"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit."

The Temple of God shall not be brought to completion by the efforts and talents of people but by the Spirit of God. The two olive trees signify a double (Elisha) portion of God's Spirit abiding on the witnesses. The two lampstands are Christ and His Body, according to our understanding.

It appears that God's people are ready neither for the end-time revival nor for the coming of the Lord. We must be built up in the faith of Jesus. We must grow to maturity as measured by the stature of the fullness of Christ. The maturing of the saints is the forming of the second lampstand.

There will be a remnant in the last days, we believe, that will come out of the religious institutions, leaving these organizations void of the voice of the Bridegroom and the Bride.

And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. (Revelation 18:23)

Christendom will be divided into a holy remnant, and Babylon (man-directed Christianity). We think the process of division already has begun.

The remnant of saints must be built up in the Spirit. Worldliness, sin, and self-will must be overcome and driven from the personalities of the believers. Love for the Lord Jesus must be greatly increased among us. We must grow to maturity. As we become mature, union with the Father and the Son and with one another will follow as a consequence.

The means God has given for the perfecting and unifying of the Body of Christ is the ministries and gifts of the Spirit of God.

And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. (I Corinthians 12:28)

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (Ephesians 4:11,12)

The present-day operation of ministry must change from an organizational assignment imposed on leadership and ministry, to ministry by the wisdom and power of the Spirit of God.

The current pattern includes a presiding elder (termed "pastor") who administrates the business of the organization and preaches and teaches from a pulpit. Some of the presiding elders are administrators, not actually pastors in terms of Ephesians 4:11; but all of them are serving as elders.

The reason the members of today's churches do not grow to spiritual maturity (and it appears few of them grow appreciably in the Lord—even after many years of church attendance) is that the ministries and gifts God has given to the members of the Body of Christ are not operating.

They are not operating because they are not expected to operate. They are not expected to operate because the presiding elder, in numerous instances, is ignorant of the manner in which the churches are to function. The presiding elder of the local assembly may not only be ignorant of the mind of the Spirit but may be actively resisting what the Spirit is seeking to do.

To be continued.