Revelation 11:4 Revelation 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. The olive tree is excellent for its beautiful greenness, for its plentiful fruitfulness, and its abundant fatness. But the olive-tree said unto them, should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, \ etc. Unto which God compareth His church, The Lord called thy name a green olive-tree;  fair and of goodly fruit; his fruitful Saints. \ And his beauty shall be as the olive-tree;  but especially his faithful ministers. \ These two olive-trees upon the right side of the candlestick, and upon the left side thereof. \ These two olive branches, which through the two golden pipes, empty gold out of themselves. \ These are the two sons of oil, that is, anointed one, etc. \ The bishops and pastors, the prophets and teachers in the churches of saints, whom the Lord Jesus Christ hath raised up, spirited and appointed to be his witnesses, and to bear their testimony for the doctrine, worship, and kingdom of Christ, against the false doctrines, worships, and kingdom of Antichrist; the Pope of Rome, that beast, the great whore, and all the cities of the nations. \ A candlestick all of gold in Zechariah’ s vision, \ was a figure of the church of God, which was then but one visible constituted church; viz. the national church of the Jews. The two golden candlesticks in St. John’ s Revelation, \ were a representation of the true visible constituted churches of God in the latter days of the gospel; viz. congregational churches of the gentiles; such were the seven churches in Asia (at their first planting). \ So that we may upon those scripture grounds conclude, that by the two witnesses Jesus Christ meant and intended his churches of saints, and his faithful ministers in their generations. The churches of saints ought to be like golden candlesticks for purity, for visibility, and for holding forth the light of truth by their ministers. \ Standing before the God of the earth. Standing before great persons; viz. kings, princes, and nobles \ imports, waiting and serving them in obedience unto their commands, being in their presence, and also in their favour. So here, to stand before the God of the earth, is to minister unto God, to worship him, to obey his commands, and to keep his ordinances; as the tribe of Levi did of old, To stand before the Lord, to minister unto him;\ and But the Priests, the Levites, the Sons of Zadock, that kept the charge of my Sanctuary, when the Children on Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me, to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord God, \ etc. So shall the faithful ministers of Christ stand before God to be his witnesses, and to bear their testimony for Christ against Antichrist: They shall be holden up, for God is able to make them stand. \ He is called the God of the earth, for the earth is the Lords, and the fullness of it. God made the heavens and the earth; he rules and governs all things in Heaven and Earth, and he gives power to the faint \ and to them that have no might he increaseth strength, that so they may stand before the God of earth and serve him day and night in his temple.