Zechariah 9:10
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
The verse foretells the Messiah coming lowly as King to bring salvation and peace to the nations, a coming partly fulfilled when Christ rode into Jerusalem shortly before his crucifixion. It offered Israel that if they received him God would cut off the weapons threatening them and defend Jerusalem, and through him establish peace among the nations, but because they rejected him the promised protection was withdrawn and destruction came instead. The promise was misread as meaning he would come the first time as a great conqueror to break Rome's yoke and exalt Israel to rule over other nations, and because he came without military display he was refused. Its dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth means a universal and everlasting kingdom over the whole earth, the first dominion Adam lost restored through Christ after the earth is cleansed by fire and given to the saints. That kingdom is not yet set up, God's kingdom now being in the hearts of his people while Christ as priest speaks peace, and it will be fully accomplished when wars are made to cease, judgment is executed, and Christ reigns with his saints on the earth made new.
Setting and Context
Zechariah 9 stands within chapters 9-14, which were once Jeremiah's writings placed among Zechariah's when the manuscripts were collected. Their language is more like Jeremiah's, including the phrase the burden of the word of the Lord, whereas the earlier chapters repeatedly say the word of the Lord came to Zechariah. Chapters 9 through 11 carry the spirit of Jeremiah and belong to the third division of the Old Testament beginning with Jeremiah and called by the name Jeremiah, so this prophecy is rightly called the words of Jeremiah.
The chapter prophesies coming events, principally the conquests of Greece. In that historical setting Jerusalem is spared when Alexander the Great conquers the region. Its account of the Jews' conflict with the Greeks was fulfilled before Christ presented himself to the Jews, because the Grecian kingdom had given way to the Roman kingdom before His first advent.
The latter part of Zechariah in chapters 9 to 14 reaches far beyond Zechariah's own time. It looks beyond the restoration from Babylon to the final restoration, when Christ will come. It predicts the Messianic King and His kingdom. The section predicts Christ's kingdom, the great day of the Lord, and the punishment of the wicked. It belongs to the closing prophecies that look forward to the final restoration and offer hope to God's people who truly seek Him and grasp the promises of the Spirit by faith, while foretelling judgment on those who reject God.
The prophecy of restoration was given to encourage Zerubbabel and Ezra in building the temple and restoring Jerusalem. That restoration reformation movement is a type of the last reformation.
Offer and Fulfillment
Zechariah 9:9-10 belongs together as the prophecy of Christ's entrance as Israel's king, presenting him coming humbly to Jerusalem as King to bring salvation and peace to the nations. The lowly coming riding upon an ass was partially fulfilled in the triumphal entry into Jerusalem shortly before his crucifixion, which proves the prophecy applies to Christ. The chapter describes the coming king and his kingdom but does not say the kingdom would be established immediately when the people proclaimed him king. The disciples were left to understand it more fully after their disappointment, namely that Christ had to suffer before coming in his kingdom.
The verse promised that if Israel received Christ as king, God would remove the Roman chariots, horses, and weapons threatening Ephraim and Jerusalem and would miraculously defend them. Christ would then establish peace among the nations through his judgments extending throughout the earth. Receiving him would have meant Jerusalem's preservation, while rejecting him would bring the city's destruction. It was not fulfilled for the nation because the people rejected Christ and did not love his character, and the broken staff called Beauty signified withdrawal of the promised protection from Jerusalem and the nation.
The prophecy describes the Messiah's first advent as Redeemer of the Jews and of the whole world, not as a ruler exalting Israel by subjugating other nations. The Samaritans understood he would come for the world, while the Jews' expectation of national power led them to misread the prophecies and reject Jesus. That misreading took the promise of worldly power for Israel at the first coming and confused it with his second, majestic and glorious appearing. Jewish leaders seized on the promise of worldwide rule and taught the Messiah would appear as a great conqueror to break the Roman yoke and lift Israel to rule over all nations. They buried truth under their own doctrines, maxims and traditions and spread this false reading among the people, and because Jesus came without military display they refused to believe, turned from him, resisted his words and worked to counteract his influence.
The cutting off of chariot, horse, and battle bow is still future and will be fulfilled when Christ causes wars to cease to the ends of the earth and sets up a kingdom whose dominion fills the whole earth. By the blood of his covenant he frees prisoners from the pit, connecting covenant blood with cleansing from sin and restoration of what sin has lost. During his present priestly rule on his Father's throne he speaks peace to the heathen while the counsel of peace is between Father and Son. This is not a mild reign over unconverted nations amid his enemies, since his rule with the rod of iron precedes and is immediately connected with their destruction at his coming.
Universal Everlasting Kingdom
The verse describes the Messiah's kingdom as a kingdom of peace, extending from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth, whose promised peace will be fully accomplished under his reign when he speaks peace to the heathen. That dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth means the whole earth. It is a universal and exclusive future kingdom of God on earth, with no other kingdoms left when his worldwide dominion is established. It means the stone cut out without hands that smashes all other kingdoms to pieces and becomes a great mountain filling the whole earth is the kingdom of God, with Christ as eternal King ruling from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.
Christ, the promised Seed, the Seed of Abraham and royal Successor of David, will have the first dominion, the dominion Adam lost, and through him God's purpose in creating the earth will yet be accomplished. That dominion and the race were sold to Satan when Adam sinned, and Christ, who was not subject to the penalty of death, died and paid the claim of the law, and so redeems both the dominion and the race. After the deformed and polluted earth is cleansed by fire the first dominion lost by man will be restored, and his dominion will be worldwide from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth as an everlasting kingdom given to the people of the saints.
The Lord shall be King over all the earth, and the first dominion shall come to Christ with the kingdom coming to the daughter of Jerusalem to endure forever as an everlasting kingdom. In that kingdom he judges the poor, saves the children of the needy, and breaks the oppressor. Its promise of dominion from sea to sea is linked to Christ's coming in regal glory and coming into possession of his everlasting kingdom extending across the whole earth, applied to Christ reigning with his saints on the earth made new.
That full kingdom is not yet set up in the earth, for God's only kingdom on earth now is in the hearts of his people, while the full kingdom described remains a future consummation to pray for that comes only when Christ comes. The universal worship and dominion of Christ speaking peace to the heathen and ruling over the whole earth from sea to sea to the ends of the earth is not fulfilled in the present peace cry of the nations, which is false, but in the future after judgment. Then every knee bows at the judgment-seat of Christ, some in glad praise and some too late, and then beyond sin and strife and the grave and judgment Christ reigns eternally on the earth made new where the saved nations worship before God. The language of ruling from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth expresses the worldwide reach and greatness of Christ's kingdom, which is the source of the Gospel reform's cause and authority.