In the previous articles on Zechariah 14 and the shaking of the earthquake at the parousia, we have seen that scripture posits those events at the judgment of Old Covenant Israel. We want to continue this study with an examination of ISAIAH 2-4 as they relate to Zechariah 14.

Zechariah 14 and Isaiah 2-4

These three chapters in Isaiah comprise one undivided prophecy. This is shown by the connected references to "that day." The setting is "the last days" (Isaiah 2:2). The consummation of those last days would be the "day of the Lord of hosts" (2:12) "when He arises to shake the earth mightily" (2:21).

In the last days Jehovah would establish his house/kingdom and dwell in Zion (2:2-4) judging the nations. The Day of his coming would be when "the Lord stands to judge his people" (3:13)  and a time of warfare (3:24). But it would also be the time when "the Branch of the Lord would be glorified" and the remnant of Israel would be saved (4:3) "when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning" (4:4).

We find here the very constituent elements of Zechariah 14! All of the blessings are the same. The setting is the same because Jesus himself gave us the divine commentary on Isaiah 2-4.

Jesus, Isaiah 2-4 and Zechariah 14

In Luke 23:28-31 Jesus was being led to his crucifixion. As he carried his cross the women who loved him cried around him. He told them not to mourn for him but for themselves and "for your children" (Luke 23:28). In verse 30 he alludes directly to Isaiah 19-21 (as well as Hosea 10:8). Marshall correctly sees that Jesus speaks here of the "fate of the guilty Jerusalem" (I. Howard Marshall, New International Greek Testament Commentary, Eerdmans, 1978)865). Robertson, commenting on the next verse in Luke 23, say it refers to "what will happen to Jerusalem when its day of judgment comes." (A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vol. II, Broadman Press, 1930)284.  Adam Clark takes note of the connection between Isaiah and the verse before us and says Luke 23:30 was predictive of the fall of Jerusalem (Adam Clarke, Vol. V, Abingdon Press, p. 496).

Isaiah, like Zechariah, predicted the time when the Lord would come and shake the earth. Jesus quotes from Isaiah and applies that prophecy to the fall of Jerusalem. Zechariah definitely places his prophecy of the Lord's coming when the earth would shake at the A.D. 70 parousia. We will explore the significance of this in our next installment, so stay tuned!