“Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, ‘this is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts.” I used to hear Rex Humbard cite this passage and wonder why no one corrected him as he abused it. Rex inferred a truth many of the New Testament Church has not reckoned; God has prophesied a way by which those who are ‘born from above’ stay in the realm of fellowship with God, sin-free!!
“God shall choose Jerusalem, again.” The imagery of Zechariah is beyond the development of man’s mind. Its beauty is replete with references the child of God should know. The horses of Zechariah were messengers (John and Jesus), their message was salvation “sent to walk to and fro through the earth” (Zechariah 1:10) with the message called Grace, a deliverance for sin to the Jews. Jerusalem had been measured and found wanting (Revelations 11:1-2) but God was announcing a “day” in which Jerusalem “should be chosen, again”. The priesthood of Aaron had fallen into disrepute, the sacrifices were nauseating to the nose of the great one of Zion, but God was to bring a “Fellow’ in that day and remove the iniquity of that land.” Zechariah 3:10 The manner of means (the way this was to be accomplished) was by the establishment of the Church of Christ on that great day of salvation with the proclamation that “whosoever will may drink of the Tree of Life”. Revelations 21:1-8, 22:14-17 He who was to deliver us to this pre-established time was the great I AM, the two who were One, who was to “lay the foundation of this house’ for His hands shall finish (bring to finality) it(the plan or grace of God)…” chapter 4:9 When He was to “usher in” His new Kingdom, Christ would allow those who were to be “born again” the gift of the Holy Spirit (drinking of the water of life) which enables ALL who have been baptized into Christ the TRUE possibility of “remaining faithful unto death to receive the crown of righteousness which will never fade away” 2 Timothy 4:6 We can be sin-free—not by might (military control), not by power (a governmental control like the Sanhedrin) but by My Spirit (the gift given all who ‘obey from the heart that form of doctrine”)!! The man “whose name is the BRANCH shall rule as king and priest upon His throne in that day…and they that afar off (the Gentiles) shall come and build in the temple of the Lord because of the day the sun went down at noon on a clear day”. Zechariah 6:12-14, Amos 8:9 (Only God could make a tree!!)
We can be saved “to the uttermost”, Hebrews 7:25 Uttermost is a word translated from the Greek phrase eis to panteles which means until completed, the journey is over!!! When it seems to be unbelievably good, it just gets better!! The “gift of the Holy Spirit” can never be appreciated, BUT, the intercession of our Friend, Master, Older Brother, and King adds more to the providential love bestowed us by the plan of the Grand Artificer of Salvation. The chief purpose of the Priest is summed up by the word entunchanein. This term means that Jesus meets with God the Father in order to represent believers and to ask God the Father to act graciously on our behalf. As a living, eternal Priest, He intercedes for believers. The power of His indissoluble life enables Him to keep on delivering those who are His BECAUSE, unlike the priests who stopped functioning at death, He never dies!! The staggering relevance of Jesus’ eternal priesthood just now comes into view!! Jesus is forever, He is able to function as the believers’ Priest, eternally!! Maybe we cannot grasp this as we should—because men die, their intercession had lack of continuity, and they had to re-learn the weaknesses!!
