Zechariah 13:2
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
God will remove idolatry from His land so completely that even the names of idols are cut off and forgotten. With that cleansing He will also cause the false prophets, who only took the name of prophets to deceive, and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. The unclean spirit is Satan and his demons, real evil spirits working through the false prophets by false inspiration and varied deceptions to lead multitudes into impurity and sin. Those who hold fast to God's Word and test every prophet and spirit by it will not be deceived. This belongs to the prophecy of Christ's kingdom and the great day of the Lord with final restoration for those who seek God and judgment on the wicked, fulfilled in measure when Israel returned from Babylon to Canaan and to be fulfilled more fully in the final restoration.
Meaning of the Cleansing
God will cut off the names of the idols out of the land so that they shall no more be remembered, altogether removing idolatry from the land. That cleansing looks toward final restoration for those who seek God and toward judgment for those who reject Him. Cleansing from sin is followed by the removal of evil from God's land, including false prophets and manifestations of an unclean spirit. The removal of prophets is also associated with the period of unfaithfulness when there were no prophets from Malachi until Jesus came, when anyone claiming to be a prophet was false, and when false prophets could become ashamed of their deceptive visions and turn away from them.
The prophets to be caused to pass out of the land are false prophets, called prophets only because they falsely assumed that name, as shown by their standing between idols before and the unclean spirit after. Different renderings call them false preachers, and they wear rough garments to deceive by imitating the ancient prophets.
The unclean spirit to be caused to pass out is Satan, the devil, a satanic agency and impure, foul, or evil influence. The unclean spirits are real spirits of devils or demons of the kind Jesus cast out, not spirits of dead people, from which people need the Lord to deliver them.
That satanic influence works together with those false prophets to lead people into impurity, sin, and false inspiration, working through prophets and using varied means to mislead the multitudes. Those who cling to God's Word and test the prophets and spirits by it will not be deceived.
Time and Prophetic Fulfillment
The verse belongs to the prophecy of Christ's kingdom, the great day of the Lord, and the punishment of the wicked. The closing prophecies of Zechariah look toward final restoration for those who seek God and toward judgment for those who reject Him. It is part of the latest Old Testament prophecy concerning the restoration of the Jews to the literal land of Canaan. That restoration was fulfilled when Israel returned and dwelt in its cities forty-two years after the prophecy.
It was fulfilled in measure when Israel returned from Babylonian captivity and to a greater extent, under different conditions, in the final restoration. Zechariah's work was as a prophet of the restoration, encouraging Zerubbabel and Ezra in building the temple and restoring Jerusalem. That restoration reformation movement is a type of the last reformation. The chapter belongs to the prophecy of the time of Christ's first coming and foretells His death and burial, and Zechariah 11:7-11 concerns that same time.
The removal of prophets is also associated with the period of unfaithfulness when there were no prophets from Malachi until Jesus came. Anyone claiming to be a prophet in that interval was false. False prophets could become ashamed of their deceptive visions and turn away from them. The removal of idolatry, false prophets, and the unclean spirit is placed in the day when the Lord brings mercy and refreshment to His church.
In that day the church receives abundant peace and grace, pictured as waters flowing like a river. It describes a time when idolatry will be removed and false prophets and unclean spirits will cease from the land after their work of deception is complete and exposed. Their deceptions continue even under the sixth plague. The unclean spirits are the spirits of devils working miracles out of the mouth of the dragon and the beast and the false prophet to gather the kings of the earth and of the whole world to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
This brings the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth.