Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a level land. And he will certainly bring forth the headstone. There will be shoutings to it: ‘How charming! How charming!’”’”​—Zechariah 4:6, 7.

THE BARRIER TO BE REDUCED TO NOTHING

10. What opposition did Zerubbabel face, and what might it seem to be like, especially in view of what circumstances?

¹⁰ How would anyone of us have liked to have the opposition of the pagan governors of the Persian provinces on this side (the western side) of the Euphrates River? Not just that, but how would any single one of us have liked to have the opposition of the emperor of the whole Persian Empire, King Darius I? That is the opposition that, for the time being, stood in the way of Zerubbabel as he went ahead with rebuilding Jehovah’s temple at Jerusalem in that year 519 B.C.E. (Ezra 5:3 to 6:2) That would indeed appear like a “great mountain” in the way of carrying the temple’s reconstruction to a successful finish, would it not?

12. That figurative “great mountain” before Zerubbabel was to become what, and how was the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:4, 5 an assurance of this?

¹² What, then, is a figurative “great mountain” in the way? To it Jehovah of armies says: “Before Zerubbabel you will become a level land.” Before Zerubbabel and the faithful remnant that had returned with him from Babylon Jehovah had fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 40:4, 5: “Let every valley be raised up, and every mountain and hill be made low. And the knobby ground must become level land, and the rugged ground a valley plain. And the glory of Jehovah will certainly be revealed, and all flesh must see it together, for the very mouth of Jehovah has spoken it.” He could now do a similar thing in the case of this “great mountain” that confronted Governor Zerubbabel in that year 519 B.C.E. Let us note how He did so, by no strenuous effort on Zerubbabel’s part, but by His spirit.

13. (a) How had Jehovah earlier, on Chislev 24, 520 B.C.E., given Zerubbabel an assurance against enemy military force, through Haggai? (b) What would the adversaries do, certainly after Zerubbabel acted under stimulation by Zechariah’s fifth vision?

¹³ Just two months previously He had declared how he would deal with the enemy military hosts, saying: “I am rocking the heavens and the earth. And I shall certainly overthrow the throne of kingdoms and annihilate the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariot and its riders, and the horses and their riders will certainly come down, each one by the sword of his brother. ‘In that day,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies, ‘I shall take you, O Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, my servant,’ is the utterance of Jehovah; ‘and I shall certainly set you as a seal ring, because you are the one whom I have chosen,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies.” (Haggai 2:20-23) Because of what Governor Zerubbabel and his fellow workers did that day (Chislev 24, 520 B.C.E.) at the foundation of the temple in Jerusalem, the provincial governors west of the Euphrates River may have taken their appeal to King Darius I in Shushan, Persia. But certainly those provincial governors must have protested to King Darius I after Zerubbabel went forward with the temple work under the stimulation of this fifth vision that Zechariah reported to him.

14. According to Ezra 6:1-13, what did King Darius I do on getting the appeal of the aroused provincial governors?

¹⁴ Up till then King Darius I had let the ban as imposed by King Artaxerxes stand against the temple building. But on getting the appeal of the aroused provincial governors, what did he do?

It was then that Darius the king put an order through, and they made an investigation in the house of the records of the treasures deposited there in Babylon. And at Ecbatana, in the fortified place that was in the jurisdictional district of Media, there was found a scroll, and the memorandum to this effect was written within it:

“In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king put an order through concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as the place where they are to offer sacrifices, and its foundations are to be fixed, its height being sixty cubits, its width sixty cubits, with three layers of stones rolled into place and one layer of timbers; and let the expense be given from the king’s house. And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God that Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon be returned, that they may reach the temple that is in Jerusalem at its place and be deposited in the house of God.

