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Thomas Constable · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Constable comments that "Yahweh coming with fire in chariots like whirlwinds is a picture of Him coming in judgment against His enemies (Isa 65:14; cf. Zechariah 14:3). The judgment in view in Isaiah 65:15–17 seems to be the one that will take place when Messiah returns to the earth (cf. Matt. 24:22; Mark 9:48; 2 Thess. 1:7–9; Rev. 19:11–21). Moody Bible Commentary - God’s glory descends with wrath for the wicked, at the second coming of Jesus the Messiah (see Rev 19:11–21+) The fact that Messiah fights the enemies of God's people reminds me of something I often forget which are the words from David preparing to fight Goliath "The battle is the LORD's and He will give (the enemy) into our hands." (1 Sa 17:47) God's prophet Zephaniah speaks of this day when the Messiah returns as Blood Avenger and pours out His indignation on the nations... “Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD, “For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal. (Zephaniah 3:8+) Lange's commentary - The last act of the judgment, as it is a fixed element of the prophetic eschatology, the final gathering of the heathen nations before Jerusalem, in order to be destroyed in the decisive struggle (comp. above, Introd. p. 9), is here represented under the point of view, that God, after He has subdued the separate powers that resisted Him, each in its own land (chap. 2:4 ff.), now causes the collective mass of nations to flock together, in order to shatter in one last decisive struggle everything opposed to God, in one day (comp. Micah 4:12). That is an object of hope for the meek of the land, and therefore the prophet proceeds: wait for me John
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Constable explains that "It will evidently be like twilight, neither day nor night (cf. Ge 1:3–5). Even in the evening there will be more light than usual. It would be a unique day in human history (cf. Jer. 30:7). This phenomenon would occur on a day that only Yahweh would know (cf. Mt. 24:36; Acts 1:7). Other passages also predict cosmic phenomena in the Day of the Lord (Isa. 13:9–10; Joel 2:31; 3:15; Amos 5:18; Matt. 24:29–30; Rev. 6:12–14; 8:8–12; 9:1–18; 14:14–20; 16:4, 8–9). Bear in mind that this “day” is an extended period of time, not just a 12-hour or 24-hour period. Here the end of the Tribulation is in view all of which the prophets spoke of as the Day of the Lord along with the Millennium." (Ibid) John
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Constable - This river is similar to two other rivers in the Bible: the river that flowed out of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:10) and the river that will flow in the New Jerusalem during the eternal state (Rev. 22:1–2; cf. Ps. 46:4; 65:9; Joel 3:18; Zech. 14:8). Like the river in Revelation the one in Ezekiel will flow from the throne of God; He is the source of both rivers. However, there will be a temple in the millennial earth, but there will not be one in the eternal state (Rev. 21:22). The river in Revelation also flowed down the street of the city, but Ezekiel mentioned no city to the east of the temple, just one to its south (45:6). It seems that Ezekiel and John saw two different rivers, but the purpose of both rivers was the same. God will be the source of fertility, blessing, and health in the Millennium and throughout eternity. Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD will be king over all the earth; In that day the LORD will be [the only] one, and His name [the only] one. the LORD will be king over all the earth - Zec 8:20-23 Ge 49:10 1Sa 2:10 Ps 2:6-8 22:27-31 47:2-9 67:4 Ps 72:8-11,17 86:9 Isa 2:2-4 45:22-25 49:6,7 54:5 60:12-14 Da 2:44,45 7:27 Am 9:12 Mic 4:1-3 5:4 Zep 3:9 Rev 11:15 the LORD will be the only one Eph 4:5,6 and His name the only one Jer 23:6 Mt 1:23 28:19 Eph 3:14,15 NET The LORD will then be king over all the earth. In that day the LORD will be seen as one with a single name. KING JESUS: NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES And the LORD will be king over all the earth - The "King of kings" (Rev 19:16-note). The reality of His reigning in the Millennium echoes the songs (psalms) Israel had been singing for centuries. In this glorious day the redeemed remnant of Israel (and all believers) will see the One to Whom their ancestors had sung praises. The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. (Ps 93:1) The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; Let the many islands be glad. (Ps 97:1) The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake! (Ps 99:1) If you have time, you might prayerfully read Psalms 95-100 which form a magnificent unit of praise which focused on the future return and triumph of the King of kings when He comes in power and glory to purge the world of wickedness and to reverse the effects of the age-long curse (Ge 3:17-note). The central verse of the six Psalms 95-100 is appropriately Psalm 97:6 which says The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory. (O Glorious Day!) In Revelation 19:6 John records Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Charles Feinberg - When the Son of David sits on the throne of His father David, the Lord will be King over all the earth; the unity and glory of the Lord will be recognized universally. He Alone will be worshiped throughout the universe....The Lord will be King not only in heaven, but recognized as King of earth as well. He will be King not only de jure (by right), but de facto (in fact)....That the Lord will be Sovereign over all the earth is clearly presented to us in Zech 14:16. Furthermore, we cannot overlook such passages as Isaiah 54:5; Psalm 72:8–11; and Zechariah 9:9, 10. All polytheism will come to an end in that day. The Lord Jesus Christ will be owned and recognized as sole Ruler of the earth. Zechariah's words are a fulfillment of the prophecy in Revelation 11 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” (Rev 11:15-note) Tony
