Zechariah 6:11 “Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest; (12) And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, 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: (13) Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”

Ezekiel 43:7 “And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile...”

The Branch of David Builds the Temple

The above section of the Bible is absolutely critical to understanding the role of King Messiah in the temple of God . These Scriptures need a very close examination to grasp fully what God is saying through the prophets Zechariah and Ezekiel. The key is to understanding who the Branch is in these Scriptures and what information is being developed about Him. When the message of these Scriptures is understood, the key chapters of Ezekiel 43, 44 about the temple become very clear about King Messiah being the holy God of Israel.

The prophets Zechariah and Haggai wrote directly after the Babylonian captivity. When the Jews returned, the city and temple were totally destroyed. They began to rebuild the temple under the direction of Zerubbabel who was the governor and Joshua the high priest (This Joshua is not to be confused with the Joshua at the time of Moses.)

Haggai wrote to encourage the building of the temple. Zechariah then uses the building of the second temple to show what is going to happen in the future with the building of the Messiah’s temple. When Zechariah wrote chapter six, the second temple was already under construction for about five months. The prophet Haggai spoke the word of the LORD in the second year of the rule of king Darius on the first of the sixth month.

The order went out from the LORD to rebuild the temple. Zerubbabel and Joshua responded by starting the construction, Haggai 1:1, 2, 12. When Zechariah wrote chapter six the temple had been under construction for five months, Zechariah 1:7. Zechariah used the building of this temple and the role of the high priest as an object lesson about the coming of King Messiah.

Zechariah, at the direction of the LORD, makes crowns of gold and silver that would be used for a king, verse 11. He then places the crowns on the head of Joshua the high priest. God’s high priest under the law of Moses never wore the crown of a king, instead he wore a head covering called a mitre. A mitre would be like a turban. Zechariah then addresses the high priest with the crowns of a king on his head as, “Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH.” Thus, the high priest was being used as an object lesson to reveal the ministry of the BRANCH.

“And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, 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:” Zechariah 6:12.

This person, the Branch, is going to build the temple of the LORD. He is going to sit and rule upon the throne of David and bear the glory of a King. When He is sitting as King, He will also function as a High Priest. Both the ministries of being the King of Israel and also the High Priest will merge in this one person: King Messiah. The combination of Him being a King and High Priest is going to bring peace.

“Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” Zechariah 6:13.

The Branch then becomes a very key figure. The prophet goes on to say that the Branch shall build the temple. In fact, the prophet emphasizes this by twice stating that the Branch is going to build the temple of the LORD. He says this in verse 12 and again in verse 13. With the object lesson of the high priest wearing the crowns of a king, it is clear that the Branch is being addressed as two office holders. He is both a king and priest in one person. The identity of the Branch is very important.

The Branch cannot be Zerubbabel. The kingdom was taken away from Judah at this time, and they were under the authority of the Persians. Darius the Persian was king over Israel , and Zerubbabel was only a governor under him. Zerubbabel never ruled as a king and sat on a throne, and he never bore the glory as king in the line of David. Zerubbabel never functioned as a priest and Joshua never functioned as a king.

It is impossible for this section of Scripture to be about Zerubbabel or Joshua or a combination of them both. This is a prophecy about one individual who is identified as the Branch. God is using the building of the temple in their time as a picture what King Messiah is going to do in the future. The prophet used Joshua as both king and high priest to show what the Branch was going to do in the future. He was going to build the final temple of the LORD. This is the temple that is described in Ezekiel chapter 40-48. When King Messiah is ruling as both King and High Priest, there will be peace, Isaiah 2:1-5.

The Bible uses the name, the BRANCH, as an identifier of King Messiah. The Branch is a term to signify the Messiah as a direct descendant of King David. The Messiah is then the Branch of David.

The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah all refer to King Messiah as the Branch. It is the Branch of David, King Messiah, who will build the magnificent temple of Ezekiel chapters 40-48 from which He shall rule over the nations. The Bible very clearly teaches that the Branch is going to build His temple. He is going to hold the office of both King and High Priest. When He sits on the throne of David as both King and Priest, He is going to bear the glory, and there will be worldwide peace under Him. This will be the everlasting kingdom which was promised to David, 2 Samuel 7:13-16.

