Introduction

In A Study of Zechariah 14:1-11, I walk the reader through Zechariah 14:1-2 and explain how these two verses are speaking of the aftermath of the Abomination of Desolation event. Specifically, the attack on Jerusalem’s Israeli population after Antichrist declares himself God and sets up his image in the rebuilt third Jewish Temple, and, generally, on the subsequent attempted annihilation of Israel as a people.

Zechariah 14:1-2 has always been a difficult two verses for prophecy students and teachers alike because, at first glance, it doesn’t seem to fit any known scenarios, except for the Abomination of Desolation, and yet there seems to be a few problems with this supposition.

I would like to take a moment and revisit parts of A Study of Zechariah 14:1-11 and show the reader how I came to that conclusion while addressing those superficial problems within the text and narrative.

In concluding our study survey, I’ll share with the reader a unique link that I discovered, which confirms that Zechariah 14:1-2 is indeed the attack on Jerusalem and the Israeli people resulting from the Abomination of Desolation.

So, let’s begin.

The Problem of ‘Captivity’

Here’s how Zechariah 14:1-2 reads in the King James Version:

“Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city” (Zechariah 14:1-2). (emphasis mine)

The first of two problems that I addressed in A Study of Zechariah 14:1-11 is that of “captivity.” We know that the Jews will flee into the mountains after the Abomination of Desolation to escape the onslaught of the Antichrist’s forces attempting to annihilate the Israeli people.

The following is what I discovered, as recorded in A Study of Zechariah 14:1-11.

“Into captivity” is the Hebrew word “bag·gō·w·lāh,” a derivative of “golah,” the feminine of “galah,” and its definition is “exile or exiles.” This, to me, seems to be the key as the definition of “exile” is: The state or a period of forced absence from one’s country or home; the state or a period of voluntary absence from one’s country or home.

The Complete Jewish Bible renders Zechariah 14:1-2:

“Look, a day is coming for Adonai when your plunder, [Yerushalayim], will be divided right there within you. ‘For I will gather all the nations against Yerushalayim for war. The city will be taken, the houses will be rifled, the women will be raped, and half the city will go into exile; but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.'”

“Exile” is most certainly the appropriate translation of the verse. An exile doesn’t have to mean that they are taken by force to another country. It can very well mean that these people are able to flee to a safe harbor as exiles when this attack happens, which would certainly fit the narrative of what happens after the Abomination of Desolation.

In Matthew 24:15-22, Jesus describes the event this way:

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

A perfect fit.

The Problem of the ‘Residue’

Again, here is Zechariah 14:1-2:

“Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity [exile], and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city“ (Zechariah 14:1-2). (emphasis mine)

The second of the two issues I had to look into was, if many Israeli people are killed in this attack and half of them escape into the mountains as exiles, then who are “the residue of the people” who are “not cut off from the city”?

Here’s what I said, concerning this issue, in A Study of Zechariah 14:1-11.

One can be certain that in Jerusalem at the beginning of the siege, when “the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished,” will see many Jews killed in the process.

Of those that aren’t killed, “half of the city shall go forth into captivity [exile], and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” This tells me that those Jews going into exile will be fleeing to what most believe will be Petra when God will supernaturally protect them for the last three and one-half years of the Tribulation:

“And the woman [Israel] fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (Revelation 12:6).

The “residue of the people” that remains in the city can be none other than the Arabs, and other people of differing nationalities, that reside in Jerusalem along with the Antichrist’s UN forces who have probably been stationed there for the first three and one-half years of the Tribulation enforcing the “covenant” treaty that started the seven-year Tribulation (Daniel 9:27). The very same “peacekeeping” forces, representing the nations, that do the plundering, raping, and killing.

The Crux of This Short Study

With this understanding that Zechariah 14:1-2 is most certainly describing the attack of the Jewish people in Jerusalem following the Abomination of Desolation by the Antichrist, I wanted to share with the reader the crux of this article — that is, there is a unique link that solidifies this interpretation that I had never contemplated before.

I recently discovered this unique link as I was meditating on Zechariah 14:1-2 and was, to be sure, quite astonished when it came to me.

