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The Gold Lampstand
< Exodus 25:31-40 >
“You shall also make
a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work.
Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers
shall be of one piece. And six branches shall come out of its sides:
three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches
of the lampstand out of the other side. Three bowls shall be made
like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and
a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other
branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six
branches that come out of the lampstand. On the lampstand itself
four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental
knob and flower. And there shall be a knob under the first two branches
of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and
a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the
six branches that extend from the lampstand. Their knobs and their
branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered
piece of pure gold. You shall make seven lamps for it, and they
shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it.
And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. It
shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils.
And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which
was shown you on the mountain.”

The gold lampstand was
made of a talent of pure gold. Its shaft was hammered out of a single
piece of a talent of pure gold, with three branches coming out of
each of its two sides, and seven lamps placed on top of the shaft
and its six branches. As the gold lampstand was made of a talent
of pure gold, it was a captivatingly splendid and beautiful sight
to hold.
On top of the gold lampstand,
there were seven lamps to hold oil, which was lit to illuminate
the Holy Place at all times. One can enter into the Holy Place only
by lifting and opening the Tabernacle’s door woven of blue, purple,
and scarlet thread and fine woven linen. Those who can enter this
place are only the ones who believe in the works of salvation manifested
in the blue, purple, and scarlet thread. As such, no one can enter
into the Holy Place without this faith, for it is a place that is
permitted only to those who know the mystery of the blue, purple,
and scarlet thread and the fine woven linen manifested in the screen
door of the Tabernacle.
Therefore, only those
who believe in the marvelous salvation made of the blue, purple,
and scarlet thread and the fine woven linen can become the members
of God’s Church. The four colors of the screen door of the Tabernacle
are the shadow of the gospel of the water and the Spirit, prefiguring
the coming of Jesus, who took upon our sins of the world by being
baptized and bore the condemnation of our sins by being crucified
and shedding His blood.
None other than this
very gospel of the water and the Spirit is the gospel of the true
remission of sin that the Lord has given us. The gospel of the water
and the Spirit is made of the baptism that Jesus Christ received
and the judgment of the Cross that He bore to give us the blessing
of the remission of sin. As such, only those who wholeheartedly
believe in this truth can be remitted of all their sins. God, in
other words, allows only those who believe in the truth of the blue,
purple, and scarlet thread and the fine woven linen to enter into
the Holy Place.
As the gold lampstand
inside the Holy Place always shone its bright light, so can those
who become God’s children by believing in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit also illuminate this world with the light of salvation
that saves people from their sins. In other words, only those who
have received the remission of sin through the gospel of the water
and the Spirit can fulfill the role of the lampstand that gives
out the light of salvation, so that others may know also this truth
and receive the remission of their sins.
The gold lampstand had
flowers, ornamental knobs, and bowls. As God commanded that seven
lamps should be placed on the lampstand, when the lampstand was
lit, darkness gave way in the Holy Place at all times. This means
that the righteous who have been cleansed of their sins by believing
in the gospel of the water and the Spirit would gather together,
build God’s Church, and illuminate this world. The light of the
lampstand that shone in the Holy Place is the gospel of the water
and the Spirit, which drives away the darkness of this world.
To save us from sin,
Jesus Christ came to this earth, incarnated in the flesh of a man.
And take upon our sins, He was baptized by John, and to bear the
condemnation of our sins, He was crucified. Jesus has thereby become
the light of salvation. In the court of the Tabernacle, sinners
passed their sins onto their sacrificial offering by laying their
hands on its head and letting it bear the condemnation of their
sins by killing this sacrifice.
Likewise, Jesus Christ
has completed our salvation by being baptized and dying on the Cross
according to the law of God, and He has become the light of salvation
for all mankind. With the ministries manifested in the blue, purple,
and scarlet thread and the fine woven linen, Jesus Christ has fulfilled
the salvation of mankind. We have thus been saved from our sins
by believing in the gospel of the baptism and the blood that Jesus
Christ has given us. All who believe in Jesus must also discover
this light of truth.
Jesus Christ has shone
the light of salvation unto this world so that only those who are
born again of water and the Spirit can enter the Kingdom of God.
As such, only those who are born again of water and the Spirit can
become part of God’s Church and be qualified to shine and spread
the light of the water and the Spirit throughout the whole world.
Because only they believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit
and spread it, God has entrusted this gospel of the water and the
Spirit especially to them and permitted them to shine the light
of the true gospel.
