This chapter begins with the statement, “And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep” (Zechariah 4:1). There are two reasons why Zechariah had to be awakened. The first, quite naturally, was that he had just received four powerful visions revealing far-reaching consequences, not only for Israel but for the entire world. The other reason for the angel to wake him up was to make sure Zechariah was not dreaming. He had to be awake to see and describe the fifth night vision he was about to receive.

Incidentally, being tired is nothing unusual. The great prophet Elijah had to be awakened twice by the angel of the Lord in order for him to realize that he had not fulfilled his calling yet. This is recorded for us in 1 Kings 19:5-8: “And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.”
Here is demonstrated for us the limitations of our natural body and the supernatural process that takes place when we follow the instruction of the Lord.

Now to the fifth night vision of Zechariah: “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: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof” (Zechariah 4:2-3). We should all be familiar with the seven-armed candleholder, as recorded in Exodus 25. Moses received the instruction from the Lord relating to the building of the tabernacle and all the utensils therein. What was the purpose? Answer: to segregate the holy from the unholy and to prophetically show God’s intention to redeem mankind.

But here something different is revealed: a rather complicated contraption. The candlestick has pipes attached to it that come out of a bowl, which in turn is connected to two olive trees.

Again, I like to admonish the reader not to picture this contraption in your mind, because we can only think in earthly dimensions. Here, a spiritual truth is revealed from heavenly perspectives. Thus it can only be fully grasped through the Spirit of God.

God could have caused the angel of the Lord to give Zechariah a simple statement regarding His intention and how He would accomplish it. But that is not what God does; instead, He shows him this golden candlestick with the attached pipes to the olive oil tank and to the olive trees.

Zechariah’s reaction is quite natural: “So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord? (verse 4). He needs an explanation; he wants to know what he sees.

First, we see that the angel expected the question: “Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord” (verse 5). Now Zechariah was prepared for the explanation of this unusual vision he had received. “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” (verse 6).

Who is this Zerubbabel? He is a descendant of David; we may call him the king of Jerusalem, or at least, the political and military leader of the people of Israel.

This message, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” was of utmost importance not only to Zechariah, but more so to Zerubbabel. What God is saying is in plain terms: this is a spiritual matter and has no direct relationship to the circumstances and difficulties the Jews experienced while in the process of rebuilding the house of God in Jerusalem.

In the book of Ezra we read that the king of Persia, Cyrus, gives order to the Jewish people to return to the city of Jerusalem in the land of Israel, “and build the house of the Lord God of Israel.” That is what they did, and we read in chapter 3, verse 11b: “And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.”

That is very important for us today. We do not need to build the foundation, as it is already done: “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). But we must build upon this existing foundation. What are we to construct? Ephesians 2:20-22 gives us the answer: “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” The Church is to be “an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

But we must admit that is easier said than done. Why? Because of the adversary. Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:8-9: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

Such was also the case during the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. Ezra 4:1 reports: “Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel.”

Further, in answer to Zechariah’s question, “What are these, my lord?” the angel of the Lord gives a direct reference to Zerubbabel: “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” (Zechariah 4:7).

Indeed, Zerubbabel was standing before a seemingly insurmountable mountain of opposition. The enemies did not rest; they tried everything to hinder the building of the house of God in Jerusalem.

What a tremendous prophetic picture for the Church today. How often we have experienced this “great mountain,” which seemed to annihilate our entire work. How many men of God, ministries and churches have simply folded under because of this apparently insurmountable mountain of opposition?

However as we have seen in verse 7, the opposition, this “great mountain” should not concern us because the building of the spiritual house of God will not be done with weapons of war, nor weapons of the flesh, “but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Under the leadership of Zerubbabel, the temple would be built. He would put in the headstone, that is, the keystone to the building. In that moment of final construction, voices are heard saying, “Grace, grace unto it.” This reveals the spiritual quality of that house. It didn’t come into being because of the energetic creativeness of the people; not because of their expertise, or the leadership of Zerubbabel, but by grace. For us this applies too: it is grace that will lead us home.

This issue is so important that for a second time it is confirmed that Zerubbabel would finish his task: “Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 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” (verses 8-9). These words are most comforting; they reveal to us that the foundation is built, Jesus Christ being the head cornerstone.

“For who hath despised the day of small things? for they 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” (Zechariah 4:10). There may not have been much visible manifestation of the Temple in Jerusalem, due to the many adversaries, but it does not change God’s resolution. Zerubbabel will finish the temple. He has “the plummet in [his] hand.” That means the judgment of guiding the proper construction of the temple was in his hand. A plummet is a tool by which one can measure the vertical plumb line (straightness) of a building. It was not in Zerubbabel’s power, but under the “eyes of the Lord.” He will not only see to it that it is built as a proper building, but the eyes of the Lord will watch over it. This is not limited to Jerusalem, but extends to “the whole earth.”

Now Zechariah has a specific question. He asks, “What are these two olive trees and olive branches?” This is quite mysterious. The olive trees and olive branches are the actual supplier of oil for the seven lamps! Most certainly we can say Zechariah had never seen such a thing. This is a very unusual picture: two olive trees, with two branches pouring out the golden oil for the Menorah.

Who are these two? Revelation 11:3-4 mentions these two olive trees, which are identified as “my two witnesses:” “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.” One thing is for sure, they are not clearly identified by name in Holy Scripture. I am inclined to be in the camp of those who think these are Moses and Elijah. Why Moses and Elijah? For one thing, both did not die in Jerusalem, but Jesus said, “Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33). Actually, Elijah didn’t die an earthly death; he was raptured into heaven. Moses was buried outside the land of Israel. Furthermore, both of these prophets wanted to die. That means they were to be considered spiritually a burnt offering. They were totally consumed by the work of the Lord; thus they symbolized total and absolute dedication to the Lord.

Also, verse 6 gives us an additional clue: “These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will” (Revelation 11:6). Elijah was the one whom the Lord used to shut up the heavens. Moses had the power to turn water into blood.

Besides, it was Moses and Elijah who appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration: “And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:29-31). Jesus spoke several times about his death while being alive on earth. Moses, who represents God’s law, prayed to God to end his life: “Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written” (Exodus 32:32). Moses is willing to die for his people, even to be separated for all eternity. We can certainly say that Moses’ life was put on the altar of sacrifice, as there was nothing left of self; thus he was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Elijah too prayed to God to end his life after he had fled from Jezebel out of fear: “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4).

I cannot think of any other people who qualify as being these two olive trees who “empt[ied] the golden oil out of themselves.”

Now the angel asked the question to Zechariah: “And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord” (verse 13).

The angel then gives him a very definite answer: “Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth” (verse 14). As evident from the last three words, “the whole earth,” the issue is no longer the rebuilding of the temple of the Lord by Zechariah, neither Israel’s future, but salvation for the whole world. It is written: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

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