回複鄉下人進城--撒旦初探

撒旦：又名別西卜，在沒變壞以前的名字不詳。
長相：聖經沒有提過，這隻是中古時代一些藝術家幻想出來的。達芬奇這麽著名的畫家不是也把《最後的晚餐》耶穌的位置畫錯了，按照猶太人的習俗，老師不應該坐在中間。所以每個人可能都會有自己對撒旦樣子的想象，如果非要我想象一下的話，他應該是個金玉其外，敗絮其中的靈體.從長相上最初也應該是有著美輪美奐的外形，因為上帝最初所造的一切都完美無暇。（申明記32：4，創世紀1：31）。
本事：可以既上天（約伯記1：6），又下地（約伯記1：7）。
見證人耶穌敘述撒旦變壞的原因：這孩子沒在真理中站穩（約翰福音8：44）。
天父也時不常地老找他談心，還把人類中的典範約伯指給他看，讓他學學約伯，無奈他自己特有主意，就是不肯回頭。
能力：很強，先通過伊甸園事件，帶壞亞當夏娃和人類，又誘惑三分之一的天使跟隨他。
現況和未來預測：不太好，在天上的戰爭失利後（啟示錄12：8），就將其憤怒發泄到地和海，於是地和海就有禍了，因為撒旦大為憤怒，知道自己的時候不多了，（啟示錄12：12）所以地上的苦難就特別的多了。在耶穌和他的大戰中，將要被摔倒深淵去（啟示錄20：1-3）一千年，然後還會被釋放一段時間，迷惑列國，發動戰爭，（啟示錄20：7，8）不過等待他最終的命運將是永遠而徹底的滅亡（啟示錄20：10）。
撒旦的角色和頭銜。
1）蛇：創世紀3：13
2）魔鬼：啟示錄12：9
3）引誘者：馬太4：3
4）說謊者，殺人凶手：約翰福音8：44
5）挑撥離間者（誹謗者）：在亞當夏娃麵前說上帝的壞話（創世紀3：1-5），在上帝麵前說約伯和所有人的壞話。（約伯記1：9，11；2：4-5；啟示錄12：10）
6）邪靈的首領別西卜：馬太福音12：24
7）黑暗世界的王：約翰一書5：19
8）假扮光明的天使：哥林多後書11：14
9）龍：啟示錄20：2
10）獅子：彼得前書5：8

對付撒旦的攻略
1）你要全心信賴和敬畏耶和華，不可依靠自己的聰明，也不要信賴權貴，遠離惡事。（箴言3：5，7；詩篇146：3-5）
2）在你所行的一切事上都要留意他，他必修直你的路。（箴言3：6）
3）用真理束腰，正義做胸甲，和平的好消息做鞋，信心做盾牌，救恩做頭盔，聖靈做劍，祈禱。。。。。。（以弗所書6：10-20）就能站穩，抵擋魔鬼的奸計。
4）不要愛源於世界（撒旦）的事，比如肉體的欲望，眼睛的欲望，炫耀財物的行為（約翰一書2：15-17）
5）追求哥林多前書13：4-8所說的愛。
6）順服上帝，反抗魔鬼，魔鬼就會離開你們逃跑了。（雅各書4：7），不過他還會窺探其他便利的時候再回來引誘。（路加福音4：13）
7）耶和華的名是堅固的高台，義人投奔就得安全。（箴言18：10，詩篇4：8）
8）什麽事都不要憂慮（腓立比書4：6，7；彼得前書5：7）

天使的定義和分類：
4397：希伯來語是：מַלְאָךְ 名詞，使者：如天使的意思。
有名字的天使在聖經裏有三個：米迦勒，加百利，撒旦（別西卜）
有五類天使：1）天使長米迦勒，2）基路伯天使， 3）撒拉弗天使，4）無名的天使，5）反叛的天使如撒旦和其他邪靈。
值得注意的是沒有名字的天使，是因為他們奉上帝的名，把榮耀歸於上帝，所以沒有留下自己的名字，比如創世紀32：29，約書亞記5：14，士師記13：17，18，還有其他天使在執行上帝的任務的時候也沒有留下名字，其中民數記22：22，32的記錄的天使也應該是其中一個，他手裏有出了鞘的劍（民數記22：31），我們沒有從聖經裏得知撒旦也拿劍，那麽就不能理所當然地認為他就是撒旦。這個天使的任務是阻撓巴蘭，從這個意義講他是阻撓者，但是不能因為執行的任務是阻撓，就把他認為是撒旦。“耶和華的天使”在聖經裏多次提到，比如創世紀16：7，所以不能單憑任務是阻撓，對抗就認定民數記22：22的天使是撒旦。

根據啟示錄12：9，於是大龍被摔了下去。大龍就是最初的蛇，叫做魔鬼，又叫撒旦，迷惑了普天下的人。。。。。。鑒於魔鬼=撒旦。新約魔鬼有時也有指誹謗的人(約翰福音6：70)，約翰福音6：70的毀謗者和馬太福音4：1的魔鬼來源於同一個希臘字母διαβολου，它們的strong code都是1228：毀謗者的意思。“魔鬼”這個詞主要是強調誹謗性而被提出來的，而約翰福音8：44指出撒旦就是父，所以他是一切源頭，所以魔鬼=撒旦，而舊約沒有怎麽提到魔鬼，隻提到了山羊魔，比如利未記17：7。所以我和你探討新約和舊約中都提到的相同的撒旦。
聖經舊約中的撒旦：曆代誌上21：1約伯記1：6，2：1-7，撒迦利亞3：1-2，以上三處的撒旦的Strong碼是7854。
7854：希伯來語是： שָׂטָן名詞，從詞根7853來：對手，特指撒旦，首要的美好事物的敵人
7853：希伯來語是：שָׂטַן 動詞，詞根：攻擊，控告，敵對，反對
新約中的撒旦一直就是明確指出來的。
馬太福音4：10 （耶穌就對他說：“撒旦，走開！因為經上記著說‘要崇拜耶和華你的上帝，單要敬奉他。’”）的希臘文如下：
ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 4:10 (1881 Westcott-Hort New Testament)
10τοτε λεγει αυτω ο ιησους υπαγε σατανα γεγραπται γαρ κυριον τον θεον σου προσκυνησεις και αυτω μονω λατρευσεις
撒旦σατανα的strong 碼是 4567 ，σαταν的strong碼是4566，
4567：Satanas, sat-an-as’和4566一致，原告，比如：撒旦。
4566：Satan, sat-an’源自希伯來語的7854，撒旦。
