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Joshua is symbolic of things to come - that "I am going to bring my servant the Branch."
Proof:
Zechariah 3:8: Hearken, now, O Joshua the High Priest-you and your companions who sit before you, for they are men worthy of a miracle-for, behold! I bring My servant, the Shoot.
The "Shoot" refers to Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, is insignificant in the king’s court, but G-d will make his greatness burgeon. G-d will also give him favor in the eyes of the king, so that he will grant Zerubbabel’s request for the building of the Temple and the city.
Zechariah 4:6-10: (6) And he answered and spoke to me, saying, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying: 'Not by military force and not by physical strength, but by My spirit,' says the Lord of Hosts. (7) Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you sink to a plain! He will bring out the stone of the main architect, with shouts of grace, grace to it." (8) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: (9) Zerubbabel's hands founded this house, and his hands shall complete [it], and you shall know that the Lord of Hosts sent me to you. (10) For, whoever despised the day of small things shall rejoice and see the plummet in Zerubbabel's hand; these, sevenfold; the eyes of the Lord are roving to and fro throughout all the earth.
Haggai 1:14-15: (14) And the Lord inspired the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shaltiel, the governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak the High Priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people, and they came and performed labor in the house of the Lord of Hosts, their God (15) on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth [month], in the second year of King Darius.
Jesus, as a sacrifice, “will remove the sin of this land in a single day."
Proof:
Zechariah 3:9: For, behold the stone that I have placed before Joshua. Seven eyes are directed to one stone. Behold! I untie its knots, says the Lord of Hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
"One day" refers to a lack of knowledge as to exactly when the Second Temple will be built.
The foundation stone for the Second Temple had been laid in the days of King Cyrus. However, the actual building of the Temple was abruptly stopped.
Ezra 4:23-24: (23) Then, since the interpretation of the letter of Artaxerxes the king was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companies, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and they stopped them with force and might. (24) Then the work of the House of God, which was in Jerusalem, was stopped, and it was suspended until the second year of the reign of Darius, the king of Persia.
Jesus was the "Branch" who will rebuild the Temple and reign as priest and king.
Proof:
Zechariah 6:12-13: And you shall speak to him, saying, "So said the Lord of Hosts, saying: Behold a man whose name is the Shoot, who will spring up out of his place and build the Temple of the Lord. (13) And he shall build the Temple of the Lord, and he shall bear glory. And he shall sit and rule on his throne, and the priest shall be on his throne. And a counsel of peace shall be between them [both].
The "Shoot" refers to Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, is insignificant in the king’s court, but G-d will make his greatness burgeon. G-d will also give him favor in the eyes of the king, so that he will grant Zerubbabel’s request for the building of the Temple and the city.
Zechariah 4:6-10: (6) And he answered and spoke to me, saying, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying: 'Not by military force and not by physical strength, but by My spirit,' says the Lord of Hosts. (7) Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you sink to a plain! He will bring out the stone of the main architect, with shouts of grace, grace to it." (8) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: (9) Zerubbabel's hands founded this house, and his hands shall complete [it], and you shall know that the Lord of Hosts sent me to you. (10) For, whoever despised the day of small things shall rejoice and see the plummet in Zerubbabel's hand; these, sevenfold; the eyes of the Lord are roving to and fro throughout all the earth.
Haggai 1:14-15: (14) And the Lord inspired the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shaltiel, the governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak the High Priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people, and they came and performed labor in the house of the Lord of Hosts, their God (15) on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth [month], in the second year of King Darius.
There are two separate people being spoken about in these verses.
The Temple will be built by the "Shoot" who is the ruler (Zerubabbel) and there will also be a priest (Joshua).
Zechariah 4:9-10: (9) Zerubbabel's hands founded this house, and his hands shall complete [it], and you shall know that the Lord of Hosts sent me to you. (10) For, whoever despised the day of small things shall rejoice and see the plummet in Zerubbabel's hand; these, sevenfold; the eyes of the Lord are roving to and fro throughout all the earth.
