Zechariah is an impressive prophet who gave some great words that are still relevant today. He participated in fulfilling both of the prophetic vines Jacob spoke about in Genesis 49.11. The first vine of prophecies help identify the Messiah. Then the choice vine Jacob spoke of is activated, which prompts God to intervene against murder.
He called the coming Messiah a Branch in 3.8, which is a name for someone who is from Nazareth instead of Jerusalem. This word by Zechariah is part of the first vine of Jacob, since it helps identify Jesus as the Messiah.
Zechariah gave an important word in chapter 6 that is a part of the choice vine of Jacob. It is relevant to today because Zechariah associates the true temple of the Lord with biblical strategy against murder. He is glorifying the biblical strategy against murder over a temple building.
6:12-13 says, Thus says the Lord of hosts, behold the Man whose name is the Branch, for He shall grow up in His place and He shall build the true temple of the Lord. Yes, you are building a temple of the Lord, but it is He who shall build the true temple of the Lord, and He shall bear the honor and 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 His two offices, Priest and King.
This is a great word for both Christians and Jews. It identifies Jesus as the messiah since Zechariah calls Him a Branch. This word refers to the messiah as a Nazarene, somebody who is not from Jerusalem. This could only be fulfilled by Jesus, not somebody yet to come. And it shows there is no need for the Jews to build a temple on the temple mount.
Zechariah 6.12 says Jesus will build the true temple of the Lord. This word means there is no need for Jews in Israel to build a temple. This word by Zechariah is important. It shows the dome of the rock on the Temple Mount is not blocking the fulfillment of biblical strategy . Zechariah saw things correctly before the prophetic strategy against murder coming from God had been completely written. Jesus is what people need, not a building which would be provocative and deadly to construct.
Zechariah said Jesus would build the true temple. When Zechariah said this, he recognized the people who were building a temple building in his day in Jerusalem were doing God’s work. But he glorified the Messiah and His great strategy against murder over a building. A building holds no advantage over strategy against the murder of bible followers.
The disciple John also helps decide this issue. He saw no temple when he was writing about the future of Jerusalem in the book of Revelation. He said God and Jesus were the temple in chapter 21:22.
Zechariah made more great words in 9:9-10. He says, Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O Daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you, He is just and having salvation, patient, meek, lowly, and riding on a donkey, upon a colt, the foal of a donkey.
And I will cut off and exterminate the war chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off; and He shall speak the word and peace shall come to the nations, and His dominion shall be to the ends of the earth.
Jesus fulfilled the first part of this word when He took the famous ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Zechariah associates the famous ride of Jesus into Jerusalem on a donkey with the end of war. Obviously, when Jesus fulfilled the prophecies which identify the messiah it has not ended war. The fulfillment of the choice vine by a nazarite directly leads to the return of Jesus. This action would help end war and does fulfill the word of Zechariah. These verses are a perfect description of what happens when the two part strategy of Jacob is complete.
Zechariah foretold of what would happen to the Messiah on the cross when he wrote He would be pierced by a sword in 12.10. This word by Zechariah helps identify Jesus as the messiah.
In chapter 11 Zechariah foretold the Messiah would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, identified where the money would be spent, and described that when the Shepherd was struck false leadership would fill the void.
Zechariah also had much to say about the time near the return of Jesus.
Zechariah gave very good advice for people to follow at the end of the age.
In verse 2.2 he says, Be still, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused and risen from His holy habitation. If a person was still, as Zechariah says, what should they do so they are still before God? They should believe God is good and powerful enough to bring peace into the world. They should not practice abortion. Instead, they should want abortion crushed. They should not spread disease, which could ruin he equipment of a woman so she could not become pregnant. And they should not shed any innocent blood.
Zechariah showed he wants everyone to do well in the day of judgment just before the return of Jesus. He obviously believes God has both the power and intimacy with each one here to select who survives until the days of Jesus.
Zechariah 14.2 accurately described the present situation long ago when he said the city of Jerusalem would be racially divided, as it is today, with Jews living on the west side and Arabs living on the east side.
In the last three chapters of Zechariah he wrote some statements that could only be fulfilled by Jesus and no one else.
Zechariah 12:10-14 describes an outcome where many Jews feel guilty over the rejection of Jesus. It is not possible to feel this way for somebody who has never been here before.
Zechariah 13 describes a moment where the Shepherd was struck down. The result was a disaster as the religious teaching in His absence was lacking. This led to two thirds of the people being too deranged from God to see the return of Jesus.
