The Cup of Staggering and the Cup of Salvation
Published on: October 1, 2025
Text: Zechariah 12:2–3
Zechariah 12:2-3
Introduction: A City that Makes the Nations Stumble
“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples… and in that day will I make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all peoples. All who lift it shall surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth shall gather against it.” (Zechariah 12:2–3)
Beloved, what we read in Zechariah is happening before our very eyes. The world staggers when it touches Jerusalem. At the United Nations, we watch leaders literally walk out when Israel speaks. Nations rise and fall, yet this tiny city, barely on the map, sits at the center of global conflict. Why? Because God said it would.
Jerusalem is not just a city. It is the stage of redemption. It is the testimony of God’s covenant faithfulness. And Satan hates it, because Jerusalem reminds him of the promises of God he cannot destroy.
This morning we will follow the theme of the “cup” through Scripture:
- The cup of staggering, the nations reeling over Jerusalem.
- The cup of wrath, Israel under judgment, exactly as God foretold.
- The trampling of Jerusalem, 2,600 years under Gentile rule, just as Christ predicted.
- The cup of salvation, in Christ, wrath removed, grace poured out.
And here is the lesson: the God who keeps His Word to Israel will keep His Word to you in Christ.
I. The Cup of staggering (The Nations Against Jerusalem)
Zechariah saw it clearly: God Himself would make Jerusalem “a cup of staggering,” or as some translations say, “a cup of reeling.” Nations will drink of her, and instead of conquering her, they will stagger like drunk men.
Is this not the testimony of history? From Babylon to Rome, from the Crusaders to the Ottomans, from Hitler to the UN, the nations have tried to lift the stone of Jerusalem, and they have only broken themselves upon it.
Psalm 2 asks: “Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed.” (vv. 1–2). And what is God’s response? “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.” (v. 4).
Beloved, Jerusalem is called a burdensome stone because it belongs to the Lord. God has set His name there, and no power on earth can remove it. This is why the nations rage, why Satan hates it, and why prophecy declares that one day “all the nations of the earth will gather against it” (Zechariah 12:3).
Yet we must remember: Jerusalem points beyond itself to Christ, the true Rock and Cornerstone. He is the stone the builders rejected, who has become the foundation of God’s eternal dwelling with His people. The earthly city is a sign; Christ Himself is the substance.
II. The Cup of Wrath (Israel’s Covenant Judgment)
Before the nations staggered, Israel herself drank from another cup — the cup of God’s wrath.
Moses had warned in Deuteronomy 28: if Israel turned from the LORD, curses would surely come. These were not idle threats; they were covenant judgments. And in history, they were fulfilled — first in 586 BC under Babylon, and most chillingly in AD 70 under Rome.
The Jewish historian Josephus was there. His account of Jerusalem’s fall reads like a line-by-line commentary on Moses’ words:
| Deuteronomy 28 | Fulfillment Recorded by Josephus |
|---|---|
| “The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand, a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young.” (vv. 49–50) | Rome marched under the banner of the eagle, a foreign tongue, merciless in its siege. |
| “They shall besiege you in all your towns… And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters.” (vv. 52–53) | Cannibalism during the siege: “There was a certain woman that dwelt beyond Jordan… she snatched up her son, who was a child sucking at her breast, and said, ‘O thou miserable infant! for whom shall I preserve thee in this war, this famine, and this sedition? … Come on; be thou my food…’ As soon as she had said this, she slew her son; and then roasted him, and ate the one half of him, and kept the other half by her concealed.” (Wars VI.3.4) |
| “The LORD will strike you with extraordinary afflictions, grievous and lasting sicknesses.” (vv. 59–61) | Pestilence and disease: “The multitude of carcasses that lay in heaps one upon another was a horrible sight, and produced a pestilential stench… many were carried off by the famine, many by the pestilence.” (Wars V.13) |
| “The LORD will scatter you among all peoples… and among these nations you shall find no respite.” (vv. 64–67) | Survivors were scattered across the empire, with “no resting place.” Josephus records: “Now the number of those that were carried captive during this whole war was collected to be ninety-seven thousand…” (Wars VI.9.2) |
| “You shall offer yourselves for sale… but there will be no buyer.” (v. 68) | Slave markets overflowing: “…as for the rest, every one under seventeen years of age was sold for a slave. But now the number of those that were sold was so great, that no one would buy them.” (Wars VI.9.2) |
Josephus also records mass crucifixions:
“So the soldiers, out of the wrath and hatred they bore the Jews, nailed those they caught, one after one way, and another after another, to the crosses, by way of jest; when their multitude was so great, that room was wanting for the crosses, and crosses wanting for the bodies.” (Wars V.11.1)
Isaiah captures it in a single image:
“You who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering.” (Isa. 51:17)
Beloved, Israel drank that cup. They were besieged, starved, enslaved, scattered, and broken — exactly as Moses had said.
