The Final World System

Inside the basket was sitting a woman, personifying the final wicked system found in Revelation 17:3-5.  The wicked system is represented as a basket with a woman held captive inside under a lead lid.  Since storks are unclean birds (Leviticus 11:19; Deuteronomy 14:18) these must be agents of evil, demonic forces, protective of the wicked secularism, who set up the final system of evil.  The destination of the women bearing the basket was Shinar.  There it will be placed in a “house,” possibly referring to a temple, in which it would be set on a base or pedestal as an idol.  The secular commercialism is central to the final world system.  The vision is unmistakably looking forward to the final Babylon of Revelation 17, 18 at the second coming of Christ.

Commentary from the MacArthur study Bible, notes for Zechariah chapter 5.

Stronghold

Our culture wants us to believe another lie-that we can accomplish much without God.  People will point out our human strengths, like education, skills, and gifts, and assure us that we have all we require to succeed.  The implication is that we don’t need God.  Satan always wants to turn us away from reliance upon the Lord; our enemy wants us to think that prior success means we can handle the task on our own.  The Bible tells us otherwise.  To do God’s work God’s way requires that we rely on His Spirit instead of depending on ourselves or others.  The lives of God’s children are to be characterized by steady reliance upon the Holy Spirit.

So he answered me, “This is the word

of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by 

strength or might, but by My Spirit,’

says the Lord of Hosts.

What are you, great mountain?

Before Zerubbabel you will become

a plain.  And he will bring

out the capstone accompanied

by shouts of:

Grace, grace to it!”

Zechariah 4:6-7

Portions of commentary from Charles Stanley’s In Touch devotional, February 12, 2017.