The Hebrew word for Branch is tsemach, Strong’s 6780. It literally means a sprout and gives the picture of something growing. The Branch is then King Messiah who is a descendant of David. The Hebrew word tsemach is only found nine times in the Bible and five times it is translated Branch. Each time the word is translated Branch, it gives a picture of the Messiah.

The first use is by Isaiah. Isaiah describes the Branch as beautiful and glorious. Isaiah sets the time for the Branch to rule as King. The time frame will be during the Messianic reign on earth when Israel will be called holy. This verse follows:

Isaiah 4:2 “In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel . (3) And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:”

Jeremiah gives very important Scriptures about King Messiah being the Branch. He states that God is going to raise up a righteous Branch to David.  The Branch will be King over all the earth.  He will execute judgment and justice in earth, and Israel will dwell safely.

This is the same time frame as Isaiah writes when King Messiah is ruling over the earth.  King Messiah and the Branch of David are one and the same.  The Branch will be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Jeremiah without any doubt shows that the Branch is King Messiah.  These verses follow:

Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. (6) In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Jeremiah uses the Hebrew word tsemach for a second time to identify King Messiah as the Branch.  In Chapter 33, he again refers to King Messiah as the Branch of righteousness from David.  The Branch is going to execute judgment and righteousness in the land and there will be peace and safety.  When the Branch is ruling, Jerusalem will be referred to as the LORD our righteousness.  This is because of the presence of the Branch in the city.

Jeremiah 33:15 “In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. (16) In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.”

The next reference to the Branch is found in Zechariah.  The prophet refers to the Branch as God’s Servant and this becomes a most important reference.  These verses show that King Messiah, the Branch and God’s servant are all one person.  Zechariah shows that when God brings forth His Servant, that iniquity is going to be removed from the people in one day!  There is a direct connection between God’s Servant, the Branch, and the cleansing of the people from sin.  These Scriptures follow:

Zechariah 3:8 “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. (9) For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.”

The last reference in the Bible to the Branch is found in Zechariah chapter six.  From the other verses, it is clear that the Branch is King Messiah, and He is going to rule in righteousness over the entire earth.  He will bring peace and safety not only to Israel but to all the nations of the world.

Zechariah clearly states that King Messiah is going to build the temple, and He is going to be both King and High Priest.  He is going to sit on His throne and bear the glory. There is no doubt that Zechariah 6:11-13 is an object lesson to what the Branch is going to do and what He is going to be.  He will sit on the throne as both King and High Priest, and He will bear the glory as Israel ’s King Messiah.  These scriptures follow:

Zechariah 6:12 “And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, 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:

(13) Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”

When studying the Scriptures about the temple in Ezekiel chapters 40-48, it is critical to know that the Messiah will build this temple and sit on the throne of David as both King and High Priest.  This is the foundation for understanding the rest of the Scriptures about the Messiah’s temple.  Without this understanding, the Messiah’s temple can be very confusing.  With King Messiah sitting on the throne in the temple, everything else about the Messiah perfectly fits together.

Messiah as Both King and Priest

Zechariah 6:11 “Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest; (12) And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, 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:”

King Messiah will build the temple, bear the glory, and sit upon the throne as both King and Priest.  Only God’s servant, the BRANCH, can sit on the throne in the temple as both King and High Priest.  Under the law of Moses, the king and high priest could never be united under one person.  The kings were from the tribe of Judah and the line of David while the high priests were from the tribe of Levi and the line of Aaron.  The two separate lines are shown in the Scriptures which follow:

Jeremiah 33:17,18 “For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.”

The penalty was death for anyone but the high priest to enter into the most holy place of the temple and minister.  It was impossible for any king of Israel to enter into the holy place and minister as a priest.  In the entire course of the history of the kings of Israel and Judah , there is not one report of the king entering into the temple and functioning as a high priest.

