We have looked at a number of aspects of the golden lampstand. We have seen the Triune God, God’s relationship with man, the Lamb’s redemption, Christ as God’s building material, and God Himself. If we lack sufficient knowledge of these matters, we will never see the church clearly. If we would have a thorough understanding of the church, we have to realize that the church involves the Triune God, God’s relationship with man, Christ’s redemption, and God’s building. Eventually, everything is God Himself.
The children of God throughout the ages have only had a one-sided and fragmented understanding concerning the church. They do not have the thorough light from God to see that the church is entirely a matter of the golden lampstand. From the past up until the present, the understanding of many Christians, theologians, and Bible teachers concerning the golden lampstand only goes as far as the revelation concerning Christ. They only know that the golden lampstand is Christ. They do not go a step further to Zechariah to see that the golden lampstand also refers to the Holy Spirit. Neither do they enter into Revelation to see that the final destination of the lampstand is the church. Strictly speaking, the golden lampstand is a testimony of God in the universe which begins with Christ, passes through the Spirit, and reaches the church. There are quite a number of items involved which are also important: the Triune God, God’s relationship with man (indicated by the name Jehovah), Christ’s redemption, and God’s building. All these items are included in this testimony, and eventually, there is God Himself as all in all. God is His own testimony, and God’s testimony is just He Himself. We should never forget this sequence: the golden lampstand, Jehovah, the Lamb, the stone, and God Himself.
Now we want to see the seven lamps, which are a crucial item of the golden lampstand. The main emphasis of the golden lampstand is its shining, and the shining depends on the seven lamps. This matter is not simple. If we only look at Exodus 25, we cannot see much. We can only see the record of a golden lampstand upon which are seven shining lamps. Its stem is in the center with six branches coming out of its two sides, three on each side, and the branches on the two sides shine toward each other.
Revelation 1:4 says, “From Him who is and who was and who is coming, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.” God’s throne is present at the very beginning of Revelation. In the universe, God has a center of administration, which is His throne. Revelation 4:5 says that lightnings and voices and thunders come forth out of the throne. Lightnings, voices, and thunders are a sign, a symbol, signifying that God is administering and moving from His throne to execute His eternal policy. The throne of God is the center of His administration, and upon His throne He executes His eternal policy and eternal purpose. Here, God has His move, administration, management, economy, and eternal operation. Verse 5 also says that “the seven Spirits of God” are “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne.” The speaking in the Bible is very economical, and there are no wasted words. The seven lamps on the golden lampstand are the seven lamps of fire before the throne of God. This signifies that the seven lamps are absolutely related to God’s administration, economy, and move. God’s move depends on these seven lamps.
We must spend some time here. The lampstand was placed in the tabernacle, and in the tabernacle there was no door or window. There was no opening above or below, on the left or on the right, or at the front or at the back of the tabernacle. There was one opening at the entrance to the tabernacle, but it was fully concealed by the veil. For anyone today to build a house without windows or doors would be a great folly. Yet, wonderfully, God built a dwelling place, the tabernacle, without windows or doors; only a curtain hung at the entrance as a veil, which hid the light. Therefore, in the tabernacle it was dark, having neither sunlight nor moonlight. However, in the Holy Place there was a golden lampstand, which had not only one lamp but seven lamps shining and illumining.
Both the sunlight and the moonlight are natural light for us to observe natural things, such as mountains, rivers, flowers, grass, trees, and wild beasts. However, natural light cannot help us to know God’s administration, God’s economy, and God’s eternal purpose. To know God’s administration and economy, we must have the light of the golden lampstand. When we enter into the realm of God’s presence, there is no light without the golden lampstand. Outside of the realm of God’s presence, we have sunlight and moonlight, and we have the natural view, but we can never have the view of God’s economy and administration. A university professor may have obtained three doctoral degrees and may have taught for thirty years. Whenever science, literature, or philosophy are mentioned, his “moon” grows bigger and his “sun” radiates the light of his knowledge. Nevertheless, his light is “sunlight” and “moonlight,” that is, natural light. He can understand science, literature, and philosophy, but when he comes to the realm of God’s presence, his eyes are darkened; he knows nothing whatsoever about God’s administration and God’s economy—they are foreign to him. In contrast, some of the young people have only been in the church for two or three years, yet they know God’s eternal economy. In other words, they know the divine economics. This is not a small matter. University professors only know the things within their field of research, but when they come into the realm of God’s presence, their eyes are completely darkened. We, however, know God’s economy, God’s administration, and the dispensations in God’s administration.
Do not forget that in the realm of God’s presence, the light is neither sunlight nor moonlight, but the light of the golden lampstand. The light of the golden lampstand is the light of God’s administration. Even though the tabernacle is small, the mercy seat within it is the throne of God. God’s throne is in the tabernacle, and before the throne are the seven bright burning lamps. When we enter into the tabernacle, we cannot do anything without these seven bright lamps, because without them, we are not able to see anything. When a priest entered into the tabernacle, his actions were dependent upon the shining of these seven bright lamps. The light of the seven bright lamps dictated all the actions of the priests in the tabernacle. This is the way of God’s administration, government, and economy.