February 21 is the day of Zechariah the sickle-bearer. Don't envy anyone

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The Prophet Zechariah in Orthodoxy belongs to the famous 12 minor prophets. He came from the Levin family. In the book of Nehemiah he was described as the head of a sacred family. The Prophet was called from birth to serve the Lord God. In Orthodoxy, they bow to the saint and offer prayer petitions with various requests. Most believers gather in front of his face on the day of Zechariah the Prophet, which falls on February 21.

Life of the Prophet Zechariah

Saint Zachary, as mentioned above, was the son of Varachia. Together with another prophet, he urged the prince to speed up the issue of building the temple. But this is not the main thing in his biography. From his youth, Zachary was gifted with the ability to see visions. His book describes more than one knowledge that predicted and warned the population and all of humanity about impending troubles.

Unfortunately, no accurate information about his life has been preserved, except for his works and descriptions of prophecies. His book contains information:

• about the appearance of the Messiah;
• about the last days of Christ's life;
• about the eclipse of the sun at the time when the Savior’s suffering took place and much more.

The best article for you, go to: Prophecies of Orthodox Elders

The fact that the prophet was nicknamed the Sickle Seer is due to the fact that in one of his revelations he described a whistle flying through the air. During flight, it was curved into a sickle shape.

He did not die a natural death. He was killed by a violent death by the Jews for his agility and preaching.

Zechariah was the son of Barachiel, and his wife Elizabeth was the sister of St. Anne (mother of the Virgin Mary). The holy prophet Zechariah and Elizabeth lived righteously and fulfilled all the commandments of God. But despite this, they did not have children for a long time. Once during the liturgy, Zechariah had a vision that in the near future they would have a child. The Prophet did not believe this. But that's how it all happened.

Despite the fact that his wife was already at an advanced age, she still bore him a son. After his birth, Zechariah began to read sermons about his son as the great Forerunner of the Lord. When the Jews heard about this they began to persecute the family. But despite this, Elizabeth managed to escape with her child from her enemies. She prayed to the Lord for salvation. And while the Jews began to attack her in order to take away her son, the mountains parted and hid her and the baby.

On these days the saint performed his prayer services. Then, after prolonged torture, Zachary was killed. His wife died forty days after the death of her husband. And the son John was in the desert under the protection of the Almighty until he was revealed to the Israeli people.

Forms and cases, declension of the name Zechariah

Not all names decline the same way or follow the same pattern. For example, names of foreign origin differ significantly in declension rules from those of Russian-speaking names. The table below contains the correct declensions and cases for the name Zechariah.

Prophet Zechariah in temples

Since ancient times, icons of the holy prophet have been preserved. There are also paintings of Zechariah and Elizabeth, which often decorate the walls of temples and churches. They are protective symbols of holy places and more. The married couple played a huge role in the history of the establishment of the Orthodox faith. Today, believers read an akathist to the prophet Zechariah.

The best article for you, go to: New Testament of Kassian Bezobrazov

Its text must be recited for forty days at the same time, but only after receiving a blessing from a clergyman. The Akathist serves as a kind of prayer request that helps protect the family from adversity and trouble. The saint helps Orthodox Christians in the following situations:

• gain confidence and peace of mind;
• protect your family from the “evil eye”;
• improve family relationships.

They also ask the saint for health to the family and children. The face of the prophet Zechariah and the angel at the seven-branched candlestick is a real symbol of the revival of the Orthodox faith.

You can address the saint both within the walls of your home in front of his icon, and in the temple. Remember that it is not the place of address that is most important, but the words with which one addresses the saints and saints. After all, the result depends on their sincerity and faith. Prayer:

Holy God and rest in the saints, glorified by the angels with a thrice-holy voice in heaven, praised on earth by man in His saints, giving grace to each by Your Holy Spirit according to the bestowal of Christ, and by that ordaining to the Church of Your Holy Ones apostles, prophets, and evangelists , you are shepherds and teachers, whose word of sermon, to You who acts all in all, has accomplished many saints in every generation and generation, with various benefactors pleasing You, and to You, having left us the image of your good deeds, having passed away in joy, prepare, in it the temptations themselves came, and help us those who are attacked. Remembering all these saints and the holy prophet Zechariah and the righteous Elizabeth and praising their godly lives, I praise You Himself, who acted in them, and believing in Your goodness, I diligently pray to You, Holy of Holies, grant that I, a sinner, may follow their teaching, life, love, faith, patience, and their prayerful help, and more than Your all-effective grace, the heavenly ones with them will be honored with glory, praising Your Most Holy Name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

God bless you!

