“Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, ‘What are these, my lord?’ So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ And I said, ‘No, my lord.’ … And I answered the second time and said to him, ‘What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?’ So he answered me, saying, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ And I said, ‘No, my lord’” (Zech 4:4-5, 12-13).
Dreams and visions in apocalyptic literature are highly symbolic. The prophets and apostles who receive these visions consistently depend on angelic figures to interpret their meaning. Zechariah knows what he is seeing, a seven-branched golden menorah with two olive trees on either side. What he does not know is their divinely intended meaning. Twice, therefore, the angel explains the symbolism to him: “These seven [branches of the golden menorah] are…” (Zech 4:10b), and again, “these two [olive trees] are…” (Zech 4:14).
Only what is interpreted by heaven is meant to be understood with certainty; everything else we add is conjecture.
Since Zechariah is entirely dependent on the angel to provide God’s interpretation, so are we. Reading apocalyptic literature requires careful attention to the explanations given within the vision itself and restraint from going beyond them. Only what is interpreted by heaven is meant to be understood with certainty; everything else we add is conjecture.
When modern Bible gurus begin to discover hidden mysteries in Ezekiel, Zechariah, Daniel, and Revelation, we must beware. If the prophets and apostles who saw the visions needed divine interpretation, how much more do we. Rather than seeking after hidden mysteries, let us content ourselves with the interpretations already provided within the text.
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law” (Deut 29:29).
