Israel is very special. They have a special place in God's Word and heart and eye. Yet as the days go by, I see anti-Semitism (anti-Israel) on the rise. To me, anti-Semitism is: simple, writhing hatred... bubbling up against Israel... And people are voluntarily jumping in to join the pot of anger. The bubbles increase and grow. And they think together among themselves that they will eventually pour out and unleash all this boiling anger on Israel (God's chosen, beloved people).
But what anti-Semitic people don't realize is that they are actually just like the frogs that are sitting and boiling away in their own hatred... utterly unaware that the one who will be boiled is the frog that is in the water... themselves. It's an analogy, of course. But this is the picture in my mind of people who boil away in their anger.
Now let's see how Scripture describes what will happen...
God said, "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." (Zechariah 12: 2, 3, KJV).
This passage is talking about a specific day that has not yet happened. I call that day "siege day". Many things will happen before that day to build up to it. I'd like to talk about what this means...
We'll See Frustration: You can be certain that this means that some people will not like Israel before all this happens. These people will be very likely to speak negatively about Israel on purpose, to attempt to put Israel in a "bad light" as if they've done wrong. (Although Israel has just protected itself and sought out many intelligent ways to benefit society as a whole.)
We'll Hear Lies: This will cause anti-Semitism to rise, and more anger toward Israel (like what people see happen every time the UN has a meeting, right?) But it also means that much of the media will choose to side against Israel. This means people will speak crap, which other people will hear and believe... (In fact, this is already happening)... And this will get way worse before it ever gets better. So compared to what is going to happen, we haven't seen anything yet.
We'll See Hatred: When people fill themselves with frustration and anger, and add lies to it, their anger will turn sour, into pure hatred. And they will focus and direct all that yuck onto God's chosen people. You can expect to see this grow and grow.
We'll See Stupidity: When people get angry, they say and do stupid stuff without thinking. So, there will be stupid actions, that angry people will take in order to vent themselves. This means you can expect to see more people say/do more stupid stuff... Which will not stop until it reaches the climax that is mentioned in this passage in Zechariah. He tells us their ultimate act of stupidity will be to mount an attack- the world versus Israel. (Refer back to Zech. 12: 2- "... when they shall be in the siege... against..." [well, against Israel, if you sum it up]).
*** Then God Himself will Step in and Put His Foot Down Himself to say: Enough Foolishness! We know that there will be "Divine Intervention" that day because of Zechariah 12. The prophecy continues...
Zechariah 12: 7- "The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first..." (KJV)
Zechariah 12: 8- "In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem..." (KJV)
Zechariah 12: 9- "And it shall come to pass IN THAT DAY, that I (God is talking here) will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem." (KJV)
So when "siege day" comes, a Lot is going to happen...
- Israel will be surrounded for an all-out attempt attack. (Their goal will be to completely destroy Israel)
- God will stop them all from destroying Israel (in fact, He won't just stop them, He'll destroy them, and you can be sure that when this happens, it will be an understood miracle.... See, the whole world vs. Israel, God's chosen people actually means... the whole world vs. Israel and God. Think about that for a second. God will literally turn the table. Those who seek to destroy will be the ones who get destroyed... just like in my opening analogy where people are jumping into the boiling pot of anger and hoping to boil Israel, but they get boiled instead of Israel.)
- When the Miraculous Intervention happens, they will instantly see & recognize Jesus as the Messiah. How do I know? Look at Zechariah 12, verse 10...
"And I will pour upon..." [them/ Israel] "...the spirit of grace and of supplications: and THEY SHALL LOOK UPON ME WHOM THEY HAVE PIERCED..." Wait a second! Who was pierced for us? Jesus was, on the cross. Remember the prophecy David gave about the Messiah in Psalm 22: 16- "... they have pierced my hands and my feet." This is about Jesus. This is about the One who was nailed to the cross to pay for the sins of all mankind to save us when we believe on Him and ask for His forgiveness. They will look on Jesus. So this event on siege day will verify to them, will cement in their minds, that Jesus is the One True Messiah from God. - After this realization (and some tears of weeping), something else amazing will happen... A fountain will open...
Let's look at Zechariah 13: 1: "In THAT DAY there SHALL BE a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." (KJV) What does this mean? It means that once they recognize the Messiah, they will believe on Him and they'll seek His forgiveness. And God will open wide His arms of forgiveness to them in response. They will find forgiveness of sins in that day. It will be a day of Salvation like no other day in history.
*** In the meantime, we will see anger, and hatred, and hear lies, and watch stupidity happen until the climactic intervention by the hand of the True Messiah. But be assured and comforted in knowing that God will protect His Israel. It's not our job to worry as we see things gear up in this direction. It's a reminder that God will do what He said. So when you see the anger, the lies, the crazy stuff, remember that on Siege Day, God will set the record straight. And that is the moment He will have kept another faithful promise. Yes, we'll see a boiling pot of anger and hatred, and we'll see more and more frogs choose to jump in of their own accord. But we will also see Jesus do something amazing for His beloved. So don't worry as you see the day approaching...
Let's close in prayer:
"Lord Jesus, there is so much craziness going on in the world today. People fill themselves with anger and hatred. Many have sided against Your people Israel. Many more will follow. But as all this craziness happens around me, give me your peace and calm assurance, your reminder that You will keep Your faithful Word. Thank You, Lord, for keeping Your promise. You will save Israel. So bless them and keep them and guard them. And give me Your blessing and strength as these crazy days unfold. I praise You for Your hand of salvation and for how you will save them with a mighty and stretched out arm, just like when You saved them by opening up the Red Sea for them to escape. So You will save them again. Thank You, Lord, for Your Word.
In Jesus' Name, Amen."