“Now Tattenai the governor beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues, the lesser governors that are beyond the River, keep your distance from there. Let the work on that house of God alone. The governor of the Jews and the older men of the Jews will rebuild that house of God upon its place. And by me an order has been put through as to what you will do with these older men of the Jews, for rebuilding that house of God; and from the royal treasury of the tax beyond the River the expense will promptly be given to these able-bodied men without cessation. And what is needed, young bulls as well as rams and lambs for the burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine and oil, just as the priests that are in Jerusalem say, let there be given them continually day by day without fail; that they may continually be presenting soothing offerings to the God of the heavens and praying for the life of the king and his sons. And by me an order has been put through that, as for anybody that violates this decree, a timber will be pulled out of his house and he will be impaled upon it, and his house will be turned into a public privy on this account. And may the God who has caused his name to reside there overthrow any king and people that thrusts his hand out to commit a violation and destroy that house of God, which is in Jerusalem. I, Darius, do put through an order. Let it be done promptly.”

Then Tattenai the governor beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues, just as Darius the king had sent word, so they did promptly.​—Ezra 6:1-13.

The figurative “mountain” that was raised up by opposition forces in the way of Zerubbabel was made a “level land” for him. His faith in Jehovah of armies and his courage to do the temple work were amply rewarded. Foreknowing what he would accomplish by means of his invincible spirit, Jehovah went on to say in that fifth vision to Zechariah: “And he will certainly bring forth the headstone. There will be shoutings to it: ‘How charming! How charming!’”​—Zechariah 4:7.

THE “CHARMING” HEADSTONE

16. How essential was that headstone, and what would Zerubbabel’s bringing it forth certify?

¹⁶ That “headstone” was the crowning stone of the temple to be rebuilt at Jerusalem. That headstone was the essential stone that would put the finishing touch to the temple. Governor Zerubbabel’s bringing it forth would certify that he would bring the temple work through to a completion. There would be no stopping of him as Jehovah’s servant now. Jehovah’s spirit would see to that!

17. Why would that day of putting the headstone in place be one of exultation, and why would the spectators cry out, “How charming!”?

¹⁷ A day of boundless exultation it would be when he put that headstone into its place, to signalize the successful finishing of the temple at the city where God had put his holy name. The enraptured crowd of spectators on beholding this crowning feat would cry out in admiration of that headstone in its prominent place: “How charming! How charming!” It was beautiful in itself, for it was the same stone that was laid before High Priest Joshua the son of Jehozadak and the engraving of which Jehovah himself had engraved by means of his agent. (Zechariah 3:9) But that engraved headstone took on added beauty as it now occupied its assigned position in the temple structure and gave to the temple structure a gratifying appearance. Not only were the charmed eyes of the temple worshipers on that headstone, but Jehovah’s “seven eyes” were specially upon that stone in undivided attention. Its being put in place was a vindication of his word of prophecy by Haggai and Zechariah.

18. According to recorded history, when did that day of exultation come?

¹⁸ That day of exultation and of vindication came on the third day of the lunar month Adar of the year 515 B.C.E., for this is what recorded history says: “And the older men of the Jews were building and making progress under the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the grandson of Iddo, and they built and finished it due to the order of the God of Israel and due to the order of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes the king of Persia. And they completed this house by the third day of the lunar month Adar, that is, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.”​—Ezra 6:14, 15.

19. What grand prospect does that prophetic religious occasion set before us today, and by what means will this be brought about?

¹⁹ What a grand prospect that historic but prophetic occasion sets forth before all lovers of the pure, undefiled worship of the one living and true God today! It points ahead to the time when the true worship of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will be brought to its perfected state at his spiritual temple. This will be when Babylon the Great (the world empire of false religion, including sectarian Christendom) is destroyed and all the political, military and social elements of this world who are opposed to even the pure religion are destroyed, and the cleansed earth is left with only the remnant of spiritual underpriests of spiritual Israel and their fellow worshipers out of all nations and peoples and tribes. This crowning achievement will be brought about, as Jehovah says, “not by a military force, nor by power, but by my spirit.”

