1) Understanding Zechariah 14

Zechariah 14 presents a vision of the future, the distant future for the then contemporary nation of Israel in the 6^th Century BC. Since then Israel was destroyed completely and scattered, then regathered and now established on the world stage as a nation revived since 1948. For us today in the twenty-first century, looking back now over two thousand years since Zechariah (520-518 BC) was given this prophecy, we see now the beginning of the fulfilment of this vision of an impending world calamity. This prophecy is about our world. We will see now the value of the promised peace on earth.

The opening verses of Zechariah 14, create a vision of war. Many nations come against the nation of Israel to fight and Jerusalem is subjected to invasion by these nations. Note in Zechariah 14:1 that in the English translation the word 'spoil' is used. It is interesting to note that this word incorporates the word for this modern world's life blood, sp-'oil'. In the Hebrew the word 'spoil' is 'shalal', from a word meaning 'drop' or 'to fall'. It is not about 'goods' but rather about an action. Related words are 'shalleketh' for felling trees, and 'shâlak' meaning to 'throw with force' and the downward swoop of a bird of prey. 'Shalal' describes oil, both in its symbol of a 'drop' and that it spurts forth from the deep well.

1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zechariah 14:1-2)

It is then that the world will witness an amazing defeat of these nations. The Creator will destroy the armies of these nations that invade Israel. The Messiah will return to the earth and will oppose the oppressors of Israel. Zechariah 14: 3 continues and explains that Israel will be saved through direct Divine intervention

3 Then shall Yahweh go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:3)

There have been many wars fought in mankind's history. This war will be like no other experienced by mankind.

2) The Biggest Earthquake

There have been earthquakes world wide but at this time there will be an earthquake of unprecedented proportions, possibly affecting many nations. The earthquake will be so powerful that the Mount of Olives shall be split and a great valley formed. Read Zechariah's prophecy recorded in the verses below, when the Messiah through God's power, will save the people of Israel, destroy those armies that invade Israel and restore peace world wide.

4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

5 And you shall flee the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:

7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to Yahweh, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. (Zechariah 14:4-7)

Here there is a vision of an earthquake. so powerful that the Mount of Olives splits and a very great valley is formed. The Mount of Olives is on one of the earth's major fault lines, the Great Rift Valley, of which the Dead Sea is part. These faults are a part of the structure of the earth. A movement of such magnitude here, will certainly cause movement in the other plates that make up the earth's surface.

The subsequent effect has been captured in the prophecy of Isaiah. Isaiah prophesies that when the Lord, that is Jesus Christ the Messiah, returns to reign in Mount Zion, “the earth shall reel to and fro like drunkard.” The effect of such an earthquake will have world-wide consequences.-

The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. ...Then the moon (religious powers) shall be confounded, and the sun (political powers) ashamed, when Yahweh of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously. (Isaiah 24:20,23)

The transformation of the landscape that will occur in Israel is captured in the following verses in Zechariah.

8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

9 And Yahweh shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Yahweh, and his name one.

10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses.

11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. (Zechariah 14:8-11)

Following the earthquake. peace will be established on earth. “Yahweh will be King over all the earth” (verse 9), and the nations that do not accept the Messiah as King will be punished in the way that is described by Zechariah in the following verses.

12 And this shall be the plague wherewith Yahweh will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.

15 And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague. (Zechariah 14:12-15)

3) One Form of Worship for Whole World

Following war and the subjection of the nations world-wide, a Temple of worship for Jew and Gentile and for all the nations will be built in Jerusalem.

16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16)

A specific form of worship will be instituted which will be obligatory for all nations and all people of the earth. Mankind will worship and obey the Creator and peace will be established on the earth. Those who do not submit to the established form of worship will suffer from famine and plagues.

17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith Yahweh will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.(Zechariah14:17-19)

There will be a time of re-institution of Temple worship at Jerusalem.

20 In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.

21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 14:20-21)

4) World War 3: Who, Where and then Earthquake

Zechariah is not the only prophet who prophesies of this war, in which the nations rise up against the re-established nation of Israel, and then are destroyed. They say this will precede the establishment of the Kingdom of God on the earth. Other prophecies give details of aspects of this war, including such things as the participants and location of the war and its outcome. These prophecies also speak of a huge earthquake.

These accounts support Zechariah 14 and give more details about this invasion and the results and the world wide effects of the invasion. Who are the invaders? Can we identify them?

