Israel's Future

When we think about the way in which God reveals Himself in scripture, from page one in creation through the rest, it is always an emphasis on His grand creation and on intimate fellowship with man as the pinnacle of that creation. Zechariah 12 opens in the same way. 

Zechariah 12:1 (ESV) The oracle 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:

He is both the creator of the universe AND the God who made even our breath to reside within us. He "fills all in all" as Paul writes in Ephesians 1:23. 

Now of all the places in God's mind to dwell with man, both in history and to this day, Jerusalem continues to be the centerpiece of His cosmic calendar. Zechariah 12 describes both God's protection for His people as they are under assault from foreigners and the very crucifixion of their own son, and God's, Jesus Christ.

Zechariah 12:2–3 (ESV) “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. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.

Now this prophecy comes on the heels of Zechariah 11, which was a picture of Christ, the shepherd who comes to do what Israel's leaders failed to do. Now the prophet looks beyond that ministry of Christ to the time of the end when nations will turn against Israel, the nation where our Lord was crucified. Surprisingly, God will protect her. 

Zechariah 12:4–5 (ESV) On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider 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. 5 Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the LORD of hosts, their God.’

Moreover, Judah will not simply be defended by the Lord; they will be an object of offense against the foreigners:
Zechariah 12:6 (ESV) “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 surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.

Repeated references to "on that day" point to the end, in which Israel will be stronger than ever, as David was before the Lord. 
Zechariah 12:8–9 (ESV) On that day the LORD will protect 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, going before them. 9 And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Could any argument be made that this has not already become partially fulfilled? While nations surround Israel and seek to destroy her, she is stronger than ever. Her military is superior, and she stands supreme in the region. The promises of God are coming to pass even while political pundits decry the leadership of this ancient and modern nation. But there is MORE.

Salvation will come to the very nation that asked the Lord to be crucified. 
Zechariah 12:10 (ESV) “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, 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 firstborn.

Notice where it starts - through a spirit of grace from the Lord. Then comes the repentant heart and mourning over their sin. The Lord will sweep His people into the kingdom in the last days. Paul writes about this in Romans, citing Israel's rejection of Christ as a "partial hardening... until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." (Romans 11:25). 

Now I know that even today, Israel is a hotbed of political debate. But there can be no debate that behind all of Israel's prominence in our thoughts about the world is the Lord's promises to this nation, which He has chosen. And like Paul, our hearts should yearn that they turn to Jesus and come home. For this is the very nation through which we received God's Word, God's prophets, God's salvation in Jesus, and the Church. 

No Christian can despise Israel. For through them, we know the great mercy of our creator God. 


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