ZECHARIAH:

THE RESTORATION OF ZION

 

 

 

Zechariah, the Biblical prophet -James Tissot circa 1896–1902
Picture credit Wikimedia Commons

 

 

Light of Israel Bible Commentaries

 

 

 

By

 

 

JIM GERRISH

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTER-NATIONAL VERSION® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

 

 Zechariah: The Restoration of Zion
Copyright © 2021 by Jim Gerrish

 

Light of Israel Bible Commentaries
Colorado Springs, CO

 

 

INTRODUCTION TO ZECHARIAH

 

Zechariah is a book about the restoration of Zion.  It is a book rich in symbolism, pictures, types and shadows of the age to come. It is an excellent example of apocalyptic literature and for that reason is difficult for many to understand.  In the coming apocalyptic age the Messiah Jesus will rule this earth from his Jerusalem throne.  As the prophet Isaiah has said: “They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9; cf. Hab. 2:14).

The prophet Zechariah was concerned about the rebuilding of God’s temple in Jerusalem.  Some 18 years had elapsed since the Persian ruler Cyrus made his decree allowing the rebuilding but still the temple was not built.  To deal with this delay God raised up Haggai and Zechariah to give his people encouragement for rebuilding.  Zechariah was a young priest who began his prophecy two months after Haggai’s first message.  The year would have been 520 BC.

Many of the people had probably felt that God had forgotten all about them.  When God raised up Zechariah, even his name in Hebrew promised them that “God remembers.”  God remembered his people and he also remembered his temple which remained unfinished after all those years.

Zechariah’s message offered great encouragement to a weary people that they should begin once more to build his house.  Restoration really started there.  His many visions were all meant to lift up the spirits of the people.  Particularly in chapters 8 and then chapters 9-14, the last group which were written at a later date.  The prophet gives a very clear revelation about the Millennial Period when God would raise up Israel in the eyes of the nations.  Perhaps just prior to the Millennium he would cleanse Israel of their sins and pour out his Spirit upon them. The Messiah would then defend Israel from the armies of Antichrist and would at last reveal himself to Israel and the world as his feet touched down on the Mount of Olives.

 

CHAPTER 1

 

 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo: Zechariah 1:1

Here again as in the Book of Haggai 1:1, we see how firmly the Bible is anchored in history, even in ancient history.  Today so many beliefs and cults are fixed only in some person’s dream or vision and with no historical anchor whatsoever.

In this first verse, King Darius is mentioned.  There is pretty general agreement among commentators that this reference is to Darius I, son of Hystaspes, and called “the great.”  His rule was from 522-486 BC and he reigned over the vast Persian Empire.  His second year would have been 520 BC, and the exact time would have been in the October/November season.  It was 18 years after the exiles began returning from Babylon, and two months after Haggai began to prophesy.¹  Indeed, both of these prophets worked together for the building of the new temple.

Zechariah was a common name in Israel.  The prophet is further identified as the son of Berekiah, who was the son of Iddo.  In Hebrew, the name Zechariah means “YHWH remembers.” ²  We will say more about his name a little later.  Certainly, the Lord was remembering his fallen temple as well as his dispersed covenant people.

“The LORD was very angry with your ancestors” (1:2).  God was so angry over Israel’s continual stubbornness, disobedience and idolatry that he destroyed the country, killed many of his people and sent many more into captivity.  There is really no way for us to know the story of the suffering, sorrow and shame they endured because of their sin.

“Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty” (1:3). This is one of the most blessed promises found anywhere in the Bible.  It was true back then and it is true today, that if we return to God he will return to us.  It is just that simple. This reminds us of Malachi 3:7, which also states: “‘…Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty…”  We see a similar invitation in the New Testament: “Come near to God and he will come near to you…”  (Jas. 4:8).

The Hebrew word for return is shub and it can mean to turn, return or bring back.  It is used in the Old Testament for repentance.  Trinity College dean, Joyce Baldwin adds, “This is the Old Testament message of conversion.” ³  For instance, we see it used in this sense in Jeremiah 15:19. Texas professor, Bob Utley reminds us that it is always God and not us who takes the initiative in human repentance (cf. Jer. 31:18; Lam. 5:21; Jn. 6:44, 65; Acts 5:31). ⁴

We see in this passage that the Israelite fathers committed an awful sin, but we might ask what was the sin of those who had returned to the land?  D. Guthrie of London Bible College tells us: “The flagging zeal of the returned exiles was a clear symptom of a deterioration in their spiritual condition…” ⁵  The group that returned was small and beleaguered.  The temple was started years before but was not finished.  It seemed that enemies were everywhere and there was much discouragement.  Besides that, it was the beginning of the rainy season and that itself might have been depressing for some of the fair-weather folks.

In this passage we note that it is God’s people who are called upon to repent.  In the church today we call upon the unsaved to repent and surely they should.  However, we seldom accept this message concerning ourselves.  Warren Wiersbe, one with much experience in Christian ministry, teaching and broadcasting says: “But we rarely hear preachers calling God’s people to repent, even though this was the message of the prophets, John the Baptist, and Jesus.” ⁶

 “Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the LORD” (1:4).  Because of the fallen state of humanity, our ancestors are very seldom good examples for us to follow.  James Burton Coffman, prolific author and teacher says, “Every kind of religious error ever known on earth is still being perpetuated by people who blindly follow the customs and religious prejudices of their ancestors.” ⁷  Their fathers diligently followed the statutes of Omri and the evil house of Ahab (cf. Mic. 6:16) rather than the Lord’s commands.⁸  It is always amazing concerning the extent to which humans will go to uphold their own traditions while they shirk the traditions and direct commands of the Almighty God.  The Jews, perhaps more than other people, are prone to revere the sayings and teachings of their rabbis and fathers.

We see here that the earlier prophets also called upon the people to return (Heb. shuv) to the Lord or to repent but they would not (cf. Jer. 35:15).  Early Puritan pastor and commentator, Matthew Henry, asks: “If they minded not their own souls, is that a reason why their posterity should ruin theirs also?” ⁹

“Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever?” (1:5). The great reformer John Calvin rephrases this verse to read: “See now, have not your fathers miserably perished, and also the prophets by whom they were deceived?” ¹⁰ Many, if not most of their fathers, had perished under the cruel hands of the Babylonians.  The multitudes of false prophets who deceived them also perished or else languished in captivity.  They were all paid in full for their rebellion and unbelief (cf. Lam. 2:17).  If the mortal life of the righteous can be compared to the grass that withers (Isa. 40:6-7), how much more can the life of the wicked?

“But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors? Then they repented and said, ‘The LORD Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do’” (1:6).  Centuries before, Moses had prophesied of this very thing.  He said: “All these curses will come on you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the LORD your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you” (Deut. 28:45).  This is a hunting metaphor as we see also in Deuteronomy 28:15. ¹¹   We might picture a very tired deer running before a relentless pack of hounds.  It is clear in scripture that Israel did not truly repent before the Babylonian captivity.  Apparently, the repentance spoken of here happened after their country was destroyed and they were taken as prisoners to Babylon.  Baldwin says: “Once they were in exile it was impossible to delude themselves any longer into thinking that they were right.” ¹²

 

THE MAN AMONG THE MYRTLE TREES

 

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo. Zechariah 1:7

Commentators seem mostly agreed that the date spoken of here is February, 519 BC.  It would have been five months after the building of the temple was resumed (Hag. 2:15), and two months after the last prophecy of Haggai (Hag. 2:20).¹³

We are told again that Zechariah is the son of Berekiah, who was the son of Iddo.  Later in Ezra 5:1 and 6:14, he is simply identified as the son or descendant of Iddo.  No doubt by Ezra’s time, some 37 years later, Iddo was better remembered than Berekiah.  It was also customary in Bible genealogies to often consider a grandson as the son of the grandfather.

“During the night I had a vision, and there before me was a man mounted on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses” (1:8).  We have here the beginning of eight night visions of the prophet.  We realize that what the prophet saw were visions and not dreams.  Apparently, the visions all came on the same night.  We should be aware that this section is very rich in spiritual symbolism and we do not want to miss any of it.

The first vision is that of a man mounted on a red horse.  Several commentators feel that this man is none other than the angel of the Lord (cf. v. 11, 12). We should be aware that the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament is a divine figure and likely represents the pre-incarnate Christ (Gen. 16:7-13; 22:11-18, Judg. 2:1-4).  The horse’s red coloration often represents bloodshed or warfare.¹⁴  The Jews had certainly experienced the great ravages brought on by this horse.  At the end of this verse, we see other horses of various colors, no doubt with their angelic riders (cf. Zech. 6:1-8; Rev. 6:1-8).  The colors are red, sorrel and white.  The sorrel, a spotted-yellow, or brownish-orange¹⁵ was probably representative of the confusion with which the people of God had struggled.  A white horse was generally a picture of victory.  The Jewish people would soon begin to experience some of this victory.

David Guzik, pastor, teacher and writer, sees this troop as emissaries sent by the Lord on a world mission.  He thinks they are very similar to the Persian mounted messengers who rode throughout the vast kingdom to deliver messages and keep the king informed.¹⁶  The difference here is that the King, the Almighty God, already knows everything going on in his kingdom.  The display of horses and horsemen was for the benefit of the people’s understanding.

The ravine or low place mentioned here certainly is a picture of the returned Jewish people.  They were greatly oppressed, depressed and confused with their situation.  The myrtle (Heb. Ha-das) was a symbol of the dawning messianic age (Isa. 55:13; cf. Isa. 41:19).¹⁷  The myrtle was a tree of sweet fragrance and beauty like our crepe myrtles are today.  It was surely a picture (and smell) of good things to come for the Jews.

 

AN EXPLANATION

 

I asked, “What are these, my lord?” The angel who was talking with me answered, “I will show you what they are.”  Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the LORD has sent to go throughout the earth.” Zechariah 1:9-10

We see here that Zechariah is speaking with an angel and that this angel is distinguished from the mounted angel of the Lord.  It is the angel of the Lord who answers the prophet’s question.  Once again, the angel of the Lord is generally considered to be the pre-incarnate Christ.

Clearly, there seem to be four horses in this group and it is likely that they represent the four corners of the world (cf. Zech. 6:5-6; Rev. 7:1).¹⁸  They are returning from searching over the whole earth and are now relaying their account.

“And they reported to the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, ‘We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace’” (1:11). The angelic riders of the horses now report to their Commander on the red horse who then interprets this scene to the prophet.

The world empires, that have brought so much destruction, death and despair to the Jewish people, are now at rest.  Their rest is clearly at the expense of the Jews.  Calvin says of this situation: “…it seemed a very unbecoming and strange thing that the faithful alone should be oppressed with adversities, while others lived in peace and enjoyed their pleasures.” ¹⁹  Matthew Henry adds, “It is not uncommon for the enemies of God to be at rest in sin, while his people are enduring correction, harassed by temptation, disquieted by fears of wrath, or groaning under oppression and persecution.” ²⁰

“Then the angel of the LORD said, ‘LORD Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?’” (1:12). Here we have a discussion within the Trinity.  The Lord, who would later weep over Jerusalem, is pleading with the Father concerning the welfare of the Jewish people.  London scholar Peter Pett remarks, “… So there is unity yet distinction…This stresses a separate and inter-personal relationship.” ²¹

In this verse, the period of seventy years is mentioned.  Bible professors Charles Pfeiffer and Everett Harrison feel this is the period from when the temple was destroyed in 586 BC to the time it was rededicated in 516. ²²

“So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me” (1:13). We might assume that this is the angel of the Lord speaking to the angel who is with the prophet.  The words could well be taken from Isaiah 40:1-2, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins” (cf. Isa. 57:18-19).

 

THE ANGELIC PROCLAMATION

 

Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, and I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they went too far with the punishment.’” Zechariah 1:14-15

When we come to this verse we come to something amazing.  The God of the whole universe is jealous for the little mountain town of Jerusalem.  In 8:2, he even says: “…I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.” Since God does not change, we can know that the same thing is true today.  We can thus understand how God feels about some of the Middle East politics in our time.  Because of those politics, Zion has become one of the most politically incorrect and caustic words in all of language.  Of course, Jerusalem and Zion are one and the same (e.g., Zech. 1:17; 2:7, 10; 8:2; 9:9).  In Psalm 132:13-14, God’s passionate and eternal love for Zion is expressed: “For the LORD has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling, saying, ‘This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.’”

In 1:14-15, we have two very intense words that describe God.  First, he is intensely jealous.  This is the Hebrew ke-nah meaning jealous.  Utley says it, “…is from a term for dying a cloth an intense color. It came to be used for facial expressions showing deep emotions.” ²³   In other words, God’s face might get red with his jealousy.  The next Hebrew word used in these verses is kat-saf.  It means to be wroth or wrathful.²⁴  God gets really worked up over his heritage.  Interestingly, modern Hebrew not only uses this word for anger and fury but a derivative of its root means foam, froth, or even whipped cream (ke-sef-et).  Could we say that God foams with anger?

God’s extreme jealousy, anger and wrath are directed against the Gentile nations that have come against his people, almost destroying them.  God gave them permission to attack his land and people because of their sin.  The nations went further than their mandate specified, so they too fell under the Lord’s anger and punishment.  We see a similar thing in the story of Jehu.  The Lord chose this Israelite commander to exercise his vengeance on the house of evil King Ahab (2 Ki. 9:7-10).  However, Jehu went too far and conducted massacres of the Lord’s people.  In Hosea 1:4, we learn that God then ordered punishment on Jehu’s house because he went too far in his mission.

“Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the LORD Almighty” (1:16). God declares that he will return to Jerusalem and he will come with tender mercy (Heb. ra-cha-mim).  Mercy is a popular Bible word and today a lot of men in Israel have the name of Rachamim.  If there is one thing we need from God it is his mercy.  The Psalmist cries out: “…may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need” (Psa. 79:8).

God will return to Jerusalem in order to build his house.  Obviously, there was a lot more to the temple than just a house.  God had always labored to help his people see the real meaning of the house.  Jesus later told the Samaritan woman that the day was coming “…when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (Jn. 4:23).  Also, Zechariah will speak of the BRANCH who would come and build the real house of God (3:8).²⁵  In the meantime, the literal temple had to be built, for it would stand as a symbol of the real and eternal temple to come.

Zechariah speaks of a line that would be stretched out over Jerusalem.  Before, God had stretched out the line to destroy (2 Ki. 21:13; Isa. 34:11; Lam. 2:8) but now he would stretch out the line to rebuild.  Zechariah was surely looking into the future some 76 years when the prophet Nehemiah would finally build walls around the city.

“Proclaim further: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem’” (1:17).  It is always God’s will to bless his people.  Often the thing that keeps them from blessing is their sin.  Long ago God promised Father Abraham that he would be blessed and that he would also be a blessing.  God said to him: “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2).

In Zechariah’s day, in a time of restoration, it was still God’s will to bless Israel.  Today, Israel is experiencing another restoration and modern Israel is blessed and is blessing others.  It is rather amazing that today Israel’s population is approaching nine million people and Jerusalem, the Holy City, is approaching the one million mark.  According to the Jerusalem Post Israel News, Israel just ranked as the eighth most influential country in the world.²⁶ Science and technology today is one of the country’s most developed areas.  In 2019, Israel was ranked the world’s fifth most innovative country by the Bloomberg Innovation Index.²⁷ It should not surprise us that many of the high-tech devices that we depend upon today were developed in Israel.

Thus, Israel is still God’s chosen and God will never change his mind about this fact (Rom. 11:29).  God will keep on choosing Jerusalem.  In fact, the city is still graven upon God’s hands (Isa. 49:16).  God says in Ezekiel 43:7, “…Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever.”  How amazing, that our God desires to live among the Israelites forever!

 

HORNS AND CRAFTSMEN

 

Then I looked up, and there before me were four horns. I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these?” He answered me, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.” Zechariah 1:18-19

To put it simply, because of Israel’s sin, God had allowed four ancient empires to “horn in” on their nation and almost destroy it.  “Thus, the horns indicate the nations who are seen as powerful wild beasts in violent activity.” ²⁸  In scripture we will note that a horn is a symbol of power, especially the power that is displayed in nations (Psa. 75:4-5; Jer. 48:25; Dan. 7:7-12; 8:1ff.).²⁹

Commentators have been quick to name these nations as those mentioned as Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Dan. 2:31-35).  It is made clear later that Daniel’s kingdoms were Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece and Rome.  Unfortunately, Greece and Rome had not fully become world powers by the time of Zechariah.  The early Methodist scholar and commentator, Adam Clarke, seems to have a much more accurate idea.  He names the kingdoms as Assyria, Babylon, Egypt and Persia.³⁰   All these kingdoms had dealt Israel a lot of misery by the time of the prophet.  We might remember that Necho, king of Egypt, had put good king Josiah to death as he himself raced north to participate in the Battle of Carchemish.  In that battle Assyria fell (2 Chron. 35:23-24) and Necho suffered some defeat along with Assyria.

“Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen” (1:20).  The Hebrew word for craftsmen (ha-ra-shim) has caused a lot of variety in interpretation.  Pfeiffer and Harrison say, “The word in the original is employed for any skilled workman, whether in wood, metal, or stone.” ³¹

“I asked, ‘What are these coming to do?’ He answered, ‘These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise their head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people’” (1:21).  The words “horns” and “craftsmen” sound a little strange for us today.  Simply, these great empires were cut down because of God’s wrath against them.  To bring this picture up to date we might visualize four men coming to bring down some very old and tall oak trees with their chain saws.  Kingdoms then and now should realize that, “…whoever touches you [Israel] touches the apple of his eye…” (2:8).

 

CHAPTER 2

 

Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. Zechariah 2:1

At the beginning of this chapter the appearance of men and angels is a little confusing.  The man with the measuring line mentioned here is probably the same as the young man mentioned later in verse 4. The angel speaking with the prophet is apparently the same one we saw in 1:9, 13, and 19.  The angel who came to meet this angel is one with special heavenly knowledge and the ability to command the first angel.  This one would almost have to be the angel of the Lord.¹ The language in verse 5 seems to verify this.

We might say a word about angels here.  They appear many times in the Old Testament.  Utley tells us that they regularly appear in apocalyptic literature [like Zechariah and Daniel for instance].² However, their role is generally diminished in the New Testament. The author of Hebrews tells us why.  The world to come will not be ruled by angels but by redeemed humanity under the headship of Christ (Heb. 2:5ff.).

 “I asked, ‘Where are you going?’ He answered me, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is’” (2:2). In the Bible the measuring line could represent planned destruction (cf. 2 Ki. 21:13; Lam. 2:8) or it could represent planned rebuilding as in this case (cf. Eze. 40:3).  It took some degree of faith for the prophet to speak of rebuilding Jerusalem.  The restored city had the beginnings of a temple but no walls to protect it or its people.  In ancient times that left the populace open to invasion from every enemy.  It would be over seventy years before the wall was built by Nehemiah.

“While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him and said to him: ‘Run, tell that young man, “Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it”’” (2:3-4). This other angel, as we have mentioned, is likely the angel of the Lord making another appearance. To the unbeliever, this message was almost laughable.  We know that as late as Nehemiah’s day they had to cast lots, apparently to force some people to live in Jerusalem (Neh. 11:1).  Obviously, Jerusalem was underpopulated, to say the least.  David Guzik says, “…It is as if the man with a measuring line went into a huge old cathedral where only a few attended church and started to make sure it was large enough for the crowds God was sure to bring.” ³

We can see by this that prophecy often touches both the natural and the spiritual realms.  For sure, Jerusalem would be rebuilt naturally. The Jewish historian Josephus in the first century AD would mention that the population of the country greatly increased in the time of the Maccabees (second century BC).⁴   Since prophecy is the eternal word of God it has the ability to look across the ages to later fulfillments.  In the time of Christ, the regular population of Jerusalem was probably around half a million people.  In today’s restoration, as we have mentioned previously, the population of Jerusalem is already nearing one million.  Present-day Jerusalem is truly a city without walls and stretches over 48.3 square miles (125.2 sq. km.).⁵

In the coming Millennial Age the population of the city will balloon.  We know from the Book of Revelation that the city will have natural and spiritual proportions that defy our present understanding (Rev. Ch. 21).  It will ultimately be populated by multiplied millions of God’s saints.  No doubt, Zechariah’s prophecy was looking forward to this end day as well as the immediate history.

“‘And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will be its glory within’” (2:5). Utley thinks that this is reference to the Shekinah, that cloud of glory that accompanied and shielded the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings (cf. Exo. 14:19-20).⁶  It could also be a reference to the glory of the Lord returning to the city, as spoken of by Ezekiel (43:2-5).⁷   Coffman adds, “…God’s real people do not need any walls, the holy presence of Almighty God is all that the true Israel needs.” ⁸

 

COMING OUT OF BABYLON

 

“Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD. Zechariah 2:6

The third night vision is now ended and this is the prophet himself speaking.  There were many Jewish people who were left in Babylon, since a company of only about 50,000 people returned to the land of Israel (Ezr. 2:64).  Babylon would continue for centuries to be the exiled home of the Jewish people.  In fact, after modern Israel was reestablished in the mid-twentieth century most of the remaining Jews of Iraq (Babylon area) were brought back to its land in an airlift known as Operation Ezra-Nehemiah. There were 124,000 who returned.  The event prompted the President of Israel to declare that the 2500-year Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people had drawn to a close.⁹   Jeremiah says: “Hear the word of the LORD, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd’” (Jer. 31:10).

We might wonder why Babylon is spoken of as being in the land of the north.  The fact is that Babylon was several hundred miles east of the Holy Land.  In ancient times, because of the vast desert areas east of Israel, it was necessary for a traveler to follow the Fertile Crescent.  This required a trip north and then eastward along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

A lot of Jewish people including the past President of Israel might assume that the Babylon saga is over, but this is not true.  Babylon is more than just a city.  It is a great trans-historical system of evil that has severely persecuted God’s people.  It is interesting that chapters 17 and 18 of the Book of Revelation speak of the final fall of Babylon and its judgment by God.  Babylon has not only affected Israel but it has affected the church through the centuries.  The city represents spiritual bondage of God’s people; the compromise and adulteration of biblical principles; the commercializing of our holy faith; the true source of spiritual adulteries; the seat of spiritual pride; the origin of sorcery, just to name some of her flaws.

It is interesting that Babylon must be judged before the Bride of Christ or the true church can be revealed.  After all these centuries God is still saying to believers: “…Come out of her, my people so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues” (Rev. 18:4).  Just as natural Babylon was judged and punished physically by the Medes, Persians and others, spiritual Babylon will be judged by God at the end of the age.

“Come, Zion! Escape, you who live in Daughter Babylon!” (2:7). Here, the second time, God’s people are urgently called upon to escape Babylon.  God had originally commanded them to build houses and settle down in Babylon since their time there would be 70 years (Jer. 29:28).  The Jews, being masters of many trades, skills and languages had no doubt done well in the city.  But now it was time to leave, for their future home and hope would be in the restored Israel.  “Escape” is in the Hebrew imperative.¹⁰  They now needed to flee from Babylon and return to Zion.  We should note that the expression “daughter of Babylon” is nothing but a Semitic way of referring to Mesopotamian empires and cities.¹¹  A similar expression will later be used of Jerusalem.

“For this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you— for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye…’” (2:8). The difficult Hebrew of this verse might be better translated by the NET Version: “For the LORD who rules over all says to me that for his own glory he has sent me to the nations that plundered you…”  The great Augustine says of this: “the ‘Almighty’ sends the ‘Almighty.’  This can only mean that God the Father sends God the Son.” ¹² Baldwin says, “This is one of the most difficult verses in the book.” ¹³

Here the Messiah proclaims how precious Israel is to God the Father.  The Lord’s nation is so precious that it can be compared to the apple of God’s eye.  Pfeiffer and Harrison describe the apple of the eye saying: “The pupil of the eye is most tender, easily injured, irreplaceable, and carefully protected.” ¹⁴  The pupil in Hebrew is called the “daughter” of the eye since it is as precious and dear to a man as his only daughter.¹⁵

Zechariah continues: “I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me” (2:9). When the Almighty God raises and shakes his hand over nations, their punishment is certain (cf. Job 31:21; Isa. 11:15). It has been estimated that there were 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire that was soon to rise.  That comprised about a third of the total population.¹⁶  For many ancient countries, the very large slave populations posed a continual threat.  Slave revolts were thus greatly feared and these were often put down harshly.  It was a mark of great humiliation and judgment when slaves rose to take control of a country.

 

THE GREAT JOY OF GOD’S PRESENCE

 

“Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the LORD. Zechariah 2:10

The return to Zion is a joyous thing both naturally and spiritually. After hundreds of thousands of Jews returned, and the nation of Israel was founded in 1948, there were great crowds in the streets dancing and rejoicing.  Regarding the spiritual return Isaiah says: “Those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (Isa. 51:11).

It has always been God’s plan to live among his people in Jerusalem.  We note in Revelation 21:3: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’”  That is how it all will end, with God living with his people in Zion.  There will be eternal joy and eternal glory.

“Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you” (2:11).  The joy and glory will not be limited to the Jewish people.  All through the Bible, we have hints that Gentile people finally will be included (Deut. 32:43; 1 Chr. 16:31; Psa. 117:1: Isa. 2:1-3; Zech. 8:20-23; 14:16).  The New Testament makes clear that through Christ and his sacrifice, believing Gentiles will be joined to Israel and the two will become one people.  This is a great mystery hidden through the ages but now clearly revealed to us (Eph. 2:11-22; 3:6).

In that day Jerusalem will be the spiritual center of the world: “At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts” (Jer. 3:17).  Jerusalem will become the joy of the whole earth (Psa. 48:2).

“The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem” (2:12).  Warren Wiersbe, correctly points out that this is the only time in scripture that Israel is called the holy land.¹⁷  There have been plenty of times in history that Jerusalem has appeared to be un-chosen as well as unholy.  Indeed, because of the sin of his people, God has had to turn his back on Jerusalem for hundreds of years.  Jerusalem being un-chosen is only a figure of speech though, since Jerusalem is eternally chosen by God (Psa. 132:14).

“Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling” (2:13).  The Hebrew for “be still” is haas, which sounds a little like “hush” in English.  The Hebrew word also has this meaning.

As the Jewish people returned to the land there were myriads of voices raised against them and their work of restoration.  If those enemies of old had only suspected that the Almighty God was dwelling in Jerusalem they would have backed away in fear and trembling.  We cannot miss the fact that today voices all over the world are again being raised against Jerusalem and the Jewish people.  Many look upon the Israelis as criminals for settling their own city and land.  Unfortunately, through the BDS Movement, the Presbyterian Church (USA), United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ, and several other groups including the World Council of Churches, have joined the boycott, divest and sanction (BDS) movement towards Israel. Let Bible believers draw their own conclusions from the very strange actions of these Christian groups.

It seems that it might be a good time to just “hush” and watch God work once more in the restoration of Jerusalem and his people.  Habakkuk the prophet says: “The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Hab. 2:20).

 

CHAPTER 3

 

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. Zechariah 3:1

Joshua the high priest mentioned here is also known as Jeshua in Ezra 2:2; 3:2 and Nehemiah 12:7-8; 12:10. Of course, there is no “J” sound in the Hebrew language, so it should be rendered as Yeshua.  Many know that Yeshua is the Hebrew name for Jesus.  Joshua or Yeshua mentioned here was the son of Jehozadak (1 Chr. 6:14015), who was a member of the priestly order.

Joshua is standing before the angel of the Lord, who is likely representing the pre-incarnate Jesus.  At Joshua’s right side stands Satan accusing him.  Accusing believers is one of the devil’s main roles as we see from Revelation 12:10. We need to understand that there was not a clear understanding of Satan as a person in the Old Testament.  In this passage, the Hebrew reads ha-satan (the satan) or the adversary.¹  The understanding of Satan as a person came gradually, and then was at last clearly revealed by the Lord Jesus.

Today as Christians we have a similar role as that of Joshua.  God is once again restoring and renewing Israel as well as the church.  While Jesus is our high priest, we believers stand as ministering priests with him.  In fact, Peter tells us that we are a royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9).  Also, like Joshua, we can be sure that Satan is often at our side condemning us (Rev. 12:10).  As 1 John 2:1 tells us, we have an Advocate or a defense counsel who is pleading our cause with the Father in Heaven (cf. Rom. 8:31, 34).²  That Advocate or counsel is Jesus.

“The LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?’” (3:2). Coffman says of this verse: “This double rebuke of Satan by God himself dramatically demonstrates the conception that Satan is indeed a powerful, superhuman enemy of mankind, full of the utmost and most malicious wickedness.” ³   It seems that God’s choice always involves Jerusalem.  It was true throughout past ages and will be expressly true at the end of this age.

We may have here a reference to the purging fires of Jerusalem’s fall in 586 BC or perhaps also the refining fires of captivity in Babylon.  The priest Joshua was like a temple stick recovered from the fire, scorched but still of use to God (cf. Amos 4:11).  Jacobus Nande in his article puts a beautiful spin on Joshua’s situation.  He says, “…the figure in Amos 4:11 and Zech. 3:2 suggests that Israel as a nation had been rescued from the furnace of Babylon to become a torch to enlighten the nations.” ⁴

It is reported that when the great evangelist John Wesley was but six years old he found himself trapped in a burning house.  He was rescued when a couple of neighbors pulled him out of a window.  Someone made a drawing of this rescue and Wesley kept it until he died.  He considered himself but a brand pulled from the burning, and even wrote under the drawing, “Zechariah 3:2.” ⁵

 

CLEANSING THE PRIESTHOOD

 

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. Zechariah 3:3

The corruption of Israel’s priesthood began early with the house of Eli and his two wicked sons (1 Sam. 2:12-36).  Because of these two degenerate priests, Israel was defeated in battle and became subjected to the Philistines.  The prophets give us abundant evidence of the corruption of the pre-exilic priesthood.  Isaiah charged them with stumbling because of beer (Isa. 28:7).  Jeremiah made many charges such as abusing their power (5:31); practicing deceit (6:23); being godless, even doing evil in the temple (23:11).  Jeremiah in Lamentations 4:13, charged them with the responsibility for Israel’s destruction.  Ezekiel noted that they could not distinguish between the holy and the profane (Eze. 22:26); they were like a gang of robbers (Hos. 6:9), and they took bribes and ruled for profit (Mic. 3:11).

The prophet Malachi, who ministered over a century later than Joshua, reported that such abuses were continuing.  The priests were showing contempt for the Lord by placing defiled sacrifices on the altar (Mal. 1:6-8).  They had violated the covenant with Levi and shown partiality regarding the law (Mal. 2:8-9).  We can understand how important it was to begin the restoration with a godly priesthood, because the centrifugal force of evil in time affects even the priesthood, pulling them from the path of holiness.

We might need to pause and consider how all this affects God’s holy priesthood today.  Do we stand for God’s truth or Google’s truth?  Google’s truth is a truth by consensus.  It is ephemeral and constantly undergoing change while God’s truth stands forever (Isa. 40:8).  With consensus truth, when 51 percent of people believe a thing is true it becomes “truth.”  We see how this has happened with things like abortion, fornication, adultery, gender change and homosexuality.  A few decades ago these things were generally considered wrong or even unthinkable because they were against the Law of God.  Now they are all suddenly right.  How fallen humanity loves to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil instead of the Tree of Life.  The priest of God must stand for the truth.  Malachi 2:7 says: “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.”

Joshua or Yeshua was dressed in filthy clothes like many other priests in his day.  The Hebrew word for filthy is tso’im.  According to the NET Bible comments, the word can even mean excrement.⁶   Joshua, and the whole priesthood as well, were all totally polluted and unqualified for the task before them.  Isaiah speaks of our human condition saying: “We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. We all wither like a leaf; our sins carry us away like the wind” (Isa. 64:6 NET).

The Book of Zechariah continues: “The angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Take off his filthy clothes.’ Then he said to Joshua, ‘See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you’” (3:4). In many places, the Bible speaks of the new clothing God desires that we put on.  There is the garment of praise in Isaiah 61:3; the garments of salvation and robes of righteousness of Isaiah 61:10; the new self of Ephesians 4:24; the armor of God in Ephesians 6:11 and the garments of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience in Colossians 3:12.  In Psalm 132:16, God promises to his servants: “I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.”

“Then I said, ‘Put a clean turban on his head.’ So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by” (3:5).  We need to go to Exodus 28:36-38 and 29:6 to get the original picture of this turban.  We see in the first passage that there was a plate of pure gold attached to the front of the turban.  The seal was engraved with the words “HOLY TO THE LORD.”

It is important that we get this picture.  The true priesthood then and now must be holy.  It is significant that the turban and the gold plate were attached to the head.  The symbolism is clear.  The mind, thoughts and meditations must be pure.  This is especially important today when so many millions of minds are constantly invaded by internet porn.  The researcher Nancy Pearcey reports: “About two-thirds of Christian men watch pornography at least monthly, the same rate as men who do not claim to be Christian.  In one survey, 54 percent of pastors said they viewed porn within the past year.” ⁷   Here it would be good to remember the words of Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things.”  

 

HEAVEN’S CHARGE AND PROMISE TO JOSHUA

 

The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.’” Zechariah 3:6-7

Matthew Henry comments: “All whom God calls to any office he finds fit, or makes so.” ⁸   It is evident throughout the scripture that God’s covenant promises and our obedience are things that must go hand in hand.  The Jewish people call it in Hebrew, ha-lak-hah or “walk.”  Obviously, there is a Christian walk as well (e.g. Eph. 4:1; 5:2; Col. 1:10, all in ESV, NASB, NKJV).  Pett sadly comments, “Later generations would seek to retain the authority without the obedience. Thus it became a meaningless formality.” ⁹

It is clear in the next verse that those sitting were his associates.  However, those standing could well include angels and probably even the angel of the Lord or the pre-incarnate Christ.  We see by this that if God’s priests will but obey, God will give them a high place.

“Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch” (3:8).  Clearly, Joshua was a sign and symbol of good things to come.  It is not unusual in the Bible for people to be used as symbols and signs for things to come (cf. Isa. 8:18).  It seems clear here that Joshua was such a symbol, and his name itself suggests that.  God is spirit, but it can be extremely difficult for us to understand spiritual things.  For instance, it would be quite difficult for us to explain a modern computer to a backward tribesman.  It would only be possible to do it by using pictures and symbolism.  We are in a similar state with God.

It was not possible for Joshua to actually be the Branch since he was not of the Davidic line. ¹⁰   The word Branch is a title for the Messiah of Israel (Isa. 4:2-6; 11:1; Jer. 23:3-5; 33:15; Zech. 6:9-15).

There is an interesting connection with “Branch” and “Nazareth,” that we should bring out here. Through the centuries scholars have wondered if Nazareth was spelled with a “tz” or a “z.”  That question was solved by a 1962 archaeological discovery in favor of “tz.”  The root of the city’s name would be netzer, meaning shoot or branch, and aligning the city with the prophecy of Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch [Heb. Netzer] will bear fruit.”  Until this discovery scholars had wondered about the verse in Matthew 2:23 which read, “and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.”  It was never possible for scholars to find the prophecy mentioned in this verse.  Now they could easily connect it with Isaiah 11:1. ¹¹

“‘See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes 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’” (3:9).  Once more the story is being told to us by spiritual symbols.  The symbol of the stone was a very popular one for early Christians (cf. Acts 4:11; Rom. 9:32-33; 1 Pet. 2:4-8).  The stone in scripture was a clear picture of Christ who was the foundation stone.  Here the precious stone is pictured with seven eyes.  The symbolism of seven most likely speaks of the fullness of the Lord’s wisdom and knowledge. ¹² . Coffman says that anything that has eyes is living, so this is the living stone.¹³

Now, let us consider the matter of removing the sin of Israel in a single day.  Every Christian knows that this happened on that dark day when Christ hung upon the Calvary cross.  Through his holy, shed blood our sins were forgiven and that forgiveness happened in a single day.  Obviously, this picture is designed to continue to the future when sins are forgiven instantly to all those who believe in the Messiah.

“‘In that day each of you will invite your neighbor to sit under your vine and fig tree,’ declares the LORD Almighty” (3:10).  What we have here is no doubt a cultural idiom representing family security and prosperity (cf. 1 Ki. 4:25; Mic. 4:4).¹⁴   It is a picture of peace for those who have believed and obeyed the Lord.  This is a quick glimpse of the Millennial Age and the ages of righteousness to come.

 

CHAPTER 4

 

Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up, like someone awakened from sleep. Zechariah 4:1

The young prophet was no doubt exhausted by seeing four wonderful visions the same night.  The visions may have literally put him to sleep.  We see a similar thing as Daniel fell into a deep sleep at seeing a heavenly vision (Dan. 8:18), and as the three disciples also fell asleep during the glorious Transfiguration of Jesus (Lk. 9:32).

We note that the angel guide has returned to help the prophet.  Utley points out that such angel guides are quite common in apocalyptic literature (cf. Ezek. 8:2-3; Dan. 7:16; 9:22; 10:18-21).¹  So far as we know, this is the same angel who helped the prophet in his previous visions.

“He asked me, ‘What do you see?’ I answered, ‘I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps’” (4:2).  This lampstand is very similar to one that stood in the Tabernacle long before.  That lampstand was also made of solid gold (Exo. 25:31).  Many things in the Tabernacle were made of wood and covered with gold.  That included even the Ark of the Covenant.  This was undoubtedly a picture of redeemed humanity and even a picture of the incarnate Messiah.  The lampstand is different than those other items since there is no human element involved in it.  Rather, it is the true light of God and the only light available in the Tabernacle.  It is the light that lights every person that comes into the world (Jn. 1:9).  It is the light of Messiah.

We note one obvious difference in this lampstand compared to the one in the Tabernacle. This one has a bowl at the top with channels running to the seven lamps.  A number of artists have tried their hand at picturing this item but their pictures have ended up being quite complicated and even a little humorous.  The inescapable picture here is one of a boundless supply of olive oil to the lamps.  There was always a difficulty in keeping the old menorah supplied with oil.  That problem is now solved.  As Barnes says: “The multiplied conduits imply the large and perfect supply of oil unceasingly supplied, the seven being symbolic of perfection.” ²

The seven “channels” have caused a good deal of discussion among commentators.  The various Bible translations show us some of the diversity of opinion.  In the NASB it is rendered “seven spouts;” while it is “seven pipes” in the NKJV and “seven lips” in the NRSV.  The Hebrew word is mu-tsa-kot and it is taken from the root ya-tsak meaning to pour out, to flow or to funnel.  The whole idea is a perfect flow of the oil or the Spirit of God.  The Bible scholars, Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown say: “Christ at the head (“on the top”) of the Church is the true fountain, of whose fullness of the Spirit all we receive grace (John 1:16)…” ³   The American Presbyterian theologian Albert Barnes further expounds with the couplet saying that it:

Enables with perpetual light

The dullness of our blinded sight. ⁴

“Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left” (4:3).  The Lord really does not want us to miss the picture of the abundant supply of olive oil, which in the Bible is a picture of the Holy Spirit.  Clearly, this picture relates that the olive trees stand on each side of the golden menorah.  Later in 4:14, it would be indicated that these two are Joshua and Zerubabbel (cf. Ezr. 3:2; 5:2; Hag. 1:14).  We must not think that these two inspired men are actual sources of olive oil.  Rather, they are conduits of the olive oil or sources of spiritual inspiration for God’s people.

Many years ago my wife and I lived on the southern edge of Jerusalem.  It was my custom to go for prayer to one of the ancient wooded terraces overlooking Bethlehem and Beit Jala.  One day while there I was watching some Arab farmers gather olives from their trees.  They were on the far side of the very deep valley.  It was then that the Lord spoke to me in my inner being.  He said, “This is the tree of light.”  I have never forgotten this word and it has ministered so much to me over the years.

In Bible times a person did not simply flip a switch to turn on the light.  Rather, that person got some olive oil, placed it in a little clay lamp, added a wick and fire and there was light.  Olive oil was the main source of light in biblical times and various oils continued to light lamps far into the 20^th century.  In fact, I can remember clearly when the electric lights came on in our rural area and we finally retired the old kerosene lamps.

We need to probe into the idea of spiritual light and spend a great deal of time meditating on this subject.  With light comes revelation.  We might argue about what was in a dark room, but when the light is switched on the arguments are over.  Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint…”  Today is a day of spiritual stumbling and casting off restraint like never before.  Even many Christians are walking in the shadows.  Somehow, we must remember that God is light and there is no darkness in him (1 Jn. 1:5).  When we walk towards the light the stumbling is over and the shadows are all behind us.

God wants us to walk in the light and stay in the light (Col. 1:12).  To this end, we see in scripture that we Christians are now grafted into the old olive tree of Israel (Rom. 11:17-18).  We are grafted into the light tree, the revelation tree and the anointing tree.  We might ask why the church still lives in the dark ages.  Where are the life-changing and world-changing revelations like “Christ in you, the hope of glory…?” (Col. 1:27); or “…if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor. 5:17); or “…God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus…” (Eph. 2:6).  We do not need new programs in the church today but we need a new revelation of Jesus.  It would help us if we learned to pray for each other just as Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17-18, that our spiritual eyes might be opened and that we might receive that life-giving revelation.

In a very dark and discouraging hour, Joshua and Zerubabbel were bright lights to illumine the way for God’s people.  Guthrie says of this picture: “It envisages the Light of the world shining through lesser lights amid the darkness that covers the nations (cf. Isa. 9:2).” ⁵

 

SPIRITUAL POWER AND ILLUMINATION

 

I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”  He answered, “Do you not know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I replied.  So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” Zechariah 4:4-6

Zerubbabel to this point was trying to do things in his own strength.⁶   He started to build the temple, and 15 years later the temple still was not built.  No doubt, much of the building sprang from human effort.  There was much opposition, so ultimately the very important project was dropped.  All the human might, power and political maneuvering could not get the job done.

Now the Lord introduces his plan.  This program would not depend upon the might, power and intelligence of man but upon the Spirit of God.⁷  It would involve the same people, Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest, but they would now be anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit.

D. L. Moody was one of America’s greatest evangelists, but he did not begin with his great successes.  Two godly women in his church insisted on praying for him that he might have the power of the Spirit in his ministry.  Moody initially asked that the women pray for the lost rather than for him.  However, he became more and more interested in the power about which the women spoke.  In time he began to pray with them that he might receive this power.

Not long after that, Moody was walking in New York when the power of God hit him with such force that he had to beg God to withhold his hand lest he die.  From that point, Moody was a changed man.  He went on to preach to crowds with tens of thousands and great numbers were converted.  He no longer struggled in his own strength.  He testified: “The sermons were no different, and I did not present any new truths, and yet hundreds were converted. I would not be placed back where I was before that blessed experience.” ⁸

“What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’” (4:7).  Utley says, “The mountain is a metaphor for obstacles: physical, personal, and spiritual (e.g., Isa. 40:4; 41:15)…” ⁹  The NET Bible Commentary adds, “In context, the great mountain here must be viewed as a metaphor for the enormous task of rebuilding the temple and establishing the messianic kingdom…” ¹⁰   A few centuries later, Jesus would use a similar metaphor of how such mountains could be removed by simple faith (Mt. 17:20; Mk. 11:23).

This verse has reference to laying the capstone or finishing the building.  Baldwin notes that there is no mention made of a top stone laying in ancient Near-Eastern texts.¹¹ Nevertheless, that seems to be the picture here.  The laying of foundation stones was well known, but that rite was always connected with the beginning of a building.  What we see here is the finishing of the building.  This stone in Hebrew is called even ha-ro-sha or the topmost stone.¹²  The laying of this stone is accompanied with shouts of praise and thanksgiving.

 

PROPHECY TO ZERUBABBEL

 

Then the word of the LORD came to me: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.” Zechariah 4:8-9

When Zerubbabel and the people returned to the land in 537 BC, they first built an altar and made sacrifices on it, although there was no temple (Ezra 3:3, 5).  Later they laid the foundation for the temple. There seems to be some confusion when we relate the books of Ezra and Zechariah.  In Ezra 5:16, Sheshbazzar is mentioned as the one who laid the temple’s foundation.  While there are several possible explanations for this problem, the scripture seems to make it plain that the two are one and the same.¹³   Since the Hebrew for Zerubbabel means “offspring of Babylon,” it might even be possible that this was some sort of nickname.  There was one thing for certain.  When the temple was finished it was proof positive that Zechariah was truly a prophet sent from God.

How true it is that all of us believers are begotten in Babylon in a spiritual sense but now through the grace and mercy of God we have an opportunity to build in Zion.  How true the words of Isaiah for these last days: “Those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (Isa. 51:11).  Babylon represents spiritual bondage and the confusion of religion.  The Lord simply commands us all to come out of Babylon (Rev. 18:4).

Zechariah continues: “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?” (4:10).  We learn from the Book of Ezra that when many of the older priests and Levites saw the foundation of the new temple they wept aloud in disappointment (Ezr. 3:12; cf. Hag. 2:3).  The prophet Haggai quickly corrected them saying: “‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty” (Hag. 2:9).  Haggai knew that someday the Messiah, Jesus the Son of God, would stand in that second temple.  That made it far greater than the former building.

When we think about it, there are a lot of small things that end up becoming big things.  Most notably, the kingdom of God begins like a small mustard seed (Mk.4:30-32), but grows to become a very large plant where birds can alight.

God never sees things as we humans tend to do.  The eyes of God did not fail to notice that construction on the new temple had begun.  When God’s eyes noted the capstone of the new temple being put in place the Lord rejoiced.¹⁴   In 2 Chronicles 16:9 we read: “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him…”

The seven eyes that are mentioned no doubt speak of the perfect vision of the Almighty.  This was reflected already in the “seven faceted stone” that we saw in 3:9. The same concept will be seen much later in the “seven Spirits of God” (Rev. 1:4; 5:6).¹⁵

 

THE TWO ANOINTED ONES

 

Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?”  Zechariah 4:11

The prophet could not get the two olive trees out of his mind.  He had asked about them previously in verses 3 and 4, but had not received a direct answer.  Without waiting for an answer to his renewed question the prophet further defines his query.  He says: “Again I asked him, ‘What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?’” (4:12).  Jamieson and company remark: “…on closer looking he observes that the ‘branches’ of the trees are the channels through which a continual flow of oil dropped into the bowl of the lamps…” ¹⁶   Baldwin comments: “The word translated ‘pipes’ is used nowhere else in the OT, and so it is not possible to be sure of its meaning, but together with the lamps found at Gezer were terracotta tubes which ‘sprout’ into a kind of spout or opening.” ¹⁷

We might note that the very best olive oil is the oil that is cold-pressed or first pressed.  This oil is of the highest quality and is also called extra-virgin oil.  It has the best texture, flavor, quality and color.¹⁸  Such pure olive oil has a golden color to it as scripture says.  I have watched students in Israel pressing olive oil with ancient tools but it was not the first pressing and the color of the oil was more like that of muddy water.

It is important that we keep asking God about his spiritual mysteries.  In Deuteronomy 29:29, it is said: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”  The eighteenth-century Anglican commentator John Trapp says, “Spiritual learning is infused by degrees; our hearts are as narrow-mouthed vessels…” ¹⁹   Coffman feels that this question is asked again because of the great importance of this feature of the prophet’s vision.²⁰

“He replied, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ ‘No, my lord,’ I said.   So he said, ‘These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth’” (4:13-14).  Utley says of these two olive trees: “From the context, both historical and biblical, they represent Zerubbabel and Joshua, who represent the two aspects of the Messiah’s person and work…” ²¹  The Hebrew expression, bene ha-yitz-har means sons of oil or sons of the fresh oil.

Guzik points out how many people have stood together for the purposes of God.  He mentions Moses and Aaron; Joshua and Caleb; Elijah and Elisha; Peter and John; Paul and Barnabas; Whitefield and Wesley; Moody and Sankey; Graham and Barrows.²²   It is interesting how the appointed political governor and the high priest stood together in Zechariah’s day to accomplish the spiritual work that God had in mind.

There is a very interesting account near our time that happened between a civil and religious leader regarding the reestablishment of Zion.  The secular leader was Theodore Herzl and the religious leader was a Christian pastor by the name of William H. Hechler (1845-1931).  The Rev. Hechler lived in Vienna and according to his calculations, he became certain that God was about to restore the Jews to their land.  When this Christian minister heard of Herzl and his new book, The Jewish State, he instantly became an enthusiastic supporter.  The two became life-long friends.   Hechler became a great supporter and encourager of Herzl.  It was through this Christian minister that Herzl was able to secure many contacts with political leaders in Europe, even with the powerful Kaiser of Germany. 

Had we known Hechler, we might have looked at this Christian prophet askance.  He was a fanatic with all of his time-tables and charts spread out before him.  From his judgment he became certain that God would move to restore the Jewish nation in 1897. Unlike so many of his kind, he was absolutely correct.  In that very year, the First Zionist Congress was held.  After that congress, Herzl noted that he had “founded the Jewish State.” ²³

 

CHAPTER 5

 

I looked again, and there before me was a flying scroll. Zechariah 5:1

Now Zechariah presents us with another vivid spiritual symbol, the sixth in his series of eight.  The prophet sees a flying scroll.  Dummelow says, “The flying roll signifies the sin of the evildoer coming home to roost.” ¹  The flight certainly does express the speed in which God’s judgments are coming upon his lawless people.  This picture also makes clear that sin is ultimately a public thing for all to see.  As Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey put it, “Private immorality has public consequences.” ²

“He asked me, ‘What do you see?’ I answered, ‘I see a flying scroll, twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide’” (5:2).  The biblical cubit was the distance from a man’s elbow to the tip of his longest finger, or about 18 inches by our measurement today.³  That would make the scroll quite large at about 15 by 30 feet (4.5 by 9 meters).  It might remind us of some of the banners we have seen that were being pulled through the sky by some light plane.

“And he said to me, ‘This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished’” (5:3).  In Exodus 20:15, God commanded, “You shall not steal.”  This command alone makes it plain that people can and should possess private property.  It is a very certain argument against the grave modern ills of Communism and Socialism.  When we steal that which belongs to another we are at the same time confessing that we do not believe God can supply our needs.  Thus, we steal for the same reasons we commit most sins.  We do it because of our unbelief.  Thieves cannot believe that God will provide for them just as he does for everyone else.  As a result, some people steal and take that which God has provided for others.  No doubt, life was difficult for the returning people and some necessary items must have been in short supply.  Probably, there was the temptation to steal those items that were scarce.

We note that the large scroll was written on both sides.  Utley remarks that this implied a complete curse as we see in Revelation 5:1. ⁴  Simply, the thief would be banished from the land.  The thief would not have part in God’s new creation and so it is today.

It might be well if we consider thievery at this point and particularly thievery in the modern and postmodern sense.  At this time the US is being plagued with a form of stealing called looting.  It seems that we have hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of people who wait for almost any opportunity to loot our stores and businesses.  The looting is of such a massive scale that many times the police have to “stand down” since they are so vastly outnumbered.  According to Anderson Economic Group, the recent looting damage in the summer of 2020 alone would add up to more than $400 million dollars in 20 of the largest US metropolitan areas.⁵

Looting is not the only problem we have in the country.  Employee theft is another massive problem.  According to the National Retail Federation in 2010, 60 percent of store inventory losses were caused by employees.  This added up to $33 billion in revenue suffered by US retailers and small businesses.  According to the US Chamber of Commerce, 75 percent of employees steal from work, and most do so repeatedly.  Also, 30 percent of corporate bankruptcies result from employee theft.  The FBI calls employee theft the fastest growing crime in America.⁶   There is also a new type of thievery as the internet increases.  In 2018, over 14 million people in the US were victims of internet fraud.⁷

The Bible is clear that the thief will be cursed (Judg. 17:1-2; 1 Ki. 8:31-32).  The Bible also offers us a cure for stealing: “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need” (Eph. 4:28).  The Bible commends honest work (cf. 1 Thess. 4:11-12).  The apostle in another place lays down the rule that if a person does not work that person shall not eat (2 Thess. 3:10).  Of course, the complete and true cure for stealing is found in the full salvation that comes in Jesus the Messiah.

