5. The Parts are five, the same as the number of prophetic visions. I. The first Vision, wherein the Prophet in the name of God urges repentance, and promises the grace of God (Zechariah 1:1-6). II. The second Vision, consisting of nine figures or emblems, whereby the building of the typical Temple and the Kingdom of Christ are adumbrated (Zechariah 1:7-6:15). III. The third Vision, wherein divine blessing and joy is promised to the people (Zechariah 7; 8). IV. The fourth Vision, concerning the gathering of the Church out of various nations, and the judgments of God against the obstinate (Zechariah 9-11). V. The fifth Vision, concerning the salvation of the Church through Christ (Zechariah 12-14). A Synoptic Table of the book, and its Interpreters, Ancient, Reformed, Lutheran, Roman Catholic.
There are chiefly five sermons or sections of this book, received at diverse times and in diverse visions. Whence this Prophecy is able to be captured in just so many parts.
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I. The first Vision, wherein the Prophet in the name of God urges the people to repentance, and promises the grace of GOD, Chapter 1:1-6.
In which the Prophet in the name of God urges the people to repentance, so that, with the indignation of God towards their Fathers recalled to mind, and the conversion of the same, they might also be converted to God, promising that it would be so, that God would also turn Himself toward them (verses 1-6): chapter 1:1-6.
II. The second Vision, consisting of nine figures, or emblems, whereby the building of the typical Temple and the Kingdom of Christ are adumbrated, Chapters 1:7-6:15. See:
1. Emblem I, of the horseman among the myrtles, and near him of the red, scarlet, and white horses (verses 7, 8), the mystery of which, He (Christ), standing among the myrtles, thus explains, that it teaches that horses were sent to travel about the land (verses 9-11), with the Angel of Jehovah in the meantime interceding for the Church, and with God benignly responding (verses 12, 13), and with the Prophet commanded to proclaim, that God, being angry with the nations, wills to be propitious with Jerusalem, so that the Temple might be able to be built; with an abundance of good things additionally promised to the cities and the election of Jerusalem (verses 14-17): chapter 1:7-17.
2. Emblem II, namely, of four horns and four carpenters, the horns of those scattering, that is, a type of the scattering of the nations, which turned their horns towards Jerusalem (verses 18-21): chapter 1:18-21.
3. Emblem III, of an Angel with a measuring line measuring Jerusalem, in which are foretold the multiplication of the people to be covered in Christ, as a wall of fire and internal glory (verses 1-5), an invitation out of Babylon to Zion (verses 6, 7), the plundering of the Persians by the Greeks (verses 8, 9), the coming of Jehovah to inhabit Zion (verse 10), the coming together of the nations to Him, and the adoption of Judah and Jerusalem (verses 11-13): chapter 2.
4. Emblem IV, of judgment, wherein is the sentence of the Angel of the Lord as judge, both against Satan, the accuser of Joshua the High Priest (verses 1, 2), and in favor of Joshua, to whom, absolved by Christ the true priest (verses 3-5), the typical Priesthood is confirmed (verses 6, 7), and are promised the advent of Christ, the Branch and Stone upon which eyes are to be fixed (verses 8, 9), and also liberty and joy (verse 10): chapter 3.
5. Emblem V, of the candlestick with two olive trees (verses 1-3), in which it is insinuated, that not so much by the industry of Zerubbabel, as by the Spirit of Jehovah, with a great mountain proving no obstacle, the Temple is going to be built up, with the seven eyes seeing that stone, and exulting (verses 4-10), and that there will never be wanting sons of oil, or witnesses, teaching the word of God in the earth (verses 11-14): chapter 4.
6. Emblem VI, of the flying scroll (verses 1, 2), the mystery of the curse of the law against the Israelites and the Temple itself, pronounced on account of theft and perjury (verses 1-4): chapter 5:1-4.
