Skip to content Understanding 'That Day' in Biblical Prophecy from Zechariah 12-13 May 21 · 13 min ...more
Understanding 'That Day' in Biblical Prophecy from Zechariah 12-13
May 21, 2025 · 13 min
Join us to discern what 'That Day' signifies in Zechariah's message and its impact on our faith.
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The Prophetic Day of the Lord 0:11 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me this morning. Today, we examine 2 more prophetic chapters from the book of Zechariah as we look at chapters 12 and 13, which focus on that day.0:22 Verse 1 of chapter 13, on that day, there shall be a fountain open for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness. Now in this passage, we0:34 have the phrase on that day or in that day, depending on your translation. We see it 9 different times in these 2 chapters. Now that should prompt us to ask the question,0:46 what is that day? Where have we seen that before? You know, that that's an essential question in helping us understand where to place these prophecies in the in an eschatological0:59 context, alright, as we look to the prophecy of the end times. Now we must go all the way back to the prophet Joel who used, he was the1:10 first to use that term, or a related term, the day of the Lord. Now the day of the Lord speaks of God's special and direct intervention in the affairs of human1:22 history. Now most often, as we saw with Joel, there were partial fulfillments of these prophecies that we would call immediate, and there were the intermediate, and then the future and final fulfillment in the1:34 tribulation, the second coming of Christ, and the millennium. Now we can also place the focus of this prophecy based upon related passages of scripture like Ezekiel and Isaiah1:46 that also focus on that day. By the way, this is a basic principle of hermeneutics when we use scripture to interpret scripture, and that's how we're to understand scripture. We1:58 interpret scripture with scripture. Something that's not as clear, we look at something that provides clarity. Okay? Alright. Let's begin. Look at chapter 12 verse 1.2:11 The oracle of the of the word of the Lord concerning Israel, thus declares the Lord who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him. Now before I go on, 22:23 important items here in this first verse. Who is the focus of this prophetic message? Israel. Who's giving it? The all powerful creator of all things.2:35 Verse 2. Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. Now most scholars believe2:47 that while there has been partial fulfillments, there have been partial fulfillments. The final fulfillment of this is the battle of Armageddon. Verse 3. On that day, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone2:59 for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves, and all the nations of the earth will gather against it. On that day, declares the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic and3:11 its riders with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah, I will keep my eyes open when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.3:23 Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, the inhabitants of Jerusalem have strengthened through the Lord of hosts their God. On that day, I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst3:35 of wood, like a flaming torch among the sheaves, and they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place in Jerusalem.3:47 Everything else around, it's gonna be destroyed, but it's going to stay. It's going to be inhabited. Verse 7. And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the3:59 glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. On that day, the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem so that the feeblest among them on that4:11 day shall be like David. Wow. He was a mighty warrior. And the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord going before them. And on that day, I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against4:23 Jerusalem. And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and please for mercy so that when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they4:35 shall mourn for him as 1 mourns for only a child for an only child, and with weep bitterly over him as 1 weeps over a firstborn. Right? Now4:47 is that a clear reference of someone? The there it is. It is clear who's being referenced here. There will be sorrow for the recognition of4:59 the rejection of the Messiah Jesus Christ. Alright? That's what they're saying here, that they will look upon the 1 they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as 1 mourns for an5:11 only child. The sorrow will grip them of the rejection of the Messiah. Let's go to chapter 13 verse 1. On that day, there shall be a fountain open for the house of David and the inhabitants of5:23 Jerusalem to cleanse them from their sins and uncleanness, a fountain of salvation, a recognition. And on that day, declares the lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land so that they shall be5:34 remembered no more. And also, I will remove from the land the prophets in the spirit of uncleanness. You know, where have we seen something like this before? Most recently, we saw it over in5:46 the book of Ezekiel in chapter 36. Let me read that. Verse 24 of Ezekiel 36. I will take you from the nations and gather you from the countries