Biblical Concept: Angels in Zechariah

Findings:

Via Divine visions, an angel personally instructs Zechariah. (A unique human experience.)

Zechariah 1:7-19 reveals the concealed actions of angels among nations. (Other places too: 6:4-8 for example.) (This world is subject to angels, Hebrews 2:5.)

Angels patrol the earth. Patrol and horses suggest strength of purpose. (This world is subject to angels, Hebrews 2:5. And see Revelation 12:9-10 below.) (Humans live in an angelic war zone.) (Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.) (1 Peter 5:8-9 ⁸ Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.)

Jerusalem is a center of spiritual focus (42x in Zechariah). Since the Hebrews usurped the Jebusites--under Manifest Destiny--Jerusalem has been a center of spiritual focus: Angel against angel, Hebrew against Gentile, Hebrew against Arab, Hebrew against Islam. (Angels recognize the importance of Jerusalem in the Angelic Conflict.) (Revelation 20:7-10 ⁷ And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, ⁸ and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. ⁹ And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰ And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.)

Nations feel at ease after persecuting Jerusalem. (The Angel of the Lord protests.)

Nations, horns, craftsmen: Understand that there are unique forces at work on planet earth. (Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.) (1 Peter 5:8-9 ⁸ Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.)

Satan accuses the high priest. (Revelation 12:9-10 ⁹ And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. ¹⁰ And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night.) (Underline is mine.)

"Do you not know what these are?" an angel said to Zechariah. (Having read the Zechariah 4 contexts, seems a little snarky from my limited human perspective?)

________

(Underlines are mine)

Zechariah 1:7-19 ⁷ On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, as follows: ⁸ I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel, and white horses behind him. ⁹ Then I said, "My lord, what are these?" And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, "I will show you what these are." ¹⁰ And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, "These are those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth." ¹¹ So they answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, "We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is peaceful and quiet." ¹² Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, "O LORD of hosts, how long wilt Thou have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which Thou hast been indignant these seventy years?" ¹³ And the LORD answered the angel who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words. ¹⁴ So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, "Proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. ¹⁵ "But I am very angry with the nations who are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster." ¹⁶ 'Therefore, thus says the LORD, "I will return to Jerusalem with compassion; My house will be built in it," declares the LORD of hosts, "and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem."' ¹⁷ "Again, proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem." '" ¹⁸ Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there were four horns. ¹⁹ So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, "What are these?" And he answered me, "These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem." ²⁰ Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen. 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 terrify them, to throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it."

Zechariah 2:1-3 ¹ Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. ² So I said, "Where are you going?" And he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is." ³ And behold, the angel who was speaking with me was going out, and another angel was coming out to meet him,

Zechariah 3:1-6 ¹ Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. ² And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" ³ Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. ⁴ And he spoke and said to those who were standing before him saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him." Again he said to him, "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes." ⁵ Then I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by. ⁶ And the angel of the LORD admonished Joshua saying, ⁷ "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'If you will walk in My ways, and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here. ⁸ 'Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you-- indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch. ⁹ 'For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. ¹⁰ 'In that day,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.'"

Zechariah 4:1-14 ¹ Then the angel who was speaking with me returned, and roused me as a man who is awakened from his sleep. ² And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it; ³ also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side." ⁴ Then I answered and said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, "What are these, my lord?" ⁵ So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." ⁶ Then he answered and said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. ⁷ 'What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'" ⁸ Also the word of the LORD came to me saying, ⁹ "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. ¹⁰ "For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel-- these are the eyes of the LORD which range to and fro throughout the earth." ¹¹ Then I answered and said to him, "What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?" ¹² And I answered the second time and said to him, "What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?" ¹³ So he answered me saying, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." ¹⁴ Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones, who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth."

Zechariah 5:5-11 ⁵ Then the angel who was speaking with me went out, and said to me, "Lift up now your eyes, and see what this is, going forth." ⁶ And I said, "What is it?" And he said, "This is the ephah going forth." Again he said, "This is their appearance in all the land ⁷ (and behold, a lead cover was lifted up); and this is a woman sitting inside the ephah." ⁸ Then he said, "This is Wickedness!" And he threw her down into the middle of the ephah and cast the lead weight on its opening. ⁹ Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and there two women were coming out with the wind in their wings; and they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens. ¹⁰ And I said to the angel who was speaking with me, "Where are they taking the ephah?" ¹¹ Then he said to me, "To build a temple for her in the land of Shinar; and when it is prepared, she will be set there on her own pedestal."

Zechariah 6:4-8 ⁴ Then I spoke and said to the angel who was speaking with me, "What are these, my lord?" ⁵ And the angel answered and said to me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth after standing before the Lord of all the earth, ⁶ with one of which the black horses are going forth to the north country; and the white ones go forth after them, while the dappled ones go forth to the south country. ⁷ "When the strong ones went out, they were eager to go to patrol the earth." And He said, "Go, patrol the earth." So they patrolled the earth. ⁸ Then He cried out to me and spoke to me saying, "See, those who are going to the land of the north have appeased My wrath in the land of the north."

Zechariah 12:8 ⁸ "In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them.

A-Z