所以希臘語的撒旦就是來源於希伯來語的撒旦。此外，舊約中明確指出撒旦的地方都有定冠詞ha特指撒旦，新約中也用定冠詞ho特指撒旦。就是特指他撒旦，不是別的。從希伯來語的發音來看也是發的satan的音。שָׂ 去掉低下ָ 發sin中s的音，底下的 ָ是發元音father中的a的音，所以整個這個字母發sa的音，טָ去掉底下ָ是發的toy中t的音，同理這個字母發ta的音，最後一個字母就是n的結尾表示的方法，當然希伯來語是從右向左看的。所以可以說我們現在讀撒旦的這個詞都是在延續希伯來語的發音。
魔鬼這個詞
馬太福音4：1（那時耶穌被聖靈帶到曠野去，受魔鬼引誘）的希臘文如下
ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 4:1 (1881 Westcott-Hort New Testament)
1τοτε [ο] ιησους ανηχθη εις την ερημον υπο του πνευματος πειρασθηναι υπο του διαβολου

魔鬼διαβολου的strong碼是1228，名詞，從1225（動詞，毀謗）毀謗者，特指撒旦，可和7854對比參考。


你舉的巴蘭的例子非常好！因為據我考察，讓動物開口說話的記載在聖經裏大概也隻有兩處，一處是創世紀3：1-4，撒旦利用蛇開口對女人說話，另一處就是民數記22：28-30耶和華讓驢開口說話，天使的能力比人強，從約伯記撒旦給約伯的種種災難就可以看出來，所以天使有能力讓動物說話，自然上帝更有此能力。

曆代誌上21：1“撒旦起來攻擊以色列人，挑動大衛去統計以色列人的數目。”
撒母耳記下24：1“耶和華再次向以色列人發怒，因為有個惡者挑動大衛，陷害以色列人。。。。。。”（新世界譯本）
有翻譯正確的版本，不過倒是需要認真找一下，因為的確翻譯正確的版本不多見。

約伯記在聖經是很有爭議的一部書，有很多版本的說法，現代的批評家說是成書於公元前6世紀，也有專家認為約伯記是由摩西撰寫的，因為《摩西五經》的寫法和約伯記很相近，另外摩西在米甸呆了40年，米甸這個地方離約伯住的烏斯地並不遠。有人認為約伯是以色列人，也有人認為他不是以色列人，但是他的血統和亞伯拉罕是親戚關係，也有人認為約伯也叫約巴（ Jobab），是創世紀 36:33 的約巴, 以掃的後代，以東的王。現在又看到你說的一個版本了。不過約伯記是用希伯來語寫成的，不應該是從阿拉伯語翻譯過來的。舊約裏有一些亞蘭語，和希伯來語很近，不知道和你所說的蘇美爾人是否有什麽關係。不知道你說的是哪個學術界認為約伯記是童話，有的學術界還一直認為約伯記從來就不是童話，而是真實的故事。
約伯的兒子當然是人，耶和華的天使也被稱作兒子（創世紀6：2），當然這裏的眾子是指天使。彼得前書1：12“。。。。這些事已經傳給你們了。連天使也喜歡仔細察看這些事呢”。哥林多前書4：9“。。。。。。因為我們在世人麵前，就像劇場裏的一台戲，讓天使和人類觀看。”就像當初耶和華勸告該隱要去行善一樣（創世紀4：6），耶和華在和天使“開會”的時候，勸告撒旦要向人間的約伯學習，回頭行善。但是撒旦把耶和華的勸導卻作為了對約伯的指控。他指控約伯不會無緣無故地敬畏上帝，認為約伯對耶和華的愛是出於自私的目的，因為耶和華賜福給約伯，所以約伯才敬畏上帝。（約伯記1：9，2：4），就像你說的，要查出真相，怎麽能查出真相？那就是耶和華不再賜福給約伯，否則耶和華任何的介入都可以證明撒旦的指控就是正確的和成立的。當然撒旦和耶和華在天上的這番對話約伯是不知道的，約伯認為“賞賜的是耶和華，收回的也是耶和華”（約伯記1：21），他不大清楚是撒旦給他帶來的各種災難。這點就更難能可貴了，因為在這麽多苦難和患難前，“在這一切事上，約伯並沒有開口犯罪。”（約伯記2：10）同樣今天撒旦也晝夜在我們上帝麵前指控我們的弟兄（啟示錄12：10），或許就包括你和我，那你能不能象約伯一樣給撒旦一個好的答案，證明他對我們的指控是錯誤的，還是證明撒旦的指控是正確的：遇到苦難就咒罵和歸罪於上帝。

鄉下人進城問的撒迦利亞書3：1-5的問題很好，剛看問題的時候，我不知道答案，但是請教了耶和華見證人，給出的英文答案如下（請阿美幫助翻譯一下，謝謝！我還忙著回答你其他的問題呢）。可以幫助你理解第三章從1節-10節。
撒迦利亞書3：2是耶和華的天使對撒旦說，而不是你版本裏的耶和華對撒旦說。這裏的約書亞不是接替摩西的那個，是要重建耶路撒冷的大祭司，也就是哈該書1：12裏的約書亞。曆史發生的背景是：公元前607年耶路撒冷被毀，公元前537年以色列人重返耶路撒冷，重建耶路撒冷。撒迦利亞於公元前519年得此異象：雖然有撒旦的百般阻撓，但是上帝決定重建耶路撒冷的事情他是阻擋不了的，一定會發生的。從我們後人考察曆史來看，這件事情的確也發生了。

Satan’s Failure in Resisting the High Priest
THROUGHOUT the earth today there are to be found high priests of various religious cults. The mightiest of such priestly chiefs is the Pontifex Maximus, the Supreme Pontiff, located at Vatican City. But what the whole world of mankind needs is just one high priest. Why so? Because there is just the one living and true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Sovereign of all the universe. He needs just one high priest to represent him to the people and to deal with Him for the people. This comports with the fact that there is just the one true religion, just the one pure worship of Him “with spirit and truth.”—John 4:24.
2 For more than fifteen centuries, from 1512 B.C.E. to 33 C.E., there was just one high priesthood that this living and true God recognized. That high priesthood was established in the line of Aaron the brother of Moses the prophet, of the tribe of Levi. Aaron was installed in office on the first day of the lunar month of Nisan in the year 1512 B.C.E. During the centuries that followed there was a succession of high priests from among the descendants of Aaron, down till Sunday, Nisan 16, in the year 33 C.E. That was the resurrection day of the Lord Jesus Christ from a sacrificial death. On the fortieth day from then he ascended as a spiritual High Priest to enter into the heavenly Most Holy and there presented the precious value of his perfect human sacrifice to the one living and true God, Jehovah.
3 From that time on till now Jehovah God has been dealing with just one High Priest—not a high priest of the family of Aaron the Levite, but the one never-dying High Priest, Jesus Christ. To him it was said prophetically: “You are a priest forever according to the manner of Melchizedek.”—Hebrews 5:5, 6, 10; 6:19, 20; 7:15-17.
4 However, Jesus Christ, as a sacrificing spiritual high priest, was also prefigured or typified by the Aaronic high priest of the ancient nation of Israel. Just as the high priest of Israel on the annual Day of Atonement entered with sacrificial blood into the Most Holy of the temple at Jerusalem, Jesus similarly entered with the value of his own sacrificial blood into the true Most Holy, heaven itself, of the spiritual temple of Jehovah God. Consequently, Jesus Christ was prefigured by the Israelite high priest Joshua the son of Jehozadak, who returned from exile in Babylon in the year 537 B.C.E. to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the temple of Jehovah there. (Haggai 1:1) From this standpoint it is intriguing for us to consider the fourth vision of the prophet Zechariah, in which this high priest Joshua is the principal figure. As if looking into a courtroom Zechariah writes:
5 “And he proceeded to show me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand in order to resist him. Then the angel of Jehovah said to Satan: ‘Jehovah rebuke you, O Satan, yes, Jehovah rebuke you, he who is choosing Jerusalem! Is this one not a log snatched out of the fire?’”—Zechariah 3:1, 2.
