TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY IN BIBLE PROPHECY
Lesson 32: Zechariah's prophetic call for twentieth century
Christians to wake up and prepare for Christ's Return.
NOTE: Zech. chapters 2 and 3 describe the first and second
coming of Christ and how Christ will lead the effort
of building a mighty body of believers on the earth.
I The significance of Zechariah being awakened in the middle
of his prophetic visions on the destiny of today's space
technology.
1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked
me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep (Zech. 4:1).
A Why was Zechariah amazed to find himself being awakened by
the angel to whom he had been talking right along?
1 The angel had been showing and telling him a number
of things. Zechariah was watching, asking questions,
and very interested in the angel's presentation.
2 But suddenly, he found himself being awakened, just
as if he had been "wakened out of his sleep."
3 He was amazed because he was so certain that he had
been awake and paying attention to God's message.
B What does Zechariah's awakening in the middle of his
vision prophetically represent?
1 It symbolically represents the awakening of
Christians living during the time of the end
to the meaning of his space-age prophecies.
2 Here again the historical record bears witness that
everyone on planet Earth continued sleeping for
several years after the arrival of manned space
flight, and after the Jews repossessed Jerusalem in
1967, before Zechariah's space-age "wake up" report
explaining the significance of these events was
finally understood.
II The significance of the candlestick with seven lamps shown
to Zechariah.
2 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:
3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the
bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof (Zech. 4:2-3).
A Rev. 1:20 states that the "seven candlesticks are the
seven churches."
1 Therefore, this prophecy is directed to these seven
churches which represent Christ's work on the earth.
2 Zechariah's narrative eventually reveals that this
prophecy is addressed to Christ's Church during the
time when man's last government will rule the entire
world.
B The candlestick was in the Jewish tabernacle in the days
of Moses, and later in the temple at Jerusalem.
1 It was a symbolic representation of God's house and
its light-bearing qualities.
2 Through the ages gold has been viewed as man's most
precious metal.
3 The "candlestick all of gold" represents the priceless
worth of Christ's earthly Church to God.
C The olive oil represents the Holy Spirit Who feeds the
oil of truth to the seven lamps, or churches.
1 Burning oil gives light.
2 Light is a symbol of God's truth which He gives to
Christ's earthly Church.
3 The Church in turn gives the light of truth to a
dark world.
D The two olive trees, on either side of the bowl located
upon the top of the candlestick, puzzled Zechariah and
prompted him to ask the following question:
III Zechariah's first inquiry into what the two olive trees
might be, was ignored.
4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me,
saying, What are these, my lord?
5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto
me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my
lord.
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the
word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor
by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
7 Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou
shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone
thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it
(Zech. 4:4-7).
A Zerubbabel was the grandson of King Jehoiachin, who had
been carried to Babylon.
B Zerubbabel was appointed governor of a remnant of Jews
by King Cyrus, who had just conquered Babylon.
C Zerubbabel returned to Jerusalem with the remnant to
rebuild the temple of God.
1 The people dwelling in the area, to whom the Jews'
land had been given, opposed the reconstruction of the
temple and Jerusalem's wall, and they successfully
held up the work.
2 Zechariah's prophecy assured Zerubbabel that God
himself would remove the mountain of opposition
opposing the work.
3 Zerubbabel was also told that there would be a
celebration when he put the last finishing stone in
place at the completion of construction.
8 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this
house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know
that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you (Zech. 4:8-9).
A Again the angel stated that Zerubbabel himself would
finish the temple.
B This was good news, since the opposing inhabitants of
the land had succeeded in halting construction for
fifteen years.
C The angel went on to say that Zechariah would know that
his prophecy was from God when the temple was completed,
because he was prophesying about its completion at a time
when everyone was convinced this temple would never be
built.
10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they
[the seven eyes of the Lord] shall rejoice, and shall see
the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven;
they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through
the whole earth (Zech. 4:10).
A Previously a celebration had taken place upon completion
of laying the temple's foundation.
1 This event took place the second year after the
remnant had returned from Babylon.
2 Most people shouted for joy, but the older men, who
had seen the first temple, wept, because this temple
did not begin to compare with the splendor of the
original.
3 The angel warned against despising a "small" beginning
of God's work on the earth, because this tiny temple
would one day grow into a mighty body of believers.
B The eyes of the Lord are not only watching, but
rejoicing, because God's eyes search the earth for men
who will do God's work and Zerubbabel was such a man.
C The rest of Zechariah's prophecy is addressed to God's
people who will be building Christ's Church in the face
of relentless opposition, during the final days of the
nuclear age.
IV Zechariah's second inquiry into what the two olive trees
might be, was also ignored.
11 Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two
olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon
the left side thereof? (Zech. 4 11).
V Undaunted, Zechariah inquired into what the two olive trees
might be, a third time.
12 And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these
two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty
the golden oil out of themselves? (Zech. 4:12).
A Why did Zechariah inquire about the meaning of the two
olive trees for the second and third time?
1 He knew the meaning of the vision could not be
unlocked without a clear understanding of the
significance of the two olive trees.
2 The angel's deliberate silence puzzled Zechariah, so
he reworded his question in an attempt to clarify his
inquiry.
3 He focused in on the two branches that were attached
to the olive trees that empty the golden oil of truth
from God out of themselves to Christ's earthly Church.
B Here, the branches--literally "ears" in Hebrew--are a
specific reference to the clusters of olives on the
olive trees' branches.
1 That is, even as ears of corn are full of grain, so
the olive branches are full of olives.
2 Thus, since the angel did not answer Zechariah's first
two inquiries as to what the two symbolic olive trees
represented, he directed his question to the olive
clusters which were the source of the oil for the
candlestick's seven lamps.
C Is there any prophetic significance to the fact that
Zechariah asked the same question two more times, at the
end of the vision?
1 Yes, repeating the question two more times at the end
of the vision signals that the full meaning of the
prophecy would not be revealed until the time of the
end.
2 The historical record shows that God's people have
been asking about the significance of these two olive
trees, their attached branches and the prophecies
adjoining them for the last 2,500 years.
3 These prophecies have not been clear to men and God
has remained silent to all questions asked about them
during the intervening centuries.
D The angel finally answered Zechariah when he restated
his question the third time.
13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these
be? And I said, No, my lord.
14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that
stand by the Lord of the whole earth (Zech. 4:13-14).
A The angel replied that "these are the two anointed
ones," or literally, "the sons of fresh oil," that stand
by the Lord of the whole earth.
B A later lesson will reveal that these two olive trees
are two witnesses who will continue to build Christ's
Church during the final days of the nuclear age.
C They will continue the building job that Zerubbabel
started, in even more incredibly troublesome times than
Zerubbabel faced in his day.
D They will be standing against the forces of hell with
the Lord Himself and they will be armed for the
fight--with the fresh oil of truth from God the Holy
Ghost.
E In light of the imagery of this text, what will be the
central theme of the "fresh oil of truth?"
1 First note that the olive clusters represent the
technological prophecies of truth which immediately
follow Zechariah's "wake up" message.
2 Hence, the two witnesses' main mission will be to
deliver the prophetic oil of truth to Christ's
earthly Church at the close of the age.
3 Figuratively speaking, they will accomplish this task
by squeezing oil from the olive clusters in their
hands.
4 That is, they will wake up God's people to the fact
that the generation witnessing the fulfillment of the
Bible's technological prophecies will also witness
Christ's Return in their time.
5 In summary, the two witnesses will urge Christians to
use the fulfillment of the Bible's technological
prophecies to win souls to Christ during the closing
days of the technological age.