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From: "Uncle Davey" <noway@jose.com>
Newsgroups: alt.fan.uncle-davey
Subject: Re: Zechariah chapters 1-4 walkthrough and explanation
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 12:50:30 +0100
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<thisisagenuineaddresssopleaseomittheobvioustoreplyNOOOSPAM@hotmail.com>
> BB, you know what this text is really all about? I'll show you, and I'm
> gonna use your beloved King James Authorised Version. Below I've pasted
the
> first four chapters of Zechariah, and we're gonna walk through it and look
> at its structure and I will highlight the important events.
>
> _Zechariah_
> Chapter 1
> 1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the
> LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet,
> saying,
> [*Okay, here the word comes to Zech in a general way*]
> 2 The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.
> 3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye
unto
> me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of
> hosts.
> 4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried,
> saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and
> from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith
the
> LORD.
> 5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?
> 6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the
prophets,
> did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like
as
> the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and
> according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
> [*End of the first part, the general LORD's speaking*]
> 7 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the
month
> Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto
> Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
> 8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood
> among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there
> red horses, speckled, and white.
> 9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with
me
> said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.
> [*Okay, here we have an angel speaking with Zech*
> *Now pay close attention, because he's important*
> *He says he will show Zech what it means*
> *Then the vision continues*]
> 10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These
> are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.
> [*Is this is the same angel who is talking to Zech*?
> *Let's continue and see*]
> 11 And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle
> trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold,
> all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.
> [*Could this angel of the LORD be that same man*?
> *The one speaking to Zech*?]
> 12 Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how
long
> wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against
> which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?
> [*Look, the angel of the LORD asks the LORD*]
> 13 And the LORD answered the angel that talked with me with good words
and
> comfortable words.
> [*Oh look, yes, the LORD replies to the angel*
> *who spoke with Zech. So this angel is obviously*
> *none other than the angel of the LORD*
> *So Zech spoke with the angel of the LORD*]
> 14 So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying,
Thus
> saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a
> great jealousy.
> [*Okay, now the angel of the LORD continues*
> *to speak the LORD's word*]
> 15 And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I
> was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.
> [*This part always brings a broad grin to my face*
> *The LORD used the wicked evildoers to punish*
> *His people, but the wicked evildoers were a bit*
> *too enthusiastic in carrying out that punishment*]
> 16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with
mercies:
> my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall
be
> stretched forth upon Jerusalem.
> 17 Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through
> prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort
Zion,
> and shall yet choose Jerusalem.
> 18 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.
> 19 And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he
> answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and
> Jerusalem.
> 20 And the LORD shewed me four carpenters.
> [*Oh oh, who showed Zech*? *The LORD*?
> *But the first time it was the angel of the LORD*
> *who said he would show Zech*. *Now this means*
> *the angel of the LORD is the LORD Himself*]
> 21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are
the
> horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but
> these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which
> lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.
> [*Here the angel of the LORD explains the*
> *rest of the vision*]
>
> Chapter 2
> 1 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a
> measuring line in his hand.
> 2 Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure
> Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length
> thereof.
> 3 And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another
angel
> went out to meet him,
> [*Okay, now here we have a typo in the KJV*
> *Because the angel of the LORD is the man with*
> *the measuring stick and the one speaking again*
> *with Zech so when he went forth he is obviously*
> *not the one that should run to Zech, but the other*
> *angel is the one who should run, which is also*
> *translated that way in other translations*
> *because that makes sense*
> *In the source text were probably only pronouns*,
> *so the KJV translators made a mistake*]
> 4 And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem
shall
> be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle
> therein:
> [*So here we have the angel of the LORD again*
> *speaking the LORD's word to the other angel*
> *and telling him to tell this to Zech*
> *So this is the angel of the LORD telling the other*
> *angel exactly what to say*
> *Also notice that we haven't heard from Zech*,
> *other than a question for an explanation*
> *So Zech is not prophecying here, only asking*
> *and listening and the angel is doing all the talking*
> *doing all the bringing of the LORD's word*
> *Keep that in mind, because that is important*]
> 5 For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and
> will be the glory in the midst of her.
> 6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the
LORD:
> for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the
> LORD.
> [*This is still the angel of the LORD telling*
> *the other angel what to say*
> *we haven't had a change of scene yet, so*
> *this is still the same as above, namely*
> *the angel of the LORD speaking to the other angel*]
> 7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
> [*And now we come to it, the important part*
> *now we will see who the 'me' really is*]
> 8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto
> the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple
> of his eye.
> [*LOOK, this is the angel of the LORD speaking of*
> *himself; the LORD has sent His Angel to the nations*]
> 9 For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a
spoil
> to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.
