Update 367

On Saturday, November 8, 2008, Dave Harris will give the sermon, titled, “The Will of God.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org at 12:30 pm Pacific Time (which is 2:30 pm Central Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

What is persistency? It is defined as continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action, in spite of difficulty or opposition. It is a habitual behavior pattern, continuing to exist or endure, or occurring repeatedly over a prolonged period.

How persistent are we in prayer? Whenever we ask God for something, does He answer right away?  Sometimes He may, but often times He won’t.  That does not mean however that we should stop trying.  If we know that it’s for a good cause, then we continue to ask, and we are always thankful. Colossians 4:2 tells us that we must continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.
 
Persistency pays off. We do pray about the same things over and over again, don’t we? However, our prayers shouldn’t be vain repetitions–just words coming out of our mouths, a script that we read every day–but we pray about such things that we care for. When one of us is sick, do we pray once about it, or do we pray continuously until he or she is healthy?  Even then we don’t stop praying because we thank God and ask Him to continue to be with that individual, to keep him or her strong and healthy. When we love somebody, do we tell that person once that we love them or do we tell them repeatedly?

How persistent are we in our Bible study? Yes, we can come up with excuses for not being diligent and persistent in this regard. We are all very preoccupied in our busy lives, but as we continuously hear about the importance of Bible study, even 10 minutes of meaningful study is very fruitful. We just have to make it a habit! 

Prayer and Bible study are part of our tools to live our lives successfully. How persistent are we in running our spiritual race? 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 admonishes us to run our spiritual race “in such a way” that we “may obtain” the prize.

Our zeal for God’s Kingdom must be continuing. We must have zeal to win. We have to have faith and trust that we can finish the race. We have to believe in God and what He promises us, and that we can always go to God for help in times of need, so that we can be successful.

Let us imagine a physical race, and let us compare it with our spiritual calling. Before we may run a big race, there are certain fears that we must overcome. We have to stay focused, not becoming distracted by our surroundings. We have to make sure that we are attentive because a false start could get us disqualified. One false start gives us a warning, but now we have extra pressure built upon us, because one more false start, and we’re out of the race. As we run our race, we have to look straight ahead. We must not look back, but we must stay on course by not drifting from side to side, into someone else’s path. We must stay on our own path.  Now we run as hard and as fast as we can, giving it our all, striving for that finish line and obtaining that prize. Finishing the race is what’s important. We don’t give up.

But, as opposed to a physical race, where only the top three will receive medals, the spiritual race rewards all those who finish, who never give up, but who have been approved, as it says in James 1:12. Is this the attitude we have so we can obtain our prize? Are we this dedicated when it comes to God’s plan for us?

We have to be persistent in whatever we do, and especially in spiritual matters which are very important to God. We must always remember that all the blessings that we receive and all that we have comes from God. So, let’s be thankful and do what God requires of us. Let us continue to be persistent in all things, including in our prayers and Bible study, so we can finally receive the ultimate prize.

Barack Obama Wins US Election–and the World Hopes for Real Change

Deutsche Welle reported on November 5:

“Democrat Barack Obama has won the US presidential election by a large margin. Voter turnout at 64 percent was the highest since World War II. Speaking to supporters in Chicago, the president-elect promised a new direction for the country, and reached out to supporters of his opponent, Republican Senator John McCain. Outgoing President, George W. Bush, congratulated John McCain for the campaign he conducted with Governor Sarah Palin. Obama, who takes office in eleven weeks, will be the first African American president in US history. He has won 28 states to win 349 Electoral College votes, far more than the 270 he needed…”

“World leaders have hailed Barack Obama’s victory in the US presidential election as ‘the dawn of a new era’ and called for the global superpower to change the way it does business. German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Obama for what she called his ‘historic victory’. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, extended his ‘warmest  congratulations.’ Kenya, the birthplace of Obama’s father, declared a national holiday to welcome the world’s first, black US president.”

The EUObserver reported on November 5:

“… Brussels urged for a ‘new deal in a new world’ under the leadership of Barack Obama. ‘This is a time for a renewed commitment between Europe and the United States of America,’ European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said… [He] assured the US President-elect of his support when both Brussels and Washington will ‘face together the many challenges ahead of us’…

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy whose country is currently chairing the EU congratulated him for the ‘brilliant victory,’ noting ‘By choosing you, the American nation has chosen change, openness and optimism.’

