Here at Cave Mill Baptist Church, we take a verse-by-verse approach to learning the sacred scriptures of the Bible. It is a daunting task sometimes, but it is also extremely rewarding because it makes us study passages that are either overlooked or even avoided because they may offend or be too hard to understand.
Well, recently I had finished teaching through the book of Philippians and was trying to figure out where to go next. One Sunday night service I opened the floor for biblical questions and there were some questions about Israel and end times prophesy. I had learned in Bible college that Zechariah, the second to last book in the Old Testament, was a very prophetic book but had never really divulged into a deep dive of it. I filed that away in my mind and said to myself, “Maybe someday.” After that Sunday night of questions, I decided that time had come.
I had taught through the book of Revelation as well as Daniel, both of which are very prophetic books, and decided it was time to study and teach through the book of Zechariah in hopes to help answer some of the questions that were asked. I am so glad I did, because not only has it been a rewarding study for me, but it has helped me be able to answer so many of the questions the people had.
Most of what I learned just solidified what I already believed and added color to all the other prophesies concerning the end, but I am not a pastor that believes it is acceptable to say, “That’s just the way it is,” without backing it up with scriptures.
So, what have we learned so far from our study of Zechariah? Well, unfortunately there is not enough space in this article to capture it all, but let me summarize it down to this. The culmination of all of history is not an event per se, it is a Person. The Person is none other than Jesus Christ. In other words, the history of the world is headed directly for one specific moment and that is the second return of Jesus.
In the book of Zechariah, He is called “The BRANCH.” For instance, in chapter 6 verse 12 it says in the NKJV, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying, ‘Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the Lord; Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne; so, He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’
Let me just give you the highlights of this passage. First off, it describes the Messiah as a branch, seemingly insignificant when looked at, at first, but will branch out, bear much fruit and rebuild the temple. If you noticed, it says He will “build the temple of the Lord” twice. Then another thing that is revealed is the fact that when the Messiah comes, He is going to be both King and Priest. Two offices that were strictly kept separate in the Old Testament.
Now, at first glance we can see how this would be fulfilled in Jesus, but when we really think about it, we have to admit there are elements of that passage that have not been fulfilled, like the rebuilding of the temple, as well as Him being a literal King and Priest. Obviously, we certainly can make the argument that He has fulfilled these things spiritually.
For instance, look at this verse from the New Testament, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV. “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’” John 18:36 NKJV.
From those two passages it is easy to dismiss any literal fulfillment of rebuilding the temple, or of Jesus actually being a king and priest – but hold up just a second. Did you realize that Jesus also said, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Luke 12:40. What is Jesus talking about there? He is talking about His second return.
There are many passages that confirm this like Matthew 24:27, “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” And many more like it found in the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. He even told one of the churches in Revelation, Sardis, “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” Revelation 3:3.
We could go on all day quoting the many passages referring to the return of Christ but let me close with testimony from the angels. After Jesus’s resurrection, He appeared to His disciples and various other people. Then after 40 days He ascended and the event is recorded in Acts 1. After He ascended, the 11 apostles were astonished as they watched Him rise up through the clouds and out of their sight. About that time two angels appeared next to them, and listen to what they said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11.
How awesome is that! Nobody knows for sure when He will come but we know for certain He will come. I know there are a lot of nuances to His second coming and the Bible spells those out for us, but the point I am trying to make in this brief time is – be ready, please be ready!
“Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Luke 12:40.
-by Bryan Borth
Pastor, Cave Mill Baptist Church
Service times: 10:30am and 6:00pm on Sundays
