WHAT IS WISDOM? HOW IS JESUS THE WISDOM OF GOD?
DISCERNING THE WISDOM OF THE WORLD FROM THE WISDOM OF GOD
WISDOM IS ASSOCIATED WITH FEAR OF THE LORD (includes reverence & respect).
Prov 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Prov 15:33 The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
Job 28:28 And he said to man, 'The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'"
Mic 6:9 Listen! The LORD is calling to the city--and to fear your name is wisdom--"Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.
Ps 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Also see Job 28:25-28.
WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING ARE ASSOCIATED WITH CREATION
Jer 10:12 But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
Jer 51:15 He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
Prov 3:19-20 19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; 20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.
JESUS IS THE WISDOM OF GOD
1 Cor 1;24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Isa 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him (Jesus)--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—
A HIDDEN MYSTERY IS ASSOCIATED WITH WISDOM
1 Cor 2:7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began
Col 2:2-3 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Job 28:20-21 Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing.
WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING ARE PART OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD; THEY CANNOT BE SEEN OR FOUND IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD
Job 38:36 Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?
ONLY GOD KNOWS THE WAY TO WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING AND WHERE IT DWELLS.
Job 28:20, 23 20 Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? 23 God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells.
WISDOM COMES FROM THE LORD.
Prov 2:26 For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
1 Cor 12:8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
Prov 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
YOU CAN DISCERN THE WISDOM THAT COMES FROM GOD FROM THE WISDOM OF THE WORLD WHICH COMES FROM SATAN
1 Cor 1:20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?’’
1 Cor 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness";
James 3:13-17 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Prov 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Prov 13:10 Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
HOW CAN WE SHARE IN THE WISDOM OF GOD?
It is obvious from the above scriptures that we should desire to attain to the wisdom of God. But just how do we attain that wisdom. We will start with Job 28.
Job 28:20 Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?
Job 28:27-28 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it. And he said to man, 'The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding
This tells us that wisdom comes from the fear of the Lord. What is this fear? It means to have respect and reverence for the Lord with the fear that comes from the knowledge that he is the judge who can send us to the lake of fire and outer darkness for all of eternity if we do not shun evil and follow him.
As we read through the many scriptures in the Bible that deal with the wisdom of God we regularly see that understanding and knowledge are closely associated with wisdom. We will look at a couple of the many examples.
Isa 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—
Prov 3:19-20 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.
Col 2:2-3 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
It seems that we cannot have the wisdom of God unless we have knowledge and understanding of God. This understanding comes from only one place; it springs from the Word of God, the Bible. Wisdom comes from knowledge of the Word. As we study and gain more and more knowledge from the Bible our understanding increases and from that increased understanding comes wisdom.
Prov 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
It is my firm belief that if we earnestly ask God to provide us with his wisdom, he will give us a passion for studying his Word. From serious study of that Word we will gain more and more knowledge of the things of God, and with that increased knowledge comes increased understanding. Finally, from that increased understanding of the things of God we begin to develop the wisdom that comes only from God. The fruits of that wisdom are given below.
James 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
OTHER INSIGHTS INTO THE WISDOM OF GOD AND THE WISDOM OF THE WORLD
As a first insight let us note that Jesus is the author of the wisdom of God and the author of eternal life, while Satan is the author of the wisdom of the world and the author of death. We will look first at scriptures that confirm these conclusions about Jesus and Satan.
JESUS IS THE WISDOM OF GOD, THE AUTHOR OF THE WISDOM OF GOD AND AS SUCH THE AUTHOR OF PROVERBS
We established this fact earlier in this paper under the heading “WHAT WERE THE ROLES OF THE FATHER AND SON IN THE CREATION? DOES PROV 8 DESCRIBE THIS RELATIONSHIP OR IS THIS MERELY SPEAKING FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF WISDOM?” Jesus is clearly the author of all Godly wisdom and it was he who whispered the words of Proverbs to the subconscious of Solomon, who then wrote them down. We will repeat a couple of the key scriptures here.
1 Cor 1:24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Col 2:2-3 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
JESUS IS THE AUTHOR OF LIFE
Col 1:15-18 and John 1:1-5 very clearly point out that Jesus created everything and that there is nothing that has ever been created that was not created by him. That includes living mankind, all living things, life itself. Not only was Jesus the author of all living things, he was also the author of eternal life, making it possible for a subset of mankind, namely those who believe in and follow him, to live with him for all of eternity. Acts 3:15 refers to Jesus as the author of life.
