Mike Bickle explores Zechariah's eighth vision of the four chariots, emphasizing God's zeal for Jerusalem and the ultimate victory over its enemies. He highlights the significance of the chariots as powerful forces executing divine judgment and the coming of the Messiah, referred to as 'the branch,' who will unite the roles of king and priest. Bickle encourages believers to recognize the importance of their prayers and contributions to God's purposes, even from afar, as they play a role in the unfolding of His kingdom. The sermon culminates in the promise of a glorious future where Jesus reigns as King of Kings, and the Spirit rests from striving with the nations.

Father, we love who you are. We love your word. We love anointed singers and musicians. We thank you, Jesus, that you are the great musician, the great songwriter, the great singer. We ask that you would release your songs, your love songs, your songs of war based in love. Release them to the earth in this hour, we ask. Refresh and strengthen and bolden your people. In Jesus' name, amen. Page 49, Zachariah 6. We come to the eighth and final vision of the night. This historic evening. This, I'm not evening, this historic night in Zachariah's life that really affected all of history. Again, paragraph A, I'm just repeating this over and over. All eight visions are an expression of the zeal of God for Jerusalem. We have to stay anchored to that premise, to that basic idea. Paragraph C, kind of give you the crescendo that's building. First three visions, the glory of God on Jerusalem, full blessing. Vision four and five, the leaders are cleansed and anointed and resourced. Vision six and seven, the cleansing of the people and of the land. Now, the eighth vision, the removing of all the enemies. We're talking about the political enemies, the kings of the earth, the nations that are resisting God's purpose for Jerusalem, the final breakthrough of the kingdom, the permanent and final removal of these nations. We see the final breakthrough. Where in verse 8, get ahead of myself, the spirit is finally at rest. He's not striving with the nations. He's resting from his judgments and the next event is the declaration of the branch of the Lord is the king of kings of all nations that follows the eighth vision. Paragraph E, the eighth vision has a particular relationship to the first one. It began and end like bookends with a group of angels that in a military context under the authority of the angel of the Lord, the mighty one, the Lord himself, different colored horses patrolling the earth. And as I emphasize in the first section, the patrolling of the earth, they're not just observing and giving a little news report. They are enforcer angels. They are patrolling the earth with authority to see that the will of God is being done in terms of his master plan of the unfolding of nations. Daniel chapter 10 and Zechariah 1 to 6 and the book of Revelation. We find that when the veil is pulled back back, there are mighty angels interacting with demonic principalities and powerful demons. They're colliding under the leadership of Jesus in response to the praying church on the earth. And then the kings of the earth walk out what happens in the contest in the realm of the spirit. There's a wicked King. When the favor and grace of God or the grace of God is touching them because the prayers of the Saints that wicked King wakes up in a good mood with no demon to stir him up. And he says some nice things. He doesn't mean it a week later, but he says it at the opportune time. That's the prayers of the Saints driving back demons, even the wicked Kings will fall into God's purpose. Well, that's not my purpose of this vision here. I mean that that's not the point of it. I just got off the subject for a second page 50. The eighth vision the four war chariots. These are the most powerful military might representing the very armies and arsenal of heaven. There are no ordinary chariots. Zachariah saw paragraph a for mighty chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. Of course bronze obviously speaks of judgment on sin. That's pretty apparent in Old and New Testament. These mighty warring chariots. There are no docile chariots. They're powerful. They're mighty and it makes the point that they're strong and mighty. They're drawn by a team of horses. Not one horse, but a team of horses. You know, if we were going to come up with a an artist's rendition, we might have two or three horses. There may be a hundred horses. We don't know how to use horses but a team of horses. It's a mighty display of power who knows but don't have the smallest version possible. They're coming to execute God's final judgment on the nations before Jesus is coronated on the earth before the nations is King of Kings. That's the declaration that comes at the end of these eight visions. It's in a symbolic form because Joshua is crowned with the he is the crown is put on his head pointing to the to the branch the Messiah who is coming that the one that he represents. Now, by the way, the mighty breakthrough in this eighth vision is developed in Zechariah 9 to 14. The final six chapters develop this theme with great detail. Paragraph D. I believe these are mighty angelic principalities with great stature. One reason is that they are the final expression of the zeal of God. Remember chapter 1 proclaim this Zechariah. I am zealous. Let