“‘It would give an excellent message to the people of the EU if Barack Obama were to make a speech in the European Parliament during his first visit to Europe,’ the parliament’s president, Hans Gert Poettering, said in his statement of congratulation. ‘This way he could address the almost 500 million citizens of the European Union,’ he added.”

The Difficult Road Ahead for President-Elect Barack Obama

The New York Times wrote on November 5:

“No president since before Barack Obama was born has ascended to the Oval Office confronted by the accumulation of seismic challenges awaiting him… On the shoulders of a 47-year-old first-term senator, with the power of inspiration yet no real executive experience, now falls the responsibility of prosecuting two wars, protecting the nation from terrorist threat and stitching back together a shredded economy…

“What kind of decision maker and leader Mr. Obama will be remains unclear even to many of his supporters…

“Whatever collaboration there may be in the short term, Mr. Obama represents the end of the Bush era in the long term. Yet he will find himself dealing with the Bush legacy for years to come. He promised on the campaign trail to close the detention facility at the United States naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, but analysts in both parties expect that to be more difficult than he imagines. He will inherit a deficit that could approach $1 trillion next year, which could curtail his ambitions, like expanding health care coverage…

“Mr. Obama’s soaring speeches have created such a well of anticipation that there is a deep danger of letdown. He talked during the campaign of a ‘new politics’ bringing Republicans and Democrats together. But if he really works with Republicans to find common ground on issues like Iraq, terrorism and climate change, he risks alienating his liberal base…

“‘There’s always some surprise that you can’t plan for,’ said Nancy E. Soderberg, a top national security aide under Mr. Clinton. She recalled the first President George Bush’s decision to send troops into Somalia just before handing over the Oval Office to Mr. Clinton…”

The Los Angeles Times added on November 4:

“The nation is in dire economic straits… The new president will focus first on stabilizing the economy… he will probably defer some of his biggest, most controversial goals until later — a decision that may send some of his liberal supporters into postelection depression…”

The Associated Press wrote on November 5:

“No president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has faced economic and financial market crises so dire and so urgent as Obama confronts now. And Obama also must deal with wars in Iraq, which he has promised to end, and in Afghanistan, where he plans to send U.S. reinforcements. He may have headaches with his own Democrats on war issues. Liberal Democrats want immediate withdrawal from Iraq, and may balk at sending more troops to Afghanistan…

“With election-reinforced majorities in both the House and the Senate, the Democrats are in full command of the government. They will have an effective Senate majority of at least 56 seats, counting two independents who have sided with them… [but] it takes 60 votes to end debate and force action. That will remain an obstacle…

“Bush is the past. Obama is the future, and it begins now, in troubled times, for a president-elect with a costly agenda of promises that would be difficult to deliver in far better economic circumstances.”

The Bush Legacy–“The Era of American Leadership Is Over”

On October 30, Der Spiegel Online published an article, which gave an interesting assessment of the USA. We are setting forth below excerpts from the article, which accurately describe how most Germans and Europeans look today at President Bush, his administration and the country as a whole. The big question is, will the new U.S. administration under President Obama be able to substantially change European perceptions of the USA?

Der Spiegel Online wrote:

“In his two terms in the White House, US President George W. Bush has presided over a precipitous fall in America’s reputation around the world. History is likely to judge him a failure. Now, his successor will have to dig the US out of a deep hole… Rarely has the decline of a nation… been so strikingly documented… Never before have such low approval ratings been measured for a US president than for Bush in his last few months. They are currently at between 19 and 20 percent. More than four out of five Americans believe that the nation is ‘headed in the wrong direction’… After seven years of Republican dominance in Washington, Bush’s fellow Republicans now avoid him like the plague…

“Iraq is the gaping foreign policy wound, even if the level of violence in Baghdad and some provinces has declined. The war violated international law, divided the allies and wounded the Americans in terms of their value system and self-respect. Over and above the enormous financial cost, the war has been the source of great human tragedy. More than 4,000 American soldiers and an estimated more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died, while more than four million Iraqi men, women and children have been forced to flee their country.

