According to the context of both Zechariah and Revelation, all this is for God’s building. The stone and the lampstand are mentioned in Zechariah at the time when Zerubbabel was rebuilding the temple. In Revelation, we firstly have the seven lampstands symbolizing the seven local churches. Later, we have the throne before which the seven lamps are burning. Ultimately, this throne is the center of the New Jerusalem. This reveals that the New Jerusalem comes into existence by means of the seven Spirits burning before the throne. By all this we can see that the seven eyes, the seven lamps, the seven Spirits, the stone, the lampstand, the Lord, God, and the Lamb are all for the building. This building is the temple, the church today and the New Jerusalem, God’s eternal habitation, in eternity.
Suppose we had only two books, the Gospel of John and Revelation, both written by the apostle John. If we read these books again and again, what would we see? Let us begin with John chapter one. Verse 1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” and verse 14 says, “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us...full of grace and reality.” Verse 29 says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” According to John 1, many words are used to describe this One: the Word, God, the flesh, and the Lamb. Verse 4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” With Him there were also grace and reality. When Peter was brought to this wonderful One, He changed his name from Simon to Cephas, which means a stone (v. 42). When Nathanael met Him, He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (v. 51). This word reminds us of Jacob’s dream, the center of which is Bethel (Gen. 28:10-22). John chapter one, extending from eternity past to eternity future, covers a great deal. In eternity past there was the Word, and in eternity future there will be Bethel, the house, the dwelling of God. This will be the New Jerusalem. This one chapter reaches from eternity to eternity. Of course, John takes another twenty chapters to develop all the points covered in the first chapter.
After many years, when John was old and had been exiled to the Isle of Patmos, the Lord charged him to write Revelation, not only the last of his writings but also the last book of the whole Bible. Revelation 1:4 and 5 say, “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace...from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.” In chapters four and five we see that the seven Spirits are the seven lamps and the seven eyes mentioned in Zechariah. The seven lamps, which, according to Zechariah, are both the seven eyes of the stone and of the Lord are now the seven Spirits of God, and these seven Spirits of God are the seven eyes of the redeeming Lamb. Revelation 5:5 and 6 reveal that this redeeming Lamb is the overcoming Lion. As the overcoming Lion, He has absolutely defeated the enemy of God. All the enemies—the serpent and the scorpions— have been swallowed up by the Lion. Because He overcame all the enemies, He was qualified to be the redeeming Lamb. As the Lamb, He took away all the sins, the iniquity, of God’s people on the day God engraved Him on the cross. Because He accomplished this as the redeeming Lamb, He eventually became the building stone. In the eyes of God, when the Jewish builders rejected Him, they not only rejected the Lamb, but also the cornerstone of God’s building. On the day of His death, He was the Lamb, but in resurrection God made Him the head cornerstone. Thus, after His death and resurrection, He is now the Lion-Lamb-stone. All the enemies have been defeated, all the sins have been removed, and He has become the stone for God’s building. On this stone there are seven eyes, shining and burning before the throne of God to carry out God’s eternal economy. Today, it is not just a matter of the Lion or the Lamb, but of the stone. Where are we today? Are we just with the Lion and the Lamb, or are we with the stone? Most Christians are only with the Lamb; very few are with the Lion. Many hymns say, “Worthy the Lamb,” but I would like to hear a hymn that says, “Worthy the Lion!” We also need hymns that say, “Worthy the stone,” and “Worthy are the seven eyes.” What a shortage there is in today’s Christianity! Many fight, argue, and debate, but are ignorant of Christ’s being the building stone.