Zechariah; A Bible Commentary: Chapter 1

   Zechariah

Chapter One

Zechariah 1:1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, As do most of the prophets, the timing of their prophecies is provided in verse 1:1. Zechariah spoke to the returned remnant during the same time as the prophet Haggai; Haggai began his book in verse 1:1 in the sixth month, of the second year of King Darius of Persia, while Zechariah begins in the eighth month of the same second year. Both prophets had conjointly urged for Zarubbabel, and the returned remnant, to continue to build the temple, in order to bring forth the coming of the Messiah.

And the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. (Ezra 6:14)

As we can see, Zechariah was the grandson of the prophet Iddo; there is nothing more known of Zechariah’s father, Berechiah; Ezra addressed Zechariah as the son of Iddo, over stepping the existence of Zechariah’s father Berechiah (Ezra 5:1, 6:14). Nehemiah 12:16 also excludes Berechiah as Zechariah’s father by indicating him as the son of Iddo. It is common for Israeli descendants to be called sons of their ancestors, as was Jesus called the Son of David. Iddo was a seer who had written a book of history and genealogies of Israel, as noted in 2 Chronicles 12:15, 13:22. The times of 2 Chronicles 12-13 were dated back to the late tenth century B.C., when Iddo prophesied against Jeroboam (2 Chron. 9:29) and had written historical accounts with genealogies within his book; it is a possibility that Iddo the seer had lived a couple of centuries from the time of Jeroboam, until the time of Isaiah (late eighth century B.C.). Iddo could have begat Berechiah right before, or during the Assyrian Captivity in 722 B.C. Berechiah could have lived until the Babylonian Captivity, and had begotten Zechariah before, or during the captivity (608-586 B.C.). That would make Zechariah in his seventies at the time of the return back to the land.

Zechariah 1:2 The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. The Lord addressed Zechariah a word reminding him why the remnant had been in captivity for the seventy years. The fathers and mothers, of the returned remnant (now in their seventies), had turned away from the Lord and worshiped Baal. Zechariah is to remind these elderly seventy year olds, as well as their sons and daughters, that the Lord was very angry (had been sore displeased) with their fathers.

Zechariah 1:3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. The Lord commanded Zechariah to address the returned remnant first with who was speaking to them; it was not Zechariah speaking the words, but the Lord (Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts). The Lord calls Himself the Lord of hosts, which means that He is Lord over the angels (tsaba'). This separates God from the lords of the earthly kingdoms, as well as those angels who were being worshiped by the idolaters of the Earth. He is the Lord of the angels, as He is Lord God over His creation.

In repetition, the Lord reminds the people who is speaking through His prophet. The Lord provided an “if, then” proposal to the remnant, just as He had to their fathers of the Exodus journey (Ex. 19:5). He divided the “if” clause from the “then” clause, by reminding them who it was they were committing to (saith the Lord of hosts). If you “Turn you unto me,” then “I will turn unto you.” The Lord reminds them that it is He who is providing them with this “if, then” proposal.

Zechariah 1:4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord. The Lord continued from the previous verse with His explanation of what He had meant by “turn you unto me.” The Lord pleads with the returned remnant to “Be you not as your fathers.”  Their fathers did not listen (hearken) to the warnings from the Lord’s pre-exilic prophets. When the pre-exilic prophets pleaded with their fathers to “Turn you now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings,” they ignored them (they did not hear, nor hearken unto me). Because they believed in their false gods, they did not think that the pre-exilic prophets were actually speaking from the one true living God. Most of them became violent against the pre-exilic prophets and killed them or imprisoned them. Zechariah specified that he was speaking in behalf of the Lord, when he finished this statement again with “saith the Lord.”  

 Zechariah 1:5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live forever? God continued to speak through Zechariah and asked a question as a reality check to the returned remnant. Their fathers were the ones who had been destroyed, because of their disobedience of the Mosaic Law, while they worshipped idols instead. The reference to their fathers can also apply to the grandchildren of the ones destroyed in Israel. Once again, the Israeli reference to “fathers” pertains to ancestors, as well as their immediate fathers. Their fathers were destroyed, because the prophets spoke in behalf of God and promised that it would all come to pass, just as it had.

