The Judgement of God upon Jesus: Zechariah 3 Explained

The second death which faces mankind brings fear, dread and torment to him all of his lifetime. This was the death Jesus took for us. When he hung there on the cross, it wasn’t the anguish of the physical torment, although he felt everything that we could possibly feel; and it wasn’t the separation from people whom he held dear, although he felt it just as keenly as anyone; but Jesus suffered pains that even the ungodly, those totally separated from God, had never felt, for the ungodly have never felt the pangs that come when the last little flicker of hope is extinguished and they hear the words, “Depart into eternal damnation.” While living on this earth, they have never felt the weight, the hopelessness and the horror of feeling the cold side of God as he turned his back on them.

Jesus suffered the torment of a damned soul. From his heart he cried out, “Oh, God, why have you forsaken me?” and the cold pangs of eternal damnation, those icy fingers gripped his life, and Jesus suffered the judgment of God. He was totally separated from God at that moment.

(Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. I want to bring this truth to people. Build a picture before us right now. Let us see what you have done. Let us see your love for us that was so great that your only begotten Son became our substitute.)

The Spirit told me to give the message that your sin has already been judged; the separating barriers between God and man are down; you are free, liberated by his power; and you can be restored to a place of total innocence, to man’s original position of closeness and fellowship with God.

The importance of this message is seen by the reminders of the sacrifice in every message that has been brought by the angel. I remember so distinctly the very first time Gabriel came, he unfolded a beautiful truth from the third chapter of Zechariah. He said, “You have been aware of the sacrifice of Christ as seen from the earth which is from man’s viewpoint; now would you like to see what happened from God’s viewpoint?”

Instantly, he allowed me to see Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, totally sinless, as a moving, living panorama, coming from the Father to earth. Then Gabriel said, “Now look at him as he returns to heaven.” Then I saw Jesus bowed down, with his priestly garments torn and splattered with mud, filthy with the rot and the stench of the world. He came with his shoulders bowed, into the presence of God. My heart broke when I saw that. I saw Jesus in a different light than I had ever seen him before. I saw him coming into heaven from the darkness of the pit of hell, bearing the sins of the whole world.

Then as Jesus stood there, bowed, with God’s back turned towards him, Gabriel, the angel of the Lord, spoke in a loud voice and said, “Take those filthy garments from him, remove them to a place where they will never be found, and put on him now the new, kingly robes, the royal priestly robes.” Then the angels who stood before him placed the robes over him and Gabriel said, “Take a crown and put it on his head.” On that crown was the message that ascended before God: “Holiness to the Lord.” Count all of those people who follow me as holy. Accept them because of what I have done. There it was, written right across the crown. That’s when Jesus became our King and our High Priest.

I had read the third chapter of Zechariah many times, but not until Gabriel reminded me did it occur to me that in the Greek language the name of Joshua is really the name Jesus. I had never before seen the truth of how Jesus returned to heaven. All of Zechariah 3 is quoted here so that you will see the prophecy fulfilled exactly as God allowed me to see it in this beautiful:

Then the angel showed me (in my vision) Joshua (Jesus) the High Priest standing before the Angel of the Lord; and Satan was there too, at the Angel’s right hand, accusing Joshua of many things. And the Lord said to Satan, ‘I reject your accusations, Satan; yes, I, the Lord, for I have decided to be merciful to Jerusalem – I rebuke you. I have decreed mercy to Joshua and his nation; they are like a burning stick pulled out of the fire.’

Joshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood as he stood before the Angel of the Lord. Then the Angel said to the others standing there, ‘Remove his filthy clothing.’ And turning to Joshua he said, ‘See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.’

Then I (Zechariah) said, “Please, could he also have a clean turban on his head?” So they gave him one. Then the Angel of the Lord spoke very solemnly to Joshua and said, ‘The Lord of Hosts declares: If you will follow the paths I set for you and do all I tell you to, then I will put you in charge of my Temple, to keep it holy; and I will let you walk in and out of my presence with these angels.

Listen to me, O Joshua the High Priest, and all you other priests, you are illustrations of the good things to come. Don’t you see” – Joshua represents my servant The Branch whom I will send. He will be the Foundation Stone of the Temple that Joshua is standing beside, and I will engrave this inscription on it seven times: I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.

And after that, the Lord of Hosts declares, you will live in peace and prosperity and each of you will own a home of your own where you can invite your neighbors. (Zechariah 3, TLB).

In verses 10 and 11 (of Isaiah 53) are the words that came right from the heart of God and I pray that they will grip you as they did me. “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shall make his soul an offering for sin …” God took that undying soul and allowed him to swallow, not just a little taste of death, but a taste for every man. His eternal soul was given as an offering for sin.

As Jesus was put to grief, as he was bruised, as his soul was made an offering for sin, the Bible says now look upon him, look at him, he is giving birth to a new race. He was in travail; his soul travailed. Verse 11 says: “He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.” Verse 10 says, “He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.” In making his soul an offering for sin, Jesus made eternal redemption possible for everyone, for the whole world.

From the agonies of a damned soul was born the seed springing forth. “He shall see his seed.” He saw the church spring up, and he’s looking today at his seed, his offspring his redeemed, his ransomed, his liberated, who have sprouted up from his death.

When he looks down at you, he says, “I remember the travail upon my soul, and what I see satisfies me, and I like it. You are a member of the family, you are redeemed, and you are a child of God. You are a member of a new race. Not a Jewish race, not a Gentile race, but a member of that new race, a member of the heavenly kingdom, a heavenly race, a royal priesthood.”

At his death, Jesus was actually being struck by God’s hand with the judgment for the sin of the entire world. At this point, Jesus entered into a total separation from God, and God turned his back upon him because of sin.

This great messenger that God sent brought this truth home to me so forcefully that as I saw it, I lay in bed and wept. I couldn’t help it – the bed shook because of my seeing the price that Jesus paid and what his sacrifice and our remembering it really represent.

There is a day coming for many, many people who refuse to identify with Jesus, not realizing that he has already tasted death for them; that he has already become their substitute in judgment. There is a day coming when men will hear those words again, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire …” (Matthew 25:41). They will feel the agony that Jesus experienced, but they don’t have to. God and the hosts of heaven are working full time today to spare men and women from the awfulness of that day.

Audibly, or just from your heart, say, “Jesus, thank you for tasting death for me. Thank you for destroying all evidence of sin that has been held against me, for removing the records.” It’s just that plain simple.

This is an excerpt from Charles & Frances Hunter’s famous book, Angels on Assignment. I will recommend that you read the book if never have. This is available for free via the internet. If you still struggle to find a free copy, kindly comment your email and I will send it to you directly. God richly bless you