Zechariah's Eighth Vision and His Command to Prophetic Pantomime

"We focus on the present Truth – what Jesus is doing now. . ."
ISSN 1442-8660

Christian greetings in the precious Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; we are pleased you could join us in fellowship around God's unchanging Word.

In this issue we complete our study of Zechariah's eight continuous major visions and the Word of the Lord that followed, instructing him to enact a symbolic pantomime illustrating that when the Kingdom is restored to Israel Messiah will be both King and High Priest whose Queen is an election of Gentiles who are meanwhile a kingdom of priests to God (Revelation 1:6; 20:6; I Peter 2:5, 9; Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 61:6).

This Newsletter serves those of like precious faith. Whoever will receive the truth is welcome to feed their soul from the waters of the River of Life. Everything here presented should be confirmed personally in your own Bible.

European Banks set Cash Test by IMF Chief

August 29, 2011 — Christine Lagarde, the IMF's new chief, set off tremors at the Jackson Hole summit over the weekend with warnings that the global financial system is on very thin ice and vulnerable to the slightest shock. "We are in a dangerous new phase. The stakes are clear: we risk seeing the fragile recovery derailed, so we must act now," she said.

"Banks need urgent overcapitalization. If it is not addressed we could easily see the further spread of economic weakness to core countries, even a debilitating liquidity crisis. The most efficient solution would be mandatory substantial overcapitalization" . . . Full story: telegraph.co.uk

Air-Launched Cruise Missile in American Airlines Livery

August 29, 2011 — There have constant rumors the US Air Force has been in a state of near mutiny working behind the scenes to foil one or more additional "false flag" attacks on the USA. Weapons experts who examined the damage to the Pentagon have almost to a man concluded that the 12-foot hole in the Pentagon could only have been caused by an Air Launched Cruise Missile. Could this video be something leaked by USAF insiders to cast further light on the 9/11 attack? The first image of the missile appears at the 0:38mins on the video, the second, more detailed, appears at 2:05mins. Full story: youtube.com

The 'Liberation' of Libya: NATO Special Forces and al Qaeda join Hands

August 28, 2011 — The "pro-democracy" rebels are led by al Qaeda paramilitary brigades under the supervision of NATO Special Forces. The "Liberation" of Tripoli was carried out by "former" members of the Libya Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG). The jihadists and NATO work hand in glove. These "former" Al Qaeda affiliated brigades constitute the backbone of the "pro-democracy" rebellion. NATO special forces with "boots and the ground" pass unnoticed. Their identity is not known or revealed. They blend into the Libyan rebellion landscape of machine guns and pickup trucks. They are not highlighted in the photo ops.

Special forces composed of US Navy SEALS, British Special SAS Forces and French Legionnaires, disguised in civilian rebel garb, are reported to be behind major operations directed against key government buildings including Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound in central Tripoli.

"The NATO Consensus" which upholds the "humanitarian mandate" of the Atlantic alliance cannot be challenged. The bombings of civilian areas as well as the role of a terrorist militia are either trivialized or not mentioned. . . The criminal invasion and occupation of Libya is not mentioned. The lives of independent journalists in Tripoli who report on what is actually happening are threatened. . . The Libya Islamic Fighting Group was listed by the UN until June 10th as a terrorist organization. . . Full story: globalresearch.ca

West Wants to take Control of Libya's Oil Wealth . . . this is not a revolution. These are NATO trained gunman, and they are al Qaeda related paramilitaries, mercenaries.

They have very little support within civil society in Libya. . . The large majority of the population are against the rebellion, and the only thing that sustains the rebellion, are the NATO bombings. And these are criminal bombings; let's say what they are. They are in derogation of international law, actions that are criminal in terms of their consequences: the killings of children, the killing of people in their own homes, and this has been well documented.

And what is criminal in this process, is the fact that this war is presented to the media as a humanitarian operation.

