The Coming Witnesses

My Commentary On the Book of Zechariah Part Two

Posted on October 21, 2012 by RobertLeeRE

Sheep marked for Slaughter or Salvation, Marked for Death or Life. Is your name written in the Book of Life?

          My Commentary
On the Book of Zechariah
Part Two

This is my commentary on the book of Zechariah. This book’s prophetic meaning is now revealed to the body of Christ.  My comments are not meant to replace the word of God, nor be added to it.  They are meant only as a guide for you to compare my interpretation to what the Holy Spirit leads you. 

 

       Please comment on areas that you feel are wrong and I will be happy to reconsider it included with the facts you gave.  My only intention is to teach on the book of Zechariah and the interpretations God revealed to me, subject at hand. 

       Lack of leadership in the body of Christ on prophecy is unending.  Those who are pastors and teachers constantly ignore these prophetic books.  The rejection of prophecy has let to a great crisis in the church today.  To teach the bible without teaching prophecy is just plain wrong.  My goal as a teacher is to fill this gap.

       So let us break bread and open the book of Zechariah, chapters 3& 4.  Please read this commentary only side by side when you have your bible with you.  I use an NIV so I put those words here for you to see what God stated in his holy bible.  Please be careful and do not place my words equal to those in the bible for they are not.  This is just commentary only and I am not adding or taking away from the bible according to Revelation 22:19.  This is only a commentary of a long line of commentaries down through the last 2000 years.

       But I do believe this interpretation is far superior to any interpretation out there today.  Please pray for God to wake you up and give you the proper interpretation of these prophecies so you may warn and wake up the body of Christ.  I have placed my words in a different color, this color, so that you may differentiate them from God’s words.

                                                 Zechariah Chapter 3

                                              Clean Garments for the High Priest

    ¹ Then he showed me Joshua ^[a] the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan ^[b] standing at his right side to accuse him. ² The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

    ³ Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. ⁴ The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”
Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.”

    ⁵ Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by.

    ⁶ The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: ⁷ “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.

    ⁸ ” ‘Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. ⁹ See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes ^[c] on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.

    ¹⁰ ” ‘In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree,’
declares the LORD Almighty.”

       Joshua, name means Jehovah is salvation. This is not the same Joshua whom was a close assistant to Moses since he was never a high priest. Although he was used in a mighty way and was selected by God to replace Moses he was never a high priest. This is referring to a much later Joshua also written about in Haggai 1:1, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest, later becoming a high priest also. This is not Joshua son of Nun which lived about 800 years before. In Ezra 3:2,8 he helped rebuild the alter at the second temple. Most likely this later Joshua was named after the first one that was never a high priest. The name is a variant of Jeshua and is listed under a different spelling even though most theologian think this is the same person in Ezra 2:2 & Nehemiah 7:7. Both name meanings are the same, Jehovah is salvation.       
       We all have filthy rags as bodies and even Joshua.  We can never clean up without God. Satan is the accuser of God’s people and he is even the accuser of the high priest Joshua who had like all a filthy soul which is described in Zechariah’s vision verses 1-4.  The Lord is Joshua’s defender and this is in all probability Jesus Christ. Notice Christ doesn’t even accuse Satan but just rebukes him.
In verse 5 Joshua’s soul cleaned up with a white robe or even part of the soul itself, turban included.
       In verse 6-7 God is using this as an example to all of our path to salvation.  We are incapable of cleaning up our own souls and obtaining the righteousness required to enter heaven.  God reminds us if we follow God’s plan we will be rewarded with benefits of royalty and entrance into heaven.
In verse 8-9 God tells of a future servant called the Branch, this is Jesus Christ, this Branch becomes a Stone with seven eyes when set in front of Joshua.  This is the cornerstone Jesus Christ.  Seven eyes signifies God.
Who knows what the inscription said, maybe perfect sacrifice or Father forgive them, they know not.
End of verse 9–The single day is not when Christ was crucified although this was the beginning. This word [remove] is an absolute word indicating completion. This will not be completely done until the end of the 1000 year Day of the Lord, also a day in God’s eyes according to 2nd Peter 3:8-9. This is a prophetic day God is talking of here. At the end of this 1000 year millennium all sin will be overcome and gone never to reenter creation forever and ever.
       Verse 10- In that day, Day of Rest, Lord’s Day, 1000 millennium, all of the Christ followers will be able to rest from witnessing for they will no longer be held accountable for their neighbors sin. Each house will be either gentile christian, [vine], or fig, [Israel] and will invite his neighbor to break bread and talk of the magnificent grace of God.  

