Fourth Scroll: ZECHARIAH’S PUZZLE
Copyright © Jules Dervaes
April 28, 1987
If you have been puzzled by the turn of events which have occurred in God’s Church in the last year, then please LISTEN to the words of Mr. Herbert Armstrong from his book MYSTERY OF THE AGES:
I learned that the Bible is like a jigsaw puzzle—thousands of pieces that need putting together—and the pieces will fit in only one way. Then the picture becomes crystal clear to the one willing to believe what God our Creator says … See these truths with your own eyes in your own Bible. And open your mind to God’s leading you into His TRUTH as you do. It will make a lot of sense as nothing ever did before. (page xi)
ARE YOU one who is willing to believe what God says? WILL YOU open your mind to God’s leading you?
The truths of the Bible are revealed here a little, there a little, scattered from beginning to end, and revealed only through the Holy Spirit within those surrendered and yielded to God, willing to have confessed error and wrongdoing, and yielding to BELIEVE Christ the Word of God. (page 5)
HAVE YOU yielded yourself lately to believe what Christ speaks to you through the Bible?
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)
He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God. (John 8:47)
DO YOU BELONG TO GOD ?
THEN HEAR HIM !
Kingly & Priestly : Godly
* & his associates
Hidden in His Word are the plans of Almighty God. Disclosed is His promise to reveal those “secrets” for you! (Amos 3:7) However, you may of your own choice find it “easier” to become blind to the light of God’s truth.
In modern times Christ began the piece-by-piece revelation of Bible mysteries through His Apostle and servant Mr. Armstrong. One KEY segment was FIXED as the leader of God’s Church plainly identified himself with Zerubbabel. This was the primary DIRECT LINK with the Old Testament and was crucial to unlocking the New Testament future—according to the dual nature of Biblical prophecy.
Henceforth, the prophetic picture hinged on this KEY IDENTIFICATION! Notice Mr. Armstrong’s statement:
Zerubbabel was the governor of the contingent [of Jews] and builder of the temple to which Christ came at His first appearing on earth as the human Jesus. Also, prophetically this Zerubbabel was the type of one to come in the LAST DAYS of this world whom Christ would use in building the temple to which the glorified all-powerful Christ shall come at His second appearing. (The PLAIN TRUTH, April ’79)
And, about the first four chapters of Zechariah, he writes:
The real MESSAGE is about OUR TIME, NOW—the LAST DAYS! (The GOOD NEWS, May ’80)
With that discovery one can begin to interconnect the Old and the New Covenants. God intended for us to apply this information and continue to solve THE REST OF THE PUZZLE!!! We aren’t to abandon its completion when it seems in our self-interest to “look the other way.” Instead we should NOW be inserting those other pieces that FIT that part which has already been put into its place by the hand of God.
By restoring God’s government for the “spiritual Jews,” Mr. Armstrong did indeed fulfill his “part”; he led that remnant which had come out of the captivity of this world—modern Babylon! It was his job to prepare that Spiritual Temple, the one to which the Spiritual Christ would LATER (not in his life) come as KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.
Just before his death, Mr. Armstrong appointed Mr. Tkach as his successor. After this delegation Mr. Tkach was proclaimed as JOSHUA. This very popular analogy was well-documented with much acclamation.
Even though the desired intent was to model the Moses/Joshua sequence, the name used was also the same as Zechariah’s JOSHUA. Here was that key Zerubbabel (/Joshua) LINK which had already been established by Mr. Armstrong.
It is here, therefore, that we should insert this recent piece—EXACTLY WHERE IT FITS!!!
This once again goes to prove that our purposes are not God’s purposes. (Isaiah 55:8) Our actions and our desires notwithstanding, God’s plan alone will stand.
Mr. Armstrong stressed that he was of the Davidic line, the SAME as that of his Old Testament type. Now Mr. Tkach has been designated as being of the lineage of Levi. This additional evidence as well confirms that he is NOT the type of the Joshua of the Exodus (from the tribe of Ephraim) BUT the type of the Joshua of the Temple who was from the priestly tribe. Can this be only a coincidence?
A look at history will show that it was the priestly leadership in Judah that continued until the time of the Messiah, including the three and one-half years of His ministry. This period is foretold by the term “your associates” which attests to the fact that, during the tenure of “Joshua,” Christ would come to the Jerusalem Temple over which he/they had charge. (Zech. 3:8)
That leadership failed to see the piece of the Kingdom puzzle which was “hidden” in the Isaiah 52 & 53 portraiture. HOW could they miss their own Savior? Because HE simply did not fit into THEIR plans. It was not advantageous for them to alter their ideas to FIT what God had in mind!
Likewise, today, the Church has become “glued” to its initial plans of following Mr. Armstrong to the place of safety to await the setting up of an earthly kingdom. But his death has made that speculation outdated. Yet we still cling to the old plan by doctoring it, splicing in a new leader; i.e., we say that we will just have Mr. Tkach take us “there” instead.
However, a “new” reality requires that OUR plans be subject to review and revision. Everything must be always brought back into line with SCRIPTURAL REALITY. It is time to return to “the trunk of the tree.”
What is fact, what is proven fact—not any supposition—is that Mr. Armstrong WAS “Zerubbabel”! The next leader IS that “Joshua” who was “dressed in filthy clothes.” There is no reason to “crowbar” any different, unwieldy selections into place because THIS PIECE FITS!!!
The Bible states this man Joshua will be a “burning stick snatched from the fire.” This metaphor signals that he will be put to the test as he carries “the baton” of the Seventh Era Church into the “FIRE” of the Great Tribulation.
NOTE: Prior submission of this material has been made to the Pastor General of the Worldwide Church of God.