The Branch
In this study we will look at the prophecies of ZakariYah to help us determine who the branch is and what the branches relevance is to the Truth seeker today.
Part 1
ZakariYah 3
We begin in ZakariYah
3. Open your scriptures and study aids and follow along. Briefly read through
ZakariYah 3.
Zec 3:1 And he showed me Yehoshua the high priest
standing before the messenger of יהוה, and Satan standing at his right
hand to be an adversary to him. 2 And יהוה said to Satan, “יהוה rebuke you, Satan! יהוה who has chosen Yerushalayim
rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” 3 And Yehoshua was dressed in filthy garments, and was standing
before the messenger. 4 And He answered and spoke to those who stood before
Him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I
have removed your guilt from you, and shall put costly robes on you.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his
head.” Then they put a clean turban on his head, and they put garments on him.
And the messenger of
יהוה stood by. 6 And the
messenger of יהוה witnessed to Yehoshua, saying, 7 “Thus said יהוה of hosts, ‘If you walk in My ways,
and if you guard My duty, then you shall also rule My house, and also guard My
courts. And I shall give you access among these standing here. 8 ‘Now listen, Yehoshua the high priest, you and your
companions who sit before you, for they are men
of symbol. For look, I am bringing forth My Servant – the Branch. 9
‘See the stone which I have put before Yehoshua: on one stone are seven eyes. See, I am engraving its inscription,’ declares יהוה of hosts, ‘and I shall remove
the guilt of that land in one day.
I have
highlighted groups of words that we will use in this study. Bookmark your place
in Zechariah. Our first portion of the study will be “the messenger of YHWH”. Go to Revelations 5 and read verses 1 through 4.
Rev 5:1
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written
inside and on the back, having been sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong messenger
proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll
and to loosen its seals?” 3 And no one in the
heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to
look at it. 4 And I wept much, because no one
was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.
Here we see the Eternal seated
on His throne, He has a sealed scroll in His right hand. The messenger is seeking one who would be worthy to release the
contents of the scroll.
Let’s move along. Skip down and
read ZakariYah 3:8 where we see the word “Branch”,
now let’s compare to Revelation 5:5.
Rev 5:5
And one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of
Yehuḏah,
the Root of Dawiḏ,
overcame to open the scroll and to loosen its seven seals.”
We read that the Lion of the
tribe of Yahudah, who is the root or “Branch”
(Strongs 4491) of David has overcome
and is worthy to open the scroll that the Eternal has in His hand. Let’s
confirm that the Branch is indeed from the seed of David. Turn to YeremiYah
23:5 and read through verse 6 or YeremiYah 33:14 through 15.
Jer 23:5
“See, the days are coming,” declares יהוה, “when I shall raise for Dawiḏ a Branch of righteousness, and a Sovereign
shall reign and act wisely, and shall do right-ruling and righteousness in the
earth. 6
“In His days Yehuḏah
shall be saved, and Yisra’ĕl dwell safely. And this is His Name whereby He
shall be called: ‘יהוה our Righteousness.’
We have confirmation that the promised Messiah would come from the physical seed (or root) of David and is called “the Branch”.
Continuing
on, in verse 9 of ZakariYah 3 we see a reference to “seven eyes”. Returning to Revelation 5:6, we see the seven eyes are
the seven spirits sent out upon the earth.
Rev 5:6
And I looked and saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living
creatures, and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing, as having been
slain, having seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven Spirits of Elohim sent
out into all the earth.
Engraving or Inscription
Returning to ZakariYah verse 9
we see the fourth relationship of the five we will cover in this portion of the
study. In verse 9 we see the reference to “engraving
and or inscription”. What does
engraving or inscribing relate to? Could it be a reference to the scroll that
the Eternal has in His hand? Turn to Revelation 5:1.
Rev 5:1
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, having
been sealed with seven seals.
What is written on the scrolls that only Messiah can open or release? The seals of judgment and the wrath of the great day of YHWH.
Men of Symbol or Wonder
In our final relationship we
see a reference in verse 8 to “men of symbol or wonder”; this is a
reference to men of importance or esteem. Let’s verify this. Turn to Revelation
5 verse 8.
Rev 5:8
And when He took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before
the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls filled with incense, which are
the prayers of the set-apart ones.
We see who the men of esteem
are. They are “the twenty-four elders”.
Return to verse 7 of ZakariYah 3. We see that Messiah will rule the Eternals
House, guard His courts, and is “given access” to the twenty-four elders, if he “walks in the Almighty’s ways,
and guards His duties, charges” (which is doing the will of the Father).
