How to read future-related prophecy (Zechariah 14)
Zech 14:1-21
When reading Zechariah 14, Luther famously wrote, ‘Here, in this chapter, I give up. For I am not sure what the prophet is talking about.’[1] Most of us, I suspect, would agree! In fact, commentators differ over how best to read this chapter. The two key questions that divide opinions are whether these events have already happened or are still in the future and to what extent we should read the description as literal or figurative. A review of the history of interpretation may make us throw up our hands in frustration as there are so many variations on reading this chapter, but it should also give us perspective. The fact that countless scholars even with sound theology can disagree on how best to understand this passage shows that the interpretation is not straightforward.
Historic-literal or figurative?
My sense is that the chapter creates mixed expectations in the reader. There is enough specific detail about geography (names of gates and features of Jerusalem – Zech 14:10) and Jewish customs (the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths, sacrifices, temple – Zech 14:16, 21) to encourage us to read the chapter as historic events about Jerusalem and the Jewish people. But just when we have decided to proceed along these lines, we encounter other features that point towards a more figurative way of interpreting. For instance, are we to understand God’s feet standing on the Mount of Olives as literal (Zech 14:4)? Will there be such a cataclysmic earthquake that the Mount of Olives will split into two allowing God’s people to flee (v.4)? Will Jerusalem literally rise above the surrounding mountains (Zech 14:10)? God, of course, is mighty and He is sovereign over nature, so He can do whatever He wills, but given the symbolic, almost iconic quality about these images, are we meant to read them literally? Thus, God’s arrival on the Mount of Olives is reminiscent of His presence at Sinai, heralded by a violent quaking of the mountain (Exod 19:18). In Zechariah, the splitting of the Mount of Olives also reminds us of the dividing of the sea in the exodus, so that God’s people could escape their enemy (Exod 14:21-22). The vision has a grand cinematic scope. Likewise, the image of Jerusalem high above the mountains is a picture of safety (Zech 14:11) and the physical height corresponds to its elevated spiritual position as God’s dwelling place (cf. Ps 48:1-2).
Past, present or future?
Not only do we get a mixture of down-to-earth reality and lofty symbolism, but we also seem to bounce between the Jewish experience recognisable from the postexilic period and the apocalyptic vision of the future. Thus, the battle against Jerusalem, the rape and plunder, recall the terrible reality of several sieges against that city (Zech 14:2), while the cancelling out of the normal rhythm of day and night replaced by a constant light (Zech 14:6-7) create an other-worldly quality and the symbolism of God as light (Rev 21:23-24) is unmistakable. However, just when we might have decided that we are in the last days, we are confused again by the description about cooking pots and sacrifices in the temple (Zech 14:20-21), which have a mundane and very Jewish quality about them. Will there be a literal temple with animal sacrifices in the last days? If so, how does this fit with the understanding of Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice that made all others obsolete (Heb 10:8-10)? It is possible that Zechariah is using here Jewish terminology that his readers would have recognised to describe a holiness beyond their experience but the more our figurative reading moves away from the specifics, the harder it becomes to justify the interpretation.
Prophecy as prediction
Before we tie ourselves into knots about how to correlate Zechariah’s prophecy with past, ongoing, or future events, perhaps it is helpful to step back and ask the larger question, namely, what the purpose of prophecy is. Many Christians in the church think of prophecy as telling us what will happen (we think most prominently about messianic prophecies describing details of how Jesus would come, suffer and die for our sins), but this is extremely problematic. For one thing, messianic prophecies make up a very small percentage of prophecy overall and if prophecy is primarily about prediction of the future, in what way is it different from fortune-telling? We walk by faith, not by sight.
Prophecy as preaching
Much of prophecy is actually closer to preaching. It confronts, challenges, encourages and gives hope by pointing to God, to His character, His will, His love, His justice and calls His people back to Himself. There is, of course, a future aspect to this in that prophets paint a picture of what will happen, for instance, if Israel continues to disobey (punishment will come), but this future is not necessarily set in stone. If the people repent, God may change His mind and not bring about disaster (e.g. Jonah 3:10), much like a parent may say to a child, ‘If you don’t eat your vegetables, you won’t get dessert’. It is less about a prediction of the future than a description of the consequences. On the other hand, certain predictions about the future are God’s sovereign plan and will happen no matter what. However, when the prophets give a glimpse of this future, their aim is not to satisfy our curiosity and give us a rundown of events in every detail so we can become puffed up in our own esteem. Rather, it is usually granted in the context of discouragement to offer hope, give perspective and lift our eyes to a horizon beyond our difficulties. In other words, its aim is to remind us of God’s character, His goodness, power and love.
Patterns to discern and God’s character
I believe that this explains why different interpreters are able to apply the description of Zechariah 14 to a number of scenarios from the past stretching to the future. It is because prophecy’s purpose is to describe God’s character and will and, since God is consistent, certain patterns will inevitably repeat themselves in history and will be recognisable at more than one point in time. It is also the case that with the redemption Jesus has brought, we entered a distinctly different phase of history, what scholars describe succinctly as ‘already and not yet’. In other words, we already have a foretaste of some aspects of God’s final restoration, and we may see these in our present context. Nevertheless, I do believe that there is a still future aspect to Zechariah’s prophecy, although I do not fully understand what it will look like. What I will do in my next post, however, is to reflect on what the passage teaches us about God’s character and will.
[1] Martin Luther, “Lectures on Zechariah. The German Text, 1527” in Luther’s Works, Vol. 20: Lectures on the Minor Prophets III: Zechariah (ed. Hilton C. Oswald; Saint Louis: Concordia, 1973), 153-347 (337) cited in Al Wolters, “Zechariah 14: A Dialogue with the History of Interpretation,” MJT 13 (2002): 39-56 (41). See Wolters’ article above for an overview of various views on Zechariah 14.
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