A Bible Study of Zechariah Chapters 3–6, the Great Tribulation, and God’s Preparation of His Church
INTRODUCTION — GOD DOES NOT BEGIN AGAIN
Jesus Christ made a remarkable promise concerning His Church.
Matthew 16:18
“I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Notice what Christ promised.
He would build His Church.
He did not say that His Church would continually need to be recreated whenever men departed from it.
He did not say that every disagreement, division, or spiritual failure would require another Church to be established.
He promised to build His Church, and that the gates of the grave would not prevail against it.
Now consider another scripture.
Ephesians 4:4–5
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
How many bodies?
One.
And who is the Head of that body?
Colossians 1:18 identifies Jesus Christ as the Head of the Church.
If Christ is the Head, and there is one body, what happens when people depart from what He established?
Does Christ begin another Church?
Or does He call those who have departed to repent and return?
This question is especially important when examining the visions of Zechariah chapters 3 through 6.
These chapters reveal a remarkable progression.
First, a high priest is cleansed.
Then God’s Temple is being built.
Afterward, another house is established in Babylon.
Four chariots go forth.
The north country becomes a central focus.
Then people come out of Babylon.
A crown is placed upon the high priest.
The BRANCH is proclaimed as the builder of God’s Temple.
And those who are far off come to participate in the building.
Could these visions reveal a connected prophetic picture?
Could they show the preparation of God’s Church, the danger of establishing another house, the captivity and cleansing of God’s people, and the call to return to what God had already established?
Let us begin with a principle found throughout Scripture.
PART ONE — GOD PREPARES HIS SERVANTS BEFORE THE PEOPLE
1. Moses Was Prepared Before Israel Was Delivered
When God delivered Israel from Egypt, He did not begin preparing Moses on the day of the Exodus.
Moses had already undergone years of preparation.
He had lived in Egypt.
He had spent years in Midian.
He had learned humility and dependence upon God.
Then God called him from the burning bush.
Exodus 3:10
“Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.”
Notice the order.
God prepared and commissioned Moses before bringing Israel out of captivity.
The people were still in Egypt when Moses received his commission.
Why?
Because God was preparing the servant who would lead them.
2. Joshua Was Prepared Before Israel Entered the Promised Land
Joshua, the son of Nun, served under Moses before becoming Israel’s leader.
He learned through service.
He witnessed God’s works.
He was instructed before receiving responsibility.
Only after this preparation did he lead Israel across the Jordan.
Again, the servant was prepared before the people entered the next stage of God’s plan.
3. The Prophets Were Prepared Before Being Sent
Jeremiah was called before he was sent to the nations.
Ezekiel was given his commission before delivering God’s warnings.
Isaiah was cleansed before being sent.
Consider Isaiah 6:6–8.
Isaiah’s iniquity is removed.
Then God asks whom He shall send.
Isaiah answers:
“Here am I; send me.”
Notice the order.
Cleansing comes before the commission.
Could this same principle be important in Zechariah?
4. God’s Church Is Being Prepared Before the World
Herbert W. Armstrong taught that God is not attempting to convert the entire world during this present age.
Instead, God is calling the firstfruits.
James 1:18
“Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
What are firstfruits?
They are the beginning of a harvest, not the entire harvest.
The Church is called first because God has a greater work ahead.
Revelation 20:6
“They shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”
Why must God’s people be prepared now?
Because they are being trained to serve others later.
They must learn God’s truth.
They must develop His character.
They must learn obedience, mercy, justice, patience, and love.
The Church is not being prepared merely to receive salvation.
It is being prepared to serve mankind under Jesus Christ.
Keep this principle in mind as we begin Zechariah 3.
PART TWO — ZECHARIAH 3: THE PRIEST IS ALREADY THERE
5. Joshua Stands Before God
Read Zechariah 3:1–10.
The vision begins with Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD.
Satan stands at his right hand to resist him.
The Hebrew word translated resist comes from the root satan, meaning to oppose or act as an adversary.
Satan is the adversary.
He opposes God’s servants.
Revelation 12:10 calls him the accuser of our brethren.
Now notice something important.
Joshua is already the high priest.
He is already standing before God.
He is associated with the priesthood serving in the restoration of God’s Temple.
He is not being instructed to establish another priesthood.
Yet something is wrong.
Zechariah 3:3
“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.”
Joshua is wearing filthy garments.
