This is Monday morning, February 4, 1974, in Richmond, Virginia. Ministry is being given through Brother Stephen Cohn.
We return to the third chapter of the book of Zechariah.
We will read the whole chapter—only ten verses.
And He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; yea, the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
And He answered and spake unto those that stood before Him, saying, Take the filthy garments from off him. And unto him He said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with rich apparel.
And I said, Let them set a clean mitre upon his head. So they set a clean mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments; and the angel of the Lord stood by.
And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts: If thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My charge, then thou shalt also judge My house, and shalt also keep My courts, and I will give thee a place of access among these that stand by.
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee; for they are men that are a sign: for, behold, I will bring forth My servant the Branch.
For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye invite every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree.
We mentioned last night that, for the sake of rebuilding the temple, God raised up not only an old man, Haggai, to be His spokesman, but God also raised up a young man, Zechariah, to confirm and strengthen the word of the Lord to the remnant.
Haggai prophesied first, and then Zechariah came.
Now, last night we mentioned that when Zechariah began to prophesy, there was a message of the Lord to the remnant: “Return unto Me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will return unto you.”
Even though at that time the remnant was already stirred by the Spirit of God to start building the temple, yet God’s word to them was still, “Return unto Me, and I will return unto you.”
In other words, God was interested more in their heart than in their position or in their work. Positionally, they were already in Jerusalem. So far as the work was concerned, their hands were upon the work of the temple. But God said, “How about your heart? Is your heart pure?”
That was the only thing that could satisfy God. So even to this remnant, God’s word to them was, “Return unto Me, and I will return unto you.”
And thank God, they did return. Because of that, in the eleventh month Zechariah prophesied again.
That prophecy came in the form of visions. We find that God gave him, in one night, a series of eight visions, one after another.
These visions are related; they are consecutive, because one is developed after the other. Through these visions we can see the whole plan of God in the work of recovery. God will recover His people fully, finally, at the very end.
Last night we mentioned the first vision. I will just say a little, and then we have to go on.
The first vision that Zechariah saw was a man in a low valley full of myrtle trees. We know myrtle trees are lowly trees; they grow in the valley near the water.
So far as the position of God’s people was concerned—so far as the remnant who returned to Jerusalem was concerned—they were no longer in the position of the cedars of Lebanon. When Israel was in full glory, she was represented by the cedars of Lebanon.
But now Israel, the remnant, was in a low position, being in a low valley as myrtle trees. Yet even so, they drew water. They drew from the grace of God, and they were very fragrant before God.
And a man, the angel of the Lord, was among the myrtle trees. In other words, the Lord condescended Himself to be with His people who were in such a low state.
The Lord did not leave them nor forsake them. The Lord was with them.
There was that man riding upon the red horse, and behind Him were horses, red, sorrel, and white. In other words, it was a team. These were the messengers sent out by God throughout the whole earth to report to God what had happened on earth.
They reported to the angel of the Lord. We know that in the Old Testament, the angel of the Lord speaks of the second Person of the Trinity. They reported to the angel of the Lord that the whole world was at rest.
During the reign of Darius, the whole earth was at rest. But while the whole earth was at rest, God’s people were struggling. The poor remnant was struggling for its existence and with the rebuilding of the temple. They did not have a very easy time; as a matter of fact, they were in great difficulties.
So the angel of the Lord took up their cause. The Bible says that the angel of the Lord pleaded to the Lord. The Son interceded to the Father on behalf of His own people and said, “How long? Is not seventy years of captivity long enough? Will You not do something for them?”
And the word of the Lord came: good words, comforting words.
The Lord said that He had been jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
“I am very sore displeased with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. Therefore I will return to Jerusalem with mercies. My house shall be built in it, and Jerusalem shall be inhabited.”
So, brothers and sisters, here we find that even today God’s people—and especially those whose hearts are in the interests of God—find themselves in this world in a very low position. But thank God, the Lord is with us.
