ZECHARIAH FOR TODAY
Chapters 4 - 7
CHAPTER 4
The Golden Candlestick
Zechariah is as a man wakened out of his sleep, by and
angel. He sees A candlestick of gold with a bowl on top of it; it
has SEVEN pipes to SEVEN lamps.
It is ONE candlestick! That is important to remember.
Zech asks the angel what this is all about (verses 1-5).
The somewhat mystic answer is: "Not by might, nor by power,
but by my SPIRIT, says the Lord of hosts" (verse 6).
Then immediately Zerubbabel is talked about (verse 7). And
God says, "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of
this house; his hands shall also finish it. So you shall know
that the Lord of hosts has sent me (the angel) unto you (Zech).
For who has despised the day of small things? For they shall
rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel,
with those SEVEN; THEY ARE (the Bible interprets itself) the EYES
OF THE LORD, WHICH RUN TO AND FRO THROUGH THE WHOLE EARTH!"
(verses 8-10).
So with what we have in these verses its first understanding
should be obvious. There was to be a Mighty work DONE IN
JERUSALEM; IT WAS THE RE-building of the TEMPLE under Zerubbabel.
It would be accomplished not so much as by human hands (of course
human hands did the work of building) BUT BY THE POWER of the
SPIRIT OF GOD!! (verse 6). It took some miracles of various sorts
to get the job done of continuing and finishing the work on the
Temple. The Spirit of God had to do some inspiring, encouraging,
some power to get men pushed into finishing the work that was
started but had come to a stop. The Temple was started under
Zerubbabel and it would be finish under Zerubbabel.
If anyone was despising the day of small things ... just not
much happening, people dragging their feet and sitting on their
backside, then it was time to rejoice, for under Zerubbabel the
Spirt of God would GET THINGS MOVING AGAIN WITH ZEAL!
The golden lamp could well first represent the immediate
time frame. It represented the ONE SPIRIT OF GOD working with the
man Zerubbabel. The seven pipes to seven lamps are interpreted
for us a the SEVEN EYES of the Lord that run here and there. The
seven eyes are connected to the Spirit of God - all working to
finish the work of the Lord in that time frame of re-building the
Temple under Zerubbabel.
Seven is the number of PERFECTION or COMPLETENESS as God
uses numbers. Now, let's use some common logic. The seven eyes do
not represent trees, or lakes, or forests, or any such inanimate
objects, that can not possibly run to and fro. Logical sense
would have the seven eyes as representing 7 spirit creatures or
angelic beings of some kind, that run to and fro on this earth,
in the SERVICE of, doing the will of God in whatever ways to help
the Eternal do His work, in whatever age or time frame. So they
are seven created spirit being that are the eyes of the Lord,
going here and there seeing what is being done, and reporting
back to the Eternal.
That may seem strange to people who believe God personally
does EVERYTHING. But such people may never have thought that
perhaps God does NOT want to do everything. That would be His
choice would it not?
The CONTEXT would have us understand the ONE candlestick is
the SPIRIT of God and in that time frame, using Zerubbabel to
finish building the Temple. And he is fully supported by seven
spirit beings who unseen, are a huge power behind the Spirit of
God working this work that was started by Zerubbabel and was
going to be finished under the watch-full work of Zerubbabel.
The Two Olive Trees?
Back first to the one candlestick. It is ONE candlestick and
so it is NOT THE SAME as what John sees in the book of
Revelation. John sees SEVEN CANDLESTICKS - SEVEN INDIVIDUAL
CANDLESTICK, WITH JESUS WALKING IN THE MIDST OF THEM. YOU'LL FIND
ALL THAT IN THE FIRST CHAPTER OF REVELATION.
THIS VISION THAT ZECH HAS IS ***NOT*** THE SAME AS IN
REVELATION.
AND THE CONTEXT WOULD ALSO DISPROVE IT. THE CONTEXT IS GOD'S
SPIRIT - ZERUBBABEL - AND SEVEN SPIRIT-BEINGS WITH EYES THAT CAN
GO ALL OVER TO REPORT TO GOD WHAT IS HAPPENING TO AND FRO ON THE
EARTH.
The context of Revelation is seven INDIVIDUAL CANDLESTICKS
with Jesus walking in their midst and seven STARS in His hand.
