The phenomenon of having an inter-dimensional angelic host discuss other worldly events many times in scripture involves communication during one’s deepest part of sleep when the brain waves are at their lowest frequencies. Here Zechariah was awakened out of a deep sleep, similar to how Daniel was awakened by Gabriel (Daniel 8:18) and Jeremiah was awakened out of his sleep. (Jeremiah 31:26)

Zechariah 4:2 – And he said to me. “What do you see?

So I said, “I am looking, and there is a lamp stand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it,

and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps.

IMGP3367 Zechariah sees a seven branched Menorah of solid gold, described in all its beauty, the bowls of gold, the seven lamps, and even the tubing which transported the sacred oil from the bowl to each of the lamps.

Here the angel asks Zechariah to describe a literal and visual scene, which has all the common attributes of things which he saw daily in the Temple of the Lord. This again is not a symbolic journey or an allegorical representation, but is anchored in literal reality.

The Golden Menorah built to be Kindled in the New Holy Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem by the Temple Institute – Photo by Robert Mock

The Hebrew for Menorah actually means candelabrum or lamp stand. According to the Torah, Betzalel (Bezaleel), the Israeli master artist-craftsman, used the precise instructions given to Moses to make the Menorah. The name of Bezaleel is also significant. Coming from the Hebrew word, Btsal’el, it means ‘in the shadow or protection of El, or God. So here we have a special craftsman, selected by the Lord of hosts to construct his dwelling place on this earth in the Ark of the Covenant. The mysterious and powerful forces that would eventually be known to reside in this golden box gives special meaning to his name, Bezaleel, as one that resides in the shadow or the protection of the Almighty God, known as ‘El’ in the fifteenth century BCE.

Exodus 37:17 - "made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; even its base, and its cups, its knops, and its flowers were one piece with it."

When King Solomon was building the Temple of the Lord, instructions were given to King Hiram to make ten large highly decorative menorahs of pure gold and the one made by Bezaleel, about five hundred years old at that time, was placed within their midst: each one included seven lamps in all: one atop a central stern, and three branches foliating from each side. On the main stem there were placed four almond blossom shaped calices, with three on each of the other six branches. According to the traditional understanding, each lamp had a lamp bowl, which was designed for easy removal for daily cleaning, trimming, reworking the wick and refilling with oil.

When the destruction of the Temple of Solomon appeared imminent by the forces of Nebuchadnezzar, the priests in the Temple removed the Menorah of Bezaleel and its hidden location has not been revealed by any historical documentation to this day.

According the mystical rabbis in the medieval Cabalistic writing of the Zohar, the oil in the lamp was the Torah, the light in the lamp represented the Shekinah, the Divine Presence of the Eternal One and the wick of the lamp was Israel. The seven lamp stands represented the seven heavens and according to Josephus, the seven lamps represented the seven planets, which according to the rabbis reflected the glory or the light of God. Another concept was that the central lamp of the menorah was the Holy Shabbat (The Sabbath) and the six branches radiating off the central branch were the six weekdays as outlined by the Creation week. According to the Talmud, the height of the menorah was 18 handbreadths, considered by most scholars to be the height of an average man.

In the BT Menachot, part of the Jewish Talmud, the cups on the branches were like Alexandrian goblets, somewhat like a modern wine glass, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. According to Ibn Ezra, the branches were hollow, but most rabbis’ opinion was that they were solid gold. Yet the most divergence of opinion was whether the branches were curved or straight, the latter rising diagonally straight from the middle branch.

The Two Olive Trees and the ‘Bowl’ of Oil

Zechariah 4:3 – Two olive trees are by it,

one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.”

Once again, we see a visual image, literal in its effect, yet symbolic in its meaning. To the ancient Hebrew, a human person is many times visualized like a tree. It was the Psalmist, who said,

The oil pitcher is used to replenish the oil for the menorah.

The design pictured above is based on an ancient coin from the Second temple period. This pitcher contains 3.5 lug, (2 liters) of oil – The Temple Institute

Psalms 1:1-3 parts – “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked… but his delight is in the law of the Lord…He is like a tree planted by streams of waters, which yields its fruit in season...”

Yet, once again we see something strange. Most representations of the Menorah or the seven branched lamp stand depict an image of seven lamps, but there is little discussion of the bowl or bowls in which the oil is sent to each individual lamp. Here we have a picture of one bowl and on either side of this bowl are two olive trees.

The small golden flask is used to pour olive oil into the menorah. The priest pours oil into this flask from the larger pitcher, which contains enough oil necessary for all seven lamps. This smaller flask is then used to replenish the oil of each individual lamp. – The Temple Institute

Understanding now the traditional understanding that each lamp had a bowl, then the entire Menorah had seven bowls and seven tubes, one for each bowl going to each lamp. Yet the picture here depicts One Bowl. On a symbolic or mystical basis, all the oil comes from One Source, the Lord of hosts. This understanding would be whether the Oil is the Torah, given directly by the Lord of Host Himself, or in the New Testament, the Oil is the Holy Spirit, which also comes directly from the Almighty Himself.