Zechariah 3:1: And He showed me Joshua, the High Priest, standing before the angel of the Lord. And Satan was standing on his right, to accuse him.
Haggai 1:12: And Zerubbabel the son of Shaltiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak the High Priest, and all the remnant of the people heeded the command of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people feared the Lord.
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.
Prophecy:
Zechariah 9:9: Be exceedingly happy, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold! Your king shall come to you. He is just and victorious; humble, and riding a donkey and a foal, the offspring of [one of] she-donkeys.
Proof:
Matthew 21:7: They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set [Him] on them.
Mark 11:7: Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.
Luke 19:35: Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.
John 12:14: Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written.
This is not exclusive to Jesus.
Many, many people rode into Jerusalem on a donkey so even if though this verse is about the messiah it cannot only be about Jesus.
The prophecy continues.
The prophecy continues into the very next verse.
Zechariah 9:10: And I will cut off the chariots from Ephraim, and the horses from Jerusalem; and the bow of war shall be cut off. And he shall speak peace to the nations, and his rule shall be from the sea to the west and from the river to the ends of the earth.
This explains that when the Messiah arrives on a donkey, it will be a demonstration that he will be exercising his dominion over the entire world and the implements of war will be destroyed.
Jesus was not a triumphant world leader.
Matthew 27:31: And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His [own] clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.
Jesus also did not speak of peace.
Matthew 10:34: Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
The thirty pieces of silver that was paid to Judas.
Prophecy:
Zechariah 11:12-13: And I said to them: "If it pleases you, give [Me] My hire, and if not, forbear." And they weighed out My hire: thirty pieces of silver.
(13) And the Lord said to me: Cast it to the keeper of the treasury, to the stronghold of glory-of which I stripped them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and I cast it into the house of the Lord, to the keeper of the treasury.
Proof:
Matthew 26:14-15: (14) Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests (15) and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.
The thirty pieces of silver.
The Book of Matthew is the only one of the gospels to mention the thirty pieces of silver. If it was a prophecy that was fulfilled why is it only recorded in one book?
There is also conflict as to what actually happened with the money.
Matthew 27:5: Then he [Judas] threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Acts 1:18: Now this man [Judas] purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.
So, did he "fulfill the prophecy" as is written in Matthew or did he actually not return the money as is written in Acts?
The silver is not actually silver.
This passage is speaking about the righteous among the Jews (those who kept G-d’s mitzvot). The fee refers to the fulfillment of the mitzvot which is payment to G-d. If this payment is made, then G-d will not forsake the righteous. The thirty silver pieces refers to the thirty righteous ones. By throwing the deed of these thirty people into the Temple, to the treasurer, Zechariah symbolized that the Temple would be rebuilt because of their merits.
The treasurer is the one who smelts the coins – which is why the word הַיּוֹצֵר is generally translated as “potter”. Why the number thirty? Abraham was promised that there would be no generation that had less than thirty righteous men. G-d is clearly chiding the wicked amongst the people. When Zechariah threw the deeds of the thirty righteous into the Temple, G-d declared that it was because of these thirty that the end of the Babylonian exile would come and the Temple would be rebuilt.
Jesus was betrayed by his disciples.
Prophecy:
Zechariah 13:7: O sword, awaken against My shepherd and against the man who is associated with Me! says the Lord of Hosts. Smite the shepherd, and the flock shall scatter, and I will return My hand upon the little ones.
Proof:
Matthew 26:56: But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.
Jesus was not the shepherd.
In this verse, “shepherd” refers to the leaders of the nations who were G-d’s colleagues. G-d entrusted His flock (Israel) to the shepherd. However, instead of protecting the flock, the shepherd harmed the flock and G-d released the sword against the shepherd. The flock was then able to escape and G-d turns his vengeance against the shepherd (nations). This entire chapter relates to events that will happen in the End of Days.
*Jewish Scripture from The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary
**Christian Scripture from the New King James Version |