Zechariah Sermon Series: Sermon 29
3-9-25 – Jerry Mongello
Zechariah 11 – Part 1
Prayer
This chapter contains a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem and its causes. It concludes with a prediction concerning the Antichrist. The destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem, along with its inhabitants, is symbolized through figurative expressions (Zechariah 11:1). This prophecy causes wailing among the shepherds or rulers of Israel, as God’s wrath falls upon them due to their cruelty and greed. The order of events in this prophecy is significant:
- The destruction of the temple and Jerusalem.
- The dismissal of the three false shepherds—false prophets, priests, and Jewish royalty.
- The betrayal of the Good Shepherd.
- A prophecy concerning the Antichrist.
[Zechariah 11:1-3 NKJV]
- Open your doors, O Lebanon, that fire may devour your cedars.
- 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.
- 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.
The phrase “Open your doors, O Lebanon, that fire may devour your cedars” refers to destructive armies approaching from the north through Lebanon. The doors of Lebanon symbolize the mountain passes between Lebanon and Israel.
This prophecy was fulfilled in the Roman campaign against Judea. It does not refer to the Babylonian invasion since Zechariah prophesied after the Babylonian captivity. The widespread destruction described here matches the devastation ordered by Vespasian and his son, Titus, during the Roman siege of Jerusalem.
The cedars, cypress, and oaks of Bashan also symbolize the wood used in constructing the temple. Jesus Himself foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple:
[Matthew 24:1-2 NKJV]
- Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.
- And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down.”
[Luke 19:41-44 NKJV] 41. Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42. saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you, and close you in on every side, 44. and level you and your children within you to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
- Rome controlled Israel starting in 63 B.C.
- The Roman-Jewish war lasted from 66 to 73 A.D.
- General Vespasian, with 60,000 professional legionaries, crushed the Jewish revolt and recaptured strongholds, forcing rebels into Jerusalem.
- Nero’s suicide led Vespasian to return to Rome, leaving his son, Titus, to complete the siege.
- Rome sent four battle-hardened legions (over 70,000 troops) to support Titus.
- The Jewish rebels, divided into two factions (30,000 men total), fought not only the Romans but also each other.
- Titus surrounded Jerusalem, trapping over a million Jews without food or water.
- Men, women, and children died from starvation.
- The rebel factions engaged in internal killings, plundering, and even cannibalism.
- After seven months, 1.1 million Jews were killed, and 97,000 were enslaved.
During the one-year period when Vespasian returned to Rome to become emperor, Christians heeded Jesus’ warning and fled Jerusalem.
[Luke 21:20-24 NKJV] 20. “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24. And they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
The Fate of the Leaders
[Zechariah 11:3 NKJV] 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.
[Jeremiah 25:34-37 NKJV] 34. “Wail, shepherds, and cry! Roll about in the ashes, you leaders of the flock! For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions are fulfilled; you shall fall like a precious vessel. 35. And the shepherds will have no way to flee, nor the leaders of the flock to escape. 36. A voice of the cry of the shepherds and a wailing of the leaders to the flock will be heard. For the LORD has plundered their pasture. 37. And the peaceful dwellings are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD.”
In Jeremiah 26, the LORD warns the Jewish people of their sins:
[Jeremiah 26:1-10 NKJV]
- In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the LORD, saying,
- “Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’s house, all the words that I command you to speak to them. Do not diminish a word.
- ‘Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.'”
The Concerns of Jewish Leaders
[John 11:45-52 NKJV] 45. Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary and had seen the things Jesus did believed in Him. 46. But some went away to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48. “If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”
Jesus’ Condemnation of the Leaders
[Matthew 23:12-15 NKJV] 12. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. 13. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”
[Matthew 23:37-39 NKJV] 37. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”
This passage from Zechariah 11 paints a solemn picture of judgment while foreshadowing the arrival of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and the consequences of rejecting Him.
