The Daily Word of Righteousness

Ye Shall Receive Power, #14

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: (Zechariah 4:2)

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

Zechariah speaks of one lampstand and two olive trees. But Revelation 11:4 mentions two lampstands and two olive trees. Why?

The explanation may be this: at the time of Zechariah, the Body of Christ, which is the second lampstand, had not been formed. There was only the one Lampstand—the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ means "the One anointed with oil."

Now we have the exalted Head, Christ, but also the Body of Christ, the Body of the One anointed with oil. There now are two lampstands, although the two are one, as we shall discuss later.

Who or what are the two olive trees? The two olive trees are the source of continual oil for the Lampstand (unlike the Lampstand of the Tabernacle of the Congregation which had to be refilled every twenty-four hours).

Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:14)

Elijah and Elisha appear to be the strongest representatives of the "two anointed ones." Each of them employed the expression "as the Lord liveth before whom I stand." No other person in the Bible used that expression.

We could not see Elijah when John the Baptist appeared, yet the spirit of Elijah rested on John. We will not see Elisha, the prophet of the double portion, when Christ and His Body minister. But the double portion will rest on them. More about these two later.

The number two represents a lawful witness. Under Old Testament law, two or more witnesses are required if the testimony is to be established in court.

Also, "two" symbolizes power. The Spirit's anointing of the prophets of all ages provides the power for their testimony of the Person and Word of God.

Two large loaves made from wheat flour were waved during the celebration of the feast of Pentecost. These two loaves mark the completion of the wheat harvest, indicating that the greatest Pentecost of all will come at the end of the age.

Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves [the two witnesses] of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord. (Leviticus 23:17)

The two olive trees are the double portion of Pentecost, the power to bear witness of the God of the earth. They are the "greater works," the powerful Pentecostal revival of the last days, the latter (harvest) rain.

The same Pentecostal power that rested on Joel abode on Peter. Therefore Peter cried, "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel."

This same Pentecostal power, now in unlimited fullness, will rest on the end-time remnant enabling them to bear witness to the whole earth of the soon coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the meaning of the two olive trees. One olive tree for the former rain. Two olive trees for the latter rain (Joel 2:23).

To be continued.