“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:” Zechariah 6:11,12  

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.  Both being a king or high priest depended on genealogy  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.  Thus, it was impossible for the same person to be both king and priest.  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 in the Bible, 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, it meant certain death.  This is shown in the following verses:  

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 at the same time.  The throne of David 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 the high priest to enter into 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 made by the holy God of Israel.

By God’s decree the Branch is declared to be the Son of God and thus King Messiah. Notice the connection between the King of Israel and the Son of God.  By God’s decree, He is declared to be the High Priest, not after the law of Moses and the genealogy of Aaron.  The Scriptures to show both of these decrees 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 God declares it:

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 to show this follows:

Genesis 14:18 “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:”

  A priest is one who intercedes or mediates on behalf of man before God.  This is seen in Leviticus 16 during 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 would go once into the holy place in heaven to make the final atonement for sin.  This would be accomplished with His own blood for the final redemption for sin.

Hebrews 9:12 “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.”

The previous temples and priesthood on earth were simply 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 as it refers to the Messiah as both the High Priest and King.  Jesus of Nazareth was both King and Priest, by the decree of God.  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.  The temple will be built in Jerusalem after the battle of Armageddon and after the geography of Israel is radically changed.

According to Psalm 2:6,7, King Messiah is going to sit on the throne of David 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.

King Messiah’s Temple  

“And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee; for to the intent that I might show them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.” Ezekiel 40:4

Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48 describe King Messiah’s temple in Jerusalem .  These chapters describe in great detail the magnificent temple that will be built by the Messiah, the Branch of David.  These Scriptures detail how the Messiah will be sitting on His throne, ruling the entire world.  This will be the time when Israel , under the glory of the Messiah, will be exalted among the nations of the earth.  The prophet Ezekiel refers to the temple as God’s house, and the terms house and temple are interchangeable.

The most striking aspect of God’s house is that it is full of the glory of God.  It is full of God’s glory because the God of Israel is in it!  The prophet Ezekiel writes how he watched the God of Israel in His glory enter into the temple by the outer East Gate.  The glory of God was so brilliant that Ezekiel compared it to the sun.  He heard the voice of the LORD speak from the house.

Ezekiel was so overwhelmed by the glory of God and the power of His voice that he fell upon his face.  Twice the prophet fell down because he was in the awesome presence of God’s majestic glory.

Ezekiel was very clear and there was no mistaking that the God of Israel was literally in His house.  This is King Messiah’s temple which will be built by Him, yet the God of Israel in His glory is there!  He enters into the temple through the East Gate which is then sealed!  The Scriptures showing God in His glory in the temple follow:  

The holy God of Israel in His glory is in the temple:

Ezekiel 43:2 “And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. (3) ...I fell upon my face.

(4) And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. (5) So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.

(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 God of Israel literally entered into the temple by the East Gate:

Ezekiel 44:1 “Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. (2) Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel , hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.

(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.”  

The very last Scripture of Ezekiel shows that, when King Messiah reigns, Jerusalem will be given an additional name.  Because the God of Israel is dwelling in Jerusalem , the city is going to be also called, JEHOVAH shammah, or the LORD is there.  The prophet Ezekiel makes it very clear that the God of Israel will be dwelling in His house in Jerusalem .

The name of Jerusalem will be actually changed to reflect the presence of God in the city!  The New Testament closes the same way with a view of the New Jerusalem and God dwelling amongst His people.  These Scriptures follow:

Ezekiel 48:35 “...and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.”

Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

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 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, 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.  It is the throne of David that Zechariah so carefully wrote the Branch would sit upon.

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.  Comparisons of Daniel 7:13,14; Psalm 2:6-9; Zechariah 6:12,13; and Ezekiel 43:4-7 show that King Messiah is the God of Israel.  These comparisons follow:  

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 of David 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, the throne of David:

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..."  

The fundamental doctrine of Christianity is the holy God of Israel is King Messiah.  This is proven in the Old Testament by the Scriptures listed above.  Zechariah 6:11-13 reveals that the Branch, the Messiah of Israel, will build His temple and sit on the throne of David and bear the glory.  Ezekiel 43:7 shows the God of Israel in His glory is sitting on the throne, reserved for the Messiah, the throne of David.

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