Olive Trees – Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word https://www.iswasandwillbe.com Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty Fri, 06 May 2022 16:07:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/cropped-headerlogo-32x32.png Olive Trees – Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word https://www.iswasandwillbe.com 32 32 Study of the Book of Kings – 1Ki 6:29-38  “I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel” https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/study-of-the-book-of-kings-1ki-629-38-i-will-dwell-among-the-children-of-israel-and-will-not-forsake-my-people-israel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=study-of-the-book-of-kings-1ki-629-38-i-will-dwell-among-the-children-of-israel-and-will-not-forsake-my-people-israel Thu, 28 Oct 2021 22:51:34 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=24639 1Ki 6:29-38  “I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel”
[Study Aired October 28, 2021]

1Ki 6:29  And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without. 
1Ki 6:30  And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without. 
1Ki 6:31  And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.
1Ki 6:32  The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.
1Ki 6:33  So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall. 
1Ki 6:34  And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
1Ki 6:35  And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
1Ki 6:36  And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.
1Ki 6:37  In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif:
1Ki 6:38  And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

The works which God produces in each member of Christ’s body by faith reveals the changed life of Christ in us that endures the carving out of the old man and the fashioning of the new man, Christ within us, on a cross of wood (Gal 2:20). The altar is the cross, and the communion we have in Christ, the trials and much tribulation, are needful so that “whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (Joh 15:16).

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

This section of the book of Kings points to that hope of glory within us regarding His faithfulness in every aspect of our life in Christ of which Christ is the author and finisher (Heb 12:2):

The cherubim and palm trees on the doors of the temple represent Christ in us, and as such, the doors that lead into the holiest place of all are understood by God’s elect as a place where we can boldly come before Him to “obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”. Christ in us as our hope of glory tells us, “These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth” to give us great hope that our anointed prayers are going to avail much and open that door with Christ in us (Rev 3:7-8).

Rev 3:7  And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
Rev 3:8  I know thy works: [Jas 2:18, Joh 15:16, Php 2:12-13] behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name [because Christ cannot deny himself if we are his and are bound to the altar through our high priest (2Ti 2:13, Psa 118:27, Lev 3:2, Heb 9:7)].

Each fervent and continual prayer of faith of the saints therefore helps open up this relationship with our Father and Christ in each other that is part of the process of provoking one another unto love and good works in the Christ. The door in our relationship with Christ is opened through our fervent prayers that avail much for each other (Jas 5:16, Eph 6:18, Rev 8:4, Luk 22:32, 1Ti 2:1, Php 4:6, 2Co 1:9-11, Luk 22:44, 1Jn 4:17).

Jas 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much [It is those who have been humbled in their flesh who, by the grace of God offer up these prayers at the door (Psa 84:10). I’d rather pray five words with my understanding (1Co 14:19)].

This is the process that God’s elect have been blessed to be called unto, and it is a blessing (1Pe 3:9), and it can only be made possible by God dwelling among His people and not forsaking His people – which He won’t (1Ki 6:13).

1Pe 3:9  Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

The workmanship we will examine in the temple in this study is getting into the more intricate and detailed work which shows us how God is truly in every one of the minutest details that brings us from being marred vessels to vessels of honour fit for the master’s use (2Ti 2:21, 2Ti 2:12).

2Ti 2:21  If a man therefore purge himself from these [carvedH7049], he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

1Ki 6:29  And he carvedH7049 all the walls of the house round about with carvedH6603 figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.

All the walls of the house round about having carved figures of cherubims, palm trees and open flowers within and without represents the elect of God who are His workmanship that witnesses to all who come into the temple. Having these carved images both “within and without” is a shadow of the truth that it takes God’s judgments in our life represented by the carving in order for us to be able to reflect a “house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers” (Rev 4:1-6).

Rev 4:1  After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
Rev 4:2  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
Rev 4:3  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
Rev 4:4  And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Rev 4:5  And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Rev 4:6  And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind [like the carvings that are “within and without“].

People can believe because of what they see in the temple of God, and say such things as they did to Christ, who we are like in this life, however, what is not understood is that the fruit of our life, represented by the blossoming open flowers on the walls of the temple, could never have manifested unless we were judged (1Pe 4:17, 1Jn 4:17), and it is only by continuing in the truth that the palm tree will grow and that the fruit represented by the open flowers will manifest (Joh 8:31-36).

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed [Php 2:12-13].

Knowing the definitions of these two words in this one verse…

…shows us that the carving taking place in the heavens of God’s elect is symbolic of the judgment of our old man who must be destroyed in order for the new man to manifest in our heavens. The new heart is formed and fashioned, or ‘carved’ into us by the sharper than any two edged sword, which is what is going to be required in order to have His righteousness formed in our heavens (Heb 4:12, Eze 36:26).

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Eze 36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

2Ch 2:7 [the “cunning man” who is sent to us is Christ who we are dragged to by our Father as His workmanship (Joh 6:44)]

That first instance of the word “carved”H7049 in this verse therefore has to do with the judgment of our old man (1Ki 6:29), and the seven hundred who were left-handed and chosen to go to battle of (Jdg 20:16) represent the elect of God, and David who represents Christ who slays Goliath with one stone of five (1Sa 17:49). The one stone is Christ, and the five represents how we are saved by grace through faith. The four remaining stones remind us that all men will be saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8).

The picture of how we are being carved into the image of God gets clearer with this verse (1Sa 25:29). When we know that the “Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul” is the old man we see in the mirror every morning, we can take great comfort in knowing the second part of this verse which reminds us that our Father and Christ at that day (Joh 14:20) will overthrow the enemy within: “but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling outH7049, as out of the middle of a sling.”

1Sa 25:29  Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.

God is in the process of making a new creation through a process of judgment that is likened to a carving process which produces fruit. He has ordained from the foundation of the world that this fruit would be part of the witness shown to the world of His elect who are represented by the temple of God which we are (Joh 15:16, 1Co 3:16, Joh 13:35).

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Joh 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

1Ki 6:30  And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.

When we walk through this life as the temple of God which we are with Christ within us as our hope of glory (Col 1:27), we are given the power to fulfill these verses that can only manifest by our dying daily and by daily overcoming the powers and principalities we wrestle against through Christ (Eph 6:12, Eph 1:21) as we are led by His spirit that bears witness we are His sons and daughters who are being given that power to overcome by grace through faith, which is what “the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without” represents.

It is “within and without” the temple because we are in the world and not of the world without. Yet we are to walk circumspectly, redeeming the times in which we are living because they are evil (Eph 5:15-18), and we are to be ambassadors for Christ (2Co 5:20) who are to be walking on that gold everywhere the Lord takes us “within and without” (1Jn 2:6-12, Rom 8:14-17).

Eph 5:15  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Eph 5:16  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:17  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but  under standing what the will of the Lord is [1Jn 2:16-17].

