Zechariah's Night Visions

By Peter J Southgate

Along with many other prophecies in Scripture, the visions seen by Zechariah recorded in the first six chapters of his prophecy have a double meaning. Clearly, they will only be completely fulfilled when God’s Kingdom is set up on earth and “all the earth is resting quietly” (Zech. 1.11). But such an exclusive interpretation would have been of little relevance or comfort to the beleaguered inhabitants of Jerusalem in the days of the Persian Empire in the fifth century BC .
This book is an attempt to relate the visions to those troubled days, without in any way excluding a still future fulfilment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dawn Christadelphian Publications
• Release date: Sep 11, 2017
• ISBN: 9781874508632

Book preview

Author’s Preface

Along with many other prophecies in Scripture the visions seen by Zechariah recorded in the first six chapters of his prophecy have a double meaning. Clearly, they will only be completely fulfilled when God’s Kingdom is set up on earth and all the earth is resting quietly (Zech. 1.11). In my early days as a Bible student, study was concentrated on these future fulfilments.

But the realisation dawned that such an exclusive interpretation would have been of little relevance or comfort to the beleaguered inhabitants of Jerusalem in the days of the Persian Empire in the fifth century bc.

The following pages are an attempt to relate the visions to those troubled days, without in any way excluding a still future fulfilment.

We consider it essential in such a study to attempt to depict visually what the prophet saw. This author has no artistic pretensions, but his crude sketches have been made very presentable by the expert hand of Emma Perfitt, who also designed the cover and to whom thanks is gratefully offered. Thanks also to Steve Irving for his careful work on the text layout and to Rosalind Wall for her expert proof reading.

Also included are suggestions as to the meaning of the admittedly difficult prophecy of Zechariah 11.

As always, this little work is offered to the Almighty in the hope that His name will be glorified thereby.

PJS

SECTION 1: The visions of chapters 1 - 6

Introduction and prologue: vision of an angel and three horses

The first six chapters of the prophecy of Zechariah contain a series of visions that the prophet saw by angelic revelation. These visions have much in common with the ones seen by John in Revelation, and because of this it is customary to interpret them as relating to events yet future [fn1]. This is undoubtedly a valid exposition, and in the writer’s mind there is no doubt that the visions do have a latter-day application.

Relevance to Zechariah’s own days

But, along with so many other prophecies, a dual application is possible, and in this case we believe it is demanded. The visions must have had a bearing on Zechariah’s own times. We read in Ezra:

Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them (Ezra 5.1–2).

In this way Haggai and Zechariah relayed the divine messages to the Jews, with the result that they were stirred up to act in those prophet’s own days. This would not have happened if the interpretation of the visions related to some remote time. There must have been an initial significance and fulfilment of the prophecy: indeed, this may be of value in seeking clues as to future applications.

The background [fn2]

At the expiry of the 70 years’ captivity predicted by Jeremiah [fn3] a great many Jews returned to their land under the combined guidance of Zerubbabel, the civil ruler, and Joshua, the high priest. This was in 538 bc. Their first work was to start rebuilding the temple destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar many years before. But, because of local opposition, the Jews very soon stopped this work and diverted their energies to civil projects. This situation lasted for 17 years, until a new ruler, Darius, arose over the Persian Empire. It was in the second year of this new reign that Haggai and Zechariah commenced their prophecies. Their brief campaign of only two or three months resulted in the Jews once more taking up the task of rebuilding the temple (Zech. 1.1). But, as this was in direct contravention of the existing ruling of the previous king, Artaxerxes (Cambyses), which had banned the work, the Jews needed much encouragement for them to proceed. And at this crucial time it came in the form of these series of visions seen by Zechariah and recorded in the first six chapters of his prophecy.

Naturally, the Jews had been worried that their apparent rebellion in re-commencing the temple building would renew the opposition of the local Persian governors, and even the wrath of Darius himself. In fact, Ezra records that these governors did try to get the work stopped, but this time the Persian ruler sided with the Jews. The assurance given by these visions that the work would now prosper made the Jews press on with the temple building.

The seven-fold visions

In the second year of Darius, on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, Zechariah had a series of visions, all of them relating to the current situation in Jerusalem. These visions were directed first to the land of Judah, then to Jerusalem, especially the temple, but also addressed the Jews’ own attitudes. In the following pages we will show how the visions were designed to give help and encouragement to the returned exiles in the work of rebuilding the temple.

The visions in summary

The seven visions were sandwiched between a prologue and an epilogue, both of which involved horses:

Prologue: vision of an angel and three horses (1.8–11)

1. Yahweh returns to Jerusalem (1.12–17)

2. Four horns and four workmen (1.18–21)

3. A man with a measuring line (2.1–13)

4. Joshua and the adversary (3.1–10)

5. The golden lampstand (4.1–14)

6. The flying scroll (5.1–4)

7. The flying ephah (5.5–11)