Jump to:
Zechariah
The
author of this book is Zechariah. His name means in the Hebrew, 'He
whom God remembers'. Zecharaiah wrote during the reign of Darius
Hystaspes - who ruled the Persian empire from 582-486 BC.
Zechariah is from a priestly line. His grandfather, Iddo, was one of the twelve priestly families that returned after the fifth cycle of discipline. Born a priest, he became a prophet. As a prophet he had both the gift and the office of prophet. Along with Haggai he is the one who encouraged the Jews to finish building the second temple.
So, the first purpose of the book was to encourage the people to get back to work on finishing the 2nd temple. The second purpose of the book was to direct the Jews in how to live once they are out from under the 5th cycle of discipline - with emphasis on bible doctrine.
There are a number of Christologies in this book. Jesus Christ is presented to us under many different titles.
Chapter
1
{Verses
1-6: Formal Introduction of the Book}
1-2~~In
the eighth month
{in the Jewish Calendar this would be our October},
in
the second year of Darius {520 BC},
came
the 'doctrinal communication'/word {dabar}of Jehovah/God
to
Zechariah -
the
son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo {Zechariah's Grandfather} - the
prophet {Zechariah was the prophet} saying, 2~~
"Jehovah/God
was angry . . . with a great anger
{doubling of a verb is very strong/intense in the
Hebrew - qatsaph qatsaph}
with
your fathers."
{Note: 'Their fathers' refers to past generations. The Jews are under the fifth cycle of discipline and Zechariah will prophecy that they need to rebuild the temple to come out of the 5th cycle.}
{Call
to Repentance/Rebound}
3~~Therefore
you say to them,
"Thus
said Jehovah/God of the army/hosts,
turn
you to Me {repent - have a change of mind},
said
Jehovah/God of the army/hosts,
and
I will turn unto you {change My mind about you},
said
Jehovah/God of the army/hosts."
{Verses
4-5: Pre-Exilic Illustration}
4~~Do
not be as your fathers
{who lacked doctrine in their souls per Hosea 4:6},
to
whom the former prophets have cried, saying,
"Thus
said Jehovah/God of the army/hosts,
'You
turn now from your evil ways,
and
from your evil doings.
But
they did not hear {shama`},
nor
hearken {qashab} unto Me',
said
Jehovah/God."
{Note: From Hosea 4:6, we know this relates to their having no Bible doctrine, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge {lack of knowing doctrine}; because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to me (Israel was a priest nation in the sense that they represented God to the heathen people) . . . seeing you have forgotten the doctrine of your God, I will also forget your children (the coming of the 5th cycle)".}
{A
Verse of Grace}
5~~"Your
fathers, where . . . {are} they?"
{Answer - they died and no more punishment -
the believers are in heaven today}
and
the prophets, do they keep on living forever?
{Actually yes they do, they failed but, believers do live forever}"
{Note: This is the generation that FAILED! Yet are in heaven.}
{God
Keeps His Word}
6~~"Nevertheless,
My 'doctrinal communications'/words {dabar}
{general areas of scripture}
and
My statutes {choq}
{categories of scripture - specifically here
the five cycles of discipline taught in Leviticus 26},
which
I {God} commanded
My
servants the prophets . . .
did
they not overtake your fathers?
{means the fathers were warned and warned by God
what would happen if they rejected God and His Word,
but the fathers remained in reversionism}
And
they 'changed their minds'/repented and said,
'Like
as Jehovah/God of the army/hosts
thought
to do unto us,
according
to our ways
{referring to mental attitude failures},
and
according to our doings
{referring to production failures},
so
has He dealt with us.' "
{Note: So this is the first administration of the fifth cycle of discipline to the Southern Kingdom.}
{Verses
7-17: Vision of the Horses}
{Note:
This is the start of three visions - the horses, the horns, and the
grave carvers. These three visions have to do with the people that
God used. God uses a nation. And in the administration of the 5th
cycle of discipline in 586 BC God used a nation - Chilled. But
Chilled abused the power He gave it. This abuse is first recorded in
Psalm 119. So God is going to cut off the nation's power.}
7-8~~Upon
the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month,
which
is the month Sebat {February 24th},
in
the second year of Darius
{by the Jewish Calendar 520 BC so is February 24, 520 BC} ,
came
the 'doctrinal communication'/word
of
Jehovah/God unto Zechariah -
the
son of Berechiah {Zechariah's father},
the
son of Iddo {Zechariah's grandfather} -
{Zechariah
being} the prophet, saying, 8~~
"I
saw by night,
and
behold a Man riding upon a red horse
{this refers to Jesus Christ with emphasis on 'Savior'},
and
He stood among the myrtle trees
that
were in the valley.
