Zechariah 6:15

"And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of Jehovah; and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of Jehovah your God."

"They that are far off ..." If there is an expression in the entire Old Testament that means "Gentiles," it is this one, being exactly the terminology used by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost when Peter announced the gospel as being for "them that are afar off" (Acts 2:39), thus placing a divine seal upon this whole revelation and certifying it as a prophecy of the times of the Messiah and of the coming of the Gentiles into the church of God. The ones that were "far off" were those not included with Israel in the covenant. They were the nations, or Gentiles of the world. In the new era, however, even the Gentiles would be admitted to fellowship with God.

"If ye will diligently obey ..." Neither the future building of the true temple of God as the church of Jesus Christ, nor the glorious Advent of Him who would build it, was doubtful in the slightest degree. All that was promised would be accomplished with or without Israel's participation; but the persons who would participate in the new order, or have anything at all to do with the true kingdom of God, depended upon an obedient spirit in the participants. The vast majority of secular Israel would have nothing of a spiritual kingdom; but the holy apostles constituting the "righteous remnant" of the true Israel would hail the Messiah when He came, worship Him as God, rally together after His crucifixion and resurrection, and then go forth into all the world shouting, "He is risen," sealing their testimony with their blood, and establishing the church of Christ throughout all the world for millenniums of time!

This great revelation of the Christ as both Priest and King is one of the great passages of the Bible. It should be studied in connection with Psalms 110:4, and Hebrews 7.