Sometimes you may find the world at rest, and yet those who really want the Lord seem to have great difficulties. You wonder why.
The answer of the Lord is this: our God is a jealous God. He is jealous over Jerusalem and over Zion because He loves Jerusalem and loves Zion so much. Because He loves so much, He is so jealous.
He deals with them very strictly. He disciplines them in order to bring them back to Himself fully and perfectly. That explains the discipline of God’s people.
But God says that He will return with mercy. He will build, and He will bless them. So that is the first vision.
There are eight visions altogether, but this morning my burden is in the third chapter, which is the fourth vision. To introduce the fourth vision, we will mention a little about the second and third visions in order to see their continuity.
After the first vision, the second vision came. Zechariah lifted up his eyes and saw four horns.
Horns in Scripture always represent power. Here he saw these powers—the powers of the world that had scattered the nation of Israel. In other words, the world uses its power to scatter God’s people.
That is what happened to the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel was scattered. But that was not the end.
God showed him four craftsmen, and these four craftsmen would break the horns. In other words, through these craftsmen the nation would be regathered together. That is what God promises and what God is doing.
Brothers and sisters, the powers of this world always try to scatter God’s people, lest they be united and become strong. But thank God, He has His craftsmen. He has His way to deal with the powers of this world and to bring His people together as a testimony to His name.
Then, after that, the third vision was given. The third vision was of a man with a measuring line in his hand.
Whenever a man has a measuring line, you know he is doing something, or something is being built and is to be measured whether it meets the standard or not. God is building something. God is building the city.
The man was to measure Jerusalem, the width and the length of Jerusalem. But it would be such a city, of such gigantic dimensions, inhabited by so many people, that it would be a city without walls.
If you have walls, you are limited. But here God is building a city, the city of Jerusalem, fully inhabited and even without walls. There would be such length and breadth that it could not be limited.
But does that mean there is no wall? There is a wall. God says, “I will be a wall of fire round about her, and I will be the glory in the midst of her.”
The blessing of the Lord was such that it was unlimited. God was the wall of fire; God protected them. And God was the glory in their midst.
Then there were words to three different kinds of people.
First, there was God’s word to His people who still dwelt with the daughter of Babylon: “Flee from the land of the north.” God was going to judge Babylon, and if His people remained there, they would suffer loss. The cry of the Lord to His people who still remained in Babylon was, “Flee; come out of Babylon.”
Then there were words to the daughters of Zion, those people who had already come out and returned to Jerusalem. God’s word to them was, “I will dwell with you. I will be a wall of fire around you, and the glory in your midst.”
And then, for all flesh—for the world—the word of God was:
Let all flesh be silent before the Lord: for He is waked up out of His holy habitation.
God had started to work, so let all flesh be silent.
Brothers and sisters, the spiritual application is as real today as it was with the children of Israel at that time. What is God’s word to those believers who still dwell in Babylon, in confusion? Come out, because the judgment is coming. God is going to avenge Himself.
To those who are daughters of Zion, the word of the Lord is, “No matter how difficult it is, I am with you. I am a wall of fire around you, and the glory in your midst.”
And to all flesh, God says, “Be silent. God has risen up out of His holy habitation. He is working. Be careful.”
These introduce us to the fourth vision in Zechariah 3.
And He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
We know the remnant came back under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua. Zerubbabel was of the royal seed of David, and Joshua was of the seed of Aaron. He was the high priest.
So, under the joint leadership of the king, as it were, and the priest—the kingship and the priesthood—the remnant came back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple; that is, to rebuild the testimony of God.
Joshua was the high priest. You will remember that the high priest had a breastplate upon his breast with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel inscribed upon precious stones. He also had upon his shoulders the names of the twelve tribes inscribed on onyx stones.
When he entered into the presence of the Lord, he entered representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The high priest represents the spiritual condition of the whole nation. He is responsible for the spiritual condition of the children of Israel.
