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THEBOOKOFZECHARIAH
Lesson1,IntroductionandChapter1
TodayweopentheBookofZechariahwithanintroductiontoprepareustomore
thoroughlystudyit.Thisintroductionwillbelessextensivethanismytypical
becausereadingtheintroductiontotheTorahClassstudyoftheBookofHaggai
essentiallycoversthesamehistoricalperiod,sothereisnoneedtorepeatit.
Evenmore,thebooksofHaggai,Zechariah,andthenMalachiareverynearlya
unitedtrilogyaboutthereturnoftheexiledJudeanstotheirformerhomeland,
therebuildingoftheTemple,thereinstatementoftheLeviticalpriesthood,and
thenalookforwardtofuturetimesinvolvingaMessiah.So,Icannotrecommend
stronglyenoughthatifyouhavenotalreadystudiedtheBookofHaggaiwithus,
thatyoupauseanddothatnowbeforeyoustudyZechariah.Otherwise,youwill
beproceedingwithmuchneededcontextmissing.
AssumingyouhavestudiedHaggai,thenIcanbeginwiththe30,000-footview
ofZechariahbysayingthatitisablendofimmediateencouragementtothe
returnedJewishexilesfromBabylon,andthenitsforward-lookingEndTimes
visions.ItreassuresGod’speopleofHisongoingpresencewiththem,and
faithfulnesstothem,intheformofhonoringallofHispreviouscovenantsthatHe
hasmadewiththeHebrewpeoplebeginningwiththeAbrahamicCovenantand
onwardtotheMosaicCovenantestablishedatMt.Sinai.Yehoveh,throughHis
ProphetZechariah,alsopointstoafuturehopeandgreatergloryforallIsrael
thattranscendstheirimmediatecircumstances.
Aswemovealonginthebook,andespeciallyinthelaterchapters,themessianic
propheciesappear,andhistoryprovesthelastingimpactthishashadonJewish
andChristianthoughtoverthecenturies.Zechariahhashadenormousimpacton
thetheologicalimplicationsandexpectationsaboutacomingdelivererwho
wouldestablishGod’sreignonearth,forever.
ZechariahisoneofagroupofpropheticbooksintheBiblecalledtheMinor
Prophets,ofwhichthereare12.Theterm“minor”doesnotmeanlesssubstantial
orimportantthansomeoftheotherswefindintheOldTestament.Ratherit
meansthatthese12booksaresimplyshorterinlengththanthatofotherslike
Jermiah,Ezekiel,andthegranddaddyofthemall,Isaiahwithits66chapters.

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Zechariah’snamemeans“Yehovehhasremembered”.Thiswasafairlycommon
nameandwefindabout30menintheOldTestamentwithit.Hewasborninto
apriestlyfamily,probablyinBabylon.Whenwelookathisentirenameasgiven
tousinthefirstverseofhisbook,wefinditisZechariahben-Berechiahben-Iddo.
Thatis,thisparticularZechariahisthesonofBerechiah,andthegrandsonof
Iddo.Therefore,becauseIddowasknowntobeapriestofhighranking,notonly
washeaprophethewasalsoapriest…althoughupinBabylon,priestshadno
realfunctiontherebecausetheonlyplacetheycouldusetheirpositionaspriests
wastheTempleinJerusalem,whichlayinruins.Asapriest,ithelpsusallthe
moretounderstandhispassionforgettingthatTemplerebuilt.
AninterestingJewishTraditionconcerninghimsaysthathewaspartofwhatwas
calledtheGreatSynagogueinBabylon.Thiswassaidtobeagroupofmenwho
gatheredinordertoprotectandpreservethewrittenTorahandotherancient
Hebrewwritings.Whethertherewasactuallysuchagroup,oritisjustlegend,is
impossibletoknow.
Generallyspeaking,theBookofZechariahhasbeendividedbyChristianscholars
intotwolargesections:chapters1–8,andthen9–14.Infact,thereisastrong
movementinBiblescholarshiptoseetheBookofHaggaialongwiththefirst8
chaptersofZechariahasbutonesinglework,writteneitherby1author
(Zechariah)orasacollaborativeeffortby2authors(HaggaiandZechariah).