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

[When we don’t understand the will of the Lord, it is because we are drunken on the excess of the world within us; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life represented and outwardly manifested by this drunkenness on wine. When we are being led of the spirit or filled with the spirit then we can discern the times we are in and fulfill His will (1Jn 2:12, Rom 8:14-16)]

Eph 5:18  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

1Jn 2:6  He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
1Jn 2:7  Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
1Jn 2:8  Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

NEGATIVE: 1Jn 2:9  He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now [drunkenness].

POSITIVE: 1Jn 2:10  He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him [sobriety].

NEGATIVE: 1Jn 2:11  But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes [drunkenness].

POSITIVE: 1Jn 2:12  I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake [(Joh 8:36) sobriety].

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God [Rom 8:9]:
Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

1Ki 6:31  And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintelH352 and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.

The “entering of the oracle” represents that starting point or entry point of our communion with Christ, which communion is based on the body and blood of Christ (1Co 10:16), and therefore it is no surprise that the imagery surrounding this section of the temple is connected with the grace and faith we need to come boldly before the throne of grace in our time of need. Along with the symbol of God’s power in our lives, His holy spirit represented by an “olive tree“, makes it possible for us to do that. He “made doors of olive tree” as a symbol of the elect who, with the life of Christ in them, become the door or porter or shepherd along with Christ, ministering to each other’s needs as the Lord guides and directs our lives to that end (Joh 10:9, 1Jn 4:17).

Joh 10:9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

The ‘by grace through faith” aspect of Ephesians 2:8 is represented by “the lintelH352 and side posts were a fifth part of the wall“, and the word “lintel” reveals to us again the power that is ours through Christ to be able to accomplish the will of God on earth as it is done in heaven (Mat 6:10). Christ is that lintel or ram through whom we are accepted (Eph 1:6), and it is not by might or power but by God’s holy spirit (Zec 4:6-9) that we are able to come boldly before the throne of grace to obtain help in time of need (Heb 4:16) as “the hands of Zerubbabel [type of Christ] 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.”

1Ki 6:32  The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees. 

The “two doors also were of olive tree” representing the elect of God who are typified by the two witnesses who are given power to “prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth” (Rev 11:3). The power given to them is God’s holy spirit represented by olive oil, which is burned in the temple to give light to the entire house (Zec 4:3-14, Mat 5:14-16). “These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth” is speaking of God’s elect witnesses (The world will learn how precious the prayers of the saints were for their sakes as well – Rev 11:3, Mat 24:22, Mal 4:5-6).

It is by that power the elect of God can fill up the second half of Christ’s three and a half year ministry making a complete seven-year witness to the world of how God can take weak carnal flesh, and by His power and might these things are accomplished: “and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees“.

God’s elect are the first to have God “turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers” in perfect order, to save the natural flesh of mankind that would otherwise be smitten [smiteH5221] with a curse (Mal 4:6). This event of saving mankind in their natural flesh at the beginning of the reign of the saints precedes their being saved spiritually in the lake of fire. Then, at the end of the thousand-year reign, the event of Gog and Magog (Rev 20:9) is when all the earth will be smitten with a curse and destroyed to then be resurrected and saved in the lake of fire.

Mal 4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mal 4:6  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

The natural precedes the spiritual in both events (1Co 15:45-46). The earlier type and shadow of this is also found with Moses and Israel, and all of this tells us how the natural becomes a quickening spirit (Exo 32:10-11).

1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

Exo 32:9  And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
Exo 32:10  Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
Exo 32:11  And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
Exo 32:12  Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
Exo 32:13  Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
Exo 32:14  And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

It takes God’s power in our lives in order to have all this gold overlaid in the temple of God that we are, and so it is only through the ongoing judgment, the fiery trials, our afflictions in this life, our persecutions, our suffering in the Lord that this gold can be made more malleable so it can be skillfully laid and adorned in the temple of God. Covering the carved cherubims, the palm trees and open flowers reminds us that there are processes unfolding in our judgement, purifying of our faith.

We can believe and have faith increase in us as we are judged by the word of God via the milk doctrines of Hebrews 6:1-3 that fashions our understanding in our heavens like the carvings of cherubims, palm trees and open flowers, but it is the trial of our faith that is precious to God, which is represented by all this gold overlaid upon the cherubims, the palm trees, and the open flowers (1Pe 1:7).

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire,[1Pe 4:12] might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

1Ki 6:33  So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.
1Ki 6:34  And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.

Our life hinges (Heb 6:3 “if God permit“) on the mercy of God being extended to His remnant through Christ’s life in us (Rom 11:5) represented by “the temple posts of olive tree“.

A “fourth part of the wall” reminds us that God’s mercy will be extended to the whole world [“fourth part” = 4]  through those who are being granted that blessing first in this life (Rom 11:30-32).

The “two doors were of firH1265 tree” representing the spiritually stately and noble tree we are when our life is framed on the door frame of olive wood which represents Christ in us (Gal 2:20): the “temple posts of olive tree“.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;  yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

With Christ as our hope of glory within us symbolized by this olive tree, “the door of the temple posts of olive tree” (Col 1:27), the “two doors were of firH1265 tree” can now reflect a life that can, by God’s goodness (Rom 2:4), be led unto repentance and as a result speak words that are fitly framed as apples of gold in pictures of silver (Eph 2:8, Pro 25:11). The two bi-fold doors are comprised of four leaves telling us that all the world will come to know the truth through the church, the bride of Christ who will witness to the world how we can work in conjunction with each other (Php 2:1-2, 1Pe 3:8), in unison like the bi-fold doors operate (Heb 6:19, Rom 11:19-28).

Heb 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Rom 11:22  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: [Rom 2:4] otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

1Ki6:35  And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.

The “the door of the sheep” spoken of in the gospels is Christ who lays his life down for us, and God is making a way for us to lay down our lives for each other with the life of Christ in us who is the door in our lives (Joh 10:7-9) who has “carved [is carving – Qal H7049] thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.”  (Joh 10:7-16, 1Jn 4:17) upon that door.

Joh 10:7  Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
Joh 10:8  All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
Joh 10:9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

1Ki 6:36  And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.
1Ki 6:37  In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif:

The “inner court” is built with “three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams“. The three rows of “hewed stones” represent the process of judgment that we go through as the ‘inward man’ (the “inner court“) that is renewed day by day going from glory to glory (2Co 4:16-17, 2Co 3:18) as the outward man perishes.

2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
2Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The “row of cedar beams” is a reminder to us that God’s elect are the only ones who are judged in their flesh in this life and brought to perfection by being built upon the Rock, Jesus Christ (Mat 16:18) who is our strength and the reason we can endure all things to the end in order to be saved (Php 4:13, Mat 24:13). As strong cedar beams, none shall pluck us out of our Father’s hand (Joh 10:28).

How we are being saved today

Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted [Php 2:12-13, Eph 1:6]? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

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.

