Since nearly everything in the book of Revelation is based upon the Old Testament, most of the items mentioned in this book are not new. Most of what this book reveals can be traced back to the Old Testament. Nevertheless, all the items found in Revelation have a new significance. For example, the city of Jerusalem, a city with twelve gates, is found in Ezek. 48, but at the end of Revelation we see the city of Jerusalem in a new way. Because Revelation is a book of conclusion, the fulfillment of the things in the Bible, nearly everything contained in it is presented in a new way. This is true of the lampstands in chapter one. The lampstand is mentioned in Exo. 25 and Zech. 4, but in Revelation it is mentioned in a new way. In this message we must consider the seven lampstands in Rev. 1.
The lampstands are the symbols of the local churches. Although we have seen that the local churches are the testimony of Jesus, it may be somewhat difficult for many to grasp the meaning of this. What does it mean to say that the local churches are the testimony of Jesus? It means that the churches are the lampstands.
Throughout the centuries, few Christians have touched the depths of the significance of the lampstand. In this message we must probe into the depths of this matter of the lampstands. Biblical symbols are difficult to comprehend, for we cannot understand a symbol like the lampstand according to our natural concept. According to our natural concept, a lampstand is simply an object holding a lamp that shines in the darkness. The lampstand in Exodus 25 is pure gold, and the lampstands in Zechariah 4 and Revelation also are golden. Substantially, the lampstand is golden. With the lampstand we see three important things: the gold, the stand, and the lamps. The lampstand implies the significance of the Triune God. Gold is the substance with which the lampstand is made, the stand is the embodiment of the gold, and the lamps are the expression of the stand. The gold signifies the Father as the substance, the stand signifies the Son as the embodiment of the Father, and the lamps signify the Spirit as the expression of the Father in the Son. Thus, the significance of the Triune God is implied in the lampstand.
On the walls of Jewish synagogues there is a symbol of the lampstand. Although the Jews have used this symbol for centuries, they do not know its real significance — the significance of the Triune God. Have you ever realized that the lampstand implies the significance of the Triune God?
Substantially, the lampstand is one, but expressively, it is seven because it is one lampstand with seven lamps. At the bottom, the lampstand is one; at the top, it is seven. Should we argue about whether it is one or seven? In substance, the lampstand is one piece of gold, but it holds seven lamps. This mysteriously indicates that substantially the Triune God is one. In substance, He is one, but in expression, He is the seven Spirits. The Father as the substance is embodied in the Son as the form, and the Son is expressed as the seven Spirits.
How can we prove that the seven lamps are the Spirit expressing Christ? The seven lamps are first mentioned in Exodus. If we only had the record in Exodus, however, it would be difficult to realize that these seven lamps are the Spirit. But as we proceed from Exodus to Zechariah, we see that the seven lamps are the seven eyes of Christ and the seven eyes of God (Zech. 3:9; 4:10). As we continue on to Revelation, we see that the seven eyes of the Lamb are the seven eyes which are the intensified Spirit of God. Hence, we have a strong basis for saying that the seven lamps are the sevenfold intensified Spirit as the expression of Christ.
We have seen that the lampstand implies the significance of the Triune God; it symbolizes the Triune God embodied and expressed. God the Father as the divine gold is embodied in Christ the Son and then is fully expressed through the Spirit. The expression differs from the embodiment. The embodiment must be uniquely one because our God is uniquely one. Thus, the embodiment must be one stand. The expression, however, must be complete, and complete in God’s move. Recall that seven is the number for completion in God’s move. Throughout the centuries, God has been expressed in His move. This is the reason that the seven lamps signify the intensified Spirit as the expression of Christ in God’s complete move. This is the practical understanding of the Trinity. The Trinity is for the dispensing of God into humanity. God, the divine Being, is firstly embodied in Christ and then expressed through the sevenfold intensified Spirit. Now we not only have the Triune God; in the lampstand we have the Triune God substantially and solidly embodied and expressed. The gold has been formed into the solid stand. It once was just gold, but now it is the stand. The gold has been formed into a stand for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. Without the stand, there is no way for God’s purpose to be fulfilled. As we have seen, this stand, which is a type of Christ, is expressed through the seven lamps signifying the seven Spirits of God. The seven Spirits of God are not separate from God; they are the seven eyes of God and of the Lamb, the Redeemer. As we shall see, they are also the seven eyes of the building stone. Hence, they are the seven eyes with the redemption of Christ for God’s building. Whenever these eyes look at people, they are redeemed and built into God’s house. This is the Trinity.
