Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi – Back from Exile

Lesson 3: “Night Visions” Zechariah 1& 2

“During the night, I had a vision…” Zech. 1:8

Zechariah - Haggai's contemporary

· What Revelation is to the NT, Zechariah is to the OT. Like his father and grandfather, he was a priest. His ministry began between Haggai 2:9,10 (1:1)

· Like Haggai, we saw that Zechariah helped with the work. Were they successful in their ministry? See Ezra 6:14. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Zechariah's message is similar to Haggai's, one of repentance and encouragement

· Zechariah had 3 goals. To bring about spiritual revival (1:2-3), to comfort and encourage (1:13) and to inspire people to complete the Temple (1:16). Our study will look at how the many prophecies help accomplish these goals.

· As we study, let's keep these things in mind. Let's decide what the prominent symbols are. Be inquisitive. Even Zechariah asked 'what does this mean?' (1:19) We'll talk about what time period is referred to, although in the Bible, apocalyptic visions usually concern the end times (see Rev. 1:19 and Rev. 4:1)

· Chapters 1-6 record 8 visions Zechariah had one night. This section is bracketed by opening and closing paragraphs in 1:1-6 and 6:13-15. Can you detect a common theme in these passages? There is one! It is a clue to the meaning of the visions.

Vision of the Lord's patrol (1:7-17)

· Who is the man on the horse? (see Gen. 16:7-13) What is meant by the myrtle trees? (Isa. 55:13) What is meant by the white and red horse? (Rev. 6:2, 4) Compare verse 10 to II Chr. 16:9

· How is verse 13 comforting. Verses 11 and 15 say Gentile nations are at ease, but not for long. v.16 represents the building of Jerusalem, the opposite of II Kings 21:13! So, vision means enemies who are currently walking all over Israel will be destroyed and Israel will be restored to power and glory

Vision of 4 horsemen and 4 craftsmen (1:18-21)

· Horns symbolize power (see Dan. 8:3,4, Rev. 13:1) What are these 4 horns referring to? Enemies surrounding the Promised Land, but could be the horns of Dan. 2:7,8 (Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome) Horns are powers out to destroy Israel, but who are the artisans? They represent God's agents who will destroy the horns. But how will this comfort the Israelites? Who is currently working on the temple? The craftsmen!

Vision of the surveyor (Chapter 2)

· The man is probably an angel, and the measuring indicates surveying with the intention of restoring and rebuilding of the city. What does a city without walls mean (v. 4)?

· v.5 is a reminder of ii Kings 6:17, and the return of the Shekinah glory, which Ezekiel saw depart in Ezek. 10, and 11:23

· v. 8,9 says God's judgment will come after He returns to Jerusalem.. Along with verses 10-12, what time period are we talking about? (what does v.13 mean?)

For next week, read Zechariah 3 & 4