There are 3 dated sections in the book of Zechariah:

• Oct/Nov of 520 BC – His calling and first message (1:1-6)
• Feb 15 519 BC – 8 Visions (1:7-6:15)
• Dec 7 518 BC – 7 Messages (ch 7-14)

This is a lot to cover. Let’s get started.

THE CALL TO RETURN – 1:1-6

Zechariah’s first message is a call to the people to return to the LORD. Some of the people had returned to the land but not to the LORD. There’s a difference.

It’s like going to church without really going to Christ.

The returned exiles were there for the land, not the LORD – as if the LORD was an optional “add-on.” He’s not an add-on. He’s the whole package. A bride who wants the groom’s land but not the groom…well, that marriage won’t last.

People who want what Jesus provides but not Jesus Himself are missing the point.

…as if the blessings of the LORD are something He sprinkles upon us apart from Himself.

That’s not how that works.

The blessings of the LORD are within Him. He offers us an ocean to swim in, not a sprinkler to run through. He invites us into fellowship and communion with Him.

[We will speak of this topic again at length in the coming NT posts.]

Zechariah cautions the people, “Don’t mooch off the blessings of the LORD while pursuing your own selfish and wicked ways. That’s been tried. It failed. It will fail again.”

The context of this first message is within Zechariah’ time and space. What he sees next steps outside of that box.

VISION OF THE HORSE PATROL

Zechariah sees a man sitting on a red horse. That’s a color called either “chestnut” or “sorrel” depending on regional custom. Or so said the article I read on an equestrian blog. No matter what people call the horse color it’s caused by the exact same genetic situation of a “recessive e gene.” 🧬

The rider on the chestnut is standing among some trees and behind him is a herd – we aren’t told how large – of other horses. They are (in the Hebrew) adom (rosy red), saruq (bright red like wine), and laban (white).

Here is my best guesses on contemporary (and gorgeous) examples of those colors:

We might assume that there are riders upon these horses – and perhaps there are – but they are not described. And since this is a vision, perhaps it is the horses who are sent by the LORD to patrol the earth. And if that’s the case, then Balaam’s talking donkey is not the only equine to speak in the Bible. Because the patrol reports to the rider standing among the trees.

“And they answered the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, ‘We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest.’”
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭1‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

It reminds me of Gulliver’s Travels. The Houyhnhnms, [who-whin-umz, sounding rather like a horse’ neigh] were a race of noble, intelligent, talking horses who ruled over a wicked, ape-like race of humanoid creatures called “Yahoos.” But I digress…

We also learn in this verse that the rider on the red horse is no ordinary angel. It’s The Angel of the LORD. In verses 14-17 the Angel of the LORD speaks on behalf of Yahweh. There are no fewer than 3 uses of “thus saith the LORD” in this vision alone. And the message is that the LORD has returned to Jerusalem and His house WILL be built and cities will flourish again. The biggest clue as to this angel’s true identity comes in Zech. 3:4 where He says, “I have taken your iniquity away from you” – something only God can do.

It’s helpful to know that Zechariah speaks with an “interpreting angel.” He calls him, “the angel who talked with me.” This angel expounds and explains and answers Zechariah’s questions.

😐 Sure would be handy if the Lord sent a few more of those.

I agree.

The reason this message is important is because the city of Jerusalem is still a wreck. It was leveled by the Babylonians then left empty for 70 years. That’s a HUGE mess to clean up before anyone can even begin to rebuild. Imagine the enormity of the task. Very helpful to have a message from Yahweh saying that He has returned with them and that they will succeed in rebuilding the temple and the city.

Israel is no longer a mighty cedar but a lowly (but fragrant) myrtle tree. And the Angel of the LORD is among them.

VISION OF THE HORNS & CRAFTSMEN

The 4 horns are the nations that scattered Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem.

What being “scattered by horns” looks like today:

The number 4 has come up a lot lately in Daniel as the number of empires between the exile and the coming of the kingdom of God. Namely:

1. Babylon
2. Persia
3. Greece
4. Rome

These (and other nations) are the horns that scattered the people of Israel.

But for each one of these powerful horns the LORD provides a craftsman/smith/artificer. Some have interpreted the horns as made of metal, because for each one there is a smith who knows exactly how to handle that metal and bring it into submission.

Not a warrior. A craftsman.

What does a craftsman do but take raw material and fashion it into something useful or beautiful, or both?

I don’t think the LORD retired the craftsmen. God still works through heat and fire and painful strokes on an anvil to take the material that was intended to gore you and transform it into something both useful and beautiful in your life. Let the craftsman work.

“Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

MAN WITH A MEASURING LINE VISION

There is a lot of measuring 📏 of Jerusalem in the Bible. Ezekiel had measurements for every last inch of the temple he saw as well as the land around it. John was given a reed and told to measure the temple and the holy city, (Rev. 11:1-2). He also saw an angel with a golden measuring reed who gave him the measurements of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:15-17). And now Zechariah sees “a young man” (not an angel), who is sent with a measuring line (not a reed) to measure the length and width of the city of Jerusalem. The Hebrew word in v4 is na’ar, a boy. A lad.

😐 Is nobody in heaven writing these measurements down? Why do they have to keep remeasuring it?

☝🏼🤓Maybe it’s not the same size all the time.

The boy is running off to do this important task and an angel shows up with a message for him.

“Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

What is this prophetic message about? I think a simple timeline reveals the answer.

The return of the exiles began immediately after Cyrus became king. Jerusalem will not have walls for nearly another century.

They are huddled around the ruins of Jerusalem in little villages. And while they are in this vulnerable condition, the LORD promises to be their protection.

This “wall of fire” is yet another echo of the Exodus (Ex.14:19-25). The LORD, in His fiery pillar of smoke and cloud went and stood between the Children of Israel and the Egyptians. He formed a barrier and stopped the Egyptians so the Israelites could cross the sea. In the “Exodus 2.0” from Babylon, Yahweh is promising to do the same for the exiles.

Now, read this carefully. Then tell me, who is speaking?

“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.”
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The speaker identifies Himself as “the Lord.” He will dwell in their midst. And when He does, “you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.” The speaker is the Lord but also sent by the Lord. Hmm… now Who could that be?

I’m tempted to get a red highlighter…

VISION OF JOSHUA THE HIGH PRIEST

Right on the heels of this speaker Who is Yahweh but also sent by Yahweh we see:

• A High Priest
• His name is Yeshua (Aramaic/Hebrew), Joshua (English), Iesous/Jesus (Greek)
• Yeshua “stands before the Angel of the LORD”
• The Accuser (the Satan) is at his right hand to accuse him
• The LORD rebukes the Satan
• Yeshua is covered in filth but then, by the LORD’s command, He is cleansed and dressed in clean priestly garments
• Yeshua is given kingly rule over God’s house and priestly charge of the temple courts and “right of access”
• Yeshua is told that he is a sign of a coming Servant of Yahweh called “the Branch” already foretold by Jeremiah (23:5, 33:15) and Isaiah (4:2, 11:1)
• There is an engraved, 7-faced or 7-eyed (Sheba Ayin) stone that is connected the removal of the iniquity of the land in a single day.

This vision has long-fascinated me. It’s one of the most direct descriptions of what the Branch – the Messiah – will do. It even tells us His NAME: Yeshua. And he will remove iniquity. Not simply cover (atone) or forgive. He will remove it. THAT is a shocking claim.

The word that describes Joshua’s “filthy” garments is used only here in the Bible. And no wonder. It’s a disgusting word.

😐 So… Joshua is covered in… 💩💩💩?

Yes. He reeks to high heaven.

(this would probably be a good spot to tell the story of how my brother once got sprayed head to toe with hot, wet chicken manure, 🐓💩 but we need to keep moving…)

I think Joshua’s filthy garments are foretelling this:

“He made the one who did not know sin to be sin on our behalf, in order that we could become the righteousness of God in him.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬ ‭LEB‬‬

The ephod of the high priest had engraved stones. The priest wore an engraved plate tied to his forehead. Both of these images are suggested in the vision because Joshua is dressed in priestly garments with a turban placed on his head. Jesus is not a Levitical priest so perhaps the 7-faced, engraved stone is unique to Him. (If you want to ponder 7-sided shapes and how they might connect to a “city that lieth foursquare” and a “cornerstone” which was “rejected by the builders” click here.) In 4:10 the angel identifies the Sheba Ayin (7 eyes) as “the eyes of the Lord roaming throughout the earth.” See also 2 Chron. 16:9 and Ps. 11:4.

I believe that Zechariah was seeing a prophetic vision depicting this:

“But Christ has arrived as a high priest of the good things to come. Through the greater and more perfect tent not made by hands, that is, not of this creation, and not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered once for all into the most holy place, obtaining eternal redemption.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭9‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭LEB‬‬

VISION OF THE GOLDEN LAMPSTAND

Zechariah sees a golden menorah with an endless supply of oil. Not only does it have a “bowl” of oil on top feeding each of the 7 lamps, it has an olive tree on each side connected by golden pipes that provide a continuous supply of oil.

John saw these 7 lamps too:

“Out from the throne came flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God;”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

But these are descriptions of things in the eternal spiritual realm and they are near impossible to get our minds around. John not only describes the “seven spirits of God” as 7 burning lamps, he also says this:

“And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

The Lamb is clearly Jesus. And elsewhere (Rev. 1:14) John describes the eyes of Christ as being “like flames of fire.”

It’s not random that the Spirit resting on the disciples at Pentecost looked like flames of fire.

