Mystery of the Olive Tree
What is the significance of the olive tree, and olive oil, in
the
Scriptures? Why were olive trees
“shaken,” and why
were the
berries “beaten,” and “trodden down”? Why were
kings and
priests anointed with olive oil? What
does olive
oil and the
olive tree symbolize? There is far more
mystery
and truth
hidden about the humble olive than most begin to
imagine! Here is new insight into this remarkable
plant, its
oil, its wood,
its ancient usage, and its function and typology.
William F.
Dankenbring
The Hebrew word for “olive tree” is
es shemen, which literally means ‘tree of oil.” It is from a primitive root meaning “to
shine.” It means “richness, anointing,
fat, fruitful, oil, ointment, olive.” It
is related to the word shemesh, “to be brilliant,” and which also is the
Hebrew word for the “sun,” that brightly shining orb in the sky.
Another Hebrew word for “olive” is
zayith, meaning “an olive,” as “yielding illuminating oil.” Its related to the word ziv, meaning
“to be prominent,” “brightness.” Ziv
is the month of flowers, corresponding to Iyar, or our April-May.
On the
outside, the olive tree may seem like any other tree, rather ordinary in
appearance and size – some might say even a little bit “ugly,” and at certain
seasons of the year even a little “messy,” with olives littering the ground
beneath the tree!
The foliage
of the olive tree is dense, and when it becomes old the fairly tall trunk
acquires a unique pattern of twists and turns, protuberances and knots, on its
bark and in its form, giving the tree a very interesting appearance.
Says the
Encyclopedia Judaica, “There are trees in
Israel
Interestingly, if the trunk is cut down, the shoots from its
roots continue to grow, ensuring its continued existence.
Olive wood is
very hard, and beautifully grained. It
is very desirable in the manufacture of smaller wooden objects, pieces of
furniture, and ornaments.
However, there is much more to the
olive tree than almost anybody imagines.
History of the Olive Tree
The olive was one of the most
valuable trees to the ancient Hebrews.
It is first mentioned in Scripture when the dove returned to Noah’s ark
carrying an olive branch in its beak (Gen.8:11). Since that time, the olive branch has been a
symbol of “peace” to the world, and we often hear the expression, “extending an
olive branch” to another person as a desire for peace.
The olive also figures prominently
on the seal of the United States of
America
When
Israel Canaan , the olive tree was a prominent feature among the
flora of the land. It was described as a
“land of olive oil” (Deut.8:8). The
olive was a very important source of revenue to the early Israelites. It was tithed upon along with all the produce
of the land (Deut.12:17).
Olive Oil and the Sanctuary
Cakes of bread “anointed with oil”
were among the sanctified offerings
Israel Israel 7:19 , 25,
etc.). In addition, when the priests
were separated for their priestly service, one young bull and two rams were
taken, without blemish, “and unleavened bread,, unleavened cakes mixed with oil,
and unleavened wafers anointed with oil,” were used in the ceremony of
sanctification (Exodus 29:1-2).
God told Moses regarding Aaron, his
brother, “And you shall take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint
him” (Exodus 29:7). The holy anointing
oil itself was comprised of quality spices – myrrh, cane, cassia, and olive oil
(Exo.30:23-25). The Tabernacle, the Ark
of the Covenant, the Table of Showbread, the Lampstand (Menorah), the Altar, the
Laver, and its foot, were all anointed with the same precious compound, as a
holy oil of anointing (Exo.30:26-33).
The menorah in the Tabernacle – with
its seven lamps – was lit with “oil for the light” (Exo.25:6). God told Moses, “Command the children of
Israel
The daily sacrifices were also
accompanied with olive oil (Exo.29:40).
When lepers
were cleansed, a special sacrifice was made, together with “fine flour mixed
with [olive] oil as a grain offering, and one log of oil” (Lev.14:10). A “log”
was a little over a half a quart. At the cleansing ceremony, a lamb was slain as
a trespass offering, and a log of oil, both waved as a wave offering before the
Lord. The priest would pour some of the
oil into his own left hand, then dip his right finger into the oil in his left
hand, and sprinkle the oil seven times before the Lord, and of the rest of the
oil in his left hand he would put some on the tip of the right ear of the leper
being cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his
right foot (Lev.14:13-18). The rest of
the oil would be put on his head.