God’s desire to save all (4) the world is expressed by the words “In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid“, and that salvation will come by the brightness [month of ZifH2099 =brightness] of his coming into every life (2Co 4:4-6)

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
2Co 4:5  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
2Co 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

1Ki 6:38  And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

All of the watering and planting that Paul and Apollos did in their lives was accompanied with the promise that God would give the increase (1Co 3:7-9). The “eleventh year, in the month Bul” represents this transition (11) of labouring in the Lord, as we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing it is God who is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure that includes giving the increase “in the month of BulH945“, which word means ‘increase’.

This increase results in the new man being formed within us, which happens in “the eighth month“, which month (8) symbolizes the new creation within us that God is fashioning.

The “house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it” tells us that the bride will be made ready (Rev 19:7), and the “eighth month” that symbolizes the new creation within us happens as a result of the seven years of building the temple. “So was he seven years in building it“, which symbolically is telling us ‘the eighth is of the seven’, meaning the new man is formed out of the complete experience gives His elect in the complete or seven symbolic year period of construction (Rev 17:11).

1Co 3:7  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
1Co 3:8  Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
1Co 3:9  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

Rev 17:11  And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

]]> Prophecy of Isaiah – Isa 19:11-15 The Lord Has Mingled A Perverse Spirit In…Egypt https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/prophecy-of-isaiah-isa-1911-15-the-lord-has-mingled-a-perverse-spirit-in-egypt/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=prophecy-of-isaiah-isa-1911-15-the-lord-has-mingled-a-perverse-spirit-in-egypt Sat, 23 Dec 2017 23:44:50 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=15270

Isa 19: 11-15 The Lord Has Mingled A Perverse Spirit In… Egypt

Isa 19:11  Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?
Isa 19:12  Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.
Isa 19:13  The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.
Isa 19:14  The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.

Isa 19:15  Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.

In our last two studies we saw how the Lord is in the process of drying up the waters of Egypt.  The “rivers of living waters” of the Truth of God’s Words have long ago been dried up and replaced by the deadly “waters of Egypt [and] the rivers of Babylon”. We have demonstrated that the holy spirit uses those two phrases interchangeably to speak of what are both the same spiritual condition within our hearts and minds:

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Spiritually speaking we are here told that the city in which our Lord was crucified is nothing other than Sodom and Egypt. Where does such an idea originate? It originates from the same spirit which inspired this prophecy of Isaiah:

Isa 1:1  The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Isa 1:2  Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
Isa 1:3  The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Isa 1:4  Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

Isa 1:10  Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

Isa 1:21  How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

“The great city wherein our Lord was crucified” is called “Sodom and Egypt”, and it is also first called a harlot right here is Isaiah.

Now let’s go back and look very carefully at that Revelation 11:8.

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Jerusalem, the symbol of the Lord’s own people, is called Sodom, and it is called a harlot. It is the use of the word ‘harlot’ or ‘whore’, which gives us to know that  “the mother of harlots” is the same apostate people of God, apostate Israel:

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

Clearly these words are being directed to those who have been “nourished and brought up [as the Lord’s own] children”, who have now “rebelled against [Him]”, and are now “drunken with the blood of the saints… from Abel to Zacharias”:

Luk 11:47  Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
Luk 11:48  Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
Luk 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

While the churches of this world point their fingers at anyone but themselves, you and I are blessed to know that “this generation” means this generation reading these words from the time of Christ until today.

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

When the Lord’s rebellious people, in time, become aware that they have been carried away as captives to Babylon, this is their lament:

Psa 137:1  By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
Psa 137:2  We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
Psa 137:3  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
Psa 137:4  How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?

This is the point at which we are brought to see that the Truth of God, through the judgment of God, is being cut off from Egypt. Suffering with Christ has been replaced with substitutionary atonement, a ten-​second sinner’​s prayer and the prosperity gospel. When we come to see all of that, then Egypt’s destruction within us is well underway. The lack of those waters of Egypt causes, and brings about, the drying up of everything which is supported by that water. Those who work with flax are not in the waters, but they are nourished by those waters, and without those waters “they that weave networks” will cease to exist.

As we have already shown by the scriptures, ‘waters’ typify both people and the doctrines believed by those people and how those words and doctrines support their lives. If and when we come to see that everything upon which our own lives have depended for support is no longer able to support us, then it begins to dry up and cease to exist.

The waters of Babylon feed and support Babylon and all the activities and commerce of Babylon in the same way the waters of Egypt feed and support all the people and activities and all the businesses that are part of Egypt. When the waters of Babylon are dried up, Babylon will fall and be no more:

Rev 16:12  And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

Both Egypt and Babylon are but types and shadows of who we are at different stages of the Lord’s work within our lives.

Egypt and its waters typify our first contact with our Creator. It is while we are living by the waters of Egypt that we begin to see that we are enslaved to our flesh. We begin to see that we are enslaved to Egypt.  We realize that what saved us from starvation and brought us to Christ has now become a slave master:

Exo 1:8  Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
Exo 1:9  And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
Exo 1:10  Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
Exo 1:11  Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
Exo 1:12  But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.
Exo 1:13  And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:
Exo 1:14  And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

Christ put all of this in these words:

Mat 23:15  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Physical Israel symbolizes our knowledge of Christ in the flesh only, as we all first come to know Him. At first we see Christ as a babe in His crib, then as a 12 year-​old boy questioning the teachers in the temple. Then we see Him as a teacher, working miracles, feeding thousands and healing their sick. Then we see Christ as a dying man on the cross, and our final knowledge of Christ is as a resurrected body which we can touch and with whom we can eat. We simply cannot yet know Him in the spirit. That carnal knowledge of Christ, with all the “carnal command[ments]” (Heb 7:12) that come with it, is the bondage that becomes our slave master, “the law… for the lawless”:

2Co 5:16  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

Heb 7:16  Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

At first Egypt appeared to be our savior, and indeed it gave us the land of Goshen, and for a time the Lord Himself caused us to prosper in Egypt. It was the Lord who first showed Himself to us, typified as Joseph in Egypt. But something happened and that which “[brought] us to Christ” somehow became a “schoolmaster” and a slave master to us:

Exo 2:23  And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
Exo 2:24  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
Exo 2:25  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

Gal 3:22  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin [under the law for the lawless], that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23  But before faith [Christ] came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law [“for the  lawless”] was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Gal 4:1  Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child [under the schoolmaster, the law], differeth nothing from a servant [Greek:  doulas (G1210) – slave, bondservant], though he be lord of all;
Gal 4:2  But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
Gal 4:3  Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
Gal 4:4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Gal 4:6  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Gal 4:7  Wherefore thou art no more a servant [a slave “under the law”], but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

The very meaning of the name Moses means ‘drawn from the waters’.

