Zechariah 12:3
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. 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.
In that day God makes Jerusalem a stone too heavy for the nations to lift, so that all who try to seize, carry or control it are wounded and cut in pieces though all the peoples of the earth gather against it. It belongs to the closing prophecies of Zechariah, which look beyond the return from Babylon to the Messianic King and kingdom and the final restoration of God's people at Christ's coming. Its burdening of the nations comes in the closing days, when the nations gather against Jerusalem for the final battle of Armageddon and Jerusalem and the land about it bear the brunt of that attack. Though the besieging powers seem to take the city, their apparent victory becomes their ruin at the moment God intervenes, as strife over possession and the withdrawal of His restraint turn them against one another until their armies are destroyed. The promised miraculous defense was set before the Jews on condition of receiving Christ as their King, so that when the nation rejected Him the protection was withdrawn and city, temple and nation were left to destruction.
Meaning and Historical Setting
In that day Jerusalem is made a burdensome stone for all peoples, a stone too heavy for the nations to move. All that burden themselves with it, that try to lift it, carry it, bear it, seize it, possess it or control it, shall be injured, sore wounded and cut in pieces. This holds though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it, even if all the peoples of the earth unite against it.
The verse belongs to the later chapters of Zechariah, which look beyond the restoration from Babylon to the final glorious restoration at Christ's coming. The historical setting and authorship of these chapters are disputed, and that question may affect interpretation of some promises, but not their moral import or inspiration. More particularly it belongs to the later section, chapters 9-14, which contains predictions about the Messianic King and kingdom. It belongs to the closing prophecies of the book, which look forward to the final restoration of God's people and foretell judgment on those who reject him.
The last chapters give the latest Old Testament prophecy concerning the return of the Jews to the literal land of Canaan, given in B.C. 487. That prophecy was completely fulfilled to national Israel forty-two years later, by B.C. 445, when all Israel dwelt in their cities.
Prophecy of Final Conflict
In that day Jerusalem is made a heavy stone for all peoples in the closing days, when the nations are gathered for Armageddon and Michael stands up for God's people. That becoming a burdensome stone describes the restoration to power of true Israel and the hope that Christ's coming brings to His waiting people. It belongs to the prophecy of the great battle of Armageddon just before Christ comes, when the nations gather against Jerusalem and meet catastrophe. Jerusalem and the surrounding country will bear the brunt of that final attack by the nations.
In the final battle the nations take the city, but rivalry over who shall possess or control it turns them against one another until their armies are destroyed. Every power that tries to possess or control it shall be cut to pieces, even if all the peoples of the earth unite against it, for God's restraining Spirit is withdrawn and they are left to destroy each other. When the nations besiege Jerusalem their apparent victory becomes trembling and ruin, for the city is like a heavy stone that injures those who try to carry it. Its capture is the moment God intervenes against them, whose assault is part of an attempt to destroy God's people.
At Armageddon this applies to the armies of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet gathering against Jerusalem. As the combined armies of Christendom face one another, Jerusalem becomes a burden to them, and those who try to bear or seize it are cut to pieces even when all the peoples of the earth unite against it, and they are struck with destruction. The nations lay siege to Jerusalem during their war against the Turk, but their attack will be futile. When they appear to have won, God will strike them, and their triumph will be brief. After the war Jerusalem comes under international government and becomes the focus of a struggle among the nations, in which those that burden themselves with the city will be sore wounded.
Conditional Promise and Application
Jerusalem was to be miraculously preserved when all the nations attacked it. Whether that protection would belong to the Jews depended on their choice to receive or reject Christ as their king. If they had received him, Roman chariots, horses, and weapons would have been cut off and God would have miraculously defended the city against its enemies. When the nation rejected him, the promised protection was withdrawn, and their city, temple, and nation were destroyed by God's judgment. The chapter is fulfilled as people recognize that their own sin helped cause Christ's suffering, and this recognition prepares them to turn from sin and take part in the prophesied response to him.
The burdensome stone is the Sabbath. As Jerusalem in apostasy was a burden, so the Sabbath is a burden to the denominations. Their representatives try to explain it in ways that fit their contrary practices.