 2520 years or “seven times”. So also we see two arms of forty years for these nations from 1948 to 2028, which is the time- frame for the establishment of the entire system of the Millennium. 2018 to 2028 will see the end of the subjugation of the nations and the establishment of the millennial system.

In 1967 the sequence of the wars of Israel began and so did the apostasy of the Churches of God. They did away with the full Passover and taught lies. They abandoned sound doctrine and taught fables. Their doctrine on the nature of God became Ditheist and they were given over to a reprobate mind. In 1997 the Times of the Gentiles was closed and the last thirty years of the subjugation of the nations began (see the paper The Last Thirty Years: the Final Struggle (No. 219)).

By 1 Abib 2008 the forty years of these people is complete and then the sequence of the end will escalate. God has said that He will use Jerusalem to deal with the nations

Chapter 12

An Oracle The word of the LORD concerning Israel: Thus says the LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: ²"Lo, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the peoples round about; it will be against Judah also in the siege against Jerusalem. ³On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it shall grievously hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will come together against it. ⁴On that day, says the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But upon the house of Judah I will open my eyes, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. ⁵Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, `The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the LORD of hosts, their God.' ⁶"On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour to the right and to the left all the peoples round about, while Jerusalem shall still be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem. ⁷"And the LORD will give victory to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be exalted over that of Judah. ⁸On that day the LORD will put a shield about the inhabitants of Jerusalem so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the LORD, at their head. ⁹And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. ¹⁰"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of compassion and supplication, so that, when they look on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a first-born. ¹¹On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadadrim'mon in the plain of Megid'do. ¹²The land shall mourn, each 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; ¹³the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shim'e-ites by itself, and their wives by themselves; ¹⁴and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves. (RSV)

Intent of Chapter 12

Chapter 12 deals with Judah and Jerusalem in the Last Days. Jerusalem will become a burdensome stone for ALL people. Those who burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces even though all the people of the earth are gathered together against it. God says that in that day He will smite every horse with astonishment and every rider with madness. In that day God will open His eyes on Judah. That is, He will regard them with favour and strike the horses of the people with blindness, which seems to indicate that it is an advantage at this time for Judah. That may indicate the armies attacking it are unable to determine their bearings and establish sound strategy and tactics (vv. 3-4). In the Last Days the leaders of Judah shall be like a devouring fire to all people on the right and left of them. They will rely on the inhabitants of Jerusalem who will be with Messiah and in the strength of the Lord of Hosts their God. Thus the attacks on Jerusalem will continue up until and after the Return of the Messiah. The elect shall inhabit Jerusalem with him and be the strength of Judah around them.

Verse 7 shows that Judah is saved before Jerusalem so that Jerusalem does not magnify itself against Judah. God defends Jerusalem. Zechariah 12:8 states that: In that day he that is feeble shall be as David and the house of David shall be as God, [as elohim] as the angel of Yahovah before them [or at their head]. In other words they shall become Elohim as Christ at their head is an Elohim (see the paper The Elect as Elohim (No. 001)).

God then says (in v. 9) that: “It shall come to pass that in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

Verse 10 is a prophecy of type and antitype. At the return of Messiah they will look upon him whom they pierced; in other words, the Messiah whom they placed on the stake and thrust through with a spear. There was bitterness in Jerusalem at the sacrifice, and there will be again when the full realisation of what they did comes upon all the families of Judah and Levi, and especially upon the house of David through Nathan in Judah, and of the priestly house of Shimei in Levi, for their firstborn who was Messiah. The previous great mourning was at Hadadrimmon (now Rummaneh) west of Esdraelon near Megiddo where King Josiah was killed and the mourning was unprecedented. In other words, this is the most significant mourning in the history of Israel, and it is caused by the realisation of what they had done and what they had missed out on over time.

vv. 1-2 Note that Judah also will be damaged in the siege against Jerusalem. All who concern themselves with it will be seriously damaged.

vv. 3-5 Judah will see that Jerusalem is strengthened in their spiritual power through the power of God. This plays a part in their conversion.

vv. 6-7 Note that the glory of the house of David and of the administration of Jerusalem will not exalt themselves over Judah, as Judah will be given victory at this time.

This is the day of the return of the Messiah: The Day of the Lord.

v. 8 The elect shall be as elohim in that day. The saints will be resurrected and become elohim, or sons of God and effectively all gods, as the Messenger of the Lord at their head; and that being is Messiah the first-born of the dead (see also the paper The Elect as Elohim (No. 001)).

vv. 9-14 From that day Christ will bring all the nations down to Megiddo.

The families of David through Nathan and Levi through Shimei (Lk. 3) are the families of Messiah in Judah that saw Messiah executed.

Then the sins of Judah shall be healed.

Chapter 13

"On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness. ²"And on that day, says the LORD of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more; and also I will remove from the land the prophets and the unclean spirit. ³And if any one again appears as a prophet, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, `You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the LORD'; and his father and mother who bore him shall pierce him through when he prophesies. ⁴On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; he will not put on a hairy mantle in order to deceive, ⁵but he will say, `I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the soil; for the land has been my possession since my youth.'⁶And if one asks him, `What are these wounds on your back?' he will say, `The wounds I received in the house of my friends.'" ⁷"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me," says the LORD of hosts. "Strike the shepherd, that the sheep may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones. ⁸In the whole land, says the LORD, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. ⁹And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, `They are my people'; and they will say, `The LORD is my God.'" (RSV)

Intent of Chapter 13

Chapter 13 states that in that day a fountain will be open to the house of David and to Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness. When that happens the idols will be removed from Jerusalem and all Israel and the prophets will be cut off because the Holy Spirit will be poured out in such quantity that prophecy will no longer be needed, and those who pretend to prophesy in the name of the Lord will die (v. 3).

