Lesson 4
God's Communication Network
PURPOSE
To show God’s communications to His Church
INTRODUCTION
Zech. 4:1-6 - “And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, 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. So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What [are] these, my lord? Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. 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…..
Zech. 4:11- 14 - “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? 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? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these [be]? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These [are] the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
Prayer Thought
Read and study the fourth chapter of Zechariah. The two olive trees empty the golden oil out of themselves through the golden pipes into the golden bowl from which the lamps of the sanctuary are fed. The golden oil represents the Holy Spirit. With this oil God's ministers are to be constantly supplied, that they, in turn, may impart it to church. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." God's servants can obtain victories only by inward purity, by cleanness of heart, by holiness. It is of the utmost importance that ministers set a right example. If they follow lax, loose principles, their example is quoted by those who are doing wrong as a vindication of their course. The whole synagogue of Satan is watching for defects in the lives of God's representatives, and the most is made of every defect.-- Review and Herald, December 22, 1904. {TM 188.2}
Is Zech. 4 important to us in the last days?
7BC 1179 - “This chapter is full of encouragements for those who do the work of the Lord in the last days.”
To understand this prophecy, we need to know the meaning of each of the symbols used.
1. CANDLE STICK: REV. 1:20
“The seven candle sticks which thou sawest are the seven churches…”
TM 337 “…into the lamps, the churches.
NOTE:
The 7 lamps are the completeness of the sisterhood of Congregations in the same Denomination. Being all of gold, this Candle stick represents the pure Church of the Lord in the time of the Loud Cry, after the tares have been taken out.
2. THE TWO OLIVE TREES:
Zech. 4; 14 – “…the two anointed ones…”
Rev. 11:3-4 – “…the two witnesses and they shall prophecy a 1260 days clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two candle sticks”
G.C. 267 – “The two witnesses represent the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments…”
NOTE: If in Rev 11:4 they are called - “candle sticks” – it just means the Old Testament Church (Judaism), & New Testament Church (Christian).
3. THE GOLDEN OIL:
COL 407 - “The oil represents the Holy Spirit” But, Holy Spirit in what format ?
1John 5:6 – “The Spirit is Truth.”
TM 65 – “…Spirit is to come, not to praise men or to build up their erroneous theories, but to reprove…. They are not willing to exchange their own righteousness, which is unrighteousness, for the righteousness of Christ, which is pure unadulterated truth. The Holy Spirit flatters no man”
I.e. inspired messages from interpreted Bible prophecy. 4. THE 2 PIPES:
According to Dan. 12:4/Isa. 42.9/ Amos 3:7/ 1Pet. 1:20-21 – God gave the former prophets special truths which are to be understood only in the last days…and in our last days, God chooses messengers to interpret those stored prophetic messages to His Church. These inspired interpretations are called - “Spirit of Prophecy.”
COL 408 – “From the two olive trees the golden oil was emptied through the golden pipes into the bowl …so from the holy ones (i.e. angels) that stand in God’s presence…His Spirit is imparted to the human instrumentalities (i.e. messengers) to His service. The mission of the two anointed ones is to communicate to God’s people.”
4A. THE FIRST PIPE
Read : Rev. 10:10, 11– the church that came out of this 1844 disappointment, is the SDA shown in Rev. 10:11 – who are to ‘prophecy again to many…’ i.e. they have the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy – the writings of E.G. White. She is therefore the first Pipe or messenger after 1844 Disappointment. She wrote:
4B. THE SECOND PIPE:
Mal. 3:1 “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple…”
Mal. 4:5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.”
TM 475 “Prophecy must be fulfilled (she quotes Mal. 4:5) somebody is to come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say, ‘you are too earnest, you do not interpret the Scriptures in a proper way. Let me tell you how to teach your message.’ ”
This Elijah is not E. G. White, for the Church did not tell her these words in her life time.
3T. 62 -“Here the prophet describes the character of the work. Those who are to prepare the way for the second coming of Christ are represented by faithful Elijah, as John came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for Christ's first advent. The great subject of reform is to be agitated, and the public mind is to be stirred. Temperance in all things is to be connected with the message, to turn the people of God from their idolatry, their gluttony, and their extravagance in dress and other things.”
In Malachi 3 and 4, also in TM 475, the promise is of one person. But 3T62, is in plural - many messengers,
i.e. those who are to be connected with Elijah’s message – his helpers. NOTES:
It is wrong to interpret or change the meaning of what the Spirit of Prophecy has already interpreted. There is no need of putting an appendix in TM 475 – to argue that E. G. White is the Elijah. She is plainly putting the promised Elijah, a “he” that would come in the future. To know who Elijah is, we must know the work he is sent to do – the message of the Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord – the coming of the Lord to His Temple – the SDA Church, to purify it. That is the Judgment of the living. E. G. White came with the message of the Sabbath and Judgment of the Dead, not of the Living.
This second pipe then represents the messenger and message of the 4th Angel’s message, which firs came in 1888 and came back in 1930 (see Lesson 1), which we are now studying – ‘the addition to the third message’ EW 277, the Latter Rain Truth of Joel 2:23/Zech. 10:1.
