Lesson #08

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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
ZECHARIAH 6:9-15
LESSON #08
THE CROWNED HIGH PRIEST

• MEMORY VERSE: REV 19:16

• THE PROPHETIC TIMING ESTABLISHED BY THE EIGHT VISIONS:

VISION #	SCRIPTURE	MESSAGE OF THE VISION	THE FUTURE TIME FRAME
#1—THE HORSEMAN AMONG THE MYRTLE TREES	ZEC 1:7-17	GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN HIS COVENANT PEOPLE. HE STANDS PROTECTIVELY IN THEIR MIDST IN THE FORM OF THE MESSIAH, READY TO DO BATTLE ON THEIR BEHALF.	THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON
#2– THE 4 HORNS AND THE 4 CRAFTSMEN	ZEC 1:18-21	GOD HAD NOT FORGOTTEN ISRAEL’S ENEMIES. THEY WILL ALL FALL EVENTUALLY. GOD WILL BRING JUDGMENT ON EACH ONE. HE WILL USE OTHER NATIONS TO BRING THIS JUDGMENT.	BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON
#3—THE MAN WITH A MEASURING LINE	ZEC 2:1-13	JESUS CHRIST WILL SECURE THE SAFETY OF JERUSALEM WITH HIS OWN PRESENCE. THEY WILL NOT NEED WALLS FOR PROTECTION. THE POPULATION OF THE CITY WILL INCREASE GREATLY AND SO WILL THE SIZE OF THE CITY.	THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING AND THE BEGINNING OF THE MILLENNIUM
#4— THE CLEANSING OF JOSHUA, THE HIGH PRIEST	ZEC 3:1-10	THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE PRIESTHOOD WILL BE REMOVED IN ONE DAY	THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING
#5— THE CANDLESTICK AND THE OLIVE TREES	ZEC 4:1-14	THE TEMPLE WILL BE COMPLETED BY THE ANOINTING POWER AND GRACE OF GOD. ISRAEL WILL EVENTUALLY FULFILL HER ROLE AS A LIGHT TO THE GENTILE WORLD IN A BIGGER AND GRANDER TEMPLE.	IN THE MILLENNIUM
#6— THE FLYING SCROLL	ZEC 5:1-4	THOSE WHO DO NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE MESSIAH’S FORGIVENESS AFTER REPENTANCE, MUST SUFFER THE CURSE OF THE LAW.	AT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
#7— THE WOMAN IN THE EPHAH	ZEC 5:5-11	GOD WILL PERMIT A CONCENTRATION AND CENTRALIZATION OF ALL EVIL RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS INTO ONE SYSTEM. (THAT WILL EVENTUALLY BE DESTROYED)	THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
#8— THE FOUR CHARIOTS	ZEC 6:1-8	THE FOUR GREAT GENTILE EMPIRES THAT HAD THEIR WAY WITH ISRAEL WILL BE JUDGED.	IN THE BEGINNING OF THE MILLENNIUM

