Zechariah 14:1  

A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls: the great battle of Armageddon Rev 16:16 will cause all the nations to attack Jerusalem but then the Lord will return to deliver His people Zec 14:3. The Lord will then be king over the whole earth Zec 14:9.

Application: sides will be chosen and those who accept the mark of the beast will experience the wrath of God Rev 14:9,10.

Zechariah 13:1  

On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity: Jesus is the fountain that Zechariah prophesied to the citizens of Jerusalem. He would come and shed His blood to cleanse His people from their sins 1 Jn 1:7.

Application: that Fountain is available not only to Jews but to all who desire forgiveness of their sins Eph 1:7. Jesus is the only Savior there is who can take away sin and give eternal life Ro 6:23.

Zechariah 12:10  

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son: The Lord prophesied that in the future time He would give His people a spirit of repentance. They would be confronted with the idea that Jesus is the Messiah whom they crucified and would recognize their sin and grieve bitterly in repentance.

Application: in the near future Ro 11:26 will be fulfilled and all of Israel will turn to Jesus in repentance and be saved.

Zechariah 11:7  

So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock: God had given His people Favor (grace) and Union (unity) but they rebelled and the Lord would allow a worthless shepherd (ultimately the Antichrist) to destroy them. Though the staffs were broken God would in the end restore His people.

Application: we are closing in on the final restoration of God’s kingdom. In these days of tribulation let us be faithful to God and work to bring in the harvest Lk 10:2.

Zechariah 10:2  

The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd: God was upset that the leaders of Israel weren’t doing their job as shepherds to His people. They were false teachers deceiving the people and the Lord was about to punish them Zec 10:3.

Application: As teachers we will be judged more severely Jas 3:1, therefore we must be diligent in speaking the truth and having concern for the spiritual growth of the flock.

Zechariah 9:9  

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem. See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey: God prophesied that He would deliver His people and give them permanent peace. This event could had taken place when Jesus, God’s Son came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey but Israel refused to receive Him. A donkey is a humble beast that serves mankind. Jesus would be God’s humble servant, who will eventually deliver mankind and usher in righteousness.

Application: Jesus, Himself repeats that He is humble and desires to give us rest. All we need to do is humble ourselves and accept His gift Mt 11:28,29.

Zechariah 7:13  

When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty: God is full of mercy, however, He is also righteous. When His people are unwilling to listen, He must punish. Repentance only comes when God has our attention which is usually after we have suffered disaster.

Application: as a child I was defiant at times but came to my senses after a few whacks of my father’s belt which I had earned. Similarly, God disciplines us for our good Heb 12:9,10.

Zechariah 6:13  

It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two: the priest Joshua was given a kingly crown which in the past was punished by God­­—as Uzziah found out when he as king tried to undertake the priest’s role 2 Ch 26:16,19. However, God did have a plan for a special priest to be king—His son Jesus. Joshua, whose name is Jesus in the Greek was a picture of the coming Priest-King who would rule over all creation. Jesus would be the Branch that would bring peace and harmony to the world.

Application: Jesus is soon coming back to take the role of Priest-King. It is our choice to receive Him with honor or become His enemy and be destroyed.

Zechariah 5:7,8 

Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! ⁸ He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it: the word for wickedness is in the feminine gender and thus a woman is depicted as evil. The thieves and liars would be destroyed completely Zec 5:4. He would root out all evil and ship it back to where it came from—Babylon Zec 5:10,11.

Application: there will be no wickedness in heaven Rev 21:27 but in order for one to enter, he or she must trust in Jesus’ sacrifice Jn 3:16.

Zechariah 4:6  

So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty: God gave Zechariah the secret to victory. It had nothing to do with the might of an army or the power of an individual but relying on His Holy Spirit to do the work. The two olive trees represented God’s two witnesses who relied on the Holy Spirit to bring light to the people Zec 4:11,14.

Application: Are we relying on our own strength to accomplish the goals for the kingdom of God or are we relying on the power of the Holy Spirit 2 Co 12:10?

Zechariah 3:4  

The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you: only God can forgive sin and give us His righteousness. Joshua, the high priest needed God’s righteousness if He was to perform in God’s temple service.

Application: we are born sinners Ps 51:5 and unable to earn our own righteousness. Adam and Eve tried fig leaves to cover their nakedness Gen 3:7 but God would only accept the blood from an animal to cover their sin Gen 3:21. He ultimately sent Jesus to take away our sin but we must receive this gift Ro 6:23.

Zechariah 2:5  

And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within: God is speaking of the Millennium when Jerusalem will be the center of life with Jesus ruling. No walls will be needed, for God will protect the city. In the immediate future the Lord encouraged His people to flee from Babylon and return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall which was necessary at this point in history.

Application: we look forward to the time when righteousness will rule our world. A time when walls will be unnecessary for protection, as the Lord will be our protection.

Zechariah 1:19 

I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these?” He answered me, “These are the horns Zec 1:18 that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem:” Daniel mentioned four world powers that would rule over Israel Dan 2:39,40 represented by the Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greek and Rome kingdoms. Horns represented strength and authority like a weapon used by animals like oxen or bulls. These four horns referred to these empires which God destroyed by craftsmen, who’s tools were hammers which forceable completed the job.

Application: God is sovereign and His Word always comes to pass. He prophesies that Jesus will defeat Satan and his followers in the end. Those that fail to heed God’s command to receive Jesus as their Savior will suffer eternal destruction 2 Th 1:9.