What does this mean?
The following verse connects their removal with the removal of his iniquity.
His garments represent a condition requiring spiritual cleansing.
But notice what God does.
Does God tell Joshua to abandon his position and establish another priesthood?
Does God command him to create a new Temple?
No.
God commands that his filthy garments be removed.
Zechariah 3:4
“Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.”
The correction concerns Joshua’s condition.
It does not require the creation of another priesthood.
Could this reveal an important principle concerning God’s Church?
When God’s servants become spiritually unclean, the answer is repentance and cleansing—not the creation of another Church.
6. Joshua Is Prepared for Responsibility
After Joshua receives clean garments, God gives him an instruction.
Zechariah 3:7
“If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts.”
Notice the conditions.
Joshua must walk in God’s ways.
He must keep God’s charge.
Then he is promised responsibility concerning God’s house.
The preparation comes before the responsibility.
Could this be a picture of how God prepares His priesthood?
And could it explain why Joshua’s cleansing appears before the arrival of those from Babylon in chapter 6?
We will return to that question.
PART THREE — JOSHUA AND THE LAODICEAN CHURCH
7. Laodicea Is Already Addressed as God’s Church
Turn to Revelation 3:14–22.
Jesus Christ addresses the Church of the Laodiceans.
Notice that He is speaking to a Church.
Yet He finds its spiritual condition unacceptable.
Revelation 3:17
“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”
Laodicea believes it is spiritually wealthy.
But Christ reveals its true condition.
What does He command?
Revelation 3:18
“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed.”
Compare Joshua with Laodicea.
Joshua stands before God but has filthy garments.
Laodicea is addressed by Christ but needs white garments.
Joshua requires cleansing.
Laodicea requires repentance.
Now consider Christ’s instruction.
Revelation 3:19
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”
Does Christ command Laodicea to establish another Church?
Or does He command repentance?
He commands repentance.
Why?
Because the problem is not that Christ has failed to establish His Church.
The problem is the spiritual condition of those within it.
8. Cleansing Before the Throne
Now notice the promise Christ gives Laodicea.
Revelation 3:21
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne.”
Joshua is cleansed before being promised responsibility in God’s house.
Laodicea must repent and overcome before receiving the promise of sitting with Christ upon His throne.
Could these passages reveal the same principle?
God prepares His servants before giving them authority to serve others.
And if the Church is being prepared to serve the world during the Millennium, how important is its present repentance and overcoming?
PART FOUR — ZECHARIAH 4: THE HOUSE GOD IS BUILDING
9. Zerubbabel and the Foundation
Zechariah 4 introduces the vision of the golden candlestick and two olive trees.
The chapter concerns Zerubbabel and the rebuilding of God’s Temple.
God declares:
Zechariah 4:6
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”
How is God’s work accomplished?
By human power?
By wealth?
By organizational strength?
No.
By God’s Spirit.
Then God declares:
Zechariah 4:9
“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it.”
Notice the continuity.
The same house whose foundation was laid is to be completed.
God is not describing the abandonment of one house and the establishment of an unrelated replacement.
He is describing the completion of the work already begun.
10. Christ Has Already Laid the Foundation
Now consider the Church.
1 Corinthians 3:11
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
How many foundations?
One.
Ephesians 2:20
“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.”
The Church is God’s spiritual building.
Christ is its chief cornerstone.
And Christ declared:
Matthew 16:18
“I will build my church.”
If Jesus Christ is building His Church, does His work require men to continually create new Churches?
Or must those who have departed return to the foundation He already established?
Consider Jude 3.
Christians are instructed to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints.
Why contend for what was once delivered?
Because God’s truth is not something men are free to replace whenever they establish another religious organization.
The foundation has already been laid.
The Church belongs to Christ.
Its members must remain faithful to Him.
Now notice what Zechariah sees next.
PART FIVE — ZECHARIAH 5: ANOTHER HOUSE IS ESTABLISHED
11. A House in Shinar
Read Zechariah 5:5–11.
Zechariah sees an ephah containing a woman.
The angel identifies her as wickedness.
The ephah is carried away.
Where is it taken?
Zechariah 5:11
“To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.”
Shinar is associated with Babylon.
Genesis 11 describes the building of Babel in Shinar.
Daniel 1:2 also connects Shinar with Babylon.
Now compare Zechariah 4 and 5.
