Zechariah 2

CHAPTER 2THEME: Vision of the man with the measuring lineThe vision of this chapter prophesies the rebuilding of the temple and the city of Jerusalem by the remnant of Israel in the days of Zechariah. However, this in no way concludes the prophecy. Zechariahand this is true of all the other prophetslooks forward to the very end times and sees the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple during the Millennium. During this period the desert will blossom as the roseand there is a whole lot of desert to blossom over there! And the Lord Himself will dwell in the city of Jerusalem. Although I don’t like Jerusalem as it is today, when the Lord moves into it, I think both you and I will like it then. (However, we won’t be living there because the New Jerusalem will be the home of the church.) But the earthly Jerusalem will be inhabited and will become the center of this earth.

Keep in mind that the Lord will do thisHe has already said in chapter 1 verse Zec_1:17, “My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.” So you see, everything that was to be done in Zechariah’s day had eternal significance. God has a purpose with IsraelHe is not about to cast her off. Although local circumstances in Zechariah’s day were discouraging and it seemed that God has deserted them, He wanted them to know that not only had He not deserted them, but He has an eternal plan and purpose for them. They could say with us, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Php_1:6).

Zechariah 2:1

VISION OF THE MAN WITH THE MEASURING LINE"I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked." Zechariah sees it with his physical eyes; he is not asleep. “Behold a man with a measuring line.” The appearance of this man reveals that He is the angel of the Lord, the preincarnate Christ, the same one who appeared in the first vision as the rider on the red horse. You may wonder why I say that He is the angel of the Lord when Zechariah simply calls him a man. Well, Zechariah presents Him as a man (ish in Hebrew). In Chapter 6 verse Zec_6:12 Zechariah will say, “Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH.” That is the branch of David, the sprout which is coming from Jesse, the Lord Jesus Christ. To determine the meaning of the “measuring line,” I want to call your attention to other verses of Scripture: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner. And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath” (Jer_31:38-39). When you find God using a measuring line, it simply means that He is getting ready to move again in behalf of that which He is measuring. In the Jeremiah reference He is measuring the city of Jerusalem. The prophet Ezekiel also speaks of measuring. “In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south. And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.

And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel” (Eze_40:2-4). If we read further we would see that this is the vision of the building of the millennial temple in Jerusalem. There is another reference concerning a measuring line: “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months” (Rev_11:1-2). Without going into detail, let me say that this again is the measuring of the millennial temple that is to be built.

Zechariah 2:2

“Whither goest thou?” Zechariah is interested and asks, “Where in the world are you going with that measuring line?” “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth …and what is the length.” He is saying that the city is to be expanded. It did that in Zechariah’s day, and it is certainly doing that now. It spilled over the walls long ago. On every hill around the old city of Jerusalem there is construction going on. I don’t consider the current building program to be a fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy because I believe the fulfillment is yet future. The Jews could be driven out of the land of Israel again without disturbing God’s promise to eventually and finally bring them back to the landfor that is exactly what He intends to do.

Zechariah 2:3

“Run, speak to this young man.” The young man is evidently Zechariah. “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls.” In our day the walls of Jerusalem surround only the older city, the small Arab city. Most of the city is outside the walls, scattered on the surrounding hills. This will also be true when this prophecy is fulfilled in the future. It won’t be needful to have walls because (1) in modern warfare walls afford no protection, and (2) the city will be at peace, which means that the Prince of Peace will be reigning in Jerusalem.

Zechariah 2:5

This certainly is not true in our day. Their help comes from other nations. But God says that in the future He will be a wall of fire around them. This means that God will be their protection. And, my friend, when God protects them, that will be miraculous. Not only will He be their protection, but He Himself will be in their midst. In other words, the shekinah glory will then be back in the templeit did not return to the little temple which the remnant built in the days of Zechariah. But to the harassed little remnant God is promising His protection, He is saying essentially the same thing which he said to Abraham after he had delivered Lot: “…Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Gen_15:1). This means that God will make good all that He had promised them. Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Revelation are the four apocalyptic books in the Bible. They all look to the future when the Kingdom is to be established here upon earth. I would like to quote a rather extensive passage from Ezekiel 43 to show the glory that is coming. It describes the coming of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, into His temple. “Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.” This is the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, coming into the temple. Notice that He is coming from the east, which is the reason the Eastern Gate in the wall of Jerusalem is so prominent even in our day, although it is sealed up. Facing that gate are graves of thousands of Israelites because they believe they will be resurrected when this prophecy is fulfilledand they want to be present when the Messiah comes. “And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house. And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places” (Eze_43:3-7). Notice it says, “I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever.” Forever is a long time, my friend, You see, this is a prophecy that does not find its fulfillment in the days of Ezekiel but looks down through the ages to the Millennium, the time when the Lord Jesus will come and establish His Kingdom here on earth. Now note again what Zechariah has prophesied: “For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.”

Zechariah 2:6

“Ho, ho” is a call to listen. One “ho” would be enough, but when there is a double “ho,” it means that He is giving them something very important, and in this case it is a warning. “Come forth, and flee from the land of the north.” In the following verse we shall see that Babylon is referred to as “the land of the north,” although it is actually situated in an easterly direction from Palestine. It is called the land of the north because invading armies and trading caravans from that land to Jerusalem came around the route called the “fertile crescent” and entered Palestine from the north. “I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD.” Although historical Babylon did fall two years after this prophecy was given, the final fulfillment will be in the last days when God will regather them from their worldwide dispersion.

