An Exegetical Study Of Zechariah's Vision
Earthquakes are defined as a sudden and violent shaking of the ground, sometimes causing great destruction, as a result of movements within the earth's crust or volcanic action. Unlike the more prosaic description of this event in Ezra chapter 3, Zechariah tells the story from the perspective of God and the angels, complete with the famous reference to the accuser” (ha-satan in Hebrew) attempting to discredit Joshua and an angel of YHWH defending him, removing his dirty clothes and dressing him in priestly robes and a diadem.
Jerusalem, the city of our God” and The joy of the Whole Earth”, is also called by various prophets of Jahweh, The Harlot” the city of blood”, the Seething cauldron”, Sodom and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified”, and many other dreadful names of shame.
This verse is a confirmation of Isaiah 11:11-12, where he says, "In that day, the Lord will reach out His hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of His people He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth." Notice Isaiah is talking about a second ingathering, the first being the one Zechariah, Haggai, Ezra and Nehemiah were experiencing.
Now, from the study of all of the passages of the old testament and we do not have time to go into that today; it becomes evident that the angel of Jehovah, the angel of Jehovah is our Lord Jesus Christ, who appears in his pre-incarnate days to carry out various ministries on behalf particularly of Israel.
But it seems to me from the statement in verse 6, For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens,” leads us to see while there is of course a local scope to most of the prophetic word that this ultimately goes beyond that to the ultimate dispersion and the ultimate appeal for those of the last days to come out of Babylon which is repeated in the Book of Revelation and the 18th chapter.
In the very midst of that remnant of His oppressed and afflicted people though their eyes may be holden so that they can not see Him afflicted in all their afflictions, is ever Israel s Redeemer, " the Angel of Jehovah," who " encampeth," with an invisible host, round about them that fear Him, to deliver them.
Therefore, the temple to be built by Joshua in this passage is prophetic and relates to a future Temple of Messiah, as confirmed by this description: "It is He who will build the Temple of the Lord, and He will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on His throne.
When asked, the angel was clear in the interpretation of these symbols: "These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalembut the craftsmen on YouTube have come to terrify them and cast out these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people" (Zech.
Now as High Priest, Joshua literally represented the entire nation of Israel, as he stood before the LORD, for the High Priest is the substitute, representative of the people, bearing the twelve tribes on his very chest(Breastplate) and going in and out before the LORD on their behalf.
But the LORD, the Angel of God's presence, before who Joshua stood, acts as an advocate in the defense, when he rebukes Satan, (in the name of the LORD).That is, in the name of the LORD that has chosen Jerusalem, to put his name there forever, he is the one who rebuked Satan.
It's very interesting to me that when the Lord Jesus was here upon the earth when the subject of the second coming came up he said, The day or hour, no man, no angel, not even the Son of Man knows that day.” And here we have the angel of Jehovah in the midst of Israel symbolically crying out, Lord how long?” And so then it is a picture of Israel in degradation, but of God's covenant with them, the covenant man, the Lord Jesus in their midst with all of the power to execute judgment in their behalf and bring them to victory waiting for the time to do so.