As such, we should realize
that this work of spreading the light of the gospel throughout the
world can be done only by those who believe in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit as the real truth. Sinners cannot enter into
the Holy Place. Only those who believe in the gospel manifested
in the blue, purple, and scarlet thread of the door of the Tabernacle
can enter. Therefore, only those who know the truth of the blue,
purple, and scarlet thread and believe in it in their hearts can
come into the Tabernacle and carry out the task of illuminating
the bright light of salvation.
At the gate of the court
of the Tabernacle, a screen made of blue, purple, and scarlet thread
also illuminated the way. For those who are looking for the Tabernacle
to give their offerings in it, God made the gate of its court with
the same four colors. But the people of the Old Testament’s time
could not become whole forever through their daily offerings. They
had to therefore continue to wait for the Messiah. However, when
Jesus Christ the Messiah actually came, they failed to realize that
He became the true Messiah by giving one everlasting offering according
to the revelation made in the colors of the screen door of the Tabernacle.
This is just like those
Christians of today who, even as they call on the name of Jesus,
do not know that He came of the blue, purple, and scarlet thread
and the fine woven linen and has saved us perfectly. When the people
of the Old Testament gave their sacrificial offerings everyday with
the laying on of hands and the blood of the offerings, they had
to believe that the Savior would appear in this way, just like their
sacrificial offering.
Likewise, the people
of this world must also believe that Jesus Christ the Savior came
to this earth, took upon the sins of the world by being baptized
according to the Old Testament’s sacrificial system of the laying
on of hands and blood, was crucified and shed His blood, and has
thereby saved His people from sin. But because they do not even
know the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, they have no idea
whether Jesus came by His baptism and blood, or by the blood of
the Cross alone, or just as a plain Savior.
In God’s eyes, the faith
that today’s Christians place in the sacrificial system of the Old
Testament is as flawed as that of the people of Israel. Because
they do not have true faith in the Messiah who is manifested in
the sacrificial system, they cannot believe that the Messiah came,
was baptized, and shed His blood. But all the peoples of this world,
including the people of Israel, must believe in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit, that Jesus has saved them from their sins
through the ministries of His baptism and His crucifixion.
To save you and me from
all our sins and condemnation, Jesus Christ was baptized and shed
His blood. Through the truth held in the blue, purple, and scarlet
thread manifested in the door of the Tabernacle, the shadow of the
gospel of the water and the Spirit, we are therefore able to know
Jesus Christ. This truth of salvation is that people can receive
the remission of their sins by believing in the true gospel in their
hearts. By believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that
Jesus Christ has given us by actually coming to this world, being
baptized, and dying on the Cross, you must have the faith that saves
you in your hearts. This truth has saved you from all your sins.
In the holy House of
God, there were three screen doors. All these doors were woven of
blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen. As I have
told you again and again, these four colors reveal exactly God’s
salvation: To save us from our sins, God has set the law of the
remission of sin completed through the blue, purple, and scarlet
thread and the fine woven linen. Therefore, if we believe according
to this law of the remission of sin, then God will accept our faith
and forever save us from our sins.
It is by believing in
the gospel of the water and the Spirit manifested in the blue, purple,
and scarlet thread that any of us can be saved from all sins forever.
By knowing and believing in the true significance of the sacrificial
system given by God, anyone can go to Him. At the entrance of the
Holy Place, the House of God, there were five pillars, and a screen
woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread and fine woven linen was
hung on these pillars. For us to go to God, we must have four faiths
manifested in the four-colored screen door.
The faith shown in the
blue thread is that Jesus Christ accepted our sins by being baptized,
and the faith manifested in the scarlet thread is that Jesus bore
the condemnation of sin by being crucified and shedding His blood.
The faith revealed in the purple color is to believe that Jesus
is God Himself, and the faith manifested in the fine woven linen
is to believe in His elaborate Word that God has made us sinless
by blotting out our sins with the aforementioned thread—that is,
with the blue, purple, and scarlet thread. This truth is called
the gospel of the water and the Spirit. As such, by believing that
Jesus has saved us through the water and the Spirit, we can enter
the Kingdom of God. This is the faith of those who can open the
door of the Tabernacle and enter into the Holy Place.
The gate of the court
of the Tabernacle woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread enables
us to realize God’s plan for how He would save us, showing us that
our salvation, coming from the remission of sin set by God, is not
achieved through our own man-made efforts. Even if we ask for the
forgiveness of our sins everyday, without the sacrificial offering
for the atonement of sin, the passing of sin through the laying
on of hands, and the bloodshed, we cannot be saved from our everlasting
sins. Only when the sacrificial offering who came to save us from
our sins takes upon our eternal sins of the world can we be wholly
saved by believing in this truth and thereby receiving the remission
of sin.
