August 13: FROM PRESENT OBEDIENCE TO FUTURE BLESSING
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. Revelation 11:4
The number two is often associated with the concept of “witness”. Jesus is looked upon as the second member of the Godhead. When He sent out the seventy witnesses, He sent them two by two (Luke 10:1).
Some of the oldest olive trees in the world today are located in the Garden of Gethsemane. The name Gethsemane means olive press. This is the place where Jesus, the light of the world (John 8:12) was betrayed into the hands of His killers. Olive oil burns more brightly than any other type of oil. Indeed, Jesus was pressed on our behalf, His precious, cleansing blood being symbolized by new (unfermented) wine. His light burns brightly within His followers. He said, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14).
Olive oil is a fitting symbol for the Holy Spirit. It was used from the beginning of the wilderness tabernacle to light the golden seven-branch candlestick. This lampstand was to be kept burning always. It served as the perfect symbol of God’s ever-present witness to the world. When the Israelites were settled in the Land of Promise, a permanent temple was built by King Solomon of materials that his father David had accumulated for that purpose.
Solomon’s temple was totally destroyed by the Babylonians, and at the end of the seventy-year captivity of the Jews, they were freed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. The Lord spoke through Haggai, saying “The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former.” He said this because the Messiah Himself would enter it. But, after the Babylonian exile and the return to Jerusalem, the people became sluggish about finishing the task of rebuilding. When it was about half done, there came of period of over twelve years that absolutely nothing was accomplished. The Lord gave a vision to the prophet Zechariah to encourage the people to action, conveying that future blessing is contingent upon present obedience. But we know that when the word of the LORD convicts, translation into obedience—action!—is by the Holy Spirit alone. You may ask, “Why two lampstands in Revelation?” They signify the light of God’s word at work in believers who lived before Jesus came and the light of God’s word at work in believers afterwards: The Old and New Testaments!
And [the angel] said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.” … the angel said, “Do you not know what these are?” and I said, “No, my lord.” So he answered and said unto me: “This is the word of the LORD to [the governor of Judea] Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts. …. Then I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?” … So he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the LORD of the whole earth.” Zechariah 4:2,3,5b,6,12,14