Realities are turned upside down. We are told, that war is peace. The lie becomes the truth, essentially that is what has happened. . . neo-colonial, re-conquest of not only Libya, but the whole continent of Africa is contemplated. This implies the militarization of the African Continent with AFRICOM [United States Africa Command]. This is an integral part of the agenda. . . The Libyan Oil Company was a very important state entity, which was there to serve the Libyan people. It was used to finance economic development. It is slated to be taken over and privatized, handed it over to Total, which is the French Oil company and other Western oil companies. . . Full story: globalresearch.ca

US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks on Wednesday and Thursday expose the close collaboration between the US government, top American politicians and Muammar Gaddafi, who Washington now insists must be hunted down and murdered. . . The cables have been virtually blacked out by the corporate media, which has functioned as an embedded asset of NATO and the so-called rebel forces that it directs. It is hardly coincidental that the WikiLeaks posting of the cables was followed the next day by a combination of a massive denial of service attack and a US judge's use of the Patriot Act to issue a sweeping "production order" or subpoena against the anti-secrecy organization's California-based Domain Name Server, Dynadot. . . Full story: globalresearch.ca

The duration of the video Libya Truth is 9:23 minutes (ignore the profanity in the last 30 seconds). NATO's War on Libya. This favourable draft UN report on human rights in Libya was written before the NATO bombings and invasion.

Gilad Atzon who renounced his Israeli citizenship declares America's massive support for Israel has cost trillions of dollars and multitudes of lives. It has diminished USA's moral standing in the world, lessened its domestic freedoms, and exposed it to unnecessary and growing peril.

TR-3B

The pitch black, triangular shaped TR-3B was rarely mentioned—and then, only in hushed whispers—at the Groom Lake facility where he worked. The craft had flown over the Groom Lake runway in complete silence and magically stopped above Area S-4. It hovered silently in the same position, for some 10 minutes, before gently settling vertically to the tarmac. At times a corona of silver blue light glowed around the circumference of the massive TR-3B. The operational model is 600 feet across.

TR-3B Astra US UFO

The TR-3B is Code named Astra. The tactical reconnaissance TR-3B first operational flight was in the early 90s. The triangular shaped nuclear powered aerospace platform was developed under the Top Secret, Aurora Program with SDI and black budget monies. At least 3 of the billion dollar plus TR-3Bs were flying by 1994. The Aurora is the most classified aerospace development program in existence. The TR-3B is the most exotic vehicle created by the Aurora Program. It is funded and operationally tasked by the National Reconnaissance Office, the NSA, and the CIA. The TR-3B flying triangle is not fiction and was built with technology available in the mid 80s. Not every UFO spotted is one of theirs. . . Full story: darkgovernment.com angelsfortruth.com abundanthope.net 4.bp.blogspot.com

Comment: Brother Branham said: "Your young men shall see visions, and I'll show wonders in the heavens above." Flying saucers and everything, great distress. And the earth will be shaken with divers—big earthquakes will be coming, and great volcanics will take place, and great troubles and distress between the world. The nations will be trying to find peace with a knife behind their back; they'll be troubled in everywhere: all these things. And men shall grow worse and worse. . ." (Junction of Time, p. 20:140).

Architects and Engineers: Solving the Mystery of WTC 7

On 9/11, three tall buildings were brought to the ground. Only two of them were hit by airplanes. How did the third building fall? This mini-documentary features architects and engineers associated with www.AE911Truth.org who attempt to answer the question. Full story: naturalnews.tv

Cesium Release equal to 168 Hiroshima A-bombs

August 28, 2011 — The amount of radioactive cesium ejected by the Fukushima reactor meltdowns is about 168 times higher than that emitted in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the government's nuclear watchdog said Friday. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency provided the estimate at the request of a Diet panel but noted that making a simple comparison between an instantaneous bomb blast and a long-term accidental leak is problematic and could lead to "irrelevant" results.

The report said the crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant has released 15,000 terabecquerels of cesium-137, which lingers for decades and can cause cancer, compared with the 89 terabecquerels released by the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima. . . Full story: japantimes.co.jp

Washington Monument Crack: 'Is that a Sign from the Lord?'

August 25, 2011 — Television evangelist Pat Robertson suggested on Thursday that a four-foot crack in the Washington Monument caused by Tuesday's [5.9] earthquake might be a sign from God.

"Ladies and gentlemen I don't want to get weird on this so please take it for what it's worth," Robertson said. "But it seems to me the Washington Monument is a symbol of America's power, it has been the symbol of our great nation, we look at that monument and say this is one nation under God. "Now there's a crack in it, there's a crack in it and it's closed up. Is that a sign from the Lord? Is that something that has significance or is it just result of an earthquake? You judge, but I just want to bring that to your attention," he said.

"It seems to me symbolic," Robinson said. "When Jesus was crucified and when he died the curtain in the Temple was rent from top to bottom and there was a tear and it was extremely symbolic. Is this symbolic? You judge."
Full story: tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com

Comment: At the National Cathedral the earthquake cast religious statuary to the ground. One Nisan 14 very soon, an earthquake will sink Los Angeles, marking the end of the Gentile dispensation.