“There will always be debates over whether it made sense to bring down the brutal regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein with military force and become an occupying power. There is much to suggest that it was the wrong choice. It undermined America’s political standing (while bolstering Iran’s influence as a regional power) and, even among US allies, fueled the suspicion that Washington was solely interested in oil and military bases… There is ‘no longer the slightest doubt,’ writes The New Yorker, that the Bush administration lied to and manipulated the American public to gain support for the invasion of Iraq. It is also considered indisputable fact today that the conduct of the war was incompetent…

“Another ugly blemish on the Bush administration is the disgrace of human rights violations in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. The administration bears responsibility — as it does for the scandalous weakening of prohibitions on torture, a move that is simply incompatible with a country based on the rule of law. The man in charge at the White House is believed to have directly approved the practice of waterboarding, which simulates the sensation of drowning in its victims…

“The domestic consequences of the Bush years have also been catastrophic. The national debt has almost doubled, to an inconceivable $10 trillion (€7.75 trillion). The number of Americans without health insurance rose by over eight million to 47 million, while the number of those living below the poverty line grew by almost six million. Bush’s tax breaks for the country’s wealthiest citizens have made America’s already extreme social disparities even more glaring…

“The well-known British philosopher and author John Gray… notes: ‘The era of American global leadership, reaching back to the Second World War, is over’…”

U.S. Treasury Keeps Borrowing Over a Trillion Dollars

The speed with which the U.S. Treasury keeps borrowing astronomical amounts of money is frightening. It seems like every sense for balance has been tossed aside. How long do we have to watch until we realize that the American Titanic is hopelessly sailing full steam ahead against its providential deadly ice berg?

AFP reported on November 3:

“The US Treasury said Monday it would seek to borrow a record 550 billion dollars in the October-December period to help stabilize the financial sector hammered by the global credit crisis. The fourth-quarter borrowing estimate was substantially higher than the 408 billion dollars announced in July, and is a record high for quarterly estimates… The Treasury said the federal government had borrowed 530 billion dollars from the markets in the third quarter.”

EU at Brink of Recession

Deutsche Welle reported on November 3:

“The European Union’s economy is set to grind to a halt in 2009 and only start picking up in 2010 as the financial crisis takes its toll on one of the world’s major economic blocs. There is a ‘real risk’ of the world’s largest economy sliding into recession, officials warned… While they make for bleak reading, the EU’s 2009 figures are better than those of the United States and Japan…

“Of the EU’s four biggest economies, Britain is almost certain of facing a full-blown recession in 2009, with its gross domestic product shrinking by 1 per cent. Germany, France and Italy are all expected to post zero growth rates next year… Among the EU member states expected to feel the full pain of the downturn are… Ireland, Estonia and Latvia… Spain, the EU’s fifth-biggest economy and formerly one of its strongest economic performers, is also set to tip into recession… France… is expected to see its deficit hit the 3 per cent of GDP upper limit this year and to exceed this limit in 2010…

“The grim economic outlook comes as Europe’s top banks revealed how much they were being squeezed of profits by the credit crunch. Germany’s second-biggest bank, Commerzbank, said Monday it had lost 285 million euros and would seek an 8.2 billion euro ($10.5 billion) ‘stabilization’ injection from the government and another 15 billion euro to secure financing. French bank Societe Generale registered an 83.7 percent drop in third-quarter net profit after being hit hard by the collapse of US lender Lehman Brothers. Britain’s biggest home lender HBOS Plc reported it could lose as much as 5 billion pounds from risky assets and bad loans.”

Greater EU Political Role in the World

The EUObserver wrote on November 4:

“The EU has in a letter to the next US president appealed for a greater European role on the world stage, more engagement with a resurgent Russia and more emphasis on peacemaking in Afghanistan and the Middle East… The letter urges the new US administration to put the Middle East peace process at the top of its agenda and foresees a ‘useful role’ for the EU as co-guarantors of a future Israeli-Palestinian accord…

“The US remains critical of Germany’s reluctance to commit troops to combat zones in southern Afghanistan, while the former-communist EU states are concerned by France’s Russia-friendly tone.”