We must understand that the waters from which we are first drawn at this stage, are the waters of Egypt which empty into the “sea” out of which all flesh comes. We do not come willingly:

Isa 19:4  And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.
Isa 19:5  And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.
Isa 19:6  And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.
Isa 19:7  The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.

Rev 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Soon enough we will come out of Egypt through the gut-wrenching experience of the Red Sea. And yet this coming out of Egypt is but a precursor to later coming out of Babylon. However, before we can even go into Babylon, we must first enter into another even greater very trying time of dwelling in the wilderness, between Egypt and the land of promise. This experience lasts forty years, symbolizing a time of great trial which seems at the time to be an eternity, and it begins the process of the dying of our old man and the destruction of his kingdom within us:

Num 14:33  And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
Num 14:34  After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

Our old man only begins to die there in the wilderness. It is while we are there in the wilderness that we begin to be brought to our wits’ end, and we will even wish we could return to the slavery of Egypt. The pains and trials of life are just more than we can bear, and it appears to us that the Lord has brought us out here just to destroy us. Indeed our old man is in the process of being destroyed there in the wilderness, but the fruit of that experience is a new generation which will enter into the land of promise as type and a shadow of our new man.

Heb 3:14  For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Heb 3:15  While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
Heb 3:16  For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
Heb 3:17  But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
Heb 3:18  And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
Heb 3:19  So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

In the promised land we are given the work of waging war against the giants whom God has placed there to try us while we are in our promised land. We are even given to build big outwardly very beautiful houses for God, and we experience what seems to be a time of permanent peace.

But even after we have experienced the typical death of our old man in the wilderness and we are granted to enter into the promised land typifying “heaven itself”,​ and after we have subdued many of the giants who have ruled over those nations within us, we are predestined to “lose [our] first love” (Rev 2:4) and become so corrupted that the Lord must send us off into a second time of slavery. In this state of slavery we are again seduced into feeling very comfortable in our bondage.

This is all of us each in our own time:

Gal 4:8  Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Think about this. When we are taken away captives to Babylon, we are Israel, we are in the promised land, and we have turned our backs on God while at the same time self-righteously proclaiming that we are God’s Israel, His special people. At that point we have become so self-righteous that we have already spiritually been carried away into the  bondage of Babylon, and we aren’t even aware of our sad spiritual condition.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

We become so comfortable in Babylon that we don’t even realize that we are in bondage. The multitudes in Babylon never realize where they are spiritually, but it is there “by the waters of Babylon” that a chosen few are granted to be shown that they are a wild beast, a man of sin who is usurping and is sitting upon the very throne of God within their own hearts. Along with this knowledge, we are granted to overcome that wild beast who is always there, and to come out of Babylon and return to the Lord, and we are commissioned to begin to rebuild His temple. However, this second temple, typifying the Lord’s elect, is nowhere near as outwardly beautiful as the first temple we were given to build.

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.

This 4th chapter of Zechariah is explained in the 11th chapter of Revelation:

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
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.
Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Rev 11:6  These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Rev 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Rev 11:9  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
Rev 11:10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Rev 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Rev 11:14  The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Rev 11:16  And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
Rev 11:18  And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Rev 11:19  And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

It is “the temple of God in heaven”, which is typified by the second much smaller and much less outwardly glorious temple, which typifies the Lord’s elect in whom He dwells (1Co 3:16 and 2Co 6:16).

Hag 2:9  The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

This latter temple is so small and despised that it seems to have no glory at all when compared to the first temple we built. But it is this “time of small things” that the Lord will use to finish His work within us and make us far greater and far more glorious that the earthly glory of our first temple, where all we knew was “Christ after the flesh”. “Henceforth know we Him no more… after the flesh.”

Exo 2:10  And the child [Moses] grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

Hag 2:6  For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
Hag 2:7  And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
Hag 2:8  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
Hag 2:9  The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

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.

It is those who make up this “latter temple” who know where the living waters of life are. They are the ones out of whose bellies will flow “rivers of living water”:

Here again are a few verses which show us the spiritual meaning of the word ‘waters’ in the scriptures:

Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Rev 21:6  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

So waters symbolize both the people and the words and doctrines of Christ as well as the people and the words and doctrines of Egypt and Babylon. When the Lord’s Truth, those ‘waters of life’, are taken away from us, this is what we experience:

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

The words of the Lord are what prevents famine in our land. We are told that we are cleansed by the washing of His Word, which again is called water:

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

With the spiritual meaning of ‘water’ in mind, we will continue our study here in Isaiah 19:

Isa 19:8  The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.

Who is it who is able to understand what the holy spirit is saying here through the prophet Isaiah? This is the answer of scripture:

Psa 107:23  They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.

Concerning “They that go down to the sea in ships [and] that do business in great waters, what is it they see? What are “His wonders in the deep”?

The answer is given to us in the very next verse. This is “His wonders in the deep”:

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

Those who are given eyes that see know that “[God’s] wonders in the deep” consist of Him commanding and raising “the stormy wind which lifts up the waves” which melt our souls and bring us to our wits’ end. Only after that has been worked in our lives will He calm the wind and the waves which He has raised up. Only then will He bring us out of our distresses, make us glad and bring us to our desired place of rest, “[our] desired haven”.

That is a scriptural description of the Lord’s wonders in the great deep. “The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.” It sounds very much like, “He commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They are at their wits’ end… their soul is melted because of trouble… they cry to the Lord in their trouble.”

“He” is of course the Lord Himself working His wonders in “the deep” where “they that go down to the sea in ships… spread their nets.” So what is the holy spirit speaking of in these verses about the need for water and the judgments of God which are symbolized by the drying up of the waters? This is all about the judgment which is now upon the house of God which we are (1Co 3:16 and 1Pe 4:17). Our Lord Himself tells us to what the scriptures are really referring when speaking of spreading nets in waters:

Mat 4:18  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
Mat 4:19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Men are likened to fish in the Lord’s parables:

Mat 13:47  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
Mat 13:48  Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
Mat 13:49  So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

The great whore and all of her daughter harlots thrive on outward blessings which are called “the waters of Egypt”, and when those waters begin to dry up, this is what happens within us:

Isa 19:9  Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.
Isa 19:10  And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.
Isa 19:11  Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?
Isa 19:12  Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.
Isa 19:13  The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.
Isa 19:14  The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.
Isa 19:15  Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.

This is the meaning of “the head and the tail”:

Isa 9:14  Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.
Isa 9:15  The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
Isa 9:16  For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

This prophecy is addressed to our heavens and to our earth, and it begins by informing us that our “head is sick”. The head of our heavens and the head of our earth is our rebellious old man who “cannot hear Christ’s words” for the simple reason that we have been given ears that hear but simply cannot understand what they are hearing:

Isa 1:2  Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
Isa 1:3  The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Isa 1:4  Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
Isa 1:5  Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

It is God Himself who has made us to simply not see the mysteries of the kingdom of God working within us.

Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

Rom 11:8  (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

When we are being judged there is no work or even a place in our lives for false doctrines. Those false doctrines used to be our leader, and they are now being destroyed, and they have no work to do within us:

Lam 5:15  The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.
Lam 5:16  The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned!
Lam 5:17  For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim.

Those are the words of our rebellious, dying old man. Those dying words produce these words of life:

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Next week, if the Lord wills, we will see how the Lord will begin to work with Egypt within us:

Isa 19:16  In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.
Isa 19:17  And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.
Isa 19:18  In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.
Isa 19:19  In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.
Isa 19:20  And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.

]]> The Spiritual Significance of Colors in Scripture – Green, Part 3 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/the-spiritual-significance-of-colors-in-scripture-green-part-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-spiritual-significance-of-colors-in-scripture-green-part-3 Sun, 01 Nov 2015 02:47:50 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=10373

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The Spiritual Significance of Colors in Scripture – The Color Green, Part 3

We are still on the color green, but we will be dealing this week with the spiritual meaning of the color green in its positive application. We have covered how it’s the combination of yellow and blue that form what each of those stands for, so we can determine the meaning of the color green.

Someone might say “where is scripture do you find there are three primary colors?” I don’t get that in scripture but by observing ‘nature’. It’s like saying “where in scripture does it say a lion kills animals?” While we do see in scripture where lions have killed, the whole concept is one of observation, and you know what it’s talking about.

We have heard the lion called the king of beasts. You won’t find that phrase ‘king of beasts’ in the bible, yet Christ is called the lion of the tribe of Judah simply because He is a king.

God tells us clearly in Romans 1 that the invisible things of Him are seen by the things He has created.

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

That’s how we can look at the three primary colors and deduce from them what the significance of each color is. When you are told in scripture that yellow has to do with leprosy, and that blue has to do with the holy things of the temple, the holy spirit will give you the ability to see that when those two come together, it is speaking of the spirit working with the flesh.

In the book of Revelation and throughout the Word of God, there is a positive and a negative application for virtually every word in the book. The book of Revelation is where we saw this clearly as far as the color green is concerned. The positive application was don’t hurt any green tree or grass but only those men who have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

Rev 9:4  And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

In chapter 3 we are told all the green grass was destroyed, so you have a negative and a positive application right there close to each other. If you don’t understand this positive and negative principle, you will read through the bible and think there are many contradictions in it. There are no contradictions, only negative and positive applications. If you keep that in mind, you will have a key to understanding scripture that few people know.

Even as we look at the color green and its negative application, it becomes apparent it is a necessary evil.

As when talking about flesh – flesh is no good, yet that is what we all are. We are all no good, but it is necessary. The bible tells us no man yet hated his own flesh, yet as Paul says, there is no good thing in our flesh, why do we cherish it so much then?

Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing:…

We cherish our flesh because we must live with it. So when you see examples in scripture such as Abraham making a treaty with Abimelech, who was a Philistine king, Jacob making a treaty with Laban that they will not hurt each other, that is the spirit working with the flesh.

However, we don’t go around mutilating our bodies just because in our flesh is no good thing. We learn to live with our flesh and dominate it and not allow its dominion over us.

That’s how we can understand what the bible means when God creates a serpent, a flesh and blood man and woman, a tree of the knowledge of good and evil and proclaims them all very good.

Gen 1:31  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

The Catholics need to consider that when they diminish the importance of sex. Sex has an important place in the human existence as we wouldn’t be here without it. Sex is very good in its place. Husbands and wives certainly should have sex. In most cases, barring an illness for instance, if they are not having sex, they do not have a marriage.

So everything has a positive application, but everything also has a negative application. This knowledge gives us a perspective on life that we wouldn’t otherwise have. People read scriptures that are talking down on something, then view it all as negative. I received a letter telling me I’m crazy for thinking there is a negative application to the color green. The letter said “don’t you know the tree of life is green?!” Of course, the tree of life is green.

The tree of life was right there with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They are both green – they are trees. That is a positive application of the color green. This week’s study is on the positive application.

Psa 23:1  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psa 23:2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Psa 23:3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

All that comes after those verses is part of living in green pastures.

Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Our fleshly bodies are the valley of the shadow of death.

Psa 23:5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psa 23:6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

There is another psalm using the word green again. This psalm has to do with Doeg, the Edomite who killed all the priests of God when he saw they had given David the shewbread to keep them from being hungry. He had told King Saul about it, and King Saul sent him back to kill all the priests.

Psa 52:8  But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
Psa 52:9  I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.

David goes on to contrast himself with the Edomite, Doeg, whose name will be wiped out. He says “I am like a green olive tree”, and this is a good thing, not a bad thing. Fruit trees in scripture represent those who bring forth good. There are also trees that are what brings forth bad things as they have no fruit on them at all. However, an olive tree brings forth fruit and it is used quite a bit in scripture.

Here’s a scripture representing Christ in the eyes of His elect. The Song of Solomon is sometimes not easy to read in mixed company as it is such an intimate and plainly spoken portrayal of Christ and His church.

Son 1:16  Behold, thou art fair, my beloved [speaking of Christ], yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.

Son 2:10  My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
Son 2:11  For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

With Winter past, things will turn green.

Son 2:12  The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle [dove] is heard in our land;
Son 2:13  The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

This is how we ought to think of Christ. This is how everything is when you are in love. When you are dating Mr. or Miss Right just being with him/her makes everything seem like Spring. Everything seems green even if it is the dead of Winter. Everything is wonderful when your love is there.

That’s how we should be viewing Christ. That’s how the bible portrays our relationship with Christ.

Paul makes it clear in Ephesians 5 that is how marriage portrays Christ and the church.

Eph 5:23  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Eph 5:28  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
Eph 5:29  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

In Jeremiah 11 we have the elect as they appear in the eyes of Christ. It is amazing how He brings green back into it.

Jer 11:16  The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.

Jer 17:7  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
Jer 17:8  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Rev 9:4  And it was commanded them [the locusts out of the bottomless pit] that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

These locusts which eat up every green thing do not eat up God’s elect in this positive application. They blot out the light of the sun with their vast number (vs 16). They are two hundred million false doctrines that blot out the light of the truth of God’s word, yet they can’t touch God’s elect.

Why not? Because God’s elect know the truth. They know Jesus Christ, what He is and what He thinks. He is their Love. They want to know about Him, how He thinks, how His mind works because they want to think like Him.

A good wife [type of the church] lines her thinking up with her husband’s – provided she has a good husband, of course. She doesn’t have a way of thinking which is contrary to her good husband’s line of thinking. When we line up with Christ’s way of thinking, all the false doctrines of the world will be just like water running off a duck’s back. This is the positive application of the color green.

The exact opposite is shown in Revelation 8:7.

Rev 8:7  The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

This is people who do not have the seal of God. It is not a contradiction but a dual usage of words. Christ is the lion of the tribe of Judah, but Satan is also a lion who goes forth seeking whom he may devour.

