Daniel and Zechariah Volume 2, week 12

My Great Delight in God's Word

Crystallization Study of Zechariah, Message 6

The Priesthood and the Kingship for the Building Up of the Church as the Temple of God

Praise the Lord! Now we are at the "Season Finale" of the crystallisation study of the book of Zechariah. It is so amazing that we clearly see Christ in this book. I'm sure that in the light of the New Testament that we have at hand, we can understand all the visions much better that the prophet himself. So let's continue enjoying the discovery of the truth concerning Christ in this book.
As mentioned previously in the first message of this book, both priesthood and kingship are needed in order to build a temple. The authority of a king is needed for the construction of the building, and the priesthood of the high priest is needed for the services within the temple. At the time of the prophet Zechariah, the priesthood of Joshua and the kingship of Zerubbabel the governor were required for the re-building of God's temple. And at our time, the all-inclusive Christ is all we needed for the building of the truly glorious temple, the Church. In this message, we are going to explore about the crowning of the BRANCH, which appears in Zechariah chapter 6, with some links to the true BRANCH, the king-priest Messiah, and our calling to be the royal priesthood.

The crowning of the BRANCH

¹¹ Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
¹² Then speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying: " Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the LORD;
¹³ Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both." '
¹⁴ "Now the elaborate crown shall be for a memorial in the temple of the LORD for Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.
¹⁵ Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the LORD. Then you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God." (Zechariah 6:11-15 NKJV)

In this vision, we see a coronation of the one whose name is BRANCH. In the context, the message is addressed to the high priest Joshua. However, it is unlikely that a priest would be crowned. The crowning is reserved for a king, which must come through the Davidic line. Moreover, it is Zerubbabel, not Joshua, who was a branch from David's line. Therefore, as also suggested by The Bridgeway Bible Commentary, it is likely that the message is better applied to Zerubbabel, the Davidic prince.
Verse 13 says that, "the counsel of peace shall be between them both." This further emphasises the roles of both the king (Zerubbabel) and the priest (Joshua) on the re-building of God's temple.

Christ as the great High Priest and the King

We should not stop the interpretation of the crowning of the BRANCH at the king Zerubbabel and the priest Joshua. The message points us to a far greater One, Jesus Christ, who is the great High Priest and the great King. He is the true BRANCH.
In the Old Testament, a king cannot serve as a priest, and a priest cannot be crowned to be a king. The king comes from the line of David, and the priest comes from the line of Levi.
There is a king of Judah, who started his kingship very well. His name is Uzziah. He was a great king. But because of his pride, "he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense." (2 Chronicles 26:16 NKJV) It is the job of the chief priest Azariah, not the king Uzziah, to burn an incense in the temple. As a result, the king became leprous and spent the rest of his life alone in an isolate house. It was really sad ending for this potentially great king.
Nevertheless, we have a King, Jesus Christ, who has the right to be a Priest also. He is the true BRANCH, the king-priest Messiah. Genealogically, He comes through the line of David. He, therefore, absolutely is legitimate to be crowned as a King. However, the book of Hebrews also explains that He is also the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, "to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated "king of righteousness," and then also king of Salem, meaning "king of peace." " (Hebrews 7:2 NKJV) Therefore, according to the type of Melchizedek, not only is He our King of righteousness and the King of peace, with power and authority, but He is also our great High Priest, who is now interceding for us. (Romans 8:34)
There is an interesting point mentioned in the KJV Scofield Study System concerning the "Branch" in the Old Testament's prophecies, which all point to Christ. It is so amazing that there are 4 aspects of the Branch, which reveal the 4 aspects of Christ that can be observed in the 4 books of Gospel. I will quote 4 representative verses to you first, and will explain later what they represent.