The log of
oil used in the ceremony cleansing the leper was the largest amount of oil
called for in any religious rite. The
rite symbolized the return to favor of the one healed, and the return of honor
and joy. It is also symbolic of his
restoration to life!
Beating and Crushing the Olive
Oriental people regarded the olive
as a symbol of beauty, strength, divine blessing and prosperity. The cultivated olive tree grows to about
18-20 feet in height, and has a contorted trunk and numerous branches. The tree develops slowly, but often attains a
ripe old age of several centuries. Some
have been known to live for over a thousand years. If cut down, new shoots spring up from its
roots, so that as many as five new trunks could come into being.
The berries borne by the olive tree
ripened in the early autumn and were harvested toward the end of November. Gathering of the fruit of the olive was – and
is still today – an exercise of shaking the tree and its branches vigorously,
causing the olive to fall to the ground.
Sometimes the branches were beaten with poles to facilitate the dropping
of the fruit. God declared to the ancient Israelites,
“When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again;
it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow” (Deut.24:20).
Once gathered, the olives would be
used to extract olive oil by means of a mortar and pestle (Exo.27:20), or by
using a stone press to grind them.
Ancient presses hewn out of solid rock have been found at
Megiddo Jerusalem
In order to make oil, the olives
were either bruised in a mortar, crushed in a press loaded with wood or stones,
ground in a mill, or trodden with the feet.
The “BEATEN” oil of Exodus 27:20, 29:40, Lev.24:2, and Num.28:5, was most
likely made by bruising in a mortar.
Says the Encyclopedia Judaica,
“The olives were beaten down from the trees with poles (Isa.17:6), and were
pounded into pulp in mortars or by the feet (Micah 6:15 ). The pulp
was placed in wicker baskets from which the lightest and finest oil could easily
run off This grade of oil, known as
beaten oil (Heb. Shenen katit), is mentioned five times in the
Bible. It served as fuel for the lamp in
the Tabernacle (Exo.27:20; Lev.24:2) and as an element in the obligatory daily
meal offerings (Exo.29:40; Num.28:5).
King Solomon traded this type of oil with Hiram of Tyre in exchange for
cedar and cypress wood (I Kings 5:10 -11). After
the removal of the beaten oil, a second grade was produced by heating and
further pressing the pulp. . . .
“Oil was one of the three staples of
life. . . As a typical product of
Palestine
Many Uses of Olive Oil
Oil was regarded as a symbol of
honor, joy, and favor. Therefore, oil
was not to accompany purification rights associated with dishonor, shame,
sorrow, and disfavor, just as it was withheld from the body in times of mourning
(II Sam.12:20; Dan.10:3). Therefore, in
regard to the special sacrifice made when a man suspected his wife of having
committed adultery, God commanded, “No oil shall be poured upon it and no
frankincense should be laid on it, for it is a meal offering of remembrance
which recalls doing wrong” (Num.5:15).
The flour of a sin offering also was to be free from both oil and
frankincense (Lev.5:11).
Olive oil was often used to anoint
the head and body after a bath. Ruth was
advised by Naomi to wash and anoint herself and put on her best garment, before
seeking out Boaz (Ruth 3:3). David
washed, anointed himself, and put on fresh clothing, before entering the house
of God to worship Him (II Sam.12:20).
The olives were then transported in
baskets on the back of donkeys to processing locations. The oil was usually extracted from the
berries by placing them in a shallow rock cistern and crushing them with a large
upright millstone. At times, they were
crushed by being pounded by the feet of the harvesters. One of the blessings God gave to the tribe of
Asher was the prophecy, “Asher is most blessed of sons; let him be favored by
his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil” – olive oil (Deut.33:24).
Pure beaten olive oil was the best
in quality. Leaves, twigs and dirt
having been removed, the olives were beaten to pieces, crushed, and put into a
basket, and the oil was allowed to flow out by itself. It was considered a sort of “first fruit” as
it was obtained before the pulp was put underneath the press.
One of the curses of a disobedient
nation, on the other hand, was, “You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread
the olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil” (Micah 6:15).
