Tuesday 7 January 2014

Christ Completed Much of Zechariah 12-14


I'm still learning to rightly navigate Bible-prophecy.

But Zechariah 12-14 describes horses as the main military hardware, and tents as the main type of dwelling.

Horses and tents are no longer the choice of military hardware or of residential dwellings, in modern times.

Therefore much of the prophecy seems to describe an earlier era.

These chapters also mention Old Covenant functions such as the altar, sacrifices, the Temple, feasts, worship being demanded exclusively in Jerusalem, and Canaanites being prohibited.

Therefore much of the prophecy must have been fulfilled during a time when the Old Covenant, the Levitical priesthood and the Temple still stood and were still relevant.

Furthermore chapters 12 and 13 include two references to Christ, which the New Testament quotes and asserts were fulfilled not at the second-coming but at the cross.

Therefore much of the prophecy cannot specifically be about Israel's future immediately before the second-coming of Christ.

Rather, the Apostles asserted their understanding that Zechariah 13 was a clear proof-text in their own generation that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Christ.

(Jesus Christ came inside the timeframe when the Old Covenant practices described in Zechariah's prophecy concerning Israel had become a reality and were still a national reality.

But the time came soon afterwards when the window of opportunity for the completion of Zechariah's prophecy forever closed - when the Temple was destroyed and the nations had to cease going up to Jerusalem to worship as Zechariah said.

Christ came and completed the fulfilment of Zechariah's prophecy while it was still possible, just before things changed forever.)

Zechariah 12-14 is therefore a wonderful proof-text that the historical Jesus of Nazareth is both Lord and Christ.

If we mistake fulfilled prophecy for unfulfilled, we risk two things:

One, we lose some of the prophecy's intended power as a proof-text for convincing people that Jesus is the Christ.

Two, it leads to the wrong idea that some aspects of Judaism, such as the feasts and Jerusalem-based worship, should again be observed.

Jesus said that the hour had come when we would no longer worship in Jerusalem but the true worshipers would worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

The New Covenant is the same for all who believe whether Gentile or Jew, both now and forever.

Nevertheless Jews will always be beloved for the fathers' sakes. And God is still the One who determines the boundaries of all nations.

I'm sure there are many things in Zechariah 12-14 which I'm not yet understanding. Therefore I really value helpful feedback.

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