John also saw Zechariah’s 2 olive trees:

“These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.” Revelation‬ ‭11‬:‭4‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

And John says that the 2 olive trees he sees are the famous “two witnesses” AND the, not one but TWO lampstands. Somehow there’s another lampstand by John’s time.

Zechariah helpfully asks “what are these?”

First he asks about the lampstand and it’s 7 lamps.

“Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, saying, “What are these, my Lord?” So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my Lord.” Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of armies.”
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

The lampstand is a word.

Or maybe I should say, the lampstand is a Word.

🤔 Capital W Word? As in, “In the beginning was the Word?”

Yes.

🤔 So is this lampstand Jesus?

🤓 Jesus is a lampstand? Like Lumiere?

🤨 Lumiere is a candlestick.

Jesus is described as a lot of things… a lamb, a branch, a stone, a lion… The items in the tabernacle were all pictures of Jesus – the brazen altar, the laver for washing, the table of sacred bread, the altar of incense, and the lampstand with its 7 lamps. He illuminates. Jesus is also seen standing among 7 lampstands (the 7 churches) in Revelation 1. The church is the body of Christ. He’s a lampstand. We’re a lampstand. He’s the light of the world. We’re the light of the world.

And this Word for the governor (and ancestor of Jesus!), Zerubbabel, is that he will finish what he started by the grace and power of God, not by human strength.

And then Zechariah asks specifically about the olive trees. The first time he asks about the “olive trees.” Then he asks about ‘the olive branches” which are emptying oil into the lamp.

“So he answered me, saying, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my Lord.” Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.””
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

🤨 No, Mr. Interpreting Angel, we don’t know what anything is!

🤓 Even after you explain it.

Anointed One is what the word “Messiah” means. In Greek it is Christos. Christ.

And there are two anointed ones. What on earth are we to make of that?

Pardon me while I attempt to speculate and process on (digital) paper…

Q: If the lampstand with its 7 eyes of fire is “the Word of the Lord”, and the olive tree provides the oil (anointing), then who anoints the Word (Jesus)?

A: Peter said that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost” (Act 10:38). Also, in Luke 4:18 Jesus applied Isaiah 61:1 to Himself saying “the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because He has anointed me.”

Q: So, if it is the Father and the Spirit Who anoint Jesus, then are they the 2 olive trees and, consequently, the “Two Witnesses?”

A: John wrote of 2 witnesses in heaven in 1 John 5. In verse 6, “the Spirit testifies” (gives witness). Then there is the 3-fold testimony on earth of “the Spirit, the water, and the blood.” And then in verse 9, the Father testifies concerning His Son.

Q: The “Two Witnesses” in Revelation are described as powerful prophets that can speak fiery words and command the very heavens to withhold rain. But when their time of testimony is finished, they are killed in Jerusalem and their dead bodies left unburied for 3 and a half days. If the Two Witnesses / Two Olive Trees are the Father and the Spirit, how could God possibly be said to be “killed” and unburied? Is this some kind of reference to the death and resurrection of Christ?

Like Zechariah, I want to ask, “What (in the holy heavens!) are these, my lord?”

To which the angel would look at me like I’m a dunce and say, “Don’t you know?”

Nope. Still haven’t a clue.

I’m still as befuddled on the identity of the two olive trees as before but at least now I have more possibilities to consider. I think we may need to broaden our “potential suspects” list of who the two witnesses might be. Cuz it might not be Enoch and Elijah.

🤓 You mean Enoch and Moses, right?

🤨 No- It’s Moses and Elijah.

See what I mean?

I suspect that the Church fits into this equation somehow because, besides Jesus, the only other “anointed” one on earth is the Body of Christ.

“But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Q: If the olive trees are providing the oil for the lamp how can they be called “Anointed Ones?”

Q: If the lamps are “the seven spirits of God” and the Lamb has “the seven spirits of God” and if the olive trees are the same as the lampstands, then does that mean that the Lamb (Jesus) is also an olive tree? Are the olive trees Christ and His Church?

Q: But how can Jesus be BOTH the olive tree AND the lamp? Does He anoint Himself? Does He provide His own oil? Who else is going to provide it?

😐 Umm, we seem to be out of A’s to go with your Q’s.

Sigh. I know. I’ve wandered off into the weeds with my ponderings and processing. Welcome to my unresolved mess of speculation.

😐 We don’t have to stay do we?

🤓 Yeah- I got someplace I need to be.

This whole subject feels like that movie Inception.

🤓 Very bendy movie.

😐 Made no sense to me.

There are layers of images and meanings. We get to the end of it and say, “What on earth did I just watch?”

To me, the lampstands / olive trees / two witnesses / anointed ones of Zechariah and Revelation =

See you in the next post when we finish with the 8 visions.

I’m gonna go find a top to spin.