Acts 3:15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
Heb 2:10 and 12:2 point out that Jesus is also the author of eternal life in that he is the author of our faith and the author of salvation, those things that make it possible for us to obtain eternal life.
Heb 2:10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
Heb 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
SATAN IS THE AUTHOR OF THE WISDOM OF THE WORLD
Satan is the current ruler of the world in which we live, the author of evil and therefore the author of the wisdom of the world. Everyone who is not a believer in and follower of Jesus is under the control of the evil one. We will point out a few of the many scriptures that make this clear.
Eph 2:1-2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
2 Cor 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
SATAN IS THE AUTHOR OF DEATH
Just as Jesus was the author of life so too is Satan the author of death. It was he who was responsible for the deaths of Adam and Eve. It was through Satan that death entered the world. Adam and Eve were created to live forever and would have done so if Satan had not led them into sin. Death was one of the consequences of initial sin, Gen 3:19. John 8:44 tells us that Satan was a murderer from the beginning. It was he who was responsible for the deaths of Adam and Eve.
John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Now that we have established that Jesus is the author of the wisdom of God and the author of eternal life, while Satan is the author of the wisdom of the world and the author of death, we will next establish that the wisdom of the world leads only to eternal destruction while the wisdom of Jesus leads to eternal life. In fact we will show that the only way to eternal life is through Jesus.
THE WISDOM OF THE WORLD IS FOOLISH IN THE EYES OF GOD
Many of the things that seem wise to men are really foolish and sinful in the eyes of God. God has given us a code to live by and any violation of that code is sinful. Many men have their own ideas about what is wise and what is foolish. Unfortunately for them, God is ultimately in charge.
1 Cor 1:20-25 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
1 Cor 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness."
2 Cor 1:12 Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God's grace.
Col 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
THE WISDOM OF GOD LEADS TO LIFE WHILE THE WISDOM OF THE WORLD LEADS ONLY TO DESTRUCTION
Matt 7:13-14 13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
2 Thess 1:5-10 5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
Rev 21:6-8 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Prov 11:19 The truly righteous man attains life, but he who pursues evil goes to his death.
JESUS IS THE ONE AND ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN; THERE IS NO OTHER WAY THAN THROUGH HIM
The Bible tells us over and over, in many separate ways, that Jesus is the only way to eternal life in heaven. With careful inspection and analysis the Bible cannot be honestly interpreted to say otherwise. There are hundreds of scriptures that lead us to this conclusion and they are often very blunt in saying so. A few of the most often quoted are given below.
John 14:1-6 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
1 John 5:10-12 10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
1 John 2:22-23 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
WHAT IS THE CODE FOR LIVING THAT JESUS HAS GIVEN US THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE?
Jesus tried to make it as easy as possible for us to be able to join him in heaven one day. He said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matt 5-7 that he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. He did just that. Man could not possibly keep all of the laws in the Jewish code of living, much of it given to them directly by God. Jesus did for us what we could not possibly do for ourselves. He fulfilled the law. He did a perfect job of being sinless in his life on earth. Now if we accept that, his righteousness is given to us. God sees us as fit for heaven even though we really are not, because Jesus bought our pardon for our sins. In 1 John 3:16 Jesus gave us his requirement for us. He also gave it to us in Eph 5:1-2, John 13:34-35, 15:12-13, Rom 12:9-16. Gal 5:13-14. Jesus calls this his new command. It is a single command that in and of itself encompasses all of the Ten Commandments. This command is to love one another as Jesus loved us, so much that we would give our lives for our friends and brothers. This includes those who are near and dear to us and extends to the family of believers. Jesus said in John 15:14 that his friends are those who follow his commands. Gal 6:10 says to be good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers. In 1 John 3:23 God the Father expands on Jesus command when he gives us his new command, namely to believe on the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. If we keep this one command we will not violate any of the Ten Commandments. But how do we change ourselves so that we may reflect the kind of love that Jesus directed us to in our daily lives? That change process is referred to as becoming sanctified. Several of the New Testament authors describe this process for us. We will next look at how the real experts tell us how to learn to love as Jesus directed us to do, or how to change our lives so that we may live a life of love as commanded by Jesus.