In either case, we have a picture of a Menorah, which has One Bowl above the Menorah and seven tubes or pipings coming out of the Bowl, each one going to one of the seven lamps. Surrounding this Bowl, representing the Lord of hosts on His Throne in heaven, are Two Olive Trees. The Menorah is a representation of this multi-dimensional world, with all of its literal significance. With this image, the Bowl and the Two Olive Trees are transcendent to the Menorah. They are cosmic. They are heavenly. They are other-dimensional.

We must now ask the question, is the oil the Holy Spirit? This is a representation that is strongly imbedded in the Christian traditions. Using this Menorah imagery, we would have to suggest that the Oil is not the Holy Spirit. Rather the Oil is again the Torah, the teachings of God given to mankind. The Holy Spirit rather is the vehicle, the tubing from the Oil Cup to the Lamp, in which the Torah will be given to man. This was especially true after Jesus, seen as the Living Torah or the Torah in the flesh returned back to the World of the Divine.

Here we see two olive trees, which in many references are attributed to Israel, yet seem to refer to an important person or persons of the Hebrew people.

The Two Olive Trees are the Two Anointed,

The Two Witnesses sent by God to this earth.

Who are these two olive trees? Once again, let us move ahead 600 years to the time of John the Revelator, in Rev. 11: 1-6, as he is visualizing the last 42 months of earth’s history. John was given a long cane, a measuring rod, and told to ‘measure the temple of God, the altar, and the number of the worshippers.’ Yet John was also warned, to

Zechariah's Messianic Menorah Painting by Yosef HaTzorfati

The seven-branched golden Menorah is surrounded by two olive trees, representing the High Priest Yehoshua and the political leader Zerubbavel. These two leaders were involved in the restoration of the Temple in 516 BCE after the return from the Babylonian exile. The olive trees provide the Menorah with a continuous supply of fuel. The description of the Menorah from Zechariah is read in the Haftorah for the first Shabbat of Hanukkah, and concludes with a messianic vision of peace, "Not by Might, and Not by Power, but by my Spirit." (Zechariah 2:14 ff.) (The Cervera Bible, Spain circa 1300)

Revelation 11:6 - “Leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.”

So what do we have here? In the last forty-two months of history at the end of times, we have a temple of God, a temple limited only to the temple proper as the outer courts on the Temple Mount will be defiled and under the control of Gentiles, who are desecrating the rest of Jerusalem by trampling the Holy City underfoot.

Here also we are introduced to the two olive trees, who also are the ‘two lamps that stand in the presence of the Lord of the Earth.” Yet in Revelation, these are the ‘two witnesses’, to whom God will

Revelation 11:3-4 - “give power…and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days (forty-two months) , clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands standing before the God of the earth.”

So we have three different symbols, the two olive trees, the two lamps and the two witnesses, yet all appear to be pointing to one set of literal people or objects that will exist at the time of the end.

Not by Might, nor by Power, but by My Spirit

Zechariah 4:4 – So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?”

Zechariah was not in the guessing game. He wanted to ‘cut the chase’ and hone in on the real meaning of the vision. He did this earlier in Zech 1:9, when he inquired about the meaning of the multicolored horses.

Zechariah 4:5 – Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me,

“Do you not know what these are?”

The angel seemed to enjoy tweaking Zechariah’s curiosity.

Zechariah 4:6 – So he answered and said to me: This is the word of the Lord to Zerubabbel:

Not my Might nor by Power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts

What a powerful statement. One thing that BibleSearchers have come to appreciate is the role of Power, Greed and Control that will take place as the end of this world age approaches. The satanic forces and the powers of evil encompass their mantra of existence upon these three principles. The ethics of modern day business, politics and social life center around these three arenas; how to present yourself as someone you aren’t, how to exert control over things you have no right to control, and how to manipulate your competitor to enhance the pocketbook of your own greed.

For a BibleSearcher living in the time of the end, you might do well to ponder, if you, when you feel deep down in your heart in a business, religious, or personal relationship that power, green and control are the prime ingredients within this relationship, then you might very well assume that the forces of evil are partners in this relationship.

Here the Lord of Hosts, Hashem, intercepts the communication line. He is not describing the pseudo-power of man, institutions and governments, but He is describing His might and power. There are many ways the Lord can reveal Himself in physical manifestations, yet most of them will overwhelm the sensory system of man. The voice of the Lord in the thunder, the searing presence of the Lord in the mighty roar of a forest fire, the mind shattering sensations in the vortex of a tornado, yet here the Lord of Hosts, will send His Spirit.

It still appears the Lord’s presence is the closest to this earth in eras of great cataclysm. Noah’s closest contact with the Lord was during the Great Flood, Abraham’s during the great cataclysm, which opened the Great Rift which runs from the Dead Sea to lower Africa.

During the End of Days, this earth will again move back into a cataclysmic era, pictured so vividly in Revelation. Here will be again an era of massive earth shifting, pole reversals, comet impacts, bolides of fire impacting the earth, falling stars, volcanic ash covering the earth with darkened skies and crimson moons.

Yet the word of the Lord of Hosts would not come in a great cataclysm to Zechariah. The ‘might and power’ of God would be deferred to His Agent, the Holy Spirit.

Within mystical Judaism, Hashem’s (God’s) presence is manifested by sending His attributes or emanations to all of His creation. How much He chooses to reveal is sent thru the “Veil”, called the Daat, which serves as a filter for the Almighty. Yet, God cannot reveal Himself fully to any of His creatures or He would annihilate them by the power of the energy presence.

Of the Ten Emanations of God (Hashem), seven of these emanations are revealed fully in the Torah, the “Word of Hashem.” In John 1:1, this Word (Torah) became flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus (Yahshua) the Anointed One, revealed as the Son of God (Hashem)

When the Presence of God, as revealed in the person of Yahshua (Jesus) was withdrawn and taken back to the World of the Divine from the Mount of Olives, the Holy Spirit, called the Ruach HaKodesh was sent to the followers of Yahshua on that Pentecost (Shavuot) day.

When the Lord of Hosts (Hashem) spoke to Zechariah, the words came not by the ‘might’ and ‘power’ of God. The Breath from the voice of God would have disrupted and shattered the atomic structure of Zechariah’s physical being. We as humans do not have the ability to stand before the presence of the Unseen Jehovah. When God (Hashem) speaks, the Universe, our own Solar System, even our own earth will rearrange itself structurally, psychosocially on the mental sphere and in divine awareness on the spiritual sphere.

The Great Mountain becomes a Plain

Zechariah 4:7 - ‘Who are you, O great mountain?

Before Zerubabbel you shall become a plain!

The ‘destroying mountain’ in Jeremiah 51:25, was the mighty Babylon, and all those who lived within the economic and political dominion of her power and control. This is the harlot system of Revelation 17. In Jeremiah, the ‘destroying mountain’ would become a burnt mountain. Here in Zechariah, the ‘great mountain’ will become a plain, which later we will see in greater graphic detail, (Zechariah 14) when the Mount of Olives splits in a tectonic upheaval and an east-west rift will separate and a vast plain will materialize in the presence of Armageddon’s military forces.

Jeremiah 51:25 – “’Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, Who destroys all the earth.’ Say the Lord, ‘And I will stretch out My hand against you, roll you down from the rocks, and make you a burnt mountain. They shall not take from you a stone for a corner nor a stone for a foundation, but you shall be desolate forever.’ says the Lord’”

The Ancient Olive Tree and the Plain – Photo by Jeff Slater

The question is, is this ‘great mountain’, a literal mountain or a spiritual mountain? Throughout history, the Temple of the Lord, Mount Zion, whether in Sinai, Mount Herman, Damascus, or Jerusalem and the Mount Moriah in the days of Abraham, were known as the ‘Mount of the Lord’. Yet it was the Jerusalem mountain chain of seven peaks which included Zion, Moriah, and the Mount of Olives, which will command most of the attention of the Almighty.

As we revisit Revelation 11:8, we see the Abyss (earth) beast at war with the two witnesses and the saints of Hashem (God). During the course of this battle, the two witnesses are killed and lay unburied in the streets of Jerusalem. Jerusalem at this time is called symbolically or spiritually, Sodom and Egypt. Oh yes, Jerusalem, at this time, is now in control by the Antichrist, the earth beast, the number one agent of Satan, the destroyer. God’s (Hashem’s) Holy City, Jerusalem, is now the scene of a reveling and hedonistic crowd dancing over the bodies of the two witnesses.

Revelation 11:8 – “And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.”

In history, it was through the power and might of the Lord of hosts and the cataclysmic forces, which go before His presence that saved a remnant in Sodom, in the family of Lot with his two daughters. It was later in Egypt, these same cataclysmic forces destroyed the imperial might of Egypt, and brought freedom for the tribes of Israel. Here the symbolism of ‘mountain’ refers to opposition to God’s will (Ezra 4:1-5, 24) and the resistant and willingness of God’s people to persevere. (Haggai 1:14, 2:1-5) Also seen in Isaiah 40:4, 41:15, 49:11, Matthew 17:20, 21:21, Mark 11:23, 1 Corinthians 13:2, 2 Corinthians 10:4.

