Zech. 12:2-3

2 The LORD [Yahovah] hath been sore [qetseph] displeased [qatsaph] with your fathers ['ab].

3 Therefore say ['amar] thou unto them, Thus saith ['amar] the LORD [Yahovah] of hosts [tsaba']; Turn [shuwb] ye unto me, saith [na'um] the LORD [Yahovah] of hosts [tsaba'], and I will turn [shuwb] unto you, saith ['amar] the LORD [Yahovah] of hosts [tsaba']. KJV-Interlinear

2 Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. 3 And it will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. NASB

This cup is a cup of judgment. From Gods view, this judgment is set against all those who attack His people. God judges, and those who are against God, misjudge.

The cup is one from which people drink their favorite beverage. Usually wine. And as is usually the custom, too much wine is consumed. The person becomes disoriented, delusional, staggering when he gets up to walk. He is certain of his own judgment, but in reality, his coordination and senses are all screwed up.

This is a cup of certain consequences. The repercussions of their decision to drink from the cup, are known. When a people drink too much, and have crossed that invisible line, of leaving clear consciousness behind, then get into their car and drive down a very busy highway, the result is not surprising. They will get into an accident, and the accident will have fatalities their own.

This is the cup, from which the enemies of God will drink. Misjudgment ending in their own doom

Now we add one more item into the mix, the stone. In every generation since ancient times, men would gather together, to test their manly skills. They would pick up heavy stones and throw them. The winner of course, is the one who can throw the heaviest stone, the furthest. Real man stuff! And, of course the girls get all excited over the biggest and the strongest.

The match is one of strength, of laughter and joking, and of course, there would be the customary drinking. If one picked up a stone, which was just too heavy, then injury can occur. They could get a hernia, or just drop the stone on their leg or foot. And you know that when the guys have had a little too much to drink, then the silliness and injuries tend to escalate. They always attack the boulder which simply cannot be moved. But they will try and try again.

And now we have a clear picture of the attitude that the nations of the world will have toward Jerusalem and Judah. Judah as the region and Jerusalem as the city, will be too big of a stone for them to bear.

The army of the King of the North, will drive through Israel on its way to Africa. It will more or less ignore Israel as it invades rapidly through the region. Usually a fast moving army will drive through a region in order to get to its objective. Follow up units will come in later and clean up the pockets of resistance in order to make the region more secure.

Judah and Jerusalem will offer furious resistance. Any and all attempts to capture them, will be met with utter failure for the Northern army. Combine this with the counterattack of the Kings of the East and West, and the Northern army s advance into Africa will be halted. It will have to turn back, in order to meet the threat of the attack, from the East and West.

Now with its own army being fought off by local units in Judah and Jerusalem, and with the armies from the Eastern and Western nations, entering into the region in northern Israel, the stage is set for the greatest and final battle of them all. And actually, this will be one long continuous series of battles. The fighting will just not cease. Fighting, in varying degrees, will continue day and night until the Lord returns.

With Jerusalem caught in the middle of it all, and being the toughest nut to crack, then Jerusalem will become the focus of attention for the attacking armies.

They will attack and attack, again and again. And, just like the manly contest where men try and keep trying to lift the impossible rock, falling over themselves convinced that this little ten ton stone just cannot be that difficult to defeat, so too, the armies will attack and attack, continually falling back on defeat. Once making a little ground, and then losing a little ground. And, Jerusalem will become an obsession of her enemies. None of her enemies will be able to stop themselves from the continual attacks, even though enemy losses will be staggering.

God will allow the enemy to advance ever so slowly, as two-thirds of Jerusalem will eventually fall, however the remaining one-third of the city will never be taken.

It will not be just the army of the North fighting Jerusalem, but all of the armies of the world, will be inter-tangled in the fight with each other, and with Jerusalem.

Now is the time to post a prayer.