Zechariah 13

Message: What will the return of Christ mean to Israel? Israel will be cleansed from her sin.

Time: Written after the Temple Was Completed circa 480-470BC

What the Lord is Saying:

On that day refers to the tribulation period, a future time, when Israel will be cleansed from their sins and impurity. Is Israel cleansed right now? Right now, they have rejected the Messiah and cleansing comes by faith, but the Lord has always promised restoration for His people and one day there will be restoration for all. Israel will come to repentance and a fountain of forgiveness will be released on them.

Romans 10:3 reminds us that people try to establish their own righteousness and this is what Israel or Jewish people are currently doing. They are trying to decide on their own the standard of righteousness and this is also the greatest problem of people at large today. Most people are deciding themselves what it means to be righteous. They are mapping out their own way to define this rather than submitting to the Lord. People set up rules and they set up codes and ways that must be followed. They have erected perfect churches and those people set the standard.

Jesus does not just clean us one time, but his cleansing is continual. We are continually forgiven. Forgiveness happens because of the blood of Jesus. It was one act and yet the cleansing keeps on happening (I John 1:9).

Verse 2 speaks of the fact that the spirit of impurity and the false prophets will be removed from the land. Those agents of evil will be no more. What an exciting day that will be. Sin will continue because men and women will remain, but the spirit which is constantly moving people away from Christ and instead toward the practice of just good works will be removed. To the point that in verse 3 that if a child tries to prophecy his parents will stab him to death. Even though there is no closer union than a parent/child, the hatred of false prophecy will override that.

Verse 4 is interesting because the outer garment that is worn to identity one as a prophet will be no more. It will be gone. There are so many garments that are worn that try to set people apart and show them as papal people and yet, often, those that wear it aren't true to the calling of Christ. But, at this time, those clothes will be removed. No one will want to even come close to being attributed to a prophet.

Verses 7-9 seems to be distinct from the previous verse because "on that day" in not mentioned. This shepherd will be struck down. The sheep will be scattered. Two-thirds will die, one-third remain. And that remaining third will be brought through the fire. They will be pure, refined, purified, and God will answer them and call them His people. This could be talking about Jesus and His Church, which we now live in.


Promise: God's People are cleansed