Russia vs. the West

The Times wrote on November 5:

“President Dmitri Medvedev took advantage of the euphoria in America today to order the deployment of missiles inside Europe as a response to US plans for a missile defence shield. Speaking within hours of Barack Obama’s election as the new US President, Mr Medvedev announced that Russia would base Iskander missiles in its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad next to the border with Poland…

“His announcement prompted a burst of applause from government ministers and parliamentary deputies assembled in the Kremlin. The President failed to congratulate Mr Obama or even to mention him by name during his 85-minute state of the nation address televised live across Russia. Instead… [he] accused the West of seeking to encircle Russia and blamed the US for encouraging Georgia’s ‘barbaric aggression’ in the war over South Ossetia in August. He issued a warning that Russia would ‘not back down in the Caucasus’…

“Mr Medvedev blamed the US for the global financial crisis, saying that the rest of the world had been ‘dragged down with it into recession’. He claimed that the era of American domination after the collapse of the Soviet Union was now over.”

How Ministers of Religion Get Involved in Politics

Surely, one should not have expected too much, if anything, from the American propaganda associated with the circus of its presidential elections. Exaggerations and misrepresentations were common-place, and the Hollywood-type showmanship of America’s candidates and their political supporters were big entertainment. And famous and not-so-famous entertainers were anxious to throw their weight behind a particular candidate–as if this would mean anything.

But when ministers of religion–who are supposed to keep their noses out of the political arena–began to compare a presidential candidate with Moses, then something is for sure morbid and rotten. It reminds us of Austrian priests and bishops who praised Hitler as the new Savior and asked Austrian Catholics to vote for him and the Anschluss [“Union”]. It reminds us how the popes crowned the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. When religions and religious representatives get involved in politics, it has ALWAYS resulted in political disaster.

The Telegraph reported on November 3:

“Adulation of the Democratic nominee is building to a crescendo. Offering a prayer before a rally in Columbus, Ohio today, Cornal Garnett Henning, an AME [American Methodist Episcopal Church] bishop for parts of Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, compared him to Moses and Martin Luther King in the same breath. He thanked God for having ‘given us a Moses and a Martin called Barack Obama’ and asked the Almighty to ‘grant that we together… may have the will to bring about the change we need’ and ensure that ‘those who cast their sacred vote will not be deprived this right’…

“As I left the rally, there was a man chatting into his cell phone while selling clothing that offered a modified version of the national motto of the United States, substituting the candidate’s name in place of that of the Almighty. ‘In Obama We Trust’, proclaimed his t-shirts.”

Such misplaced trust in ANY political candidate or president is a major reason WHY America is going down–and WHY its status of a respected superpower is a thing of the past. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

More Religious Confusion

A striking example of the hopeless confusion among some American “preachers” and “prophets” can be seen in the following article, published by the Salt Lake Tribune, dated October 30. The mistakes and errors contained in the preaching of some of those ministers are too numerous to mention, but here are some excerpts:

“Some Web sites and conservative Christians have tried to argue that Obama could be the foretold Antichrist… Tim LaHaye, co-author of the millennial Left Behind series, told the Wall Street Journal that he recognized allusions to his work in the ad but comparisons between Obama and the Antichrist were incorrect. ‘The Antichrist isn’t going to be an American, so it can’t possibly be Obama. The Bible makes it clear he will be from an obscure place, like Romania,’ the 82-year-old author told the paper…”

The Bible makes it clear that there will be NO rapture, as postulated in the Left Behind series, and that there is not even an “Antichrist” per se. Rather, the Bible speaks of the “spirit of antichrist” and “many antichrists.” However, it does talk about a military leader–the “beast”– and a religious leader–“the false prophet.” It is true that the “beast” won’t be an American, but neither will he be from an obscure country, “like Romania.” For further information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”

Will There Be a Black Pope?

Times on Line wrote on November 6:

“The election of Barack Obama as the first African-American US President could pave the way for the election of the first black Pope, according to a leading black American Catholic. Wilton Daniel Gregory, 60, the Archbishop of Atlanta, said that in the past Pope Benedict XVI had himself suggested that the election of a black pontiff would ‘send a splendid signal to the world’ about the universal Church.

“Archbishop Gregory, who in 2001 became the first African American to head the US Bishops Conference… said that recent Popes, beginning with John XXIII and Paul VI, had brought prelates ‘from all nations and races’ to Rome to take up senior positions in the Curia, the Vatican hierarchy… Archbishop Gregory said that the next time cardinals gathered to elect a Pope they could ‘in their wisdom’ choose an African pontiff…”

Evolution in Harmony With Creation?–NO WAY!!!

