This week in our morning revival time we want to see a fresh and new revelation of the priesthood and kingship for the building up of the temple of God, as unveiled in the book of Zechariah and throughout the Bible. The building of God is the corporate expression of the Triune God, and it equals the building up of the church as the temple of God and the kingdom of God.
Ever since God created man, His purpose for man did not change – in Gen. 1:26 He clearly indicated that He wants man to express Him in His image and with His dominion.
To express God in His image means that we need to be the corporate expression of the Triune God for His glory – this equals the building up of the church as God’s house, His holy priesthood (see 1 Pet. 2:5).
To express God in His dominion means that we need to be the corporate expression of the Triune God for His reigning – this equals the building up of the church as God’s kingdom, His royal priesthood (see 1 Pet. 2:9).
God desires to obtain a corporate expression in humanity, a group of people built up together in the divine life who express Him in His image and exercise His dominion over everything.
Up until now, the twenty first century, God has not yet obtained such a corporate expression. But in Zechariah 6:11-15 we see that Christ is the Priest and the King, and in Him God has His complete expression and dominion on the earth!
Also, the overcomers and eventually all the believers will be the priests and kings in the millennium and in the New Jerusalem! Oh, how we need to see a clear revelation of the priesthood and the kingship for the building up of the church as the temple of God!
Christ is the High Priest and the King
As we have seen before, in the first five chapters of Zechariah there are eight visions of comfort, consolation, and encouragement to God’s people. These visions are confirmed in Zech. 6:11-13 by the crowning of Joshua the priest linked with Zerubbabel the governor of Judah.
We can see throughout the Bible that there is no man that is qualified to bear the responsibilities of a priest and a king – only Christ can do this! Christ is the High Priest and the King, as typified by Melchizedek (see Gen. 14:18, Heb. 7), and here in Zechariah, as typified by Joshua (the priest) and Zerubbabel (the governor, from the line of David the king).
Christ is both the shoot of David to be the king and He is the High Priest, holding both the office of priesthood and kingship. What a wonderful Christ we have!
Christ is the Shoot of Jehovah and the Shoot of David
Christ is both the Shoot of Jehovah and the Shoot of David (Isa 4:2; 7:14; Matt. 1:22-23; Zech. 3:8; Jer. 23:5). Christ is the God-man – He is the shoot of Jehovah in His divinity, and He is the shoot of David in His humanity.
Through incarnation, Christ became a new development of God, for the Triune God to “branch Himself out” in His divinity into humanity. Wow, God wants to increase, to branch out, to spread into humanity, and for this He became a man, bringing God into man, and branching out in divinity into humanity!
Christ is the Shoot of Jehovah – referring to Christ’s deity, His divine nature – and He is the fruit of the earth – referring to Christ’s humanity and human nature.
Christ as the “shoot of Jehovah” is a tender, new, fresh development of growth, budding, or sprouting of God into man. Christ as the shoot of Jehovah denotes the riches, refreshing, vigor growth, and the productive power of the divine life!
In His divinity as the Shoot of Jehovah, Christ comes out of God, and His comings forth are from eternity (see John 8:42; Micah 5:2). In His humanity as the Shoot of David, the fruit of the earth, Christ has a human body made of dust and He grows out of the earth, being made in the likeness of man (Isa. 53:2).
In His desire to be multiplied and reproduced in humanity, the Triune God branched out in Christ, the divine Shoot of Jehovah and the human fruit of the earth, and He passed through a long process of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, death, and resurrection, so that in resurrection He may produce the many grains – the many believers in Christ, the many brothers of Christ, the corporate expression of the Triune God (see John 4:24; 20:17; Rom. 8:29).
Hallelujah, Christ as the Shoot of Jehovah became the shoot of David and now is being reproduced and still “shooting forth” in humanity in His many believers!
The Counsel of Peace will be Between the Two of Them
In Zechariah 6:13 it says that “the counsel of peace will be between the two of them” – between the priesthood and the kingship of Christ, there will be the counsel of peace.
Our Christ is so wonderful – He took the lead to be the first King and Priest, and He regenerated us with His divine life to make us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9).
Even though in the Old Testament no king could be a priest, and up until the Lord Jesus no one was qualified to be both king and priest, Christ is the first One and we are the many ones who are His duplication to be both priests and kings!
In the millennium Christ together with His overcomers will be kings to reign over the earth and priests to serve God – this is a reward for the saints who overcome in this age (Rev. 2:26-27; 20:4, 6).
However, the rest of the believers, “the defeated believers”, the ones who are not fully cooperating with the Lord to be produced as His overcomers in their lifetime, they will be dealt with in the millennium and they will also enter into this portion for eternity!
For eternity, our destiny as the spiritual people of God, the church, is to serve God in the priesthood and to represent God in the kingship in the new heaven and the new earth for ever (Rev. 22:3, 5). Hallelujah!
Lord, unveil us to see You and appreciate You as the shoot of Jehovah and as the Shoot of David. Lord, increase our appreciation of God’s branching out in divinity into humanity to bring God into man and man into God. Thank You for becoming a man and passing through human living, crucifixion, and resurrection. Now we are the many sons of God and brothers of Christ, a royal priesthood! Lord, keep us enjoying You and keep growing in us unto maturity that we may be the overcomers who enjoy the full portion of a king and a priest together with You in the millennium!
References and Further Reading
- This sharing is inspired from brother Ed Marks’ sharing in this message and portions in, The Priesthood (ch. 4), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on Crystallization-Study of Daniel and Zechariah, week 12 (entitled, The Priesthood and the Kingship for the Building Up of the Church as the Temple of God).
- Buy this morning revival book online via Living Stream Ministry.
- Further reading: Zech. 6:11 and note 1; Isa. 4:2 note 2; Zech. 3:8 note 1; Zech. 6:13 note 1 (all notes from the Recovery Version).
- Hymns on this topic:
# Now the building spiritual / And the priesthood all are one; / Now the building of the house / By the priestly work is done.
# As Shoot of David, God’s temple He’ll build, / He’ll be a Priest and o’er all nations rule.
# Thou art the Priest from us to God, / The holy Priest for us, / Like Aaron called of God from men, / For us Thou servest thus. - Pictures credit: 1 Pet. 2:9 here and Zech. 6:13 here.
Zech 6:12-13…he will bear majesty..,& he will b a priest on his thrown…
'T overcomers will b priests, drawing near 2 God & Christ, & they will also b kings, reigning over t nations w/ Christ (Rev 2:26-27;20:4,6).' T defeated believers forfeit this reward, must still mature n t millennium, then n t New heaven & earth receive t reward.
Oh Lord Jesus, only U r qualified 2 b both priest & king @ t same time. Hv Ur increase n us! Gal 2:20
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In His divinity as the shoot of Jehovah and His coming forth are from humanity.his deisre to be multiplied and reproduced in humanity.