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Scripture Reading: Zech. 1—8
In this chapter we come to another wonderful book of the recovery, Zechariah. I cannot tell you how much I love this book. Years ago it was a closed book to me, but later, due to the recovery of the local churches, it was opened. The whole book has become transparent, from the first page to the last. Of course, we do not have the time to cover it entirely, but no other book of the Old Testament tells us so much about Christ as this one. Even Isaiah cannot compare with Zechariah. Isaiah has sixty-six chapters, and Zechariah has only fourteen, yet Zechariah tells us more concerning Christ than Isaiah.
The fourteen chapters of Zechariah are divided into two sections: the first eight chapters are one section, and the last six are another. In the first section there are eight visions, in which the prophet Zechariah saw the things of Christ related to the recovery of God’s building; in the last section Zechariah prophesies about Christ in the future, after the recovery of the temple.
Before we go on to Zechariah, we need to see something more regarding Haggai. In the book of Haggai there is not much mentioned about Christ. Haggai came into the situation while the hands of the governor, the high priest, and the people were weakened by the opposition of the adversaries. They had turned from building the temple to caring for their own houses and interests. Haggai came to rebuke and strengthen them. The Spirit of God again stirred up the spirit of the governor, the spirit of the high priest, and the spirit of the remnant of the people (1:14). Three times this verse mentions the stirring up of the human spirit. The Lord also reminded them that since the day He brought them out of Egypt, His Spirit had never left them (2:5). Their spirit had to be stirred up.
Here we see that the recovery of God’s building is something in our human spirit and the Lord’s divine Spirit. Our human spirit must be stirred up by His divine Spirit. It is not a matter of the mind or emotion but a matter of His Spirit in our spirit.
Haggai also points out that if the recovery of the building of the Lord’s house is prevailing, Christ will come. Christ was prophesied in Haggai as the Desire of all the nations. “I will shake all the nations, and the Desire of all the nations will come; and I will fill this house with glory, says Jehovah of hosts” (2:7). Christ, the Desire of all the nations will come. Have you realized that all the nations have a kind of desire? Deep within all human beings there is a desire for peace, rest, and satisfaction. But is there any peace, rest, or satisfaction? We are all aware of today’s situations with riots, wars, and tensions. There is no peace, no rest, and no satisfaction. But we know who is the peace, the rest, the safety, the security, and the satisfaction. It is Christ, the Desire of all the nations. Although the world in a sense is opposing Christ, yet Christ is their Desire. But how can Christ come as the Desire of all the nations? It is only by the recovery of the building of the house of God. The recovery of the local churches has very much to do with the coming of Christ as the Desire of all the nations.
Let us look at the situation again. Due to the degradation of God’s people, they were carried away from the land of Canaan to Syria and Egypt, with the majority going to Babylon. Suppose no one had returned from these three places of captivity to Jerusalem in the good land. How could Christ have come the first time? It was plainly prophesied that Christ, the Messiah, would be born in Bethlehem and of the people of God. Yet all the people of God had been carried away, and if none returned, how could Christ be born of the people of Israel at Bethlehem? There would be no possibility. So we see the importance of the return of the captivity, not only for the building up of the temple but even more for the coming of the Desire of all the nations.
Today many dear Christians love the Lord and are so much for the Lord’s work. Yet they still argue with us, saying, “Why must we all go back to the local church? Don’t you realize that we are doing a good work for the Lord?” But we must look at the situation. They may do much good work for the Lord in Babylon, but it is impossible for them to bring the Lord back. It is not possible for the Lord to come back as the Desire of all the nations in the place of captivity. For His return, some of His people must return to the original ground. I do believe it will be the local churches that will bring Christ back. Regardless of how much they work for God in Babylon, they can never bring Christ back to the earth. It is so clear in Haggai that the recovery of the building up of God’s house has much to do with Christ’s coming as the Desire of all the nations. We know that He did come, not to those who remained in Babylon but to those who returned to the land of Israel.