Interestingly, the cherubim – mighty
arch-angels of God – depicted in Solomon’s Temple were fashioned of olive
wood. We read, “Inside the inner
sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits [15 feet] high” (I
Kings 6:23). They each also had a
wingspan equal to their height (v.24). Olive wood is used for fine cabinet work
in Palestine, the short gnarled trunks
do not provide lengthy pieces of timber, so it has been conjectured that the
olive wood used in the two cherubim must have been of several pieces of wood
joined together.
The olive tree was a prolific tree
with many uses. Because of this, it was
considered the tree most worthy of being regarded as “the king of trees.” Jotham, the son of Gideon, in a parable said,
“The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them. And they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over
us!’ But the olive tree said to them,
‘Should I cease giving my oil, with which they honor God and men, and go to sway
over trees?’” (Judges 9:8-9).
Symbolism of the Olive
There is an ancient tradition that the “tree of life”
in the Garden of Eden was an olive tree.
According to the Apocalpyse of Moses, an apocryphal Hebrew book, when
Adam fell ill Seth went to request the “oil of mercy” to anoint Adam and restore
his health. His entreaty was refused, as
it was destined for Adam to die, but the angel Michael told Seth that the oil
would be granted to the righteous at the end of days. In a similar passage in the “Life of Adam”
the oil is referred to as “the tree of mercy from which the oil of life
flows.”
Another reference to the “tree of life” in the Garden
as an olive tree may be found in 4th Edras: “The tree of life shall give them fragrant
perfume” (2:12, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, p.527).
The same concept is preserved in the writings of the
early church fathers, in Pseudo-Clement, which refers explicitly to “the
oil of the tree of life.”
In the book of James, we read that when a person is
sick, they should call upon the elders of the church for prayer and
anointing. James declared, “Is anyone
among you sick? Let him call for the
elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord. And the prayer of
faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, they will be
forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one
another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous
man avails much” (James 5:14-16).
The oil represents holy anointing by the power of the
Spirit of God. The apostle John wrote of
God’s Spirit as an ‘anointing.” He
declared: “But the anointing which you
have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you;
but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is
not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him” (I John
2:27).
Jesus Christ explained, “And I will pray the Father,
and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the
Spirit of truth” (John 14:16). He added,
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all
truth” (John 16:13). The Spirit will
tell us “things to come” (same verse).
Oil, therefore, is a type of the Holy Spirit – as are
water (John 7:37-39) and the wind (John 3:8; Acts 2:1-4).
Rulership and Sovereignty
The olive
tree’s association with royalty and rulership is also shown by its usage in
providing “oil” to anoint those favored by God.
It was an emblem of sovereignty, and was used to anoint “kings” to office
(I Sam.10:1, I Kings 1:39; II Kings 9:1, 6).
When David
was chosen to be king of Israel, God said to Samuel the prophet, “Fill your horn
with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse, the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his
sons” (I Sam.16:1). When David the
youngest son was presented before Samuel, he “took the horn of oil, and anointed
him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David
from that day forward”(I Sam.16:13).
God said, “I have found My servant David; with My holy oil, I have
anointed him” (Psalm 89:20).
Kings were
“anointed ones.” That means, in Hebrew,
that they were messiahs, for the term “Messiah” literally means “anointed
one.” Isaiah the prophet even calls the
Gentile king Cyrus “God’s anointed one” (Isa.45:1).
The true Messiah, Son of David,
however, is also called “His Anointed” (Psalm 2:2). In Hebrew, the word is Messiah, or
Moshiach. In Greek, it is
translated “Christ.” In English, it
would be “Commissioned One,” or “Anointed One.”
Joy and Gladness
Olive oil
also symbolized gladness and joy. David
wrote of the Messiah, “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore
God,, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your
companions” (Psalm 45:7). When the
Messiah returns, He will give the people “the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called
trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified”
(Isaiah 61:3).
Joy,
symbolized by olive oil, is the second fruit of the Holy Spirit listed by the
apostle Paul: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness [meekness], self control”
(Gal.5:22-23).
God’s Spirit
is the Spirit of joy, and joy is associated with the oil of the olive! The olive tree is also associated with the
Festival of Joy – the Feast of Tabernacles.
