ZECHARIAH

The following comments are from Navigator's and Quiet Time Diary journals. One verse will be entered, then the comment, then the date.

1:2, 3    "The LORD was very angry with your fathers. 3Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Return to Me," declares the LORD of hosts, "that I may return to you." says the LORD of hosts. . .

    The Jews ignored the Lord and were taken into exile. The temple was torn down. The Lord God was very angry and demanded that the Jews return/repent and worship Him alone. He (God) wanted to return to them - because He loves the Jewish people - and now all believers - since Jesus came to die for all of our sins. (DRM 4/25/10)

1:4    "Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds." But they did not listen or give heed to Me," declares the LORD. 

    God wants His children to repent of their sins. In this illustration the former prophets told the Israelites to repent and they didn't. I pray daily for conviction of sins I wasn't aware of. When I am convicted, I repent, but never enough. (DRM 4/25/04)

1:16    'Therefore, thus says the LORD, "I will return to Jerusalem with compassion; My house will be built in it," declares the LORD of hosts, "and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem." ' 

    Since this is an Old Testament Book, both of Jesus' returns to Jerusalem were future. It seems to me that this verse refers to both times of Jesus' return. At His "first" appearing, Jesus came to Jerusalem with compassion. At His second appearing, I think His Personal home will be in the New Jerusalem. The only thing I can get out of the measuring line is the trials for the citizens of that city. (DRM 4/26/04)

1:17    ". . . Again, proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem." ' "

    This is referring to the Babylonian captivity and God's decision to bring people back to Jerusalem. How similar this statement is when I think of the 20th Century and the Jews returning to Israel. In the future the Lord Jesus will also return to Jerusalem. Certainly that city is the "center" of the world. (DRM 4/26/10)

1:18    Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there were four horns.

    What are the "four horns"? The cross reference for v. 19 is 1 Kings 22:11, where the horns appear to be iron weapons. It appears later in this short section that Judah will enter a battle and they will win.
    I have confidence that Jesus will also win the final battle. (DRM 4/27/10)

    . . . The horns he sees are animal horns. Sometimes in language, a part stands for the whole. Here we should not think of bodiless horns, but rather the business end of a powerful ram charging at us. (Word of Life Diary

1:19    So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, "what are these?" And he answered me, "These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem."

    In verse 21 the horns are craftsmen who have come to terrify the people. . . they must be kings/rulers of the future that will try and succeed to disperse the Jewish people throughout the earth. Certainly that occurred — until 1948 when they started to return to their homeland. (DRM 4/27/04)

2:10    "Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst," declares the LORD.

    I am currently reading another book where there is a discussion if Jesus is God, or His Son. this Old Testament prophecy seems to answer the question. This doesn't say God is sending His Son, but that He is coming. This Jesus is/was God when He was on earth. (DRM 4/28/10)

2:11    "And many nations will join themselves to the Lord in that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you."

    While this could refer to either of Jesus' comings, I think it refers to the second coming - because when Jesus came two thousand years ago, He converted people individually and this refers to nations that believe in Him - which can only occur this time. We must always be ready for His return. (DRM 4/28/04)

2:12    The LORD will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.

    Even though this is Old Testament prophecy, this verse refers to Jesus' second coming and not His first. In Jesus' first coming, He did not possess any land and didn't rule any cities.
    Zechariah doesn't say how large Israel/Jerusalem will be (vv. 1-5) when Jesus returns. Taking the measurements  of the city is similar to Rev. 21:15-17, but this reference to Jerusalem has no walls and New Jerusalem has walls.
    God loves and will protect all the people who have put their trust in Him. He has a special love and plan for the cities names Jerusalem. (DRM 4/16/16)

{The LORD in this verse refers to God. Jesus was not known at the time this was written, but He is equal to God in the Trinity.}

3:2    The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"

    While written thousands of years ago, this could apply today.
    Israel is surrounded by enemies filled with hate for the Jews - all instigated by Satan. We are preparing for war between Israel and Satan's hoard of nations.
    God will pull Israel out of this, like a brand is pulled out of a fire. Then will they follow Him as Lord? (DRM 2/26/12)

3:3    Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and standing before the angel.