In Newsletter 139 guest contributor, the late Pastor David J. Meyer explained the Washington Monument as the fertility object of the New World Order . . . This represented the reproductive organ of Baal or Satan and caused a conception, which would bring forth a new child or "era" nine months later. Remember that the Washington Monument is a type of Egyptian architecture known as an obelisk, and a quick check at your local library will prove that it represented the reproductive shaft of the sun-god. Also visit theilluminatiwatch.com.

The Washington Monument is like the Tower Babel, "whose top may reach unto heaven." And when one considers the occult behind Washington (jesus-is-savior.com, and dcsymbols.com). And also the European Union, which is the revival of the Holy [sic] Roman Empire as foretold by Daniel and Jesus one becomes conscious of the extreme lateness of the hour (thewatcher.co.uk).

Zechariah's Eighth Vision and His Command to Prophetic Pantomime

The eighth of Zechariah's major continuous night visions takes us back to his first, and employing similar imagery portrays the development of the prophecy following God's judgment of Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon at the hands of Cyrus the Persian and Darius the Mede to their overthrow by Alexander, to Egypt where Rome began its destruction of the Greek Empire. The Roman Empire ruled at the time of Jesus Christ and will rule until Daniel 2:44 when the stone cut out of the mountain without hands smites that last Gentile world empire in the feet of iron and clay. In his eighth vision the horses and riders of the scouting parties of his first vision are replaced by the war chariots of four successive Gentile world empires sent to execute God's judgment upon Judah's adversaries throughout "the times of the Gentiles." Unlike the Angel of the Lord in the first vision these do not camouflage themselves among the myrtles in a glen but charge from between two mountains of brass, emblematic of divine judgment.

His sixth, seventh and eighth visions foretell the removal of "wickedness," sin (not sinners) from the Land of the Covenant. In our study of the seventh vision we discovered, "God makes the wicked themselves His agents to punish and remove wickedness" (Romans 13:4). Zechariah 1:15: "I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion, and I am vehemently displeased with the arrogant Gentiles that are at ease: for while I was but a little displeased [with Israel] they afflicted them beyond My intent." Thus, when God's agent of chastisement oversteps the bounds of his commission and evil entreats the Israelites he becomes His enemy, and the Lord sends the succeeding Gentile world empire to overthrow and punish His former agent until His anger is satisfied. But the destruction of the Lord's enemies is the triumph of His friends, and His subsequent instructions in verses 9-15 describe the fruit of the ministry of His two prophets in restoring an election of 144,000 Israelites to fellowship with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob after 2,500 years of obstinate disobedience and spiritual blindness. Their recognition of Messiah's 'parousia' Coming will follow the Devil-incarnate pope's abrogation of his covenant with Jewry when, at the dedication of the third temple he will "sit in the temple of their g_d, showing that he is God," and forcing his trinitarian mark of the beast. The so-called Jews and Black Nobility will defect from the Judaeo-Roman Papal Empire to Judaeo-Communist Russia—raised by God as His servant to destroy the fourth Gentile world empire and life on earth preparatory to Christ's physical (Gk. 'erchomai') return with the glorified saints of all ages to "restore the kingdom to Israel" in a thousand years of peace.

Zechariah 6:1-8, "And I lifted up my eyes and saw four war chariots coming from between two mountains, and those mountains were of brass. The first chariot was drawn by red horses, the second by black horses, the third chariot by white horses, and fourth chariot by strong grizzled horses. Then I asked the angel [William Branham] who was speaking with me, "What are these, my lord?" He replied, "These are the four winds [or spirits] of heaven that go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. The chariot pulled by the black horses is going into the North Country [Babylon], and the white are going there after them [to judge Medo-Persia]. The grizzled or dappled grays are going toward [Egypt] the south country [to begin the judgment of the Greek Empire]."

"And the war chariot pulled by the powerful grizzled horses went forth intent on patrolling throughout the whole earth. And the interpreting angel said, "Go, patrol the earth." So they patrolled the earth. Then he summoned me and said: See those going toward the North Country have quieted God's spirit in the North Country [with retribution upon the Babylonian and Medo-Persian world empires]".

Zechariah's eighth vision concerns past judgments on Israel and future judgments God has pronounced upon Israel's Gentile adversaries. Zechariah is writing under the dominion of the Medo-Persian world empire which has already judged Babylon's chariots drawn by red horses, looks on to future judgments of the nations that will occur to complete God's pledge of Zechariah 1:14-17 prior to the Second Advent when our Lord Jesus Christ comes to establish His Kingdom on earth.

