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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19, Day 5: Zechariah 6:9-15

Summary of Zechariah 6:9-15

God instructs Zechariah to make a crown from gold and silver and place it on the high priest, Joshua’s, head. His name shall be Branch, and he will build the temple of the Lord. He will be clothed in majesty and sit and rule on his throne. He will be a priest on the throne.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19 Day 5: Zechariah 6:9-15

12)  “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon. Go the same day to the house of Josiah, son of Zephaniah. Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jozadak.”

13) The “Branch” symbolizes life springing from the “dead” stump of David’s fallen dynasty (Isaiah 11). It identifies Jesus as the promised King (Jeremiah 23) and Servant (Zechariah 3) who, despite humble beginnings, grows to restore God’s glory (Isaiah 4) and build the eternal Temple.

14a) Jesus fulfills this by offering Himself as the perfect, “once-for-all” sacrifice, securing eternal redemption through His own blood (Hebrews 9–10). Unlike human priests, He holds a permanent priesthood, living forever to intercede for believers at God’s right hand (Hebrews 7; Romans 8), ensuring our salvation is complete and secure.

b)

From these verses, we learn that Jesus is not merely a spiritual guide but the absolute Sovereign of the Universe with authority over every realm of existence.

Here is what each passage reveals about His Kingship:

  • Matthew 25:31 (The Royal Judge): Jesus is the King who sits on a literal “glorious throne.” His Kingship includes the ultimate authority to judge the nations, separating people based on their relationship with Him. He has the final word on human destiny.

  • Ephesians 1:20-22 (The Supreme Head): His authority is total and current. He is seated “far above” every other rule, authority, power, and dominion. Nothing in the spiritual or physical universe is outside His jurisdiction.

  • Philippians 2:9-11 (The Object of Worship): His Kingship is universal and undeniable. He holds the “name above every name,” and eventually, every knee—in heaven, on earth, and under the earth—will bow in submission to His Lordship.

  • Revelation 1:5 (The Ruler of Rulers): His authority is political. He is the “ruler of kings on earth.” Every president, dictator, and monarch is a subordinate who answers to Him.

Short Summary

These verses portray Jesus as the supreme Sovereign who outranks every spiritual power and earthly leader (Ephesians 1, Revelation 1). He sits on a glorious throne as the final Judge (Matthew 25) and holds the highest name, demanding that every creature in existence bow in submission to His Lordship (Philippians 2).

c) With humility, gratitude, awe, worship, prayer, and more.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19, Day 5: Zechariah 6:9-15

I love this mini-study of Jesus as our High Priest. So, go good!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19, Day 5: Zechariah 6:9-15

There had always been a separation between church and state in Israel. A high priest was not crowned as king and vice versa. In fact, there were dire consequences if one tried to do so 2 Chronicles 26 .

This is a direct prophecy of Jesus as our King and Priest.

The branch was a common name for the Messiah (Isaiah 4:2 and 11:1Jeremiah 23:5 and 33:15). We see branches in the Bible elsewhere, too (John 15:5) and often referred to abundance, fruitfulness, and life.

Since the crown was a memorial, this shows us that Joshua was never meant to be king; this was merely a foreshadowing of Jesus to come.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

Interpretation

Zechariah 6:9-15 (The Crowning of Joshua) is a Messianic prophecy enacted in real life.

  • The Forbidden Merger: Zechariah is commanded to make a crown of silver and gold and place it on the head of Joshua the High Priest. This was shocking symbolism because in Israel, the office of King (tribe of Judah) and Priest (tribe of Levi) were strictly separate.

  • The Branch: The text clarifies that Joshua is merely a sign. The crown actually belongs to the coming “Branch” (the Messiah).

  • The Priest-King: The prophecy declares that this future figure will “sit and rule on his throne” and “shall be a priest on his throne,” with “counsel of peace” between the two roles. He will perfectly unite supreme authority and supreme mercy.

  • The True Builder: While Zerubbabel built the physical temple, this Branch “shall build the temple of the Lord”—referring to the future spiritual house of God (the Church).

Conclusion

Jesus is the solution to the separation of powers. This passage foretells that the Messiah will not just be a ruler who conquers, nor just a priest who prays, but a Priest-King. He is the only one who can mediate for us with perfect empathy (Priest) while ruling over us with perfect sovereignty (King).

