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