In this portion of the study we
have related five distinct correlations between ZakariYah 3 and Revelations 5
(Apocalypse). We can with almost
complete certainty know that ZakariYah is prophesying about the Lamb of
Yah’weh. If you are still uncertain please continue to the Part 3 study, which
gives further proof that ZakariYah 3 and Revelations 5 (Apocalypse) parallel
each other.
In this portion of our study we
will build upon the information we gained in Part 1 of the study and explore
the relationship that the Lamb has with the Eternal Creator.
We read that the Lion of the
tribe of Yahudah, who is the root or “Branch”
(Strongs 4491) of David has overcome
and is the only one found worthy to open the scroll that the Eternal has in His hand. Now let’s return to what we did not
address in the earlier portion of the study. Turn to Zechariah 3:1
Zec 3:1 And he showed me Yehoshua the high priest
standing before the messenger of יהוה, and Satan standing at his right
hand to be an adversary to him. 2 And יהוה said to Satan, “יהוה rebuke you, Satan! יהוה who has chosen Yerushalayim
rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
Here we see a picture of judgment. Before the throne of
the Almighty are the Eternal seated on His throne, a mighty messenger who is
acting as an attorney for the defendant, the defendant, Yah’shua (Yah is our
salvation), the prosecutor Hasatan, and the witnesses (the twenty-four elders, the
four living creatures, and myriads of messengers).
Hasatan is rebuked for bringing charges against Messiah. He is told that Messiah had not received special treatment, and that he has overcome the flesh to earn his place before the throne. Messiah is absolved of all of the charges Hasatan has brought against him.
The Brand
When did this judgment occur? Our major clue is that
Yah’shua was plucked as a brand from the fire. What does this mean? Turn to
Amos 4:11.
Amo 4:11 “I have overthrown some of you, as Elohim overthrew Seḏom and Amorah, and you were like a burning stick plucked from the burning. But you did not turn back to Me,” declares יהוה.
We see that to be plucked from the fire, is to be saved
from destruction.
He has overcome
With this in mind we know that Messiah overcame the
flesh and was saved from destruction because he overcame. Turn to Revelations 5
verses 5 & 6 for confirmation.
Rev 5:5 And one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Yehuḏah, the Root of Dawiḏ, overcame to open the scroll and to loosen its seven seals.” 6 And I looked and saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing, as having been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of Elohim sent out into all the earth.
Messiah (the lamb) overcame the flesh, he was slain,
and then rose to the Father. He then faced the judgment before the throne.
Let’s continue on and see if the rest of the verses bear this reasoning out.
Filthy garments
Turn to ZakariYah 3:3
Zec 3:3
And Yehoshua was dressed in filthy garments, and was standing before the
messenger.
Here in ZakariYah 3:3 we are told that Messiah is dressed in filthy garments. If Messiah is the Lamb without spot there can be only one accounting for his condition.
Joh 1:29
On the next day Yoḥanan
saw יהושע coming toward him, and said,
“See, the Lamb of Elohim who takes away the sin of the world!
Rev 1:4
Yoḥanan,
to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Favour to you and peace from Him who
is and who was and who is coming, and from the seven Spirits that are before
His throne, 5 and from יהושע Messiah, the trustworthy
witness, the first-born from the dead,
and the ruler of the sovereigns of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own
blood, 6 and has made us sovereigns
and priests to His Elohim and Father, to Him be esteem and rule forever and
ever. Amĕn.
Yah’shua was wearing filthy garments that were defiled not by his own iniquity, but by the iniquity of the world.
Zec 3:4
And He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Remove the
filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your guilt
from you, and shall put costly robes on you.” 5
And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” Then they put a clean
turban on his head, and they put garments on him. And the messenger of יהוה stood by.
The Eternal takes away the iniquity from Yah’shua and clothes him in clean garments. He also places a turban (Strongs 6797) upon his head.
Job 29:14
I put on righteousness, and it robed me; right-ruling was my cloak and turban.
Zec 3:6
And the messenger of יהוה witnessed to Yehoshua,
saying, 7 “Thus said יהוה of hosts, ‘If you walk in My
ways, and if you guard My duty, then you shall also rule My house, and also
guard My courts. And I shall give you access among these standing here.
Here we see Yah’shua is given his esteem. He is
told by the messenger that the Almighty
has proclaimed that because he has walked in His
ways and guarded His charges, that he
will now be given the responsibilities of High
Priest, Princely leader, and be given the
authority to give commands to the twenty-four
elders, and the messengers of YHWH.
The Branch
8 ‘Now listen, Yehoshua the high priest, you and your
companions who sit before you, for they are men of symbol. For look, I am bringing
forth My Servant – the Branch.