Unless one has seen Jerusalem, it is difficult to comprehend the idolatry there with idols and icons and false sites and heresy and false teachings everywhere. People think they serve God by slobbering prostrate kissing stones and idols in some perceived piety.

When God removes this falsehood from Jerusalem and pours out His Holy Spirit the prophets shall claim husbandry. Zechariah 13:7 refers back to the killing of Messiah and the scattering of the elect in fulfilling Isaiah 53:5-10. The sheep will see two-thirds dead and one third scattered and refined in the fire (vv. 8-9).

God will refine Jerusalem and the inhabitants.

Chapter 14

Behold, a day of the LORD is coming, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in the midst of you.²For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women ravished; half of the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. ³Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. ⁴On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives which lies before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley; so that one half of the Mount shall withdraw northward, and the other half southward. ⁵And the valley of my mountains shall be stopped up, for the valley of the mountains shall touch the side of it; and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzzi'ah king of Judah. Then the LORD your God will come, and all the holy ones with him. ⁶On that day there shall be neither cold nor frost.⁷And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the LORD), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light.⁸On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter.⁹And the LORD will become king over all the earth; on that day the LORD will be one and his name one. ¹⁰The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft upon its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Han'anel to the king's wine presses. ¹¹And it shall be inhabited, for there shall be no more curse; Jerusalem shall dwell in security. ¹²And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will smite all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh shall rot while they are still on their feet, their eyes shall rot in their sockets, and their tongues shall rot in their mouths. ¹³And on that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each will lay hold on the hand of his fellow, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other; ¹⁴even Judah will fight against Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the nations round about shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. ¹⁵And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the asses, and whatever beasts may be in those camps. ¹⁶Then every one that survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of booths. ¹⁷And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain upon them. ¹⁸And if the family of Egypt do not go up and present themselves, then upon them shall come the plague with which the LORD afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the feast of booths. ¹⁹This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the feast of booths. ²⁰And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, "Holy to the LORD." And the pots in the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the altar; ²¹and every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be sacred to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the flesh of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day. (RSV)

Intent of Chapter 14

Chapter 14 then goes to the Day of the Lord (see the paper The Day of the Lord and the Last Days (No. 192)).

vv. 1-4 Just before the Messiah comes, the city of Jerusalem is taken and half the city shall go into captivity, but the other half shall remain there and not be cut off from it. Then the Lord shall go forth and fight against those nations. Messiah shall stand on the Mount of Olives and the mountain will cleave in two, going both north and south and forming a valley running east-west, and the valley will have a new limit called Azal (SHD 682 from 680 atsel meaning noble).

The mountains referred to in verse 5 are the two mountains formed from the Mount of Olives. This earthquake is mentioned in Amos chapter 1. In that day the elohim of Israel will come and all the saints with him (v. 5). The Messiah will be king over the earth and his name shall be one. The city of Jerusalem will be a plain from Geba, some six miles north of Jerusalem, to Rimmon, which is Khan Umm er Rumamin (cf. Neh. 11:29). The town is Ain Rimmon (En Rimmon, Josh. 15:32). It was first assigned to Simeon (Josh. 19:7; 1Chr. 4:32). It is in southern Judah in the Negev district near Beer-sheba. Eusebius identified it as a very large Jewish village, sixteen Roman miles south of Eleutheropolis in the middle of the Darome (southern part of Judah). Khirbet er-Ramin is nine miles NNE of Beer-sheba. Beer-sheba lies twenty-eight miles SW of Hebron and Hebron is nineteen miles south of Jerusalem, and thirteen and a half miles SSW of Bethlehem. Thus, the valley that comprises the plain of Jerusalem is some forty-four miles (or 66 km) in length and covers the southern hill country of Judah. The geological event is thus quite dramatic.

vv. 6-8 We see here that the Messiah returns with the qedosim or the Holy Ones that are the angelic host. This group then extends to the church also from the First Resurrection.

The massive underground lake system recently discovered in Israel will form the basis for the waters going out to the seas to the west and to the south-east.

vv. 9-11 Christ as King, and the Church, will thus rule from Jerusalem for a thousand years (see also Rev. 20).

vv. 12-13 The people who fight against Jerusalem will suffer a plague where their flesh and eyes and tongues will simply be eaten away as they stand. They will all rise up against their neighbours and kill one another. The wealth of the nations doing this will flow to Jerusalem.

vv. 14-15 Note here that even Judah will fight against Jerusalem before its conversion at the end.

vv. 16-21 After this event, or great war of the end of this age, everyone who is left of the nations that came against Jerusalem over the whole world will send their representatives to Jerusalem from year to year to worship the Lord of Hosts and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. Those that do not go up of the families of the earth will get no rain in due season and they will suffer the plagues of Egypt. Irrigation will not save the disobedient. Thus, disobedience to the Laws of God and His festivals will result in death. The bells on the horses will read “holiness to the Lord” and the pots in the Lord’s House shall be like bowls before the altar. Those sacrificing will cook the meat in them in holiness (Zech. 14:16-21). Vegetarianism will thus not be a feature of the Millennium (see also Vegetarianism in the Bible (No. 183)).

