VISION #6 – THE FLYING SCROLL

INTRODUCTION:

            Having looked at visions four and five which had as their focus the Messiah, the Priest-King of Israel, we now turn our attention back to Israel and specifically Israel’s future.  As we turn to the sixth vision of Zechariah’s eight-night visions we will find that this sixth vision parallels the third vision in that both visions focus on God’s plans for Israel.  Remember the third vision revealed that God will one day restore Jerusalem, rebuild the temple, dwell as a wall of fire around the city and usher in the Messiah’s millennial kingdom over the whole earth.  As we come to this sixth vision it answers for us the question of what God will do with the ungodly and unrepentant leading up to that time.  The Lord reveals to us in this vision that He will not only fulfill His promises of blessing for the redeemed, but He will also fulfill His promises of condemnation against the ungodly and unrepentant.  God will punish unrepentant sinners and by that judgment He will keep His covenant and advance His purposes.

            Judgment is a major theme in God’s Word, and this is made necessary by the holiness and righteousness of God.  This is clearly declared in the Psalms and the Prophets which speak of the judgment of the wicked.  At the culmination of human history there will be both the outpouring of God’s wrath on the wicked and rebellious, and the establishment of the Messiah’s kingdom for the redeemed.  The message of this sixth vision captures both realities.  As David Baron says in his commentary on Zechariah 5, “Sin must be purged away, iniquity must be stamped out in the city of God; and when the sinner is so wedded to his sin that he is no longer separable from it, he becomes the object of God’s curse, and must be ‘cleansed away’ from the earth.  In short, then, the two visions in chapter five give us the reverse side of the truth unfolded in the first four chapters.”[1] God’s judgment and blessing are complimentary realities, with the one leading to the other.  Let’s pray and then get into our passage for this morning.

--PRAY--

 

SCRIPTURE:

            Turn in your Bibles to Zechariah 5:1-4, our passage for this morning.  Please, stand, if you are able, in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.

     Zechariah 5:1-4,

            “Then I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll. And he said to me, ‘What do you see?’ And I answered, ‘I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.’  Then he said to me, ‘This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land; surely everyone who steals will be purged away according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears will be purged away according to the writing on the other side.’ ‘I will make it go forth’  declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones.’ ” (Zechariah 5:1–4, NASB95)[2]

GOD’S JUDGMENT DEFINED (Zechariah 5:1-2)

            This sixth vision began as the second and third visions had, the prophet writes, “Then I lifted up my eyes again.” (Zechariah 5:1a, NASB95)[3]  This was the normal transition between visions, and in this case, it demonstrates for us that Zechariah had moved from the central visions concerning the Messiah to visions concerning God’s plans for Israel and the nations.  This vision parallels with the third vision because both focus on God’s plans for Israel.  The third vision spoke of God’s blessing and that He would dwell with His people as a wall of fire around them.  This new vision featured a flying scroll and speaks of the judgment of the wicked.  Scrolls were made of papyrus woven together or animal hide that had been tanned and sewn together in a long strip and then wound up on two spindles.  In Scripture, the predominant use of scrolls was to contain God’s Word.  When Zechariah first saw this scroll he wrote, “Then I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll.” (Zechariah 5:1, NASB95)[4]  That this scroll was flying tells us that the message on it from God was living and active and that it moved with speed, swiftness, and effectiveness.  In Isaiah 55:11 the Lord declared concerning His Word, “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11, NASB95)[5] The fact that this scroll is flying indicates that it has gone forth from God and will accomplish the purpose for which the Lord sent it out.

            Going back to Zechariah we find the interpreting angel again speaking to the prophet and asking him to describe what he sees.  Just as in the fifth vision, the angel wants Zechariah to take a closer look at this flying scroll and describe what he observes.  Zechariah responds to this question by saying, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.” (Zechariah 5:2b, NASB95)[6]  By giving the dimensions of the scroll, Zechariah is telling us that the scroll was unrolled; its message was not sealed up nor hidden, but was open, and clear, and actively in force.  Twenty cubits by ten cubits is about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.  Because it was large and visible like a billboard, its contents were readily available for all to see.  These measurements were not just given so that we would know how large this flying scroll was, but so we would recognize something that corresponds to the scroll having the same measurements.  Twenty cubits by ten cubits were the same dimensions as the porch of Solomon’s temple and that of the millennial temple as described by Ezekiel.  The connection was intentional; the contents of the scroll related to entry into God’s house.

