four precious titles of Christ. We would now consider the third title of Christ, which is mentioned in Zechariah chapter ten, and verse four. In that remarkable verse of prophecy, which says, Out of him, that is, out of the tribe of Judah, shall come forth the cornerstone, out of him the nail. Out of him the battle-bow, out of him the absolute ruler or monarch. The third precious title in our verse is the battle-bow. We would again re-emphasize that whatsoever title or name in the Word of God that is ascribed to Christ, it describes this character and his work in some special connection. First let us consider him as the battle bow in relation to the prophecy given because of his earthly people, the nation of Israel. We must not rest this text from the context. It is directly related to the nation of Israel. He is their battle bow. Let us be reminded that the first two titles in our verse were chiefly relating to Christ and his first advent. But the latter two titles have special application regarding his second coming to the earth, when he will not only be the battle bow, but also Israel's glorious ruler, the absolute monarch, the king of kings, their Messiah king himself. Yet in what way is he the battle bow? What is implied by such a title? As the battle bow, what is the specific work for him to do? The first indication of his character as battle bow is without doubt recorded in the book of Exodus chapter fifteen and verse three. The words were spoken by the children of Israel in their song of praise, for the mighty deliverance that God gave them over Pharaoh and all of his armies at the Red Sea. God's mighty deliverance and emancipation of the nation, and the complete destruction of all their enemies, when they saw all the Egyptians dead upon the seashore, cause the people of Israel to acclaim, in Exodus chapter fifteen and verse three, The Lord is a man of war. Jehovah is his name. It was the Lord himself that fought for Israel. Later in their history, when Joshua was viewing the great city of Jericho before its conquest, as recorded in Joshua chapter five, when he possibly was seeking to know what would be the best way of attack in order to conquer it, It was the Lord himself that appeared to Joshua with a drawn sword, and proclaimed himself to be the captain of the host of the Lord. In other words, the Lord himself was the chief commander, and he had come to lead the people of Israel, their armies, in their conquest of the land of Canaan. This you may read with this interesting account. In Joshua five, verses thirteen through fifteen. Later on in their history, when Gideon, with his three hundred men, vanquished the host of Midianites, was it not because that the angel of the Lord had said to him, The Lord is with thee thy mighty man of valor? Go in this thy might. as you may read in Judges chapter five. The conquest of the Midianites, the glory of it all, the accomplishment of it, was done by the Lord himself. For it was the Lord who fought, not only with them, but for them. Another particular historical event in the life of the children of Israel, Judah particularly, was in the days of King Jehoshaphat. Did not God say to King Jehoshaphat when he was outnumbered by the children of Moab and of Ammon, when they came against him and Jerusalem, did not the Lord say, Be not afraid, nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude? For the battle is not yours, but God, in Second Chronicles chapter twenty and verse fifteen. God himself defeated the foe. The Lord himself brought victory and blessing to his people of Judah and in the realm of King Jehoshaphat that day. A most interesting account worthy of reading in the twentieth chapter of Second Chronicle. Truly the Lord was their battle bow. Then again we can refer to an event in the days of Hezekiah. Was it not the Lord who smote in one night? One hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians, as recorded in Second Kings chapter nineteen, verses thirty-five through thirty-seven. Think of it, one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in one night slain by the angel of the Lord. the battle bull himself, thus delivering Judah and King Hezekiah from the enemies of great power that were arrayed against them. There are numerous Old Testament scriptures that revealed the truth of this. We think of Gideon's title that he gave to Jehovah in his day, calling him Jehovah Nisi, meaning the Lord is our banner. But all of the occasions that are recorded in the Old Testament history of Israel, proving that God was their battle bone, all of them proved what the song of Israel was in the days of Exodus when they sang concerning their victory over Pharaoh and all of his hosts, the Lord is a man of war. Who is able to stand against him? Is it not most unfortunate that Israel failed to permit their Lord Jehovah to fight for them in their battles as their history continued? Sad is the commentary of their failure? Not permitting their Jehovah God to lead them and be their battle ball? But nevertheless, though many centuries have rolled by, The day is coming for Israel, when once again they will know him as their battle mode. Read the fourteen chapter of the book of Zechariah, that great prophecy, the last chapter in the book. You will find that at the end of the age, in the closing days that really refer to the Great Tribulation period, the Gentile nations of this world shall be surrounding Jerusalem, and will be invading the land of Israel, for the express determination of destroying that people of God. Terrible and chaotic will be the conditions in that awful day, as you may read in Zechariah chapter one and the opening words of the chapter. Great will be the sufferings of God's people. as their total extermination will seem to be imminent. But then when you come to verse five in the book of Zechariah in chapter fourteen, we read the word. Then Jehovah will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle. A true believer in the Lord Jesus One who believes that the Bible is the word of God has no hesitancy in knowing what the outcome will be. The outcome is inevitable, for the Lord will destroy all their enemies. The character of his destruction is very graphically detailed. If you will take time to read in this fourteenth of Zechariah, verses twelve and thirteen, And the whole chapter reveals that the final result will be Israel's restoration and glorification, never more to be the object of hatred and violence and destruction at the hands of the nations of the world. Their land will be restored, the godly remnant of that day saved by the Lord. will be exalted above all the nations of the world under the messianic reign of Christ their Messiah. What