However,thispropensitytodivideZechariahintotwolargesectionsisless
becauseofitscontentthanitisofitsstyle.And,forthisreason,thereisabelief
amongmanyBiblescholarsthatanentirelydifferentandseparateauthorwrote
whatwetodaycallZechariahchapters9–14.Suchabeliefdidnotexistuntil
perhapsthe19
th
century,andthereisnosuchthoughtexpressedinancient
Jewishscholarship.
ThisnotionofclaimingdifferentauthorsofaBiblethanthebookitselfclaimsis
duetothewayBiblestudymethodologyhasprogressedwithinChristianityover
time.ThereareseveraltypesofwhatiscalledcriticalBiblestudy…orsometimes
calledBiblecriticism…thathavedeveloped.Theterm“criticism”doesn’tmean
whatitsoundslike.Thatis,itisnotanapproachtoBiblestudyfortheexpress
purposeofmakingnegativeclaimsabouttheHolyScriptures.Fromtheacademic

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viewpoint,itismoreaboutanalyzingtheBiblefromdifferentpointsofview,
usingvarioustechniquesanddisciplines.Themethodscalledliterarycriticism
andsourcecriticismare2ofthoseseveralcriticalmethodsusedtostudyGod’s
Word.Sourcecriticismisamethodusedinbiblicalstudiestoevaluatethe
authenticityandcredibilityofthesourcesusedinatext.Itinvolvesanalyzingthe
integrityofthetexttodeterminethesourcesusedbytheauthorsandlater
editors,andtoidentifyanysignsofmodificationsthatmayhaveoccurredduring
thetransmissionofthebiblicaltextsoverthemanycenturiesfromtheoriginal
writingofthem.Literarycriticismattemptstoestablishtheliterarygenres(types
orcategories)ofthevariousbiblicaldocumentsandtoreachconclusionsabout
theirstructure,date,andauthorship.Theproblemisthatthisismoreartthan
science,moreopinionthanevidence.Thisdoesn’tmeanthosescholarswhouse
these2studymethodsarealwaysincorrect,buttheycanmislead.Andoftenthis
isbecausethosewhousethese2methodologiesareatheistsorBibleskeptics.
TheGermanBiblecommentorsC.F.KeilandF.Delitzschwere(tomythinking)
thepremiercommentatorsoftheirera….themid-1800’s.Istillholdthemingreat
regardandreferregularlytotheircommentariesasawonderfulresearchtool.It
wasslightlybeforeorearlyintotheirperiodofscholarshipthattheliteraryand
sourcecriticismstudymethodsappeared(eveniftheyhadyettogainnames),
andclaimsstartedtoappearabouttheBiblethathadneverbeforeexisted
concerningeverythingfromauthenticitytoauthorshipofthemanyBiblebooks.
WhileKeilandDelitzschdidn’tdismissitallout-of-hand,theytendedtothrow
coldwateronmuchofitas(andIquote)“…thedogmaticassumptionofthe
rationalisticandnaturalisticcriticsthatthebiblicalpropheciesarenothingmore
thantheproductionsofnaturaldivination…”Thatis,theyaresayingthatthe
academicsthatmakesuchclaimsaretypicallythosewhodon’tbelievethatthe
BibleistheWordofGod,donotbelieveindivineinspirationandoftennotthe
existenceofthedivineatall,nordotheybelievethatsuchathingasactual
prophecyexists.Rather,theyviewthesebiblicalauthorsasfraudswhospoke
onlywellafterthefactoftheeventstheyprophesied,butwroteasthoughthey
werepredictingthemlongbeforetheyactuallyhappened.