God will execute His judgment over the nations of the world by appeasing His wrath against the Gentile nations (Zechariah 6:1-8) and enthroning His Priest-King over all nations (6:9-15; 9:10; 14:9).

Zechariah's eight major continuous visions and the Word of the Lord were revealed on the same night. Three war chariots represent the Gentile world empires of Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome sent in succession to overthrow and punish God's former agents, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece. The fourth chariot drawn by grizzled or dappled grays represents Rome (Daniel 7:7-8, 17-25; Revelation 13; 17).

Not understanding the meaning of these symbols, Zechariah asked Brother Branham, "the angel that talked with me: What are these, my lord"? He replied, "These [horses and chariots] are the four winds of heaven that go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth."

The agency of the "four winds" is destructive judgment. Psalm 148:8 says: "Stormy wind fulfilling His Word," or as Brother Branham put it: "blowing war and strife" in divine judgment as seen in Jeremiah 49:36, Daniel 7:2, Matthew 24:31, and Revelation 7:1. This is how Ezekiel 9 prophesied the end of the dispensation of the Law, and how Zechariah and Jesus Christ prophesied the consummation. Revelation 7:1-8 portrays four slaughter angels of spiritual power and political power controlled by demon power incarnate in a Devil-controlled antichrist riding his pale, grizzled horse to perdition at the end of the Papal Roman Empire (William Branham, The Seal of God, p. 32:237-240; The Revelation of the Seven Seals, p. 321:1-325:3; Ashamed, p. 31:224; Leadership, p. 47:321; Revelation 6:1-8; 16:14). Here they are signified as the war chariots or armies of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome which execute His judgment upon Israel then exact His retribution on the preceding empire. After the "times of the Gentiles" the Roman war chariot will be destroyed by Judaeo-Communism revived in Russia "the King of the North": as God raised Nebuchadnezzar to take the idolatrous Judeans captive, raze His Temple and commence the "times of the Gentiles," He has raised Judaeo-Communism to destroy the false church Empire of Papal Rome and her (once) Protestant US image.

Daniel 7:3-7 describes the same vision under the dominion of the Babylonian Empire whereas Zechariah viewed it under the dominion of the Medo-Persian Empire. Daniel said "the four winds of the heaven strove upon the Mediterranean Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings" . . . That was Babylon, while the other beasts represented Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome; each rose to world empires through warfare during the times of Gentile dominion over Jerusalem and Judah.

Isaiah 45:7, "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things" (Amos 3:6). Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 27:6), Cyrus (II Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-2; Isaiah 44:28; 45:1), Alexander the Great (Daniel 8:5, 21), and Titus (Daniel 9:26; Matthew 24:15) were all God's servants to bring "evil"—chastisement upon the Israelites with a view to correction, and retributive judgment upon the Gentile world empires who had "helped forward the affliction [beyond His intent]." Finally Judaeo-Communism will not only annihilate Vatican City State and the United States, it will bring the consummation of life.

The black horses of the Medo-Persian empire "go forth into the North Country" to punish Babylon, the white horses of the Greek Empire will in future subdue the Medo-Persian Empire lying in the same quarter as Babylon, and finally the grizzled or dappled grays of the Roman military "go forth toward the South country [of Egypt]," a division of the Greek Empire ruled by the Ptolemys following Alexander's death.

"And the war chariot pulled by the powerful grizzled horses [of Rome] sought to patrol throughout the whole earth. And the interpreting angel said, "Go, patrol the [whole] earth. So they patrolled the earth [emulating Satan's "going to and fro in the earth" (Job 1:7; II Thessalonians 2:8, 9; I Timothy 4:1)]. In the last awful development of the fourth world kingdom the Holy Roman Empire will rule a truly universal totalitarian government to the consummation (Daniel 7:23; Revelation 10:1-4) when it will be destroyed by Judaeo-Communism, for God makes the wicked themselves the agents of punishing and removing wickedness (Revelation 18:6-20; 19:17-21).

It is transparently obvious that the Holy Roman Empire is today busily "patrolling throughout the whole earth" witnessed in the activities of its US image and NATO in the Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan, Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, Japan, Syria and Ukraine, with Iran, North Korea, China and Russia marked for "humanitarian war" and Hegelian party political sham democracy. There is only one place of safety and that is in "the unity of the faith [in preparation for] the manifestation of the Sons of God [and] the secret, sudden translation [to the] Marriage Supper of the Lamb".