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. (Isaiah 11:1 NKJV)
Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH. (Zechariah 3:8 NKJV)
"Then speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying: " Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the LORD" (Zechariah 6:12 NKJV)
In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing For those of Israel who have escaped. (Isaiah 4:2 NKJV)

Branch of David. From Isaiah 11:1, we see that the Branch grows out of the stem of Jesse. Christ "was born of the seed of David according to the flesh." (Romans 1:3 NKJV) This emphasises the kingship of the Messiah, which can be clearly seen in the Gospel of Matthew.
Jehovah's Servant, the BRANCH. Zechariah 2:8 demonstrates the Branch as God's Servant. Likewise, the Gospel of Mark presents our Messiah as the Servant who "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45 NKJV)
The Man whose name is the BRANCH. In Zechariah chapter 6, the Messiah is indicated as "the Man whose name is the BRANCH." (Zechariah 6:12 NKJV) The Branch is a man. Like the Gospel of Luke, this highlights Christ as the Son of Man.
The Branch of Jehovah. Lastly, Isaiah 4:2 says that this Branch really is "the Branch of the LORD." (Isaiah 4:2 NKJV) Actually, the Branch is the Jehovah Himself. This underlines that Christ is the Son of God, as the Gospel of John does.

Believers as a royal priesthood (priests and kings)

It is so amazing that we can see the concept of the kingship and priesthood throughout the bible.
The book of Genesis tells us that man was created to be both a priest, who had the image of God, and a king, who had dominion over all the creation.

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (Genesis 1:26 NKJV)

However, since the fall of man, we have lost both the priesthood and the kingship. Because of sin, we cannot fully express the image of God. We all fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) And we have lost our dominion over sin, Satan and death.
Praise the the Lord, by the complete work of Jesus on the Cross, we now can have fellowship with God again. The more we have fellowship with Him, the more we will be like Him. And by this means, we can be the expression of God again. We can function as a priest again. Moreover, Christ, who has absolute power and authority both in heavens and on earth, promised that "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20 NKJV) By grace, we now have dominion over the enemies - Satan, sin and death. We don't have to fear them anymore, because Christ in us has already overcome them. Christ has restored our kingship and our priesthood.

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5-6 NKJV)

The great grace comes with the great calling. We have already been saved by grace through faith. Now we are called to be the royal priesthood.

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5 NKJV)

The function of a priest is to offer sacrifice. What does God require us to offer to Him? God wants us to offer ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice. He wants us to come to Him, and be transformed to be like Christ. He wants us to express Himself through us. He wants us to bear His image again on the earth. He wants to change us from glory to glory into His image, so that we will reflect, as a mirror, the glory of the Lord.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2 NKJV)
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV)

That sounds to be a great responsibility, doesn't it? We are called to be His ambassador, His representative. But don't be panicked! There is a secret. The only important thing that we need to do in order to express Him is just to come to Him! Come to the throne of grace. Come to receive mercy and find grace for timely help. The great High Priest is always there on the throne of grace. (Please note that the Priest is sitting on the throne. This implies the Priesthood and Kingship of Christ.) He understands us much better than we understand ourselves. He understands our weaknesses. And He is always there ready to help. We can come to Him anywhere anytime.

¹⁴ Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16 NKJV)

Moreover, from the throne of grace, you will find a pure river of water of life coming out. Come and enjoy drinking the water of life!

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. (Revelation 22:1 NKJV)

Would you like to come to the throne of grace now? Would you like to obtain mercy, find grace, and enjoy drinking the water of life today? Don't wait. Come now. He is there waiting for you.

Here is the final episode of this series. Thank you very much for coming to read my sharing about the Christ-centred truth from the Christ-centred book of Zechariah. Hope you enjoy all the messages, and will follow the next series, "The Experience, Growth, and Ministry of Life for the Body."

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Revelations 22:21 NKJV)

More readings

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallization Study of Daniel and Zechariah Volume 2, week 12.

• The Bridgeway Bible Commentary on Zechariah 6:9-15.