5. THE GOLDEN BOWL:
Would just mean the storage or writings/books of the 2 messengers, which are called: THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY
3SM 30-31 - “Little heed is given to the Bible, and the Lord has given a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light.” (The Review and Herald, Jan. 20, 1903). Besides the instruction in His Word, the Lord has given special testimonies to His people, not as a new revelation, but that He may set before us the plain lessons of His Word, that errors may be corrected, that the right way may be pointed out, that every soul may be without excuse.-- Letter 63, 1893.”
3SM 30 -“ The Holy Spirit is the author of the Scriptures and of the Spirit of Prophecy…” 5T. 680
“It is not alone those who openly reject the Testimonies, or who cherish doubt concerning them, that are on dangerous ground. To disregard light is to reject it.”
WHEN DID THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY COME?
Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 1, p.7-16
“Once, man walked with God in Eden. With open face he beheld the glory of the Lord, and talked with God, and Christ, and angels, in Paradise, without a dimming vail between. Man fell from his moral rectitude and innocency, and was driven from the Garden, from the tree of life, and from the visible presence of the Lord and his holy angels….When all was lost in Adam, and the shades of night darkened the moral heavens, there soon appeared the star of hope in Christ, and with it there was established a means of communication between God and man. In his fallen state, man could not converse face to face with God, and with Christ, and with angels, as when in his Eden purity…. The manifestation of the Spirit of Prophecy was designed for all dispensations…
WHEN WILL THE SOP END HIS WORK?
Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 1, p.7-16
“…when Christ shall come again with all the holy angels, and receive His people unto Himself, that where He shall be, there they may be also, John 14:3; and when man redeemed shall walk and talk with God, and Christ, and Angels, in Eden restored; then there will be no further need of the Spirit of Prophecy…. When the redeemer shall come, the controversy be ended, the saints' rest given, and they, all immortal, meet around the Throne with angels, and face to face behold the glory of God and the Lamb, the Spirit of Prophecy will be numbered among heaven's choicest blessings of the past.”
MILK / BUTTER / HONEY – THE FOOD OF THE REMNANT
Isaiah 7:14, 15
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.”
Hebrews 5:12-14
“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which [be] the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk [is] unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
NOTE:
All the Bible Messages from Heaven since 1844, are Prophetic / Type & Antitypes / Prophetic parables and symbols: the 3 Angels’ Messages, the 4th Angel’s Message (Sabbath and 2300 years - Sanctuary Truth – Judgment of the Dead and of the Living), which were written by the Old Testament Prophets were stored for us who are living in the time of the end (see Dan. 12:4/ Amos 3:7/ Isa. 42: 9/ 2Pet. 1:20-21). This is the Butter and Honey, which SDAs must feed on if they are to grow up for the harvest – the Judgment of the living, and “remain in the land” – i. e. survive the Shaking and this Judgment of the Living – the purification of the Church.
6. THE SEVEN PIPES:
TM 188 – “With this oil God’s ministers, are to be constantly supplied, that they in turn, may impart it to the Church.”
NOW, since our ministers are reluctant to teach these SOP revelations, how will this light reach the common people of God?
TM 106-107 – “Beware of rejecting that which is truth. The great danger with our people has been that of depending upon men… those who have been in the habit of searching the Bible for themselves, or weighing evidence, have confidence in the leading men, and accept the decisions they make; and thus many will reject the very messages God sends to His People, if these leading brethren do not accept them… Even if all our leading men should refuse light and truth, that door will still remain open. The Lord will raise up men who will give the people the message for this time.”
TM 509
“The continued communication of the Holy Spirit to the Church is represented by the prophet Zechariah under another figure, which contain a wonderful lesson for us…This is the work that the Lord would have every soul prepared to do at this time… Every witness for God is now to work intelligently in the lines which God has appointed …Thus it is that the holy lamps are fed, and the Church becomes a light bearer in the world”
GOD’S COMMUNICATION NETWORK
FATHER à SON à HOLY SPIRIT à ANGEL (GABRIEL) à MESSENGER, i.e. His / her writings called SOP à MINISTERS à LAITY à WORLD.
NOTE:
This is Heaven’s channel of communication – short cuts are NOT SAFE for the Church. Get your Bible interpretation from the Golden Bowl.
NOW THAT THE CHURCH LAMP IN THE WORLD TODAY IS VERY DIM – WHERE IS THE PROBLEM ON THIS LINE OF COMMUNICATION?
Obviously, at the 7 Pipes! Why and How?
EW 228
“Ministers preach smooth things to suite carnal professors (i.e. the unconverted). They dare not preach Jesus and the cutting truth of the Bible; for if they should, these carnal professors would not remain in the Church. But as many of them are wealthy, they must be retained, although they are no fit to be there that Satan and his angels. This is just as Satan would have it. Those smooth things originated with Satan and his angels. They formed the plan, and nominal professors carried it out. Pleasing fables were taught and readily received, and hypocrites and open sinners united with the Church. If the truth has been preached in its purity, it would soon have shut out this class…yet God has a message for the Church that was sacred and important. If received, it would make a through reformation in the Church, revive the living Testimony that would purge out hypocrites and sinners, and bring again the Church again in favor with God”
We have seen that the Lord has a message (Joel 2:23) for His Church today, which must awaken us, seal us, and prepare us for the POWER (Joel 2:28), which will enable us to preach the Loud Cry in the World. For us to pass through and survive this crisis, we must get our butter and honey / teachings only from the Golden Bowl – the Law and Testimony / the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, in order to survive the Judgment.