Why study prophecy? One reason is history repeats. Like a trumpet sounding? In increasing circle and crescendo..?
Chapter 5 - 9 Condensed & Paraphrased
Again I looked and I saw a flying scroll! 2 “What do you see?” the angel said. “I see a flying scroll. Its length seems to be twenty cubits, and its width ten” I answered. 3 Then he said to me, “This scroll is the curse that goes out over the face of all the land. For everyone who steals will be cleaned out according to what is written on one side of the scroll. And everyone who swears falsely will be cleaned out according to what is written on the other side. (The Babylons always crash.). 4 It will enter the house of the thief, and the house of the one who swears falsely. And it will remain in their house and consume it, both timber and stones.”
5 Then the angel said, “Look and see what it is that is going out.” 6 And I said, “What is it?” He said, “This is a basket [an ephah] going out, it is - ayin - an eye - in all the land.” 7 And look! The heavy lid was lifted, and there was a woman sitting in the basket! 8 And he said, “This is Wickedness.” And thrust her back into the basket, and put the leaden weight on its opening. 9 And I looked and saw two women with wind in their wings. They had wings like a stork [chasidah - stork, a bird noted for being very maternal]. They lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. 10 Then I said, “Where are they taking the basket?” 11 He said, “To the land of Shinar (Babylonia) to build a house for it. And when this is prepared, they will set the basket down there on its base.” (Rev.14:4?)
Chapter 6
Again I looked and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze. [No longer at rest as in chapter 1(8-10).] 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second black, 3 the third white, and the fourth had dappled horses—all of them strong. 4 Then I asked, “What are these, my lord?” 5 And the angel answered, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven.. 6 The chariot with the black horses goes to the north (Persia?) the white go after them (Alexander/Greece? Councidence? the gospel went out in Greek) and the dappled ones go toward the south (Rome?) These are restless to march to and fro.. 11 ..Make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua [a ‘type’ of Jesus, as prophecy] the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 And say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD (Yhvh) of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch. For he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. 13 It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne.. 15 “And those who are far off shall come and help build the temple of the Lord. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent this message. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.”
Chapter 7
In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. 2 Now the people of Bethel had sent.. to entreat the favor of the Lord, 3 saying to the priests and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?” 4 Then the word of the LORD [Yhvh] of hosts came to me: 5 “When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years (in Babylonian captivity where Daniel was prophet and had adventures) was it for me that you fasted? 7 Were not these the words the LORD [Yhvh] proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited? - To have honest courts, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10 do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart. 11,12 But they made their hearts stone-hard ..and would not hear the prophets. 13 And I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear.. 14 whirlwind and storm scattered them among distant nations, where they lived as strangers. Their land became desolate, the pleasant land a desert.”
Chapter 8
And the word of Yhvh came, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: With great zeal and fervor I am jealous for Zion.. 3 I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and it shall be called the faithful city, and the holy/sacred mountain of Yhvh of hosts. 4 ..Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. 6 ..Should it not be marvelous to see? 7 ..Behold, I will save my people from the east and from the west, 8 and bring them to live in Jerusalem. I will be their God, and they will be my people in both faithfulness and righteousness [from root tsedeq - rightness, righteousness]. 9 So let your hands be strong (build the temple for my Spirit/Presence - ultimately of course, that’s us!) You hearing the words from these prophets present on the day the foundation of the temple was laid.. there was no safety.. 12 But there will be a sowing of peace. The vine will fruit, the ground will give its produce, and the heavens their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess it.. 13 As you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong. 14 ..As I purposed and didn’t relent.. 15 so now do I purpose to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah, fear not. 16 These are the things that you shall do — Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates/“courts” judgments that are true and make for peace. 17 Do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD. 19 And then the seasons that have been of fasting (mourning) shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Wherefore love truth and peace. 20 ..Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the God of hosts.’ 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat his favor. 23 In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Hebrew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
Chapter 9
The oracle of the word of the Lord ..the Lord has an eye on mankind and on all the tribes of Israel,
Tyre (nations) heaped up silver like dust ..and gold.. But will be stripped ..power on the sea (trade) stricken.. Ashkelon shall see and fear, Gaza too, Ekron (of Philistine, an aggressor) also, its hopes are confounded. The king shall perish from Gaza, Ashkelon uninhabited, a mixed people shall dwell in Ashdod, and will be cut off the pride of Philistia.. taken away the blood from its mouth and abominations from between its teeth and it too will be a remnant for our God, it shall be like a clan in Judah and Ekron like the Jebusites (who became peacefully of the nation). Then I will dwell. guard .. so none march to and fro, no oppressor shall again march over them.. 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you, righteous and saving is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. [And the second tkme on a white horse.] 10 No more chariot from Ephraim, no war horse from Jerusalem. The battle bow shall be cut off, and the LORD will speak peace to the nations, his dominion (kingdom) will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of earth.. 11 Because of the blood oath of the covenant with you I will set free from the waterless pit (desert conditions? dry leaf?) 12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope, today I declare that I will restore to you double. 13 Judah as a bow bent, Ephraim its arrow. Stirred up oh sons, of Zion, against your sons Greece ..like a warrior's sword. 14 Then the LORD will be seen over them, and his arrow will go forth like lightning, the Lord God will sound the trumpet.. with whirlwinds (of/from/to?) the south. 15 The Lord of hosts will protect them, and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones, and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine, and be full like a bowl, drenched like the corners of the altar (Rev.16:13-16, Mt.13:30). 16 For on that day the Lord their God will save them, as the flock of his people, and like the jewels of a crown they will shine upon his land. 17 For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the young women.