    Sin is dirty. God is righteous and does not want sin to be a part of our lives. . . that's why He sent Jesus to die for our sins.
    This Joshua doesn't seem to be the same person that replaced Moses, but rather another person.
    Like this person, we come to God as sinners, when we appear before God or Jesus in judgment, we will have to respond to our sins. Thankfully we can depend on Jesus at that time, so long as we put our faith in Him.
    Still, to keep "clean" we need to confess our sins as we are convicted (by the Holy Spirit) of them. (DRM 5/21/17)

    God changed his situation by clothing him with clean garments, symbolic of God's righteousness. (from Our Daily Bread INSIGHT J.R. HUDBERG 5/18/17)

3:4    He spoke and said to those who were standing before Him, saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him." Again he said to him, "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes."

    This refers to  "Joshua" (v. 1), but I don't think it's the Joshua after Moses. It was another Jewish priest who was standing before the angel - (v. 1) indicating to me that he had just arrived in Heaven. I think the dirty garments represent sin and how he would get new sinless clothes. The only way that this could happen is if he had faith in God to provide for Him - like we do in Jesus. (DRM 4/29/10)

3:7    "Thus says the LORD of hosts, "If you will walk in My ways, and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here. 

    This was a statement from an angel to Joshua, but I think it is really to all believers. There is a list of IF's and THEN's to tell me how to live my life - for eternity is far more important than the present. I pray that I will truly be walking in His ways and performing His service. (DRM 4/29/04)

4:6    (Referring to a golden lampstand) Then he {an angel} answered and said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit', says the LORD of hosts."

    While I still don't clearly understand the association to the golden lampstand, I think the point here is that the Lord doesn't want us to depend on our own abilities [might or power], but totally upon Him through His Spirit. Then, perhaps, we can get the golden lampstand of eternal life? (DRM 5/1/04)

4:7    . . . 'What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ' "

    An angel was speaking to Zechariah. This quote begins in the previous verse (v. 6). Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah (Haggi 2:21), the one he was trying to encourage.
    By God's Spirit (v. 6), the great mountain will become a plain. The top stone on the mountain will no longer be an obstacle in your path. when this stone is removed, there will be shouts of praise that it was achieved through God's grace.
    We all have obstacles in our path of life. Some are small and others appear to be mountains. By trusting in the Lord Jesus, He can flatten the spiritual obstacles and then we will be able to praise Him knowing it was done in His power and not ours. (DRM 1/19/18)

    What do we do when there is a "mountain" before us? We have two options: rely on our own strength or trust the Spirit's power. When we trust His power, He will either level the mountain or give us the strength and endurance to climb over it. (from Our Daily Bread 1/19/18 MARVIN WILLIAMS)

4:9    The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.

    Who was Zerubbabel? I went back to Ezra 5:2 to see, and apparently he was one of the men who worked on rebuilding the house of God (temple) in Jerusalem. This verse is a prophecy that what Zerubbabel started will be completed - and to see if the prophecy comes true. It did, thus proving that Zechariah was a prophet of God. (DRM 4/30/10)

5:4    (Referring to the flying scroll) "I will make it go forth," declares the LORD of hosts, "and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones."

    A person who has taken from others or sworn the name of the Lord certainly is not one of His followers. Apparently the words on this scroll have already convicted them in God's eyes. The house could be the body of this person. Something - conviction or evil? will consume this body in one night. (DRM 5/1/04)

5:10,11    "Where are they taking the basket?" I asked the angel who was speaking to me. 11He replied, "To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When it is ready, the basket will be set there in its place."

    While I understood very little from this chapter, I did get hope from these two verses. Again we can look forward to the future and know that something really special is being prepared for us in heaven! (DRM 6/12/89)

6:1    Now I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming forth from between the two mountains; and the mountains were bronze mountains.

    These "four spirits of heaven" [verse five] only made me think of the horses in Revelation. I'm not sure if the color of the 4 horses has symbolism or not. Apparently the 4th set of horses were stronger than the other three for some reason. I need more wisdom to understand this one. (DRM 5/2/04)

6:8    Then He cried out to me and spoke to me saying, "see, those who are going to the land of the north have appeased My wrath in the land of the north."