• KJV Scofield Study System, Footnote of Isaiah 4:2

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)

Daniel and Zechariah Volume 2, week 11

The Evil and Wickedness of Commerce
versus
a Divine Sense of Value concerning Christ and Church

What is the most important thing in your life? You don't have to answer me. But you need to answer yourself. It is very important, because your value system will determine the way you live. So may our value system be aligned with what the bible teaches us.
This week we are going to see what the bible says about the wickedness of pure commerce and preciousness of the church.

The wickedness of pure commerce

What is the aim of your work today? Are you working so that you will be rich? Of course, being rich is not bad at all. God may bless some of us to be millionaires, or even billionaires for His purpose and for His glory. But does your desire to be rich blind you and draw you away from the perfect will of God?
There are many kinds of works in this world. Some of them are legal, while others are not. I'm sure that we all know that illegal works are not good to be involved in. But do you know that some works are absolutely all right in people's eye and are 100% legal, but God hates it. The vision of the ephah vessel (basket) in Zechariah 5 tells us something about that.

Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to me, "Lift your eyes now, and see what this is that goes forth."
So I asked, "What is it?" And he said, "It is a basket that is going forth." He also said, "This is their resemblance throughout the earth:
Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket"; then he said, "This is Wickedness!" And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth.
Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven.
So I said to the angel who talked with me, "Where are they carrying the basket?"
And he said to me, "To build a house for it in the land of Shinar; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base." (Zechariah 5:5-11 NKJV)

In this vision, we see a woman inside the basket. And the angel calls this "wickedness." She was eventually thrust down into the basket, which was then shut down with lead cover. At the end, the basket was brought to the land of Shinar.
The basket, or ephah vessel, is the material that one uses for business. It is used for measuring things for selling and buying. It is the symbol of commerce, which involves covetousness, deceit and the love of money. It is so evil that God has to shut it down and bring it away to the city of Shinar, which is Babylon, where there will be the most severe judgment from God. 

And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury."
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
(Revelations 18:2-5 NKJV)
In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.'
Therefore her plagues will come in one day --- death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. (Revelations 18:7-8 NKJV)

Commerce was started in Ezekiel 28. It will be fully developed in Revelation 18, when it will also be severely judged.
What is pure commerce? It is simply defined as a work in which one uses the money to get money for money's own sake. It does not do anything good to society or humanity. It aims just to gain as much money as it can. For example, the people who buy something, just keep it until the price goes up, and then sell it at the highest price they can. (This is typical for stock investor, isn't it? But it does not include those why just buy long-term stocks for saving money.) The one who does this kind of job is invariably mastered by the commercial mind with the love of money, which is the root of all evil things. Please avoid it!

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:10 NKJV)

Brothers and sisters, this is a kind warning from God. Please keep yourself away from the pure commerce. It is evil in God's eye. You may know someone who does it and becomes extremely rich because of it. But please be informed by God's word that it is not the way of earning money for living that God is pleased with. God ordains man to work. God wants us to do something good for humanity or society that we are living in.
If you are a skilled worker, or a professional, go on and enjoy it! If you are a businessman or a merchant, sell the products at reasonable prices. Do your work for God's glory, not for being rich in this world.

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24 NKJV)

Even though you may not be as rich as those who are doing some kind of pure commerce, you will be truly blessed because our faithful God will supply you all you need according His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Remember that you cannot gain true wealth by earning a lot of money. True wealth can be found only in our Lord Jesus. And we have already had that wealth!

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9 NKJV)

The preciousness of the church

May I share a parable regarding the kingdom of heavens.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,
who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45-46 NKJV)

I'm sure that most of use are quite familiar with this parable. Almost all commentators explain that we are like the merchant who is seeking the kingdom of heavens. And when we find it, we sell all things and buy it.
Umm. That sounds good, doesn't it? We need to give all we have to God, and we will gain the kingdom of heavens.
But wait a minute! Is the kingdom buyable? Can we do good works in order to enter into the kingdom? Are our good deeds good enough for it? Umm. It is interesting, isn't it? Bible teaches us that we are saved by grace through faith. Our works are not involved in God's saving project at all. All the required works have already been accomplished by Jesus Christ at the cross, and all we need to do is just to believe in Him.