When referencing the prophets, the Lord asked the question: “do they live forever,” the Lord reminds the returned remnant that the prophets were killed by their fathers, and did not live to see the words from God carried out; this is to remind the remnant that God’s promises always comes to pass and that His word lives forever.

 Zechariah 1:6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. The Lord explained what He meant by His two questions of the previous verse. The words spoken by the pre-exilic prophets, as well as Moses himself, came to pass exactly as they had spoken. The Lord first spoke through Moses what would happen to Israel, if they disobeyed Him and worshipped other gods.

15But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: (Deut. 28:15)    

As one continues to read Deuteronomy 28:16-68, they will find the many things that actually did happen to the fathers of the returned remnant, just as God had promised. The pre-exilic prophets continued to warn the fathers of the remnant to repent of their ways, or the Lord would bring those many curses upon them. If one were to read the Book of Lamentations, Jeremiah weeps and describes the devastation in Jerusalem, as He watched it come to pass (But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers?).

The many who survived the captivity, and were taken away by the Babylonians, would be the ones who would have commented as they spoke out of hindsight. The translators used the word “returned” in the second sentence, for the Hebrew word shuwb, which also can mean “to turn back spiritually.” Those taken captive, who were turned back spiritually into believers of the Lord God of Israel, spoke and said: “Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.”  They saw the light! They believed that the Lord had kept His promises, which He had first spoken in Deuteronomy 28, as well as what the pre-exilic prophets had warned.

Zechariah 1:7 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, After Zechariah had spoken the word of the Lord to the returned remnant in the eighth month of the second year of King Darius of Persia (verses 2-6), He was given more to say to them in the eleventh month (Sebat or Shevat) on the twenty fourth day. Three months had come to pass, since the Lord had Zechariah urge the returned remnant to turn unto Him. Since there are no further warnings to the remnant, but only prophecies of past, current, and future events, we can rationalize that the returned remnant did hearken (listen) to the word of the Lord. Because the remnant had turned unto Him, the Lord had turned unto them, just as he had promised. He rewarded them with insights of their future, as well as the future of the world.

Zechariah 1:8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. The interpretations of the prophecies of the rest of this chapter are very important to understand. The translators have mistranslated the word “speckled” for the Hebrew word saruq, which is actually defined as “bright red (as piercing to the sight).” Zechariah saw in a night vision (the word of the Lord) a man riding a red horse, whose horse stood among the Myrtle Trees. The Myrtle Trees were in the m?tsullah or ravine. Behind the horseman were red horses, as well as bright red and white horses. The Hebrew language does not have punctuation, so the translators have wrongfully inserted a comma between "speckled" and the word "and." So the whole scene is in a ravine with Myrtle Trees and a rider on a red horse, with red horses, as well as bright red and white horses behind him.              

The spiritual significance to the color of these horses can be based on speculation, concerning other places of the Scriptures. Horses represent a spiritual dynamic to the prophecy. In Zechariah 6:2-3 are chariots with different color horses. When the angel answered Zechariah’s questions concerning what they were, the angel answered him. “And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.” (Zech. 6:5) The horses were the spirits of the heavens, not the chariots. The different color of the horses represent a different spiritual movement. In Revelation 6:1-8, we can read of the four horsemen, which road horses of different colors. The red horse of second horseman represented war, as peace was taken away from the Earth. “And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.” (Rev. 6:4)

In the case of the bright red and white horse, the bright red represents war, while white represents peace. Because the horse had both colors, then both war and peace are influenced by these horses. Both red, as well as bright red and white, horses are to be considered further in this prophecy.

