The Two Witnesses
To the Jews and the Early Church, the voice was God’s direct speech through an individual. This was why there was a closeness between His chosen vessels and the people they raised up. The voice is the Lord speaking through His messengers. The people under these men of God knew how important they were because of the message they carried.
These men were anointed by God. When David was anointed, it says the Holy Spirit came upon him (1 Sam. 16:13). Many pastors today teach that they did not have the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, but it’s clear to see that’s false, since David was anointed with the Holy Spirit. Also, in the book of Acts it says that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit. The Gospel tells us what Jesus was anointed to do:
1. Preach the gospel to the poor
2. Heal the brokenhearted, to preach
3. Bring deliverance to the captives
4. Recover the sight to the blind
5. Give liberty to them that are bruised
The anointing is to preach the revelation that will set others free. We see so many come to the ministry broken hearted who then receive healing from this anointed Word. When God gives us that anointing, it is not only to bring healing to ourselves, but it’s to bring healing to others as well. If we’re really anointed, we should be able to heal the sick, raise the dead, and preach to others to bring them to the Lord. If we’re not doing that then it means there’s no anointing.
The book of Zechariah is a key to unlocking the Book of Revelation. In the book of Revelation, John makes many references to the book of Zechariah to help us understand what is being said in the Book of Revelation. Zechariah was awakened by the Angel of the Lord. Every time a prophet is awakened to revelation, it is done by the “Angel of the Lord.” The angel of the Lord was asking God to have mercy on Israel - Israel was being scattered because of the false prophets that were leading the people astray. That is what false teaching does; it brings discord. The prophets are always sent to bring God’s children back to the Torah, which is the true understanding of the Word by the Spirit and not the letter.
Joshua, the High Priest, mentioned in Zechariah (chapter 3), is a reference to Jesus. Jesus’ name in the Hebrew is Joshua, or Yahushua. The garment of iniquity that His body is covered in is really you and I covered in this fallen body of flesh. Jesus is the head and we’re the body. This body that we’re wearing is the garment of iniquity, but God is going to remove it and clothe us with a glorified body. The remnant will operate in the glorified body to deal with the nations.
In Zechariah, it speaks of a stone that has seven eyes - that stone is the church. In the Book of Revelation, it says that the seven eyes are the seven spirits, and those seven spirits are the seven golden lampstands that are at the right hand of Jesus. This speaks of the menorah, which represents the church. Jesus told Peter, “Upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). The church is built on revelation!
The menorah is supposed to be in the Holy Place but in Revelation chapter 4 we see that the menorah goes into the Holy of Holies - this speaks of the church transitioning into the Kingdom Age. The menorah needs to be filled with oil at all times, and the Early Church said that the oil is symbolic of divine teaching. The two witnesses are the ones who are pouring the oil into the church.
These two witnesses are represented by the two olive trees, where the anointing oil is procured. We have saints in our church in Houston who have recently had golden oil break out of their hands. I started seeing that back in 2000. We saw an outpouring back of oil back then, but now it’s not as much. The Lord told me it is because we are getting the last bit of oil before it runs out. The wise will buy the oil, but the foolish won’t get it in time because they did not take it seriously or make it a priority.
These two witnesses are pouring out oil now from the realm of the glory, being on either side of the Lord. They carry an apostolic anointing that pours out wisdom to those who will listen, and to those who have ears to hear. This is not for everyone, just like it was not for everyone in the time of Jesus. Not everyone has eyes to see and ears to hear...
These two witnesses will be given power like Moses had to release the plagues on Egypt. They will judge Babylon, which is the religious system, in order to set people free from the bondage of religion and false teaching. They will prophesy for 3 ½ years to get the church ready for the second coming of Jesus.
As we go deeper into the book of Zechariah, we’ll see more of the Book of Revelation open up, and see the spirit of Elijah that’s prophesied through that book. It’s going to reveal the false teachers that will be removed and how God will use those who were pulled out of Babylon to build the last temple. We’re that temple!