6 The Satan who is pictured here was no mere ecclesiastical “devil’s advocate” who was acting as a prosecuting attorney for Jehovah. He was the same Satan that appeared at the meeting of the angelic sons of God in heaven in the seventeenth century before our Common Era and wrongly accused the patriarch Job before the face of Jehovah God. (Job 1:6 to 2:7) But why, in that vision to Zechariah in the year 519 B.C.E. was Satan the Devil trying to resist the high priest Joshua before the angel of Jehovah? Because on the twenty-fourth day of the lunar month of Chislev of the preceding year High Priest Joshua had taken a decisive step for the worship of God. He and Governor Zerubbabel and the faithful remnant of Israel began working at the foundation of the second temple of Jehovah in Jerusalem. (Haggai 2:18, 19) High Priest Joshua was thus working for his reinstallation in the full service of Jehovah at a completed second temple. Such taking up of his duties at a completed temple would put Joshua in a new light.
7 Satan the Devil, who fights the true religion, was out to resist High Priest Joshua on this score, so as to downgrade him and keep him out of his full service to Jehovah in behalf of the nation of Israel. That would keep Joshua in poor appearance because of a major deficiency in his service to God. To that end Satan would try to counteract the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah and rouse up overwhelming opposition on the part of the enemies of Israel against the rebuilding of the temple. In that way he could charge High Priest Joshua with failure to discharge his full high-priestly duties, and this would result in reproach upon Jehovah.
8 Satan, however, was too late in his malicious attempt. Before he could give force to his resistance and launch his wicked charges against High Priest Joshua, the angel who was acting as a judge for Jehovah said to Satan: “Jehovah rebuke you, he who is choosing Jerusalem!” The Most High God was the One high enough to rebuke Satan, and not some subordinate angel who was merely representing Jehovah. Thus the angel was giving due regard to Jehovah’s position. (Jude 8-10) Furthermore, Jehovah had already begun action to the magnifying of his own holy name. He was already choosing Jerusalem as the city for his temple. Satan could not alter this divine choice nor make it an unrealizable choice. He was the one to be frustrated, rebuked by beholding the temple completely rebuilt in the year 515 B.C.E. This rebuke would be from Jehovah, for he had successfully accomplished this!
9 Why, though, did the angelic judge of Jehovah add the question: “Is this one not a log snatched out of the fire?” Because, after a rescue from the fire not too much was to be expected instantly of a symbolic “log.” “This one” who was pictured by the log snatched out of the fire was the high priest Joshua. But, due to his office, Joshua represented the whole nation of Israel for whom he served as high priest before God. Joshua was not the only one who had come back from exile in Babylon, where Satan the Devil had tried to burn to ashes their identity as Jehovah’s chosen nation. More than 42,000 other Israelites had also come back, along with thousands of servants and singers. So the whole number of the remnant were, all together, like a “log snatched out of the fire.” It was Jehovah’s mercy and faithfulness to his promises that snatched them out of the symbolic Babylonish “fire” and restored their nationhood on the “holy ground.” Since this was so, He was patient toward their long delay in rebuilding His temple, but He stuck to his purpose to have a temple there at Jerusalem for which purpose he chose her. Hence Satan should not be too hasty with his charges.
10 Satan’s resistance to High Priest Joshua was blocked. So what is done with Joshua to clear him of anything about him that Satan might have used as a ground for bringing charges against him? Zechariah describes it for us, saying: “Now as for Joshua, he happened to be clothed in befouled garments and standing before the angel. Then he answered and said to those standing before him: ‘Remove the befouled garments from upon him.’ And he went on to say to him: ‘See, I have caused your error to pass away from upon you, and there is a clothing of you with robes of state.’”—Zechariah 3:3, 4.
HOW A CHANGE OF GARMENTS WAS NECESSARY
11 Here a question arises: Since Joshua the high priest was pictured as clothed with befouled garments, how could he typify or prefigure Jesus Christ as the heavenly High Priest? Does not Hebrews 7:26, 27 say to true Christians today: “Such a high priest as this was suitable for us, loyal, guileless, undefiled, separated from the sinners, and become higher than the heavens. He does not need daily, as those high priests do, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for those of the people: (for this he did once for all time when he offered himself up)”? Yes, this is true. Yet it is with the High Priest Jesus Christ as with the ancient High Priest Joshua. The high priest represents the people for whom he serves in this high office, and their condition reflects upon him. He bears the iniquities of his people.
