Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘The fast of the fourth month, The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.’ Zechariah 8:18-19

God is revealing and acknowledging, that these fasts , which are literal and historic, are coming to full completion, that God is going restore Israel and Jerusalem

Fast of 4th Month- Breaching of Jerusalem’s walls (2 King 25:3-4)

Fast of 5th Month- Destruction of The Temple (2 Kings 25:8-9)

Fast of 7th Month- assasination of Gedaliah (2 Kings 25:25)

Fast of 10th Month- Beginning of Nebuchadnezzar’s siege (2 Kings 25:1)

These fasting of mourning have been turned into joy because of Gods great promise and restoration, this should give us all hope, as this is also pointing to the Millennial Reign of Christ (Revelation 20)

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Peoples shall yet come, Inhabitants of many cities; The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “Let us continue to go and pray before the LORD, And seek the LORD of hosts. I myself will go also.” Zechariah 8:20-21

Not only will Jerusalem be restored for Israel, but for the entire world. “People shall yet come” this is not just reference to the Jewish people, but for the Gentiles also. Everyone will come to Jerusalem to seek The Lord Jesus Christ! This was also foretold by the prophet Isaiah:

In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. / And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:2-3

Yes, many peoples and strong nations Shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, And to pray before the LORD.’ “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” ’ ” Zechariah 8:22-23

Many people, including strong nations shall come to seek Jesus Christ, the King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords (Phillipians 2) People from every language (all nations) Let us Go with you! God is with You!

This is not just a prophecy for the Jewish people, but for the entire world, this is the New Covenant instituted by Christ (Luke 22) this is the Millennial Reign of Christ, Jesus is sitting on the throne in Jerusalem and will rule with a rod of iron, Amen!

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east And from the land of the west; I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.’ Zechariah 8:7-8

Wow, what a prophetic message for today! While this scattering and gathering of Israel has historically happened before, as the prophet Zechariah is calling the Jews back to rebuild the Temple of God, this is also a future message, as God is not done with Israel yet! (Romans 9-11)

Notice God promises to “save My people” this is a promise of divine protection, while Israel has been punished for its past sins and disobedience, God has not cast them away yet! The Lord will gather His elect and destroy His enemies at the final battle of Armegeddon, is the stage set for our time period?

And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. Revelation 16:16

“I (God) will save My People (Israel) from the land of the east and the land of the west, I will bring them (Jews) back” While the gathering has been fulfilled in some sense, the final gathering has not been completed yet!,  When have the Jews been dispersed across the entire world? The prophetic gathering has begun in 1948 , when Israel once again became a nation in one day (Isaiah 66:8) 

They (Israel) shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, God is bringing back His remnant of Jews to Israel, specifically Jerusalem, the same place our Lord and Savior will physically return to save Israel (Zechariah 12-14)

And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. Zechariah 14:4

You say , “this is all coincidence, the world just happens to hate and want to destroy Israel, there are no such thing as coincidences, the prophecy and will of God will be done, regardless if you believe it or not. As Jesus said to Satan in the wilderness “It Is Written, It Is Written, It Is Written! (Matthew 4)

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Let your hands be strong, You who have been hearing in these days These words by the mouth of the prophets, Who spoke in the day the foundation was laid For the house of the LORD of hosts, That the temple might be built. For before these days There were no wages for man nor any hire for beast; There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in; For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.Zechariah 8:9-10

Once again God is calling back His remnant, to listen to the words of the prophets, including Zechariah and Daniel, to come back to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. While the Temple as rebuilt a second time, it was utterly rejected by Christ 

And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” Matthew 21:13

Israel will need to learn the one they crucified is The Lord, He is the Living Temple of God, Christ is the ultimate sacrifice of sin (John 1:39) our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16) The Word that became Flesh (John 1:14) Once the spiritual blindness to Israel is removed, they will understand and receive him as Lord and King

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. Zechariah 12:10

For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Romans 11:25

But after the spiritual blindness is removed, they will understand Jesus Christ is the true Temple, the Messiah, our Lord and God, Amen!

Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” John 2:19

Now in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev, when the people sent Sherezer, with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God, to pray before the LORD, and to ask the priests who were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?” Zechariah 7:1-3

All throughout history false religion has been practiced , especially in Israel. Here is just another prime example of Israel just “going through the motions” doing religious practices, not from the heart, but as some magical formula that would gain Gods favor

The names of the men , Sherezer and Regem-Melech, are representations of Israel’s idolatry with Babylon from the exile. These are not Jewish names but Babylonian. They basically are asking the prophet Zechariah, “should we bother doing these fasts like we have done so many years”? They were just going to weep and fast as a religious practice and not worship God in Spirit and Truth. (John 4:24)

One thing God hates is false religion, false worship,  religious practices over obedience, as seen throughout the history of Israel

Although they may fast, I will not listen to their cry; although they may offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will finish them off by sword and famine and plague.” Jeremiah 14:12 

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6

Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me? When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? Should you not have obeyed the words which the LORD proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?’ ” Zechariah 7:4-7

God responded with the question “When you fasted and mourned, did you really fast for Me?” This is the root of the problem, why were they fasting and mourning? Because they wanted to be seen? Because it was a religious practice and requirement? God is not impressed and doesn’t want anyone’s false offering

“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. Isaiah 1:11

Lets turn our focus on the Church for a moment, recently we just had “Ash Wednesday” where millions of Christians marked their foreheads and then posted selfies of themselves all over the Internet, including celebrities. What was the root of this practice? Was it to bring attention and glory to God or themselves? This was the same idolatry Israel fell into. Look at the words of our Lord who refuted this practice

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. Matthew 6:16

Disfiguring your face with ashes, was exactly the opposite thing God told you do! So why do millions of people do it? For religious practices, for self glorification, because they think its a magical formula to gain God’s favor. This is exactly what Israel was doing!

I will end with the words of The Lord Jesus about false religion

He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ Mark 7:6-7

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: “Receive the gift from the captives—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon—and go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. Zechariah 6:9-10

Once again, we see the prophet Zechariah receiving a direct revelation from God  “The word of The Lord came to me” and we see the remnant of Israel coming together to rebuild the Temple “Receive the gifts from the captives” This was fulfilled prophecy, however what is about to come next should open the eyes of the world!

Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Zechariah 6:11

God instructs Zechariah to make an “elaborate crown” of silver and gold, which obviously emphasizes the importance and royalty of this person. However the odd thing is the request is  “set it on the head of Joshua, the High Priest” Now a High priest never wears a crown. 

As mentioned previously, its no coincidence God chose Joshua at this present time, the same name of the Son of God Jesus/Yeshua/Joshua. The fact that God instructed to put an elaborate crown on Joshua was a foreshadow of Christ , the name of the Messiah is revealed!

Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the LORD; Zechariah 6:12

Now if you need more evidence, just look at what God says here “Thus says The Lord of Hosts, saying , Behold , the Man who name is the Branch!”  Anyone who is familiar with the Messianic prophecies understands the title of The Branch points to the Messiah (Christ) not the high priest

Here are some examples of other prophets pointing the Messiah to the title of Branch

Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. Isaiah 11:1

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. Jeremiah 23:5

 Notice the prophet Jeremiah not only references the Messiah as the Branch, but also as a King!

Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’ Zechariah 6:13

It’s amazing how the Word of God is eternal, because as we know the fulfilment of the second temple was complete, but the Messiah wasn’t here yet for its completion, so this prophecy must have deeper meaning! Many will point to this prophecy as a future temple built during the Millennial reign of Christ, and that could be true. I believe this is point to a greater temple, the resurrection of The Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ by His words below

Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” John 2:19

Christ refers to himself, his physical body as the Temple that will be raised on the 3rd day, I believe this prophecy is pointing to the resurrected Messiah!

“Now the elaborate crown shall be for a memorial in the temple of the LORD for Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the LORD. Then you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.” Zechariah 6:14-15

Now as we know “the elaborate crown” points to Christ, we see a memorial of The Lord. Now as Born Again Christians this should resonate in your spirit, The memorial is The Lord’s Supper, the death of our Lord for our sins which the Messiah came to save us (Isaiah 53)

I know many will not agree with this interpretation, but I can’t deny all the shadows, the crown, the temple, the title all pointing to Christ! As our Lord said “Do this in remembrance of me”!

