Zechariah 14:2 meaning

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Zecariah 14: 2 says God will gather the nations to stack Jerusalem where the women will all be raped.

We know there are 3 ways things come in bad ways, Divine Punishment, Moral Evil, and Natural Evil. Is God using rape to punish people or merely allowing it?

Moral theology would ensure rape is ALWAYS an abomination to the Lord.
 
The Bible often uses language that sounds as though God were actively doing something when it is really passive. To me I think it emphasizes the ultimate providence of God.
 
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Haydock Commentary on Zacharias 14
Ver. 2. I will gather, &c. This seems to be a prophecy of what was done by Antiochus, (Ch.) or of the last siege, (W.) by the Romans. S. Jer. Theod. Eus. Dem. vi. 18. C.
— Vespasian collected numerous forces. Jos. Bel. iii. 1.
— Titus had six legions and many auxiliaries, Arabs, &c. Tacit. Hist. v.
— Various nations composed their army. W.
— Rifled, or demolished. None was left standing. Jos. B. vii. 6. Heges. v. 49.
— S. Jerom and others think that the city on Sion was spared, (C.) and 40,000 were permitted to dwell where they had a mind. Jos. B. vii. 15.
— But it is not said that they continued at Jerusalem. Half the Jews therefore perished, and those who maintained the siege found a grave in the city. Theod.
— Half only denotes a considerable part, as v. 8. Those who followed our Saviour’s admonition, retired before, and were safe (C.) at Pella. C. x. 11. Sept. “the rest of my people shall not be destroyed out of the city.”
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That’s great but it’s about that verse being a prophecy or not,I was wondering more or less what is Gods role in this occuring
 
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa said:
We know there are 3 ways things come in bad ways, Divine Punishment, Moral Evil, and Natural Evil. Is God using rape to punish people or merely allowing it?
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You wrote: “We know there are 3 ways things come in bad ways, Divine Punishment, Moral Evil, and Natural Evil. Is God using rape to punish people or merely allowing it?”

More formally evil is metaphysical (so called) evil, moral evil, and physical evil. God allows free will in mankind through which physical and moral evil occurs.
In the light of Catholic doctrine, any theory that may be held concerning evil must include certain points bearing on the question that have been authoritatively defined. These points are
  • the omnipotence, omniscience, and absolute goodness of the Creator;
  • the freedom of the will; and
  • that suffering is the penal consequence of wilful disobedience to the law of God.
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See: Sharpe, A. (1909). Evil. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Evil
 
But God would not punish people with atrocities, that is what I’m saying, he would never use rape as a punishment, merely he would let it happen. He punished us with death and hell, he would never condone or punish us with something against his own morals, he would never punish us with taking away freedom of will here on earth for example.

I’m asking would he directly punish someone with sexual exploitation, or merely would he let it happen
 
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I’m assuming he wouldn’t, I’m asking did he say that? I think hes saying that he merely allows it, but I would like to know if there has ever any commentary on this specific issue that is why I asked
 
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa said:
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I’m asking would he directly punish someone with sexual exploitation, or merely would he let it happen
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I think not directly, however a person becomes liable to suffering pain depending upon the wrong done. There is suffering that results from a variety of causes, and you are asking for that suffering from punishment. Note what the Catechism 1472 states on this topic that there is “eternal punishment” of sin and “temporal punishment” of sin. Also Catechism 1264 that from original sin: “Yet certain temporal consequences of sin remain in the baptized, such as suffering, illness, death, and such frailties inherent in life as weaknesses of character, and so on, as well as an inclination to sin that Tradition calls concupiscence, or metaphorically, “the tinder for sin” ( fomes peccati )”.

There are also disruption to order that occur due to physical and moral evil. Exodus 34
7 Who keepest mercy unto thousands: who takest away iniquity, and wickedness, and sin, and no man of himself is innocent before thee. Who renderest the iniquity of the fathers to the children, and to the grandchildren, unto the third and fourth generation.
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Catholic Encyclopedia
Sin and suffering are evils because they are contrary to the good of the individual and to God’s original purpose in regard to the individual, but they are not contrary to the good of the universe, and this good will ultimately be realized by the omnipotent Providence of God.
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Walker, L. (1911). Divine Providence. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: R
 
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I feel like God would not allow it to be a punishment for anyone based on what they have done, rather he would merely allow the evil to take place.

Saints were not killed for what they had done, merely men of their own will wanted them dead and the Lord allowed it to happen because not would be a rejection of free will, like stopping Adam from eating of the apple.

I think God would never allow for rape to be something he directly punishes with or indirectly punishes with, rather he might just let it happen.

However, I dont really know if that is what Zecariah 14:2 is implying, moral theology would say I’m right, based off of interpretation of the will of God from a moral standpoint and what is right or wrong. However I just dont understand how this verse fits in with this.
 
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The biblical texts I have read describe this section as an eschatological conflict. Notice in verse five that God comes with “all the holy ones with him”. We get a different picture of things in verse six and following. This brings to my mind the establishment of God’s kingdom. Keep in mind that God is not the author of evil; he is not the author of death.
Mark Shea in his book Making Sense Out of Scripture reminds us that we should see Christ and his gospel as “the key to unlocking the mysteries of the Old Testament.”
 
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