Chapter Fifteen
TWO TEMPLES TO BE BUILT BY MESSIAH
“ . . . speak {Zechariah} unto
him {Joshua}, saying, Thus speaketh
the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the
man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of
his place, and he shall build the temple
of the LORD: 13 Even he {the
BRANCH or Messiah} shall build the temple of the LORD {the temple the Jews were building at the time of Joshua, nor Herod’s Temple,
would NOT be the Kingdom Age Temple}; and he {the BRANCH or Messiah}
shall bear the glory, and {the BRANCH or Messiah} shall sit and rule upon his throne {the King’s crown}; and he {the
BRANCH or Messiah} shall be a priest
upon his throne {the High Priest’s
crown}: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both {thrones or offices combined in one Person}”
(Zechariah 6:12-13).
Every
time Satan has come close to achieving Globalism, God has showed His
sovereignty over His creation.
First, God did this with a worldwide flood (Genesis 6:17). The second time God did this was at Babel
when He did “confound the language of all the earth” and scattered “them abroad
upon the face of all the earth” (Genesis 11:9).
The next intervention of God will be God’s judgment and destruction of
the one world government of the Antichrist.
This destruction will happen at the second coming of Jesus at Armageddon. The last intervention of God will be at the
end of the Kingdom Age when Satan will be “loosed a little season” (Revelation 20:3) only to be eternally and finally
“cast into the lake of fire and brimstone” (Revelation 20:10).
“1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of
the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold
on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a
thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him
up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till
the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a
little season” (Revelation 20:1-3).
Pic Very few people understand that terms like
OPEN BORDERS and GLOBALISM are just jargon describing the progressive rise of
Antichristism. When Liberals use
terms like PROGRESSIVE, the destination toward which they seek to progressively
move is Antichristism. These are the prophetic
types in Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Kingdom spoken of in the
prophets. Although to the human eyes and
from a secular perspective, the world is headed for a very unpleasant future,
believers are given prophetic truth to see beyond this destiny of doom and
gloom. That does not mean that the night
of darkness and suffering is not about to come upon the world, for God tells us
those days will come.
However, God also tells us the Antichrist will not sustain
his power in the world. God is still
sovereign. Ezekiel 21:18-27
clearly gives us the dualistic vision of type, and Antichrist fulfillment of
that type, in a new day dawning.
“18 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, 19
Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways {a fork of two different roads; one to the right to Israel and the other
to the left to the Ammonites}, that the sword of the king of Babylon {Nebuchadnezzar as a type of the Antichrist}
may come {God’s will is the captivity of Jerusalem}: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and choose thou a
place, choose it at the head of the way to the city. 20
Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites {the Ammonites and Moabites originally formed
an alliance with Zedekiah to fight against the
Babylonians}, and to Judah in
Jerusalem the defenced. 21 For
the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two
ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted
with images, he looked in the liver. 22 At his right hand was the
divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the
slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams
against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort. 23
And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that
have sworn oaths: but he {God} will
call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken. 24 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD;
Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your
transgressions are discovered {secret
spiritual adulteries}, so that in all your doings your sins do appear;
because, I say, that ye are come
to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand {captivity of Jerusalem and its people both by Nebuchadnezzar then and
the Antichrist at the end of the Tribulation}. 25 And thou,
profane wicked prince of Israel {Zedekiah, who desecrated Israel with his idolatry, would be
forced to watch his sons murdered by the Babylonians, then had his own eyes put
out, after which he was shackled and led away in chains to Babylon}, whose {Zedekiah’s} day
is come, when iniquity shall have
an end, 26 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is
low, and abase him that is high. 27 I will overturn, overturn,
overturn {the threefold proclamation signifies
absolute certainty}, it: and it shall be no more {no
more kings ruling independently in Israel until Messiah comes}, until he come whose right it is; and I will
give it him” (Ezekiel 21:18-27).
The meaning of the mental image of
“The BRANCH” growing “up out of his place” (Zechariah 6:12) is often lost to
us. The “growing . . . BRANCH” gives us
the perspective of growing in glory. The
glory of Messiah will grow until He reaches the fullness of His glory in the
New Heaven/Earth where His glory will become the sole light thereof.
From the perspective of everyone in the
world at the end of the Tribulation, Israel looks as if she is dead, destroyed,
and will never be restored. It would appear
by all natural appearances that the “olive tree” that is Israel will never be
restored to life again. Jesus reaffirmed
this prophecy in Luke chapter twenty-four.
“Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). The “times of the Gentiles” extends from the
Babylonian captivity to the second coming of Jesus at Armageddon. However, other prophecies speak of the
restoration of the nation of Israel and the restoration of the independent
throne of Israel by the Messiah at His coming.