me show you what I mean. And this is the final display of the zeal of God in the eight vision. So I believe it's a mighty display. Second reason is that we find in verse 5 these horses and these chariots have a special station in the presence of God. The next reason in verse 3 and verse 7 Zechariah highlights the fact they're mighty. They're strong. They're powerful. The next reason in verse 5 they are standing before the God of the whole earth. It's a global purpose whenever an event is linked to the God of the whole earth. That means it's a global purpose. That's in view in that context. And it's the final breakthrough before the branch the Messiah Jesus is recognized by the nations as King of Kings. So putting those together when I see chariots, I see mighty warring powerful chariots. Fill in the gaps. Paragraph E. The vision. Zechariah 6 verse 1 to 3. I turned I raised my eyes. I looked for chariots coming from between two mountains. There are mountains of bronze which clearly speak of the judgment of God. They're coming to execute the judgment of God from the place of great authority. First chariot had red horses plural. There's a whole team of them. I think it's a big team. I don't know. The second black the third white the fourth dappled horses. Then it makes the point here in verse 3. And again in verse 7, they're strong horses or mighty horses or powerful horses up the whole team pulling each of the chariots. Now for speaks of that which is worldwide. For in the scripture speaks of that the four corners of the earth. It's a global purpose and we know they stand before the God of the whole Earth again indicating the global dimension of what these four chariots are involved in top of page 51 as we mentioned in Zechariah 1 because they had the sets of four different. They had horses of different color in Zechariah 1 that were patrolling the earth. They were in force Rangers. It may be the same groups. They may be connected. They may be the same. We don't know. The colors are very similar but Zechariah 1 Zechariah gives us no indication of the meaning of the colors because we're I think it's reasonable to assume that the colors depict the mission of the horses in the chariot. Zechariah 6 we get the colors but we get no indication of the mission what the colors mean. So the two times in the scripture that the colored the horses with their colors are presented. We get no insight. We know it's a global purpose. We know it's a military conflict against the evil nations, but we don't get insight. But in Revelation 6 500 plus years later, John comes along and a Revelation 6. It's Jesus who's releasing the colored horses. Just like here in chapter 6. We'll see in a few moments Jesus. I believe it's first aid. He commissions them go and the scripture says they're eager to go to the nations. I love that. We'll get there in a minute. They're eager. We've been waiting a long time and the captain of the armies of heaven commands that go he commissions them but in Revelation 6 he's the one that releases them as well. But the additional piece of information in Revelation 6 the horses the colors are given a some insight into the mission of the horses related to their color number six. The red in Revelation 6 is bloodshed and war Jesus releases that horse. The black is famine and death and pestilence. The white speaks of victory. The dappled horses are checkered. They don't show up in Revelation, but the idea of their mixed color there may be what one commentator several actually said this and I liked it that it signifies a mission of combining both judgment and mercy. There's a positive and there's a negative dimension to what they bring to the to the place. They go they go to the south to the area of Egypt. So if you love Egypt like me, I like that dappled color. I like that mixed. There's some negative but there's some positive. Maybe that's not the meaning but we don't really know for sure what it means but I know God's given us a hint in Revelation 6, but I know the spirit has much to say about these horses the closer we get to them. I don't mean strange, you know details that you know kind of eccentric. I'm not interested in that but I mean their general character about their mission and I'm asking the Holy Spirit and searching the word Lord. I want to know about these horses. I want to know about the character of their mission more precisely. We get a general snapshot, but I think there's more the spirit has to say. Paragraph F. Verse 4 and 5. I asked the angel in essence verse 4. I asked him. Hey, what are these? These are mighty powerful. I mean, this is a an intimidating view a glorious view intimidating. I mean if you're on the wrong side the angel said well these chariots with teams of horses their spirits of heaven meaning they're angels again. I believe they're mighty angels because of the four or five reasons I gave they go out they go forth. They have a mission that they're waiting to go forth on but their normal position is their stationed before the God of the whole Earth. I mean that tells you that indicates the high rank and the stature of the authority to be stationed before the king of kings. I think of that group of angels and Revelation 8 the seven trumpets they're stationed in the presence of God those four those seven angels with trumpets and these these spirits here they there's a big combo going on there. I don't