“Again I looked up, and I saw a flying scroll. He asked me: “What do you see?” I replied: “I see a flying scroll, which is 20 cubits long and 10 cubits wide””
(Zechariah 5:1,2)
This flying scroll is a proclamation from God, before the « day of *Jehovah (YHWH) », mentioned in Zechariah chapter 14. It is a worldwide proclamation, for the flying scroll goes among all nations:
“Again I looked up, and I saw a flying scroll. 2 He asked me: “What do you see?”
I replied: “I see a flying scroll, which is 20 cubits long and 10 cubits wide.”
3 Then he said to me: “This is the curse that is going out over the face of all the earth, because everyone who steals, as written on its one side, has gone unpunished; and everyone who makes a sworn oath, as written on its other side, has gone unpunished. 4 ‘I have sent it out,’ declares Jehovah of armies, ‘and it will enter into the house of the thief and into the house of the one who makes a false oath in my name; and it will remain inside that house and consume it and its timbers and its stones’”” (Zechariah 5:1-4).
This is an imprecation, or a message of condemnation from God, over the entire face of the earth. It may be the enigmatic message of condemnation against the « four horns » mentioned in Zechariah chapter 1:
“These are the horns that dispersed Judah to such an extent that no one was able to raise his head. These others will come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations that lifted up their horns against the land of Judah, in order to disperse he” (Zechariah 1:18-21).
These horns represent nations like Assyria, Babylon, Ammon, Moab, and Edom, which caused the ruin of Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem. Nevertheless, this scroll must circulate throughout the entire earth.
In describing the signs of the end of this system of things, Jesus Christ mentioned the preaching of the « good news of the kingdom » as a testimony to all nations: “And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). How can this « good » news of the kingdom turn out, at the same time, to be a « curse » for the current « unpunished thieves » (Zechariah 5:3,4; 12:1-6)?
* YHWH is the tetragrammaton, or four-letter for the Divine Name. In the New World Translation of the Bible, it appears with the vocalization commonly used for centuries as « Jehovah ». This vocalization is doubly inaccurate because it inserts the pronunciation J instead of I (i) or Y, and the V corresponding to W, which is pronounced « U » or « ou » (not V). The correct vocalization of the Tetragrammaton is YeHou(W)aH, Yehouah. The inaccurate vocalization « Jehovah » is retained in the Bible translation used, just as the inaccurate vocalization of « Jesus, » pronounced Yeshua or Yeshoua, because they are the most known to readers (click on the link to examine the study on the Divine Name in more detail: The Divine Name YHWH is pronounced as it is written).
It was Jesus Christ who explained it. Officially, before starting to preach the « good news », Jesus Christ showed for which categories of humans this news would be « good »: « Jehovah’s spirit is upon me, because he anointed me to declare good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and a recovery of sight to the blind, to send the crushed ones away free, to preach Jehovah’s acceptable year. » (Luke 4:18,19). So, this news is « good », for the « poor », the « captives », the « blind », the « crushed ones », that is to say, those who really suffer because of this system of things (compare with Ezekiel 9:4).
Jesus Christ vividly explained why this proclamation is « good » for the poor and a « curse » for others, in the illustration of « the rich man and the beggar Lazarus »:
“There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and linen, enjoying himself day after day with magnificence. 20 But a beggar named Lazʹa·rus used to be put at his gate, covered with ulcers 21 and desiring to be filled with the things dropping from the table of the rich man. Yes, even the dogs would come and lick his ulcers. 22 Now in the course of time, the beggar died and was carried off by the angels to Abraham’s side.
“Also, the rich man died and was buried. 23 And in the Grave he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and he saw Abraham from afar and Lazʹa·rus by his side. 24 So he called and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazʹa·rus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this blazing fire.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you had your fill of good things in your lifetime, but Lazʹa·rus for his part received bad things. Now, however, he is being comforted here, but you are in anguish. 26 And besides all these things, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to go over from here to you cannot, neither may people cross over from there to us.’ 27 Then he said, ‘That being so, I ask you, father, to send him to the house of my father, 28 for I have five brothers, in order that he may give them a thorough witness so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to these.’ 30 Then he said, ‘No, indeed, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead” (Luke 16:19-31).
In this allegory, Lazarus the beggar, represents the people at the time of Christ, as sheep without a shepherd: « On seeing the crowds, he felt pity for them, because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd » (Matthew 9:36 ). When Jesus Christ began to preach the good news of the kingdom, he brought about a change of spiritual condition, of the people without a shepherd (Lazarus the beggar), and of the shepherds who did not spiritually feed this people (The rich).
These spiritual changes are symbolized by the respective deaths of the beggar and the rich. Thus, the preaching of Jesus Christ had two opposite effects: the divine blessing and approval for the « poor », the « captives », the « blind », the « crushed ones » and divine curse for the ruling class, then politico-religious (compare Luke 4:18,19 (blessing) and Matthew 23 (curse)).
The apostle Peter and the apostle Paul showed that the good news can become a curse for those who do not obey it:
“For it is the appointed time for the judgment to start with the house of God. Now if it starts first with us, what will the outcome be for those who are not obedient to the good news of God?” (1 Peter 4:17).
“This takes into account that it is righteous on God’s part to repay tribulation to those who make tribulation for you. 7 But you who suffer tribulation will be given relief along with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels 8 in a flaming fire, as he brings vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. 9 These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength, 10 at the time when he comes to be glorified in connection with his holy ones and to be regarded in that day with wonder among all those who exercised faith, because the witness we gave met with faith among you” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).
Here is what Jesus Christ declared: “Jesus said to them: ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin. But now you say, ‘We see.’ Your sin remains’” (John 9:41). Indirectly, Jesus Christ explains the double-edged effect of the “good news”: there are people who will not have the opportunity to hear the good news; in this case, it is possible that on the day of judgment, shortly before the great tribulation, they may be considered innocent in the eyes of God and Christ.
On the other hand, for those who hear the good news, people are put in front of their own responsibility before God and his Son Jesus Christ, either to obey or to disobey… This message has two opposite effects, depending on the decision that will be made and Jesus Christ clearly said that there would be no escape: « Whoever is not on my side is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters » (Matthew 12:30).
The curse of the good news (for those who do not obey) on Satan’s system is symbolized by the plagues of the seven trumpets and the seven bowls in the book of Revelation (Apocalypse (Revelation) 8:7 to 15:8 (the plagues of the seven trumpets); Apocalypse 16:1 at 22:21 (the end) (the plagues of the seven bowls)). By means of the proclamation of the good news, « the woman and the ephah » are sent to Shinar (Babylon) (Zechariah 5:6-8).
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