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Scripture Reading: Rev. 1:1-5, 9-13; 12:17; 19:10; 3:14; Exo. 25:31-32, 37
As the last book of the Bible, Revelation is the ultimate consummation of the divine revelation. Even in human writing and speaking, the last word is important. The Bible is a long story with sixty-six books, but without the final book we would miss very much. If we read only Genesis through Jude, we would be lost, knowing neither the goal, destination, and completion of the Bible, nor the ultimate revelation of God Himself. We must all see that this book is crucial to our Christian life, especially in the end times.
God’s eternal purpose is to have a building. The Bible opens with creation, but it closes with a city. This tells us that God’s work began with creation and will consummate with a building. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” but at the end of the Bible what we see is not merely a new heaven and new earth. If the entire universe were only the heavens and the earth, it would be empty. We may prefer the heavens, but if God’s goal is not accomplished there, they are empty. It is on earth that there will be something that attains to God’s goal. Therefore, at the end of the Bible there are three new items: the new heaven, the new earth, and the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:1-2). If we were to enter into the new heaven and new earth without the New Jerusalem, we would need to weep. Without the New Jerusalem we would have no home in the new heaven and new earth, no city or building where we can meet with the Lord. Strictly speaking, God will eventually be neither in the heavens nor on the earth but in the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is His final goal. This demonstrates that in order to know God, we need to know the book of Revelation.
To some extent, Revelation contains teachings and prophecies, but it is not merely a book of teachings and prophecies. The first two verses of this book tell us that it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. Among Christian teachers and Bible students there is much dispute about the small phrase the revelation of Jesus Christ in 1:1. Some say that it refers to the revelation given by Christ. However, this phrase means that this book is the revelation concerning Christ; it is the unveiling of Christ Himself. The word revelation refers to the opening of a curtain or veil. If a person has a veil over him, we will not be able to see him, and the more we try to study him, the more we will not accurately know him. This illustrates the situation in today’s Christianity. The book of Revelation is meant to be an unveiling, but the more people read it, the more they are veiled. Up until this day, many among us may still not see what is in this book. Some may say that this book tells us about the beasts and how one has ten horns and seven heads (13:1-2, 11). Others may see that the seven lampstands are the seven churches, but they do not know why the churches are signified by lampstands (1:12, 20).
In the book of Revelation we should see only one figure, Jesus Christ, because this book is the revelation and unveiling of Jesus Christ. As we have said before, we may compare this book to a painting. We may have a painting of a lion, but in order to bring out the figure of the lion, we need a background and an environment. The best paintings always have a good background and environment. The main figure in the book of Revelation is Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (5:5), but in order to present this wonderful Lion, Revelation has a certain background and environment. In the first vision of this book, the Lion is walking in the midst of the seven lampstands. At this point, though, He is not in the form of a lion. As He is walking in the midst of the lampstands, He is the High Priest (1:12-13). Later, many other characters come into the picture. In chapter 12 there is a wonderful woman (vv. 1-5). It is difficult to tell where she is, because she is clothed with the sun, the moon is underneath her feet, and a crown of stars is on her head. After this, a serpent creeps in (v. 9), and then there are two beasts (13:1-2, 11). All these “characters” are a wonderful environment for the “painting.” Eventually, after traveling through a long journey, the Lion is enthroned in the center of the New Jerusalem as the King of kings and Lord of lords. This is the “painting” of the divine Lion in the book of Revelation. If we have seen this painting, then we will know what we are and where we are. We are not the creeping snake or one of the beasts. We are the golden lampstands.
Some Christians focus on the serpent, the beasts, and the woman and miss Christ. They study the background but miss the main figure of the painting. We need to see the unveiling of Christ in the book of Revelation. Every Christian knows the Christ in the four Gospels, but very few see Him in the book of Revelation. The Christ in the book of Revelation is different from the Christ in the four Gospels. The Gospel of John says that He is the Lamb (1:29). Revelation also says that He is the Lamb, but it tells us something further. He is no longer only the Lamb; He is now the Lion. The Lion is not the same as the Lamb. Is our Christ today the Lamb or the Lion? We may say that He is the Lion, but in our experience He is still the Lamb. In Revelation 5 the angel introduced Him as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, but when John turned to see Him, he saw a Lamb (vv. 5-6).
Today He is no longer only the Lamb. In the four Gospels He is the Lamb, but in Revelation He is the Lamb-Lion. If we love the Lord, He is the Lamb to us, but to those who do not love Him, He is the Lion. He is the Lamb to us and the Lion to the enemy, the world, and the sinful things. Since we do love Him and He is the Lamb to us, why must He also be a Lion? It is because there are still many negative things in us. He died on the cross as the Lamb of God to redeem us, but even after being redeemed, we are still mixed with many negative things. Therefore, He must also be the Lion to deal with these things.
