The prophet Zechariah....of whom the Old Testament book is named....may or may not have been the prophet whom Jesus referred to in Matthew 23:35....in proclaiming woe to the scribes and the pharisees....
"Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar."
It is easy to spend days and even weeks on any one of even the minor prophets. You can reread them over years and decades....and always be blessed even though there are still veils in place....as God will lift them on His perfect timetable. So I encourage you....in this case and with this prophet...go there and read and meditate and pray and wait.
In this post there is one chapter of Zechariah that I want to focus on....chapter 11....sometimes given by the publishers a chapter title such as....Prophecy of the Shepherds. There are some interpretations of these verses in this chapter that seem very possible....but even if they are accurate....there seems to be much more to be revealed in God's timing.
So we know this....these (three) shepherds....whomever or whatever they turn out to be....were dispatched. We see a shepherd's staff called....favor in some translations....and....beauty in others....and grace elsewhere....we see it broken in two. And we see another staff.... translated....Union....in some translations....and bands or bonds in others....and that staff is broken also. What is God telling us here? We simply do not for sure....not at this time....but we will when God deems it necessary for us to know!
We do know this...that this chapter seems to point to one single bad shepherd....most probably the Antichrist. Zechariah is as if speaking the words....or has taken on the person of that bad shepherd. If that is the case....then the few verses that speak about it....are clues about the Antichrist. The three shepherds are taken out of the way....and this new one comes in.
I have to segue here for a moment as I heard a thump on the window next to me....which usually means that a bird flew into the glass. I got up and looked out the door....as our local Peregrine falcon was swooping down almost at roof level. That bird was flying in panic trying to escape.
John MacArthur has some interesting comments on Zechariah 11...."the foolish (wicked) shepherd had a broken staff or club which he used to beat stubborn sheep into submission....God permitted this wicked shepherd to arise, to destroy the sheep....because they did not choose the Good Shepherd. Israel will receive a foolish one who will do absolutely the opposite of what is expected of shepherds....he will destroy the sheep....exactly what the Antichrist does." MacArthur is theorizing that Israel will want this evil shepherd....the Antichrist! Indeed scripture seems to be saying this.
It's not only in Zechariah....but all the prophets....and all the words of prophecy throughout Scripture....some prophecies were already fulfilled....and that is it....a child was born to a virgin....but some were fulfilled with Isreal....but also have an end-times fulfillment. On most....God opens our eyes at different levels and in different times....even eras. Some we have absolutely no idea right now they mean....although you can probably find teachers who say that they do know.
I was wondering how to end this post. All I wanted to do was to encourage readers to look seriously and prayerfully and patiently into the prophets....and point out the references to the Antichrist in Zechariah 11....and maybe generate some interest in those two shepherd's staffs....for surely there is meaning there....for us to know at some future date....but that bird flying into the glass of our window has led me to close with this. I have at times found birds lying dead below a window. When that predator appears they scatter in panic. That is what we in the church....which will be a remnant....with everyone against us....will not want to do. That is why God's Word....not only warns us of what is to come....but Jesus comes right out and tells us that He is warning us in advance!