                                                 Zechariah Chapter 4

                                               The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees

   ¹ Then the angel who talked with me returned and wakened me, as a man is wakened from his sleep. ² He asked me, “What do you see?”
I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. ³ Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”

    ⁴ I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”

    ⁵ He answered, “Do you not know what these are?”
“No, my lord,” I replied.

    ⁶ So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.

    ⁷ “What ^[a] are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ”

    ⁸ Then the word of the LORD came to me: ⁹ “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.

    ¹⁰ “Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
“(These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range throughout the earth.)”

    ¹¹ Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?”

    ¹² Again I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?”

    ¹³ He replied, “Do you not know what these are?”
“No, my lord,” I said.

    ¹⁴ So he said, “These are the two who are anointed to ^[b] serve the Lord of all the earth.”

         These two olive trees are the two great witnesses whom are killed by the Antichrist and resurrected during the last third of tribulation, the spotted and striped sheep portion according to the time of Jacob’s Trouble, which a period broken down into three distinct periods by God in Genesis.
        Oil generally used as a symbol of Holy Spirit. All oil came from olives during biblical times. Used to anoint Kings, Prophets. Christ was anointed but this was after confirmation of the presence of Holy Spirit seen by John as a dove that came down on him.  Was anointed on animals for it’s healing properties. Olive oil was the prime source of light in homes.
       There is great discussion about whom these two great witnesses are.  Many say since Enoch, Moses & Elijah  were translated/raptured since neither had been witnessed as having died in bodily form, one of these could be one of the great witnesses. Here are some examples of translation/rapture. Enoch walked with God three hundred years, Hebrews 11:5, Genesis 5:22. Elijah was taken up by a whirlwind by God, [2nd Kings 2:11], never to be seen and Moses left the Israelites after farewell prophecies never to be seen again on mount Nebo, Deuteronomy 34:6-8. Scripture records God only witnessed the death of Moses, [interpretation of death can differ], and that God buried Moses, Deuteronomy 34:6-8. The 30 days of grieving the Israelites seems to contradict this though, verse 8. But some say this grieving was similar to when an old Indian would go into the forest to die so no one would feel bad and see him die; they grieved watching him walk into the forest. This has been a common historical custom in many tribes on earth when old people die so is a possible explanation.
In my opinion none of this really matters much in our spiritual walk and journey though.  It makes interesting dinner conversation and that is about it. Scripture does not support this all appointed to die once scriptural interpretation and I’ll tell you why.  According to Paul a whole generation will avoid the sting of the first death at the Rapture.  So not every single one is appointed to die once as much as “all” being defined all except in God’s special circumstances. Let us read what God said through Paul in 1st Corinthians 15:51-55.
These two witnesses are I believe going to come from our generation, the last generation which will actually witness the Day of the Lord! Why would God not use someone who is of our remnant which is part of every generation. Every generation has a remnant, it is silly to think we do not have one. It also contradicts the word of God in my opinion.  Can anyone realistically imagine Moses and Elijah coming to visit mankind in the last years.  They would not be able to function much less fulfill the role of witnessing to the world.  No, Moses & Elijah will be watching with everyone else in heaven these last years unfold.  

                                                                     1st Corinthians 15:51-55

^51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵²in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”^[a]
55“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”^[b]

To go to the next part of this commentary  click the next link, or, to return to a prior part click the prior link.  The links are also provided on the left side of the homepage.  Leave comments as the Lord leads you. 

Zechariah Part Three