Ezekiel chapters 26 and 27 also deal with Tyre and the fate that awaits the city. It was attacked by the Babylonians, and again by the Macedonians and Greeks. It was made into a fishing headquarters for centuries, but the texts say it will disappear under waves and water. Here we see that the ships of Tarshish were the seafarers of their merchant navy. Javan, Tubal and Meshech were the merchants of Tyre, thus they were more predominately Japhethite rather than Hamitic and that is why their YDNA is predominantly K2 and not E3. Ezekiel 28 relates directly to Satan as King of Tyre.

Any of these nations that call for the destruction of Israel is to be cut in pieces. And that includes all those who seek to aid others in its destruction such as the nations we now see supplying others to attack it. Iran and Iraq will pay the price also. These nations that concern themselves in this matter will be deluded into attacking Jerusalem. The religious war that is shortly to escalate into World War III will be truly horrific.

Twenty years before the war in 1967, on 15 May 1947, the UN General Assembly voted to create a Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP), which effectively began the process for the establishment of the State of Israel. This was thirty years after the first Balfour Declaration of British Prime Minister Balfour establishing the Jewish homeland in 1917. The second Balfour Declaration was regarding the constitutional establishment of Australia. However, the UN resolution was too late to save Judah from the Holocaust. As it was, Judah had to fight to be established.

Based on the seventy-year cycle used in the prophecies, there may well be a year for year correlation between the horror leading up to WWII from 1936-1945 and the period 2006-2015 which will see the execution of WWIII.

From the war in 1967 to 2007 is forty years and there has been no repentance to date, and nor is any likely to occur. Scripture cannot be broken. However, these people can repent, but they choose not to do so. The seventy years from 1948 ends in 2018. The eighty years of the double forty-year period ends in the first year of the millennial Jubilee in 2028. Between 2006 and 2018 the entire structure of the wars will develop. From 2006 we see the problem escalating and God dealing with Lebanon and Iraq. The war will expand into Syria and Iran.

The actions against Israel over this period are militarily unsound. The armies are unable to tactically and strategically wage sound war operations.

The UN, acting in condemnation against Israel, has placed itself in this category and will suffer the same fate, as its structure seeks to occupy the places reserved to Messiah and his people.

It is not too late to repent and be restored.

There are often queries regarding the identity of Judah and the Biblical concepts regarding those who say they are Jews but are not and the identity and direction of those people. The prophecies regarding the church range from the Smyrna system to the end with the Church of the Philadelphians. This persecution was to extend over the period of the churches from the Smyrna system and the persecution of Diocletian to the coming of the Messiah and is not simply a comment from two sections of Revelation regarding two churches. These texts are also indicated for the OT texts and the activities of the Lord and the false religious system that was to enter Judah. These prophecies are also mirrored in Zechariah among other OT texts.

In these two sections we see that there are those that say they are Jews but are not but are classed as the synagogue of Satan. These people are going to be made to come before the church and finally to prostrate themselves before the Church of God and acknowledge that it is they that are the beloved of the Messiah and of God and they are placed in charge of all of these people.

Revelation 2:8-11 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: `The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. ⁹"`I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. ¹¹He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who conquers shall not be hurt by the second death.'

Revelation 3:7-13 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: `The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens. ⁸"`I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.⁹Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie -- behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and learn that I have loved you. ¹⁰Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial which is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth. ¹¹I am coming soon; hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. ¹²He who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. ¹³He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

However, who are they and where are they? Where did they come from and what is to become of them? How does this tie in with the OT Scriptures, and what do we know of them?

As we are aware Judaism is a religion and not a tribal group. We have listed the YDNA and mtDNA of the Jews and their probable ethnic origins in the papers The Genetic Origin of the Nations (No. 265) and in the Sons of Shem: Part I (No. 212A); Descendants of Abraham Part V: Judah (No. 212E); Descendants of Abraham Part VI: Israel (No. 212F) and also in the other papers in the 212 series regarding the other descendants and tribes of Abraham and in the charts for each of the papers in 212G. The origin of the nations of Europe is also listed in the papers concerning the Sons of Japheth (Nos. 46A-46H) and also the Sons of Ham (Nos. 45A-45E).

The British Israelite theories of the Churches of God and the Europeans Protestants were completely wrong and the DNA structures prove them wrong. The papers explain how Israel is distributed and how it is recognised in the nations of the world.

The fact of the matter is that less than 28% of Judaism is actually Semitic and much of that is of the other sons of Abraham also. In the centuries from the persecution of Diocletian (emp. 284-305), which was from 303- 311 continuing after his abdication in 305 until the Edict of Toleration in 314; through to the Rise of Islam in 632 CE, the Jews were in power in Arabia and they had converted a number of people from the Arab tribes. They had converted Edom and the sons of Esau before the dispersion. They persecuted the church and tried to eliminate it but the church became very powerful in its emergence as Islam under the council of the twelve in Arabia which was the Muhammad (see the paper Introduction to the Commentary on the Koran (Q001)). The Jews there converted back as Arabs to Islam, although a significant number did not do so. They remain as part of Judah to this day. They could not control the Paulicians of the Pergamos era to the west also under the Byzantine period. Their power and influence became centred on commerce.