So, in the recovery of the testimony of God, one thing must be recovered: the priesthood. Joshua here represents the priesthood. The priesthood is closely related to the spiritual state of the whole nation, because it is through the priesthood that the nation is able to be presented before God.
Here in the vision, God showed Zechariah Joshua. Joshua, at that time, must have been a very old man.
Joshua was standing before the angel of the Lord. That was his position. The high priest was supposed to stand before the presence of God on behalf of all the people, representing all the people.
But Satan was standing at his right hand to resist him.
As Joshua was standing before the angel of the Lord, Satan was there standing at his right hand. Why? To resist him before the angel of the Lord.
Satan is the accuser of the brethren. You know, in the case of Job, Satan appeared before God and accused Job falsely.
Satan accused Job, saying, “No one really loves God. The reason why Job fears God is because You, God, have put a hedge around him. You have blessed him so much. He really loves Your blessings, not You at all. Suppose You take away all Your blessings; then we will see. He will curse You to Your face.”
Satan challenged Job’s love for God. He claimed that there was no such thing as pure love toward God.
You remember also that, in the book of Revelation, Satan is the accuser of the brethren. How he accuses the brethren before God!
Sometimes he accuses without ground—false accusation, many of them. Brothers and sisters, how often we suffer from that. Satan accuses us falsely, and we take it as though it were real. We are brought into a very poor condition, and we suffer for it.
But, sad to say, sometimes Satan accuses with ground. He does find some ground to attack. He does find some ground upon which he can accuse us before God, and even God cannot say that there is no such weakness.
Satan never sees the difference, whether it is true or false. He is the accuser, the accuser of the brethren.
Brothers and sisters, when Satan is resisting us, what do you do?
In the life of our Lord Jesus, to the very end of His life, He could say:
The ruler of this world hath come, and he hath nothing in Me.
This is our Lord. There was no place in Him for the adversary. The Lord never gave any ground to the adversary.
The adversary tried everything to get in, but he could not. There was no ground.
On the contrary, our Lord Jesus on the cross defeated Satan so completely that He took him captive and made a public display of him on the cross.
But unfortunately, we are not as perfect. Unfortunately, we have given many grounds to the enemy to accuse us. With these grounds, he accuses us even more; he adds many more things to them.
Joshua was in a very difficult position. Here was Satan standing by his right hand to resist him.
In other words, Satan was saying: “Who are you? You think you can come back to rebuild the temple? You think you can come back to serve God as a high priest? You think you will come back to restore the testimony of God? Look at yourself.”
“You are clothed with filthy garments. You do not have the priestly garments at all. You are not qualified. How dare you? On what ground? What right do you have to engage yourself in the recovery of the testimony of God?”
“You are utterly incompetent. You are unworthy. You cannot do such a work. You are disqualified.”
Brothers and sisters, Joshua could not lift up his head. Why? Because he was clothed with filthy garments. How could any priest come to the temple with filthy garments?
A priest who served in the temple had to serve with holy garments, with priestly robes for beauty and for glory. If you read Exodus 28, the high priest was clothed with such beauty and glory. When he presented himself before God, it was in a manner fitting for one who served in the presence of God.
But here was Joshua, utterly unworthy and undeserving.
This was a terrible scene. If Satan should succeed in his accusation, then the recovery would suffer. There would be no priesthood; there would be no service. Even if the temple were built, the temple would be dead. There would be no functioning in it. Everything would be dead.
It was very, very critical—most critical.
Well, thank God, Joshua could not say a word. He could not lift up his head. Yet there was One.
And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; yea, the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee.
Jehovah said unto Satan. Of course, this was the angel of the Lord who was there. Instead of Joshua answering the accuser, the angel of the Lord answered the accuser.
It was as though there were a judge and an accuser. The angel of the Lord was the Judge, and He answered the accuser: “The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan. The Lord who hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee.”
In other words, the Judge took the side of the accused.