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Here is the negative application of lion…

Rev 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

And the positive…

Rev 5:5  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

With those verses we can see a lion in both the good and bad application. All they demonstrate is that words have both a positive and a negative application. This has nothing to do with green, but it does demonstrate how we can see green in both applications.

Trees are seen throughout the bible, and there are a lot of positive applications. We need to know how God views trees.

Gen 1:11  And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

Fruit trees bring forth fruit. What is God telling us there? God begins with green herbs first for fruit. That is one thing He is telling us there.

Gen 1:29  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

He didn’t give them animals to eat at this point. After baptism, as after the flood of Noah, we get to eat meat. Peter tells us the flood of Noah is a type of baptism.

1Pe 3:20  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1Pe 3:21  The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Gen 9:1  And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
Gen 9:2  And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
Gen 9:3  Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

Notice God didn’t say “in place of the green herb”; He said “even as the green herb…”.

Gen 2:9  And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life [this is Christ] also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

It’s still true herbs and fruit are good for food. Everything came out of the ground, and when you say Jesus Christ had no connection to the flesh, you are denying this very principle here. He came right out of the ground, and the word ‘ground’ is Adam – adamah. The tree of life also came out of the ground.

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Cherubim keeping the way of life is the same thing as saying the priesthood in Leviticus must not allow the Levites to touch the holy things. Don’t allow the Levites to eat the holy food in the holy place. Levites pollute the holy things. What are the holy things? They are the mind and thoughts and doctrines of Christ. None of the churches of the world see that. They believe we should all come together with all our conflicting beliefs and be one ecumenical movement. God will have nothing to do with it.

The fact Christ comes out of the ground speaks volumes of who Christ is. He is the true tree of life. When you know the tree of life came out of the same ground out of which Adam was taken, you know who Christ is.

We are not told we stop eating herbs and replace them with meat. We are told we are adding meat along with the herbs we already eat. Now we are able to be nourished by both green herbs and “every moving thing” – strong meat.

We will see how trees and green things are used in scripture to shade us from the heat of the sun. There was no air conditioning in the Old Testament or New Testament times. Trees were used for shade for mankind. Shade from the hot sun can come from either a fruit bearing or nonbearing tree.

The Lord appeared to Abraham just before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Gen 18:1  And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Gen 18:2  And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
Gen 18:3  And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
Gen 18:4  Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

Gen 18:8  And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Abraham was giving his guests the very best place he could, and that place was under a tree. Inside the tent would not have been as cool as air circulation would not have been as good.

1Ki 4:25  And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

Being under a tree is a comfortable place to be in Old Testament terms. One may say “wait, isn’t the sun a type of the truth of God?” Yes, it is. The sun is Jesus Christ.

1Ki 19:4  But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
1Ki 19:5  And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.

This is Elijah after he had just slain 400 prophets of Baal, after calling fire down from heaven. He had told them to pray to their gods, and he would pray to his God and whichever god answered they would know that was the true God.

1Ki 18:24  And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

1Ki 18:37  Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
1Ki 18:38  Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

Nothing had happened for the hours the priests of Baal spent praying to their gods and even cutting themselves in an attempt for their prayers to be answered. Elijah even poured water all over his offering, but as soon as he prayed, God sent down fired to burn up Elijah’s offering. Under God’s direction, he killed all 400 of the false prophets.

Upon hearing from Ahab what Elijah had done, Jezebel sent a death threat to Elijah at which he ran for his life into the wilderness. As we just read, he sat under a juniper tree begging God to take his life.

After facing the 400 priests and seeing God’s miraculous answer to his prayer, he still feared Jezebel. We can’t think badly of Elijah though as it is speaking of you and me. We can see God’s hand running the affairs of this world, and we know just what He is capable of performing, yet when we have a trial, we panic. Our faith is just not strong enough. All that happened to Elijah is written for our admonition so we would know what these things all mean.

Exo 15:23  And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
Exo 15:24  And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

This bitter water will kill you. The false doctrines of the world will kill you. Israel is green. They are being worked with by God. They knew this water was killing them and cried out for God’s intervention.

Exo 15:25  And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

What did He prove about them? He proved they didn’t have any faith. To prove someone is to show what they are. God already knows what we are. He is proving us to ourselves.

Lev 27:30  And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD.

If you are beginning to get the picture here, you can now see trees are men. We give shade to those babes in Christ. We don’t just dump all the meat of God’s word on an immature christian. Everything we are and have is the Lord’s.

Deu 21:22  And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:
Deu 21:23  His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

These scriptures are telling us we are guilty of the death of Christ. It is through the curse of Christ hanging on the tree that we are purified.

It does seem contradictory that someone who has done nothing worthy of death is accursed of God. It is through dying, rotting flesh that life comes. It seems to be the exact opposite of what would be true, but that’s the way God has ordained it.

Deu 24:20  When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

The olive trees were beaten to make the olives drop for harvest, but some were to be left on the trees for the needy.

What is that verse telling us? It is saying that all we have is of God, and we give our lives in service to God, but in so doing we serve our fellow man. You serve God when you serve your brother.

Jdg 9:8  The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.

This parable is being put forth by the only remaining son of Gideon, who was also called Jerubbaal and who had judged Israel and delivered them from the Midianites.
Israel had been vastly outnumbered by the Midianites, but God led 300 of Gideon’s men to conquer a huge number of Midianites when He put such fear into them at the sound of Gideon’s men blowing their horns that they thought they were under attack in the night and ended up killing each other. The spoil of gold became Gideon’s, which made him a wealthy man. As polygamy was allowed under the old covenant, Gideon ended up with 70 sons.

One of these sons was born to Gideon by a concubine, and he grew up wanting to be king of Israel and declared himself king. He talked his mother and family into ‘campaigning’ for his kingship. Afterward he killed all his brothers except for the youngest, Jotham, who hid himself and gave us this parable.

Jdg 9:8  The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.
Jdg 9:9  But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

This verse tells us what God means by the olive tree. It honors God and man with its oil and with the olives themselves.

Jdg 9:10  And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
Jdg 9:11  But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?

Figs taste good. In the old days they were like eating candy.

Jdg 9:12  Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
Jdg 9:13  And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

How does wine cheer God? Does God need wine to be cheered up? Christ said the cup of wine represented the new testament.

Luk 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Luk 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

Finally the trees come to the bramble, and it takes them up on it.

Jdg 9:14  Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
Jdg 9:15  And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

The bramble represents Abimelech who wanted to be king over Israel. He was a lowly briar which thought to rule over the cedars of Lebanon. What was the fire that destroyed the trees?

The fire was civil war in Shechem. Abimelech’s own people turned on him and killed him. That’s the definition of fire in this particular story. Fire burns everything in its way.

What you should see in all of this is that trees are men. Different trees represent different stages in our growth. Even in the new testament this is made known to us.

