Introduction:
What kind of person will one day find himself or herself outside the kingdom of heaven?
As our Lord ends this sermon with an extended invitation, He identifies the kinds of people who do not heed that invitation. People who do not respond to the invitation with saving faith.
These people have been described at the end of this sermon in multiple ways:
People who do find the narrow gate — which indicates that they do not search for it properly.
People who refuse the demands of the narrow way.
People unwilling to enter alone, and travel with the few.
People who are proud and unmoved by their need for forgiveness.
People who are spiritual deceivers or they follow the deceivers.
And now, in the verses that we come to tonight, we see another way that people will be found outside the kingdom of God.
There are the SELF-DECEIVED.
Our Lord ends this sermon with two gracious and sobering warnings about self-deception.
THE FIRST KIND OF DECEPTION IS ABOUT EMPTY WORDS.
THE SECOND KIND OF DECEPTION IS ABOUT EMPTY KNOWLEDGE.
Both warnings aimed at people who have come under the words of Christ.
Both warnings aimed at people who identify themselves with Christ.
Tonight, we deal with the first warning, and next Sunday (Lord willing) we will deal with the second.
Tonight, we look at three sobering realities for those who profess to know the King.
Do you say that you know Jesus Christ?
Do you say that you are His subject?
Do you say that your hope is the kingdom of heaven?
Then be wise and examine yourself before these three sobering realities.
I. A SOBERING REALITY ABOUT ENTRANCE INTO THE KINGDOM (vs.21)
Our Lord begins with a straightforward statement about entrance into the kingdom. But in this straightforward statement about the kingdom, He is also making straightforward claims about Himself.
A. THE KING’S CLAIMS
These are really astounding words.
We are now so familiar with thinking about Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God, that we have hard time understanding how these words would have been heard when they first spoken.
What Jesus envisions is the final judgment.
What He also clearly describes is the fact that HE HIMSELF will be judge at the final judgment.
Imagine listening to a very real man describing Himself as the judge at the final judgment — that’s what we have here.
We cannot diminish this. Either what Jesus said was true, or He was a madman. This is no small claim.
AT THE FINAL JUDGMENT:
PEOPLE SPEAK TO HIM.
PEOPLE MAKE CLAIMS TO HIM.
IT IS JESUS WHO GIVES THE FINAL PROUNCEMENT TO THOSE WHO ARE BANISHED.
The double vocative “κύριε κύριε” is highly significant.
Charles Quarles in his volume “Sermon on the Mount” makes the point that “kurios” appears 11 times in Matthew prior to 7:21. Ten of the eleven times, it is a clear reverence to Yahweh.
And then he adds this very important observation.
“Interestingly the LXX used the double vocative “Lord, Lord” a total of 18 times. Every occurrence is a reference to Yahweh and normally translates the combined title and name Adonai Yahweh.”
This title carries with it the claim to be God.
Jesus is clearly saying that the eternal destinies of people are determined by their relationship to Him and to His words.
How To Avoid Final Destruction
Matthew 7:24-29
April 3, 2022 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • Matthew 7:24–29
The Burial of Jesus Part 2
April 14, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • Matthew 27:62–66
Introduction: One of the ways that our God is exalted in Scripture is with the recognition that no one can withstand His will. ESV Psalm 2:1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. “The peoples plot in vain.” “He who sits in the heavens laughs.” David amplifies a general truth, but looks forward to a specific situation. ANYONE who plots against the will of God, plots in vain. NO ONE is a threat to God’s will. He laughs at imagined rivals. But that truth was demonstrated in the life of God’s Son. That Psalm is magnified by the early church when Peter and John are threatened by the council. ESV Acts 4:21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. 23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, "'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed'-- 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. As I said, this is a general truth about God that the Scriptures celebrate. God exalts Himself through Isaiah when He draws a contrast between the so-called gods of false religion that have no real existence, and living God whose will is irresistible. ESV Isaiah 46:3 "Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; 4 even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. 5 "To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike? 6 Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship! 7 They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there; it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble. 8 "Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, 9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' 11 calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. When Nebuchadnezzar was restored to his right mind, this is what he confessed. ESV Daniel 4:34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; 35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?" Well, as we look at the burial of Jesus, we see this very truth on display. At His burial our Savior was honored by His disciples. But we also see our Lord, unwittingly, honored by His enemies. THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THE JEWS, THOSE WHO HAD WORKED