“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. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.””
Zechariah 4:2-3 NKJV
“Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my Lord.” So he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.””
Zechariah 4:13-14 NKJV
“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.”
Matthew 17:1-3 NKJV
“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth.”
Revelation 11:3-4 NKJV
Olive trees and lampstands
Somewhere on the earth, there are two who are quietly working, most likely in Israel, leading many to Jesus. They are doing the work that the Lord has ordained for them, and the fruit of that labor will become the 144,000 of Israel who are dedicated to bringing the Gospel in the last days. The number of those who will follow, commissioned to preach the Good News is symbolic, for there will be far, far more.
I think of the ministry One for Israel, and the mighty work they are doing as they lead many Jews and Arabs to Jesus. I wonder if the two witnesses could be of their number. Regardless, the work is being done and many are coming to know the Lord.
Just as they are doing their work, the Lord has provided them as a example, for there are those amongst the gentiles, those grafted in, who are likewise called to go and share the message of Jesus, the God man who came into the world, to live and die, to buried and raised again.
Before He left us, with the promise that He would come again, He commissioned us to go into all the world and make disciples. We stand now like those who watched Him go, waiting eagerly for Him to return to this world to bring justice.
“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””
We have been given a ministry, one that has stretched over nearly two thousand years, and soon our world will be done, for what was received by faith will be received by sight. In. The meantime, we are too faithful to do the work as best as we can, for the Lord has given is all that we need.
We have the word, we have the Holy Spirit, and we have each other. It is on us to seek the Lord daily, for that fresh filling of the Holy Spirit, to bring about the control. The evil sends his attacks on us in waves, so therefore we must call upon the Lord our daily power to stand.
Brothers and sisters, thanks be to God that the Lord has given us all the tools we need to stand in these evil days, for has provided us the armor, blunt the barbs and fiery darts of the devil.
“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—”
Ephesians 6:14-18 NKJV
He also reminds us that we do not have an enemy that stands before us, in flesh and blood, but as innocents, being deceived and used as walking Improvised Explosive Devices, hidden in plain sight and designed to bring sudden destruction to the those who are not watchful.
Because of this, we must always keep these things in mind as we serve as witnesses, for some that that have been commissioned for evil may also be those the Lord desires to save.
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Ephesians 6:10-12 NKJV
I think the greatest weapon we have is love.
It is by God’s love that I have been transformed, and it is by His love that I can go and tell others of the same Good News that saved my soul. Let us always keep in mind the characteristics of the love of God, that we approach all those, within and without the church with grace.
We are coming to the time when those who are not of the Lord will stand in stark contrast to those who are, as they will marked by their lack of love for the saints and their willful desire to cause harm. Let those who are the true followers of Jesus be known by their love.
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
I Corinthians 13:4-8a NKJV
We are witnesses, my people, we are olive trees and lampstands sent as light into a dark world, bringing the hope of Jesus. May that light be magnified by the presence of God in us, demonstrated by His love shown through us.
Have a blessed Sunday! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
#prayfortheharvest
#prayforthepersecuted
#prayforthepeaceofIsrael
#prayforthegospeltospreadeverywhere
Musings from an idle mind 
Oh yes! Looking forward to Christ’s return, but also looking to Christ and with his strength turning toward others. May the Lord grow our hearts toward and orientation towards others?
Thanks so much for your prayers for the couple in which the husband committed adultery. By gods grace, the husband seems to be working very hard at cultivating. A humble heart in himself, and the wife is showing signs of a strong and forgiving spirit. Ephesians 4:32. Would you please continue to pray that, in the Lord‘s time, he would reunite this, dear couple, and that the husband would, never forget the incredible Grace the Lord is showing him? Thanks so much, brother!
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