Mar 8:22  And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. [We all start out spiritually blind.]
Mar 8:23  And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
Mar 8:24  And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
Mar 8:25  After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. [God makes us to understand His word and His will more clearly as time goes on.]

We are told how to judge a person…by their actions, their fruits; not talking about literal trees.

Mat 7:16  Ye shall know them [false prophets] by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Trees as Types of God’s Elect

Jer 11:19  But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.

Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Time after time we are told what these trees stand for. Trees planted by the water are a type of God’s elect.

Psa 52:8  But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

Psa 92:12  The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

What are cedar trees? What are palm trees? They are righteous men. This doesn’t mean they are necessarily spiritually good, but they are good men. We have Job as an example.

Job 1:1  There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

Job was a righteous man. He was a cedar of Lebanon, but he didn’t have the fruit of the spirit.

God doesn’t always use unrighteous men to deceive the world; He uses righteous men – good people, respectable, honorable men of whom the whole world speaks well. Billy Graham and the Pope are both cedars of Lebanon, but they don’t have one bit of the holy spirit. They are not fruit trees.

Jer 17:7  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
Jer 17:8  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

This is a tree planted by waters, a good tree yielding fruit. Let’s see what trees have to do with the temple of God. What is the temple of God? The body of Christ as a church corporately and each member individually.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1Co 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

With that in mind, let’s read:

1Ki 6:23  And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.

Remember this not the tabernacle but the temple.

The side posts, the pillars of the tabernacle, are God’s elect. The only pillars were at the door of the tabernacle and the door of the holy of holies. The cherubim acted as the channel to get to God. What is that telling us? Christ said no one comes to God but by Him. As the christ of Christ, we are used as that channel by which God saves all mankind. That’s how important our function is (Rom 11:31).

Trees in The Temple of God

1Ki 6:31  And for the entering of the oracle [the door of the holy of holies] he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.

What does Revelation tell us about olive trees?

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

The two witnesses are the two olive trees. This is not just two men but God’s people down through the ages through whom all mankind must come. The two doors of the temple are olive trees. The light which poured forth out of the candlestick is God’s word poured out. We must want to share these truths with others or we are not getting it at all.

1Ki 6:32  The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.

Cherubim and palm trees are on the door that leads to God. Cherubim represent the elect. How do we know? They tell us in Revelation 5.

Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Palm trees are the same thing; those who bring mankind to Christ.

1Ki 6:33  So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.

The door of the temple is not the same as the doors of the oracle. The doors of the oracle lead to the holy of holies.

1Ki 6:34  And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.

Fir trees are not fruit trees, but they can still by used by God when they have been cut down and cut up.

1Ki 6:35  And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.

Cherubim and palm trees are on both doors that lead to God. That gold fitted upon the carved work is beaten so thin it only needs to be rubbed on.

1Ki 6:36  And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.

2Ch 3:5  And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.

Fine gold, palm trees and chains were on the ceiling of God’s house.

Men as Trees

Eze 20:45  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 20:46  Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;
Eze 20:47  And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

Who is God talking to when he is talking to a forest? He is talking to men. This is a negative application of trees, but it shows trees are men in symbol. This tree needs to be burned up.

Eze 20:48  And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.
Eze 20:49  Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

Yes, it’s a parable – trees are men.

Dan 4:9  O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.
Dan 4:10  Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.
Dan 4:12  The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.
Dan 4:13  I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;
Dan 4:14  He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches:
Dan 4:15  Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:
Dan 4:16  Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

This particular tree of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was Nebuchadnezzar himself. Daniel is explaining to him that Nebuchadnezzar will lose his mind for seven years and be sent to the field to eat grass like an ox. Yet after that time he will return and get back his kingdom.

Hos 14:5  I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
Hos 14:6  His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.

These verses in Hosea show a positive application to trees.

Mat 3:10  And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees [men who don’t produce good fruit]: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16  Ye shall know them by their fruits [because men are trees]. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

When you hear a minister saying to go fight for your country, he is not bringing forth good fruit. He can’t because he is a corrupt tree.

Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

You don’t know them by their lofty sermons or their miracles, but rather do they adhere to the doctrines of Christ.

Rev 9:4  And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

The Tree of Life

Gen 2:9  And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Those cherubim represent God’s elect as we have reiterated before. These are those who love God’s mind, who are impressed with God’s mind and love it.

Listen to all these scriptures that talk about the tree of life.

Pro 3:13  Happy is the man that findeth wisdom [Christ], and the man that getteth understanding.
Pro 3:14  For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
Pro 3:15  She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her [wisdom – Christ].

Christ is her [wisdom] because He is God’s wife as well as His Son, and we are Christ’s wife as well as his sons.

Pro 3:16  Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
Pro 3:17  Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
Pro 3:18  She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

Pro 11:30  The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

Talking about men again who are olive trees and a tree of life to those who are brought to God through those men.

Pro 15:4  A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

Watch what comes out of your mouth! Don’t let it be perverse.

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

If you see that through your mercy people will obtain mercy this will be understood by you. It is impossible for the natural man to understand how a tree can be in the midst and on either side and that the cherubim are in the midst of the throne and also round about it. We are in Him, He is in us and He is in His Father – that’s what is being said.

The fruit of righteousness is the tree of life, and Christ is the tree of life. It’s talking about the fruit of righteousness in our lives.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment [which we are in – 1Pe 4:17]: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Conclusion of Green – Both Negative and Positive

Green is associated with a process which involves the work of the Spirit on the flesh, a dying vessel of clay. Green is associated with death because it is the combination of yellow and blue. Yellow is leprosy which consumes human flesh. Blue is associated with things of the spirit, in the heavens.

But green is not intended to be anything but green. Like yellow it can’t inherit the kingdom of God. Green is positive inasmuch as it brings us to the blue. Green is negative as it is associated with the flesh which cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

On the positive side, green identifies with those who have the seal of God in their foreheads. Green typifies God’s elect, green typifies the tree of life, and all who are ‘in Him’ as saviors of mankind.

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Green is shade from the burning sun, green is spiritual growth – God working in mankind.

]]> Revelation 11:4 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/rev-11_4/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rev-11_4 Fri, 23 Apr 2010 06:00:00 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=3851 Audio Links

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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

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.”
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 of 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 “upon whom the ends of the ages are come”, 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 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?

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

5) It is through the spirit and the Word of the Lord pouring out of these two olive trees and into the seven golden candlesticks, that the mountain, which is this world in us, becomes a plain. This is the very mountain which the “faith of a grain of mustard seed” can destroy and cast into the sea. Christ, in His saints, will finish the building of His temple, “which temple we are”.