This is a view that identifies Jesus as the One who was struck down.
There is an interesting parable in chapter 14 that also has a direct link to Jesus. There it says the Jews should all flee together to a place of security. This is possible if the Jews pay close attention to the word of Jesus. He said He had a sign at the end of the age for all to see. He also said a nazarite will come and get things restored and ready. When these two comments are combined, it means the nazarite getting things restored and ready is His sign. When the Jews see a nazarite doing a good job of fulfilling the choice vine of Jacob it is time for the Jews to unify. There are numerous acts in the scripture that are unfulfilled that were specifically built for the nazarite Jesus is speaking of to perform so the word of Jesus is valid. He certainly talks like a guy who has a plan in place. If the Jews follow the directions of Jesus well, they should be able to find the place of security Zechariah foresees. If they ignore Jesus, then the claim Zechariah made about two thirds being deranged due to terrible religious teaching has more validity. This is live action here. Things are certain to go better for the Jews if they follow the directions well.
Zechariah wrote a significant parable in chapter 14 which describes God’s current relationship with Jews.
This parable should help provide some focus on how someone should talk about the Jews in the days leading up to the judgment and the return of Jesus.
There it says God will stand on the Mount of Olives and split the mountain in half and create a place of safety for the Jews to run to.
The exact words are, 3 Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle.
4 And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from the east to the west by a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it to the south.
5 And you shall flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal, and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uziah king of Judah; and the Lord my God shall come and all the saints and angels with Him.
This is a huge statement by Zechariah which needs a full explanation. This should be considered a parable by Zechariah. It is certainly a parable because Jews will not literally all flee together to live in a town. This odd parable conceals and then reveals the exact role of God just before Jesus returns.
The event he is referring to was an earthquake mentioned by Amos earlier in the bible.
In the mind of Zechariah, the earthquake is the coming judgment day by God. The place of security to run to is the two part Messianic strategy of Jacob.
This is obvious because Zechariah positions this action for the end of the age. The fact that He mentions the return of Jesus and the return of some saints who had died shows this is an end of the age event.
The choice by God of the Mount of Olives in this parable is interesting. The Mount of Olives has been a cemetery for a long time. It was also a favorite place of Jesus. He often went to pray there, He was arrested there, and He also ascended to heaven from there after being raised from the dead. The fact God chose this place indicates God will change the current times and Jews won’t be getting killed for much longer.
It also means Jesus isn’t going to die for the sins of the world this time.
Verse 3 says God has plans to crush an assault against the Jews living in Israel.
Verse 4 talks of a momentous occasion, where a mountain is split in half. This word speaks to the strategy Jesus is involved with the two different vines of Jacob. The choice vine of Jacob is a strategy against murder. It is a momentous event by God, designed to end the murder of Jews. It correlates very well with this dream of Zechariah.
Verse 5 is a great word by this prophet. He is saying it is God’s will for many Jews to survive the day of judgment and live on to see Jesus.
It also says in verse 5 there is a return of saints. Isaiah and Paul also believed in this. Among these saints are Jewish murder victims who had a good enough faith when they were put to death. So God raises them up from the dead abd they return with Jesus. This fact is sealed by the word of Zechariah.
For Jews and everybody else, attacking Jesus and killing little ones is not worth doing. It leads to missing out on the return of these saints.
Zechariah obviously wants the Jews to all be clustered together in a place of security so they all do well with God.
Verses 4 and 5 are a very accurate parable by Zechariah about the reality of what the choice vine of Jacob is for the Jews. The content of the two vines of Jacob shows what a true place of security is for the Jews. They should give Jesus and the prophets of Jacob credit for creating evidence people are raised from the dead, and they can receive forgiveness for their sins. They also should like the way the choice vine attacks killing in and out of the womb. If they Jews gather in this place before the day of judgment, they will all be secure.
Jews certainly should not let Christians do a better job of following the Messianic strategy of Jacob.
How are the Jews supposed to know when this action from God is taking place and they should run to the place of security?
When the words on the choice vine of Jacob are simultaneously activated.
Zechariah’s word shows God wishes the Jews would be unified. This parable shows God wishes Jews would all be unified around Jacob’s strategy. Then they could have the faith that motivates God to perform in front of them.
Zechariah showed what God will do at the end of the age in chapter 12. This is an interesting word by God about the relationship between the Jews and Jesus.
Zechariah 12.9-11 says, 9 And it shall be in that day that I will make it my aim to destroy those who come against Jerusalem.
10 And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace or unmerited favor. And they shall look upon Me Whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him as one who is in bitterness for his firstborn.
