If Zechariah 12-14 has to be fulfilled in the future ...

Friends,

Here is a list of things that appear to be anachronistic, if the events narrated in Zechariah has to unfold in the 21^st century.

• For one - if Zech 12-14 is all still to take place in the future - how does one justify the modern use of ancient warfare?
• The battle described in these chapters is waged on horseback (Zech 12:4) with swords! (Zech 13:7) Is that how the coming 21^st century Great Tribulation is to be fought?
• Modern Jews do not and will not live in tents (Zech 12:7)
• Modern Jewish people can no longer be divided by their 12 ancestral tribes (Zech 12:6-14) since those tribes have long since been genetically diluted - the Jewish peoples of today simply CANNOT be equated with ancient, biblical Israel.
• Zech 13:1 is clearly speaking of "The Cross of Christ" (i.e. a first century event). Has there been no Messianic “fountain” of forgiveness available to the Jewish people since the cross? Have they been made to wait all this time and then some (until Messiah's still future return) to have access to divine forgiveness of sin?
• The modern Jews do not and will not worship then many idols mentioned in (Zech 13:2) - today’s Jews are mostly atheistic.
• There are no modern Jewish prophets (Zech 13:2) - nor will there be.
• Zech 13:2 Unclean spirits were evicted from Palestine by Jesus in the first century (Mt 12:28ff, 8:29 - before the time? = i.e. before the time of the end of apostate Judaism 70 AD)
• Zech 13:3 -  The modern Jews do not obey these ancient Mosaic Laws (parents killing children for false predictions etc.)!
• Zech 13:4 - Will false Hebrew prophets wearing hairy robes soon appear in modern day Palestine in order to deceive a mass of Jewish people?
• Zech 13:4-5 - Will slavery & agriculture once again become common practice for 21^st century Palestinians and all nations of the world?
• Zech 14:14-15 Is the modern Palestinian Economy (as well as all nations of the world) based on gold, silver, fabric, horses, mules, camels, donkeys and cattle??)
• Notice that the all nations of 14:1 are qualified later by the “all the surrounding nations” in 14:14. There is no mention here of all the modern nations of the 21st century world! These ancient "Middle Eastern nations" surrounding ancient Israel’s were the same constant thorns Israel dealt with thru their entire history!
• Zech 14:16 Will the modern Jewish peoples, under Messiah, be keeping all of the Old Covenant "feasts" when the N.T. writers (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) clearly state that such things were merely temporary typological tutors intended to lead Israel to Christ??
• Will Christ then, in the future, lead the “modern Jewish Christians” and all the nations of the modern world backwards - to those ancient and “rudimentary things” (Gk: "stoicheion" - Col 2:8, 20; 2 Pet 3:10) that only served to point to Messiah, the cross, the resurrection etc.?
• The N.T. writers tell us that a RETURN to the Mosaic Economy (the old covenant system) would be to apostatize from Christ and to invalidate the cross of Christ!!
• Zech 14:16 - Will “all the nations” [of the entire modern world] soon be going up to the modern city of Jerusalem each year to celebrate the Jewish feasts?? How will we all fit??
• Zech 14:17-20: Will all the nations of the modern world soon, suddenly become agrarian based in order to begin the annual planting and harvesting cycle necessary to keep the feast of booths (tabernacles) yearly? Because, if we do not - God is going to bring plagues upon all those wicked nations and destroy their crops by withholding rain on their crops.
• Is modern Israel under Messiah going to return to bloody animal sacrifices (the NT says that would be nothing short of "blasphemous" - (study the Book of Hebrews).
• Will they also be cooking these sacrificial animals in ancient cauldrons with sacred inscriptions carved into these utensils (14:21) See the Heb word - “ciyr” = “cooking cauldron”????? no modern stoves or ovens??
• Will the Canaanite peoples (an extinct race of ancient Arabs) somehow reappear in this 21st century world and soon be meeting side by side with modern Jews in a future rebuilt temple in Jerusalem - only to be 'kicked-out' when Jesus returns (14:21)????

Like the Book of Revelation - the context here in Zech 12-14 absolutely screams ancient middle eastern culture that it hardly seems worthy of debate.”

[Originally written by Frank Speer].