The Power of Christ and the Mountain of the Lord

Visions, that is, all things revealed, or those specifically preceding the present word, which is about the whole golden lampstand and the things upon it: a lamp, seven small lamps, and equal lamps, and two olives, one on the right and the other on the left of the lamp.

Regarding the question of whether these are not perceived by the senses, the one asked immediately answered that they are the word of God from the person of Zerubbabel, from which it appears that the things shown were intellectual visions and that this is true. The showing of the revealed things happened to the prophet while he was still in Babylon, in which neither the house of God was built, nor the vessels in it, of which the lampstand and the things upon it are. Since these are thus viewed, one must remain with the interpretation spoken of them or seek something greater than it.

The word which... the angel said to the prophet was not done by great power or by the strength of man or of any other creature, but in the Spirit of the Lord it was spoken and was revealed.

The Holy Spirit of the Lord is continually called so in the Scriptures, as also in other Scriptures besides the present one. Concerning Him, a lament and that in Isaiah is announced thus: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me' (Isaiah 61:1). In agreement with these, the apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, says: 'For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him? So also no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God, which searches even the mystic depths of God' (1 Corinthians 2:11). And again in Isaiah, the Originator and Provider of all things says: 'A Spirit shall go out from me' (Isaiah 59:19).

By this Spirit, the things shown before the person of Zerubbabel were revealed, but not by great power or strength of any creature. For there is another power provided with the Spirit to those worthy, about which the Savior, in the Acts of the Apostles, says to his disciples, as he was being taken up into heaven to his Father: 'You shall receive power upon the coming of the Holy Spirit' (Acts 1:8). Correspondingly, at the end of the Gospel according to Luke, the Savior, ascending from where he came, having given the Holy Spirit to the apostles, says: 'But you shall sit in the city...'

"...until you are clothed with power from on high." This power is not a different power from that of Christ, who is "the wisdom and power of God," from which the evangelical preaching has surpassed the apostles, one of whom, Paul, writes: "My speech and my preaching are not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in a demonstration of Spirit and power" (1 Cor 2:4), which is sometimes provided by God who has stretched out His hand, as it is said concerning John in the Gospel, "having gone before the Lord in spirit and power" (Luke 1:80).

Understand precisely if the thing announced to Mary by the holy angel Gabriel has the same understanding: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" (Luke 1:35). In the mentioned Spirit of God, in the words set forth and many others, the announcement has occurred before Zerubbabel and the power joined with him, "and not by any other great power and might" (Zech 4:7). For this is inferior, even if it be divine and highly esteemed.

Who are you, O great mountain before Zerubbabel, to level the stone of the inheritance to be equal to its grace (Zech 4:7)? As a logical and understandable approach to a divine voice through speech, either the discerning prophet or the angel speaking in him approaches. What is it that he says to him? Who are you, O mountain standing before Zerubbabel to level, and who is the stone which I will make equal to the inheritance by grace? Regarding these things, whoever says the two designations exist in parallel concerning the visiting Savior. For many scriptures name him both mountain and stone.

For in "The mountain of the Lord shall be made manifest at the end of days" (Isa 2:2), the Son of God is, concerning whom He spoke at the end of days after speaking through Moses and the prophets. Of Him also it is demonstrative: "Ascend the mountain of Zion, O evangelizer, Zion" (Isa 2:3). And there are ten thousand other testimonies concerning this, which the present writer should refrain from passing over, lest the word become too much beyond what is necessary, especially since often the things concerning the mountain being the Savior have been interpreted in the commentaries of the divine Psalms and of the...