On November 3, 2008, Zenit reported the following:

“There is no incompatibility between the scientific theory of evolution and the Christian understanding of creation, says the archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn… Citing various addresses from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, before and after his election as Pope, the Austrian cardinal explained that ‘there are many proofs in favor of evolution.’ Nevertheless, he stressed, ‘though this theory enriches our knowledge of life, it doesn’t respond to the great philosophical question: Where does everything come from and how did this everything take a path until coming to be man?’…

“In the same vein, Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences, explained to Vatican Radio that the theory of evolution is even closer to the biblical account of creation than many other theories. ‘Considering the fact that the Bible presents us with a God who created the world in seven days, the idea of a progressive creation is introduced,’ he explained. ‘In this sense, it is closer than, for example, the theories of the ancient Greeks, who thought of an eternal and cyclical world.'”

The plain truth is: Both Cardinal Schönborn and Bishop Sorondo are WRONG. There is no conceivable way to harmonize the biblical account of creation with the theory of evolution. To do so would require an interpretation of the Scriptures completely contrary to their expressed statements. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution–A Fairy Tale for Adults?”

“Frozen Mice Cloned – Are Woolly Mammoths Next?”

Will the Jurassic Park of Michael Crichton (1942-2008) become reality after all? And is the world watching helplessly and indifferently how some of its scientists may bring it to the brink of utter disaster?

Reuters reported on November 3, 2008:

“Japanese scientists have cloned mice whose bodies were frozen for… 16 years and said on Monday it may be possible to use the technique to resurrect mammoths and other extinct species… Mammoths may be the extinct animals that scientists would be most likely to try to clone, as many of the animals have been found preserved in ice. In July 2007 Russian scientists discovered the body of a baby mammoth frozen in the Arctic Yamalo-Nenetsk region…”
AFP added on November 4:

“The scientists extracted a cell nucleus from an organ of the dead mouse and planted it into an egg of another mouse which was alive, leading to the birth of the cloned mouse, the researchers said… The cloned mouse was able to reproduce with a female mouse, it added.

“But the researchers said tough challenges remain ahead on how to restore extinct animals, which would require breeding with animals that are still alive. To revive a mammoth, researchers would need to find a way to implant a cell nucleus of a mammoth into the egg of an elephant and then implant the embryo into an elephant’s uterus, it said.”

Ban on Same-Sex Marriages in California

The Associated Press reported on November 5:

“In an election otherwise full of liberal triumphs, the gay rights movement suffered a stunning defeat as California voters approved a ban on same-sex marriages that overrides a recent court decision legalizing them. The constitutional amendment… will limit marriage to heterosexual couples, the first time such a vote has taken place in a state where gay unions are legal.

“Gay-rights activists had a rough election elsewhere as well. Ban-gay-marriage amendments were approved in Arizona and Florida, and Arkansas voters approved a measure banning unmarried couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents. Supporters made clear that gays and lesbians were their main target…

“Similar bans had prevailed in 27 states before Tuesday’s elections, but none were in California’s situation—with about 18,000 gay couples married since a state Supreme Court ruling in May. The state attorney general, Jerry Brown, has said those marriages will remain valid, although legal challenges are possible…

“Elsewhere, voters in Colorado and South Dakota rejected measures that could have led to sweeping bans of abortion, and Washington became only the second state—after Oregon—to offer terminally ill people the option of physician-assisted suicide. A first-of-its-kind measure in Colorado, which was defeated soundly, would have defined life as beginning at conception. Its opponents said the proposal could lead to the outlawing of some types of birth control as well as abortion. The South Dakota measure would have banned abortions except in cases of rape, incest and serious health threat to the mother…

“Two animal-welfare measures passed—a ban on dog racing in Massachusetts, and a proposition in California that outlaws cramped cages for egg-laying chickens…”

As we mentioned in previous Q&A’s, the visions in the book of Zechariah relate foremost to our days–even though some of them might also refer to initial and preliminary fulfillments at the time of Zechariah.

