3. The Second Visions

Review

Zechariah’s name: God Remembers - Theme of the book

Zechariah 1:1-6 - Return to me and I will return to you

Zechariah 1:7-17 - First Vision - comfort: I will remember my promise to return to Jerusalem even when it doesn’t look like it.

Patrol of horses report to Angel of YHWH- everything is at rest - bad thing - vs 11

Angel of YHWH - not Messiah but points to Messiah

angel of YHWH asks God how long? - vs 12

God answers with words of comfort

I will turn anger from you to the nations who brought you disaster - vs 15

I will turn from scattering you among the nations to scattering the land with blessing - vs 17

I will return to Jerusalem - vs 16 - center of the chasm - greatest comfort

The Second Vision - vs 18-21

1. Divine Vision: Horns - vs 18-19

Lifted up My Eyes…horns - vs 18

“18 Then I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, there were four horns.”

Reference to Daniel

Daniel’s first vision - the first four

Daniel’s first vision - Daniel 2:31-33, “31 You, O king, were looking, and behold, there was a single great image; that image, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was rising up in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. 32 The head of that image was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.”

Neb’s dream - statue made up of 4 major metals representing four kings and their kingdoms

Gold head - Babylon

Silver chest and arms - Medo-Persia

Bronze middle and thighs- Greece

Legs of Iron - Rome

Feet of Iron and clay - Rome +

Dream ends with the entire statue crushed by the stone

Stone crushes the statue then turns into a great mountain - Messiah and His kingdom

Represents God’s sovereign plan over the progression of history

Daniel’s Night Vision - Four Beasts + Horns Daniel 7

Four animals - expansion on Statue from Daniel 2

Dan 7:4-8 “The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.”

Lion - Babylon vs 4

Bear - Medo Persia vs 5

Leopard - Greece vs 6

Beast with Iron Teeth - Rome vs 7

10 Horns

represent 10 kings - vs 22

1 little horn - vs 8

Destroyed by the Son of Man - the Ancient of Days

Dan 7:11-12 ““I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.”

All the beasts are killed

Dan 7:19-22 ““Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.”

Before the little horn is killed he makes war with the saints until the Ancient of Days comes vs 22

In the end the Son of Man will deliver His saints and receive all Dominion over all the kings of the earth

Dan 7:13-14 ““I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

Zechariah Connection

Four - God’s progressive plan for the nations

Horns - Kings of nations

Horns that Scattered - vs 19

19 So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”’

Horns representing kings of nations who have scattered

Different word then “overflow” from vs. 17

Same word as is found in Ezekiel 5:1-2 ““And you, O son of man, take a sharp sword. Use it as a barber’s razor and pass it over your head and your beard. Then take balances for weighing and divide the hair. A third part you shall burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are completed. And a third part you shall take and strike with the sword all around the city. And a third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe the sword after them.”

Visualization of what God would do to the people of Jerusalem - a third burns, a third is stricken with a sword, a third is scattered to the wind - representing exile

Used to represent the domination, persecution, and ultimate removal from the promised land of God’s people

Scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem

Demonstrates that every component part of God’s nation of Israel is in view - North, South, and capital city

Horns are kings of nations who persecute God’s people - like Daniel 7-8

2. Divine Vision: Craftsmen - vs 20-21

Four Craftsmen

“20 Then Yahweh showed me four craftsmen.”

Four = correlation with the four horns

Not a typical craftsmen - they don’t build something

Only one other reference to a craftsman who doesn’t build something in OT

Isaiah 54:15-17, “15 If anyone fiercely attacks you it will not be from Me. Whoever attacks you will fall because of you. 16 Behold, I Myself have created the craftsman who blows the fire of coals And brings out a weapon for its work; And I have created the bringer of ruin to wreak destruction. 17 No weapon that is formed against you will succeed; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the inheritance of the slaves of Yahweh, And their righteousness is from Me,” declares Yahweh.

No weapon formed against God’s people will succeed why? God will defeat every nation who condemns his people with His craftsman who brings ruin and destruction with His weapon”

Bottom Line: Craftsman brings destruction and ruin to the nations who come to harm Israel

Interpretation - vs 21

21 And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah so that no man lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to cause them to tremble, to throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it.”

Four horns scatter Judah

none of Judah people can lift up their head - completely ruled over and oppressed

Four craftsmen throw down horns

who have lifted up their heads against Judah

Horn 1 persecutes Israel - thrown down by craftsman 1

Horn 2 persecutes Israel - thrown down by craftsman 2

Horn 3 persecutes Israel - thrown down by craftsman 3

Horn 4 persecutes Israel - thrown down by craftsman 4

Connection back to Daniel and Isaiah

Babylon oppresses Israel - thrown down by Medo Persia

Medo Persia oppresses Israel - thrown down by Greece

Greece oppresses Israel - thrown down by Rome

Rome oppresses Israel - thrown down by the Son of Man from Isaiah 54,

Daniel’s pattern of four ends with the Rock of the Kingdom that will never end, Daniel’s horn pattern ends with the Son of Man receiving all the Dominion, Zechariah’s four horns are thrown down by four craftsman, the fourth being the Craftsman who is the Messiah.

Main point: Judgement is coming upon the nations who persecute God’s people - judgement that culminates with the establishment of God’s Kingdom and that is accomplished with the Messiah

Application Questions

What do we learn about God in this vision?

How does this vision bring comfort to Israel?

How should it bring comfort to us?