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| This is the New King James text of the passages. |
Zechariah 8-14
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The fasts turn to feasts (Zechariah 8)
1 Again the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying,
2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘I am zealous for Zion with great zeal;
With great fervor I am zealous for her.’
3 ¶ “Thus says the LORD:
‘I will return to Zion,
And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth,
The Mountain of the LORD of hosts,
The Holy Mountain.’
4 ¶ “Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘Old men and old women shall again sit
In the streets of Jerusalem,
Each one with his staff in his hand
Because of great age.
5 The streets of the city
Shall be full of boys and girls
Playing in its streets.’
6 ¶ “Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days,
Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’
Says the LORD of hosts.
7 ¶ “Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east
And from the land of the west;
8 I will bring them back,
And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
They shall be My people
And I will be their God,
In truth and righteousness.’
9 ¶ “Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘Let your hands be strong,
You who have been hearing in these days
These words by the mouth of the prophets,
Who spoke in the day the foundation was laid
For the house of the LORD of hosts,
That the temple might be built.
10 For before these days
There were no wages for man nor any hire for beast;
There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in;
For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.
11 But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the LORD of hosts.
12 “For the seed shall be prosperous,
The vine shall give its fruit,
The ground shall give her increase,
And the heavens shall give their dew—
I will cause the remnant of this people
To possess all these.
13 And it shall come to pass
That just as you were a curse among the nations,
O house of Judah and house of Israel,
So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing.
Do not fear,
Let your hands be strong.’
14 ¶ “For thus says the LORD of hosts:
“Just as I determined to punish you
When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’
Says the LORD of hosts,
‘And I would not relent,
15 So again in these days
I am determined to do good
To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
Do not fear.
16 These are the things you shall do:
Speak each man the truth to his neighbor;
Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;
17 Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor;
And do not love a false oath.
For all these are things that I hate,’
Says the LORD.”
18 ¶ Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,
19 “Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘The fast of the fourth month,
The fast of the fifth,
The fast of the seventh,
And the fast of the tenth,
Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
Therefore love truth and peace.’
20 ¶ “Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘Peoples shall yet come,
Inhabitants of many cities;
21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying,
“Let us continue to go and pray before the LORD,
And seek the LORD of hosts.
I myself will go also.”
22 Yes, many peoples and strong nations
Shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem,
And to pray before the LORD.’
23 ¶ “Thus says the LORD of hosts: “In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” ’ ”
This discussion of fasting began back in Zechariah 7 (see notes). Here in chapter 8 we get the answer about continued observance of the self-imposed days of fasting.
Verse 19 tells us there were four of these fasts observed by these who had once been exiled. Here they are:
What we see in this chapter is an establishment of celebration for the returning exiles in 535 B.C. Those fasts are turned into feasts instead.
Notice the prophecy in verses 7-8 concerning the regathering of Israel:
7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east
And from the land of the west;
8 I will bring them back,
And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
They shall be My people
And I will be their God,
In truth and righteousness.’
Here's the question. Do these verses reference the regathering of these exiles which began in 535 B.C., or another regathering later on? Some would suggest that there's a hint in the phrase of verse 7, "from the east country, and from the west country." That phrase could simply indicate how comprehensive the regathering is rather than actual direction. I'm inclined to support the notion that these verses reference the regathering which happened beginning in 535 B.C. as opposed to a future regathering.
Now notice verses 11-12 regarding the establishment of a time frame here:
11 But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the LORD of hosts.
12 “For the seed shall be prosperous,
The vine shall give its fruit,
The ground shall give her increase,
And the heavens shall give their dew—
I will cause the remnant of this people
To possess all these.
That certainly sounds immediate, doesn't it? However, the prophecy definitely goes future in verse 20 with the phrase, "Peoples shall yet come..." Obviously the provisions of verses 20-23 are reserved for the yet-future millennium. They project a future blessing where all the world will worship the God of the Jews that can only point to the Messianic kingdom we now know will be the one-thousand-year reign known to us as the millennium. (See notes on Revelation 20 for details.)
More judgment on some neighboring nations (Zechariah 9:1-8)
1 The burden of the word of the LORD
Against the land of Hadrach,
And Damascus its resting place
(For the eyes of men
And all the tribes of Israel
Are on the LORD);
2 Also against Hamath, which borders on it,
And against Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
3 For Tyre built herself a tower,
Heaped up silver like the dust,
And gold like the mire of the streets.
