9. Vision 8

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Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church

Adult Sunday School

18 March 2018

Visions of Zechariah 

Zechariah 6:1-15 (KJV)

1 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains weremountains of brass. 2 In the first chariot werered horses; and in the second chariot black horses; 3 And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. 4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What arethese, my lord? 5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These arethe four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The black horses which aretherein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country. 7And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth. 8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country. 9 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 10 Take of them ofthe captivity, evenof Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah; 11 Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set themupon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest; 12And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name isThe BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: 13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 14 And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD. 15 And they that arefar off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And thisshall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God. 

  • VISION 8: JUDGMENT WILL COME 

1 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains weremountains of brass. 2 In the first chariot werered horses; and in the second chariot black horses; 3 And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. 4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What arethese, my lord? 5And the angel answered and said unto me, These arethe four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The black horses which aretherein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.

The nations of the earth were complacent and at ease in the first vision. Here in this last vision, God was going to mete out judgment. The world today seems to be oblivious of the coming judgment warned by Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 3:7, “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage as in the days of Noah before the flood. The first judgment was by water, a global flood, the second global judgment will be by fire. 

2 Peter 3:3-7 (KJV) 3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they werefrom the beginning of the creation. 5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

The world continues with their merry making. In 2005, Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve Chiarman, had sounded alarm bells in an annual economic summit. As to why the “brilliant” minds in Wall Street are not taking heed, it is because “these brilliant minds were making money.” One top banker said to him, “As long as the music plays, we will continue to dance.” In the past 10 to 15 years, there has been an enormous increase in the income of the top 1 per cent. He said, “It is futile to find an economic solution to a social problem – it is that of greed. You are never going to get rid of it. It has always been an issue.” Dear Reader, may we proclaim the gospel, for the days are indeed perilous! 

God’s judgment will certainly come is the conclusion of this eighth vision. This vision is speaking to professed believers who still persist in sinking more time and energy to build a foundation in this world that will ultimately be burned up. The riches of this world have wings that fly away. Many of the very rich are suffering from the losses they have gained. How can a church grow if her leaders are involved in these carnal activities that suck up their time and vitality? They seem so legitimate. Our Lord Jesus warns in Matthew 24:42, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” 

“Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (Matt 24:41) Let me not be drunk with wine, but fill me with Your Spirit. 

  • HE HONOUR OF A CROWN 

“Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest.” (Zech 6:10-11) 

We observe the end of the eight visions and the scene changes with the Lord instructing Zechariah to perform a symbolic act. He was first to accept the offerings from the three exiles, who brought gold and silver from Babylon to help the exiles who had returned under Zerubbabel. From these gifts, a crown was to be made for Joshua the high priest. Josiah had lodged these three visitors in his home. Zechariah was to go to the home of Josiah the same day to collect the gifts. The phrase “the same day,” suggests the urgency of the task. The word “crown” is in the plural, whereas logically Joshua as high priest can put on only one crown at a time. Perhaps it alludes to the worthiness of the priest to be consecrated. Our Lord in His Second Coming had on His head “many crowns” (Rev 19:12). He has endured all things for our sake! He is worthy of the great honour. We cannot fully fathom the rich significance and spiritual beauty of the truth set forth in this symbolic transaction except to acknowledge the unworthiness of Joshua and the great mercy of God in cleansing him. He could not help in making himself one bit holy! God did it all. 

The church in Philadelphia (Rev 3:7,8) was a faithful church – though they had little strength, they were courageous to obey God’s Word and not deny His name in the hour of their temptation. They were promised a crown in honour of their faithfulness. We are saved for a purpose, to glorify Him by our lives. We may not do anything spectacular, but when we walk simply in obedience and faith according to His Word, it is a life most pleasing to Him! 

“But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt 10:33) Help me to endure suffering for Your truth’s sake, O Lord! 

  • THE SYMBOL OF TRUE PEACE 

12And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name isThe BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: 13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 14 And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD. 15 And they that arefar off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And thisshall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God. 

The crowning of Joshua the high priest had prophetic symbolism, for in the future there will be a man named “Branch” who would branch out from His native people and land, the seed of David, the seed of Abraham. He will build the Temple of the Lord. The fact that Joshua was crowned is significant because he was a priest, yet crowned a king (v13), never before. 

