ZECHARIAH - CHAPTER 4

ZECHARIAH – CHAPTER 4

 Zerubbabel – The Golden Candle Sticks – The Two Witnesses – The gold.

Tuesday Morning Bible Study

July 16, 2019, the Year of Our Lord

Pastor Carolyn Sissom

Zech 4:1:  The angel that talked with me came again, and wake me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep; and said to me, What do you see?  I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof; and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.  So I answered and spoke to the angel that talked with me, saying, what are these, my lord?  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said to me, know you not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.  Then he answered and spoke to me saying, this is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, not by might, nor by power, but by My spirits says the Lord of hosts. 

This angel is a regular visitor to Zechariah.  This is the angel that had talked with him in previous visions.  Zechariah says, “He talked with me again.”  This is a prophetic angel and could be Zechariah’s Prophet Angel whereby he is given dreams and visions of the Lord.  The angel is prophesying the word of the Lord of hosts (Vs. 6). 

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.  The Spirit (or wind) of God which formed the earth, parted the seas, and raised the dead was no less to be the driving force for God’s new work in the prophet’s day.  While all manpower, provisions of materials and expertise were part of the Lord’s plan; over them all his Spirit will unify all that is done to bring the work to a glorious completion.

Zerubbabel was a Babylonian Jew who returned to Palestine (Ezra 2:2) after the exile and functioned as the governor of Jerusalem.  He was the active political leader in Jerusalem, the Prince of Judah.  Joshua the high priest who served as the principle religious figure.  Thus a King-Priest ministry builds the house.  The governor and priest were hand picked and chosen by the Lord God.

Zerubbabel brought back a remnant of approximately 50,000 Jews with some of the sacred vessels for the Temple;  and began the rebuilding of the Temple. 

The restoration of Judah to the land and the rebuilding of the temple was not only a fulfillment of the prophetic Word, but was designed to hold the Jews in the land until the birth of Messiah according to the prophecy of Daniel (Dan. 9: 24-27).

The earliest company of home-comers under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua attempted to carry out the commission to build a NEW Temple.  They ran into local opposition and gave up the attempt for nearly 20 years.  They rallied at last and completed it, against a background of threats and political maneuvers.  The threats were defied, the maneuvers were self-defeating. 

4:7:  Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shouting’s, crying, Grace, grace to it!

Mountains in the bible represent kingdoms.  The great mountain here refers to Babylon and all earthly and satanic power that might be rallied against Judah whether then or now; as well as the Lord’s church.   There are no obstacles that can stand in the way of God’s sovereign work.  We must never faint or give up on what the Lord has called us to do.  It will be His Grace which will empower us to do His Kingdom work.    Zerubbabel, the Davidic representative, did finish the temple and is here commanded by the prophet to exercise mountain-moving faith by the Spirit and Grace of God. 

Resumed Temple construction is credited to the prophetic ministries of Haggai and Zechariah, who exhort the people not to “throw in the trowel!”

Nothing shall prevent the completion of God’s Temple, for even the King’s heart is in His hand. (Prov. 21:1)

Jesus Christ is seen as our Heavenly Zerubbabel, the Governor (King principle). But the brethren of the Lord are also seen here:

1. Zerubbabel was a servant and a signet (Seal) – Hag. 2:23: In that day, says the Lord of hosts, will I take you, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the Lord and will make you as a signet; for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.
2. Zerubbabel shall bring forth the headstone – Zech 4:7: Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you shall become a plain; and he shall bring for the headstone thereof with shouting’s, crying, Grace, grace to it.
3. Zerubbabel has laid the foundation of the House and will finish it by his hands. Zech 4:9: The hands of Zerubbabel had laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.   Zerubbabel, who started the work of rebuilding, will see its completion.   Moreover, there is encouragement for those who are doubtful.  Those who have despised the day of small things will live to see God’s Word come to fulfillment.  We, too, shall see the finished work in the nations accomplished by the LORD’s might.  The Temple of Living Stones will be raised up for the glory of the LORD.  Jesus Christ is the CAPSTONE.

4. Zerubbabel has the plummet in his hand with the seven lamps (the seven spirits of God), the eyes of the Lord.  Zech. 4:10: For who has 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.

New English Bible renders the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel as “the stone called Separation.”   The word is eben and means stone.  It is the final stone, set apart, and separated, for the glorious completion of the house of God.  The people will have cause for rejoicing when, at last, they see Zerubbabel place the final stone of the new temple into position. 

These seven are the eyes of the Lord, the seven spirits of the Lord, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, might, godliness and the fear of the Lord.  This is actually the Holy Spirit in the plenitude of His grace and power.  (Rev. 5:6; Isa. 11:2, Rev. 1:5)

Zechariah saw a candlestick, all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps, and seven pipes to the seven lamps.

