Did you ever wonder about Zechariah’s vision of a flying scroll and a woman in a basket? What could these symbols mean? Here is a short study with some thoughts that might help explain this strange vision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\tThen\nI turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying\nroll.<\/em> Zechariah 5:1 \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tWhat\nis this flying scroll? Here are some clues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tMoreover\nthe LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a\nman’s pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz. <\/em> Isaiah 8:1<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThis\nroll in Isaiah is a prophecy of the judgment against Damascus and\nSamaria that is described in the rest of the chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tTake\nthee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that <\/em>I\nhave spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah,<\/strong><\/em>\nand against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the\ndays of Josiah, even unto this day.<\/em> Jeremiah 36:2 \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tIn\nthis passage also the roll appears to contain judgments of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tAnd\nhe said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying\nroll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof\nten cubits. Then said he unto me, This is the <\/em>curse that\ngoeth forth over the face of the whole earth: <\/strong><\/em>for every\none that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it;\nand every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side\naccording to it.<\/em> Zechariah 5:2, 3<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThis\nroll is said to contain a curse for the whole earth! The dimensions\ngiven are the same as the Holy Place in the Sanctuary\u2014twenty cubits\nlong, ten cubits wide. Why? This curse comes because of the\ndesecration of the sanctuary mentioned by\nDaniel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tYea,\nhe magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the\ndaily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was\ncast down. <\/em>\nDaniel 8:11<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThe\nword \u201cdaily\u201d comes from the Hebrew word tamiyd<\/em>\nwhich is used in the Pentateuch for the daily or continual\nministration in the temple. The word \u201csacrifice\u201d was added by\nthe translators; the daily ministration included more than\nsacrifices. Every day, continually, there was a sacrifice burning on\nthe Altar of Burnt Offering (symbolizing forgiveness and\nconsecration), there was water in the Laver (cleansing), the Holy\nPlace was lighted by the lamps on the Candlestick (Holy Spirit\nillumination), the smoke of incense went up from the Altar of Incense\n(intercession), and the Bread of the Presence was maintained\non the Table of Shewbread (spiritual nourishment). This \u201ccontinual\u201d\nministration in the Outer Court and in the Holy Place represents what\nJesus has been doing and providing as our Mediator in the heavenly\nsanctuary. (Hebrews 4:14-16, etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tMany\naspects of this daily ministration have been replaced or corrupted by\nthe Roman Catholic Church. They put earthly priests in place of our\nHeavenly High Priest, Jesus. They marketed indulgences in place of\nJesus’ all-sufficient sacrifice for forgiveness. For cleansing, they\nintroduced sprinkling instead of immersion baptism. The spiritual\nillumination of the Holy Spirit was squelched by keeping the Bible\ninaccessible to the common people. Jesus’ intercession was replaced\nwith the intercession of Mary and various saints. The uncorrupted\nbread from heaven, the Word of God, was replaced with corrupted\nmanuscripts that support Catholic doctrines and agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tI\nwill bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into\nthe house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth\nfalsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house,\nand shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.<\/em>\n Zechariah 5:4<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tGod\nwill bring forth the curse. It is a curse to those who are falsely\ncalled \u201cChristian\u201d and who are really serving the enemy of souls.\n What is this enemy that is a curse to the whole earth? We see her\nin the following verses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThen\nthe angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up\nnow thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said,\nWhat is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said\nmoreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth. And,\nbehold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman\nthat sitteth in the midst of the ephah.<\/em> Zechariah 5:5-7<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThe\nword \u201cresemblance\u201d (Strong’s number H5869) is the word for eye\nbut can have the meaning of affliction according to Strong’s\ndictionary. So the prophet sees this woman in a basket as the\naffliction or curse to the whole earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThe\nwoman in Revelation 12 is God’s true church. The woman in Revelation\n17 is a false church, a prostitute who commits fornication with the\nkings of the earth. This is the basis for considering this woman in\nthe basket as a church. This wicked woman in the basket represents\na corrupt church. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tAnd\nhe said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the\nephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. <\/em>\nZechariah 5:8<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThe\nwoman in the basket appeared as the curse of the earth but then was\ncontained for a period under the heavy lid. This is Roman\nCatholicism, the persecuting power of those horrible times, the curse\nin the earth, during the Dark Ages. She was restrained in her power\nfor a short time after Napoleon took the Pope captive in 1798. But\nwhat happens when we see the lid opened at the end of the vision?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThen\nlifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two\nwomen, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the\nwings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and\nthe heaven.<\/em> Zechariah 5:9<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThere\nare now two women instead of one coming out of the basket. According\nto the Spirit of Prophecy the prostitute Babylon in Revelation 17\nsymbolizes various entities including Roman Catholicism and Apostate\nProtestantism (two horned beast). \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tIn\nRevelation 17, Babylon is represented as a woman, a figure which is\nused in the Scriptures as the symbol of a church. A virtuous woman\nrepresents a pure church, a vile woman an apostate church. Babylon is\nsaid to be a harlot; and the prophet beheld her drunken with the\nblood of saints and martyrs. <\/em>The Babylon thus described\nrepresents Rome, that apostate church<\/strong><\/em> which has so\ncruelly persecuted the followers of Christ. But Babylon the harlot is\nthe mother of daughters who follow her example of corruption. <\/em>Thus\nare represented those churches that cling to the doctrines and\ntraditions of Rome and follow her worldly practices<\/strong><\/em>,\nand whose fall is announced in the second angel’s message. <\/em> {4SP\n233.1} \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThe\nvision that Christ presented to John, presenting the commandments of\nGod and the faith of Jesus, is to be definitely proclaimed to all\nnations, people, and tongues. <\/em>The churches, represented\nby Babylon,<\/strong><\/em> are represented as having fallen from\ntheir spiritual state to become a persecuting power against those who\nkeep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.\nTo John <\/em>this persecuting power is represented as having\nhorns like a lamb, but as speaking like a dragon. <\/strong><\/em> . . . \n{TM 117.4} \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThese\nwomen have wings of a stork, an unclean bird. What does the Bible\nsay about an unclean bird?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tAnd\nhe<\/em>\ncried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is\nfallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the\nhold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful\nbird. <\/em>\nRevelation 18:2<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThen\nsaid I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the\nephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of\nShinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.\n<\/em> Zechariah 5:10, 11<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThe\nland of Shinar is where the tower of Babel was built. These women,\nunholy churches, go together to again erect the tower of Babel. This\nis symbolic, as is all the rest of this vision, of the plans to set\nup a one-world religion and make all nations bow the knee. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tWhat\nis the main issue to be decided at the end of time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tAnd\n<\/em>they worshipped the\ndragon<\/strong><\/em>\nwhich gave power unto the beast: and <\/em>they\nworshipped the beast<\/strong><\/em>,\nsaying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?<\/em>\n Revelation 13:4<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tAnd\nhe had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image\nof the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not\n<\/em>worship the image of the beast<\/strong><\/em> should be\nkilled. <\/em> Revelation 13:15<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThe\nfirst beast in Revelation 13 represents the same as the harlot riding\na beast: Roman Catholicism in its political form. The second beast\nestablishes another system that has political power: apostate\nProtestantism. Both of these systems command and receive worship. \nWhat does God have to say in the next chapter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tAnd\nI saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the\neverlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and\nto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, S<\/em>aying\nwith a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of\nhis judgment is come: and <\/em>worship him<\/strong><\/em>\nthat made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of\nwaters<\/strong><\/em>.\n<\/em>\nRevelation 14:6, 7<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tThe\nconflict at the very end is all about worship. Who will you worship?\n God or His enemy? \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tGet\nready; these things are soon to come to pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tChristians\nshould be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an\noverwhelming surprise, and this preparation they should make by\ndiligently studying the word of God and striving to conform their\nlives to its precepts. The tremendous issues of eternity demand of us\nsomething besides an imaginary religion, a religion of words and\nforms, where truth is kept in the outer court. God calls for a\nrevival and a reformation.<\/em> Prophets and Kings, p. 626<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Did you ever wonder about Zechariah’s vision of a flying scroll and a woman in a basket? What could these symbols mean? Here is a short study with some thoughts that might help explain this strange vision. Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. Zechariah 5:1 What … <\/p>\n