The best article for you, go to: What is the tabernacle?

You will also be interested in watching a video story about the holy prophet:

Character of Zechariah

People around Zacharias note the presence of such character traits as kindness, goodwill and self-criticism. Sociability and respect are also especially valued. This is a rather complex combination of personality traits and character traits. Not everyone manifests themselves publicly, openly to others. Certain character traits only fully emerge under unusual circumstances.

Blessed Family (Part 1 of 2): Prophet Zechariah

We will tell you the story of Zakaria, a God-fearing man who sincerely loved God, and devoted his entire life to the search for knowledge and its dissemination among people. The Koran describes some episodes from his life in the 3rd and 9th suras. The information contained in these two suras is similar to that given in the Gospel of Luke (1:5-80), however, in telling about the life of Zakaria, we will rely on the verses of the Koran, since the Koran is the only Scripture that has come down before us unchanged, while other Scriptures were lost or distorted.

“... and (Zakaria) said: “Lord! Truly, my bones have weakened, and gray hair has already spread over my head. But before, thanks to prayers to You, Lord, I was not unhappy." (Quran 19:4)

Prophet Zakaria belonged to the blessed family of Imran, which also included Jesus and his mother Mary. When Mary took up residence in the Jerusalem Temple, God, in his wisdom, appointed Zechariah as her guardian. Every day, he visited her to make sure that she did not need anything. Zakaria was amazed by her fear of God, and also by the fact that he always found food in her prayer room. There is evidence that confirms that in winter it was provided with summer fruits, and in summer, on the contrary, with winter fruits[1]. And when one day Zakaria asked Mary about these fruits, she replied that they appeared miraculously at the command of God, Who is the Sustainer of all things:

“Every time Zakaria (Zechariah) entered her prayer room, he found food near her. He said: “O Maryam (Mary)! Where did you get this from? She replied: “This is from Allah, because Allah gives food without any account to whomever He wishes.” (Quran 3:37)

When Zakaria saw Mary's absolute submission to the will of God, her unshakable faith that the Almighty would provide for her, he came to realize one of the greatest concepts[2], the meaning of which is this: no matter how great our problems and needs may seem, God is always hears our prayers and is ready to answer them. This is a very important principle of correct religious belief. God bestows innumerable benefits on His righteous servants. Maria found fruits that were not yet in season; Zakaria asked the Almighty to give him a righteous son, while by all human standards this was impossible, because Zakaria's wife was old and incapable of childbearing. But the Grace of the Lord is not limited to earthly boundaries, and for Him, the Most High, nothing is impossible. And Mary taught this important lesson not only to Zakaria, but to all of us.

When Zechariah cried out to the Lord, lamenting his old age and the old age of his wife, who was barren, he asked God to grant him a righteous heir. Yes, he asked for an heir, but what did he mean? After all, he had no wealth that he could leave to his son. In fact, he asked for someone who would inherit his prophetic mission and all the knowledge that he had accumulated during his life. And Allah answered his prayer immediately:

“….the angels called to him: “Allah gives you joy with the news of Yahya (John), who will confirm the Word from Allah and will be a master, a temperate man and a prophet from among the righteous.” ” (Quran 3:39)

Yahya, the son of Zechariah, was one of those who believed in the mission of Jesus and followed him.