Over 25% of all Jews are Sons of Ham either of Canaanite or Egyptian YDNA, which came with the Mixed Multitude or the Canaanites that were taken into the body of Israel in the occupation.

Approximately 52% of all Ashkenazi Levites are actually R1a sons of Japheth, probably from the Khazar conversions of 740 CE. A significant number of R1b Hittites exist in the royal lineages of King David also, especially in the lines of Dayan and Salathiel (see the paper Hittites in the House of David (No. 067C)).

The fact that Judaism does not accept Baptism and does not keep the laws of God and follows an apostate Babylonian Calendar that was not in use ever under the Temple system and came into Judaism in 358 CE under Hillel II places them completely outside of God’s laws and the elect, no matter whether they are Jews or not. Anyone who follows the Hillel Calendar of Judaism is not keeping God’s laws and will be held to account for it and that includes most of the Armstrongite Churches of God and the Messianic Jews. Almost none of them keep God’s Calendar (see the papers God’s Calendar (No. 156); The Calendar and the Moon: Postponements or Festivals? (No. 195) and Distortion of God’s Calendar in Judah (No. 195B).

When the witnesses get here and the nexus of the law is restored then Palestine/Israel will commence to be cleared of the apostates. Jews who are not baptised and who keep the Hillel system will be removed. So also will the Jews who do not repent, even the genetic YDNA sons of Judah will be removed, unless they repent.

However, the hardness that came over the hearts of Judah will be removed and they will come to repentance and so also will the Jews who say they are Jews but are not but only have some familial mtDNA connections. The doctrine that one inherits one’s Jewish identity from one’s mother will no longer be an accepted doctrine in Israel, as it is not in accordance with the Bible. They will become part of Israel only as members of the Church of God through their baptism and allocated to their inheritance either to the tribes in or out of Israel. As they marry into the tribes they will be assimilated also and even as native born Israelites. None of these Kabbalistic Jews will be allowed to remain in Israel. However, Israel will be returned and some also left outside of Israel in their inheritance there, as were Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh. Those areas will also expand.

The structure concerning Judah and Jerusalem from the dispersion to the Last Days is developed above. In that text, especially in chapter 2, we see that the One True God Yahovah of Hosts sends the subordinate Yahovah of Israel to defend Jerusalem and restore it. It was sent into captivity because of its evil and its rejection of the laws of God and the Temple system which it still does to this very day. From Part I above we saw that Zechariah chapter 1 commences with a reprimand and an appeal to return to the Lord of Hosts in the first section (Zech. 1:1-6).

In the second vision (from Zech. 1:7ff.) God shows the horses that will deal with the world for the Lord when the earth is at rest because the earth misused Jerusalem and Judah when it was not required to do so. So after the seventy years God began to act but Judah and Jerusalem did not repent and they were restored only to accomplish the coming of the Messiah in accordance with prophecy.

God acted in order to have the temple built so that the system would be established for the Messiah. After that it was to be destroyed again in accordance with Daniel 9:25-28 (see the paper The Sign of Jonah and the History of the Reconstruction of the Temple (No. 013)). They were restored and then measured and then scattered again as we see in Chapter 2 when Yahovah of Hosts sends Yahovah of Israel to restore Jerusalem. Here we see the Messiah as Yahovah of Israel sent to defend Jerusalem.

In Zechariah 2:1-13 we saw the reference to the One True God who is Yahovah of Hosts sending the Messiah to restore Jerusalem and make it once again His Holy City and Judah as the Messiah’s portion in the Holy Land.

In the text of Zechariah we see the development of the Babylonian system within Israel and especially Judah.

The Commentary on Zechariah Part 1 above should be studied in detail to see the implications of what is to happen. In this section we will deal with what happens in the Last Days in dealing with Zion and with Judah and the people who have been absorbed into that system as a religion that is outside of the laws of God and is not in fact part of Israel and the elect of God. Chapter 3 and 4 deal with the High Priest and the two Golden Lampstands which point towards the Messiah and the Two Witnesses, who perform the duties of and as Elijah and the other witness. These beings are mentioned in Revelation Chapter 11 and the Measuring of the Temple that are the elect of God are also covered there (see the paper The Witnesses (including the Two Witnesses) (No. 135)). In this text the High Priest is restored and cleansed so that the Temple may once again perform. The Temple was destroyed in 70 CE in accordance with prophecy and so we are dealing with another Temple and a greater priesthood as we see from the Book of Hebrews.

Chapter 5 specifically deals with the corruption of Judah and Israel with the Babylonian system under the false religious structure. There they built a house for its system and set an ephah on its base. Chapter 6 refers to the servant of God who is the Branch that will restore the Temple and sit upon the Throne with a priest set with him and there shall be peace. This will be when the earth is set at peace. As we see above this was done first by Judah and the High Priest and also Zerubbbabel as a type antitype of the Messiah and the Temple which is the body of Messiah in the Last Days. Joshua the High priest is the Yahoshua or Joshua who is the Messiah. Zechariah then goes on to develop the period of the Restoration of the Last days and also the restoration of the Calendar and the rule of the whole world by Messiah from Jerusalem.