20. What governor has a specially privileged part in that coming fulfillment of prophecy?

²⁰ The antitypical Governor Zerubbabel will have a specially privileged part in bringing to reality the modern-day fulfillment of this divine prophecy. We know who he is​—Jesus Christ, who now governs from his heavenly throne over the faithful remnant of his spiritual underpriests and their dedicated, baptized companion worshipers.

21. Zerubbabel and Joshua picture what capacities that are combined in Jesus Christ and also prefigured in Melchizedek?

²¹ Zerubbabel prefigured the glorified King Jesus Christ in an aspect different from what High Priest Joshua the son of Jehozadak did. High Priest Joshua (whom Greek-speaking Jews called “Jesus”) pictured Jesus Christ in his priestly functions. Zerubbabel, being appointed governor of the province of Judah, pictured the Lord Jesus Christ in his governmental capacity as of a king. These two capacities, that of high priest and that of governor, are combined in the glorified Jesus Christ, for he is also prefigured by Melchizedek, concerning whom Genesis 14:18 says: “Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine, and he was priest of the Most High God.” Hebrews 7:1 calls him “Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God.”​—Psalm 110:1-4.

22. (a) Zerubbabel used his governing power in protecting and promoting what work, under whose decree? (b) Whom did Zerubbabel prefigure in a like work and as leveling what “great mountain”?

²² Zerubbabel as governor of Jerusalem and Judah would promote the rebuilding of the temple as decreed by King Cyrus. He would use his governmental power to safeguard the temple work. To him, evidently under the title of Sheshbazzar, the sacred “utensils of the house of Jehovah” were entrusted by King Cyrus, and these holy utensils Zerubbabel brought from Babylon to Jerusalem to be used in the rebuilt house of Jehovah. (Ezra 1:7 to 2:2; 5:13-16) Rightly, then, Governor Zerubbabel took the leading part in the laying of the foundation of the second temple of Jehovah at Jerusalem. (Ezra 3:8-10) In this way Zerubbabel foreshadowed how the reigning King Jesus Christ would give stimulus to the work of restoring the pure worship of Jehovah at his spiritual temple. He would protect the remnant of anointed spiritual underpriests now on earth in their efforts since 1919 C.E., to restore Jehovah’s pure worship among all mankind. The “great mountain” of opposition and difficulty in the way of their doing this he has reduced to “level land.”

23. (a) How does Jesus Christ compare with Governor Zerubbabel in promoting the temple-building work? (b) How does he fulfill the picture of bringing forth the headstone and placing it?

²³ To compare with Governor Zerubbabel in bringing forth the headstone and putting it in place in the temple in 515 B.C.E., the glorified Jesus Christ will bring the work of reestablishing Jehovah’s worship at His spiritual temple to triumphant completion. By means of his invisible holy angels he will gather all the needed remnant of spiritual underpriests and will aid them in carrying out their duties in the antitypical Holy of Jehovah’s spiritual temple. He himself will fulfill the role of the “headstone” in that spiritual arrangement for Jehovah’s worship. At God’s due time he will take his own assigned place in that spiritual framework of worship and thus give the finishing touch to its completion. He is the Key One, like a figurative headstone, to the perfecting of that divine arrangement for worship, in which he serves as the Royal High Priest in behalf of all mankind. When he takes his place and reports to Jehovah God that he has completed the work on restoring the full-scale worship by means of all the necessary underpriests at the spiritual temple, that will result in a “charming” sight.

24. When will Jehovah’s worshipers cry out to the Greater Headstone, “How charming!”?

²⁴ At that sacred moment, when it becomes manifest that the work with regard to true worship has been perfected despite the opposition of Babylon the Great and her political patronizers, all true worshipers of Jehovah on earth will be filled with irrepressible appreciation of the part that the Greater Governor, Jesus Christ, has successfully performed. Jubilantly they will shout out to him as the Greater Headstone: “How charming! How charming!”