In the Gospels, John could recline on Jesus’ bosom. John was close to Him, and He was nice, dear, gentle, kind, and loving to John. However, when John saw Him again in Revelation, he was frightened and fell at His feet as dead (John 13:23; Rev. 1:17). Out of His mouth proceeded not words of grace but a two-edged sword (Luke 4:22; Rev. 1:16). In John, Jesus looked at people and wept; He truly captured people by His loving look. In Revelation, though, His eyes are like a flame of fire, burning and shining (John 11:35; Luke 22:61; Rev. 1:14). Therefore, we have the full freedom to say that the Christ in Revelation is different from the Christ in the Gospels. We all need to see this different Christ.
Revelation 1:2 mentions “the testimony of Jesus.” The testimony of Jesus is the full revelation of Christ. I have been ministering in the United States for over twelve years, and I have spoken of many matters. However, throughout these years the time was not right to minister fully concerning the testimony of Jesus. I have spent much time to obtain the proper understanding of the testimony of Jesus, and for many years this was a mystery to me. Some would say that the testimony of Jesus is our living as He lived. He was meek, humble, kind, and gentle, and when we live in this way, we are a witness to Him. Forty years ago I accepted this kind of interpretation, but eventually I realized that it was not adequate. The same Greek word in the New Testament is translated both as testimony and as witness. A testimony is a witness. The main difference is that the latter can be used as a verb, meaning to bear witness, or testify. When used as nouns, testimony and witness can refer either to the thing testified or to the person who gives the testimony. Jesus is the testimony of God, expressing God to men. All men know that there is God, but no one has ever seen Him. However, there is a man in this universe, who was even on the earth, by the name of Jesus, who was and still is the testimony of God. Whatever God is, we can see in Him (John 1:18). Jesus testifies God not only by His word and deeds but by what He is. His very being is the testimony of God.
However, God now needs an enlargement of His testimony, which is the church. Christ is the testimony of God, and the church is the testimony of Jesus. What God is, is fully expressed in Jesus, and what Christ is must be fully expressed in the church. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament speak of a golden lampstand. In Exodus there was a single, unique lampstand (25:31-40). This typifies Christ as God’s testimony, shining as the divine light in the darkness. In the New Testament, however, there is no longer only one lampstand but seven (Rev. 1:11-12, 20). The lampstands are no longer singular but plural, no longer individual but collective. Now God’s testimony is not an individual matter but a corporate one. Seven signifies completion and perfection. In Revelation we have the completion of the lampstand. In the Old Testament the lampstand signified Christ individually, and in the New Testament the seven lampstands signify the churches in a corporate way. God’s testimony in the Old Testament was individual, but in the New Testament it is corporate. Even in the Old Testament there was an indication of something plural in the lampstand. The one lampstand had six branches, three branches on each of two sides, and seven lamps. This signifies that the unique Christ would branch out to become sevenfold. In the Old Testament Christ was uniquely one as the lampstand with seven lamps. Then in the New Testament there are seven lampstands, signifying that the one unique Christ has branched out. Just as He is the testimony of God, the churches are His testimony.
Revelation 1:1 and 2 reveal that this book is not only the revelation of Christ but also a record of the testimony of Jesus. As such a record, this book speaks concerning the churches. Verse 9 says, “I John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” Immediately after this, John received the vision of the seven lampstands, the local churches, with the wonderful Christ walking in their midst (vv. 11-13). This is the vision of the testimony of Jesus. Therefore, the local churches are the testimony of Jesus.
This testimony is of pure gold. In typology, gold signifies something marvelous. Gold may be considered as the purest of the elements. Moreover, nothing can damage gold. Regardless of what we do to a piece of gold, it remains the same. Gold can withstand every kind of dealing, trial, and hardship. In addition, gold never rusts. Because of this, gold signifies what God is in His divine nature. God is pure; He is purity itself. Nothing in this universe is as pure as He is. Revelation 22:1 speaks of a river of water of life, bright as crystal. Sometimes in a message we can sense the water of life, but the water is not clear and pure. For this reason, while I am speaking, I often look to the Lord and say, “Lord, speak the pure word through me.” Only God is purity.
God can also never be damaged. Consider how many trials Jesus passed through and the temptations He suffered. Eventually, nothing was able to damage or change Him. We, however, are not like this. In my ministry in the past I saw many good young men. Beginning in 1933 I came to know a group of young Christians in my home province of Shantung, who were all students in the medical college there. At that time they loved the Lord. I loved them, and they invited me to speak to them several times. However, after not more than ten years, all those dear ones changed. When they were students, they went on well with the Lord, but after their graduation they changed. Some changed because of their medical practice, and others changed because of their marriage. In the United States I also saw some promising ones, but eventually they also could not withstand the snares of their job or marriage. There is no need to mention other things; even a job or marriage can change us. Sometimes even owning a car changes a brother, and an item of modern fashion from the department store changes a sister. A sister may truly love the Lord, but she may not be able to stand against the temptations of modern fashions. We are too changeable. While Jesus was on this earth, all manner of things happened to Him, but He was always the same. With Him there was never a change. This is because He was the testimony of God.
