As we mentioned in previous Q&A’s, the visions in the book of Zechariah relate foremost to our days–even though some of them might also refer to initial and preliminary fulfillments at the time of Zechariah.

Zechariah 4:1-14 reads as follows:

“(1) Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. (2) And he said to me, ‘What do you see?’ So I said, ‘I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. (3) Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.’ (4) So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, ‘What are these, my lord?’ (5) Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ And I said, ‘No, my lord.’ (6) So he answered and said to me: ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” Says the LORD of hosts. (7) “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!'”‘ (8) Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, (9) ‘The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. (10) For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumbline in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.’ (11) Then I answered and said to him, ‘What are these two olive trees–at the right of the lampstand and at its left?’ (12) And I further answered and said to him, ‘What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?’ (13) Then he answered me and said, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ And I said, ‘No, my lord.’ (14) So he said, ‘These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.'”

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As we explained in our last Update (#363), the vision of the “measuring line” clearly deals with prophetic events for us today and for our immediate future. It should therefore be self-evident that the statements immediately following that vision are likewise addressing events, which will shortly come to pass.

Zechariah 2:6-13 reads:

(6) “‘Up, up! Flee from the land of the north,’ says the LORD; ‘for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,’ says the LORD. (7) ‘Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.’ (8) For thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. (9) For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me. (10) Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,’ says the LORD. (11) ‘Many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. (12) And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. (13) Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!'”

1) Who Is Speaking?

This passage in Zechariah 2:6-13 is one of those remarkable passages in the Old Testament which prove that God is not just one Person. We read that the LORD says that He will send the LORD. Notice carefully: In verse 10 we read that the LORD says that He is coming and that He will dwell in the midst of His people–an obvious reference to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (more fully explained below). But then, we read in verse 11 that God’s people will know that the “LORD of hosts” has sent “Me” [i.e., the LORD, mentioned in verse 10]. So we see that the FATHER–called the LORD of hosts–will send Jesus Christ–also referred to as the LORD–back to this earth. The word “LORD” in the Old Testament can therefore refer to either the Father or the Son–depending on the context.

John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible states that the Personage speaking here [i.e., the LORD] is “Christ, sent by [the LORD, i.e.] God the Father; and who will be known and owned by the Jews, as well as by the Gentiles…, when they shall be converted, and antichrist shall be destroyed.”

Our free booklet, “God Is A Family,” describes and explains this fact in more detail. Under the headline, “The Prophet Zechariah Understood,” the following is pointed out:

“Reading in Zechariah 4:8–9: ‘Moreover the word of the LORD [in Hebrew, ‘Yahweh’] came to me, saying: The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD [in Hebrew, ‘Yahweh’] of hosts has sent Me [“Yahweh”] to you.’

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As explained in previous Updates, when discussing Zechariah’s visions of the “woman in the basket,” “the flying scroll,” “the four chariots,” and the “four horns and the four craftsmen,” as recorded in chapters 6, 5 and 1, respectively, of the book of Zechariah, Zechariah’s visions are to be viewed together and contain foremost prophecies for us today and for our immediate future.

While commentaries are divided as to the intended timing of some of the visions, virtually all agree that the vision of the “measuring line” applies to the future Millennium, when God’s Kingdom will be established on this earth.

Zechariah 2:1-5 reads as follows:

“(1) Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. (2) So I said, ‘Where are you going?’ And he said to me, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to see what is [better: will be] its width and what is [better: will be] its length.’ (3) And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him, (4) who said to him, ‘Run, speak to this young man, saying, “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. (5) ‘For I,’ says the LORD, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.'”‘”

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As stated in previous Updates, (361, 360 and 359) when discussing Zechariah’s visions of the “woman in the basket,” the “flying scroll” and “the four chariots,” as recorded in the fifth and sixth chapters, Zechariah’s visions must be viewed, foremost, as containing prophecies for us today and our immediate future.

Zechariah 1:18-21 states:

“(18) Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were four horns. (19) And I said to the angel who talked with me, ‘What are these?’ So he answered me, ‘These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.’ (20) Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen. (21) And I said, ‘What are these coming to do?’ So he said, ‘These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one could lift up his head; but the craftsmen are coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.'”

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As we mentioned in previous Updates (360 and 359) when discussing Zechariah’s visions of the “woman in the basket” and the “flying scroll,” as recorded in the fifth chapter, Zechariah’s visions must be viewed, foremost, as containing prophecies for us today.

In Zechariah 6:1-8, the following is recorded:

“(1) Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. (2) With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses, (3) with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses–strong steeds. (4) Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, ‘What are these, my lord?’ (5) And the angel answered and said to me, ‘These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the LORD of all the earth. (6) The one with the black horses is going to the north country, the white are going after them, and the dappled are going toward the south country.’ (7) Then the strong steeds went out, eager to go, that they might walk to and fro throughout the earth. And He said, ‘Go, walk to and fro throughout the earth.’ So they walked to and fro throughout the earth. (8) And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, ‘See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My Spirit in the north country.'”

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As we mentioned in our Q&A in Update #359, when discussing Zechariah’s vision of the woman in a basket (Zechariah 5:5-11), Zechariah’s visions must be viewed, foremost, as containing prophecies for us today.

In Zechariah 5:1-4, we read the following:

“(1) Then I turned and raised my eyes, and saw there a flying scroll. (2) And he (the angel talking to Zechariah, compare Zechariah 4:1), said to me, ‘What do you see?’ So I answered, ‘I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.’ (3) Then he said to me, ‘This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: “Every thief shall be expelled,” according to this side of the scroll; and, “Every perjurer shall be expelled,” according to that side of it.’ (4) “I will send out the curse,” says the LORD of hosts; ‘It shall enter the house of the thief And the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It shall remain in the midst of his house And consume it, with timber and stones.”‘”

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Several visions are recorded in the book of Zechariah. Some commentaries try to interpret these visions by limiting them to events at the time of Zechariah. However, as the book deals with the end time and the return of Jesus Christ (compare Zechariah 14:1 ff), it must be viewed, foremost, as containing prophecies for our time today.

In this light, let us review Zechariah’s vision of the woman in a basket, as recorded in Zechariah 5:5-11, where we read:

“(5) Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to me, ‘Lift your eyes now, and see what this is that goes forth.’ (6) So I asked, ‘What is it?’ And he said, ‘It is a basket that is going forth.’ He also said, ‘This is their resemblance [better: their iniquity] throughout the earth: (7) Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket’; (8) then he said, ‘This is Wickedness!’ And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth. (9) Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. (10) So I said to the angel who talked to me, ‘Where are they carrying the basket?’ (11) And he said to me, ‘To build a house for it in the land of Shinar [i.e., Babylon, compare Genesis 10:10; Daniel 1:2]; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base.'”

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