Athen's Library

The Two Sons of Oil

And

Their Symbols

September 2008

In the last letter we discussed the five wise virgins and how they represent the 144,000 who are harvested in the grain harvest by the message of one like unto the Son of man.  We also looked at the seals with which they are sealed and how these seals compare to the messages they have accepted.  We touched on the topic of the two olive trees found in Zechariah chapter four, and how they are really symbols for the Sons of Oil who stand before the Lord of the whole earth.  It is the aim of this letter to define the difference between the wise and foolish virgins, explain why the foolish do not have extra oil in their vessels and discover what happens to them.

First we must learn more about the oil, and the extra oil, and answer the question, where does the oil and the extra oil come from?  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? 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? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.  Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, (Two Sons of Oil) that stand by the LORD of the whole earth. Zech 4:11-14

These two olive trees with their branches, which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves, have the oil and the extra oil and are the two anointed ones  This term “anointed”, used here referring to the two olive trees, means according to Strong’s Concordance, son including grandson who build the family name.  Jesus told us that He came in His Father’s name and that He would send a child in His name.  Notice how this would be son and then grandson building the family name.  Even though these symbols have always been present since the Bible was written, we are just beginning to understand that it takes these two messiahs, or two Sons of Oil to make atonement for mankind and his dominion.  Symbols are like placeholders that stand in place of the literal, just as an understudy stands in for an actor until said actor is present to play the part for himself.  God sometimes uses many different symbols to stand-in for the same literal Person Place or Thing to give us a view from many different vantage points.  In preparation for identifying who the five foolish virgins are, we must look at several of the other symbols that also point to these Two Sons of Oil.

First let us consider the two goats used to make atonement in the Atonement Service.  Remembering that lots were cast to see which one of them would be for the Lord and which would be the scapegoat tells us that these two symbols are of equal value (Son and Grandson).  Both make atonement, one makes atonement in death while the other makes atonement in life.

Next let us consider the delivery of the Ten Commandants and the two separate sets of stone tables.  God delivered to Moses two tables of stone that were hewn out and written on by the finger of God, this set was broken because of our sin.  At that time the LORD said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood. And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark. Deuteronomy 10:1-2.  Here we have a picture of a joint effort between God and man, Jesus the Son of God who took on humanity is going to provide for us the second set of stone tables.  Jesus said…he that hath seen me hath seen the Father… John 14:9.  These two separate sets of stone tables are equal, both come to show us the Father, the tables of stone that were broken point us to the Son of God the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth, and the other set point us to the Grandson of God who will be placed in an ark of safety (Kingdom).

We see this same information from a slightly different vantage point in the story of Abraham sacrificing His son Isaac.  In this story it is the ram, caught by his horns, that points us to the Son of God who will be broken for us.  And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; Luke 1:69.  Isaac on the other hand points us to the Grandson of God, the one who will make atonement without seeing death.

And from another vantage point we are told of two separate rocks in the desert that brought forth water for the Children of Israel.  The first rock Moses was instructed to smite (Exodus 17:6) but the second he was instructed to speak unto (Numbers 20:8).  The first rock symbolized the Son of God and His Advent to be smitten for us, but the second rock symbolized the Grandson of God and His Advent.  Moses ruined the perfect picture of these two messiahs and their advents when in anger he smote the second rock, by smiting the second rock not only did Moses make a mistake but his actions prophesied that the message of the Grandson would be rejected.  Even though Moses made this prophecy, he could not alter the fact that this Son of Oil will make His atonement without passing through death.  In Numbers 20:12 we find that Moses would be required to pay a dear price for the mistake and prophecy that he made.  God told Moses that because of this mistake both he and Aaron would not be allowed to lead Israel into the Promised Land.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.  For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. John 5:24-27

In these verses we are allowed to see both Sons of Oil because of the way Jesus uses these two terms, the Son of God and the Son of man.  When we read, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, we know that Jesus is speaking about Himself because He is the Only Begotten Son of God.  When we read and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man, we know that Jesus is speaking about His Son, because of the way He prefaced this sentence by saying For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.  Both of these Sons are called Sons of Oil, one brings us the oil while the other brings us the extra oil.

