Medes and Persians<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThese empires will perish because they have scattered Judah.<\/p>\n
Vision 3: The man with the measuring line to measure the city of Jerusalem. An encouragement about the safety of this city. The man has to stop measuring for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. God is a wall of fire around the city and is a sufficient protection.<\/p>\n
Vision 4: Joshua the high priest in rags before the Lord. An image of the grace of God. Joshua cannot stand in rags before the Lord. Satan accuses him, but is silenced by God. God provides Joshua with appropriate festive attire. It’s a clear message. Only God can adapt us for heaven. In 3:8 reference is made to the Messiah, the Sprout.<\/p>\n
Vision 5: Two Olive Trees feed the oil holder of the 7-armed candlestick. It presents God as a never-ending source of strength (trees), designates the giver of strength (Spirit of God), the people God uses (Joshua and Zerubbabel), and shows His work being completed. The core is in 4:6: Not by power nor by violence, but by My Spirit! saith the LORD of hosts.<\/p>\n
Vision 6: The flying scroll. This is a statement that the sins of Israel are being punished. In the restored community, sin remains a problem to be addressed.<\/p>\n
Vision 7: The Flying Ephah. Basically this vision is the same as vision 6. The opened efa reveals a female, representing wickedness. 2 women, each with wings like a stork, carry the efa away. The image shows both the presence of sin in the community and God’s ability to forgive, to the total removal of sin.<\/p>\n
Vision 8: Four chariots between two copper mountains. This vision emphasizes for carrying out the will of God. The two mountains represent the power of God’s commandments and the chariots the means by which God carries out His plans.<\/p>\n
The other visions are important because they speak of the Messiah to come. He comes as a good shepherd, rejected by His people, sold for thirty pieces of silver. In triumph He rides on a donkey into the city of Jerusalem and who is finally mourned for as if it were an only child.<\/p>\n
In the New Testament, these prophecies are fulfilled by Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n