THE VISION OF THE FLYING SCROLL
😐 The KJV calls it a “flying roll.”
☝🏼🤓 I went to a restaurant once that has flying rolls.
This isn’t that kind of flying roll.
😐 I’ve heard of a flying nun…
Would you two stop it. We need to focus.
Zechariah sees a HUGE unfurled scroll flying through the air. It’s about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.
🤓 Like those planes that fly up and down the beach towing a sign that says, “Eat At Joes.”?
Uhhh… well… now that you point it out, yes, basically like that. Only without the plane.
On one side it says all the thieves will be banished from the land. On the other side it says all the people who aware falsely in Yahweh’s name will be banished.
🤔 Think we could get the Lord to fly that banner over a few cities today?
VISION OF THE WOMAN IN THE BASKET
This vision seems to possibly connect with the previous one. God is purging the wickedness from the land. Now that His people are back, He’s not going to tolerate sin.
Zechariah sees an ephah basket.
People all over the world are familiar with containers of this size. An ephah was 58 gallons. It’s just a smidge bigger than this:
Inside the container is a woman who represents wickedness. She’s basically the female counterpart to “the man of sin.” The sins of the land are being shipped out, never to return. And it is true that from this point on in Israel’s history, they never again (as a nation) participated in idolatry.
The woman is shoved back down inside the container and a leaden lid is put on top to keep her locked up. Or perhaps keep her hidden.
☝🏼🤓 Maybe it was to shield people from toxic radiation. ☢️
The huge basket is carried by two women with wings like a stork. The stork is an unclean bird (Lev. 11:19, Deut. 14:18).
😏 The garbage is taking itself out.
They take the basket to “the land of Shinar” which is the homeland of all human rebellion because it was the location of the Tower of Babel. Babylon is located in the plain of Shinar.
I don’t have any strong textual evidence, but by the end of the Bible, there is a woman called “Mystery Babylon the Great, Mother of Prostitutes and Abominations of the Earth.” She’s not shut inside an ephah basket. She’s dressed like royalty and rides on a red beast with 7 heads and 10 horns. But I wonder if this is the same figure, Wickedness. Only, in Revelation she has risen to the height of power.
The ones carrying the basket are going to “build a house” for it in the homeland of rebellion. And Wickedness will be “established” there and placed on pedestal in the temple built to it. It doesn’t sound like wickedness going to stay squashed in a basket. Yahweh is getting it out of His land, but Wickedness isn’t going away easily.
VISION OF THE FOUR CHARIOTS
😯🎙️“Swing low, sweet chariot… comin’ for to carry me home…..”
Well, I don’t think you’d want to ride in any of these chariots. And even though the colors are similar, I don’t think these are the same as the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”
In this vision we get the number 4 again and references to north and south countries as in Daniel 11.
Chariot 1 – Red Horses
No detail on where the red team goes but by process of elimination, we can guess that probably goes east-west.
Chariot 2 – Black Horses
The black team goes north. Commentators suggest this is referring to Babylon.
Chariot 3 – White Horses
The white team follows the black team into the north. And between chariots 2 and 3, they have quieted God’s anger toward wicked Babylon. This seems to suggest that the chariots are carrying out divine judgment. Hence why you would not want one of them to pick you up.
Chariot 4 – Dappled Horses
This team goes south, which implies Egypt.
All of these teams are strong and quick and eager to go and patrol the earth. This vision is very similar to the horses among the myrtle trees where we see various colors of horses involved in the patrolling of the earth.
The teams appear from between two mountains of brass or bronze. Some commentators suggest that these mountains are Zion (Moriah) and the Mount of Olives and that the valley between is “the valley of decision” or “the Valley of Jehoshaphat.” I suppose that’s possible, but the text does not say this. In general, bronze is associated with judgement as far as metals in the tabernacle go. I think “mountains of judgment” is a fair association for this vision.
Here’s a recap of all 8 visions:
- The Horses Among the Myrtle Trees
- Four Horns & Four Craftsmen
- The Boy Measuring Jerusalem
- Joshua the High Priest, Accused and Filthy but Cleansed
- The Golden Lampstand & The Two Olive Trees
- The Flying Scroll with a Curse
- The Woman in the Ephah
- The 4 Chariots
They all communicate that God is at work bringing His people back. He is protecting them. He is with them. He knows very well what is going on in every corner of the world. He’s actively purging the wickedness out of the land and dealing with the nations. He is very much in control. The people of God can trust Him.
When these visions are ended, the Lord instructs Zechariah to visit 3 men recently returned from Babylon. They will provide silver and gold and Zechariah will make a crown and go and put it on the head of Joshua the High Priest.
This is an incredible sign-act. Zechariah gives Joshua the name “the Branch.”
“It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”
Zechariah 6:13 ESV
Yes, Joshua (Yeshua/Jesus) will be integral to the building of the 2nd Temple, but this is a prophetic act showing the combining of priest and king. Those two roles will come together in a future Yeshua, Jesus of Nazareth. And it is Jesus who will build the ultimate temple of the LORD – the Church.
SIDE NOTE
If you’re into writing cross-references in your Bible margins, here are some to put next to Zechariah 6:12:
Matt. 16:16-19, Acts 15:16-17,
1 Cor. 3:9-17, Eph. 2:18-22, 1 Pet.2:4-5
Joshua does not wear the crown on a regular basis or try to mount a coup against Zerubbabel. The crown is placed in the temple as a reminder of this prophecy.
Think about that.
There was a crown just sitting in the temple; probably for centuries. Ready and waiting for the rightful priest-king to claim it.
To The Reader 