““Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.” ”
In our last GraceNotes we took a brief view of the “Son of Man.” Jesus, our redeemer, became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. This is the reason Jesus came into human flesh, in a body like ours, so that we might be qualified for His fellowship! It is a question of love and righteousness! It is a question of God’s purpose and plan!
God is the creator of our reality, what we observe and experience. He is the creator of what we see with our physical eyes and discover through His science. He is still in control; He has not abandoned us, rather, God is not only letting people make their own choices, He is also training and preparing those making the choice of accepting the blood of Jesus to cover personal sinfulness. He is knocking on our heart’s door but is waiting for us to listen and open our heart to let Him in. When we do, He is ready to pour into our hearts grace upon grace so that we may become who we already are in Him!
Coming into humanity was the necessary means to provide grace for our sin and inadequacies. Jesus’ blood and grace provides for all our needs, for our short comings, our failures, our bad decisions and everything not holy and pure.
Grace provides God’s righteousness in resurrection power putting to death our own human righteousness when we, being in Christ Jesus, apply faith! Grace is available but we need to grasp it using prayer in our daily experience!
Love on a divine level! This is what makes an effective Lampstand! The book of Revelation is written to Lampstands; these are people who are light, burning the Holy Spirit’s oil for Jesus. They are the ones who are called to let their new creation shine among men. Christ Jesus, in us, glorifies the divine Person who will make us absolutely righteous with His own pure, true holiness producing our own righteous deeds. Salvation is about Light and Love, His first, and then ours!
Yes, you are right, Revelation is written to the seven churches. But those seven churches represent the Body of Christ and those in Christ Jesus complete the Body of Christ. The church, in the Bible, is the body of believers who have accepted God’s grace to save their own soul by being made eternally whole and completed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The Lampstand, in Revelation, represents these righteous, holy believers, The Church!
We are living in the “lampstand” period of our eternal salvation. There are other groups of people with whom our Lord has a salvation relationship. There are the Old Testament saints as well as the saints from the tribulation period. There are also other created beings in heaven such as the angels, the Seraphim and Cherubim! The Bible is God’s narrative about His relationship with His creation, people in heaven and people on earth; its about who we are with Him and who the Bride is in Him, a Kingdom of Priests.
The believer in Christ Jesus goes through several periods of grace living in the process of going to “heaven.” We are speaking now of those of us receiving salvation by being “born again” through a new creation in Christ Jesus.
When we become saved, by the blood and grace of Jesus, we become Spiritual babies. We were temporal people who rely naturally upon circumstances and local culture. When we become believers in Jesus, we are given Spiritual eyes to see and discern the difference between good and evil, between darkness and Spiritual light; we discern the difference between the things that are natural and temporal from things that are holy. Our new Life, in Christ Jesus, is dependent upon learning to rely upon God Spiritually, rather than relying upon temporal culture, reason and human understanding.
Faith is about seeing Spiritually, entering into a grace relationship with God rather than dependence upon our self-serving interest. Faith actually serves our personal interests much better than our own personal temporal judgment.
We enter into a living Spiritual Boot Camp when we are created new in Jesus! We begin learning to discern spiritually from natural choices; we learn to make eternal choices rather than temporal choices. This is the period in our Spiritual growth when we are burning our candlesticks (lampstands); we are a “lampstand” burning our spiritual oil so that Jesus is glorified in us while living on this earthly fleshly body. In this period of time, we learn how to trim our wick making our light to so shine among men that we glorify our Father in Heaven.
After seeing Jesus among the earth Lampstands , John sees heaven’s open door through which the church has arrived as the 24 elders are seated on their thrones. It is the elders who give praise for God’s creation power: “and by your will they existed and were created.” The elders are from the earth representing the Body of Christ now in Heaven.
This next period of our salvation might be called the 7 year “Elder” period. Notice it is one of the elders in Revelation 7 pointing out to John that the “great multitude that no one could number clothed in white robes” are the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation. This is the period when we have been raptured out of earth through the open door in heaven. We are now in heaven wearing our resurrection body.
““Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ At once I was in the spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven., with one seated on the throne. …. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.”
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, our natural body is changed into a resurrection body of Jesus. We will be in heaven during the seven year tribulation period of judgment upon earth. Spiritual boot camp is over and we are processing into the Kingdom of God according to our faithfulness to God’s grace individually. We are to be judged, not for our sin, that is covered by the blood of Jesus. We are to be judged and rewarded according to our discernment to walk in the light of Jesus as a Lampstand on earth.
According to 1Corinthians 15:11-15, the test for our life while in an earthly spiritual boot camp will be by fire. Our works of wood, hay and stubble will be burned up but our works of gold, silver and precious stone will stand the test of fire and be rewarded.
