Lesson #05

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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
ZECHARIAH 4
LESSON #05
THE LIGHT TO THE GENTILE NATIONS

• MEMORY VERSE: ACTS 13:47

• THE VISIONS GIVEN TO ZECHARIAH HAVE A PROGRESSIVE AND RELATED SIGNIFICANCE.
• THE FIRST THREE VISIONS IN CHAPTER 1 AND 2 DEALT WITH ENCOURAGING A DISCOURAGED PEOPLE TO FINISH REBUILDING THE TEMPLE BECAUSE GOD WAS IN THEIR MIDST TO PROTECT THEM FROM THEIR ENEMIES AND PASS JUDGMENT ON THOSE WHO PERSECUTED THEM.
• THE FOURTH VISION IN CHAPTER 3 DEALT WITH RESTORING A PEOPLE TO FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD WHO WERE STILL IN THEIR SINS. THEY HAD NOT FORFEITED THEIR POSITION AS GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE. INSTEAD THEY MUST LOOK FORWARD BY FAITH TO THE MESSIAH WHO WOULD COME AND TAKE AWAY THEIR SIN FOREVER.
• GOD’S CHOOSING DID NOT DEPEND ON ISRAEL’S PERFECTION, BUT IT DEPENDED ON GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL AND IMMUTABLE PROMISES.
• THE FIFTH VISION IN CHAPTER 4 WILL SHOW US THE ROLE A REDEEMED ISRAEL MUST PLAY IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
• INCIDENTALLY, THE SHIELD OF ISRAEL IS BASED ON ZECHARIAH’S VISION #5.

• READ ZEC 4:1-14 VISION #5 THE CANDLESTICK AND THE OLIVE TREES
• READ ISA 42:6
• THE VISUAL PICTURE PRESENTED IN ZECHARIAH’S VISION:
• THERE IS A GOLDEN CANDLESTICK WITH A BOWL ON TOP THAT SERVES AS A RESERVOIR SUPPLYING OIL TO THE CANDLESTICK. ON EACH SIDE OF THE BOWL ARE TWO FRUITFUL OLIVE TREES SUPPLYING THE OIL TO THE BOWL.

• THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE FIFTH VISION::
• THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK:
• GOLD IS A SYMBOL OF ULTIMATE VALUE TO GOD AND MAN.
• THIS CANDLESTICK IS A SEVEN BRANCHED CANDLESTICK LIKE THE ONE USED IN THE TABERNACLE AND THE TEMPLE. (EXO 37:17-24)
• THAT CANDLESTICK IN THE TABERNACLE REPRESENTED CHRIST WHO IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. (LUK 2:30-32)
• THE CANDLESTICK IN ZEC 4 REPRESENTS ISRAEL’S RELIGIOUS STANDING AS GOD’S WITNESS TO THE WORLD. IT IS GOD’S CALL ON THE JEWISH PEOPLE TO BE A LIGHT TO THE GENTILES. (ISA 42:6)
• CHRIST IS THE CENTER CANDLE WHO IS THE LIGHT IN THE MIDST OF HIS PEOPLE. (REV 1:13)
• THE JEWS CALLED THIS CENTER CANDLE, “THE SERVANT LAMP”.
• THE GOLDEN BOWL WITH SEVEN PIPES ABOVE THE CANDLESTICK:
• IN THE OLD TESTAMENT TABERNACLE AND THE TEMPLE, OIL WAS SUPPLIED TO THE GOLDEN LAMPSTAND BY THE PRIESTS. THEY HAD THE RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP THE LAMPSTAND FURNISHED WITH OIL.
• IN ZECHARIAH’S VISION, THERE ARE NO PRIESTS. IT IS GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO KEEPS THE LAMPSTAND PERPETUALLY SUPPLIED WITH OIL FROM ABOVE..
• THE SEVEN PIPES:
• THE NUMBER SEVEN IS GOD’S COMPLETE OR PERFECT NUMBER.
• THE SEVEN PIPES REPRESENT THE SEVEN FOLD MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT SUPPLIES ISRAEL WITH POWER AND ANOINTING TO BE GOD’S WITNESS TO THE WORLD.
• THE GOLDEN OIL:
• THIS IS ONE OF THE BIBLICAL SYMBOLS FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT.
• THE TWO OLIVE TREES:
• THE NUMBER TWO IS A BIBLICALLY SYMBOLIC NUMBER FOR “WITNESSES”.
• THE OLIVE TREE IS A BIBLICAL SYMBOL REPRESENTING ISRAEL.
• THE TWO ARE ANOINTED JEWS CALLED IN HEBREW, “SONS OF OIL”.(4:14)
• ZECHARIAH NAMES ONE OF THESE MEN IN VERSE 7. IT IS ZERUBBABEL, THE PRINCE, WHO IS THE ONE IN AUTHORITY OVER ISRAEL AS THE GOVERNMENTAL LEADER.
• HE REPRESENTS THE OFFICE OF KING. ISRAEL’S KINGS WERE ANOINTED WITH OIL WHEN THEY TOOK OFFICE.
• THE OTHER ONE IS ASSUMED TO BE JOSHUA, THE HIGH PRIEST, THE RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY OF THE TIME. THE ASSUMPTION IS BASED ON THE FACT THAT VISION #4 SPECIFIED JOSHUA BY NAME.
• HE REPRESENTS THE OFFICE OF PRIEST. ISRAEL’S HIGH PRIEST WAS ANOINTED WITH OIL.
• THERE ARE TWO OLIVE BRANCHES FIRST MENTIONED IN VERSE 12. SOME CONSIDER THEM THE SAME AS THE TWO OLIVE TREES IN VERSES 1-7, WHILE OTHERS SEE THEM AS SEPARATE OBJECTS.
• ESSENTIALLY AND FINALLY THEY REPRESENT JESUS CHRIST WHO OCCUPIES BOTH ANOINTED POSITIONS OF KING AND HIGH PRIEST. IT IS THROUGH HIM THAT THE POWER AND GRACE OF GOD FLOW.
• REMEMBER THAT ZEC 3:8 IDENTIFIED “THE BRANCH” AS THE MESSIAH.