4 Behold, the LORD will cast her out;
He will destroy her power in the sea,
And she will be devoured by fire.
5 Ashkelon shall see it and fear;
Gaza also shall be very sorrowful;
And Ekron, for He dried up her expectation.
The king shall perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
6 “A mixed race shall settle in Ashdod,
And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
7 I will take away the blood from his mouth,
And the abominations from between his teeth.
But he who remains, even he shall be for our God,
And shall be like a leader in Judah,
And Ekron like a Jebusite.
8 I will camp around My house
Because of the army,
Because of him who passes by and him who returns.
No more shall an oppressor pass through them,
For now I have seen with My eyes.
Haven't we had enough ransacking of cities? Nope! Not yet! Here's a prophecy concerning some of Jerusalem's neighbors. It is prophesied that hard combat times are still ahead for them. And those hard times would be at the hand of the armies of Alexander the Great. But here's the good news. God's prophet here does not prophesy another bout for Jerusalem. And sure enough, the armies of Alexander the Great passed by Jerusalem several times, leaving Jerusalem untouched. And the other nations mentioned here? Ransacked! Tyre itself fell to Alexander in 332 B.C.
Currently there is some discussion of a "Damascus prophecy" derived from these verses. It is said that Damascus (Syria) must experience a complete destruction prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ. While we do see a reference to Damascus here, Tyre and Sidon are the big prizes in this prophecy - popular port towns through which many goods were passed. Damascus, 50 miles inland, seems to be mentioned as part of the prize. In fact, Alexander the Great went through this region and captured these cities. Regarding Damascus, there's also the inclusion of Isaiah 17:1 (see notes) into this discussion. Isaiah had prophesied that Damascus would be ruined, an event which took place in 732 B.C. at the hands of the Assyrians.
The coming of the future king (Zechariah 9:9-17)
9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
And the horse from Jerusalem;
The battle bow shall be cut off.
He shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be “from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.’
11 “As for you also,
Because of the blood of your covenant,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to the stronghold,
You prisoners of hope.
Even today I declare
That I will restore double to you.
13 For I have bent Judah, My bow,
Fitted the bow with Ephraim,
And raised up your sons, O Zion,
Against your sons, O Greece,
And made you like the sword of a mighty man.”
14 Then the LORD will be seen over them,
And His arrow will go forth like lightning.
The Lord GOD will blow the trumpet,
And go with whirlwinds from the south.
15 The LORD of hosts will defend them;
They shall devour and subdue with slingstones.
They shall drink and roar as if with wine;
They shall be filled with blood like basins,
Like the corners of the altar.
16 The LORD their God will save them in that day,
As the flock of His people.
For they shall be like the jewels of a crown,
Lifted like a banner over His land—
17 For how great is its goodness
And how great its beauty!
Grain shall make the young men thrive,
And new wine the young women.
This is pretty exciting stuff here! In Matthew 21:1-5 (see notes) Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey - the luxury vehicle of kings. Look at verse 9 here; it was prophesied by Zechariah. The Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah during the course of the week following that entry into Jerusalem, but one day they will accept, the millennium will have arrived, and Jesus will rule.
| Judah | Judah - Southern Kingdom |
| Ephraim | Israel - Northern Kingdom; frequently referred to as Ephraim by the prophets |
| Zion | Jerusalem |
| Greece | Greece (Seleucids) |
The struggles mentioned here actually naming Greece (verse 13) came to fruition on the 25th of Kislev, 165 B.C. At this time the Jews successfully defended Jerusalem from the continuing Greek (Seleucid) assaults that had begun under Antiochus Epiphanes IV in 168 B.C. He had installed a Greek idol on the altar of the Temple in 167 B.C. After defeating these Greeks, the Jews then rededicated the temple and initiated a new feast (festival) day that we know today as Chanukkah. This festival day on the Jewish calendar falls very near Christmas each year. While many Bible teachers feel that verses 14-17 belong to a yet-future period of time leading up to the millennium, it seems like a stronger argument that these verses could rather be follow-up verses to the defense of Jerusalem against the Greeks indicated in verse 13.
Good times ahead for Judah and Israel (Zechariah 10)
1 Ask the LORD for rain
In the time of the latter rain.
The LORD will make flashing clouds;
He will give them showers of rain,
Grass in the field for everyone.
2 For the idols speak delusion;
The diviners envision lies,
And tell false dreams;
They comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wend their way like sheep;
They are in trouble because there is no shepherd.