Zechariah 1:9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. Zechariah knows the difference between the Lord ('adown) and an angel (mal'ak). Itwas out of respect to the malak (angel) that Zechariah addressed him as his lord, with a lower case "l." Zechariah asked the cherub angel (lord): “what are these?” And the cherub angel (mal'ak), who talked with Zechariah, then said to him “I will shew thee what these be.” We need to keep the verbal exchanges correct between the identities of the angel and of the Angel of the Lord. There are both of them here with Zechariah. The Hebrew word mal'ak is defined as messenger. In many cases in the Old Testament, the Messenger of the Lord pertains to God the Son (Ex. 3:2, Judges. 2:1, 4, Zech. 12:8 etc.), who is the Messenger of His Father (LORD). One can also notice in Joshua 5:13-15, God addresses Himself as “Captain of the host of the LORD.” God the Son is Captain of God the Father’s angels. In the case of this particular verse, this was a messenger, known as a cherub angel.

Zechariah 1:10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. The man that sat upon the red horse, who stood among the Myrtle Trees, is who had spoken here. If one were to notice, the following verse calls this Man, “Angel of the Lord” and not an angel, nor just a man. I look at this verse as a clue to the Angel of the Lord being a Man. Man is made in the image of God, while angels are not (Gen. 1:26-27).

The Man discloses to Zechariah that the accumulation of red horses, as well as bright red and white horses, are sent by the LORD to walk to and fro throughout the entire Earth. God has sent these horses, which represent spiritual movements of war and peace, throughout the entire Earth.

Zechariah 1:11 And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest. The Man of verse 10 is now being called the Angel of the LORD. It is only He who has been standing in the midst of the Myrtle Trees (the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees). This is God the Son, who was sitting on that red horse from verse 8. The red horses, as well as the bright red and white horses, answer back to the Lord (Angel of the LORD), “We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sits still, and is at rest.”

Since these horses represent spiritual movements of war (red) and peace (white), they are making an unusual comment. The rest of the Earth is sitting at peace, without wars. During the time of the returning remnant (second year of King Darius), the Persians had been able to maintain a peaceful kingdom, after they had fought for so long to achieve this kingdom from the Babylonians. This was in great contrast to the peace promised to God’s people, who had not been at peace since the kingdom of Solomon.

Zechariah 1:12 Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? Within this verse, Zechariah witnessed a prayer from God the Son (Angel of the LORD) to His Father. The Pre-incarnate Christ pleads with His Father and asks Him how much longer will He not have mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah. He already knew the answer Himself, but prayed the prayer for Zechariah’s benefit, so that the people of Israel would hear about this and pray the prayer as well. The Babylonian Captivity had lasted seventy years, which is three score (3 x 20) plus ten years. The prophecy from Jeremiah designated the captivity to be for just the seventy years, and then the Lord would bring them back (Jer. 29:10). The returning remnant was just getting back to the land and they had not yet built the temple, but most likely had finished the walls as per Nehemiah 7:1.  

There is most likely a chance that Zechariah had read the prophecies of Daniel, which revealed the movements of kingdoms and powers over the Earth (Dan. 2 and 7); Daniel also wrote of the Seventy Weeks prophecy in his writings as well (Dan. 9:24-27). Daniel and Zechariah were contemporaries with one another, and so the Lord was revealing different prophecies to both of them, which they would then have to somehow correlate them together. Daniel had prayed a prayer in Daniel 9:2-19, which urged the Lord to have mercy on His people, because the end of the seventy years was coming to pass.

Zechariah 1:13 And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. The conversation has been all along between the cherubim angel, while the Angel of the Lord is in the distance being seen and heard by Zechariah. In this passage, the Angel of the Lord is the Lord who had communicated back to the cherubim angel (And the Lord answered the angel), which the cherubim angel then comforted Zechariah with encouragement (angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words). The good and comfortable words are what follows in verses 14-17.

Zechariah 1:14 So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. The cherubim angel, who was talking with Zechariah, commanded to him to cry the following words to the people of Israel (returned remnant); Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. For now, the remnant can only reason that God is one God; it would be a major theology lesson for them to understand that Zechariah had seen and heard the Son of the Father in heaven. So Zechariah was instructed to address them with the message being from the Lord of hosts, which addresses both Father God and His Son. Or, if you will, the message was passed from the Father, to the Son, to the cherubim angel. “Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.” (Psalms 24:10) Who is the King of glory, Jesus the Christ, who is the Son of God the Father.

