Zechariah 12:6

"In that day will I make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among the wood, and like a flaming torch among the sheaves; and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and they of Jerusalem shall yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem."

"In that day ..." "This removes the whole passage from any association with the fortunes of literal Jerusalem. "The Jerusalem which is above is free, which is our mother"; this is the apostolic key to understanding the passage. The terminology used here made it almost certain that racial Israel would accept the promise literally. Their view of the Messiah was that he would suddenly appear as a great military leader who would utterly annihilate all of the Gentile states and turn the government of the earth over to Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians.

What the passage really means is that God's people will be able to overcome "all of the fiery darts of the evil one" (Galatians 6:16). As in ancient Israel, so it is today, there are many who do not have the spiritual understanding to discern the true meaning. Some are still waiting for God to do this "literally" in some kind of a millennial kingdom with Jerusalem as the earthly capital of it. The Christ made it plain enough for all who will hear, "My kingdom is NOT OF THIS WORLD" (John 18:36).

A failure to see that "Judah" in this passage is not the same as in Zechariah 12:2 results in some very imaginative interpretations. Baldwin wrote:

"The very fact that Judah is among the enemy is turned to advantage. As instantaneously as fire ignites dry tinder and ripe sheaves, so will Judah inflict devastation on the enemy while Jerusalem watches."[17]

"However, it is God's wrath and not theirs, that is the fire which devours the adversaries."[18] Exactly this same thought is found in the New Testament. "And if any man proceedeth to hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies" (Revelation 11:5).

Deane considered this verse as teaching the protective power of God over his church as promised by the Saviour, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).