The great evangelist, Billy Graham, relates the following story about one of his foreign crusades in his autobiography, Just As I Am.

One night a friend of ours noted two men who came in and sat near the back.  They apparently did not know each other but within minutes had loudly agreed on two things: they did not like Americans, and they especially did not like American evangelists.  They had come to see the show, they agreed, just so they could make fun of it.  But the Holy Spirit spoke to them both.  When the Invitation was given, one of them turned to the other and said, “I’m going forward.”  The other one said, “I am too.  And here’s your wallet back – I’m a pickpocket.” ⁸

Just as was the case with the thief, the one who swore falsely would also be banished from the land.  This section refers to Exodus 20:7: “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”  By Jesus’ time, the Jews had developed a whole system of oaths and vows (Matt 23:16-22).  These oaths supposedly varied in their seriousness and validity depending upon how closely they were related to God himself.  In the verses of Matthew 23:16ff., we can easily see that people valued the gold in the temple more than they valued God’s holy temple itself.  In all their reasoning and scheming they had ended up with a seriously distorted system of values.  All this allowed them to quickly escape from vows that had become too costly or painful for them.

We might remember from Matthew 5:33-37, that Jesus forbade the use of oaths entirely. He taught that it was much better just to reply with a simple “yes” or “no.”  Everything beyond that could come from the devil.  We might think that this was a small and insignificant area for the Jews but rather it was major.  Morris comments: “…But if we can go by rabbinic literature, the swearing of oaths was commonplace among the Jews. A whole tractate of the Mishnah is given over to the subject (Shebu-ot).” ⁹

God is after a people who speak the truth in their hearts (Psa. 15:2).  Just as it was true in the first restoration of Israel so it is true today.  The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell in it forever (Psa. 37:29-31).  Much of their victory will have to do with godly speech.  The wicked will be cut off from the earth (Psa. 37:9; Prov. 10:30).

“The LORD Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones’” (5:4).  This verse should cause thieves and false swearers to shudder.  The scroll will enter that person’s house and remain there until the house is completely destroyed.  This sounds a lot like a Persian form of punishment as seen in Ezra 6:11. ¹⁰   We all probably know households that have been destroyed by thievery, dishonesty and various other sins.  It presents a sad but tragic picture.

 

THE WOMAN IN A BASKET

 

Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what is appearing.” I asked, “What is it?” He replied, “It is a basket.” And he added, “This is the iniquity of the people throughout the land.”  Zechariah 5:5-6

When the prophet looked up he saw a basket – or an ephah in Hebrew.  The ephah was a large dry measure for handling grains.  It contained about a bushel, or seven and one-half gallons (28 liters).¹¹   The angel then compared the ephah to the iniquity in the land.  It is interesting that word for “iniquity” is the word for “eye” in Hebrew.  That has made some translators interpret it as “resemblance” (NKJ) or “appearance” (NAS).  Apparently, some folks had the resemblance or appearance of evil.  The prophet Micah at an earlier time had charged Israel: “Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house, and the short ephah, which is accursed?” (Mic. 6:10).  Obviously, the Israelites had used the ephah to cheat in the past and apparently in the present as well.  God had seen it all.

“Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman!” (5:7). Surely, this was a very large basket or a very small woman.  Some have felt that this was the image of a woman or an idol like Ishtar or Ashteroth.¹²   However, the context of this verse seems to indicate a real live woman.  To make her an idol would likely destroy the imagery being used.

“He said, ‘This is wickedness,’ and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it” (5:8).  Apparently, the wicked woman wished to get out of her confinement and mix with the people.  Instead, she was thrust back into the basket and a cover was placed upon her.  The Hebrew reads a stone or cover of lead.  Such a cover would be quite heavy and has been estimated by some to be around 118 pounds troy.¹³   Matthew Henry, remarks: “Guilt is upon the sinner as a weight of lead, to sink him to the lowest hell.” ¹⁴

“Then I looked up – and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth” (5:9).  Some have seen these two women as angels, but since they are compared to storks that identity simply will not hold.  As we know from scripture, the stork is an unclean bird (Lev. 11:19). This whole picture seems to be one of evil and uncleanness being removed from the Land of Israel. The stork is a powerful migrating bird and they are often seen crossing over the Holy Land in the spring and fall.  The fact that the basket is lifted between heaven and earth may signify that these are sins committed against both God and man.¹⁵

“‘Where are they taking the basket?’  I asked the angel who was speaking to me. He replied, ‘To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place’” (5:10-11).  Here we have the introduction of a vast biblical problem that will not be fully settled until Revelation chapters 14 through 18.  The fact that the final judgment of Babylon takes up so much space in Revelation tells us just how important this subject is.  We need to ask just what is the meaning of Babylon?  The answer to this important question is that Babylon is a vast trans-historical system of evil that has been with us since the days of Nimrod (Gen. 10:9-10).  His name in Hebrew has a root meaning of “rebel.”

Babylon in the Bible represents many things. Babylon, once a great international power, has somehow become a home for demons, evil spirits and unclean things (Rev. 18:2). Babylon has polluted the nations with her adulteries (Rev. 18:3).  She has also polluted Israel and the church of God.  While part of Babylon pretends to be religious, she has actually been the mother of adulteries for kings and nations (cf. Rev. 17:5).

Let us try to summarize the spiritual significance of Babylon. Since the subject of Babylon is an extremely complicated one, we need to look at the major Babylonian principles, in order that we may understand God’s great wrath against this city.

We see first of all that Babylon represents spiritual pride (cf. Gen. 11:4; Jer. 50:29-32; Rev. 18:7b).  Her spirit is quite unlike that of Jesus who “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Phil. 2:7).

Second, there is the principle of idolatry. Babylon was famous for her gods.  Babylon had a host of some 300 gods of heaven and another 600 of earth.  This did not count the many spirits who were also worshipped.¹⁶  It was “a land of idols” (Jer. 50:38).  We simply cannot comprehend the extent to which this Babylonian idolatry has affected the world, Judaism and even Christianity.

Third, Babylon was also famous for her covetousness (Jer. 51:13). The alarming thing about Babylon’s covetousness is that she is merchandising in gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, cinnamon, fragrances, ointments, frankincense, wine, oil, flour, wheat, etc.  Almost all of these things represent pictures of redemption and divine worship.  Most were either present in Israel’s sacrifices or had to do with her worship.  Babylon also merchandises in the souls of men (Rev. 18:12-13).  She still leads people in chains of religious bondage.  We note that all the merchants who made themselves rich by her excesses will weep and mourn for her at her fall (Rev. 18:15).

Fourth, Babylon is famous for her sorcery.  We read in Revelation 18:23, “By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.”  The prophet Isaiah says: “…Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you” (Isa. 47:13).  Sorcery might be defined as taking our spiritual directions from any place but from the Lord and the Bible.  It is no secret that the church is filled with various types of sorcery today, often illustrated by Harry Potter books in Christian homes and probably in some church libraries.

Fifth, Lady Babylon is an adulteress as we see in Revelation 17:5.  To adulterate is to mix and to weaken.  Babylonian principles have subtly infiltrated and weakened true religion.  This has come about through compromise with the beastly world system, and it surely has cost Christianity its pristine purity. We remember that it was in Babylon that the people partied and drank from God’s holy temple vessels.

Sixth, Babylon is guilty of murder.  In Revelation 17:6 we read: “I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.”  The spirit of Babylon has managed to pursue and destroy godly people in every age.  Often they have been killed in the name of religion.  It is ironic that many of Christianity’s famous martyrs were actually put to death by the church.

Seventh, the land of Babylon is shot through with division.  We remember that after the Tower of Babel episode the people of all the earth became divided in language (Gen. 11:7-8).  The Bible clearly teaches us about the unity of our faith.  In Ephesians 4:4-6 we read: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”  There are not two nations of Israel or two churches, or ten or a thousand. We can safely say that most things dividing the church are of Babylon, while the things that bring the church together in true unity are generally of God.

Because of all this, Babylon is a land of confusion.  It is also a land of deep spiritual bondage.  It is a place where God’s people can no longer freely sing his praises (Psa. 137:2-4). Thus we realize that Babylon represents everything that is false and abhorrent to true Christianity.  God, therefore, commands all his people to come out of her: “Then I heard another voice from heaven say: ‘Come out of her, my people so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues’” (Rev.18:4).  At last, Babylon will be judged by God with a frightful judgment.  In Revelation 18:8 we read: “Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” 

God’s people, Jews and Christians alike, are commanded to flee from Babylon.  However, we realize that the Jews, in particular, remained there for hundreds of years.  In fact, the Jews built their temple there in a spiritual sense.  Babylon became the spiritual center of worldwide Jewry for many centuries.¹⁷  The Babylonian Talmud, which is still much prized by the Jews, was written there.  In fact, the Jews left in Babylon (Iraq), over 124,000 strong, did not return home until Israel was reborn in the mid-twentieth century.  Many of the Jews of Iraq had been officially in captivity since 586 BC, and now they were home. As we mentioned in 2:6, the remarkable event prompted the President of Israel to declare that the Babylonian captivity had ended.¹⁸  To that, we can only sigh and say that the Babylonian captivity of Israel and the church has not truly ended and will not end until the Book of Revelation is fulfilled in the last days.

 

CHAPTER 6

 

I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains – mountains of bronze. Zechariah 6:1

Here the prophet sees the last in his series of eight visions.  He sees four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains.  In biblical times the chariot was the most swift, powerful and feared of the weapons (cf. Judg. 1:19).  These four chariots were certainly symbolic of God’s fierce and swift judgment upon his enemies.  We might compare them to a group of modern tanks today.  The Bible speaks of God’s strength in terms of chariots: “The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands” (Psa. 68:17).

Many commentators see the two mountains mentioned as Mount Moriah, or the Temple Mount, and the Mount of Olives.  Between the two mountains runs the deep Kidron Valley, which is known in the Bible as the Valley of Jehoshaphat or the valley of God’s judgment (Joel 3:2, 12).  These two mountains are pictured as being made of bronze.  It is of note that bronze was the strongest metal alloy in biblical times.¹   Also in scripture, bronze was used to represent judgment.²  The strength of God’s judgment cannot be missed here.

“The first chariot had red horses, the second black, the third white, and the fourth dappled— all of them powerful” (6:2-3).  Now the prophet goes on to describe the various horses that were pulling the chariots.  We cannot help but note that these images are very similar to the ones described in 1:8-17.  There is also some reference to the horses at a much later time in Revelation chapter 6.  Commentators feel that we cannot make too much of their colors.  It is generally felt that red signifies warfare, while black indicates famine or calamity.  The white could point to victory and the dappled possibly represents plagues.³  Various translations of the fourth horse read dappled, grisled, spotted, marked, or bay.  Jamieson and company see the color of this last horse “implying a mixed dispensation, partly prosperity, partly adversity.” ⁴

While we cannot be certain regarding the coloration of these horses and their symbolism we can be quite certain as to their purposes.  Guthrie says, “The chariots represent the exercise of divine rule over the whole earth…” ⁵  Pett adds: “These chariots are coming forth to do God’s will and purpose.  Jerusalem, the High Priest and the Temple having been restored, and sin and idolatry having been removed from the land, God will now establish his people in security and peace. They do not want any more invasions from the north.” ⁶

“I asked the angel who was speaking to me, ‘What are these, my lord?’  The angel answered me, ‘These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world’” (6:4-5).  Guzik sees these as angelic spirits of God.  He says that if those in Zechariah’s day had the technology they might be compared to jet planes.  They were going out to swiftly accomplish God’s purposes and God’s Spirit could only rest when his enemies were judged.⁷

“The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south” (6:6).  Baldwin says, “A word or phrase is missing from the Hebrew at the beginning of the verse…it could be that the missing clause was ‘The red horses went towards the east country’…” ⁸  We might remember that ancient armies did not move from Babylon across the hundreds of miles of desert in order to reach Israel.  Rather, they moved along the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys of the Fertile Crescent and then attacked Israel from the north.  Baldwin adds: “So far as the prophet’s message is concerned the only group of importance is that which goes to the north (north and east, understood), where the struggle for world domination had for centuries been concentrated.” ⁹  According to the Hebrew of the verse, it is quite possible that the white horse also followed to the north.¹⁰

The NIV here translates the Hebrew indicating that the white horse is going toward the west.  The NRS version agrees.  However, many modern translations show the white horse also going toward the north (NAS, ESV, NET, NKJ).  Should the white horse be traveling west it would almost have to be a reference to Alexander the Great who would eventually arise in Macedonia.  It is clear that the dappled horses headed for Egypt in the south.  Egypt, that old enemy of Israel was conquered shortly before 525 BC by the Persians at the Battle of Pelusium.

“When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth. And he said, ‘Go throughout the earth!’ So they went throughout the earth” (6:7).  Baldwin remarks of this: “From first to last (cf. 1:10) the affairs of the nations are under God’s direction, not man’s.” ¹¹  As we have seen previously, much of their activity was directed toward the kingdoms of the north – being Assyria and Babylonia.  We will see a similar situation like this in the last days as God releases the four angels that are bound at the Euphrates River (Rev. 9:14). ¹²

 “Then he called to me, ‘Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north’” (6:8).  Once again, we realize that the focus of God’s interest was toward the nations in the north.  Literally, God could have no rest until the nations that destroyed and imprisoned his people Israel were judged.  Assyria had been defeated in battle at the Battle of Nineveh (612 BC) and the final battle of Carchemish (605 BC).  The Persians and Medes then had defeated Babylon in 539 BC.  God’s fierce judgment began to settle on these lands.  Some of God’s wrath may then have been visited on Persia.  Even after Darius took over the rule, revolts broke out in parts of the empire and they were not settled until 514 BC.¹³   Today we can see how thorough God’s judgment was concerning all these countries.  Nineveh is a pile of rubble, as well as Babylon.  Even Persia’s Persepolis lies in ruins.  All the glory of ancient Egypt has passed and the country has been stolen away and degraded by Islam.

 

A CROWN FOR JOSHUA

 

The word of the LORD came to me: “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon. Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.” Zechariah 6:9-10

The earlier Scottish commentator, William Nicoll says, “The true hope of the world is a Priest.” ¹⁴  How true it is that humankind, both ancient and modern, has sought out a priest.  Even Christians, for whom this problem long has been solved, still seek out priests on this earth.

Here the Babylonian exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah had made a pilgrimage to Israel.  They brought with them precious gifts of gold and silver.  They were obviously lodging with Josiah the son of Zephaniah.

How true it is that even today, in the time of Israel’s second restoration, many people are bringing gifts to Jerusalem.  The Bible speaks of the wealth of nations coming to the land.  It says, “…the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come” (Isa. 60:5).  For several years I served in Israel as the Director of Outreach to new immigrants for a large Christian organization.  I witnessed Christians bringing their gifts to the land, often a suitcase-full at a time.  I also witnessed millions of dollars in money gifts being given to the new arrivals from Christians all over the world.  The Bible says: “…For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings” (Rom. 15:27).

“Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jozadak” (6:11).  This instruction must have sounded outrageous to the prophet.  Zerubbabel the governor was from the line of David and it would seem that if there was a crowning he should be the one crowned.  For someone else to be crowned would surely cause a good deal of hard feelings.  The crowning itself was certain to be a cause of alarm to the ruling Persians.  The whole idea of a priest being crowned as king was foreign to Israel’s thinking.  Only one king in Israel’s biblical history had sought to mix the kingly and priestly functions and that ended in a great disaster (2 Chron.26:16-21).  However, starting in the second century BC the priestly Maccabees ruled both as priests and kings.  They had a good beginning but that too ended much later in disaster.

The crown mentioned here (Heb. atarot) is plural.  Baldwin says, “Eastern crowns were circlets, which could be worn singly or fitted together to make a composite crown (cf. Rev. 19:12).” ¹⁵

“Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD’” (6:12).  So here we begin to understand that the whole act of crowning the priest was symbolic.  While the basic symbolism seemed to apply to Joshua, some of it applied to Zerubbabel.  Joshua’s name would be the same as that of the coming Messiah (Joshua, Yehoshu’a, Deut. 3:21; Hoshe’a, Deut. 32:44; Yeshu’a, Neh. 8:17).¹⁶   However, Zerubbabel’s name had the meaning of “branch” or “shoot” from Babylon (Tsemach).  It would actually be Zerubbabel who would finish work on the literal Second Temple (cf. Zech. 4:9).¹⁷

There is much more here than meets the eye.  While Zerubbabel would finish the literal temple, the symbolic crown on Joshua’s head would apply to the spiritual temple to come.  It would apply to the coming Messiah, who like Zerubbabel, would also have the name of Branch (Heb. Tsemach).  We can read the prophecies concerning this in Isaiah 4:2; Jeremiah 23: 5, 33:15 and also earlier in Zechariah 3:8.   The passage in Jeremiah 33:15-16 states plainly: “In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.  In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: ‘The LORD Our Righteous Savior.’”

The Second Temple that Zerubbabel would finish was only a type, shadow and pattern of the spiritual temple to come.  Jesus once talked to the Samaritan woman about worship in this spiritual temple.  He said to her: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:23-24).

We can read more about this coming spiritual temple in Ephesians 2:19-22.  Also 1 Peter 2:5 describes it quite well: “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”  The coming temple with Jesus as the Cornerstone will be made up of believing people, both Jews and Gentiles.  They will serve as priests in this new temple.  This spiritual temple will stretch throughout the earth and even reach unto heaven.  This temple will be indestructible and will last through eternity.

Of course, this King and Priest after Melchisedek’s line (Psa. 110:4) would go unnoticed by most people in Israel and especially by the priests and ruling classes.  He would come to them not as the conquering king they desired but as a Suffering Servant.  Moore speaks of “His growing lowly in his place of obscurity, ‘as a tender plant and a root out of a dry ground’ (Isaiah 53:2), for thirty years unknown except as the son of a carpenter…” ¹⁸

“It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two” (6:13).  This new temple will not be built by human beings like Zerubbabel.  It will only be built by Yeshua or Jesus.  He will reign there as the eternal King and Priest.  Baldwin says, “Nowhere else in the Old Testament is it made so plain that the coming David king will also be a priest.” ¹⁹

When anyone accepts Jesus as Lord that person becomes a part of that spiritual temple.  So today, Christians are invited into the Holy Place and even the Holy of Holies as they go deeper in their relationship with Jesus (Heb. 10:19-22).  They cannot only go into the Holy Temple but they can become part of that temple and minister there as holy priests before God.

“The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the LORD” (6:14).  Here it is made very plain that the crowning of Joshua was purely symbolic and was an act looking forward to the crowning of the great High Priest and King Yeshua or Jesus.  We notice here that there is an apparent name change to Josiah son of Zephaniah.  He is called Hen which is the Hebrew word for grace.  Perhaps he had a blessed nickname like “gracious one.”  Likely he was of the priestly family.

It is very interesting that the precious crown was not worn by Joshua.  Rather it was deposited in the temple to honor the donors.  It was also a memorial to the coronation of the Messiah to come (cf. Hag. 2:6-9). ²⁰

Strangely, the name of Heldai is also changed to the Hebrew Helem.  This change is picked up in several of the modern translations like NAS, ESV, NET, and NKJ.  We need to get used to the fact that in a multicultural and multilingual setting like the Middle East people tended to have second names that might reflect other cultural influences.  Coffman says, “We are surprised here by the names apparently being changed from those mentioned in Zechariah 6:9, but we refuse to find any problem here. Any of those mentioned could have borne two or more names.” ²¹

“Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the LORD, and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the LORD your God” (6:15).  Those who are far away cannot necessarily be confined to Jews of the dispersion.²²  Utley says, “eschatologically it refers to the Gentiles (cf. Zech. 2:11; 8:20-23; Isa. 2:2-4; 56:6-8; 60:5c- 9, 10; Micah 4:1-5; Eph. 2:11-22).” ²³

Zechariah thus presents Jews and even Gentile people with the promise of a Messiah in the line of David.  He also presents us with a wonderful spiritual temple and priesthood.  He gives us the opportunity to build in that new temple but we should heed the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:10 and be very careful how we build.

CHAPTER 7

 

In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev. Zechariah 7:1

Apparently, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah in response to some questions related to fast days. These questions were asked by certain visitors to Jerusalem.  The time of their visit was in 518 BC on the fourth day of the winter month of Kislev.  That month corresponds to our November/December period today.  Some scholars have proposed that the date might have been December 7 in 518 BC.¹  Thus, it was about two years after the prophet’s night visions.  The month of Kislev still appears on the Hebrew calendar.  Like other Hebrew months it continues to maintain its Babylonian name.

“The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the LORD by asking the priests of the house of the LORD Almighty and the prophets, ‘Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?’” (7:2-3).  Bible interpreters have had a lot of difficulty trying to identify these questioners.  Some feel that they came from Bethel, the cultic center about 12 miles (19 km.) north of Jerusalem.  Others feel that they came all the way from Babylon itself.  Many of the modern translations opt for the Bethel idea.  Some scholars feel that the obvious Babylonian names of these arrivals indicate that they were from that area.  This interpretation would see Bethel-Sharezer as a personal name.  It would also see that the delegation arrived about three and a half months after the fast in question.  That would have provided sufficient travel time from Babylon.²

The Babylon idea may be a little far-fetched.  Barnes points out that Ezra 2:28 lists 223 men of Bethel who had returned with Zerubbabel to resettle the land.³  It would have been very natural and even customary in that day for the men to have maintained their Babylonian names.

Bethel was after all an important religious site.  Abraham had built an altar there and Jacob had a vision of the ladder to heaven in that same place.  Unfortunately, the site became polluted with idolatry during the rule of Jeroboam.  One of the two golden calves was placed in Bethel and the false worship led to the ruin of the nation.  We can understand why these leaders from Bethel wanted to be clear about their religious practices.

The initial question they asked was whether or not the fast of the fifth month (Av) should continue.  That fast concerned the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians.  Interestingly, that fast still goes on among the Jewish people.  It is called Tisha B’Av (Ninth of Av) and tradition says that both the Babylonians and Romans destroyed temples on the very same day hundreds of years apart (586 BC and AD 70).  It is still a day of fasting for the Jews.

Evidently, a lot of other really bad things happened to the Jewish people on this date.  For instance, Jewish tradition claims that it was on this day, after their Exodus from Egypt, that the Children of Israel were told they would not be able to enter the Promised Land. Many centuries later, during the Bar Kokhba Revolt, the last Jewish stronghold, called Bethar, fell on the Ninth of Av, AD 135. One year later, also on the Ninth of Av, the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, established a heathen temple on the site of the former Jewish temple. He rebuilt Jerusalem as a pagan city, into which Jews were forbidden to enter. Much later, on the Ninth of Av, 1492, the Christian rulers of Spain expelled all the Jews from that land. Spain had been a great center of Jewish culture. The Jews of Spain had lived in relative peace and had flourished there for centuries.

The question of continued fasting no doubt arose because of the restoration program that was well underway.  Many had returned to the land from Babylon.  The altar had been erected and the new temple was probably about half completed.  All this may have caused them to wonder if they should go on fasting in such a happy time of rebuilding and restoration.

 

TRUE FASTING

 

Then the word of the LORD Almighty came to me: “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?’” Zechariah 7:4-5

It was in the fifth month and the seventh day (586 BC) that the commander Nebuzaradan of Babylon was sent to destroy the city of Jerusalem (2 Ki. 25:8).  Tradition says that the Temple was burned on the ninth day of the fifth month (Av).  Later the Babylonian king appointed Gedaliah as governor.  However, the governor was assassinated and the people fled in fear to Egypt (2 Ki. 25:22-26).  That fateful day, the third day of the seventh month, also became a day of fasting.  There were other related fasts connected with the fourth and fifth months.⁴

Today for the Jews, Tisha b’Av actually marks the end of a three-week period of semi-mourning beginning on the 17th day of the previous month of Tammuz.  It was on this date that the wall of Jerusalem was breached by the Romans in AD 70.  During this period of semi-mourning, many people abstain from meat and wine; refrain from shaving; refuse to buy new clothes, or participate in various forms of entertainment.  We can imagine the great displays of grief that were seen among the people in Zechariah’s time during these fast days.

Now the Lord asks the big question: “was it really for me that you fasted?” After all, had God ever commanded these extra fasts? Coffman says, “Now the most important thing about all of these fasts was that God had neither commanded nor authorized any one of them!” ⁵   In fact, the only fast commanded by God was the Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:16-32).  There is a strange thing about us humans.  In our zeal we will go to any and all extremes to establish and protect our own traditions while at the same time we ignore the direct commands of God.

“And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?” (7:6).  It seems that the Jews of that day were using their invented fasts to throw pity parties and pump up their own pride about keeping their traditions.  After all, such false devotion always makes the flesh feel good.  It is a sort of will worship that is unacceptable to God.  Wiersbe says: “As far back as the ministry of Samuel, God told the people that he wanted their obedience and not their sacrifices (1 Sam. 15:22), and this truth was also taught in the Psalms (50:8-14; 51:16).” ⁶  Many years before, Isaiah had given this instruction concerning fasting:

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?  Is not this the kind of fasting I have  chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe     them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?  (Isa. 58:5-7).

God wanted them to separate themselves from their sins and not just from their food.⁷   Later in the next chapter Zechariah will give a much fuller answer to their questions.

“Are these not the words the LORD proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?” (7:7).  It is not entirely clear to whom Zechariah refers when he mentions the “earlier prophets.”  Scholars today name the Former Prophets as the historical books of Joshua, Judges,1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings.⁸   The Later Prophets would most likely include all those prophets following.  It seems that much of the teaching here, including our quote from Isaiah, has come from the Later Prophets.  When compared to Zechariah, Haggai and the other contemporary prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah and the others were, of course, all “earlier.”

