Exodus 25:37 says, “And you shall make its lamps, seven.” These seven lamps signify God the Spirit being the seven Spirits of God for His expression (Rev. 4:5; 5:6). The shining of the lamps denotes expression. Thus, the seven lamps are the expression of God the Son as the embodiment of God the Father. In the book of Revelation we see that the seven lamps are the Spirit of God.
Because we have in the lampstand the element of gold signifying God the Father, the stand signifying God the Son, and the seven lamps signifying God the Spirit, we have the ground to say that the lampstand itself is the expression of the Triune God.
We have pointed out that, consummately, in the book of Revelation the lampstand becomes the church. If we realize this, our understanding of the church will be deepened and enriched. The church is actually the expression of God. In this expression we see the Father’s nature, the Son’s embodiment, and the Spirit’s expression. In the proper church life, God the Father is the substance, God the Son is the embodiment, and God the Spirit is the expression. In Exodus 25 the lampstand signifies Christ, but in Revelation 1 it signifies the churches. This indicates that the unique Christ has been reproduced, that the one lampstand has become seven lampstands. In Exodus 25 we have the masterpiece, but in Revelation 1 we have the masterpiece reproduced and multiplied. Praise the Lord for the one lampstand in Exodus 25 and the seven lampstands in Revelation 1! At first God’s expression was only in Christ as the lampstand. Now this expression has been reproduced in the churches as golden lampstands. By this we see that Christ has been reproduced. The church is actually the reproduction of Christ. Both Christ and the church are the expression of the Triune God. In the church life we have the nature of the Father, the embodiment of the Son, and the expression of the Spirit. How wonderful!
The lampstand was not in the outer court; it was in the Holy Place, that is, within the dwelling place of God.
In their experience, most Christians have not yet entered the Holy Place. On the contrary, they spend a great deal of time at the altar, the cross, in the outer court. In a very real sense, we need to leave the cross and enter into the Holy Place. Where are you in your experience—at the altar or in the Holy Place? Many among us may still be at the cross.
We have seen that the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God, signifies the saints who have been built up to be the house of God. We all need to ask ourselves if we are truly in the dwelling place of God. This means that we must inquire whether or not we have been built into the church as God’s house. Among a great many Christians today, there is no experience of the lampstand, because these believers are still at the cross and have not been built up with others. Since there is no dwelling place of God, no building with the saints, how can there be the lampstand? It is impossible. The lampstand is not near the cross in the outer court; it is within the dwelling place of God, that is, among the saints who have been built up together to be the house of God.
In the eyes of God, every local church is a lampstand. God regards every church as a house built up for His dwelling. If we would see the lampstand, we must be in the house of God, the church.
According to the sequence of revelation, the lampstand comes after the table of the bread of the Presence. This table signifies Christ as the life supply; it is a figure showing us that Christ is the source of our life supply. The lampstand signifies Christ as the light of life (John 8:12). Hence, the table is the supply of life, and the lampstand is the light of life.
The Gospel of John speaks of Christ as the light of life. John 1:4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” According to John 8:12, the Lord Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall by no means walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
What is the meaning of the expression “the light of life”? Although this is rather difficult to explain, it is easy to illustrate. Life is light, but death is darkness. Because we are living, we are able to see. But if we were to die, we could no longer see anything. Death would produce darkness. In the Bible blindness equals death. All the worldly people are blind and in darkness. Because they are dead, they are also blind. When we receive the divine life supply, we have spiritual sight, and this sight is the light. Hence, it is the light of life. Christ as the light of life comes out of the life supply. This is the reason we must first have the table and then the lampstand.
Even in our physical life there is a connection between the life supply and sight. For example, if a person goes a long period of time without eating, his eyesight will begin to fail. But if he eats nourishing food, his vision will improve. This indicates that the lack of the life supply can cause loss of sight. It also indicates that the life supply brings in the sight, the light.
If we would have the light of life, we must come to the table before we come to the lampstand. The reason we need morning watch every day is that we need to be nourished by the life supply on the table. Then in our experience the lampstand will appear. Whenever we have the food, the supply of life, the light from the lampstand shines upon us. For example, a brother may think that regarding a certain matter he is right and that his wife is wrong. But after he enjoys Christ as the life supply at the table, his sight becomes clear, and he is enlightened concerning the matter. Then he realizes that he was the one who was wrong. This illustrates the fact that when we take in the life supply, we automatically receive the light of life.