Zechariah 01
Zechariah 01:1 In the eighth month of Darius’ second year, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, son of Berechiah son of Iddo, as follows:
Darius was the King of Persia. Persia had conquered Babylon and was the new world power. Israel was a vassal state to Persia.
This prophecy was written in 520 B.C. by the prophet Zechariah. Zechariah was the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo. Zechariah means “Jehovah remembers.” Berechiah means “Jehovah blesses”. Iddo means “time.’ Together, this genealogy means “Jehovah will remember and Jehovah will bless in his time.”
2 The Lord was very angry with your ancestors.
Israel was called by God to become priests to all of the nations. Instead, they began worshipping demons. This made Jehovah very angry, because Israel had more light than the other nations.
3 Therefore say to the people: The Lord who rules over all says, “Turn to me,” says the Lord who rules over all, “and I will turn to you,” says the Lord who rules over all.
Jehovah called Israel to leave the worship of demons and return back to Him.
4 “Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets called out, saying, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “Turn now from your evil wickedness,” ’ but they would by no means obey me,” says the Lord.
Jehovah commanded the post-exilic generation to not be like the pre-exilic generation.
5 “As for your ancestors, where are they? And did the prophets live forever?
Jehovah asked some questions to this new generation. First, where are your ancestors? The answer was that many of them died in unbelief and they are located in hell.
Israel responds, “Did the prophets live forever?” Israel is complaining that the prophets died and their messages died as well.
6 But have my words and statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, not outlived your fathers? Then they paid attention and confessed, ‘The Lord who rules over all has indeed done what he said he would do to us, because of our sinful ways.’ ”
God responds, “Did the messages of the prophets outlive your fathers?” The answer is yes. The messages of the prophets were still in written form for anyone to read.
Israel responded with a confession, “We sinned. The words of the prophets all came true.”
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month Shebat, in Darius’ second year, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo, as follows:
Chapter 1-6 will record eight visions of Zechariah. The first vision came to Zechariah in 520 B.C.
8 I was attentive that night and saw a man seated on a red horse that stood among some myrtle trees in the ravine. Behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.
The man on the red horse is the Angel of the Lord, or the Lord Jesus Christ in his pre-incarnate form. He is meeting with three angels at the myrtle trees in the ravine. The ravine was a low and shady place, which symbolizes the Gentile world. These three angels were divine agents involved in Gentile governments.
9 Then I asked one nearby, “What are these, sir?” The angelic messenger who replied to me said, “I will show you what these are.”
Zechariah asked the pre-incarnate Christ for the identity of the three angels on three different horses.
10 Then the man standing among the myrtle trees spoke up and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk about on the earth.”
The pre-incarnate Christ answered. These men on horses were three angelic beings who were given a special mission on the earth.
11 The riders then agreed with the angel of the Lord, who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have been walking about on the earth, and now everything is at rest and quiet.”
The three angles gave a report to the pre-incarnate Christ. Their reported that the Gentiles were at rest and peace. This seems like a good report, but it is actually a bad report. If the Gentiles are at peace, then Israel is not at peace. They are not moving toward God’s plan of Jewish dominion over the Gentiles.
12 The angel of the Lord then asked, “Lord who rules over all, how long before you have compassion on Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah which you have been so angry with for these seventy years?”
The Angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Christ. He asked God the Father how much longer He would be angry at Israel and withhold the Messianic Kingdom from them.
13 The Lord then addressed good, comforting words to the angelic messenger who was speaking to me.
God the Father answered with good news.
14 Turning to me, the messenger then said, “Cry out that the Lord who rules over all says, ‘I am very much moved for Jerusalem and for Zion.
God the Father gave His message to God the Son so that Zechariah could cry out this same message to Jerusalem and Zion. Zion is Israel.
15 But I am greatly displeased with the nations that take my grace for granted. I was a little displeased with them, but they have only made things worse for themselves.
God the Father is disappointed at the Gentile nations, because they have taken God’s grace for granted. The Gentile nations have displayed anti-Semitism against Israel. They have violated the Abrahamic Covenant, so God must judge them.
16 ‘Therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘I have become compassionate toward Jerusalem and will rebuild my temple in it,’ says the Lord who rules over all. ‘Once more a surveyor’s measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’
God intends to fulfill His Messianic program. The temple will be rebuilt. Nehemiah will rebuild one temple in the near future. The Messiah will rebuild the Jewish temple during the Millennial Kingdom. An angelic surveyor was measuring the city for its two future temple building projects.
17 Speak up again with the message of the Lord who rules over all: ‘My cities will once more overflow with prosperity, and once more the Lord will comfort Zion and validate his choice of Jerusalem.’ ”
During the Millennial Kingdom, Jerusalem will overflow with prosperity. God will choose Jerusalem to be his capital city of the Millennial Kingdom.
18 (2:1) Once again I looked and this time I saw four horns.
Zechariah recorded his second vision. He saw four horns.
19 So I asked the angelic messenger who spoke with me, “What are these?” He replied, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
Zechariah asked an angel for the meaning of the four horns. The four horns are the Gentile powers which were mentioned in Daniel 2, and 7. These four Gentile powers are Babylon, Medo-Persia (Iran), Greece, and the revived Roman Empire of the coming Antichrist. These four Gentile powers scattered Israel all over the world.
20 Next the Lord showed me four blacksmiths.
In this same vision, Jehovah showed Zechariah four blacksmiths.
21 I asked, “What are these going to do?” He answered, “These horns are the ones that have scattered Judah so that there is no one to be seen. But the blacksmiths have come to terrify Judah’s enemies and cut off the horns of the nations that have thrust themselves against the land of Judah in order to scatter its people.”
Zechariah wanted to know the mission of these four blacksmiths. These four blacksmiths were going to punish the four Gentile nations who scattered Israel. The four blacksmiths are Cyrus, Alexander the Great, Pompey, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Cyrus will punish Babylon for scattering Israel. Alexander the Great will punish Medo-Persia for scattering Israel. Pompey will punish the Hellenistic Empire for scattering Israel. Jesus Christ will punish the revived Roman Empire of the Antichrist for scattering Israel. All of the nations were called to scatter Israel, but they did so too harshly. Therefore, God will send these blacksmiths to punish these anti-Semitic nations.