Zechariah 4:1-14 reads as follows:

“(1) Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. (2) And he said to me, ‘What do you see?’ So I said, ‘I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. (3) Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.’ (4) So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, ‘What are these, my lord?’ (5) Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ And I said, ‘No, my lord.’ (6) So he answered and 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. (7) “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!'”‘ (8) Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, (9) ‘The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. (10) For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumbline in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.’ (11) Then I answered and said to him, ‘What are these two olive trees–at the right of the lampstand and at its left?’ (12) And I further answered and said to him, ‘What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?’ (13) Then he answered me and said, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ And I said, ‘No, my lord.’ (14) So he said, ‘These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.'”

1) General Overview of the Meaning of the Vision

John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible contains the following remarks: “… this [vision] represents, under the type of Zerubbabel building the temple, the building of the church by Christ; and which is done and finished, not by might or power of man, but by the Spirit, notwithstanding all opposition, and contempt of it… The temple was a type of the church, and Zerubbabel a type of Christ…”

A similar comment can be found in Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible:

“For though in the first instance the words, ‘the hands of Zerubbabel etc.,’ relate to the building of the material temple, and announce its completion through Zerubbabel, yet the inference, ‘and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you,’ shows that the meaning is not exhausted thereby, but that here too this building is mentioned only as a type of the building of the spiritual temple; and the completion of the typical temple is but a pledge of the completion of the true temple [the Church of God, compare 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-22]…”

2) The Great Mountain

Regarding the great mountain in verse 7, which will become a plain, John Gill points out:

“This is said in reference to those who opposed the building of the temple, as Sanballat, and others; or the Persian monarchy, and Babylon the capital of it; a mountain being a symbol of a kingdom, or capital city; so Babylon is called… hence the Targum paraphrases the words thus, ‘how art thou accounted a foolish kingdom before Zerubbabel!’ and may denote the opposition made to Christ, and to the building of his church…. and may include all the enemies of the church and people of God, as sin, Satan, and the world; who, though they may look like high and great mountains, and make much opposition, and throw many difficulties in their way, yet in the issue will [be] of no avail…”

3) The Seven Eyes of God and the Lampstand

The seven eyes of God (verse 10) are seven angelic beings which are also mentioned in Revelation 5:6. Please note that Zechariah 1:8 describes four of these seven angels. They are also referred to as seven lamps on the lampstand (verse 2). The tabernacle had a seven-branched lampstand–that is, a lampstand with seven lamps (Exodus 25:31-37). Solomon’s Temple had several lampstands (1 Kings 7:49). A similar description is found in Revelation 1:20, where seven angels are described as seven stars in Christ’s hands, functioning as ministering spirits for seven churches. These seven churches are described as seven lampstands.

As we explain in our free booklet, “The Sacrificial System and the Tabernacle in the Wilderness,” on pages 35 and 36, the lampstand typifies Christ, the Light of the world. It also symbolizes the Church of God and every single converted Church member. The oil for the lampstand symbolizes God’s Holy Spirit. Christians must continuously make use of its power (2 Timothy 1:6).

4) “The LORD Sent Me”

We read in verse 9 that the LORD says that the LORD sent Him to the people. This shows that the designation, the “LORD,” can refer to either one of the two God beings–also known as the Father and the Son. Here, the Son, Jesus Christ, is saying that the FATHER sent Him (that is, Christ) to the people.

5) The Capstone

Verse 7 speaks of a capstone (or “headstone” in the Authorized Version). This is the last stone to be placed in the building. It is remarkable that the pyramid is the only building where the cornerstone is identical with the capstone. Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6)–and He is also referred to here as the capstone, showing that the temple is built through Him. He is the beginning and the end (Revelation 1:8)–the very foundation on which the temple–physical and spiritual–must be built. Verse 9 says that Zerubbabel laid the foundation–but “no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).

The pyramid also describes the governmental hierarchical structure within the God Family. God the Father is over all. Under Him is Jesus Christ. Converted Christians will be changed into Spirit beings at the time of Christ’s return, and they will rule with and UNDER Christ for a thousand years. And so, God’s Church today is also hierarchically structured. Jesus Christ, the HEAD of the Church, ordains and GIVES ministers to the Church to guide and lead the membership (Ephesians 4:11-16).

6) The Temple

Even though the vision is talking about the construction of a physical temple at the time of Zerubbabel, it also applies to the end time. As explained above, one application must be seen in the reference to the spiritual temple–the Church. But it is also possible that another physical temple will be built prior to Christ’s return–and that a modern “Zerubbabel” will be used in some way for the accomplishment of that task.