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19, Day 4: Zechariah 6:1-8

Summary of Zechariah 6:1-8

In Zechariah’s 8th and final vision, he sees 4 chariots pulled by horses of different colors. The horses represented the 4 spirits of heaven going out to the whole world.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19 Day 4: Zechariah 6:1-8

9) The four war chariots emerging from unshakeable “bronze mountains” symbolize God’s unstoppable military power unleashed for judgment. Unlike earlier scouts, these forces actively execute wrath against oppressive empires (specifically Babylon). The declaration that His Spirit is now “at rest” confirms that justice has been satisfied and the enemy defeated.

10a) They are bookends. Vision 1 features scouts reporting the nations are “at rest” while God is angry. Vision 8 features war chariots executing judgment. The situation reverses: initially, the world was peaceful and God agitated; now, God’s Spirit is “at rest” because His wrath against the nations is satisfied.

b) In the first vision, God promised to judge the nations that were “at ease.” The final vision fulfills this by deploying war chariots to execute that judgment. The cycle completes as God’s Spirit finds “rest” in the North Country, signifying that the wrath anticipated in Chapter 1 has finally been satisfied.

11) God cannot abide by or in sin. Therefore, comprehensive judgment ensures total restoration. Judging individuals establishes personal accountability; removing systemic “Wickedness” cleanses the culture; and judging nations ends external oppression. If any realm were spared, evil would survive. God must purge sin everywhere—internally, structurally, and globally—to establish a truly holy and peaceful kingdom.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19, Day 4: Zechariah 6:1-8

Love how these visions all come together to tell a cohesive story of God’s judgment on nations.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19, Day 4: Zechariah 6:1-8

Many Bible scholars believe that the two mountains are Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives.

We see these colors as the colors of the horsemen in Revelation 6

Note that red often symbolizes war, black death, white victory, and dappled as disease.

The 4 chariots were 4 angelic beings.

God can rest when evil has been judged.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

Interpretation

Zechariah 6:1-8 (The Vision of the Four Chariots) is the finale of the night visions, depicting Divine Judgment executed.

  • The War Machines: Unlike the first vision (Zechariah 1), where riders were merely scouts, these are chariots—ancient tanks of war. This signals a shift from observation to action.

  • The Bronze Mountains: The chariots emerge from between two mountains of bronze. Bronze symbolizes judgment and strength. This represents the unshakeable, heavenly gateway from which God’s decrees are launched.

  • The Target: The chariots are dispatched to the “four winds,” but the focus is the North Country (Babylon). The black and white horses head there to execute judgment on the oppressor.

  • The Satisfaction: The vision ends with the declaration that these forces have “given My Spirit rest in the north country.” This means God’s wrath has been fully vented; justice has been served, and His anger is now appeased.

Conclusion

The cycle is complete. The visions began in Chapter 1 with the earth “at rest” in complacent sin while God was angry. They end in Chapter 6 with the earth pacified because God has judged it, and His Spirit is “at rest.” It confirms that God is the Lord of History, and He will actively defeat the enemies of His people to establish true peace.

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19, Day 3: Zechariah 5:5-11

Summary of Zechariah 5:5-11

In Zechariah’s 7th vision, he sees a woman in a basket who represents all of the sins and evils of the world. Then two women with wings appeared who lifted up the basket to take it to Babylon, where it will sit in a house.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19 Day 3: Zechariah 5:5-11

6) The woman “Wickedness” is sealed in a basket and flown to “Shinar” (Babylon), the original site of rebellion (Genesis 11) and future symbol of worldly corruption (Revelation 17). This symbolizes God permanently deporting idolatry back to its pagan source, ensuring true worship is restored in Jerusalem by physically separating evil from His people.

7a) It encouraged them by visualizing that their struggle against sin wasn’t futile. God showed He was actively removing the “principle” of wickedness from their midst. By sending evil back to Babylon (Shinar), God assured them that their new community wouldn’t be corrupted like the past, but would be a holy sanctuary.

b) It’s comforting to know sin will one day end. Knowing that sin and suffering are “light and momentary” compared to the “eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor 4) allows us not to lose heart as we waste away. We have the confident hope of a future Holy City where nothing or no one unclean enters (Rev 21), assuring us that evil’s days are numbered and purity will win.

