Revelation 11 (Part 3) Olive trees and lampstands

Revelation 11:3-6

By Odon Bulamba (24 February 2006) Summary only

These two witnesses are referred here to as olive trees. Olives are a small fruit that don’t look very nice and our tongues don’t really like the taste of them because they are too bitter. God brought these two men as olive trees among other trees meaning that when these men preached, the words were bitter to those listening and because it wasn’t a good taste to them they wanted to cut the trees down to get freedom and it’s the same for us when we talk about religion it can cause others to hate us.

You can tell a tree by the fruit that it produces and when people are living with us, what kind of fruit are we representing to them, the fruit of the flesh or the fruit of the spirit? These men were olive trees among other trees meaning that their identity stood out and could not be hidden and when we are with others, do we show our Christian identity or do we try to hide? We have to live in a way that others will see God in us.

These two men will also be like lampstands, not lamps but the stands that hold them meaning they hold light for others. Our eyes bring light for our bodies and our bodies will never complain because they are tired of holding the eyes but sometimes we complain when it is time to light the way for others and we feel tired. When Moses prayed with his hands held in the air there was victory for the Israelites fighting and when his hand fell there was defeat and if we accept to hold something God is able to give us victory.

To be a lampstand you have to be ready to give victory to others to show them that without light you can’t walk. To be a lampstand we have to know we are standing in front of God and remember that God is watching me and controlling my way of talking and acting and if God is next to me how much will I try to be Holy? If we remember that God is next to us every second then we will be good lampstands but if we forget, we’ll put the lamp down and walk away.

A lampstand is very important because it holds light and every house has them and without them light will not reign but darkness. If you are the light in your society or family and darkness comes with problems that is the time as lampstands to gather together and kneel down and ask God for help. We are troubled because satan brings pressure in our lives and family but we just have to trust in God, be patient and it’ll past, nothing resists forever under the sun. Grab the fruit of joy from God and receive God’s pure water that can take away problems.

God asks only one thing and that is to hold on to His commandment. God only respects you if you hold onto His Words.

Vs 5, “If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die”.

If you belong to the Kingdom of God and people talk or think negatively about you, God will do something, all you have to do is protect your mouth and be careful what you say because whatever you confess will be done. E.g My husband makes me angry so I tell God to punish him, don’t be surprised if he gets killed. Whatever you ask will be given to you; Elijah asked for the rain to stop for three years and it did and many people in the church today are there only to bring plights on others, things that will harm them. Elijah wanted people to know God by force and when we push others to the level of making them suffer they will accept God because of pain but when they receive what they need, they’ll turn from God again. God has a plan for every person and we are just required to teach the good way to follow but not to push because people will say no.

Everybody wanted to kill Elijah because he didn’t bring joy or peace and sometimes we can make people hate us because of our way of acting. For example I go to a friend and I talk to him for two hours about all his mistakes, although I might be right we have to go slowly and talk nicely and understand that he is going through a process and pray for him and support him and if we try to push we will destroy things. Grace is telling people of the gospel smoothly without pushing and with prayer. Preach the gospel in love and let God give life to that gospel. Remember that love is patient, kind, etc.

These two people were acting on God’s behalf to please God and to please the glory of heaven and not to please people. In some extreme situations God will ask you to do things that the world will hate.

Do we really love God because sometimes we hear people talking against God but we don’t do anything but if we heard them talking against our husband we would say something. God protects us day after day but when it’s our time to protect His glory we run away, we don’t want to be identified as Christians.

The people of Israel were happy when Moses and Elijah died because they were jealous and how many times are we jealous because of someone else’s success.

These two men were killed but God brought them back to life again which is called resurrection and we also go through a resurrection after we have been born again and we accept to live according to God’s will and accept to defend God’s glory and accept our old nature to die and we get a new life. This is the first resurrection and then you will die and you will pass through the second resurrection where you will receive life eternal. Someone can be born again and decide not to go through the first resurrection but God will persist until they do or after a time He will leave them and they will lose their salvation.

SUMMARY

1. What kind of fruit do we produce? (Fruit of the flesh/spirit?)

2. Do you hold the light for others so they can see the way?

3. Do you hold onto God’s commandments? (He only asks this one thing)

4. Be careful with what you confess because God will give it you and you might regret

5. Don’t push people to Christ.

6. Do we really love God?