The Negev mentioned here is that large desert area of southern Israel running all the way down to the seaport city of Eilat.  The western foothills  (Heb. Sh-fe-lah) is still called by its ancient Hebrew name.  This is the area of small hills that precedes the higher eastern mountains of Israel.  In Israel’s earlier history all these areas were settled.  Baldwin remarks: “What is abundantly clear is that the country was desperate for people to rebuild the cities and restore the farms.” ⁹

 

THE LORD SPEAKS AGAIN

 

And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah: “This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.’” Zechariah 7:8-9

Now the prophet gets down to the reality of real religion.  Alex Haley once said, “Either you deal with what is the reality, or you can be sure that the reality is going to deal with you.” ¹⁰ These early people of Israel had not dealt with the reality of their faith and that reality had dealt with them.  They had suffered a terrible military defeat and seventy years of exile in Babylon.  Now God by his grace had given them a new beginning in the land.  They needed to make sure that they did not mess up again. The religious reality was this: “…fasting as such is religiously inconsequential compared with the Lord’s demand for moral obedience …” ¹¹

If God is not impressed with our fasting what does impress him?  He wants us to administer true justice.  In the US we are watching justice rapidly disappear from our society.  Rioters and looters are arrested, jailed and without fines or bonds are released the next day so that they can be on the streets rioting and looting the next night.  Those who try to protect themselves or their property are often the ones arrested and they have to face fines and long legal proceedings.

God wants us to show mercy and compassion to each other.  In the West we now have what is called “Cancel Culture.”  It is a form of ostracism or shaming that is done on the web or in person.  The canceled person may be humiliated, excluded from social circles and from friendship or business.  This strange culture can only arise when biblical teachings are lost, when men and women are no longer seen as being made in God’s image.

The prophet Micah has said, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic. 6:8).  John Watts said, “Zechariah shows a knowledge of earlier prophecy at every step in his book…” ¹²  The Israelites had not listened to their former prophets but now God was giving them another chance to get down to the reality and true requirements of their ancient faith.

“Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other” (7:10).  Those the prophet mentions here were the weak and often oppressed in ancient societies.  The widow really needed special protection if she had no sons to help her.  Women had few rights in Israel and other ancient societies.  There was hardly a way that a widow could earn a living.  Often, women alone had to resort to prostitution or else starve.  God made special provision for widows.  Of course the fatherless and foreigner needed help too.  God had said: “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless.  If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry” (Exo. 22:22-23).  God also said: “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow” (Isa. 1:17).  In Psalm 146:9 we read, “The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.”  My wife and I lived many years as expatriates and we know how difficult life sometimes can be for foreigners.

The prophet is intent that people not forget the poor.  The Bible says: “…Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble” (Psa. 41:1 NKJ).  There were thousands of poor farmhands in Israel at that time and afterward.  These people had a difficult life.  In this highly organized and mechanized age of ours we can scarcely imagine the hardships faced by day-laborers in Bible times.  As Peter Davids says, “These laborers lived a hand-to-mouth existence.  Today’s wage bought tomorrow’s breakfast.  When the wage was not paid at the end of the day, the whole family went hungry.” ¹³

Because our God is a compassionate God he gave many commands regarding the laboring person.  In Deuteronomy 24:14-15 it is commanded, “Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.  Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin” (cf. Lev. 19:13; Prov. 3:27-28; Jer. 22:13; Mal. 3:5).  As Barclay says, “The Bible is nothing less than the charter of the laboring man.” ¹⁴  We see this spelled out most clearly in James 5:1-6.

Here God’s command does not end with the outward but with the inward.  Baldwin says, “The fourth precept of Zechariah’s summary is negative in form and forbids the very thought of wronging others.” ¹⁵

 

TURNING A DEAF EAR

 

But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the LORD Almighty was very angry.  Zechariah 7:11-12

Utley describes their actions: “‘they refused to pay attention,’ ‘they turned a stubborn shoulder,’ (cf. Neh. 9:29), ‘they stopped their ears from hearing’ (cf. Jer. 5:21; 6:10), ‘they made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear’ also …compare Isa. 6:9-10.” ¹⁶   The prophet Hosea once described Israel: “The Israelites are stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. How then can the LORD pasture them like lambs in a meadow?” (Hos. 4:16).  We get the picture here of a stubborn calf backing up and straining every muscle to resist the yoke.  Coffman notes that this attitude has come down to modern times as people sometimes turn a cold shoulder to those trying to lead them.¹⁷

Jamieson and company say here: “As they pushed from them the yoke of obedience, God laid on them the yoke of oppression. As they made their heart hard and adamant, God brake their hard hearts with judgments. Hard hearts must expect hard treatment. The harder the stone, the harder the blow of the hammer to break it.” ¹⁸

We should note here that God sent his Spirit to speak through the earlier prophets (cf. Neh. 9:30).  In the times of the Old Testament the Spirit of God came upon people but it never came to stay upon them.  That is a big difference from the New Testament where the Holy Spirit comes to stay upon the Lord’s people forever (Jn. 14:16-17).

“‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the LORD Almighty” (7:13).  The writer Osorius says of them: “They would not bear the burden of the law, whereas they willingly bore that most heavy weight of their sins…Their adamantine heart could be softened neither by promises nor threats.” ¹⁹ God is a God of great mercy but at times he can choose to give us exactly what we deserve.  When Israel finally called upon him in their grave distress, God would not listen to them.

 “I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate” (7:14).  Jerome says: “That which was formerly a pleasant land, and the hospice of the Trinity, is turned into a desert and dwelling-place of dragons.” ²⁰   God scattered them so thoroughly that most all of them would never again set eyes on the pleasant land.

 

CHAPTER 8

 

The word of the LORD Almighty came to me. This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.” Zechariah. 8:1-2

Baldwin comments, “Without any transition the prophet switches from the outworking of God’s wrath to the reassurance of his loving concern.” ¹  God immediately assures Israel of his everlasting jealousy, love and concern for the City of Zion.  The Hebrew words used here are very expressive.  Utley says: “‘Exceedingly jealous’ …comes from a term for dying a cloth an intense color. It came to be used for facial expressions showing deep emotions.” ² What we have represented here are the very deepest and intense human feelings.

When we come to the subject of Zion we come to something that is greatly perplexing to modern and postmodern ears.  However, the subject was well-known and much better understood by previous generations of Christians.  The old hymns written in the last two or three centuries testify to this fact.  Zion was the longing in Christian hearts in those days.  Preachers preached a lot about Zion and even before there was a Modern Israel, the Pilgrim Fathers of America talked and sang a lot about Zion.  Some of the old hymns resulting from this early emphasis are: “We’re Marching to Zion”… “Zion Stands With Hills Surrounded”…“O Zion Haste.”  We seldom hear these old hymns anymore and I don’t believe I have heard a regular preacher speak on the subject of Zion for at least fifty or sixty years.

The problem we face as Christian people today is that the concept of Zion has been cleverly politicized.  This has happened over the last hundred years as Palestinians and other Islamists have used the term to vilify, on a worldwide scale, the newly established state of Israel.  Thus, it has become a term which is “not politically correct” to many people.  In fact, it might now be one of the most toxic and politically incorrect terms on earth.

So, what really is the significance of the word “Zion” in the Bible?  Is the term still important to God’s people?  The word is mentioned over 160 times in scripture.  That is a respectable number of occurrences.  Even “hope,” one of the three pillars of Christianity, is mentioned only 161 times. This immediately tells us that Zion is an important concept.

The actual name “Zion,” probably means “citadel,” and was first applied to the stronghold of the Jebusites captured by David.  This stronghold was afterward also called the City of David (2 Sam. 5:7).  Later, the term was applied to the Temple Mount and then expanded to include the whole city of Jerusalem (2 Ki. 19:21).  Finally, the term was even applied to the people of Israel (Isa. 51:16).  Centuries afterward, both the prophets and the New Testament writers further expanded upon it to include many of the spiritual realities that we now hold dear.

Thus the concept of Zion probably represents one of the most elaborate and complex spiritual ideas ever revealed to the heart of man.  It ultimately encompasses the whole idea of God’s rule and reign on earth.  Within this concept are the ideas of salvation, perfection, glory, joy, peace, rest, fulfillment, victory, holiness and many other beautiful realities.

We see that Zion is the final goal of Christianity although this has been woefully misunderstood.  We might just say that the church will eventually flee Babylon, or the confusion of religion, and go home to Zion.  So, let us say it plainly so all may understand, the church is about to go home to Zion. This is prophesied in Isaiah 51:11: “The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (cf. Heb. 12:22-24). This verse is pregnant with both natural and spiritual significance.

The Bible warns us saying: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem [Zion], may my right hand forget its skill.  May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy” (Psa. 137:5-6).  Our Bible also exhorts us in Psalm 122:6, to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  This is not just a one-time prayer as we can see from that strange verse in Isaiah 62:7 which says: “and give him [God] no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.”

These prayers put us in alignment with God’s great and eternal purposes because he says of Zion or Jerusalem: “…this is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it” (Psa. 132:14).  When you are God and you desire something you are certainly able to have it.  He says through the prophet Ezekiel: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever…” (Ez. 43:7; cf. Jer. 3:17).  We can imagine how God feels as peoples and nations try their best to pollute, politicize, steal away and even destroy his beloved Zion.  In Zechariah 1:14-15 God already said: “…I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure….”  Since God is extremely jealous for Zion shouldn’t we Christians feel the same way?  After all, we are his children and our spiritual destination is Zion itself as we see here.

“This is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain” (8:3).  From the uniform testimony of scripture, we are told that God will eventually come to live in Jerusalem or Zion.  Why would God choose to live in a little mountain town?  We have no idea.  We just know that the Almighty God longs to live in Jerusalem and someday he will live there among the Israelis and all his people forever.  We probably remember how the presence of God left Jerusalem in the days of Ezekiel (Ezek. Chs. 10-11).³  Now that presence is destined to return and will never leave.

During the dozen or so years that my wife and I lived in Jerusalem, we often repeated the promises made by the Lord to the city.  We would call her things like “The Faithful City,” “The City of Truth,” and “The Holy City.”  We just wanted to get ourselves used to his terminology because someday everyone will be saying such things.

 

SCENES OF GREAT PEACE

 

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age.” Zechariah 8:4

We can suppose that there were not so many aged men and women in the company of returnees.  The long, exhausting trip from Babylon as well as the difficulty of life in the partially restored land would have just been too much for the elderly.⁴

This vision actually gives us a peek into what we know as the Millennial Age.  This age should begin with the sounding of the trumpet and the initial appearance of the Lord Jesus.  How can we describe this age since it is partly hidden from us?  Jesus will not come and immediately take over this world as we often suppose.  We must realize that the final establishment of his reign here is in fact a rather lengthy process.

Although we do not fully understand the peculiarities of this age and it leaves us with many questions, we had best believe in its existence until we understand it better.  We can perceive some things about the Millennium.  Shortly before it begins, the beast and the false prophet will be thrown into hell (Rev. 19:20).  Never again will people be deceived by the false prophet. Satan himself will then be bound for a thousand years and will not be able to tempt people and nations (Rev. 20:2-3). The world will enter an age of peace and tranquility unknown since the Garden of Eden. The Messianic government will be fully established on the earth. In Micah 4:3-4 we read of this period.  The law of God will begin to regulate all affairs on earth. The prophet pictures this law of God as going out from Jerusalem (Isa. 2:3).

In reflecting on the Millennial Age, we can perhaps see it as a prototype kingdom of God on earth, probably designed to display God’s righteousness before angels, principalities, powers and people.  It is also designed to display the glory of the Messianic government before all nations. The unleashing of the devil after this age may be for a similar purpose.  It may be designed to illustrate to all his hopelessly evil intent, and the righteousness of God’s final judgment against him.  This must be a really important thing to God.

The Millennial Age may also be looked upon as a transition period between heaven and earth. While it has heavenly qualities, it also still has earthly ones. For instance, the Lord will reign with his victorious and resurrected saints for this thousand-year period (Rev. 20:6). Yet, some people will apparently still grow old and even die. They will also still build houses, plant vineyards (Isa. 65:20-21) and do many other natural things. In this period the wolf and the lamb will feed together (Isa. 65:25) and the small child can play safely with a cobra (Isa. 11:8).  It is of note that at the end of the Millennium, wicked people in the flesh will once again rebel against God.  They are indeed fleshly people indicated by the fact that they will need to be buried when they die (Ezek. 39:11-16).  Like we say, there are a lot of things about the Millennial Age that we do not yet understand.

“The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there” (8:5).  My wife and I had the great privilege of living many years in a mostly restored Jerusalem.  It was not the least bit strange to see lots of old people on the sidewalks as well as crowds of boys and girls playing in the streets.  In fact, on the holy day of Yom Kippur, there is no traffic and the usually busy city streets are totally given over to young people with bikes and skateboards.  It is a sight to behold!  While children are very safe in Israel, Wiersbe says, “In today’s man-made cities, the elderly and the children aren’t safe in the streets or anywhere else!”  ⁵

Again, we cannot emphasize too much that the Millennial Age is full of mysteries.  During that period apparently, Jesus will purge much evil out of the world and prepare it for the revelation of his holy wedding that will happen after the Millennium (Rev. 21:2).

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?’ declares the LORD Almighty” (8:6).  Perhaps this verse makes more sense in the New Revised Standard translation: “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the LORD of hosts?” (Zech. 8:6 NRS).  Baldwin comments: “Evidently the population was so depleted that the thought of an abundance of people of all ages seemed too good to be true.” ⁶   Guzik adds, “The promise of a transformed, prosperous, safe Jerusalem seemed a little too fantastic to believe when the city was half-built and the walls wouldn’t be completed for another 60 years.” ⁷

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God’” (8:7-8). Significantly, the “west” is mentioned here.  Jamieson and company point out that the dispersion of that day was only to the east, to Babylonia.  They were certain that another future return to the land would be necessary (cf. Isa. 11:11-12; 43:4-6; Ezek. 37:21; Amos 9:14-15).⁸  Their commentaries were written in the 1870s, just a mere ten years before the Jewish people began their second and worldwide return to the land of Israel.

It was my great privilege to live in Jerusalem toward the end of last century.  In December 1991, Communist rule in Russia ended followed by its end in all the countries of the USSR.  As a result, the long-imprisoned Jewish people began to return home to Israel.  They began to come at the astounding rate of around 30,000 a month.  In fact, during the remainder of the century over a million “Russian” Jews came home.  That was quite a stretch for a little country with scarcely over four million in population.  In fact, at that very time, we saw Isaiah 43:5-6 become fulfilled.  God says: “Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.  I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south ‘Do not hold them back.’  Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth…”  In addition to the Russians coming home from the north, in one weekend (May 1991) there was a massive secret Israeli airlift that brought 15,000 Ethiopian Jews home.  So, suddenly they came from the north and the south, exactly fulfilling Isaiah 43.  Shortly before, they all were held captive in both places.

 

THE BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE

 

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.’” This is also what the prophets said who were present when the foundation was laid for the house of the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 8:9

There is always a practical side to God’s dealings with his people.  There are things we all must do in order for God to do all the wonderful things he wants to do.  In that day the people of God had to rebuild the temple.  It was absolutely necessary for God’s plan to succeed.  In a few generations the Messiah of Israel would stand in that temple (the Second Temple) and reveal himself to Israel. The prophets who were present when the foundation of the temple was laid were only Haggai and Zechariah (Hag. 1:1-11; Neh. 12:16).⁹  Together they brought forth this very same message.

“Before that time there were no wages for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safely because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor” (8:10).  Baldwin says, “Agricultural prosperity depended on right relationships between men and God, as did peace and stability.” ¹⁰  We have only to look at the little book of Haggai to see how dismal the situation was before temple construction began.  The people planted plenty but harvested little; they ate but never had enough; their clothes did not keep them warm; their wages did not help them (Hag. 1:5-6).

“‘But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,’ declares the LORD Almighty” (8:11).  The people could now say, “Happy Days Are Here Again!”  In every age, it is amazing how good things go if God is with us.  Likewise, it is amazing how bad things go when we turn away from God.

“The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people” (8:12).  Under the Old Covenant, blessing was strictly tied to obedience.  There are some preachers today, of the Prosperity Gospel variety, who would like to make us think the same rules apply to Christians.  While we can say that God wants to bless his people (Psa. 3:8), we cannot say that God always gives prosperity.  Wiersbe says, “God’s covenant with Israel declared that he would punish them physically and materially if they disobeyed him, but bless them if they obeyed him (Deut. 27-28; Lev 26).  However, he has no such covenant with Christian believers today.” ¹¹ The Old Covenant promised long life for obedience but Stephen obeyed and yet died young as a martyr.  The Old Covenant promised all kinds of physical blessings and comforts but Paul went without proper food and clothing on occasions (2 Cor. 11:27).  It is true that the principles of Christianity do tend to bring blessing and success, however, this is by no means guaranteed.  Wiersbe comments here: “He does not say, as he did to the Old Testament Jews, ‘If you obey me, I will bless you.’ Rather, he says, ‘I have already blessed you—now, in response to my love and grace, obey me.’”  ¹²

“Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong” (8:13).  We cannot help but note that Israel is included here with Judah although that nation had been dispersed among the Gentiles since 722 BC.  It was always God’s will to bring his dispersed people back home and indeed, some of them are returning to modern Israel today.  Because of their disobedience they became a curse among the nations.  Because of obedience, they will become a blessing.  For instance, modern Israel is a blessing to the nations already, especially in the area of cyber technology.  The prophets indicate that this blessing upon the nations will grow much more profound in the last days (Mic. 5:7).

Once again in this verse God commands the people to “be strong” (cf. v. 9).  Which simply means that they must get to work and build the house of the Lord.

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Just as I had determined to bring disaster on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid’” (8:14-15).  Henry says, “those who avoid their fathers’ faults have the curse turned into a blessing.” ¹³  The world-renowned Bible scholar Derek Prince adds: “Everything we shall ever need, for time and eternity, is already provided.  The only condition for remaining in this perfect provision is believing and obeying the Word of God.” ¹⁴

“‘These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,’ declares the LORD” (8:16-17).  It is unfortunate for us but we have almost seen truth disappear in the last century.  David Dockery, editor of The Challenge of Postmodernism, an Evangelical Engagement, says: “72 percent of Americans deny the existence of absolute truth, and few have confidence in the historical accuracy or ethical authority of the Bible.” ¹⁵

The popular Christian philosophic writer Nancy Pearcey says of our situation: “The very meaning of the word true has been distorted.  It no longer means that a statement matches what really exists in the world but only that it matches my inner experience.” ¹⁶  Robert Ringer adds: “People say they love truth, but, instead, they try to make true that which they love.” ¹⁷

With but a little reflection we can understand that truth is the basis of a stable society.  Everything must be built on truth.  Even our economic systems depend upon truth and honesty to a large degree.  Of course, the courts should be bastions of truth.  What a crazy world we inherit if we make a practice of lying to each other.

 

TRUE CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S FEASTS

 

The word of the LORD Almighty came to me. This is what the LORD Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.” Zechariah 8:18-19.

Finally, the prophet comes to answer their earlier questions about fasting.  We remember that the fast of the fourth month was in memory of Jerusalem’s walls being breached (cf. Jer. 39:2; 2 Ki. 25:3).  The fifth month fast was in memory of the destruction of the temple (2 Ki. 25:8-9).  The fast of the seventh month was in memory of Gedaliah’s death (cf. 2 Ki. 25:25).  Finally, the fast of the tenth month was in memory of the beginning of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem (cf. 2 Ki. 25:1-2; Jer. 39:1). ¹⁸

Meyer says, “So entirely would the memory of the past be obliterated that fateful anniversaries would soon fade from their minds.” ¹⁹ In fact, all these fasts would now become glad and happy festivals.  As we mentioned previously, the fast of the fifth month is still held in Israel as a time of mourning for the temple’s destruction.  It will possibly take the beginning of a new temple to ever eradicate the sorrow of this particular festival.  We might note however that the old Wailing Wall has been renamed as the Western Wall or the Kotel.  It has often become a place of celebration and joy rather than wailing.

Israel must realize that God himself is the reason for celebration.  Athanasius once said, “Let us go quickly to the Lord, who is himself the feast.” 20        Baldwin adds: “This well of joy cannot turn bitter or dry up because the Lord himself is its source.” ²¹

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, “Let us go at once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD Almighty. I myself am going”’” (8:20-21).  Once again the prophet looks far into the future, likely to the Millennial Age.  After the awful Battle of Armageddon, there will be a new era of peace and blessing that will reach the ends of the earth.  During this time new attention will be turned upon Israel and Jerusalem.  The city will be truly called “Sought Out” as Isaiah 62:12 has said.  The God of Israel will, at last, be honored (cf. Isa. 2:3; 60:3; Mic. 4:1-2; Rev. 15:4).  Baldwin says, “Jerusalem will be the rallying-point for huge processions, intent on finding the secret of joy and gladness, truth and peace, that the Jews enjoy.” ²²

“And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him” (8:22).  We have to say by this verse that something really drastic has changed in the world.  Israel who has been traditionally mocked, hated and cursed will suddenly become sought out by powerful nations the world over.  Here we begin to see the ancient call of Abraham finally realized: “…all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen. 12:3).  Again, this is likely a snapshot of the Millennial Age that is to come.

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, “Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you”’” (8:23).  The number ten in the Bible is the number of completeness.²³ According to Jewish understanding, to take hold of the robe meant to become a disciple of the Jewish way or at least a “God-fearer.” ²⁴  As Boice says today, “We are all clinging to the seamless robe of that one Jew, Jesus of Nazareth, who because of his work on the cross is the only basis on which anyone may approach God and entreat him for spiritual blessings.” ²⁵

 

CHAPTER 9

 

For the first eight verses of this chapter, the Lord is focusing on his judgment toward Israel’s enemies.  Much of that judgment was brought about by the conquests of Alexander the Great as many scholars attest.  In the year 333 BC Alexander defeated the Persians at the Battle of Issus.  After that great victory, he was able to move his army down the Mediterranean coastline, subjugating the cities, even the main fortified cities of Tyre and Gaza.  He then moved down to Egypt, where he found no resistance.  This is an astounding prophecy that was made by Zechariah around 520 BC or some 187 years before it happened.  Baldwin says, “Originally the Mediterranean coast had been designated Israel’s territory (Nu. 34:5,6) and yet it had never been possessed by Israel. Now, at last, the Lord will claim it.” ¹

“A prophecy: The word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrak and will come to rest on Damascus—for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel are on the LORD—” (9:1). This first verse begins with the Hebrew word mas-sa, which has the meaning of oracle or burden.  The burden or prophecy is against the lands of Hadrach and Damascus.  Scholars have not been able to accurately locate Hadrach, although it is mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions.²   They feel that it was the northernmost area mentioned and that it was somewhere north of Damascus in the Orontes River Valley.³   It is interesting that after Alexander defeated the Persians at Issus he sent his general Parmenion to Damascus.  That was where the Persian treasury had been moved.  Parmenion plundered the Persian war chest and replenished that of Alexander.⁴   We remember that Damascus was the age-old enemy of Israel.

Zechariah mentions that the eyes of the people and of Israel were turned to the Lord.  Merril Unger remarks: “…that as the people were watching Alexander, they were actually watching God at work, for ‘history is His story.’” ⁵   Wiersbe remarks of Alexander that, “he unified the whole world…[so they could speak] the common Greek language of the people of that day. The combination of Greek culture and Roman government, roads, and laws was just what the early church needed for the spread of the gospel.” ⁶  We might also add that the sea lanes in Roman times were also made comparatively safe.

The prophet continues: “and on Hamath too, which borders on it, and on Tyre and Sidon, though they are very skillful” (9:2).  Hamath, known as Hama today, was also on the Orontes and north of Damascus like Hadrach.  In some biblical accounts, the city was featured as the northern limits of the promised land (cf. Num. 13:21; Josh. 13:5; Judg. 3:3).⁷   In this verse, Zechariah introduces the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon. He notes that they were very skillful.  The Hebrew for skillful is ha-ke-mah.  Most of the other popular translations render this as wise, which is its basic meaning in the Hebrew language even to this day.  We might recall that the Phoenicians were great sea people.  They built up a very large and extremely prosperous trading empire throughout the whole Mediterranean.

“Tyre has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets” (9:3).  The city of Tyre was an island fortress about half a mile off the Mediterranean coast.  It was thought to be impregnable.  Barnes describes her walls as being 150 feet high (46 m.) with proportionate breadth.  It was compacted with large stones embedded in gypsum.⁸   The great Nebuchadnezzar and his army had previously besieged the city for thirteen years without success.  Because of her vast trading empire, Tyre was exceedingly rich.  Along with her riches she had become proud and haughty (Isa. 23:8-9; Ezek. 28:5).

“But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire” (9:4).  Obviously, the Lord used Alexander to conquer and destroy Tyre.  The great general defeated her in a siege of only a few months. He used the rubble of the conquered part of old Tyre on land to build a mole or causeway to the island.⁹  The city was destroyed by fire (Amos 1:9-10) and her walls were hurled into the sea.  Her proud navy was destroyed as Isaiah 23:1 had predicted.  From the survivors, thirty thousand were sent to the slave markets and two thousand of the men were crucified.¹⁰  All of this occurred in 332 BC.

“Ashkelon will see it and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, and Ekron too, for her hope will wither. Gaza will lose her king and Ashkelon will be deserted” (9:5).  With the fall of Tyre, the Philistine cities would become terrified, since strong Tyre was their northern ally and defense.¹¹  Ekron, the most northern city would be attacked first.  Gaza fell to the Greeks after a siege of two months.  The male captives were all killed while the women and children were sold into slavery.¹²  Barnes says, “A contemporary of Alexander mentions, that the king of Gaza was brought alive to Alexander on its capture …Alexander wholly depopulated it and repeopled the city with strangers.” ¹³

“A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod, and I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines” (9:6).  The mongrel mentioned is the Hebrew mam-zer meaning a bastard or child of incest.¹⁴  This probably meant that a mixed-race or alien people would be installed in the city after its depopulation by war.  This was the great general’s custom. Guthrie says, “After the conquests of Alexander the Philistines disappeared as a separate people.” ¹⁵

“I will take the blood from their mouths, the forbidden food from between their teeth. Those who are left will belong to our God and become a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites” (9:7).  The Philistines, as most Gentile people, ate meat with the blood still in it.  That was to change.  They would become a part of Israel just as the Jebusites did after David’s conquest of them (2 Sam. 5:6-9, 24:16-18).  Clarke reports how many Philistines later became proselytes to Judaism.¹⁶

“But I will encamp at my temple to guard it against marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now I am keeping watch” (9:8).  While Alexander conquered Samaria he seems to have spared Jerusalem and the Jews.  We have a very interesting account of this in Josephus Antiquities 11-8-5.  Some think this is but legend but nevertheless, it seems to reflect some truth.  The high priest dressed himself in scarlet and purple with the mitre upon his head.  He and many others went out to meet Alexander in peace.  Upon seeing the priest so clothed the general was amazed and declared that this same figure had appeared to him earlier in a dream and encouraged him to attack the Persians.  Alexander then went peaceably to Jerusalem and offered a sacrifice to God.  Guthrie says, “Alexander spared Jerusalem and gave the Jews special favors.” ¹⁷  This could reflect Zephaniah 3:14-20.

