And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said to me, “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 forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. “These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth.” Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?” He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zech 4:2-14)
This night vision is a bit more involved, but many elements of it become obvious if you have spent any time in the Old Testament at all.
Zechariah sees a lampstand. Lampstands were common in the time, and one even stood in the Temple. Scholars argue about the details of this one, but everyone gets the main point—this lampstand is directly attached to an olive tree on either side, from which the oil flows constantly. This lampstand will never go out.
In the middle of the vision, the angel gives a message for Zerubbabel—you will accomplish your mission. Evidently, the man needed some encouragement, just as all good leaders do. The people had been uncooperative at times—else why had the services of Haggai and Zechariah been needed? The work was long, hard, and dangerous. Yet, "the hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation…and his hands will complete it." How? Not with an army, not with wealth or status, but by the Spirit of God. How could he fail with that power behind him?
And then the prophet gives a message for them all: "Do not despise "the day of small things." No, this is not the glorious, restored kingdom you have been promised. Yes, this Temple is nothing compared to Solomon's, but those glorious things cannot come without these small things happening first. If these people had not returned, if they had not built up their nation once again, if they had not built a Temple and rebuilt the walls, then what?
Surely you can see the application to us. We are that glorious Messianic kingdom. And how is it built? Not with armies, not with wealth or status, but by the Spirit of God. It is built when we edify one another. It is built when the world sees our love for each other, our peace, our joy, and wants the same things. It is built when we offer the gospel day in and day out, not worrying about the "increase" but leaving that to God.
And though our efforts may look small, especially when we insist on quantifying it, nothing is small when it comes to the work of God. We all have our place in His plan. Small groups few and far between are large in the eyes of God as long as we are working, teaching, serving, giving, sharing, spreading light to the world through our lampstands (Rev 1:20). We must never stop.
The vision ends with "the two anointed ones"—the offices of priest and king under the Law. In reality for us, the priest is the king, the Messiah, two in one. This was their hope for thousands of years, and now He is ours too.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Phil 2:14-16)
Dene Ward
This night vision is a bit more involved, but many elements of it become obvious if you have spent any time in the Old Testament at all.
Zechariah sees a lampstand. Lampstands were common in the time, and one even stood in the Temple. Scholars argue about the details of this one, but everyone gets the main point—this lampstand is directly attached to an olive tree on either side, from which the oil flows constantly. This lampstand will never go out.
In the middle of the vision, the angel gives a message for Zerubbabel—you will accomplish your mission. Evidently, the man needed some encouragement, just as all good leaders do. The people had been uncooperative at times—else why had the services of Haggai and Zechariah been needed? The work was long, hard, and dangerous. Yet, "the hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation…and his hands will complete it." How? Not with an army, not with wealth or status, but by the Spirit of God. How could he fail with that power behind him?
And then the prophet gives a message for them all: "Do not despise "the day of small things." No, this is not the glorious, restored kingdom you have been promised. Yes, this Temple is nothing compared to Solomon's, but those glorious things cannot come without these small things happening first. If these people had not returned, if they had not built up their nation once again, if they had not built a Temple and rebuilt the walls, then what?
Surely you can see the application to us. We are that glorious Messianic kingdom. And how is it built? Not with armies, not with wealth or status, but by the Spirit of God. It is built when we edify one another. It is built when the world sees our love for each other, our peace, our joy, and wants the same things. It is built when we offer the gospel day in and day out, not worrying about the "increase" but leaving that to God.
And though our efforts may look small, especially when we insist on quantifying it, nothing is small when it comes to the work of God. We all have our place in His plan. Small groups few and far between are large in the eyes of God as long as we are working, teaching, serving, giving, sharing, spreading light to the world through our lampstands (Rev 1:20). We must never stop.
The vision ends with "the two anointed ones"—the offices of priest and king under the Law. In reality for us, the priest is the king, the Messiah, two in one. This was their hope for thousands of years, and now He is ours too.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Phil 2:14-16)
Dene Ward
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