In chapter 4, God’s house is being built.
In chapter 5, another house is established in Babylon.
In chapter 4, the foundation of God’s house is emphasized.
In chapter 5, the house in Shinar is established upon its own base.
Why does God place these visions next to one another?
Could He be drawing attention to the difference between the house He established and another house established separately?
12. What Happens When Men Establish Another Church?
Jesus Christ said He would build His Church.
He did not authorize men to replace His spiritual body with organizations of their own making.
Yet throughout religious history, divisions have occurred.
Men have separated from existing organizations.
New corporations have been established.
New names have been adopted.
New administrations have been created.
But does establishing another corporation mean that Jesus Christ has established another Church?
Can a new legal organization become a new spiritual foundation?
Or does God’s Church remain the body of Christ, with Christ as its Head?
Herbert W. Armstrong emphasized the importance of the Church remaining faithful to the government and truth of God.
He also taught that God’s true Church is a spiritual organism.
A corporate structure may serve practical purposes, but the corporation itself is not what makes a people the Church of God.
Could the house established upon its own base in Shinar illustrate the danger of replacing God’s foundation with one established by men?
And if people depart from the house God established, where does that departure lead?
The next vision introduces the four chariots.
PART SIX — THE FOUR CHARIOTS OF ZECHARIAH
13. Four Chariots Between Two Mountains
Read Zechariah 6:1–8.
Zechariah sees four chariots coming from between two mountains of brass.
Each chariot has horses.
The first has red horses.
The second has black horses.
The third has white horses.
The fourth has grisled and bay horses.
What do these chariots represent?
The angel answers in verse 5.
Zechariah 6:5
“These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.”
The Hebrew word translated spirits is ruchot.
It can mean spirits, winds, or breaths.
These chariots are therefore connected with heavenly activity under God’s authority.
But why four?
Why are the horses different colors?
Why do they travel in different directions?
And why does the vision appear immediately after another house is established in Babylon?
Could the four chariots reveal successive phases of a greater prophetic event?
A chariot was a vehicle associated with organized power and authority.
The horses moved under the direction of the chariot.
Could each chariot represent a phase of authority, with the horses revealing the character of that phase?
Let us examine the descriptions.
PART SEVEN — THE FIRST CHARIOT: RED HORSES
14. Adam and the Natural Man
Zechariah 6:2
“In the first chariot were red horses.”
The Hebrew word translated red is adummim.
It belongs to the same Hebrew word family as Adam and adamah, meaning ground.
Genesis 2:7 tells us that God formed Adam from the dust of the ground.
The relationship between these Hebrew words is worth considering.
Could the red horses point toward Adam?
And what does Adam represent?
In 1 Corinthians 15:45–49, Paul contrasts the first Adam with Jesus Christ, the last Adam.
The first man is earthly.
Christ is heavenly.
The natural comes before the spiritual.
Romans 8:7 declares that the carnal mind is enmity against God.
Could the first chariot therefore picture mankind’s natural, carnal condition?
Consider how this fits the larger progression.
God establishes His house.
Men depart and establish another house.
What is the nature of mankind apart from God’s Spirit?
Carnal.
The natural mind seeks its own way.
Proverbs 14:12 warns that a way may seem right to a man but end in death.
Could the red horses represent the condition from which mankind must be delivered?
And what follows the red horses?
The black horses.
PART EIGHT — THE SECOND CHARIOT: BLACK HORSES AND CAPTIVITY
15. The Black Horses Travel North
The second chariot contains black horses.
The Hebrew word shechorim means black.
Blackness is sometimes associated with mourning and suffering in Scripture.
Lamentations 4:8 describes the appearance of those suffering severe affliction.
Jeremiah 14:2 connects blackness with mourning.
But Zechariah gives us another important detail.
Zechariah 6:6
“The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country.”
Why the north country?
Jeremiah 1:14 describes trouble coming from the north.
Zechariah 2:6–7 calls upon God’s people to flee from the north and from the daughter of Babylon.
Babylon is therefore connected with the north country.
Could the black horses traveling north represent a phase of captivity and suffering associated with Babylon?
16. The End-Time Beast System
Herbert W. Armstrong taught that the Great Tribulation would involve the final resurrection of the Roman Empire.
He connected this end-time Beast power with captivity, persecution, and the suffering of God’s people.
Daniel 7:25 describes a power that wears out the saints.
