The Book of the Prophet Zechariah Chapter 1 "Literal Prophecy of the First Vision" This Bible
Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription/ location is provided by http://www.theseason.org The book of Zechariah is directed to the last, and final generation of this earth age. Much has already happened and will continue to be unveiled before our eyes, concerning end time prophecy. We are living in that generation of the time of Zechariah's vision, for that time started on May 15, 1948. On that date the tiny nation of Israel was established in Palestine, and the "Jews", [both the good and bad figs] returned to Palestine, and were recognized by the United Nations as a nation. This is not a time to fear for there are no secrets, in as much as God has revealed the events that we will see in our lifetime. There is no better way to face the deception and confusion of those times then to know the problems, and the outcomes of the events in advance. This book of Zechariah can best be explained as, "the coming out of Babylon". "Babylon" means "confusion" in the Hebrew tongue. In the Book of Haggai, this prophet's writings were directed to those "born in confusion [Babylon]." So in this book of Zechariah, God will explain the confusion and deception that we not only face today, but those deceptions also that shall come to pass in the very near future. Then the prophet Zechariah will show us how to draw ourselves out of that deception and confusion. Zechariah 1:1 "In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying," Any time the Lord speaks, it is time to listen. The Temple was completed in the sixth year of Darius, and was dedicated in the month of Adar, or the year 405 B.C. So historically this time marks the close of the Old Testament writings. The writings of Ezra and Nehemiah would be the final chapters of the Old Testament by date. In that the eighth year of Darius Hystaspis was the year 403 B.C., the time frame of the writing of the book of Zechariah was from 410 to 403 B.C. Zechariah 1:2 "The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers." There will be some history before Zechariah turns his attention to the final generation. From the time the old House of Israel entered into calf worship, God has been displeased with Israel. However, following Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, His children have been drawn back to Him by faith through their repentance. Zechariah 1:3 "Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts." In English today, the term would be, "return ye unto me". This term applies to not only the "House of Israel" but to all nations and all peoples on an individual basis. If they [anyone] turns to God, He will turn to them and save their souls. God's salvation is offered to any person of any generation. Zechariah 1:4 "Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord." Those two nations, "the House of Israel," and the "House of Judah", both hardened their hearts against God, to the point that God scattered the one [Israel], and made slaves of the other [Judah]. Many people today hide under the shield of their church, yet they think nothing of sinning against God in their spiritual lives. They haven't taken the time to study God's Word it know what our Heavenly Father likes, or what He dislikes of them. God is telling us to study and learn about Him through His Word, that we will not be deceived [see Matthew 24:4]. Zechariah 1:5 "Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?" The ancient fathers, and the prophets and both dead and gone. Zechariah 1:6 "But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us." God is saying to us; though they are dead and gone, didn't what I say in My Word come to pass exactly as I said it would? Yes it did. You set your own pace for life, as to your commitment for pleasing our Heavenly Father. There is only one way to really please Him, and that is to be in His Word. It is only from the Word that we are able to know when we have displeased God; and when we have sinned it is time to seek forgiveness. Everything that comes upon us, we have arranged by our choices of our own way of living. Zechariah 1:7 "Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying," Now we are going into prophecy. Zechariah 1:8 "I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled [sorrel], and white." The "bottom" is "in the valley". This verse should be bring our attention to Revelation 6. We see here a man riding on a re horse. However, this is not a man of war, but this man riding the red horse is a scout. Why then do we see this scout standing amongst the myrtle trees? We are told in Nehemiah 8:15 that the myrtle tree's branches were used in the "feast of the tabernacles", also called the "feast of the harvest [or scooths]". Those branches were used because of their odor, and to dress up the booths. So we see Zachariah is drawing our attention to the use of these "feast of harvest" times, and connecting them to this end time prophecy, with the man on the red horse. The man is an angel of God, while the "red horses, speckled and white", are all earthly kingdoms. Zechariah 1:9 "Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be." Zechariah 1:10 "And the man stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth." This man that God sent to walk between the myrtle trees is riding the red horse. He is sent on a mission to scout out the nations of the earth. He is to check the times, and actions of the peoples on the earth to see if it is time to pull the plug, and allow the end times events to start. This man is to see all those that have returned to God, and those that have not not. This angel is the Spirit of God. Zechariah 1:11 "And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest." This advanced scout of God has found that all the people of the "myrtle trees", of the nations of the earth, are very comfortable with themselves, satisfied, and at peace, peace, peace with each other. Sounds much like our current times, and attitudes. Though their mouths sound out for peace, the angel can see this one world system's peace that has come into being. Today the "New Word Order" is in place, and peace charters have been declared, formed and signed on by all nations [horses speckled and white]. There are no more constant warnings of nuclear war, or of a dreaded world war; only peace, peace. The world is at rest, and the report by the scout, back to the Father, it is time. Friend, the Antichrist could appear now at any time. Zechariah 1:12 "Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?" Current