Zechariah 13:2-6--Idolatry Cut Off

Zechariah 13:2-6
English Standard Version

Idolatry Cut Off
2 “And on that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more. And also I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness. 3 And if anyone again prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the LORD.’ And his father and mother who bore him shall pierce him through when he prophesies.

4 “On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive, 5 but he will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil, for a man sold me in my youth.’ 6 And if one asks him, ‘What are these wounds on your back?’ he will say, ‘The wounds I received in the house of my friends.’

---

For the most part, the people of Israel and Judah have stopped worshiping graven images since they returned from the Exile, but that is not the same as them ceasing their idolatry.   Jesus made this point several times about even the religious leaders worshiping other things (tradition, power and wealth are all common examples in His teachings).  When Christ returns and establishes His Kingdom, no one will worship anyone or anything else--God alone (Father, Son, and Spirit) will receive all the praise, honor, and glory that only God is due.

There will be no more need for prophecy in that day because everyone will know the mind of God and have the Word of the LORD within them.  There will be no more sin to warn people of for people to be judged for.  Everything God wanted to say to us will have been said at that point.

The false prophets will be ashamed (and hopefully repent) and become a common man working the soil.  He will tell people he is a man with no status who has been working in the fields his whole life.  He will have marked himself for his false gods, but then will lie about it and say that these are everyday injuries that he received when having fun with his friends.  One day, their sin will find them out if they don't repent and they can lie to themselves and everyone else, but they cannot lie to God.  He will judge rightly in the end for all those who come to His throne as unrepentant sinners. who gave their lives to worshiping someone or something else.