The Prophet Ezekiel Names the Invaders of Israel

Ezekiel 38:1-6 gives a parallel account of this prophecy naming the nations that invade Israel, including Russia (Rosh/head), Germany (Gog), France (Gomer), Persia (Iran/Iraq) and Ethiopia and Libya. This is a mighty force of powerful nations and we can easily identify them today. In the twenty- first century the competition for oil and resources is leading to ever increasing tension. Cultural and racial conflict and terrorism further add to the unrest that pervades society. The following account is given in Ezekiel 38 and names the opponents of Israel.

1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, set your face against Gog, the land of Magog (Huns & Magyars), the chief (Rosh/head/Russia) prince of Meshech and Tubal (The Georgians claim descent from Meshech and Tubal), and prophesy against him,

3 And say, Thus said the Lord Yahweh; Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the-chief (Russia) prince of Meshech and Tubal:

4 And I will turn you back, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

6 Gomer (Gauls /Celts), and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (Turkey/Armenia) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. (Ezekiel 38:1-6)

That these verses must be prophetic is supported by the fact that in the history of mankind, a force of the nations named here has never invaded Israel. Ezekiel 38:18-20 also describes the effects of an earthquake when a confederation of nations invades Israel.

18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, said the Lord Yahweh, that my fury shall come up in my face.

19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. (Ezekiel 38:18-20)

Gog is defined by the English and Hebrew Bible Students' Concordance as “the one at the top”, such as it means a dictator. The word “chief” is Rosh, a Hebrew proper noun, and should be translated as such. The Historian Gibbon wrote that “among the Greeks, Russia was known as Ros.” It was the ancient name of Russia. Gog is thus represented as the chief of a European force together with nations hostile to Israel.

The Prophet Joel Names the Location of the Battle

Another parallel account of this war is given in Joel 3, which also states that the “earth will shake” (Joel 3:16), or that there will be a huge earthquake. Zechariah, as we have noted, stated that Yahweh would fight for His people Israel, `As when he fought in the day of battle.' (Zech 14: 3) The battle in which, not the people, but the Lord fought for Israel was in the days of king Jehoshaphat in a place called the Valley of Jehoshaphat, or Berechah, which is also linked to Revelation 16 and a great battle of the nations called Armageddon. Consider Joel 3: 11-17.

11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Yahweh.

12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of Yahweh is near in the valley of decision.

15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

16 Yahweh also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but Yahweh will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

17 So shall ye know that I am Yahweh your Elohim dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. (Joel 3: 11-17).

Armageddon in the book of Revelation

In Joel 3:11-17, the details, that have just been referred to about this battle, are linked to the battle of Armageddon, which is prophesied in Revelation 16:14–18, when many nations gather for the great day of the Almighty.

14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. (Revelation 16:14–18).

Joel 3: 14-17 connects the Valley of Jehoshaphat closely to Revelation 16:16 and Armageddon through the statement, “multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision.” The `valley of decision' is more correctly translated valley of `threshing'. Armageddon can thus be linked to the Valley of Jehoshaphat in Joel 3, which was the valley of threshing, where the sheaves were threshed and where the nation of Israel, during the reign of King Jehoshaphat, witnessed the defeat of their enemies, but not by their power or might.

For more deatil see Armageddon and the Valley of Jehoshaphat

Revelation 16: 18, referred to above, mentions an earthquake unlike any other experienced on this earth. The earthquakes recorded in the book of Revelation always relate to great political upheavals in the course of history since A.D 96. The results of the defeat of the international force that invades Israel will result in a world-wide change in government, when God's Kingdom is established on earth with the Messiah as king over all the earth.

The fact that Zechariah, Ezekiel, Isaiah and Joel describe the effects of a massive earthquake may suggest that Revelation 16:18 also could include a prophecy of the physical earthquake, as well as the world-wide political changes that will occur when Yahweh's son, Yeshua reigns as King over all the earth bringing justice, peace and equity for all those who survive the Almighty's great judgements.

5) Why the Huge Earthquake?

Before considering why there is to be an earthquake, the detail of what is to happen should be explored. Zechariah, Ezekiel, Isaiah and Joel (and possibly John in Revelation) write of this earthquake. Zechariah says,

His (Messiah's) feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives,.. and the mount of Olives shall divide in the midst of it toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

You shall flee to the valley of the mountains;for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal: yes, you shall flee, like when you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah (Zechariah 14:4-6)

The earthquake in the days of Uzziah, was a physical movement of the earth. The mass of the mount of Olives is to move for a great distance.