            In other words, these measurements were given to remind Israel of God’s holiness and that no unrepentant sinner will be granted access into God’s presence.  Just as there is a porch before one enters the temple, there also is a standard of holiness for those who wish to fellowship with the Lord.  That standard is not based on a human moral code, rather it is the moral code of God’s law that is clearly laid out in the scroll of God’s Word.  Israel needed to deal with their sin by the moral code of God’s law.  This was vitally important since the scroll was flying to execute and accomplish judgment.

            Not only did the scroll carry the threat of punishment but also the hope of purification.  Its connection to the temple was appropriate given the situation of the people to whom Zechariah ministered, as they worked to rebuild the temple under Zerubbabel.  This vision reassured them that one day God will purify the nation, purging the rebellious and wicked from among His people, so that He might establish the righteous reign of the Messiah.  In the future millennial kingdom, the purified remnant will enjoy intimate fellowship with the Lord in His temple.

            Because God’s final judgment is yet future, the image of the scroll appears again in the book of Revelation (Revelation 5:1-10).  There, the Apostle John describes the Lord Jesus taking the scroll of divine judgment and beginning to unroll it by breaking the seven seals.  The judgments unleashed on the world will include the judgments of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls.  These expression of God’s wrath against sin will occur during the Tribulation, prior to Christ’s return and the establishment of His earthly, millennial kingdom.  In other words, the book of Revelation represents the culmination of what Zechariah saw—that is, that God will one day judge the world according to the righteous standard of His Word.

 

GOD’S JUDGMENT DECLARED (Zechariah 5:3)

            The interpreting angel spoke again and declared what was written on the scroll was a curse.  Zechariah wrote, “Then he said to me, ‘This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land.’ ” (Zechariah 5:3a, NASB95) [7]  The Hebrew word that is translated “curse” is a word that means “an extreme punishment brought about when one breaks an oath or violates a covenant.  In God’s covenant with Israel, He promised blessings for obedience, and curses for disobedience.  Moses uses this same Hebrew word to summarize all the judgments that he had listed earlier in Deuteronomy for disobedience, including divine destruction in every place, pestilence, famine, defeat before an enemy, boils, shame, and exile.  This flying scroll in the prophet’s vision portrayed divine and devasting curses being sent forth on those who had violated the covenant they had promised to keep.

            The angel declared just how overwhelming and comprehensive this curse would be, as it is going forth over the face of the whole land.  This phrase “whole land” refers first and foremost to the land of Israel, God’s judgment was going to cover the entire country.  At times in Israel’s history, such as the time of the judges, there would be a crisis in one part of the land, but not in another part.  When this judgment spoken of here comes at the end of the age, it will be from one end of Israel to the other, no one will escape it.  This phrase “whole land” at times is used to refer to the “whole earth,” suggesting that the curse on Israel will be part of a larger, global judgment.  This clearly corresponds to the Tribulation judgments described in Revelation which affect the entire world.

            The angel continued and declared the objects of this curse.  He said, “…surely everyone who steals will be purged away according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears will be purged away according to the writing on the other side.” (Zechariah 5:4b, NASB95)[8]  The curse, appearing in two parallel lines, was addressed to those who steal and those who swear falsely.  Both sins were prohibited in the Ten Commandments, the heart and summary of the law.  In the Ten Commandments stealing was prohibited in the eighth commandment, which was the middle commandment of the latter five commandments that dealt with loving your neighbor.  Swearing falsely by the name of Yahweh was taking the Lord’s name in vain and prohibited in the third commandment which was the center command of the first five commandments dealing with loving the Lord God.  These two represented the whole law and God’s curse will fall on those who break any of His commandments, whether it regards love for Him or love for one’s neighbor.  This is what our Scripture reading said this morning from James 2, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” (James 2:10, NASB95)[9]  The angel repeats the word “everyone” for both kinds of sinners, those who steal and those who swear falsely, to show that no one will escape God’s notice.  Every violator of God’s law will be punished except those who have been pardoned through the work of the Lord Jesus, God’s Son and Israel’s Messiah.