Israel’s king is forbidden to function as a priest. Uzziah the king that lived at the time of Isaiah was struck with leprosy for intruding into the priest’s office to offer burnt sacrifices. He died a leper. The crowning of Joshua was symbolic of a future event as seen by the fact that the crown that Joshua was crowned with was not left on his head but placed in the Temple as a reminder of the Lord (v14). 

The Branch, the name given to our Lord Jesus Christ, will be the King- Priest of Israel, combining the priestly office and the kingly office of rulership. Jesus at His Second Coming will set up His millennial kingdom on earth ruling from Jerusalem, being the King and also operating from the Millennial Temple (Ezek 40-48). The nations of the world will come to pay tribute to Him. There will be true peace because He will exercise gracious yet sovereign control over the nations. All rebellion will be quelled by the judgment of plagues and withholding of rain. 

True peace will only come to this troubled world when the Prince of Peace rules in the hearts of men. When will that day come? May it be soon! For every war and conflict that arises between nations since time immemorial, it is for the sovereignty over earthly possessions or due to hunger. Our Lord when He rules will provide the necessary blessings upon the nations to prosper their ways to ensure peace. 

Only the gospel can bring peace to man’s troubled heart. There’s a peace in my heart that the world never gave, a peace it cannot take away. Thank You, Lord! 

  • IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME 

“And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD.” (Zech 6:14) 

The crown was not made to be given to Joshua. The coronation of Joshua was a brief ceremony. This crown was to be preserved as a memorial by the Hebrew host, Josiah and members of the Babylonian delegation. There is a variation in the names “Heldai” (v 10) and “Helem” (v 14). “Josiah” appears here as “Hen” which means “graciousness.” It is common to have two names in Bible times. For example, Uzziah was also called Azariah. Perhaps this is the reason. The crown was to be kept as a “memorial” for remembrance in the Temple of the Lord. The word “memorial” is from the root word “to remember” which is also the name “Zechariah.” A memorial is that which preserves the memory of something; anything that serves to keep in memory. It serves symbolically to remind Israel of the eight night visions culminating in Joshua’s coronation. It looks forward to the fulfillment of the eventual crowning of Messiah as millennial King-Priest. 

1 Corinthians 11:23-32 (KJV) 23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the samenight in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he tookthe cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink thiscup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of thatbread, and drink of thatcup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause many areweak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 

Zechariah was given this permanent memorial to keep alive God’s promised grace upon Israel. So also is the Lord’s Supper, given as a memorial to show forth the Lord’s death till He comes. There is a looking backward to what Christ had done on the cross in gratitude for the remission of our sins and a looking forward to His Second Coming to receive His Church. It is also inward looking of self- examination. Where we have fallen, it is a time of repentance and renewal. Dear brethren, have you been missing the Lord’s Supper as a baptized Christian? Have you been a Christian for a long time yet not baptized and thus not partaking of this means of grace? Do consider to take a stand to honour Christ. 

“I sing Thy power to save!” Renew me, Lord, as I remember Your suffering for me. 

  • BEHOLD THE BRANCH 

This Messiah “shall build the temple of the Lord” (v 12-13), which was distinct from the temple that the returnees were then building. It included the Millennial Temple (Ezek 40-48), the coming of the incarnate Temple of our Lord with men (Jn 1:14; Rev 21:3), and “the church of the living God” (1 Tim 3:15; Eph 2:19-22; 1 Pet 2:5). One day all three of these elements shall gloriously come together! Then shall the Branch, our Lord Jesus Christ, rule as King and Priest; then shall the Church and state be joined together in a reign of peace this earth has not yet seen. 

John Calvin was called to pastor the Church-State in Geneva in 1536. Calvin had been preaching against all the vices that abound in the city. In July 1937, the Council of the city of two hundred required all citizens to assent to the Confession of Faith in the Church of St. Peter. In November the Council even declared that all who would not take the oath of abiding by the order be banished. Here was the Church governing the State, like the theocracy of Old Testament times. When Calvin refused to serve the Lord’s Supper to members of the City Council, it inflamed the people to the point that in 1538 the town council voted against his co-labourer Farel and asked both he and Calvin to leave the city. 

When our Lord reigns on earth for one thousand years, Satan will be bound (Rev. 20:2). Only then will peace be lasting and all rebellion will cease, for all will be in subjection to the Supreme Ruler over all the earth. There will be obedience. Our Lord’s rule is a gracious one that men and women willingly subject themselves to Him. What a glorious future for Israel and the Church! 

“So till He comes, I’ll watch and pray rejoicing.” Refresh my weary soul by Your promise this day, O Lord.