7) The Two Olive Trees

The two olive trees, as mentioned in verses 11 and 12, have dual or even triple application.

The commentary of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown points out:

“Primarily, the ‘two’ refer to [the high priest] Joshua and [to the governor] Zerubbabel. God… at each of the transition periods of the world’s history has sent great men to guide the Church. So the two witnesses shall appear before the destruction of Antichrist… in [Revelation] 11:3, 4, the ‘two witnesses’ are identified with the two olive trees and the two candlesticks.”

The Ryrie Study Bible adds:

“Joshua and Zerubbabel witnessed to [God’s] power in seeing to the completion of the Temple [in 516 B.C., Ezra 6:14, 15]; and in the Tribulation days two mighty witnesses will yet arise (Rev. 11:4). All true witness must be done in the power of the Spirit.”

The New Scofield Reference Edition adds the following:

“The two olive trees represent Joshua and Zerubbabel, whose witness in that day is the prototype of the two witnesses of [Revelation] 11:3-12. Actually no human being can be the real source of the power that actuates God’s witness. It is only as Joshua [after his cleansing, as described in Zechariah 3], Zerubbabel, or any other human being represents Christ, the true Priest-King, that he fulfills this vision. In their fullest significance the two olive trees speak of Christ, the LORD’s Priest-King (cp. Ps. 110:4).”

The Broadman Bible Commentary contains the following annotation:

“It is proper to identify these two servants with Zerubbabel… and Joshua… Both are directly involved in serving the Lord’s kingdom. These two are the current representatives of a long line of promise… The ‘sons of oil’ (anointed)… are those who serve the cause of the Lord’s presence among his people. They are the ones who build the house… and who are the servants of holiness which must surround the place where the Lord dwells…

“The genuine servants stand to the right and to the left of God [the new King James Bible says, “beside,” in verse 14], who rules over the whole earth… The vision should be seen in the general messianic frame of Zechariah’s prophecy. The Lord is returning to Zion and will set up his kingdom there. In so doing he is fulfilling all the promises made to Israel and to David. This act is not only a comfort for Israel, but a key factor in… his reign for the whole earth…”

The construction of the temple will be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit (verse 6). Please recall that the two olive trees are also called, “anointed ones.” They are anointed or set aside by God to fulfill His task for them–and they have to do it by yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit.

8) Conclusion

In conclusion, Zechariah’s vision of the lampstand and olive trees does not only relate to the time of Zerubbabel and Joshua, but also points at events at the time of the return of Jesus Christ–the Messiah. Christ–the Head of the Church–is the Lampstand who gives us light, strength and understanding through the Holy Spirit. At the very end, two remarkable persons will appear on the world scene–called the “two witnesses”–and perform mighty works in the service of God. Religious, political and military forces, under the influence of Satan, will oppose them and ultimately kill them–but God will resurrect them through the power of His Holy Spirit (Revelation 11:11-14). For more information on the function and identity of the two witnesses, please read our new free booklet, “Is That in The Bible?–The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

The end-time destroying mountain or “great millstone” of the Babylonian system will be defeated by the power of God (compare Jeremiah 51:25-26; Revelation 18:21). At that time, God will set up His Kingdom here on earth which will never be defeated, and “Of the increase of HIS government and peace There will be no end… The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:7).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new member letter by the ministry was sent out this week, and it is also posted on the Web. In the letter, the ministry is reminiscing on the Feast of Tabernacles in England and Arizona, while reflecting on the months ahead. A copy of our new book, “Is That in the Bible?–The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation!” was enclosed in the mailing for all those who had not already received their copy.

A new StandingWatch program was posted on StandingWatch, Google Video and YouTube. It is titled, “No Way Out of Worldwide Financial Crisis?” In the program, Norbert Link discusses the following: Even though governments try to deal with the worldwide recession and looming depression, it seems to get worse by the day. Now we are told that we should not expect any relief for several years–if at all. The USA and Britain seem to be the leading casualties in the crisis, which has been called by financial experts as a “once-in-a century credit tsunami” and “the worst financial crisis in human history.” Bail-out plans and guarantees are not even meant to provide lasting solutions. Why is that? What brought us into this unparalleled mess? And are there really NO solutions at all?