It is true: you have ground to accuse Joshua, and Joshua has no way to answer you. But I can answer you. Why? Because the Lord has chosen Jerusalem.
Here is the matter of sovereign grace. Sovereign grace.
Who is worthy to serve God? Who is worthy to be in the priesthood? No one. It is through the sovereign grace of God that all these things will come to pass.
The Lord has chosen Jerusalem. It is on the basis of His election; it is on the basis of His sovereign grace. The Lord rebukes the accuser.
Not the accused rebuking the accuser, but the Judge rebuking the accuser.
Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
Historically, of course, the captivity was like the fire. The people in captivity were like wood in the fire; they would be completely consumed.
But a remnant came back from captivity, like a brand plucked out of the fire. It was already burned, scorched, blackened—yet God took it out.
If you snatch something out of the fire, you do not simply snatch it out and then throw it back into the fire. You snatch it out because you want it.
So God said, “I have snatched Joshua out as a brand out of the fire. I will not give him up. I will perfect him. I have a purpose in him. I will restore the priesthood so that he may serve.”
Oh, brothers and sisters, are we not as brands plucked out of the fire? What do we deserve? We deserve nothing but eternal fire.
We were sinners. We deserved that eternal fire. But thank God, by His grace He has plucked us out of the fire. It is true that we may still be smoking, but the Lord says, “I will not give up. It is My work. I am doing the work. I will perfect them. I will bring them to My purpose.”
Is it not true? In Romans 8, we are predestinated to be conformed to the image of God’s Son.
If there is a doctrine of predestination, here it is: we are predestinated to be conformed to the image of God’s Son. We whom God foreknew, we whom God chose, we whom God justified, He will glorify.
In other words, once He lays His hand upon you, He will not give you up. He will complete it. That is predestination. It is grace—sovereign grace.
So God rebuked Satan and challenged Satan. He said, “You may accuse him, but I am going to perfect him.”
He spoke to those standing by, those ministering angels, and said, “Take off the filthy garments from Joshua.”
Joshua could not take off the filthy garments himself. It was the Lord who commanded that the filthy garments should be taken away from him. In other words, it was grace.
And instead, put on the festival robes—the robes of the high priest when he served during the festivals; in other words, in his full glory.
You have to read Exodus 28 to see the full glory of the high priestly garments.
Now, brothers and sisters, these filthy garments upon Joshua, and later the festival robes, are not the same as the best robe with which the father clothed the prodigal son when he returned. No.
I think this is something we have to understand. When the prodigal returned to the father, he was in rags. The father, after forgiving his son, asked that the best robe be brought out and put upon him so that he might appear before the father in a worthy manner.
That robe in Scripture represents Christ, our righteousness. When we repent and come to God, He forgives all sins and clothes us with Christ. God has made Christ our righteousness.
When God looks at us, He sees the righteousness of Christ—Christ our righteousness. This robe can never be defiled. Remember that. Who can defile Christ? Christ is our righteousness. This righteousness always shines; it never changes its color. It is Christ.
No matter how you are, brothers and sisters, you may feel very low today, but your righteousness has not changed. Your position with God remains the same. You can come to God on the ground of Christ.
You may change, but He never changes. This robe cannot be defiled. It is Christ.
But there is another robe that can be defiled. We must be clothed with two garments, not just one.
In Psalm 45, you find the queen clothed with a garment of wrought gold. Over and above that garment of wrought gold, there was a garment of embroidery.
The garment of wrought gold represents Christ, our righteousness, which is the foundation of everything. The garment of embroidery represents the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to produce Christ in us.
This is seen in Revelation 19: the bride’s shining white linen garment, which is the righteousness of the saints.
Not only is Christ our righteousness, but Christ is so wrought into our lives—embroidered, knit into our lives, needled into us—that it is called the righteousness of the saints.
It is still Christ, but it is the righteousness of the saints because it is Christ wrought into us through the patient work of the Holy Spirit.
