The Seven Lamps and Two Olive Trees

Zachariah 4

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• God wakes us up to His Church and the Holy Spirit.
• The Church and the Holy Spirit are described as lamps and oil.
• The Church of God is built by His Spirit.
• Jesus Christ builds the Church from start to finish.
• We rejoice to see the plum line of Jesus Christ.
• Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit drips into His Church like oil into a lamp.

God wakes us up to His Church and the Holy Spirit.

“Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep.” Zachariah 4:1

The angel who spoke with Zachariah was speaking of the coming of Jesus Christ, through whom sins are forgiven and the Church is built, as quoted, “For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH…. ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.” Zachariah 3:8-9 Click here for the post on Zachariah 3.

An angel woke Zachariah, like waking someone from the sleep. In other words, the angel brought light to Zachariah to waken him, or enlighten him, to something he was not aware of. Zachariah would be wakened through a vision, to the Trinity of God, upon which the Church is built. The Trinity includes reconciling to God, through His Son Jesus Christ, in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Salvation comes through the Christ, Jesus, not the laws of Judaism, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” Romans 13:11

The Church and the Holy Spirit are described lamps and oil.

“And he 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. So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”” Zachariah 4:2-5

The reason Zachariah did not know what the vision was is because it wasn’t something that happened in the Old Testament. The Churches and the Holy Spirit wasn’t here until after Jesus Christ came to die on the Cross to put sin in remission. After His resurrection and ascension, then came the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the Churches.

The lampstand represents the place where the Light of the World (Jesus Christ) occupies. The solid gold bowl represents a container for the best-of-the-best of what God has to offer humanity. The seven lamps represent the Seven Churches mentioned in the book of Revelation as quoted, “John, to the seven churches…:” Revelation 1:4 The seven pipes flow with oil into the seven lamps. That represents the Holy Spirit flowing into the Churches by the remission of sin through Jesus Christ. The two olive trees produce the oil and represent Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The bowl which fills the Churches with oil is filled with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, which keeps the Light of the world shining brightly.

Jesus Christ is the Light of the World and He supplies the Oil of the Holy Spirit to make us (His Churches) a light to the world, as quoted below,

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

John 8:12 and Matthew 5:14-16

Click here for a post on each of the Seven Churches of Revelation (Scroll to the bottom of the post where that link leads you, and there will be all seven links to the posts on the Seven Churches). The Two Faithful Witnesses are the Church of Smyrna, who are faithful and persecuted, and also the Church of Philadelphia who are the faithful few with little strength. Those are the two faithful witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11. Also see Joshua 2 for more on the Two Witnesses.

In the picture below is an image of what was just described. There is an olive tree on each side of the lampstand, that represents the production of oil through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Those two fills the golden bowl with the oil of the Holy Spirit which flows through the seven pipes. The seven pipes full of oil flows to the seven lamps, and those lamps are the Seven Churches. The lampstand is holding up the lamps, representing that the Churches are a light to the world shining with the Gospel of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Today, people are the Church (the lamps), as our body is the home of the Holy Spirit to make us a light to the world of the Gospel of Christ, as quoted, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” 1 Corinthians 6:19. The oil of the Holy Spirit flows directly into our soul through Jesus Christ by the remission of sin.

Today, there is a thing in the world which forms what we think, feel, do, and say. Its purpose is to break off the Two Olive trees to prevent the Gospel of Christ and the Holy Spirit from filling the bowl. It snuffs out the Light of the World from shining through the churches and through individuals. It clogs the pipes that should be flowing with oil to enable the image of the beast to live and speak through people. People are being conformed to the anti-Christian global culture as they are groomed to the mark of the beast.

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

John 3:19-21

The Church of God is built by His Spirit.

“So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.” Zachariah 4:6

Zachariah didn’t know what the vision of the Seven Lamps and the Two Olive Trees meant. That could only be known after the coming of Jesus Christ when the Church was established, and the Holy Spirit given to the whoever received Him. So the meaning was explained to Zechariah in terms of rebuilding the earthly temple of God which was completed after the Israelites were freed from captivity to Babylon. In a sense, when we are free from captivity of sin through Jesus Christ, we become a new Temple of the Holy Spirit.

Zerubbabel was a prominent leader in rebuilding of the Temple after the Israelites were freed from their captivity in Babylon. The Holy Spirit clarifies that God’s temple is not built with power and might but by His Spirit. In other words, the Temple of God is not a building made by human hands, but His Temple is within us, we are the Temple of the Holy Spriit. We are the Church that God builds by His Spirit.

God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.

Acts 17:24

^” ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain! And he will bring forth the capstone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ” Zachariah 4:7

A capstone is the finishing work of a building, and Jesus Christ is that Capstone. With the last breath Jesus breathed on the Cross, He said “It is finished.” He accomplished the work God sent Him to do, which was to be His sacrificial Lamb to atone for sin. That was the “icing on the cake,” the Capstone on the House of God. There are shouts of praise to the Capstone of “Grace, grace to Him!” The remission of sin and the giving of the Holy Spirit is not done by power and might but by the grace of God, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

The Capstone (Jesus Christ) is who fulfilled the vision which Zachariah had of the Seven Lamps and the Olive trees. It was the finishing work of God to establish the Church and to pour out the Holy Spirit on anyone who comes to Jesus Christ for the remission of sin. We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, we are the Church, and Jesus is the minister of our soul. That is the finished work, the icing on the cake, the capstone.

The great mountain to overcome was sin and death. Jesus Christ leveled sin to a plain when He gave His life on the Cross and He leveled death to a plain when God raised Him from the grave after three days. Satan was that mountain of sin and death whom the Holy Spirit asked, “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Jesus Christ you will become a plain!” Because Jesus Christ lives, we will live with Him eternally in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and earth.