THE SANCTIFICATION PROCESS; A PROCESS THAT LEADS TO LOVE AS DEFINED BY JESUS
James, Peter and Paul all presented variations of the Sanctification process. Their presentations are summarized in the table on the table shown below. We can analyze these lists and see great similarities. Paul’s definition of love in 1 Cor 13 is basically the culmination of the sanctification process. When we reach that point we can then “do it to the least of these my brothers,” as directed by Jesus in Matt 25:31-46. Peters’ and James’ lists are more compact than Paul’s but they arrive at the same destination, using basically the same path. There were obviously different objectives in mind when each of the lists was presented and each author presented his list in his own unique way. However, it’s easy to see the fingerprints of the Holy Spirit all over the lists. The one word that is common to each author is the word perseverance. That is not a surprise since many scriptures tell us how important it is to keep on, to hold on, to continue in our faith until the very end to assure ourselves of salvation. John doesn’t present a list as such, but he certainly emphasizes love over and over, in different ways. The only author who doesn’t use the word love in his list is James, and that’s due to his purpose in presenting his list. However, he certainly dwells on love in his book and mentions Christ’s command to love several times in different ways. John mentions the importance of perseverance or remaining in Jesus in 1 John 2:19. So, overall we see a tremendous emphasis on love and perseverance by all four apostles, Paul, Peter, James and John. Let us all be persevering in our efforts to learn to love as Jesus commanded us to do.
We will next go to a unique short presentation of two additional studies that can add to our understanding of the Trinity, how the three persons interact with each other and with mankind. We will then get back to our study of wisdom as we study two of the key components of wisdom, fear of the Lord and the truth.
PSALM 2: A 3000 YEAR OLD SUPERNATURAL PROPHETIC RECORDING OF JESUS TRIALS BEFORE HIS CRUCIFIXION
(SEE ACTS 4:25-28 FOR CONFIRMATION)
Ps 2:1-12
SPEAKER: Jesus the Anointed One, speaking as narrator
1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.
SPEAKER: Kings of the earth, speaking to each other
"Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters."
SPEAKER: Jesus the Anointed One, speaking as narrator
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
SPEAKER: The LORD, the Father God, speaking to the inhabitants of the earth
6 "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
SPEAKER: Jesus the Anointed One, speaking as narrator and author
He said to me,
SPEAKER: The LORD, the Father God, speaking to Jesus his son
"You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery."
SPEAKER: Jesus the Anointed One, speaking to the kings of the earth (He often spoke of himself in the third person, Matt 11:27, 24:44, etc.)
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.
SPEAKER: The LORD, the Father God, speaking to the kings of the earth.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
NOTE:
There are obviously other ways in which some of the characters in this play could be assigned. However, it’s clear that verse 7 is speaking of Jesus the Son and that he is the author of the play. I believe that we have shown what we set out to show!
Bible prophecies often have multiple fulfillments. From the context it seems that the prophecy presented in this Psalm may also have fulfillment in the end times, particularly in the millennium. It also may be that this prophecy encompasses both of Jesus’ comings to earth.
SYMBOLOGY OF THE LAMPSTANDS AND OLIVE TREES IN REV AND EZEK 3:8-4:4
There was only one lampstand in the Old Testament model in Zech 3-4. Why only one? Lampstands represent the church in the Bible. When they are presented in concert with Olive Trees we see a distinction being drawn between how God uses the Jews and gentiles. When the Jews entered the Promised Land in the Old Testament there were initially 7 gentile tribes or nations living there. In Old Testament models these 7 nations represented the totality of all gentiles on earth. Thus, there was only one lampstand and that lampstand was looking to the future gentile church. God’s plan was to eventually reach these gentile nations with his gospel and to save them. The Jews failed miserably in their own attempts to convert these gentile peoples to God (Isa 26:18). However God’s plan was to use the fruit of the Jewish people, the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5), the Branch, the Stump of Jesse (Isa 11:1, 10), the root of David (Rev 5:5), to eventually save these gentile nations. The Jewish people were key to God’s plan in that God used the fruit of the olive tree, which God uses to represent Israel and Judah (1 Kings 6:31, Jer 11:14-17, Rom 11:17-24), to save the gentiles. The fruit of the olive tree is an olive which is crushed in olive presses to make oil which is used for many purposes. One key purpose in the Old Testament was to fuel the lamps in their lampstands. Likewise, Jesus is a fruit of the olive tree in that his human lineage is in the line of the Jewish people. Just as the olives were crushed for oil to provide light for the world as they powered lamps, so too was Jesus crushed to produce oil to provide light for a dark world. The oil in this case was the Holy Spirit and the lampstand holding the lamp was the gentile church.
As the Holy Spirit burns in the lives of believers all over the world today he is powered by a product produced by the Jewish people. That product is Jesus being crushed on a cross where he died for the sins of all men of all ages, so that their sins might be forgiven and forgotten. In the Old Testament there was only one lampstand, and it represented all gentile nations. Remember, in the model the 7 gentile nations originally in the holy land represented the totality of gentiles on the earth. Jesus continued to use this model in his feeding of the 4000 in Matt 15:32-39. He was in a gentile area across the Sea of Galilee. He fed 4000 gentiles using only 7 loaves of bread and a few fish, and had 7 baskets remaining after everyone had eaten. The lesson in this story is that Jesus is sufficient for all gentile nations, being represented here by the number 7. This contrasts with Matt 14:15-21 where Jesus fed 5000 Jewish people using only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. After everyone had eaten there were 12 baskets left over, one for each of the twelve tribes. The lesson here is that Jesus is sufficient to meet the needs of all Jewish people, being represented here by the number 12.
There were seven lampstands in Rev chapter 1, in the first century. These represented the church in the first century and seem to represent the church down through the ages until the church is raptured to heaven. I suspect that there are seven for a couple of reasons including (1) because the church is basically gentile and seven is used in the Bible to represent the totality of gentile nations in both Old and New Testament models, as we saw above, and (2) because Revelation was addressed to seven specific first century churches. Beginning in Rev 4 we jump to the time of the tribulation period, the seven year period of great wrath upon the earth. We never see seven lampstands again in Revelation. I suspect that is because the church has been raptured to heaven. The only other time lampstands are mentioned in Revelation is in describing the two witnesses in Rev 11:4 and here there are two lampstands. Why are there now only two lampstands on the earth?
There are two lampstands in the middle of the tribulation period. When the two witnesses are described in Rev 11:4, they are said to be two olive trees and two lampstands who stand before the Lord. The term “who stand before the Lord” is very key to understanding the identity of the two witnesses. We expect that the seven lampstands from Rev 1 have been raptured before the tribulation period. We are now at the midpoint of the tribulation and we see two lampstands on earth. Who are they? When we studied the two witnesses in chapter 11 we concluded the following about the two olive trees and the two lampstands who stand before the Lord.
The two olive trees are two very powerful individual leaders of the movement to convince the world of the purpose for the judgment that is taking place and to win as many as possible for the kingdom that is soon coming. These two tribulation prophets in some way operate in the spirit of the two great Old Testament prophets Elijah and Moses (or Elisha), who stood before the Lord. They may actually be the two Old Testament prophets who Jesus sends back to earth in glorified, resurrected bodies during the first half of the tribulation period. That would explain how they are able to do miraculous things and cannot be harmed or killed.
The two lampstands are priests in the order of Levi who stand before the Lord. Remember, each believer is his own priest and may come into the presence of the Lord. One lampstand is composed of those Jews who have become believers in the first half of the tribulation period and are servants of Christ; they either are or include the 144,000. The other lampstand is composed of those gentiles who have become believers in the first half of the tribulation period. Both are obviously churches.
POSSIBLE EXTENDED SYMBOLOGY
Jesus is presented as the branch in Zech 3:8, and also in Zech 6:12, Isa 11:1, Jer 23:5, & 33:15. He is said to be a branch out of David and a branch out of the stump of Jesse, David’s father. God refers to Israel and Judah as olive trees in several places including Jer 11:14-17. Since David and Jesse were olive trees in Old Testament symbology, Jesus as a branch out of the stump of Jesse would also symbolically be an olive tree. A shoot, a branch sprung up from the cut off stump of the olive tree. This branch grew into an olive tree and the old branches were cut off when the Jews rejected him, Rom 11:13-24. New branches were grafted into the olive tree, branches which were not natural olive tree branches. Of course the natural branches were the Jewish people and the new branches were the gentiles who became believers in Jesus and accepted his gospel. Thus Jesus is also seen as an olive tree and gentile Christians are a part of this tree.
Jesus is seen as the tree of life in the Garden of Eden in Genesis and also in heaven in Rev 22. The tree of life in heaven is continuously bearing fruit which provides for eternal life for all of those in heaven. Again, we can view this tree as an olive tree and its fruit as olives which are continuously being crushed to provide an endless supply of oil for all of those in heaven. As we know, oil represents the Holy Spirit. This models the fact that Jesus' one time sacrifice of himself, in reality, provides an endless supply of eternal life for all of those who are willing to accept it. This olive tree model is simply a timeless reminder of the great sacrifice that Jesus made to purchase us for himself for eternity.
A more extensive and detailed discussion of the symbology presented in
Zech 3:8-4:4 is presented at the very beginning of the Symbology Dictionary on the site. We suggest that that you go there next and review the pictorial and the discussion.