The Messiah’s Return (Pt. 2)

The Messiah’s Return (Pt. 2)
Zechariah 14:6-9
September 17, 2023

The coming of the Messiah (Christ) as King is one of the dominant themes in the OT:

• For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. (Is. 9:6-7)
• He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Is. 49:6)
• “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. “In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’” (Jer. 23:5-6)…

The theme of Christ’s return continues to be a significant focus of the NT (including several books):

• They (the angels) also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
• “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.” (Matt. 24:29-30)
• BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. (Rev. 1:7)
• And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” (Rev. 5:13; cf. also 15:4)
• And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.…And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev. 19:11, 16)

Of all the sections of Scripture that speak of the coming of Christ, perhaps one of the greatest sections is Zechariah 14.  The power and significance of this chapter cannot be overstated:  “Few chapters, if any, in the Scriptures are of greater eschatological significance than the chapter before us…” [Feinberg.]  After 13 chapters of prophetic visions and oracles, this chapter stands above the rest in the book as a crescendo of hope and praise.  And the focus of this section in this chapter is the truth that —

Christ will come and Christ will be King.

God has not only chosen Israel as His people but He has promised to be Israel’s King.  And He will be King.  Though we do not know the time when He will come as King, there is no uncertainty about whether He will be King.  He will.  And Zechariah gave that truth to the people who had returned from captivity in Babylon to the land of Israel as their encouragement and joy.  In this crescendo chapter, hear the message to rejoice in Christ the coming King.  Rejoice in two aspects of Christ’s kingship.

1. Rejoice in Christ, the King of All the Earth (vv. 6-8)

• He will provide a new light (v. 6-7)
• He will provide a new day (v. 7)
• He will provide new waters (v. 8)

2. Rejoice in Christ, the King of all People (v. 9)

• Christ is — and will be — King
• Christ will be the singular King over every single person in every single nation

Download the rest of this sermon on Zechariah 14:6-9.

The audio will be posted on the GBC website by tomorrow.

Clouds and Sun rays by dotcompals is licensed under CC BY 2.0.