The interpretation then given is the STARS represent the ANGELS
of the SEVEN CHURCHES (Revelation 1:12-20).
So the two visions, one for Zechariah and one for John are
NOT representing the same thing at all. They are DIFFERENT!
Back to Zechariah. We have TWO OLIVE TREES by the ONE golden
lamp-stand. The interpretation is given in verse 11-14. No need
to guess, we are told. The olive trees are one on the right and
one on the left of the candlestick.
They have golden oil emptying out of themselves. Gold is
pure, as pure as you can get on this physical earth, The olive
trees represent the two ANOINTED ONES that stand by the Lord of
the whole earth.
The context is Zerubbabel and the building of the Temple
through the power of the Holy Spirit, with the help of 7 spirit
beings looking and reporting as from going to and fro. The whole
objective is to get the Temple built and finished under
Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel started it and he was to be the one to
finish it (9).
It would take the help from the Holy Spirit and the 7 spirit
beings to accomplish the task of the completion of the new Temple
to be built in Jerusalem after the 70 year captivity of the Jews
in Babylon.
The two olive branches .... well in the recorded history of
the rebuilding of that Temple we have TWO MEN who played a hugely
important task - EZRA and NEHEMIAH. THEY WOULD REPRESENT THE MANY
JEWS THAT RETURNED TO JUDAH AND JERUSALEM UNDER THOSE TWO GREAT
LEADERS - Ezra (457 B.C.) Nehemiah (444 B.C.).
THIS VISION IS NOT THE SAME AS IN REVELATION! HERE IS ONE
CANDLESTICK AND IN REVELATION THERE ARE SEVEN CANDLESTICKS. THE
TWO ARE NOT THE SAME.
JESUS WALKS AMONG THE CANDLESTICK OF REVELATION. NO SUCH
WALKING AMONG IS GIVEN HERE.
FOR TODAY
There could be a connection for us today. The golden
candlestick and Zerubbabel COULD represent Christ!! The Spirit of
God in Christ doing the over-watching of the Temple to be built
in the 1,000 year age, the Kingdom of God on earth.
The SEVEN EYES could be SEVEN STARS OF REVELATION 2:20. WE
SEE THE SEVEN STARS IN REVELATION ARE THE SEVEN ANGELS. THE SEVEN
CANDLESTICKS ARE THE SEVEN CHURCHES.
IT IS THE MIGHT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CHRIST, AND IN TYPE
PICTURED ALSO BY ZERUBBABEL, TOGETHER WITH THE HELP OF SEVEN
SPIRIT BEINGS, WHO WILL IN SOME WAY SERVE AND HELP CHRIST, WHO
WILL BUILD THE TEMPLE THAT IS TO BE BUILD WHEN THE MESSIAH COMES
IN POWER AND GLORY TO ESTABLISH THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH AT
JERUSALEM; WHEN A NEW EZEKIEL TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT.
THE TWO OLIVE TREES AND TWO CANDLESTICKS OF REVELATION 11:4
ARE FOR THAT TIME OF THE END IN HISTORY; AND WILL REPRESENT THE
TWO WITNESSES WITH POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, AS THEY WORK THEIR
WORK IN JERUSALEM FOR THE LAST 42 MONTHS AT THE END OF THIS AGE!
The two anointed ones in Zerubbabel's day were Ezra and
Nehemiah. The one golden candlestick in Zechariah 4 representing
the Holy Spirit (working with Zerubbabel); the seven lights from
the candle stick represent the seven eyes of the Lord - spirit
beings sent to watch over - the work of the finished Temple under
Zerubbabel. The two olive tree represented Ezra and Nehemiah (we
have two books of the Bible with their names on them), and they
were the great leaders to bring the people back to Jerusalem and
Judah from Babylon.
In modern times. Christ would be THE Zerubbabel Temple
builder, powered by the Holy Spirit. The eyes or spirit beings
serving in ways not revealed to us, as they go to and fro in the
earth. The Messiah is the ONE who is to build the Ezekiel Temple,
through the power of the Holy Spirit. The two olive trees
standing near by represent the two great witnesses to proclaim
the truth of God for the last 42 months of this age in Jerusalem,
during the reign of the king of the North and the kings of the
East, leading up to Zerubbabel Christ Jesus coming to earth to
build the new Temple for the new age.