 

THE COMING KING

 

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9.

In this section, we have a sharp break with all that has gone before in Zechariah.  Some liberal scholars even doubt that this section could have been written by the prophet.  They point out that his name, while mentioned in previous chapters, does not appear in these later chapters. Certainly, it betrays the passage of time and situation.  Perhaps it was written by a much older Zechariah as some writers suggest.

Wiersbe says of the rest of the book: “These six chapters comprise one of the greatest concentrations of messianic truth found anywhere in scripture.” ¹⁸  We cannot miss the fact that the scripture for Jesus’ Triumphal Entry was based on the event described in 9:9. We note this in Matthew 21:2-7; Mark 11:2-7; Luke 19:30-35 and John 12:14-15.  The fact that reference to this event is mentioned in all four gospels should tell us of its great importance.  Baldwin says, “most commentators agree that the Messianic king is foreshadowed here.” ¹⁹

There is a striking contrast between the conqueror Alexander the Great, who rode on a charging steed, and Jesus who came as King riding on a gentle little donkey colt.  In Matthew 21:7, we see that there were really two beasts, a mother and colt that had never been ridden. What a very clear and accurate fulfillment of prophecy!  This event is reenacted on the Mount of Olives each year by Christians who come from all over the world.  We know it as Palm Sunday.

This picture immediately signifies that Jesus came as the King of Peace.  Alexander’s victories would eventually fade away, but Jesus’ victory would last forever.  He came first as the King of inner peace, which would eventually expand to the King of world peace.

What a cause for rejoicing!  The daughter of Zion could shout and rejoice greatly. “Since the names of towns are feminine in Hebrew, ‘daughter’ is appropriate.” ²⁰  Through the ages daughters and sons of Zion have continued to rejoice over this picture.

“I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth” (9:10).  God had instructed his people that they should not acquire horses from Egypt or depend on them (Deut. 17:16; Psa. 20:7).  Yet King Solomon accumulated many horses and chariots (2 Chr. 1:14), as did the kings after him.  The Lord in his reign will do away with them and will bring peace to the nations.  Pett comments, “‘From sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.’ The description is intended to be all-inclusive.” ²¹

“As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you” (9:11-12).  Of course, in ancient times covenants were “cut” using the blood of slain animals to ratify them.  All this was a picture of the covenant to come ratified by the blood of the Savior Jesus.  Since the covenant with Israel was made, some Israelites have been called upon to suffer for its sake.  Sometimes they have suffered for their own disobedience to that covenant.  Here we see the Messiah freeing these prisoners.  In Bible times dungeons were often just pits without water and with miry clay at their bottoms.²²

The time of Zechariah was a time of restoration and this picture surely includes those stragglers who were still coming home from Babylon.  The expression “prisoners of hope” is an interesting one.  Much later we will see the Apostle Paul saying a similar thing, that for the hope of Israel he is bound with a chain (Acts 28:20).²³  The loving and bountiful God will restore blessings to these people.

“I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and make you like a warrior’s sword” (9:13).  Several commentators feel that this is a reference to the Maccabean victories in the second century BC (cf. Dan. 8:9-14; 11:32).²⁴  These victories were miraculous as a small and ill-equipped band of devout Jews defeated one of the most powerful armies in the world.  The Hebrew ya-van (Javan in English) used in this verse is still used today in Israel to designate Greece.  This great victory is still celebrated by Jews today as the Festival of Hanukkah.

 

THE LORD APPEARS

 

Then the LORD will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south, and the LORD Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar. Zechariah 9:14-15

Utley says of this picture: “Lightning and arrows are often used metaphorically of YHWH’s fighting on behalf of His people (cf. Ps. 18:14; 144:6; Hab. 3:11).” ²⁵  Clearly, it is the Lord God who is doing the fighting here. The rest of the text in this passage is rather obscure.  Baldwin comments, saying that the Hebrew means, “They shall make a noise as though drunk.” ²⁶  Of course, actual drunkenness was frowned upon in Israel as it still is today.  The last verse is metaphorical since Jewish people were forbidden to eat or drink blood. Leviticus 3:17 says: “This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.” The picture is that of sacrificial vessels near the altar that were often filled with blood” (cf. Exo. 29:12; Lev. 4:18).

“The LORD their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown” (9:16).  We have two beautiful pictures here.  One is a flock of sheep saved or rescued by the shepherd.  The other is a picture of sparkling jewels in a king’s crown.  It is impossible to know how this passage overflows into the Millennial period of history when Israel will be rescued and will rest in peace and glory (cf. Jer. 31:10-14).

“How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women” (9:17).  Guzik sees this verse as speaking of the coming Millennium.  At that time grain and wine will overflow as the Lord makes blessings abound (cf. Hos. 2:21-22; Joel 2:19).²⁷

 

CHAPTER 10

 

Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone. Zechariah 10:1

Israel from ancient times and even in the present day has been dependent upon the rains for its abundant agricultural production.  Because of a severe and extended drought around the turn of the 21^st century, Israel began to build desalination plants along its coastline.  The Sea of Galilee today produces only about 20 percent of the nation’s water supply while desalination, reclamation facilities and wells produce the rest.

Of course, in Bible times if it did not rain the people starved.  The early rains are usually light and begin around the Feast of Tabernacles in the September/October period.  They help prepare the ground for sowing.  Regular heavy rains and even snows in the high country usually happen from December through January and even February.  The latter rains that are also light showers happen in the spring and thus help the crops of wheat and barley to fill out and mature.  Occasionally in both spring and fall, there can be thunderstorms and sometimes even flash floods.  From about May to September there are no rains at all.

In ancient times it was important to pray for rain.  At Tabernacles, there was the Water-Drawing Festival, which was a dramatized prayer for rain in the coming year.  There is the old story of Honi (Choni) the Circle-Maker.  The Jews needed rain and Honi, who was reputed to be a miracle-worker, was asked to pray.  He did pray but there was no rain.  He then drew a circle and told God he would not step out of it until the rain came.  Soon it began to drizzle but Honi was not happy with that. Honi said: “That’s not what I asked for. I asked for rains to fill the cisterns, trenches and reservoirs.”  Soon the rains began to come in torrents.  Honi complained again to God: “That’s not what I asked for. I asked for rains of goodwill, blessing and generosity.”  With that, the proper rains began to fall.¹  Still today it is not unusual for Rabbis and other religions folks to gather at the Western Wall and pray for the rains to begin.  Feinberg says, “Our God is a bountiful Giver, but he must be entreated and trusted implicitly.” ²

“The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore, the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd” (10:2).  Israel indeed had a sad history of depending upon idols for her needs.  In times before the Babylonian Captivity, the false god Ba’al was said to be the god of fertility or the storm god.³  Simply, the people looked to Ba’al to send the necessary rain on their crops and not to the God who alone could produce and send the storm clouds.  It was mostly because of their great devotion to Ba’al and the hosts of false gods that the people were finally exiled to Babylon.

Commentators generally feel that the exile cured Israel’s tendency to worship false gods but here there still seems to be some problem.  We see a difficulty with leaders or rather the lack of them here and in the next verse.  The problem with leaders and idolatry is also indicated after Ezra returned to the land in 458 BC (Ezra 9:1-2).

The Hebrew word for idols is teraphim (cf. Gen. 31:19).  Baldwin says of them: “Teraphim were household gods used in the Judges’ period for divination (Judg. 17:5)…” ⁴  We must remember that in chapters 9 through 14 we are dealing with a later time than the days of the initial return to the land.  Obviously, there was some form of idolatry still going on.  Seemingly, there were some false visions and dreams as well and it was apparently the shepherds who were guilty of these offenses.  Because the shepherds were divining and speaking falsely the people were left to wander like lost sheep.

The shepherds were going in a sinful way (cf. Ezek. 34:10).  We cannot be too hard on them though because we have sheep and sometimes shepherds who are involved in various sorts of spiritism today. Pett mentions “astrology, tarot cards, ouija boards, spirit writing and such like” that still abound in churches and even in the ministry today.⁵  We would probably be shocked to find Harry Potter books in some of our own church libraries.  These books are entertaining introductions to sorcery for our church children.

“My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD Almighty will care for his flock, the people of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle” (10:3).  How often God himself has had to care for his flock because of unwilling leaders.  In Jesus’ ministry we see him showing pity on the scattered sheep and caring for them (Mk. 6:34 and following). There are many scattered, wounded, hungry and helpless sheep today because of lazy, evil shepherds.

The mention of Judah and the proud horse in battle has caused Clarke and others to think that this is the beginning reference to the Maccabean uprising against oppressive Greek rule.  The Maccabee rule lasted from 167 to 37 BC.  The allusion to overthrowing the horsemen in verse 5 seems to support this since the Greek armies of this age relied heavily upon their cavalry.⁶   But when all things are considered, the section seems to be more of a reference to the coming Messiah as we see in the next verse.

“From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler” (10:4). Jesus came from the tribe of Judah as prophesied (Gen. 49:10).  He came as the Precious Corner Stone (1 Pet. 2:6).  Charles Feinberg, a leading authority on Jewish history, says: “The cornerstone, the battle bow, and the nail are figures of the Messiah to represent his qualities of stability, dependability, and strength…the nail refers to a large peg in an Oriental tent on which were hung many valuables…The battle-bow stands for all implements of war and might.” ⁷  Jesus as the mighty warrior is pictured so aptly in Psalm 45:4-5: “In your majesty ride forth victoriously in the cause of truth, humility and justice; let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.  Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet.”

It is interesting that to the degree our generation has rejected Jesus we have also rejected stability and strength.  David Dockery noted “What Francis Schaeffer said about moderns, ‘that they have both feet firmly planted in mid-air,’ is even truer for postmoderns.” ⁸

“Together they will be like warriors in battle trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets. They will fight because the LORD is with them, and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame” (10:5).  As their Messiah is strong and mighty in battle so will his people be.  This picture applies to all the Lord’s people through the ages.  This verse would certainly apply to the Maccabees and their struggle since much of it was against enemies on horseback.  David once said of his enemies “I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets” (2 Sam. 22:43; cf. Mic. 7:10).  Baldwin says, “The simile is intended to describe triumphant conquest in the face of overwhelming odds, footmen against cavalry.” ⁹

 

THE RESTORATION OF ZION

 

I will strengthen Judah and save the tribes of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them. Zechariah 10:6

Here the prophet begins to look beyond his present to the distant future.  In that future time, God will strengthen Judah and will restore the tribes of Joseph.  These tribes of Joseph had already been in captivity since 722 BC.  The restoration of these tribes was seemingly a practical impossibility.

At this point, the first restoration of the Jewish people to their land had taken place.  However, the prophets clearly spoke of a second restoration.  Isaiah said: “In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth” (Isa. 11:11-12).  While the first restoration was from the east alone and concerned mostly Judah, the one to come would be worldwide, literally from the ends of the earth, and would concern all of Israel.

There is a scarcity and almost a dearth of commentary on this section for several reasons.  Some Christian commentators, even the earliest ones, were patently antisemitic.  They were not happy with a Jewish Millennium or a Jewish restoration.  Some of our older popular commentators came along before the latest restoration of Israel began.  Most later ones somehow missed what was without question the most critical and important spiritual movement over the last two hundred years.

The second and present restoration of Israel began in the late 1800s.  First, several prophetic voices arose from the Jewish people urging them to return to their land.  Among these voices were Moses Hess, Rabbi Zevi-Hirsch Kalischer and Leo Pinsker.  Kalischer laid the foundations for the movement known as Houeve Zion (Lovers of Zion).  Then Pinsker, whose cries “Now or Never,” electrified those Jews of Houeve Zion and caused many of them as well as others to return to their ancient homeland.

In addition to the prophetic voices, in the 1880s severe persecution arose against the Jews in Russia and other places.  Over a million Jews made their exit from Europe and quite a number of these returned to Israel.¹⁰

Today in Israel a person who makes citizenship is known to have made aliya.  The Hebrew aliya means “ascent.”  When one lands on the Israeli coastline it is necessary to go up from sea level to the mountainous areas that generally run over 2000 feet (609m.).  Those who leave and forsake the country are called yoredim or those who go down.  Early spurts of immigration were designated as aliyas or aliyot in Hebrew.  Here is a sketch of these movements:

The First Aliya (1882-1903) – Some 25,000, mostly from Eastern Europe, came at this
time.

The Second Aliya (1904-1914) – Consisted of about 40,000 and was interrupted by the
outbreak of World War I.

The Third Aliya (1919-1923) – Contained many young pioneers.  About 35,000 arrived
in this period.

The Fourth Aliya (1924-1928) – Totaled some 67,000 with many middle-class
immigrants.  The bulk of this group was from Poland.

The Fifth Aliya (1929-1939) – There was a total in this group of about 250,000, with
many from Nazi Germany.

The Sixth and Seventh Aliyot (1940-1948) – About 100,000 entered the country during
this period.  Immigration was greatly hindered due to British restrictions.

The mass aliya or ingathering of exiles (1948 and following) – When Israel became a
state, all immigration restrictions were removed.  For instance, in the years 1948 – 1951, 684,000 immigrants returned home to Israel.¹¹

“The Ephraimites will become like warriors, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the LORD” (10:7).  As we mentioned, the ten tribes of Israel (the Ten Lost Tribes) have been in captivity since 722 BC or over 2700 years.  From scripture, we know that some Israelites joined with Judah over the years.  In the time of King Asa for instance we see that many from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon settled among Judah (2 Chron. 15:9).  Also in the New Testament, we note that Anna the prophetess was from the tribe of Asher (Lk. 2:36).  However, for the most part, the lost tribes of Israel have remained lost until modern times.

I have mentioned that for several years I was the administrator of an outreach program to new immigrants in Israel.  Normally at our establishment, there were lines of new immigrants awaiting our gifts of food, bedding, kitchen utensils and other items.  Occasionally we welcomed people from the Caspian Sea and other faraway areas who claimed to be a part of the ten tribes.  It is of note today that there are organizations in Israel who are focused upon bringing scattered tribes home.  Thousands of Ethiopian Jews have returned home as I mentioned in chapter 8.  Attention has also been turned to a group calling itself Bnei Menashe or of the tribe of Manasseh in India.  Over four thousand from this group have also made aliya to Israel in recent years.  No doubt, many of the young men in this party have already become “warriors” in the Israel Defense Forces just like the scattered and regathered of Ephraim.

 

GOD GATHERS HIS CHILDREN

 

I will signal for them and gather them in. Surely I will redeem them; they will be as numerous as before. Zechariah 10:8

God himself will signal for them to come home.  The Hebrew word for signal is sha-raq and it means to hiss or whistle.¹²  During our sixteen years in Israel, we heard several Jewish arrivals say that for some reason they just knew that they needed to return home to the Promised Land.  In Isaiah 5:26 it is said of God: “He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily!”  Shortly before the turn of the century, and after the fall of Communism, new immigrants came home at the rate of about 30,000 a month and they are still coming but at about that rate per year.  The population of Israel today far surpasses all population estimates in the First Century.

“Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return” (10:9).  There are many scriptures that speak of the second regathering of Israel (Deut. 30:1-6; Isa. 11:11; 43:5-7; Jer. 3:14; 23:1-8; 31:27-28; 32:37-41; Ezek. 11:16-20; 36:16-28; Hos. 2:23).  In Ezekiel 37:13-14, God says he will open the graves and bring his people home.  Many thousands who were at the edge of their graves in the Nazi Holocaust were rescued at the war’s end, with many of them fleeing to Israel.

“I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be room enough for them” (10:10).  The Jewish population of Egypt was 80,000 in 1948 but today only 100 Jews remain.  They have all gone home.¹³  It is thought that the mention of Assyria here might represent all the lands of the north and east where Israel and Judah were first dispersed.¹⁴  Assyria certainly represented the land where the Ten Tribes were first taken.  Of course, Judah was dispersed to Babylon in 586 BC.  It is interesting that once the nation of Israel was re-established the Jews of that area, 124,000 strong, were flown home in an airlift named “Operation Ezra-Nehemiah.”  The remarkable event prompted the President of Israel to declare that the Babylonian captivity had ended.¹⁵

In the last days, we see that Gilead (in today’s Jordan) and even Lebanon shall be included in the new Israel. However, even with that, Israel will get quite crowded.  Isaiah once talked about this: “The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in’” (Isa. 49:20; cf. 54:1-3).  Today Israel’s total land area is 8,630 sq. miles (22,145 sq. km.).  The nation is 260 miles (420 km.) in length and 93 miles (150 km.) at its widest area.¹⁶  At one of her busiest and most densely settled points, the nation is only 9 miles wide (14 km.).  Israel is about the size of the little US state of New Jersey. Although Israel is not among the world’s most crowded countries it always feels that way.  Even a small apartment in crowded Jerusalem can easily be priced at a million dollars.

Today Israel is a mostly restored nation that leads the world in quite a number of important enterprises and endeavors.  At this writing, she has a population of close to nine million people with Jerusalem’s population nearing one million.  Israel is often called “the miracle on the Mediterranean.”  Unfortunately, the miracle of modern Israel has been missed by the bulk of Bible scholars and by most Christians.

“‘They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria’s pride will be brought down and Egypt’s scepter will pass away. I will strengthen them in the LORD and in his name they will live securely,’ declares the LORD” (10:11-12).  Zechariah wanted to make plain that the restoration of Israel would not come without much trouble and suffering.

It was the Holocaust where six million Jews died that was the driving force for Israel’s foundation.  The historian Paul Johnson remarks about the connection of the Holocaust with the rise of Zion in these words:

The Holocaust and the new Zion were organically connected. The murder of six million Jews was a prime causative factor in the creation of the state of Israel.  This was in accordance with an ancient and powerful dynamic of Jewish history: redemption through suffering.¹⁷

Israel had to pay dearly to repurchase every inch of her Promised Land.  Swampland was bought at exorbitant prices and then defended with blood, prayers and tears as they fought against Arab marauders.  The Israeli settlers had to endure constant terror attacks and riots.  Once the United Nations Partition Plan was approved in late 1947, Israel was attacked from all sides by Arabs terrorists.  Then, once Israel declared its independence in May 1948, she was attacked by six Arab armies.  Miraculously she survived all these attacks, beat back the armies and regained much of her original territory.  However, she lost her mountainous heartland called the West Bank to Jordan.  This included most of the ancient biblical cities such as Old Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron and Shechem.

Despite her victory, the terror attacks continued.  Israel was attacked again by Arab nations in 1967.  In that war, she recovered her heartland of the West Bank (ancient Judea and Samaria) as well as Jerusalem and the Golan Heights (biblical Manasseh).  In 1973, Israel was attacked again by the Arabs on her most holy day of Yom Kippur.  After much struggle, Israel won this war.  It was at the terrible cost of 2, 378 of her soldiers.¹⁸  To this day Israel continues to be plagued by Arab terrorism, which is like a “sea of trouble.”  In her wars, Egypt and the ancient territories of Assyria (Iraq and Syria) were devastated and their power was broken according to the prophet’s words.

Israel’s best is yet to come.  In Ezekiel 36:24-38, the prophet says that Israel will return to her land in a defiled condition but God will sprinkle clean water upon her and give her a new heart and new spirit.  God will save Israel from all her uncleanness and heap blessing upon her (cf. Psa. 14:7; Ezek. 20:41-44; 28:25-26).  All Israel will weep and mourn as they look upon the Messiah whom they pierced (Zech. 12;10-14).  This of course is Jesus whom they crucified. Through the Messiah, a fountain of cleansing will be opened for them (13:1). Blessings will then flow on the people and the land will then become like the Garden of Eden (Ezek. 36:35).

 

CHAPTER 11

 

Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars!  Zechariah 11:1

This chapter is deeply spiritual, symbolic and mysterious.  Barnes comments, “Lebanon has of old been understood to be the temple, which was built with cedars of Lebanon” ¹  Baldwin says, “The cedar was used as a symbol of the royal house of Judah in Ezekiel (17:3, 4, 12f.).” ²  Pfeiffer and Harrison add: “The events of this chapter are set in the time of the earthly ministry of the Shepherd of Israel, and his rejection by them, with its consequences in AD 70. They speak of the dark hour of Israel’s national history.” ³  Of course, the darkness of this hour was the result of Israel rejecting her own Messiah, Jesus.  Within one generation of his crucifixion, Jerusalem and the temple were burned with fire and destroyed. The historian Josephus gives us an interesting and even eerie account:

Moreover the eastern gate of the inner, [court of the temple] which was of brass, and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a basis armed with iron, and had bolt fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night…the men of learning understood it, that the security of their holy house was dissolved of its own accord, and that the gate was opened for the advantage of their enemies.⁴

“Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan; the dense forest has been cut down!” (11:2).  Barnes says, “The more glorious and stately, ‘the cedars,’ were destroyed. Woe then to the rest…” ⁵  That would certainly include the junipers.  Many of the other translations render this as “cypress.”  We should note that the cypress tree was also used in the construction of the temple floors, doors and panels (1 Ki. 6:15; 6:34; 2 Chr. 3:5).⁶   Even less impressive still were the oaks of Bashan and other forests. The destruction of these mighty trees was surely a picture of the high and mighty in Israel who were about to be cut down.  It was also a picture of an evil government that must fall in God’s judgment.

“Listen to the wail of the shepherds; their rich pastures are destroyed! Listen to the roar of the lions; the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!” (11:3).  Now the prophet comes out clearly to focus on the real culprits in Israel – the shepherds and leaders.  The shepherds are howling because their profitable religious game was about over (cf. Jer. 25:34-38; 49:19).

These elites of Israel lived in luxury and it was all at the expense of the poor who came to make their offerings at the temple.  The shepherds had for themselves a religious racket, selling birds and animals for sacrifice that were seriously overpriced.  Barclay says, “… it was to all intents and purposes certain that they would reject an animal bought outside and would direct the worshipper to the temple stalls and booths… a pair of doves could cost as little as 4 pence outside the temple and as much as 75 pence inside the temple.” ⁷  If we translate this into our own coinage we can see how wildly overpriced these offerings were.  It was a religious rip-off.

Then there was the matter of the temple tax.  Every Jew had to pay the tax and it amounted to one half-shekel.  After a certain date each year this tax could then only be paid at the temple itself.  It could not be paid in common coinage, but shekels of the sanctuary, in Galilean half-shekels or especially in Tyrian currency which had a very high percentage of silver content.⁸  Never mind that the Tyrian currency had graven images upon it.  Of course, when money was exchanged, Annas and his crew took for themselves a fat fee.  Indeed, these evil leaders were like lions devouring poor Israelites.  They were howling because their cover was blown.

Wiersbe comments: “…Usually the shepherds gave the sheep for slaughter, but here the shepherds themselves are led to the slaughter!…their rejection of truth led to their acceptance of lies, and the result was the Roman invasion and the destruction of their temple and city.” ⁹

 

A PICTURE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

 

This is what the LORD my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.” Zechariah 11:4

We see here that God commanded the prophet to play the role of the good shepherd.  Wiersbe suggests that what we may see here is an “action sermon,” the kind of thing that Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel did in order to get the attention of a careless people.¹⁰  The sheep pictured here were already destined for the butcher’s knife because of their evil leaders.

Josephus reports the gruesome end of Jerusalem’s population, which included people from all over the country who had fled there for refuge.  He says that eleven hundred thousand died with ninety-seven thousand carried away captive.¹¹ The city ran with blood insomuch that at times the fires were extinguished with it. The Romans found houses full of those already dead by starvation.  Many of those captured alive were cruelly crucified until there was no more room for crosses.¹²

“Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the LORD, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them” (11:5).  Jamieson and company say: “The rulers of Judah, who by their avaricious rapacity and selfishness (John 11:48-50) virtually sold their country to Rome…[they said] I am rich — by selling the sheep (Deut. 29:19; Hosea 12:8).” ¹³  Baldwin describes them as: “Jewish leaders, who ingratiated themselves with the authorities to their own material advantage, regardless of the suffering they caused.” ¹⁴  Long before, Ezekiel had described them: “You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally” (Ezek. 34:4).  We immediately think of the heartless acts of the Scribes and Pharisees regarding the man born blind that Jesus healed (Jn. Ch. 9).

“‘For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will give everyone into the hands of their neighbors and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands’” (11:6).  After the Romans encircled Jerusalem in AD 70 the suffering was almost indescribable.  People began to starve to death by the hundreds and thousands.  The wicked Jewish leaders allowed robbers to freely plunder the survivors.  Josephus describes this saying: “they brake open those houses which were no other than graves of dead bodies, and plundered them of what they had; and carrying off the coverings of their bodies, went out laughing, and tried the points of their swords on their dead bodies; and order to prove what mettle they were made of, they thrust some of those through that still lay alive upon the ground…” ¹⁵

“So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock” (11:7).  The prophet, who probably could clearly see their suffering to come, tried to shepherd the doomed flock.

Thus, God either gave the prophet a brief opportunity to shepherd the already rebellious sheep of Israel or else all this might have been a vision given to him.  For his work he took two staffs called favor and union.  The Hebrew word for favor is no-am meaning delightfulness or pleasantness.¹⁶ The word for union is chov-lim which could mean cord or band.¹⁷  We might think of that beautiful Psalm: “…How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psa. 133:1). It is always pleasant when people live in obedience to God’s word and are bound together with the Shepherd and with each other.  The prophet would soon see that this was not the case with the stubborn sheep of Israel.

