Among the many errors of the dispensational system of interpretation there are two that will be addressed here. First, they “snatch” the text from its literary and historical context, then they refuse to accept the New Testament explanation of Old Testament prophecies. The way dispensationalists twist the book of Zechariah is a case in point.
Hal Lindsey is one of the most popular of the dispensationalists. He quotes Zechariah 12:2-3 and claims that Zechariah was predicting events of the twenty-first century AD. He says, “To this generation, Zechariah’s 2,500-year-old prophecy sounds like headline news” (WorldNetDaily web site, October 28, 2005). Following that unsupported statement Lindsey proceeds to say, “And it is to this generation that Jesus addressed the promise, ‘But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near’” (Luke 21:28).
David Reagan is a favorite dispensational “prophecy teacher” among a number of denominations, as well as many Christian churches and churches of Christ. Like Lindsey, Reagan likes to use the book of Zechariah as a “crystal ball” to “wow” his audiences with his sensational predictions of the future.
Reagan claims that “When I was about 12 years old, I stumbled across Zechariah 14. It was an amazing discovery.” However, he says, people kept telling him that Zechariah “doesn’t mean what it says.” Finally he read the entire book (always a good idea) and he “discovered that the book contains many prophecies about the first coming of Jesus, and I discovered that all those prophecies meant what they said. It suddenly occurred to me that if Zechariah’s first coming prophecies meant what they said, then why don’t his second coming prophecies mean what they say?”
Historical Background
Before analyzing the statements of Hal Lindsey and David Reagan we need to understand the historical background of Zechariah’s prophecy.
Zechariah was writing in 520 BC (Zechariah 1:1) at the same time as Haggai (Haggai 1:1). This follows the Babylonian Exile when many of the Jews had returned to Judah. The rebuilding of the Temple had begun in 536 BC but resistance had halted the work. Now (520 BC) the rebuilding has resumed.
Without attempting a 200-page commentary on Zechariah, we need to look at some very important factors relative to this prophecy.
Much of God’s revelation to Zechariah is through visions. The visions of chapter one confirm that God’s physical Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt soon and His enemies punished. But God projects beyond that day, for in chapter two He says, “Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls, because of the multitude of men and cattle within it” (2:4). Jerusalem of Zechariah’s day had walls and the size was not so great as to preclude walls. God also says Jerusalem will be occupied with more than Israelites, because “many nations will join themselves to the LORD in that day and will become My people” (2:11). This certainly sounds like the New Testament church.
Another indication that God is pointing to the first coming of Christ is found in 3:8-9. There is the reference of the coming of the “Branch” who will remove the iniquity of the land. Surely this is the result of the death and resurrection of Christ. In chapter 6 we learn that the “Branch” will “will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD. Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the LORD, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne” (6:12-13). This temple is the church, which Christ rules over.
Biblical Context
David Reagan believes that some of Zechariah’s prophecies concern the first coming of Christ and others the second coming. He specifically mentions chapter 14 as a second coming prophecy. Before looking at chapter 14 it is helpful to see how the New Testament interprets some of Zechariah’s prophecies.
Zechariah 9:9 (“Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey”) is quoted by Matthew (21:5) as being fulfilled by Jesus at the “Triumphal Entry.” At the death of Judas, Matthew (Matthew 27:9-10) quotes from Zechariah 11:12-13 as being fulfilled in that event.
Zechariah 13:1 says, “in that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.” Surely no one would think that God is speaking of a physical “fountain” that would cleanse from sins. This could refer only to Jesus Christ. See John 1:29 and Acts 4:12.
Near the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus and His disciples went to the Mount of Olives. He told them, ”You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, 'I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered’” (Matthew 26:31). It is clear that Jesus is quoting from Zechariah 13:7.
With these scattered—but representative—references to Christ’s first coming there would have to be some very strong argument to convince an impartial student that other sections of Zechariah’s prophecy pertain to Christ’s second coming. With that we turn to the specific statements of Hal Lindsey and David Reagan.
Hal Lindsey
All of the above-mentioned Scriptures are clearly understood by the inspired New Testament writers as prophecies of the first coming of Christ. Consequently there must be compelling evidence before concluding that any part of Zechariah’s prophecies pertain to Christ’s second coming. And to this writer there is no such evidence.
Even within chapter twelve (which Hal Lindsey quotes) we can see that Zechariah is predicting an event of the first century. [Incidentally, although David Reagan says Zechariah 12:10 is a promise that “A remnant of the Jewish nation” will repent and accept Christ as Lord, the Apostle John quotes the same verse as being fulfilled in Christ’s crucifixion (John 19:37)].
Lindsey’s (mis)use of Luke 21:28 to support his contention that Zechariah 12:2-3 is related to Christ’s second coming is beyond imagination. Luke 21:7-36 is a description of the events before and during the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Luke 21:32 is conclusive: “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.” If the event described in Luke 21:7-36 was to take place in that generation it could have no relation to Christ’s second coming.
David Reagan
Reagan—like other dispensationalists—like to believe that Zechariah 14 is a prophecy of Christ’s second coming. All dispensationalists boast that they take the Scriptures “literally” and that those who allow for figurative language do not really believe the Bible to be true. Therefore, when they read in Zechariah 14:4 that “in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, … and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley” they see that as proof that their theories are correct. However, consistency is not a trademark of dispensationalism.
To consistently follow the dispensational literalistic interpretations would result in many bizarre ideas. (Even more bizarre than dispensationalism itself.) For example (staying for the moment with Zechariah 14) verse 2 would require that 100% of the world’s nations would fight against Jerusalem in their imagined battle during the “tribulation” period. Is there sufficient room in Jerusalem for such a gathering?
If we do not accept Jesus’ promise that He is the living water (John 4:14) then we must imagine literal “living waters” flowing from Jerusalem (v. 8).
To follow the literalistic interpretation of Zechariah 14:16 would require that all nations go to Jerusalem annually during the “millennium.” And this is exactly what they teach. In fact, according to their theory, “all mankind” will have to travel to Jerusalem weekly (Isaiah 66:23). And you hate traffic jams now? This doesn’t seem to me like a “millennium” of peace.
Conclusion
There are NO New Testament quotes of Old Testament Scriptures that say anything about Christ’s second coming: Neither from Zechariah nor from Genesis through Malachi. Whenever the New Testament writers quote from the Old Testament in reference to Christ, it is always in the context of His first coming and His church.
To say otherwise is to add to God’s word, which is a serious error (Revelation 22:18-19).