Neither King David nor Solomon ever went into the most holy place of the temple.  For anyone other than the descendants of Aaron entering the holy place meant certain death.  The Scriptures to show that entering into the most holy place outside of God’s plan meant death follow:

Numbers 4:15 “And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die...(19) “But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden: (20) But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.”

Thus, under the law, it was impossible for one person to be both the king of Israel and the high priest who could enter in the holy of holies in the temple.  King Messiah’s throne will be in the holy place of the temple.  For King Messiah to sit on the throne in the holy of holies, He also has to be a priest.  He cannot be just a priest, but He has to be a high priest to be in the most holy place.

This shows that God’s servant, the BRANCH, is going to sit on His throne in the temple not under the law of Moses, but He will be King and Priest under the New Covenant.

God’s Servant, the Messiah, will be both King and Priest by the decree of Almighty God and not because of human genealogy.  The office of king and priest will merge in Him because of the decree of the God of Israel.  By God’s decree the BRANCH is declared to be the Son of God and thus King Messiah.

By God’s decree, He is declared to be the High Priest, not after the law of Moses and the genealogy of Aaron, but by an oath of God that He is the high priest after the order of Melchizedek.  The Scriptures to show that the BRANCH is both king and priest by the decree of God follow:

Messiah is King because He is declared to be the begotten Son of God.

Psalm 2:6 “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. (7) I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

(8) Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. (9) Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”

Messiah is Priest because it is declared by God.

Psalm 110:4 “The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Melchizedek, a Type of the Messiah

Before the law was given to Moses, the Bible records that Melchizedek came to Abraham and blessed him.  Melchizedek was both a king and priest.  He was the king of Salem and at the same time a priest of the most high God.  Psalm 110 states that by a decree of God, the Messiah is going to be the Priest of the most high God after the manner of Melchizedek.

According to Psalm 2, the Messiah is King, so like Melchizedek, He is going to be both King and Priest.  The passage that shows Melchizedek was both a king and priest follows:

“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. (19) And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:” Genesis 14:18.

A priest is one who intercedes or mediates on behalf of man before God.  This is seen in Leviticus 16, the Day of Atonement, when the high priest went into the very presence of God in the temple.  He went in with the blood of a sacrificed animal that died and atoned for the sins of Israel .  So, likewise, God’s Messiah will be a Priest before God.

The Messiah only goes once into the holy place in heaven to make the final atonement for sin.  He would go into the most holy place in heaven with His own blood for the final redemption for sin:

“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Hebrews 9:12.

The previous temples and priesthood on earth were just a type of the final one King Messiah would bring under the New Covenant.  The New Testament is right in line with Psalm 2:7 and 110:4 referring to the Messiah as both the High Priest and King.  The New Testament Scriptures follow:

Hebrews 5:5 “So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

(6) As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”

In summary, the Messiah is going to build the temple from which He is going to rule over the nations forever.  The kingdom of King Messiah will not be for a limited period of time, but it will be forever.  He will reign on into eternity when heaven and earth are merged.

According to Psalm 2:6,7, King Messiah is going to sit on the throne in His magnificent temple as the Son of God.  He can enter into the holy place in the temple and sit on the throne because He is God’s eternal High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.  With this background, let us examine Ezekiel 40-48 which gives great detail about the temple and King Messiah.

The Messiah, King of Kings

The Scriptures clearly teach that the Messiah will be King over all the earth.  According to Zechariah 6:12-13, the BRANCH, the scriptural reference to the Messiah, shall sit and rule upon His throne after the temple is built.  Not only is this King identified as the Messiah, He is the LORD Himself.

In the LORD’s house, the temple built by King Messiah, it becomes clear that the God of Israel and the Messiah of Israel are the same.  King Messiah and the LORD God of Israel are both sitting on the same throne in the temple because they are one.

