CHAPTER 2

(519 B.C.)

THE MAN WITH THE MEASURING LINE

¹I lifted up my eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. (Three Visions were given to Zechariah in Chapter 1 and concerned Israels outward prosperity. Three more Visions are given in Chapters 2 and 3 and concern Israels inward purity. Nations as well as individuals must be cleansed from their sins and endowed with a new moral nature or else prosperity will be a hindrance instead of a help to them. Beautifying a pump will not purify the foul water that is in the well.

I lifted up my eyes again, and looked, concerns the fourth Vision that is about to be given to the Prophet. And behold a man with a measuring line in his hand, does not portray Christ, as some have claimed, but instead one of the Angels riding the spirit horses spoken of in Chapter 1.

The measuring is meant to portray the future Jerusalem as it shall be under the Messiah in the coming Kingdom Age, when He will rule in Splendor and Glory. The measuring is meant to encourage the small remnant in Jerusalem, as they observe the present ruined city, by pointing to the future and, thereby, exclaiming what that day will bring forth.)

²Then said I, Whither goest you? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. (The measuring of Jerusalem, concerning its breadth and length, more so concerns its purity and prosperity than its actual size. As well, that particular measurement, because it is of Christ, knows no breadth and length, because Christ is inexhaustible, as the next Verses proclaim. This will all take place in the coming Kingdom Age.)

³And, behold, the Angel who talked with me went forth, and another Angel went out to meet him (now another Angel joins the first one, who was proceeding toward the measuring),

JERUSALEM UNDER THE MESSIAH

⁴And 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 (Towns without walls, as stated, speaks of the coming Kingdom Age and the fact that Jerusalem will then be at peace and will not need any protection such as walls. In fact, at that coming day, that will be the first peace that Jerusalem will have seen, at least for any period of time):

⁵For I, says the LORD, will be unto her a Wall of fire round about, and will be the Glory in the midst of her. (The ancient Arabs built watch-fires for protection around their camps, but the Messiah will be a Wall of fire to Jerusalem and a Canopy of Glory in the midst of her.)

ISRAEL REGATHERED

⁶Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, says the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, says the LORD. (The first phrase speaks of the millions of Jews scattered all over the world, who will, in the coming Kingdom Age, all come to Judah and Jerusalem. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, says the LORD, concerns their scattering being carried out by the Lord, and done so many centuries ago, because of their rebellion.)

⁷Deliver yourself, O Zion, who dwells with the daughter of Babylon. (This was partially fulfilled with the return of the Exiles to the Holy Land, which was carried out immediately after the dispersion. However, its plenary fulfillment awaits the coming day when Israel will be delivered from spiritual Babylon [Rev., Chpt. 17].)

⁸For thus says the LORD of Hosts; After the glory has he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he who touches you touches the apple of His Eye. (The nations which spoiled Israel did so under the guidance of the Lord, even though they were not aware of such. As well, and as stated here, Dan., Chpt. 10, proclaims the Lord sending Angels, even Michael and Gabriel, into the Medo-Persian Empire to ultimately bring about its downfall and to usher in the Grecian Empire. In other words, the Lords Hand was in all of these proceedings, ever what they might have been, and we speak of the proceedings which involved Israel.

The phrase, For he who touches you touches the apple of His Eye, speaks of Gods Eye. It is meant to portray Gods constant Love for His People [Gen. 12:3].)

⁹For, behold, I will shake My Hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and you shall know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me. (For, behold, I will shake My Hand upon them, for instance, was amply illustrated by the handwriting on the wall, which overthrew the mighty Chaldean Empire, making it possible for Israel to come back to the Holy Land [Dan. 5:5-6]. And they [Israel] shall be a spoil to their servants, implies that the roles will ultimately be reversed. In other words, Israel will one day be the dominant nation of the world and will, in turn, rule the Gentiles, with the Gentiles then being servants. That will be in the coming Kingdom Age.

And you shall know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me, refers to the Deity and Humanity of the Messiah asserted here, Who will bring all of this to pass. For He is the Sender in the one case and the Sent in the other.

This overthrow of ancient Babylon and Restoration of Zion but feebly pictures the future Deliverance of Jerusalem. For, in that day, whole nations will be converted to God and shall become one with Israel, with all loving and serving the Saviour. But the special Promises of Supremacy and Priesthood to Israel will be fulfilled, for Zion shall be the Lords Throne, with Judah as His Portion and Israel as His Land.)

MESSIAH REIGNING IN ZION

¹⁰Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you, says the LORD. (The first phrase speaks of the coming Kingdom Age, when Israel will have accepted Christ, not only as her Saviour but also as her Messiah. For, lo, I come, speaks of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The last phrase pertains to Christ, upon His Second Coming, dwelling in Jerusalem, actually in the Holy Temple [Ezek. 43:7; 48:35; Dan. 7:13-14; Zech., Chpt. 14; Lk. 1:32-33; Rev. 11:1-5; 20:1-10].)

ALL NATIONS CONVERTED

¹¹And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be My People: and I will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me unto you. (The first phrase refers to the many Gentile nations which will accept the Lord as Saviour at the outset of the Kingdom Age. They will be looked at as Gods People, exactly as Israel. However, this doesnt necessarily mean that every person in these nations will accept the Lord, for some wont. They will, however, be forced to serve the Lord, whether they accept Him or not!

The last phrase, You shall know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me unto you, refers to the fact that Israel, at the Second Coming, will then know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the Christ they crucified was, and is, their Messiah [13:6].)

¹²And the LORD shall inherit Judah His Portion in the Holy Land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. (The first phrase actually includes the entirety of the Thirteen Tribes, as is evident in Ezek., Chpt. 48.

And shall choose Jerusalem again, actually speaks of Jerusalem being chosen the first time as the capital of Israel and the site of the Temple; however, at the First Advent of Christ, Jerusalem, which included the Jewish religious leadership, rejected Christ and crucified Him. At that time, the Lord forsook Jerusalem, because Jerusalem had forsaken Him. As a result, it was totally destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70.

At the Second Coming, the Lord shall choose Jerusalem again.)

¹³Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for He is raised up out of His Holy Habitation. (During this present period of His Indignation against Israel, which has lasted now for about 2,000 years, the Lord is silent. The mouths of the nations have been, and are, filled with proud boasting. But the day is coming when He will come forth from His present Retirement, hence, raised up out of His Holy Habitation, and will come back to this Earth to claim His Own.)