Then the interpreting angel called aloud to Zechariah, arousing his attention to the intention of the vision and said: "See those going toward the North Country have quieted God's Spirit in the North Country." In Zechariah's time Babylon alone of the four Gentile world kingdoms had been finally punished; the others had as yet to expiate their sin; today the fourth has yet to be punished and destroyed along with her US image (Isaiah 13:16; Zechariah 14:2; Revelation 13:11-18; 17:1-20; 18:21-24; 19:20-21).

God's Word demands a separation from sin, which is unbelief. In Genesis 12:1-3, "The Lord said to Abram, Go from your father's country, from your kindred and your father's house to a land that I will show you: and I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name famous, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and curse he who curses you. And in you all families of the earth shall be blessed." With God's threefold demand came a threefold promise.

As Zechariah's eighth vision is leading to the end of the Gentile dispensation, the destruction of Israel's foes, and the separation and redemption of 144,000 elect Israelites from their kindred by their rebirth as a nation "in one day," we understand that the blessing was only to those of like precious faith as Abram, not to his natural seed born as racial Israelites, and certainly not to Jews who are mostly non-Semitic and anti-Semitic unbelievers. This is the prelude to the blessing and curse flowing through and from the true Church.

In the previous visions and words, (although he has asked questions throughout his experience), Zechariah has been a passive observer; now he is required to act upon the Word of God. In the last eight verses of Zechariah 6 the Word of the Lord comes to His prophet by inspiration rather than by vision and the agency of an interpreting angel; this communication takes place in the eighth month of the second year of Darius on the same night as his eight major continuous visions (Zechariah 1:1, 8). Whereas the eighth vision recalled and revealed the fruit of the first vision, the Word of the Lord instructs Zechariah to enact a symbolic pantomime connecting to his fourth vision to confirm Zechariah's expansive, unambiguous revelation of the universality of the Messianic dispensation, sketching His humble background and His work in redeeming not only elect Israelites but elect Gentiles of Adam's race (Isaiah 49:6; Haggai 2:7) and illustrating that the ultimate office of Messiah the Branch whom Israel awaits will be that of King-Priest.

Zechariah 6:9-15, "And the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Receive donations from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, they have arrived from Babylon and this day you are to enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah where they are staying. Accept the silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest; and say, Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold the Man whose Name is Branch! He shall grow up out of His place and build the temple of the Lord. He shall build the temple of the Lord, and He shall bear the glory [of both offices]; He shall sit and rule upon His throne; He shall be priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between both [offices]. Then place the crowns in the Temple of the Lord to honour Helem [Heldai], and Tobijah, and Jedaiah, and Hen [Josiah] the son of Zephaniah [Josedech], and for a memorial."

"And those who are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord. And when this comes to pass you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. This will come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God".

crown and miter of Israel's high priest

Zechariah is commanded to go to the house of Josiah immediately that night where three delegates sent by the Judeans remaining in Babylon are lodged, there to receive their gift of silver and gold and "make crowns and sit them on the head of Joshua the son of Josedech the high priest." As illustrated, Israel's high priest wore a crown above his miter (Zechariah 3:5; Leviticus 8:9). It seems Messiah will wear a composite crown formed from two distinct diadems, the silver signifying His office of High Priest and Redeemer, the gold signifying His office of King combined in One Person. As King of kings, Messiah the Branch will wear "many crowns," perhaps one surmounting the other as impersonated by the Papal tiara (Revelation 19:12).

sign of Christ's parousia Coming

This symbolic coronation of Joshua—"Jesus" in Greek and English—meaning "Jehovah is salvation," is a pantomime to instill in the minds of the Israelites the prophetic fact that this Branch will grow up out of His own land a genuine root shoot from the fallen trunk of David to which the promises had been made. He did not visibly descend from heaven in glory and greatness as the deluded denominational world then and now anticipate, and His first Coming then like His second or 'parousia' Coming now was not recognized by denominational circles. Heaven indeed took notice then with the star in the east as now with the Cloud in the west (Matthew 24:27; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 1:7). Of Joshua Zechariah said, "Behold, the man"—as a remarkable foreshadow of Messiah of whom Pontius Pilate would echo, "Behold the man" (John 19:5). Joshua represented the antitypical King-priest; the promised Messiah soon to come and be revealed in this twofold dignity when He shall "restore the kingdom to Israel" (Acts 1:6). Joshua, who was not of the tribe of Judah or the House of David, but a Levite, is presented as a type of Messiah and called Branch as if He were present. He will build the Temple; not that then in construction which would be completed by Zerubbabel (Zechariah 4:9) and was merely a symbol embodying spiritual truths but the realization of New Jerusalem wherein "the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple" (Isaiah 60:5, 9-11; Haggai 2:7-9; Malachi 3:1; Revelation 21:22-26). The Temple Messiah builds and in which "even He [notwithstanding His lowly origin] shall bear the glory [of kingly majesty]" is the invisible Temple of the universal Church, "a house of prayer for all people" (Isaiah 56:7; Mark 11:17; Ephesians 2:21; I Peter 2:5). Branch will possess the honour and dignity of King and exercise royal authority, and uniting the priesthood in Himself He will take such counsel as results in peace (Isaiah 9:6-7; Ephesians 1:8, 11; Hebrews 6:17).