11 And in that day shall be there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of the city of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo over the beloved King Josiah.
This word obviously connects Jesus with the destruction of the killing of Jews, as does the word of Isaiah in chapter 61.
This verse also indicates many of the Jews will not comprehend and care about the messianic strategy of Jacob for a long time.
It also shows God knew they would have a problem with blindness to Jesus for a long time.
Jews have long been following Jesus to a certain extent since they quit the practice of killing animals to atone for their sin and only cage about Yom Kippur. When they do this, they are in tune with the fulfillment of the first part of Jacob’s messianic strategy.
The second part of his strategy is a decisive blow against the murder of Jews. This effort against murder could not happen without the previous efforts of Jesus and John the Baptist.
When Jews recognize Jesus is purposefully fulfilling a strategy which has always been designed to end their murder, then it makes sense their relationship with Jesus would change for the better.
There is no chance any Jews will reject Jesus in the future because of the strategy against murder He fulfills.
Jesus was quoted as saying He will return to Jerusalem in the days the Jews give Him full credit for fulfilling the prophetic strategy which ends the killing of Jews.
This quote shows He is the One to fulfill this word by Zechariah.
In chapter 13, Zechariah did a good job of pounding people who do not care about his important contribution at the end of the age. They never talk about his word because it doesn’t fit in well with their belief in the evil antichrist. Zechariah is being thrown out by these people because he has no words that fit in well with an evil antichrist at the end of the age. His words come to life when the person who is the sign of Jesus appears.
He writes in 13:3-6, And if anyone again appears falsely as a prophet, then his father or mother who bore him shall say to him, you shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord; and his father and his mother who bore him shall thrust him through when he prophesies. And in that day the false prophet shall each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, nor will he wear a hoary or rough garment to deceive, but he will deny he is a prophet and say I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground, for I have been made a bond servant from my youth. And one shall say to him, What are these wounds on your breast or between your hands? Then he will answer, Those with which I was wounded when I was disciplined in the house of my loving friends.
What will happen which caused Zechariah to accuse people who still talking about prophecy? He says there is a definitive end to prophecy. He feelings about this was so strong he liked threatening them with death or injury. So he thinks the day will come that those who keep talking prophecy are guilty.
The strategy of the bible is really very clear once it is explained well. Jesus says a nazarite comes and gets things restored and ready. His word gives His authority to the nazarite, and not the crowd. So people should be focused on the coming of this nazarite. There are numerous statements in the prophets which are prepared for the nazarite so it is certain the job will be done. When He comes and performs it is over. It is not a good idea for Jews to stray from this view. It is better to be unified. It is better to be unified in a safe position with God. The parable in chapter 14 shows Zechariah obviously wants Jews to stick together in a safe position. And it is also better to participate in the strategy of Jesus because it is a powerful overthrow of the perverted, egotistical bluster many have used against Him. Follow His word and the nazarite and you will see these people meet their deserved end.
Instead, they talk as if the most powerful ones in the world are evil. When they do this, they portray us as weaklings. So you who do this are guilty and deserve this beating…. Verse 6 shows someone should not be killed for doing this, they should only be wounded. He talks like they deserve to be branded like an animal in the trunk or on their hands, not on their face or neck. He likes this because when they do not describe his victorious strategy against murder well it gives more power to the enemy, so they are actually a danger to the group. This is why he is so angry at them. Up to now, this has not been their fault since God had not fulfilled the choice vine of Jacob.
Obviously, there has been a lot of people saying different things for a long time. Their statements do not agree with each other. That is because it is a member of a herd talking, instead of a biblical figure who fulfills strategy against murder. Members of a herd are good at throwing out some of the words of the choice vine of Jacob. When they do this, their word becomes delusional.
Zechariah 11 betrayal for 30 pieces of silver. same as Jesus in Matthew 26 and 27. Zechariah associates the betrayal with false leadership in the absence of the Shepherd.
Zechariah denounced never ending prophecy in chapter 13. He associated the end of prophecy with the Jews coming together with Jesus. The end of prophecy is God’s intimacy with murder, terrible for the killers, support for the victims
Zechariah 13.7 Strike the shepherd and the sheep scatter
Zechariah 14.4-5 says God will try to warn the Jews of a coming judgment. God hopes the Jews will unite and support the strategy of Jacob, as when they do the will see Jesus, and other holy ones as well will be raised from the dead. So his word means murder victims could return with Jesus if they had a strong enough faith when they were killed.