know but they're mighty. They're powerful. I have in paragraph 4. I already mentioned this a few minutes ago. But behind the conflict on the earth between nations there is a spiritual battle between angelic powers and demonic powers again under the authority of Jesus but being motivated inspired in darkness by Satan, but the prayers of the Saints on the earth dynamically affect the outcome of these angels ability to drive back the demonic powers and influence the kings of the earth. We don't know so much about it, but we know that broad kind of view of it enough to know our prayers really matter our weak prayers really matter. We offer our prayers in weakness, but by the grace of God they ascend in power top of 52 a divine assignment is now given to each of the team of horses and chariots again. They're really chariots with mighty spirits angels led by a team of horses. I want you to get the whole picture. The one chariot with the black horses. Now, I don't know if I'm playing too much into this but notice the word is in the present tense. The other ones are framed out slightly different terms of the tent. But in prophetic declaration sometimes sometimes the distant future is declared as the past because it's final. It's complete in terms of the plan of God. There's nothing that's going to stop it. So sometimes it's in past tense. So when you're looking at prophetic scriptures, you can't press the verb tense too hard because some past tense things are yet future and reality, but the certainty is such that they're as good as done. But anyway, I highlight that to you because that's highlighted in the commentators. They many of them mentioned that because that might mean that the black horses were actually involved in a mission right there in the overthrow of Persia that would come some years later. But in that general time frame of the ancient world, they go to the north and the country of the north of that time frame of history. The power the world power in the north would have been Persia though Persia is technically to the East. Often the prophets talked about a Syria Babylon and Persia often as the north though Babylon Persia clearly the east because there's a desert between Israel and Babylon Iraq and Iran. There's a big desert so they would always go up north and attack from the north. So they're called by the prophets the powers of the north so that can throw you off. If you don't know that that's a real common designation designation and my goal isn't so much to try to break down the nuances of this because I believe greater clarity will come in the days ahead. And so I don't want to press too far because I don't have that much information. Well, the white ones they go to the north too, but it might be a long delay. It may be a 2000 a 2500 year delay. These white ones might be going to the north at the end of the age. Because when there's a gap, sometimes it's a long gap the dappled horses. They go down to south to the region of Egypt and that general area verse 7 these teams of horses. They're strong but the word mighty powerful. There are no ordinary heavenly horse. There is such a thing. They're mighty ones verse 7 they're eager. These horses there you can just see the their nostrils flaring. They're eager. We got to go the chariot rider the angelic rider of the chariot. Let's go. Let's go. Lord says not yet. Not yet. Stage is not set for the optimum impact for righteousness. Not yet. There's I mean, I could just see the Lord holding them back over the years eager. I remember one of our leaders had a powerful dream that mystified them. And then that powerful dream is related to the coming of the Lord and the Lord's mighty horses. So they thought what I said, well, I got Bible verses on that stuff. There are mighty horses involved. It kind of threw him off a little bit. The mighty horses related to the second coming. Where's that coming? Where's that in the Bible? Well, they're eager and they go to and fro throughout the earth. Now, this is the same designation back in chapter 1 verse 10. The to and fro throughout the earth is where we get the idea commonly presented in many different commentators as the patrol angels the enforcer angels that are going for to enforce the will of God. So they walk to and fro across the earth. Verse 8 the Lord spoke to me and he said see those who go to the north country. This is key. And this little phrase has so much meaning in it. If you do a quick casual read you'll miss it. They have given rest to my spirit. The Holy Spirit is represented as striving continually with the nations. I mean the Holy Spirit is striving with the church. He's often grieved. He loves the church. He loves to be with all that hurt my heart. He's quenched. He goes. Oh, no, I can't do that agenda. That's not the father's agenda. I love you, but no wrong agenda. Listen, no Lord break through in your power wrong prayer and he's striving and he's quenched even with those he loves. But there's coming an hour of history that leads to the coming of the Lord where the Spirit is finally at rest. He's resting from judgment judgments over. He's ready. He's not wrestling with the nations anymore. The Spirit is at rest. This speaks of the final place the context for Jesus's reign upon the earth. Let me see. Where do I want to go top of page 53? Look at these notes. There's too many notes for me to manage. Mike don't get so carried away