And
behind Him were there red horses
{represents three troops},
speckled,
and white. "
{Note: The red horse identifies Jesus Christ as the savior. Red is for all the blood of the Old Testament sacrifices which is analogous to the sins of the world poured out upon Christ on the cross and judged. The blood of Christ always stands for His spiritual death, not His physical death. See more in verse 11 - Jesus - 'angel of Jehovah'.}
{Note: Myrtle trees are the indigenous shrub of Palestine. Jesus is represented as being identified with Israel. 'In the valley' represents the period of Israel's pressure, the 5th cycle of discipline and/or the Babylonian captivity. 'Behind Him', the three horses represent three troops: "A" troop, a sorrel; "B" troop, a bay; "C" troop, a grey. All three troops are troops of angels. Sorrel troop: reddish brown - with a red mane and red tail. In 1967, RBT said that these are the slaughterers responsible for the slaughter of the invading armies at the Second Advent (I believe he changed his mind when he translated Revelation in 1982 because Jesus Christ does all the killing at the 2nd Advent - with the Word of His Mouth). Bay troop: brown body, black mane and tail. Red and black, two separate colors. These represent the angels which divide - the separators. This is described in Matthew 13 - the separation of the wheat and the tares. Grey (or white) troop represents what Jesus rides in Revelation 19:11; 6:2, and this represents victory - the deliverers. With Christ there is inevitable victory because of union with Him.}
{Zechariah
Inquires of His Teaching Angel - What does this vision mean?}
9~~Then
I {Zechariah} said,
"O
sir/"my 'adown/lord", what are these?"
{this is his teaching angel, he calls him 'lord'
as a title of respect and recognition of his teaching authority}
And
the angel that talked with me said unto me,
{interpreting or teaching angel}
"I
will show you what they are."
{Jesus
Responds Instead}
10~~And
the man who stood among the myrtle trees
{Jesus Christ as the 'angel of Jehovah'}
answered
and said,
"These
are they whom Jehovah/God has sent
{God the Father in context - part of His Divine Plan/Decrees}
to
walk to and fro through the earth
{means they went on a reconnaissance mission}. "
{Note: Zechariah's teaching angel does not respond. Jesus Christ Himself responds. 'Elohiym is used when the entire Godhead is being addressed. Jehovah/God or Adonay/ Lord is used to address only one member of the Godhead. And, if this member of the Godhead is ever seen, then it is Jesus Christ - the manifest member of the Godhead.}
11~~And
they {the commanders of the angels sent walking}
answered
the angel of Jehovah/God -
{Christophany - actually this is Jesus Christ Himself}
Who
stood among the myrtle trees - and said,
"We
have walked to and fro through the earth
{means we have made our reconnaissance},
and,
behold, all the earth sits still and is at rest
{stabilized situation - no troop movement to report
it was the strength of the Persian Empire that provided stability
at this time}."
{Note: At this point in time, the Jews were back in the land, but there were no walls to protect them. RBT says God provided special angel armies to provide reconnaissance and special protection for the Jews so they could survive until the walls are rebuilt.}
{Note: The Angel of Jehovah/God or Angel of Jehovah is often God Himself - Genesis 16:7-13; 22:11-18; 31:11-13; 48:15,16; Exodus 3; 13:21; Acts 7:30-39; Judges 6:11-25. 'Lord' often in the English Bible is the Tetragrammaton (which the Jews never pronounced - we translate it Jehovah). RBT says it is always used for one person in the Godhead - the second person of the Trinity - because the second person is the visible member of the Trinity - John 1:18; 6:46; I Timothy 6:16; I John 4:12.}
{Verses
12-13: Intercessory Prayer of the Angel of Jehovah/God}
12~~Then
the 'angel of Jehovah/God' {Jesus Christ actually}
answered
and said,
"O
Jehovah/God of the army/hosts {here God the Father},
how
long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem
and
on the cities of Judah,
against
which You have had indignation
these
threescore and ten (70) years?"
{586BC went out - Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed
536BC returned to the Land; 516BC 2nd temple was completed -
70 period of 5th cycle of discipline ended at that time}
{Note: For 490 years, the Jews skipped the Sabbatical year they were supposed to honor every 7th year. Therefore, God gave them all 70 years of 'rest' at one time - 70 years of no 'work for their economic benefit' - slavery under Babylonian captivity.}
13~~And
Jehovah/God {God the Father}
answered
the angel who talked with me
with
good 'doctrinal communication'/words
{means this is part of the Father's Divine Decrees/Plan}
and
'doctrinal communication'/words of comfort
{means since it is part of the Plan have 'confidence'/comfort}.
{Amplification
of the 'Good Words' of Verse 13}
14~~So
the angel that communed with me said unto me,
"You
preach/teach {doctrine}, saying,
"Thus
said Jehovah/God of the army/hosts
I
am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great zealousness
{qana' - anthropopathism - God is not jealous as we think of it - He
has great zeal to see His Plan fulfilled - nothing but the best for
the Jews as His People is His great desire} ."