FOR THE MURDER OF JESUS, WOULD HAVE NEVER INTENTIONALLY PAID HIM HOMAGE. And yet, in a strange way, that is exactly what they did — by the way they responded to His burial. OUR LORD’S BURIAL EXPOSES HIS ENEMIES. HE EXPOSES THEIR SPIRITUAL CONDITION. HE EXPOSES THEIR FEARS. HE EXPOSES THE FUTILITY OF THEIR DESIRE TO STOP WHAT HE PROMISED HE WOULD DO. Tonight, we look again at the burial of Jesus, and as we do, we see the fear and the futility of His enemies. I. A FEARFUL REQUEST (vs.62-64) Jesus was crucified on a Friday. The day after the preparation for Sabbath — the next day, Saturday, the Sabbath day — the chief priests and Pharisees met with Pilate. ESV Mark 15:42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Pilate must have thought to himself, how many more meetings about this Jesus? But here they were, and they wanted something additional. What they wanted was very revealing. As we said, they were exposed by our Lord’s burial. A. THEY REVEAL THEIR GODLESS ALLEGIANCE They address Pilate as Lord. It is true that the word can simply be used as a term of respect, as it is rendered here — “sir.” But in the context of the gospel of Matthew it is certainly striking. John Nolland —"Except in a few parables, where the ‘Lord’ of the parable functions metaphorically as an image of Jesus and/or God, the address κύριε (‘Lord/master’) has been reserved exclusively for Jesus elsewhere in the Gospel. Against this background, the use of κύριε here on the lips of the chief priests and the Pharisees, and addressed to Pilate, has an impact not unlike that of Jn. 19:15, where the chief priests say, ‘We have no king but Caesar’.:#_ftn1 But even if you say, “I think that is reading too much into that term of respect” then simply look at how these men continue to make use of Pilate. They wanted Pilate to shield them from losing their place of influence to Jesus, by crucifying Jesus. Now they want Pilate to shield them from losing their place (in their own words, an even worse situation), by keeping Christ’s body in the tomb. These men are not aiming to please God, they are aiming to please themselves. B. THEY REVEAL THAT THEY HEARD CHRIST’S CLAIMS OF RESURRECTION (vs.63) Remember that one of the key arguments made against Jesus during the Jewish phase of His trials, was that He had claimed that He would destroy the temple, and then could raise it up. Jesus was never talking about the temple in Jerusalem. He was talking about the temple of His body. #_ftnref1 John Nolland, https://ref.ly/logosres/nigtcmt?ref=bible.mt27.63&off=6&ctx=he+situation.%0a27%3a63+~except+in+a+few+para, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2005), 1236.
The Burial of Jesus Part 1
April 14, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • Matthew 27:57–66
Introduction: “God spoke to me,” “I thought I heard God saying to me,” — you often hear people talk like that. But how does God speak to people (characteristically) and how does He speak to us in our day? The Bible tells us that He has spoken at many different times and in many different ways, but that His preeminent communication of truth has come in His Son. ESV Hebrews 1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. WHERE DO YOU FIND THAT MESSAGE? WHERE DO YOU FIND THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST? WE FIND THAT MESSAGE — THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST — IN SCRIPTURE. This is how God has preserved it, and chosen to communicate it, for the rest of time. The desire that many professing Christians have for communication from God that comes from outside the Scriptures, reveals a very real ignorance OF the Scriptures. Why do I say this? Because even when the Son of God was on the earth, He constantly pointed people to the Scriptures to understand who He was. And when THE FATHER testified to His Son at the cross, He did so, by providence and by supernatural activity, in WAYS THAT FULFILLED THE SCRIPTURES. The testimony of Christ pointed to the Scriptures. The testimony of His Father pointed to the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit of God is the AUTHOR OF THE SCRIPTURES. ESV 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. ESV Acts 1:16 "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. Even before the closing of the canon, new revelation was authenticated by its relationship to previous revelation. GOD HAS NEVER HAD A COMMUNICATION PROBLEM. GOD’S ONLY LIMITATIONS, WHEN IT COMES TO THE MEANS BY WHICH HE CHOOSES TO COMMUNICATE, ARE SELF-IMPOSED. HE COULD COMMUNICATE ANY WAY HE WANTS. So that, we must ask why God bothered giving the Scriptures? It is because this is how He has chosen to speak to us. THIS ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT GOD HAS SAID IN THE SCRIPTURES ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES. Why has God ascribed such honor to the Scriptures? ESV Psalm 138:1 Of David. I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; 2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word ESV Isaiah 42:21 The LORD was pleased, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious. Why does He emphasize the TREASURED NATURE of the Scriptures? ESV Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Why does He emphasize the SUFFICIENCY of the Scriptures? ESV Luke 16:24 And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' 25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.' 