The 14^th chapter of Zechariah suggest that in the “day of the Lord’, when Armageddon’s forces, gathered from all the nations, (vs. 2), the forces of the Antichrist will assault the city (vs.3) and the city of Jerusalem will fall to the forces of the Antichrists. (Revelation 11) This is a literal picture and one accepted by most apocalyptic pictures of the time of the end today.

Zechariah 14:1-3 – “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, and the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, and He fights in the day of battle.”

The Lord will personally battle against those nations (verse 3). Hashem, the Lord of Hosts, through God’s ‘Anointed One’ or the One who fully represents His presence in this three dimensional world will fight against the forces of evil and rebellion.

When the Lord touches the Mount of Olives, the awesome energy forces radiating through this Being, God’s anointed the messiah or Moschiach ben David, will cause the surface of the of the earth in the regions of the Palestine will be torn asunder, the tectonic forces, which caused the uplift of all the mountainous region of Palestine will come to a grinding halt. The tectonic plates will reverse and begin to separate. What are we seeing at this time, but a polar reversal and the beginning of the separation of the tectonic plates beneath Oldest_olive_tree Jerusalem? What were former mountains will be leveled into a plain, and the Mount of the Lord, as Zion will experience an uplift which will elevate it above all other mountains.

Oldest Olive Tree in the World on the Island of Crete

So, at this final moment in earth history, Jerusalem, under the control of the forces of Armageddon, spiritually known as Babylon in Revelation, will be rent by a mighty earthquake. The remnant of Israelites, Jews and Josephites (assimilated of the Tribes of Israel) who remain in the city “will not be cut off from the city.” (verse 3), but will flee. The mountain rift or valley, “My mountain valley”, (verse 5) caused by the seismic separation of the tectonic plate below the Mount of Olives, will become a miraculous escape route for the remnant of God’s chosen people who remain within the city of Jerusalem. Textually, the haven refuge for those who escape, Azal, is unknown. Some modern scholars, as well as security agencies within Israel, see this place, Azal, to be the area of Petra, not far from the burial site of Aaron at Mount Hor.

The forces of Armageddon will not be just evil and wicked humans, but all the evil angelic hosts under the command of Satan. At this moment, the spiritual cosmic forces of darkness will become trapped in our three dimensional world and will be revealed in literal form. They, the evil angelic forces of Satan (HaSatan), with all the evil humans who are seeking to assault, control and destroy the last presence of Hashem on this earth, will meet the King of kings in battle. Mind you, this is not a spiritual battle alone. Blood will run in the streets, but not only will the humans will physically be destroyed but the demonic and evil angelic forces will be destroyed also. This battle will be fought on a physical (literal), but also on the mental and spiritual arenas at the same time.

“Thus the Lord my God will come and all the saints with you.” (verse 5) Yet, who is You? ‘You’ is the remnant who will ‘flee through My mountain valley” and “You, are the ones who fled from the earthquake.” (verse 5) Yes, the people, the Lord my God, will come to rescue in this limited context will be the remnant of God’s chosen people still left within the Land of Israel and who fled through the mountain valley of God. We will revisit this event and match it more with Revelation end time events when Zechariah 14 is discussed.

The Capstone or Cornerstone

Zechariah 4:7b - And he shall bring forth the capstone. (cornerstone) with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!

The Capstone on the Pyramids

The Pyramidion of the Red Pyramid at Dahshur

The Capstone of the Red Bent Pyramid of Dahshur

Bringing forth the corner stone or the capstone was all a part of the completion process of building a temple or a significant building of worship. The Egyptian pyramid, which the Israeli people were a part in the building industry of the ancient world, when completed was topped with a capstone. The Giza Pyramids are the marvel of the ancient buildings of the world. Not true pyramids, but actually step-pyramids, were actually built by courses of stones, layer by layer, each layer smaller than the course of stones below. In the ancient days, the outside of the pyramids were lined with smooth , inclined sides of casing stones, which were cut and polished on six sides with optical accuracy, fitting not only the core stones beneath but the four sides with perfect alignment.

Written accounts by Herodotus (5^th c. BCE), and Arabian authors such as Al Saudi (10^th c. CE), Abdul Latif, Abd Alhokim and Qodai-Andaluse (12^th c. CE) tell of characters and inscriptions of unknown antiquity that were written over the entire exterior surface, which were related to the sciences, the heavenly planet, to the secret sciences of nature and magic. In all, it was reported that it would take 6000 pages to copy all the inscriptions. Seen in the sun, the surface of the pyramids would glisten with a brilliance that could be visualized as a beacon for many miles.

The Giza pyramids today no longer have their capstones, much less this brilliant polished limestone siding. They were removed by the Arabian Caliphs in order to build Cairo in its early days. Even in the days of Herodotus, the capstone was not mentioned in his descriptions.