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Constable explains no longer be a curse - People would live in millennial Jerusalem. Jerusalem would never again suffer depopulation by being put under the curse (or ban, Heb. herem). Canaanite cities placed under the ban were totally destroyed (Josh. 6:17–18). In other words, the city and those in it would enjoy security because Jerusalem would never again suffer destruction. (Expository Notes) Jerusalem will dwell in security - (cf Zech 12:6-note) This is a wonderful prophecy, for Jerusalem has been fought over for millennia, but finally in that day when the Prince of Peace rules, there will be permanent peace. In Zechariah 2:6 we read "Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the multitude of men and cattle within it." No walls were needed for there were no more enemies! In Zechariah 9:8 we read of God's past and future protection which allows Jerusalem to dwell in security... But I will camp around My house because of an army, because of him who passes by and returns (FULFILLED IN ALEXANDER THE GREAT); and no oppressor will pass over them anymore (CLEARLY A FUTURE PROPHECY YET TO BE FULFILLED), For now I have seen with My eyes. Unger - For their preservation at the time of Alexander and for their future deliverance from every oppressor, Israel is indebted to the providence of God which watched over them for good. (Unger, Merrill F. Zechariah. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1963) Barker - For their preservation at the time of Alexander and for their future deliverance from every oppressor, Israel is indebted to the providence of God which watched over them for good. (For an account of the dream that Alexander had and his consequent sparing of Jerusalem, see Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 11:8:3; 11:8:4 (dream mentioned), 11:8:5) (Barker, Kenneth L. “Zechariah.” In Daniel-Minor Prophets. Vol. 7 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1985.)
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Constable has an note "The Apostle Peter evidently concluded that the Messianic Kingdom had begun when he saw Jesus transfigured (Luke 9:33-note). He suggested that the disciples make three booths for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. This indicates that the Jews in Jesus’ day associated the feast of Booths with the beginning of Messiah’s Kingdom, the same connection that Zechariah made here." Peter was correct in part in his presumption but his timing was more that 2000 years off! As discussed above (see notes) Jesus' disciples were expecting a visible, external, political kingdom, and did not fully grasp that in Jesus' first advent, the Kingdom of God which He would establish in hearts of believers was internal, invisible and spiritual. To celebrate the Feast of Booths (See Chart of Israel's Feasts below) - This celebration finds its roots in Leviticus 23 where Moses records Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. 35 ‘On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. 36 ‘For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work. (Lev 23:33-36-commentary) The Jewish writings in the Mishnah help us understand something of the prevalent joyful mood and celebratory atmosphere of the Jews in Jerusalem at the time of this great festival… “The pipes [were played sometimes on] five [days], and [sometimes on] six days. This means, the pipes [music] played on during the water-drawing, which does not supersede either the Sabbath or the festival. They [the sages] said, "He who has not witnessed the rejoicings at the water-drawing, has, throughout the whole of his life, witnessed no [real] rejoicing." (Mishnah Sukkah 5.1) Andrew Lincoln - In the first century CE (the Feast of Booths) celebrated the completion of the harvest and was associated with God’s guidance of Israel when the people lived in tents during the wilderness experience at the time of the exodus, but it had also become linked with the salvation God would provide at the eschaton (cf. Zech. 14:16-19)… The chief element in the celebration would have been the making of booths, in which the men slept and ate during the first seven days. On these days there was a procession to the Pool of Siloam to gather water and four large menorahs were set up in the court of the women, providing light to enable the celebrants to dance there through the night. Both the water/rain and the light imagery are taken up in the depiction of eschatological salvation in Zech. 14:6–8, 17. Both kinds of imagery would also have been linked with the provision offered by Torah. (The Gospel according to Saint John, Black's New Testament Commentary) Celebrate (02287)(chagag) means to hold or keep a feast, a pilgrim feast, to celebrate a holy day. Chagag usually refers to the three main pilgrimage-feasts of Israel. Gilbrant writes that " Chagag is most often used in relation to the three annual pilgrimage