27 And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house-- 28 for I have five brothers-- so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' 29 But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' 30 And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'" Why does He commend our SANCTIFICATION to the Scriptures? ESV John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. IT IS BECAUSE GOD HAS CHOSEN TO SPEAK TO US THROUGH THE SCRIPTURES. I bring this up because we see this once more as we come to the burial of Jesus. We saw this at the cross. God working through providence, and God working through miracles, but everything related back to the Word of God. Now we see the same when we come to the burial and resurrection of Jesus. We will see God working in amazing ways through providence, and we will see miracles on display in His resurrection, and through it all, God’s Word is being fulfilled. In the case of Christ’s burial, God’s providence is especially on display again. But there is something else on display in the burial of Christ. There is a clear contrast between the disciples of Christ and the enemies of Christ. I. THE PEOPLE OF GOD AND THE BURIAL OF CHRIST (vs.57-60) In the Jewish accounting of time, each day ended and began at sundown. The new day would begin AFTER THE EVENING. The evening time continued until about 6:00 pm around that time of year. Jesus died at 3:00 pm, and something had to be done with His body. It was unlawful to leave a corpse on a tree overnight. ESV Deuteronomy 21:22 "And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance. That was true on ANY day, but it would have especially been concerning on THAT day, because the Sabbath was approach. And it wasn’t just any Sabbath, it was also the Passover. That meant it was a “high day.” You’ll remember that this is why the Jews asked for the legs of the victims, including Jesus, to be broken — to hasten their deaths. NOTE: THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THE JEWS PUT THEIR HYPOCRISY ON DISPLAY ONCE AGAIN, BECAUSE THEY HAD NO CONCERN ABOUT DISOBEYING THE WORD OF GOD IN THE WAY THAT THEY SOUGHT THE DEATH OF CHRIST. BUT NOW THEY ARE SUDDENLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE WORD OF GOD WHEN IT COMES TO THE SABBATH. This is the leaven that Jesus warned about. The leaven of hypocrisy. It is a soul condemning blindness. You do not see because you are unwilling to see. You are selective in what concerns you — not out of concern for God but based on what serves your purposes. Well, these men were hypocrites. And they prove it yet again. ESV John 19:31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness-- his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth-- that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken." 37 And again another Scripture says, "They will look on him whom they have pierced." 38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. John pointed out that this fulfilled Scripture. Our Lord’s supernatural death, and the things that took place with those victims, fulfilled the Word of God. But now something had to be done with Christ’s body. The bodies of criminals were not usually treated with dignity. The WAY they died was meant to be a deterrent. The way their body was disposed of was sometimes also used as a deterrent. John MacArthur — “The body of a victim normally would be given only to a family member. Often, however, even that humane consideration was not permitted, because public desecration of the body by throwing it into an open grave or onto a garbage heap was sometimes used as an additional warning about the serious consequences of opposing Rome.”#_ftn1 Craig Blomberg — “… a rich man named Joseph boldly approaches the Roman governor to ask for permission to give Jesus’ body a more decent burial than executed criminals would otherwise have received (vv. 57-58).” #_ftn2 So, it seems clear that there were no prior plans made for the burial of Jesus. All His disciples have fled. There is no one attempting to claim His body. When STEPPING FORWARD IS A MAN NEVER SPOKEN OF OUTSIDE THIS CONTEXT. Joseph of Arimathea. A. A MAN WHO CARED FOR JESUS (vs.57-59) Who was this man? 1. WHO HE WAS Matthew tells us a few things about him. a. HE WAS RICH He was a wealthy man. Keep that in mind (because we will see in a moment), that his wealth will prove to have biblical significance. b. HE WAS A JUDEAN Matthew tells us that he was from Arimathea. No one is certain of exactly where that was, but most scholars believe it was just north of Jerusalem. That would mean that Joseph was not a Galilean. There are other clear indicators that he was from Judea. He was a member of the Sanhedrin. ESV Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. His tomb, which we will learn in a moment was the burial place for Jesus, was right there in Jerusalem, and near the place of crucifixion. ESV John 19:41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. Joseph’s wealth allowed him to own a tomb like that. c. HE WAS INFLUENTIAL We will talk more about this in a moment, but even without accessing the other gospel accounts we can see that he was an influential man because he somehow has access to Pilate, the Roman governor. d. HE WAS A DISCIPLE OF JESUS But Matthew tells us something else, very important. HE HAD BECOME A DISCIPLE OF JESUS. #_ftnref1John MacArthur, Matthew 24–28, https://accordance.bible/link/read/macarthur_ntc-2#10864. Accordance electronic ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1989), 295. #_ftnref2Craig L. Blomberg, Matthew, ed. E. Ray Clendenen and David S. Dockery, vol. 22 of https://accordance.bible/link/read/nac#111080. Accordance electronic ed. (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 423.