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19

Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. Zechariah 6:1

Once again we see the expression “raised my eyes” which means Zechariah is receiving a prophetic message from God. Now the first clear thing here is the parallel to the 4 horsemen in Revelation, (reference Revelation 6:1-8) This vision is clearly about the 4 horsemen, the 4 spirits from God that are bringing judgement upon Israel until the Millennial Kingdom is setup with Christ 

And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. Revelation 6:2

Another symbol to point out there is the 2 bronze mountains, bronze is symbolic of judgement in the Bible, and the two mountains are most likely Mt, Zion and the Mt, of Olives, where Christ will return 

And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. Zechariah 14:4

With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses, with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses—strong steeds. Zecharian 6:2-3

The color of the horses is revealed, again similar to Revelation 6:1-8, Red is typically symbolic of blood/war/judgement. 

4Then another horse went forth. It was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take away peace from the earth and to make men slay one another. And he was given a great sword. Revelation 6:4

The black horse is symbolic of death/famine.

Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales. 6And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius,a and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine. Revelation 6:5-6

 Now the good news is white is typically symbolic of peace and victory, where in Revelation 6 we see the white robes of the martyred saints.

11Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed. Revelation 6:11

Probably the most mysterious of the symbols is the dappled horses, which appear to be a blend/mixture of many things. This could represent a combination of judgement, such as war and famine, or it could be symbolic of the gifts of the Holy Spirit among Gods messengers. Its a strong force that will bring victory to Christ’s Kingdom

Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel answered and said to me, “These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth. Zechariah 6:4-5

Once again Zechariah asked the question , “What are these”? And  messenger explains them for us, “These are four spirits of Heaven” So the Four Horseman , these 4 Spirits are sent by God to fulfill his Will and purpose

The one with the black horses is going to the north country, the white are going after them, and the dappled are going toward the south country.” Then the strong steeds went out, eager to go, that they might walk to and fro throughout the earth. And He said, “Go, walk to and fro throughout the earth.” So they walked to and fro throughout the earth. Zechariah 6:6-7

God’s judgement will be to the entire world, “throughout the Earth” However remember a few things, God is in complete control (Psalm 46:10) and we have Victory in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57)

And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, “See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My Spirit in the north country.” Zechariah 6:8

This is such a beautiful way to end this vision, despite all the judgement and turmoil, Gods Spirit is still at rest, we can have true Rest and peace in Christ, because Christ has already overcome the world (John 16:33)

Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to me, “Lift your eyes now, and see what this is that goes forth.” So I asked, “What is it?” And he said, “It is a basket that is going forth.” He also said, “This is their resemblance throughout the earth: Zechariah 5:5-6

The prophet Zechariah is once again getting another vision delivered an angel (messanger) notice the phrase once again “Life your eyes now” , I noted in the last section, God will use this phrase to call attention to what he is about to reveal

This vision God is showing Zechariah a basket, the nice part of this section is the angel deciphers the message for the prophet. The basket is symbolic of their (Israel’s) resemblance (sin) throughout the Earth

Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket”; then he said, “This is Wickedness!” And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth. Zechariah 5:7-8

The woman is symbolic of the “whore of Babylon” (Revelation 17:5) This is the false religious system that has corrupted Gods people and led them astray.  As the angel confirms “This is Wickedness”!

And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Revelation 17:5

Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. Zechariah 5:9

First notice once again, Zechariah “raised my eyes and looked up” this symbolizes a divine message is being given by God. The vision of the two women is actually an unusual symbol not seen really in scripture except for Revelation. The noted symbol is the stork, which is considered an unclean animal, therefor this is not a blessing sent from God but judgment

Remember the basket was symbolic of the sin of Gods people, therefor these two women are agents of Gods wrath being poured upon Israel

But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. Revelation 12:14

So I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they carrying the basket?”And he said to me, “To build a house for it in the land of Shinar; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base.” Zechariah 5:10-11

Another key clue here is the “land of Shinar” this was another name for Babylon. (Genesis 10:10) This point to the final evil empire of Babylon, which is part of the Anit-Christ and the false religious system that will persecute and kill Christians. 

And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Genesis 10:10

This Empire will bring judgement upon the world, this is pointing to the return of Christ, when He destroys this evil empire forever and the Millenial Kingdom is set here on Earth

And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast. Revelation 18:2