Let’s turn to Isaiah 11
Isaiah 11:1 And a Rod
shall come forth from the stump of Yishai, and a Sprout
from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 The
Spirit of יהוה shall rest upon Him – the
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit
of knowledge and of the fear of יהוה, 3
and shall make Him breathe in the fear of יהוה. And He shall not judge by
the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears. 4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and
shall decide with straightness for the meek ones of the earth, and shall smite
the earth with the rod of His mouth, and slay the wrong with the breath of His
lips. 5 And righteousness shall be the girdle
of His loins, and trustworthiness the girdle of His waist.
We see several noticeable attributes associated with the
Messiah. He is born of the root of Jesse (a branch). He will have the spirit of
the Eternal, and the fear of YHWH. He will judge in righteousness and destroy
the wicked. He will be given the seven spirits of YHWH. Of these attributes,
let us explore what it means to have the “fear
of YHWH” within you. Turn to Proverbs 2.
Proverbs 2:1
My son, if you accept my words, And treasure up my commands with you, 2 So that you make your ear attend to wisdom, Incline
your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry
for discernment, Lift up your voice for understanding, 4
If you seek her as silver, And search for her as hidden treasures, 5 Then you would understand the fear of יהוה, And find the knowledge of
Elohim.
We see that the “fear of YHWH” is accepting the
Eternals words and regarding His commands as profitable. Let us return now to
ZakarYah. Turn to Zechariah 3:6 we read...
Zec 3:6
And the messenger of יהוה witnessed to Yehoshua,
saying, 7 “Thus said יהוה of hosts, ‘If you walk in My ways, and if you guard My duty,
then you shall also rule My house, and also guard My courts. And I shall give you access among these standing here.
Yah’shua had the fear of YHWH, because of this he was
able to inherit his throne (position of authority).
1Pe 1:17
And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each
one’s work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear, 18
knowing that you were redeemed from your futile way of life inherited from
your fathers, not with what is corruptible, silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Messiah, as of a
lamb unblemished and spotless, 20
foreknown, indeed, before the foundation of the world, but manifested in these
last times for your sakes, 21 who through Him
believe in Elohim who raised Him from the dead and gave Him esteem,
so that your belief and expectation are in Elohim.
Part
3
In part three we will continue
to relate the prophesies of ZakariYah and Revelations and add confirmation to
our understanding that Messiah Yah’shua is the one being prophesied of, and to
help us further our understanding of end time prophecy.
Zec 4:1 And the messenger who was speaking to me
came back and woke me up as a man is awakened from sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I
have looked, and see: a lampstand all of gold with a bowl on top of it, and on
the stand seven lamps with seven
spouts to the seven lamps.
Rev 4:5
And out of the throne came lightnings, and thunders, and voices. And seven lamps of fire were burning before the
throne, which are the seven Spirits of Elohim.
Seven lamps, which
represent the seven spirits of YHWH.
Let them
measure the Temple
6 And he
answered and said to me, “This is the word of יהוה to Zerubbaḇel, ‘Not by might nor by power,
but by My Spirit,’ said יהוה of hosts. 7 ‘Who are you, great mountain, before Zerubbaḇel? A plain! And he shall bring
forth the capstone with shouts of “Favour, favour to it!” ’ ” 8 And the word of יהוה came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbaḇel have laid the foundation of
this House, and his hands shall complete it. And you shall know that יהוה of hosts has sent Me to you. 10 “For who has
despised the day of small beginnings? They
shall rejoice when they see the plumb-line in the hand of Zerubbaḇel. These seven are the eyes of יהוה,
which diligently search throughout all the earth.”
Rev 11:1 And a reed
like a measuring rod was given to me, and the messenger stood, saying, “Rise
and measure the Dwelling Place of Elohim, and the altar, and those worshipping
in it. 2 “But cast out the court
which is outside the Dwelling Place, and do not measure it, for it has been
given to the gentiles, and they shall trample the set-apart city under foot for
forty-two months.
Zec 4:3
“And two olive trees are by it,
one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” 4 Then I responded and spoke to the messenger who was
speaking to me, saying, “What are these, my master?” 5
And the messenger who was speaking to me answered and said to me, “Do you not
know what these are?” And I said, “No, my master.”
Zec 4:11 Then I responded and said to him, “What are these two olive trees, one at the right of the
lampstand and the other at its left?” 12 And I
responded a second time and said to him, “What are these two olive branches which empty golden oil
from themselves by means of the two gold pipes?” 13
And he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No,
my master.” 14 And he said, “These are the two anointed
ones, who stand beside the Master of all the
earth.”
