The Olive Tree is used symbolically in Scripture to refer to the anointed people of God. It is used in Zechariah to refer to the two anointed ones who stand before the Lord of the earth.
Zec 4:1-14 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, (2) And said unto me, 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 top thereof: (3) And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof…
Zec 4:1-14 …(4) So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord? (5) Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. (6) Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, this is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. (7) Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it…
Zec 4:1-14 …(8) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (9) The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you…
Zec 4:1-14 …(10) For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth. (11) Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?…
Zec 4:1-14 …(12) And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? (13) And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. (14) Then said he,These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
One application of the imagery of the Olive Tree is used in Romans 11 in a way that falsified the two great systematic theologies that have been held by Bible believing Christians: Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism. It was this observation that led me down the path that resulted in the writing of this book. The plain reading of the text here refutes both the idea that the Church replaced Israel AND that they are wholly separate things.
Rom 11:11-26 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. (12)Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? (13) For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: (14) If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. (15)For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Rom 11:11-26 …(16) For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. (17) And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; (18) Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. (19) Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. (20) Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: (21) For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. (22) Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (23) And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. (24) For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?…
Rom 11:11-26 …(25) For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits;that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (26)And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Israel’s fall was temporary so that the Gentiles who embrace the Jewish Messiah could be grafted into the Olive Tree or vine of Israel. As those numbers near completion, God would begin to restore the natural children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob back to their original inheritance and reconcile them to their Messiah. As of the time of this writing only the restoration to the land has been fulfilled (Ezekiel 36). Israel is not yet reconciled to her Messiah and currently has a form of government in rebellion to the Messiah Jesus. This means Israel is not yet grafted into the vine. The Church and Israel are currently separated peoples in spite of the prophetic mandate that they are joined together as distinct component of a united people of God. Christ came to make one new man out of the two.
Joh 10:14-16 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (15) As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. (16) And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
The “other sheep” refers to the gentiles who would put their trust in Christ. Christ Jesus here promised to gather them into the same flock as Israel. The Greek word for the first instance of “fold” is αὐλή aulē G833, translated variously as yard, court, fold, palace. Aule is referring to the physical house of the people of God – Israel. The other sheep are outside of Israel. They were to be brought into the construct of Israel. The endgame goes even deeper when we consider the Greek word translated into the second occurrence of the English ‘fold’ here. This word is οίμνη poimnē G4167, which is translated as flock. This word occurs four times in the New Testament and is translated flock in Matthew 26:31, Luke 2:8, and 1 Corinthians 9:7. Christ sought to create one flock out of two, placing the Gentiles inside of the Aule – Gates of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Paul the apostle writes of this in Ephesians 2:11-20, referring to this concept in terms of creating one new man out of two.
Eph 2:11-20 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; (12) That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (13) But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. (14) For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;…
Eph 2:11-20…(15) Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; (16) And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: (17) And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. (18) For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. (19) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; (20) And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Gentiles were once considered outsiders to the Mosaic Covenant and to the nation of Israel that was previously defined as the biological descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but now are brought together with them as one people under the New Covenant. Gentiles were adopted into Abraham’s family by faith. The natural children of Abraham must now come the same way and embrace the gospel of Christ by faith. This is the foundations of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb in the New Covenant, which replaced the Mosaic Covenant. Everyone is also given citizenship in Israel, placing them in the aule of Israel or Gates of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
In Revelation 21:9-14 we are presented a picture of the wife of the Lamb. The wife of Jesus Christ is depicted as a composite entity. This entity is built upon the foundations of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb, meaning that there is one people who have faith in Christ as the Messiah. This entity is encapsulated in Gates of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, meaning that each person who has put faith in Jesus Christ has citizenship of Israel and all of the rights pertaining to that citizenship.
Rev 21:9-14 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife…
Rev 21:9-14…(10) And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, (11) Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; (12) And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: (13) On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. (14) And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.