The glory of Messiah growing until He
reaches the fullness of His glory in the New Heaven/Earth is the substance and
context of the prophecy of Isaiah recorded in chapter fifty-three. The whole of the promised accomplishments of
Messiah are defined in these twelve verses of Scripture. The chapter begins with the birth of Messiah
in humble beginnings that by appearance offers little hope to Jews looking for
a conquering Messiah able to deliver them from the bondage of the world dominating
power of the Roman Empire. Thirty years
later, the carpenter’s Son could heal the sick, raise the dead, calm the
storms, and walk on water, but appeared to be no warrior. After all, He was later
crucified. Most Jews were persuaded to
discount the rumors of His resurrection. Isaiah 53:12 culminates with the dividing of
the spoils of victory in the defeat of the globalism of the Antichrist at the
second coming of Jesus at Armageddon and the restoration of Israel as the
universal empire ruled by Jesus and His priesthood of faithful Church Age
believers.
The Jews at the time of Christ could not
see the timespan in “The BRANCH” as He grew in power and glory. The majority of
the Jews at the time of Christ could not see their powerful Messiah rejected,
despised, and murdered by an insolent mob. Therefore, because of their ignorance and
bad theology, they became part of the mob of His rejectors of which Isaiah
chapter fifty-three speaks.
The
Jews could not understand the most simplest of spiritual truths: of what value
was it if they gained the whole world, the Kingdom, but lost their own souls
(Matthew 16:26)? Now, read the twelve verses of Isaiah chapter
fifty-three from that context of thought.
Isaiah chapter fifty-three spans the millennia from the birth of Jesus
to His second coming in power and glory.
The Jews, like most under the Sun people, could not see the
timespan that accompanies most prophecy.
“One day is with the Lord
as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (II Peter 3:8).
“1 Who
hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed {the answer is believers only who see the incredible
timespans in God’s Messianic prophecies}? 2 For he {the Messiah} shall grow up before him as
a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground {an impossibility by all appearances}: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there
is no beauty that we should desire him {nothing
spectacular about Him}. 3 He
is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not {the rejection of Jesus as Messiah by most of the Jews}. 4
Surely he hath borne our griefs {what they deserved}, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken {most Jews were convinced by the corrupt priesthood and believed He
deserved it}, smitten of God {vicarious propitiation was necessary to
God’s plan of redemption}, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as
a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he
openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment:
and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the
living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he
made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any
deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him;
he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days
{resurrection/glorification}, and the pleasure of the LORD shall
prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul,
and shall be satisfied: by his
knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their
iniquities. 12 Therefore will
I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil
with the strong {faithful Church Age believers};
because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the
transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors” (Isaiah 53:1-12).
During the
Church Age, Jesus is building a spiritual, eternal Temple composed of living
“born again” stones that will
transcend time into the NEW Heaven/Earth once it is created after the end of
the Kingdom Age. Jesus will also build a
physical Temple at the beginning of the Kingdom Age. These
two different Temples should not be confused or conjoined. One is Israel and one is the Church.
“12 And speak unto him {Joshua}, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold
the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place,
and he {‘The BRANCH’} shall build the
temple of the LORD: 13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD;
and he shall bear the glory, and shall
sit and rule upon his throne {King};
and he shall be a priest upon his throne:
and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 14
And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen
the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial {reminder that Joshua did not fulfill the
type and Messiah will} in the temple
of the LORD. 15 And they that are far off shall come and
build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath
sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently
obey the voice of the LORD your God” (Zechariah 6:12-15).
In
Zechariah 6:12-15, the LORD is making it clear to Joshua and the other remnant
of returned Jews that the Temple they were rebuilding with the rubble of
Solomon’s destroyed Temple was not going to be the Kingdom Temple. The Prophet, Priest, King Messiah would build
His own Temple when He comes. However, one
generation often fails to explain what God says and so the truth is lost to the
next generation. The crowns were to be
placed in the Temple being built as a memorial (reminder) that Messiah would
build His own Temple.
The Mosaic Covenant
was about shadows, types, and physical structures intent upon portraying
spiritual realities. Because humans
are empirical beings (touch, sight, smell, hear), it is always easy to
transpose these shadows, types, and physical representations into forms of idols
reducing the forms into externalism and ritualism. When this happens, the forms of worship
replace true worship and become what is worshiped with little consciousness of
what they represent. The New Covenant
would transition believers away from these types and shadows to worshiping the
Spiritual Being Who is God. The
transition from shadows and types was intent upon helping humans understand
that they are primarily spiritual beings merely occupying temporal physical
forms. It is very difficult for corporeal
beings to transition their view of themselves into spiritual, eternal
beings.
“23 But the hour cometh, and now is
{transitioning from the Mosaic Covenant
to the New Covenant}, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father
seeketh such to worship him. 24 God
is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in
spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).