The two witnesses are the covering cherubim. The book of Revelation shows us that there are two menorahs as well. The upper Menorah is Jesus, telling those two witnesses to pour the oil into the church. Jesus is basing everything on the oil. The wise who bought the oil were the ones who went into the marriage chamber (Matthew 25). They brought oil in their lamps and their vessels. We should have enough oil to put it into other lamps and to be able to give it out to others before the time is done. The golden oil is flowing again now.
There is a fear in me...The Lord is showing us that this is the judgment. It’s how we handle the things of God that will determine our eternity. The way we handle the next few weeks and months will separate us into one of two categories. Don’t believe the lie of religion that everything is going to be alright and we don’t have to do anything. The lie of religion tells you that you’re fine because you prayed a prayer. Paul tells us many will be saying, "Peace, peace" but destruction will suddenly come upon them (1 Thes. 5:3). We need to be serious and work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Amen.
Sincerely,
Michael Petro
Ben Sira 50: The Glory of the High Priest
ReplyDeleteHome » Greco-Roman Period » Political and Social Structures » Ben Sira 50: The Glory of the High Priest
Excerpted from Lawrence H. Schiffman, Texts and Traditions, Ktav, Hoboken 1998, p.143-145 and Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Apocrypha, 84 copyright 1957 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Writing in 180 BCE, Simeon ben Sira, the Jerusalemite sage, described the glory of the high priest in his service to his people and to God. Praises like this would be echoed later in the Mishnaic description of the high priest as he exited the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, repeated in the liturgy for that day composed in medieval times.
The leader of his brethren and the pride of his people was Simon the high priest, son of Onias, 85 who in his life repaired the house, and in his time fortified the temple.
He laid the foundations for the high double walls, the high retaining walls for the temple enclosure.
In his days a cistern for water was quarried out, a reservoir like the sea in circumference.
He considered how to save his people from ruin, and fortified the city to withstand a siege.
How glorious he was when the people gathered round him as he came out of the inner sanctuary!
Like the morning star among the clouds, like the moon when it is full;
like the sun shining upon the temple of the Most High, and like the rainbow gleaming in glorious clouds; like roses in the days of the first fruits, like lilies by a spring of water, like a green shoot on Lebanon on a summer day, like fire and incense in the censer, like a vessel of hammered gold adorned with all kinds of precious stones; like an olive tree putting forth its fruit, and like a cypress towering in the clouds.
When he put on his glorious robe and clothed himself with superb perfection and went up to the holy altar, he made the court of the sanctuary glorious.
And when he received the portions from the hands of the priests, as he stood by the hearth of the altar with a garland of brethren around him, he was like a young cedar on Lebanon; and they surrounded him like the trunks of palm trees, all the sons of Aaron in their splendour with the Lord’s offering in their hands, before the whole congregation of Israel.
Finishing the service at the altars and arranging the offering to the Most High, the Almighty, he reached out his hand to the cup and poured a libation of the blood of the grape; he poured it out at the foot of the altar, a pleasing odour to the Most High, the King of all.
Then the sons of Aaron shouted, they sounded the trumpets of hammered work, they made a great noise to be heard for remembrance before the Most High.
Then all the people together made haste and fell to the ground upon their faces to worship their Lord, the Almighty, God Most High.
And the singers praised him with their voices in sweet and full-toned melody.
And the people besought the Lord Most High in prayer before him who is merciful, till the order of worship of the Lord was ended-so they completed his service.
Then Simon came down, and lifted up his hands over the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, to pronounce the blessing of the Lord with his lips, 86 and to glory in his name; and they bowed down in worship a second time, to receive the blessing from the Most High.
84. All texts from the Apocrypha taken from the Revised Standard Version Apocrypha (New York-National Council of Churches, 1957).
85. Simon II, son of Onias, was high priest in about 219-196 BCE.
86. The priestly blessing, Numbers 6:24-25.