Revelation 13:7 describes the Beast making war with the saints.
Matthew 24:21 describes a time of unprecedented tribulation.
Could the black horses picture the captivity and suffering associated with the final Beast system?
And could the house established in Shinar in the preceding chapter help explain the spiritual danger of becoming entangled with Babylon?
The connection deserves careful examination.
In Zechariah 5, another house is established in Babylon.
In Zechariah 6, the black horses travel toward the north country.
And later in the chapter, people come out of Babylon.
Could these passages be revealing a progression from departure to captivity, followed by deliverance?
But before those people appear, the white horses follow the black.
Why?
PART NINE — THE THIRD CHARIOT: WHITE HORSES AND CLEANSING
17. The White Horses Follow the Black
Zechariah 6:6
“And the white go forth after them.”
The Hebrew word achareihem means after them or behind them.
The white horses follow the black horses.
Could this order be important?
If the black horses picture captivity and suffering, could the white horses picture the cleansing that follows?
White garments are repeatedly associated with spiritual cleansing.
Isaiah 1:18 speaks of sins becoming white as snow.
Revelation 3:18 instructs Laodicea to obtain white raiment.
Revelation 7:14 describes those who come out of the Great Tribulation.
What have they done?
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Notice the progression.
They experience tribulation.
They repent and are cleansed through Christ.
They come out wearing white.
Could the black and white horses reveal this same sequence?
Captivity, followed by cleansing.
18. The Great Tribulation and Laodicea
Return again to Revelation 3.
Laodicea is spiritually naked.
Christ tells it to obtain white raiment.
He commands repentance.
Now compare Revelation 7.
Those who come out of the Great Tribulation have washed their robes and made them white.
Armstrong taught that the Laodicean era would be spiritually lukewarm and that those not protected from the Great Tribulation would face persecution.
Could the cleansing of Joshua in Zechariah 3, the correction of Laodicea, and the washing of robes in Revelation 7 be connected?
Joshua needed cleansing before receiving greater responsibility.
Laodicea must repent before receiving the promise of Christ’s throne.
Those coming out of the Great Tribulation have washed their robes.
Could God be preparing His people through these events?
The tribulation itself does not forgive sin.
Only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ makes forgiveness possible.
But suffering can bring a person to recognize the need for repentance.
And God uses correction to prepare His servants.
Now consider the fourth chariot.
PART TEN — THE FOURTH CHARIOT: SPOTTED AND STRONG
19. The Meaning of the Horses
Zechariah 6:3
“And in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.”
The Hebrew word translated grisled is beruddim.
It means spotted, speckled, or dappled.
The word translated bay is amutsim.
It is associated with strength or vigor.
The fourth chariot therefore contains horses described as spotted and strong.
Why these descriptions?
Could they reveal something about the final phase of the prophecy?
20. The Iron and Clay of Daniel
Turn to Daniel 2:40–43.
Daniel describes a fourth kingdom represented by iron.
Iron is strong.
It breaks and crushes.
But the final form of this kingdom contains iron mixed with clay.
The kingdom is partly strong and partly broken.
The materials are mixed, but they do not properly unite.
Herbert W. Armstrong identified this final combination with the last resurrection of the Roman Empire.
Now compare Daniel and Zechariah.
Daniel describes a final kingdom characterized by mixture and strength.
Zechariah describes the fourth chariot with spotted and strong horses.
Could the spotted appearance correspond symbolically with the mixture of iron and clay?
Could the strength correspond with the iron?
And could the fourth chariot concern the final phase of the Beast system and those who emerge from its rule?
Consider the progression.
The black horses picture captivity.
The white horses picture cleansing.
Then the spotted and strong horses appear.
Could this final group be associated with those who have endured the conditions of the Beast system and come out of the Great Tribulation?
Revelation 12:11 describes the brethren overcoming Satan through the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.
Their strength comes from God.
Could the fourth chariot reveal something about the final conflict and those who overcome?
PART ELEVEN — THE STRONG HORSES GO THROUGHOUT THE EARTH
21. “Get You Hence”
Zechariah 6:7 contains an unusual statement.
The strong horses seek to go throughout the earth.
Then they receive the command:
“Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth.”
Where else does Scripture describe movement to and fro throughout the earth?
In Job 1:7, Satan tells God that he has been going to and fro in the earth.
Now consider Revelation 12.
Michael and his angels fight against Satan and his angels.
