Zechariah

Zechariah

Chapter 5
{How the Jews Failed and Went Into the 5th Cycle of Discipline}
{Verses 1-4: The Flying Scroll Vision}
1~~Then I {Zechariah} turned,
and lifted up my eyes, and looked {another vision to follow},
and behold a flying scroll.

{Note: We will see that on one side of the scroll was the eighth commandment and on the other side was the third commandment. And it is the eighth and the third commandments which actually form the basis for dishonest practice and commercialism - in other words, the Jews who were out to make a fortune at the expense of being unfair in business.}

2~~And he {Zechariah's teaching angel} said unto me,
"What do you see?"
And I answered,
"I see a flying scroll.
The length thereof is twenty cubits,
and the breadth thereof ten cubits."

{Note: Theses are the dimensions of the holy place of the tabernacle. Therefore they teach something about personal relationship with the Lord. Secondly, the dimensions are also the same as the dimensions of the porch of Solomon's temple. This porch was the place where the Word of God was read and exegeted. The dimensions are found in 1 Kings 6:3. Emphasis: the importance of the Word of God.}

{Verses 3-4: The Content of the Scroll}
3~~Then he {the teaching angel} said unto me,
"This . . . {is} the curse
{means this is the reason for the 5th cycle of discipline}
that goes forth over the face of the entire land {of Judah}.
'For every one who steals shall 'be cut off'/'receive judgment' -
on one side as according to it {the scroll}
{on one side of the scroll, this was written}.
'And every one who 'takes a solemn oath'
shall 'be cut off'/'receive judgment'-
{idiom: literally 'every one who sevens' seven is the perfect
number to 'seven' means to take an oath with seven witnesses or
to make an oath in the name of the perfect God - to take the
Lord's name in vain is to make an oath in God's name that you do
not keep}
on the other side as according to it {the scroll}
{on the other side of the scroll, this was written
it refers to giving your oath to do something
and then reneging - being unfair in business here}."

{Note: There are two kinds of cursing found in the Old Testament scriptures with which to warn the Jews - Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27:14-25; 28:15,16 - the laws of the curses. These are simply items of divine discipline for various failures in the field of knowing Bible doctrine. These must be linked with Malachi 4:6 which is the last verse in the Old Testament in which there is a very definite warning - how to avoid the curse - and, again, the curse is avoided by proper utilization of Bible doctrine.}

4~~"I will bring it {the curse} forth,"
said Jehovah/God of the armies/hosts,
"and it {the curse} shall enter into the house of the thief,
and into the house of him who swears falsely by My name
{dishonest business practice - making false solemn oaths}.
And it {the curse} shall remain in the middle of his house,
and shall consume it {their beautiful house}
{the house was used to represent the category of their
details of life - their money, social life, businesses, homes,
on and on - all would be lost}
with the timber thereof and the stones thereof
{we would say 'and the roof will fall in on them' - this
will happen to the Jews who remained in Babylon}."

{Verses 5-11: The Vision of the Woman and the Ephah}
5~~Then the angel who talked with me went forth,
and said unto me,
"Lift up now your eyes,
and see what is this that goes forth."

6~~And I {Zechariah} said,
"What is it?"
And he said,
"This is an ephah that goes forth."
He said moreover,
"This is their resemblance through all the earth."

{Note: An "ephah" was a dry measure (for grain) - a seven and a half gallon bucket. The ephah represents the tremendous commercial success of the Jews who remained in Babylon - they cornered the grain market there - but it was based on violating their own commandments - number eight and number three - which were shown to Zechariah above - one each side of the scroll. 'Going forth' means commercial success on a dishonest basis. 'Appearance in all the land' means the ephah becomes the symbol of the Jews throughout the earth. They're out to make money any way they can. When they are scattered under the 5th cycle of discipline, their 'hope' is in earthly wealth.}

7-8~~And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead
{this ephah (grain container) had a heavy lid}.
And this is a woman who sits in the middle of the ephah. 8~~
And he {the teaching angel} said,
"This {the woman/religion} is 'the wickedness'."
And he cast/threw her into the middle of the ephah.
And he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof
{closed the lid on the ephah with her in it}.

{Note: The ephah now had a top. The 'woman' is inside the ephah with the top over her. A talent of lead is 125 lbs of lid. The woman represents the harlot of Babylon in Revelation 17 and she is also the 'mystery of iniquity' of 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12. She is 'religion as it will exist in the Tribulation'. In the Tribulation the woman gets out. In the Church Age the woman is in the ephah. In the Church Age we have ecumenical religious systems but they never quite gain control. Why? During the Church Age the lid of lead is on and they are restrained. The lid represents God the Holy Spirit - the Restrainer. He is removed (2 Thessalonians 2) in the Tribulation as far as His restraining ministry on religion is concerned. The lid is going to be removed in the Tribulation and the woman is going to come out. Her coming out is given in Revelation 17 and 18.}

9~~Then lifted I {Zechariah} up my eyes,
and looked, and, behold,
there came out two women
{the lid of the ephah is taken off in the Tribulation
and now TWO women come out},
and the wind was in their wings
for they had wings like the wings of a stork
and they {the two women} lifted up the ephah
between the earth and the heaven.

{Note: The 'two women' here is a prophecy again of the Tribulation when the lid is taken off. The first woman is religious Babylon - see Revelation 17. The second woman is commercial Babylon - see Revelation 18. The 'wind in their wings' is their rapid ascendancy of the great whore in the Tribulation. 'Wings of a stork' refers to the fact that the stork is an unclean bird according to the Mosaic law - Leviticus 11:19; Deuteronomy 14:18. So the ecumenical religious system of the Tribulation is an unclean, anti-biblical, anti-God thing. Revelation and commercialism will work hand in hand in the Tribulation.}

10~~Then said I to the angel who talked with me,
"Where do these {two women} bear the ephah?"
{where are they going?}

11~~And he said unto me,
"To build it {the ephah} an house
in the land of Shinar {the land of Babylon the Great}
and when it has been prepared,
it shall be set there upon its own base
{this means not now, but when the time is right - the Tribulation}."

{Note: 'Shinah' is the land of Babylon. Babylon as a nation does not and will not exist. Babylon in the Tribulation is ecumenical religion. See Genesis 10:8-10 - religion had its early headquarters at Babylon. In Revelation 17:1-9 we see the rapid ascendancy of ecumenical religion in the Tribulation. 'Established' is literally: 'when it has been prepared'. The lid is not opened and cannot be opened until the Tribulation, but once it is opened, then ecumenical religion will be established and will fulfil the function which is prophesied here. All of this relates to the Jews.}

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