Zechariah's Prophecy on Striking down the Little Sheep
Zechariah prophesized about striking down the little sheep. The detailed prophecy was recorded in Zechariah 13:7-9:
The declaration of the Almighty God: "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered" was cited by Yeshua in Matthew 26:31 to confirm that this prophecy was fulfilled in himself and his disciples. Here, "the shepherd" refers to Yeshua himself and "the sheep" to his disciples. The original Hebrew phrase "all the earth" in verse 8 was translated into "all the land." "All the earth" does not necessarily mean the whole world. It could refer to a single piece of land.
Verse 8 prophesized about the little sheep after the prior prophecy (verse 7) was fulfilled. So the prophetic event in verse 8 must have taken place after 30 AD when Yehsua was crucified. Verse 8 says that two-thirds of the little sheep in the whole land will be killed, and one-third will be put into the fire for refinement. Verse 9 says that they will call on the name of Yehowah and Yehowah will answer them and call them His people. Therefore, the prophetic event in verse 8 shall take place right before God answers their prayers and calls them His people.
Ezekiel prophesized that the long desolated holy land would be re-populated by God's people who would be brought back from the sword (that is, from a war) and from the Gentile nations (Ezekiel 38:8). This prophecy of Ezekiel was precisely fulfilled in the re-establishment of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948. During World War II, about 6 million Jews in Europe were killed by German Nazis and some survivors of the holocaust were brought back to the holy land after the war.
Zechariah's prophecy also implies that the little sheep shall be struck down and perish by the sword during a war. The war Zechariah referred to cannot be the Jewish war that took place before the Jewish nation was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. During and after the Jewish war, God did not answer the prayers of the Jews, but instead destroyed the holy temple and Jerusalem and drove them into many nations. God did all these and hid His face from them because of their iniquity, transgressions, uncleanness, and unfaithfulness (Ezekiel 39:23-24). Ezekiel also prophesized that God hid His face from His people until they were brought back to the holy land (Ezekiel 39:28-29). As we have discussed in Chapter 17, God started to hide His face from the Jews in 30 AD after Yeshua was crucified. God restored His relationship with His people in 1948 AD when He brought them back to the holy land (Ezekiel 39:28-29). The total number of the years during which God hid His face from the Jews is 1,948 – 30 = 1,918 = 7×274.
The war Zechariah talked about must have been the second world war because after this war, God brought the children of Israel back to the long-desolated land and started to call them His people (Ezekiel 39:28-29). Furthermore, the population of the holy land on 15 May 1948 was exactly equal to the number prophesized by Ezekiel (see Chapter 22). It was the Almighty God who brought His people back to the holy land from the sword (Ezekiel 38:8). Therefore, the prophecy of Zechariah on the little sheep must have been fulfilled in the second world war.
In World War II, the German Nazis tried to destroy all the Jews in the world. This brutal holocaust appears to be the work of Satan who always wants to eliminate the Jews. Nevertheless, God did not completely stop Satan's evil plot and allowed him to kill two-thirds of the little sheep. God protected the remaining one third from being killed but refined them through the great suffering. After the refinement, God brought some survivors of the holocaust into the holy land and started to hear the prayers of His people. God has helped them win 6 major wars in the Middle East since He brought them back to the holy land in 1948. With the protection of God, they have dwelled there safely (Ezekiel 39:26).
How about the killed two thirds of the little sheep? God must have His own plan. Otherwise, He would not have let so many little sheep be killed by the evil Nazis. The slain little sheep should be among the "dry bones" described in Ezekiel 37. They appeared to be cut off like the shepherd Yeshua. Just as God raised Yeshua from his grave, He shall also bring the killed little sheep out of their graves and put His spirit into them (Ezekiel 37:12-14). They will be raised up and become an exceedingly great army (Ezekiel 37:10). The resurrected little sheep will live in the holy land after God shall destroy all the ungodly. Then God and his Messiah will reign over them in the holy land for evermore (Ezekiel 37:25-27).
