" ... What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the tope thereof: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof." ~ Zechariah 4:2-3

Nephi taught his people to liken all scripture unto themselves (1 Nephi 19:23, 2 Nephi 6:5, 2 Nephi 11:2 & 8), This seems to be proper counsel to give of scripture, for the scriptures can have dualistic meanings and interpretations, especially dependant upon the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which will so apply them upon their various levels unto that which pertains to each particular case of which the scripture may have been given, and even when the application is merely derived and applied personally. This the Jews of that day and time of Zechariah did. They applied Zechariah's vision specifically to themselves and their personal circumstances. In that specific application of the vision, the Jews saw themselves as the candlestick or the menorah of the temple. And the two olive trees or branches who the angel stated to be the 'two anointed ones', was applied to be Zerubbabel, who was the Ruler and Governor of Jerusalem who was of the house of David, and Joshua, who was the high priest of the temple (see Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:510).

A modern day 'likening' likening and dualistic meaning is traced through the cross references given to who the two anointed ones might be considered in our own day. That scriptural trail leads from Zechariah 4:14 to Revelation 11;3 (1-14), and thence to D&C 77:15. This trail leads to two special witnesses or prophets which are raised up in the last days to prophesy to the Jews. There are various functions and scriptures which further this progression to their death and their being raised up again during the wars of Jerusalem with the nations. Certainly the jump from the 'two olive trees which fuel the temple menorah may well be seen to apply to these two specially called prophets. That is, it is a type of them just as much as it was a type and likening of Joshua and Zerubbabel where in the days of Zechariah.

Such scriptural 'likening' and dualistic application is common in the scriptures. The contemporay Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the Ruler of Jerusalem had as their charge the restoring of the light of the temple to the people in the rebuilding of the House of the Lord. The two special prophet witnesses of the latter-days will likewise bring Israel unto the light of the Lord. These are types and similitudes of foreshadowing. But in all things they are a particular similitude, type and foreshadowing, as many of the dualistic scriptures are. They are a 'Messianic Similitude'. And both Joshua and Zerubbabel in their day and the two special prophet witnesses in their day; are and will be types and similitudes of the Messsiah. Whenever any are called to act in authority as anointed of the Lord, they do act in the name of the Lord, for and in behalf of the Lord. They are a type of the Lord.

Joshua the high priest is a type of that great High Priest whose name he was named after, even JESUS, which is the same name as Joshua in the Greek. And Zerubbabel of the house of David would be the similitude of the king or ruler or shepherd, which is again in similitude of Jesus Christ as the King of Israel. Likewise the two prophet witnesses are a type and similitude of the ministering Christ (see Guthrie and Motyer, New Bible Commentary, p. 791).

To a pacticing Jew, he may well see in this a more modern application as well. To him, who considers there to be two Messiahs to come, he might well see 'Joshua' as a type and similitude of Messiah ben Joseph of the seed of Joshua, so held in Jewish tradition to come at the end of days. And of course he would well see in Zerubabbel a type and similitude of Messiah ben David of the house of David. Yet his application would seem to divide the Priest and King between these two traditionally promised Messiahs.

For our purposes here we will extract from these types and similitudes a more all inclusive picture portrayed of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. In this can be seen Jesus Christ as the great High Priest, so anointed to be such during his mortal ministry as JEHOSHUA or JESUS the Great High Priest. And like the Pharisees so stated, it is well said that as such Jesus was that Good Samaritan, the Shepherd of Israel, that Messiah ben Joseph, the Son of Joseph, meaning Jospeh of Egypt. In that advent, his first advent he ministered the fulfillment of the atonement, suffering for the sins of the world that all might be raised up unto life in the resurrection. He came as the Anointed Son of God to fulfill that mission and that administration unto the salvation of the House of Israel and the world through them.

Then as to that other role and second advent of the coming of the Lord. In it he will come in glory as the 'Anointed King', to rule and reign as King David as the scriptures foretell. In that advent he will be Messiah ben David and then recognized and accepted as such even by the Jews. And such was the likeness of Zerubabbel, who was that ancestor through whom Jesus was born of the House of David in mortality. But that in this similitude the 'two olive trees' are but both Christ, indicating his two advents. And in both cases he will supply the 'oil of the two trees of the two advents' in bring to pass the administration of Justice as King and Judge and Mercy as the Redeeming High Priest of the Grace of God through his atonement.

Justice and Mercy are the two cherubim of the mercy seat between which Christ will sit as the light and life of the world, welding the two edged sword of the justice Judge of God upon the one hand and the Mercy of forgiveness on the other. And in this respect, the Menorah and its seven lamps are the seven heads of the seven dispensations of time, under whose administration, in the name of, and in behalf of God, all things have been done in each dispensation of time. They are the seven eyes of the light of Christ unto the earth.