            Within the curse which the angel declared is the nature and extent of the judgment that will take place.  The expression “purged away” is a Hebrew verb that means “to be emptied.”  Here in Zechariah’s vision, it means that the guilty will be entirely wiped out and cut off from the realm of God’s blessing.

            All of this will take place according to the writing on one side of the scroll and on the other side.  In other words, the scroll’s curse was written on the front and on the back.  The description of being written on both sides matches the scroll described in Revelation, it too has writing on both sides, which further links these two scrolls together, which means that the work of judgment that began in Zechariah will culminate in Revelation.  Not only does this correspond to the scroll in Revelation but also corresponds to the stone tablets which were inscribed on both the front and the back with the Ten Commandments.  This fact confirms that the flying scroll represented the covenant the Lord made with His people at Mt. Sinai.  It is a reminder that Yahweh would carry out the full extent of the covenant, both in blessing the redeemed and in judging the unrepentant.

 

GOD’S JUDGMENT DETERMINED (Zechariah 5:4)

            The angel had already declared that the scroll of God’s judgment against the wicked was going forth, now we learn who is sending it forth.  Zechariah writes in verse 4, “’I will make it go forth,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones.’ ” (Zechariah 5:4, NASB95)[10]  Yahweh of hosts, who has every resource and commands the armies of heaven, determined and guaranteed that He would make His judgment go forth according to His sovereign will.  The LORD of hosts declares the absolute certainty, and the absolute determination of this future reality by formally and personally announcing His involvement.

            The LORD also declares that His judgment will take place just as He determined and promised.  God says that His covenant curse will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name.  In verse three the angel warned sinners of the coming curse of God’s punishment, in this verse the Lord describes the carrying out of that judgment, as His wrath enters the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by Yahweh’s name.  This description portrays Yahweh doing exactly as He promised to do.  The words thief and the one who swears falsely by My name is singular, which tells us that God’s judgment will seek and destroy each and every unrepentant sinner.  No one will be missed when God carries out His end times judgment.

            This judgment of God will be comprehensive and complete, just as the angel had earlier declared that the Lord would purge out the wicked from among His people.  Here the Lord tells how that will be accomplished.  God’s wrath and judgment, represented by the flying scroll will enter the house of the sinner and spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones.  The phrase “spend the night” means that God’s judgment will remain until it achieves it full judgment.  The unredeemed, unrepentant sinner will not be safe even in His own home.  God’s wrath will find him and consume him along with his possessions.  The word “consume” means to bring something to a complete and utter end.  Timber and stones were the building materials for a house at that time, the consuming of those things to a complete and utter end expresses the total destruction of both the sinner and all he possessed.

            There is one final item that I want to bring out of this vision, in this final verse the Lord repeats the word house three times, referring to the sinner’s house.  Why does the Lord focus so heavily on the sinner’s house?  While this shows God’s determination to utterly devastate the total person and estate of the sinner, there is an added reflection I want you to think about.  In Zechariah, the temple is called God’s house.  Haggai, a contemporary of Zechariah, prophesying at the same time, rebuked the people for building their own houses when the house of God was still unfinished.  The focus of Zechariah’s prophecy would have in the same way as Haggai’s rebuke motivated the people to make the rebuilding of God’s house a priority over their own houses.  Though judgment will one day level the houses of the wicked, there is one house that will certainly remain when the Messiah’s kingdom is established—that is the house of the Lord.

 

CONCLUSION:

            Again, as in the other visions of Zechariah we learn prophetic truth, the flying scroll teaches us the truth about God’s plan for Israel and the world.  God’s judgment is holy, just, active, exhaustive, and determined.  All should tremble before His Word and warn the unrepentant of the wrath to come.  At the same time, the redeemed, those who have repented and received God’s grace and forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ and what He did for us through His death, burial, and resurrection can rest assured that God will one day judge the wicked in righteousness.  He will do so to fulfill His covenant promises, purging the worthless chaff from His precious wheat, then He will usher us, His saints, into His holy kingdom where we will enjoy the infinite blessings of His glorious presence.  I cannot wait for that day!

 

[1]Baron, David, The Visions and Prophecies of Zechariah: The Prophet of Hope and Glory. London, England : Morgan and Scott, 1918.

[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.