Table XII: Annihilation of the Jewish Population of Europe in Pre-War Countries, Compiled by Lucy S. Dewildowicz (A Holocaust Reader, Lucy S. Dewildowicz, page 381)
| Country **Pre-war | Pre-war Jewish population **Estimat | Estimated killed **Percent | Percent killed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland 3,300,000 | 3,300,000 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 90% | 90% |
| Baltic states 253,000 | 253,000 228,000 | 228,000 90% | 90% |
| Germany and Austria 240,000 | 240,000 210,000 | 210,000 90% | 90% |
| Bohemia and Moravia 90,000 | 90,000 80,000 | 80,000 89% | 89% |
| Slovakia 90,000 | 90,000 75,000 | 75,000 83% | 83% |
| Greece 70,000 | 70,000 54,000 | 54,000 77% | 77% |
| Netherlands 140,000 | 140,000 105,000 | 105,000 75% | 75% |
| Hungary 650,000 | 650,000 450,000 | 450,000 70% | 70% |
| Byelorussian SSR 375,000 | 375,000 245,000 | 245,000 65% | 65% |
| Ukrainian SSR 1,500,000 | 1,500,000 900,000 | 900,000 60% | 60% |
| Belgium 65,000 | 65,000 40,000 | 40,000 60% | 60% |
| Yugoslavia 43,000 | 43,000 26,000 | 26,000 60% | 60% |
| Romania 600,000 | 600,000 300,000 | 300,000 50% | 50% |
| Norway 1,800 | 1,800 900 | 900 50% | 50% |
| France 350,000 | 350,000 90,000 | 90,000 26% | 26% |
| Bulgaria 64,000 | 64,000 14,000 | 14,000 22% | 22% |
| Italy 40,000 | 40,000 8,000 | 8,000 20% | 20% |
| Luxembourg 5,000 | 5,000 1,000 | 1,000 20% | 20% |
| Russian SFSR 975,000 | 975,000 107,000 | 107,000 11% | 11% |
| Finland 2,000 | 2,000 ? | ? ? | ? |
| Denmark 8,000 | 8,000 ? | ? ? | ? |
| Total 8,861,800 | 8,861,800 5,933,900 | 5,933,900 67% | 67% |
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The land Zechariah talked about should have been the whole land of Europe where the holocaust took place. Only in this land were the Jews killed or put into the fire for the refinement through the great suffering and distress. The Jews outside this land were not considered in the prophecy because they were not killed nor put into the fire.
Indeed, the figures from Lucy Devidowicz (see Table XII) show that in the land of Europe, the German Nazis killed 67% of the Jews, which was indeed two-thirds of the Jews in the land of Europe at that time. Right after this holocaust, some remnants of the Jews were brought back to their own land and the nation of Israel was re-established on 14 May 1948. It is amazing that the nation of Israel can be resurrected after so many years (about 1,900 years) from its destruction. God is faithful and never breaks His words.