I,too,donotdismissout-of-handtheclaimsandscholarshipoftheliteraryand
sourcecriticalBiblecommentators.However,wemustallbeingwiththe
knowledgeoftheirmindsetandwhattheyintendtoprove.And,thatbecause

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proofismuchtoohighofahurdleforthemtojumpover,theysimplyusetheir
academicstatustoinsistthattheymustbecorrect.And,yet,clearlytherehave
beenredactions,editing,andmorethan1handinvolvedoverthecenturiesas
thesepreciousBiblebookshavebeentransmitteddowntousthroughthe
centuries.Becausetheprintingpressneverexisteduntilamere500yearsago,
theBiblewashandcopied.So,mostofthe“editing”hasbeenlittlemorethana
generallyminorcopyisterror(intheHebrewalphabettherearepairsofletters
thatarenearlyidenticallookingandsotheyareoftenaccidentallytransposed),
andatothertimessomeancientplacenameswereremovedandreplacedwith
theircurrentnamesascityandvillagenamesregularlychangedoverthe
centuries.
But,thereisalsotheloomingrealitythatsomeofthesebooks,orpartofthem,
areindeedcompendiumsoflettersandsmallerworksthatwerewovenintoa
morecoherentwhole.Thismightsoundalarming,butitshouldnot.Thismerely
meansthataprophetmightwritesomethingandthenspeakitasordered,but
thensometimepasses…perhapsmorethanadecade…andtheprophetreceives
anotheroraclefromGod,whichhealsowritesdownandthenspeaks.Later,an
editorcomesalongtocombinethemintoasingleworkratherthantwoseparate
works.Again,nothingwrongwiththatnordoesthatwaterdownormodifythe
truth.Itissimplythestandardprocessbywhichnearlyallancientliteraryworks
aredealtwithoverthecenturies.TheNewTestamentGospelaccountsworkthat
sameway.TheseareaccountsofYeshua’slifethathavebeenstitchedtogether,
massagedandre-worked,tofitthelengthofacompletedworkthatthepatronof
thatGospelwriterhiredhimtodo.
Therefore,itismypositionthatthetraditional,historical,andbiblicalevidence
concerningthewritingofHaggaiandZechariahisthatthesetwoprophetsnot
onlyknewofoneanotherbutmostlikelycollaboratedonthosetwobooksin
ordertogivethemamostfulfillingunity.And,yes,wecanseeanotablechange
ofapproachbetweenZechariahchapters1-8versuschapters9–14,butthatis
becauseseveralyearselapsedbetweenthewritingofthefirstpartofthebook
versusthewritingofthesecondpart,andthesubjectmatterevolvedasGod
gaveZechariahadditionalinformationespeciallyaboutamoredistantfuture.
WhileIcannot“prove”mypositionwithcertaintyanymorethantheliteraryand
sourcecriticscanprovetheirs,mineisfarmoretenablethantheirsbecausefor

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welloverthefirst2000yearsafterthesebookswerewritten,noone…Jewor
Christian…seriouslyquestionedtheirauthorshiporauthenticity.Andthatis
somethingthatoughttogiveuscomfortandconfidenceaboutwhatwewillbe
studying.
TheBookofZechariahwaswrittenduringapivotaltimeinIsraelitehistory.The
BabylonianEmpirehadconqueredJudah,destroyedJerusalemandtheTemple,
andtookmanyJudeanresidentsintoexilein586B.C.However,by539B.C.,the
PersianEmpireunderCyrustheGreatdefeatedBabylon,takingtheirempire
awayfromthem.CyrusissuedadecreeallowingtheexiledJudeanstoreturnto
theirhomelandandtorebuildtheirTemple.AfirstwaveofJudeansleftBabylon,
followedbyasecondwavearound15yearslater.Keytograspistherelatively
fewJudeansthateverreturned,thevastbulkofthemchoosingtostayin
Babylon.Why?BecausemostofthoseJudeanstakenwhenNebuchadnezzar
conqueredJudahwhowereadultsatthetimediedofoldageupinBabylonand
soitwastheirchildrenandgrandchildrenwhomigratedbacktoYehud.Babylon
wastheonlyhometheyknewandsoforthemYehud(theformerJudah)was
foreign.Further,itisimportanttoknowthatdespitewhatJewishTraditionis,
onlyasparsehandfulofthoseformerresidentsoftheKingdomofEphraim(the
so-calledNorthernKingdom)…betterknownasthe10losttribesofIsrael…
joinedtheirJudeanbrothers.Onlyinthemoderntimeshavemembersofthose
10tribesbeguntheirreturntowhatisnowtheJewishStateofIsrael.