and bring you into5:58 your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness. And from all your idols, I will cleanse you. And I will give you a6:10 new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you and6:22 cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. Now6:34 when was this event that Ezekiel was speaking about going to occur? Well, it was fulfilled in part after the Babylonian captivity. It is being fulfilled as those who have6:46 been scattered are being drawn back to Israel, but its primary and final fulfillment is at the end of the great tribulation and the millennial reign of Christ. Verse 3. And if anyone6:58 again prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say, 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.7:10 Now this is talking about false prophets because there was a lot of false prophets. That's what led Israel and Judah astray. On that day, every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will not put on7:22 a hairy cloak in order to deceive a wolf in sheep's clothing. A a hairy cloak was a sign of a true prophet. But he will say, I am no prophet. I am a worker of the soil for a7:33 man sold me in my youth. And if 1 asked him, what are the wounds on your back? He will say, the wounds I received in the house of my friends. What had plagued the nation7:46 from the start, idolatry and false prophecy will cease. There will be a zeal that characterizes this turn from idolatry. Now now what7:58 is idolatry? Alright. Let's let's define it for a moment. Idolatry is the act of honoring, trusting, or serving anything or anyone in the place of the 1 true god.8:10 Okay? Israel has removed the images of stone and and and wood. Okay? It's it's not there anymore. That that that went away after they came back from the Babylonian captivity.8:24 But in my very close relationships with, Israeli leaders, I've grown increasingly concerned that America may be making itself or has made itself an idol to Israel,8:36 causing them to look to us for direction and provision rather than God. Now I I think as you hear me here in this study and also if you listen to my,8:47 broadcast Washington watch, I believe that we should support Israel. Matthew or Genesis 12 3. Those who bless him will be blessed. We need to bless him. Doesn't mean we agree with him on everything. But I think we8:59 should seek to support them and counsel them, but I do not think we should, try to force outcomes or or that they should have to come to us to get9:11 approval to act. I think this is a dangerous arrangement for both Israel and us because we're standing in the way, standing between them and God. They need to look to God and act according to9:23 his direction, his word for that nation. They shouldn't seek approval for America. Now, again, we should stand with him and help them and encourage him to do the right things, but we should not put9:34 ourselves in the place of an idol to Israel. Verse 7, awake, oh sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me, declare the declares the Lord of hosts. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be9:46 scattered. I will turn my hand against the little ones. Now we see this passage, referenced in Matthew 26 31 as a reference to the death of Jesus and the scattering9:57 of the disciples. So we know that's an application to the messiah, to the end times. Verse 8, in the whole land declares the lord, 2 thirds shall be cut off and perish,10:10 and 1 third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire and refine them as 1 refined silver and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will10:22 say that they are my people, and they will say the lord is my god. Now there are differing opinions of these 2 final verses. Did this occur after the death of Jesus Christ10:34 referenced in verse 7, beginning with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 80 70. This again would be consistent with the diaspora that Ezekiel10:46 also spoke of, but the final fulfillment is coming in the great tribulation. So as the nation of Israel was scattered after the destruction of of Jerusalem by the Romans,10:58 and and then we've seen subsequent, you know, the the tribulations of the attacking World War 2 when the Jews were killed. So we've seen these things, but there are other11:10 the the final fulfillment of this comes at the great tribulation. Father, thank you for your word, and we again ask the holy spirit to lead us on this journey,11:23 to teach us and show us how we should rightfully apply your word to our lives and the world in which we're living. We do pray, Lord, for Israel. And as these passages apply to11:35 them, lord, we pray for them to to turn to you and be to to to find that cleansing, that fountain of life that comes through the branch of David, through the11:47 Messiah. And so we pray, lord, for that saving knowledge, and we pray for their protection and their well-being. And we pray, Lord, that they would be gathered, to,12:01 back to the land that they might serve you. We thank you, Lord, and we pray for your guidance and direction. In Jesus' name, amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me. And until next time, keep standing on12:13 the word.12:15 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you12:27 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 The Prophetic Day of the Lord94K followers
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