Remember the parable Jesus told of the talents. A man goes on a journey and leaves his property to the care of his servants. To one servant he gave 5 pieces of gold, to another he gave two pieces of gold and a third only 1 piece of gold. When he returned from his journey, he settled his accounts with his servants. To the one given 5 “talents,” he had made five more talents. To the one given 2 “talents,” he gave back 2 more but the servant given one “talent,” only gave back to the master what he had been given. He buried his one talent rather than put it at risk. To the servant who returned 10 talents for the 5 given was given also the 1 talent returned by the third servant.
Jesus is our master and left us, the servants, here on the earth with the treasure we have within us. Our accountability will be when we see Jesus in heaven. We will give Him an answer for the works we have done in the flesh, while carrying within us His treasure of grace: “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
The 24 thrones in heaven are occupied by 12 Israeli Elders and 12 Body of Christ Elders. It is a picture of the saints having received their reward. The Kingdom of God has a hierarchy of privilege and authority. We don’t know how this hierarchy is constructed but it seems likely to some extent it will be related to our reward in Heaven during this “Elder” period.
““Then I heard what seemed to be the v0ice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,“
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the lamb has come
and the Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. ”
We recognize the tribulation period as God’s judgment on the earth for refusing God’s gift of grace through Jesus’ sacrifice. But the Great Tribulation judgment of the earth is also preparation for God’s original intent of restoring on the earth, God’s relationship with created humanity on His own terms!
The redemption of the church has been completed. Jesus has already retrieved His bride via the rapture. An important element of this Elder period is preparation!
While God’s tribulation judgment is taking place on earth, the Bride is making herself ready for a wedding in heaven.
The first thing we want to notice is “it was granted her to cloth herself with fine linen, bright and pure for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” When we are saved, “born again,” we are created new in Christ Jesus. We are wearing the righteousness of Jesus, it is imputed to us. But, on the other hand, we are also created righteous in Christ Jesus and can live in His resurrection power if we choose to do so. We do not have two natures! The old nature of man has been put to death; we are to now live in the new man created inside of us. Our identity is now Spiritual in Christ Jesus. It is the righteous deeds of the saints, “fine linen, bright and pure,” that the Bride will be wearing at the wedding.
The Old Testament also uses language suggesting the Bride to be Israel, such as Hosea. There is also a discussion about the guests at the wedding. The discussion in the commentaries on our library selves suggest there may be two weddings, one in heaven and one on earth. It may be that Israel is the guest at one and Body of Christ, the Church, is the guest at the other.
The relationship God has with Israel is not the same relationship He has with His Bride. Our commentary consensus is that there is a marriage in heaven with the Body of Christ and there is also a marriage feast on earth with guests including Israel, the saints from the tribulation.
God is passing judgment on the earth in preparation for the role of Jesus as King of kings on earth for a rule of 1000 years. Jesus removes the 7 seals, one by one, from the ownership title for the earth which is also preparation for the Kingdom of Priest to with Jesus
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to him be glory dominion forever and ever. Even so, Amen. -Revelation 1:5b-6.
Israel was originally chosen to be a royal priesthood on earth as a light unto all nations of the earth. Israel failed and the tribe of Levi was chosen to be the Priests for Israel. This failed too, so God, under a new covenant, elected the gentiles to be a kingdom of Priests.
This is the calling of the church today as the Body of Christ: “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, are to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
The rejection of Jesus as King by Israel’s crucifixion opened the door for the New Covenant. The New Covenant is God’s insertion of the Old Testament plan allowing gentile believers to participate in God’s salvation. This is the “church age” or period of grace. Pentecost inaugurated this current church period by the giving of the Holy Spirit and will close at the rapture or removal of the church from the earth.
The 7 churches in Revelation represent Jewish and gentile believers during this New Covenant age of grace. This New Testament body of believers is called the church. These church groups of believers represent the person of Jesus on the earth. They are in training as priests of God’s grace. John sees in his vision Jesus in the midst of these believers, the Lampstands. The righteousness of Christ is in them burning the oil of the Holy Spirit as a light in the world. This is you and me being faithful to our calling which is to continue growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus until He comes … and after.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. -1Peter 2:9-10
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Our time on earth is getting shorter and shorter. Lets be wise, investing our remaining time producing gold, silver and precious stones. Our remaining time on earth is our opportunity to produce more precious stones before we are presented before the bema seat of God and judged according to our Spiritual deeds on earth. We are in the end times, close to entering into the Kingdom of Heaven!
Now we are in our spiritual bootcCamp looking for that great day when we shall be raptured out of this dark earth and be physically present with Jesus in a spiritual body like His. Now is the time for us to be prepared to see Him face to face!!