In Exodus 25 the emphasis is upon the stand, in Zechariah 4 the emphasis is upon the lamps, and in Revelation 1 the emphasis is upon the reproduction. In both Exodus and Zechariah, the lampstand is one, but in Revelation it has been reproduced and has become seven. Firstly, in Exodus the emphasis is on the stand — on Christ. Secondly, in Zechariah the emphasis is on the lamps — on the Spirit. Eventually, in Revelation both the stand and the lamps, that is, both Christ and the Spirit, are reproduced as the churches. In Exodus and Zechariah there are just seven lamps, but here in Revelation there are forty-nine lamps, for every lampstand has seven lamps. Hence, the one lampstand has become seven and the seven lamps have become forty-nine. The lampstands with their lamps in Revelation are the reproduction of Christ and the Spirit. When Christ is realized, He is the Spirit, and when the Spirit is realized, we have the churches as the reproduction.
The church is not only universally one but also expressed locally in many cities. In the whole universe there is only one Christ, one Spirit, and one church. Why then are there the seven churches? Because of the need for an expression. For existence, one is sufficient, but for expression, many are needed. If we would know the church, we must know its substance, existence, and expression. Substantially, the church, and even all the churches, are one. In expression, the many churches are the many lampstands. What is the church? The church is the expression of the Triune God, and this expression is seen in many localities on the earth. The church is signified not by just one lampstand — but by seven lampstands. In Revelation 1 there are seven lampstands with forty-nine lamps shining in the universe. This is the testimony of Jesus. The church is the testimony of Jesus. This means that the church is the expression of the Triune God substantially and expressively. Substantially, it is of one substance in the whole universe; expressively, it is many lampstands with the lamps shining in the darkness to express the Triune God. The Father as the substance is embodied in the Son, the Son as the embodiment is expressed through the Spirit, the Spirit is fully realized and reproduced as the churches, and the churches are the testimony of Jesus. If we see this vision, it will govern us and we shall never be divisive. This vision will hold us, guard us, and keep us in the testimony of Jesus.
We have seen that the lampstand is the divine gold embodied into a substantial form to fulfill God’s purpose in His move. The expression of the stand is in the shining of the light. As the expression shines, the shining fulfills God’s eternal purpose. Thus, the lampstand not only signifies the Triune God, but also the move of the Triune God in His embodiment and expression. We also have seen that the local churches are the reproduction of the embodiment and expression of the Triune God. This is not a small thing. We should not be satisfied with saying that the local churches are the lampstands shining in the dark night. Although this is correct, it is rather shallow. We must see that the local churches are the reproduction of the embodiment and expression of the Triune God.
In the Bible, the lampstand is always related to God’s building. The first time it was mentioned was in Exo. 25:31-40 when the tabernacle was built. The second instance was in the building of the temple in 1 Kings 7:49. The third instance had very much to do with the rebuilding of God’s temple in Zech. 4:2-10. Here in Revelation it is related to the building of the churches. In Exodus 25 the emphasis is on Christ being the lampstand as the divine light, shining as the seven lamps with the Spirit (the oil). In Zechariah 4 the emphasis is on the Spirit (v. 6) shining as the seven lamps which are the seven eyes of God (vv. 2, 10). The seven eyes of God are the seven Spirits of God (Rev. 5:6) for God’s intensified move. This indicates that the lampstand in Zechariah is the reality of the lampstand in Exodus, and the lampstands in Revelation are the reproduction of the lampstand in Zechariah, Christ is realized as the Spirit, and the Spirit is expressed as the churches. The shining Spirit is the reality of the shining Christ, and the shining churches are the reproduction and the expression of the shining Spirit to accomplish God’s eternal purpose that the New Jerusalem as the shining city may be consummated. Christ, the Spirit, and the churches are all of the same divine nature.
We have seen that the lampstand is for God’s building. The lampstand in Exodus 25 was for the building of the tabernacle, the lampstand in Zechariah 4 was for the recovery of God’s building, and the lampstands in Revelation 1 are for the building of the church. This indicates that the Triune God is for God’s building. While Christians talk a great deal about the Trinity, very few have seen that the Triune God is for God’s building. The lampstand in Exodus 25 typifies Christ as the expression of God shining with the seven lamps, the seven Spirits of God.