• THE MOUNTAIN = MOUNTAINOUS PROBLEMS THAT WOULD RESTRICT AND INHIBIT THE WORK OF GOD IN THE FORM OF DOMINEERING GENTILE WORLD POWERS.
• GOD WILL MAKE THE MOUNTAINOUS PROBLEMS FLAT LIKE A PLAIN.
• THE HEADSTONE = LITERALLY THE CAPSTONE THAT FINISHES THE TEMPLE WHICH PROPHETICALLY REFERS TO JESUS CHRIST. (EPH 2:20)
• THE PLUMMET = THE PLUMBLINE = A CONSTRUCTION TOOL THAT MEASURES THE ACCURACY OF THE VERTICAL LINES OF A BUILDING.
• IT SIGNIFIES THAT THE TEMPLE OF ZECHARIAH’S DAY WILL BE WELL BUILT, DESPITE THE DISCOURAGEMENT OF THE PEOPLE WHO LOOKED DOWN ON THE TEMPLE AS BEING FAR INFERIOR TO SOLOMON’S TEMPLE THAT THE BABYLONIANS DESTROYED.
• THE PEOPLE, IN THE END, WILL RECOGNIZE THAT THE COMPLETION OF THE TEMPLE WILL BE BY GOD’S UNMERITED GRACE. (7)