Most orthodox Jews teach that the Messiah is the only one to
build the NEXT Temple in Jerusalem. All prophecy would bear this
out to be the truth of the matter.
CHAPTER 5
A Flying Roll
Zech sees a flying roll. Its length is 20 cubits and its
breadth 10 cubits. We are told it represents the "curse" that
goes over all the earth. The two commandments, one stealing, the
other swearing, one on each side of the roll. One commandment is
in the first FOUR commandments of the Great Ten commandments -
swearing; the other - stealing - is in the other SIX of the Ten
commandments. Most Bible readers know we have the first 4
commandments towards God and the last 6 towards man (verses 1-3).
Those who are breaking the commandments of the Lord, the
curse roll, will enter and consume. It is a way of saying and
picturing that SIN brings DEATH. Those who will not REPENT of
sin, shall earn the wages of sin which is death (Romans 6:23).
All of this applies to any age and any time frame within any age.
The Woman in the Ephah
Zech is led to see an ephah, the usual common measure of
grain among the Jews. Then there is a weight piece of LEAD, which
we are told represents "the woman that sits in the midst of the
ephah." In the prophetic books of the Old Testament, a woman
often represents the children of Israel, either the house of
Israel or the house of Judah or both. We have that imagery in the
book of Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 16 and the two sisters of the women
of chapter 23).
Lead is HEAVY and in value is pretty small as say compared
to GOLD.
Then WICKEDNESS is cast into the ephah and the weight of
lead upon the mouth. Lead is a good weight to close the door on
wickedness, if we are to use symbols to close up, shut the door
on sin. And it is a good representation of the heavy reward of
sin - punishment and death and captivity.
Judah is the woman of wickedness and will have to be
rewarded accordingly.
Two woman with wings of a stork are now seen in vision
carrying the ephah to the land of Shinah, to be establish there
(verses 9-10). Shinah is Babylon.
Zech was writing AFTER Judah had been in the 70 year
captivity in Babylon. Here we have wickedness carried to Shina or
Babylon. What can this mean in the end time scene of the world.
There is only one thing tied to wickedness and Babylon at the end
of this age: the destruction of Israel and Judah for their
wickedness and sins, and their deportation to the Empire of the
Beast Babylon of Europe.
CHAPTER 6
Zech now sees FOUR chariots - a red one - a black one - a
white one - a bay one. Immediately Revelation 6 comes to mind.
The red chariot horses = war. The black chariot horses = famine.
The white chariot horses = religious deception. The bay or pale
or grisled chariot horses = pestilence.
They, the chariots represent the spirits of God, spirit
beings that will go forth from the Lord of heaven. The spirit
world is much more fluent and busy and complicated than we can
ever imagine. You get a glimpse of its workings in the book of
Daniel. Take care to notice it all as you read the book of
Daniel.
Again let me say that in prophecy there is often a first
fulfilment, often during the time frame that the prophet taught
and preached, and another fulfilment at the end time, at the
close of this age. It does not hold true for every passage of
prophecy but many times it does as certain verses within a
context make clear.
For the first fulfilment of these verses I recommend you
study some of the popular Bible Commentaries like Adam Clarke,
Albert Barnes etc.
For today and beyond these FOUR horses here have their equal
in the book of Revelation chapter 6. I refer you to my study on
the book of Revelation in the series of "The New Testament Bible
Story" (verses 1-8).
Coronation of Joshua
As some like Adam Clarke (in his Bible Commentary) have
seen, this Joshua here REPRESENTS the Messiah Christ - the
BRANCH, as we have seen in other prophecies. The BRANCH is the
root and offspring of David, the man called the Son of man, the
Son of God, as He came to earth from the line of the seed of
David. Christ the Messiah is THE BRANCH!
Notice verse 12. It is the BRANCH - the MESSIAH, who is to
BUILD THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD! One of the first works Jesus will
do when He comes again to establish the Kingdom of God on earth
is to over-see the building of the Ezekiel Temple, as we have see
when we went through the book of Ezekiel.
