Bernard Pyron
"And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two
parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left
therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will
refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried:
they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is
my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God (Zechariah 13: 8-9)."
John Gill, the 18th century Reformed Baptist, says of Zechariah 13: 8
that "...for this prophecy seems to have respect, not to the
calamities of the Jews at the destruction of Jerusalem, after the
death of Christ, when a few were saved, a remnant according to the
election of grace, yet so as by fire, for whose sake the days of
tribulation were shortened; but to the external state of the church,
and the trouble of it throughout Christendom, about the time of the
destruction of antichrist: two parts therein shall be cut off [and]
die;
all hypocrites, formalists, and outward court worshippers; who seem
as if they would be at this time two thirds of the professors of true
religion; who will not be able to stand the hour of temptation that
will come upon all the earth, to try the inhabitants of it; which
will be the last struggle of the beast of Rome, (Revelation 3:10) but
will be twice dead, plucked up by the roots; will die to the
profession of religion, and be cut off from the people of God, and
have no more a name with them: but the third shall be left therein;
the few names in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments; the
hundred forty and four thousand that will stand with Christ, and by
him, on Mount Zion, being redeemed from among men, (Revelation 3:4)
(14:1,4) compare with this (Revelation 16:19) ."
John Gill believed that Zechariah 13: 8-9 applies to Christians
in the end times, and is not limited to Old Testament Israel.
However, he is a little ambiguous in saying this prophecy is about
the trouble of the church "...throughout Christendom, about the time
of the destruction of antichrist." He might be saying that Zechariah
13: 8-9 as a principle of God's dividing his people into three parts
and judging them in different ways applies both to all of Christendom
but especially to the last days. The time of the destruction of
antichrist is at the end, not throughout Christendom. We can disagree
with a couple of points he makes here. The Reformed ministers in the
18th century thought the beasts of Revelation 13 were Roman
Catholicism and the Pope. In their time they were partly right but
the beasts of Revelation 13 are certainly not exhausted as prophecy
in being interpreted as the Pope and Roman Catholicism. The 144,000
are not in the one third of Zechariah 13: 8-9 who are brought through
a fire and then call on the Lord and he accepts them.
Zechariah 13: 8-9 is about God's judgment on those proclaiming to be
his people, some of whom, in Gill's words, are "hypocrites,
formalists, and outward court worshippers. " They are nominal
Christians or apostates. But note that in Zechariah 13: 8-9 one third
of professing Christians are brought through a fire, which is also a
form of judgment by the Lord, but not a final judgment leading to
damnation. To be judged this one third who are sent through a fire
and then call on God must also be imperfect in some ways, perhaps are
also in apostasy which is not as fixed or rigid as that of the other
two thirds.
For that one third who are sent through a fire and turn to the Lord
God's judgment is not the final everlasting judgment at the Great
White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20: 11-15. For the other two
thirds it is.
Ezekiel 5: 1-5 and 5: 12 can be seen to reinforce Zechariah 13: 8-9.
In the parable of old Ezekiel cutting off his hair and beard
there are also three main parts, representing the people of God.
Ezekiel 5: 5 says "This is Jerusalem," not meaning the prophecy is
limited only to Old Testament Israel, but to all of God's people.
Again, Jerusalem as God's people is burned with fire in verses 2 and
4 and in verse 12 one third will die by pestilence, a third by famine
and a third by the sword. But in verse 3 Ezekiel is to take a very
few in number and bind them in his skirts. These few in number are
not said to go through a fire.
In the Book of Revelation, Chapter 17 and verses one through seven
there is "Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and
Abominations of the Earth, which is false religion, or Christianity
in false doctrines. Even the outward language here points to "Mystery
Babylon," probably ancient Babylonian Religion.
Then Revelation 16: 19 says "And the great city was divided into
three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon
came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine
of the fierceness of his wrath."
In prophecy Babylon can have political, economic and military layers,
but it is also apostate religion, or false Christianity as Mystery
Babylon the Great.
The three parts that Mystery Babylon is divided into correspond to
the three part division of God's people in Zechariah 13: 8-9, where
two thirds are cut off and die.
Revelation 18: 4 does call Christians in the end times to come
out of
Mystery Babylon, out of false doctrines. Agreeing that Revelation
18: 4 says this does not necessarily mean agreement with the
teachings of Harold Camping and his followers who use this verse.
Camping has been broadcasting for years on Family Radio and
recently came
out with his "Depart Out" teaching, that Christians must leave the
churches because, he says, the "Church Age" ended in 1994. Others
who are independent of Camping have left the churches and some of
these are more explicit in explaining why they left, usually because
of false doctrines taught in the churches.
If we interpret Deuteronomy 32: 35-36 by Zechariah 13: 8-9
we can see that God's judgment on his people here is not a final
judgment leading to everlasting condemnation and punishment for all
his people included in his judgment.
"To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in
due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things
that come upon them shall make haste. For the Lord shall judge his
people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their
power is gone, and there is none shut up or left" (Deuteronomy 32: 35-
36).
Power is Strong's number 3027, meaning power, means, or strength.
Saying there are none of God's people who were judged still shut up
implies they were before shut up, that is, in jail. Saying there are
none left must mean they have all been killed.
God is said to repent for what has happened to these his servants
and this statement can be seen to be consistent with the one third in
Zechariah 13: 8-9 who go through a fire but call on the Lord and he
accepts them, meaning the judgment on them is not final. Bernard
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