The Turban and the Crown Part 1 Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations He has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire. Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalms 46: 1-10)(Emphasis mine) The Third Temple of God shall be rebuilt just prior to the end of the Second Earth and it shall be another sign of the imminent beginning of the Third Earth. For when His indignation has reached its limit, the end of the Second Earth shall come. The day shall break. From the east, the Light shall pierce the global darkness and cause the earth to quake. The hills shall melt away. And in that day, He shall be our Champion; for the Breaker shall surely come. “The mountains quake before Him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at His presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand His indignation? Who can endure His fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before Him.” (Nahum 1: 5, 6) (Emphasis mine) The Scatterer shall come and the Breaker shall utterly destroy the oppressors and the wicked works of man shall come to an end, through the mighty roar of the Lion of Judah. For the earth shall melt, the rocks shall shatter and the wicked shall be scattered, before the power of His voice. The global government shall rule the world from Babylon, for here wickedness shall build its evil temple, and set itself, between heaven, and earth. But, the wicked city of blood, and all her sorcerers, shall be brought to justice. And, in that day, and hour, the plundering global government, and the merchants that facilitated it, shall forever perish from the earth. “Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims! The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses and jolting chariots! Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears! Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over corpses- all because of the wanton lust of a harlot, alluring the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.” (Nahum 3: 1-4)(Emphasis mine) Then, the Messiah shall literally and physically dwell in the holy place of the Third Temple and from under the altar a river shall flow eastward that shall bring rejuvenation and gladness to the planet (Ezekiel 47). Wars shall cease and peace shall reign throughout the entire planet, as God Almighty exalts the Messiah, as the King of kings and Lord of lords in all the earth. But, it has not been very long, since Yisra’el re-conquered Yerushalayim and the Third Temple has, as of yet, not been built. Some say that the ancient site is directly over the Dome of the Rock, where the Mosque of Omar presently exists and to rebuild the Temple the Muslim shrine must be destroyed. Now, the Mosque of Omar is the second most holy site of the Muslim faith, second only to the Kaaba in Mecca, being the very first monumental building erected in Muslim history. The Muslims claim that in this place, Muhammad was transported into heaven in a dream. Must Yisra’el destroy the Dome of the Rock to build the Third Temple? As you can imagine, such an act would infuriate the entire Muslim world and would decidedly turn world public opinion overwhelmingly against Yisra’el for such an action. Others say that this need not be, for the ancient site is just to the north and to the east of the Dome of the Rock and rebuilding the Temple would not require the destruction of the Mosque of Omar. Recent excavations have unearthed the ancient Shushan Gate and the location of the Temple, according to the Mishnah, directly intersected between the Western Gate and the Eastern Gate. Its location is therefore, way north from the Dome of the Rock, and proves that the location of the Temple was not under the Dome of the Rock. Instead, the line that intersects the Western Gate with the Golden Gate is directly over another rocky prominence on the Temple Mount that is now labeled the Dome of the Spirits. The reader must understand that the construction of the Third Temple must be in accordance with God’s design of the previous two Temples and the Tabernacle before them. If it is not built in the correct location and in the same specified manner and shape as ordained by God, then it will not be the Temple of God, but rather the “Temple of Man”. More specifically the design prophesied by Ezekiel has been commonly accepted by biblical scholars as the design of the Third Temple and it has certain peculiarities particular to this specific Temple that were not shared by the first two Temples. Many Medieval exegetes were painfully aware of the contradictions between what the community of the restoration of the Second Temple did and what Ezekiel had written about the design of this Temple. But Ezekiel’s vision had been given before the restoration