Satan is defeated.
He is cast down to the earth.
Revelation 12:12 warns that the devil has come down with great wrath.
Then Satan makes war against the remnant of the woman’s seed.
Revelation 13 describes the Beast receiving power and authority from the dragon.
Revelation 13:2
“And the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.”
Could the worldwide movement of the strong horses in Zechariah be connected with the worldwide spiritual conflict described in Revelation?
Could the final chariot concern the period when Satan’s wrath and the Beast’s authority affect the earth?
And could the strength of the horses also call attention to those who endure that final period?
Zechariah describes the horses receiving a command, while Revelation describes Satan being cast down following his defeat. Their actions are not identical.
Yet the passages invite us to examine the relationship between heavenly activity, earthly authority, and the final persecution of God’s people.
There is another connection.
Satan appears at the beginning of these visions, resisting Joshua.
Could the conflict involving Joshua in chapter 3 and the worldwide spiritual conflict of Revelation 12 help explain the larger prophetic setting?
PART TWELVE — THE NORTH COUNTRY AND THE END OF CAPTIVITY
22. God’s Spirit Is Quieted
Zechariah 6:8
“Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.”
The Hebrew word translated quieted comes from nuach.
It means to rest, settle, or bring repose.
Something has been accomplished concerning the north country.
Remember what the north country represents in other prophecies.
It is associated with Babylon.
Babylon is associated with captivity.
The black horses travel toward the north.
The white horses follow.
And now God’s Spirit is quieted in the north country.
Could this indicate the completion of a divine purpose concerning Babylon?
Could it be connected with the end of captivity and the restoration of God’s people?
Jeremiah 30:7 describes the time of Jacob’s trouble.
Yet the same verse promises that Jacob will be saved out of it.
God allows correction, but He does not abandon His promises.
Now notice what happens next.
Immediately after this statement concerning the north country, people appear who have come from Babylon.
Could the sequence be significant?
PART THIRTEEN — THOSE WHO COME OUT OF BABYLON
23. The Return
Read Zechariah 6:9–11.
God instructs Zechariah to receive Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon.
They come to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah.
They bring silver and gold.
God instructs Zechariah to make crowns.
And a crown is placed upon Joshua the high priest.
Now remember the beginning.
Joshua was already the high priest in chapter 3.
He was cleansed.
He was instructed concerning obedience and responsibility.
Then God’s house was being built.
Another house was established in Babylon.
The four chariots went forth.
And now people arrive from Babylon.
The prepared priest appears before the people come out.
Could this reveal the same principle seen throughout Scripture?
God prepared Moses before Israel came out of Egypt.
He prepared Joshua before Israel entered the Promised Land.
And He is preparing His Church before the greater harvest of mankind.
24. Where Do Those Coming Out Go?
This is an important question.
The people who come from Babylon are not instructed to establish another house in Shinar.
They come into the events surrounding Joshua, God’s priesthood, and the proclamation of the BRANCH.
Could this reveal the difference between creating another religious establishment and returning to what God has already established?
In Zechariah 5, another house is established in Babylon.
In Zechariah 6, people come out of Babylon.
Does the progression suggest that God’s purpose is not to establish more houses in Babylon, but to bring people out of it?
Revelation 18:4
“Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins.”
Notice that God calls them His people.
But what does coming out require?
Is it enough to leave one organization and establish another?
Can a person leave a religious corporation while retaining the same doctrines, attitudes, and spirit that led to division?
Would that be a complete return to God?
Or must coming out involve repentance and a return to the truth Christ established?
Jeremiah 6:16 instructs God’s people to ask for the old paths and walk in the good way.
Jude 3 commands Christians to contend for the faith once delivered.
Could the call to come out of Babylon therefore be a call to return to the original foundation?
Not to recreate God’s Church, but to return to the Church Jesus Christ established.
PART FOURTEEN — THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO COME OUT
25. Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah
Zechariah identifies several individuals by name.
Why are their names recorded?
Could their meanings contribute to the prophecy?
Heldai is associated with endurance or duration.
Tobijah means Yahweh is good.
Jedaiah means Yahweh knows, or known by Yahweh.
Josiah is associated with Yahweh supporting or healing.
Verse 14 also mentions Helem and Hen.
The meaning of Helem is uncertain, with proposed associations including strength or a dream.
Hen means grace or favor.