12 That the priesthood bore the error of the people, the prophet Moses indicated, when he said to the two surviving sons of Aaron for a failure on their part: “Why did you not eat the sin offering in the place that is holy, since it is something most holy and he has given it to you that you may answer for the error of the assembly so as to make atonement for them before Jehovah?” (Leviticus 10:16, 17) The sanctuary or temple was holy, and if the people touched it this would be committing an error on their part; and so the sanctified priests had to serve at the sanctuary for the people in order to prevent the committing of such an error. To this effect we read, in Numbers 18:1: “And Jehovah proceeded to say to Aaron: ‘You and your sons and the house of your father with you will answer for error against the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you will answer for error against your priesthood.’” So the priests acted as shields against error by the people.
13 Now as regards the sanctuary or temple in Jerusalem at the time that Haggai and Zechariah had begun to prophesy, its foundation had lain neglected without a superstructure’s being built upon it for sixteen years. This was due to forcible opposition by surrounding enemies. During that period the repatriated Israelites had lapsed into indifference and had turned to materialism. Hence, in a dialogue with the priests, when Haggai asked what would happen when someone ceremonially unclean touched a part of a sacrifice, they answered: “It will become unclean.” At once Haggai came back with this statement: “‘That is how this people is, and that is how this nation is before me,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘and that is how all the work of their hands is, and whatever they present there. It is unclean.’”—Haggai 2:13, 14.
14 Since High Priest Joshua represented the nation of Israel before Jehovah, this unclean condition of the people was also attributed to him. As a consequence, it was as if he were clothed with befouled garments. He was trying to officiate without a temple, and for that reason it did not look right. He could not serve with the full dignity and grandeur as in a temple. In leveling charges against High Priest Joshua, Satan the Devil would be leveling charges against the entire negligent, unclean nation.
15 Similarly with the antitypical High Priest, who was prefigured by High Priest Joshua in that year 519 B.C.E. The High Priest Jesus Christ was reflected upon by the spiritual condition of the remnant of the spiritual Israelites on earth as these entered into the postwar year of 1919 C.E. Because of impediments due to war restrictions, opposition and persecution, the remnant had come short in many respects with regard to the open, courageous worship of Jehovah at his spiritual temple. They had yielded to bondage to Babylon the Great and her political and military paramours. They were in a spiritual state like that of the ancient remnant of Israel that had been repatriated. Like Isaiah, when he had his vision of Jehovah at his holy temple, they could say:
16 “Woe to me! For I am as good as brought to silence, because a man unclean in lips I am, and in among a people unclean in lips I am dwelling; for my eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of armies, himself!”—Isaiah 6:5.
17 If one judged the appearance of their High Priest by the spiritual appearance of the surviving remnant, their High Priest Jesus Christ would appear to be “clothed in befouled garments.” This was an improper appearance to be attributed to him. The spiritually befouled condition was an improper situation in which the remnant was representing their High Priest, and it reflected badly upon the heavenly High Priest Jesus Christ.
18 Such a state of affairs deserved to be remedied—promptly. Jehovah’s judicial angel saw to that: “Remove the befouled garments from upon him.” Then he said to Joshua: “See, I have caused your error to pass away from upon you, and there is a clothing of you with robes of state.”—Zechariah 3:4.
19 How did this occur with High Priest Joshua? By getting the restored nation of Israel whom he represented in holy office out of their unclean state before Jehovah. This would be by getting the restored remnant to work again upon the temple of Jehovah and completing it, letting everything else be put in a secondary place, in the background. The cleansing of the people in this vital regard would result in a cleansed appearance of their high priest. It would be as if he had had a change of garments. He was meant to be clothed with “robes of state.” He was meant to have a temple in which to serve clothed in those “robes of state.” The completing of the temple and the inaugurating of it would call for him to don those “robes of state” and present a glorious appearance to the praise of Jehovah. High Priest Joshua as the national religious representative took the lead with Governor Zerubbabel in getting the temple rebuilding started again, and for this reason he deserved a change of garments for the better. In that way his religious appearance would not reflect reproachfully on God.
20 The same was true of the one whom High Priest Joshua prefigured, namely, the heavenly High Priest Jesus Christ. The remnant of his spirit-begotten, anointed disciples came out of World War I in an “unclean” spiritual condition. They were spiritual Israelites, yes, spiritual underpriests of Jehovah under his High Priest Jesus Christ. Their spiritual garments were befouled by their deportment and deficiencies during World War I. This reflected badly upon their High Priest in the heavens and hence misrepresented him. Since he bears or answers for the iniquity or error of the nation of spiritual Israelites, it was as if he himself were clothed with befouled religious garments.