AswereadtheseseveralchaptersinZechariah,weneedtokeepinmindthat
whiletheJudeansretunedtotheareatheyusedtolivein,itwasnolongeran
independentJewishnation.RatheritwasnowbutaPersianprovincethatwent
byitsnewnameYehud.And,whiletheydidhaveanethnicallyJudeangovernor
overthem(Zerubbabel),hewascertainlynotaking.Basically,hewasaPersian
civilservantthatwasquiteloyaltoPersia.Thisissueofthereturnedexilesno
longerbeinggovernedunderaJewishmonarchwasamostsignificant
backgroundfactorintheirthinking,andinwhattheProphetswrote.
TheprimaryfocusoftheearliestchaptersofZechariahisonrebuildingthe
SecondTemple.ThiseffortbeganundertheleadershipofSheshbazzar,but
oppositionfromthenewresidentsthathadmovedinaftertheJudeanswere
deportedtoBabylon…mostlytheSamaritans…ratherquicklybroughtthe

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reconstructionprojecttoahalt.HewasreplacedbyZerubbabelwhogottheball
rollingagain.However,theworkstillfacedsignificantheadwindsofboth
resistanceandlackoffunding.Godstressedthecrucialimportanceoffinishing
theTemplebecause,toHim,itrepresentedthemostvisiblesymboloftheMosaic
Covenant,andthushadatremendouseffectupontheJudeansrelationshipwith
Him.Godevenexpressedthatthebefuddlinglackofproductionoffoodfrom
theirfieldsandorchardsthatthesereturneeswerefacingwasbecauseoftheir
footdraggingonrebuildingtheTemple.Thatis,Godwasthecausebehindthe
poorharveststheyhadbeensuffering,andthissituationwouldonlyberelieved
whentheJudeansgotseriousaboutrebuildingGod’sHouse.
WhenitcomestothenatureofthematerialZechariahhasleftuswith,wecan
sayafewthings.First,althoughtheProphetspriortoZechariah(andHaggai)
weredecidedlyagainstAssyriaandthenBabylon,Zechariahwaspro-Persia.He
clearlyviewsPersiaasbeneficiallycarryingoutGod’swill,andparticularlyHis
willasconcernsIsrael.Therefore,ZechariahdidnotseekfortheJudeansto
escapefromPersia’sruleandallitmeant,butrathertohelpthepeopletransition
toPersianleadershipratherthanexpectingorevenhopingforJudeanleadership.
Second,thisalsomeantconvincingthepeoplethatsincePersianrulewasGod’s
will,thentheyshouldnotbethinkingmuchintermsofworkingtowards,or
prayingtoYehovehto,restoreanIsraelitemonarchytoruleoverthem.Itwould
beago-along-to-get-aloneapproach;simplyacceptingandlivinginanew
reality.Ontheotherhand,asthebookprogressesthereisawarningnottoget
tooentangledinPersiancultureandespeciallynotinPersianreligionforfearof
goingastrayandangeringYehoveh…adelicatebalanceforsure.Andthird,
Zechariahoperatessubstantiallyonsymbolism.Symbolismisthelanguageof
apocalypticprophecybecausethereisnootherwaytopaintanunderstandable
wordpictureofsomethingthatisfarintothefuture,andofthingsthatdon’tyet
exist.Thatsaid,Zechariah’spropheticsymbolismisgenerallyconsideredthe
mostdifficulttodecipherintheBible,andIcertainlyagreewiththat.
