Category: East Main Bulletin Articles

Articles I write for the weekly bulletin of the East Main Church of Christ, the congregation where I preach.

Zechariah: Wickedness in a Basket (The Seventh Vision)

Inside the basket sat a woman (5:7b).  If this were a literal human woman, then she must have been a very tiny woman so as to fit inside a basket which would only hold about six or seven gallons of material.  Considering that the prophet did not understand what he was seeing and thus required the angel to explain it to him, it’s more likely that this was a small figurine of a woman instead of a literal human female.  Since the angel then apparently took the woman out of the basket, said of her, “This is Wickedness,” and then “thrust her back into the basket, and thrust down the leaden weight on its opening” (5:8), it’s logical to conclude that the “woman” was in fact an idol in the form of the figurine of some pagan goddess probably worshiped by the locals living around Jerusalem as the Jews were rebuilding the temple.… Read More Zechariah: Wickedness in a Basket (The Seventh Vision)

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Zechariah: The Curse of the Flying Scroll (The Sixth Vision)

Israel had gone into Assyrian captivity and Judah had gone into Babylonian captivity because of their unrepentant disobedience (Hos. 4:2-3; Mic. 2:2-3).  By going into captive exile, they had already been “purged away” in those instances, and it seems Zechariah’s vision here servers as both a reminder and a warning for them to not make the same mistakes again. Christians, would God send a curse upon us because of unrepentant sin in our lives (cf. Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11; 2 Tim. 3:16-17)?  Let us examine ourselves (2 Cor. 13:5).   … Read More Zechariah: The Curse of the Flying Scroll (The Sixth Vision)

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Zechariah: “Not by Might Nor by Power, But by My Spirit” (The Fifth Vision)

The message that they would complete the temple only through the aid and power of God is a good principle to keep in mind for our own endeavors.  “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it…” (Ps. 127:1a).  May we always seek the aid of God in all we try to do, and make sure our aims are in accordance with His will.… Read More Zechariah: “Not by Might Nor by Power, But by My Spirit” (The Fifth Vision)

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Zechariah: God Will Dwell in Your Midst (The Third Vision)

It’s clear that the prophecy described in this vision was partly fulfilled around the time the temple was completed during the period of post-Babylonian captivity in the Jews’ history.  I also believe the prophecy was completely fulfilled centuries later when Christ’s church was established (Acts 2) and reached out to the Gentiles (Acts 10-11ff).… Read More Zechariah: God Will Dwell in Your Midst (The Third Vision)

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Zechariah: God Determines the Fate of Nations (The Second Vision)

Just as it takes blacksmiths and carpenters to craft horns out of metal or wood, those same blacksmiths and carpenters have the power to destroy what they had made.  History has shown that nations who destroy other nations often find themselves being destroyed from within.  This is all done according to the will of God.  A few decades before Zechariah, God had warned Nebuchadnezzar that “the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes” (Dan. 4:17).  Nebuchadnezzar would not listen and had to learn that lesson the hard way (Dan. 4:1-37).  Paul would later tell the Athenians that God has “determined (all nations’) appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation” (Acts 17:26).  God certainly does determine the fates of nations.  It would be wise for us to remember that today.                                                                                                       … Read More Zechariah: God Determines the Fate of Nations (The Second Vision)

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