What is the meaning of Zechariah 14:18? And if the people of Egypt will not go up and enter in • Zechariah 14 looks ahead to Messiah’s earthly reign when “everyone who survives of all the nations… will go up year after year to worship the King” (Zechariah 14:16). Egypt, long symbolic of worldly power (Exodus 14:30-31; Isaiah 19:1-4), is singled out as a real nation that must make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. • “Go up” speaks of ascending to God’s chosen city (Psalm 122:4). “Enter in” stresses full participation, not mere acknowledgement. The passage assumes literal travel, fulfilled during the Millennium (Isaiah 2:2-3; Micah 4:1-2). • Refusal would be open rebellion against the sovereign rule of Christ (Psalm 2:9; Revelation 19:15). then the rain will not fall on them • Withholding rain is a covenant discipline God has used before (Deuteronomy 11:16-17; 1 Kings 8:35-36; Amos 4:7-8). Physical blessing is tied to obedience. • In a desert-bordering land like Egypt, lack of rainfall—even upriver in the Nile’s headwaters—would devastate agriculture, demonstrating that life depends on honoring the Lord (Jeremiah 14:1-4). • This judgment is measured and corrective: the goal is to bring Egypt—and any nation—back to worship (Hosea 6:1-3). this will be the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations • “Plague” echoes earlier verses: “This will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples” (Zechariah 14:12). God’s interventions in Exodus (Exodus 9:14), in David’s day (2 Samuel 24:15), and in Revelation (Revelation 16:9) show that He can target judgments precisely. • The term underscores that, even in the age of worldwide peace (Isaiah 11:9), divine holiness still confronts sin (Hebrews 12:25-29). • Because the King is present in Jerusalem, rejection of His summons carries immediate consequences (Psalm 72:5-6). who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles • The Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-43) commemorated God dwelling with Israel in the wilderness. In the Millennium it celebrates God dwelling with all nations through His Messiah (John 1:14; Revelation 21:3). • Its timing after the harvest makes it a festival of joy and provision (Deuteronomy 16:13-15), so refusing to attend ironically forfeits the very blessing it pictures. • This feast also foreshadows the river of living water flowing from Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:8; John 7:37-39). To skip the feast is to cut oneself off from that life-giving stream. summary Zechariah 14:18 teaches that, during Messiah’s future reign, every nation—including Egypt—must personally acknowledge His lordship by coming to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. If a nation refuses, God will withhold rain, a tangible and corrective plague designed to draw them back to obedience. The verse highlights the continuing relationship between worship and blessing, demonstrating that the reign of Christ is both gracious and just, offering abundant life to all who honor Him and swift discipline to any who will not. |
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