 “In one month I got rid of the three shepherds. The flock detested me, and I grew weary of them and said, ‘I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish. Let those who are left eat one another’s flesh’” (11:8-9).  This is one of the most difficult passages in the Old Testament.  There are in fact over forty different interpretations as to the identity of the three shepherds.¹⁸ We certainly do not want to make another try at interpretation.  Probably the best and most popular explanation is to see them as falling into three groups of prophets, priests and kings of the Jews. This idea goes back all the way to the church father Theodoret (AD 393-457).¹⁹

The prophet found Israel as stiff-necked as always.  They detested their shepherd and he soon got weary of them.  The shepherd had to stop his work and let things run their course.  It is at this point that we realize that this in some ways is a picture of Jesus’ ministry.  We think of how great numbers of his own disciples forsook Jesus at Capernaum and how other crowds heard him only for the miraculous bread and fish that he provided.  We remember what Jesus said of them: “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come” (Jn. 8:21).  Theodoret said: “We find the God of the universe often giving rein to humanity because of the excesses of its wickedness, and he allows the human race to be borne where it will.” ²⁰

We see a gruesome picture here with people dying and others being reduced to cannibalism.  Josephus tells of a starving woman in AD 70 who “slew her son; and then roasted him, and ate the one half of him, and kept the other half by her concealed.” ²¹ Robbers followed the scent of her food intent on taking it by force but when they saw the sight even these hardened robbers left appalled and shaken.

“Then I took my staff called Favor and broke it, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations” (11:10).  Feinberg comments here: “God has made a covenant with the peoples of the earth relative to his own people Israel.  He has placed them under restraint lest they work Israel harm or ill…When the restraint was removed, the Romans destroyed their city and economy. Neither Alexander, nor Antiochus Epiphanes, nor Pompey were allowed to mar their national existence.  But when the Messiah broke his staff, neither Titus nor his generals could spare the Temple, nor could Julian the Apostate later restore it.” ²²

The good shepherd now knows that he cannot continue with the sheep.  They were intent upon following their depraved leaders, the false shepherds.  We are reminded of Jesus’ last words when he exclaimed, “It is finished!” (Jn. 19:30).  After those words, the sheep of Israel were doomed to the Roman destruction which many of them would live to witness.

“It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the LORD” (11:11).  The Hebrew word here for oppressed can mean poor, afflicted or humble.  It likely has reference to those lowly ones who were able to believe and understand.  The ones “watching” (Heb. Ha-shom-rim) seem to refer to the lowly sheep as the NIV has it here.  Some translations (ESV, NRS) try to make it refer to the sheep merchants or traders but this is likely stretching the meaning.  For certain, the oppressive merchants and rulers over Israel would never have admitted that it was the word of the Lord.

“I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.’ So they paid me thirty pieces of silver” (11:12).  With this verse and the next one, the scripture makes it plain that this whole scenario relates to the last days of Jesus.  His account is recorded in Matthew 26:15 and 27:3. The prophet did not highly regard their ability to compensate him and they did not have much confidence in his value.  The thirty pieces of silver were the price of a gored and useless slave (Exo. 21:32).  The price was an insult and a picture of how poorly many in Israel would regard their Messiah.  Pfeiffer and Harrison say: “They placed Messiah on the level of a worthless slave.” ²³  Rufinus (AD 340-410) brings this story down to Judas.  He says, “You observe that he was appraised by the traitor’s covetousness at thirty pieces of silver.” ²⁴

“And the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’ – the handsome price at which they valued me!  So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the LORD” (11:13).  Here again, the scripture and the Holy Spirit tie Zechariah’s experience to the final days of Jesus that would come several hundred years into the future.  Here we want to mention the passage in Matthew 27:9-10: “Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ‘They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.’”  In the Hebrew of verse 13, there seems to be is a great deal of sarcasm expressed regarding the price paid.

We note that the thirty pieces of silver were thrown to the potter and that the potter had some connection with the house of the Lord.  Baldwin says, “Potters were connected with the Temple because the sacrificial ritual needed a continual supply of new vessels (Lv. 6:28).” ²⁵  Utley comments saying: “Some believe that it refers to Levites who made the vessels used by the priests, and therefore, a potter’s shop was located in the temple. Others say that it is a Hebrew idiom for ‘that which is worthless and needs to be remade.’” ²⁶  We have shades of reflection here of Jeremiah 18:1 – 19:15.  The Hinnom Valley furnished the most suitable clay in those days.²⁷  It is interesting that it was in that valley that Judas committed suicide after his horrible act of betraying Jesus.  He was buried in a graveyard there that was purchased with the thirty pieces of silver.  Cyril of Jerusalem (AD 313-386) remarks about all this exclaiming: “O prophetic accuracy!” ²⁸

Over the centuries, scholars have noted that there seems to be a textual problem in this section.  The prophetic statement made by Zechariah here is attributed to Jeremiah in Matthew 27:9.  How do we explain this?  Feinberg comments: “…the solution is probably to be sought in the fact that the name of Jeremiah stood at the head of the whole collection of the prophets because his prophecy was placed first. There is evidence in Jewish writings for this position…” ²⁹  The great scholar J. B. Lightfoot agrees saying: “Different groups of Old Testament writings were named among the Jews according to the first book of the roll. Zechariah happened to be in the book, or roll, in which Jeremiah was the first book.” ³⁰

“Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the family bond between Judah and Israel” (11:14).  Feinberg comments: “If The first indicated God’s restraint on the nations from destroying the nation Israel; the second had reference to the brotherly ties within the nation itself…” ³¹ When the city of Jerusalem was encircled by the Roman army her great suffering began.  Soon there was general starvation and robbery everywhere as we have mentioned.  The people suffered horribly under their own leaders.  Guthrie mentions that in AD 70 four separate rebel groups were vying for control of the city.³²  There was no longer brotherhood but hatred, thievery, abuse and murder in every quarter.

 

A PICTURE OF THE EVIL SHEPHERD

 

Then the LORD said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd.”  Zechariah 11:15

Now the prophet is called upon by God to do another “action sermon.”  This time he is asked to play the part of the evil or foolish shepherd.  That should not have been hard since there were so many foolish shepherds around in those days just as there are today. For instance, one of the Hasmonean priestly rulers, by the name of Alexander Jannaeus (rule from 103 to 76 BC), was pelted by citrons by the worshippers because of his ineptitude.  According to Josephus he turned upon the people with rage and slew about six thousand of them.³³

We might wonder about the tools of a false shepherd.  He might trade in his gentle shepherd staff for a club with which he would bludgeon the sheep or a knife with which he could slaughter them and make lamb stew for himself.  He might become an expert at deceit with which he could swindle and steal from the sheep.  Today it is often all about the shepherd but in Jesus’ ministry and in the first-century church it was all about the sheep.

The frightening part about people following the false shepherd is that at the end of days the real and final false shepherd will appear.  We know him in the Bible as the Antichrist (Dan. 9:27).  He will bring about the ultimate destruction of those who believe in and follow him.  The prophet might be speaking of him in the next verse.

“For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves” (11:16).  The prophet Micah realized the same thing about Israel’s shepherds.  He said of them that they were the ones who “…hate good and love evil; who tear the skin from my people and the flesh from their bones; who eat my people’s flesh, strip off their skin and break their bones in pieces; who chop them up like meat for the pan, like flesh for the pot…” (Mic. 3:2-3).

Over the centuries Israel has had her share of false leaders and especially false messiahs.  The most prominent of these was Simon bar Kokhba who led the second revolt against Rome in the years of AD 132-135.  He was regarded by many Jews, and even by the prominent Rabbi Akiva as the messiah.  Unfortunately, bar Kokhba’s defeat brought further ruin of Judea and further disbursement of the population. The city of Jerusalem was even declared off-limits for all Jews.

“Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered, his right eye totally blinded!” (11:17).  Jamieson and company comment: “God’s sword shall descend on his ‘arm,’ the instrument of his tyranny towards the sheep…and on his ‘right eye,’ wherewith he ought to have watched the sheep (John 10:12-13).” ³⁴  Utley sees this expression as “…idiomatic language for effectiveness in leadership and influence.” ³⁵  That leadership and influence will be destroyed by God.  There is hardly a way that we cannot see this worthless shepherd ultimately as a picture of the coming Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:8).  He will be destroyed in a moment by the returning Christ.

 

CHAPTER 12

 

GOD’S WRATH UPON THE NATIONS

A prophecy: The word of the LORD concerning Israel. The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person, declares: Zechariah 12:1

The word “prophecy” (Heb. Mas-sa) refers to a burden or oracle as we saw in 9:1 (cf. Mal. 1:1).  Pfeiffer & Harrison comment: “The final burden, comprising the last three chapters, is full of vital prophetic truth concerning the consummation of Israel’s history.” ¹   We need to first stop and decide what the prophet means with the word “Israel.”  The word has a natural meaning of the Jewish people just as it has today.  However, the word is also heavy with spiritual meaning. Pett comments: “But what was Israel? We must recognize that it was not just a nation comprising direct descendants of the twelve Patriarchs.  Indeed, it never was… all through her history, peoples of many nations were adopted into Israel and became ‘true Israelites’ on the basis of the covenant with YHWH, tracing their ‘descent’ back to the patriarchs. Thus, Uriah the Hittite was almost certainly ‘a true Israelite’ (2 Samuel 11:3 onwards).” ²   Of course, Ruth the Moabite was one too.

The Bible makes it very plain that Gentiles from the time of Jesus can become a part of Israel through God’s grace and through their faith in his Messiah.  Simply, the Gentiles are “grafted” into Israel and become part of the true people of God through Jesus the Messiah (Rom. 11:17-28; Gal. 3:7, 28-29; 6:15-16; Eph. 2:11-22; 1 Pet. 2:5-9).³   We need to make it plain that the church is not independent of Israel but is a part of the nation.

There are many Christians today who do not believe this but who hold to a doctrine called Replacement Theology or Supersessionism.  This doctrine claims that the church has replaced Israel entirely and that the church has become the Chosen People.  Generally, these folks see no continuing purpose for a natural Israel.  This idea was very prevalent in the early centuries of the church and continues on mightily today.  One popular commentator says: “It is vital to any understanding of this chapter to identify the ‘Israel’ of which the prophet spoke. It must not be understood in any way as a discussion of the fleshly, racial kingdom of the Jews, either before or after the first advent of Christ.” ⁴  Many more commentators have this approach although they may not state it so forcefully.  It causes them to miss the deeper meaning of this chapter.

The prophet is intent on perfectly identifying the God who is speaking.  He is the one who created the heavens and the earth (Psa. 104:2-5; Isa. 44:24; Amos 4:13; 5:8).  Today many scientists and other intelligent folks deny this.  They feel that the whole creation began with an impersonal Big Bang.  Now other scientists are realizing that there had to be a cause for the Big Bang.  For instance, Owen Gingrich, Harvard Astronomy professor & senior astronomer at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory says: “A common sense and satisfying interpretation of our world suggests the designing hand of a superintelligence.” ⁵ English astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle says a similar thing:  “…that a super-intellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology…”  ⁶

The God who has made the universe has also made the human spirit within each of us.  Through that spirit, the redeemed person is able to fellowship with God who is Spirit (Jn. 4:24).

“I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem” (12:2).  Often in the Bible the image of the cup stands for the judgment of God (e.g. Psa. 75:8; Isa. 51:17, 21-23; Jer. 13:13; 25:15-28; 49:12; Ezek. 23:31-33; Hab. 2:16; Matt. 20:22; 26:39, 42; Lk. 22:42; Jn. 18:11 Rev. 14:10; 16:19; 18:6;).  This cup is pictured as a cup of strong wine that makes people drunk and causes them to stagger (Jer. 25:15-16).  It is a cup of reeling – a cup of God’s judgment.  We note that the surrounding peoples are particularly affected by this judgment.  In modern times the surrounding Moslem nations have suffered terribly as they have repeatedly attacked modern Israel.  Although they are much better armed and more powerful than Israel, they have repeatedly been sent reeling.

However, it is generally agreed that this passage is speaking of the last-day battle of Armageddon, which will certainly affect Jerusalem.⁷  The city of Jerusalem is scarcely 50 air-miles (80 km.) from the Megiddo region.  Any modern attack would easily spread over this whole area.  In the 14^th chapter, we will see the extent of the attack on Jerusalem.  Half the city will be captured and taken into exile before God arises to deliver the nation (14:2-3). Pfeiffer and Harrison state that, “the prophetic passages compel us to place it before the visible return of Christ on earth.” ⁸   In Joel 3:2 God says: “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.”

For some reason the city of Jerusalem is driving the nations crazy.  Jerusalem is a reminder of God and of his rule over the whole earth.  It is a reminder of God’s law in our lawless societies.  It is a reminder that there is eternal truth in our truthless world.  Finally, it is a reminder of God’s coming judgment.  We can understand by this why wars have raged against the country of Israel for the last hundred years and why they will continue to the end.

Of course, at the heart of pagan attacks on Jerusalem and Israel is the fact that the God of the universe has chosen Jerusalem as his dwelling.  In Psalm 132:14, the Creator says: “This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it” Jerusalem is called the throne of the Lord (Jer. 3:17).  In Ezekiel 43:7, God calls Jerusalem “the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever.”  God has inscribed Jerusalem on the palms of his hands and he continually watches over its walls (Isa. 49:16).  It is clear that when people touch Jerusalem, they have touched the apple or pupil of God’s eye (Zech. 2:8). They have stuck their fingers in God’s eyes.

“On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves” (12:3).  The reference here is to the Day of the Lord when all nations on earth will gather together to solve the “Israel” and “Jerusalem” problems once for all.  Perhaps the nations will gather under the auspices of the UN.  On June 9, 1991, a Jerusalem Post editorial marveled that although Israel was only one-thousandth of the world’s population, she had managed to occupy 30 percent of the UN Security Council meetings and to be the subject of a third of its resolutions. The editorial went on to say that since the establishment of the UN, that organization has spent more time and energy seeking to condemn and delegitimize Israel than it has spent on any other agenda item.

Here we are promised that all who come against Jerusalem will injure themselves.  The ancient church father Jerome, who lived in Bethlehem, reported that young men at that time tested their strength by lifting a weighty stone.⁹  The injury here is likely a reference to a rupture.  Quite simply, any nation that comes against Israel will get hurt.  We have seen abundant evidence of this in the many Moslem wars against Israel.  These nations have repeatedly ravaged and destroyed themselves in their insane attacks.  It was the Jew Albert Einstein who said that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results.

After World War I Britain was given the mandate to assist Israel in its resettlement of her land.  However, Britain royally messed up her golden opportunity.  Almost her first act was to take 75 percent of the eastern portions of the country and assign it to Arab Transjordan (today’s Jordan).  Britain then did its best to hinder Jewish settlement in the rest of the land.  Finally, in 1948, the British were forced to turn the sticky problem of the Jewish homeland back over to the United Nations.  Britain was then forced to withdraw her once proud forces from Palestine in shame.  Britain not only quit its Mandate but she also quit Iran in 1951, and Sudan in 1953.  She then quit Egypt in 1954-56, Jordan in 1957, Iraq in 1958 and Aden in 1967.¹⁰  The once mighty, world-wide British Empire began to unravel.  Her mistake was that she tried to move the rock and was injured.

Utley points out that all history is moving toward a climactic moment in the confrontation with evil (cf. Psa. 2; Isa. 8:9-10; 17:12-14; Ezek. 38-39; Dan. 9:24-27; 11:36-45; Joel 3:9-17; Zech. 12:3; 14:2; Rev. 16:14-16; 19:17-19).¹¹   Plainly, that confrontation will happen in Israel and it will focus on Jerusalem.

“‘On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.’” (12:4).  The prophet continues to speak of the Day of the Lord.  Pfeiffer & Harrison say: “Supernatural panic, madness, and blindness will overtake both horses and riders in the attack…” ¹² The strongest weapons of the day, the horses and chariots, will be of no benefit in this battle.  We might compare this to our best jet fighters and most advanced tanks of today.  In all this, the Lord will watch over the Jews.  Thus, we see that the whole battle will be supernatural in its nature.¹³

“Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the LORD Almighty is their God’” (12:5).  In modern times the people of Israel have not always given the glory to God for their victories.  Often, they have praised their own bravery and military prowess.  In this great battle, they will praise the Almighty God for their deliverance.  It will be obvious that they were supernaturally empowered.  It seems that the radical conversion spoken of later will be the result of this miraculous deliverance from the attack by all nations.¹⁴

“On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place” (12:6).  The various translations choose between “clans of Judah” and “governors or leaders of Judah.”  Regardless of how we translate it, we will realize that Judah will become inflammable to the nations and their armies.  A flaming torch can bring dreadful disaster to a field of grain (Jud. 15:4-5).  We note that despite all the warfare, Jerusalem will remain in its place.  This reminds us of Psalm 125:1 which assures that Jerusalem will abide forever.  In truth, Jerusalem is the one and only Eternal City.

“The LORD will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah” (12:7).  Pfeiffer & Harrison say: “he will rescue the outlying, less heavily defended areas of the land before he delivers the capital city.” ¹⁵  Some commentators see an implied tension or hostility between Judah and Jerusalem, but this might not be the case.

“On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD going before them” (12:8).  On the Day of the Lord, even the most-feeble in Jerusalem will become mighty like David.  In two biblical passages, David is compared to the angel of the Lord (cf. 1 Sam. 29:9; 2 Sam. 14:17,20; 19:27).¹⁶  Because of the help of the Lord, King David was unconquerable.  Even the weakest will be like him. We see in the Bible that David’s house, like Jerusalem, will also abide forever (Psa. 89:37).

“On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem” (12:9).  Barnes says, “Woe indeed to those, whom Almighty God shall ‘seek to destroy!’” ¹⁷  We might ask why Jerusalem is so important.  As Christians we need to understand that Jerusalem is the center of God’s great redemptive program on earth.  After all, our gospel went out from the city.  After the great battle of Armageddon Jerusalem will begin to be the center of world government.  We see in Isaiah: “Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isa. 2:3).  From Jerusalem, the Messianic government will rule over the whole world.  Jerusalem will become the spiritual center of the world.  For such reasons we are all instructed to pray for Jerusalem (Psa. 122:6).  Actually, we are all requested to “bug God” until he makes Jerusalem the praise of all the earth (Isa. 62:7).

 

MOURNING OVER THE MESSIAH

 

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. Zechariah 12:10

Since its early centuries, the practice of Christianity has been to look upon Israel askance because they rejected the one who was obviously their Messiah.  We have not carefully considered the passage in Ezekiel 36:24-28.  In this scripture it is clear that the Jewish people will only believe in Jesus as a nation after they have returned to their land (cf. Ezek. 20:41-44; 28:24-26). For such a day the Psalmist cries out: “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!” (Psa. 14:7).  The Jews have been returning to their land since the 1880s, so we may be nearing the time for this glorious event to take place.

In this passage, we are told that God will instigate this great conversion by pouring out a spirit of grace and supplication upon his returned people.  Apparently, it will come in relation to the world-wide invasion of their land.  Maybe at such a time Israel will repent as they have never repented before and they will call upon the Lord who is mighty to save.  At this point, God will institute his New Covenant with Israel (Jer. 31:31-34).  Feinberg states: “Nothing in Israel’s past history can be interpreted as the fulfillment of this passage…” ¹⁸ Pfeiffer & Harrison comment: “This is Israel’s future national Day of Atonement…” ¹⁹  This is none other than a classic nation-wide revival for the Jewish people.  We see evidences of this great move in several other scriptures such as Isaiah 44:3; Ezekiel 39:29 and especially Joel 2:29. If the Lord could pour out his Spirit on the Gentile church in the great revivals and the Charismatic Movement of the 20^th century, it should certainly be no problem for him to do the same with his beloved Israel.

This whole movement is focused on Jesus.  All Israel will look upon him and realize that they pierced and crucified him (Psa. 22:16; Isa. 53:5). The nation will stand aghast.  A great wailing and mourning will arise among the people, like the mourning over the death of a firstborn son.  Pett says here: “The idea here is of true repentance and submission to God.”  ²⁰  After all, “the physical deliverance of Zech. 12:2-9 is not complete without the spiritual deliverance of Zechariah 12:10!” ²¹

“On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo” (12:11).  Israel is no stranger to mourning.  She well knows that her nationhood has come about at a great cost. On Israel’s Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron), which happens in the late spring, Israelis express sadness over their fallen soldiers and terror victims.  When the siren sounds it is customary for all traffic to stop and all individuals stand at attention and have a moment of silence.  Another day of mourning also in the spring is Yom HaShoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day.  Israelis mourn the loss of six million Jews in the Nazi Holocaust.

The day spoken of in this verse will be much greater than any day of mourning heretofore.  It is compared in this verse to the weeping of Hadad Rimmon.  This seems to be a reference to a surviving Canaanite practice of deep mourning.²² Perhaps it is akin to the mourning for Tammuz mentioned in Ezekiel 8:14. What certainly seems to be involved in this verse is the deep mourning for good King Josiah who was killed at Megiddo by Pharaoh Necho (2 Kings 23:29-30 and 2 Chronicles 35:20-27).  We know that the prophet Jeremiah wrote some special dirges on this occasion.²³  Good King Josiah was like the last ray of hope for a dying nation.

“The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives,” (12:12).  This speaks of a national mourning that reaches to the kingship.  Pfeiffer & Harrison state: “All strata of society will be bowed down with the universal grief, whether king, prophet, priest, or laity.” ²⁴  The physical division of men and women in religious services is a common thing during the Western Wall prayer times and in many synagogues today.  This practice may have evolved from the Jewish interpretation of this verse.²⁵

The prophet continues, “the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, and all the rest of the clans and their wives” (12:13-14).  We need to understand just how soul-shattering this mourning will be.  Feinberg says: “The prophet means that the mourning will be so intense as to transcend even the closest ties of earth, those between husband and wife.” ²⁶

What we have here is the dramatic conversion of all Israel to Jesus the Messiah.  It will change everything and will no doubt bring an instant union between Israel and true Gentile Christians.  Unfortunately, it will probably cause great panic in satanic ranks and bring about the fierceness of the Armageddon/Jerusalem attack from the antichrist and the armies of the whole world.

 

CHAPTER 13

 

ATONEMENT FOR ISRAEL

On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. Zechariah 13:1

The original sin of humanity is the one thing in the Bible that can be proven conclusively by our daily experiences.¹  We are all sinners and we will never get anywhere in the realm of salvation without acknowledging this fact.  The Bible says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Rom. 3:23).  Author Paul Copan says, “Without the language of sin, the language of salvation doesn’t make sense.” ²  We understand from the Bible that sin is extremely toxic and contagious.  Historian Paul Johnson says: “Implicit in the Bible is the holistic notion that one man’s sin however small, affects the entire world, however imperceptibly, and vice versa.” ³

Even Israel, God’s special and chosen people, did not escape the sin problem.  In fact, it was sin that caused the defeat and destruction of Israel on two historic occasions in 586 BC and AD 70.  Although David was chosen to initiate an eternal kingship, even he did not escape sin.  Most prominent was the sin with Bathsheba which became a national disgrace.  So, even David and his house needed cleansing from sin.  However, the multitudes of offerings required in Israel never really dealt with sin and moral impurity.  All the offerings were but types and shadows as they pointed to the coming of the Messiah who would at last deal decisively with the sin problem.

When the Messiah Jesus was revealed in Israel some twenty centuries ago Gentiles accepted him and his atonement, but most Jews refused anything to do with him.  Since that time believing Gentiles have their sins forgiven while the Jewish people are left awaiting their atonement.

We note here that it is a fountain that will be miraculously opened for the house of David and for Jerusalem.  This is a special fountain for the Jewish people.  When we hear “fountain” we think immediately of water.  However, the evidence is that this is a fountain of cleansing blood from Jesus the Messiah.  That fountain began on the cross, especially with the piercing of Jesus’ side.  Wiersbe remarks: “The Jews could cleanse their external ceremonial uncleanness by washing in water, but for internal cleansing, the sinful heart of men and women can be cleansed only by the blood of the Savior (Lev. 16:30).” ⁴ Leviticus 17:11 says: “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”  Hebrews 9:22 says: “…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”  The blood of animals was a type and pattern as we have said.  It was a pattern and shadow of the true atonement that would come only through Jesus and his death on the cross.  In fact, the Bible says, “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:4).

This reminds us of that old hymn, “What Can Wash Away My Sin?” by Robert Lowry:

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

O precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. ⁵

We think of another timeless hymn written by William Cowper back in the 1700s:

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains. ⁶

The sure meaning of verse one is that a National Day of Atonement is coming for Israel and the Jewish people.  Israel will be bathed in the blood of the Lamb of God at last.  As Gill said, “An entire volume could be written identifying this ‘fountain’ as the blood of Christ.” ⁷ The scripture says: “‘The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,’ declares the LORD” (Isa. 59:20).

It is sad and tragic that today we have almost lost the concept of original sin and even sin in general.  If we have some spiritual problem we are prone to seek out a counselor and try to blame the problem on someone else.

For much of its history, Judaism was a very bloody religion.  Continual sacrifices were required at the temple in Jerusalem and the blood constantly flowed from the altar down into the Kidron Valley.  But in time, Judaism became an altar-less, bloodless religion, as it is today.  What is even more alarming is that we are coming closer and closer to an altar-less, cross-less, and bloodless Christianity.  A recent quote from a feminist theologian, Delores Williams, illustrates this trend.  She says: “I don’t think we need folks hanging on crosses and blood dripping and weird stuff.” ⁸

 

IDOLATRY AND FALSE PROPHECY

 

“‘On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land.’” Zechariah 13:2

In 10:2, we saw that there were still some problems with idols, even after the return from Babylonian captivity.  Here we see the problem emerge again.  The necessary companions to idolatry are always false prophecy and the spirit of impurity.

