Audio Download

Rev 11:4, Part 1-The Two Olive Trees

[Study Aired Oct 13, 2024]

Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

Introduction

Here is verse three’s description of these two olive trees and two candlesticks:

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

So God’s “two witnesses” are also called “the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth”. The phrase “the two olive trees and the two candlesticks” with the article, lets us know that this refers to something with which those who are reading, hearing and keeping the things written in this prophecy are already familiar. This is not the first time these things have been discussed. These two witnesses are ‘the two olive trees and the two candlesticks; the ones who are standing before the God of the earth’. The fact that it is thus worded also tells us that those for whom this prophecy is intended are the few chosen to whom such words mean much more than what they say. This section of scripture reveals to us that those who know they are to keep the things written in this prophecy also understand that this is a book of symbols and that those to whom it is given will know what “the two olive trees and the two candlesticks” and God’s “two witnesses” all symbolize. We are casually informed, “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth”, because the spirit speaks only “in demonstration of the spirit and power of God”, and those who know what that ‘spirit and power’ are, will become familiar with the verses of scriptures which reveal the meaning of all the symbols of the things written in this prophecy.

1Co 2:4  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1Co 2:6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

Before we speak “in the demonstration of the spirit and power of God” by referring to the scriptures which reveal the meaning of the symbols of verse four, we will list the symbols of this verse which we will consider today.

The symbols of this fourth verse are 1) two olive trees, and two candlesticks, 2) standing before the God of the earth.

Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

1) Two olive trees, and two candlesticks

Remembering the principle revealed to us by Joseph, we know that these two symbols are one:

Gen 41:15  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.
Gen 41:16  And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

Here is what God gives us to “understand” both dreams and visions, including this vision given to John of the symbols of this book of this revelation of Jesus Christ in us. This is a principle that will help us to understand all prophecy.

Gen 41:25  And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Gen 41:26  The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.
Gen 41:27  And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.
Gen 41:28  This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.

Gen 41:32  And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

The dream is one, and it is “doubled… [and given] twice” because “God will shortly bring it to pass”. Is this only true of the way the Lord dealt with Pharaoh at that time, or is He the same God when telling you and me to keep the things written in this prophecy? The answer is that God does not change. He is always the same, and just as the cows and the corn were one dream, so also the two olive trees and the two candlesticks are one vision which will shortly come to pass in the lives of all to whom it is given to “read, hear and keep the things written in the words of this prophecy.”

Mal 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

We saw last week that the never changing God always uses the number ‘two’ as the symbol of witness. We gave the scriptures which establish this truth and will not repeat them here. But we will ask why these “two witnesses” are called “the two olive trees and the two candlesticks”, as if it is assumed that those reading the sayings of this prophecy would already have heard of “the two olive trees and the two candlesticks”. Are these phrases used earlier in the scriptures? Are “the two olive trees and the two candlesticks” mentioned already, and is there anything we can learn about who they are from those earlier verses as we have learned from the story of Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams? The answer is, Yes, indeed, we need not speculate about who “the two olive trees and the two candlesticks” are. Here is where they are first mentioned. The fact that they are mentioned again here in Rev 11 and are ‘doubled twice’ to us is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring these ‘two witnesses’ to pass in the lives of those who are given to “read, hear and keep the things written in this prophecy”.

The two olive trees revealed in Zechariah four

As noted earlier, the article appears twice in this verse indicating that John assumes everyone knows what part of the Old Testament he is referring to:

Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

A simple search for the phrase ‘two olive trees’ takes us to the only other place in scripture where this phrase appears:

Zec 4:3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
Zec 4:11  Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?

Now we need to see what Zechariah tells us about “the two olive trees”. We will let the scriptures reveal who these “two olive trees” signify:

Zec 4:1  And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
Zec 4:2  And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which [are] upon the top thereof:
Zec 4:3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
Zec 4:4  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
Zec 4:5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
Zec 4:8  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Zec 4:9  The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.
Zec 4:10  For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
Zec 4:11  Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
Zec 4:12  And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
Zec 4:13  And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:14  Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

Now let’s compare Zec 4:14 with Rev 11:4.

Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

As Joseph told Pharaoh, “The dream is one, And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass”, which is just another way of saying:

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

The phrase, “the two candlesticks” is inserted to let us know that, from God’s perspective, every part of “His body which is the church” (Col 1:24) is working in His service as part of His “two witnesses” because we are made to know that ‘candlesticks’ signify ‘churches’ in the first chapter of this book:

Rev 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

What does this have to do with you and me? This is what that has to do with you and me:

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples [Greek – tupos, types of us]: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

But are these things not also written for the admonition of the people by whom they are written? The answer in no, not at this time. The day will come when all men, including those by whom these things are written will become those who “shall… live by every Word of God”, but today is not that day. These words are only for ‘all men’ as they come to know Christ and His Father. Here is how the spirit explains this part of the Lord’s plan through the pen of the apostle Peter:

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Now before we go on, let’s glean all we can from what is revealed to us here in Zec 4 about these ‘two olive trees’, which are also called ‘two candlesticks’ in Rev 11:4.

1) The first thing we need to notice is that we have to be awakened from sleep to be shown who these two olive trees are.

Zec 4:1  And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,

Once we realize that it is we who “must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Mat 4:4), that knowledge is, in itself, an awakening, and we can now begin to realize that the reason all ten virgins “slumbered and slept” is that we are all first the foolish virgins who do not take enough of God’s spirit, and then we will all, in our own appointed time, become the wise virgins, who tell the foolish virgins to go and buy their own oil (Mat 25:1-13). “All things [really] are ours, [and] there [really] is [only] one event to the righteous and to the sinner” (1Co 3:21-22, and Ecc 9:2).

2) The next thing we are told is that it is through these two olive trees, also called two candlesticks, that all seven of the candlesticks receive the golden oil to provide the light for the temple of God.

Zec 4:2  And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
Zec 4:3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

What are these seven candlesticks? This is what they symbolize:

Rev 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

So, are we talking about 2 candlesticks, or are we talking about seven candlesticks? The answer is, we are talking about both because we always seek the sum of God’s word, and in that ‘sum’ we must consider both the complete church within us, and we must also be concerned with witnessing to that complete church. So we are both 2 and we are 7, and in the final analysis, we are told that the entire “kingdom of God is within you”.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

3) The direct answer to Zechariah’s question, “What are these [two olive trees], my lord?” is “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit saith the Lord”. Here is that question:

Zec 4:3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right [side] of the bowl, and the other upon the left [side] thereof.
Zec 4:4  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What [are] these, my lord?
Zec 4:5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

So the two olive trees are those who are faithful with “the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel”. Just a little later we will learn that these two olive trees “empty the golden oil through the two golden pipes out of themselves”, and into the seven golden candlesticks.

Zec 4:12  And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

The “golden oil” signifies the spirit and Christ tells us that His Words are the spirit:

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

4) Zerubbabel, who constructed the second temple, the temple to which Christ came, is an Old Testament type of Christ. Here is the Old Testament type and shadow of what Christ is doing in us:

Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
Zec 4:8  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Zec 4:9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.

It was Christ who was sent to build the church of God, and He said “I will build my church”. So Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ and “His Christ”  is both the builder and the foundation of His own house.

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

In our next study we will consider how Zerubbabel, typifying Christ, uses us to build His church:

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
Col 1:25  Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me [and you] for you, to fulfil the word of God;
Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: