O Worship The King Series

ZECHARIAH 14: 16-21

"O WORSHIP THE KING"

[1 John 3:1-3]

Because of the terrible judgment depicted in the preceding verses, overt rebellion of the nations against God and His people has been crushed. Jerusalem will now occupy its proper place as the religious and governmental capital of the world. All the peoples and nations that willingly submit to serve Christ's new theocracy will be blessed. Those who attempt to undermine this world encompassing time of peace will find themselves firmly dealt with and miss the joy and prosperity of Messiah's reign. The blessedness of this time is portrayed in the fact that holiness is no longer profaned by wickedness and the King is given the worship due Him (CIT).

I. THE MECCA OF GOD, 14:16.

II. BLESSINGS & PUNISHMENTS, 14:17-19.

III. THE UNDEFILABLE HOLINESS, 14:20-21.

First let's look at the Mecca of God or the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The nations that have shown hostility toward Jerusalem which culminate in attacking it will need a reminder of God's mercy and victory as verse 16 indicates. "Then it will come about that everyone who is left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem, they will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths (or tabernacles)."

When the millennial kingdom is established on earth the general attendance of mankind in worshiping the King is also required. The phrase "any who is left" is singular in the Hebrew and the phrase "they will go up" is plural. Thus the Hebrew expression stresses the individual and the national responsibility to worship the King.

The phrase any one who is left also implies how wide spread the decimating judgment will be of the wicked preceding the establishment of the Kingdom. These survivors are described as annually pilgrimaging to Jerusalem. Representatives of all the nations will be expected to be there. The purpose of the trip is to worship (lit. "to bow down to") the King, the LORD of Hosts and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. This depicts devotion to and respect for the LORD.

Finally Christ will be known and adored as the only Lord, the absolutely unique One, whose name will be the one and only name of deity that will then exist (Zech. 14:9).

The Feast of Booths is the only one of the seven Jewish festivals (Lev. 23:4-44) mentioned in this prophecy as being observed in the Kingdom age (14, 16, 18 &19). The reason may be because this is the only one still unfulfilled at this time since the people are still dwelling in homes made with hands and have not entered into their abode of their eternal reward which is the place that Christ has been preparing for them.

1. The Passover (Lev. 23:4-5) was fulfilled in the death of Christ, the Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Peter 1:19).

2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:6-8) is fulfilled in the holy walk of believers in fellowship with Christ (2 Cor. 5:6-8; 2 Cor. 7:1; Gal. 5:7-9).

3. The Feast of First Fruits (Lev. 23:9-14) was fulfilled in the resurrection of Christ (1 Cor. 15:23) and the pledge of the Holy Spirit.

4. The Feast of Pentecost (Lev. 23:15-22) was fulfilled in the formation of the Church at Pentecost by the coming of the Spirit. (1 Cor. 10:16, 12:12-13).

5. The Feast of Trumpets (Lev. 23:23-25) will be fulfilled in the future gathering of the Kingdom (Isa. 18:3,7; 27:12-13; Ezek. 37:1-14).

6. The Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:26-32) was fulfilled by the shedding of Christ's blood on the cross for sin (Heb. 9:22). [Merrill Unger. Prophet of Messiah's Glory. Zondervan. 1963. p 265-6.]

Of them all, only the Feast of Booths will at that time be unfulfilled. [Of the seven, only three, Passover, Pentecost and Booths were pilgrimage festivals (Ex. 23:14-17).] The Feast of Tabernacles commemorates God's protective guidance during the forty years when Israel passed through the desert wilderness on their way to the promised land. It was also a time when they remembered the LORD's on–going bounty to them in the harvest (Lev. 23:39; Deut. 16:13-15). The celebration was a time to pull away from the work a day world and the normal routine of life and remember and give thanks and rejoice in the Lord for His redemptive acts.

Yes, the Feast of Tabernacles was to be a time of grateful rejoicing (Lev. 23:40; Deut. 16:14-15; Neh. 8:17) (as it marked the conclusion of all harvesting in the land and so is also called the Feast of Harvest). During this festival the people lived in "booths" constructed out of branches as a reminder that their ancestors lived in booths in the Wilderness before the Lord brought them into the promised land. It was a reminder of the journey and how the LORD had guided them at that time (Lev. 23:42-43) and their waiting to cross into the promised land.