    "Those who are going to the land of the north" refers to the different horses earlier in this section (v. 1-8). I thought the land of the north might refer to God and Magog, but the Word of Life commentary thinks it could be Babylon. The horses satisfy (appease) God's wrath on the nation(s) that are against Israel? (DRM 5/2/10)

6:12    Then say to him, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD. . . "

    After checking the cross-references and the following verse, I'm convinced that Branch refers to Jesus - a branch from the stem of Jesse (Isa. 11:1). Jesus didn't build the temple physically, but rather spiritually.
    While I love prophecy, sometimes it's difficult for me to comprehend Branch=Jesus, but studying the cross-references and the Bible itself yields the answers.
    I don't see how this relates to verse 11 except Joshua is a form of the word Jesus? (DRM 5/3/10)

6:13    "Yes, it is He (verse 12 Branch = Jesus?) who will build the temple of the LORD, and He who will bear and honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices."

    Zechariah is challenging - the images are not always clear. Jesus was a branch from His Father, God. The rest of the verse seems to fit Him. The "two offices" seem to me to be the Old and New Testaments, but He didn't rule then. How about His 1,000 year rule between the old earth and eternity to come? Lord, give me wisdom to understand Your meaning. (DRM 5/3/04)

6:15    Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God.

    As the spiritual body of the Lord, we make up His temple. We are from different countries and spread throughout the earth. As we work together for His good, we come closer together. (DRM 6/13/89)

7:9,10    This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'

    This seems to me very similar to what Jesus Christ would say. That's great, though! It seems to indicate that Jesus Christ IS God! How else could these words be written more than 600 years before Christ was born? (DRM 6/13/89)

7:11    "But they refused to pay attention, and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing."

    While Zechariah was writing about the Israelites (verse 5), I think this refers to ALL of us at times. As self-centered people, we want to do things our own way and not listen to God, or His plans. Lord, teach me to hear You more often and to do everything You want me to do. (DRM 5/4/04)

7:13    ". . . And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen," says the LORD of hosts;

    This is part of a long quote from the LORD God to "all the people of the land and to the priests," (v. 5). Since this is in the Old Testament, God called to the people by their prophets, like Zechariah was. Today I believe that He talks to us through His Word; the Bible, and the Holy Spirit, which He gave us at the time of salvation. Am I hearing what He is directing clearly? (DRM 5/4/10)

8:8    and I will bring them back, and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem, and they will be My people and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.

    Remembering that this was written before Jesus' first coming, I am trying to determine if this verse refers to the first or second coming of our Lord. I think this verse refers to the second - because He will bring them back from their dispersal - and that is what is happening now. It's exciting to see prophecies fulfilled while I live! (DRM 5/5/04)

8:13    It will come about that just as you wee a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be strong.

    This is the final part of another prophecy that God gave Zechariah. Israel has now been back in the land for over 60 years - but their neighbors consider them a "curse" or enemy. So this prophecy is still unfilled as Israel is not yet a blessing to her neighbors.
    This shows me that God is still alive and working in fulfilling all of prophecy - just as it is written in His book. (DRM 5/5/10)

8:17    . . . Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,' declares the LORD."

    In verses 16-17 are clear directives from the Lord. Like the Ten Commandments, these directives are found throughout the Bible. Put together, they clearly tell us what His will is for our lives. If we (I) propose something that doesn't violate any of these "rules," then I would think I would be in God's will. (DRM 5/6/10)

8:22    'So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.'

    This seems to be a prophecy of tourism! Many people come to Jerusalem to seek the love and direction of the LORD daily. It certainly has increased during these last days - and is another prophecy fulfilled. More evidence of the time we are living in. (DRM 5/6/04) 

8:23b+    "In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.'"

    At first I wondered if this chapter referred to Jesus' first coming or His second. With this final verse in the chapter, I am convinced that it was the first. Prophecies do come true! (DRM 6/14/89)

9:4    Behold, the Lord will dispossess her [Tyre]
          And cast her wealth into the sea;
          And she will be consumed with fire.