a day of final victory that will be. May I state, have no hesitancy to know just exactly what will be the outcome of the Middle East problems of today. The word of God gives the final answer until the battle bow comes. There will not be a deliverance, and there will never be security for the people of Israel. Neither will the nations make peace with them and protect them as they should. The Lord Himself will fight for the nation. But then, to bring the application today to our hearts, what about ourselves today? If Christ can be my cornerstone, if Christ can be my nail, cannot Christ also be my battlebow and yours? Are there not conflicts and battles that we face in our experiences today? Absolutely. Yet who fights for the believer today? Should the Christian fight his or her own battles in her or his own strength? God forbid. For in doing so we shall fail. We need the strength of the Lord. The exhortation of Paul to the Ephesians in chapter six and verse ten. Declared be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Romans eight and verse thirty seven the apostle Paul wrote, We are more than conquerors through him that loveth us. My beloved Christian friend, the Lord Jesus today is the same Jehovah who was Israel's battle bow in the past, and who will again be Israel's battle bow. But he is your battle bow and mine, my beloved Christian. This is one of his precious titles. It is available in its power for you and for me right now. My fellow believer, is he really your battle bow? In each conflict of life, are you committing him to fight your battle, and am I permitting him to fight mine? Has it not been well written that he is the same, yesterday today and forever, in Hebrews thirteen and verse eight? What joy for the believer in Christ to know. We are more than conquerors. through him that loveth us. What does it mean to be more than a conqueror? To be a conqueror means we win by fighting. But to be more than a conqueror means we win without fighting. The Lord fights for us. My beloved unsafe friend, if you are listening to this message, he is the one you need. You need him as your cornerstone. You need him as your name. You need him as your battle ball. Why not receive him into your heart? What a great deliverer. What a mighty champion he will be to enable you to beat the battles of life and bring you with blessing and glory into eternity. He is the mighty battle ball. But then we have a final name. a precious and glorious title that is given to the Lord Jesus in our verse. Not only out of Judah did he come forth to be the cornerstone, the nail, the battleball, but also the absolute monarch or ruler. Let us consider this last glorious title that is ascribed to Christ, as we find it in Zechariah ten. And verse four, the absolute monarch. It is clearly to be recognized that there is a blessed sequence in the order of these titles. First, he is the cornerstone. Second, he is the nail. Third, he is the battle ball. And properly, in sequence it follows, the final revelation and glorious manifestation that Christ is worthy to be the absolute monarch and reign as king of kings over all the earth. and even over the universe. The fulfillment of the first three glorious titles perfectly qualify him to be God's appointed ruler of the world, as well as the ruler of the universe. In Hebrews chapter one and verse three it is declared of him, one of the great glories of the Son of God, that he is the appointed heir of all things. In other words, the future ruler of the universe. First of all, for Israel, he will be their king. Our reference to Zechariah fourteen is once again to be repeated. For following the appearance of Christ to be Israel's battle bow in the ninth verse of our chapter in Zechariah fourteen, it is declared, and the tremendous fact it is, that the Lord shall be king over all the earth. How precious it is to realize the Lord shall be king over all the earth when he puts his feet upon the Mount of Olives and settles the controversy with the nation. In verse fourteen of the same chapter the prophet declares, It shall come to pass that all that are left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the king, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the feast of tabernacles. worldwide worship of that blessed one, which today the world neglects, which the world rejects, and which the world even hates today to acknowledge him. Yet they will be brought annually before him to worship in the day of his kingly reign. Let me refer to the words of Isaiah the prophet in chapter thirty-two and verse one of his prophecy. Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness. And then if you will read that thirty-second chapter, together with the thirty-third chapter, you will have the description of the coming glories of that kingdom, when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ shall reign. It is very significant to me that there are words telling what will be the confession of Israel regarding their king in that day. We would point them out to you from verse twenty-two. in chapter thirty-three of Isaiah. Listen to their words, which they will confess in that coming day. For Jehovah, the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king. He will save us. Will you note carefully, three governmental departments of his kingdom will be definitely under his personal authority and control. The judicial branch of his government in that day he will control, as they will say, The Lord is our judge. The Department of Justice will function in perfect character. Then also the legislative branch of his government will not be delegated or politically established in other legislative bodies. But he himself will be the lawgiver and legislate the laws of his kingdom. For the constitution of his coming kingdom, he has already revealed it in the Word of God, where you can read it in Matthew chapter five, Matthew chapter six, Matthew chapter seven. We call it often the Sermon upon the Mount. But it will be the laws of his kingdom which he will enforce. Then the executive branch of his government will also be under his righteous authority. They will not only say, The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, but the Lord is our king. And they add the word, He will save us. Here are three great branches of government that we know about today. But today these branches are started with failure, corruption, and bribery. But in that day, They will function in absolute justice and righteousness when Christ will be king over all the earth. He will be the absolute ruler. But incidentally, we would like to mention a touching reference about his kingdom. In the closing verse of Isaiah