Originally posted: 12/04/2021
“It will come about in that day…” (12:3).
I found myself wishing for more time to dig into these astounding chapters filled with both His inspiring and intimidating declarations of what the future holds. I also found myself wondering where I might fix my focus; and would it even be feasible to find just one aspect to consider in two chapters holding a mixed bag of the worrisome and the wonderful, the ghastly and the glorious, the petrifying and the peaceful.
Chapter 12 begins God’s final prophecy through Zechariah and “revolves around two scenes: the final siege of Jerusalem, and the Messiah’s return to defeat Israel’s enemies and establish his kingdom,” NIV Study Bible.
As God sends His Word of what is coming, ten times in these two chapter, He speaks the phrase, “in that day,” to reveal Himself in the culmination of history, (and tomorrow we will hear Him repeat it seven more times in chapter 14).
From https://www.gotquestions.org/day-of-the-Lord.html:
The phrase “day of the Lord” usually identifies events that take place at the end of history (Isaiah 7:18-25) and is often closely associated with the phrase “that day.” One key to understanding these phrases is to note that they always identify a span of time during which God personally intervenes in history, directly or indirectly, to accomplish some specific aspect of His plan…
Besides being a time of judgment, it will also be a time of salvation as God will deliver the remnant of Israel, fulfilling His promise that “all of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26), forgiving their sins and restoring His chosen people to the land He promised to Abraham (Isaiah 10:27; Jeremiah 30:19-31, 40; Micah 4; Zechariah 13). The final outcome of the day of the Lord will be that “the arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:17). The ultimate or final fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the day of the Lord will come at the end of history when God, with wondrous power, will punish evil and fulfill all His promises.”
End times prophecy may feel as though it is way beyond our grasp of understanding, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored. And truth be told, it really is beyond our finite ability to fathom; after all, it is the prophecy of the One Who created all the heavens, all the earth, and every human being.
The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, (12:1).
So today, we may be left with more questions than answers about end times. But instead of seeking to have every question answered, let’s ready ourselves in the privilege we have to see Him increase in the pages of His Word and intervene in the course of history to accomplish His plan, as we consider Him, In That Day.
Consider Him, In That Day
- In That Day, He will raise up Jerusalem victorious.
- “It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it,” (12:3).
- In That Day, He will strike the enemy as He watches over and strengthens His people.
- “In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with madness. But I will watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘A strong support for us are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the Lord of hosts, their God,’” (12:4-5).
- In That Day, He will magnify the glory of His people.
- “In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem. 7 The Lord also will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be magnified above Judah,” (12:6-7).
- In That Day, He will defend those who inhabit His dwelling place.
- “ In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem…” (12:8).
- In That Day, He will fortify the feeble in Himself.
- “…and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them,” (12:8).
- In That Day, He will destroy the enemies who sought to destroy His people.
- And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem,” (12:9).
- In That Day, He will cause a holy mourning over sin to overtake His people.
- “In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo,” (12:11).
- In That Day, He will open His fountain of forgiveness and cleansing.
- “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity,” (13:1).
- In That Day, He will eradicate the idols, false prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.
- “It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land,” (13:2).
- In That Day, He will shut the mouth of every deceiver as He causes His Truth to reign.
- “Also it will come about in that day that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not put on a hairy robe in order to deceive,” (13:4).
(Emphasis was added in each of the Scriptures above).
How do we respond to Him, In That Day?
After all that is revealed to Zechariah of what is yet to come, the prophecy then looks to what in our time is looking back, to That Day when He first came; when He came to be stricken for our sins; to That Day when it seemed that God was against us and all hope had been swallowed up by death.
“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,
And against the man, My Associate,”
Declares the Lord of hosts.
“Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered;
And I will turn My hand against the little ones,” (13:7).
But it was as He struck The Worthy Shepherd, that death was swallowed up in victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
Oh, may we never forget that it is only because He was stricken for our sins that we can look forward to Him, In That Day, when He will raise us up victorious, watch over us, magnify His glory in us, and defend and strengthen us. And as we come to Him in holy mourning over our sin He will plunge us beneath His fountain of forgiveness and cleansing through the blood of Christ, and eradicate our own idolatrous ways and deceptions.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, (1 John 1:9).
But before He comes again and all the world sees Him, In That Day, He has told us He will prepare His remnant for That Day through the fire of His testing to purify the faith of those He calls His own.
“It will come about in all the land,”
Declares the Lord,
“That two parts in it will be cut off and perish;
But the third will be left in it.
9 “And I will bring the third part through the fire,
Refine them as silver is refined,
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.’” (13:8-9).
While we will never have all the answers about the end times until He comes again, let us pray that we would find joy in His refining; knowing that through His testings, He will be faithful to intervene in the course of our personal history. Oh, let us trust Him to strengthen our faith to live in His promises as our foundation, that our faith would be proven in praise, glory, and honor when we finally see Him, In That Day.
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, (1 Peter 1:6-7).