We’re back! This is the second part of our two-part study of Zechariah’s vision of Joshua, the high priest. In our first post, we saw Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord. Satan was there, ready to resist Joshua. But the Lord rebuked Satan and said to Satan that He had chosen Jerusalem. We saw Joshua, who was dressed in dirty clothing, being given new, clean clothing to wear… the garments of the high priest. The Lord told Joshua that if he lived a godly life and was obedient to do what He told him to do, He would promote him to the position of high priest. After all, a restored Jerusalem would need a high priest! So now let’s finish up with the second part of Zechariah’s vision of Joshua, the high priest. Let’s get into this!
Zechariah, Prophet to the Returned Exiles
Second in a Two-Part Series
by Karen Thompson
Joshua the High Priest
Zec. 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2 And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. 5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by. 6 And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying, 7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by. 8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. 9 For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 10 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.
Prophecy of the Coming Messiah
In the last portion of chapter three, verses 8–10, Zechariah speaks forth a prophetic word about the coming Messiah: “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. 9 For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 10 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.”
Let’s look at verse eight: “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee, for they are men wondered at….” The Lord, through Zechariah, is addressing Joshua and the men that were sitting before him. These men are his fellow priests. It says “for they are men wondered at.” Why are Joshua and his fellow priests “men to be wondered at”? The phrase “wondered at” is the Hebrew word mowpheth which means “wonder, sign, miracle, portent.”20 So Zechariah is saying Joshua and his fellow priests are a sign and wonder. But why? Let’s look at the rest of verse eight: “for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.” What verse eight means is that Joshua and his fellow priests are signs of the coming Branch. They are part of the firebrand that was plucked, or saved, from the fire. They are part of the remnant of Jews that was saved from destruction, and from this remnant of people will come forth the Branch. Their very existence was a portent of good things to come.
Who Is the Branch?
The BRANCH is the Messiah. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah all prophesied about the Messiah calling him the “Branch.” In Isaiah chapter 11, Isaiah called the Messiah “the Branch,” and he prophesied that Messiah’s reign would be a reign of peace such as the kingdom of man hasn’t known since Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In Isaiah 11:1, Isaiah prophesied about Messiah’s genealogy saying, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” Isaiah is talking about a genealogical tree. Jesse’s son was King David. From that branch of the tree would come forth another king—King Messiah.
Isaiah first prophesied about the Branch in chapter 4:2 saying, “In that day shall the Branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.”
The prophet Jeremiah also called the coming Messiah a Branch: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jer. 23:5–6; see also Jer. 33:14–16). When the prophets prophesy about the coming Branch, they are prophesying about Jesus the Messiah.
A Stone to Build a Building
Let’s continue with our examination of Zechariah’s prophetic word about Joshua in chapter three: “For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day” (Zec. 3:9). This verse speaks about a stone. It’s a stone that is before Joshua. It has seven eyes. And it has engraving on it. Then the last portion of this verse speaks about iniquity, or sin, being removed from the land in one day!
Let’s first talk about the stone. The first thing we need to do is identify the stone. Our clue as to its identity is in the phrase, “For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua….” The stone is in front of Joshua. We need to go back to the beginning of the chapter to see who is in front of Joshua: “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord….” Joshua was standing face to face with the Angel of the Lord. As already noted, this Angel of the Lord is believed to be the preincarnate Christ, the same Angel of the Lord that was on the red horse standing among the myrtle trees in Zechariah’s first vision.
In the previous verse, we learned that one of Messiah’s titles is the Branch because He comes from the genealogical tree of King David. But now Messiah is being referred to as a stone, a stone that has seven eyes and is engraved. Why is He being referred to as a stone that will be engraved upon? The prophet Isaiah gives us the answer in a prophecy about a special stone that is part of a special building:
“Therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tested Stone, a precious Cornerstone of sure foundation; he who believes (trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone) will not be ashamed or give way or hasten away [in sudden panic]. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plummet….” (Isa. 28:16–17 Amp.)
Isaiah prophesied about a Stone being laid in Zion, and it’s the chief cornerstone of a sure foundation. Isaiah was speaking of a spiritual building being built where Jesus the Messiah is the stone, the chief cornerstone, of that spiritual building. The cornerstone is a very important stone in the building of a structure. It’s also called the foundation stone. It is the first stone set in place in the construction of a new building. All the other stones are set in place in reference to the chief cornerstone. The cornerstone was usually set in place with a ceremony marking the start of the construction of a new building. There was usually an inscription placed on the stone that gave the date the building was built, the name of the architect, and the name of the builder. Interestingly, this ancient tradition is still observed today with the construction of modern buildings.21
Let’s look at other places in the Bible that talk about Jesus being the cornerstone. The second chapter of Ephesians talks about that spiritual building where Jesus is the chief cornerstone: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19–22). This verse confirms that Jesus is the chief cornerstone of a spiritual building, a holy temple. But the other interesting thing we learn is that every believer is also part of this holy structure. Each one of us is a stone that is being “builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit!”