Note now the text in Zechariah 6:9-15:

Zechariah 6:9:15 And the word of the LORD came to me: ¹⁰"Take from the exiles Heldai, Tobi'jah, and Jedai'ah, who have arrived from Babylon; and go the same day to the house of Josi'ah, the son of Zephani'ah. ¹¹Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it upon the head of Joshua, the son of Jehoz'adak, the high priest; ¹²and say to him, `Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall grow up in his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. ¹³It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD, and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule upon his throne. And there shall be a priest by his throne, and peaceful understanding shall be between them both."' ¹⁴And the crown shall be in the temple of the LORD as a reminder to Heldai, Tobi'jah, Jedai'ah, and Josi'ah the son of Zephani'ah. ¹⁵"And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the LORD; and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God."

Note the Angel of the Lord who is the Yahovah Israel says in verse 15 (emphasis added) that those who are far off shall come to help build the Temple and we shall know that the Lord of Hosts has sent him to us. This is a reference to the elect of God in the dispersion which is the entire house of God as the elect in the Body of Christ, which is the Temple of God.

The next section then goes on to deal with the scattering of the people because they would not heed the prophets the Lord of Hosts had sent to them and he scattered them with a whirlwind (Zech. 7:1-14). In chapter 8 the word of the Lord of Hosts was sent to Zechariah and again Yahovah of Hosts speaks but it is Yahovah of Israel that Yahovah of Hosts sends to return to Zion and to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will then be termed the City of Truth and the Mountain of the Lord or Yahovah of Hosts, the Holy mountain (as we see also in Isa. 2:2; Jer. 31:23; Ezek. 40:2; & Mic. 4:1).

This text is then speaking of the restoration of Israel and Judah from the dispersion and the end result of that restoration in and from Jerusalem is the conversion of the nations as we see from Zechariah 8:23. It is thus impossible that Judah will be left in Israel alone and it will be joined by the tribes or nations of Israel as it returns from the dispersion and the elect of the Messiah from which the Government of God is formed.

In this last restoration there will be destruction such as has not been seen in Syria and the Levant generally. Harach the district of Syria (the ‘arka from the Assyrian Inscriptions and from Gen. 10:17) and Hamath will be the place of rest of the burden of the word of the Lord there (Zech. 9:1-2). In other words they will become converted and part of the body of Israel which will be under the Messiah. So also will Tyre and Sidon and all of the Lebanon be devoured in the process and all of Palestine through Gaza will see and fear and be ashamed. Some of it will be reduced to desolation through their actions in provoking Yahovah of Israel, the Messiah, because they do not repent. Yes those that remain will repent and they will be part of the administration of Judah and Gaza (Ekron in Philistia) as Jebusites. These are they who remained in Jerusalem as Canaanites of the Jebusites after they became part of Judah as did all of Canaan. Thus these YDNA Jebusites will convert to the true faith under Messiah along with the YDNA males of the tribe of Judah and be part of the administration. Judah will be converted and so also will Ephraim (who will dwell from Lebanon to Jordan occupying the entire area of Gilead and Jordan will be part of Israel; see below). They, both Israel and Judah will deal with the false religious system of the Greco-Romans as we saw in Part 1. They will have no arms and they will speak peace to the nations and their dominion will be from sea to sea and to the ends of the earth. They will be a crown to the Lord God (Zech. 9: 10-17).

Chapter 10 tells us that we are to ask rain in the time of the Latter Rain (cf. Deut. 11:14) which is the time of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Last Days. This outpouring was necessary because of the idolatry among the shepherds who are vain and speak lies in their prophecy and divination.

The flock went their way without a shepherd (Zech. 10:2). God punished the shepherds and also the goats (who were not of the elect of god) (v. 3). In this outpouring the Holy Spirit is poured out upon Judah by the One True God the Lord of Hosts and He will prepare them for battle in this last period. The so-called Orthodox Jews will be removed and their priests will be dismissed and the nation of Judah will be raised to deal with the world in its conversion. Joseph also will be restored and brought to the true faith and God will bring them again “to place them” (v. 6). Those of Ephraim will be like a mighty man and their hearts shall rejoice and their children will see it. God has redeemed them and they will be increased and spread throughout the nations and they will repent and turn again (vv. 7-9). Ephraim shall be brought out of Egypt and Assyria and they shall be brought into the land of Gilead and Lebanon and place shall not be found for them (v. 10). Thus Ephraim will inherit and be joined to Lebanon and Jordan and spread throughout the land. Israel will stretch from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates and to the Arabian Desert and the seas.

Whilst this is happening Egypt and Assyria will be subjugated and prepared for their role in the kingdom of God (v. 11) and they shall be strengthened in the Lord and they will walk up and down in His name (v. 12). All of this is now commencing and will be brought about in the near future.

Chapter 11 deals with the process of the breaking of the union of Israel and Judah and the destruction of the priesthood and their false teachings. This process is carried on over a long period of time and ends with the eras of the foolish shepherds. Woe to them that are idol shepherds and desert the flock. They pay with their right arms and their right eyes. (11:17).

Chapter 12 states the burden of the word of the Lord for Israel. He will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling for all who burden themselves with it and who are in siege against Judah and against Jerusalem. Those that attack it will be destroyed. The inhabitants of Jerusalem will be converted and restored in the power of the Lord their God. The governors of Judah will use the people of Jerusalem as their strength inspired by the Lord of Hosts (12:5-6). Judah will be saved first so that Jerusalem and the house of David do not glorify themselves against it (12:7). 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 (or at their head) (12:8). This text is speaking directly of the Resurrection. David is dead and yet he and the house of David shall be as elohim as is the Angel of the Lord at their head who is the Messiah, and a Spirit being or son of God. Thus it is written: “I said ye are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you” and Christ then declared himself the son of God (Jn. 10:34-36).