Jesus Christ builds the Church from start to finish.

“Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ““The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.” Zechariah 4:8-9

Zerubbabel laid the foundation of the temple, and he would be the one to finish it. He is symbolic of Jesus Christ who laid the foundation within us to be the Temple of the Holy Spirit. When the Lord Jesus died on the Cross to remit sin, He opened our soul to be reconciled to God and to receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus removed the veil which separated us from fellowship with the Spirit of God, as quoted, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;” Matthew 27:50-51 That was the laying of the foundation. He will finish the work He began when He returns to give us an eternal body. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of the finished work to come, as quoted below,

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:13-14

Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. As followers of Jesus Christ, we know He is the One who God sent to atone for sin and to build us up as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. That is just the beginning. We have the evidence of the Holy Spirit within us which is the guarantee of our eternal home in the New Jerusalem. That is the finished work and the glory of God.

We rejoice to see the plum line of Jesus Christ.

“For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.” Zechariah 4:10

the “day of small things” refers to the humble, seemingly insignificant beginnings of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. The returning exiles were discouraged because their efforts seemed small compared to Solomon’s former temple, but God encouraged them not to despise this start, as He rejoices to see the work begin and promises it will be completed by His Spirit, not human might.

This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.” Zachariah 4:6

He gave the Holy Spirit and established the Church. The “Seven” in the verse above refers to the Seven Churches in Zachariah 4:2 and the same Seven Churches referred to in Revelation 1:4. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are the building of the Holy Spirit, and we rejoice to see Him as the Plum Line. Gone are the days of depending on the law of the Old Testament to determine our rightness with God. Now, we know we are in a right relationship with God because we believe in His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Plum Line which says we are in good standing with God.

The Churches are the eyes of the Lord which scan the events throughout the whole earth (the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 19:10). As followers of Jesus Christ, we see that the world is not built straight and not in alignment with the plum line of Jesus Christ. We see the crooked and unstable walls that are destined to collapse. The world is living by the thing which forms what they think, feel, do, and say. It enables the image of the beast to live and speak through people and they detest being told they need to straighten up and be aligned to the Plum Line. They feel no need for the remission of sin through the Lord Jesus as they are conformed to the anti-Christian global culture. They are conformed to their mark in life as they are groomed to the mark of the beast.

Today, we see how much the churches are not in alignment to the plum line of the Lord Jesus. The churches have tossed out the Gospel of Christ to align with the standards of the global culture within the community. Instead of being set apart from the ways of the world, they have established a partnership with it through the thing forming thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors. As seen in Revelation 2 and 3, there are only two of the seven churches who remain faithful to Jesus Christ (Smyrna and Philadelphia), and those two faithful witnesses are persecuted and have little strength. The other five churches are so far from aligning with the Plum Line that the Lamb of God begins opening the Seven Seals, as written in Revelation 4. The dilapidated conditions of the churches lead to global tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon. Click here for a post on Revelation 4 and a list of the Seven Churches.

The picture below shows a plum line next to a wall. It works by gravity by tying a weighted object to a cord and letting it hang. It hangs in a straight line. It reveals any irregularities of a wall. The wall in the picture definitely has an irregularity seen by the curve deviating from the straight line of the plum line. The plum line would also show any tilts in the wall inwardly or outwardly as well as show any unwanted waves in the middle of the wall. The plum line of Jesus Christ measures the walls and brings His judgment accordingly.

Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit drips into the Church like oil into a lamp.

“Then I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees—at the right of the lampstand and at its left?” And I further 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?” Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” So he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.” Zechariah 4:11-14

Olive trees and olive branches are associated with olive oil, which was used to fuel lamps to keep the wick burning and the lamps shining brightly. In his vision, Zachariah wanted to know what the two olive trees and the two olive branches were that drip into the gold pipes. In those days, olive oil was not associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all people. Zachariah was curious what the vision meant. The angel of the Lord replied that they are the two anointed ones that stand beside the Lord of the whole earth. Those two anointed ones are Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit drips into the pipe of our spirit and soul through Jesus Christ, who gives the Spirit to those who believe in Him.

God the Creator, and the two anointed ones are the Trinity, the Godhead. That is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Those three have existed since the beginning of time, as quoted, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” Genesis 1:26 The “Our” and “Us” in that verse is the Trinity. This is spoken about the Christ, Jesus, “He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” John 1:2-3

The Spirit of God, through Zachariah, was speaking prophetically about the Trinity. In the days before Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Trinity was not something known about. No one had a Name by which they could come into the presence of God and live by the Holy Spirit through Him. They served God through the laws of Moses. Today, we know that we come to God, through Jesus Christ, and live in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are at the right hand of the lampstands, ready to drip the Spirit into the pipe of our spirit and soul. The lampstands are the place where the Light of Jesus Christ is placed, like a candlestick placed into a candle holder. That is a Light fueled by the Holy Spirit. The Churches were established to be the lampstand to place the Light of Jesus Christ, fueled by the Holy Spirit. Most importantly, every Believer is the lampstand shining with the Light of Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Light of the world, and because we live for Him, we shine with His Light, fueled by the Holy Spirit within us. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life…You are the light of the world.” John 8:12, Matthew 5:14

Jesus Christ tells a parable about watching to make sure the lamp of our soul always has oil within. In other words, to always make sure that Jesus Christ mixed with the Holy Spirit is within our soul. The oil in the lamp is what gives light to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without our Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, there is no entry into the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and earth. “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” Matthew 25:13 Click for the parable of keeping oil in the lamp at the return of Jesus Christ.

Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning.
Give me oil in my lamp, I pray.
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning.
Keep me burning till the break of day.
(Church Song)

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1