21 What was needed, then, was for the remnant of spiritual underpriests to repent and return to Jehovah and be forgiven by Him through Christ. This is what actually happened at the beginning of the postwar period. They showed their return or conversion to Jehovah by searching the Holy ures diligently to determine God’s will and work for the postwar period and then applying themselves whole-souled to these things of first importance.
22 Thus the repentant, converted remnant of spiritual underpriests applied themselves whole-souled to Jehovah’s worship at his temple and endeavored to purify that worship from any and all Babylonish pollution. Their efforts at rebuilding the pure, undefiled worship “from the standpoint of our God and Father” corresponded with the renewed work of the repatriated Israelites in rebuilding Jehovah’s temple at Jerusalem. (James 1:27) It was the invisible, heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ, who was taking the lead in this reviving of the remnant of his underpriests in Jehovah’s worship and service. So, when Jehovah mercifully forgave them and cleansed them, this gave them a clean appearance before Him.
23 Even the false accusers under Satan the Devil began to see the difference in the doctrines, the message and the public activity of the remnant of Christ’s underpriests. This served to cast due credit upon their heavenly Chief Priest, Jesus Christ. He no longer had to bear or answer for such error on the part of his underpriests. The “befouled garments” that were indirectly attributed to him were taken from upon him, and he was given a change of garments. Bring forth “robes of state” for him!
24 Who would not want to see the high priest of the one living and true God adorned with an official headgear? The prophet Zechariah wanted such a thing. Either in his mind he thought of such a thing or he even spoke out impulsively for such a thing! He tells us: “At that I said: ‘Let them put a clean turban upon his head.’ And they proceeded to put the clean turban upon his head and to clothe him with garments; and the angel of Jehovah was standing by. And the angel of Jehovah began to bear witness to Joshua, saying: ‘This is what Jehovah of armies has said, “If it is in my ways that you will walk, and if it is my obligation that you will keep, then also it will be you that will judge my house and also keep my courtyards; and I shall certainly give you free access among these who are standing by.”’”—Zechariah 3:5-7.
25 How glad the high priest Joshua the son of Jehozadak must have been when the prophet Zechariah disclosed to him this part of the prophetic vision! Joshua could then realize that he had now an acceptable appearance before God and was no cause for reproach upon Him. Satan’s malicious effort to find continued cause for shaming the high priest of Jehovah had failed!
26 Joshua surely must have desired to judge Jehovah’s “house” of Israel according to divine law and to keep the courtyards of God’s temple.
27 Hence Joshua would take to heart the admonitory witness from the angel and walk obediently in Jehovah’s way and conscientiously keep his obligation to Jehovah, so as to prove worthy of the privileges mentioned.
28 Besides that, Joshua would be given “free access among these who are standing by.” It was the heavenly angels who were standing by in the vision; and just as they had access to God in heaven, so Joshua as high priest could approach God directly as an intermediary for the house of Israel. He would also be honored with the privilege of entering into the Most Holy of the completed temple of Jerusalem on the annual Day of Atonement.
29 Jesus Christ is, of course, the ideal High Priest for all the world of mankind. The royal priestly turban is placed upon his head as a “high priest according to the manner of Melchizedek forever.” (Hebrews 6:20; Psalm 110:1-4; 21:1-5) He has always walked in God’s way and kept his obligation to God. But after the experiences of his dedicated, baptized disciples on earth during World War I, he sees to it that the remnant of his underpriests learn more clearly God’s way in order to walk in it, and he helps them to discern more fully their holy obligation to Jehovah God, so as to keep it completely. His glorious priestly garments are pictured in the Revelation that he gave to the apostle John, in which the glorified Lord Jesus is seen walking among the seven golden lampstands. (Revelation 1:12 to 2:1) He faithfully judges the house of spiritual Israel according to the law of the new covenant. He guides them in the earthly courtyards of Jehovah’s spiritual temple, assigning to them their spiritual duties there.
30 The earthly high priest, Joshua the son of Jehozadak, began entering the Most Holy of the temple of Jerusalem in the year 515 B.C.E. (Ezra 6:15); but the spiritual High Priest, the Greater Joshua, entered into the antitypical, real Most Holy, heaven itself, in the year 33 C.E. He ascended to heaven and presented the merit of his human sacrifice in the very presence of Jehovah of armies. He now being made “better than the angels” and having “inherited a name more excellent than theirs,” he also can have “free access among these who are standing by,” that is, among the angels of heaven. He, above all others, can approach God directly and intercede in behalf of Jehovah’s worshipers on earth. As Jehovah prophetically said of him: “I will cause him to come near, and he must approach to me.”—Jeremiah 30:21.