From this time there will be fountains opened for those there that need conversion and baptism for entry to the House of the Lord, and all of the world begins to be converted. Chapter 13 continues on with this concept (13:1). From that day there will be no more names of idols and demons remembered (v. 2a). Also prophets and the unclean spirit will be removed from Israel. The false system will be removed along with the false teachers (v. 2b). “Prophets” will cease by force of their own people and they will declare themselves husbandmen and say that they were taught to tend stock from their youth (v. 3-5).

In all this two parts shall be cut off and one third will remain and the remaining third will be refined in the fire and they shall be purified and serve God and he will acknowledge them (Zech. 13:8-9).

In order to accomplish that we see in Chapter 14 that the Lord God will raise up the nations against Jerusalem and the city will be taken, the houses rifled and the women ravished and half the city will go forth into captivity, and the residue shall not be cut off from the city. Thus God will clear out of Jerusalem all those who are not of the faith and unconverted. At this time Yahovah who is the Messiah our elohim will return with all the saints and stand on the Mount of Olives. The Mount will cleave in two and a great valley of some 66 km. will be formed to the North and to the South with Jerusalem in the midst of it as discussed in Part I (vv. 4-5).

This period is one of intense and probably thermo-nuclear war. Those that are left of the Jews who are converted will then fight at Jerusalem and the wealth of the nations will be gathered to them (14:14). From this time onwards all the nations that resisted and fought against Jerusalem will send their representatives to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of Tabernacles. Those that do not send their representatives will get no rain in due season and suffer the plagues of Egypt (Zech. 14:16-19). The Temple at Zion will be Holy and every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holiness unto the Lord of Hosts. The system established there will be properly organised and the killing done under supervision of the priesthood once again. This is Scripture and Scripture cannot be broken (Jn. 10:35).

Bulinger’s Notes on Chs. 11-14 (for KJV)

Chapter 11

Verse 1

Open, to. Figure of speech Apostrophe. App-6.

Verse 2

fir = cypress.

for. If the cedar is fallen, how much more the cypress.

the. The 1611 edition of the Authorized Version reads "all the".

mighty = honourable, or majestic ones.

forest of the vintage = the inaccessible forest.

Verse 3

shepherds = the rulers of the State.

young lions. The rapacious nobles.

Verse 4

Thus saith = Thus hath said the Lord. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.

God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.

Feed = Tend. Zechariah is to represent a good shepherd, and is sent to the People whose rulers destroyed them (verses: Zechariah 11:5, Zechariah 11:16).

of = exposed to, or destined for slaughter. Genitive of Relation App-17. Compare Romans 8:36.

Verse 5

am rich = am become rich, [and therefore can sell them cheaply].

Verse 6

saith the LORD = [is] Jehovah"s oracle.

men, Hebrew. "adam. App-14.

every one. Hebrew. "ish, App-14.

Verse 7

And I will feed = So I [Zechariah] tended.

even you, O poor of the flock. Reading the two words (in Hebrew) as one word (with the Septuagint) it should be "for the sheep-traffickers", as in Zechariah 14:21 ("Caaanite").

I took. Compare verses: Zechariah 11:7, Zechariah 11:10, Zechariah 11:13, Zechariah 11:15 with Zechariah 6:10, Zechariah 6:11.

staves. Which shepherds use; the crook or staff, and the club. See note on Psalms 23:4,

Beauty = Graciousness,

Bands = Union.

Verse 8

cut off = sent off. They are unnamed.

soul, Hebrew. nephesh. App-13.

Verse 9

that, &c. = the dying will die.

eat every one, &c.: i.e. destroy one another.

Verse 10

people = peoples: i.e. here, tribes.

Verse 11

the poor of the flock = the sheep-traflickers; as Zechariah 11:7.

waited upon = were watching me (1 Samuel 1:12; 1 Samuel 19:11. Psa 59, title).

Verse 12

price = wage.

thirty pieces of silver. The damages for injury done to a servant. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 21:32). This is not the passage referred to in Matthew 27:9. Sec App-161. That was "spoken" by Jeremiah; this was written by Zechariah.

Verse 13

Cast it. As in Genesis 21:15. 2 Chronicles 24:10. unto the potter. The Syriac reads "into the treasury".

potter = fashioner. The material cast to, so as to be used by, the fashioner determines the meaning of the word (Hebrew. yazar). If clay, then a potter (Jeremiah 18:4; Jeremiah 19:1). If stone, then a jeweller, or mason (Ex. 28:11, 2 Samuel 5:11; 1 Chronicles 22:15). If wood, then a carpenter (1 Samuel 5:11. 2 Kings 12:11. 1 Chronicles 14:1. Isaiah 44:13). If iron, then a smith (2 Chronicles 24:12. Isaiah 44:12). If gold, then a goldsmith (Hosea 8:6). If silver, then a silversmith (Hosea 13:2). The casting of silver to a potter was as incongruous as casting clay to a silversmith. See App-161.

goodly = ample. Used of a wide garment. There is no evidence of irony here or elsewhere in Zechariah. The Hebrew "eder denotes size and amplitude, as in Jonah 3:6 and Micah 2:8.

prised = priced.

of them: i.e. by them. But some codices read "by you

Verse 15

instruments = implements.

foolish = worthless. Judah and Israel had rejected these, and later on they rejected Messiah the good Shepherd; hence the threatening in Zechariah 11:16-17.