• THE IDENTIFICATION OF RELATED ACTIONS IN THE VISION:
• IT IS THE TWO OLIVE BRANCHES (THE TWO WITNESSES) THAT KEEP THE SEVEN LAMPS SUPPLIED WITH OIL. (12)
• “NOT BY MIGHT, NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT…” (7)
• “MIGHT” = THE STRENGTH OF MANY.
• “POWER” = THE STRENGTH OF ONE.
• THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL AND ITS FULFILLMENT AS A LIGHT TO THE GENTLES WILL NOT BE ACCOMPLISHED BY GREAT ARMIES OR BY ONE PERSON. IT WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.
• THE MESSAGE OF VISION #5:
• THE MESSAGE IS AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO ZERUBBABEL THAT THE TEMPLE WILL BE COMPLETED BY THE ANOINTING POWER AND GRACE OF GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND NOT BY HUMAN WILL POWER. IT IS BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT ISRAEL WILL EVENTUALLY FULFILL HER ROLE AS A LIGHT TO THE GENTILE WORLD IN A BIGGER AND GRANDER TEMPLE.
• SPECIFIC DETAILS OF THE MESSAGE:
• THE DOUBLE FULFILLMENT OF THE TWO OLIVE TREES:
• BIBLICAL PROPHECY HAS A DOUBLE FULFILLMENT. THE FIRST AND PARTIAL FULFILLMENT IS ALWAYS NEAR IN TIME TO THE DATE THE PROPHECY WAS GIVEN.
• THE PURPOSE WAS TO VERIFY THE PROPHET”S WORDS AS BEING TRUE PROPHECY FROM GOD.
• THE SECOND AND COMPLETE FULFILLMENT IS ALWAYS LATER IN TIME, USUALLY IN THE END TIMES.
• READ REV 11:3-12
• NOTICE THAT JOHN, WHO WROTE REVELATION, IDENTIFIES THE TWO WITNESSES WITH THE TWO OLIVE TREES OF ZECHARIAH’S VISION.
• THE TWO WITNESSES DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD ARE ELIJAH AND PROBABLY MOSES. THEY REPRESENT THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS.
• THE PROPHETIC FULFILLMENT:
• BESIDES THE ASPECTS OF THE TWO WITNESSES IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD, NOTICE THAT THE MINISTRY FOR THE JEWS AS A LIGHT TO THE GENTILES WILL COME ABOUT ONLY AFTER THEIR SINS ARE FORGIVEN (VISION 4) AND THEY HAVE ACCEPTED JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR MESSIAH.
• A SINFUL PEOPLE WHO DO NOT KNOW THEIR MESSIAH AND WHO DO NOT HAVE THEIR SINS FORGIVEN ARE STILL IN DARKNESS. THEY ARE A LIGHT TO NO ONE.
• THEREFORE, THE COMPLETION OF THE FULFILLMENT WILL BE IN THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF CHRIST.
• ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE FULFILLMENT IS THE PROPHECY OF THE BUILDING OF ANOTHER TEMPLE.
• A TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD IN CONTEXT WITH THE TWO WITNESSES.
• THIS IS THE FIRST FULFILLMENT OF ZECHARIAH’S VISION.
• HOWEVER, THE FINAL TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT BY THE MESSIAH DURING CHRIST’S MILLENNIAL REIGN. CHRIST WILL BUILD A MILLENNIAL TEMPLE ON A GRAND AND BEAUTIFUL SCALE. (DETAILED AT THE END OF THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL.)
• THIS IS THE SECOND FULFILLMENT OF ZECHARIAH’S VISION.
• THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE, THEREFORE, MAKES ZERUBBABEL A PREFIGURE OF CHRIST WHO WILL BUILD THE MILLENNIAL TEMPLE.

• APPLICATION:
• JUST AS GOD CALLED ISRAEL TO BE A LIGHT TO THE GENTILES, GOD CALLS CHRISTIANS TO BE A LIGHT TO THE WORLD. (MAT 5:16)
• AS OUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN, WE HAVE A WITNESS TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD. TO FULFILL THAT CALLING, WE NEED THE ANOINTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
• NOTICE THAT THIS VISION ABOUT A LIGHT TO THE WORLD COMES AFTER VISION #4. ABOUT THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. UNLESS OUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN, OUR LIGHT DOES NOT SHINE BRIGHTLY.

• HOMEWORK
  ZECHARIAH 5
  THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF ZEC 4
• WRITE A PARAGRAPH EXPLAINING YOUR ACTIONS AS A WITNESS TO A DARK WORLD.

• HOW CAN YOU BE A BETTER AND BRIGHTER WITNESS FOR JESUS CHRIST?

• PREPARATION FOR ZEC 5
• READ ZEC 5:1-4 VISION #6 THE FLYING SCROLL
• IDENTIFY THE MEANING BEHIND THE FOLLOWING SYMBOLS AS BEST YOU CAN:
• THE FLYING SCROLL =
• READ REV 5:1-5
• WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MESSAGE OF THE VISION?

• READ ZEC 5:5-11 VISION #7 THE WOMAN IN THE EPHAH
• IDENTIFY THE MEANING BEHIND THE FOLLOWING SYMBOLS AS BEST YOU CAN:
• AN EPHAH (A DRY MEASURE LIKE A BUSHEL BASKET) =
• THE TALENT OF LEAD (A LID) =
• THE WOMAN IN THE EPHAH =
• READ REV 17:3-6 REV 18:2
• THE TWO WOMEN WITH WINGS OF A STORK =
• (A STORK IS A FILTHY BIRD)
• THE HOUSE IN THE LAND OF SHINAR (BABYLON) =
• WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MESSAGE OF THE VISION?

• MEMORY VERSE: 1PETER 4:17