The Bent Pyramid of Amen-em-khet at Dahshur in Egypt

At the apex of the pyramid a pyramidion or capstone was placed, which most scholars speculate was made of with a metallic surface, similar to the top of an obelisk. These capstones resembled an ancient object of antiquity resembling the Ben-Ben at Heliopolis, which was made of granite with engravings on the surface. One capstone was found buried some distance away from the pyramid of Amen-em-khet at Dahshur. On this capstone, it bore the emblem of a Winged Globe and with the following inscription.

“The face of king Amen-em-khet is opened,

The he may behold the Lord of the Mountain of Light

When he sails across the sky.”

(Sitchen, Zechariah, The Stairway to Heaven, Avon Book, 1980, pg.240.)

The Cornerstone for the Temple

The Phoenician influence into the buildings of Kings David and Solomon by King Hiram, utilized a cornerstone within the foundation of the palaces and temples. As the above text suggests, the groundbreaking ceremonies associated with the completion of the foundation of the temple was part of a grand procession of music and praise. Note Ezra’s description of the celebration 004.jpg the Mastaba of Khomtini in The Necropolis Of
GÎzeh more than likely attended by Zechariah, the Levite, when the foundation of the temple was completed.

The Cornerstone at the Mastaba of Khomtini in the Necropolis of Giza, Cairo, Egypt – Drawing by Faucher-Gudin from a sketch by Lepsius in the Gutenberg Project

The cornerstone at the top of the mastaba, at the extreme left of the hieroglyphic frieze, had been loosened and thrown to the ground by some explorer; the artist has restored it to its original position.

Ezra 3:10-11 – “When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord:

For He is good,

For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.”

Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.”

It was this building and celebration that led to the spiritual significance of the chief cornerstone. This is reviews by the biblical authors below.

Psalms 118:22 – “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Jesus applied this text to himself in Mark 12:9-11 “Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing. And it is marvelous in our eyes?’”

Luke recording the same event says;

Luke 20: 15-18 – “Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!” Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone’? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to power.’”

Isaiah 8:13-15 – “The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. He will be as a sanctuary, but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken, be snared and taken.’”

Ephesians 2:20 - “Now, therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Peter also applied it to Jesus in Acts 4:10-12 – Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Also in 1 Peter 2:7,8 – “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. There fore it is also contained in the Scripture,

‘Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.’ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,’ and 'a Stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’

They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”

The New Testament authors spiritualized the meaning of the cornerstone, but make one note, their point of object was a literal being, the Son of Man, who was also the Son of God.

Zechariah 4:8 – Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

“The hands of Zerubabbel 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.

If we are to suggest that the Oracles of Zechariah can be interpreted as a literal time of the end prophecy, then we have to come to the conclusion that the temple of the Lord will be rebuilt in this era. Some prophetic scholars will challenge this assumption, but underlying motive will usually be that their spiritual interpretation does not allow a literal temple to fit their exegesis and interpretations. Unfortunately, for most of the scholars, a literal interpretation would displace their favorite institution or church, which has assumed the mantra of ‘Spiritual Israel’ replacing Literal Israel in the prophecies about the time of the end.

Here we see a type of the Messiah, in the personage of Zerubabbel the governor. As Zerubabbel laid the foundation of the second Temple, so the Moschiach ben David, will lay the foundation of the Millennial Temple. As Zerubbabel’s hands finished the Second Temple, so the Messiah’s hands (His’ hands) will finish the building of the Millennial Temple.

What is the purpose of all of this? “That you will know that the Lord of Hosts sent Me.” Who is Me? Yes, Me is the Angel of the Lord, the Messiah, and the anti-type of Zerubabbel. Who is the Lord of Hosts? God, the Almighty, Unseen God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

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The Eyes of the Lord

Zechariah 4:10 - For who has despised the day of small things?

Or these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubabbel.

They are the eyes of the Lord, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.”

In the days of Zerubabbel, many despised his effort to rebuild, with great effort and sacrifice, the Temple to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To those, this was the ‘day of small things’. The glory of the Temple did not come close to matching the glory of the Temple of David and Solomon. God was chiding those who depreciated His return to His people.

Seventy years prior, the Lord of hosts gave a vision of two baskets of figs to the Prophet Jeremiah, one basket with good figs and the other basket with bad, very bad figs. Concerning the good figs, the Lord said,”

Jeremiah 24:4 – “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My Eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.”

All during these seventy years the “Eyes” of the Lord were watching over the Jews. For their own good they needed an attitude adjustment, and now they were ready to acknowledge their own God with all their whole hearts. What about the bad figs? The Lord said they were so bad they could not be eaten. The king Zedekiah with his princes and those dwelling in Egypt would be scattered to become a “reproach and a byword, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I shall drive them.” (verse. 9)

The Cat’s Eye Nebula – Hubble Space Telescope

When speaking to Zechariah, the ‘Eyes of the Lord’, called the ‘seven’ in number, symbolic of completeness, representing the Omniscience (complete knowledge) and Omnipresence (complete presence) of Hashem, were now rejoicing. God was ecstatic. His Will and His Presence were once again being anchored down in literal time and space. God was returning to His Holy Mountain, in His Holy City.