There are two Messiahs revealed in each of the above accounts.  The plan of salvation is built upon these two Messiahs (Two Sons of Oil).  Each makes atoning sacrificial offerings and all of these offering are required to redeem, mankind and his dominion.  Some of you are asking, what if we do not believe?  Right now, as of this writing, only those who are striving to be numbered among the 144,000 are in dire need of accepting this message about Jesus and His Son, the Righteous Harvest.  The 144,000 must accept the message, stepping out in faith, before there is any visible confirmation to its validity.  They must have the extra oil in their vessels before the cry is heard behold the Bridegroom Cometh.  On the other hand, those who do not mind being found numbered among the foolish may like Thomas wait until after there is visible evidence.  When the Bridegroom arrives, He will call to life those of whom it is written …Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth… Revelation 14:13.  The foolish of course are caught without the knowledge of what is required to move into the Judgment of the Living.  They must therefore remain in the Judgment of the Dead.

Now that we understand the difference between oil and extra oil it will be easier to comprehend the difference between the five foolish and the five wise virgins.  You see all ten virgins have oil in their lamps; they have accepted Jesus allowing Him to come into their hearts so that He can shine out lighting their path.  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Acts 16:31.  There are many other places in the Bible where we find this same promise. The oil (truth) that comes from the Son of Oil that was smitten for us brings life to all who believe.  The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. John 5:25.  Jesus, represented by the sacrificial offering that makes atonement by giving up his life, conquers death and offers life to all who believe and follow him through the portals of the grave.  Do you see the problem here?  The ten virgins represent a group of people who are offered the opportunity to be harvested from among the living.  When the message of one like unto the Son of man begins to reap, judgment moves from the Judgment of the Dead to the Judgment of the Living.  The five foolish do not have an understanding of the Son of man and so they do not know that the Son of God …hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.  As the oil in the lamps of the five foolish virgins begins to run out they ask the wise for some of their extra oil but this request is denied.  The five foolish must go out and buy; the only currency they have with which to barter is their position, prestige, authority and reputation.  The foolish virgins must surrender all of this in order to remain in the Judgment of the Dead because they will certainly be found deficient if they should try to move forward to be judged in the Judgment of the Living.

Some view the wise and foolish virgins to be represented by Abel and Cain.  We know that this is not true because the foolish are called virgins.  The fact that they are virgins indicates that they are found in God’s true church, not in Babylon, and are walking in the light coming from the oil that is in their lamps. The foolish can not be represented by Cain because Cain continued to rebel even after God spoke to him.  Cain ignored the times specified in the law and brought a thank offering at a specified time that required a lamb and when confronted with the truth refused to change.  The foolish on the other hand have also been rebellious, living and teaching that these same laws were nailed to the cross, but when they are confronted with the truth they will repent.  Even though they repent and go out and buy the extra oil, they miss out on the greatest event of their lifetime.  They miss out on the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. 

They are foolish because they continue to reject truth that would prepare them to move from the Judgment of the dead into the Judgment of the Living.  A better analogy would be the three distinct groups Israel was divided into after they worshiped the Golden Calf.  Group number one would be those who did not turn their face away from God in false worship, they would represent the five wise.  Group number two, the ones who turned their face away from God but when confronted with the truth, repented and turned back to God, this group represents the foolish.  The foolish continue to turn away from the truth God sends even going so far as to teach others to do the same.  But when they come face to face with judgment they repent and seek truth; first begging for it and then going out and buying it from those who sell.  Like the Pearl of Great Price, it costs them everything.  The last group of course is those who turn away from God and are not ashamed of their behavior.  This group represents the tares that are in the last church to have the distinction of being co-mingled.

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:19.

The five foolish virgins have already been called out of Babylon, they are in God’s church waiting to be harvested into the Kingdom of Glory.  Instead of receiving the messages God sends that will prepare them to make the transition from the Judgment of the Dead into the Judgment of the Living, they have refused to believe and have taught others to do so also.  Not one of the Ten Commandments can be called one of these least commandments.  It then stands to reason that they have taught others to disregard the Law of Moses.

And so it is some who have been offered the opportunity to be the first to hold citizenship in the Kingdom of Glory spend all that they have to purchase what was once nearly free, requiring only that they sigh and cry.  When the wise put the extra oil into their lamps they are born again, born into God’s Kingdom.  They receive the promise of life without the stain of death.  Paul puts it this way, For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: Hebrews 8:10.  But the foolish do not have extra oil to put into their lamps; they can not pass into the Judgment of the Living.  For this mistake they must pay a dear price, instead of being the first in the Kingdom of Glory, they will be the least.

Athen Slawson