do less notes next time. I had so much fun doing these notes. Nick who runs this he goes. Okay, the printer six says 96 pages. That's the max. I said trust me. There will be no white space in that syllabus. I enjoyed the process. That's what I'm trying to say. Someone who doesn't have the syllabus goes. What does he mean? No white space to get the syllabus. You know what I mean? There was an inch. I threw another word in. Okay page 53. I'm I'm off the subject again. This idea at number nine of rest. We develop that idea a little bit more detail number 10. When the black horse and then followed by the white full horse finally goes to the North Country. There's something strategic about when the horses the white horses bring the victory of God to the north. This North is the prominent theme of the adversaries against Israel. I mean they are literally in the north. It's an actual direction not just symbolic. But again, even the ones that came from the East Persia and Babylon they because they didn't want to bring their armies across the desert to get there from these they had to go up north and then they had to attack Israel from the north. The Antichrist armies come from the north. And so Zachariah, I don't think he gets all the details John gets a lot more details, but it's an army from the north that finally when the black and then eventually the white horses follow after I think possibly even waiting till the end of the age finally the spirit comes to rest when the armies in the north. I believe it's that coalition of nations coming from the earth. The North under the Antichrist Authority when they are finally defeated. The spirit is now at rest on the earth. There's a shift the planet has been transitioned to a whole new hour and a whole new age paragraph 10. These two passages in Ezekiel describing the Antichrist armies coming to Israel from the far north. I think it's possible. I'm not sure that the north of Zachariah 6 is in fact the north of Ezekiel 38 and 39. That's my strong opinion. But again, there's not so much detail to be overly definitive, but the overall testimony of the prophetic Scriptures talk about the mighty army coming from the north and the battle comes to a conflict a crescendo and then to a final resolution in the north. So I think it's probably what the spirit is indicating paragraph 11 a little bit more on the northern armies. Paragraph 12. It's interesting here. That Zachariah is charged to see the angel tells him see now remember back in chapter 3. He told the Lord and the angel the Lord in the combination said to Joshua see here. There's these very powerful. I mean very meaningful exhortations given in one word see this issue about the north don't ignore it search it out understand it. I take that personally and I go, okay. I want to see what this northern army is again. The Antichrist is clearly coming from the north. I want to grasp it. I want to proclaim it in as much as the scripture gives clarity. I don't want to go beyond the scripture, but I want to see it and I want to be engaged in it and I want to be preparing people to prepare people for this Grand Crescendo where the glory of God fills the earth and the enemies driven off the planet. I charge you to see this battle in the reality from the testimony of scripture paragraph J the final Oracle of Zechariah 1 to 6. We see now the visions are over the breakthrough is complete. And now the word of the Lord comes to Zechariah for the final Oracle of that night after the governments of the earth have been confronted the great powers from the north, which I believe is that in time coalition of armies that are leading the nations of the world against Jerusalem that we find the details in chapter 9 to 14. We get a hint in the eighth vision and then the farm greater detail in the final six chapters of this glorious prophecy, but what happens now after the evening of the I mean the night of the eight visions the symbolic crowning of Joshua Joshua was a priest. The Lord says go crown the priest like a king just because I can't be a king. I'm of the tribe of Levi Kings have to be from the tribe of David. I that's illegal Zechariah says God's not making you a king, but he's making you a picture of one who will be priest and king coming after you. His name is the branch of the Lord. He's your Messiah page 54. So now he's been given instructions. I mean talking about a long night. I mean he has so much to get down into handouts. I mean so much to to get a hold of I mean, he's like just the human Dynamics. He's got to talk to Joshua right away. So hey, you got it made you're cleansed and reinstated don't quit. I'm reading into the story a little bit goes to Zerubbabel. He goes. Hey, you don't quit either. It's small and little help is coming. You're going to succeed. Don't quit. Don't despise what you're doing. Then he has to go to Josiah. We'll see in a minute to his house. Hey Josiah, how you doing? I'm gonna see you for a while. The Lord told me to visit you. Got some visitors three men from Babylon are there. I mean, he's got a full morning. I think he's happy though. Paragraph see the word of the Lord verse 9 says, here's I want you to do receive the financial gift from the captives meaning these Jewish devout men who stayed in Babylon. They're still referred to them. They're still in captives in Babylon. I mean, there's that million or whatever the number is