• IN ZECHARIAH 6, GOD TELLS THE PROPHET TO PERFORM A SYMBOLIC CEREMONY. THIS CEREMONY HAS A PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE.
• READ ZEC 6:9-15 THE PROPHECY OF THE CROWNING OF JOSHUA
• REMEMBER THAT JOSHUA WAS THE HIGH PRIEST DURING ZECHARIAH’S MINISTRY. HE WAS A HIGH PRIEST WITHOUT A COMPLETED TEMPLE.
• THE THREE MEN FROM BABYLON:
• WHAT DO THE THREE FROM BABYLON REPRESENT? (10)
• THE MAJORITY OF JEWS STILL REMAINED IN BABYLON. THEY DID NOT IMMEDIATELY RETURN BACK TO THE PROMISED LAND. THEREFORE, THE THREE REPRESENT THE JEWISH PEOPLE AS A WHOLE.
• THE HIGH PRIEST AND THE CROWNS
• USUALLY THE JEWISH HIGH PRIEST DID NOT WEAR A CROWN. (2SAM 12:30) HE WORE A HEAD COVERING PRESCRIBED BY GOD IN THE BOOK OF EXODUS.
• READ EXO 28:4,36-38; AND EXO 29:6
• THE HEAD COVERING CONSISTED OF A WHITE LINEN PIECE COVERED WITH A PIECE OF BLUE LACE COVERED BY A GOLD PLATE ENGRAVED WITH “HOLINESS TO THE LORD”.
• ZECHARIAH IS TOLD TO IMMEDIATELY MAKE GOLD AND SILVER CROWNS FROM THE GIFTS BROUGHT BY THE THREE MEN FROM BABYLON.
• THESE CROWNS ARE TO BE PLACED ON TOP OF THE REGULAR HEAD- COVERING FOR THE HIGH PRIEST.
• WHY ARE CROWNS PLACED ON THE HEAD OF THE HIGH PRIEST? (11)
• THE RULES OF THE LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD INDICATED THAT NO ONE PERSON WAS TO BE BOTH A KING AND A PRIEST. (PSA 110:4 HEB 5:10)
• THE PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE IS THAT THE MESSIAH WILL HOLD MANY OFFICES. HE WILL BE BOTH A KING AND A HIGH PRIEST. ON HIS HEAD WILL BE MANY CROWNS. (REV 19:12)
• JESUS CHRIST WILL NOT BE A PRIEST ACCORDING TO THE LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD. HE WILL BE A PRIEST AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEK. (HEB 5:6)
• “THE COUNSEL OF PEACE SHALL BE BETWEEN THEM BOTH” (13)
• IN THE MILLENNIUM, CHRIST WILL BE CROWNED AND RULE AS A KING AND A PRIEST. THERE WILL BE PEACE ON EARTH WITH THESE TWO OFFICES IN THE HANDS OF ONE MAN, THE MESSIAH. (PSA 110:1, 4)
• ZECHARIAH’S PROPHETIC WORDS:
• “BEHOLD THE MAN” (12)
• A PHRASE USED BY PILATE WHEN JESUS WAS BROUGHT BEFORE HIM FOR JUDGMENT. (JOH 19:5)
• “HE SHALL GROW UP OUT OF HIS PLACE” (12)
• THE MESSIAH WILL BRANCH UP FROM HIS OWN ROOT STOCK: FROM THE SEED OF ABRAHAM, FROM THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, FROM THE FAMILY OF DAVID.
• THE MESSIAH WILL BEGIN MINISTRY IN A LOWLY MANNER (IN THE FIRST COMING OF CHRIST) AND EXPAND INTO THE FULLNESS OF GLORY (AT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST).
• “HE SHALL BUILD THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD” (12)
• THIS PHRASE IS MENTIONED TWICE AS EMPHASIS. THEREFORE, WE WILL LOOK AT A DEEPER SIGNIFICANCE THAN JUST THE LITERAL BUILDING OF THE MILLENNIAL TEMPLE BY CHRIST.
• THE FIRST PLACE OF WORSHIP WAS THE TABERNACLE IN EXODUS.
• THE SECOND WAS SOLOMON’S TEMPLE.
• THE THIRD IS ZERUBBABEL’S TEMPLE IN ZECHARIAH’S DAY.
• HEROD’S TEMPLE WAS NEXT BUT NOT RECOGNIZED BY ORTHODOX JEWS.
• NEXT WAS THE FIRST COMING OF JESUS CHRIST.
• JESUS REFERRED TO HIS BODY AS A TEMPLE. (JOH 1:14 JOH 2:19-21)
• NEXT IS THE CHURCH.
• JESUS SAID HE WOULD BUILD HIS CHURCH. (MAT 16:18)
• PAUL REFERS TO THE CHURCH AS A SPIRITUAL HOUSE OR TEMPLE. (EPH 2:19-22 1PET 2:5)
• AFTER THE CROWNING CEREMONY, THE CROWNS WERE TO BE PLACED IN THE TEMPLE AS A MEMORIAL TO THE COMING MESSIAH WHEN ITS CONSTRUCTION WAS COMPLETED. WHY?
• THIS WAS TO STIR THE PEOPLE TO CONTINUE TO BUILD THE TEMPLE.
• “THEY THAT ARE FAR OFF SHALL COME” (15)
• IF THE PEOPLE FINISHED REBUILDING THE TEMPLE, JEWS STILL IN BABYLON WOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO RETURN TO THE PROMISED LAND, AND EVENTUALLY TO THE LORD (ACT 2:39)
• THOSE THAT ARE AFAR OFF ALSO REFERS TO THE GENTILES WHO WILL COME TO WORSHIP THE MESSIAH IN THE MILLENNIUM. (EPH 2:13 )
• WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FOUR IN VERSE 14?
• EVEN THOUGH THE NAMES APPEAR DIFFERENT IN VERSE 14, THEY ARE THE SAME 3 PERSONS THAT CAME FROM BABYLON WITH GOLD AND SILVER FOR THE TEMPLE. THE FOURTH IS THE MAN WHO GRACIOUSLY HOUSED THE 3 FROM BABYLON.