All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses. (Zechariah 14:10)

Though we have now no exact location of the tower or the winepress, we do know Geba is just under 10 km North from Jerusalem. If the earth of half of the Mount of Olives is moved nearly 10km, the reality will be massive shocks as the surface of the earth gives way.

We know of the effects of the earth moving. In 2004 with the Great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, researchers estimate 1,600km of faultline where the India Plate slides under the Burma plate moved 10m sideways and lifted up 4–5m. The Earth wobbled by 2.5cm on its axis. The reverberations lasted a week triggering other quakes as far away as Alaska. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands moved south-west by 1.25 m and sunk by 1m. If a mere 10m movement sideways releases an earthquake of over 9 on the Richter scale, what will a 10,000m sideways movement do? If a 4-5m lift vertically sends shockwaves across the globe for week, what will the earth lifting possibly 10-50m to create a level plain at Jerusalem do? The orders of magnitude are beyond the Richter Scale.

The energy released on the earth's surface on 26 December 2004 was equal to 26.3 megatons of TNT (over 1500 times the Hiroshima atomic bomb). What forces would be released when the earth is pushed 10km? Certainly nothing would be left standing near the epicentre at Jerusalem.

(Refer:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake)

The Bible says the result of the earthquake is a level plain 20km long around the present city of Jerusalem (of which there would not be many stones left standing for anyone to argue about). In addition the natural spring at Jerusalem would become like a river, one half of the river going to the Mediterranean and the other to the Dead sea.

And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. (Zechariah 14:8)

The detail is amazing. This prophet, who tends to be sparing with his words, names places, distances and a specific outcome. These are not the vague words of imagination, and they have confirmation.

A Reason for the changes to the landform of Israel

If we go to another prophet entirely we see a rational reason for this large level plain with the two rivers. We see also a reason for the pulverisation of the present motley collection of ad-hoc construction of stone, concrete and barbed wire that represents Jerusalem now.

The prophet Ezekiel devotes nine whole chapters (some 8,250 words) to the description of temple buildings to be built at Jerusalem in the future, after Israel was a nation again (See Ezekiel 39:27 for context).

In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the building of a city on the south. (Ezekiel 40:2)

At the time Ezekiel wrote (570 BCE), Israel hadn't been a nation for 150 years and it was not a nation until 1948. There is no very high mountain then or now in Israel, but rather a series of hills called 'mountains'. This description fits with the huge raised plain of Zechariah's earthquake. Ezekiel sees a huge building the size of a city. This seems to be located on a level area, as in the detailed descriptions there are stairs, but not many stairs, and in addition the building matches level water on two of its sides. This detail matches Zechariah's prediction for the 2 rivers going from Jerusalem, as Ezekiel's vision has two rivers from the centre, becoming deeper as they flow away from the building. This temple building that Ezekiel writes about is a staggering size of 500 reeds.

..it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place. (Ezekiel 42:15-20)

The reed is between 10ft6 inches and 12ft (Sully, 1929). This would make the wall around the building between 1.54 and 1.76 kilometres square. This building is to be slightly larger in area that the old city of Jerusalem, so it would not fit on the present topography. It, however, fits on the huge 20km long plain made by Zechariah's earthquake, and being slightly larger than the present day Jerusalem, it may fit perfectly on the portion of the mountain that Zechariah writes shall be 'lifted up'.

..it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses. (Zechariah 14:10)

There is agreement between the two prophets, one supplies the detail to confirm the other. They have a shared vision.

The temple that Ezekiel wrote of was never built. It could not have been built on the present topography of the mountains of Israel. The earthquake predicted by Zechariah to make this topography has not occurred.

Just 150 years ago most would have said it is impossible there will be a nation of Israel. But today there is a nation of Israel, as predicted. Today there are people in Israel preparing for a new temple to be built. They can't build on the old temple site as the Dome of the Rock is there. Recently an earthquake caused part of the paving of the Dome of the Rock to collapse. The Arabs blamed the Jews for this. Commentators wondered if they meant the Jews caused the earthquake. The earthquake Zechariah predicts would level the Dome of the Rock.

Some might ask if Jesus Christ is the Messiah, and fulfilled the Law, why will there be a temple again, now? Doesn't God dwell in all the earth and in Christ's followers?

If the idea of the reality of the earthquake is supported by the idea of the temple, then perhaps the earthquake won't happen, or perhaps it's figurative?

In the Bible figurative language in part does not negate the reality described elsewhere. See A Promised Future Temple

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 Show All