The Bible In Paintings: ZECHARIAH'S FIRST FOUR VISIONS

[Hebrews 11:6]

The Bible In Paintings 2
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR APPRECIATING AND APPLYING GOD'S MESSAGE

ZECHARIAH'S
FIRST FOUR
VISIONS

Z E C H A R I A H
CHAPTERS 1-3

The word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah:

“The LORD was very angry with your forefathers. Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty. Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the LORD. Where are your forefathers now? And the prophets, do they live forever? But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your forefathers?

“Then they repented and said, ‘The LORD Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’ ”

First Vision:
THE MAN AMONG
THE MYRTLE TREES

The word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah.

During the night I had a vision—and there before me was a man riding a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.

I asked, “What are these, my lord?”

The angel who was talking with me answered, “I will show you what they are.”

Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the LORD has sent to go throughout the earth.”

And they reported to the angel of the LORD, who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace.”

Then the angel of the LORD said, “LORD Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.

Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they added to the calamity.’

“Therefore, this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the LORD Almighty.

“Proclaim further: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.’ ”

1
TED LARSON
"First Vision Horseman"

2

"The Man in the Myrtle Trees"

3
Source

4
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5
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6
Source

Second Vision:
FOUR HORNS &
FOUR CRAFTSMEN

Then I looked up—and there before me were four horns! I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these?”

He answered me, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.”

Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen. I asked, “What are these coming to do?”

He answered, “These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise his head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people.”

7
CHRISTOPH WEIGEL
"Four Horns and Four Craftsmen,
Symbolizing the Scattering of the Nations"

8
TED LARSON
Source

9
TED LARSON
"The Four Horns"

Third Vision:
MAN WITH A
MEASURING LINE

Then I looked up—and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand! I asked, “Where are you going?”

He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”

Then the angel who was speaking to me left, and another angel came to meet him and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will be its glory within.’

“Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD.

“Come, O Zion! Escape, you who live in the Daughter of Babylon!” For this is what the LORD Almighty says: “After he has honored me and has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye—I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me.

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Source

“Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. FOR I AM COMING, AND I WILL LIVE AMONG YOU,” declares the LORD.

“Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. 13Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”

11
TED LARSON
"A Man Measuring Jerusalem"

12
"The Man with a Measuring Line"

13
Source

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Fourth Vision:
CLEAN GARMENTS
FOR THE HIGH PRIEST

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.”

Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by.

The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.

“ ‘Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I AM GOING TO BRING MY SERVANT, THE BRANCH. See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.

“ ‘In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

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→ a n d... f i n a l l y ←

19
TED LARSON
"Fourth Vision of Zechariah: Joshua and Satan"

20
Detail
Source

New International Version ©1984, Abrdgd, EMPHASES Added
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[Hebrews 11:6]

R E S O U R C E S
Read ZECHARIAH 1-3 in full
Hear MAX McLEAN reading it
Hear a DRAMATIZATION of it
Read J-F-B's COMMENTARY
BIBLE TIMELINE

Click for 187 prior episodes in THIS series:
The Bible In Paintings 2
Click for 434 links in the FIRST series:
The Bible In Paintings 1


HOW GOD PROMPTED
THIS BIBLE-ART SERIES

"The Bible comes alive so much more with all the
illustrations, paintings, sculptures and stained glass windows.
Through them the stories are crystallized in our minds."


”Reading the Bible, we meditate, we think deeply about faith and beliefs, we gain insights and, thanks to all these great artists, these paintings become visual teachings and a powerful companion to the Bible.”

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ZECHARIAH

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[Hebrews 11:6]

Z E C H A R I A H
ZECHARIAH'S FIRST FOUR VISIONS
GOLD LAMPSTAND & TWO OLIVE TREES
ZECHARIAH'S FINAL FOUR VISIONS
JESUS' ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

[SaveFerris]

Bkmk

[Hebrews 11:6]

CUL8R

[Red Badger]

What Is a Myrtle Tree?

By
Judy Kilpatrick
Updated December 17, 2021

Many trees include the word myrtle in their names. All of these trees have lance-shaped leaves and multi-stemmed trunks. Other similarities exist between the trees, but they are distinctly different species. The only true myrtle tree is a large shrub or small tree with the Latin name Myrtus communis. In the Judeo-Christian Bible, myrtle trees signify life and fertility. The myrtle tree referred to in this context is related to the California laurel (Umbellaria californica), also called Oregon myrtle or myrtlewood. Wax myrtle (Myrica spp.) is similar in many ways to the other myrtle species. However, crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia), a popular summer-blooming tree, has many characteristics not common to the other myrtle species

Myrtle communis, the “True” Myrtle
The Florgeous website notes that Myrtle (Myrtus communis) is a small-leaved, aromatic evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean. It’s sometimes referred to as “common myrtle” or “European myrtle” due to its area of origin. Thriving in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 to 9, myrtle foliage is aromatic and the small, white summer flowers are fragrant. Reaching a height of 15 feet with a spread of 20 feet when fully mature, myrtle bears black berries and can be a specimen plant, topiary, screen or hedge. One myrtle cultivar is Myrtus communis “Variegata,” with white-margined leaves. Subspecies Myrtus communis tarentina includes “Compacta Variegata,” a dwarf variegated shrub, green-leaved dwarfs “Compacta,” “Microphylla,” and “Nana,” with pink flowers and white berries.

