The Light the Church Must Keep Lit
Jesus would rather have no church in a community than a dead church. That is what is made clear in the first three chapters of Revelation. With every encouragement, challenge or correction given to the 7 churches in Asia Minor Jesus promises to remove the lamp stands of those churches that do not heed His word and walk in His ways.
But before there were churches in Asia Minor, there were seven lamps in the Holy Place of the tabernacle.
Numbers 8:1–4 (ESV) Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.” 3 And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
The holy place of the tabernacle was to remain continually lit. We know from Leviticus that the people were responsible to keep the lamps burning by bringing oil to the Priests:
Leviticus 24:2–4 (ESV)“Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly. 3 Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the Lord regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 4 He shall arrange the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold before the Lord regularly.
Now Moses is commanded to put the lamps in such a place that will bring light to the Holy Place and illuminate the Table of Showbread and the altar of incense. The lampstand held seven lamps. One in the center and three on each side. They represented the tree of life and illuminated the path to God's presence in the Most Holy place.
This lamp was to signify that God is light. It was also to signify that Israel contained the pathway back to God. It further illustrated that only when Israel was diligent in the matters God gave them would their testimony of God's goodness and provision (the showbread) be visible to the world around them. If those lamps went out, no one could properly serve God in the Tabernacle and His people would just be another group of darkness dwellers.
The point is serious for the church. Jesus called us the light of the world. The seven churches in Revelation are the warning to us all. Today, those 7 cities are Muslim strongholds where the Gospel is no longer proclaimed. Why? Because those churches did not heed to do the work God had called them to do - to light the path of life back to God in Jesus Christ.
When a church no longer strives to love God and bring people to Him through the light of the Gospel, that church has lost its right to exist at all. God will remove those lampstands from those communities and let the area see what a Gospel-less area looks like. Wherever that has happened, hatred, persecution, fear and injustice reign supreme. But when people are brought in to meet with God in Christ, they experience His goodness and transformation occurs.
Revelation 2:5 (ESV) Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
But before there were churches in Asia Minor, there were seven lamps in the Holy Place of the tabernacle.
Numbers 8:1–4 (ESV) Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.” 3 And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
The holy place of the tabernacle was to remain continually lit. We know from Leviticus that the people were responsible to keep the lamps burning by bringing oil to the Priests:
Leviticus 24:2–4 (ESV)“Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly. 3 Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the Lord regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 4 He shall arrange the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold before the Lord regularly.
Now Moses is commanded to put the lamps in such a place that will bring light to the Holy Place and illuminate the Table of Showbread and the altar of incense. The lampstand held seven lamps. One in the center and three on each side. They represented the tree of life and illuminated the path to God's presence in the Most Holy place.
This lamp was to signify that God is light. It was also to signify that Israel contained the pathway back to God. It further illustrated that only when Israel was diligent in the matters God gave them would their testimony of God's goodness and provision (the showbread) be visible to the world around them. If those lamps went out, no one could properly serve God in the Tabernacle and His people would just be another group of darkness dwellers.
The point is serious for the church. Jesus called us the light of the world. The seven churches in Revelation are the warning to us all. Today, those 7 cities are Muslim strongholds where the Gospel is no longer proclaimed. Why? Because those churches did not heed to do the work God had called them to do - to light the path of life back to God in Jesus Christ.
When a church no longer strives to love God and bring people to Him through the light of the Gospel, that church has lost its right to exist at all. God will remove those lampstands from those communities and let the area see what a Gospel-less area looks like. Wherever that has happened, hatred, persecution, fear and injustice reign supreme. But when people are brought in to meet with God in Christ, they experience His goodness and transformation occurs.
Revelation 2:5 (ESV) Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
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