Psalms 118:22 tells us that Jesus, the Stone, would be rejected: “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.” Jesus is again being called a cornerstone. And when it says the builders refused this stone, it is referring to how Jesus was rejected by the very people He was sent to save. However, it was through His death and resurrection, He became the “head stone of the corner.”
Let’s look at a scripture in Hebrews that talks about Jesus’ calling as our high priest. Chapter nine talks about the tabernacle and its contents and how the priests went into the tabernacle to accomplish the service of God. It talks about how the high priest went into the holy of holies once a year with blood which he offered for the sins of the people. Then in verses 8–9, Paul went on to say that the blood of animals was incapable of cleansing or renewing the inner man. Verse 11 tells us that Jesus was the high priest of the better things that have yet to come:
“But [that appointed time came] when Christ (the Messiah) appeared as a High Priest of the better things that have come and are to come. [Then] through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with [human] hands, that is, not a part of this material creation, He went once for all into the [Holy of] Holies [of heaven], not by virtue of the blood of goats and calves [by which to make reconciliation between God and man], but His own blood, having found and secured a complete redemption (an everlasting release for us).” (Heb. 9:11–12 Amp.)
As our high priest, Jesus offered the sacrifice of His own blood in the heavenly holy of holies—in a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with human hands. Essentially, when the prophets prophesied about the coming Stone, they were prophesying about Messiah in His office and calling as High Priest. With His own blood, Jesus obtained complete redemption for our sins.
The Stone Is Inscribed
And this stone will have an inscription on it. If you remember, verse nine said, “For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua … behold, I will engrave the graving thereof….” About the inscription, Revelation 19:12, 16 tells us of an inscription that will be upon Jesus upon His Second Coming: “His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.” He’ll have inscribed on Him a name that no man will know. Verse 16 says, “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” It’s an inscription that announces to all that Messiah will rule the kingdom of men.
The Stone Has Seven Eyes
There’s one more thing we need to look at in verse nine: “upon one stone shall be seven eyes.” We know the Stone is symbolic of Jesus in His office as high priest, but what does the phrase “seven eyes” symbolize? There is another place where we see the Messiah with these seven eyes on Him. In Revelation, we see a picture of Jesus symbolized as the Lamb: “And I beheld … a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth” (Rev. 5:6).
Bible scholars agree that the seven spirits of God symbolize the Holy Spirit. Earlier in Revelation chapter four, we see a picture of the Trinity in the throne room of God. God is pictured on the throne and before Him are the seven Spirits of God: “…and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” The seven lamps are also referred to as the “eyes” of the Holy Spirit. The seven eyes on the Lamb and the seven eyes on the Stone are symbolic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. This subject is more thoroughly brought out in the next chapter.
All Israel Will Be Saved in One Day
Let’s go back to the end of verse nine that tells us how the Lord will “remove the iniquity of that land in one day.” The “land” this verse is referring to is Judah, or modern-day Israel. Zechariah is prophesying that in just one day the iniquity, or sin, of Israel will be removed. This event will happen when all of Israel will receive their Messiah at His Second Coming. Romans 11:26 also confirms that ungodliness will be done away with in Israel: “All Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” When the Deliverer comes, all Israel will be saved and turn away ungodliness from Jacob, meaning Israel. The Deliverer, of course, is Jesus the Messiah. And when He comes, “all” Israel shall be saved—not just most of Israel, but all of Israel will be saved! They’ll be saved through the saving grace of Jesus Christ the Messiah.
The prophet Isaiah also said Israel would be saved in one day. Isaiah 66:8 says, “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.” In later chapters, Zechariah prophesies more about this great event when all Israel is saved. In chapter 13, he talks about a fountain being opened up for cleansing.
Messiah’s Reign Brings Peace
Let’s look at verse 10 in Zechariah chapter three which says, “In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.” In that day, the day of Messiah’s reign, people will ask their neighbors to sit under the vine and the fig trees. To “sit under the vine and the fig tree” is an idiom that symbolizes a time of peace. This interpretation is confirmed in a portion of scripture in 1st Kings chapter four. Speaking of King Solomon’s reign, verses 24–25 say King Solomon had peace on all sides round about him. Both “Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.” Sitting with your neighbor under the vine and the fig tree is the same as saying there is no division between you and your neighbor so you’re going to invite him over for a relaxing picnic under the shade because there is no reason to be afraid.
Another confirmation of the interpretation of the “vine and fig tree” symbolism can be found in Micah chapter four. The prophet Micah prophesied about Messiah’s reign and how He will bring peace. Micah prophesied that in the last days, the Lord’s house will be exalted. People will flow to it and nations will go to the Lord’s house to be taught His ways and to walk His paths. Using the same idiom of sitting under the vine and fig tree, verses 3–4 speak of the peace that is to come to all nations because of Messiah: “And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it” (Micah 4:3–4). Notice the phrase “every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid.” Messiah’s reign will bring in peace. All the people will enjoy their time in the shade, relaxing with their neighbors without fear, because there will be no more enemies.
************
Sign up to receive a biweekly subscription to End Time Mysteries blog at endtimemysteries.com
If you enjoyed this post, forward it to someone you know would enjoy it.
© 2017–2027 End Time Mysteries a.k.a Karen Thompson. All rights reserved.