This is the verse as to why many of the orthodox Jews do not
believe a new Temple in Jerusalem can be built BUT BY THE MESSIAH
BRANCH of David.
This Branch Messiah Christ will BEAR THE GLORY of building
the Ezekiel Temple. He shall sit and rule on His throne - the
throne of David as other prophetic passages also show. He will be
THE priest, THE LORD OF LORDS, KING OF KINGS, PRIEST OF PRIESTS!
He will be the COUNSEL OF PEACE for the whole world in that new
age to come (verses 12-13).
Jesus the Branch Messiah, as we have seen will RESTORE
Israel and Judah, bring them back from captivity, from far away
lands, when He returns to earth. And when they are in the Holy
Land, they will help Christ build that Temple; and indeed they
will know that the prophet Zechariah was sent to proclaim all
this good news; they will surely obey God in that day (verse 15).
CHAPTER 7
Question about the Fasts
The fasts here mentioned are not any fast day in the books
of Moses. As most Bible Commentaries explain, they are the fast
day of the 5th month, to bring to remembrance the burning of the
Temple on the 10th day of that month. And the fast of the 7th
month was on the 3rd day, for the murder of Gedaliah and the
dispersion of the remnant of the people that were with him. See
Jer.41:1 and 2 Kings 25:25.
The lesson is that doing outward religious signs such as
fasting, should be to bring you closer to the Lord. It is to help
you hear the Words of the Lord, help you understand the words of
the prophets, that were given when all seemed good and
prosperous. Those fasts should have helped you see the message of
the prophets, that sin and wickedness will be rewarded with
destruction and death.
It would seem that Judah had gone to sleep again during the
fasting of those months while in the 70 year captivity (verse 5).
Such religious practices should bring you closer to the truth and
words of the Lord, but often people follow such religious
practices in outward form only, and there is no DEEP INNER
renewing of the mind and heart. Going through the motions of
"religion" gets you no points for victory with the Lord, unless
it produces INNER GODLY RENEWING of the mind towards walking in
the true ways of the Eternal.
Causes of the Exile
The prophecy now slips back as to the reasons why God must
punish Judah in the end time of this age.
There is lacking true judgment, little mercy and compassion
to neighbors. The widow, the fatherless, the stranger, the poor,
are not cared for as they should be. There is too much evil as
brother towards brother, even in the heart.
The people of Judah refuse to harken, they pulled away, they
stopped the ear from hearing the truths of God. They made their
hearts as adamant as stone, LEST they should hear the LAW, and
the words which the true prophets gave as coming from the Lord.
Put in one single word, it is the WICKEDNESS of Judah that will
finally bring the wrath of God upon them (verses 8-13).
I have said before and will say it once more: the people of
Judah, the Jews, are MAINLY SECULAR, there is no deep root of
religion among them. They have mainly turned away the ear, mind,
and heart, from seeking God, His law, and His ways to live.
So it will come to pass, that as God cried out and they
would not listen, so as they cried out in the Great Tribulation,
at the close of this age, God will for a time NOT HEAR! (verse
13).
The Lord will scatter them as with a whirlwind among all
nations, and for a while the land of the State of Israel in the
Holy Land, will be DESOLATE! (verse 14).
The king of the North, the Beast of Babylon Mystery religion
of Europe, will come and destroy Jerusalem and Judah; that last
days Empire will bring the abomination of desolation. That Empire
of Europe will be an ABOMINATION to God, but it will be used by
the Lord to DESOLATE Jerusalem and the Jews in the Holy Land,
when the last 42 months of this age is to come, as decreed when
the Almighty says all things that are written must come to pass.
There is yet to come a GREAT DESOLATION upon the Jews and
Jerusalem. Though the Jews claim another HOLOCAUST will never
come their way, they do not have the power to prevent it, not
when God has said it will come because of their sins and
wickedness, and from refusing to listen to the law and words of
the Lord.
Everywhere in the prophets, we find that at the coming of
the Messiah Christ, the Jews are in a captivity and desolate
destruction state of living, that He must deliver them out of and
restore Judah and Jerusalem. All this RESTORATION we shall see
unfold to us as we proceed through to the end of this book of the
prophet Zechariah.
....................
To be continued
Entered on this Website on the Day of Atonement 2008
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