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In Rev 11:4 NASB

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

In Zec 4:2 NASB

And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven [a]spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it;

In Rev we see two lampstands and two olive trees. In Zec 4, we see one lampstand and two olive trees.

Question: Both passages have visions of two olive trees. However, Zec 4 mentions one lampstand, and Rev 11 mentions two lampstands. Is the context already changed in these two passages, so that Zec 4 has one lampstand, but Rev 11 has two? Or do they have a similar message?

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Let us compare and contrast Zech 4 and Rev 11.

Zechariah 4 Revelation 11
SIMILARITIES
Two Olive Trees Two Olive Trees
** DIFFERENCES**
Solid gold lampstand between the two olive trees Olive trees are two lampstands, and two witnesses, two prophets
Golden bowl has seven lamps on it No bowl
Seven pipes conveying golden oil to the seven lamps no pipes
** MEANING**
"Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts." Two olive trees, two lampstands, two prophets are two witnesses doing works similar to Moses and Elijah (see V5, 6)

CONCLUSION

The only similarity between Rev 11 and Zech 4 bare the two olive trees; However, the two passages do share a number of the same nouns.

Therefore, the two scenes are NOT the same. But this is not to suggest they are not related; indeed, Rev 11 appears to be a literary structural parallel to Zech 4 and thus Rev 11 must allude to Zech 4 and thus informs us of the Scriptural interpretation of Rev 11.

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  • +1 I would not say "the only similarity" but this is a very useful presentation. Commented yesterday
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The lampstand represents God's divine presence. Its first appearance in the Tabernacle, crafted from pure gold, symbolized purity, and its continual light signified God's ongoing guidance and revelation.

The olive trees represent God's anointed people. In Jeremiah 11:16, Israel is likened to an olive tree: "The Lord called you a thriving olive tree with fruit beautiful in form." Olive oil played a central role in Israel's daily life and was used to consecrate priests and kings - an image pointing to the Holy Spirit's empowerment and sanctification.

In Zechariah 4, the two olive trees represent Zerubbabel, the Davidic leader, and Joshua, the high priest. Together they were entrusted with restoring Israel's spiritual life, and they were empowered by the Spirit - represented by the golden lampstand. Thus the Lord declares in Zechariah 4:6:

This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

In Revelation 11, the two witnesses are understood to be Moses and Elijah - one who turns water into blood and brings plagues upon the earth, and the other who clothed in sackcloth, can shut up the heavens so that it does not rain. They are called the two olive trees, testifying to the truth of the Lord. Their testimony shines through their lampstands, corresponding to their Spirit-empowered witness.

In Revelation, the seven churches each have their own lampstand. The lampstand, therefore, represents the divine presence - whether among congregations or within individuals believers. Though believers are many, they are united in one Spirit.

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  • + 1 while I do not personally see the two witnesses as Moses and Elijah, this is a useful answer. Commented yesterday
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My sense of it is that John of Patmos was familiar with the Book of Zechariah. The degree to which the older prophecy influenced John's revelation is hard to determine. But I would say that while the lampstands are not exactly the same, they are connected.

Writing in Patheos.com, Philip Jenkins presents a similar view:

Revelation’s description of the Two Witnesses as two olive trees or lampstands/candlesticks is a direct recollection of an exceedingly influential passage in Zech 4. By the second century BC, that same passage was being read in messianic ways, and helped shape the idea of dual messiahs (kingly and priestly) that was held at Qumran.

Both visions involve two godly leaders represented by two olive trees. But in John's vision there are two lampstands while in Zechariah there is only one. What is the same is not the lampstands but the oil that fuels them, which is both the oil of illumination and the oil of anointing. But the epoch and characters are different. In Zechariah's vision, the time is just after the return from the Exile. The olive trees are Zerubbabel (the governor, who was last descendant of David mentioned in the OT) and Joshua (the high priest). In John's vision, the two witnesses are not identified, but the time is now that of the Second Coming.

Conclusion: there is certainly a connection here, and it is a very intriguing one. Just as the interpretation of Zechariah led some Jews at the time of Jesus to expect a priestly messiah as well as a royal one, so the interpretation of John's lampstand and his two olive trees has led to many various interpretations over the centuries. In short, the lampstands cannot be identical, but their function may be the same.

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