events today fit this scouts report. The time period of waiting on "Edom" [Russia] has been seventy years, and Russia will play a a definite role in this final conflict. The mixing of this godless communist rule that has contaminated the whole earth, and the binding and snaring of the true man of the "House of Judah, started about 1917-1918 A.D. This angel of God is watching all the events taking place world wide. He is a scout, and the purpose of a scout, is to observe the land, and everything going on in it. He is asking, "How long before you will put an end to this". Remember, this seventy years of conflict ["three score and ten"] is over, and the world peace movement of the "One World Order" [the horses speckled and white] is part of our law of the land. Zechariah 1:13 "And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words." Zechariah is hearing in this vision the Lord talking directly to the angel. Those words were comforting to Zechariah's ears. The words were, "let's get on with it, and get it over; defeat the enemy." Zechariah 1:14 "So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy." Remember, the angel of the Lord is the Spirit of God. This Spirit of the living God is ordering God's people to "cry and shout aloud" that God is a jealous God, and the things that are going on, He is against. Zechariah 1:15 "And I am very sore displeased with the heathen [nations] that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction." God is saying He is displeased at those "heathen" [Kenites, and other nations], for what they did to His people. While God was punishing His people for their sins, they jumped in to increase the suffering of Christians. God doesn't like it, and the time to make all things right is coming very shortly. Zechariah 1:16 "Therefore thus saith the Lord; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem." God will return with His mercies directed towards those who have repented. It is upon those who refused to repent that His judgment will be on. This return is, and will be at the last trumpet, which will be very shortly. It is during this time called the Millennium that God's house will be physically built in Jerusalem. Zechariah 1:17 "Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; ad the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem." God has already chosen Jerusalem, and at His return that city will be so shaken that it will be flat, and ready to start new construction. God made a promise with Abraham, and those promised gifts are not only continuing through today, but they will go on in eternity. That is God's covenant with Abraham. Zechariah 1:18 "Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns." This is the second vision of Zechariah, and it is about God's external enemies. These "four horns" are the four agencies of Daniel 7. "Horns" are always symbols of "power". These are external enemies of God, and they are the four hidden dynasties of today. They are under Satan's offspring [the Kenites, those who say they are Jews, but are not] who are using their control over these dynasties to control the world. These dynasties are that of Education, Economics [banking, commerce, and industry], Politics [the United Nations], and Religion. Each of these dynasties must rise and come to power before our Lord's return. Why? Because it is written that they would come to power. It will happen just as God said it would. We are seeing this "one world system" [political] controlling all of the four horns of power. When Satan shows up on earth as the Antichrist, the political system will be gone, and he will sit as god of his religious world. The only ones that will have any idea at all what is taking place, are God's elect, for that knowledge is the seal He places in their minds. Zechariah 1:19 "And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem." God has allowed these people to be around for a long time. We see in I Chronicals 2:55, "And the families of the scribes...these are the Kenites that came of Hemath,..." When the Jews came out of Babylon, the Kenites were doing the interpretation of the holy Scriptures for the Jews. These Kenites are the offspring of "Cain", through the sex act between Cains father and mother, Satan, and Eve. These people are called the bad figs Jesus warned us against. In Ezra 2, we read how the Kenites had totally taken over the priestly duties, as not one Levite was left to tend to priestly duties [Ezra 2:62, 63]. When you understand this fact, you will understand why Jesus said what He did to them, when confronted by the religious leaders of that day. They were the actual offspring of Satan. Today is no different. The Kenite mind is the same. Their deceit, tactics, and goals are the same; only their methods and tools have changed. The "Horns" of today are controlled by the Kenites, and the world is ignorant to it. However, the true elect of God will see through them (kenites) and not be snared. God is stating here that it is He that is using the kenites to do that scattering, or form of punishment. Zechariah 1:20 "And the Lord shewed me four carpenters [smiths]." This is another part of the same vision. So what are these "four carpenters"? They would be called "blacksmiths or Iron workers" of today. Zechariah 1:21 "Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it." This Spirit of God [angel, or man on the Horse] is going to explain. The "four carpenters" are come to put a stop to the "four horns" [power systems] that scattered Judah. As these horns gain power over their one worldism, no one steps forward to stop them, "lifts up his head". "But these" which are the four carpenters will cast out all the Kenites, and nations which hold any power over Judah. However, "Judah" here represents all tribes of the Israelites. Through Education and the Economy, most people of the "House of Israel" don't even know who they are, or what promises they have from God. "They", the Kenites, do the controlling of the Economy through their system; Federal Reserve System, and through politics. They control the agencies, such as the United Nations, and other international trade and environmental agencies. Their bondage is also heavy on us from the usury through their financial institutions. As the attack from these sons of Satan come, the "watchers on the wall" fell fast asleep, and the enemy came in and took us into their bondage. This is where our nation and the world is heading today. It is important that you understand this now, for tomorrow may be to late for you.
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