Here we see the true union of Church and State in our King-priest Christ, in whom the Aaronic line and the Davidic line both culminate, for He is our high priest after the order of Melchisedec, "priest of the most high God . . . who was as His name means, King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is King of peace" (Hebrews 7:1-2). The historic unions of church and state and the office of priest-king in all four of the Gentile world empires is an impersonation of Messiah as represented in Zechariah's seventh vision by the two women bearing the ephah of wickedness "to build it a house in the [metaphorical] land of Shinar".

How Christ-like was Brother Branham behind whose sin-born flesh the fullness of the Spirit was veiled as a son of man to "reveal the Son of man" (Luke 17:30). Like Jesus Messiah, he grew up as a root out of a dry ground in lowly humiliation, uneducated, inarticulate and poorly spoken, his father a drunkard and his family impoverished. He was born a prophet, but until the Lord commissioned him to "do the work of an evangelist" he was known simply as a reputable young man and part-time pastor in a rural village as Jesus was a humble carpenter. Like Jesus, Brother Branham prophesied throughout his childhood and early ministry, and his prophecies were fulfilled. But even as each in their ministries performed such works as no other man did and spoke as no other man spoke, at times gathering huge crowds which soon fell away, both were despised and rejected of men. Yet both men were building on the same invisible Temple of grace wrought in the hearts and manifested in the lives of God's people, and these members of the Temple like a branch not quite full-grown, vary widely in many respects but are alike characterized by the indwelling Holy Spirit, the source of their new life and the bond of their connection with the Head.

After explaining the meaning of Joshua's coronation, the Lord proceeds to tell Zechariah the reason why the crowns were fabricated of silver and gold, why they were to be obtained from delegates sent by Judahites who lived far from their native land, and why after being placed on the head of Joshua they were to be preserved in the temple as a memorial of the deputies from Babylon and to extend the significance of the pantomime.

"And those who are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord." The Babylonian exiles who assisted in the rebuilding of Solomon's temple by furnishing the silver and gold—redemption and deity—with which to crown Messiah, type us Gentiles who would constitute the bulk of "lively stones" of which Messiah is building His Temple; who recognize Him as King-priest by grace through faith. "Those who are far off" is the expression Peter used of us on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38-39), and Paul in Ephesians 2:17. These Scriptures correspond to Genesis 9:27; 17:5, Isaiah 56:6-8; 66:19, and Micah 4:3, contradicting British Israel and (so-called) Christian Identity theories. Isaiah 2:2, "In the last days, the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it".

The Lord God's communication with Zechariah is completed in His command to tell the Judeans, "When you see Gentiles being baptized into Jesus Messiah, who is the true Temple of God, this will be My vindication of Zechariah's ministry." And when the Judahites asked Jesus, "If you have God's authority to cast the money changers from the temple, confirm it by showing us a miraculous sign. Jesus replied, Very well, this is the miracle I will perform for you: destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. . . But He spoke of the Temple of His Body" (John 2:19-21). And you who have been baptized into Christ are "also builded together for a Holy Temple in the Lord through the Spirit" (Ephesians 1:21-22; I Corinthians 3:16). Finally Zechariah was told to inform the Judeans, "You, too, will by lively stones that make up the true Temple of the Lord, IF you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God". nl701.htm

Pass it on . . . please send this article to someone you know
Brother Grigor-Scott is a non-denominational minister who has ministered full-time since 1981, primarily to other ministers and their congregations overseas. He pastors Bible Believers' tiny congregation, and is available to teach in your church.

Bible Believers' Church
Gunnedah NSW
Australia 2380

e-mail Bible Believers URL Bible Believers' Website
PowerPoint presentation The Second Coming of Christ
Subscribe to Newsletter Unsubscribe from Newsletter