3 “My anger is kindled against the shepherds,
And I will punish the goatherds.
For the LORD of hosts will visit His flock,
The house of Judah,
And will make them as His royal horse in the battle.
4 From him comes the cornerstone,
From him the tent peg,
From him the battle bow,
From him every ruler together.
5 They shall be like mighty men,
Who tread down their enemies
In the mire of the streets in the battle.
They shall fight because the LORD is with them,
And the riders on horses shall be put to shame.
6 “I will strengthen the house of Judah,
And I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back,
Because I have mercy on them.
They shall be as though I had not cast them aside;
For I am the LORD their God,
And I will hear them.
7 Those of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man,
And their heart shall rejoice as if with wine.
Yes, their children shall see it and be glad;
Their heart shall rejoice in the LORD.
8 I will whistle for them and gather them,
For I will redeem them;
And they shall increase as they once increased.
9 “I will sow them among the peoples,
And they shall remember Me in far countries;
They shall live, together with their children,
And they shall return.
10 I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt,
And gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon,
Until no more room is found for them.
11 He shall pass through the sea with affliction,
And strike the waves of the sea:
All the depths of the River shall dry up.
Then the pride of Assyria shall be brought down,
And the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
12 “So I will strengthen them in the LORD,
And they shall walk up and down in His name,”
Says the LORD.
This chapter gets a little confusing. The false shepherds here may have a prophetical reference to the Maccabean period when the Jews in Jerusalem would struggle against Antiochus Epiphanes IV in the middle of the second century. However, probably these verses refer to the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' day; maybe this is the source of the imagery in John 10 (see notes). It is true that, as a result of false shepherds, Israel rejected Jesus as the Messiah. The references to Joseph and Judah make the distinction between what had been the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. The references to Assyria and Egypt describe the territory to the north and south of Israel where their historical struggles had been fought. The outcome of this chapter is victory once and for all over their enemies at the time of the millennium. This causes me to lean more towards a meaning that prophesies the struggle of the Pharisees and Sadducees against Christ, especially in light of how that position fits nicely with chapters 11 (see below) and 12 (see below).
A reference to the Messiah's first rejection (Zechariah 11)
1 Open your doors, O Lebanon,
That fire may devour your cedars.
2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen,
Because the mighty trees are ruined.
Wail, O oaks of Bashan,
For the thick forest has come down.
3 There is the sound of wailing shepherds!
For their glory is in ruins.
There is the sound of roaring lions!
For the pride of the Jordan is in ruins.
4 ¶ Thus says the LORD my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter,
5 whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt; those who sell them say, “Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do not pity them.
6 For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the LORD. “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They shall attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand.”
7 ¶ So I fed the flock for slaughter, in particular the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs: the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bonds; and I fed the flock.
8 I dismissed the three shepherds in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me.
9 Then I said, “I will not feed you. Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other’s flesh.”
10 And I took my staff, Beauty, and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples.
11 So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the LORD.
12 Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
13 ¶ And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.
14 Then I cut in two my other staff, Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 ¶ And the LORD said to me, “Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd.
16 For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.
17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd,
Who leaves the flock!
A sword shall be against his arm
And against his right eye;
His arm shall completely wither,
And his right eye shall be totally blinded.”
This prophecy is a little difficult to place with certainty, but taken with chapters 12 (see below) and 13 (see below), we seem to get a clearer picture. After careful study of the passage and external reference materials, I am relatively confident that Zechariah is referring to the ministry of Christ in the midst of the hypocritical and false leadership of that day. They rejected the Messiah, and the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. Verse 13 seems too much like Judas and his 30 pieces of silver not to be so, and Matthew does report that it was a fulfillment of prophecy; this is the only recorded passage from the prophets referencing 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16, see notes; Matthew 27:3-10, see notes). So, it would appear that this prophecy is a picture of the times when Christ would walk the earth during his ministry here and the subsequent rejection of his Messiahship by false leadership of Israel at the time. That understanding of this chapter seems to fit nicely with chapter 12 (see below), and continues an idea that began to emerge in chapter 10 (see above).
Israel's future (Zechariah 12)
1 The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:
2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.
3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.
4 In that day,” says the LORD, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.
5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, “The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of hosts, their God.’
6 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem.
7 ¶ “The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah.