Zechariah 2:7

This means to get out of Babylon. Why? Because Babylon was going to fall. God was going to bring it down. Let me revert to the two visions about the horns and the carpenters. The first horn is Babylon, and now the carpenter (representing Medo-Persia) is coming, and he is going to tear Babylon down.

But Medo-Persia will become a great power, a horn, and then he will persecute God’s people. So God will move that nation off the scene by bringing in another carpenter, which will be Greece. And Greece will become a proud nation. And under a ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes, who will come out of the divided empire of Alexander the Great, Israel will be severely persecuted. Then God will raise up another carpenter, Rome, and he will cut down the power of Greece. When the Roman Empire becomes a great power, where is the carpenter who will cut it down?

History tells us that the great Roman Empire fell apart, but prophecy tells us that it will come back together again in the last days. Then who will put it down? The Lord Jesus is going to come from heaven. He is the Carpenter of Nazareth, and He is also the man with the measuring rod. He will put down the Antichrist and his kingdom. Then Christ will establish His own Kingdom here upon the earth.

This is the picture given to us in these visions, which makes them of utmost significance.

Zechariah 2:8

“Apple of his eye” is an unusual expression, although it occurs elsewhere in Scripture. In this instance it is the Hebrew babah, meaning “the pupil” or “the gate” (through which light enters). It is an expression which indicates that which is most precious, most easily injured, and most demanding of protection. This is what Israel is to the Lord God.

Zechariah 2:9

“I will shake mine hand upon them"that is, all God needs to do is to shake His hand threatening against the enemies of His people. “And they shall be a spoil to their servants.” Those who served them shall become their masters. Now here is one of the great prophecies of Scripture.

Zechariah 2:10

“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion.” Zion is a hill over in Jerusalem. There are cults that want to appropriate this verse to themselves; so they have moved “Zion” to England or to the United States. Let’s be clear on this: When God speaks of Zion, He is not talking about Illinois or Utah or any place other than Palestine. There is a constant danger of taking these prophecies which were given to Israel and relating them to us by way of interpretation. Certainly we can make application to our own country and to our own lives because great principles are stated here. But when God is talking about geography, He means exactly what He says. “But,” somebody says, “this is a vision.” Granted, but a vision is a vision of reality.

A friend of mine disagreed with my interpretation of the Book of Revelation. He said, “It doesn’t mean that.” I said, “Then you tell me what it means.” “It is a symbol.” “All right, now you tell me what it is a symbol of.” “Oh, it’s just a symbol.” “Don’t you know that a symbol has to be a symbol of something? And it has to make sense. You can’t just pull an explanation out of a hat and say, ‘This is what it means.’ How do you know what it means? It is a symbol of something, and by careful study and comparison with parallel passages, you are to determine what it is. No prophecy is of ‘private interpretation’; it must be tested by the whole Word of God.” Therefore, when God uses a geographical term like Zion, He is talking about Zion in Israel. And notice that He is addressing the “daughter of Zion,” which is the nation Israel. This is a very familiar figure for Israel, and it cannot mean any other people. “Lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.” God means this literally. He intends to come to that geographical spot on the earth called Zion and to a certain group of people who will be there, Israel the daughter of Zion.

Zechariah 2:11

“And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day.” Notice that it is not only Israel, but many nations will be converted to Christ in that day. To be “joined to the LORD” is to be united to Him in faith and spiritual experience. “And the LORD shall inherit Judah.” The conversion of “many nations” does not imply that God will not fulfill His promises to Judah. Zechariah reminds his people again that they are God’s inheritance and His portion. This ought to answer once and for all the anti-Semite who insists that Judah refers to Jews and that Israel refers to another race. God says that He intends to inherit Judah. “His portion in the holy land.” This is the only place in the Bible where the phrase “holy land” is used. It is not the holy land today. When I make this statement publicly, it is generally challenged by somebody who says, “But it is the holy land. That is the place where Jesus walked!” Well, His footprints are all gone. He is not walking there now. However, someday He will return, and when he does, it will be the holy land again. “And shall choose Jerusalem again” implies that He is not choosing Jerusalem right nowand I wouldn’t either! But when He does choose it, it will become the capital of this earth. Remember that no prophecy is of any “private interpretation.” It must parallel other Scriptures. So let me call your attention to a parallel passage in Isaiah: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isa_2:2-3). All of this looks forward to the time of the Millennium.

Zechariah 2:13

In that day the whole earth will keep silence. Today we hear a lot about freedom of speech, but in that future day there is going to be a marvelous freedom of silence. Why? Because God will be in His holy temple. This looks forward to His visible presence on earth during the Millennium. This prospect for the future should have been an encouragement to those people in the day of Zechariah. I’m sure it was. And it ought to be an encouragement for us today. God has a plan and purpose for each one of us. He is working in your life and in my life. He works in our hearts both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Oh, to be in step with Him and to be going in the same direction as He is going!