festivals. It is used in Lev. 23:39, 41; Num. 29:12; and Deut. 16:15, in relation to the Feast of Tabernacles. In Exo. 12:14, it is used in reference to the Passover, while in Exo. 23:14, it refers to the celebration of all three festivals: Unleavened Bread (and Passover), Harvest (the Feast of Weeks) and Ingathering (the Feast of Tabernacles). The remaining occurrence of the verb in the Pentateuch is Exo. 5:1, where Moses cites a festival celebration as the reason why the Israelites must leave Egypt. The verb Chagag appears four times in the prophetic literature. Nahum used the verb in the imperative, urging Judah to celebrate its festivals with joy, since the nation's enemy Assyria had fallen (Nah. 1:15). Zechariah used the verb three times in reference to the Festival of Tabernacles (Zech. 14:16, 18f). Here he envisioned the messianic future when God's nation would overcome its enemies and all peoples would journey to Jerusalem in order to worship the Messiah and keep the Feast of Tabernacles. There remain two occurrences of the verb Chagag where the meaning is disputed. The first is 1 Sam. 30:16, where some have translated the verb "to dance." The context of the passage begins with an Amalekite raid through parts of Judah, including David's stronghold of Ziklag. During this raid, the Amalekites carried off a great deal of plunder as well as David's two wives. By the time David and his men had discovered what had happened, the Amalekites were gone. However, a young Egyptian slave owned by one of the Amalekites told David where their forces were encamped. Upon arrival, David found the Amalekites "eating," "drinking" and "celebrating" (Chagag). It is true that dancing was an activity by which military victories were celebrated in the OT (Exo. 15:20ff; Judg. 11:34; 1 Sam. 18:6; 21:11; 29:5), but it is worth noting that women usually performed the dances, not the victorious combatants. The most natural understanding of Chagag in this passage is "celebrating festively." The other instance where "dancing" has been suggested as relevant is in Ps. 107:27. The context of this passage is a poetic description of sailors in ships as the sea tosses them about in a storm. In this passage, two other phrases are used in parallel with Chagag: "they reel like a drunken man" and "all become confused." The usual translation is "to reel" or "to reel to and fro." (Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary) Weber - Most often the verb is used specifically for the celebration of one of the three main pilgrim-feasts (Ex 23:14), the Passover together with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks or Harvest of Firstfruits, and the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) or Feast of Ingathering. The Passover, instituted at the Exodus (Exodus 12), commemorated God's sparing the Israelites when the first-born of Egypt died. It was the fourteenth day of the first month (Abib or Nisan, about April). It was followed on the fifteenth day by the Feast of Unleavened Bread which was held for a week with a special feast on the final day (Ex 13:3-10; Lev 23:4-8; Dt. 16:1-8). The two are usually considered as one feast. By this feast Israel not only expressed heartfelt joy for the Lord's deliverance, but was reminded of its devotion to the Law (Ex 13:9). The Feast of Weeks or Harvest of Firstfruits later known as Pentecost because it was held fifty days after the first day of Unleavened Bread (fifteenth day of Nisan), although properly fifty days after the waving of the sheaf of the firstfruits (which was done on a Sabbath, therefore Pentecost fell on Sunday) (Lev 23:9-21), done at the beginning of the harvest (Dt. 16:9-11). The feast, then, commemorated the first fifty days of harvest. The Feast of Ingathering was held for a week starting the fifteenth day of the seventh month (Ethanim or Tishri, about October) to celebrate the end of the harvest period (Exodus 23:16). This was in conjunction with the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) or Succoth which commemorated the time when the children of Israel lived in tents. For a week all native Israelites were to live in booths to remind them of a different era (Leviticus 23:33-43; Deut. 16:13). The two feasts were considered one, and with the Day of Atonement and New Year's the seventh month was especially feastive. Today it is called the time of the high holy days. The verb is used more generally in Psalm 42:4 [H 5] and Nahum 2:1, but the reference is probably to one or all of the above feasts. It is also used by Moses in his request to Pharoah that the children of Israel might leave to hold a feast. David found his enemies, the Amalekites, "spread abroad . . . eating and drinking and feasting" (1 Samuel 30:16), that is, they were acting as if they were holding a feast. The ASV and RSV translate "dancing." More difficult to translate is Psalm 107:27. The context pictures sailors on a storm-tossed ship, staggering like drunken men. A parallel to staggering in this context would hardly be feasting, but the actions of one feasting or dancing at a feast might be descriptive of the sailors, hence the translation "reel (to and fro)." (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) Chagag - 16x in 14v - celebrate(9), celebrate a feast(3), dancing(1), keeping festival(1), observe(1), reeled(1). .Exod. 5:1; Exod. 12:14; Exod. 23:14; Lev. 23:39; Lev. 23:41; Nu 29:12; Deut. 16:15; 1 Sam. 30:16; Ps. 42:4; Ps. 107:27; Nah. 1:15; Zech. 14:16; Zech. 14:18; Zech. 14:19