Zechariah 4:14
STATENVERTALING - 14 Toen zeide Hij: Deze zijn de twee olietakken, welke voor den Heere der ganse aarde staan.
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The two witnesses, 'Enoch' and 'Elijah' are the two chosen leaders in this passage, symbolized by two olive trees and two candlesticks which stand before God (Rev. 11: 4; Zech. 4: 11- 14) ✿ Eighteen Facts Identifying the Two Chosen Leaders (two witnesses): 1. They are two men, not covenants, dispensations, etc. (Rev. 11: 3, 7- 12). 2. They are Christ's witnesses (Rev. 11: 3). 3. They will be given power in the future when they come to earth (Rev. 11: 3). This does not require them to be men who have already exercised this power. 4. They will be prophets (Rev. 11: 3, 10). 5. They will prophesy the last 42 months, 1260 days, 3 1/2 years of this age (Rev. 11: 2- 3 12: 6, 14; 13: 5; Dan. 7: 25; 12: 7). 6. They will be clothed in sackcloth (Rev. 11: 3). 7. They are symbolized by two olive trees and two candlesticks which stand before God (Rev. 11: 4; Zech. 4: 11- 14). 8. They were already in heaven when Zechariah prophesied, about 500 years before Christ (Zech. 4: 11- 14). 9. John saw them in heaven about 96 A. D., so whoever they are they are two men translated to reside in heaven at least 500 years before Christ (Rev. 11: 4; Zech. 4: 11- 14 Mal. 4: 5- 6). 10. This will exclude John the Baptist, John the Apostle, and every other man living after 500 B. C. They will be invincible for the 3 1/2 years of their ministry (Rev. 11: 5- 7). 11. They will have power to destroy their enemies the same way their enemies seek to destroy them (Rev. 11: 5). 12. They will be able to cause fire to come out of their mouths to devour their enemies (Rev. 11: 5). 13. They will have power to stop rain all the days of their prophecy (Rev. 11: 6). 14. They will have power to turn the water into blood and smite the earth with plagues as often as they will (Rev. 11: 6). 15. When the 1260- day ministry is finished the supernatural angelic spirit out of the abyss will use the human Antichrist to kill them (Rev. 11:7). 16. Since it is appointed unto man once to die (Heb. 9:27), it is certain that they are two men who have never died so that they can die at the hands of the Antichrist in the future. This excludes Moses or any other man who has already died as one of the witnesses. 17, They will remain dead for 3 1/2 days and then be resurrected (Rev. 11:8- 11). This further proves that they are two men who have never died and that they will not be resurrected, immortal men when they come from heaven to begin their ministry. 18. There would seem to be only two men in the Bible who could fulfil these facts about the two witnesses. They are Enoch and Elijah. That Elijah will be one of them is clearly predicted in Mal. 4:5- 6. John the Baptist was never Elijah, fulfilling this prophecy. He said that he was not Elijah (Jn. 1:21). He only came in the same spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the hearts of people for the Messiah's first coming in the way that Elijah will prepare their hearts for the second coming of the Messiah (Lk. 1:17). Enoch is the only other man transported so that he would not experience death in his lifetime on earth (Gen. 5:21- 24 Heb. 11:5; 2Ki. 2). Both were prophets of judgment (Jude 1:14- 15 1Ki. 17- 18). Both must come back and die their own appointed death on earth, as all men must who live before the rapture (Heb. 9:27 1Cor. 15:51- 58). If either Enoch or Elijah had been transported in immortal, glorified bodies, they would have been the firstfruits of the resurrection instead of Christ (1Cor. 15:20- 23). This proves they are in heaven in their natural bodies. They will continue there until their return to fulfil Rev. 11. The lives of Enoch and Elijah are parallel in every sense, so their cases rise or fall together as to being the two witnesses.
Zechariah 4:11-14 (KJV) says "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? 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? 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." The NIV renders Zechariah 4:14 "These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth." I would rephrase this question to read "who are the anointed ones mentioned in Zechariah 4:14?" The conversation in Zechariah 4:11-14 was part of the wider passage of Zechariah 4:1-14 where the angel of God was revealing to the prophet about the future things. Many scholars are in agreement that the seven lampstands are symbolic of the seven churches depicted in Revelation 1-3 and therefore that the prophet was being shown a picture of the end times. Zerubbabel, an exilic governor of Judah who as also a contemporary of Haggai, was commanded by the Lord to rebuilt the ruined Temple in Jerusalem, a task which he undertook with zeal (Haggai 2). God promised that he will be a signet of God, showing that he would bear special authority (Haggai 2:23). We can therefore infer that He is a foreshadow of Christ. The vision of Zechariah 4 was definitely related to the church. Now as to who are the two "anointed ones" who stand by the Lord of the earth, there have been varied speculations. Some have associated the two with Elijah and Enoch, the two Old Testament prophets who never tested death but this is highly unlikely in my view. It is instructive that the Hebrew word "yitshar" used here for anointed ones also means fresh oil, fresh or pure oil. This depicts the purity of these persons or elements. Some also hold that the two symbolize the word of God and the Holy Spirit. I am inclined to the theory that the two may symbolize the word of God in its two dispensations since the believers consist of Old Testament saints as well as the New Testament believers in Christ. The word of God is a witness to God's revelation and judgment and remains the guiding instrument for God's people in all ages. It shines to the world, unquenched and will be the canon book by which all men shall be judged by God when they shall appear before the great white throne.
According to my Nelson Study Bible,..."Many identify the two branches with the high priest Joshua and the governor Zerubbabel." The two branches, a.k.a. the two Olive trees, in vs. 11 or the two witnesses in vs. 14. (Two anointed ones)
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