Verse 16

lo. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6, This Looks forward to the Antichrist; for one of his titles is "the idol shepherd "of Zechariah 11:17.

those that be cut off = the perishing.

the young one = the straying.

that that is broken = the wounded.

feed = nourish.

that standeth still = the weak.

Verse 17

idol = idol’s. For the sequel to this prophecy see Zechariah 13:7-9.

clean dried up = withered.

darkened = blinded.

Chapter 12

Verse 1

burden = oracle. Compare Zechariah 9:1, and the Structure on p. 1280.

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.

for = upon: i.e. concerning Israel"s affliction and final deliverance.

saith the LORD = [is] Jehovah"s oracle.

Which stretcheth forth, &c. The omnipotence of Jehovah is the guarantee that His word will be carried out. Compare lsa. 42:5; 44:24; 45:12, 18; 48:13.and layeth, &c. Compare Psalms 24:2; Psalms 102:25; Psalms 104:2-5. Amos 4:8, Amos 4:13 Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton. App-6.

formeth, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Genesis 2:7. Numbers 16:22). App-92.

spirit. Hebrew. ruach. App-9.

man. Hebrew. adam. App-14.

Verse 2

Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6.

people = peoples.

Verse 3

And = And it shall come to pass that in that day, &c.

a burdensome stone. A stone difficult to lift or to move; not a stone to throw. Occurs only here. burden, &c. i.e. seek to lift it.

cut in pieces = lacerated. Assyria, Persia, Rome, Greece, Egypt of old, and in later days Spain, Portugal. and Russia have been so lacerated on account of their treatment of the Jews.

Verse 4

astonishment = the panic. Compare Deuteronomy 28:28.

open Mine eyes upon = regard with favour.

Verse 5

strength. See note on Zechariah 6:3.

the Lord of hosts. See note on Zechariah 1:3.

God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.

Verse 6

hearth = chafing dish. Compare 2 Samuel 2:14.

even in = as.

Verse 7

first. Some codices, with Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "as at the first".

Verse 8

feeble = tottering.

Verse 9

come. Some codices read "come to make war".

Verse 10

look = look attentively with hope and concern; as in Genesis 19:17, Genesis 19:26. Quoted in Matthew 24:30. John 19:37. Compare the first occurance. (Genesis 15:5), and Ex. 33:8. This is the effect of the gift of the Spirit.

upon = unto.

Me, Western codices read "Me"; but the Eastern read "Him", with one early printed edition.

Whom they have pierced. See John 19:34, John 19:37. Revelation 1:7.

pierced. H eb, da kar. Occurs eleven times, and always means thrust through. Compare Zechariah 13:8.

Verse 11

shall there be a great mourning or, the wailing shall be great.

Hadadrimmon. Now Rummaneh, west of Esdraelon, near Megiddo, where king Josiah was slain, and where the mourning was unprecedented (2 Chronicles 35:22-25).

Verse 12

wives = women.

Nathan. See 2 Samuel 5:14. All those names are mentioned in the genealogy of Luk 3.

Verse 13

Shimei. See Numbers 3:18.

Chapter 13

Verse 1

In that day. The future day, when this prophecy shall come to pass.

shall be. This is not the simple future tense, but the verb hayah, with the Participle, meaning that the fountain shall be permanently opened.

a fountain. This waits for literal fulfilment, and is not an intangible one as in the present day.

opened: i.e. set open. The only occurance of this participle in the O.T. Compare the first in Genesis 7:11.

for = for [the expiation of] sin, &c.

sin Hebrew. chata. App-44.

Verse 2

saith the LORD of hosts = (is] the oracle of Jehovah of hosts. See note on Zechariah 1:3

cut off the names. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 26:13). App-92.

spirit. Heh. ruach. App-9.

Verse 3

it shall come to pass. In that yet future day.

the LORD. H eb. Jehovah. App-4.

shall thrust him through. Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 13:6-11; Deuteronomy 18:20). App-92.

Verse 4

every one. Hebrew. "ish. App-44.

wear = put on. Some codices, with four early printed editions, and Aramaean, add "any more".

Verse 5

man. Hebrew. adam. App-14.

Verse 6

one shall say unto Him. Messiah is here spoken of, in contrast with these prophets. Spoken in the yet future time, and referring to His past rejection, and to the time when His wounds had been received.

Him. Messiah, Whom they will have already looked upon (Zechariah 12:10), and now inquire of fer explanation.

in = within. or between: in, in the palms,

My friends. Typical of His own who received Him not (Mark 3:21; compare verses: Zechariah 13:31, Zechariah 13:34, Zechariah 13:35. John 1:11).

Verse 7

Awake, &c. This verse stands wholly unconnected, unless we regard it as looking back from the yet future glory to the time of His rejection, when Isaiah 53:5-10 was fillfilled. Compare Zechariah 11:16, Zechariah 11:17.

Man = mighty One. Hebrew. g eber, App-14.