One of the titles we delight to give Jesus is “the Light of the World.”  The Messiah is revealed to Zechariah in the form of a marvelous golden candlestick.  We are at once reminded of John’s even more glorious vision of the Risen Christ walking in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.  The candlestick Zechariah saw was not the same as the one in Exodus 25.  It is fed by only one bowl, placed on the top of it, rather than by seven small bowls.  Christ, in His incarnation came forth from one “vessel”---the womb of the Virgin Mary.  His church shall be brought forth by a unified Zion.  The Holy Spirit shall illumine the world through Christ and manifest in His church.  We shall be one, as Jesus and the Father are one.  Men shall lay down their “doctrines” and will preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

(Rev. 1:12) And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me, and being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like to the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.  His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow and His eyes were as a flame of fire; And His feet like fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters.  He had in His right hand seven stars, and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edge sword; and His countenance was as the sun shines in His strength”   JESUS

The Seven candlesticks represent the presence of the Lord in the Seven Churches.  The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.  Jesus walks in the midst of the Seven churches as one like the Son of Man. (See bible teaching on Revelation 1:12-20 – The Golden Candlestick, www.eastgateministries.com)

We can see in Zechariah’s beautiful Candlestick that both the Messiah and His Body, His Church, were being portrayed.

The angel now turns to the answer of Zechariah’s question in 4:11.  Actually Zechariah asked the question twice, in Verse 4 and 11.  Since this is one of the many controversial scriptures in the Holy Writ, it is interesting that Zechariah had to ask twice and still only received a partial answer.

4:11-12: Then answered I, and said to him, what are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?  And I answered again, and said to him, what are these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? (K.J.V)

  The two olive trees carry two branches beside two gold pipes that pour out (zahab) gold. 

Literally, the Hebrew reads: the two gold (zahab) pipes which empty the gold (zahab) out of themselves.  

The NIV, K.J.V> and RSV are interpreting the (zahab) gold to mean “golden oil.” 

Rev. 11: 3-6: I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy 1260 days clothed in sackcloth.  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.  If any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies.  If any man hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.  These have power to shut heaven, that it does not rain the days of their prophecy; and they have power over the waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”

Do we know who these two witnesses are? No! The two witnesses are interpreted by some as symbolic figures of the church in its royal and priestly functions, as is suggested by the two metaphors by which the witnesses are designated In Rev. 11.

(1)   The two olive trees

(2)   The two candlesticks

Jesus is the oil (Spirit) and the light (Holy Spirit of Truth) within each of us.  We are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  We are Christ’s and Christ is God’s. (1 Cor. 3:23).  We are Christ’s body of which He is the head.

I cannot say if the two witnesses are symbolic of the church or if the Lord will rise up two prophets.  Whoever these figures, they denote the power of:

1. Zerubbabel, the governor, prince of the house of David. (Hag. 1:1)
2. Joshua, the high priest a type of Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest.
3. Elijah – “Fire comes from their mouth and devours their enemies” (2 Kg. 1: 10, 12).
4. Elijah - “Power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain” (1 Kg. 17:1).
5. Elijah -   The time they are prophesying lasts as long as Elijah drought. Lk. 4:25: “I tell you a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up 3-1/2 years, when great famine was throughout all the land.” James 5:17: “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for 3-1/2 years.”
6. Moses – “They have power to turn the waters into blood”; “and to strike the           

earth with every …plague” (Ex. 4: 9: 7, 17).

7. Christ and His Church - The Glorified Christ of Rev. 1:12 stands in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.  The golden candlestick of Zechariah is symbolic of the true vine (Christ) and the branches (us).
8. Spirit and Truth - The Holy Spirit of Christ and the Word of God.
9. John Owen proposed the two witnesses are suffering and glory.
10. Enoch was translated and did not see death.
11. Two persons who are prophets.

Revelation 11:7-10:  “When the two witnesses finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.  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.  The people of all kindred, tongues and nations shall see their bodies 3-1/2 days and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.  Those 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 dwell on the earth.”

That these two witnesses are indeed two persons seems more likely as the Apostle foretells their natural death.  He also identifies them as two prophets.  We know the two witnesses are chosen by God for an end time work.  The angel did not reveal their identity to Zechariah.

4: 13-14: He answered me and said, know you not what these are? And I said, No, my lord.  Then said he, these are the two anointed ones that stand by the LORD of the whole earth.

It is foolishness for men to argue and debate who they believe the two witnesses to be. 

These are Sons of oil filled with (zaha) gold as two who have been clearly anointed to act as God’s appointed agents.

 I don’t know anyone with a large enough ego to volunteer.

As in the time of Zechariah, God is calling His people from the confusion of human tradition and systematic religion as God is building again His Temple (the Most Holy Place) for His habitation. The Lord is building His house, and the gates of hell are powerless!  All is underwritten by His government and Kingdom!

The Temple Company are the forerunners of the Most Holy Place, the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb, the 42^nd generation of Matt. 1, the SEED of the Woman that bruises the Serpent’s head!

Ezra 6:14 - And the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

Carolyn Sissom, Pastor

Eastgate Ministries Church

www.eastgateministries.com

Scripture from K.J.V. – Bible Study Introduction to Ezra, and Seven Golden Candlesticks, Revelation 1:12-20; 2:1, www.eastgateministries.com; Kelly Varner, Principles of Present Truth Ezra.