Consider these meanings.
Endurance.
God’s goodness.
Being known by God.
Divine support.
Grace.
Could these ideas be connected with the experience of those who come out of captivity?
Those who endure must depend upon God.
Those who repent experience His mercy.
Those who are delivered recognize His goodness.
And those who return are restored through His grace.
Could the names help us understand the spiritual significance of the return from Babylon?
Their appearance after the chariots invites further study.
PART FIFTEEN — THE CROWN COMES AFTER THE CLEANSING
26. Joshua Receives a Crown
Joshua first appears in chapter 3 wearing filthy garments.
God removes his iniquity.
He receives clean clothing.
Now, in chapter 6, he receives a crown.
Notice the order.
First, cleansing.
Then, crowning.
Could this reveal the preparation required before receiving authority?
Revelation 3:11 tells Philadelphia to hold fast so that no man takes its crown.
Revelation 3:21 promises the overcomer a place with Christ upon His throne.
Revelation 20:6 describes the saints reigning with Christ as priests.
God prepares His servants for responsibility.
But the crown placed upon Joshua points beyond Joshua himself.
It introduces the BRANCH.
PART SIXTEEN — THE BRANCH BUILDS GOD’S TEMPLE
27. The True Builder
Zechariah 6:12
“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.”
Who is the BRANCH?
Jeremiah 23:5–6 describes a righteous Branch raised up to David.
He is a King who reigns and executes judgment and justice.
The BRANCH points to Jesus Christ.
He is the true builder of God’s Temple.
He is the Head of the Church.
He is the High Priest.
He is the coming King.
Zechariah 6:13 declares that He will sit and rule upon His throne and be a priest upon His throne.
Here priesthood and kingship are united in Jesus Christ.
Now consider the Church.
Revelation 5:10 describes the saints as kings and priests who will reign on the earth.
Why are they being prepared?
To serve under the BRANCH.
To participate in the work of Jesus Christ.
To teach and help those who will be brought into God’s truth.
The Church is not being prepared to replace Christ.
It is being prepared to serve under Him.
And Christ is not establishing competing Churches.
He is building His Church.
PART SEVENTEEN — THOSE WHO ARE FAR OFF SHALL COME
28. The Greater Harvest
Now consider the conclusion of Zechariah 6.
Zechariah 6:15
“And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD.”
Notice what the prophecy says.
Those who are far off shall come.
And what will they build?
The Temple of the LORD.
Not another house in Shinar.
Not another temple established upon its own base.
They come to participate in the building of God’s Temple.
Could this reveal the greater purpose of the firstfruits?
God calls some now.
He prepares them.
He teaches them.
He corrects them.
He develops His character within them.
Then, when others are brought into His truth, those prepared servants are ready to serve.
29. The Church Is Called First to Serve Later
Herbert W. Armstrong taught that the Holy Days reveal the order of God’s plan.
Pentecost pictures the firstfruits.
The Feast of Tabernacles pictures the Millennium.
The Last Great Day pictures the future opportunity for salvation given to those not previously called.
God’s Church is being prepared now for the work ahead.
Isaiah 2:2–3 describes nations coming to learn God’s ways.
Isaiah 30:20–21 describes teachers guiding people in the right path.
Revelation 20:6 reveals the saints serving as priests during the Millennium.
Could the prepared priesthood of Zechariah and those who are far off illustrate this same principle?
The priest is prepared first.
The people come afterward.
And those who come are brought into the work God has already established.
PART EIGHTEEN — ONE CHURCH, NOT ANOTHER
30. The Church Belongs to Christ
Return to Matthew 16:18.
Jesus Christ declared:
“I will build my church.”
He did not say that men would continually establish new Churches in His name.
He promised to build His Church.
Ephesians 4:4 declares that there is one body.
Colossians 1:18 identifies Christ as its Head.
And 1 Corinthians 3:11 declares that no other foundation can be laid.
If Christ has already established His Church, why would His people need to recreate it?
If the faith has already been delivered, why would they need to invent another?
If God’s truth has already been revealed, why would they need to replace it with another system?
Could the contrast between the two houses of Zechariah reveal the danger of establishing something upon a foundation of man’s own making?
31. The Difference Between Returning and Recreating
There is a difference between returning to God’s Church and establishing another religious organization.
Returning requires repentance.
It requires humility.
It requires recognizing where one has departed from God’s truth.
