What does Zechariah 13:9 say God will do to the surviving third of Israel?
According to Zechariah 13:9, God will bring the surviving third part of Israel through the fire. In Scripture fire depicts testing. He will refine them as silver is refined and try them as gold is tried, purifying them through the testings of the tribulation.
Les explains that Zechariah 13:8 first states that in all the land of Israel two parts will be cut off and die, but the third part will be left and survive. Then verse 9 says God will bring that third part through the fire. Les teaches that in Scripture fire usually depicts a testing. He illustrates this with purifying gold: the hotter it gets, the more impurities rise to the top. So God will bring this third part of Israel through the testings of the tribulation, and He will refine them as silver is refined and try them as gold is tried. This qualifies the idea that every Jew will be saved.
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
More Questions
What does fire represent in Zechariah 13:9?
In biblical passages like Zechariah 13, fire usually is a depiction of testing; Les illustrates this with the refining of gold, where heat brings impurities to the surface.