These seventy years may actually be replayed again at the time of the end. This time, the completion of this return will be seen later in the vision of Ezekiel in the completion of vast temple of Hashem, and God’s return once again through the eastern gate in the Millennial Temple.

At that time, the cataclysmic separation of the Mount of Olives will come when;

Zechariah 14:3-4 - “The Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.”

The Two Olive Trees as the Two Witnesses

Zechariah 4:11 – Then I answered and said to him “What are these two olive trees -

At the right of the lamp stand and at its left?”

We now return to the two olive trees. In the context of the vision of Zechariah, as it pertained to the people returning from the Babylon, they appear to represent Joshua (Yahshua), the High Priest in the Temple of Zerubabbel and Zerubabbel, the governor of the royal line of David. Here we see the imagery of the priestly line and the royal lineage depicted in the Order of Melchezadik. This was the Order that Yahshua (Jesus) would become as the Priest-King (Heb 7)

Yet as we have seen, in the context of Revelation, as portrayed to John, the two olive trees are the ‘Two Witnesses’. As stated,

Revelation 11:3-6 - “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, (42 months or 3 ½ years) clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies (like Elijah did). And if anyone wants 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 (like Elijah did); and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues (like Moses did), as often as they desire.”

The Two Olive Branches are the Two Anointed Ones

Zechariah 4:12 – 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?”

The Two Olive Trees with the Cherubim Lighting the Holy Menorah

Along side the branch of the Menorah, or winding around each of the seven branches, were two golden pipes. In the symbolic imagery of the Olive branches, we see an imagery of fullness, completeness and abundance. The branches, not the trees, drip the divine oil, the agency of anointing. This is the symbol of the Holy Spirit, which fills the two golden receptacles of bowls which connect with the golden drain tubes that carries the olive oil to the seven lamp stands. The Spirit is the visible image of God’s presence on this earth. It is the One who brings power and substance to our reality.

Bear in mind, we have two agents, or anointed ones. One is priestly and the other is royalty, who carry the Spirit of Hashem, the ‘golden oil’ to the seven lamp stands. We must remind ourselves of the seven lamp stands in which the Lamb strolled in between in the second chapter of Revelation. These lamp stands, were a depiction of the various types of Gentiles, the Seven Churches in Revelation, which existed in the 1^st century, and also on a difference prophetic level, existed as historical types throughout the last nineteen hundred years in the Gentile or Christian era. There is one more level of knowledge associated with the seven lamp stand. They also represent the seven types of people who, at the time of the end, will represent the Gentile Church, the ones grafted into the Olive Tree (Israel) or adopted into the family of Hashem as ‘sons of God’.

Zechariah 4:13 – Then he answered me and said,

“Do you not know what these are?’ And I said, “No, my lord.”

The Angel messenger from God, speaking to Zechariah, tantalizes him again.

Zechariah 4:14 – So he said,

“These are the two anointed ones,

who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.”

The two ‘anointed ones’ in Greek were called ‘Christos’ or ‘Christs’. So, is there one Christ or two Christs? Is there one ‘anointed one’ or two ‘anointed ones’? Is there one ‘messiah’ or two ‘messiahs’. Are we dealing with reality or an illusion?

The Order of Melchizedek, through the lineage of Shem, the first Melchizedek, priest-king, leaves intact a symbolic yet literal physical image that the messiah at the time of the end would be revealed as a priest-king, a Melchizedek. This messiah would rule the messianic kingdom as the Kingdom of God.

The puzzle continues. In Revelation, John reveals the presence of two witnesses that were given ‘power’ from Hashem in the time of the end, the last two hundred and sixty days (3 ½ years) on this earth. Who are they? They ‘are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands standing before the God of the earth.” (Revelation 11:4)

Some Biblical authors see them as the Old Testament Church, Israel, and the New Testament Church, Christianity. This moves us into dispensationalist and all the theological baggage that goes along with it. In this same vein, we can visualize the cultivated olive branches (Israel) and the wild olive branches (Christianity) as depicted by Paul in Romans. What this does is implicate that there are two groups of people, yet the image of Revelation is that they are two people and even said that these “two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.” (Revelation 11:10) Are we truly imagining two groups of people, one Christian and one genetic Israelite, being killed and the Armageddon forces dance and revel over their bodies?

Seeing their mission to this earth and the powers that are given to them, it appears that they will at least utilize the same powers given to Moses and Elijah. These are “the power over water to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.” (Revelation 11: 11:6) which was given to Moses, and the “power to shut heaven so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy (Revelation 11:6), and if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies.” (Revelation 11:5)

What human agencies could better represent the Lord of Hosts than Moses, the greatest Lawgiver, who represented Hashem in presenting the Torah (Law or Instructions of God) to the children of Israel at Sinai and Elijah, the greatest of the Prophets. Is not truth measured against the Law and the Prophets?