WhatseparatesZechariah’ssymbolismfromthatofotherpropheticbooksisn’t
onlytheamountofit,itisthatthesymbolismcanbehardtodiscernbecauseis
notcontainedinjustonewordoroneobject.Rather,wemustlookveryclosely
attheentiresentencestructureoftheversewherethesymbolismappears.The
tiniestdetailsofthesentencecanbeimportant.Itisthestructureandthedetails

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thatthenmustbeexaminedwithinthecontextofwhatitmeanttopeopleliving
duringthatsametimeperiodandhearingZechariah’smessage.Otherwise,we
windupwiththequagmireweencountertodayinwhichnearlyevery
commentaryonZechariahdisagreeswiththeothersonthemeaningofthe
symbolism.BecausethebackdropofZechariah’swordsisnotoftenknown,
typicallybecauseitisgenerallynotsoughtafter,thentheall-importantcontext
fordeterminingtheproperinterpretationforeachsymbolicmessagegoes
missingandallinterpretationisbasedontheconditionsandtheworldissuesin
ourtime…orinwhatevertimethecommentatorwrotehisthoughts.Bottomline:
ZechariahisthemostchallengingbookI’veeverchosentocommenton.And,it
isalsooneofthemostpoignantandapplicabletoourlives.So,thisstudyis
goingtogetnecessarilycomplicatedattimes,andoccasionallymorethanone
possibleinterpretationofasymbolwillbepresented.Timeandtheplayingoutof
historyhavesolvedsomeofthesymbolicmeanings,butsincethereismoreto
playoutbeforetheEnd,thensomeitwillremainamysteryfornow.Withthat,
openyourBiblestoZechariahchapter1.
READZECHARIAHCHAPTER1all
ThefirstpropheticoraclefromGodtoZechariahoccurredduringthe2
nd
yearof
KingDariusofPersia’sreign.Althoughdatesinyearsinthoseancienttimes
generallyweregivenaccordingtothetimeaparticularkingwasreigning…which
meanseachtimeanewkingtookover,theyearwasreset…italsomeansthat
everynation,whichbydefinitionhasitsownking,wasthereforeinadifferent
yearfromallothernations…however,themonthwasgiventousaccordingto
theuniquebiblicalHebrewcalendar.So,sayingitwasthe8
th
monthisnot
countingmonthsaswaytotellushowfarintoayearoftheking’sreignitwas.
ThisonlymeansthatthisoracletoZechariahhappenedintheHebrewmonthof
Heshvan,whichcorrelatestoourmodernNovember/Decembertimeframe.
Interestingly,theformthisdateisgiventousallowsustoknowthatthe
prophecygiventoZechariahcameonly2monthsafterthefirstpropheticoracle
wasgiventoHaggai.Evenmore,italsomeansthatZechariah’sfirstprophetic
oraclewasreceivedafullmonthbeforethefinalpropheticoraclethatwasgiven
toHaggai.Inotherwords,chronologicallyspeaking,itwasHaggai’sfirstoracle,
thenZechariah’sfirstoracle,thenHaggai’sfinaloracle.So,thishelpsusto
immediatelynoticehowtightlywoventogetherthebooksofHaggaiand

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Zechariahare,andbygivingthesedatesinthemannertheyarepresentedit
makesitnearlycertainthatthesetwoProphetsworkedtogether.
Stayingwithinthefirstverse,mostliterallyafterthegivingoftheprophet’s
nameandthedate,weread“thewordofYehovehcame”.Itisimportantthatthis
isreadliterally(asIjustgaveittoyou)accordingtotheoriginalHebrewforthe
fullmeaningtotakehold.Ihavemuchtosayaboutthis,butfirst,dependingon
yourBible,nearlyeveryEnglishBible(orotherforeignlanguageversion)will
NOTusetheword“Yehoveh”butratheritwillsay“TheLord”.Thisis,quitesimply,
awellunderstoodandconsciousmistranslationthatisnearlyuniversally
repeatedliterallythousandsoftimesintheOldTestament.TheHebrewwordfor
“lord”isadonai,butthatisnottheHebrewwordwefindhere.“Yehoveh”iswhat
wefind,anditistheformalnameofGodthatwasrevealedtoMoses.Iwantto
pauseandtakeadetouraboutthismatterbecauseoftheprofoundintentof
ConstantinianChristianitytoobscureGod’sbiblicalname,andtheequally
profoundconsequencesithascausedbydoingso.
