“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.”
We are continuing with the theme of Lampstands because the content of Revelation is specifically directed to Lampstands. Jesus is in the midst of the lampstands in the above reference and in Jesus’ note to Ephesus, Jesus Himself says He is the One walking among the seven golden lampstands. The churches are the lampstands!
This behavior is from The Persona who loves our souls. He left His place in heaven to provide participation for created humanity in pure, righteous truth in love! Now in heaven, He is here seen walking among those still on earth. This is the essence of God Himself, walking on earth in love with truth and righteousness in us. This is the nature of Lampstand Light compared to the darkness of man! Light sows the seed of righteous truth, this is our calling!
Our last GN glance into heaven was post rapture. The Bride is making herself ready for the Bridegroom. She will be rewarded for her faithfulness to Jesus who had departed earth, in part, to prepare a place for her in heaven. The lampstand light is removed from earth and now is in heaven to be rewarded for her rendered light on earth. The Lampstands on earth have become the Bride in heaven to be joined to Jesus, the Bridegroom.
In heaven, the Bride is in marriage preparation for Jesus, her Bridegroom. The Bridegroom, on the other hand, is preparing earth for a millennial reign of 1000 years on earth; Jesus is King of kings. Jesus is removing the seals from off the ownership certificate of earth, the scroll or “little book” and begins rendering righteous judgment on both planet and people
for a righteous rule with His bride.
Yet, while upon earth righteous judgment is about to be executed in preparation for a righteous reign, we still see God’s mercy operational. Judged peoples still find mercy; redemption and salvation is still on the table! Where God’s anger is totally vented, mercy still reaches hearts; believers in the midst of tribulation still find God’s love ready to provide salvation, to the Jew first and also the gentile.
“After this I looked and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” -Rev. 7:9.
God wanted people similar to Himself so He created us! But He wants us wise enough to discern between self-oriented choices compared to the pure righteousness flowing out of absolute Truth. So, He provides conditions, training us to know the difference between dark and light, to be able to make wise spiritual choices rather than earthly personal preferences.
Those making wise, righteous choices, He delights to have fellowship. He blesses them with His own personal presence! He also nurtures these righteous people with spiritual things outside of human knowledge and reach. This is called grace! Grace is a relationship!
Those making dark choices are simply choosing to separate themselves from His glorious righteous truth and His loving person; they are judged for their willful selfness. These are the ones walking into eternal darkness toward tribulation judgment! These are the ones left upon the earth after the removal of His Lampstands.
But all of this is conditional. It rests on making the wise righteous choice of faith in Jesus Christ … so that … we become created new in Him! We become righteously alive in Him … and we become overcomers of sin when we make this choice! This is a spiritual discernment coming only from constant practice!
We get to know Him personally by making habitual spiritual choices rather than temporal options. The grace relationship is always in place for those in Christ Jesus, but it grows only by making repetitive righteous truth choices. Remember Satan is an angel of light deceiving us with temporal happiness.
Satan desires to put distance between our spiritual soul and our natural body, between what is seen and what is not seen! Satan taints our grace choices by hindering truth with distortion. By this effective means, Satan tempts us to join into our humanity, into our mind, this distortion as part of our newly created Spiritual identity. However, we shall know the truth and the truth will set us free when we walk in the light as He is in the light. Abiding in the Word thru constant practice enables us to make Spiritual discernments.
Grace is still optional to tribulation people who make this wise choice, His Light is piercing their personal soul. But these saints of God will not have the new creation within themselves, as we do. They do not become the Body of Christ although they are redeemed with the same blood of the Lamb as are we! These redeemed people will live on earth while those who became lampstands prior to the rapture are now in Spiritual bodies reigning with God in heaven. Those saved during the tribulation serve God on earth and are not part of the Body of Christ! The grace relationship for these saints of God is not “in Christ” but with Jesus Christ. These saints do not have the benefit of spending a lifetime growing in Christ but are saved from the penalty of sin.
I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” -Revelation 7:14.
Tribulation salvation comes through the 144,000 who are already dispersed throughout this global world. This is the elect Israel who becomes God’s witnesses to a gentile population on earth to become saints of God during the tribulation period. When the 5th seal is removed from the scroll by the Lamb, we find saints are on earth who have been martyred and have been faithful to their testimony to the Lamb. The witness of God’s Spirit has already been at work in the hearts of men during Satan’s work under the seals of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. This means, after the rapture of the Lampstands, the Lord is working to bring into His Kingdom those during the tribulation period who are written in the Lambs book of Life.
Even though the Body of Christ/lampstand is removed from the earth, the earth is still under the mercy and authority of a loving God. The restraining influence of the Holy Spirit may be relaxed but God has not abandoned His presence or authority on earth. God is righteous and just, requiring righteous judgment but the blood of the lamb is still viable. Redemption by the Son of Man is still operational even during a period of judgment, first to Israel, then to the gentiles.
Our salvation opportunity is much deeper than for those whose Lampstand opportunity is already passed. This ought to give us pause to consider the seriousness of our relationship of grace which is IN CHRIST JESUS, a relationship where our soul is untied into HIM by His joining of our spirit with His Spirit.
This is the mystery of Godliness, being able to separate the Light from the darkness and able to grow in grace becoming a lampstand with a brighter, more penetrating light as we grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus our Lord and Savior.
In the Bible, the terms “darkness” and “Light” are often used to represent these two kind of choices. We are born in natural darkness but we learn about God’s glorious Light as we walk in Jesus and love Him! Declaring His plan and purpose, God provides the historical narrative described in the Bible. Revelation is the closing chapter providing hope and clarity to the closing narrative concerning mankind’s relationship to God Himself! In Revelation we witness the patience of God, His mercy and love, His faithfulness and righteous judgment. Even during the darkness of His anger, while men drink the cup of God’s wrath, God still provides hopes and His faithful witnesses. He is both the Lion as well as the Lamb.
Millions of people all over the earth’s surface have instantaneously disappeared. Chaos suddenly is the order of the day around this earthly globe. In God’s orderly fashion, He begins removing the seals from the certificate of earth’s ownership. Enter the first white horse, an antichrist will save the day! Our Lord Jesus merely allows man to respond “naturally” to this global crises and antichrist is on the scene to save the world.
This earth planet was created whole and complete for created mankind to occupy with dominion. Adam, given the choice to choose, did so. Israel was given repeated choices to choose and failed the righteous standard of God’s law.
Now, we also have very similar choices, choices within His grace but coming closer and closer to our departure from opportunity to live now for and in His glory!
This is the sentiment Paul expresses to Titus: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Declare these things: exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.” - Titus 2:11-15.
This is bringing light into the darkness and this is God’s righteous judgment summarized in the Seals, Trumpets and Bowls of God’s wrath. Even here, we still find God’s grace working! Grace is a relationship! It is ours to consume; now is our time to redeem and rendered back to our loving Lord what His resurrection power can do in us, overcome!!!
Its our choice!