If Hebrew tradition is correct, Moses’ body was claimed by Michael (Jude 9) and is alive and stands today before the Throne of God. Was not Elijah, taken alive to heaven in the fiery chariot (Cherub) and whose mantle represented the presence and power of Hashem (God)? Is it not Elijah which Malachi predicted would be sent by the Lord of Hosts (Mal. 4:1) “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord?” (Malachi 4:5)

The Two Witnesses and the Twin Messiahs

The two witnesses and the seventh trumpet judgement (REV. 11) The Two Olive Trees and the Two Witnesses – Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
To order prints visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.

Are these two witnesses, the two olive trees and the two lamp stands, represented in the Jewish concept of the twin messiahs; the Messiah (Moshiach) ben Joseph and the Messiah ben David?

The Messiah ben Joseph is depicted as the Suffering Messiah of Isaiah 53. A large portion of the Jewish people recognized Jesus (Yahshua) the Son of Man as the Messiah of Israel yet He was rejected by the Sadducee leadership and the Pharisees of Beit Shammai of the 1^st century Jewish leadership.

The Messiah ben David is represented as the King Messiah (Melech Maschiach), which defines the image of Jesus (Yahshua) coming in the clouds of Glory. Is Jesus presently our King? No! The Bible clearly states, that just prior to returning back to this earth, during the Second Coming of Christ, the Lord of hosts, called the Ancient of Days, will give to the Son of Man, Jesus our Messiah, dominion and power as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Is this not the intent of the words of Daniel? Yahshua will be crowned just prior to His return in fire and great glory.

Daniel 7:13-14 – “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.

“Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.”

This was not to be an everlasting dominion after the Final Judgment at the end of the millennium, ushering in the New Earth. This was to be at the second coming of Jesus as portrayed in the words of John the Revelator

Revelation 19:11-16 - “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of Fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of fierceness and wrath of Almighty God... And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.”

The Kingdom of Heaven, is it Spiritual or Literal?

Well you protest again to me, ‘Yes, Jesus is coming literally, but His kingdom that He will set up will be a spiritual kingdom in heaven.’ Well that may be incompatible, because you are representing a literal coming with a spiritual kingdom. This is a mixed metaphor.

King Messiah (Melech Maschiach) beckoning “Abide with Me” – Painting by Greg Olsen

‘Well, that is easy’, you protest again to me. ‘His coming literally will annihilate all the wicked people on this earth, and all the peoples on the earth will be raptured out of this three dimensional word, when they are caught up to heaven to meet with the Lord. Is it not clear that the Temple the Lord of host is building is a Spiritual Temple in which the people of the Lord, each representing a miniature temple in their own bodies, will be assembled in the great spiritual temple in the heavenly courts? That maybe true for the gentile followers of Jesus, who are spiritually following his will. Yet that is not the message of the prophets of the Old Testament.

Yet, once again, we have a problem. The final events on this three-dimensional planet will occur again in Jerusalem, not a spiritual kingdom, but a very literal place. When Satan is released from the Abyss after the thousand years, he will “come out to seduce the nations” in the four quarters of the earth. Why? So they could fight again with the Lord. Do we even comprehend how well imbedded in human DNA is genetic evil? Even a thousand years of having to live under the rigidity of a bondservant’s life with Jesus as the true and only Messiah, genetic evil will not be totally eradicated. This thousand years even will be with the Maschiach of Isra’el having a “rod of iron coming out of His mouth.”

Satan will know exactly what his mission will be, to deny the population at the end of the millennium a future in the soon to come New Earth. At this time, genetic evil will be enhanced with the infusion of another resurrection, the second resurrection, and this time with all the wicked and evil people that ever lived on this earth. It will not take long to align the people of the world, now resurrected from every age, to form a formidable military force to assault the city of God.

What will happen at this time, at the end of a thousand years?

1 Corinthians 15:22-24 – “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the first-fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the End, when He (Yahshua) delivers the kingdom to God the Father when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and all power. For He must reign till he has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. …Now when all things are made subject to Him (the Lord of Hosts) then the Son Himself (Yahshua) will also be subject to Him (the Lord of Hosts) who put all things under Him (Yahshua), that God (the Lord of Hosts) may be all in all.”