The building of the Church is initiatory in the transition
from the physical shadows and types of the Mosaic Covenant. The Church is a spiritual structure
constructed of “born again” living stones. This transition in thinking still proves to
be difficult for most Christians. When
most people think of a Church, they think of a building. The building is just where the church
assembles. The church is the assembly of
“born again” believers. Just like a pile of building materials is not a building
until it is assembled, the church is not a church until it assembles. Since the Church is a primarily a spiritual
entity, the “gates of Hell cannot prevail against” it.
Christ’s building of the Church is not yet complete. In other words, the Church is not yet fully
assembled. The Church is still under construction. The Church will not be fully assembled until
we all “meet the Lord in the air” (I
Thessalonians 4:17). Until that “moment,”
Christ is still building His Church. To
be in “fellowship” with Christ is being fully surrendered in holiness and cooperation
with Christ in “the work of the ministry” of all faithful believers to build
His Church. The “work of the ministry”
is Church building through evangelism
(soul winning and discipleship). “For we are labourers together with
God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God’s building” (I Corinthians3:9).
“13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And
they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and
others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But
whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou,
Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but
my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou
art Peter {a piece of rock}, and upon this rock {massive rock; Peter’s
personal proclamation/testimony of Who Jesus is thereby confessing Jesus to be
LORD} I will build {to be a house builder; construct} my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I
will give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of heaven {preaching
salvation by grace through faith in the finished work of redemption through the
death, burial, and resurrection of Christ}: and whatsoever thou shalt bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:13-19).
Missions (evangelism) is always building spiritual
constructs and adding living stones to Christ’s future spiritual church. Evangelism s not waiting for the stones to
come to the church. Go cannot be taken out of the Gospel. Missions
is building/planting local assemblies.
A church is an assembly that assembles to assemble a spiritual local
construct. A local church is a spiritual
construction project in progress. Disconnecting missions (evangelism) from
building a spiritual organism called a church is totally foreign to the
Scriptures. Discipleship is the shaping
and molding of individual living stones for their placement in the living
structure.
“11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be
made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by
fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14
If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a
reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss:
but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16 Know ye not
that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in
you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy;
for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (I Corinthians
3:11-17).
The metaphor of the living
Temple of God is intimately and eternally connected to God through “the
regeneration.” We cannot fully
understand what this New Creation will be like in the fulfillment of its
metaphor, but we can know that, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (I
Corinthians 2:9). There will be a union
of God and His redeemed children in a way not even imaginable by the finite human
mind. The transition from the physical
to the spiritual is difficult for finite and empirical beings to
comprehend. Although there will be physical
characteristics to the New Heaven/Earth, this New Creation will be primarily spiritual. Presently, although there are spiritual
characteristics of the Church, the Church is primarily, at least in appearance,
physical.
“11 O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged
{loving candidness}. 12 Ye are not straitened in us {there
was no narrowness of Paul’s love in saying what needed to be said}, but ye are straitened in your own bowels {the narrowness in their reception of what they
needed to hear}. 13 Now for a recompence in the same {appeal
to reciprocity; be as opened to
what Paul is saying as He was opened to them in saying what needed to be said
for their benefit}, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged {open your heart to what I have to say}. 14
{Now
the command and appeal to obey} Be
ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? {none}
and what communion hath light with darkness? {none} 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? {none} or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? {none} 16
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? {none} for ye are the temple
of the living God; as God hath said {to
the Jews and nation of Israel under the Mosaic Covenant}, I will dwell in
them, and walk in them; and I
will be their God, and they shall be
my people. 17 Wherefore come
out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the
unclean thing; and I will receive you {in the closer intimacy of the New Covenant as a Father intimately receives
His children}, 18 And will
be a Father unto you, and ye shall
be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (II Corinthians 6:11-18).
The
grand difference between the Jews’ relationship with God under the Mosaic
Covenant is described in of II Corinthians 6:16-18. Some differences in the examples in the way
people are received is based upon their positions before the one receiving
them. An ambassador from another nation
is received with curtesy and offend given the same respect that would be given
the person he represents if that person was there. A servant bringing a report to his master or
an employee to his employer is allowed to converse about the things require,
but without given the privilege of discussing private or intimate details that
are none of his business. There are
varying degrees of distance maintained in those relationships. However, a father calls his children to his
knee. There is a much more intimate
relationship in the father/child relationship.
The father joyfully anticipates this closer intimacy he has with his
children. The children long for the love
and joyful embrace of their caring father.
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Numerous studies and series are available free of charge for local churches at: http://www.disciplemakerministries.org/
Dr. Lance Ketchum serves the Lord as a Church Planter, Evangelist/Revivalist.
He has served the Lord for over 40 years.
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