When the angels rejoiced Zakaria with the news of his son, he prayed. Amazed, he exclaimed in surprise, pointing out his advanced age and his wife’s inability to bear children. And Allah once again confirmed what Mary understood so well:

“He (Zakaria) said: “Lord! How can I have a son if old age has already overtaken me and my wife is barren?” He (Allah) said: “So Allah does whatever He wills!” (Quran 3:40)

Zakaria asked for a sign that would indicate the coming miracle. And God informed him that the sign would be that Zechariah would for some time lose the ability to speak and would communicate only by signs, and he was ordered to exalt his Lord tirelessly. When Zakaria left the prayer place, he could no longer speak.

The Koran tells us that Zakaria and his wife performed many good deeds, called to Allah with fear and hope, were God-fearing, and Allah rewarded them with a righteous son, despite their age.

“We answered his prayer, gave him Yahya (John) and made his wife capable of it. Truly, they hastened to do good, called upon Us with hope and fear, and were humble before Us.” (Quran 21:90)

Their son was an unusual boy. Being small, Yahya already possessed extraordinary wisdom given to him from above; he was also ordered to strictly adhere to the Taurat (Torah). He was compassionate and merciful towards people.

God created Yahya, righteous and sinless:

“O Yahya (John)!
Hold the Scripture tightly. We bestowed upon him wisdom while he was still a child, as well as compassion from Us and purity.
He was God-fearing, respectful to his parents and was not proud or disobedient .”
(Quran 19:12-13)
The sincere prayer of the old man and his barren wife was accepted by God, and this was a wonderful lesson for all mankind. Allah's riches are limitless. He is the Creator, the Sustainer, and there is no God worthy of worship except Him!

Notes:

[1] Stories about the prophets. Ibn Kathir.

[2] Ibn Kathir.

Numerology - number of the name Zechariah

Numerological analysis contains a lot of pitfalls. We were forced to rely only on name numbers in our analysis. But still, we tried to conduct the most accurate analysis of the name Zechariah. This made it possible to recreate a character image and roughly construct a person’s personality type.

The number "6" has quite a lot of negative associations due to its cultural influence from many religions. But in the mystery and meaning of the name, “six” is a number with a completely different meaning. It symbolizes the versatility of Zechariah’s character, the presence of versatile traits and sets of qualities. If you see in front of you a person whose character is quite difficult to describe briefly in one word, most likely, in front of you is a person whose secret name is combined with the number “6”.

Named plants and animals of Zechariah

The study of Zechariah's totemic symbols makes it possible to deeply explore the subtle characteristics of character. It is believed that totem plants and name trees reflect the inner “I” of a person. And the symbols of totem animals symbolize the peculiarities of his interaction with other people. Understanding the basic qualities and preferences of an individual is important for a sense of harmony and comfort in relationships.

Leading plant - Laurel

Laurel is a symbol of sensitivity. Many friends and acquaintances can rely on Zachariah as a person who does not leave without emotional support and delves into life's difficulties and situations. Understanding other people is a skill that helps him both to be a “home psychologist” for friends and relatives for some time, and to achieve success in life.

Totem tree – Beech

Beech is a symbol of thoughtfulness and determination. “Measure seven times and cut once” - this is exactly what they say about Zechariah. This is precisely the personality trait that allows him to achieve success in life. The strategy and planning skills of these people often become a reason for the envy of others.

Spiritual Tree - Sequoia

Sequoia symbolizes wisdom. Making wise decisions requires life experience, slowness, and the ability to weigh the pros and cons. And also - detachment from emotional influence. All this is inherent in Zechariah equally.

Leading animal - Eagle

The eagle is a symbol of wit. This quality allows Zacharias to gain trust and favor in society and teams. And also - to become the soul and desired person of almost any company.

Totem animal - Dove

The dove is a symbol of prosperity. Zachariah intuitively senses ways to achieve life goals, and his ability to make sound decisions allows him to cope with most life problems and troubles.

Spirit Animal - Cat

The cat is a symbol of caring. Caring is Zachariah’s middle name; his ability to support his family and friends in moments of hardship and despair is considered the most valuable in the eyes of the people around him. It is important that the ability to give support is also a source of pleasure and satisfaction for him.