Exodus 25:31 (NKJV)
“You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece.”
There are multiple elements within the Tabernacle. I want to focus on the lampstand and what this symbolizes in the life of a disciple of Christ.
The substance of the lampstand was pure gold, which symbolizes God the Father in His divine nature. Are we called to imitate God?
- Ephesians 5:1 says, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”
How is gold purified? There are many methods, but one of the oldest is by fire! Gold scraps are placed in a crucible (a container that can withstand very high temperatures). This crucible is then placed in a furnace which is heated up to almost 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The gold melts at such a high temperature. It is then transferred to another container, leaving the impurities and other substances floating at the surface.
- Matthew 3:11 says, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Next we see the gold was beaten into the form of a lampstand, which symbolizes God the Son, who is the embodiment of God the Father. When metals are heated they are then malleable and able to be formed. It is through the fire of the Holy Spirit and allowing the Word of God to form us into Jesus’ image, and many times it feels like a hammer!
Exodus 25:37 (NKJV)
“You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it.”
What do the seven lamps represent?
Revelation 4:5 (NKJV)
“And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”
The seven shining lamps symbolize God’s Holy Spirit as the seven Spirits of God for the expression of the Father in the Son
- Isaiah 11:2 says, “The Spirit of the Lord (1) shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom (2) and understanding (3), The Spirit of counsel (4) and might (5), The Spirit of knowledge (6) and of the fear of the Lord (7)
What causes the lamp to burn?
Exodus 27:20 (NKJV)
“And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.”
What does oil represent? The Holy Spirit!
Where does the oil come from?
Zechariah 4:2-3 (NKJV)
“And he said to me, "What do you see?" So I said, "I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left."
Zechariah 4:11-12 (NKJV)
“Then I answered and said to him, "What are these two olive trees-at the right of the lampstand and at its left?" And I further answered and said to him, "What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?"
Pure oil comes from pressing into His presence. In order to burn continually we must have a continual supply of oil, and that only comes from a continual time ministering to the Lord in the secret place!
What do the two olive trees and branches represent?
Zechariah 4:14 (NKJV)
“So he said, "These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth."
1. Jeshua the High Priest (Priesthood line)
- What is the importance of the oil coming from this priesthood line? There are two priesthoods, Abiathar and Zadok→ What Kind of Priest Are You
2. Zerubbabel (Davidic King line)
What is the light?
John 8:12 (NKJV)
“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
What is the purpose of the lampstand?
The function of the lampstand is to express God’s divine shining light of life. As with all scripture, in order to have a corporate manifestation, each disciple in the church needs to experience Christ in their personal life and allow Christ to grow within them. As we seek to behold Jesus we are transformed into His image (Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor.3:18) and we then portray His light into the darkness of the world. This growth and transformation through the divine life of Christ in His disciples causes the local church to shine forth His divine light as we assemble corporately, as the testimony of Jesus.
Can we see the lampstand corporately?
Revelation 1:20 (NKJV)
“The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.”
The seven churches represent the seven church ages that have come to pass since the ascension of Jesus, the sending of the Holy Spirit and the birth of His church. This shows that the local churches are to be the manifestation of Christ on the earth. We are to exude Jesus in nature (gold), in form (a stand), and in function (shining). Because of this, the lampstands should also be identical to one another; there should be no way to distinguish one from the other.
Can a person or a church have its lampstand removed?
Revelation 2:5 (NKJV)
“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.”
We must understand Jesus has an expectation of His people and His church. We are to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. 1 John 2:6 says, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”
There should be fruit, and if there is not this portion of scripture should be a very sobering one!
John 15:1-8 (NKJV)
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
When Jesus refers to a "branch in me," it does not necessarily mean those who are truly "born again." The focus is entirely on the analogy of a vine and branches. Some branches may appear to be connected to the vine, but are not, those branches are dead and will never produce fruit. The vinedresser removes those branches, to allow room for the living branches to grow and bear fruit.
Just like the vine, our relationship with God, merely being "around" or "attached" to the idea of Christ isn’t enough. It is possible for a person to profess the name of Jesus, and to even associate with believers, and yet not be born again and connected to the True Vine, which is Jesus. Like a branch which produces no fruit, these are people who have attached themselves to the church, but are not connected to the Source of Life. The One with ultimate knowledge and authority, God as the "vinedresser", will eventually remove those false branches and discard them into the fire!
Are there really fake lampstands, branches, etc in the church?
Matthew 13:24-30 (NKJV)
“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
1 John 2:18-19 (NKJV)
“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.”