CHAPTER 9

(487 B.C.)

ISRAEL DELIVERED FROM HER ENEMIES

¹The burden of the Word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the Tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD. (The last section of this Book, beginning here, contains two burdens [9:1; 12:1]. These concern: first, the oppressor [Chpts. 9-11], and second, the oppressed [Chpts. 12-14]. Judgment having begun at the House of God [Chpts. 7-9], it now passes on to the enemies of that House first, the enemies within Immanuels Land [Vss. 1-8], and then the enemies exterior to that Land [Vss. 10-15].

Verses 1 through 8 pertain somewhat to the approximately 500 years from Zechariahs time to Christ, but will have its greater fulfillment at the Second Coming of the Lord. The first phrase concerns the defeat of the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon, with the Lord bringing total victory to Israel. Then, for the first time, Syria, represented by Hadrach and Damascus, which has always opposed Israel almost from her beginning, shall now be at rest.

This is proclaimed in the Passage, When the eyes of man, as of all the Tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD. This has not happened in the past; therefore, it remains to happen in the future.)

²And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise. (Though it be very wise, has to do with Ezek., Chpt. 28, where the leader of Tyre claimed to be wiser than Daniel [Ezek. 28:3]. However, their wisdom will not be able to help them either in that near future or in the coming day.)

³And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. (This concerns the Tyrus of Zechariahs day and following.)

⁴Behold, the LORD will cast her out, and He will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire. (This took place with the siege of Alexander the Great.)

⁵Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. (The order of this Chapter is that judgment by Alexander the Great would first of all come upon the nations bordering the Promised Land.)

⁶And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. (The word bastard would probably have been better translated mongrel race. And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines, refers to their nationality being totally lost. Incidentally, the modern Palestinians, who now occupy a part of Israel, are not descendants of these people, but are rather Jordanians, Egyptians, Syrians, etc.)

⁷And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he who remains, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, in Ekron as a Jebusite. (As the previous Verses spoke of destruction that followed about 200 years after Zechariah, with the invasion of Alexander the Great, Verse 7 leaps ahead to the coming Kingdom Age, further proving that the plenary fulfillment of these Passages lies yet in the future.

And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, has to do with the practice of drinking the blood of sacrifices as an act of worship. And his abominations from between his teeth, addresses the eating of those sacrifices.

But he who remains, even he, shall be for our God, pertains to the fact that whoever occupies this area in the coming Kingdom Age will serve the Lord Jesus Christ.)

⁸And I will encamp about My House because of the army, because of him who passes by, and because of him who returns: and no oppressor shall pass through them anymore: for now have I seen with My Eyes. (And I will encamp about My House because of the army, refers to the Lord defending Jerusalem in the coming Battle of Armageddon. That Battle is described by the phrase, Because of him who passes by, and because of him who returns, with the pronoun him referring to the Antichrist and his invasion of Israel.

And no oppressor shall pass through them anymore, pertains to the many conflicts seen by Judah and Jerusalem, with this one, the invasion of the Antichrist, being the last. For now have I seen with My Eyes, pertains to the Second Coming, when Christ, in Person, will look at the armies of the Antichrist and even the son of perdition himself, measuring them for total defeat!)

MESSIAHS FIRST ADVENT

⁹Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King comes unto you: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. (This Scripture pertains to the First Advent of Christ, and is a definite prediction that the Messiah would be the King of the Jews. It is said that in this Verse the four Gospels appear:

As portrayed in Matthew, He is your King; in Mark, He is lowly, hence, a Servant; in Luke, He is just, hence, the Man; in John, He is God, therefore, having Salvation. He thus appears as the Prince of Peace in His First Advent not as in His Second Advent, mounted on a war-horse as the Mighty Conqueror [Rev., Chpt. 19].

Behold, your King comes unto you, refers to Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the foal of an ass on the first day of the week in which He was crucified.)

MESSIAHS SECOND ADVENT

¹⁰And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and He shall speak peace unto the heathen: and His Dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the Earth. (As Verse 9 refers to the First Advent, Verse 10 refers to the Second Advent. At His First Advent, He came in peace; at His Second Advent, He will come in war. Between these two Verses, over 1,900 years have already passed; this period has been filled by the Church, which is not here mentioned, because this Passage pertains only to Israel.

And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, refers to the Battle of Armageddon. And He shall speak peace to the heathen, means that Christ will extend the peace He brings to the entirety of the world, teaching the heathen to receive His Spiritual Rule and, in effect, to accept Him as Lord and Saviour, which many, if not most, will do!

The last phrase refers to His Total Dominion of the entirety of the world [Gen. 12:3].)

¹¹As for you also, by the Blood of your Covenant I have sent forth your prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. (Taking the latter phrase first, I have sent forth your prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water, refers to Israels miserable condition and the even worse condition at the Second Coming. As for you also, by the Blood of your Covenant, refers to Gods Covenant to Zion made with Abraham and secured by the Precious Blood of Calvary, as foreshadowed by the death of the Covenant victim of Gen. 15:17-18. In effect, it will be the New Covenant, of which the Old Covenant was a shadow [Mat. 26:28; Heb. 8:6; 9:15].)

GOD IS JUDAHS DEFENSE AGAINST THE ANTICHRIST (AND THE REVIVED GRECIAN EMPIRE) AT ARMAGEDDON

¹²Turn you to the strong hold, you prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto you (You prisoners of hope, is beautiful indeed, because it portrays Israel as a prisoner of their own rebellion, but yet with hope, which pertains to these Prophecies. Even today do I declare that I will render double unto you, is identical to Job, with the Lord making his latter end doubly as prosperous as his beginning);

¹³When I have bent Judah for Me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and made you as the sword of a mighty man. (And raised up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, presents a Passage, among others, which predicts the revival of the Grecian Empire under the Antichrist to fight against Israel in the Battle of Armageddon. As it involved the revived Grecian Empire, it is speaking only of that which is in the realm of the spirit world. In fact, the same fallen angel who helped Alexander the Great will help the Antichrist [Rev. 13:2; 17:8].

The phrase, And made you as the sword of a mighty man, pertains to the prowess of Israel during that time, even though poorly armed. The Lord will, in fact, give them superhuman strength.)

¹⁴And the LORD shall be seen over them, and His Arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. (And the LORD shall be seen over them, refers to the Battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming.)

¹⁵The LORD of Hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the Altar. (And they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones, refers to the resurgence of the tiny army of Israel, which, upon the Advent of Christ, will suddenly be endued with Power from on High. And they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the Altar, speaks of the blood that filled the sacrificial vessels upon the sacrifice of the lambs. In fact, so great will be the bloodshed in the Battle of Armageddon, of which this is a description! [Rev. 14:20])

¹⁶And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His People: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His Land. (The first phrase has a far greater meaning beyond the mere deliverance from their enemies. It speaks of Gods glorious Salvation given to Israel, as they are saved by Grace [Eph. 2:8-9]. As well, The flock of His People, has to do with the Twenty-third Psalm, which will then be fulfilled in totality in the coming Kingdom Age.

Lifted up as an ensign upon His Land, pertains to Restored, Redeemed Israel finally occupying the Land as was originally intended. In other words, the Lord will look at them as precious stones beautifying the Land.)

¹⁷For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids. (The Text should read, How great shall be their beauty and how great shall be their prosperity! For it speaks entirely of Israel.)