BEN F. VICK, JR.
Zechariah began his prophetic work two months after Haggai had begun his work (Haggai 1:1; Zech. 1:1). The year was 520 B.C. Both were post-exilic prophets. Their work was to see that the temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt. It had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. A remnant of the Jews had returned from Babylonian captivity after seventy years. When the foundation of the house had been completed, there were shouts of joy and tears of sadness. The young rejoiced; the ancient men wept. The young were happy because God was good and merciful in allowing them to rebuild; however, the old priests, Levites and chief of the fathers were saddened because the house did not compare with the majesty, glory and beauty of Solomon’s temple. This effort to rebuild began in 536 B.C. but because of opposition, the work ceased.
For sixteen years no work had been done on the temple. God sent Haggai and Zechariah to light a fire under the Jews to complete the task. It is interesting to see the two different styles in their approaches. Haggai’s style was blunt, candid, and to-the-point. Haggai said build the temple. But the Jews said the time is not right. Haggai said, “Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled [paneled] houses, and this house lie waste?” (Haggai 1:4.) He took their excuses away and pushed them to build. On the other hand, Zechariah’s style was different. He received eight visions in one night all pointed to the same theme: Build the temple. Zechariah’s eight visions were followed by many Messianic prophecies.
The prophets’ personalities and approaches were different. They were not all cut from the same cloth, but all were God’s messengers. Some were from the country; others were from the city. Some were flowery in their messages; others were plain in their messages. This is a lesson for all to appreciate. We have no prophets today. We do have preachers. Not all are from the same mold. But God can use each preacher to proclaim his word. As long as the preacher is faithful and preaches the truth, all should support him.
After the revealing of the first vision, Zechariah wrote:
“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? And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. 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. 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. 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. 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.” (Zech. 1:12-17.)
The angel of the Lord inquired of Jehovah, “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?” But the Lord of hosts said, “I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great jealousy.” Furthermore, he said, “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.” This had application to Zechariah’s day.
The Lord wanted his house, the temple, rebuilt in Jerusalem. And it was completed by 516 B.C. Ezra tells us, “And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, 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. And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.” (Ezra 6:14-15.)
Greater than rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem was the establishment of the Lord’s church, the house of God in Jerusalem. Zechariah 1:16 points to a loftier fulfillment. God did return to Jerusalem, the place where he had chosen to put his name (Deut. 12:11, 14, 18, 21, 26;14:23,25; 15:20; 16:2, 6, 7, 11, 15; 17:8, 10).
Before Jesus ascended into heaven he told his apostles, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49.) Ten days later the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles. Jesus had said that the kingdom would come with power (Mark 9:1). He said they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8). Luke records, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4.) When the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, the power came. When the power came, the kingdom came. Acts 2 is the fulfillment of these promises.
The kingdom and the church are terms used interchangeably (Matt. 16:16-19). The church is called the house of God. Paul wrote, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Tim.3:15). God’s house, the church was built in Jerusalem, the first Pentecost following the resurrection of our Lord (Acts 2). The line went forth from Jerusalem; it spread to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth.
Any church which began at a different location and later than the first Pentecost following our Lord’s resurrection is not the church of Christ. Do you want to be a member of the church which Jesus built? Check your church’s birthdate and place. Become a member of the church which Jesus built. Believe the gospel (Mark 16:15-16). Repent of your sins (Acts 3:19; 17:30). Confess Christ before men (Rom. 10:10). Be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). When you do, the Lord will add you to his church (Acts 2:47).