8a) This vision is pretty easy to understand, as you can imagine the sins of the world being taken away by God. Many people are visual, and pictures can be easier to understand for His people.

b) I pray more. I listen for answers. I study more. I rely on faith to help me know that one day, if it’s in God’s will, I will understand it.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19, Day 3: Zechariah 5:5-11

Great message of hope here! We all need to keep in mind that one day sin will be no more and be encouraged when we fail that God has got us in His hands!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19, Day 3: Zechariah 5:5-11

Here’s we see how God removes sin from the land.

The basket was an ephah, and it symbolized commerce.

The woman represented all of evil. A woman was used because the Hebrew word for a woman is feminine.

Wings like a stork emphasize that they were large.

Evil began in Babylon (as we see in the Tower of Babel and as it represents here). So, it would be banished there forever.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

Zechariah 5:5-11 (The Vision of the Woman in the Basket) is a dramatic scene illustrating the removal of wickedness.

  • The Container: Zechariah sees an “ephah” (a large measuring basket, about the size of a bushel). This likely represents commerce and the economy, but more broadly, it symbolizes the “measure” of the people’s iniquity being full.

  • The Woman: Inside the basket sits a woman identified as “Wickedness” (or Iniquity personified). She tries to rise, but the angel thrusts her back down and seals the basket with a heavy lead lid. This shows that sin is active and dangerous but is being actively restrained by God.

  • The Removal: Two winged women (with wings like a stork) lift the basket and fly it away to “the land of Shinar” (Babylon).

  • The Destination: Shinar is the archetypal place of rebellion against God (Tower of Babel). The vision signifies that wickedness is being returned to its “home base.”

Conclusion

God is purifying His people by exporting sin. While the previous vision (the scroll) dealt with individual sinners, this vision deals with the principle of sin itself. God is not just managing evil; He is removing it completely from the community, sending idolatry and corruption back to Babylon where it belongs, so His people can be holy.

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19, Day 2: Zechariah 5:1-4

Summary of Zechariah 5:1-4

In Zechariah’s 6th vision, Zechariah saw a flying scroll that described the curse that went out over the whole land. Those who stole or swore falsely would be banished.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19 Day 2: Zechariah 5:1-4

3) The huge “flying scroll” represents God’s Law (Exodus 20), visible to all, acting as the inescapable standard. Just as kings were to write and obey the Law (Deuteronomy 17), this scroll shows that God judges not by whim, but by His written covenant, holding everyone accountable to His established moral order.

4a) Stealing and swearing falsely by God’s name. Stealing violates the Second Greatest Commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Swearing falsely violates the First Greatest Commandment:You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.”

By targeting these two specific sins, the vision declares judgment on those who fail to love God (the vertical relationship) and those who fail to love people (the horizontal relationship), effectively covering the entire Law.

b) Three details communicate this pervasiveness:

  1. The Size: The scroll is enormous (30×15 feet), implying sin is a massive, undeniable reality that cannot be ignored.

  2. The Scope: It flies “over the face of the whole land,” showing that judgment covers the entire community, not just a few bad apples.

  3. The Intrusion: It enters “the house” and consumes “timber and stones,” showing that the curse penetrates private life and destroys the very structure of existence.

5)

The vision of the flying scroll reveals the inescapable nature of God’s law and the inevitability of judgment, pointing directly to our need for a Savior.

  • Universal Guilt (Romans 3:10-12): The scroll flies over the “whole land,” showing that no one is exempt. The law exposes that “there is none righteous, no, not one,” leaving humanity helpless under the curse.

  • The Curse Taken (Galatians 3:13): The scroll represents a “curse” that consumes the sinner. Christ redeems us by becoming a curse for us, hanging on the cross to absorb the judgment that the flying scroll threatened against us.

  • The Exchange (2 Corinthians 5:21): The scroll demanded perfection we didn’t have. Christ takes our “filthy garments” (sin) and gives us His righteousness, silencing the law’s accusation so we are no longer consumed.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19, Day 2: Zechariah 5:1-4

Great lesson on how we are all accountable to God for our sins and will pay the just consequences for them, too.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 19, Day 2: Zechariah 5:1-4

The 6th and 7th visions concern God’s judgment of sin and His determination to remove sin’s corruption from the land.

