Anointing Oil: Two Olive Trees

 

Revelation 11:4:  “These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth” (RSV)

            When Zechariah asked the angel to interpret the meaning of the two olive trees and the candlestick, the word of the Lord replied:

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. (Zech. 4:6)

 

            So the angels answer to Zechariah‘s question as to what the two olive trees and their pipes into the candlestick meant was that they meant the anointings of the spirit of God: “By my Spirit.”

            The term “those seven” means the seven-fold Spirit, which “are the eyes of the Lord.”  The “seven golden candlesticks” are the seven churches of Asia, Revelation 1:20.  These same seven are the seven spirits of God, Revelation 4:5.  These seven spirits are the seven eyes of the Lamb, Revelation 5:6.  This corresponds to the description in Revelation of the candlestick as being the eyes of the Lord, Revelation 1:20; 4:5; 5:6.  The seven-fold candlestick, represented also by the seven-fold group of stars, represents the seven-fold Church.  The seven-fold Church, like the candlestick, bears the holy fire of the Spirit of God, Revelation 4:5.  This holy fire of the Spirit of God is the seven-fold eyes of the Lamb which goes throughout the earth, Revelation 5:6.  (See also 2 Chronicles 16:9 and Proverbs 20:27.)

            In Zechariah 6:12-15 the Lord showed him that the true temple was to be built by The Branch, (Jesus Christ):

And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name [is] The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: 13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 14 And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD. 15 And they [that are] far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And [this] shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.  (Zech. 6)

 

            The Branch was to be both King and Priest, a double office with a double anointing: “He shall be a priest upon his throne.”  There would then be no conflict between the King and the Priest, “The counsel of peace shall be between them both,” that is, between the two offices of king and priest.  The Holy anointing Oil, as Zechariah had seen in chapter 4, was the anointing of both King and Priest. 

            In Revelation 11 these two offices are represented in the “two witnesses.”  These witnesses are also called prophets, (Rev. 11:10), as it was often the case in the Old Testament that kings and priests were also prophets.  Their office is now translated into the heavens since the earthly temple has fallen into harlotry.  In Revelation 11:19 we see that the true Temple of God was opened in heaven, that is, in the spiritual realm.  The true Temple is the Body of Christ.

            Not only was the Holy Oil found in this heavenly Temple, but also the Ark of the Covenant, which had been missing since the days of the Babylonian captivity, is seen, restored to the heavenly Temple.

            In 11:7, the two witnesses are killed, and (verse 8), their dead bodies lie in the streets of Jerusalem, (“The great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified“), for “three days and a half.”

 

Two Olive Trees = Two Candlesticks

 

Revelation 11:4-7: “These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks.”

 

            We see from the referent in Zechariah that these two “anointings” are the Kingship and the Priesthood.  These two anointings were usually bestowed upon two separate individuals during the Old Testament times but were sometimes upon one man, as in King David who acted in some respects as a priest as well as a king.  Its ultimate fulfillment is in the double portion anointing of Jesus, Who is the eternal King and Priest.

            When we realize that these are the two anointings, rather than two people, we get the picture of what happened when, in Revelation 11:7, it is said that the beast shall overcome them and kill them, and that they shall lie in the streets of the wicked city, Jerusalem, for three days and a half.  It is the anointings that were “slain,” that is, ceased to be operative, in the wicked city.

            After the three and a half days, the anointings are taken up away from the city, so that the city no longer has the privilege of hearing their testimony.  This is a precursor of the end, for when the anointing of the Spirit ceases, there is no longer any hope for redemption.  (See Commentary at 11:3-4 “Anointing Oil”, and “Two Witnesses, Priesthood and Kingship“.)

 

 

Beast of the Bottomless Pit

 

Revelation 11:7:  “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.”

 

            It is said of this beast that he shall overcome and kill the two witnesses.  Again in 13:7 we see a beast that was able to make war on the saints and to conquer them.  This latter beast was seen rising out of the sea, (13:1).  It would appear to be the same beast.

            This beast is ultimately The Flesh, in the sense of the principle of sin in the flesh.  It is in authority in the whole human race except in those who have the blood of Christ applied and have died to the Flesh and live in the Spirit.  It is a deceiver and blinds the eyes of all except those in Christ.  It is a murderous tyrant.