The jealousy, which the Lord feels for Jerusalem, is a righteous jealousy; He is jealous like a father for His children; any father would be jealous, if the son or daughter loved another man and called him daddy. The Lord’s jealousy is for Jerusalem to be built as His righteous city, which is predestined for the Millennial Kingdom of the future. He is jealous for Zion, which is His Eternal Kingdom to come. As for the time of this prophecy, Jerusalem is coming back to be built up from ruins, which the Lord has emotional responses to. He can see the future kingdom and knows what it will be, so His emotions feel jealousy, when He views Jerusalem in ruins (I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy).

Zechariah 1:15 And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. The word “and” links to the previous verse. In addition (and) to the Lord being jealous for Judah and Jerusalem, He is sore displeased with the heathen. We should refer back to the horses, who had indicated in verse 11, “all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.” The heathen are non-believing Gentiles, as well as non-believing children of Jacob. They sit at ease, satisfied with themselves in peace, and enjoying their existence. They have not believed in the Lord, even after all that they have heard from the past. They had heard of what the Lord had done to Egypt during the Exodus, and the blessings that He poured out over Israel; they heard that Israel turned their back on the Lord and He crushed them in His anger; they have no fear for the Lord who is the only God of heaven and the Earth (And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease). 

At first, the Lord was just partially displeased with the heathen of the Earth, but once they took part in the afflictions put upon Israel, the Lord became very displeased with them. Though the Lord used them in His punishment against Israel, the heathen were still accountable for their actions. Just as Judas Iscariot was used by the Father to betray His Son, Judas was still cursed for his great sin (Matt. 26:24, 27:3-4). The Gentile nations went far above just the captivity and scattering of Judah and Jerusalem; Joel 3:3-8 provides an example of what the heathen had done against Judah and Jerusalem, after the captivity had taken place. Tyre, Zidon, and the coastline of the Philistines, had sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem as slaves to the Grecians.  “The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.” (Joel 3:6) The peace enjoyed by the heathen was not deserved, as the Lord had indicated here (for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction). Once the heathen had went out of their way to curse the children of Judah and Jerusalem, the Lord became sore displeased. 

 Zechariah 1:16 Therefore, thus saith the Lord; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. The word “therefore” is there for a reason. Because God is jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, because the heathen have added to the affliction of God’s preserved remnant of Israel, He is returning His mercies to Jerusalem; Zechariah had to make sure that the returned remnant knew this was a quote from the Lord, so He indicated “thus saith the Lord.” The Lord’s house shall be rebuilt by the returned remnant and a line shall be stretched upon Jerusalem. One can read of this line in Zechariah 2. It is to be a protected boundary around Jerusalem, which is only viewable by the heavenly realm. 

 Zechariah 1:17 Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. Zechariah was commanded to cry out to the children of Israel in addition to what He had already said. He was to once again assure them that the Lord had spoken this by first implying: “Thus saith the Lord of hosts.” This is a very prophetic and comforting statement by the Lord to the children of Israel. The Lord had comforted them that His promises from the past had not been forgotten. The Lord’s promises to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), Jacob (Israel) (Gen. 28:12-18), and David (2 Sam. 7:8-17) are still to be honored by the Lord. The children of Israel can still walk with the Lord and He will be their God. This is prophetic to come true during the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. The Lord will make all cities abroad (across the world) prosperous (My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad), God’s children (Zion) will be comforted by the Lord and King of the Earth (the Lord shall yet comfort Zion); The Lord will choose Jerusalem as His place for His throne, on which He will sit during His Millennial reign (shall yet choose Jerusalem).

Zechariah 1:18 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. The final four verses of this chapter is a prophecy that spans from the time of the Assyrian Empire to the Antichrist kingdom. Upon the conclusion of the comforting declaration from the Lord concerning His promises towards choosing Jerusalem, He brings a prophecy of what Jerusalem will go through, until His Millennial Kingdom comes to pass. Zechariah looked up and saw a vision of four horns. The explanation to Zechariah is indicated within the following verse.