Haggai mentions nothing further about Christ. But in the Bible there is always the principle of testimony. There was not just one prophet sent to the people of recovery, but two. Two is the number of testimony. The Lord sent not only Haggai but also Zechariah. It is rather difficult for us to discover from what kind of family Haggai came. But Zechariah tells us clearly that he came from a priest’s family; so he was a priest-prophet. His prophecy was based upon his priesthood. He spoke very much concerning Christ because his ministry sprang from the priesthood. Today in the Lord’s recovery we need the prophets such as Haggai to strengthen us, warn us, and stir us, but we need prophets such as Zechariah even more. Haggai has two chapters, while Zechariah with fourteen chapters is seven times greater. We do not need much of Haggai’s ministry, but we do need much ministry from Zechariah. This is because Zechariah’s ministry is the ministry of the priesthood.
Today so many people assume the prophethood, but they do not have the priesthood. In 1960 a Pentecostal movement began on the West Coast, which was quite prevailing for three or four years. That movement has quieted down now due to a prophecy that was never fulfilled. In 1963 some in that movement prophesied that there would be a huge earthquake in Los Angeles in 1964, but nothing happened. I told the brothers not to be bothered by those kinds of movements. Sooner or later, they will be terminated by their prophecies. They prophesied, but there was no fulfillment. Today in the recovery of the local church, we do not need that kind of prophet. We need the priest-prophet. We need the prophets who are the real priests, who have living contact with the Lord and who know something of Christ. Read the book of Zechariah again and again, and you will see that he did not predict anything but Christ. All he spoke about was Christ, because he was a priest contacting the Lord all the time. We need Haggai, but we need Zechariah more. We need Haggai one time, but Zechariah seven times.
Everyone understands the book of Haggai. “You have sown much, but you bring in little; you eat, but there is no satisfaction; you drink, but there is no being filled with drink; you dress yourselves, but there is no warmth in doing so; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put them into a bag with holes” (1:6). It is easy to understand this. He also says, “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares Jehovah; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land, declares Jehovah, and work; for I am with you, declares Jehovah of hosts” (2:4). Everyone understands this kind of prophet.
But when you read Zechariah, it is not so easy to understand. “I saw during the night, and behold, a man was riding upon a red horse; and He was standing among the myrtle trees that were in the bottoms; and behind Him there were red, reddish-brown, and white horses” (1:8). What is this? A man was riding upon a red horse and standing among the myrtle trees that were in the bottoms. What does this mean? We must tell Zechariah that he is not as simple as Haggai. We can understand what Haggai says, but we do not know what Zechariah is speaking about.
In Zechariah we see something much deeper. This is the mystery of Christ. First, there was the man riding upon a red horse and standing among the myrtle trees that were in the bottoms. Then there was the vision of the four horns with four craftsmen. The third vision was the putting of the measuring line upon Jerusalem, and the fourth vision showed Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of Jehovah. Who is the Angel of Jehovah? While Joshua was standing before the Angel, Satan was standing by him. The Angel of Jehovah acted to change the clothing of Joshua, because Joshua’s clothing, the basis for Satan’s accusation, was so dirty. Then He told Joshua that He would bring forth a stone, and this stone, with seven eyes, is the shoot. What does all this mean? The fifth vision showed a golden lampstand with seven lamps and seven pipes full of oil. The sixth vision concerned a flying scroll. How strange this is! After the flying scroll, there was the measuring pot, which was called the ephah vessel. The eighth vision was concerning four chariots. What was Zechariah talking about? It is much easier to understand an earthquake coming to Los Angeles!
Brothers and sisters, we must see that this mystery is the mystery of Christ. In the recovery of the Lord’s house today, we do not need the prophets like Haggai so much. Yet today nearly all the prophets are like Haggai. Have you heard some prophecy about Christ as God’s mystery? This is the problem today. There are too many Haggais and hardly any Zechariahs. Haggai only opens the way for the prophecy, and Zechariah follows. In the recovery of the local churches, we need more prophecies like Zechariah’s, more prophecies about Christ. Today we rarely hear the voice of Zechariah, because it is mysterious; it is something that is not according to the human concept. We need the heavenly vision to see the things concerning Christ related to the recovery of the building of God’s house.