THE “SPROUT” AND “THE STONE”
31 In the vision to Zechariah, the judicial angel of Jehovah continued to speak to the high priest in his robes of state: “‘Hear, please, O Joshua the high priest, you and your companions who are sitting before you, for they are men serving as portents; for here I am bringing in my servant Sprout [New Growth, By]. For, look! the stone that I have put before Joshua! Upon the one stone there are seven eyes. Here I am engraving its engraving,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies, ‘and I will take away the error of that land in one day.’”—Zechariah 3:8, 9.
32 The message of this part of the vision, the prophet Zechariah had to make known, not only to the high priest Joshua, but also to his “companions” who were sitting before him, that is to say, the underpriests. Why? Because these were “men serving as portents.” In this case they would not portend anything bad, but, in view of the divine announcement that they are about to hear, they would portend something good, especially good. They would have to bear witness to what they were told through the judicial angel of Jehovah, and on that account they would portend the coming of a greater priesthood in the not too distant future, a priesthood of higher rank than theirs at the temple in Jerusalem. It would be a Messianic priesthood, and their high priest would be the Messiah himself. In harmony with that portentous significance that they as underpriests of the second temple of Jerusalem had taken on, their present high priest, Joshua the son of Jehozadak, was a portent of the Messianic High Priest. He was a type of that one!
33 There was need for a better priesthood, particularly a better high priest, one like ancient Melchizedek. (Genesis 14:18-20) In explanation of that fact it was later written, in Hebrews 7:15-22, to Hebrews who had accepted the promised Messiah:
34 “And it is still more abundantly clear that with a similarity to Melchizedek there arises another priest, who has become such, not according to the law of a commandment depending upon the flesh, but according to the power of an indestructible life, for in witness it is said: ‘You are a priest forever according to the manner of Melchizedek.’ Certainly, then, there occurs a setting aside of the preceding commandment on account of its weakness and ineffectiveness. For the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in besides of a better hope did, through which we are drawing near to God. Also, to the extent that it was not without a sworn oath, (for there are indeed men that have become priests without a sworn oath, but there is one with an oath sworn by the One who said respecting him: ‘Jehovah has sworn (and he will feel no regret), “You are a priest forever,”’) to that extent also Jesus has become the one given in pledge of a better covenant.”
35 The underpriests who were companions of High Priest Joshua and who sat before him to receive instructions from him had to be “men serving as portents” of something better, forasmuch as Jehovah by his judicial angel went on to say: “For here I am bringing in my servant Sprout!” (Zechariah 3:8) “My servant,” Jehovah’s servant, was not to be a branch of the priesthood of Aaron’s family. As far as priesthood was concerned, he was shooting up out of entirely different soil, from a different root. Jeremiah 23:5, 6 indicates of whom the Messianic High Priest would be the sprout, saying: “‘Look! There are days coming,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘and I will raise up to David a righteous sprout [a new growth of David coming right, By]. And a king will certainly reign and act with discretion and execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel itself will reside in security. And this is his name with which he will be called, Jehovah Is Our Righteousness.’” God brought in this Sprout in the year 33 C.E.
36 What, now, about that “stone” that God would put before High Priest Joshua? In a literal way, it would be the stone with which the temple then under construction would be given its finishing touch and be made complete. The foundation of that second temple had already been laid, and so this “stone” would serve as a headstone. So Jehovah’s putting this stone before Joshua was a sign guaranteeing that the temple would be completed, despite any resistance on Satan’s part. That stone, too, was symbolic of the Messiah, the Anointed One. Picturing the Messiah as a stone, Psalm 118:22, 23 (By) said: “A stone that the builders had rejected has become the head of a corner. This was from Jehovah, it is a wonder to our eyes.” In the year 33 C.E., Jesus, when speaking to the Jews who rejected him as the promised Messiah, applied this ure to himself and said to them:
37 “Did you never read in the ures, ‘The stone that the builders rejected is the one that has become the chief cornerstone. From Jehovah this has come to be, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? This is why I say to you, The kingdom of God will be taken from you and be given to a nation producing its fruits.”—Matthew 21:42, 43. See also 1 Peter 2:4-9.
38 This symbolic “stone” was to be given full divine attention. As confirmation of this the high priest Joshua and his companion priests were to be told, “Upon the one stone there are seven eyes.” (Zechariah 3:9) Not that seven eyes were to be carved upon that stone, to give the idea that those beholding the stone were being looked at in a sevenfold way. With the eyes we fix our attention upon something. Also, as the number seven urally symbolized perfection, the seven eyes upon that one stone mean to say that Jehovah fixes his perfect attention upon that symbolic Stone, his promised Messiah. Others might overlook that symbolic Stone. Or, they might ignore it, reject it, but not so Jehovah. Because of such full attention from Him, it must be something most precious to Him.
