Zechariah 3:8 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. The LORD has more to say to Joshua here. We are reminded here that this is the same Joshua as at the beginning of this chapter. Joshua was the high priest and the other fellows with him could be other priests. These fellows are not ordinary men. They are men who are different in a good way. They are on the same side as Joshua which means they are men of God.
Joshua is told here that the LORD will bring forth his servant the BRANCH. This is a clear reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. There are several others passages that mention this BRANCH. They are not all in capital letters, but it is obvious they refer to the same person. The passages are:
Isaiah 4:2 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.
Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Jeremiah 23:5 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.
Jeremiah 33:15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.
Zechariah 6:12 And speak unto him, 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:
It is clear from the prophecy given here that this is a reference to the second part of the second coming of Christ. It is in reference to the establishment of the Millennial kingdom.
In verse 9 the LORD spoke of the stone that He had laid. Joshua was obviously involved in the rebuilding of the temple. However, it is also clear that this is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ as the “chief corner stone”. This is mentioned several times in the Scriptures:
Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Acts 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
I Peter 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
I Peter 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
Jesus Christ is the eternal Rock and Stone. Jesus was mocked for referring to Himself as the Temple and that the Jews would destroy Him and He would rise again in three days. They did not understand His prophetic words at that time.
This stone is not an ordinary stone. This stone has seven eyes. Seven is sometimes used in the Scriptures as the number of God in relation to His perfection. Some people think of the number 7 as a “lucky” number. There is no such a thing as luck, even though some people believe there is.
Jesus Christ is the second person of the Godhead. As such He is omniscient. The text tells us that He will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. This is a clear reference to the Millennium. “That land” will be the land of Israel. That land will be cleansed and will start off with the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah and King.
The millennium will begin as a blessed time. Jesus Christ will rule. All those who enter the Millennium will be saved. It will be a blessed time.
Verse 10 gives more information about “that day”. Again we have the LORD of hosts speaking. He is describing the conditions at the time of the Millennium. There will be peace. Every man will be a neighbour and they will sit under the vine and under the fig tree. The fighting that we hear of in Israel now, will not be there at that time. The time of the antichrist will be a violent time. In particular, the last three and a half years will be violent for the Jews and for Christians. The antichrist will act on his hatred for the Jews and for Christians. He will work to eradicate both of these groups. Many Jews and many Christians will be killed. However, not all will be killed. At the end of the Tribulation, the Lord Jesus Christ will call the ungodly together at the battle of Armageddon and they will all be killed there and cast into hell. The exception will be for Satan and the antichrist and the false prophet. Satan will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years and the antichrist and the false prophet will be cast directly into the lake of fire. The Millennium will begin with peace and rest. It will be a strange thing for those who enter that time. They will have come from being in hiding and the threat of death to a time of great peace. All of a sudden the threat of persecution and death will be gone. They will enter a time of great blessing and rest. It will be a welcome change for those who enter into that time.
Today, we can build our lives on this Stone. We can know God’s peace and build on a sure foundation. We can know that our feet will not slip and be swept off. Jesus Christ provides eternal life to all who will turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. If you have not done that, why not turn to God now and ask His forgiveness through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Those who are saved will be different. Building on the Lord Jesus Christ is different. It is not the same as building on the sand. There is stability in Christ. There is a changed heart which produces a changed life. It is important to build on the truth.
Pastor Bartel
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