Fellow. Of none but Messiah could Jehovah say this.

smite the Shepherd. Quoted of Messiah by Messiah, in Matthew 26:31. Mark 14:27 showing that the words cannot possibly refer to any "high priest" as alleged.

turn Mine hand upon: i.e. for care and protection.

little = feeble of the Rock. Compare John 18:8.

Verse 8

saith the LORD = [is] Jehovah"s oracle.

Verse 9

hear answer.

It is My People. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:12). App-92.

God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.

Chapter 14

Verse 1

Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6.

the day of the LORD. See note on Isaiah 2:11, Isaiah 2:12; Isaiah 13:6.

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.

thy, (feminine). Referring to Jerusalem.

Verse 2

I will gather, &c. Referring to the yet future and final siege of Jerusalem. See App-53.

battle = war. Not the same word as in Zechariah 14:3,

Verse 3

as = just as,

fought. Compare Joshua 10:14.

battle = close conflict. Not the same word as in Zechariah 14:2. Hebrew. kerab. First occurance. 2 Samuel 17:11.

Verse 4

upon the mount of Olives. This precludes the possibility of any reference to what is past. No amount of "poetical imagery" can rob this plain statement of the yet future literal interpretation of this prophecy.

valley. Between the northern and southern half of Olivet. See App-88.

Verse 5

the mountains = My mountains. So called because of the physical change which HE will yet bring about, in the two new mounts formed out of one.

Azal. A new place, yet to have this name, at one extremity of the valley.

the earthquake. Referred to in Amo 1.

saints = holy ones: i.e. angels; as in Job 5:1, &c. Figure of speech Hysteresis. App-6.

God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.

and. Some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read this "and" in the text.

the. Some codices with Aramaean and Syriac, read "his".

saints = holy ones: i.e. angels; as in Job 5:1. Jude 1:14, Compare Deuteronomy 33:2, Deuteronomy 33:3.

Thee. Some codices with Aramaean and Syriac, read "him". This takes us on to the Second Advent. No "flight to Pella" can be accepted as a fulfilment, in any sense.

Verse 6

clear = light.

dark = dense.

Verse 7

one day = one [continuous] day, or one day by itself, unique. Compare Psalms 118:21,

known to the LORD. This forbids our assumptions, and should restrain our curiosity.

not day, nor night. Answering to "not bright, nor dense" in Zechariah 14:6.

Verse 8

living waters = fresh, running, or perennial waters. These are the waters of Eze 47.

former = eastern: i.e. the Dead Sea.

hinder = western: i.e. Mediterranean Sea.

summer. Not dried up by heat.

winter. Not congealed by frost.

Verse 9

King over all the earth. Compare Zechariah 4:14; Zechariah 6:5. Revelation 11:15.

one. Hebrew. "ehad. See note on Deuteronomy 6:4.

Verse 10

a = the.

Gebe. Now Jeb"a, six miles north of Jerusalem.

Rimmon. Now Khan Umm er Rumamin (Nehemiah 11:29).

inhabited = be inhabited.

Benjamin"s gate. See Jeremiah 20:2; Jeremiah 20:37. Is; Zechariah 38:6.

corner gate. Compare 2 Chronicles 26:9.

tower. Jeremiah 31:38. See App-59.

Verse 11

destruction. Compare Malachi 4:6, i.e. Anathema.

Shall be, &c. = shall abide in security. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:5.) App-92. Compare Jeremiah 23:6. Ezekiel 28:26; Ezekiel 34:25, Ezekiel 34:28, &c.

Verse 12

And this shall be, &c. The subject now returns to the smiting of the nations. See the Structure, C, p. 1294

people = peoples.

Verse 13

tumult = panic,

every one. Heb. "ish, App-14.

Verse 14

heathen = nations.

Verse 15

tents = camps.

as = like. Some codices read "with".

Verse 16

the King. As in Zechariah 14:2. Jehovah will then be the universal Sovereign.

the LORD of hosts. See note on Zechariah 1:3.

the feast of tabernacles. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 23:34, Leviticus 23:43. Deuteronomy 16:16), App-92.

Verse 17

rain = the [periodic] rain.

Verse 18

that have no rain. This react with Zechariah 14:17 makes no sense. Modern critics (with Revised Version margin) at once say "the text is probably corrupt". The Ellipsis must be supplied by repeating the words from the end of Zechariah 14:17 thus "if . . . come not, [not upon them shall be no rain, but] upon them there shall be the plague" as aforesaid in Zechariah 14:12). Egypt has no rain; hence this elliptical expression, Reference to Pant. (Deuteronomy 11:10). App-92.

the. Some codices, with five early printed editions (one Rabbinic, in margin), Sept Syriac, and Vulgate, read "all the".

heathen = nations. Some codices read "peoples".

Verse 19

punishment. Hebrew sin (chata, App-44.) Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6, for the punishment brought down by it.

Verse 20

be upon = he [inscribed] upon.

HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD. Reference to Pentateuch (Exodus 28:36; Exodus 39:30). App-92. For the large type see App-48.

Verse 21

seethe = boil. Reference to Pentateuch (Leviticus 6:28). App-92. Compare 1 Samuel 2:13. 2 Chronicles 35:13. Ezekiel 46:20, Ezekiel 46:24.

the = a.

Canaanite. This is the word which, divided into two in Zechariah 11:7, Zechariah 11:11, is rendered "the poor of the flock". As one word it means merchant, or trafficker; but it is also used as typical of what is unclean. Compare Zephaniah 1:11. Matthew 21:12.

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