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Subject 11 : The Tabernacle
[11-19] The Gold Lampstand (Exodus 25:31-40)
(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.
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.
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