In Nehemiah
we read that during the Feast of Tabernacles, God’s people are to “dwell” or
“sit” in booths, or sukkah, small, temporary dwellings, out-of-doors,
under the open sky, as a testimony of their faith and obedience to God, and as a
symbol of walking and living intimately with God (Nehemiah 8:14-15). This was to be a great, tremendous time of
joy overflowing and running over! The
Feast is called “the festival of our joy” by the Jewish people, because God
commands especially for this festival we must “rejoice” (Deut.14:26). At the festival, God commands, “you shall
rejoice in all to which you have put your hand” (Deut.12:7). “And you shall rejoice before the LORD your
God” (Deut.12:12; see also verse 18).
Three times in one single chapter, God thunders, “REJOICE”!!!
Do we get the
message?
“The joy of
the LORD shall be your strength” (Nem.8:10).
Oil for Lamps
Olive oil
served as fuel for lamps. In the parable
of the ten virgins, five wise and five foolish, the foolish ones allowed the oil
in their lamps to run out (Matt.25:3).
The “lamp” is a symbol of the Word of God. David wrote, “Your Word is a
lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). Solomon wrote, “For the commandment is a
lamp, and the law a light” (Prov.6:23).
The oil of the lamp is the indwelling Spirit of God. God’s Spirit sheds illumination on the laws
and commandments of God, giving us understanding and wisdom and knowledge. Without it, God’s Word is a hopeless jumble
of indecipherable riddles, paradoxes, and mysterious allegories. But God’s Spirit opens His Word and His Law
to our understanding, so we can grasp and obey them!
When a lamp
was filled with olive oil, the wick maintained a steady flame until the fuel ran
out. So it is with God’s people. When we are filled with His Spirit, our
spiritual light shines brightly and gives a steady, radiant light! (Matt.5:14-16). In New Testament times, it was customary for
the bearer of the lamp to attach a small container of olive oil to one finger by
means of a string, to safeguard against oil depletion and loss of light.
Spiritual Medicine
Olive oil was
also used as a medicine to anoint wounds.
It was used both internally and externally. Its soothing and protective qualities made it
a valuable remedy for gastric disorders, and its qualities as a mild laxative
were widely recognized in ancient times.
Externally, it was used for bruises and wounds. Isaiah wrote, “From the sole of the foot even
to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying
sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment” (Isaiah 1:6). Jesus sent out His disciples to heal the sick
and to preach the gospel. “So they went
out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and
anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them” (Mark 6:13).
In another
case, a good Samaritan found along a road a man beaten and injured by
robbers. He had compassion on him, and
“bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal,
and brought him to an inn, and took care of him” (Luke 10:34).
The
wholesome, healthy aspect of olives has generally been overlooked by most
people. It is the best oil for cooking,
for using to make salad dressings, for sautéing foods, and provides many
nutritious food factors to our diet.
Olive leaf extract is another recently discovered health supplement which
helps the body fight off disease. In
Biblical times, olives were an important part of the diet of God’s people (II
Chron.2:10). It was mixed with meal and
made into cakes. The oil was often used
in the preparation of food, replacing butter in cooking (I Kings 17:12-16).
The Olive Tree and Righteous Man
The heartiness, ruggedness, and
strength of the olive tree made it an ideal symbol of the righteous man – the
tzaddik. David said, “But I am
like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever
and ever” (Psalm 52:8). A green, virile,
vigorous olive tree in the house of God represents one who is vigorous and
zealous in righteousness, dwelling close to God in fruitful companionship and
unity.
Virtue, or righteousness, is likened
to fragrant oil. God declares, “Behold,
how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head,
running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his
garments” (Psalm 133:1-2).
In the Song of Solomon, the
Shulamite – a type of God’s Church, or Israel – says of her Betrothed, the
Messiah – “For your love is better than wine.
Because of the fragrance of your good ointments, Your name is ointment
poured forth” (Song of Songs 1:2-3).
Oil, however, must be used
carefully. Solomon wrote, “There is
desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man
squanders it” (Prov.21:20). Because
olive oil production was so highly valued in Israel, in David’s day special
guards and protectors were appointed to safeguard the olive orchards, as if they
were silver and gold (I Chron.9:29; 27:28).