Grace is already ours to consume! We now have spiritual ears to hear! We now are overcomers in the blood of the Lamb! Ours is only to listen and obey! We have been created new in Christ Jesus to be and walk in the Light of Jesus!
As believers, we are in the process of discerning His light within our fleshly soul. Our current earthly Spiritual training camp is schooling us in Godliness. This is who we now are if we are in Christ Jesus. It includes discipline; we are spiritual children.
God provides us with spiritual eyes to wonder at His beauty and comprehend His glory while rendering to Him what is our calling and deep desire! This awesome opportunity will grow us into maturity if we consume grace in His wonderous deep love.
Fellowship does not happen automatically. We must respond in His grace to root out our self-gratifying choices. Grace gives us spiritual vision to discern choices between our darkness and His light, between His righteousness and ours. We are given resurrection power to walk in God’s own Light. It is up to us in grace to be who we are in Christ Jesus.
Jesus wants to manifest Himself in each and every believer in a divinely Spiritual way. Our natural self is in spiritual darkness. In Christ, we acquire access to absolute truth and righteousness, yes, even the very mind of Christ. We are equipped with the capacity to walk in the light as He is in the light. But darkness remains within us unless we, by faith, receive God’s Word into our soul, so that, we may live and walk in His resurrection power.
He is in the “midst” of the lampstands! And why is He preoccupied with lampstands?
The lampstands are why Jesus came as the Son of Man! The lampstands are lights of His own righteousness in us! The lampstands are not only the seven churches, they are the body of Christ as it now stands on earth! The physical 7 churches are real but they also represent the history of church during this insertion period of “grace.” The apostacy we see churches today is also seen in the history of the 7 churches.
In short, He is loving us with His own divine agape Love! He is walking among the Lampstands providing His love to us through grace. He is building His church, He is building a Kingdom of Priests and kings who will reign with Him after He sits on His own thrown in heaven and earth. This is our destiny because we are in Christ Jesus!
There is no more judgment for believer’s sin because Jesus has already paid the price for believers and unbelievers. The tribulation begins the judgment period of those who did not accept God’s provisions of grace and forgiveness. The church does not enter into the judgment for which our Father God has given grace to believers. Jesus says this to the church of Philadelphia:
“Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” -Revelation 3:10.
It does not fit the scriptures’ description of salvation for Christ’s Body to enter into the tribulation period of God’s judgment. Remember, there are wheat and tares within the churches but the wheat church of Philadelphia is protected from the “trial that is coming upon the whole earth.” The believers in Christ, His Lampstands, will not go through the tribulation period; they are the wheat in the physical churches.
The Lampstands on earth have become elders in heaven. Basic training on earth is completed and now begins advance training in heaven.
The rapture ushers in earth’s ownership by Jesus. Earth was created by God and He never relinquished what He created to another. This is illustrated by His removing the 7 seals from the ownership document in heaven. Jesus renders judgment on the world for not receiving the gift of His grace to cover man’s failures and sin. Thus, the way is opened for Satan to ride his white horse to fil the void of the raptured churched as though he, the ruler of this world, were able to provide the solution for the absence of millions of people from the face of the earth in Revelation 6:2.
John’s letter to the Body of Christ, the churches, is not about the future, it is, but more importantly, it is the revelation of Jesus Christ to the Church, to the believers who have the light of Jesus’ righteousness dwelling within them. Jesus’ letter to His churches thru John is the unveiling, the revealing of Jesus the Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords. It is about the intent of creation and the priority of our Creator’s resolve to bring into completion what He has promised and how His absolute authority will play out! It is about His love desires for us to understand our intimacy in Him as He has in us. Isn’t this the greatest of miracles!
The prologue to this chapter four unveiling in heaven is Jesus introducing Himself to the churches in chapter 1. The 7 churches are a history of struggle and apostacy. The picture for us is our vulnerability in flesh while at the same time knowing our hope of victory is already secured. We are conquers in Christ Jesus; ours is to listen and overcome!
Having done this, we now find Jesus in heaven among the lampstands knocking on each born again believer’s own heart, so that, we may sit down with Him in fellowship and intimacy!
Do you know of any intimacy deeper than mixing your essence with another while sharing their intimacy as well. This is exactly what Jesus is doing here in us! This is not only what the gospel is about, it is what our calling as believers is all about as Priests.
Why are we are so distracted with earthly things and neglecting our spiritual priorities?
God paid a very high price just so He may have His Light shining into humanity thru us!
Why?
If our creator God spent so much of Himself to become the Son of Man, how important is it for us to respond, taking seriously our light to be shining brightly for Him? How important is it for us to keep oil flowing into our wick? How important is it for us to keep our wick trim?
Our salvation is secure in the Lord Jesus!