of the Second Temple, therefore the reason to not use the exact details of his vision, must have been that they understood it to be the future Messianic Temple. It is for this reason that such furor is associated with learning the precise location of the previous Temples in order to assure the correct placement of the future Messianic Temple. The prophet Ezekiel was possibly one of the functioning priests attached to the Yerushalayim First Temple prior to its destruction. He was also one of the Jewish remnant, who along with the prophet Daniel was taken captive into Babylon and his vision of the rebuilding of the Temple is thought to represent not the Second Temple, which was later rebuilt by Joshua the High Priest, Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah, but instead, the Third Temple of God; the Messianic Temple. Ezekiel wrote of the removal of the crown over the Davidic lineage until the coming of the Messiah whose right it is to wear, both the turban of the High Priest, and the crown of kingship over Yerushalayim. For, He is to be both High Priest and King of kings as well, over the entire Earth. Ezekiel plainly stated that the “crown had fallen”, but he also prophesied that “in the time of the punishment of the end,” One shall come to whom the right belongs to wear both the Turban of the High Priest and the Crown of the King. “And you, O slain, wicked one, the prince of Yisra’el, whose day has come, in the time of the punishment of the end, thus says the Lord, ‘Remove the turban and take off the crown; this will be no more the same. Exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high. A ruin, a ruin, a ruin, I shall make it. This also will be no more until He comes whose right it is; and I shall give it to Him.’” (Ezekiel 21:25, 26, 27) (Emphasis mine) Three times Yahweh emphatically declared that He would make Yisra’el a ruin and keep the crown off of the Princes of Yisra’el, and the turban from the High Priests, until the Messiah arrives to claim, both the crown and the turban that rightfully belong to Him. He refers to both the crown and the turban. The crown is the sign of kingship and the turban is the headdress of the High Priest. Here, in essence, Ezekiel specifically referred to the coming Messiah, as both priest and king in the order of Melchizedek. King David prophesied of this, as he saw the Breaker, who shall shatter the nations: “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand, until I make thine enemies a footstool for thy feet.’ The Lord will stretch forth Thy strong scepter from Zion, saying: ‘Rule in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people will volunteer freely in The Day of Thy Power; in holy array from the womb of the Dawn, Thy youth are to Thee as the dew. The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind. Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at Thy right hand, He will shatter Kings in the Day of His Wrath. He will judge the nations’.” (Psalms 110: 1 –5) (Emphasis mine) We have already spoken of the Second Temple Jews on the Qumran Community and their complete understanding of the place that Melchizedek takes, within the Tanakh, as a forerunner of the Messiah, the King of Righteousness that would be both Priest and King. For this reason the Qumran Community expected two Messiahs, one from the Priestly line of Aaron and the other from the kingly line of Judah. Although I have already spoken of this, it is important enough to repeat in order to understand the significance of this dual aspect of the Messiah. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain a manuscript entitled “A Treatise on the Coming of Melchizedek” (I I Q 13), which elaborates on this matter: “For this is the time decreed for the year of Melchizedek’s favor” (Isaiah 61:2 modified, by the author of this scroll, with Melchizedek, replacing Yahweh), and by His might He will judge God’s holy ones and so establish a righteous kingdom, as it is written about Him in the Songs of David, ‘a godlike being has taken His place in the council of God; in the midst of the divine beings He holds judgment’. (Psalms 82:1) Scripture also says about Him, ‘Over it take your seat in the highest heaven; a divine being will judge the peoples.’ (Psalms 7: 7,8)… Therefore Melchizedek will thoroughly prosecute the vengeance required by God’s statues. Also He will deliver all the captives from the power of Belial (Satan) and from the power of all the spirits predestined to him, (demons). Allied with Him will be all the righteous divine beings (angels- Isaiah 61: 3)… This visitation is the Day of salvation that He has decreed through Isaiah the prophet concerning all the captives in as much as scripture says to Zion, ‘your divine being reigns’ (Isaiah 52:7) This scripture’s interpretation: ‘The mountains’ are the prophets they who were sent to proclaim God’s truth and to prophesy to all Yisra’el. The messenger is the Anointed of the Spirit, of whom Daniel spoke, ‘After the sixty two weeks an Anointed One shall be cut off.’ (Daniel 9: 26) The messenger who brings good news, who announces salvation is the One of whom it is written, ‘to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.’ (Isaiah 61; 2) Your divine being is Melchizedek who will deliver them from the power of Belial.” (A Treatise on the Coming of Melchizedek, II Q 13 Column 2 vs. 9 – 25) (Only the first parenthesis and emphasis is mine) Some 2,000 years ago Herod became the first Gentile king of Yisra’el, and since the birth of Yeshua, none from the Davidic lineage has sat on the throne of David. As a matter of fact, since the Babylonians destroyed the Temple of Solomon and took Yehuda captive into exile, a descendent of David has not sat on the throne. The entire time that the Second Temple existed, there was no rightful heir to the throne of David sitting, as King of Yehuda. And since the destruction of the Second Temple, none from the tribe of Levy has worn the turban of the High Priest. And so it came to pass that the Princes of Yisra’el have had no crown for over 2,000 years, and the tribe of Levy has had no one to wear the turban of the High Priest. The turban and the crown have been removed from Yisra’el, but One is coming, who shall wear both the turban and the crown! He must come in the role of the Priest of El Elyon to make atonement for the sins of the world wearing His priestly turban. But, He must come also with the crown of the Lion of Yehuda to rule, with an iron scepter, over the nations of the world. Who is this Messiah, and when will the Branch of David again sit upon the throne and rule the world? The prophet Zechariah gives us a clue, if we are willing to hear it. We have already mentioned that, around 538 BC., the Persian King Cyrus issued a decree allowing all Jews, who desired to return to Yerushalayim in order to rebuild the Temple, which was previously destroyed by the Babylonians (Ezra 1:1-4). Some 50,000 exiles undertook to do so and returned to the land, laying the foundation by the second month of 536 BC. But, opposition from the Samaritans discouraged them and caused them to cease work for almost fourteen years. In 522BC, Darius Hystaspis ascended to the throne of Persia and Haggai and Zechariah rallied their people to once again take up the task of rebuilding the Temple. In this both Zerubbavel the governor and Yehoshua the High Priest effectively took the gauntlet and led their people toward this task. But, Satan was wroth and stirred the heart of Sanballat the Samaritan and Tatnai, the Arabian governor of their territory west of the Euphrates, causing them to once again stop their work. But, Darius confirmed the initial decree by Cyrus and granted them permission to continue in their divinely decreed project. Once again, Haggai and Zechariah sought to awaken their people into completing the task set before them, and embolden them to finish building the Second Temple of God. It is against this background that the following visionary prophecy was given to the prophet, Zechariah. For the exiles were to be a symbol of another future group of exiles that would also return to the Pleasant Land to rebuild the Temple. And so, Zerubbavel and Yehoshua would also be a symbol or an omen of that coming prophecy, when the Branch of David takes dominion over the earth. We know this because the Tanakh tells us so: “Hear now o Yehoshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows who sit before thee: for they are men of good omen: for behold, I will bring my servant Zemah (the Branch).” (Zekharya/Zechariah 3: 8 from the Yerushalayim Tanakh) What is an omen? It is a portent of something coming in the future. This is that time in the future, when the Righteous Branch will set up His Kingdom from Yerushalayim. Let us now read the third chapter and consider the prophecy that refers to Yehoshua, and then afterwards, we shall consider the prophecy that refers to Zerubbavel in the fourth chapter of the Book of Zechariah: “And he showed me Yehoshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and the adversary standing at his right hand to thwart him. And the Lord said to the adversary, The Lord rebukes thee, O adversary; even the Lord who has chosen Yerushalayim rebukes thee; for is not this man, a brand picked out of the fire? Now Yehoshua was clothed in filthy garments, and he stood before the angel. And he answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, Take off the filthy garments from him. And to him he said behold I have caused thy iniquity