We might wonder why idolatry has been so popular with humanity and why it is still popular today.  The writer Donald McCullough says of this: “We will be tempted, therefore, to create for ourselves gods who will not threaten us with transcendence, gods who will be manifestly useful in a world of confusing voices, and gods who will conform to the contours of our individualistic desires.” ⁹  In our grossly materialistic age, we are prone to make idols of cars, houses, jobs, salaries, educational programs, sports and a host of other things.  Where we spend our time and money is usually a pretty good indicator of what we are worshipping.

In our 21^st century, we often worship ourselves.  We become our gods or else we choose Hollywood, music or sports idols to worship.  This was really the first temptation to humanity, “…you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5).  “Sociologist Robert Bellah tells of Sheila Larson, a young nurse who describes her faith as “Sheilaism.”  She says, “I believe in God.  I’m not a religious fanatic.  I can’t remember the last time I went to church.  My faith has carried me a long way.  It’s Sheilaism.  Just my own little voice.” ¹⁰

Unfortunately, our idols provide us with no sure moral direction.  Jeremiah Johnson says: “Indeed, the gods of the Greeks and Romans seemed to be just as lustful and untrustworthy as humans were.” ¹¹ Perhaps one of the worst things about idolatry is its corrosive effect upon human nature.  The Christian philosopher Nancy Pearcey says: “The lesson is that idol-based ideologies are invariably dehumanizing, and if unchecked they lead to repression, coercion, oppression, war, and violence.” ¹²  The Bible says of idols: “Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them” (Psa. 135:18).

On Israel’s coming National Day of Atonement, the acceptance of Jesus as Messiah will put a final end to idolatry.  The nearness of Christ will drive uncleanness and false prophecy out of the land.  Even the names of the idols will be no longer mentioned (cf. Exo. 23:13; Psa. 16:4).

“And if anyone still prophesies, their father and mother, to whom they were born, will say to them, ‘You must die, because you have told lies in the LORD’s name.’ Then their own parents will stab the one who prophesies” (13:3).  Pfeiffer and Harrison say that, “in the day of Israel’s purification no prophet will pride himself on his office.” ¹³  The Apostle Paul says: “For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears” (1 Cor. 13:9-10).  When that which is perfect comes the imperfect passes away.  In such a time prophecy, or rather false prophecy, will become a dangerous business.  This will so much be the case that one’s own parents will kill that son or daughter for prophesying.

“On that day every prophet will be ashamed of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment of hair in order to deceive” (13:4).  Prophets were often identified by their robes of hair (cf. 2 Ki. 1:8; Matt. 3:4; Mk. 1:6).  This robe could be made of goat’s hair, coarse wool, or camel’s hair.  Henry Ward Beecher once said, “Clothes do not make the man, but once he is made, they greatly improve his appearance.” ¹⁴  Beecher’s generalization would probably not apply to hairy prophets.

“Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth’” (13:5).  Author David Kupelian says, “There’s dark magic in boldly lying, in telling a ‘big lie’ – repeatedly, with a straight face and with confidence and authority.” ¹⁵ Lying came quite naturally to the false prophets since their master Satan was a liar and the father of lies (Jn. 8:44).  They would claim anything to save their skin.

“If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends’” (13:6).  Commentators think these wounds were gained in the service of pagan deities (cf. 1 Ki. 18:28; Jer. 48:37).  The false prophet is quick to deny this saying that the wounds were the result of some private brawl.  Occasionally, an interpreter will try to link this passage to the sufferings of Jesus.  Guzik says: “the context and the original Hebrew argue against this referring to Jesus and his wounds…” ¹⁶  We can understand the reluctance of false prophets to identify themselves as prophets since the Bible plainly required that they be put to death (Deut. 13:2-6).

 

THE SHEPHERD

 

“‘Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.’” Zechariah13:7

There is certainly no question as to whom this verse speaks.  The Holy Spirit has placed this passage into the New Testament and has ascribed the words to Jesus in Matthew 26:31 and Mark 14:27. Jesus knew that when evil men would strike him, his sheep or disciples would become scattered.  The shepherd is described as the one close to God.  Baldwin says of the Hebrew “my shepherd indicates that this is no ordinary leader, but the Lord’s gift to his people.” ¹⁷  Pfeiffer and Harrison add: “God speaks of his Shepherd as his Fellow, his Equal…There is no stronger statement in the Old Testament regarding the unimpeachable deity of Israel’s Messiah, the Son of God.” ¹⁸

“‘In the whole land,’ declares the LORD, ‘two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it’” (13:8).  Some commentators have tried to tie this section to the destruction of Jerusalem and much of the land by the Romans in AD 70.  However, no one has been able to substantiate the “two-thirds” and the “one-third” figures mentioned here.  Certainly, a holy remnant survived Jerusalem in AD 70 as the Christians escaped to Pella in today’s Jordan.

It seems far more likely that the prophet is speaking of a significant purging to come, perhaps in the Great Tribulation.  Baldwin says, “In some terrible catastrophe two-thirds of the population of the land of Israel is to be killed (cf. Ezk. 5:1, 12).” ¹⁹  We must remember that God has always worked with a holy remnant (Isa. 10:21-22; 37:31-32).  The doctrine of the remnant is seen in Rom. 9:27-28: “Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: ‘Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality.’” From what we can tell of the final days in scripture, we see a people purged by the fires of tribulation and made holy for their Master.  Not everyone called “Jew” will be saved and neither will everyone called “Christian.”

“This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God’” (13:9).  The remnant of Israel will be put through the fire of God in the last days.  That remnant will surely include some Gentile Christians who are now grafted into the nation (Rom. 11:17-18: Eph. 2:11-22; 3:6) and probably some who even reside in Israel.  This will be another Holocaust of unimaginable proportions.

Many believers today do not feel they will have to endure suffering but the scripture soundly disputes this.  The Psalmist says: “For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance (Psa. 66:10-12).” Paul and his associates assure us, “…We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God…” (Acts 14:22).  Peter instructs us: “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Pet. 1:6-7).

Though many perish in the last days God will have a holy remnant refined in the fire.  Isaiah assures us of this saying in 37:32: “For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”

 

CHAPTER 14

 

A day of the LORD is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls. Zechariah 14:1

This otherwise glorious chapter starts off on a very sad and troubling note.  Beloved Jerusalem is attacked by all the nations on earth and much of the city is occupied and plundered.  The international armies are so confident of total victory that they divide up the plunder in the midst of the city rather than in their various camps.¹

In Hebrew, this verse reads, “a day is coming for the Lord,” as in the ESV version.  Since this whole chapter has to do with a time period known as “the Day of the Lord,” there is no reason that this is not the meaning in this verse.

Perhaps it would be good at this point for us to try and define this coming Day of the Lord. The Bible scholars J. D. Douglas and Merrill C. Tenney explain the day for us:

Day of the Lord: An eschatological term referring to the consummation of God’s kingdom and triumph over his foes and deliverance of his people.  It begins at the Second Coming and will include the final judgment.  It will remove class distinction (Isa. 2:12-21), abolish sins (2 Pet. 3:11-13), and will be accompanied by social calamities and physical cataclysms (Matt 24. Lk. 21:7-22).  It will include the millennial judgment (Rev. 4:1-19:6) and culminate in the new heaven and the new earth (Isa. 65:17; 66:22;
Rev. 21:1). ²

It seems quite plain that “the Day of the Lord,” “the Day of Christ,” “the Day,” and “that Day” as they are used in scripture all speak of the same thing.  The entire book of Revelation likewise speaks in detail of this day.  It is sometimes confusing because we are attempting to peek into a time frame that is partially hidden from us.  In other words: “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror…” (1 Cor. 13:12).  It is much like a prehistoric man trying to glimpse the wonders of the electronic age in which we now live.  It simply was not revealed to him.  Electronic wonders for him were limited to occasional flashes of lightning.

Zechariah has already made mention of this day in several places (cf. 3:9-10; 9:16; 12:4, 8; 13:2).  As this chapter progresses, we will get a better idea of other events taking place on this eschatological day.  It seems clear that the Day of the Lord will include much suffering for humanity and even for God’s saints.

We might ask “Why Jerusalem?”  “Why does the Holy City get overrun by its enemies?”  “Where is God?”  Baldwin answers these questions by saying: “Judgment begins with them (Jer. 25:29; Ezek. 9:6; 1 Pet. 4:17).” ³  This is obviously the beginning of the refining process mentioned in the previous chapter (13:8-9).  Zechariah has already said that two thirds of the people will perish and the other third will be refined in the fire and tested like gold.

Obviously, this chapter presents its challenges to us.  The great Martin Luther said: “In this chapter, I surrender, for I am not certain of what the prophet treats.” ⁴ There is a good reason why Luther was having problems with this chapter on the restoration of Zion.  Luther, like many Bible scholars, was an heir of long-standing Christian antisemitism.  These are among the things he suggested for the Jews: their synagogues should be burned; their houses should be destroyed and their prayer books burned; their Rabbis forbidden to teach, and their money taken away.  All this was in honor of the Lord Jesus of course.⁵    His antisemitism blinded Luther and it probably blinds millions of Christians today.

“I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city” (14:2).  We need to understand that all nations on the earth will be involved in this war.  It is no doubt the pent-up antisemitism of the ages, at last, being released.  We should also note that it is God himself who draws the nations to Israel for their judgment and punishment.  In Joel 3:2 God says: “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.”  All nations will be judged largely because of their treatment of Israel and the Jewish people over the centuries.

What we have described here is one aspect of the Battle of Armageddon, some of which will be fought in the Kidron Valley next to the Temple Mount.  It is also called the Valley of Jehoshaphat or the valley where God judges.  We mentioned earlier how Armageddon and Jerusalem are barely fifty air miles apart and how such a large battle will cover both, even all the tiny nation of Israel. It is unthinkable that a worldwide battle involving all nations against Israel will not engulf the whole country in war.

We notice that half the city will go into exile.  This very thing happened in the 1948 War of Independence.  Old Jerusalem was captured and its people taken into exile in Jordan.  This was likely another Day of the Lord in miniature form.  We read that the houses of Jerusalem will be ransacked and the women raped.  The rape of women was often a hallmark of Moslem victories in the past.  Surely, the surrounding Moslem nations will gladly join in with the international forces to vent their ancient rage once more against Israel.  We must ask again, “Where are you, God?”  It often seems that God gets there only a minute before total disaster, after all, but the faithful have given up.  The prophet points out that the whole city will not be taken and a remnant of the population will be left.  Yes, God always works with a remnant.

 

THE LORD COMES

 

Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle. Zechariah 14:3

Suddenly, the Lord Jesus arrives on the scene.  If studied carefully, Zechariah and the other prophets will force us to seriously adjust some of our concepts on the Lord’s coming.  Plainly, he is coming first to save faltering Israel and defend her against the rage of the nations.  He will not be coming specifically to New York, London or Paris but to lowly Jerusalem and Israel.  Baldwin confirms this saying: “the great majority of modern commentators think of him as intervening on Israel’s side, against the nations.” ⁶  That is certainly the case as we have already seen.

There is nothing secret about his coming.  He will be announced worldwide with trumpet sound and the voice of the archangel (1 Thess. 4:16). He will be accompanied by his triumphant saints and with his glorious angels.  His coming will be known in all the earth.  We should note that God’s saints from that moment on will have glorified and resurrected bodies.  This happens the very instant the trumpet sounds (1 Cor. 15:52).

“On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south” (14:4).  Jesus will come back to the Mount of Olives just as he once promised his disciples (Acts 1:11).  He will return visibly, in person and as the spiritual/material resurrected Lord that he is.  Apparently, his coming will cause a great earthquake that rearranges the Mount of Olives (cf. Isa. 29:6; Ezek. 38:19-20).  This Temple Mount is higher than the temple and runs about 2½ miles (4 km.) from north to south.  The mountain will be divided in the north/south directions leaving a large east/west passage through it.⁷ The Mount of Olives has always been an impressive barrier to one traveling east from the Temple Mount.  The access road has always been around the south end of the mountain, an area mostly controlled by the Moslems.  In recent years, the City of Jerusalem has in a sense preempted this escape route by running a very busy traffic tunnel through the mountain.  I have always noticed that the mountain has a noticeable dip in its middle perhaps at the very place it will one day be divided.

“You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him” (14:5).  It appears that a mighty earthquake will slightly precede the Lord’s appearance.  His saints will still be escaping from Jerusalem by using a newly made highway through the mountain.  This earthquake will be a vivid reminder of the quake that occurred in the days of King Uzziah long before.  It apparently came as a result of the king entering the temple and trying to assume the priesthood.  This earthquake is mentioned in Amos 1:1 and in the Antiquities of Josephus.⁸

Israel’s Jordan Valley is part of the vast Syro-African Rift that runs 4,300 miles (7000 km.) from Lebanon in the north to Mozambique in Southeast Africa.  This rift is highly prone to earthquakes and there have been many big ones over the centuries.  During the sixteen years my wife and I lived in the land we felt occasional earth tremors and they certainly got our attention.  It is of note that there will be several large earthquakes in the last days (e.g. Rev. 6:12; 8:5; 11:13, 19; & 16:18).

In the midst of this utter confusion and terror, the Lord Jesus will appear with his angels and holy ones (Matt. 24:31; Jude 1:14).

We might need to spend a little time here trying to digest and better understand these momentous events.  More than likely we have all had a general idea of Jesus’ coming but we probably did not consider it as focused so much on Israel.  We probably thought of Jesus suddenly coming and completely taking over the world and everything in it.  That included an instant change in the world and the instant destruction of the wicked.  The saints will be whisked away to Heaven and will live there forever.  It will probably not happen that way.  Jesus is holy beyond description and the whole world is evil beyond description.  The Holy Savior will apparently not come into a defiled world and take his seat in the unholy city of Jerusalem.  What we seem to have pictured in scripture is more of a thorough and lengthy renovation of the world.  For instance, if we happened to purchase a dirty and rundown wreck of a house, we would not immediately move in.  We would take some months to renovate it and make it livable.

At this point in Zechariah, we are seeing the beginning of a cleanup and renovation process for the earth as well as the heavens.  Both Heaven and earth will be remade (2 Pet. 3:7. 10-13; Rev. 21:1). One of the first acts in this process is the binding of Satan for the next thousand years (Rev. 20:2).  Satan has had many thousands of years to mess up God’s creation and it will apparently take some time for God to clean up the mess.⁹  We must keep in mind that we are seeing through the glass darkly about this whole era.  God has not revealed it all to us, but he has revealed some of it. The scripture says: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever…” (Deut. 29:29).

It is important for us to make clear that everyone on earth will know that Jesus has returned.  They will also know that everything is changing.  There will be many, many changes and Zechariah only tells us of a few.  No doubt, at some point millions of wicked people will be removed from the earth as the Lord has taught us (Matt. 24:38-41).  Revelation tells us that possibly one-third of the earth’s population will die in the last day conflagration (Rev. 9:15). In today’s world population figures that could be a number approaching three billion people. Apparently, many Christians will be severely chastened and lose all for which they have labored, but somehow these will be saved through the fire (1 Cor. 3:12-15).  Amazingly, the true and faithful saints of God will survive intact and will be totally victorious.

 

A BRAND-NEW ERA – THE MILLENNIUM

 

On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness. Zechariah14:6

With the coming of Christ to assume all authority over the earth, we will see monumental changes in many things.  As we mentioned, Zechariah notes just a few of these changes.  There will be changes in light, darkness, warmth and cold (Isa. 13:10; 60:19-20; Joel 2:31; 3:15; Matt. 24:29).  At last, we will really have that elusive “climate change” that so many talk about.  Since Jesus is the Light of the World we will have constant and blessed light even without sun or stars.  With Christ present, the sun will be ashamed to shine (Isa. 24:23).  As we remember, in the creation there was light before the sun and stars were made (Gen. 1:4-5, 14).  The Hebrew in verse 6 is a little opaque so we will find many variations in the modern translations.

“It will be a unique day – a day known only to the LORD – with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light” (14:7).  Baldwin comments: “Time will no longer be measured in days, for night will never fall. ‘That day’ will be one continuous day (Is. 60:19, 20; Rev. 21:25; 22:5), and so its light will not be dependent on sun, moon or stars.” ¹⁰   In Revelation 22:5 we read: “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.”  We notice that it is the saints of God who will be reigning with Christ on earth. This is astounding information that has mostly eluded the church for two thousand years.

Zechariah continues: “On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter” (14:8).  Wiersbe comments: “Jerusalem is the only great city of antiquity that wasn’t built near a large river…” ¹¹  However, the earlier prophet Ezekiel saw that a great river would eventually flow from the throne of God down to the Dead Sea area bringing life and vitality to that dry wilderness (Ezek. 47:1-12; cf. Joel 3:18).  Pett says, “…This glorious river, like the apocalyptic Jerusalem itself, is symbolic of the truth of God going out to the nations bringing life wherever it goes.” ¹²  Guthrie adds: “Living waters picture the river of God in paradise regained (cf. Gn. 2:10 with Ezk. 47:8 and Rev. 22:1).” ¹³

I remember on one occasion there was some excitement among the Christians in Jerusalem because water had begun to flow from the ancient walls.  Alas, we soon discovered that it was only a broken water pipe in the Old City.

Jerusalem has always had a problem with its water supply.  In ancient times the main source was the Gihon Spring.  It was a slow-moving flow which King Hezekiah blocked and diverted into the City of David for fear of an Assyrian invasion (2 Ki. 20:20).  I have walked through this long water tunnel on several occasions.  The cold water gets up to one’s knees or thighs, but it is indeed a slow-moving stream and certainly did not produce enough water for a growing population. With the coming of the Messiah, Jerusalem’s water problems will be over forever (Isa. 35:6-7; Rev. 22:1-2).

“The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name” (14:9).  In the previous chapter, Zechariah dealt with the problem of idolatry.  This plague has been with the human family almost since its beginning.  As we have seen, even in our enlightened age we are still prone to idolatry of various sorts.  After the Lord appears, this problem will vanish and everyone on earth will know that there is only one God.  During the Millennium we will see all nations worshipping the true God.  They may be saying things like this: “For the LORD Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth” (Psa. 47:2).

“The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up high from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses, and will remain in its place” (14:10).  Here the prophet gives us a few more immediate changes that the Lord will make in Jerusalem and the surrounding area.  There will be some tremendous earth movements with Jerusalem being raised up above the land around it.  Throughout history Jerusalem has been sheltered by mountains all around her (Psa. 125:2). These will no longer be needed and the city will be raised up to prominent heights (Isa. 2:2; Mic. 4:1-3). Pfeiffer & Harrison say: “The entire Land of Promise will be renovated (cf. the implication of Mt. 19:28).” ¹⁴  This reminds us of Isaiah’s words: “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isa. 40:4-5).

Apparently, the surrounding land from Geba to Rimmon will be lowered while Jerusalem will be lifted up.  Utley locates “Geba” about six miles north of Jerusalem (2 Ki. 23:8). The city served as the northern boundary of Judah.  “Rimmon” was a village south of Jerusalem (cf. Jos. 15:32; 19:7; and Neh. 11:29) with a location that is still uncertain.¹⁵ After thousands of years it is extremely difficult to locate some biblical sites.

It is also difficult to locate all the ancient gates of Jerusalem.  The Benjamin Gate was obviously located to the north since that was where their tribal area began.¹⁶ Baldwin agrees and adds that the Tower of Hananel was probably the most northerly point on the wall.¹⁷ Clarke locates the winepresses near the king’s gardens in the southern portion of the wall.¹⁸ Again, there is not much certainty and little agreement as to these ancient locations.

“It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure” (14:11).  What a beautiful promise, that Jerusalem will be inhabited and will never again be destroyed.  Even in the days of Nehemiah, they had to cast lots to force folks to live in Jerusalem (Neh. 11:1).  With the advent of the Millennium great crowds of people will be coming to the city.  Already today Jerusalem is a choice place for Jews to live.  It is very crowded and real estate prices are out the top.  From the Millennium’s advent, Jerusalem would never again be destroyed.  At the end of the peaceful Millennium Satan will once more be freed to do his evil work.  He will come against Jerusalem with a mighty army, but he will not enter the city.  His forces will be destroyed by the fire of God before they arrive there (Rev. 20:9).

“This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths” (14:12).  Barnes says it is “The awful description is of living corpses.” ¹⁹  Guzik sees the flesh dissolving as the horrible effects of a neutron or nuclear bomb.²⁰  Pfeiffer and Harrison describe it as “a supernatural, flesh-consuming plague.” ²¹  It never seems to go well when an army is fighting against Israel. Several modern nations have paid a terrible price for trying it.

“On that day people will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another” (14:13).  In Israel’s long history this kind of thing happened on a number of occasions (e.g. Exo. 23:27; Judg. 7:22; 1 Sam. 14:15-20; 2 Chr. 20:22-23; Hag. 2:22).  The Bible says that all nations will come to fight against Israel.  That includes our nation, wherever we live.  It is important that our soldiers never align themselves to fight against Israel.  Today some whole Christian denominations have aligned themselves against Israel and are attempting to destroy the nation through the BDS movement (Boycott, Divest and Sanction).  We mentioned this group in 2:13. They are using every means possible through political, economic, educational and other means to destroy the nation.  Some of these would likely be the first in line to actually fight against Israel.

“Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected – great quantities of gold and silver and clothing” (14:14).  In Hebrew, this passage is a little ambiguous.  Some scholars have tried to say that Judah will be fighting against Jerusalem.  Baldwin comments that “it makes much better sense to translate the preposition be ‘in’, as does NEB, Judah too shall join in the fray in Jerusalem.” ²²  In this great defeat of nations much wealth will be collected.  Feinberg comments: “Oriental armies carried large amounts of gold and silver with them on their march…Apparel is often mentioned in lists of spoil, because it was an important item of wealth in the East (Note Judg. 5:30 and 2 Ki. 7:15).” ²³

 “A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps” (14:15). When such things begin to happen people can know that they are really having a bad day.  Utley says, “It seems to refer to the complete destruction of this invading army’s military capabilities.” ²⁴

 

A NEW ORDER IN THE EARTH

 

Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. Zechariah. 14:16

We detect here an entirely new attitude in the nations of the earth.  People will no longer hate and persecute Israel but they will be joining with Israel in worship.  This picture is seen clearly in Isaiah 2:2-3 as we have mentioned before.  We see it also in Micah 4:1-2:

In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The Feast of Tabernacles is the final pilgrimage festival in Israel.  It marks the ingathering of all the harvest and is a time of great rejoicing and worship.  The Bible assures us that this festival is a statute forever, a lasting ordinance for all generations (Lev. 23:41). While the other festivals have had a great deal of fulfillment, this festival remains unfulfilled today.

However, the good news is that people have already begun to go to Jerusalem and celebrate this festival.  In 1980, after most embassies were pulled out of Jerusalem for political reasons, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) was formed.  My wife and I happened to be in the city and we were able to join in worship at their first Festival of Tabernacles celebration.  From that time, the festival is celebrated each year and thousands of Christians from all over the world still go to Jerusalem yearly to celebrate with the Jewish people.  There are great times of worship for the whole week as well as praise marches down the streets of the city and other events in support of Israel.

“If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain” (14:17).  Here we see something very interesting.  Dissent and rebellion of peoples to some degree will still be present but will not be tolerated in the Millennial Period. Wiersbe comments: “Remember, though the millennium is a time of peace and blessing, it is also a time when Jesus will reign over all the earth ‘with a rod of iron’ and will judge disobedience (Ps. 2:9; Rev: 2:27; 12:5; 19:15).  Not to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles would be tantamount to despising the blessings of the Lord, and this is a serious transgression.” ²⁵  We do need to remember that the peaceful Millennium will end with one last battle, that of Gog and Magog (Rev. 20:7-8).  It will be the earth’s last war and the large invading army will be totally destroyed by the fire of God.

Although we see this period through a glass darkly, there is something mentioned in other biblical passages that we might bring up here.  It is said of the victorious saints in Revelation, “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:10).  This has to be one of the least read and understood verses in the Bible.  Simply, victorious saints will reign with Christ on earth most probably in the Millennium.  In Revelation 2:27 mentioned above, we learn that victorious saints will also exercise rule with Christ over peoples and nations.  They will also rule with a rod of iron.  They will obviously be resurrected saints, but there will also be fleshly people still living on the earth, for some will grow old and even die (Isa. 65:20).  The risen saints will be celebrating the glorious first resurrection. We see more about our warfare in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Probably, because of our Greek understandings, the church has focused on an ethereal old heaven and has neglected the concepts that God is making a new heaven and a new earth.  Since Adam fell, the earth is a disaster because Satan is now acting as its prince (Jn. 12:31).  The Bible tells us that God will reverse all this since he has given the earth to mankind (Psa. 115:16). He will cause humankind to reign once more through Jesus and the meek will inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5; cf. Dan. 7:27; Rev. 21:3-5; 22:5).  It seems that the resurrected/glorified saints of God will reign with Christ through the Millennium.  We will join in God’s great restoration program with humanity being restored from the Fall as well as the restoration of all the natural world.

It thus behooves us to start learning to reign with Christ in our daily lives as Paul exhorts in Romans 5:17. It is interesting what the Psalmist sees in regard to our future.  It is clear that neither Christ nor his people will put up with wickedness during this period.  The double-edged sword spoken of could well be the Old and New Testaments:

May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them – this is the glory of all his faithful people. Praise the LORD. (Psa. 149:6-9).

This aspect of the Millennium is truly interesting and should help us to rediscover some of the excitement and joy concerning the Resurrection.  Early Christians had that abundant and amazing excitement and joy.  It is just like God to finish what he began.  He began by creating humans and then by giving them authority to rule the earth for him (Psa. 8:3-9; Heb. 2:8).  God will not only restore humanity through Christ but he will restore all nature and deliver it from the curse caused by Adam’s failure. An excellent discussion of the Millennium for Christians is available at Lamb & Lion Ministries and is written by Dr. David Reagan.  He mentions that the Millennium is a promise to Israel; a promise to the church; a promise to the nations; a promise to Jesus and much more.²⁶

Zechariah continues: “If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The LORD will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles” (14:18).  Dummelow says, “Egypt is not dependent on rain. Her punishment will therefore be plague.” ²⁷ Psalm 105:32 mentions rain in Egypt but it was the Nile River that was their main source of water.  We see again in this verse that the Lord’s wrath will come swiftly upon all disobedience.