And here is the hope: If God was faithful to keep His Word in judgment, He will be just as faithful to keep His Word in restoration. The same covenant God who warned and judged is the God who promises to gather, heal, and restore His people.
III. Jerusalem Trampled by the Nations (Luke 21:24)
Jesus Himself foretold in Luke 21:24:
“Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
This trampling did not begin in AD 70. It began in 586 BC, when Babylon conquered Jerusalem. From that day until 1967, over 2,600 years, Gentile powers ruled the holy city.
The Timeline of Gentile Domination
- Babylonians (586–539 BC): Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple, carried Judah into exile.
- Medo-Persians (539–332 BC): Jews allowed to return, but under Persian control.
- Greeks (332–164 BC): Alexander and later the Seleucids, who defiled the Temple.
- Romans (63 BC – AD 324): Titus destroyed the Temple in AD 70. Hadrian banned Jews entirely.
- Byzantines (324–638): Eastern Roman rule, Jerusalem made a Christian city.
- Muslim Caliphates (638–1099): Arabs captured the city, Dome of the Rock built.
- Crusaders (1099–1187): Europeans established the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
- Ayyubids (1187–1250s): Saladin retook the city.
- Mamluks (1250s–1517): Ruled from Egypt for 250 years.
- Ottoman Turks (1517–1917): Controlled Jerusalem for 400 years.
- British Mandate (1917–1948): General Allenby entered in 1917, Britain ruled.
- Jordan (1948–1967): Held East Jerusalem, barred Jews from holy sites.
- Modern Israel (1967–Present): In the Six-Day War, Israel regained East Jerusalem. For the first time in 2,600 years, Jews had sovereignty over their city.
Prophetic Fulfillment
For centuries, Gentiles trampled Jerusalem. Then, in 1967, Israel regained it, fulfilling Christ’s prophecy that the trampling would not last forever, but only “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
And today, though Jerusalem is under Jewish sovereignty, the nations still rage against her, fulfilling Zechariah 12: “all the nations of the earth will gather against it.”
Beloved, this is history written in advance. And it is proof that God’s Word never fails.
IV. The Cup Removed and Israel Restored
God did not leave His people in wrath.
Beloved, we have seen how Jerusalem is called a burdensome stone, set apart by God, and how Christ Himself is the Rock, the cornerstone that all prophecy points to. But Isaiah gives us yet another picture the promise of restoration.
“Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath” (Isa. 51:17). Here is the city staggering, crushed beneath God’s righteous judgment, reeling from the bitter cup of His wrath. But then comes the word of grace: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more” (Isa. 51:22).
The cup of wrath has been exchanged for the cup of salvation. The staggering of judgment has been replaced by the strength of restoration. The same God who set His name upon Jerusalem has now written His promises upon our hearts in Christ.
Ezekiel 36:24: “I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.”
Isaiah 51:22: “See, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering… you shall drink no more.”
Amos 9:15: “I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted.”