that stayed in the 50,000 or whatever. The action numbers that came well, these guys they made that four-month walk with a big bag of money of silver and gold. They said we stayed but we took a big collection. We want to help. We want to help build the temple. We want to finance it. I mean not only did God move on the on King Darius and told King Darius to tell the governor Tad and I he says you funded God stirred up the guys from back home to take an offering to bring money. I mean the next day they're getting money from the government. They're getting money from their Jewish brothers still over in Babylon money's coming from everywhere. Whoa, it's a good day. So I tell Zachariah don't don't sleep real long. I want you to receive these guys. I want you to talk to them. They've come strategically today. They've come from Babylon. They've walked for four months. They have a gift their heart is engaged with the building of the temple. They want to be a part. This is kind of like the ultimate partners going on. I mean, they're in Babylon, but they're funding the house of prayer in Jerusalem and the Lord has a tremendous response. He looks at them and he says what you're doing. I will remember and all of my people will remember the sacrifice you're making in building the temple in Jerusalem. Beloved when we build God's purpose in Jerusalem. From the faraway Nations in a minute. You're going to find out God says I want this to be a memorial to remember their giving Wow. I tell you if you invest in God's purpose in Jerusalem, you do well. But in the secondary sense, they're building the temple the house of prayer. You do well when you do that. Even from far away. The Lord says it counts. Tell these guys it matters. I'm getting ahead of myself because I'm two or three verses away before all that happens, but I just gave you a sneak preview. Verse 10 received the money from them. They took an offering. I guess it doesn't say that but they walked for months. I don't think they came and said here. Here's my hundred dollar donation. If you walk for months, I got a feeling something big happened. I'm just reading into it. Here's the verse 10. Look at this. He tells Zachariah go the same day. Zachariah goes really how about maybe take one day off just to process? No go now. It's strategic. The timing is important. Okay, so I mean literally the next morning he goes. There was an urgency. I don't have clarity on that but there's urgency there about the timing. It's all I'm sure there's a story to be told and the Lord will give some of you insight on that. Go to the house of Josiah. Now, we don't know much about Josiah. He's the son of Zephaniah. Several have suggested. I think it's reasonable that it's Zephaniah the prophet from maybe, you know, 50 hundred years earlier, who knows might be an offspring of him. We don't know for sure. But there's several that suggests that this guy Josiah they go to his house. It's interesting one commentator was referencing different Jewish sources. I don't know if it's accurate or not. They said that Josiah was the temple steward. Another one says that he was known that he would allow the remnant of Israel that came from Babylon to congregate in his house. I don't know if that's true. You know how those Gentile guys are if they're kind of out there. They're not sure. They just quote a Jewish Authority. Of course, they never put the name. They just say it. So maybe I just messed up on that. I don't know who this Josiah guy is. I'm trying to figure him out. How did he get in this story? Verse 11. The Lord tells him Zachariah the young prophet take the silver and gold. They got a couple bags of it and I'm reading into it. I don't know how how much but enough to make a four-month trip. And take this silver and gold and don't just go give it all to Zerubbabel immediately. Don't do that. It's to it's to build the temple. Take it make a crown out of it. I want you to do it now. Go melt the gold and the silver and make an elaborate glorious crown the word elaborate different translators. They say majestic glorious excellent these superlatives. And another thing that's noted is the word crown is in the plural. So it's this composite crown. I believe it's one crown but it has different dimensions to it. It's elaborate. Of course that would be reasonable because the one coming back on the white horse who destroys the armies in the north has many crowns elaborate crowns on his head and the Spirit of God knows that so he goes Joshua take the money make it elaborate. I mean the gold and silver melted down not all of it, but enough to make a very elaborate crown like you've never seen before that means he has to go find some guy who's gifted at it. I don't pray probably wasn't but he had to go have that happen immediately because he said I want you to meet him today. Receive the money and I want this to happen. Now, there's urgency. Then I want you to give Joshua the shock of his life. Put the crown on his head. Well, Lord, can I tell him about the fact that you rebuke Satan that you give him new garments and you're real happy with him, but you hey, he has to obey you and he can't quit. Can I tell him that first? Remember from Zachariah 3? The fourth vision or do I put the crown on his head first? I don't know. But Josh was in there Josiah's house the three visitors from Babylon who brought the gold and the silver Zachariah, maybe a