David says of God, “You anoint my
head with oil; my cup runs over” (Psalm 23:5).
He speaks of three vital elements for mankind, declaring that God gives
us “wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread
which strengthens man’s heart” (Psalm 104:15).
Likewise, God says of Israel, when
they repent of their transgressions of His divine Law, “I will heal their
backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from
him. I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall grow like the lily, and lengthen his roots like Lebanon. His branches shall spread; his beauty
shall be like an olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon”
(Hos.14:4-6).
The children of the righteous are
also described as olive plants. God
declares, “Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you
shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house,
your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who
fears the LORD” (Psalm 128:1-4).
Grafting Olives
However, it
is most instructive to note that the fruit of the olive tree, in its wild state,
is both small and worthless. It must be
properly tended and cultivated to produce optimum fruit. To become truly prolific, the olive tree must
be grafted, a process by which good stock is made to grow upon a wild
shrub.
Speaking of
the vitality of this truth, the apostle Paul wrote, comparing Israel and the
Gentile nations to the olive tree. Paul
wrote to the Romans, “For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and
if the root is holy, so are the branches.
And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive
tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root
and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not
support the root, but the root supports you.
You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off that I might be grafted
in.’ Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and
you stand by faith. Do not be haughty
but fear. For if God did not spare the
natural branches, He may not spare you either.
Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you,
goodness, if you continue in His goodness.
Otherwise you also will be cut off.
And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in,
for God is able to graft them in again.
For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and
were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will
these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?” (Romans
11:16-24).
The natural
olive tree here pictures Israel, and the wild olive trees picture Gentiles. Because of unbelief and a lack of faith, the
majority of Jewish people today have rejected Christ as the Messiah. Their minds are blinded to this incredible
truth. Therefore, God has broken them
off the tree, and has grafted into His tree of spiritual “Israel,” many Gentile
believers. But, Paul points out, they,
too, stand by the grace of God. God
forbid that they should become arrogant, proud, lifted up, and conceited – for
if they sin, they too can be broken off the tree and replaced!
Even so, the
unbelieving Jews are not lost eternally.
They can still be grafted back onto the good tree, if they will only come
to their senses, repent of their sins, and accept the Messiah – Yeshua of
Nazareth – who was proved to be the true Messiah by many proofs, as the New
Testament record reveals.
This picture
of the grafting of the olive tree should make each one of us sit up and take
notice – to consider the severity and justice of God, and also His abundant
mercy and goodness. Our salvation is up
to us! As Paul wrote to the Philippians,
“Therefore, my beloved . . . work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling” (Phil.2:12). “For the time
has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us
first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (I
Pet.4:17).
The Olive and Us!
The “shaking” and “beating” of
olives, to harvest them and extract the precious oil, is a type of the life of
God’s people. The shaking pictures each
one of us, who must literally be “shaken” up in order for us to repent of our
sins, become converted, and to change our way of life to conform to God’s
standard of living.
Paul wrote, “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”
(Rom..12:2).
The Jewish people, in the book of
Acts, on that first Pentecost of the New Testament Church, heard the preaching
of the apostle Peter, and they were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37). What Peter said shook them up. They exclaimed in alarm, “Men and brethren,
what shall we do?” They did not take the
message lightly.
Even so, for any of us to become
truly converted, at first we must be shaken up.
And “stirred.” Stirred up in our
heart and mind, and anxious make amends.
To save ourselves! Peter exhorted
and urged them, “Be saved from this perverse [crooked] generation” (Acts
2:40).
Secondly, once we are “shaken” and
our lives begin to change, then we must be “beaten down,” humbled, suffer, and
be “crushed,” “bruised,” and afflicted, in order to produce the fruits of
righteousness – the good “first fruits” of olive oil!
That is why David wrote, “Many are
the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all”
(Psalm 34:19). And, “Cast your burden on
the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be
moved” (Psalm 55:22). He wrote, “It is
good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes” (Psalm 119:71).
The apostle
Paul wrote, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man;
but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are
able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be
able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13).
James asserted, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various
trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.. But let patience have its perfect work, that
you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4). And Peter declared, “Do not think it strange
concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing
happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s
sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding
joy” (I Pet.4:12-13).