If we have in our hearts
the faith that believes in this gospel of truth, then we will be
able to spread the gospel of salvation that brings eternal life
to every lost soul. By believing in the ministries of Jesus manifested
in the blue, purple, and scarlet thread, we can illuminate this
world with the truth of the remission of sin. The lampstand in the
Holy Place had seven lamps, and so when these lamps were lit, their
light was reflected by the walls of the Tabernacle made of boards
overlaid with gold, thereby illuminating the whole inside of the
Holy Place brightly. If there had been no lampstand in the Holy
Place, then it would only have been dark. This is the reason why
God has placed, here in this darkening world, the saints and His
servants who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
What Is the Role of the Gold Lampstand?
The gold lampstand shows
us that God has given us the faith that believes in the truth, which
becomes the light of the world. Our faith is to believe that Jesus
Christ was born unto this earth, was baptized, and shed His blood
on the Cross. God is telling us, in other words, to shine the light
of salvation with this faith. When we hold the gospel of salvation
in our hearts and spread this faith, it is this very moment when
the light of truth shines. People would then see and come to this
bright light, realizing that the Lord has saved them with the blue,
purple, and scarlet thread and the fine woven linen, and becoming
God’s own people. This light of truth is the gospel of the water
and the Spirit planned and fulfilled by God the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
With our faith in the
truth that Jesus came to this earth, was baptized and crucified,
shed His blood and died, and rose from the dead again to give us
the remission of all sins, we are spreading the gospel to those
who yearn to be saved. Had Jesus Christ not been baptized and sacrificed
for us, you and I could never, ever have been saved from our sins.
Because Jesus was baptized,
shed His blood, and was sacrificed for us, He could give to all
sinners the faith that saves them. We are not just spreading some
illusive doctrine here. Throughout the whole world, we are spreading
the light of salvation manifested in the blue, purple, and scarlet
thread and the fine woven linen. Because we have the faith that
knows and believes in the baptism of Jesus and His sacrifice of
the Cross, we are spreading the light of life to those whose hearts
are in darkness. All those who have thus been illuminated by this
light then bear witness to the marvelous wonder of all their sins
disappearing from their hearts. All the people of the world will
also come to know the baptism that Jesus received and the sacrifice
of the Cross that He offered to blot out all the sins of the world,
and by believing that these are their own remission of sin, they
will come to discover the light of truth.
Why did Jesus Christ
have to come to this earth? Why did He have to be baptized? Why
did He have to die on the Cross? Why did He have to rise from the
dead again in three days? The reason for all these is because Jesus
Christ is the Messiah. To fulfill all the works of salvation as
the Messiah, Jesus was baptized and shed His blood, and He has thereby
shone the light of salvation to sinners. Therefore, by spreading
the light of salvation throughout the whole world, we can enable
many to know this truth, believe in it, and thereby receive eternal
life.
You and I are the lampstand
that illuminates this world with the light of the gospel of the
water and the Spirit. Through the gospel that we are spreading,
people will come to know the light of truth that saves them. Those
who are looking for the light in this dark world will see this brilliant
light that we are spreading, come to the light of truth, and be
saved from all their sins. By coming to the faith that believes
in this truth, all human beings can be saved.
This gospel is not a
theoretical matter. As such, we must believe with our true hearts.
We can work to spread the gospel only when we truly believe in the
ministries of Jesus manifested in the blue, purple, and scarlet
thread and the fine woven linen. But even if we have received the
remission of sin, without the lamp where oil can be put in, we cannot
give out light forever, and so God has given us God’s Church, our
lampstand. On each branch of the lampstand, there were bowls, and
below these bowls were ornamental knobs. This means none other than
the Church built by faith.
The place where only
those who have truly received the remission of sin by believing
in their hearts are gathered is God’s true Church. The head of the
Church is Jesus Christ, and the Church is His body. Just like the
body moves exactly as the head commands, the Church therefore moves
its arms and legs as commanded by Jesus Christ. This is how the
gospel is served. What, then, does God’s Church look at? Imbued
in dark sins, the whole world is dying, and the Church looks at
the souls in its midst that cannot avoid but be bound to hell. God’s
Church is illuminating them with the light of salvation. This is
what you and I are doing in His Church with our faith in the gospel.