few others. Zachariah comes with this ornate composite crown and puts it on Joshua. What's going on here? I'm not a king. I'm a priest. I know but you speak of one because remember back in chapter 3 verse 8 the Lord said tell Joshua. He's a sign in a wonder. He's a picture of one who's coming. That was part of the message top of page 55. Now, by the way, this crowning was an actual historic event. I mean, it wasn't a vision that happened. It was a symbolic ceremonial crowning Joshua didn't become king. I mean, there's a king in Persia. He announced himself as king. There's a whole nother problem. It was just in a man's house in private, but it was a ceremonial statement. Putting that crown on his head. Verse 12 top of page 55. Zachariah 6 12. Now speak to him and tell him this. Speak to Joshua. Tell him this. I mean Joshua gets a lot of information from chapter 3 and chapter 6 to give directly to him. I mean, this is a big day for Joshua and Zerubbabel. Probably Zerubbabel is at the meeting. I'm guessing. He heard news that some guys brought a lot of gold and silver to build the temple. He's like, hey, things are going good. Ever since I've been speaking grace, grace of that mountain for about two hours. Things are really turned around. Verse 12. Tell Joshua this. Thou says the Lord. Behold the man. Ooh, I love that phrase. Now he's telling Joshua. Behold the man that you are a representative of. God wants you to understand more about the man. His name is the branch. Because the answer would be, what man? Is he this guy or that guy? His name's the branch. Joshua would say, oh, I know that. I know what that means because about 200 years later, Isaiah prophesied about the branch, the Messiah. He goes, I know Isaiah. He's one of my favorites. I know who the branch is. Isaiah mentioned him a couple times. And then maybe 50, 60 years earlier or whatever. Jeremiah talked about the branch, the Messiah several times. He goes, I like Jeremiah. I know this branch. I know the meaning of it. So the Lord says, Joshua, behold that man. And part of beholding the man, the branch. Go search it out in Isaiah. Go search it out in Jeremiah. Study the prophets and let the Spirit give you more insight. That's one way we behold the man who is the branch. But I love this. Remember, this is the eighth vision. The first vision of the night, chapter 1, verse 8. All of a sudden, Zechariah's in the Spirit. An angel appears. The very first thing, behold a man on that red horse. And at the end of the eight visions, behold the man. The man is the summary theme and the source behind all the good that happens in the visions. The man is the hope of Jerusalem. The man is our hope. His name is the branch. But in chapter 3, he was introduced as well. So Joshua, this is the second time Joshua is connecting with this idea of the Messiah being the branch that was established, you know, 200 years earlier with Isaiah in 60, 70, whatever years earlier with Jeremiah 50, 60, 70. Something like that. Now notice, from his place, he shall branch out. The peculiar characteristic about this divine Messiah, who's fully God, fully man, is this kingdom grows progressively. He doesn't come and just wave his hand and everything is fully matured. It branches out. But it branches out in a living connection, a life flow of connection, because all of the people who are connected to the Messiah, the branch by the Spirit, we are abiding in the vine. There's a literal connection, but his power, his will, his purposes are made known to us and accomplished through us by the work of the Spirit in relationship with this man. So there's this divine connectedness. That's why he's called the branch. But this unusual next sentence, he builds a temple. Joshua says, wait, I thought Zerubbabel was building the temple. Well, the prophet Zachariah said, he is building the temple, but this other man is going to build a temple beyond anything you can imagine, but he's going to build it. Joshua kind of takes a step back and the guys there go, what? Verse 13, yes, he's going to build it. Why does God build a temple? Why wouldn't God just wave his hand and pop out a temple? Why didn't he do Genesis 1 with that millennial temple, just let it be, temple, pow, temple. He could, easy. Build, well, Jesus is not just a scientist. He's a poet. He's not just a poet. He's a carpenter. He can build, good carpenter. I just picture that gal. He's about 25 years old. Young man, I appreciate this table. It's excellent. You got a good future. Mama, I'm created the tree. We got the wood from to build that table. Huh? Never mind. I'll tell you later. Made up conversation that's not in the Bible, but look at verse 13, the double take, what? Build, I mean like day by day building is yeah, but not just build, it's going to be glorious beyond what you can imagine. He's going to call the new Jerusalem down to a divine connection to this temple, but he's not just going to build it. This is the, this is the heart of Jesus. He is going to build it just step-by-step, but he's going to use the people on the earth, the Gentiles and the Jews to build it with him. I mean, why does the greatest carpenter who created the heavens of the earth, what some little guys getting in the way building that on that project because he loves partnership with his people because I don't want to do without him. I don't want to rule without him. I don't want to