Bible Prophecy

Zechariah 12:1 to 14:5

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Israel’s national repentance with Christ returning to save them.

In Rom. 11:26, all Israel will be saved because of a national repentance depicted here.

Explaining the passage:
A. Zech. 12
: In v1-4 is a siege on Jerusalem by all nations when like lifting a heavy stone, they will be severely injured. This has yet to occur but it collates well with Rev. 16:13-16 when Satan gathers armies of the world to Armageddon. Part of this army will head south to forge the siege (Joel 3:2) but God will protect the city. Note that the armies will also be against Judah (2) but v4 affirms that He will also watch over them. Why is it specially stated that Judah is included? After Israel is divided, Judah is the name for the southern kingdom and they are mainly the ones regathered to form Israel in 1948. Then in Matt. 24:15-16 Jesus commands the remnants of Judah to flee to the mountains as the antichrist takes Jerusalem in the final 3½ years of the Tribulation. The antichrist have also dispatched armies to destroy the fleeing remnants of Judah as implied in Rev. 12:15 and thus v4 affirms that God will watch over Judah. In fact in v5-7, God will save Judah first before Jerusalem (7). Amazingly it harmonizes well with Isa. 34:5-6 predicting a slaughter by God in Bozrah and then Isa. 63:1-3 speaks of Christ in Bozrah trampling the enemies (see the 1-page on this) when they will burn like pieces of wood and sheaves in v6. So the sequence of events when Christ returns will be first the delivery of Judah in Bozrah. Next He lands in Jerusalem as predicted in Zech.14:3-4 and then in v8-9 He destroys the antichrist’s forces directed at Jerusalem. Only after completing His promises to protect Israel, will He be at Armageddon with the return of the raptured Church, His bride, to destroy the antichrist’s armies (Rev. 19:7-8; 11-14). Finally in v10-14, the reason for God saving Jerusalem is made clear, for at the end of the Tribulation there will be a national repentance. They will look to God (10), recognizing that they have crucified or pierced Him. The repentance in v12-14 affects all, every family, male, female, those of royal descent, as David and Nathan; and the religious order, of Levi and Shimei.
B. Zech. 13: The extent of cleansing from the national repentance is in v1-6. God will open a fountain to wash away all their sins and impurities. It is looking forward to His atonement to be mentioned again in v7. In v2, God removes the three impurities of idols, false prophets and unclean spirits. Purging is needed because these will be prevalent in the Tribulation (Rev. 9:20-21). It will be drastic as idols will no more be remembered and in v3 parents will even pierce their own children if they falsely prophesy. Finally v7-9 provides the conditions to enable the national repentance. Firstly Jesus’ atonement makes cleansing possible and remarkably it is predicted in v7. This is definite for in Matt. 26:31 and Mk. 14:27, Christ applies it to Himself. But what is the meaning of turning “against the little ones”? They are His people the Jews and in v8-9, it is done for their purification during the Tribulation. The antichrist will occupy Jerusalem (Matt. 24:15-16) and in v8, two third will perish. One third will survive but these will be severely tested. All these trials leads to the national repentance in 12:10-14. It is a touching climax for in v9 God promises to answer them and now in response they will say “The Lord is my God”.
C. Zech. 14:1-5: In v1-2, the antichrist’s occupation is retold with vivid details such as the raping of women. But after Israel’s repentance Christ returns in v3-5, landing on Mt. Olive as in Acts 1:11-12 to deliver His people by splitting the mountain for them to flee. He will destroy the hostile nations (3) as He returns in grandeur to rule over all (14:9).
Linking to Armageddon: In v5, Christ comes with the holy ones only after the events in Jerusalem and it must be to Armageddon with the raptured Church in Rev. 19:9-16.