Who is the angel speaking to Zechariah in Zechariah 4?
Zechariah 4:1 - 14
NKJV - 1 Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, "What do you see?" So I said, "I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps.
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Asked 3 days ago
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Zeeta Chang
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Ezekiel Kimosop
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Bible scholars estimate the authorship of the Book of Zechariah to lie between 470 BC-520 BC. Some scholars consider Zechariah 1-8 to have been written between 520 BC-518 BC while chapters 9-14 was written between 480 BC-450 BC. The historical background of chapters 1-8 closely coincides with the events described in the Book of Haggai. The Book of Zechariah was written to remind God's people in captivity that God had a plan for their future and that He would restore them to the land of Judah. He would also punish the nations that had driven them into captivity. Zechariah's prophecy was also meant to encourage the returnees mentioned in the Book of Haggai to rebuild the ruined temple in Jerusalem. The mention of the restoration works of Zerubbabel in Zechariah 5:8-10 is instructive of this historical coincidence. The Book also paints a futuristic picture of the Messianic age which will witness the restoration of the nations under the Messiah and the significance of Jerusalem in the Millennium reign of Christ. Zechariah's vision and his engagement with an angel of the LORD can be traced to Zechariah 1:7-21. Several visions are captured in the book. In Chapters 1-4, we encounter the following visions: Vision of the Horses (1:17-11); vision of the Horns (1:18-21); Vision of the Measuring Line (2:1-5); Vision of the High Priest (3:1-10); and Vision of the Lampstand and Olive Trees (4:1-14). In Zechariah 4:1-14, the prophet is taken through the vision of the Lampstand and Olive Trees. Vv.1-2 describes the prophet's engagement with a familiar angel, here referred to as "the angel who talked with me". This suggests that this is possibly the same angel that he encountered in the vision of the horses in chapter 1 and in the subsequent visions. So who exactly is this angel who appeared to Zechariah in Chapter 4? The Book of Zechariah does not specify the name of the angel. This leaves his identity open to theological speculation. He should however be distinguished from angel Gabriel who appeared to a different Zechariah in Luke 1:19. My view is that this angel was a special heavenly envoy sent by God to Zechariah. We cannot determine his identity beyond the description that Scripture assigns to him. He description as an angel of the LORD should therefore suffice.
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