But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6 NKJV)
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV)

Therefore let us try to look at the parable from a different perspective. Why don't we try to compare the merchant to our Lord Jesus and the pearls to the church? He is looking for the pearls. He did this by coming to the world, which is the lowly place for Him. He came to find us, the beautiful pearls. And in order to gain us, He gave all that He had, that is his whole life. He died for us all, so that we would have life! He shed His blood so that it would wash away all our sins. He was crucified on the cross so that our sinful nature would be crucified with Him and His resurrected life would dwell in our new life.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (Romans 5:8-10 NKJV)

Brothers and sisters, even though we are unworthy of this amazing grace at all, we are by no means worthless. We are so precious in God's eye. We are so precious that God has bought us at a high price in order to gain us!
What should our response be? This parable reminds me of what Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV)

Yes, we all have been bought at a price. Our life is not our own anymore. We all, as His body, are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in us. Therefore let us glorify God in our whole life! Let us treasure Him the most! He is the truly precious One, who deserves our heart. Let us count all things to be loss when compared to His preciousness! Let us say with Paul that:

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8 NKJV)

Further reading

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallization Study of Daniel and Zechariah Volume 2, week 11.

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)

Daniel and Zechariah Volume 2, week 10

Week 10: A Word concerning the Human Spirit and Aspects of Christ Unveiled in Zechariah for His Move on Earth 

In the last message, we saw how the triune God was represented by the lampstand. The triune God consists of three distinct persons, yet all three persons are one. It is a great mystery. Likewise, our human life also has 3 parts. The triune God created the tripartite man. Our life is mysterious too. Let's explore together what the 3 parts of our life are. This is essential to understand why God considers human spirit as one of the 3 most important things that are mentioned in Zechariah 12:1. Additionally, we are going to explore a portion of the vision in Zechariah 2 together. 

The most important things in God's creation 

The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him (Zechariah 12:1 NKJV) 

This is just a leading sentence of the chapter, but it contains an amazing truth regarding God's creation. The prophet explains a little about who Jehovah is by listing 3 great things in association with Him. The 3 items consist of the heavens, the earth, and the spirit of man. Wait a minute! Did the prophet forget about the body and the soul of man? Why did he mention only the spirit of man? By no means. He did not forget the other 2 parts. He deliberately mentioned only this part of man. The word of God reveals that the spirit of man, not the body or the soul, is so important, even as important as the heavens and the earth. In order to understand why the spirit of man is so important, we need to know first what it is. 

Man has 3 parts. 

God, the Potter, created us, the clay, to be a vessel, either one for honour, or one for dishonour. (Romans 9:21 NKJV) Why the apostle Paul says that we are a "vessel"? Because God created us to contain something. God's will is that we become the "vessel of honour," which is the vessel that contains God Himself. And 1 Thessalonians 5:23 further indicates that this vessel is composed of 3 parts: spirit, soul and body. 

Briefly, the spirit of man is the innermost part. Its function is to possess God-consciousness. We use this organ to contact, receive, contain, and experience God. The soul is the intermediate part, connecting between the spirit and the body. It is responsible for self-consciousness, by which our personality is formed. And lastly, the body is the outermost part that possesses world-consciousness. We use this part to contact with the material world. The body contains the soul, and the soul contains the spirit.  

Even more complicated, each of the spirit and the soul can further subdivided into 3 subparts. The spirit consists of conscience, fellowship and intuition, and the soul consists of mind, will, and emotion. 

I'm so surprised to learn that most theologians nowadays are classified as dichologists, concluding that soul and spirit are the same, and human is composed of only 2 parts: body and soul/spirit. They explain that the word soul and spirit are often used interchangeably in the bible. It is true that the word "soul" is sometimes used in the sense of "spirit". But I'm convinced that soul and spirit are 2 distinct parts with different functions, because there are 2 verses in the Scripture strongly suggest that they are different parts: 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Hebrews 4:12.  

