Jesus in the Midst of the Candlesticks
MF Blume
NOVEMBER 27, 2011
John the apostle wrote the Gospel of John, 1, 2, 3 John and Revelation.
John and 1 John start with allusions to the Book of Genesis.
John 1:1 MKJV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.
1 John 1:1 MKJV That which was from the beginning, which we have
heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and
our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life,
Revelation has been part of our Kingdom Eschatology Conference last
week.
- And something grabbed my
heart while discussing those issues.
- Revelation in many ways is
like Exodus.
- But it also starts with a
picture of Revelation if you have eyes to see.
John introduces the book and then sees his first vision of the book in
verse 9.
Revelation 1:10-16 MKJV (10) I came to be in the Spirit in
the Lord's day and heard behind me a great voice, as of a
trumpet, (11) saying, I am the Alpha and Omega, the First
and the Last. Also, What you see, write in a book and send it to the
seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to
Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to
Laodicea. (12) And I turned to see the voice that spoke
with me. (13) And having turned, I saw seven golden
lampstands. And in the midst of the seven lampstands I saw One like the
Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and tied around
the breast with a golden band. (14) His head and hair were
white like wool, as white as snow. And His eyes were like a flame of
fire. (15) And His feet were like burnished brass having
been fired in a furnace. And His voice was like the sound of many
waters. (16) And He had seven stars in His right hand, and
out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. And His face was like
the sun shining in its strength.
And there is a very particular Book of Genesis, Garden-of-Eden-like
element in all of this.
Jesus is seen standing in the midst of seven golden candlesticks.
- The seven branched Menorah of
the Tabernacle and Temple.
- The reason I say
Genesis-like, is because Jesus Christ was told to be the LAST ADAM, and
John sees Him in a highly symbolic vision in the midst of the seven
golden candlesticks.
- The candlesticks were shaped
like an almond tree.
- And he is in their midst.
John sees several elements of this vision of Jesus that are worthy of
notice.
1) He is in the midst of the seven candlesticks that
represent the seven churches and holds seven stars in his right hand.
(Rev 1:13, 16)
2) He is the first and last and was dead and is
alive. (Rev 1:17, 18)
3) He has a sharp sword with two edges coming out of
his mouth. (Rev. 1:16)
4) His eyes are like a flame of fire and his feet
like burning brass. (Rev. 1:14, 15)
5) He has the seven Spirits of God. (Rev. 1:4)
6) He is the faithful and true witness, and is
firstbegotten from the dead. (Rev. 1:5)
7) And has the keys of death and hell in his left
hand. (Rev. 1:18).
All these things are seen in Revelation 1.
- But they are also mentioned
in each letter to each of the seven churches in chapters 2 through 3.
And each of these seven churches represent one of those seven golden
candlesticks in the midst of which Jesus stands!
- This is significant.
- And He is standing in a sort
of GARDEN LIKE position.
- Again, those candlesticks
were the shape of almond branches.
- Perhaps like the midst of a
trees, AS THE TREE OF LIFE WAS IN THE MIDST OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN.
Genesis 2:8-9 KJV And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in
Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. (9) And
out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant
to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of
the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Jesus is actually the TREE OF LIFE.
- John 1:1 refers to the
beginning and says HE IS THE WORD THAT MADE ALL THINGS, AND THE LIGHT
AND THE LIGHT IS THE LIFE OF THE WORLD.
John 1:1-4 KJV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. (2) The same was in the
beginning with God. (3) All things were made by him; and
without him was not any thing made that was made. (4) In
him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Notice that in Genesis 1, GOD SPEAKS THE WORD and makes everything.
- He made everything BY THAT
WORD.
- Like the Tree of Life, Jesus
is called LIFE in John 1, and is in the midst of the candlesticks in
Revelation 1.
- Not only is he THE LIFE, but
THIS LIFE IS THE LIGHT OF ALL MEN.
Jesus is the light of the world.
- But he also said WE ARE THE
LIGHT OF THE WORLD.
Matthew 5:14 KJV Ye are the light of the world. A city that is
set on an hill cannot be hid.
What is also a blessing is that the Garden with the tree of life has
rivers with pearl, precious stones and gold in it.
- And in Revelation 21-22 we
see a CITY with the tree of Life made of the same things we find in the
rivers of Eden – pearl, precious stones and gold.
- So, after we read of Jesus
saying we are the LIGHT OF THE WORLD, he also calls us a CITY THAT IS
SET ON A HILL that cannot be hid.
- Both are related to the
GARDEN that was meant to be built into a city by Adam.
- God wants us to influence
this world around us.
- For the world to get light
from us and for them to SEE THIS CITY.
So, like a wonderful tree of life, Jesus is in the midst of a
seven-branched candlestick shining LIGHT for the darkness of the world
to be swallowed up.
John 1:5 KJV And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness
comprehended it not.
John 1:5 ASV And the light shineth in the darkness; and the
darkness apprehended it not.
John 1:5 MSG The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the
darkness couldn't put it out.