It requires returning to Jesus Christ as Head.
Recreating, by contrast, can become an attempt to establish another structure while leaving the underlying spiritual problems unchanged.
A person may leave one corporation and establish another without ever correcting the condition that caused the departure.
A new name does not produce repentance.
A new administration does not automatically restore truth.
A new building does not create the spiritual Temple of God.
The Church is the body of Christ.
It is not made holy merely by its corporate name.
Could this be why the house in Shinar is described as established upon its own base?
And could the return from Babylon reveal the need to come back to the foundation God established?
The call is not merely to leave.
The call is to return.
PART NINETEEN — THE PREPARED CHURCH MUST BE READY TO RECEIVE OTHERS
32. Why Joshua Was Cleansed First
Now return once more to Zechariah 3.
Joshua was cleansed before those from Babylon appeared in chapter 6.
Why?
Could God be showing that the priesthood must be prepared before others arrive?
If God’s Church is being prepared to serve the world, should it not be learning how to serve now?
Should it not be learning compassion?
Should it not be learning patience?
Should it not be learning mercy and justice?
Should it not be learning to help those who have suffered and those who have gone astray?
Jesus Christ taught in Mark 10:43–45 that greatness among His servants is measured by service.
He Himself came to serve.
The Church must develop that same character.
It cannot properly serve others while refusing the correction it needs.
It cannot teach repentance while rejecting repentance.
It cannot guide others back to God’s truth while abandoning that truth itself.
The firstfruits must be prepared.
Not merely to receive a crown.
But to fulfill the responsibility that comes with it.
33. The Purpose of the Crown
A crown represents authority.
But authority under Jesus Christ is given for service.
Revelation 20:6 describes the saints as priests who reign with Christ.
What does a priest do?
A priest serves in matters concerning God.
A priest teaches God’s ways.
A priest helps others understand their responsibilities toward God.
Malachi 2:7 describes the priest’s lips as keeping knowledge.
If the saints are being prepared to become priests under Christ, should they not be learning God’s truth now?
And if they are being prepared to serve those who come later, should they not be developing the character necessary for that responsibility?
This brings us back to the central progression of Zechariah.
PART TWENTY — CONNECTING THE ENTIRE PROPHECY
Let us now place the visions together.
Zechariah 3 — The Existing Priesthood Is Cleansed
Joshua is already the high priest.
He does not establish another priesthood.
God corrects and cleanses him.
Could this reveal the preparation of God’s servants?
Zechariah 4 — God’s Existing House Is Being Built
Zerubbabel is responsible for completing the house whose foundation was laid.
The work is accomplished by God’s Spirit.
Could this reveal the continuity of the work God established?
Zechariah 5 — Another House Is Established in Babylon
A house is built in Shinar and established upon its own base.
Could this reveal the danger of establishing another religious house apart from God’s foundation?
Zechariah 6 — The Four Chariots Go Forth
The red horses may point toward Adam and the natural condition of mankind.
The black horses travel toward the north country.
Could they represent captivity and suffering under the end-time Beast?
The white horses follow.
Could they represent cleansing through repentance during the Great Tribulation?
The spotted and strong horses appear in the fourth chariot.
Could they be connected with the mixed and strong final Beast system and those who emerge from its rule?
The strong horses travel throughout the earth.
Could their movement be related to the worldwide spiritual conflict described in Revelation 12 and 13?
The North Country Is Addressed
God declares that His Spirit has been quieted in the north country.
Could this reveal the completion of His purpose concerning Babylon?
Those Who Come Out of Babylon Arrive
Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah come from Babylon.
They bring silver and gold.
Joshua receives a crown.
Could the prepared priesthood now be shown in relation to those who have come out?
The BRANCH Is Proclaimed
Jesus Christ is revealed as the ultimate builder of God’s Temple.
He will rule as King and Priest.
Those Who Are Far Off Come
Others come and participate in building God’s Temple.
Could this reveal the greater harvest for which God’s firstfruits are being prepared?
Notice the Progression
God’s house exists.
The priesthood is corrected and prepared.
Another house is established in Babylon.
The chariots go forth.
Captivity and cleansing are brought into view.
People come out of Babylon.
The prepared priesthood is connected with their arrival.
The BRANCH is proclaimed.
And those who are far off come to build God’s Temple.
Could these visions reveal a prophetic pattern extending from departure and captivity to repentance, restoration, and service under Jesus Christ?