to pass from thee; and I clothe thee in festive garments. Then I said, Let them put a pure mitre (turban) on his head. So they set the pure mitre on his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by. And the angel of the Lord forewarned Yehoshua saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts: If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, and thou will also judge my house, and wilt also guard my courts, then I will also give thee access among these who stand by. Hear now o Yehoshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows who sit before thee: for they are men of good omen: for behold, I will bring my servant Zemah (Branch). For behold the stone which I have laid before Yehoshua; upon one stone are seven facets: behold I will engrave its inscription, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.” (Zekharya/Zechariah 3: 1-9 from the Yerushalayim Tanakh) (Emphasis and parenthesis mine) The adversary is of course Satan, who accuses us daily, before the throne of God. But, standing next to him is Yehoshua, a man who was “a brand picked from the fire.” Now fire is the symbol of judgment and so, here we see in symbolic language that this Yehoshua was one, who survived the judgment of fire. Moreover, he is now himself a glowing ember or brand of fire, so that after surviving the fiery judgment he now becomes a judge that brings fire to those who rebel against the Most High God. And so, we also see in this prophecy that Yehoshua is here recognized, at once, as the symbol or omen of the Branch, who is also the “stone” that would come to “remove the iniquity of that land in one day,” thus fulfilling his priestly duty. Now, seven is the number of God and it is therefore, no surprise that this stone has seven facets. But, alas this too is the stone of stumbling, upon which many shall fall, whose ears cannot bear the sound of truth. And we see here in prophetic symbols that Yehoshua has humbled Himself to take on human form and is dressed in the filthy garments of humanity. For upon His shoulders He took our sins in order to redeem us. And so, God says to Him, who took our sins upon His shoulders, “behold I have caused thy iniquity to pass from thee; and I clothe thee in festive garments. Then I said, Let them put a pure mitre on his head.” And thus, as the iniquities were atoned, His filthy garments were taken from Him and forthwith; Yehoshua was given clean garments and a clean turban, upon His head. This symbolizes that His work was complete and iniquity was atoned by His precious sacrifice. Now, He is no longer depicted in a corruptible human form, for He has resurrected into the imperishable form and shall return, as the stone, not cut with human hands, which Daniel spoke of. For, He it is that will crush the Gentile nations. And this government of righteousness shall rest upon His shoulders, as Isaiah so clearly stated. But, lest you think that I am extrapolating too far, let us read more about this Yehoshua, the high priest in exile. “And the word of the Lord also came to me saying, ‘Take from the Exiles…who have come from Bavel. And take from them silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Yehoshua the son of Yehozadaq the high priest. And speak to him, saying, “Thus, speaks the Lord of hosts, saying, ‘Behold a man whose name is Zemah (Branch), and who shall grow up out of his place; and He shall build the Temple of the Lord: he shall build the Temple of the Lord, and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and there shall be a priest before his throne, and the counsel of peace will be between them both. But the crown shall remain for a memorial…in the Temple of the Lord… And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you” (Zekharya/Zechariah 6: 9, 10 b, 11, 12, 13, 14a, 15a, from the Yerushalayim Tanakh) (Emphasis mine) Now, every Jew knows that the term “Branch,” or “Zemah” is reserved for the Anointed One, the Messiah. But the high priest Yehoshua, who helped to build the Second Temple, and was a contemporary to the prophet Zechariah, was not the Messiah. Yehoshua was an omen of another Yehoshua that would later come to lay the foundation and also rebuild the Temple of God. This is so, because the Temple built by the first Yehoshua was destroyed, as a result of the fact that Yisra’el did not recognize the time of her visitation. Therefore, the Temple referred to in this prophecy was primarily, not even the Second Temple, but the Third Temple, which shall be the Messianic Temple. This is speaking of the Temple, which Ezekiel spoke of, when the Anointed would come wearing both the turban and the crown.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 16:22:45 +0000
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