Mat 21:21  Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Let’s just believe what we are told and accept the fact that these two olive trees are a type of Christ, including Christ in His body through which He builds His church. That is the very meaning of “This is the Word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel…” coming from these two olive trees.
6) This Temple of Zerubbabel seems small and insignificant when compared to the first temple, just as the things of the spirit are always vastly undervalued when compared to the things of this world. But it is the precious few “chosen and faithful”, who will be used to redeem and save the many called. “Who has despised the day of small things?” It is “Those seven, [ the seven golden candlesticks which are the seven churches, and the two olive trees and the two candlesticks] they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.” What is the earth? It is God’s own people. It is you and me.

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

“Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little (Isa 28:9-13), we are learning that Christ also has a Christ whom He has sent to do what His Father sent Him to do.

Joh 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Christ is not being negligent or passing the buck, He is rather, revealing that we, His body, are “Jesus of Nazareth”.

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

This knowledge requires a rude awakening, and the gift of eyes that see and ears that hear things that cannot be received by carnal babes in Christ. It is not revealed all in one verse or even all in one chapter or in one book of God’s Word. This is “hidden wisdom” given only to those who have been given to understand that they are the man who killed Christ, and took His wife (as David killed Uriah, a type of Christ and took Bathsheba), and it is revealed only to those who know that “the chief of sinners” is the man they see in the mirror every morning.

Isa 28:9  Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
Isa 28:10  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
Isa 28:11  For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
Isa 28:12  To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
Isa 28:13  But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

It is Christ in His saints who are “the eyes of the Lord which run to and fro through the whole earth”, and those eyes are “eyes of fire” which are finding and destroying every sin and weight within which so easily besets us, and which see the line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little design of the hidden wisdom of the word of God.

1Co 2:6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect [ Greek, being perfected]: 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 [ Greek, a secret], even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Rev 1:14  His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
Rev 2:18  And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 4:8  And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

These are inward eyes, and this is their function:

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin whi ch doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

It is here in Zec 4 that we learn that the seven candlesticks, which are the seven churches, are also “the eyes of the Lord”, and “the seven spirits of God” in the heavens, “which run to and fro through our whole earth”.

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 [ golden candlesticks]; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
 Rev 1:4  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Rev 4:5  And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

What else are these seven candlesticks? They are those who comprise the seven churches.

Rev 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Where else do we see “two… olive trees” in scripture? Could these two olive trees also be the symbols of this very same body of Christ?

1Ki 6:23  And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.

Who are these cherubims? As we saw in our study of Revelation four, these cherubims are just another symbol of those who have “the word of God to Zerubbabel?” They are the same as the two olive trees that empty the golden oil out of themselves and into the golden pipes that take that golden oil to the seven candlesticks which symbolize the seven churches!
Without completely rehearsing our study of Revelation chapter four, we should remember that these cherubims, like all of the secrets of God’s Word are revealed to us line upon line and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. The cherubims are first introduced to us as the cherubims who “guard the way of the tree of life with a flaming sword.

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

The next time we see them is in the book of Exodus as two cherubims which cover the mercy seat above the ark of the covenant. That is followed by this description here in 1Ki 6 of the two cherubims “within the oracle”, meaning within the holy of holies, at the west end of the temple. It is here that we discover that these two cherubims are “made of olive trees.”
But the revelation of what these cherubims symbolize is still not complete. The next time we read of the cherubims is in Ezekiel 1 and ten, where we are informed that they are actually surrounding the throne of God, and they each have four faces; the face of a man, the face of a lion, the face of an ox and the face of an eagle. But the final revelation of who these cherubims symbolize is found here in the book of Revelation, in chapter five, where they themselves tell us who it really is that they symbolize, and who it really is who “keeps the way of the tree of life.”

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

So the two cherubims are now four cherubims and instead of having four faces each, they now each have individual faces. But the four individuals have the same four faces that we saw on each cherub in chapters one and ten of Ezekiel. Here in Revelation five one cherub has the face of a man, one cherub has the face of an ox, one has the face of a lion and another has the face of an eagle.
Now we learn that these two cherubs which cover the mercy seat are but an earlier symbol of those who have the word of God. These two cherubs are made of olive trees, and as “covering cherubs”, they also “stand 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.

But there is more about to be noted about two olives trees, right here is this same 6th chapter of  1 Kings.  We see that the two doors to the holy of holies are also made of olive trees, and they even have the cherubims carved  upon them, to let us know for certain that “the dream is one.”

1Ki 6:31  And for the entering of the oracle [ the hoy of holies] he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.
1Ki 6:32  The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.

This tells us that the only way into the holy of holies is to go through the two doors of olive tree. Do two olive trees have any place in the doors that lead into the holy place which is before the holy of holies? Let’s see what the scriptures teach.

1Ki 6:33  So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.
1Ki 6:34  And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door [ were] folding.
1Ki 6:35  And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered [ them] with gold fitted upon the carved work.

“What are these two olive trees?”

For the second time Zechariah asks the angel that has awakened him “What are these two olive trees?”

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.

The purpose of this entire chapter is to make clear that these two olive trees “are the two anointed ones, that stand by the [ Word of] the Lord of the whole earth.”

Summary

What now have we learned about these two olive trees which are also called two candlesticks here in Rev 11? What we have learned is that the seven horns and seven eye on the slain Lamb are the seven spirits of God which, we are told in this fourth chapter of Zechariah, are the same as the seven golden candlesticks, which candlesticks we are told in Revelation one, are the seven churches. But it is here in this same fourth chapter of Zechariah that we discover that these seven golden candlesticks are also the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth in “the day of small things.”

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 [ golden candlesticks]; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

We have also learned in Zechariah four that these two olive trees and two candlesticks are “the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel”, and the word of the Lord according to Joh 6:63 is 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.

So in the final analysis, the “plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel” and the “reed like unto a rod” which is given to John and the seven candlesticks and the seven horns and seven eyes and the seven spirits of God and the seven churches and the two candlesticks and the two olive trees and the two witnesses and the fire that proceeds out of their mouths and the eyes like fire, are all one and the same. They are “the Word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel” by which we measure and plumb and judge ourselves to see and to know whether Christ really is living His life in us.

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

If Christ really is living within our hearts and minds, then the eyes with which we examine and judge ourselves will be “eyes… as a flame of fire” doing what fire does.

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

So who are these two olive trees and two candlesticks and two witnesses? They are “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations.” They are all of God’s anointed witnesses who have lived and faithfully witnessed to the Truth which is His word, since the death and resurrection of our Lord. These two olive trees and two candlesticks and two witnesses are Christ living His life in His “few” and His “rejected” and His “small things” Christ. These two olive trees and these two witnesses are all those who are given to “lie dead in the streets of that great city where our Lord was crucified and who are filling up in their own bodies what is behind of the afflictions of the Christ, for His bodies sake which is the church.”

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of [ Greek, ‘the’] 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 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:

Next week, Lord willing, we will cover verses five and six, which tell us of the power given to those who are given to be the witnesses of Christ. Here are verses five and six.

Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Rev 11:6  These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

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