The Son of God ruling the nations as King Messiah in Psalm 2: 6-9 is the God of Israel sitting on His throne in the temple, Ezekiel 43:7.  A comparison of Daniel 7:13,14; Psalm 2:6-9; Zechariah 6:12,13; and Ezekiel 43:4-7 shows that King Messiah is the God of Israel.  The God of Israel is sitting on King Messiah’s throne in the temple!  This is because the Messiah of Israel and the God of Israel are the same.  This comparison follows:

King Messiah coming in glory to establish His kingdom:

Daniel 7:13 “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

(14) And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

King Messiah is the Son of God ruling the nations with a rod of iron:

Psalm 2:6 “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. (7) I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

(8) Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. (9) Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”

King Messiah to build the temple and sit on the throne as King:

Zechariah 6:12-13 "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: (13) Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."

The God of Israel is sitting on the Messiah’s throne:

Ezekiel 43:4 "And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. (7) And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile..."

God’s Magnificent Throne

In Ezekiel 43, the prophet does not describe the throne of God as it is in the most holy place of the temple.  However, in other Scriptures found in chapter one, the prophet gives a vivid description of what the throne will look like in the temple.

God allowed Ezekiel to see what His throne looks like.  Ezekiel used the precious stone sapphire to describe the color over the throne.  The entire throne had an amber or bronze color.  Ezekiel described the throne in awesome colors with tremendous brightness and the appearance of fire all around it.  The entire throne was surrounded with brightness around it like the bow of a rainbow.

Ezekiel saw the God of Israel sitting on His throne.  God was in the form of a man who gave the appearance of being totally on fire.  Ezekiel said that the brightness of the throne was the glory of the Lord.  He fell upon his face before the glory of God.

Ezekiel’s description of God sitting on His throne follows:

Ezekiel 1:26 “And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

(27) And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

(28) As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.”

Notice when Ezekiel saw the God of Israel sitting on His throne, He was in the form of a man.  God was in a form that Ezekiel could recognize as a man.  When God is sitting on His throne in His house, it will again be in the form of a man.  God will be sitting on the throne in the person of the Lord Jesus, King Messiah.

Ezekiel saw the same glory in the temple coming from the Messiah’s throne.  The awesome throne which Ezekiel so vividly described is the very throne that the Lord Jesus will sit and rule upon.  What an incredible sight this will be when the glory of God is emanating from His magnificent house in Jerusalem .

The Scriptures to show that the glory of God’s throne is the same glory that came from the temple follow:

Ezekiel 1:28 “As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.”

Ezekiel 44:4 “Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD: and I fell upon my face.”

In the New Testament, the Scriptures show that at the second coming of the Lord Jesus, He will sit on the throne of His glory.  This is the throne that Ezekiel so vividly described. The throne will be located in the most holy place of King Messiah’s awesome temple on top of Mount Zion .

Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: (32) And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats”

In the Day of the Lord, when King Messiah is reigning, there will be only one King over all the earth.  He will be ruling from His house, and will sit and rule upon His throne in Zion .  The Bible never speaks of two Kings reigning but only one.

Jesus of Nazareth, King Messiah, ruling over the nations and the LORD God of Israel ruling from His temple are the same person.  All the nations of the earth will come to Jerusalem and worship King Messiah, the LORD of hosts.  The Scriptures to show there will be only one king of Israel and over all the earth follow:

Ezekiel 37:22 “And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel ; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:”

Zechariah 14:9 “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”

Zechariah 14:16 “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. (17) And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.”

The Messiah, the LORD God of Israel , will sit upon His throne in Zion .  He will rule the nations and be in the midst of the children of Israel forever.  There is only one throne mentioned in Ezekiel 40-48.  In God’s house there is only one throne, and it is located in the most holy place.  The God of Israel in His glory is sitting on this throne.

There are not two or three thrones but just one.  This throne is reserved for King Messiah.  The God of Israel as King Messiah will sit on it in His majestic glory.  He will rule the nations from this throne.

What a glorious day this is going to be when the Lord Jesus, King Messiah, is ruling the nations in His glory from the midst of His people Israel !

“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20.

By John McTernan: Defend and Proclaim the Faith
Blog: John McTernan's Insights at www.johnmcternan.name