“Wait a minute, again,” you protest. I thought that at Christ’s coming, he was to become the King of kings as portrayed in Daniel 7:13-14. When will this event in 1 Corinthians occur? According to the text, when will death be destroyed? At the end of the millennium, at the Judgment of the Great White Throne in Revelation 20, when:

Revelation 20:11,15 parts – “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away…..Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”

Let us now relook at this end of the age’s event. Jesus, as our High Priest, is ministering for us before the Throne of God, represented as the Mercy Seal upon the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place within the Temple, until just before His coming in the clouds of glory. At this time, He enters the Holy of Holies at Yon Kipper, which is represented as the Judgment and when he comes out, He is cloaked as the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Now Jesus is not only priest, but also a King, a Priest-King after the order of Melchizedek. Only then is He given dominion. But what is he given dominion over? He is ‘given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him. It does not give any indication that these people, nations and languages reside in a spiritual heaven. Even so, this kingdom will be given up. How can it be given up if “His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed”? Jesus, as the Son of God, will return this kingdom back to the Father, as the true Keter or King of all the Universes. This will occur when death is destroyed.

Well, then, when will death be destroyed? At the end of the millennium, at the time of the Great White Throne Judgment and just prior to the recreation of a new heaven and a new earth.

Can we find symbolic compatibility with Moses, the great Lawgiver, the leader of the Children of Israel, Zerubabbel, the leader and governor of the Jews returning from Babylon to Jerusalem, and Jesus, Yahshua ben David as the anointed Messiah ben David as King of Kings and Lord of Lords?

Can we find symbolic compatibility with Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, Joshua ben Jehozadak, the high priest of the returning Jews, and Jesus, Yahshua, son of the Levite daughter, Mary, as the Messiah ben Joseph, the Suffering Servant?

Who is the Lord of the whole earth? He is the Lord of Hosts, Hashem (The Name), Jehovah, the Almighty God.

Go to Chapter Five -

The Flying Megillah Scroll and the Cleansing of the Land of Israel

Topics

The Flying Scroll

The Container with the Evil Fire Offering

The Nuclear Judgment of God

Index for the Commentary on the Prophecies of Zechariah

The Redemption and Restoration of Jerusalem and Israel

Zechariah 1 - God remembers and God blesses at the Appointed Time

Zechariah 2 – God sets His sights to Rebuild Jerusalem

Zechariah 3 – The Priesthood is Re-consecrated for the Temple

Zechariah 4 – God sends Israel His Anointed Ones and His faithful Eyes

Zechariah 5 – The Flying of the Megillah and the Cleansing of the Land

Zechariah 6 – The Four Chariots, Temple is Built and Israel is a Theocracy

Zechariah 7 – Replace Feasts of Fasting with Obedience, Justice and Mercy

Zechariah 8 – Let us Feast with Joy – God returns to Dwell with His People

The Oracles and Judgments of the God of Israel

Zechariah 9 - Part One – The Burden of the Lord on the Fertile Crescent

Zechariah 9 - Part Two – The God of Israel wants Damascus to be One of His Zions

Zechariah 9 - Part Three – The Prelude to the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah War – Global News

Zechariah 9 - Part Four – The Israeli-Hezbollah War in the Summer 2006

17 Tammuz to the 9^th Av 5766 – Global News

Zechariah 9 - Part Five – The Oracles of HaShem against the Palestinians

Zechariah 10 – Latter Rain - Restoration of the Houses of Judah & Joseph

Zechariah 11 – Part One – The Good Shepherd and the Oracles against Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and the Palestinians

Zechariah 11 – Part Two – The Good Shepherd and the Unification of the Houses of Judah and Israel

Zechariah 12:1 – The Creator and the Throne of the God of Israel

Zechariah 12:1 – The Creator, the Worlds of Creation, the Spirit of God, and the Souls of Man

Zechariah 12:1-2 – Jerusalem, a Cup of Trembling

Zechariah 12:3-14 – Jerusalem, a Burdensome Stone

Zechariah 13 – The Gihon Fountain flows from the Temple of the Lord

Zechariah 14 - I will gather all Nations to battle at Jerusalem

The Lord’s feet will stand on the Mount of Olives

Message from BibleSearchers

BibleSearchers scans the world for information that has relevance on the time of the end. It is our prayer that this will allow the believers in the Almighty One of Israel to “watch and be ready”. Our readiness has nothing to do trying to halt the progression of evil on our planet earth. In our readiness, we seek to be prepared for the coming of the Messiah of Israel so that goodness and evil will be manifested in its fullest. Our preparation is a pathway of spiritual readiness for a world of peace. Our defender is the Lord of hosts. The time of the end suggests that the Eternal One of Israel’s intent is to close out this chapter of earth’s history so that the perpetrators of evil, those that seek power, greed and control, will be eliminated from this planet earth. The wars of the heavens are being played out on this planet earth and humans will live through it to testify of the might, power, justice and the love of the God of Israel. In a world of corruption and disinformation, we cannot always know what the historical truth is and who is promoting evil or mis-information. We cannot guarantee our sources but we will always seek to portray trends that can be validated in the Torah and the testimony of the prophets of the Old and the New Testament.

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