The visions in chs. 3 and 4 are concerned, respectively, with the priesthood and the kingship, which are both related to the rebuilding of the temple (see note Ezra 5:1¹). The vision in ch. 3 concerning Joshua was to strengthen Joshua the high priest in the priesthood, whereas the vision of the golden lampstand and the two olive trees in this chapter was to strengthen Zerubbabel the governor of Judah in the kingship. In ch. 3 Joshua was measured (see note Zech. 3:1^1a, par. 2), resulting in his being strengthened and established through the cleansing. In ch. 4 Zerubbabel was measured so that he might be strengthened and established to continue and complete the rebuilding of the temple.

The priesthood of Joshua signifies the priesthood of the nation of Israel toward the nations for God. The lampstand of gold signifies the shining testimony of the nation of Israel toward the nations for God. God had chosen Israel to be a nation of priests (Exo. 19:6). His intention was to use the nation of Israel as a priesthood to bring the nations to God that they might enter into God’s presence to be enlightened, exposed, dealt with, and transfused by God with the divine riches. Furthermore, the priests were to teach the nations how to worship God and serve God (cf. Zech. 8:20-23). In addition to being a nation of priests, Israel was to be a testimony standing for God.

Intrinsically, the lampstand signifies the Triune God embodied and expressed. In Exo. 25 the lampstand signifies Christ as the embodiment and expression of the Triune God. Here the lampstand signifies the nation of Israel as the collective testimony of God, shining out all His virtues. For the details concerning the lampstand, see notes in Exo. 25:31-40.

The supply of the lampstand is the seven pipes for each of the seven lamps, which signify the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God as the bountiful supply (Phil. 1:19b). See note Rev. 4:5^1b and note Rev. 1:4^5f, par. 1.

See note Exo. 27:20¹. The two olive trees here signify Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the governor at the time, who were the two sons of oil, filled with the Spirit of Jehovah for the rebuilding of God’s temple (vv. 3-6, 12-14; cf. Exo. 31:3 and note Exo. 31:3^1a). The two sons of oil also typify the two witnesses, Moses and Elijah, in the last three and a half years of the present age, who will be witnesses of God in the great tribulation for the strengthening of God’s peoples — the Israelites and the believers in Christ (Rev. 11:3-12; 12:17).

The word in vv. 5-7, 9a indicates that Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, who laid the foundation for the rebuilding of the temple, would bring forth the topstone, which means that he would finish the rebuilding of God’s temple by the Spirit of Jehovah, not by might nor by power. The prophet Zechariah spoke this word to Zerubbabel in order to support, encourage, strengthen, and establish the hand of Zerubbabel that he might continue the building of the temple unto its consummation.

Whereas ch. 3 refers to Christ’s death, which is for redemption (Zech. 3:9), ch. 4 speaks of the Spirit, who is for the carrying out of God’s economy. According to the New Testament, Christ is the One who was crucified for our redemption, who was raised from among the dead, and who in resurrection has become the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:3-4, 45b). As the result of Christ’s redemption, God’s people may now enjoy Christ as the Spirit (Gal. 3:13-14), even as the sevenfold intensified Spirit (Rev. 1:4; 4:5; 5:6). After we believe in the crucified Christ, God supplies to us the all-inclusive Spirit for the accomplishing of His building (Gal. 3:1-2, 5). By this Spirit the building of the church will be consummated.

To bring forth the topstone is to complete the building. The shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” indicate that the topstone itself is grace. The topstone typifies Christ, who is the grace from God to us to be the covering of God’s building (see note 1 Cor. 15:10^1a). Christ is the foundation stone to uphold God’s building (Isa. 28:16; 1 Cor. 3:11), the cornerstone to join together the Gentile and Jewish members of His Body (Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6), and the topstone to consummate God’s building.

“These seven,” which are the eyes of Jehovah, are the seven eyes on the stone in 3:9. The seven eyes of the stone are the seven eyes of Jehovah and also the seven eyes of the Lamb, Christ (Rev. 5:6). Thus, the stone, Jehovah, and the Lamb are one. Christ is the redeeming Lamb and the building stone, and He is also Jehovah. The seven eyes of Christ are the seven Spirits of God (see note Rev. 5:6^5d and note Rev. 1:4^5f), indicating that Christ and the Holy Spirit, although distinct, are not separate. Just as a person’s eyes are essentially one with the person, so the Holy Spirit is essentially one with Christ (Rom. 8:9-10; 2 Cor. 3:17). The function of Christ’s seven eyes is to observe and search in order to execute God’s judgment on the universe and to transfuse and infuse all that God is into His chosen people. In His resurrection Christ, as the last Adam, became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b; John 6:63a; 2 Cor. 3:6b), who is also the sevenfold intensified Spirit. This Spirit is the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2). Hence, the function of the seven Spirits is to impart the divine life into God’s people for the building up of God’s eternal habitation, the New Jerusalem.

In chs. 3 and 4 the same person, Zerubbabel, is signified by a shoot (Zech. 3:8), a tree (vv. 3, 11), and a branch (v. 12). This indicates that Zerubbabel himself is not the source. He is not a tree complete in himself; rather, he is a tree that is actually a branch of another tree, and that tree is the source. Moreover, Zerubbabel is also a shoot from the other tree, which tree is Christ. Christ is the unique olive tree (Rom. 11:17 and note Rom. 11:17^2a), and Zerubbabel and all Christ’s believers are branches, shoots, of Christ (John 15:5a). Thus, all the believers are the many olive trees, not in the sense of being separate trees but in the sense of being branches of Christ, the unique olive tree.

Which here refers not to the spouts but to the branches. For the shining of the lampstand, oil is needed. The two olive trees supply the olive oil by flowing the oil out through the branches into the spouts, which in turn direct the oil into the bowl, which supplies the lampstand through the pipes (v. 2).

Referring to the oil. The oil denotes the Spirit, and the Spirit is God, who in typology is signified by gold. Thus, to supply the oil for the shining of the lampstand is to flow out God to supply others with the sevenfold Spirit that they may be enlivened for God’s testimony through the church.