Fun Fact: The dimensions of the scroll were the same as the dimensions of the porch of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6:3).

Scrolls are seen in the Bible when a judgment is pronounced.

The two sins were from different sides of the Ten Commandment tablets. Therefore, they represent all of the sins of God’s people.  God will judge all of sin. Those who committed these sins would be cursed and so would their house.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

Interpretation

Zechariah 5:1-4 (The Vision of the Flying Scroll) is a message about divine cleaning house.

  • The Object: Zechariah sees a massive flying scroll (approx. 30×15 feet), open for all to read. This represents the Law of God, specifically the Ten Commandments.

  • The Curse: The scroll is a “curse that goes out over the face of the whole land.” It targets two specific sins:

    • Thieves (Stealing): Violation of the 8th Commandment (sins against neighbors).

    • Perjurers (Swearing falsely by God’s name): Violation of the 3rd Commandment (sins against God).

  • The Infiltration: Unlike human police who can be evaded, this curse is supernatural. It “enters the house” of the sinner, ignoring locked doors.

  • The Destruction: It does not just punish the person; it consumes the “timber and stones” of their house. This signifies total eradication of the ill-gotten gain and the legacy built on it.

Conclusion

God will not tolerate hidden sin in the new community. While the earlier visions promised comfort and rebuilding, this vision warns that the new Temple community must be holy. God is actively purging corruption, ensuring that those who exploit neighbors or misuse His name cannot hide behind closed doors.

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BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 19, Day 5: John 14:27-31

SUMMARY OF JOHN 14:27-31

Jesus gives his disciples peace. They should be glad he is returning to the Father. He has told them ahead of time so that they may believe.

BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 19, Day 5: John 14:27-31

12a) That the peace Jesus brings is beyond the peace the world can give.

b) Peace with God is the peace we receive when we accept Christ as our Savior. We have made peace with God. Peace of God is the peace we receive when we trust Jesus. It is a feeling of closeness to God and being well with our relationship with Him.

Peace with God comes before Peace of God; both are God’s gift to us.

c) It gives me comfort and hope that my dreams will be achieved, that He will put me where He wants me; that life will be great.

13) Jesus’ death brings him back to the Father, which is what we all want. How wonderful is that! Jesus is preparing them, so they won’t be shocked. They can be comforted that Jesus is in a better place.

14a) Jesus will defeat the prince of this world aka the devil. The world/us can learn from Jesus’ battle with the devil that we can overcome him, too.

b) There’s really only two choices: a life of faith and a life without faith. No matter what, having God on your side is the only way to hope and strength in dire circumstances.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 19, Day 5: John 14:27-31

I love God’s peace! We all can have the peace of God. So amazing!

End Notes BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 19, Day 5: John 14:27-31

Saying “peace I leave with you” was a customary saying in the first century AD. Yet, Jesus’ peace was is better, a real peace we all can have.

Jesus’ death is a matter of rejoicing, as he will defeat the devil once and for all for all of us.

Jesus obeyed God on his way to the cross to defeat the devil; he is a willing sacrifice.

Now, they would be heading to the Garden of Gethsemane; the time has come.

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BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 19, Day 3: John 14:18-20

SUMMARY OF JOHN 14:18-20

Jesus comforts his disciples again, saying he won’t leave them. They will see him again. He will be in them.

BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 19, Day 3: John 14:18-20

6) 1) I will not leave you as orphans 2) I will come to you 3) You will see me 4) You will live also 5) You are in me 6) I am in you.

Each is important because it comforts us and let’s us know we are not alone. We have the power of Jesus in us, so we can vanquish the Enemy. Jesus will help us when we need it. We are never alone.

7a) Jesus and God are one. We abide in Jesus. Jesus abides in us.

b) The fact that we are in God and Jesus and they are in us. It’s hard to fathom.

8 ) He cares about our every need and provides for our every need. No matter what, we can come to him — always and forever.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 19, Day 3: John 14:18-20

I love how Jesus is not concerned about himself at all, only about his disciples. That’s how it should be for us, too.

End Notes BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 19, Day 3: John 14:18-20

Jesus’ third assurance is that he will come to them (we saw this previously in John 14:3). This includes his Second Coming and the Holy Spirit.

The disciples will see Jesus after his resurrection. The Holy Spirit will live in them.

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