The way the Bible presents the lampstands is very interesting. Firstly, the Bible reveals that for the building of the tabernacle there was the need of the lampstand. The lampstand was also necessary for the function of the tabernacle. The tabernacle had no windows, and its entrance was completely covered by a curtain. Since there were no openings, there was no way light could come in from the outside. Without the lampstand shining in the tabernacle, no one inside would have been able to function. Thus, the lampstand was not only for the building of the tabernacle but also for its function.
Likewise, without the lampstand, there is no building of the church and no function in the church. The church’s function depends upon the shining lampstand. We in the church need the shining of the lampstand. Often, when you consider what to do or how to do it, you find yourself confused. The more you think, the more dense the darkness becomes. But when you come into the church meeting or fellowship with the saints, you are immediately enlightened and say, “Oh, now I see the way.” No one gave you a message telling you what to do. You were made clear by the shining of the lampstand in the church. The lampstand shines upon us in the church.
The lampstand is not only for God’s building, but also for the function in God’s building. In order to function, we must have light. The light of the shining lampstand is in the church. This is why we cannot afford to stay away from the church. Do not say, “As long as I read the Bible and pray at home, everything will be the same.” If you try this, you will rush back to the church after a few days. For this reason, we do not like to take a vacation unless we can go to a place where there is a church. The church not only has the lampstand but also is the lampstand.
The lampstand is needed even more for the recovery of God’s building. Zechariah 4 reveals that the lampstand emphasizing the Spirit is for the recovery of God’s building. Today, there is a greater need for the lampstand because we are not only in God’s building, but also in the recovery of His building. We need the lampstand to shine upon us and to strengthen us.
For the recovery of His temple, God gave a vision to Zechariah that by it he might be able to strengthen Zerubbabel. In this vision, Zechariah saw a lampstand with seven lamps into which oil was flowing from two olive trees. Then the angel said to Zechariah, “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6). This indicates that the Spirit of God is for His move on the earth.
The seven lamps on the lampstand in Zechariah are the seven eyes. Firstly, these seven eyes are the eyes of Christ as the stone for God’s building (Zech. 4:2, 10; 3:9). Rev. 5:6 also speaks of the seven eyes of Christ, the Lamb, saying that they are “the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” The seven Spirits are the seven eyes of Christ. In Zechariah 3 and 4 Christ is the stone for God’s building, and in Revelation 5 He is the Lamb for our redemption. This indicates that the redeeming Christ is the building stone. Both the Lamb and the stone have the seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God. In Zechariah the seven eyes are the eyes of the stone, while in Revelation they are the eyes of the Lamb.
The seven lamps, which are the seven eyes of Christ, are also the eyes of God for His move (Zech. 4:10). Christ has the seven eyes, the seven Spirits of God, for God’s move. Firstly, Christ is the redeeming Lamb and eventually He is the building stone. This is absolutely for God’s move on earth, through redemption to the goal of building. Today we are enjoying redemption for the building. We enjoy Christ not only as the redeeming Lamb, but also as the building stone. Christ’s redemption is for God’s building. In Him we are redeemed, and in Him we are built up. He is accomplishing this by the seven Spirits of God which are for God’s move today.
The lamps are for enlightening, and the eyes are for transfusion by looking. These eyes are not only for searching, observing, and judging, but especially for transfusing. Whenever Christ looks at us with His seven eyes, we are spontaneously infused by Him. Whether we are being judged, enlightened, searched, or burned, He transfuses all that He is into us. Whenever Christ enlightens us, He shines into us, transfusing all that He is into us that we might become a transformed precious stone for God’s building.
The lampstands in Revelation are the symbols of the local churches. Every local church is a lampstand shining forth the testimony of Jesus with the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God as the lamps in its locality.
The lampstands are golden. As we have seen, gold signifies the divine nature of God. That the lampstands here are golden signifies that the churches are constituted with the divine nature of God. We have the Father’s life and nature (2 Pet. 1:4), the Father’s gold, possessing His golden divine nature. How wonderful that we have this divine substance.
We may pay our attention only to the lampstands and neglect the lamps, but the lampstands are not for the lampstands; they are for the lamps. If the lampstands had no lamps, they would be meaningless. Therefore, we must point out what the lamps are. We see the lamps in chapter four: they are the seven Spirits of God burning before the throne (4:5). Thus, the seven Spirits of God are the seven burning lamps. Some have said that the lamps are Christ and that the church is the stand which holds Christ as the lamp. This is not bad, but Revelation does not say that the lamp firstly is Christ. Of course, when we come to chapter twenty-one, we see that Christ is the lamp in the New Jerusalem. However, Revelation does not say that Christ is the seven lamps today; rather, it says that the seven Spirits of God are the seven lamps.