Houses, Women, and Exiles: A Unique Link

Here, again, are the words of our Lord concerning the Abomination of Desolation as cited in Matthew’s account of the Olivet Discourse.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

“But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:15-21).

Now, here’s the section I’d like us to focus on with emphasis.

“Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!” (Matthew 24:16-19). (emphasis mine)

Notice that Christ’s focus in these verses is to “flee into the mountains” and “not come down to take any thing out of his house” and “woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!” Essentially, the three themes specified from our Lord are people fleeing, things in houses, and women.

Let’s review Zechariah 14:1-2 and consider this unique link.

“Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity [exile], and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city” (Zechariah 14:1-2). (emphasis mine)

We see the exact same three themes in Zechariah as we see in Matthew!

We see “the houses rifled” in Zechariah and Christ’s warning not to get “anything out of [their] house[s]” in Matthew; “the women ravished” in Zechariah and Yeshua’s warning of “woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck” in Matthew; and “half the city shall go forth into exile” in Zechariah as Jesus insists that the Jews “flee into the mountains” in Matthew!

What we have here are parallel accounts of the same event, namely, the attack on the Israeli people in Jerusalem and Judaea following the Abomination of Desolation. Jesus stresses the exact same themes, giving the Bible student the very real impression that He didn’t want us to miss the link between His prophetic Word and the prophecy of Zechariah 14:1-2.

I pray you have enjoyed this survey – which included elements from an earlier study – that, at least for me, confirms with greater clarity and understanding the prophecy of Zechariah 14:1-2 and the attack on Jerusalem and Judaea after Antichrist’s Abomination of Desolation.

A Quick Reminder

May we all continue to be Answering the Call of The Great Commission and giving an answer to every man and woman who so desperately needs Jesus and asks, Why Am I Here and What Is It All About?

Keep reaching the lost for Christ while we still have time.

[Mark’s note: Please check out my recent article, The Lake of Fire and Salvation, which can only be accessed at FaithWriters.com.]

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!

➢ Email: mab10666@yahoo.com

➢ If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ and are seeking answers about God, Jesus Christ, the gospel, and salvation, please email me at mab10666@yahoo.com for information.

➢ I am still taking questions for the Questions from the Body of Christ series. If you or someone you know has a question pertaining to the Word of God – theology, difficult passages, eschatology, etc. – I would really like to hear from you.

➢ A listing of past articles may be found at my Article Listings on Rapture Ready or my Home Page on FaithWriters.

 

 

Perhaps this article is a little self-serving, but I hope you’ll find my “coincidences” here of interest.

Over the years, I’ve written a number of books, first beginning my writing journey in the 1990s when I had not yet entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

During that time, one of the books I wrote was called The Tattooed Cat after visiting a small town in Wisconsin with my wife. Frank Lloyd Wright had a home he called Taliesin in that community of Spring Green that also housed a school for aspiring architects. The somewhat quaint town itself and a particular church sparked my creative juices, and I proceeded to write my novel. One of the key components was that I happened to see a number of cats as we drove around.

In the course of that work, I named my antagonist Marcus Ahriman. At this point, I couldn’t begin to tell you how I came up with that name.

Was there something having to do with evil that I searched and found on the internet? Or did it just come to me? Regardless, when I re-crafted the novel following my conversion as a Christ-follower, I kept much of what I’d written but had to do away with the ungodly aspects and turn the story toward a redemptive message. Of course, in this, there is a major and divisive clash between good and evil.

For my efforts with this book, I was given the Christian Redemptive Fiction Award, which I greatly appreciated. Here are a couple of paragraphs from Peter Younghusband’s review for this award:

This “cats are everywhere!” scene at the beginning of the novel is a great platform to introduce our main characters, Greg and Elena, and why they have come to Green Springs. It is from here that Ritter shows his expertise at characterization. I was drawn to Elena but not so much to Greg. I picked up that this latter character had some issues, and these were revealed as the novel progressed. It is Elena’s well-developed character that becomes a mainstay in this novel as everything revolves around her reason for being in Green Springs and, as it is revealed, her crucial and pivotal role in the events that play out in the satanic manipulations and motives of Marcus Ahriman. But then again, all the characters in this novel are believable and credible to the degree of their involvement in Ritter’s plot arcs….

