In the book of Zechariah we see that Christ is everything to us for the recovery of the building of God’s house, the temple of God.
To understand the things spoken of by Haggai the prophet is not that difficult – his message was pretty much straightforward, encouraging and warning God’s people to continue to rebuild God’s temple.
But for us to understand the visions of Christ in the book of Zechariah we need to have a spirit of wisdom and revelation. We need the heavenly vision to see the things concerning Christ related to the recovery of the building of the temple of God (see Zech. 6:12-13).
The book of Zechariah needs not only our reading and mental understanding, but much more our prayer, so that we may see the heavenly things, the spiritual significance of the visions he had.
In Zechariah we see how Christ is everything for the recovery of the building of God’s house – and this Christ is the mystery of God. We need to see this Christ, be captured by Him, be filled and saturated with Him, so that the temple of God may be built up among us on earth today!
Lord, enlighten the eyes of our heart and grant us a seeing of the heavenly vision in Zechariah. How we need a spirit of wisdom and revelation to see, apprehend, and understand the spiritual significance of the visions Zechariah saw concerning Christ. Lord, open our eyes, remove any veils from us, and cause us to see Christ and be filled with Christ for the building of God’s temple!
A Man Riding on a Red Horse and Standing Among the Myrtle Trees
In Zechariah 1:7-17 we see a vision of a man riding on a red horse and standing among the myrtle trees in the valley. The myrtle trees are precious yet they are low, humble, and they are located in the valleys, in the lowest places.
The man riding on the red horse is the Angel of Jehovah – Christ in His humanity (Zech. 1:11 – as seen in Exo. 3:2a, 4-6, 13-15; 23:20; 32:34). The Man Jesus is the Christ of God, the Angel of Jehovah, even Jehovah Himself.
Here we see that even though the people of Israel returned from their captivity, they were discouraged, suppressed, oppressed, and depressed, and they ceased to build the temple of God. They are likened to the myrtle trees in the bottom of bottoms, in a low condition. But among them there was a Man riding on a red horse, Christ as the Son of Man coming to where they are and standing with them.
Christ carried out His redemption through His shed blood (the red horse) in a swift way. While on earth the Lord Jesus set His face like a flint to go to Jerusalem and fulfill the prophecy in the Old Testament and be the sacrificial Lamb for the entire mankind.
Christ Purchased us For God and Made Us God’s Personal Possession
Praise the Lord for the blood of Christ! In ourselves we have no merits, and our status or achievements mean nothing to God. We were in a low condition, in a lowest state, disappointed and discouraged, but the redeeming Christ who shed His blood for us came to where we are and He stood with us!
In Christ we have redemption (Eph. 1:7), and we were purchased back to God to become God’s personal possession through His redemption. With the price of Christ’s shed blood we became God’s treasure, very precious to God.
Yes, we were in a low condition, and yes, from time to time we may be discouraged or distressed, but wherever we are, Christ as the Son of Man comes in His redemption to apply the blood, cleanse us, and bring us back to God as His possession and treasure!
He intercedes for us and He intercedes for those in captivity, and God answers His prayer, saying, “I return to Jerusalem with compassions; My house will be built in it, declares Jehovah of hosts” (Zech. 1:12, 18).
As He redeems us, we become reddish-brown horses following Him (because of our mixed nature) and eventually we become white horses (those redeemed and justified by God).
God comes to us in Christ as the Son of Man to console us and comfort us with the view that His house would be built so that God may dwell in man and man in God.
A Man with a Measuring Line in His Hand
In Zechariah 2:1-13 we see a vision of a man with a measuring line in His hand – this man is Christ in His humanity as the Angel of Jehovah (see Zech. 1:1, 2). To measure means to possess – Christ comes to measure the city of Jerusalem so that God may repossess it after the 70 years of Israel’s captivity.
Christ comes to us to measure us so that He may repossess us – He measures our living, our speaking, our thinking, our behavior, our attitude, our relationships, our family life, our church life, our personal life, our likes and dislikes, and everything about us.
Christ wants to measure us so that He may possess us fully for Himself. He is concerned for our situation, and He comes to see what our condition is so that He may bring us back to Himself and recover us fully for the rebuilding of His house.
Even though He purchased us and redeemed us, we still “get lost” and go away from Him; but Christ comes to us in His humanity to measure us that He may repossess us for His building. Christ is really everything to us for the recovery of the building of God’s house, His temple!
Lord Jesus, we love You! Thank You for coming to us wherever we are, in our lowest situation and condition, so that You may stand with us. Lord, we love Your visitation and gentle shepherding. We have no merit in ourselves, Lord, and we cannot count anything we do as being a justification before You. Lord, cover us with Your precious blood. We stand on Your blood. Recover us fully to Yourself that we may build Your house, Your temple. Measure us, Lord, until we fully belong to You as Your personal possession, Your treasure!
References and Further Reading
- Sharing inspired from brother James Lee’s speaking in this message and portions in, Life-study of Zechariah (msgs. 1-2), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on Crystallization-Study of Daniel and Zechariah, week 7 (entitled, Christ as Everything for the Building of the Temple of God).
- Buy this morning revival book online via Living Stream Ministry.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Propitiation made by the blood, / Jesus’ redemption bought us for God! / No condemnation, justification! / We have peace toward God!
# I need the cleansing fountain, / Where I can always flee: / The blood of Christ most precious, / The sinner’s perfect plea.
# Art thou sunk in depths of sorrow / Where no arm can reach so low? / There is One whose arms almighty / Reach beyond thy deepest woe. - Pictures credit: Eph. 1:7 and wild horses (via google search).
In [chapter 2] Zechariah saw a vision of a man with a measuring line in His hand. “I lifted up my eyes and I looked, and there was a man, and in His hand was a measuring line. And I said, Where are you going? And He said to me, To measure Jerusalem; to see how great its breadth is and how great its length is” (vv. 1-2)….This man is Christ in His humanity as the Angel of Jehovah, the One speaking with Zechariah (vv. 1a, 2-3a; cf. Ezek. 40:3; Zech. 1:9-11)….The man with the measuring line intended to measure Jerusalem for the purpose that Jehovah may repossess it (Zech. 2:2, 4b). Jerusalem was given up by God for the seventy years of captivity. After the captivity, God came back to Jerusalem to measure it for His possession. (Life-study of Zechariah, pp. 9-10, 13-14)
Zech 1:8 …behold, a man was riding upon a red horse & He was standing among t myrtle trees that wer n t bottoms…
16 …says Jehovah, I will return 2 Jerusalem wit compassions; My house will b built n it…
Zechariah ws given visions so t humiliated children of Israel held captive(myrtle trees n t bottoms) would b strengthened 4 t rebuilding work by t 4telling of its success. T man/angle(v 11) s also Christ mentioned n Exo 23:20; 33:34 who escorted & protected Israel on t journey from Egypt 2 t promised land.
PTL, we hv a vision now given all over t Bible & Christ who intercedes s grace 2 us & everything including the good land 4 our possession. What a hope s this!
Amen 🙂
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amen anf amen!