39 Consequently, in showing the complete attention that He gives to this symbolic Stone and its outstanding position and appearance, Jehovah goes on to say: “Here I am engraving its engraving.” In glorious fulfillment of this promise, Jehovah the heavenly Engraver gave the symbolic Stone, his beloved Son Jesus Christ, distinguishing marks of beauty such as he conferred upon no one else. Consequently, Hebrews 1:1-3 speaks of the outstanding Son of God as being the one who is the “exact representation [Greek, kharaktér, meaning ‘impress’] of his very being,” that is, of God’s being. As the symbolic engraved headstone, the Messianic High Priest, Jesus Christ, is given the highest and most responsible position of service in Jehovah’s spiritual temple of worship. This betokened something most beneficial for all mankind.
40 With the topstone in place and the temple all completed for the full-scale worship of the one living and true God, what could we expect logically to follow? Blessings, blessings, blessings! Nothing would now be in the way of such blessings, for, as Jehovah went on to say, “I will take away the error of that land in one day.” (Zechariah 3:9) Because of the long interruption that the repatriated Israelites had allowed to take place in the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem, the whole land of Judah was lying in “error.” Its inhabitants were looked upon as unclean and the work of their hands in materialistic things was unclean. (Haggai 2:13, 14) But now, come 515 B.C.E., with the triumphant completion of the second temple at Jerusalem the erroneous course of the land of Judah was entirely corrected. So Jehovah was pleased, and he took away the error of inhabitants of the land in the special “one day,” the day when the temple stood complete, with its engraved headstone, and pure worship was inaugurated therein.
41 What a stimulus this should give to us today to put the worship of the true God at his spiritual temple in the first place in our lives! We should not let ourselves be delayed in doing this. We should not let interruptions take place in this effort.
42 The faithful remnant of spiritual underpriests of the Messiah know what blessings have come to them for doing this more and more determinedly during the now more than fifty years since that restoration year of 1919 C.E. They have come to appreciate more and more deeply that, like the underpriest companions of High Priest Joshua, they are “men serving as portents” for this “time of the end” of this worldly system of things. They portend the best of good things for all those who devote themselves to the pure, undefiled worship of the one living and true God.
43 They are not deceived by any false Messiahs or false Messianic organizations of today. They have identified the one whom Jehovah calls “my servant Sprout.” He is the one whom Jehovah of armies installed in the Messianic throne in the heavens at the close of the Gentile Times in 1914 C.E. and who has now begun his Messianic reign, namely, Jesus Christ. They have identified also the one symbolized by the stone that was laid before High Priest Joshua and upon which stone there were “seven eyes.” They admire how Jehovah has engraved this symbolic Stone with a beauty that befits the high position given to that Stone, and they rejoice that this one has been made the symbolic headstone or topstone, the highest and most responsible one in Jehovah’s system of worship. They are happy to be underpriests under that symbolic engraved Stone, Jesus Christ. They see from the Holy ures that as “men serving as portents” they are under divine command to serve as witnesses to this exalted Stone, Jehovah’s one High Priest, Jesus.
SPIRITUAL PROSPERITY LEADING TO ENDLESS LIFE
44 What was to be expected after Jehovah fulfilled his promise given through Zechariah: “I will take away the error of that land in one day”? Nothing else but divine favor, expressed in material and spiritual blessings for the Israelites worshiping at their completed second temple in Jerusalem. Most appropriately, then, that promise was followed up by this divine prophecy: “‘In that day,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies, ‘you will call, each one to the other, while under the vine and while under the fig tree.’”—Zechariah 3:10.
45 In this day when all false religions are crumbling and are about to be destroyed in the world’s worst trouble, that prophecy meant spiritual prosperity to sincere God-fearing persons who give themselves wholeheartedly to divine worship at the one true spiritual temple where Jehovah’s one approved High Priest serves. It means the fulfillment of the companion prophecy of Micah 4:1-4 (By):
And in the future days the mountain of Jehovah’s house shall be set at the head of the mountains, lifted above hills, and peoples shall stream to it. And many nations shall go and say “Come and let us go up to Jehovah’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, to have him instruct us in ways of his that we may go in his paths,” because from Sion instruction shall go out and Jehovah’s word from Jerusalem. And he shall give judgment between many peoples and pronounce verdicts for numerous nations to a great distance, and they shall pound their swords into hoes and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not take up sword against nation, and they shall never again learn war. And they shall sit each man under his grape-vine or his fig-tree with no one to alarm them, for the mouth of Jehovah of Armies has promised it.
46 Even so today, when nuclear warfare threatens the world, Jehovah’s Christian witnesses reside on their God-given spiritual estate in spiritual prosperity. They maintain loving peace among themselves, absolutely taking no part in the wars of this world. Satan has failed in resisting their High Priest Jesus Christ!