Jesus’ Arrival & Return Zechariah 9:9-17
What's your understanding of the return of Christ? How do you think it'll happen? Jesus tells us in Matthew 24 that as the lightning flashes from the East to the West, so it will be when he returns. Very instant, as we know we'll be changed in the twinkling of an eye; some will be sleeping, some will be awake; and we know that that would be right, because it's daytime on one part of the earth and the other half it's at night. One will be sleeping in the bed, one will be taken one left; to others grinding in a field, one taken and one left. I don't want to get distracted with rapture theology, but I just want to focus on the arrival and return of Christ.
As with the arrival, so with the return of Christ; it will be multifaceted. Isaiah 7:14 says, “the virgin shall conceive and give birth to a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” which means God with us. We know this was an arrival. We also know at his baptism when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, this was also an arrival. He was set apart for his public ministry. But then we just read of another arrival in our reading in Zechariah 9:9 which says, “behold your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Well, we know in the gospels that that's exactly what happened in his triumphal entry that we celebrated on Palm Sunday. Before his mock trial and crucifixion, he rode into Jerusalem to a Messiah’s welcome, where they were laying down their clothes, their cloaks, their palm branches and saying, “hosanna to the son of David,” “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.” This was a Messianic title. They were happy to worship him as the Messiah, but we know he was the suffering servant who would pay for sin. Jesus took our sin; this was also part of His arrival.
Consider verse 10 of Zechariah 9 which says, “I'll cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the War Horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River,” which is the Euphrates River, “to the ends of the earth.”
Has that happened, or is that happening now? Is Jesus ruling and reigning over the earth? We would say He is the Ruler of the heavens and the earth. Is this actually true? Didn’t Jesus say before His crucifixion. “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.”? (John 12:31) Yes, but…
The apostle Paul told us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) Paul again in Romans 16:20 said, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” Paul told us the order of how it will happen; “Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” (1 Corinthians 15:23-25)
So, Jesus hasn't yet crushed Satan fully under his feet. Now we know that he has spiritually; certainly at the cross, but Peter said, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
The physical rule and reign of Jesus on the earth is not yet, so this in verse 10 is not yet fulfilled, so there will indeed be an arrival of Christ that Zechariah prophesied that hasn't occurred as yet; Israel will be restored (verse 12) “return to your stronghold O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.” So, that's not just the believer and the blessing of forgiven sin, but for Israel in general and for Judah specifically. It says in verse 13, “I've bent Judah as my bow; I've made Ephraim its arrow. I will stir up your sons, O Zion,” which is another name for Israel, “against your sons, oh Greece, and wield you like a warrior’s sword.” So that also is in future Israel. Israel will become stronger than it presently is.
We know that this will be after an immense amount of suffering by Israel as we're told in passages like Ezekiel 38 and 39. Zechariah agreed with Ezekiel and other places where it says the return of Christ will be to deliver Israel and to set up an earthly Kingdom. This is where Jesus in Matthew 24 said that the Lord's return will be as the lightning flashes from the East to the West, so will be his return. (Zechariah 9:14,15) “then the Lord will appear over them and his arrow will go forth like lightning; the Lord will sound the trumpet and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the South. The LORD of hosts will protect them.”
The Lord will obviously protect Israel. It says, “they shall devour.” So, this is over the nations that gather against Israel, “and tread down the sling stones, and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine, and be full like a bowl, drenched like the corners of the altar.” Well, this is indeed as the apostle John told us in Revelation about “the great winepress of the wrath of God.” (Revelation 14:19) On that day it says the Lord their God, He will save them “for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land.” (verse 16) What land is that? The land of Israel. Zechariah went on, “how great is his goodness how great is his beauty.” (verse 17)
Zechariah 10 is all about the restoration of Judah and Israel, more than what we see in our present day. This is where they will accept Jesus en masse. Zechariah said, “For from him shall come the cornerstone.”
Zechariah 11 talks about Christ’s arrival prophetically with what happened to him to achieve the new covenant.
Zechariah 13:1 says on that day there shall be a fountain open for the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin.
Zechariah 14 speaks of Christ’s return. How? Israel will be surrounded by enemies – they will attack. Israel will suffer, just as Jesus also says in Matthew 24. Half will leave they’ll go into exile. (verse 2) The Lord will then descend and fight.
The return of Jesus won’t be friendly or nice for many people. “And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. And on that day a great panic from the LORD shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance.” (Zechariah 14:12-14)
What’s it mean for us? Get busy telling people that Christ’s return is real; more real than the nose on your face. Share your testimony with your mates and invite people to church. Study the scriptures with someone. Share who Jesus is and the fact that He is coming back.