“Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.” — Zechariah 5:1-2

In advertising, where one of the key goals is to capture attention and make a lasting impression, aerial advertising banners are an eye-catching means of communicating information. Usually made from a lightweight material such as nylon, the banners are often brightly colored and bear a company’s logo or message. The concept behind them is simple: they invite you to look up and pay attention! 

Aerial advertising banners were first used shortly before World War II. Aviation pioneer and New Hampshire airport owner Arnold Sidney Butler is generally credited with being the innovator. He is renowned for attaching long, trailing banners to his fleet of Piper J-3 Cubs and having them flown across the sky. Once the war ended, aerial advertisements became increasingly common. Major businesses such as the Pepsi-Cola Corporation began to use aerial advertising for marketing their products. Today, aerial messages have been towed across thousands of popular beaches, busy highways, county and state fairs, music festivals, and football stadiums.¹ 

While historians name Mr. Butler as the originator of this form of creative messaging, he wasn’t really the first. In today’s text, we read that the prophet Zechariah saw a huge “roll” or scroll with writing on it flying through the air. The scroll must have been open, because Zechariah could see how large it was—it measured approximately fifteen by thirty feet! Aerial messages are generally towed by an airplane or drone, but the scroll Zechariah saw was guided by God. And its message did not promote a company, announce a sale, or highlight a logo. God’s scroll contained news of a judgment that was soon to be poured out upon the people of Judah. 

In the community of returned exiles, it appears that theft and lying—the two sins specifically condemned by the flying scroll—were common abuses of God’s Law. God chose a vivid and unforgettable way for Zechariah to impress upon the people of Judah that sin does not pay, letting them know that both the thief and the liar would be “cut off.” And though we likely will not see an aerial banner calling us to look up and pay attention, the same message is true today. While sin may not be punished immediately, a day of reckoning will come and all who have not repented of their sins will face God’s judgment. 

God’s amazing grace and mercy are available to those who come to Him in repentance, but His justice demands condemnation and punishment for sin that is not repented of. Let us purpose today to learn a lesson from the flying scroll that Zechariah saw and follow God’s instructions with very careful obedience.

^1. Patrick Ryan, “Arial Advertising: The Marketers of Arial Work Aviation,” Arbuyer, May 13, 2022, https://www.avbuyer.com/articles/ special-missions-aircraft/arial-advertising-the-marketers-of-arial-work-aviation-113447.

BACKGROUND

Today’s text records the final three visions revealed to the prophet Zechariah—messages that further disclosed God’s intent for Israel’s future. Chapter 5 describes Zechariah’s sixth vision, which was of a flying roll (scroll), signifying God’s future judgment against sinners. It also relates the seventh vision, which was of the woman in the ephah (clay pot) that was carried away; this illustrated God purging the very principle of sin from the land. The eighth and final vision is recorded in chapter 6 and was of four chariots carrying God’s judgment to the nations. Following the visions, God gave Zechariah a message regarding the crowning of Joshua the high priest, who typified the “Branch”—the Messiah who will eventually reign over Israel as both Priest and King. 

In vision six, described in verses 1-4 of chapter 5, the roll that Zechariah saw flying through the sky measured twenty cubits by ten cubits, or at least thirty feet by fifteen feet. The reference to “the curse” in verse 3 indicates that the scroll represented God’s judgment against sinners, particularly those who violated God’s Law by stealing and lying. Its immense size indicated that His indictment was large and detailed. The roll’s dimensions were the same as the Holy Place in the Tabernacle in the wilderness, possibly portraying that the judgment meted out would match the people’s failure to align to the Law of the sanctuary. This judgment would expose even the most private of sins, denoted by the roll’s entrance and destruction of the “houses” of thieves and perjurers. 

In the seventh vision, verses 5-11, Zechariah saw an “ephah”— a container used for dry measurement, which would have been somewhat larger than a bushel basket. The prophet was told that it “goeth forth,” meaning it would be taken out of the land of Israel. This container had a circular lead lid, and when it was lifted, Zechariah saw a woman inside who was the personification of wickedness. Two women with “wings like the wings of a stork” carried this symbol of sin from Israel to Shinar—a place mentioned eight times in the Old Testament, always in reference to the geographical location of the land of Babylon, which symbolized world idolatry. The words “established” and “set” in verse 11 denote firmness and finality. 

Chapter 6, verses 1-8, records Zechariah’s eighth and final vision: four war chariots pulled by horses of various colors. (The colors of the horses are of uncertain significance.) These chariots were instruments used by God to execute His judgment. They emerged from between two “mountains of brass,” generally thought to be Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives, and thus representing the source of divine judgment. Their primary mission was directed toward the “north country,” probably a reference to Babylon. When judgment was inflicted upon the nation that had destroyed the Temple and oppressed God’s people, God would be “quieted”—His wrath would be appeased. 

After the visions, at God’s direction Zechariah crowned Joshua the high priest in a foreshadowing of the triumphant Messiah, High Priest, and King who will one day reign. In verses 10-11, Zechariah was instructed to accept the donations of three men who had recently arrived from Babylon and use these gifts to make silver and gold crowns to place on Joshua’s head. This action looked beyond Joshua to the coming Messiah, “whose name is The BRANCH” (verse 12). This familiar title for the Messiah was previously introduced in Zechariah 3:8. The promise that “he shall build the Temple of the Lord” indicated that the Messiah himself would build a future Temple and would also unite both the roles of High Priest and King. 

Verse 14 states that the two joined crowns would be in the Temple as a “memorial” (or reminder) of the message that God gave through Zechariah. The phrase in verse 15 “they that are far off” likely refers to Gentiles. Their uniting with Israel in service to God in the Temple would testify to the validity of the prophet’s words.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

II. The eight night visions
     F. The vision of the flying roll (5:1-4)
          1. The vision (5:1-2)
          2. The interpretation (5:3-4)
     G. The vision of the woman in the ephah (5:5-11)
          1. The observation of the ephah (5:5-6)
          2. The presentation of the woman (5:7-8)
          3. The destination of the woman (5:9-11)
     H. The vision of the four chariots (6:1-8)
          1. The vision (6:1-3)
          2. The question (6:4)
          3. The interpretation (6:5-8)
III. The crowning of Joshua (6:9-15)
     A. The offering of the Exiles (6:9-11)
          1. The offerings (6:9-10)
          2. The instructions (6:11)
     B. The presentation of Messiah, the Branch (6:12-13)
          1. The Messiah, Joshua’s antitype, will build the Temple (6:12)
          2. The Messiah will bear glory and be priest and king (6:13)
     C. The provision for a permanent memorial (6:14)
     D. Millennial blessings: Gentile help in building the Temple, confirmation of God’s Word, absolute obedience (6:15)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. According to Zechariah 5:5-6, what did the prophet see after his vision of the flying scroll?
2. Why do you think God used such vivid and unique visions to communicate His messages to Zechariah?
3. Verses 9-15 of chapter 6 look ahead to the Messianic Kingdom and the One who will one day “sit and rule upon his throne” (verse 13). What feelings are stirred in your heart when you think about the Messianic Kingdom to come, and what can you do to ensure that you are prepared to have a part in it?

CONCLUSION

Zechariah’s final three visions demonstrate God’s authority over evil and His plan for the Israel of the future. They challenge us to be mindful of the judgment that will come upon those who reject God’s instructions, and the blessings that will accrue to those who follow Him in obedience.