BeforeIexplain,forthosewhohaveyettocatchontowhatImeanbytheterm
ConstantinianChristianityitisthis:itisthefoundingreligiousstructurethatallof
whatistypicallytodaycalled“thechurch”owesitsexistenceto.Itwasnot
establishedinitsformativestageuntilthe4
th
centuryA.D.andwaschampioned
bytheRomanEmperorConstantineandhismotherwho,togetherwithsome
powerfulBishopsprimarilybasedinRome,formedandranthisnewfaithbased
onasetofprinciplesanddoctrinesthatevolvedoverthenext300years.The
basicpremiseofthisnewlyformedfaithwasabeliefinJesusofNazarethasthe
neededSaviorofmankind.Yet,immediately,thistookaterribleturnbystating
thiswastobeagentiles-onlyreligion,presentedinafamiliarGreekcultural
backdrop,andforthattohappeneveryelementofJewishnesswastobe
removedfromitspractice.Thus,theprimeinstitutionaldirective(intime)
became:iftheJewspracticeit,wedon’t.IftheJewsworshipit,wedon’t.
Therefore,Jewsaretobedirectlyexcludedfrombeingpartofthisnewreligion.
Whatishistoricallytrue,butlessthancomfortableforustocontendwith,isthat
despitetheimplicationsandclaimsofthetermsChurchandChristianity,itishas
onlysomerelationshiptothefaithYeshuacommandedandHisdisciplestaught.
Thisdeparturehappenedinordertomakethisnewfaithpopularwithinthe
Greek-basedRomanculture.So,JesusnecessarilyhadtobeseparatedfromHis

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inherentJewishnessandinsteadHehadtodonamorefamiliarGreeknatureand
appearance.Infact,inthelast3or4decades,afewacademicstudiesandbooks
seekingtounearthwhatisoftencalled“TheHistoricalJesus”havebeen
publishedtoconfrontwhathasbeenwronglypresentedtousaboutYeshua.But,
whatwastobedoneaboutwhichGodthisnewreligionwastoworship?TheJews
worshipedGodtheFather;yettoemphasizethatparticularGodwouldhavekept
thisnewgentiles-onlyreligiontiedalittletoocloselytoancientJewishreligious
andworshippractices.So,somefundamentalchangeshadtooccur.Oneofthe
mostimportanthadtobetosomewhatdiminishtheplaceofGodtheFather,and
atthesametimetoelevatetheplaceofGodtheSon.Thisprimarilyrevolved
aroundtheexchangeofnamesandredefiningsometerms.Withthismuchtoo
briefexplanationoftheoriginsofChristianityasweknowit,let’sgetbacktowhy
eventhoughwefindthename“Yehoveh”6800timesintheoriginalHebrewOld
Testament,intheChristianBibleithasbeenchangedto“TheLord”nearlyallof
thosetimes(theamountvaryingonlyslightlyfromversiontoversion).
InExoduschapter3wereadthis:
CJB
Exodus3:15GodsaidfurthertoMoshe,"SaythistothepeopleofIsra'el:
'Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh[ADONAI],theGodofyourfathers,theGodofAvraham,the
GodofYitz'chakandtheGodofYa'akov,hassentmetoyou.'Thisismyname
forever;thisishowIamtoberememberedgenerationaftergeneration.
ThisCJBtranslationwascreatedbyDavidStearnsandwasmeantforaJewish
splintergroupgenerallylabeledasMessianicJews.Thus,heneededtobe
sensitivetosomeJewishculturaltraditionsoranonlymoderatelyreligiousJew
wouldhavevehementlyrejectedHisBibleversion.AstandardJewishcultural
taboothatbeganinthelate300’sB.C.wasthatGod’snameshouldnotbe
spokenorwritten.Therefore,theysubstitutedforYehovehwiththetermsadonai,
hashem,andacoupleofothers.TheYoung’sLiteralTranslationputsthissame
verseinExodus3,thisway:
YLT
Exodus3:15AndGodsaithagainuntoMoses,'Thusdostthousayuntothe
sonsofIsrael,Jehovah,Godofyourfathers,GodofAbraham,GodofIsaac,and
GodofJacob,hathsentmeuntoyou;thisisMyname--totheage,andthisMy
memorial,togeneration--generation.

