(The previous post covered Zechariah's first seven visions.)
Zechariah 5
(The last three of Zechariah's ten visions were covered in chapters 5 and 6.)
(Zechariah's eighth vision (verses 1-4): Flying Roll.)
1 Then again I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, a flying roll.
(The flying roll was parchment used for writing.)
2 And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.
3 Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole land: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off on the one side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off on the other side according to it.
4 I will cause it to go forth, saith Jehovah of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name; and it shall abide in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.
(The flying roll showed the curse of thieves and false swearers.)
(Zechariah's ninth vision (verses 5-11): The Ephah.)
5 Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.
6 And I said, What is it? And he said, This is the ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their appearance in all the land;
7 (and, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead); and this is a woman sitting in the midst of the ephah.
8 And he said, This is Wickedness: and he cast her down into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.
9 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there came forth two women, and the wind was in their wings; now they had wings like the wings of a stork; and they lifted up the ephah between earth and heaven.
10 Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?
11 And he said unto me, To build her a house in the land of Shinar: and when it is prepared, she shall be set there in her own place.
(The "land of Shinar" was Babylon. The specific meaning of this ninth vision was not explained. The general theme was "wickedness." The symbolism of the Ephah was commerce. Babylon would be the center of commerce. Not only has this been fulfilled prior to Alexander the Great, but this vision could also be applied to a city under the Antichrist during the Tribulation. Ezekiel 28:16 stated one of the causes of Lucifer becoming Satan was through much traffic, much commerce.)
Zechariah 6
(Zechariah's tenth vision (verses 1-8): Four Chariots and Spirit Horses.)
1 And again I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.
(Zechariah had a vision of four chariots.)
2 In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;
(Red horses implied carnage. Black horses represented sorrow and famine.)
3 and in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grizzled strong horses.
(White horses implied joy and victory. Grizzled (spotted) and strong horses represented a mixture of prosperity and adversity.)
4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?
(Zechariah sought instruction of this vision.)
5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four winds of heaven, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
(The chariots were four heavenly spirits who stood before God to receive His commands.)
6 The chariot wherein are the black horses goeth forth toward the north country; and the white went forth after them; and the grizzled went forth toward the south country.
(The "north country" was Babylon. The "south country" was Egypt.)
7 And the strong went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.
8 Then cried he to me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, they that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
(God's Spirit was quieted only against the north country (Babylon) during the time of Zechariah.)
9 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
10 Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah; and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, whither they are come from Babylon;
11 yea, take of them silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest;
12 and speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: and he shall grow up out of his place; and he shall build the temple of Jehovah;
(Joshua represented Christ: The Branch.)
13 even he shall build the temple of Jehovah; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
14 And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of Jehovah.
15 And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of Jehovah; and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of Jehovah your God.
(Many captives would come to help Zerubbabel build the temple. The first six chapters of the Book of Zechariah covered ten visions. The next two chapters were meant to exhort the restored nation.)
Zechariah 7
1 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chislev.
(In the fourth year of Darius (two years after the previous prophecies), the Word of God came to Zechariah in the ninth month: Chislev - November/December.)
2 Now they of Beth-el had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, and their men, to entreat the favor of Jehovah,
3 and to speak unto the priests of the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?
4 Then came the word of Jehovah of hosts unto me, saying,
5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month, even these seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?
6 And when ye eat, and when ye drink, do not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
7 Should ye not hear the words which Jehovah cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?
(The people were reproved for hypocritical fasting. They fasted for themselves, not for God.)
8 And the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah, saying,
9 Thus hath Jehovah of hosts spoken, saying, Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother;
(God exhorted the people to repent.)
10 and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the sojourner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.
(Devising evil against your brother in your heart is an effect of a flawed belief (and thought process). God was/is focused on helping people fix their beliefs (and thought process) so that their hearts do not devise evil. This verse focused on the people of the former generation from Zechariah's time.)
11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear.
(…but the people of the former generation did not hear God.)
12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which Jehovah of hosts had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets: therefore there came great wrath from Jehovah of hosts.
(They hardened their hearts "as an adamant stone.")
13 And it is come to pass that, as he cried, and they would not hear, so they shall cry, and I will not hear, said Jehovah of hosts;
14 but I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they have not known. Thus the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.
(God confirmed the reasons why He did not hear the cries of His people: the people chose to harden their hearts and not repent. We have seen this theme throughout the major and minor prophet sections of the Old Testament.)
(This post covered the rest of Zechariah's ten visions and an exhortation to the nation to repent.)
Day 279
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