Brothers and sisters, these are the festival robes, the holy garments that make us fit to stand before God and to serve Him.
Everything in the priestly garments speaks of the virtues and beauty of Christ. But it is something that has been wrought into our lives by the Holy Spirit, and these equip us to serve as priests unto God. These are our festival robes.
But unfortunately, instead of having the priestly garments, you find Joshua’s garments were defiled.
In other words, he represents the spiritual state of the children of Israel, the spiritual condition of the remnant. Even though they had come back, how much they were in the flesh! How much they lost their usefulness! They did not walk in the Spirit in perfectness. Much was to be desired.
Because it was not Christ manifested, but themselves manifested—their own views, their own desires, their own interests, and so forth—they were as though clothed in filthy garments. No one can serve God in such garments.
Satan was right in that sense. He had ground, at least, to resist.
But thank God, the Lord said, “Take away the filthy garments.” The garments are washed in the blood.
You remember in the book of Revelation, time and again you find white robes before God. Why? Because they were washed in the blood.
Not because they were perfect; they were not perfect. Brothers and sisters, we are not better than anybody else. Oftentimes we fail; we fall. But we know the efficacy of the blood of our Lord Jesus.
If we go to Him and have our robes washed in His blood, then they are white. They are white, shining, pure.
So the filthy garments were taken away, and the festival robes were put on him. In other words, our garments are washed, and the Holy Spirit begins to work Christ into us.
He has restored us. Then something very strange happened. After Joshua was clothed in the festival robes, we would think that he was ready. He was ready, but not yet.
In verse 5, Zechariah said:
Let them set a clean mitre upon his head.
They set the clean mitre upon his head and clothed him with garments. The angel of the Lord stood by.
The mitre was put on. In other words, now the high priest was complete—completely clothed and found ready to serve in the temple. The priesthood was restored.
The angel of the Lord stood by. In other words, Christ testified that He was the One who made all these things possible. That was His answer to the accuser. That was His grace.
Brothers and sisters, in the recovery of the testimony of Jesus today, it is true that the spiritual condition of God’s people must be restored.
The holy priesthood must be restored. Did not Peter say that we are as living stones, being built up together as a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ our Lord?
On the one hand, we are as living stones being built up together as a spiritual house. Yes. But what happens to that spiritual house if there is no holy priesthood?
That house will be dead, quiet, silent—nothing going on. No sacrifice. The altar is there, but no sacrifice. The altar of incense is there, but no incense burning. The table is there, but no showbread put on. The candlestick is there, but no light is lit.
Why does that happen?
Brothers and sisters, you find that at the same time the spiritual house is built, there must be a holy priesthood—a holy priesthood.
We are all priests unto God. All priests unto God. We are all to serve God. But how can we serve if we are clothed with filthy garments? That disqualifies us.
A lot of God’s people cannot function as priests unto God. Why? Because they do not have the priestly garments put on. Instead, they have filthy garments.
Oh, how we need to go to the Lord and ask for washing with the blood. How we need to yield our lives to the Holy Spirit, that He may work Christ into our lives.
As the character of Christ begins to touch us, then we are in a position to function—to function as priests. The holy priesthood must be recovered, must be recovered.
It is the Lord who does it all. It is grace. Only let Him do it. He will answer Satan, the accuser, for us. He will bring back that holy priesthood.
Holiness unto the Lord.
After Joshua was gloriously clothed and ready to serve as the high priest in the temple to be built, the Bible says that the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua.
Then the angel of the Lord exhorted Joshua—protested even—saying, “Now you are ready to serve. Be safe. Do not receive all the grace and mercy of God in vain.”
Now you are washed. Now you have put on the priestly garments. By grace, you are ready to serve. If you are faithful, then you will continue in My house to serve. You will be as those who stand by—in other words, those who stand by to serve.
So, dear brothers and sisters, if we know the grace of the Lord in our lives, let us serve, as Paul said, according to the grace and the gift that God has given to us.