Moreover, Jesus never “rusts”; that is, He can never be corrupted. Because we are all constantly “rusting,” we need the meetings to “polish” us up again. If we do not come to the meetings for two weeks, we will collect much rust. I too need the meetings. I mostly speak one night a week; all the other meetings I attend in order to be polished, since I also suffer from the flesh. Rusting is mainly due to dampness. On the one hand, our spouse and children are like fire to burn us, but on the other hand, they are like dampening water to cause us to rust. We rust because we are not divine; we are merely human. Even copper, which is similar to gold, rusts. There is only one element that never rusts, that is, God as our gold.
Now we can see why the testimony of God is a golden lampstand, and the testimony of Jesus today is the golden lampstands. The genuine testimony is something that is absolutely divine, not altogether human. If our love is altogether human, it will rust after a short time. Our human love is polluted and even evil. It can be compared to copper or bronze that seem good but rust. The testimony of Jesus must be golden, that is, divine. This is possible because He has worked Himself into us. We must all see that what God wants is not mere human beings. We should not say that we are right or good in anything. Whether we are right or wrong, or good or bad, does not make a difference, just as whether a piece of copper shines or rusts makes no difference. The problem is that it is only a piece of copper. What God wants is not us, the copper, but Himself, the gold. A wife and husband may often fight. In this kind of fighting, every husband says that he is right, and every wife vindicates herself. Those who have not seen that right or wrong makes no difference will always vindicate themselves and fight. We are merely “copper” and sometimes even “mud.” Even if we are completely right, we are still not golden. What God wants is the gold. To see this is the secret to not fighting with our wife or husband. If we have seen that what God wants is not what we are, we will not fight or vindicate ourselves, because we will realize that what we are—right or wrong, good or bad—means nothing. What counts in the eyes of God is only Himself.
However, the testimony of Jesus is not simply one piece of gold. Instead, it is the lampstands. One person is not a lampstand. Only the church is a lampstand. If we remove a piece of gold from the golden lampstand, the piece is still golden. In nature and element it is the same as the lampstand, but it is not the lampstand. Only the lampstands are the testimony of Jesus. Today many Christians consider that as long as they are spiritual, holy, and for the Lord, everything is all right. However, it is not all right. What God wants today is not separate pieces of gold. What He wants is the corporate lampstands. We must all become the lampstands.
Our burden is to see the Lord’s present revelation and what He wants us to be. The Lord’s present revelation is concerning the recovery of the proper church life. Wherever we are, we must be in the church. If we are not in the church, we are not the testimony of Jesus, regardless of how golden we are. The testimony of Jesus that the Lord desires today is not only golden but is the golden lampstands. We are not qualified by ourselves to be the testimony of Jesus. We do need to be golden, spiritual, and up to God’s standard, but we also must be built into the church. The testimony of Jesus is not a single piece of gold. It is the built-up corporate lampstands.
I am very burdened about this because I have heard much criticism concerning the church for the past forty to fifty years, even up to the present time. Nevertheless, we must not miss this vision. I do not care about the criticisms, because I know by the pure revelation of the Word that nothing but the church is the testimony of Jesus today. Someone may be more golden than others, but if he is not in the proper church life as a built-in part of the church, he is not in the testimony of Jesus. In the book of Revelation, the testimony of Jesus is not individual Christians. The testimony of Jesus is the local churches. If there is no proper church where we are, we should spend every penny and even our own being to be in a place where there is a church. Likewise, if we are in a place where there is a genuine church, we must never stay away from it. If we stay away from the church, we will miss the mark of the Lord’s testimony. If anyone does not believe this today, one day he will admit that this is true, but it may be too late. We would not like to see this. We would like to see that each person is in the testimony of Jesus.
We are golden, but we are not merely pieces of gold. Rather, we must all be able to say firmly, strongly, and positively that we are the golden lampstands. As long as we cannot say this, we are through. We may love the Lord, be for the Lord, be spiritual, and know the Bible more than others, but if we are not the golden lampstands, we are not the testimony of Jesus. What the Lord desires today is the testimony of Jesus. Those who love the Lord Jesus may have had many experiences according to the Gospels and the Epistles, but they should go on from there to the book of Revelation. According to the last book of the Bible, what the Lord wants is the testimony of Jesus.
Without entering into Revelation, we have no goal. In this case, we may be good Christians, but we are wandering Christians. The proper goal is the church. To say that the goal of our salvation is for us to go to heaven is according to a shallow concept of the New Testament. Rather, we are saved for the church, we love the Lord for the church, we preach the gospel and win souls for the church, and we seek spirituality for the church. There is nothing wrong with seeking spirituality, but spirituality that is not for the church means nothing. Everything must be for the church. What the Lord wants today is not all these other things but that we would be the church.
Many people have attacked me and said that I am too much for the church, even addicted to the church, but we can never be too much for the church. We need to see the vision of the church. Once we are caught by the vision, we would not change. For over forty years I have never changed my tone concerning the church. Those who have listened to me again and again for all these years can testify to this. I cannot say that I have not seen the vision. I have seen the testimony of Jesus, and I came to this country with a vision. What the Lord Jesus wants today is the testimony of Jesus, which is the local churches as the pure golden lampstands, the proper, recovered church life.