Just like the
poor olives, we too must be crushed, beaten down, and humbled, so that we can
produce much good fruit for God’s Kingdom!
Do you like
being trodden upon? Mashed down? Crushed?
Of course not! It is hard to take
– humiliating – humbling. Yet it is for
our own eternal good, to give us an entrance into the glorious kingdom of
God! Therefore we must be “more diligent
to make our calling and election sure,” so that we will “never stumble, for so
an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Pet.1:10-11).
“Sons of Oil”
In the book
of Zechariah the prophet, two of God’s most fruitful servants are described as
“olive trees.” In the prophecy,
Zechariah sees a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl and “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”
(Zech.4:2-3).
The angel
told the prophet, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My
Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a
plain! And he shall bring forth thee
capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” (Zech.4:6-7). God adds, further, “The hands of Zerubbabel
have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has
sent me to you. For who has despised the
day of small things? For these seven
rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD which scan to
and fro throughout the whole earth” (Zech.4:9-10).
Zechariah
then asked, “What are these two olive trees – at the right of the lampstand and
at its left?” (verse 11). He went on,
“What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacle of the two gold
pipes from which the golden oil drains?” (v.12). The angel answered, “ ‘Do you not know what
these are?” And I said, ‘No, my
lord.’ So he said, ‘These are the two
anointed ones [Hebrew, ‘sons of fresh oil’], who stand before the Lord of
the whole earth’” (Zech.4:13-14).
This prophecy
is interpreted for us in the New Testament.
Many have noticed that the book of Zechariah seems to be a type or
forerunner of the book of Revelation, the last book in the New Testament. Indeed, there are many connections between
the two prophetic books.
In
Revelation, Jesus Christ explains the meaning of the seven lamps of the
lampstand. John the writer of Revelation
also saw a vision of seven lamps. He
said, “I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands One
like the Son of Man. . . He had in His right hand seven stars . . .”
(Rev.1:12-16). What is this
symbolism? Jesus declares, “The mystery
of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seen golden
lampstands: The seven stars are the
angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the
seven churches” (Rev.1:20).
In
Revelation, chapters 2-3, we find a direct prophecy given for each of seven
churches of God, each one related to the next but all seven independent – like
seven branches of a tree, all united at the base by the trunk, which is
Christ. Each of these churches has its
own ministry and mission, and each has its own problems, weaknesses, sins, and
frailties. Nevertheless, as a whole they
describe the church of God, the church the Messiah built (Matt.16:18), down
through the ages, and in this modern time we live in, today!
What, then,
are the two olive trees? Again, in
Revelation we discover that during our day, or in the immediate future, God is
going to raise up two unique human beings – who will be His servants,
like unto Moses and Aaron, or Elijah and Elishah. Notice!
In chapter 11, God tells the apostle John that during
this end time there will be a Temple rebuilt in Jerusalem, with worshipers in it
(Rev.11:1-2). During this time, the holy
city will be trodden under foot by Gentile rulers for 42 months (1260 days or a
literal 3 ½ years). And then God
says: “And I will give power to My two
witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days,
clothed in sackcloth” (Rev.11:3).
Who are these two men? John says, “These are the two olive trees
and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth” (verse 4).
John ties this prophecy directly to the fourth
chapter of Zechariah! He goes on: “And if anyone wants to harm them, fire
proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be
killed in this manner. These have power
to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy, and they
have power over waters, to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all
plagues, as often as they desire” (verses 5-6).
These men are ‘sons of fresh oil” – olive oil! That is to say, they are FILLED with the Holy
Spirit of God – ANOINTED by God to be His end-time prophets who will rebuke
kings and nations, and thunder out the final warnings of God to a sin-drenched,
wicked and corrupt world!
What about us – you and me? Are we “sons of oil”? Are we FILLED with God’s Holy Spirit? When we pray, does God shake heaven and earth
to answer our prayers and to intervene?
“And let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He
who promised is faithful. And let us
consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one
another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching”
(Heb.10:23-25).
Let us strive to burn with the zeal of God, and to
produce good fruit, filled with the oil of God’s Holy Spirit – as the
firstfruits! Let’s learn the lesson of
the olive tree!
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