Who is the man riding upon the red horse and standing among the myrtle trees? It is Christ. The myrtle trees are the people of Israel, and at this time they were really in the bottoms, for they were in captivity. Babylon is never on top but always in the bottoms. Do you like to live and work in the bottoms? Why do you love Babylon so much? We should all come back to Jerusalem. You may think that Babylon is good, but you must realize that Jerusalem is on top and Babylon is in the bottoms.
In the past years, when those working in the denominations came to talk with us, they always sounded as if they were low. They were in the bottoms. Even they themselves sensed that they were not on top. When we come back to the local churches, we are on top, regardless of how much others oppose us. Even when they say that we are wrong, we can sense in their speech that they know we are on top, and they are in the bottoms.
Myrtle trees are not grand trees like the cedars or pines, but small trees that grow in the bottoms. This is the people of Israel in their captivity. They were in the bottoms, yet praise the Lord, the Lord Jesus was with them. But how was He among them? Many times people ask us, “Don’t you think if we have Christ, that is enough? Don’t you think that Christ is among us?” Yes, Christ is among those in the bottoms in order to bring them out of the bottoms. No human words can express what mercy and love the Lord has toward those in captivity. He is even among the believers who are still in the Catholic Church. But do you think that Christ is with them so that they may remain there? No, He is with them to bring them out. He is not sleeping there but riding on to bring them out. He has no intention to settle—Catholicism is not His settlement. That is the bottoms. The denominations and the free groups are not His settlements. They are also the bottoms. Christ is there, but Christ is riding through there. He is not a myrtle tree planted in the bottoms. You may be planted there, but He is not. He is riding on! This is quite meaningful.
He is riding upon a red horse. This signifies sacrifice and redemption. He prayed for the captivity: “O Jehovah of hosts, how long will You not have compassion on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant for these seventy years?” (Zech. 1:12). Christ prayed for the people who were in the bottoms. This is the desire of Christ expressed in His intercession for those in the captivity. God answered, “I return to Jerusalem with compassions; My house will be built in it, declares Jehovah of hosts, and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem” (v. 16). I have the full assurance that the Lord’s recovery today is due to Christ’s intercession. He is interceding for those who are still in the bottoms.
In the second vision God raised up four horns and four craftsmen to work out the situation for the captives to return. I do believe that today we still have the four horns. Twenty years ago I never dreamed that there could be a local church in Los Angeles. Many know that I had no intention of coming to this country, but the Lord worked out the situation. Christ was interceding for the captivity, and the Father answered by causing the king of Persia to send the captives back to Jerusalem. He was one of the horns. The horns are the powers in the situation who accomplish something so that the people can return to Jerusalem. Christ interceded for the return of the captivity, and the Father answered by raising up the horns to make the return possible. I believe that the same thing is being done today.
In the third vision a measuring line was put upon Jerusalem so that once more it might be possessed by the Lord. To measure something means to take it. The Lord is going to take over Jerusalem. This signifies that today the Lord is going to take over the local churches. Hallelujah! The measuring line has been put upon the United States.
In this vision we see that the Lord is both the Sender and the sent One. “Thus says Jehovah of hosts, After the glory He has sent Me against the nations who plunder you; for he who touches you touches the pupil of His eye” (2:8). If we read the entire context, we see that the Sender and the sent One are identical. Jehovah of hosts is the Sender, and Jehovah of hosts is also the sent One. Christ is the Sender, and He is also the sent One. Christ today is not only the life in the recovery of the local churches; He is also the Sender and the sent One. He sent Himself to come into the situation to work out everything so that the local churches might be recovered.