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IntheoriginalHebrewGod’snameisgiventoususingtheHebrewletters
Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh.Theseallareconsonants(theHebrewlanguageusesan
all-consonantalphabet),whichmeansvowelsoundshavetobesuppliedinorder
tospeakit.Mostmoderncommentatorssaythatwhenspokenthewordsounds
likeYah-weh;butIthinkitisa3-syllableword(not2)anditsoundssomething
likeYehovehorYehovah.Longago,whenthisnamewasconvertedtoEnglish,
forsomereasontheYsoundwasdroppedandtheJsoundwassubstitutedforit,
eventhoughinHebrewthereisnosuchthingasaletterthatgivesustheJsound.
TheresultwasthefamiliarJehovah.ButdonoticethatJehovahis3syllables
becausethisfollowstheLatin,whichwasaveryearlyformoftheChristianBible,
andsoitlikelyshowsatleasthowmanysyllablesthenameofGodconsistsof,as
wellasmoreorlesshowitwaspronouncedatleastbygentilesoftheRoman
EmpireintheearlyConstantinianChurchage,andimmediatelythereafter.
Butthen,wegettootherBibletranslationsandweseethis:
KJV
Exodus3:15AndGodsaidmoreoveruntoMoses,Thusshaltthousayunto
thechildrenofIsrael,TheLORDGodofyourfathers,theGodofAbraham,the
GodofIsaac,andtheGodofJacob,hathsentmeuntoyou:thisismynamefor
ever,andthisismymemorialuntoallgenerations.
NoticehowintheKJV,God’snameisdroppedentirely,andinsteadtheterm“the
Lord”isinserted.ItisthiswaytodayinnearlyallBibleversions.Why?Whydrop
God’sname?DonotthinkitisinsympathyorrespectfortheJewsbecause
ConstantinianChristianityhad,andhas,littlebutcontemptforJews.Theoriginal
Hebrewisnotatalldifficulttorecognizeortranslate.Noonewithevenabasic
understandingofHebrewcanaccidentallymistaketheHebrewYehovehforthe
Hebrewadonai.So,againIposethequestion:whydonearlyallChristianBibles
usethewordLord(adonai)inplaceofwhatisclearlywrittenintheoriginal
HebrewOldTestament?
Ihavebeentoldbymorethanafewthatthismustbeapetpeeveofmine
becauseIcertainlybringitupwithenoughregularity.Isupposethatistrue;but
onlybecauseIgrewupintheChurch,andfoundsalvationthere,butneverat
anytimehadanyideathatGod’snamewasactuallypepperedthroughoutthe

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OldTestament,givingittremendousimportance,butithadbeenremoved.It
occurredtomethatwhenweseesomethinginourBiblesthatisgrossly
mistranslatedanditisdoneover6000times,therehastobeareasonforit…and,
thereis.ItisbecauseConstantinianChristianityfromCatholicismto
ProtestantismtoOrthodoxwantstominimizetheimageandideaofGodthe
FatherintheBibleandtoreplaceitwiththeimageandideaofGodtheSon.Why?
BecausetheintendedimplicationofConstantinianChristianityisthatGodthe
FatheristheGodoftheJews,whileGodtheSonistheGodofgentileChristians.
AndsinceConstantinianChristianitywascreatedinthe4
th
centurytobeanew
andstrictlygentiles-onlyreligion,thenitcanonlybethatfromtheviewofthe
RomanBishopswhofoundedit,theHebrewnameYehovehappliesONLYtothe
GodoftheOldTestament,whiletheGreek-basednameJesusappliesONLYto
theGodoftheNewTestament.Itisaterribledistortionofthetruthanditmust
beexposedforallitsconsequentialreasons.Itmisleadsinsomanyways…which
itwasintendedtodo…andwe’llseeinthefinalchapterofZechariahhowthat
realityplaysamostsignificantrole.Iwanttocontinueabitlongerwiththis
becauseofitssupremeimportancetoallofuswhoworshipGodandHisSon,
Yeshua.
Yeshua,inMatthewchapter6,toldHisfollowersthatthereisapatternafter
whichwearetopray.IfyouareaBeliever(andevenifyou’renot)youalready
knowit,butperhapsyou’venevergiventhewordsofthisprayermodelmuch
thoughtandthereforewhatChrististellingusto.
KJV
Matthew6:9Afterthismannerthereforeprayye:OurFatherwhichartin
heaven,Hallowedbethyname.