Thus we see here that when God gives visions unto men, such as those given unto Zechariah, they may have immediate application as well as broader panoramic univeral application and meaning as well. In fact, it was the immediate application of the vision which preserved it in the Jewish record. For if the Jews had seen Jesus Christ in it, as this certainly was the more universal application of the vision; they would have corrupted it and even destoryed it as they did with much of the writings as well as with the very lives of the prophets who did deliver them in plainness concerning Jesus Christ, the coming Son of God.

And thus here is this prediction. Zechariah chapter 4 will be seen as being a very Messianic vision of the two advents of Jesus Christ. The first as the anointed servant of the Father, acting as the Anointed Son and performing High Priest, to the end of the accomplishment of the vicarious ordinance of the Atonement, whereby he suffered for the sins of the world that righteousness might be imputed unto man if they but come unto him and gain forgiveness through repentance and the ordiances of God. This he did by that right of decent as the heir of the Covenant of the Fathers through his legal right as the heir of the house of Joseph and Ephraim, through whom the promises and rights did remain in Israel.

And it will be further seen that the vision of Zechariah chapter 4 will be that also of the second advent of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ as the heir to the throne of David. Wherein he will come to rule and reign as King David with with judgment and mercy upon the judgment seat of God. And in this he will be seen as the promised Messiah ben David. And even the Jews will recognized him to be that promised seed of Jesse as well as of Joseph and of Ephraim, being partly born of them. But more importantly, they well come to know that he is the literal Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father.

And then all will know him as that Savior and King, the Redeemer and High Priest, the 'two anointed' ones of God the Father in one. He will be both the Anointed Great High Priest and Son of God, by which ancestral lineage the priesthood doth come, and the Anointed King to rule, judge and reign in justice and mercy unto all the sons and daughters of God. He then will be recognized as Messiah ben David and Messiah ben Joseph, being both, one and the same, Priest and King; King and Priest of Heaven and Earth, so anointed a and ordained of God the Eternal Father to the end of the work and glory of bringing to pass the immortallity and eternal life of man. He is that light and life of the world. All things do testify of him, all things are a type and similitude of him. He is the two olive trees, that source of oil which lights the light of Christ both with the mercy of the atonement and with that truth of the justice and Judgment of God, being the advocate of man unto the Father, being that intercessor which brings men unto the Father, and he is that mediator which reconciled men unto heaven and with God.

Yea, the imagry is complete. Just as Jesus stands from all eternity to all eternity, just as he is that Alpha and that Omega, it beginning and end; so does he stand as the two olive trees. The one as at the beginning and the other as at the end, standing from all eternity to all eternity, both the beginning and the end, the first and the last. And this as it is that the ages of the time of the Generation of Jehovah is formed out of the midst of eternity. And only in that difinition of the ages and estates of men is their time marked, with a beginning in the Firstborn birth of Jehovah as the spirit son of God the Eternal Father of Spirits, he being the Firstborn of 'His Generation' that generation of which all that are according to it are given unto to him as their Savior and Redeemer. And thus is was the first, Firstborn of the Father. That birth marked our beginning as to the ages of men under Jehovah. And Jehovah stands at that beginning, be the start, the Alpha of it. And thus through the ages of time does Jehovah minister in behalf of the Father in all things, in his stead, returning all glory to the Father. And so we are of Jehovah or Jesus. He is our Redeemer, our Savior our Christ. And there is none other given, no other name or mean by which men may be saved and redeemed. And it is given him of the Father to so minister unto us in all things even until the end. And he will be that end, our final Judge and King. And thus he stands as the Omega or the end of time as we enter back into eternity. He stands at those portholes of time, from all eternity to all eternity. He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega. And in this he is the two olive trees which supply the oil to the Memorah as the life, light and truth of the world.

Often in consideration of the two Olive Trees whose oil fuel the lights of the Mennorah of Isreal is that of the two tree being representative of the two major houses of Israel. That is the House of Judah and the House of Joseph/Ephraim; the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Ephraim/Israel. Couple that with the prophesies of Ezekiel 37 which speaks of the Stick of Judah and the Stick of Joseph or Ephraim and you would even throw in to the whole of the concept the idea of the two Witnesses. The one witness of God being the Bible and the other witness of God being that of the Book of Mormon.

Any number of speculations have considered such and from a wholestic perspective it seems to all fit into the very fact that even the Messiah ben David or Judah and the Messiah ben Joseph or Ephraim stand and come together as but one and the same Messiah and light unto the world as well.

And yet there are enough other perspective and consideration that there then becomes a debate among variou people as to just whose perspective and theory of the two olive trees and the two witnesses in the last days are and how the do or do not match up with the two leading houses of Israel.