Zechariah 1:19 And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. Zechariah asked the cherubim angel, who had been talking to him all along, “what be these?” The cherubim angel then answered Zechariah with a very interesting statement. Many want to declare that the four beasts of Daniel 7 as those four horns; that would be absolutely incorrect, if a person were to investigate this word “scattered” (zarah), which is written in Zechariah 1:19 and 21. Only two of the four beasts of Daniel 7 had scattered the Jewish people; the two would be Babylon in 605 B.C. thru 586 B.C., and also the Roman Empire in A.D. 70, when they destroyed the second temple and scattered the Jews among the Gentile nations once again. Neither the Medo-Persians, nor the Greeks, scattered neither Judah, Israel, nor Jerusalem.

15 For the Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger. (1 Kings 14:15)

In Bible prophecy, one needs to understand what the allegorical meaning of a horn is; we can see this explained in Revelation 17. “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. (Rev. 17:12) With it understood that these four horns in Zechariah 1 are kings, this will help in realizing who these four horns are.

The first time the Jews of either Judah (southern kingdom), Israel (northern kingdom), or Jerusalem, were scattered, was when Israel (northern kingdom) went into captivity in 722 B.C. by the Assyrians.

26And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day. (1 Chron. 5:26)

29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria. (2 Kings 15:29)

Pul was the king of Assyria during Menahem's reign over Israel (2 Kings 15:17-19) and Tilgathpilneser was the king of Assyria during Pekah's reign over Israel (2 Kings 15:27-29). The context of 2 Kings 15 does not provide anything to suggest that the shift from Pul to Tilgathpilneser was a mere name-change. These separate individuals appear to have been consecutive kings, or co-regents, during the narrative of 1 Chronicles 5:26. It follows then that the Biblical Pul was Ashur-nirari V and only the biblical Tilgathpilneser was Tiglath-Pileser III.[1]  

19 And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.

20 And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land. (2 Kings 15:19-20)

Since King Pul of Assyria (Ashur-nirari V) had actually pulled away from Israel after a ransom was paid, he cannot be considered the first horn of this prophecy. Therefore, Tiglath-Pileser III was the one who was stirred up by God to actually go into Israel and carry them away into captivity; this was the first scattering of Israel (northern kingdom). With that being proven historically, a person must conclude and declare Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III as the first horn of the prophecy of Zechariah 1:18-21.

The second horn of Zechariah 1:18-19 would have to be King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. With what was literally implied with God’s word, he was sent by God to scatter Judah and take them into captivity. “And Jehozadak went into captivity, when the Lord carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.” (1 Chron. 6:15)

The third time that the Jews were scattered was not until A.D. 70 when General Titus, or Regent Titus under his father Vespasian (reigning Emperor of Rome), invaded Jerusalem; Vespasian had sent his son to destroy the temple and city of Jerusalem, while killing and scattering the rebellious people of Israel. It is most recognized that Titus was the one that lead the charge over Jerusalem, thus the scattering of the Jews; but to be consistent with the prophecy, one has to declare the king to be the horn in the prophecy, therefore, I believe that the third horn of Zechariah 1:18-19 is the former Emperor of Rome, Vespasian.

Since the scattering of the Jews in A.D. 70 lasted until May 15, 1948, we should realize that the fourth scattering of the Jews has yet to happen. God told the prophet Ezekiel that He would bring them back again to their land. 

21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. (Ezek. 37:21-22)

We can then conclude, since Israel is now back in their land, since May 15, 1948, that this scattering will occur yet in the future. Knowing that Israel still will experience another scattering, makes one wonder: “how and why will this happen?” The Scriptures do prophecy of another captivity or scattering of the Jewish people. Yes, a fourth scatter will happen!

 1For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. (Joel 3:1-2)

In Joel 3:1, the Lord declares that He will bring another captivity to Judah and Jerusalem. “Those days” can easily be understood to be during the time right before Armageddon, because all nations are to be gathered into the valley of Jehoshaphat.

1Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zech. 14:1-2)

Notice that Zechariah 14:1-2 speaks of the “day of the Lord” and the gathering of “all” nations once again against Jerusalem. Most theologians will agree that the “day of the Lord” is the final wrath that God will consummate against the world, during the Seventieth Week of Daniel (Dan. 9:27). Reading further into verse 2, one can see that the city shall be taken, houses rifled, women ravished, and half the city will go into captivity. As in the other captivities of Israel, the people do flee, while others are killed, and the rest are taken into captivity; these horrified Jews will scatter into other lands. This scattering will occur during the midst of the seven years, when the people of Jerusalem flee for their lives. The Lord Jesus Christ made a reference to the scattering in Matthew 24.

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand)

16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: (Matt. 24:15-16)

There is a remnant of Jews who will remember what Jesus has said and will flee. They will flee to a place and be protected by God for the second half of the seven years of the prophecy of Daniel 9:27 (see also Rev. 12:6, 14).

Remembering what Jesus Christ said in Matthew 24:15-16, there will be an event that will cause these people to flee. There will be the Antichrist, who will become a sudden enemy of the Jews, when he declares himself as god; he will demand the people of the world to worship him or die, which will cause a remnant of Jews to flee. This Antichrist is the fourth “horn” of the prophecy in Zechariah 1:18-19, because he will cause the fourth scattering of the Jewish people.

Zechariah 1:20 And the Lord shewed me four carpenters. Many translations have mistranslated the Hebrew word charash to be craftsman; this is so badly mistranslated, that is has caused many to misunderstand the prophecy. The English word that absolutely has to be used is the word “carpenter.”

As Zechariah continued to see the vision, he saw four carpenters and the cherubim explained what this meant in the following verse.

Zechariah 1:21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it. Once again, Zechariah asked the cherubim angel about the vision; in this case Zechariah asked: “What come these to do?”

The cherubim angel first confirmed that the four carpenters are in response to the four horns of verses 18-19. He repeats what Zechariah already had been explained within verse 19, but provided the reason the horns were sent to scatter Judah. He implied that it had happened to the people of Judah, which included Jerusalem, “so that no man did lift up his head” The lifting up of one’s head reveals stoutness (pride), which the Lord hates. Keeping one’s face down, is to humble one’s self to the Lord; that is why believers do not look up to heaven, when they pray, but bow their heads down in humility. The scattering of the people, was God’s recompense against them, because they were not humbly serving the Him.

The cherubim angel then explains what the four carpenters will be sent to accomplish (but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles). This mission of the four carpenters is indicated that these four men will “fray” the horns who had scattered the Jewish people. A person must refer to the carpenters as men, since each of the horns were men as well. The word “frayed” is translated from the Hebrew word charad, which is defined as “to drive in terror, rout (an army).” Knowing that the first scattering of the Jews involved Israel or Northern Kingdom, when they were taken captivity by the Assyrians, we can determine the first carpenter as the one that frayed the Assyrians.  

Nabopolassar was an Aramaean of the Kaldu tribe, which is also known as the Chaldeans. After a year of guerilla-type warfare, Nabopolassar sat on the throne of Babylon in November 23, 626 B.C. This was the Eleventh (and last) Dynasty of Babylon, known as the Chaldean Empire, or the Neo-Babylonian Empire.[2] 

Nabopolassar took Nippur, while also liberating Sumer and Akkad. By 617 B.C., he had cleared out of Babylonia, the Assyrian garrisons south of the neck. In 616 B.C., he marched up the Euphrates to the district of Harran, to Arrapkha and Assur; he established bases in this area. In 614 B.C., Cyaxares of Media marched against Nineveh, which was too strong for him, but he took Assur and Tarbisu, while inflicting great destruction. Nabopolassar met him after the battle and they established a friendship. A marriage did seal this union in which the Babylonian prince, Nebuchadnezzar, would marry Amytis. In 613 B.C., the Medes were inactive; this allowed Assyria to mount a counter attack. In 612 B.C., Nabopolassar united with Cyaxares, and the Ummanmanda, in an attack on Nineveh. After a two to three month siege, they destroyed the famous city of Nineveh. The city was sacked and plundered; the people were enslaved.[3]