God sanctifies us from inside out: from spirit to soul to body. 

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV) 

Please note that in the original Greek text, the word "and" is present between "spirit" and "soul," and between "soul" and "body." This means that Paul emphasises the 3 distinct parts of human body that need to be sanctified and preserved blameless until the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And interestingly, spirit comes before soul and body. This further implies the importance of spirit. God transforms us from inside out, not outside in.  

Let me mention a little bit about how we are transformed or sanctified by God. The process starts when our spirit contains God's spirit. This happens since we accepted our Lord Jesus Christ at our regeneration. The more we exercise this organ by using it to contact God, receive God, worship God, live God, fulfill God's purpose for God and be one with God, the more we will be saturated with Him. As a result, our soul will be gradually sanctified by being saturated with God and transformed to be like the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). Our thought, intention, and feeling will be more like Jesus each day. And the last part of our life that will be transformed is our body. This fully happens when the Lord comes back again. Our body will be transfigured at that time.  

A friend of mine once taught me to say a sentence. "The only one person who is more handsome than Tony is the younger Tony." (This may be true if I'm the only person who live in the world. To my knowledge, there is only one person in the world who is truly convinced that I'm handsome. That one is my mom!) But this statement teaches me something. Our body is deteriorating with time. The ageing change is inevitable. A cheerful heart may help slowing the process, but cannot stop it. Nevertheless, I have a good news for you. If you are in Christ, you have hope. When Christ comes, our body will be completely transformed to be a perfect one. At that time you will see the most handsome and glorious Tony. You will see the best-looking people you have ever seen, including you and me, with the brand new bodies, when we all will be transfigured by Christ's life power. We will be perfectly conformed to Christ's glorious body. 

"who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." (Philippians 3:21 NKJV) 

Use your heart to love God. 

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV) 

Another verse that suggests that soul and spirit are different is Hebrews 4:12. The word of God is living and powerful. It can divide soul and spirit. And this verse mentions another organ - heart. The heart includes all three parts of the soul (mild, will and emotion) and conscience, which is the first component of spirit. It is not a distinct organ, but the word is used for describing a composition of soul and conscience. And its function is to love God. Therefore let's use our heart to love God. Let's treasure God above all other things, because where our treasure is, our heart will be also.  

Use the right organ for the right function. 

Brothers and sisters, it is so important to know about the different parts of the tripartite man. We need to use the right organ for the right function. We cannot use our brain, our feeling or our intention to contact God. They are not created for that function. As the apostle Paul mentioned about 3 types of people: the spiritual man, who can discern spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:15-16); the natural man (soulish man), who cannot accept the things of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14); and the man of flesh (carnal man), who is secular (1 Corinthians 2:1). And to be a spiritual man, we need to be ruled and controlled by our spirit, not by our soul or flesh. 

Some theologians can write wonderful Christian books, but do not know God. Some people are zealous for God, but they do not have personal relationship with Him. To be touched by God, some believers need a preachers who is using a fantastic teaching style, or a great music band which plays their favourite hymns, because they use their emotion or feeling to contact God. These things alone are not bad, but our relationship with God should not depend upon these emotionally-influencing factors. If we use the right organ, which is our spirit, to contact God, we will be able to enjoy Him anywhere anytime regardless of the circumstances. Therefore may we use our spirit to contact, receive, contain, and experience God, and use our heart to love Him. By this means, we will enjoy Him more each day as we are being conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Another thing I want to add is that, from time to time, we may have some troubles concerning our relationship with God. Sometimes one may doubt if God exists or if God really loves him. I sometimes fear something, e.g. examination or presentation, because of the lack of faith. Brothers and sisters, these are not signs of losing salvation. These problems result from the dysfunctions of our soul which has not been completely transformed yet, and needs to be further transformed by God in our spirit. They are the problems with our mind and our emotion. Therefore when you experience these things, come back to God immediately. Exercise your spirit, and let God transform your mind, your will, and your emotion. By this means, you will be delivered from the troubles you are facing. 