            It appears again in chapter 17, carrying the wicked woman, “Mystery Babylon.”  It is the woman who had drunk the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; that is the wicked, fallen Jerusalem.  Here the “beast” represents the fleshly military powers of the world order, which at that time were Rome and its armies.  There is no real love between those who are dominated by the Flesh.  The wicked “Babylon” consorts with this “beast,” the Flesh, but the “beast” and its “horns” hate the woman and make war on her and burn her with fire.  This prophecy had its immediate fulfillment in the destruction of the wicked Jerusalem by the Roman armies under Titus in AD 70.  But the principle of the enmity of the Flesh against the Spirit is continually being played out in the human arena of history, both individually and corporately.  The Flesh deceives Mankind by offering him sinful pleasures.  But the end of those pleasures is death and destruction.  (See Commentary at 13:1 for further discussion of “The Beast“.)

 

Dead Bodies

 

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

 

            The term “dead bodies” may have been from the Hebrew word gevyah which is used in its singular form for either a single body, as that of Saul in 1 Samuel 31:10, or for several bodies as that of Saul’s sons at the same reference.  It is also used in a collective sense for “a great number of carcasses” in Nahum 3:3.

            It is, therefore, possible to say that the bodies of the two witnesses may mean several bodies or a great number of bodies collectively speaking.  If we interpret the two witnesses as the two offices of Kingship and Priesthood, the word would have been used in its collective sense.

 

Jerusalem,  A Double City

 

Revelation 11:8:  “The great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt.” (RSV)

 

            The word ‘Jerusalem‘ is sometimes written in the Hebrew text as if it were a dual form, Jerusalaim.  This is significant because throughout its Biblical history, the name designated a double city: the Mountain of the Lord’s House and Foundation, or Possession, of Peace on the one hand, and The Threshing Floor and Winepress on the other.[1]

 

The Mountain of the Lord’s House

            As the Mountain of the Lord’s House it is related to the land of Moriah, which may be translated ‘vision’ or ‘revelation.’  The site in and around Jerusalem became a place of encounter with God when He instructed Abraham to go to the land of Moriah and there to offer his son, Isaac, “upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”  Although this was a geographical area known to Abraham, the importance of the event was not in the literal site but rather in the spiritual experience of “seeing” by faith.  The root of the word ‘Moriah’ is râ’âh, ‘to see.’

            In verse four of this passage we are told that on the third day of the journey to this place, “Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off.”  This passage is surely the one Christ had in mind when He said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.“  (John 8:56).  This vision of faith is also alluded to in Hebrews 11:13:  “These all died in faith, not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it afar.”

            According to the writer of Hebrews both the land of Canaan and the city of Jerusalem were more than mere geographic locations for when God called Abraham to leave Ur, “He went out, not knowing where he was to go,”  (Hebrews 11:8 referring to Genesis 12.)

            In Genesis 12 again there is a play on the word râ’âh.  God had called him to “a land that I will cause you to see (show you).”  The book of Hebrews tells us that “He (Abraham) looked forward to a City which has foundations whose builder and maker is God.” (11:10) Then also, for all those who have Abraham’s faith:

They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a City. (RSV)

The Country and City seen by the eye of faith is better than the geographical ones.

            Although Abraham’s physical seed had indeed inherited the geographical land, the writer of Hebrews did not regard this as having fulfilled the promise to Abraham.  After reciting briefly the history of Israel from Abraham through the prophets, he says:

And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.  (11:39 RSV)

The heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly one, is that “something better,” that “City with Foundations whose builder and maker is God.”

            The term “City with Foundations” refers to the fact that the word ‘Jerusalem‘ may be translated ‘Foundation (or Dwelling) of Peace.’  The literal City was the symbol of a spiritual quality, Peace.  This City was the one of which Melchizedek–Melchisalem was king, (Gen. 14:117-24).  Translation of the Hebrew names of this king are: Melchi–zedek, ‘king of righteousness,’ and Melchi-salem, ‘king of peace.’  Our translators have chosen to leave ‘Melchi–zedek’ untranslated, while partially translating ‘Melchi-salem.’  The names are descriptive, not merely titles.  This man was a King of Righteousness and Peace, spiritual qualities, not geographical area.

            Abraham‘s vision of faith is also expressed in Genesis 22:8 when he said: “God (Jehovah) will provide Himself a lamb.“  The phrase ‘Jehovah will provide’ in Hebrew is ‘Jehovah–Jireh.’  The root word of ‘will provide’ is râ’âh ‘to see’ as in English we use the phrase ‘see to it’ meaning ‘provide.’  The term expresses the faith that God sees the need of His people, and seeing, He provides.

