Zechariah 12: 2 – 3: Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
The city of Jerusalem has been the focal point of the world’s attention for many decades. The prophet Zechariah foresaw this and said that Jerusalem would be a cup of trembling or a reeling to all the nations as they sway to and fro with a situation they cannot control, and which has brought constant insecurity to the world as it tries to grapple with the delicate matters of the Middle East and Israel. Zechariah then went on to say that Jerusalem would be a burdensome or heavy stone to all that get themselves involved with Jerusalem and the Jewish people, and that they would have no end of trouble in their futile attempts to create a lasting peace between the Jews and Arabs. Indeed, America and Britain especially have had no end of trouble in their involvement with Israel since it became a nation in 1948.
The world’s obsession with Israel and Jerusalem reveals to us that Armageddon will be a global event that sucks in ALL the nations (Zechariah 12: 3). A great international confederation of nations such as Russia and its armies (Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39) and the Beast and its armies will descend upon it (Revelation 17 and Revelation 19). The following is then recorded in Zechariah 14: 14: And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. Israel will fight for its very survival and existence against its enemies who will come against it with plenty of armaments and huge financial backing to wage such a war. Armageddon will be the climax of World War Three and the ancient city of Jerusalem will be the scene of the most dramatic events and the place where the tables will be turned against aggression. In short, Jerusalem will be the Stalingrad of World War Three.
The Battle of Stalingrad (one of Russia’s important industrial cities) was a brutal military campaign between the Russians and the Germans during World War Two. It was one of the largest, longest and bloodiest engagements in modern warfare, lasting from August of 1942 to February of 1943, during which more than two million troops fought in close quarters, and nearly two million soldiers and civilians were killed or injured in the fighting. It was the Battle of Stalingrad that ultimately turned the tide of war in favor of the allies.
Jerusalem, like Stalingrad, will be the epicenter of a desperate siege or drawn-out battle as the nations of the world attempt to overrun it. Zechariah 14: 2 sums up the siege: For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Ultimately, after Moses and Elijah and the 144,000 Jews have been killed (Revelation 11: 7 – 8), the city will be taken and plundered, the women raped, and many will be taken prisoner. But this will be the turning point of Armageddon, for it is at this moment that the Lord Jesus will return to the earth with His Bride to save Israel and to destroy all those who have come against the apple of His eye (Zechariah 14: 3).