Genesis is the field into which nearly all the seeds of the truths were sown. In Revelation we have the harvest of the truths sown in the beginning of the Bible. In this book of consummation, the local churches are crucial. The local churches are also the focus of this book. We have seen that the local churches are the destination of God’s progressive revelation and manifestation. In the Bible we not only have God’s revelation but also His manifestation. Revelation may be considered as being close to doctrine, but manifestation is definitely related to experience. Therefore, the Bible not only gives us the doctrine but also the experience, not only the revelation of God, but also the manifestation of God. If there were no local churches, there would be no destination for God’s revelation and manifestation.
The subtle enemy, Satan, hates the local churches. Throughout the centuries, many good Christian teachers have devoted their attention to many other things. We admit that some of these things have been important. Nevertheless, most of these teachers have still missed the mark, missing the destination of the local churches. We must worship and praise God for being the Lord. He would never let this matter go. After recovering so many items during the past several centuries, in our time He has come to this destination. This is the reason that, day and night, our only burden is to build up the local churches. All the attack and opposition that we undergo are simply because of our stand for the local churches.
Everybody knows that the term church is not found in the Old Testament. The first time it is used is in Matthew 16:18, where the Lord Jesus said, “I will build my church.” However, in the Old Testament there are many types that foreshadow the church. For instance, in Genesis 2 we have the bride as a type of the church being Christ’s counterpart. Furthermore, both the tabernacle and the temple are types of the church being God’s dwelling place among men on earth. The children of Israel as a corporate people signify that the church is also a corporate people to express God. None of these types, however, is as all-inclusive as the lampstand.
The lampstand is first mentioned in Exodus 25. If we only had this chapter, we would be unable to realize that the lampstand is related to the church or to the churches. Near the end of the Old Testament, we find the lampstand mentioned again in Zechariah 4. Zechariah shows some progress and improvement over Exodus. In Exodus we only have the lampstand with the seven lamps; there is no mention of what the seven lamps refer to. But in Zechariah we are given a definite interpretation of the seven lamps, for in this book we are told that the seven lamps are the seven eyes of God (4:10) and the seven eyes of the stone (3:9). Zechariah tells us two main things regarding the lampstand—that the seven lamps of the lampstand are the seven eyes of God and the seven eyes of the stone. Consider the picture presented in Zechariah. That the stone has seven eyes, which are the seven eyes of God, indicates that these seven eyes infuse what God is into us. God is light, life, love, holiness, etc. All that He is as the life element is infused into us through His seven eyes. This is even true of us as human beings, for as we look at others something of us is infused into them through our eyes. What is the significance of the seven eyes of God also being the seven eyes of the stone? Undoubtedly, the stone is for building. Thus, these seven eyes not only infuse God as the life element into our being; they also infuse Christ into us as the building material, making us the material for God’s building. Zechariah 4:2-6 and 10 also imply that these seven eyes of God, which are the seven lamps of the lampstand, are the Spirit. In answering the question, “What are these?” it says, “Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord” (4:6). This verse indicates that it is only through the Spirit that we can be prevailing in God’s building. Hence, we can see that the lampstand in Zechariah 4 reveals a definite development beyond the lampstand in Exodus 25. However, Zechariah is not the book of consummation, and we must continue until we come to the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation.
In Revelation there are seven golden lampstands. This book also reveals that the seven lamps are the seven Spirits of God and the seven eyes of the Lamb (5:6). Therefore, the lampstand includes God, Christ, the Spirit, the Redeemer, and the building material.