California Laurel, or Myrtlewood
California laurel (Umbellaria californica) is native to California coastal regions and Oregon. In the home landscape, California laurel grows to 25 feet tall. As a multi-trunked hardwood tree sometimes grown for its highly decorative wood, California laurel is known by woodcrafters as myrtlewood. Highly aromatic evergreen leaves can be used in place of Laurus nobilis, bay leaf, for seasoning. Because it is often host to a fungus, Phytophthora ramorum, California laurel should not be grown within 35 feet of oak trees along California’s northern coastal range, as various species of oak trees are highly susceptible to this fungus.

Pacific Wax Myrtle
Pacific wax myrtle (Myrica californica) is a Pacific Coast native that lends itself to home landscapes, growing in USDA plant hardiness zones 6 to 9, and attracting birds with its clusters of waxy, purple drupes along stems in fall and winter. Small, aromatic leaves grow on upright stems of this multi-trunked tree, growing up to 30 feet tall in sheltered locations. Pacific wax myrtle grows in humus-rich, moist soil in full sun. Cultivar “Buxifolia” is more compact than the species and has small leaves.

Warm Area Crape Myrtle
Crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia spp.) produce foot-long panicles of frothy, crinkly, crepe-like flowers in mid to late summer in colors ranging from white to purple, lavender, pink or watermelon. The Garden Design website notes that this plant my bloom from July through December, until the first hard frost knocks it back until the following spring. Deciduous foliage turns orange and red in autumn. An all-season’s tree growing in USDA plant hardiness zones 6 to 9, crape myrtle is multi-trunked with distinctive bark, often smooth or twisted, sometimes mottled. It thrives in sun or partial shade.

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My yard is surrounded by Crepe Myrtles!.....................

[Hebrews 11:6]

We honeymooned at Smith River, on the Cal/Ore border, in myrtle country. So I bought my bride myrtlewood candlestick holders, which still grace our dining table.

[Bob434]

Any thoughts on who or what nations the “4 craftsmen” Wil. Be and what they will do?? (Or has it happened a,ready?)

[Hebrews 11:6]

We were hoping you would tell us....

[Bob434]

I haven’t ever noticed the passage before! I’ve read it, as I’ve read through ghe Bible, but apparently not attentively enough.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Three more days of Zechariah’s prophecies are on the way.

[left that other site]

Good Morning, Dan. :-)

[Red Badger]

Crepe Myrtles shed their bark every couple of years, so if it gets a fungus or parasite it becomes a new tree!

Its bark is worse than its blight.....................

[Bob434]

According to the following site, 3 craftsmen have acted a,ready, one is about to act In The end times

“4. And in keeping with Daniel’s prophecy, the fourth Craftsman is associated with the Kingdom of Jesus Christ; who conquers not only the Roman empire (that empire of old that was visited by Him in His earthly ministry, as well as the revived Roman empire of the future at the time of His coming), but also all the earthly kingdoms that proceeded it. This Kingdom is the one represented in Daniel as the stone “cut without hands” (Daniel 2:34); which struck and shattered all the other nations, and itself became “a great mountain” that “filled the whole earth” (v. 35). It is the kingdom God will set up “which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people”; and that shall “stand forever” (v. 44).:

https://bethanybible.org/new/bible-study/pm/2010-12-08/four-horns-four-craftsmen

They are to punish the nation’s that punish the church and believers.

The other three were

“1. The first craftsman would be associated with the kingdom of Media-Persia; and specifically with Cyrus who cast down the kingdom of Babylon (see Daniel 5:25- 28). Note that though Darius was the king who received the kingdom of Babylon (see Daniel 5:31), it was his general Cyrus who had actually conquered it for him. That God would represent Cyrus as a “craftsman” should be no surprise to us; since He speaks in Isaiah 44:28 of Cyrus by name a century and a half before his time; and says, “He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be built,’ and to the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’” And in Isaiah 45:1, we read; “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut . . .”

2. The second craftsman would be associated with the kingdom of Greece; and specifically with Alexander the Great, whom God used to conquer Media-Persia and the surrounding nations (see Daniel 8:3-8, 20-21). Alexander laid siege against the Phonetician city of Tyree in 332 B.C. during his campaign against Persia; and to do so, he used the debris of the old abandoned city to build a causeway (a little over a half a mile long) from the coast to the island fortification. Of his remarkable feat —nearly two centuries before it occurred—we read in Zechariah that God Himself takes the credit and says; “For Tyree built herself a tower, heaped up silver like the dust, and gold like the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will cast her out; He will destroy her power in the sea, and she will be devoured by fire” (Zechariah 9:3- 4).

3. The third craftsman would be associated with the Roman empire; which conquered and took possession of the empire of Greece (see Daniel 2:40; 7:7, 19, 23-25)—after it had been divided among Alexander’s four generals. It too—dreadful as it was; and dreadful as it shall yet be—is a kingdom that God raised up to serve His sovereign purposes.”

[Hebrews 11:6]

Good Morning, Mary-Lou. :-)

[Hebrews 11:6]

lol

[SisterK]

I love it!
Our Sunday School class is studying Zechariah now.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Knew you could do it!

[Hebrews 11:6]

A fun book—plenty to explore therein.

[SisterK]

or the four craftsmen are not trapped in time as they are sent from God
they tear down what the enemy has built so that they can re-build upon Divine Precepts

[etabeta]

I love the work of Ted Larson!

If interested, here is an article about this artist.

https://www.a-catholics-lifea.widescreenplus.com/2014/09/ted-larson-digital-artist-interview_97.html