Zechariah 2
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The vision of the measuring line
Zechariah looks up and there is a man with a measuring line in his hand. Now we have seen measuring lines used many times by the prophets. To stretch out the measuring line was either a symbol of destruction, to measure it for its fall, or it was a symbol of rebuilding. Further, in Zechariah 1:16 the Lord has said that the measuring line would be stretched out over Jerusalem. Since the city had already been destroyed and from the tone of the book, we understand the measuring line is a symbol that the city will be rebuilt. In verse 4 we find out that Jerusalem would be a city without walls because of the great number of people and livestock in it. This is a picture of the constant expansion of the city. So many people will flow into the city of Jerusalem that it would be a city without walls, always growing larger. Further, in verse 5 the Lord declares that the He will be a wall of fire around it and will be the glory within it. The city would have no need for walls because the Lord will offer its protection and will have glory because Lord will dwell in its midst.
Clearly, this is not referring to the literal city of Jerusalem for many reasons. First, if there were to be no walls, why was Nehemiah doing the Lord’s will to leave Persia and build the walls of the city 80 years later in 444 B.C.? Jerusalem was a city that had many layers of walls around it until Rome demolished the city in 70 A.D. Second, these images are spiritual images concerning spiritual Jerusalem. Certainly the city would not literally have fire as walls surrounding it. These are images of what Jerusalem would be in the days of the coming of the Messiah. Zechariah is trying to teach these Jews the spiritual nature of what God was trying to accomplish. Further, these words have a familiar ring to them, though not exact, from the book of Revelation.
Revelation 21:22-25 says, “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).”
Also Revelation 21:3, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”
God was beginning to describe to them the future spiritual glory of God’s kingdom.
Paul used the same language in 2 Corinthians 6:16, “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols” For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’”
In verses 6-7 we see the call of all people to flee from slavery and bondage and come to the Zion, the city of God. Those who had been scattered are now called to return to the Lord. But things will be different this time. When the people come to the Lord, God is not going to scatter them, but will protect them. No one will touch the people of God without bring judgment upon themselves. Those who would take their stand against God’s people will be destroyed (2:8-9). In verses 10-12, the Lord calls out to Zion to rejoice. In these verses we see three points which further prove that these events are talking about the coming of God’s kingdom through the Messiah rather than a literal fulfillment in physical Jerusalem.
First, God is coming and He will live among them. This reflects the imagery we read earlier in Revelation of God dwelling among His people. Even when the temple is rebuilt in 516 B.C. and the walls of the city are completed in 444 B.C., we never read the glory of the Lord returning to the temple. When the tabernacle was completed, the Lord filled the tabernacle with His glory. Similarly, when the temple was completed, the Lord filled the temple with His glory. But this is not true of the rebuilt temple. God did not return His glory to that place. The return of the Lord is not pointing to a physical temple but the coming of the kingdom under the Messiah.
Second, in verse 11 we see that many nations will be joined to the Lord in that day. This is clearly the call of the Messiah to all the nations to receive salvation, as we read about in the book of Acts. For the nations to join the Lord is the prophecy that Jews and Gentiles will be offered salvation and deliverance. This is not true with the rebuilding of the temple in 516 B.C.
Finally, in verse 11, the prophetic phrase “in that day” is used, which is almost exclusively used to refer to the days of the coming of the Messiah. The prophecy was not about things that would happen in a couple years. “In that day” was pointing to a future day of glory when the Messiah would come to free His people. This is more clearly expressed in the statement, “I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.” Notice carefully the sentence structure and you will see that this is God the Messiah speaking to the God. The person speaking is sent by the Lord Almighty to the people. Here is a direct reference to the coming of the Messiah to the people of Israel. The salvation and deliverance the Messiah would bring would be reason for shouting and gladness among Zion and all the nations. The life of Christ and blessings He brought made it evident that He was sent from the Lord Almighty. This is the message preached in Acts 2 and throughout the book of Acts. The vision ends in verse 13 with the call going out to all the people for them to be still before the Lord because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling. This picture immediately calls to mind the words of Habakkuk in Habakkuk 2:20, “But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” When we compare these prophecies we see that Zechariah records that the Lord is about to act. The Lord has roused Himself from His temple and things are going to change. The plan has been put in motion, all purposed by God.
