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A Messianic Prophecy Study Of The Book Of Zechariah Click for Hebrew translation, or Arabic translation of this study
Page One of Study: Chapters 1- 3 click for study section
Chapters 1 thru 3; The Call To Repentance & Night Visions II. The Study of the Book of Zechariah A. The Call To Repentance (Zech. 1:1-6) 1. The opening words of Zechariah follow in the wake of Haggai’s message of encouragement at Succoth (The Feast of Tabernacles) (Zech. 1:1-6). Return to me (t’shuvah). Declares the Lord Almighty and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty. 2. Zech. 1:4-6 Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed. a. 2 Chronicles 36:15-21 (The fall of Jerusalem) b . 2 Kings 24 & 25 (Kings Jehoiakim, Jehoiakin & Zedekiah) c. Jeremiah 39 (Jeremiah’s account of Judah’s fall) 3. Zech. l;6 Then, they repented and said "The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do. a. Nehemiah 9:33-36 B. The Night Visions Of Zechariah (Zech.1:7 to 3:10) 1. Vision #1 (The Man Among The Myrtle Trees) Zech.1:7 to 1:17 a. The 24th day of the 11th month (Shebat), in the second year of Darius (536 B.C.), Zechariah received the first of the seven visions. b. The vision of a man riding a red horse, standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses. c. The angel who was talking with me answered, They are the ones (angels) the Lord has sent to go throughout the earth and report to the angel of the Lord who is standing by the myrtle trees; We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole earth at rest and peace. i. Significance of the myrtle trees: Isaiah 55:1.3 (Hadassah) The myrtle tree is to be a sign of the Messianic Age and the Lords blessing of a cursed land. (Also Is.44:19) ii. Smiths Bible Dictionary comment on the myrtle tree: Myrtle is still used to adorn the succah during the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth). Myrtle used to grow about the hills of Jerusalem millennia ago. It emits a perfume more exquisite than the rose. iii. The myrtle tree is a probable sign that the vision of the angel among the myrtle trees is far into the future. (The Messianic Age). d. The significance of these angels going through the entire earth is that of the Lord’s total control of events throughout time. e. Zech.l:14 Then the angel who was speaking to me said, "Proclaim this word, This is what the Lord Almighty said, "I am very jealous for Jerusalem, but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they added to the calamity. i. Jer.48:ll God’s judgment of Judah’s .enemies ii. Amos 1;11 judgment of Israel's’ enemies. f. Zech.1:16 I will return to Jerusalem with mercy and then my house will be rebuilt. (Two-fold fulfillment. Both the rebuilding of the temple in 535 B.C. and temple to be built in the Messianic Age (Ezekiel. 40 & Zech, 8) g. My towns will again overflow with prosperity and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem. (Same two fold fulfillment as above.) 2. Vision #2 (The Four Horns And The Four Craftsmen)(Zech.1:18-21) a. Zech.1:19 These are the horns (governments or empires), that scattered Judah, Israel & Jerusalem. i. Note that these horns are not only responsible for Judah’s captivity, but also for Israel, refer to Daniel. 7 , where four beast are representing four empires., (Babylon, which is present at that time and three others to arise consecutively; Persia, Greece and Rome,) b. Zech 1:21 The craftsmen (angels) have come to terrify them and to throw down these horns of the nations. i. This vision is probably in the same interpretive sense That Daniel 7 is. That is, The Lord is speaking out of time, 3.5 if all the satanic worldly governments throughout history have already been destroyed and His kingdom established. 3. Vision #3 (The Vision Of The Man With The Measuring Line) a. Zech.2:1-13 Zechariah, in a vision, meets a man who is measuring the new parameters for the city of Jerusalem. The angel from the second vision leaves and another angel approaches. The new angel meets the man measuring and says: i. Zech.2:4-5 "Jerusalem will be a city without walls, because of the great number of men and livestock in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it, declares the Lord, and I will be it’s glory within. (a) Nehemiah 2 to 6 As we read in the book of Nehemiah, Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity was surrounded by a wall, so this rebuilding must occur much later. (b) Looking at this passage from a prophetic viewpoint, we are reading of the Jerusalem that will exist in the Messianic Age. (References: Zech.14:5-6, Is:60:19, Rev.22:5) ii. We see then, how God is leapfrogging in historical events, from the rebuilding of Jerusalem (536 to 460 EC), to the Messianic Age. (references: Zech.14:5-6, Is.60:19, Rev.22:5) (a) Why then are we leapfrogging through time? Some. Possible answers are: 1.) For Israel to put it’s hope in God’s universal redemptive work. 2.) To instruct future generations of believers in God’s plan of redemption of Israel and the world. 3.) What else? ..... b. Zech. 2:6-9 Back to Zechariah’s time, but with a lesson for future generations. i. God promises to punish those nations that plundered Israel . (Zech. 2:7-9) ii. We refer back to the first vision of the man among the myrtle trees (Zech . 1 : 14) and it’s references, c. Zech, 2; 10-13 God again leapfrogs into the Messianic Age i. Zech. 2:10 "For I am coming, and I will live among you, declares the Lord. (References: Zech. 14:4, 9, Is. 11:10-12, Is.17;7-13, Is. 33:17-24, Is, 52:8) ii. Zech. 2:1.1 "Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people: (References: Micah 4:1-5, 11:10-12, Is. 49:21-30, Is. 60:8-12) iii. Zech. 3:12-13 "The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem, references: Is . 40 : 2 ., Is . 32:1-3, Is. 60:10, Is .61 : 7-11) 4. Vision # 4 (The Vision Of Clean Garments For The High Priest) Zech.3 a. Zech.3:1-2 "Then he showed me Joshua, the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan at his right side to accuse him . i. Who is Joshua? is it the Joshua from Moses time, or the high priest chosen at Israel’s return from captivity by Babylon? (references: Haggai 1:1, Ezra 2:2) (note that in Zechariah, Joshua & Jeshua are used interchangeably.) b. Zech.3:3-5 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off those filthy clothes". Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I have put rich garments on you". i. Let us refer to the one saying "I have taken away your sin". It appears to be the angel attending Joshua. No angel the authority to forgive sin, except "The angel of the Lord who is Messiah. (reference; Zech.3:5, Mk.2:05, Luke 5) c. Zech. 3:6-7 The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua, "If you walk in my ways and keep my requirements then you will govern my house and have charge of the courts and I will give you a place among these standing here." i. It appears that Joshua is a "type" of Messiah. d. Zech. 3:7-8 Listen Oh high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you , who are symbolic of things to come, I am going to bring my servant the Branch. i. Joshua is therefore a symbol of the Branch) a descriptive title for the Messiah. (references; Jer. 23:.5 , Jer.33:15, Zech,6:12 , Is .4:02) e. Zech.3:9 See the stone I have set before you in front of Joshua. There are seven eyes (facets) on that one stone and I will engrave an inscription on it says the Lord almighty and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. i. The number of facets on the stone is seven. Seven signifies God’s perfection. ii. We see Joshua.. represents the Messiah in the future. iii. Here are some references for God removing the sin from Israel; Jer. 50:20, Is. 10:20, Ez. 36:27, 15,43:25 f. Zech. 3:10 In. that day each one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree declares the Lord Almighty. i. I Kings 4:25 uses this quote as an expression of peace and prosperity . ii. Isaiah 36:16 Sennacherib, king of Assyria uses this quote as an expression of peace and prosperity. iii. Micah 4:3-4 The same quote is used to describe the tranquility existing during the Messianic Age. click for study section
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