            In the thirteenth verse is this passage “And Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw.”  Again, as in verse four, he sees more than the natural, literal situation.  His gaze is directed heavenward and he sees the eternal dimensions of the scene.  At this point, (verse 14), the mountain receives its name, ‘Moriah,’ literally ‘He shall be seen,’ which gave rise to the proverb: “On the mount of the Lord He shall be seen, or revealed.”

            This thought is echoed in Matthew 17:1-9 where we have an account of the revelation of Christ‘s majesty to his disciples.  Christ called it a “vision,” (verse 9), for it was more than natural sight.  This occurred upon “a high mountain.”  Whatever its geographical location, this mountain was ‘Moriah,’ “He shall be seen,” as in Genesis 22:14.

            According to some scholars there is nothing in the actual text to prevent the view that the hill called Golgotha in Christ‘s day may have been the place Abraham called ‘Moriah,’ for indeed Genesis 22:2 calls Moriah a land, and Isaac was to be offered upon one of the several mountains of Moriah.  In this sense, at Golgotha, Jehovah–Jireh, God-will-provide, did provide Himself a Lamb for the sacrifice.

            For the Psalmist Jerusalem was more than a hill of earth and rock:

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?  And who shall stand in his holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully. (Psalm 24:3, 4 RSV)

            One must possess moral and spiritual qualities to ascend this mountain, not merely physical strength.

            We see in 1 Chronicles 21:14-30 that Jerusalem, as the City of David, was originally the site of the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite.  In this passage we see that David encountered the Lord at this threshing floor, and “the Lord saw” and restrained the destroying angel so that the plague was stopped, reminding us of the action in Genesis 22 when Abraham was restrained from slaying Isaac.  When David “saw that the Lord had answered him” he made his sacrifices and decreed that “Here shall be the house of the Lord God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”  The sacredness of the site depended upon the fact that David saw the God-Who-Sees.

            So before Jerusalem became the site of the Temple of the Lord, it was the threshing floor of the Jebusites.  (Josh. 15:8; 2 Chron. 3:1).  In fact, this part of Jerusalem was previously called ‘Jebus.’ (Judges. 19:10, 11; 1 Chron. 11:4, 5)  The root of the word ‘Jebus’ is bus, meaning ‘to tread down, trample.’  This root carries the connotation of ‘desecration’ or ‘profanation.’

            In Isaiah 63:18 and Jeremiah 12:10 a form of bus is used of the treading down and desecration of the Holy Sanctuary when Jerusalem had become polluted by her sins and had fallen.  In Isaiah 14:19 the term is used of the desecration of a corpse that is left unburied to be trodden upon, a prophesy of Babylon‘s doom, ultimately fulfilled upon the geographical city called Jerusalem.

            The writer of Hebrews also has these Old Testament Scriptures in view when he sets forth the Christian‘s entrance into the “better sanctuary” (Christ‘s Body), through the blood of Jesus and warns against profaning it by trampling under foot the blood of Christ. (Hebrew 10:19-29)

            A synonym of bus is used in Isaiah 63:2 and 3 when it speaks of the treading out of the grapes for wine as a symbol of the wrath of God.  The Hebrew word used here is darak, but in verse six of this same passage the word bus is used again.  This passage serves as a reference for, and may even be quoted in, Revelation 14:19-20 and 19:13-15.

            Another Hebrew synonym is used in Daniel 8:13, which serves as the backdrop for Jesus‘ words in Matthew 23:38; 24:15; Luke 21:20-24 where He speaks of the desecration and desolation of the Temple and the treading down of Jerusalem.  The Hebrew word used in Daniel is râmaç, ‘the tread of an oppressor’.  (See also Revelation 11:2; 16:6; 17:6; 18:24.)

            In summary, the sacredness of the site known as Jerusalem was due to the encounter with and revelation of the Living God-Who-Sees, and -Provides.  Without the presence of the Living God, Jerusalem was merely Jebus, a threshing floor or a winepress.  When fallen, she reverted to her ancient identity.  But while in secular usage the winepress and threshing floor were good and useful adjuncts of the culture, in the spiritual sense, the fallen City became the winepress of the fury and wrath of Almighty God and the threshing floor of divine judgment, where the chaff is separated from the wheat and burned.

            When Christ departed from Jerusalem, the glory departed and she was left desolate, (Matt. 23:39).  But there is a New and Living Way opened in Christ, the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, the Holy City is restored, the Foundation of Peace, the Mountain of the Lord’s House.

            Herein lies the significance of the duality of the word Jerusalaim – she can be either Moriah, a place of divine encounter and revelation, or she can be Jebus, the winepress of wrath and the threshing floor of judgment.