thirty-three, verse twenty-four, there are within it a few words of blessed comfort and consolation. The prophet writes, And the inhabitants shall not say, I am sick. for the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity. For the kingdom that will be, nay, what a king! Both the physical and the spiritual healing of the nations will be known. The blessings of the king in his kingdom, who can fully measure? Many prophecies describe them in great detail, and the earth shall know once more. the beauty and the glory of what it was in the Garden of Eden. The Edenic glory of the earth will be restored. It will be a place in the Garden of Delight. But why? Only because Christ the Messiah, the Son of God, will be king over all the earth. The Prince of Peace will be reigning. The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords will shine in the glory and the greatness of his kingdom. Bless your heart, they will completely disappear. Medication and drugs, the medical profession will be gone. No longer needed. For the Son of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings, wrote the prophet Malachi in chapter four in verse two. the violence and the crime and the sin and the iniquity that fills our jails today, and fills the courts of law that are not able to cope with the situation as it is under Satan's power now? In that day, this blessed lawgiver, this blessed king, this blessed judge, he will vanquish it all. And the devil himself will be in the bottomless pit, as we read for a thousand years, according to Revelation chapter twenty. What a day that will be when the knowledge of the Lord, as the prophet writes, shall cover the earth. Or may we state from the scriptures the chief occupation in that day, will not be commercialism, will not be financed. will not be the building of great industrial combines. The command of the king in that day will be to all. Know the Lord, and in every town in Hamlet city and village and countryside and island. The teaching of the word of God and the glory of the Messiah the king will be the way of life. Christ will be the absolute monarch. No death father, no earthly king has ever accomplished what he will, and is none worthy to do it, but him. But yet, what about ourselves today? We have noted and we have said, he should be known as my cornerstone. He should be known as my name. He should be known as my battle bow. Can I say that he's my king? Today as we wait for the king to come? Surely we should pray that he should be, for every one of us who know him, my king. Let the words of the hymn writer convey the thought. When he wrote so pertinently these words, there should be the language of every believing heart. King of my life, I crown thee now. thine shall the glory be, lest I forget thy thine crown ground. Lead me to Calvary, lest I forget Gethsemane, lest I forget thy love to me, lest I forget thine agony. Lead me to Calvary. My beloved fellow-believer, Your king and my king was crowned with thorns upon that tree. Is he not because of that, completely worthy that you and I should crown him, king of kings and lord of lords, over our lives, even today? Can a Christian refuse to crown him as king? God forbid. Tis not for us to wait for the king to come before doing so. But even now, during the time of his rejection by the world, every believer can honor him as their king, the absolute ruler of their life. All that we may do this. Well, as the poet said in the lovely words, When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Lord of glory died, my richest gain I count but lost, and poor contempt, on all my pride. See from his head his hands his feet. Sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did air such love and sorrow meet? Or songs composed so rich a crown? Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands should have My heart, my life, my all. Oh, my beloved, this is what we who know the Lord should do. Crown him now, king upon the throne of our hearts and in our lives. But let us summarize what we have seen, four glorious and precious titles of Christ, full of great meaning from Zechariah chapter ten in verse four. prophetically uttered hundreds of years before the Lord came to the earth. But speaking of his first and even of his second advent, and saying that out of the tribe of Judah shall come the cornerstone, shall come the nail, shall come the battlebow, shall come the absolute monarch. What precious titles they are. Now the question that we would raise in our closing moments is this. Can every one of us listening to this message truthfully say, He is my cornerstone. On Him I would build my soul and its salvation for time and for eternity. For neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby We must be saved. May you and I say indeed, On Christ, the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand. Then can I also go on to say, He is my nail. I have found that all my sins were borne by Him. I now find that He can carry and will carry all my cares as I cast them upon Him. He is my nail. He is also my battle bow. Can I say this? Can you, my friend? He fights the battles of life for me. And, beloved, let me say, there'll come a day, there'll come a moment when no more battles will ever need to be fought, when we shall come into the glory of his eternal peace in his everlasting kingdom. What a day. And then finally, can I say, can you say, He is my King. Now I crown him King of my life. These are four glorious, precious titles that should be a living reality in the depth of their meaning to every heart. My fellow believer may the Holy Spirit impress and imprint the meaning of these titles upon your heart and upon mine. upon your conscience and upon mine, and in your life and in mine. To you that are not saved, you need this wonderful Savior. Why not trust him today? Shall we pray? Blessed Father, how glorious and great is thy beloved Son. May these four precious titles fill the hearts of thy people with wonder, with praise, with adoration, with love, and with yieldedness, to bow before him in complete submission and consecration to do his will, till we see him face to face. Then for the unbeliever, may the Holy Spirit convince them of sin and of righteousness and of judgment, of sin because they have not believed upon him, and of righteousness. because they can only find righteousness in that man in the glory, and of judgment. For if they fail to trust him, they'll be judged forever in the banishment of Satan and all of his hosts, and the unsaved in the lake of fire. May everyone say today, thank God, Christ is my cornerstone, Christ is my nail, Christ is my battleball, Christ is my king. We ask it for the glory of our Saviour. Amen.