“This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles” (14:19).  Clarke comments: “God will have his public worship established everywhere, and those who do not worship him shall lie under his curse.” ²⁸ We need to remember that we are looking at a different era.  It is one in which Christ has revealed himself clearly to the whole world with trumpet sound and with the voice of an archangel. There can be no excuse for disobedience to such a mighty worldwide revelation.

“On that day HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the LORD’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar” (14:20).  We cannot miss the fact that this inscription “Holy to the Lord” was inscribed on the headpiece of Israel’s high priest (Exo. 28:36).  Now, “Holy to the Lord” will be inscribed on the bells of the horses.  Baldwin says, “Horses no longer needed for war, will bear the inscription on their jingling harness as they provide transport for pilgrims.” ²⁹ Jamieson and company comment: “This implies that all things, even the most common, shall be sacred to Jehovah, and not merely the things which under the law had peculiar sanctity attached to them. The ‘bells’ were metal plates hanging from the necks of horses and camels as ornaments, which tinkled (as the Hebrew root means) by striking against each other. Bells attached to horses were found represented on the walls of Sennacherib‘s palace…” ³⁰  At this time the cooking pots will be like the sacred bowls at the altar. It is clear that in this era there will be no distinction between the sacred and secular.  Everything will be sacred to the Lord.  The pots in the temple were very base objects but they will be considered as sacred as the silver and golden bowls used to catch the blood at the altar.³¹ This reminds us of Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

“Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD Almighty” (14:21).  This verse makes it plain that there will be a temple in the Millennial Age.  In fact, we see in 2 Thessalonians 2:4, that the Antichrist had previously taken his seat in God’s temple.  Perhaps this temple is described for us in Ezekiel, chapters 40-48.

Now the prophet says that the holiness would include every pot in Jerusalem.  Jamieson and company comment, “every pot — even in private houses, as in the temple, shall be deemed holy, so universal shall be the consecration of all things and persons to
Jehovah.” ³²

Although God is interested in pots there is probably something much deeper here.  The Bible says that all of us believers are like clay vessels (2 Cor. 4:7).  The New Living Translation says: “If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21 NLT).  Simply put, in the age to come every vessel of the Lord will be pure, holy and ready for the Lord to use.

This verse assures us that there will no longer be a Canaanite in the temple of God.  Commentators are pretty uniform in translating Canaanite as “trafficker” or “merchant.” ³³ We can probably remember how Jesus had a great conflict with the merchants in God’s temple (Matt. 21:13; Mk. 11:15-17; Lk. 19:45-46; Jn. 2:13-22). He had no patience with them and even took a whip to them.  We might wonder if we still have some Canaanites around.  Coffman boldly states: “Preachers who are primarily purveyors of the word of God for money are the true Canaanites of this current era; and the suspicion is fully justified that there are many who fall into this category.” ³⁴

As we have seen, the Book of Zechariah is a very spiritual book with many pictures, signs and symbols being used.  The prophet is limited by his personal revelation and can only provide us with an incomplete picture of Israel’s restoration and the kingdom age.  Hopefully, each of us will expand on this picture by carefully reading or rereading the prophets and especially the Book of Isaiah.  There are at least some five hundred verses that have to do with the Millennium in the Bible. The more we learn about the coming age and our own part in it, the more our excitement will grow.

 

 

ENDNOTES

 

Several sources I have cited here are from the electronic media, either from websites or from electronic research libraries.  Thus in some of these sources it is not possible to cite page numbers.  Instead, I have cited the verse or verses in Zechariah (e.g. v. verse 1:1 or vs. verses 1:5-6) about which the commentators speak.

 

CHAPTER 1

1  D. Guthrie, J.A. Motyer, A.M. Stibbs, D. J. Wiseman, The New Bible Commentary: Revised (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1970), p. 789.

2  Dr. Bob Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Old Testament Apocalypses:
Daniel and Zechariah, Zechariah 1:1, http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/old_testament_studies/VOL14OT/VOL14OT.html.

3  Joyce G. Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1972), p. 90.

4  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 1:3.

5  Guthrie, et al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 789.

6  Warren W. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2007), p. 1500.

7  James Burton Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible,
Zechariah, v, 1:4. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/zechariah-1.html

8  Albert Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 1:4, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/zechariah.html

9  Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Concise Commentary, Zechariah, v. 1:4, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mhn/zechariah-1.html

10  John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentary On The Bible, Zechariah, v. 1:5 (10 Calv5) https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/zechariah.html.

11  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 91.

12  Ibid.

13  Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 1:7.

14  Guthrie, et al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 789.

15  David Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, vs. 1:7-10,  https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/zechariah-1/

Guzik adds: “This man is the Angel of the LORD (Zechariah 1:11), and is no doubt an Old Testament appearance of Jesus before His incarnation in Bethlehem.” (Guzik, 1:7-20).

16  Ibid.

17  William R. Nicoll, Sermon Bible Commentary, Commentary on Zechariah, 1:7-17. v. 1:4. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/sbc/zechariah-1.html.

18  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 1:8.

19  Calvin, Calvin’s Commentary On The Bible, v. 1:8.

“It may be then that one angel assumed here a pre-eminence over the rest, that the Prophet might think of the Redeemer.”

Pfeiffer & Harrison add: “The Angel of the Lord throughout the OT is designated as God…” (Pfeiffer & Harrison, p. 898).

20  Henry, Matthew Henry Concise Commentary vs. 1:7-17.

21  Peter Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, Zechariah, vs. 1:7-17. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pet.html.

22  Charles F. Pfeiffer & Everett F. Harrison, eds., The Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979), p. 899.

23  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 1:13.

24  Francis Brown, S. R. Driver & Charles Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Glasgow: Great Britain, 1953, 1957), p. 893.

25  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 1:16.

26  Ilanit Chernick, “Israel ranked as 8^th most influential country,” Jerusalem Post Israel News, April 22, 2019. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/israel-ranked-as-8th-most-influential-country-in-the-world-annual-report-587493.

27  Blomberg Innovation Index, 2019,

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&biw=1345&bih=653&sxsrf=ALeKk03mLokEOdHJprByzS29gKsg1s6vhA%3A1588695112960&ei=SJCxXuj8OYW5tAaBsrq4CA&q=israeli+high+tech+ranking

28  Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, vs. 1:18-21.

29  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1502.

Baldwin adds: “Horns, the pride of the young bull, are an obvious choice of symbol to represent invincible strength.” (Baldwin, p. 103).

30  Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke Commentary, 1762-1832, v. 1:18. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/zechariah-1.html.

Dummelow also sees these kingdoms as Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia. (Dummelow v. 1:18).

31  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 900.

 

CHAPTER 2

 

1  Nicoll, Sermon Bible Commentary, Commentary on Zechariah, v. 2:5.

2  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, vs. 2:1-2.

3  Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, vs. 2:1-5.

4  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 899.

5  World Facts, https://www.worldscapitalcities.com/capital-facts-for-jerusalem-israel/

6  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 2:5.

7  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 107.

8  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 2:5.

9  Jim Gerrish, Does God Play Favorites? (Minneapolis: Cornerstone Publishing, 2000, 2003, p. 123.

10  H. Van Dyke Parunak & Richard E. Whitaker, WTT Hebrew Text (University of Michigan, 1981-82), Zech. 2:7. BibleWorks 10.

11  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 2:7.

12  Alberto Ferrekiro, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary of Scripture, XIV, The Twelve Prophets (Downers Grove, Intervarsity Press, 2003), p. 236.

13  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 109.

14  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 900.

15  John Trapp, John Trapp Complete Commentary, 1601-1698, v. 2:8. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/zechariah-2.html

16  Kline Snodgrass, The NIV Application Commentary; Ephesians, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), p. 83.

17  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1503.

 

CHAPTER 3

 

1  Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 3:1.

2  Friberg Analytical Greek Lexicon on 1 Jn. 2:1, Bible Works 10.

“…a legal technical term, as one who appears in another’s behalf advocate, defender, intercessor…”

3  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 3:2.

4  Quoted in Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 3:2.

5  Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, vs, 3:1-3.

6  New English Translation, notes on Zech. 3:3, Bible Works 10.

7  Nancy R. Pearcey, Love Thy Body, Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2018), p. 11

8  Henry, Matthew Henry Concise Commentary vs. 3:6-10.

9  Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 3:6-7.

10  Guthrie, et al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 791.

11  Bargil Pixner, With Jesus Through The Galilee According to the Fifth Gospel (Rosh Pinna, Israel: Corazin Publishing, 1992), p. 15.

12  Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, vs. 3:8-10.

Baldwin adds: “‘I will engrave its inscription’ suggests a commemorative stone of some kind, and the fact that the Assyrian and Babylonian kings set such stones in the foundations of building to perpetuate their memory has inclined some commentators to the view that Zechariah had a foundation stone in mind here.” (Baldwin, p. 116).

13  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 3:9.

14  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 3:10.

 

CHAPTER 4

 

1  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 4:1.

2  Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 4:2

3  Robert D. Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Commentary on Zechariah, 1871-78, v. 4:2. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfb/zechariah-1.html.

4  Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 4:2.

5  Guthrie, et al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 792.

6  John Dummelow, John, John Dummelow’s Commentary on the Bible, 1909, vs. 4:4-6, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcb/zechariah-1.html.

7  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 902.

8  https://fromdeathtolife.wordpress.com/2017/09/22/d-l-moodys-baptism-in-the-holy-spirit/

9  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 4:7.

10  New English Translation, notes on Zech. 4:7, Bible Works 10.

11  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 121.

12  Parunak & Whitaker, WTT Hebrew Text, Zech. 4:7. BibleWorks 10.

13  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 4:9.

14  There has been a lot of discussion among commentators concerning the “plumb line” mentioned in this verse.  The Hebrew is ha-even ha-bdil.  Even has reference to the stone that apparently had some connection to separation, hence, a plumb line.  The NAS and NKJ versions translate plumb line while the NRS have it as plummet.  The NET translates it “tin tablet.”

15  Trapp, John Trapp Complete Commentary, v. 4:10.

16  Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vs. 4:11-12.

Baldwin adds: “The difficulty with this interpretation is that the oil apparently flows from the trees into the lamps (v. 12), that is, God’s servants would be supplying him with oil, an interpretation which is quite untenable.” (Baldwin, p. 123).

17  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p.123.

18  https://texasoliveranch.com/olive-oil-education/first-cold-pressed-what-does-it-mean/

19  Trapp, John Trapp Complete Commentary, v. 4:11.

20  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 4:11.

21  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 4:11.

22  Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, vs. 4:11-14.

23  Gerrish, Does God Play Favorites?, pp. 116, 243.    

 

CHAPTER 5

 

1  Dummelow,  John Dummelow’s Commentary on the Bible, vs. 5:1-11.

2  Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey, How Now Shall We Live? (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1999), p. xi.

3  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 5:2.

4  Ibid.

5  https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/looting-damage-dc-nyc-atlanta-raleigh

6  http://www.employeetheftsolutions.com/facts.htm)

7  https://www.javelinstrategy.com/coverage-area/2019-identity-fraud-report-fraudsters-seek-new-targets-and-victims-bear-brunt

8  Billy Graham, Just As I Am (US: Harperone, 2007), p. 62.

9  Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992),  p. 580.

10  Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, vs.et3-4)  ??????

11  Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vs. 5:5-11.

12  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 5:10.

13  Ibid., v, 5:7.

Wiersbe adds: “…a talent of lead would weigh from seventy-five to one hundred pounds…”  Wiersbe, p.1508.

Jamieson, et. al., supplements:  Talent, [kikar (Hebrew #3603)] – literally, a round piece; hence, a talent, a weight of 125 lbs. troy. (Comment on verse 7).

14  Henry, Matthew Henry Concise Commentary vs. 5:5-11.

15  Clarke, Adam Clarke Commentary, v. 5:9.

16  E. A. Wallis Budge, Babylonian Life and History (New York; Dorsett Press, 1992), p. 110.)

17  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1508.

“Throughout Scripture, Babylon symbolizes the world’s enmity against God, culminating in the vivid description in Revelation 17-18…The contrast in the book of Revelation is between the Bride (the heavenly city) and the harlot (the earthly city of Babylon).  When you read Revelation 18, you see that the emphasis is on the commercial success and the vast wealth of Babylon, the very “virus” that some of the Jews had caught during the Babylonian exile.”

Pfeiffer & Harrison add: “The reference is to Babylonia (cf. Gen 10:10,11; 11:2; Isa. 11:11).  This was the area where men had first united in a widespread rebellion against God. Throughout the Scriptures, it represents confusion in spiritual matters, idolatry, moral uncleanness (cf. Rev. 17:3-5).” (Pfeiffer & Harrison, p. 902).

18  Jim Gerrish, Does God Play Favorites? (Minneapolis: Cornerstone Publishing, 2000, 2003), p. 123.

 

CHAPTER 6

 

1  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 6:1.

2  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1509.

3  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 903.

4  Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, v. 6:3.

5  Guthrie, et al., The New Bible Commentary, pp. 792-793.

6  Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, vs. 6:1-8.

7  Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, vs. 6:4-8.

8  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p.131.

Guzik adds: “These four chariots and their horses seem to be hostile agents of God’s judgment, emissaries of His war against the earth.” (Guzik, vs. 6:1-3).

9  Ibid., p. 140.

10  Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, vs. 6:6-8.

11  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 132.

12  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 6:7.

13  Dummelow, John Dummelow’s Commentary on the Bible, v.  8.

14  Nicoll, Sermon Bible Commentary, Commentary on Zechariah, v. 9.

15  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 133.

16  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 14.

17  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, pp. 134-135.

“ Behold the man whose name is the Branch (Heb, semah), is addressed to Joshua and yet appears to apply to Zerubbabel… ‘Shoot of Babylon,’ and without question, he was the Temple builder.”

18  Quoted in Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, v. 6:12)

19  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 137.

20  Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, v. 6:14.

21  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 6:14.

22  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 137.

Coffman adds: “15 If there is an expression in the entire Old Testament that means “Gentiles,” it is this one, being exactly the terminology used by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost when Peter announced the gospel as being for “them that are afar off” (Acts 2:39). (Coffman, v. 6:15).

23  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 6:15.

 

CHAPTER 7

 

1  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p.141.

2  Ibid., p. 142.

3  Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 7:2.

4  Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, vs. 7:1-3.

“4/17, Mourning the capture of Jerusalem, Jeremiah 52:6-30 and 5/9 Burning of Jerusalem and the destruction of Solomon’s Temple 2 Kings 25:2-10.”

5  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 7:2.

6  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1511.

7  Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, v. 7:5.

8  https://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/17081/Latter-Prophets.htm

9  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 145.

10  https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/alex_haley_391560

11  Guthrie, et al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 794.

12  Quoted in Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 7:8.

13  Peter H. Davids, James (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1983, 1989), p. 116.

14  William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter (Louisville KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976), p. 119.

15  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 146.

16  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, vs. 7:11-12.

17  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 7:11.

18  Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, v. 7:12.

19  Quoted in Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 7:12.

20  Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 7:14.

 

CHAPTER 8

 

1  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 148.

2  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 8:13.

3  Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 8:3.

4  Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, vs. 8:4-5.

5  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1512.

6  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 150.

7  Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, v. 8:6.

8  Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, v. 8:7.

9  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 151.

10  Ibid.

11  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1513.

12  Warren W. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, NT (Colorado Springs, David. C. Cook, 2007), p. 605.

13  Henry, Matthew Henry Concise Commentary vs. 8:9-14.

14  Derek Prince, War in Heaven (Grand Rapids: Chosen Books, 2003), p. 101.

15  David S. Dockery, ed., The Challenge of Postmodernism, an Evangelical engagement (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1995), p. 365.

16  Nancy Pearcey, Saving Leonardo, A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, & Meaning (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2010), p. 30.

17  Robert Ringer, Restoring the American Dream (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2010), p. xxi.

Kupelian adds: As novelist George Orwell is often quoted as saying, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” David Kupelian, How Evil Works: Understanding and Overcoming the Destructive Forces That Are Transforming America (New York: Threshold Editions, 2010), p. 254.

18  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 8:18-23.

19  F. B. Meyer, Commentary on Zechariah, F. B. Meyer’s “Through the Bible” Commentary. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/fbm/zechariah-8.html. 1914,  8:18-23.

20  Ferrekiro, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary of Scripture, XIV, The Twelve Prophets, p. 256.

21  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 155.

22  Ibid.     

23  Ibid.,  p. 156.

24  Guthrie, et al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 794.

25  Quoted in Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, v. 8:23.

 

CHAPTER 9

 

1  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 157.

2  Guthrie, et al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 795.

3  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 158.

Pfeiffer & Harrison add: “Hadrach.  It is the Hattarika of the cuneiform inscriptions, a city not far from Hamath on the Orontes.” (Pfeiffer & Harrison, p. 905).

4  Anson F. Rainey & R. Steven Notley, The Sacred Bridge, Carta’s Atlas of the Biblical World (Jerusalem: Carta Jerusalem, 2006), p. 297.

5  Quoted in Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1515.

6  Ibid.

7  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 159.

8  Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 9:3.

9  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 9:3.

10  Rainey & Notley, The Sacred Bridge, p. 298.

11  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 9:5.

12  Yohanan Aharoni and Michael Avi-Yonah, The Macmillan Bible Atlas, revised by Anson Rainey and Ze’ev Safrai (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1968, 1977, 1998), p. 133.

13  Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 9:5.

14  Parunak & Whitaker, WTT Hebrew Text, Zech. 9:5. BibleWorks 10, 2017.

15  Guthrie, et al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 795.

16  Clarke, Adam Clarke Commentary, v. 9:7.

17  Guthrie, et al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 795.

Coffman adds: Alexander himself claimed that by means of a dream the God of the Jews had commanded him to launch his world conquest. (See Josephus, Ant. XI, 8:3.) (Coffman, vs. 9:1-7).

18  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1514.

19  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 163.

20  Ibid, pp. 164-65.

21  Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 9:10.

22  Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, v. 9:11.

23  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 9:12.

24  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 906.

Guthrie agrees: “O Greece.  This prediction was largely fulfilled during the Maccabean struggle for independence from Syrian overlords in 165 BC.” (Guthrie, p. 796).

25  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 9:14.

26  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 170.

27  Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, v. 9:11-17.

 

CHAPTER 10

 

1  Chabad Organization. https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/448345/jewish/Choni-the-Circle-Maker.htm

2  Charles L. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1990), p. 320.

3  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 10:2.

4  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 171.

5  Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 10:2.

Baldwin adds: “A modern parallel is the renewed interest in magic, spiritism and other survivals of primitive times.” (Baldwin, p. 171).

6  Clarke, Adam Clarke Commentary, vs. 10:3 & 5.

7  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 322.

8  David S. Dockery, ed. The Challenge of Postmodernism (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1995, p. 328.

9  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 175.

10  Gerrish, Does God Play Favorites?, pp. 111-112.

11  Goeffrey Wigoder, ed., Israel Pocket Library, Immigration and Settlement (Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House Ltd., 1973) pp. 633-635.

12  Brown, Driver & Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, p. 1056.

13  World Jewish Congress. https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/about/communities/EG

14  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 176.

15  Gerrish, Does God Play Favorites?, p. 123.

16  Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. https://mfa.gov.il/MFA/AboutIsrael/Maps/Pages/Israel-Size-and-Dimension.aspx

17  Paul Johnson, A History of the Jews (New York: Harper and Row, 1987), p. 519.

18  Martin Gilbert, The Arab-Israeli Conflict (London: Widenfeld & Nicolson, 1979), p. 93.

 

CHAPTER 11

 

1  Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 11:1.

2  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 177.

3  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 907.

4  Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Bk. 6, Ch. 5, Par.3.

5  Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 11:2.

6  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 11:2.

7  William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 2, vs. 21:12-14. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dsb/matthew-21.html

8  Ibid.

9  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1517.

10  Ibid.

11  Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, 6-9-3.

12  Ibid., 6-8-5; 5-11-1.

13  Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vs. 11:5.

14  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 180.

15  Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, 5-12-3.

16  Brown, Driver & Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, p. 653.

17  Ibid., p. 286.

18  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 327.

19  Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 11:8.

Guthrie adds: “…the OT often recognizes a threefold division of authority in the nation: kings, priests and prophets (e.g. Je. 13:13).” (Guthrie, 798)

20  Ferrekiro, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary of Scripture, XIV, The Twelve Prophets, p. 267.

21  Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, 6-3-4.

22  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 328.

23  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 908.

24  Ferrekiro, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary of Scripture, XIV, The Twelve Prophets, p. 268.

25  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 185.

26  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 11:13.

27  Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, v. 11:13.

28  Ferrekiro, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary of Scripture, XIV, The Twelve Prophets, p. 268.

29  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 329.

30  Quoted in Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 11:13.

31  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 327.

32  Guthrie, et al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 798.

33  Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 13-13-5.

34  Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, v. 11:17.

35  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, vs. 11:15-17.

 

CHAPTER 12

 

1  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 908.

2  Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 12:1.

3  Ibid.

4  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 12:1.

5  Lee Strobel, The Case For A Creator (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), p. 128.

6  Gerald L. Schroeder, God According to God, A Physicist Proves We’ve Been Wrong About God All Along, (NY: Harper Collins, 2009), p. 62.

7  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1519.

“This attack involves the armies of the whole world and is part of the famous ‘battle of Armageddon’ described in Joel 3:9-16; Matt. 24:27-30; and Revelation 9:13-18; 16:12-16; and 19:17-21…His sovereign powers in gathering them (Zech. 14:2; Rev. 16:16).”

8  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 908.

9  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 331.

10  Gerrish, Does God Play Favorites?, pp. 223-224.

11  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 12:3.

12  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 909.

13  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 331.

14  Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, pp. 5-9.

15  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 909.

Guthrey speaks of “implied hostility between Judah and Jerusalem: it would seem that some spiritual pride on the part of the Jerusalemites had given offense to Judah. But the Lord’s award of prior victory to Judah would be a corrective to this.” (Guthrie, p. 799)

16  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 12:8.

17  Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 12:9.

18  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 332.

19  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 909.

20  Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 12:10.

21  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 12:10.

22  Ibid.

“Hadad is the ancient Semitic storm god (cf. Hadadezer, meaning ‘Hadad is my help,’ in 2 Sa. 8:3, et al.).  In the ancient Canaanite myth Hadad, father of Aleyin, bewailed his son’s death at the hand of Mot (whose name is connected with the Hebrew word for ‘death.’” (Baldwin, p. 192).

23  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 333.

24  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 909.

25  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 12:12.

“…The Mishnah teaches that these verses prove that men and women should mourn and worship separately (cf. Sukkoth 51b, 52a).”

26  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 334.

 

CHAPTER 13

 

1  Paul Copan, How Do You Know You’re Not Wrong? (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2005), p. 208.

“The doctrine of original sin is empirically verifiable throughout history, across civilizations, and in our own personal experience.  This observation supports the realistic Jewish-Christian understanding of human nature rather than a more neutral or optimistic view.  G. K. Chesterton is noted for his famous statement: ‘Certain new theologians dispute original sin, which is the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved.’”

2  Ibid., p. 211.

3  Paul Johnson, A History of the Jews (NY: Harper & Roe, 1987), p.159.

4  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1520.

5  Hymn Net: https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/1008

6  Ibid., p. 1006.

7  Quoted in Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 13:1.

8  Carl Olson & Sandra Miesel, The Da Vinci Hoax (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2004), p. 92.

9  Donald W. McCullough, The Trivialization of God: The Dangerous Illusion of a Manageable Deity (Colo. Springs: Nav Press, 1995), p. 24.

10  Ibid., p. 22.

11  Jeremiah J. Johnston, Unimaginable, What Our World Would Be Like Without Christianity (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2017),  p. 42.

12  Nancy Pearcey, Finding Truth (Colorado Springs: David Cook, 2015), p. 135.

13  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 909.

14  Gregory Spencer, Awakening The Quieter Virtues (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2010), p. 78.

15  David Kupelian, How Evil Works: Understanding and Overcoming the Destructive Forces That Are Transforming America (New York: Threshold Editions, 2010), p. 14.

16  Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, vs. 13:2-6.

17  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 197.

Pett adds: “‘And against the man who is my fellow.’ Literally, ‘the man who stands next to Me.’ This clearly suggests a God-appointed king and confirms that we have here the coming Promised One…” (Pett, v. 13:7).

18  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 910.

19  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 198.

 

CHAPTER 14

 

1  Guthrie, et al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 801.

2  J. D. Douglas & Merrill C. Tenney, The New International Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1987), p. 259.

3  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 200.

4  H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Zechariah (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1971), p. 258.

5  Cited in David A. Rausch, A Legacy of Hatred: Why Christians Must Not Forget the Holocaust (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), p. 29.

6  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 205.

7  Ibid., p. 202.

8  Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 9,10, 4.

9  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1520.

10  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 203.

11  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1521.

12  Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 14:7.

13  Guthrie, et al., The New Bible Commentary, p. 802.

14  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 911.

Wiersbe adds: “After the nations have been punished and Israel has been purified, the Lord will establish his righteous kingdom and reign on David’s throne (Lk. 1:32-33; Rev. 17:14; 19:16)…Ps72; Jer. 30:7-90” (Wiersbe, p. 1520).

15  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 14:10.

16  Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 14:10.

17  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 204.

18  Clarke, Adam Clarke Commentary, v. 14:10.

19  Barnes, Notes On The Whole Bible, Zechariah, v. 14:12.

20  Guzik, Enduring Word, Zechariah, vs. 14:12-15.

21  Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 911.

22  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 205.

23  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 343.

24  Utley, Free Bible Commentary, v. 14:15.

25  Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1521.

26  Lamb & Lion Ministries: https://christinprophecy.org/articles/why-a-millennium/

27  Dummelow,  John Dummelow’s Commentary on the Bible, v. 14:18.
28  Clarke, Adam Clarke Commentary, v. 14:19.

29  Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, p. 207.

30  Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, v. 14:20.

31  Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 344.

32  Jamieson, et al., Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, v. 14:21.

33  Pett, Peter Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, vs. 14:20-21.

34  Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 14:21.

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