CONCLUSION — RETURN TO THE HOUSE GOD ESTABLISHED
There is a powerful lesson in the visions of Zechariah.
God’s house was already being built.
Joshua was already the high priest.
The foundation had already been laid.
Yet Joshua required cleansing.
God did not instruct him to create another priesthood.
He commanded that his garments be changed.
God did not instruct Zerubbabel to abandon the foundation.
He declared that the house would be completed.
Then another house appeared in Babylon, established upon its own base.
The four chariots went forth.
The north country became a central focus.
And afterward, people came out of Babylon.
They did not arrive to establish another house in Shinar.
They came into the events surrounding God’s priesthood and the proclamation of the BRANCH.
And the prophecy concluded with those who were far off coming to build God’s Temple.
Could this reveal the difference between departing from God’s established work and returning to it?
Could the Great Tribulation bring those who have become spiritually lukewarm to repentance?
Could the cleansing of Joshua and the washing of robes in Revelation 7 reveal the preparation necessary before God’s servants receive their future responsibilities?
And could those who come out of Babylon represent the greater purpose for which God’s priesthood is prepared?
The lesson is not that Jesus Christ must continually recreate His Church.
The lesson is that God’s people must return to what Jesus Christ has already established.
Christ is the Head.
Christ is the foundation.
Christ is the builder.
And Christ is the coming King.
His Church is being prepared now.
Its members must repent, overcome, and grow in the character of God.
They must remain faithful to the truth once delivered.
And they must be ready to serve those who will be called afterward.
For God’s plan does not end with the firstfruits.
There is a greater harvest to come.
And those whom God prepares first are being prepared for the responsibility of serving those who come later.
Zechariah 6:15
“And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD.”
They are not called to establish another foundation.
They are called to participate in the building of God’s Temple.
ONE TEMPLE.
ONE FOUNDATION.
ONE HEAD.
ONE CHURCH.
And one calling to those who have departed:
RETURN TO WHAT JESUS CHRIST ESTABLISHED.
SCRIPTURES FOR FURTHER BIBLE STUDY
The Church and its foundation:
Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:19–22; Ephesians 4:4–6; Colossians 1:18; Jude 3.
God prepares His servants:
Exodus 3:1–12; Numbers 27:18–23; Isaiah 6:1–8; Jeremiah 1:4–10.
Joshua’s cleansing:
Zechariah 3:1–10; Revelation 3:14–22.
God’s Temple:
Zechariah 4:1–14; 1 Corinthians 3:16–17.
Babylon and the second house:
Genesis 11:1–9; Zechariah 5:5–11; Revelation 18:1–4.
The four chariots:
Zechariah 1:8–11; Zechariah 6:1–8.
Adam and the natural man:
Genesis 2:7; Romans 8:5–9; 1 Corinthians 15:45–49.
The Beast and captivity:
Daniel 2:40–44; Daniel 7:7–27; Matthew 24:15–22; Revelation 13.
Satan and the worldwide conflict:
Job 1:6–7; Revelation 12:1–17.
Cleansing through tribulation:
Isaiah 1:18; Revelation 3:18–21; Revelation 7:9–17.
The return from Babylon:
Zechariah 6:9–15; Jeremiah 6:16; Revelation 18:4.
The BRANCH and the Kingdom:
Jeremiah 23:5–6; Zechariah 6:12–13; Revelation 5:10; Revelation 20:4–6.
The firstfruits and the greater harvest:
James 1:18; Romans 8:19–23; Isaiah 2:2–4; Revelation 20:11–12.
RELATED TEACHINGS OF HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG
The following works provide the doctrinal framework for studying God’s Church, the firstfruits, the Great Tribulation, and the Kingdom of God.
Mystery of the Ages
The purpose of the Church, its spiritual identity, and preparation for the Kingdom of God.
The Wonderful World Tomorrow—What It Will Be Like
The government of God and the future responsibilities of the saints.
The United States and Britain in Prophecy
The prophetic captivity and restoration of modern Israel.
The Holy Days—God’s Master Plan
The firstfruits, the Millennium, and the Last Great Day.
The Church in Prophecy
The Church eras, Laodicea, and the Great Tribulation.
The specific connections proposed between the four chariots and successive end-time phases are questions developed through this Bible study, rather than interpretations attributed directly to Armstrong.
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