The fourth vision shows Joshua, representing the priesthood, standing before the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary (3:1). The problem was that Joshua still had the dirty clothing from Babylon. We must never come back to Jerusalem with the old things. All the old concepts, old ways, old teachings, and old opinions must be discarded. If we look at ourselves, we see how old we are. We have come back, but what about our clothing? As long as we are still in the oldness, we are under the accusation of the enemy. Our position is right, but our condition is wrong. We have come out of Babylon, but Babylon has not come out of us. So many things of Christianity are still within us. We need a change not only in position but also in condition. The old clothing must be taken away, and we must put on new garments. Christ is our new clothing. We must drop all the old things from Babylon; all the forms, teachings, concepts, and opinions from Christianity must be taken away. We need something new, and this newness is Christ. Christ must be our covering and our clothing.
In some places the Lord’s people have taken the ground of the church, but they have still kept the old teachings and old ways. Thus, there has been ground for the enemy to accuse. We must change our clothing and take away all the old things so that we can put on something new of Christ, and we need not only the clothing but also the turban, the crown. Christ must be our clothing, and He must be our crown.
It was after this that Joshua was in a position to bring forth the shoot, which is also Christ as the producing One. In the recovery of the local churches, we need Christ as the shoot to produce. We need the growth in life, and we need the fruit-bearing by the shoot. This shoot is also the stone. The shoot is for producing, and the stone is for building. The local churches can be built up only by Christ as the shoot and the stone. This stone is the foundation with seven eyes. We have seen in the book of Revelation that the seven eyes are the seven Spirits of God. This is the sevenfold intensified Spirit for the recovery of God’s building. This vision is so clear. We need the clothing of Christ to be in a position to bring forth Christ as the producing One as well as the foundation stone with the intensified Spirit for the recovery of the building.
Following this is the vision of the lampstand. After Christ as the producing shoot and the foundation stone with the seven Spirits, there is the lampstand. It is at this time that the declaration is made: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Jehovah of hosts” (4:6). It is by the seven Spirits of the foundation stone. He is not only the foundation stone but also the topstone. This is the topstone, which is used to cover the whole house. Christ is the foundation stone, and He is also the topstone. He is the foundation for the building of the local churches, and He is also the topstone of the local churches.
The sixth vision is that of the flying scroll, which clears up the situation among the people. There were some evil things among the people, and this vision was given for the purpose of dealing with these things.
After this is the vision of the ephah vessel, telling us that there were still many Babylonian things among the returned captives. The Lord says that these Babylonian things must be returned to Babylon. These two visions show that in the Lord’s recovery all the sinful things must be cleared up, and everything of Babylon must be sent back. Let the Babylonian things be returned to Babylon. All the things of Christianity belong there; they do not belong in the Lord’s recovery. Anything we bring with us must be sent back.
The eighth vision, the vision of the four chariots, is something of judgment. The Lord will judge the entire situation.
We do not need to see all these visions in detail, but we must see Christ as everything. He is the shoot, the producing One. He is the foundation stone and the topstone for God’s building. Now He is the King on the throne, and He is also the Priest. He has the kingship and also the priesthood. Upon Him these two ministries are united, so He is the One to build up the temple of God. He is the shoot; He is the King; He is the Priest; therefore, He is the Builder. This is why we need Christ as the shoot to produce, we need Christ as the King for the headship and the kingship, and we need Christ as the Priest for the priesthood so that He might be the real Builder to build up the local churches.
The vision of Christ in Zechariah is related to the recovery of God’s building. He is the One riding upon a red horse among the captivity and interceding for their return. He is the shoot, the foundation stone, the topstone, the King for the kingship, and the Priest for the priesthood. Now He is the Builder. So we must enjoy and experience Him as the shoot to produce life, and we must experience Him as the King for the kingship and the Priest for the priesthood. Then we will be in the recovery of the building of the Lord’s house. This is Christ seen in all the visions in the recovery of the building of the house of God.