That is what grace has made us, and what gift is given to us for: that we may faithfully serve in His house. We may be those who stand by.
But God did not stop here. This recovery of the priesthood in Joshua was just a type. It was just a partial restoration. No matter how much was restored, the full restoration is in the future.
Here you find the prophet prophesying to future days:
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee; for they are men that are a sign: for, behold, I will bring forth My servant the Branch.
Joshua and his fellow priests—the holy priesthood—are just a type of the One who is to come. God said, “One day I will bring in My servant, the Branch.”
Of course, the idea, the concept, of the Branch was not new to the Jewish people. You find it in the prophecy of Isaiah, in Isaiah 11.
Isaiah prophesied several hundred years before this:
And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse,
And a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit;
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him.
There would be a shoot out of the stock of Jesse. Someone would come out of David, and a branch out of his roots would be fruitful. This Branch would be fruitful.
Think of a tree, the vine, with many branches. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him.
In Jeremiah you find the same thing. In Jeremiah 23:5:
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,
That I will raise unto David a righteous Branch,
And He shall reign as king and deal wisely,
And shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
God was bringing the Branch, and God said, “He is My servant.” The servant of the Lord. We know it is the Messiah; it is Christ. God will bring Christ.
When Christ is brought in, what will happen?
For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye invite every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree.
In a vision, it can change very quickly. When God was speaking about the Branch, He suddenly spoke of the stone laid before Joshua, with seven eyes.
Now, brothers and sisters, I wonder whether historically the background was that they had laid the foundation stone. The foundation was already there. There was a stone before Joshua; it was the foundation of the temple.
But, of course, God used that to show us that there would be a stone not cut with the hands of men. This stone has seven eyes.
Eyes in Scripture always represent intelligence—full intelligence, perfect wisdom and knowledge. Oh, the mind of God. He is here to execute the mind of God.
You remember in Daniel that this stone would appear one day. It would strike the great image of Nebuchadnezzar, and the image would be broken into pieces and disappear. This stone would become a great mountain and fill the whole earth.
Oh, brothers and sisters, here you find the remnant. They came back in such a low position. They were still under Persian rule.
Yet God promised them that one day the nations, the ruling nations of this world, the powers of this world, would be broken into pieces and disappear. But the kingdom of Christ would be established upon this earth, and God would do it.
He is building His kingdom.
I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
In one day, He said, “I will remove the iniquity of that land.” This will be literally fulfilled when Christ comes back. In one day He will remove the iniquity of the nation.
During the millennial kingdom, He will make Israel the head of the nations, a nation of priests unto all the nations, as He has promised.
But spiritually speaking, is it not true that Christ has put away our iniquity and made us enter into His rest even now?
In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye invite every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree.
That is always a picture in the Old Testament. Whenever the nation of Israel walked at peace under God’s blessing, they sat under their fig trees and their vines and enjoyed the Lord.
Here you find them inviting neighbors to come. In other words, fellowship. Oh, how they have fellowship in the goodness of the Lord.
Dear brothers and sisters, our Stone is here—our Lord. He has taken away our iniquity. We are now resting in His goodness, and we can fellowship one with another concerning Him.
That is the future you find here. In other words, the priesthood is fully restored. Oh, that God’s people may really be brought into fellowship with Christ and with one another.
That is the fulfillment of the holy priesthood. Of course, Christ is the High Priest, and we are priests serving together under Him.
For the restoration of the testimony of God, this priesthood must be restored. That is what God promises to do. Thank God.
Lord, do show us what mercy, what grace, Thou hast bestowed upon us.
How noble, how full are Thy thoughts concerning Thy people.
How we praise and thank Thee that everything is grace—sovereign grace.
Thou who hast begun, Thou wilt perfect it, because Thou art faithful.
So, Lord, we do look to Thee. Restore the holy priesthood in Thy church, that we may really serve Thee and serve one another; that we may fellowship with Thee and fellowship with one another.
We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.