    Here is a clear prophecy about Tyre, Lebanon. Apparently this city was very rich, but now is ruins, as predicted by the Lord.
    Every prophecy in the Bible has come true, or will come true. It's exciting to live in an era where I (we) can see Bible predictions happen! (DRM 5/7/10)

9:9a    Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! 
            Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
            Behold, your king is coming to you;

    Zechariah lists many of the city-states in the region: Hadrach, Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, Sidon, Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron are mentioned, but he saved the best for last. The prophecy that the King was coming to Jerusalem some day. In verse 9b, Zechariah said He would enter on a donkey. Still, they didn't see Him when He was there. Lord, keep my eyes open. (DRM 5/7/04)

9:9b    See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

    Another prophecy about our Lord's arrival into Jerusalem. In this verse is the word salvation, which it seems that I now take for granted in my life. Lord, let me always thank You for the greatest gift! (DRM 6/15/89)

9:14    Then the LORD will appear over them. And his arrow will go forth like lightning; And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet, And will march in the storm winds of the south.

    This could be another rapture verse. The Lord will appear suddenly. His arrow will come like lightning. The trumpet will call, and He will come from the south — probably to meet the King from the North at Armageddon. 
    I must be ready at any moment to be with Him forever. (DRM 5/8/04)

9:16    And the LORD their God will save them in that day
           As the flock of His people;
           For they are as the stones of a crown,
           Sparkling in His land.

    His people are the Jewish people - like a flock of sheep. He will save them "in that day" - tribulation.
    Since they are His people, they will be like jewels on His crown, and His land always has been Israel.
    How does this affect me? As a Christian believer, I have been grafted into His family - and will have a similar future to look forward to - in Heaven and New Jerusalem. (DRM 5/8/10)

10:4    "From them will come the cornerstone, 
            From them the tent peg,
            From them the bow of battle,
            From them every ruler, all of them together.

    This description of the House of Judah seems to me to be a description of Jesus. He is the cornerstone of our faith; He is the tent peg that we lean on during storms in life; He gives us direction like to bow directs the arrow; as Creator, He is the Father of all rulers and servants like me. (DRM 5/9/04)

10:5    "They [house of Judah] will be as mighty men,
           Treading down the enemy in the mire of the streets of battle;
           And they will fight, for the LORD will be with them;
           And the riders on horses will be put to shame.

    This is Old Testament prophecy, but is it also today's news? It sure seems so.
    Even though Israel is a small nation today, it wins it's battles. They are like mighty men with lopsided wins over their enemy.
    The recent Gaza campaign had them in the streets of Gaza in battle. The Lord God was with them.
    While we don't use horses in battle anymore, the people from Gaza were put to shame.
    As I see prophecies being fulfilled, I know that Jesus will return very soon. (DRM 9/24/14)

10:6    I will strengthen the house of Judah,
           And I will save the house of Joseph,
           And I will bring them back,
           Because I have had compassion on them;
           And they will be as though I had not rejected them,
           For I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.

    Time after time I have read and written about how God loves the Jewish people and will bring them back to the land in the last days. They will ask Him for forgiveness and it will be like He never rejected them. Now they are in the land - but they have yet to ask for forgiveness. Something will have to happen to motivate them to follow Him again. (DRM 5/9/10)

10:9    Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return.

    Another prophecy about the people of Judah and Israel. Again and again I read about the re-creation of this land. Now that it has occurred, when will He return? I want to be ready. (DRM 6/16/89)

11:6    "For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land," declares the Lord. "I will hand everyone over to his neighbor and his king. They will oppress the land, and I will not rescue them from their hands."

    God, through Zechariah was unhappy with the people of Israel and Judah and said that he would leave them. This whole chapter is confusing and consists of symbolism. (DRM 6/17/89)

11:7    So I (Jesus?) pastured the flock doomed to slaughter, hence the afflicted of the flock. And I took for myself two staffs: the one I called Favor, and the other I called Union; so I pastured the flock. 

    I think this verse refers to Jesus' two comings to the earth. Both times it seemed that His flock was/is to be slaughtered. At His first coming, He showed His favor to the Israelites by teaching and healing them. At the second coming, He will bring them all together again in Union. (DRM 5/10/04)

11:8    Then I annihilated the three shepherds in one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul was weary of me.