The Sovereign God of the universe started to make his move to accomplish the second scattering of Israel (known as the Babylonian Captivity), when He brought the overthrow or fray of the Assyrians, or first horn country of Zechariah 1:18-19. Because Nabopolassar was the one who built his empire, by fraying Assyria, he can be declared the first carpenter of Zechariah 1:18-19; he had accomplished the demise of Nineveh, which was the capital city of Assyria; he set up his Babylonian Empire and his son, Nebuchadnezzar, did eventually rule in the future.

As we already know that King Nebuchadnezzar was the second horn of the four horn prophecy, we can then figure who the second carpenter of this prophecy is. After the death of Nebuchadnezzar in 562 B.C., the Babylonian Empire began to weaken. Twenty three years and three kings later, Babylon fell to King Cyrus of Persia in 539 B.C.. God had declared that Cyrus would be the one who would also make the first order to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (Is. 44:28). The prophet Isaiah wrote this prophecy between 700 and 681 B.C.

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. (Is. 44:28)

Not only did King Cyrus build up his empire, but also ordered the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple. Understanding the Isaiah prophecy, the defeat (fray) of the Babylonians (2nd horn empire), we should absolutely declare King Cyrus of Persia the second carpenter of Zechariah 1:20-21.

With the scattering of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, by the Emperor Vespasian, we already know that the scattering had lasted 1,878 years. At midnight on May 14, 1948, the Provisional Government of Israel proclaimed the new State of Israel. On that same date, the United States, in the person of President Harry S. Truman, recognized the provisional Jewish government as de facto authority of the new Jewish state (de jure recognition was extended on January 31, 1948). The U.S. delegates to the U.N., and top ranking State Department officials, were angered that Truman released his recognition statement to the press without notifying them first.

Isaiah 66:8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. (Is. 66:8)

Though it is known that President Truman was a bit of an anti-Semite, he was the commander and chief of the victorious United States military, who had defeated the Nazi war machine under Adolph Hitler and brought peace to Europe. The Jews were heavily persecuted by Hitler and his dreadful holocaust. The Jews were then involved in an incredible series of events, which fulfilled Bible prophecy, as they regained their Jewish homeland; President Truman made a mysterious move to confirm the Jewish declaration of a new state without UN approval. To be consistent with the prophecy of Zechariah 1, we should declare the one who was clearly the one king most responsible for the “fray” of the “third horn;” Since the Roman Empire has never really ceased from its existence, it must be noticed that the Roman Catholic Church’s persecution of Israel was “frayed.” The scattering of Israel was ended, because of the victory over Israel’s oppressors and the deliberation in order to return to their land; therefore, we must declare that Harry S. Truman is, in fact, the third carpenter of Zechariah 1:20-21. 

With the Biblical prophecy already mentioned that confirms that there will be a fourth scattering of Israel, we can rest assured that it will be the Antichrist of the last days, who will send the people of Israel scattering.

Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Judas, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. (Mark 6:3)

 It is very easy to declare the fourth Carpenter of the Zechariah 1:18-21 prophecy. Ironically, He was born a carpenter’s son and became a Carpenter Himself, until He started His ministry. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ is the fourth Carpenter of the Zechariah 1:18-21 prophecy. The mountain of Daniel 2:45 is the Kingdom of God, which the Carpenter had built; He will return, free Israel, and cast the Antichrist into the lake of fire, Amen.

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Rev. 19:20)

[1] unknown, "Were Pul and Tilgathpilneser different Assyrian kings in 1 Chronicles 5:26?" (KJV Today, 10 20, 2019: https://www.kjvtoday.com/home/and-or-even-in-1-chronicles-526).

[2]Steve R. Miller, The American Commentary:44

 [3] Rocío Da Riva, The Inscriptions of Nabopolassar, Amel-Marduk and Neriglissar, (Boston: Walter De Gruter, Inc., 2013),7-8.