We must be deeply impressed with how much the seven Spirits mean to us. If we are the churches as the lampstands, what should we hold? To say that we should hold Christ is too doctrinal. Who and what is Christ today? In our experiences for the church life, Christ is not merely Christ — He is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17). This Spirit, who is the life-giving Spirit, has been intensified in the book of Revelation into the seven Spirits which are the seven Spirits of God. These Spirits are the seven eyes, not only of God, but also of the Lamb. The church life is completely dependent upon these seven Spirits. It is not a matter of Christ doctrinally, but of the seven Spirits experientially. We must experience the Spirit. In our work, daily life, meetings, service, and testimonies, we must have the Spirit. If we lack the Spirit, we are empty and are nothing. The lampstands must hold the lamps which are the seven Spirits.
The seven Spirits are the expression of Christ. This is clearly indicated by the lampstand in Exodus 25. This lampstand, which was one piece of gold weighing a talent, is expressed through the seven lamps. This solid piece of pure gold signifies God the Father as our very substance. But if we only had God the Father, we would not have the form; we would have the gold, but no stand. To have only the Father without the Son is to have the substance without the embodiment. Only when the gold is beaten into the form of a stand do we have the embodiment. While the stand is the embodiment of the substance, without the seven lamps, this embodiment cannot have its expression. Hence, the substance is the Father, the embodiment is the Son, and the expression is the Spirit expressing God the Father in the Son. Since all that God the Father is in the Son is expressed through the seven lamps, the Bible later tells us that the seven lamps are the seven Spirits. Hence, the Spirit is the expression of the Triune God. Eventually, in the book of Revelation, we see that this expression is the expression of Christ, because the seven Spirits firstly were the seven eyes of God in Zechariah 4:10, and have become the seven eyes of the Lamb in Revelation 5:6. The seven eyes of the Lamb are the expression of Christ. Today, the Holy Spirit, who is the life-giving Spirit and also the seven Spirits, is the expression of Christ. Where is this expression today? It is with the churches, for the seven Spirits are the seven lamps held by the churches as the lampstands.
Many Christians today do not know the life-giving Spirit and the sevenfold intensified Spirit, or the seven Spirits as the expression of Christ held by the churches as the lampstands. If you would meet this Spirit, you must be with the churches. If you would touch, enjoy, and experience this Spirit, you must be a part of the church, for it is the churches as the lampstands which hold the seven Spirits of Christ who are the very expression of Christ. This Spirit is no more separate from Christ than your eyes are separate from you. Since a person’s eyes are his expression, they cannot be separated from him. Likewise, since the seven Spirits are Christ’s expression, they cannot be separated from Christ. The churches are the lampstands, and the lamps are the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God as the expression of Christ. This light is shining brighter and brighter, and the vision is becoming clearer every day.
The local churches as the golden lampstands shine with such a Spirit in the dark age of today. In today’s dark age, the church really needs the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God to shine forth the testimony of Jesus.
The church is the embodiment of Christ and the reproduction of the Spirit. The Spirit is the reality of Christ (John 14:17-20; 16:13-15), and the church is the reproduction of the Spirit (Rev. 22:17a). The church with the Spirit is the embodiment of Christ, the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 1:2, 9; 19:10). Therefore, the more Spirit, the more church and the more testimony of Jesus.
In 11:4 we see the two lampstands, the two witnesses, for God’s testimony during the great tribulation. The overcomers will be raptured before the tribulation, whereas the weaker ones, the green and tender ones, will be left on earth to pass through the tribulation. Due to this, there will be the need for the strengthening of God’s testimony. To meet this need, God will send Elijah and Moses back to earth. Today, the testimony of the church mainly depends upon the stronger, more experienced ones. When the experienced ones have been raptured, the weaker ones will need to be strengthened. Although it may be quite good to be supplied by Moses and Elijah, I want to leave the earth before they return. In principle, the two witnesses in chapter eleven also are lampstands. The Bible describes them as the two olive trees which supply oil to the weaker ones (Zech. 4:3, 12). According to the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25, the five foolish virgins will need to buy oil. Once Brother Nee said that probably these foolish virgins would go to the two olive trees to gain the extra portion of the Spirit at a cost. These two olive trees are also called the two sons of oil, for they are full of the Spirit for God’s testimony (Zech. 4:14) and are able to supply the weaker saints. During the great tribulation, many of the unripe ones will be strengthened and matured through their ministry.