• THE CROWNS MEMORIALIZE ZECHARIAH’S CONCEPTS CONCERNING THE COMING MESSIAH.
• THE NUMBER 4 REPRESENTS THE 4 CORNERS OF THE EARTH INDICATING THAT THE MESSIAH IS A UNIVERSAL MESSIAH.
• PROPHETICALLY ALL PEOPLE EVERYWHERE WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO COME TO THE MESSIAH FOR SALVATION AND WORSHIP. (15)
• THE JEWISH VIEW OF THE MESSIAH:
• THE AVERAGE OLD TESTAMENT JEW WAS CONFUSED BY THE MANY PROPHECIES ABOUT THE MESSIAH.
• THESE EXPECTATIONS OF THE MESSIAH CAN BE DIVIDED INTO CATEGORIES:
• THE SEED OF THE WOMAN == GEN 3:15
• THE EXPECTATION OF A MESSIAH THAT WOULD REINSTATE THE GARDEN OF EDEN INCLUDING THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN.
• THE REIGNING KING == GEN 49:9-10
• THE EXPECTATION OF A VICTORIOUS KING THROUGH THE TRIBE OF JUDAH.
• KING DAVID WAS THE EXAMPLE AND EXTENSION OF THE PROPHECY TO INCLUDE AN ETERNAL KINGDOM AND AN ETERNAL THRONE THROUGH DAVID’S FAMILY.
• THE PROPHET LIKE UNTO MOSES == DEU 18:15-19
• THE EXPECTATION OF A PROPHET LIKE MOSES BUT GREATER THAN HE.
• THE SUFFERING SERVANT == ISA 53
• THE EXPECTATION OF A SUFFERING SERVANT WHO WOULD DIE FOR HIS PEOPLE.
• THE SON OF MAN == DAN 7:13
• THE EXPECTATION OF A DIVINE FIGURE IN THE BODY OF A MAN.
• THE HIGH PRIEST AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEK == PSA 110
• THE EXPECTATION OF A RIGHTEOUS, MINISTERING PRIEST SERVING HIS PEOPLE BEFORE GOD.
• ZECHARIAH’S ACT OF CROWNING JOSHUA IN ZEC 6 EXPANDS ON THIS CONCEPT.
• THE BRANCH == ISA 11:1-5
• WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF “THE BRANCH”? (12)
• THE EXPECTATION OF 4 ASPECTS IN ONE PERSON:
• THE IDEAL KING THAT RULES IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND FULFILLS ALL THE PROMISES GOD MADE TO DAVID. (JER 23:5-6)
• A SERVANT UNTO DEATH FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN. (ZEC 3:8)
• A MAN WHO WILL REBUILD THE TEMPLE IN THE MILLENNIUM (ZEC 6:12-13)
• THE BRANCH OF JEHOVAH, BEAUTIFUL, GLORIOUS, AND DIVINE (ISA 4:2)
• RECONCILING ALL THESE OPPOSING CONCEPTS IN ONE PERSON SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE TO MANY JEWS. THEREFORE, THE CONCEPT AND EXPECTATION OF TWO SEPARATE MESSIAH’S EVOLVED OVER TIME.
• ONE MESSIAH WOULD FULFILL THOSE PROPHECIES CONCERNING A SUFFERING SERVANT.
• A SECOND MESSIAH WOULD FULFILL THOSE PROPHECIES CONCERNING A REIGNING KING.
• BY FAR THE MOST POPULAR CONCEPT OF THE MESSIAH WAS THAT OF A CONQUERING, REIGNING KING WHO WOULD DELIVER THE JEWS FROM THEIR EVER PRESENT, PERSECUTING ENEMIES.
• THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH TO THE CONCEPT OF THE MESSIAH:
• THROUGH THE CLEANSING OF THE HIGH PRIEST AND THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN OFFERED TO THE PEOPLE (ZEC 3:1-10), ZECHARIAH EMPHASIZES THE SERVANT WHO SUFFERS TO BRING SPIRITUAL FORGIVENESS.
• THROUGH THE USE OF THE TERM “THE BRANCH”, ZECHARIAH PLACES MANY OF THE SEEMINGLY OPPOSING CONCEPTS IN ONE MAN. (ZEC 3 ZEC 6)
• THERE ARE EVEN MORE PROFOUND PROPHETIC MEANINGS TO THE TERM “THE BRANCH”:
• READ ROM 11:16-27
• CHRIST IS THE ROOT (THE BRANCH) OUT OF WHICH GROWS THE OLIVE TREE (A SYMBOL DESIGNATING THE JEWISH PEOPLE). THE NATURAL BROKEN BRANCHES ARE THE NON-BELIEVING JEWS. THE “WILD BRANCHES GRAFTED IN” ARE THE GENTILE BELIEVERS. HOWEVER, THE NATURAL BRANCHES (BELIEVING JEWS) WILL BE GRAFTED IN AGAIN AT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

HOMEWORK
ZECHARIAH 7
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF ZEC 6
• READ EPH 2:19-22
• IF THE SPIRITUAL TEMPLE IN THIS CHURCH AGE CONSISTS OF BELIEVERS IN JESUS CHRIST, EVALUATE YOUR LIFE AS A SOLID, LIVING STONE THAT HOUSES THE PRESENCE OF GOD.
• WHAT DOES YOUR LIFE NEED TO MAKE YOU A STRONG STONE FOR THE LORD?
• PREPARATION FOR ZEC 7
• READ ZEC 7:1-14
• WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FASTING AND VERSES 9-10?
• WHAT WAS GOD’S REACTION? (13)
• WHY DID THE PEOPLE HAVE TO SUFFER THROUGH THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY?

• MEMORY VERSE: MATTHEW 7:23