At The Cross Part 3
April 7, 2024 • Richard Caldwell Jr. • Matthew 27:45–56
Introduction: Our God was giving His testimony to His Son at the cross. He was testifying regarding His Son providentially. He was testifying regarding His Son supernaturally. Last week and this morning we have been looking at that supernatural testimony. So far, we have seen three. I. A SUPERNATURAL TESTIMONY OF JUDGMENT (vs.45-49) II. A SUPERNATURAL TESTIMONY OF AUTHORITY (vs.50) Our Lord dies in a way unlike anyone else who has ever lived. God gives us truth that allows us to see that Jesus dismissed His life in a way that was sovereign. III. A SUPERNATURAL TESTIMONY OF FORGIVENESS (vs.51a) When Matthew tells us about the veil of the temple being torn in two from top to bottom, we are now looking at what follows the death of Christ. God was testifying WHILE JESUS WAS DYING, and now we see that God’s testimony continue AFTER JESUS DIED. The first two supernatural testimonies had to do with who Jesus was and what He was doing. What follows testifies to what He accomplished. With the rending of the veil the message of open access to God through the work of His Son is clearly communicated. It represents the ending of one era of redemptive history, and the opening of a new era of redemptive history. Salvation has always been by the grace of God. Salvation has always been by God’s provision for man’s sins in His Son. But now the payment for sins was offered. No more need for a temple and the sacrifices offered there. No more need for Israel’s priesthood. Jesus is the sacrifice and Jesus is the priest — the one mediator between God and men. Now those have been forgiven have direct access to God in Christ. IV. A SUPERNATURAL TESTIMONY OF LIBERATION (vs.51b-53) That brings us tonight to the 4th supernatural testimony that God gave to who His Son is and what He accomplished. It was a testimony of liberation. WHAT HAS CHRIST ACCOMPLISHED FOR US? HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED DELIVERANCE FOR US. HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED A GREAT VICTORY FOR US. HE HAS DEFEATED OUR GREAT SPIRITUAL ENEMIES The enemy of Satan. The enemy of sin. The enemy of death. The result is that we are FREE. But that freedom has more than one aspect. We are immediately free in the sense of slavery. But we are also looking forward to the day when that freedom is fully manifested — when the spoils of Christ’s victory are fully experienced by His people. This is why the New Testament speaks to us concerning our hope. ESV Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. That includes the hope of resurrection. ESV 2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened-- not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. What happens just following the death of Christ speaks of who He is and the liberation He has won. A. THE EARTHQUAKE AND THE SPLITTING OF ROCKS SPEAKS OF WHO JESUS IS (A MESSAGE OF JUDGMENT) Matthew is the only one of the gospel writers who mentions this earthquake. When we remember that he is specially making a case to the Jewish people, we remember that what he chooses to include often calls OT Scripture to mind. What does this earthquake bring to mind? Passages like these. ESV Nahum 1:1 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh. 2 The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. 3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. 4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither; the bloom of Lebanon withers. 5 The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. 6 Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him. 7 The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. 8 But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness. ESV Micah 1:2 Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord GOD be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. 3 For behold, the LORD is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. 4 And the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will split open, like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place. 5 All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? 6 Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country, a place for planting vineyards, and I will pour down her stones into the valley and uncover her foundations. 7 All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, all her wages shall be burned with fire, and all her idols I will lay waste, for from the fee of a prostitute she gathered them, and to the fee of a prostitute they shall return. 8 For this I will lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will make lamentation like the jackals, and mourning like the ostriches. 9 For her wound is incurable, and it has come to Judah; it has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem. ESV Zechariah 14:1 Behold, a day is coming for the LORD, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. 5 And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.