build a temple. I don't want to change the earth except in dynamic relationship and partnership with my people and it will branch out and they will be connected to me. They will be I am the branch. They are the vines or I'm the vine. They are the branches that will go forth and there will be this dynamic relationship that just will grow and grow and grow by the Spirit. Wow, there's so much in there. And he says, well, no, it's not going to be the Zach the Zerubbabel temple that little temple that all the guys are crying about because it was so weak and small because like, ah, this is horrible compared to what it used to be with Solomon. Remember Haggai 2 there all the old guys were complaining. This is so pathetic. The Lord says, hey, it might be pathetic to you, but it matters to me because it has continuity with my eternal purposes. But anyway, he tells Joshua here the end of verse 13 middle verse 13. He will bear the glory. Ooh, this man, the branch, he will be regal. He will be majestic. His clothing will be glorious. In Isaiah 63, when he marches into Jerusalem, the thing Isaiah as he sees him in vision form noticed his clothing were they were glorious and sparkling and dynamic. They go, they're supernatural. Your clothes are supernatural. He's regal in every way. I mean, what a small little phrase. He'll bear the glory. That means he will possess a measure of glory in conceivable to any of us right now. That's what the Spirit was saying. This man is more glorious than you can imagine. He will be worshipped by all the nations because he's worthy of it. No matter how much they worship his glory as such, they will never exhaust the measure of his glory with the measure of their worship. There will always be more discoveries and more to say and more to worship and he'll sit and rule on a throne. Okay, all authority is his be a global throne. Now, here was the real stretch because he's talking to the high priest and he'll be a high priest. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, that's not biblical. That's not in the Bible. The high priest has to be from the tribe of Levi. The king on the throne has to be tribe of David, two separate tribes. God can't break the Bible. Zachariah, you're wrong. That's not in the Bible. I'm injecting that Zachariah says, yeah, but there's something there's a new order with this man. He's different than all the others. There will be a union of the priest and the kingly offices in one man, the spiritual leader, the political leader of the nations will be the same man. There will never be a political leadership of the earth that is not equally dynamically spiritual. There will never be a separation of of this again ever. Let's look at number one. Behold the branch. Now the term the branch. Jeremiah, when he called the Messiah, the branch, he emphasized his king. When Zachariah 3 said the branch, he emphasized he's a servant here. When he called him the branch, he called him the man. His humanity, the ideal man, the representative man, the man that reaches the full ideal that was in God's heart from the beginning, the man. When Isaiah talked about the Messiah, the branch, he was the branch of the Lord. He's divine. So we have four different pictures of the branch. And again, this is something that you'll find a lot of commentaries. It's pretty obvious and it's meant to be obvious. The four faces of the branch and these four faces are parallel in the gospel. These four faces are parallel in the faces of the living creatures around the throne. There's a king who's a lion. There's a servant who's an ox. There's a man and there's an eagle who has the power of flight in the heavens like the divine. And that corresponds with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus, the King in Matthew. Jesus, the servant, Mark. Jesus, the ideal man in Luke. And Jesus, the eagle, the son of God in John. Again, I find that fascinating. It's a quite common view, but it's wonderful to see this branch. Paragraph B, I put the four things together that Zechariah gave him. Let's go down to paragraph 4 at the very bottom of page 55. I just want you to see this verse. He'll rule. All authority is his in heaven and earth. It's his now. I mean, when he arose from the dead, all authority was given to him as a resurrected man who triumphed over death and over hell. But that authority is his, but in his obeying the counsel of the Father, he restrains the manifestation of an open display in the nation. He does display it, but in a measured, restrained way. But the day is coming where his authority will be seen by all worldwide. Every single soul will see it and they will call him the worthy one of all power and honor and blessing and glory and might and dominion, etc. But I love what Jesus says about rule. This is Jesus now talking in Ezekiel 43. He's talking about a priest in the temple ruling on a throne. This was a new idea to Zechariah. A new idea to Joshua the high priest. He goes, wow, that's not Bible. Well, it is. It's a new order. It's called the order of Melchizedek. But look in Ezekiel 43. This is a glorious snapshot of Jesus in millennial Jerusalem in the temple. Verse 6, you got to read the whole thing later. This is just to stir you up an appetizer. Ezekiel says, I heard him speaking. He's in the temple and it's Jesus. Verse 7, he said, son of man, he's in the temple. This is the place of my throne. Your throne