    This makes me think of the passage in Revelation (I can't find the verse, like Rev. 13:1) where there were 10 leaders then there were seven leaders in the world. If this prophecy relates to that prophecy, then the three leaders/shepherds would die in a month. Zechariah's soul was inpatient with their rule and the leaders in the end would want to kill him for his faith. This is only my interpretation of this. (DRM 5/10/10)

    Could this be Jesus instead of Zechariah? (DRM 12/22/10)

11:13    Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them." So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

    This well known prophecy has amazing detail! Who else would know all of this? It was the price of the value of a person. Was this "magnificent" price high or low? And the money came from the house of the LORD - the priests of that day . . . That's pretty specific! The Bible is full of awesome knowledge! (DRM 5/11/04)

11:16    For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs.

    The "shepherd" that God will raise up seem to be opposed to everything that God/Jesus would do for His sheep. This coming shepherd seems to me to be the Antichrist whenever he comes. (DRM 5/11/10)

    Just as Saul, The People's Choice, was followed by David, God's Choice; likewise, one day The People's Choice (the Antichrist) will be followed by God's Choice (Messiah Jesus)! (Word of Life Diary)

12:6    In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem.

    This makes me think of the 1973 war, but I think that the "in that day" refers to the final war when Israel is attacked by her neighbors, then the Lord comes to the rescue and Israel defeats all her enemies with His help. The 1973 war was an example of how Israel suddenly took over the land of her enemies. (DRM 5/12/10)

12:8    in that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them. 

    While people and nations will come against the people of Jerusalem during the end times, God will protect the believers [verse 10b] who truly trust in Him. [Jesus] Those who are weak [feeble] will become strong [like David] and through this added strength will be able to follow the angel of the Lord, who will lead them. He is in control! (DRM 5/12/04)

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 nation of David (Israel) will finally see that Jesus, the one that they pierced, is indeed the Messiah for their people. I understand why there will be mourning, as they will finally see the Light! (DRM 6/18/89)

13:2    "It will come about in that day," declares the LORD of hosts, "that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.

    Someday "that day" will arrive and everything will be different. The false idols and gods will be gone as well as the false teachers (prophets) that deceive so many. Jesus will rule and all will know that He says the Truth. In some ways it's hard to imagine as things are so different now with Satan in control. (DRM 5/13/10)

13:8, 9a    "And it will come about in all the land," Declares the LORD "That two parts in it will be cut off and perish: But the third will be left in it 9aAnd I will bring the third part through the fire. . ."

    Christians are hard for me to find. Here God tells us that 2/3 of humanity will perish - which means they are unbelievers. The rest of us believers will remain and be protected to the end. This must be after the rapture? (DRM 5/13/04)

13:9    This third (of the earth's people remaining) I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.'"

    The end is near. Two-thirds of the human race have been "struck down and perished (v.8)". The other third will be refined and tested as they are His. Thank God I have the confidence to know where I will be. The Lord is definitely my God!!! (DRM 6/18/89)

14:2    For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.

    The context clearly shows that this is a future event, as Jesus comes to the Mount of Olives in the next verse. The division of Jerusalem existed in 1948-1967, but under different circumstances. With current events - on daily television - it's easy to see these events happening - SOON! (DRM 5/14/04)

14:4    On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.

    The great combination verse. In Acts 1:11, the angel said that Jesus would return the same way He left. This verse tells of His return. There is no doubt in my mind, that Jesus (God) can do all these things and so, so much more! (DRM 6/18/89)

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.

    I currently live in a democracy, where the people supposedly rule. In the future, we will be living in a Theocracy where God will rule, through His Son, Jesus. As Christians, we don't have to personally wait for "that day" because He should be ruling in our hearts right now - telling us (me) how to live my life and proclaim His love better. (DRM 5/14/10)

14:16    Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

    This is the end of Zechariah. I also think it is the end of the tribulation period in history. There will be some people who are left - and by that time they will want to serve their King - who is the Lord of Hosts = Jesus. (DRM 5/15/04)

14:18    If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the LORD smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

    Since this probably takes place after the rapture, since the war against Jerusalem (v. 12) already occurred, there won't be any Christian believers to tell the nations the content of this verse. It could take Egypt and others quite a while to realize they are under God's wrath - or how to correct it. Am I also so 'thick-headed' not to realize that I should be doing something that God wants me to do? (DRM 5/15/10)