> [*See? The angel of the LORD is sent and will shake his*
> *hand upon them and everyone will know*
> *that the LORD has sent him*
> *The prophet doesn't have such power*
> *only the angel of the LORD does*!
> *Now the 'me' finally makes sense*]
> 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will
dwell
> in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.
> [*Now suddenly the LORD is the subject again*]
> 11 And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be
> my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that
> the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.
> [*See? The LORD says He will dwell in their midst*
> *and they shall know that the LORD has sent him*
> *Thus here it is finally said plain and clear*
> *the angel of the :LORD is the LORD of hosts*
> *and the LORD of hosts sends the LORD of hosts*
> *There you have it, two LORDs of hosts*]
> 12 And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and
shall
> choose Jerusalem again.
> 13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of
his
> holy habitation.
> [*And that really is a verse to fall quiet by*]
>
> Chapter 3
> 1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of
the
> LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
> [*And now the story continues, with another vision*]
> *so obviously Zech is the subject again*
> *Because the story moves on, into the next chapter*]
> 2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the
> LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked
out
> of the fire?
> [*Look: the LORD says that the LORD should*
> *rebuke Satan. So LORD1 invokes LORD2*
> *And you can't say it's a sort of majestic speach*
> *because no-one speaks of himself like that*
> *no matter how sovereign they are*]
> 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the
angel.
> [*Look, Joshua stands before the angel of the LORD*]
> 4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying,
Take
> away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have
> caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with
change
> of raiment.
> [*The angel of the LORD has caused Joshua's*
> *iniquity to go away. Now who else but*
> *the LORD can do that? No-one*
> *So again, this shows the angel of the LORD*
> *is the LORD of hosts himself*]
> 5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair
> mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the
> LORD stood by.
> [*Whoah, ole Zech's gotta say add something*
> *to the ceremony as well. To add to Joshua's honour*
> *and the angel of the LORD thinks it's alright*]
> 6 And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying,
> 7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou
> wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also
> keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand
> by.
> 8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit
before
> thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my
> servant the BRANCH.
> 9 For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone
shall
> be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD
of
> hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
> [*And this is where it gets REALLY important*
> *the LORD says the BRANCH is gonna remove*
> *the iniquity of that land* (*as with Joshua's*)
> *Now who removed Joshua's iniquity again? Yes*,
> *that was the angel of the LORD. So the angel of*
> *the LORD is the same as the BRANCH*
> *and the angel of the LORD is the same as the*
> *LORD of hosts, thus*
> *the BRANCH is the LORD of hosts*
> *Jesus Christ IS the LORD of hosts*!!!]
> 10 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his
> neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.
>
> Chapter 4
> 1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man
that
> is wakened out of his sleep,
> 2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and
behold
> a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven
> lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top
> thereof:
> 3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the
> other upon the left side thereof.
> 4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What
> are these, my lord?
> 5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest
> thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
> [*Now the angel of the LORD starts speaking*]
> 6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the
LORD
> unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit,
saith
> the LORD of hosts.
> [*This is an important part, because here the LORD*
> *effectively foretells Jesus' peacework*
> *This verse says the Messiah is not coming to*
> *do His work in power, but in the spirit of the LORD*
> *which is something other than the Jews were expecting*
> *They expected a mighty king, saving them from their*
> *wordly enemies. Well, the BRANCH is coming with*
> *the spirit, to do His work in peace*]
> 7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a
> plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings,
> crying, Grace, grace unto it.
> [*The angel continues and stresses his words*]
> 8 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
> 9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his
hands
> shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent
> me unto you.
> [*Who 'me'? The angel of the LORD*]
> 10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice,
> and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they
> are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
> [*End angel of the LORD speaking*]
> 11 Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees
upon
> the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
> 12 And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive
> branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of
> themselves?
> 13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I
said,
> No, my lord.
> 14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord
of
> the whole earth.
> [*End of our little walkthrough*]
>
> So, this appears to be a key book in the Bible, this book of the prophet
> Zechariah. Not only does it speak of the end of the Babylonian exile, but
> also does it speak of the One who was to come, the BRANCH, the Messiah,
and
> it reveals the nature of His work, which is different from what the Jews
> were expecting. It describes Jesus Christ in exactly. But the most
important
> thing is, for now anyway, that it reveals that there are two LORD's of
hosts
> and that the angel of the LORD is the LORD of hosts and that the angel of
> the LORD is the BRANCH is the Messiah and that the Messiah is the LORD of
> hosts.
>
> Rejoyce!
>
> Ariaan
>
That's a keeper!
Uncle Davey
(It's quite amusing, in a way, that we've got a chap called Ariaan arguing
this well against Arianism!)
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