Christ as centrality and universality of God's move on earth 

The other point that I enjoy appears in Zechariah 2. 

Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, "Where are you going?" And he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length." (Zechariah 2:1-2 NKJV) 

'For I,' says the LORD, 'will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.' (Zechariah 2:5 NKJV)  

This vision says that a man, who is Christ Himself, came to Jerusalem with a measuring line. His intention is to measure the city. The aim of the measuring is to possess it. 

One brother once shared at a fellowship about his father who was looking for a new house. His father wanted to buy one to use it for God's move in the city. And he went to many places with his measuring line. He measured the houses, to see which one would be suitable for the ministry. He aimed to possess one! 

Brothers and sisters, Christ is measuring us, who are His people. He is testing us and examining us, in order to possess us for His kingdom. And He has already bought us at a high price. He bought us by His precious blood. He died on the cross to redeem us, so that we can be His.  

Moreover, verse 5 also says that God Himself will be both the wall of fire around the city and the glory in her midst. This is another imagery showing that Jehovah as Christ is our center, being the glory of the church, and also our circumference, being the protection of the church. Christ is the center and circumference; hub and rim; and center and everything. He is the centrality and universality of God's move on earth. And we will clearly see this picture at the New Jerusalem, where Christ will be the glory at its center which shines through the transparent wall of the city to be its protection of fire (Revelations 21-22).  

Further readings 

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallisation Study of Daniel and Zechariah Volume 2, week 10. 
• The Holy Bible Recovery Version.  
  • Footnote 1 of Romans 9:21, http://online.recoveryversion.org/FootNotes.asp?FNtsID=3975. 
  • Footnote 5 of 1 Thessalonians 5:23, http://online.recoveryversion.org/FootNotes.asp?FNtsID=6515.  
  • Footnote 3 of Hebrews 4:12, http://online.recoveryversion.org/FootNotes.asp?FNtsID=7252.  

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony) 

 

Daniel and Zechariah Volume 2, week 9

Week 9: Vision of the Golden Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees 

This week, we are going to focus on the points that we may have overlooked unless we realise their spiritual meanings. They are about the lampstand and the two olive trees, both of which appear in Zecharriah 4. 

The golden lampstand 

The golden lampstand signifies the Triune God 

And he said to me, "What do you see?" So I said, "I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left. (Zechariah 4:2-3 NKJV) 

Do you believe in the Holy Trinity? Are you convinced that our God is the Triune God (i.e. there are three distinct Persons in the Godhead — the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit — yet all three are one)? Of course, the Scripture never directly states these 2 words. But if we carefully investigate the Scripture, both in the Old Testament and New Testament, we will clearly see the truth regarding our Triune God. 

Nevertheless, do you believe me that even a lampstand can also teach us about the triunity of our Triune God? I would not have believed it if it had never been explained to me before. Let's see how the lampstand signifies the three-in-one nature of our God. 

Firstly, the lampstand is made of the pure gold. Gold signifies the Holiness of God. Our God is holy, and holiness is the excellency of God's divine nature. The bible says that no one is like God, who is glorious in holiness (Exodus 15:11). Therefore the pure gold substance represents our God the Father. 

Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11 NKJV) 

Secondly, the solid gold appears as the lampstand. The lampstand is the manifestation of the gold. Likewise, our Lord Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God the Father. He is the image and embodiment of God the Father. He is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Therefore the lampstand signifies God the Son. 

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Colossians 1:15 NKJV) 

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9 NKJV) 

Thirdly, the lampstand has got 7 lamps, which signify the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God. 