From the intersection of these arcs until the finale, I was exhausted and riveted, curiosity more than piqued! I wanted to know more about the mysterious two sisters, who really is Marcus Ahriman, what is the connection between him and Pastor Nesbitt, and what is it with all these cats! What will become of Charles Mayfair, [and] is Greg really out of the picture, or is there something suspicious going on with him? And then there is the sense of evilness that pervades everything to do with Marcus Ahriman and Pastor Nesbit. Is this just their persuasive personalities, or is this due to something more? What is the connection between the new Millennium and an ancient artifact that places Elena and her mother at the center of Nesbit’s and Ahriman’s attention? Who or what is The Tattooed Cat?

Fast forward to today. For the last several years, I’ve been reading and researching connections to the sons of God (bene Elohim) in Genesis 6, who descended from heaven to earth in rebellion against God. Of late, as well, I’ve been learning more about transhumanism, or, even as I put it in a recent Awaken Bible Prophecy Update: trans-specie-ism (Transhumanism? No: Trans-Specie-ism).

All this comes together from my wife commenting on the name Ahriman in something she saw. I thought she was referencing The Ahriman Gate by Tom Horn, but she remembered my character in The Tattooed Cat and was referring to that. I recently read The Ahriman Gate, which deals with demonic gateways or portals to other dimensions, so that was my current point of reference.

What is it with Ahriman as a name or entity? The World History Encyclopedia says:

Ahriman is the evil spirit in Early Iranian Religion, Zoroastrianism, and Zorvanism, Lord of Darkness and Chaos, and the source of human confusion, disappointment, and strife….

Scholar John R. Hinnels describes Ahriman’s nature: “He is the demon of demons, and dwells in an abyss of endless darkness in the north, the traditional home of the demons. Ignorance, harmfulness, and disorder are the characteristics of Ahriman. He can change his outward form and appear as a lizard, a snake, or a youth. His aim is always to destroy the creation of [Ahura Mazda], and to this end, he follows behind the creator’s work, seeking to spoil it. As Ahura Mazda creates life, Ahriman creates death; for health, he produces disease; for beauty, ugliness. All man’s ills are due entirely to Ahriman.”

Did I know this about Ahriman when I chose that name for my evil character in my novel? If I had any clue, it certainly wasn’t to this extent; definitely not when I recast the story in a Christian light. However, this description captures the essence of Marcus Ahriman.

To add further intrigue, note Younghusband’s comment on the first name of this character:

When I saw the surname of Marcus, I instantly Googled it and was not surprised as to its definition. I have had this name in another supernatural and demonic novel, and both usages amount to the same definition. So this gave me more clues as to who Marcus could be and where Ritter was taking this novel. I wondered if this was deliberate on his part or not, but surely this could not be just a coincidence or made up by him? Only Ritter can answer that one.

No! I didn’t have a clue! Googling it, we learn that it is another rendering of Mars, the Roman god of war. Seriously, could I have chosen an antagonist who is as wicked as my character and inadvertently chosen a better name?

Topping this off is the gate or portal aspect from Horn’s book that also ultimately plays a final key role in my story. It is believed – legitimately, I think – that around the world there are gateways into the spiritual realm. Is Jacob’s ladder one such that Godly entities use at that place where Jacob dreamed?

Was the Tower of Babel built at such a location where Nimrod and his followers attempted to reach the heavens so as to bring God down to their level? When Revelation 16 describes the star fallen from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit, does he descend through a portal to the underworld? The Tattooed Cat effectively shows one such place, and I assure you, I had no knowledge of these things when I wrote it!

From the “coincidences” I mention here, I can look back and see God’s hand in my writing and choosing of various aspects of the book. Isn’t it true that in many instances like this, we have no idea at the time but only from the perspective of years?

God continues His work in this world. As I write this, it is still daylight when followers of Jesus can do what the Lord desires of them. Night, however, will soon fall upon the earth. Thankfully, our beloved Bridegroom will deliver us from this coming darkness.

Just as Jesus tells us in Luke 21:28:

“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

………

Gary Ritter website: books & blog
http://garyritter.com/

Kindle Vella story: Tribulation Rising
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099Z462WD