Chapter five <*><*><*><*><*><*>
In the previous chapters we learned that the religious and civic leaders were admonished and prepared.
Now it is time to admonish the people. They also should be prepared for their task as the people through whom Yahuweh is going to accomplish his goals.
The book of Zecharyah describes events from the end of the exile and through to the coming last days. This period can be tied in with the 70 weeks of Daniel. But also with the time that falls between week 69 and week 70.
Therefore the message to follow has a warning to all the people from the exile to the end and that includes us, in our time.
Verse 1
Then turned and lifted up my eye and looked and behold Megillah flying
The Megillah is usually a long piece of material rolled on two sticks. It can be written on or read from, by unrolling from the one stick and rolling up the other stick. It is commonly translated as: roll, scroll or book.
Verse 2
Then said to me: "what you see?" then said: " I see Megillah flying length twenty in amah and width ten in amah!"
Apparently the Megillah was unrolled and Zecharyah was able to give its measurements.
An amah is the length from a man's elbow to the top of his middle finger. It is often translated as cubit. The length is about 18 inches but for easy of comparison I usually take 50cm that makes 2 amah one meter.
The Megillah was 10 x 5 meters, the size of a large shop window.
Verse 3
Then said to me " this the oath of covenant the one to go out over face all the Earth, because all that steal, from this one accordingly purged and all that take an oath (falsely), from this one accordingly purged"
This Megillah represents the conditions of the covenant and on it is written the consequences or curses of breaking the covenant.
Giving a false testimony is the middle commandment on the first table of the law and stealing is the middle commandment of the second table of the law. By quoting those two, the whole of the commandments are pointed at.
Quoting the first, middle, or last line of something indicates that the whole item is meant.
Therefore, breaking one or all the commandments, results in a purging according to the writing on the Megillah, which most likely is the Torah.
Verse 4
"It shall go out!" declares Yahuweh Tzevaot, " and come upon house the thief and upon house the oath taker in my name in order to be false, and lodge in the midst of his house and make an end to it and to its wood and to its stones!"
By quoting the middle of the law offences all law offences are included.
Now Yahuweh does what he says. However, have you or I up to now, witnessed any lawbreaker who was visited by Yahuweh or His representation? And see his house demolished?
When Yahuweh says He shall do something and it has not happened yet, we can be sure it shall happen at some time or another.
Apparently this vision is about things that shall happen just before and in the millennium kingdom compare Isaiah 3:11; 26:21.
In our present time keeping the Torah will give us blessings and not keeping the torah brings unhappiness, but it is still endured, read Deuteronomy 28.
However, in the millennium kingdom there is no place for law breakers and they and what they have, will have to be eradicated, Isaiah 65:17-25.
Verse 5
And came out the representative the one talking to me and said to me: "Lift now your eyes and see what the going out the thing!'
In English we would say: "look at that thing going out!" Apparently it had not gone out yet but was about to go out.
Verse 6
Then (I) said: "what her?" and (he) said: "that the eyphah the (one) going out!" then said: "This their eyes in all the Earth!"
The eyphah was the largest measuring barrel, big enough to conceal an adult human in those days.
The rather difficult Hebrew expression on the end, might mean that this eyphah is in the eyes of the whole world. In other words it does not only concern Israel but the whole world. The entire world is involved.
Verse 7
Then behold a round lid of lead lifted and this woman alone sitting inside the eyphah.
Verse 8
Then (he) said: "this the evil and (they) threw her on the inside the eyphah then (they) threw a weight, the lead, upon her opening!"
The representative said that this woman was the evil and she was thrown in the midst of the barrel with a lead weight on top so she would not be able to escape.
Women are used in biblical language to convey abstract ideas. A woman represents Israel in Revelations 12:1-6 and a woman represents the false religions in Revelations 17.
With this picture is meant the total wickedness that is about in the world and only the largest barrel can contain it. From the conclusion of the chapter we can conclude that the evil is the false religions and their methods of worship.
Verse 9
Then lifted up my eyes and looked an behold two women came out and wind in their wings and to them wings like wings the stork and they lifted up the eyphah between the Earth and between the Heavens.
The two, woman like, creatures had big wings and they were carried along by the wind under their wings in other words they were gliding.
Verse 10
Then said to the representative, the one speaking to me: "Where they to carry the eyphah?"
Verse 11
Then said to me: "to build her house in land Shinar and be established and set there upon her fixed place!"
The land Shinar or Babylon has from the days of Nimrod onwards, been the cradle of pagan and occult based worship. This is often compared with an adulteress, because it also, is having a relation with another then the lawful partner.
Therefore all the idolatry in the world is called the Babylonian system.
This system has been given a place in this world. Like all systems have been given a place and a time to enable them to prove that they are not harmful, but beneficial to the common wealth.
After their allotted time has been expired, Yahuweh shall have enough evidence to show that the Babylonian system is indeed harmful and not beneficial. We can read in Revelation 17, how this system shall be eradicated.
The picture of the woman in the closed barrel indicates that although the system shall be tolerated in its place, it shall be prevented from spreading beyond the borders set for it. <*><*><*><*><*><*>
The visions of the Megillah and the Eypha were given to Zecharyah because lots of people were asking why Yahuweh allowed the evil to oppose the builders of the Temple, without destroying them. Yahuweh shows here that the evil still has its place within the boundaries set for it but that at the right time it shall be taken care off, which shall be shown in the visions to come.
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