Rev 11:3
“And I shall give unto my two witnesses,
and they shall prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clad in
sackcloth.” 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that are standing before
the Elohim of the earth. 5 And if anyone wishes
to harm them, fire comes out from their mouth and consumes their enemies. And
if anyone wishes to harm them, he has to be killed in that way. 6 These possess authority to shut the heaven, so that
no rain falls in the days of their prophecy. And they possess authority over
waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often
as they wish. 7 And when they have ended their
witness, the beast coming up out of the pit of the deep shall fight against
them, and overcome them, and kill them,
Zec 6:1 And I lifted up my eyes again, and looked
and saw four chariots coming from
between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. 2 With the first chariot were red horses, and with the second chariot black
horses, 3 and with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot
strong speckled horses. 4 So I responded and said to the messenger who was
speaking to me, “What are these, my master?” 5
And the messenger answered and said to me, “These
are four spirits of the heavens, coming forth from presenting
themselves before the Master of all the earth. 6
“The one with the black horses is going out to the land of the north, and the white ones have gone out after them, and the speckled ones have gone out to the land of the
south.” 7 And the strong ones went out, eager
to go, to walk to and fro in the earth. And He said, “Go, walk to and fro in
the earth.” So they walked to and fro in the earth. 8
And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, “See, those who go toward the
land of the north have given rest to My Spirit in the land of the north.”
Rev 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the
seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, like a sound of
thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked and saw
a white horse , and he who sat on
it holding a bow. And a crown was given to him, and he went out overcoming and
to overcome. 3 And when He opened the second
seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 And another horse,
fiery red, went out. And it was given to the one who sat on it
to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another. And a
great sword was given to him. 5 And when He opened the third seal, I heard the
third living creature say, “Come and see.” And I looked and saw a black
horse, and he who sat on it holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living
creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wage, and three quarts of
barley for a day’s wage. And do not harm the oil and the wine.” 7 And when He opened the fourth seal, I heard the
voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 And I looked and saw a pale horse. And he who sat on it had the
name Death, and the grave followed with him. And authority was given to them
over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with
death, and by the beasts of the earth.
Zec 6:9
And the word of יהוה came to me, saying, 10 “Receive the gift from the exiles, from Ḥeldai, Toḇiyah, and Yeḏayah, who have come from Baḇel. Then you shall go the same day
and enter the house of Yoshiyah son of Tsephanyah. 11
“And you shall take the silver and gold, make a
crown, and set it on the head of Yehoshua the son of Yehotsaḏaq, the high priest, 12
and shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus said יהוה of hosts, saying, “See, the Man whose name is the Branch! And from His place He shall branch out, and He shall build
the Hĕḵal of יהוה. 13 “It is He who is
going to build the Hĕḵal of יהוה. It is He who is going to
bear the splendour. And He shall sit and rule on
His throne, and shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall
be between Them both,” ’ 14
while the crown is for a remembrance in the Hĕḵal of יהוה to Ḥĕlem, and to Toḇiyah, and to Yeḏayah, and to Ḥĕn son of Tsephanyah. 15 “And those who are far away shall come and build
the Hĕḵal of
יהוה. And you shall know that יהוה of hosts has sent Me to you.
And this shall be, if you diligently obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim.”
Zec 3:9
‘See the stone which I have put before Yehoshua: on one stone are seven eyes. See, I am engraving its
inscription,’ declares יהוה of hosts, ‘and I shall remove the guilt of that land in one day.
Rev 6:12
And I looked when He opened the sixth seal and saw a great earthquake came to
be. And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as
blood. 13 And the stars of the heaven fell to
the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs, being shaken by a strong wind. 14 And heaven departed like a scroll being rolled up,
and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the sovereigns of the earth, and the great ones,
and the rich ones, and the commanders, and the mighty, and every slave and
every free one, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us
and hide us from the face of Him sitting on the throne and from the wrath of
the Lamb, 17 because the great day of His wrath has come, and who
is able to stand?”
Zec 3:10 ‘In that day,’ declares יהוה of hosts, ‘you shall invite
one another, under the vine and under the fig tree.’ ”
Rev21:1 And I saw a renewed heaven and a renewed
earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea
is no more. 2 And I, Yoḥanan,
saw the set-apart city, renewed Yerushalayim, coming down out of the heaven
from Elohim, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the heaven saying,
“See, the Booth of Elohim is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall
be His people, and Elohim Himself shall be with them and be their Elohim. 4 “And Elohim shall wipe away every tear from their
eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying. And there
shall be no more pain, for the former matters have passed away.” 5 And He who was sitting on the throne said, “See, I make all matters new.” And He said
to me, “Write, for these words are true and trustworthy.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the ‘Aleph’
and the ‘Taw’, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirsts I shall give
of the fountain of the water of life without payment. 7
“The one who overcomes shall inherit all this,
and I shall be his Elohim and he shall be My son.
Rev 22:16
“I, יהושע, have sent My messenger to witness
to you these matters in the assemblies. I am the Root and the Offspring (branch)
of Dawiḏ, the
Bright and Morning Star.”