And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. (Revelations 4:5 NKJV) 

Truth concerning the lampstand(s) are revealed in three different stages 

Moreover, the Scripture reveals lampstand(s) in three major different stages.  

The lampstand in the tabernacle (exodus 25:31-40) signifies Christ as the embodiment of God. I have not seen it, but it must be so dark in the tabernacle. Therefore the lampstand is an essential element within the tabernacle to give light in the dark place. And our Lord Jesus is the light in the dark world. He truly is the light of the mankind. (John 1:4) 

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:4-5 NKJV) 

The lampstand in the vision in Zechariah 4 signifies the sevenfold intensified Spirit as the reality of Christ. When the prophet Zechariah saw the vision, he had no idea what it meant. And the angel explained to him, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ' Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts." (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV)  The lamps were continuously and supranaturally supplied with oil, which represents the Holy Spirit, from the olive trees. This is also the word of encouragement and assurance that the temple would be successfully rebuilt not by man's power, but by the Spirit of God, which is the reality of Christ. 

The lampstands in Revelation 1:12 and 20 signify the seven churches, which are the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit. 

The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:20 NKJV) 

Altogether, it can be said, as summarised in the outline, that "the church is the reprint of the Spirit, who is the reality of Christ, who is the embodiment of God." 

The olive trees 

And I further answered and said to him, "What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?" Then he answered me and said, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." So he said, "These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth." (Zechariah 4:12-14 NKJV) 

From the vision, there are 2 olive trees supplying oil to the bowl on the top of the lampstand. Please note that the oil that comes out from the olive trees is not ordinary oil. It is not mineral oil or even olive oil. It is golden oil! This oil is Jehovah Himself.  

Moreover, we can see here that the olive trees are actually not proper trees. They are just olive branches. This means that they are not the source of the oil. They are the branches engrafted into the true Source of oil, and their functions are to receive the golden oil, and empty it to the lampstand, presenting the Church. 

What do the olive trees represent? They directly represent Zechariah and Joshua, who were to be filled with the Spirit of God and to supply the Spirit to the people in order to accomplish the task of rebuilding of God's temple. Moreover, the trees also represent the two witnesses in the time of great tribulation (Revelation 11:3-12; 12:17). 

Likewise, God also calls us to be the branches engrafted into the true Vine, our Lord Jesus Christ. Our job is nothing but to receive the oil from the Vine and to supply the oil to others. We are to gain the gold oil, which is Jehovah Himself as the Holy Spirit, and empty God to others. We are not to keep Him with ourselves, and we will never lack the supply. We can come to the Source whenever we want. As long as we abide in Him, we will be continuously supplied with God Himself. We will be filled and saturated with God. By this, God will flow out from us into others. Therefore it is rightly stated that we can not serve God without serving others. And to serve others is basically to minister Christ to them, supplying them with Christ! 

This well echoes the imagery of the Water of life we see in the New Testament. Jesus tells us that He is the living water. He invites us to come to Him, and be satisfied with this water of life, which will bring us to the eternal life. In other words, we are to come to Him and to drink Him. We are to gain Him. The more we gain Him, the more we gain life. And we will never thirst again, because He as the fountain of the living water is within us, bringing us to eternal life (John 4:14). 

Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:13-14 NKJV) 

   

But the story does not end here. We are not to keep Him with ourselves. But the more we are saturated with this water of life, the more God Himself as the rivers of living water will flow out from within us. We are to empty the water to our brothers and sisters. We are to build each other up in Christ, so that the Body will grow up corporately to the Head, which is Christ (Ephesians 4:15). 

Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." (John 7:37-38 NKJV) 

Brothers and sisters, are you thirsty today? Would you like to come to Him, drink Him, enjoy Him, and be saturated with Him? By this means, our souls can be truly satisfied, and we will be like the olive branches that supply Christ to others. That is so amazing, isn't it? 

Further reading 

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallisation Study of Daniel and Zechariah Volume 2, week 9. 

Thirayost Nimmanon