{God
is Judging the Case of the Chaldeans}
15~~"And
I {God the Father}
am
angry with a great wrath
with
the 'gentile nation'/heathen {Chaldeans}
who
are at ease.
For
I was but a little displeased {with the Jews},
and
they helped forward the affliction
{Chaldeans
administered His Divine Discipline against the Jews
but they abused the power}."
{Note: The Chaldeans are in view here. God used them to administer the divine discipline to the Jews and they misused this great power.}
16~~Therefore
thus said Jehovah/God,
"I
have returned to Jerusalem with mercies
{lots of 'grace in action'}.
My
house shall be built in it
{rebuilding of the temple ends the 5th cycle of discipline},"
said
Jehovah/God of the army/hosts,
"and
a line {surveyor's line} shall be stretched forth around Jerusalem
{means walls will be built around the city}."
{Future
of Israel}
17~~Keep
preaching {doctrine}, saying,
"Thus
said Jehovah/God of the army/hosts,
"My
cities, through prosperity
{based on positive volition to Him and His Word}
shall
yet be spread abroad
{Jews are going to have about 200 years of great prosperity};
and
Jehovah/God shall yet comfort Zion
{that will be in four years, the end of the 5th cycle in 516 BC},
and
shall yet choose Jerusalem
{Jerusalem is going to have a place in the plan of God
at the end of the 5th cycle of discipline}."
{Verses
18-19: Second Vision - of the Horns}
{Verse
18: Content of Vision}
18~~Then
lifted I up my eyes, and saw, and beheld four horns.
{Verse
19: Explanation of the Vision}
19~~And
I said to the angel who talked with me
{his teaching angel},
"What
are these {horns}?"
And
he answered me,
"These
are the horns which have scattered
Judah,
Israel, and Jerusalem."
{Note:
What are the four horns? RBT says history tells us they were:
1)
Assyria - used in 721 BC to administer the 5th cycle of discipline
to the northern kingdom. A "horn" is a powerful nation at
the peak of its power. 2) Chaldea - the Neo-Babylonian Empire -
struck a number of times - first in 606 BC. Then in 598 BC
Nebuchadnezzar returned. In 586 BC he returned again and destroyed
the temple and started the 5th cycle of discipline. 3) The
Hellenistic Empire of the Seleucids (Kingdom of the North - Syria
when it went all the way to India) - especially Antiochus the Great
and Antiochus Epiphanies - these two especially persecuted the Jews.
4) Rome - again a number of times. For example, in 63 BC - Pompey the
Great - coming to Jerusalem began the 4th cycle of discipline to the
Jews. The 5th cycle began in AD 70 under Titus. In each case none of
these nations could stand the power and God had to eventually take it
away from them.}
{Verses
20-21: Third Vision - of the 'Horn Cutters'}
20~~And
Jehovah/God showed me
four
'horn carvers/cutters' {charash}.
21~~Then
said I,
"What
come these {the horn cutters} to do?"
And
he spoke, saying,
"These
are the horns which have scattered Judah,
so
that no man did lift up his head.
But
these {the horn cutters}
are
come to 'fray them'/'cause them to be routed in terror' . . .
to
'cast out'/'cut off' the horns of the Gentiles,
who
lifted up their horn over the land of Judah . . .
to
scatter it."
{Note: So, who are the four horn carvers? History shows they were: 1) Assyria had its horn cut off in 612 BC. The first horn cutter was Nabopolasser, the father of Nebuchadnezzar - a Chaldean who teamed up with the king of Media (Sigh - Axe- er - ees (sp)) - (see the book of Nahum}. 2) Chaldea was the second horn, cf. Daniel 5. Cyrus the Great - a Persian - was the second horn cutter in 539 BC and is described in detail in Daniel - the handwriting on the wall incident. 3) The third horn was the Selleucid dynasty - a Hellenistic monarchy, fantastic in their persecution of the Jews. Rome was the third horn cutter who too them out. Rome had three famous contacts with the Seleucids: a) The Battle of Magnesia - 190 BC (Antiochus the Great was defeated by Cicero Asiaticus); b) Antiochus Epiphanies, 168 BC; c) Pompey the Great, finished them up in 63 BC. 4) The fourth horn refers to Rome. The original empire ended in 476 AD, when the Germans (O -Da- Vocker (sp)) conquered Romulus Augustus (funny but Romulus was the name of one of the founders of Rome and Augustus was the first Emperor - so the last Emperor had both these names in his). But the fourth horn cutter is Jesus Christ - Who will destroy the revived Roman Empire at the 2nd Advent - Revelation 17:8-12; Revelation 19; Daniel 7.}
**************************************************
This page is sponsored by Kenneth Sidley, CPA.
This page is sponsored by Moxxor For Pain Free Living.
|
|
|
|