Romans 11:29: “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
For nearly 1,900 years, Israel lay scattered, without land, without nationhood. Yet in 1948, by the sovereign hand of God, they were reborn. No other nation in history has died and come back. But Israel lives because God said she would.
And here is the greater promise: Yeshua Himself said, “For I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matt. 23:39). The rebirth of Israel is not the end of the story it is a signpost pointing to the day when Israel will look upon her Messiah and welcome Him. The same city that once rejected Him will one day receive Him.
Psalm 118:26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
Hosanna (הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא) means “Save us, we pray!” Matthew 21:9 Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!
Isaiah 62:11–12 “Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him… And they shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD.’”
Ezekiel 37:21–22 Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone… and will bring them to their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land… and one king shall be king over them all.
V. The Cup of Salvation (Grace Through Messiah)
But restoration to the land is not the end. God promises salvation through His Son.
Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on Me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child.”
Yes, they pierced Him, Yeshua HaMashiach (יֵשׁוּעַ הַמָּשִׁיחַ). And one day, the remnant of Israel will look upon Him in faith, and salvation will come.
And this, beloved, is where we find ourselves. The cup of wrath has been drunk, not only by Israel, but by Christ Himself. In Gethsemane He prayed, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39).
On the cross He drank it to the last drop. “It is finished.” (John 19:30).
And because of that, Romans 8:1 declares: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The wrath you and I deserved has been removed forever.
VI. Application: The Promises in Christ
So what does this mean for us?
First, you can trust His promises. If God kept His Word to Israel across centuries of exile and judgment, He will keep His Word to you. Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.”
Second, you can rest in His grace. Christ has drained the cup of wrath. There is none left for you. Romans 5:9: “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God.”
Third, you can hope in His glory. As God regathers Israel, so He will gather you. 1 Thessalonians 4:17: “And so we will always be with the Lord.”
Fourth, you can live courageously. Nations rage, but God reigns. Your trials are not accidents; they are under His sovereign hand. Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Conclusion: The God Who Keeps His Word
Beloved, Israel’s history is a mirror:
- Her judgment shows God’s justice.
- Her restoration shows God’s faithfulness.
- Her salvation will show God’s mercy.
And all of it points to Christ. The God who kept His covenant with Israel has kept His covenant in His Son.
Therefore, pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). But even more, rest in the promises of Christ. Stand firm in His grace. Hope in His return. And live with courage in this staggering world.
Because the God who rules the nations is the same God who holds your life in His sovereign hand.
Amen.
References
Scripture References
Zechariah 12:2–3, 12:10, 14:2; Psalm 2:1–4, 122:6; Isaiah 25:8–9, 43:5–6, 51:17, 22–23; Ezekiel 36:24; Amos 9:14–15; Jeremiah 25:15–16, 30:11; Deuteronomy 28:15–68; Daniel 2, 7, 9; Luke 21:6, 21:24; Matthew 26:39; John 16:33, 19:30; Romans 5:9, 8:1, 8:28, 8:31, 10:1, 11:1–2, 11:15, 11:25–29; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Peter 2:9–10; Colossians 1:13; Lamentations 1:12–15.
Josephus – The Jewish War
Cannibalism during the siege: Book VI, Chapter 3, Section 4.
Slave markets overflowing: Book VI, Chapter 9, Section 2.
Pestilence and disease: Book V, Chapter 13.
Mass crucifixions: Book V, Chapter 11, Section 1.
Historical References (Jerusalem “Trampled by the Gentiles”)
Babylonians (586–539 BC); Medo-Persians (539–332 BC); Greeks (332–164 BC); Romans (63 BC – AD 324); Byzantines (324–638); Muslim Caliphates (638–1099); Crusaders (1099–1187); Ayyubids (1187–1250s); Mamluks (1250s–1517); Ottoman Turks (1517–1917); British Mandate (1917–1948); Jordan (1948–1967); Modern Israel (1967–Present).