7. Emblem VII, of the Ephah (verses 5, 6), whereby the punishment of unbelieving hypocrites is adumbrated (verses 7-11): chapter 5:5-11.
8. Emblem VIII, of the four chariots (verses 1-3), whereby it is signified that just so many armies are going to be the executors of God’s judgments (verses 4-8): chapter 6:1-8.
9. Emblem IX, of the crowns to be placed upon Joshua’s head (verses 9-11), whereby are figured the coming the Branch, the edification of the true Temple, the exaltation of Christ, and the calling of the Gentiles (verses 12-15): chapter 6:9-15.
III. The third Vision, wherein Divine blessing and joy is promised to the people, Chapters 7; 8. See:
1. The occasion of the Prophecy, the legation sent from the people to the priests, asking counsel concerning the observance of the fasts for the future (verses 1-3): chapter 7:1-3.
2. The Prophecy:
a. Concerning fasting, both hypocritical (verses 4-7), and true (verses 8-10), and also concerning the past disobedience of the people, on account of which they were dispersed among the nations (verses 11-14): chapter 7:4-14.
b. Concerning the blessing abiding upon the people, of which sort are a new habitation in Zion (verses 1-3); the preservation of seed in life, bodily and spiritual (verses 4-8); riches, both earthly (verses 9-15), and spiritual, in the place of fasting joy in the Lord, if they will consistently demonstrate their constancy (verses 16-19); and, finally, the coming of the Gentiles to share in the covenant and grace (verses 20-23): chapter 8.
IV. The fourth Vision, concerning the gathering of the Church out of various nations, and the judgments of God against the obstinate, Chapters 9-11. See:
1. After the title and summary of the Prophecy (verse 1), the abolition of the Tyrians, Sidonians, and the Kingdom of the Philistines, and the aggregation of the remnants of Philistia to the Church (verses 2-8), a promise of the coming of Christ and His Kingdom (verse 9), and its progress after the destruction of the republic (verses 10, 11), and finally an invitation of Zion to the stronghold, with various reasons adduced (verses 12-17): chapter 9.
2. An admonition to seek from the God the latter rain (verse 1), a dehortation from idolatry (verse 2), and indignation against the Shepherds and the greater goats: in which the victory of Judah against them, and the multiplication and vindication of the same, are promised (verses 3-12): chapter 10.
3. The destruction of the Jewish polity by the Romans (verses 1-3), and the commandment of God to Christ concerning the feeding of His sheep (verses 4-6), and the care of Christ in the feeding of them (verse 7), and the manner and times of the feeding (verses 8-14), and finally the judgment of the true Shepherd against the foolish Shepherd (verses 15-17): chapter 11.
V. The fifth Vision, concerning salvation through Christ and the judgments of God against unbelievers, Chapters 12-14. See:
1. After the Preface (verse 1), the consolation of Jerusalem, to be put into a cup of trembling and a stone burdensome to all peoples, and so going to prove invincible (verses 2-6), and Jehovah’s promise of salvation for the tents of Judah (verses 7-9), and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon believers (verse 10), with the ruin of those separated following, whose lamentation is described (verses 11-14): chapter 12.
2. The promise of a fount opened from the house of David (verse 1), and a denunciation of judgment against idolaters, Prophets (verses 2-6), the Shepherd, the fellow of God (verse 7), and also the kindling of a third part of the surviving people (verse 8, 9): chapter 13.
3. The occupation of Jerusalem by various nations, with a half part of it to be taken, and half left (verses 1, 2), with the Lord soon going forth to war against the same nations (verses 3-5), and also a promise of the coming of Jehovah to restore light (verses 6, 7), with living waters going to spring forth from Jerusalem, and with the land to be inhabited safely under one King (verses 8-11), with plagues at the same time denounced against enemies (verses 12-15), and with converted nations going to celebrate the feast of tabernacles at Jerusalem (verses 16-19), and finally with the sanctification of the horses’ ornaments and vessels promised (verses 20, 21): chapter 14.