Table XIII: Annihilation of the Jewish Population of Europe in Pre-War Countries, Compiled by the Federal Agency for Civic Education of Germany (29 April 2018)
| Country **Pre-war | Pre-war Jewish population **Estimat | Estimated killed **Percent | Percent killed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania 200 | 200 100 | 100 50% | 50% |
| Austria 206,000 | 206,000 65,000 | 65,000 31.50% | 31.50% |
| Belgium 90,000 | 90,000 25,000 | 25,000 27.80% | 27.80% |
| Bulgaria 48,400 | 48,400 142 | 142 0.30% | 0.30% |
| Czechoslovakia 357,000 | 357,000 260,000 | 260,000 73% | 73% |
| Denmark 7,800 | 7,800 116 | 116 1.49% | 1.49% |
| Estonia 4,300 | 4,300 1,000 | 1,000 23% | 23% |
| Finland 2200 | 2200 7 | 7 0.32% | 0.32% |
| France 300,000 | 300,000 76,000 | 76,000 25.33% | 25.33% |
| Germany 500,000 | 500,000 165,000 | 165,000 33% | 33% |
| Greece 70,000 | 70,000 58,800 | 58,800 84% | 84% |
| Hungary 445,000 | 445,000 270,000 | 270,000 60.70% | 60.70% |
| Italy 46,000 | 46,000 7,500 | 7,500 16.30% | 16.30% |
| Latvia 93,500 | 93,500 70,000 | 70,000 74.90% | 74.90% |
| Lithuania 150,000 | 150,000 145,000 | 145,000 96.70% | 96.70% |
| Luxembourg 3,600 | 3,600 1,200 | 1,200 33.30% | 33.30% |
| Netherlands 140,000 | 140,000 102,000 | 102,000 72.90% | 72.90% |
| Norway 1,800 | 1,800 758 | 758 42.10% | 42.10% |
| Poland 3,400,000 | 3,400,000 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 88.25% | 88.25% |
| Romania 757,000 | 757,000 287,000 | 287,000 38% | 38% |
| Russian SFSR 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 33.30% | 33.30% |
| Yugoslavia 68,500 | 68,500 60,000 | 60,000 87.60% | 87.60% |
| Total 9,689,500 | 9,689,500 5,594,623 | 5,594,623 57.74% | 57.74% |
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We also show the figures from the Federal Agency for Civic Education of Germany, which was published on 29 April 2018 (see Table XIII). The percentage of the killed Jews is 57.74%, significantly lower than 67% obtained earlier by Lucy Devidowicz. This discrepancy is due to the fact that the figures for Russian SFSR and Germany are not reliable in Table XIII. Since the Jewish population in Russian SFSR was over 30% of the total in Table XIII, any uncertainty of this figure can greatly change the average death percentage.
One important difference between the two tables is that Table XIII does not list Byelorussian SSR and Ukrainian SSR. Presumably, the figures of Russian SFSR in Table XIII should include the figures of Byelorussian SSR and Ukrainian SSR because they both were the parts of the former Soviet Union. If we add the Jewish populations of Byelorussian SSR, Ukrainian SSR, and Russian SFSR in Table XII, we find that the total Jewish population of these three regions is 2,850,000, which is 5.3% lower than the population of 3,000,000 for Russian SFSR in Table XIII. Therefore, it is very likely that the figures for Russian SFSR in Table XIII should be the figures summed over the three regions in Table XII.
The total number of the Jews killed in the three regions in Table XII is 1,252,000, which is 25% higher than 1,000,000 in Table XIII. Therefore, Table XIII's percentage (33.3%) of the killed Jews in these regions is 10.6% lower than Table XII's percentage (43.9%). From the website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust, we find that the number of the Jews killed in the former Soviet Union is about 1,300,000 and that the Jewish population in this region is 3,020,000. The percentage of the Jews killed in this region is calculated to be 43.0%, which is very close to Table XII's percentage (43.9%). We thus conclude that the death percentage in Table XIII is unreliable and must be corrected.
It is unclear whether the Federal Agency for Civic Education of Germany tried to mislead the world by significantly underestimating the death percentage of the German Jews or made an honest mistake. The Jewish population in Germany in 1933 was 523,000-525,000. But by the end of 1938, approximately half the German Jewish population had left Germany. So, the total Jewish population in Germany was about 250,000 at the end of 1938. Between November 1933 and December 1939, about 53,000 German Jews immigrated to Palestine. So by 1941 when the holocaust started, the Jewish population in Germany should have been about 200,000. Since the number of killed Jews in Germany was 165,000, the death percentage is calculated to be about 82.5%, which is close to 87.5% for both Germany and Austria listed in Table XII. Because the death percentage for the German Jews in Table XIII is calculated from the German Jewish population in 1933 (rather than in 1941), the number (33%) is misleading. The same mistake was made for the Austrian Jews.