8 In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them.
9 It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10 ¶ “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
12 And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves;
13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves;
14 all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
Since this chapter is an obvious reference to the gathering of the armies of the nations against Israel at the Battle of Armageddon, it is likewise obvious that chapters 10 (see above) and 11 (see below) must be setting up the scenario including the rejection of Christ during his earthly ministry. Chapter 12 directs us to Christ's return in Revelation 19:11-21 (see notes) when Israel will be once and for all delivered. Notice verse 8, "In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them." And if you're looking for a location where this takes place, you'll find it in verse 11, "the plain of Megiddo." That's right - Armageddon!
Let's notice verse 10, "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn." John quotes this verse regarding the piercing of Jesus' side in John 19:37 (see notes).
False prophets and idolatry in the tribulation (Zechariah 13:1-6)
1 “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
2 ¶ “It shall be in that day,” says the LORD of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land.
3 It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, “You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the LORD.’ And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.
4 ¶ “And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive.
5 But he will say, “I am no prophet, I am a farmer; for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.’
6 And one will say to him, “What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’
We know from Matthew 24:11 (see notes), "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many." These are the tribulation prophets during the first half of the seven-year period. These verses in Zechariah 13:1-6 seem to address these characters.
More about the Shepherd (Zechariah 13:7-9)
7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,
Against the Man who is My Companion,”
Says the LORD of hosts.
“Strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered;
Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.
8 And it shall come to pass in all the land,”
Says the LORD,
“That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,
But one-third shall be left in it:
9 I will bring the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, “This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ ”
In chapter 10, we saw references to shepherds which seemed to match up nicely with Christ's words in John 10 (see notes). The "sword against My shepherd" seems to be a description of the rejection of Christ, the Messiah, prior to the cross. The one-third remnant looks to those Jews who will be saved during the tribulation.
Incidentally, Jesus quotes verse 7 as he addresses the Apostles on the eve of the crucifixion in Matthew 26:31 and Mark 14:27 (see notes).
The turmoil of the tribulation and the millennium that follows (Zechariah 14)
1 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming,
And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem;
The city shall be taken,
The houses rifled,
And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity,
But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then the LORD will go forth
And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle.
4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two,
From east to west,
Making a very large valley;
Half of the mountain shall move toward the north
And half of it toward the south.
5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley,
For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal.
Yes, you shall flee
As you fled from the earthquake
In the days of Uzziah king of Judah.
Thus the LORD my God will come,
And all the saints with You.
6 It shall come to pass in that day
That there will be no light;
The lights will diminish.
7 It shall be one day
Which is known to the LORD—
Neither day nor night.
But at evening time it shall happen
That it will be light.
8 And in that day it shall be
That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem,
Half of them toward the eastern sea
And half of them toward the western sea;
In both summer and winter it shall occur.
9 And the LORD shall be King over all the earth.
In that day it shall be—
“The LORD is one,”
And His name one.
10 ¶ All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.
11 The people shall dwell in it;
And no longer shall there be utter destruction,
But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
12 ¶ And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem:
Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet,
Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets,
And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.
13 It shall come to pass in that day
That a great panic from the LORD will be among them.
Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor,
And raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand;
14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem.
And the wealth of all the surrounding nations
Shall be gathered together:
Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.
15 Such also shall be the plague
On the horse and the mule,
On the camel and the donkey,
And on all the cattle that will be in those camps.
So shall this plague be.
16 ¶ And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain.
18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
20 ¶ In that day “HOLINESS TO THE Lord” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the LORD’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.
In this chapter we see the Lord's second coming, his fighting at the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11-21, see notes) and his reigning during the millennium to follow. There's an abundance of detailed specifications found in this prophecy regarding this time period. The "eastern sea" of verse 8 is a reference to the Dead Sea. Ezekiel 47:1-12 (see notes) also describes a river that flows from the temple into the Dead Sea. Well...you just can't get around verse 9, "And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— 'The LORD is one,' And His name one." It's definitely Messianic (millennial) in its context. And verse 11 adds, "Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited." Not only so, but "the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem" (verse 12). And where is the center of activity during the millennium? Why...Jerusalem of course, as we see in verses 16-17, "And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain." No worship - no rain; it's just that simple!
One more geographical note is in order here. You will notice in verse 4 that the site of the second coming is given, "And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south." When Jesus ascended to Heaven in Acts 1:9-11 (see notes), it was from the Mount of Olives. At that time, the disciples were told that the Mount of Olives was to be his arrival point at the second coming.