In countries where there
is a long history of Christianity, there are many who are highly
learnt and knowledgeable of the Bible. I believe that when those
among such people who have been constantly looking for the real
truth come to encounter this truth, they will at once receive the
remission of their sins. So to spread the gospel of the water and
the Spirit to such people, I work by uniting with all the born-again
saints in faith.
Because Christianity,
unlike other religions, has laid its foundation of faith on the
Word, people will receive the remission of sin if we would only
spread the Word correctly. But there are also those who ferociously
stand against this truth, only deriding it and not believing in
it, no matter how much it is preached at them. In particular, there
are some stubborn religionists who do not believe in the Word of
God, and such people will never believe in this truth of the water
and the Spirit. But what about those who accept the Bible as the
Word of God? A countless number of them will receive the remission
of sin by hearing and believing in this gospel.
It is because I have
this faith that I have been serving God, together with you, to this
very day. In the days to come, this gospel will be spread to a myriad
of people and great works of the gospel will arise. It may even
be the case that God is working where we cannot see and thousands
of people are actually receiving their remission of sin everyday.
And like you and me, a multitude of people will become the lamps
and spread to the people of the whole world the faith of their hearts
that believes in the salvation manifested in the blue, purple, and
scarlet thread and the fine woven linen. I believe that as they
illuminate the whole world, new believers will continue to rise,
and they, too, will be nurtured and spread this gospel in turn.
We who have now become
the lamps of God are illuminating the light of salvation with our
faith that believes in the truth manifested in the blue, purple,
and scarlet thread and the fine woven linen. The blue thread is
giving out the light of the truth of Jesus’ baptism—that is, Jesus
bore the sins of the whole world by being baptized by John; the
purple thread is illuminating the light of truth that Jesus Christ
is the King of kings; the scarlet thread is radiating the light
of truth that Jesus carried the sins of the world to the Cross and
shed His blood on it; and the fine woven linen is glowing with the
light of truth that the Word of God has made sinners righteous.
The gospel Word of the water and the Spirit given by God is the
light of truth manifested in the blue, purple, and scarlet thread
and the fine woven linen.
This gospel also tells
us that He will return to this earth as the Lord of the Second Coming,
bring us alive again, make us reign with Him for a thousand years
in the Millennial Kingdom, and enable us to enter the everlasting
Kingdom of God and live forever. Can you imagine what eternal life
is?
This universe is so expansive
and wide that scientists say that there are star systems upon star
systems in other countless galaxies beyond our own solar system
and the Milky Way. The domains of the universe that God created
are stupendously colossal. Beyond our known universe, countless
realms that we do not even know are lying throughout galaxies. The
shooting stars that fall now are actually pieces of planets that
fell apart far away in deep galaxies billions of years ago, only
now reaching the earth’s atmosphere and burning.
We are, in other words,
confirming what had happened billions of years ago only now. Like
this, the vast domains of the universe created by God still remain
unknown. But even as the universe is unknown for us, for God, it
is as small as the palm of a hand. God is the omniscient and omnipotent
One who created all things and established the order of the universe.
We illuminate the world
with the light of truth, that by believing in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit all can receive the everlasting remission of
sin and enjoy eternal life. The children of God have the bright
light of life allowing them to live forever with Jesus Christ. God
lives with us forever, allowing us to enjoy His pleasures and clothing
us in His glory. Why? Because we believe in the light of the gospel
of His power. Once we discovered this light that enabled us to know
the truth, we could not but spread this light to others.
And when we saw the providence
of God that works in the whole universe, our faith in His works
could not but spring up. Some stars disappeared billions of years
ago, and yet our eyes are still seeing them because they were billions
of light-years away from this planet! We can merely imagine the
concept of “eternity” when we speculate on the infinity of the universe.
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We who have become part of God’s Church
now live our lives by spreading the light of the true gospel, for
we believe in the truth manifested in the blue, purple, and scarlet
thread. We believe that this salvation guarantees us eternal and
blessed life in our Father’s Kingdom. And we know that God desires
all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1
Timothy 2:4). Therefore, those who know the light of salvation must
carry out the spreading of the gospel of the water and the Spirit,
a task that God has entrusted to them.
God has blessed us so
that we would be able to do this work. Realizing just how great
a blessing this fact is, the right for us to do is to carry out
our assigned tasks by faith. I hope you would all fill your hearts
with the light that knows the truth of God. By the grace of God,
you and I have come to believe in the ministries of salvation manifested
in the blue, purple, and scarlet thread and the fine woven linen,
and we have become the light of salvation for the whole world, the
ones who illuminate the entire world. Hallelujah! I give all my
thanks to God.
ÚæÏÉ ááÓÊÉ
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