Thinkonthosewords.Yeshuatoldustoalwaysdirectourprayersto…who?The
Father.Andwhatwastobesetapartasholy?Hisname.TheChristianBiblesays
thatGod’snameis“TheLord”.TheoriginalHebrewBiblesaysGod’snameis
Yehoveh.Whichthenleadsustothisquestion:towhomarewetopray,today?
TheChurchsayswearetopraytoJesus(theCatholicChurchwouldaddMaryto
that).But,isthatevenwhattheNewTestamentactuallysays?
Folks,ifwemisnameGodTheFather,orwemischaracterizeHim,orwetryto
substituteHisSonforHim,thenwearecommittingaterribleerrorattheleast,

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orreallywehavenoideawhoorwhatweareactuallyworshippingatworst.
ListentothisBiblepassage,whichisanotheronewe’reallfamiliarwith:
KJV
Exodus20:7ThoushaltnottakethenameoftheLORDthyGodinvain;for
theLORDwillnotholdhimguiltlessthattakethhisnameinvain.
Thisisthewaywehaveallgrownuphearingandlearningthiscommandment.
Butnowlet’slistentothisverseliterallytranslatedfromtheoriginalHebrew.
YLT
Exodus20:7'ThoudostnottakeupthenameofJehovahthyGodforavain
thing,forJehovahacquittethnothimwhotakethupHisnameforavainthing.
Didyouhearthedifference?VirtuallyallEnglishBiblesmistranslatethisverse.
Thisverseisfromthe10Commandmentsanditistraditionallycalledthe3
rd
commandment;itisallabouttheuseofGod’sname.But,ourEnglishBibleshave
removedGod’snameandsubstituteditwith“TheLord”.Icansaynootherthan
thisagrievousthingthathasbeendone,anditamountstonothinglessthan,
itself,takingthenameofGodinvain.
VirtuallytheentireBible,andtheessenceofourfaith,isdependentupon
knowingandcallingouttoGodusingHisname.Ourprayersaredependentabout
callingouttoOurFather.WeareindeedtorelyonYeshuaasourMediatorand
ourdivineSavior,andthereforeitisinYeshua’snamewearetopraytoThe
Father.Butalways,itistoTheFatherthatourprayersaretobedirected,andHis
nameisYehoveh.
Formanyofyou…maybemost…thismaybestartling,unsettling,andmaybe
makeyouabitangrythatIexplainedit;yet,itistrueandIamfarfromthefirst
tospeakofit.Nowthatyouhaveheardthis,however,Ihavedoneyounofavor.
Itlikelymeansyouhavetoconsiderforminganentirelynewmentalimagein
yourprayerlifebypicturingyourselfbeseechingYeshua’sFather,Yehoveh,and
notTheSon,Yeshua,tohearyou.But,Ihavenoqualmsaboutaskingyoutodo
thisbecauseallyouwouldbedoingisfollowingOurSavior’sdirectiveandHis
Father’scommandtodoexactlythat.Thisisjustonemorereasonwhyeachofus
isresponsibletoverycarefullyexaminewhereweplaceourfaithloyalties;with
thebiblicaltruthorwithourdenomination’sdoctrinesandtraditions.Neverthink

Lesson1-ZechariahIntro&Chapter1
13/13
thatthelinebetweenthosetwochoicesisonlyaline’swidth;itisachasmlarger
thantheGrandCanyon.Nomanisabletostraddleitandso,you,me…allofus…
mustmakeadecisionandachoice.
Therefore,Iwanttoconcludetoday’sTorahClasslessonwiththisBiblepassage
andaskyoutocontemplateit,andtopraytoyourFatherandmineabouthow
youaretoapplyittoyourlifeandtoyourfaithpracticesandrelationships.
CJB
Revelation18:4-5
4
ThenIheardanothervoiceoutofheavensay:"My
people,comeoutofher!sothatyouwillnotshareinhersins,sothatyouwillnot
beinfectedbyherplagues,
5
forhersinsareastickymasspileduptoheaven,
andGodhasrememberedhercrimes.
WewillcontinuewiththeBookofZechariahnexttime.