John 1:5 ECB (EXEGESIS COMPANION BIBLE) the light manifested in
darkness; and the darkness overtook it not
John 1:5 LEB (LEXHAM ENGLISH BIBLE) And the light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
John 15 speaks of Jesus and the BRANCHES.
John 15:1 KJV I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
The candlesticks were actually shaped like branches of a tree.
Exodus 25:31-33 KJV And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure
gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his
branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the
same. (32) And six branches shall come out of the sides of
it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three
branches of the candlestick out of the other side: (33)
Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one
branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a
knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the
candlestick.
Buds, flowers, almonds.
No tree has buds, flowers and fruit at the same time on its branches.
This same picture is seen when they chose out amongst the tribes the
tribe that would be acting as priests.
Numbers 17:8 KJV And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses
went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for
the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed
blossoms, and yielded almonds.
In the holiest of holies, the dead rod came to life and bore buds,
flowers and almonds.
- The GARDEN is a HOLIEST OF
HOLIES.
- Recall the veil on the
holiest with cherubims on it facing east.
Inside the Holiest would be like being inside the Garden of Eden.
- And inside the GARDEN was the
tree of life.
- Placing the dead rod in the
holiest is like putting Christ in the garden and His resurrection
caused there to be LIFE come forth.
- He is not alone.
- As a seed dies and falls into
the ground, it rises again and is multiplied.
- Jesus is the ALMOND ROD of
the PRIESTHOOD that resurrected and is the TREE NOW with many branches
which are the saints and churches.
- Just like John 15 shows Jesus
as the vine and the believers as Churches, Revelation 1 shows Jesus in
the midst of the tree and the churches as the branches.
We get our life from Him.
- Jesus later in John 6 tells
people to eat his flesh and drink his blood to have ETERNAL LIFE, just
as the fruit of the Tree of life provided eternal life.
- Spiritually we are in the
Garden of Eden.
Revelation 1:4 KJV John to the seven churches which are in Asia:
Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and
which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his
throne;
Isaiah 11:1-5 KJV And there shall come forth a rod out of the
stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
(2) And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit
of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; (3) And shall
make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall
not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the
hearing of his ears: (4) But with righteousness shall he
judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and
he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath
of his lips shall he slay the wicked. (5) And righteousness
shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his
reins.
Isaiah mentions seven spirits.
- And they mention this after
calling Jesus the BRANCH.
- Like Aaron’s rod that
was laid in the holiest before the Ark of the Covenant.
- It’s like the LIFE came
from the Ark of the Covenant as the RIVER OF LIFE comes from the throne
of God and the Lamb in the NEW JERUSALEM, where the TREE OF LIFE is on
either side of the river.
- MANY TREES OF ONE
SPECIES! TREE OF LIFE!
Revelation 2:1 KJV Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write;
These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand,
who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
The first letter to the first church is this picture of Jesus in the
midst of the candlesticks.
Revelation 2:2-5 KJV I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy
patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou
hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast
found them liars: (3) And hast borne, and hast patience,
and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
(4) Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast
left thy first love. (5) Remember therefore from whence
thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will
come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his
place, except thou repent.
Their candlestick was like a branch coming from Jesus.
- And Jesus said they were
doing many good works, but lost their firstlove.
- It reminds me of Adam losing
out with God in disobedience.
- His firstlove was to serve
God.
- Adam lost that.
- And lost his place in the
Garden.
Jesus spoke of the branches and said this:
John 15:2-7 KJV Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he
taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that
it may bring forth more fruit. (3) Now ye are clean through
the word which I have spoken unto you. (4) Abide in me, and
I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in
the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. (5) I am
the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the
same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
(6) If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and
is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they
are burned. (7) If ye abide in me, and my words abide in
you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
We have to learn to trust in Jesus.
- To be used in the Kingdom is
to get used to depending on Jesus to guide you and not to think in your
mind what to do.
- Rely on the Spirit.
- Even in sharing, for example,
do not think of something to say, but actually pray and ask God to give
you something.
- When we are not relying on
HIS SPIRIT, we act in the flesh and though we have lots of activity, it
does NOT COME FROM HIS LIFE.
- It comes from natural life.
Like the trees of Life on either side of the river of life in Rev 22,
the branches that are connected to Jesus LIVE BY THE SAP FROM THE VINE.
- That sap is the SPIRIT OF
JESUS.
- HIS LIFE.
When we focus on many efforts and works and lose firstlove, we turn
into legalists and carnally motivated believers who no longer depend on
the Spirit of God.
- You can tell when someone
flows in the Spirit.
- They charge the congregation
up!
- Worship flows.
- Tears flow.
- You can feel the anointing.
And like removing a branch that does not abide in the vine, Jesus said
He’d remove the Ephesians’ candlestick from its place.
Revelation 2:7 KJV He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to
eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
And he wraps up their word with a reference to GETTING THE OPPORTUNITY
TO EAT FROM THE TREE OF LIFE IN THE MIDST OF EDEN.
- Their firstlove was actually
UNION TO JESUS who is the tree of life.
- A branch that abides in the
vine is a believer and a church that RELIES ON AND DRAWS FROM THE LIFE
OF THE VINE, Jesus Christ.