is in the temple. It's a new idea. He said, I'm going to dwell in this temple on my throne forever, right here. Whoa, he's going to be in that city a billion years from now. At the end of the millennium, the debate is, is the earth renovated or is the earth annihilated? At the end of the millennium, because fire comes and rinses the earth. Some of you are asking, wait, at the end of the millennium, the earth is destroyed. There's two debates, two positions, I mean. Is the earth renovated or is the earth annihilated? I believe it's renovated, not annihilated. It's rinsed with fire and it becomes the place where the Father's throne comes to this earth. And God said in Genesis 1, when he created, he said, it's good. The devil did not undo that. It is good forever. That's just my opinion. Top of page 56, paragraph G, verse 14. Now the elaborate crown, this majestic, excellent, different translations, use different words. It's a crown above and beyond anything Joshua, Zacharias, or no one has seen. Such a composite crown with so many dimensions. But again, it was picturing the one in Revelation 19 who has the many crowns. But look at this. It's what I was touching on 10 minutes ago about the men that brought the money. He said the crown shall be, I mean Joshua's only going to have a ceremonial crowning. He gets to wear it for 10 minutes. That's it. He's not a king. The crown's not his. He's a sign. Prophetic token back from Zechariah 3, 8. The Lord said, tell him, I'm going to use him to be a sign of the branch. He understood that. So they make the crown. Then they put it in the temple. Now the temple is three years away from completed. They've only been six months. There's still a mountain that has to be moved of obstacles. I mean, it's probably not much. They take that crown and I don't know if they put it in the temple then or they said, hey, Josiah, keep that in your house for now. And when the temple dedication comes, bring it out in three years. I don't know. But it goes in the temple when it's completed. But it goes in as a memorial. That's the key phrase. It goes in as a statement. To commemorate and honor certain things. Look what it says. It will be for a memorial in the temple. Look at the word for these three guys. However, you say their names. Dadadada, Jedediah, and some other guy. Okay, but underline the word for the memorial is for these guys from Babylon. In the temple, these Jewish guys that walk four months with the gold and the silver. The Lord says, tell them their contribution matters to me. Tell them you don't have to be in Jerusalem for it to count. It's a big statement. Verse 15. Other people that are far away. I mean Babylon was far away. They get to participate in it as well. Because God's heart is big. He doesn't want three tabernacles built on the mountaintop. Peter said, Jesus, Moses, Elijah. You know, us four no more. Forget everybody else. Let's just build three tabernacles and forget the nations, forget Jerusalem. Let's just Shundi Mahundi the rest of our life, the six of us. Jesus goes, Peter, I didn't take up the form of a man to have a Shundi party with you on a mountain forever. Someone says, what's a Shundi party? He says, I'll explain it to you later. He says, no. I came because God saw the world. I love the nations. I want my glory not just manifest in the nations. I want deep connection with the peoples of the earth. They're mine. I don't want to do it without them. Peter, you completely got the wrong view of why I'm here. Look at it. Verse 15, the other far away people, they matter to me. They can be involved in my purposes in their city or my purposes in other cities and I'm not going to forget it. That's the message. That's an amazing message. Number one, the memorial is for the man that brought the money from a faraway place. The partnership mattered to God. God will remember it even if they don't. I tell you, Cornelius got the shock of his life. Acts chapter 10, the Gentile guy, he gives his money and his prayers. He gives his money to the purpose of God, Jerusalem, and his prayers. He's praying for God to break in. I mean, think about how rough his prayer meetings were. Three or four soldiers, not born again, Gentiles, no anointed worship, no Bible, no Holy Spirit. Four soldiers, no Holy Spirit, no music, no Bible. That's a rough prayer meeting. I mean, I find it hard sometimes with the Bible and the Holy Spirit and anointed singers and all you guys. I still find it hard sometimes. So I look at this guy and he's, oh, God of Israel, break in and show your glory. I mean, the prayers, I tell you, they were not prayers to write home about, I guarantee you. The angel appears, Acts 10, verse 3 and 4. Cornelius, like, shock of his life. Your prayers, your money are a memorial before God. Like, what? These unanointed prayer meetings, I don't give that much. I don't have that much. I'm a soldier. You give. It will be remembered forever in the throne of God, in the presence of God. Beloved, it's amazing how generous Jesus is and what he remembers and how we participate with him. That's what he's saying. He's talking about himself as the God of the nations right here. I want all of you, but also the crown is a pledge that there would come in the Lord's timing a man who was king and priest. The crown is also a token that he wants the faraway nations to participate with him. Amen. Let's just end with that.