![The New Jerusalem is the Ultimate Consummation of the Lampstands in the Scriptures [in the picture: a golden lampstand, as in the Judaic tradition]](https://i0.wp.com/agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/golden-lampstand-consummating-new-jerusalem0.jpg?resize=450%2C338&ssl=1 "The New Jerusalem is the Ultimate Consummation of the Lampstands in the Scriptures [in the picture: a golden lampstand, as in the Judaic tradition]")
The New Jerusalem is the consummation of all that God planned, accomplished, and is doing from eternity past, on the bridge of time, and unto eternity future. All the positive things in the Bible as a type of Christ consummate in the New Jerusalem.
Today I was impressed with the fact that the New Jerusalem is the consummation – even the ultimate consummation – of all the lampstands in the Scriptures.
The lampstand in Exodus, in Kings, in Zechariah, and the lampstands in Revelation 1 all typify something – and they consummate in the New Jerusalem as the ultimate lampstand.
A lampstand is a stand, a supporting base, for the light to shine. The New Jerusalem is a golden mountain as a base, a stand, for God as the light in Christ as the lamp to shine out from the top of the city!
The church is the pillar and base of the truth, holding forth the word of the truth and having the testimony of Jesus, and the consummation of the church is the New Jerusalem!
The New Jerusalem is a universal golden lamp-stand holding the Lamb (as the lamp) shining out God (as the light within the lamp, see Rev. 21:18, 23; 22:1, 5).
Lord, open our eyes to see the significance and the importance of the New Jerusalem as the consummation of the lampstands in the Bible. May we really see what the lampstands represent and what the New Jerusalem is as a golden lampstand! Lord, gain the New Jerusalem through the building up of all the local churches as the many golden lampstands today!
The Golden Lampstands in the Scriptures
What is the significance of the lampstands in the Scriptures?
In Exodus 25:31-37 the lampstand in the tent of meeting signifies Christ Himself who shines on God’s people as the divine light in their fellowship with God.
The Lampstand in the temple (1 Kings 7:49) signifies the enlarged Christ.
In Zechariah 4:2 the lampstand signifies the people of Israel – completely of gold, taken care of by God that they may shine Him out on earth.
The seven lampstands in Rev. 1:12-13, 20 signify the local churches as the reproduction of Christ on earth for His expression and shining.
When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, He was a lampstand, shining God out to the people around Him. In His resurrection, Christ was enlarged and expanded, and now there are thousands of lampstands all over the earth expressing God and shining out God.
At the end of Revelation we see the New Jerusalem – a gold mountain (Rev. 21:18) like a stand, and on top of it Christ is the lamp (Rev. 21:23) with God as the light within Him (Rev. 22:5). There’s no need for natural or man-made light – God Himself is the light!
The New Jerusalem is the ultimate lampstand, the lampstand of lampstands, the consummate lampstand to support, hold forth, uphold, and express God for eternity.
The New Jerusalem is the Universal Golden Lampstand
I’m not sure why God chose the golden lampstand to represent His people, Christ, the church, and the New Jerusalem, but this sign must be very important.
In the book of Revelation we see two great signs – the seven golden lampstands at the beginning (Rev. 1:1, 12, 20) and the New Jerusalem as the universal golden lampstand at the end (Rev. 21:2, 10-11).
The spirit of the book of Revelation is the testimony of Jesus and the revelation of Christ, and in between the golden lampstands (the churches) in the beginning and the New Jerusalem we have the great crowd of believers (chapter 7), the woman shining like the sun (chapter 12), the harvest with the firstfruits, the overcomers in Zion (chapter 14), and the late overcomers (chapter 15).
You could say that the New Jerusalem is “the aggregate” of all the lampstands, the totality of today’s lampstands, as a consummate universal golden lampstand to shine forth God’s glory in the new heaven and new earth for eternity.
In the beginning of Revelation there are the many local churches as the golden lampstands identical in expression and nature, and at the end of Revelation there is the New Jerusalem as the unique golden lampstand to shine God forth for eternity!
Having the Testimony of Jesus in the Church Today
The lampstand is a matter of the testimony, and a local church can have its lampstand removed (see the church in Ephesus in Rev. 2, who continued to be a church even though God removed the lampstand).
This means that we need to have the testimony of Jesus in our living so that God would have a stand, a base, as a support for His shining and His expression.
God is the light within Christ as the lamp, diffusing pleasant light for all to see, enjoy, and grow into. What is necessary and indispensable today is the testimony on earth in the many local churches to support this divine and universal reality of God in Christ shining out.
We need to have the testimony of Jesus in our living both individually and together as the church, so that God may be expressed and manifested.
Lord Jesus, be manifested and testified in our living. May our living and behavior support Your shining and Your expression. We want You to be expressed in us, Lord, for Your magnification! May we never lose the testimony of Jesus. Strengthen all the churches and shepherd them according to God that they may have the testimony of Jesus for Your shining and expression on the earth!
References and Further Reading
- Sharing inspired from brother Andrew Yu’s sharing in the message and portions in, God’s New Testament Economy (ch. 26), and, The Conclusion of the New Testament (msgs. 220, 257, 259), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Unique Work in the Lord’s Recovery, week 9 (entitled, The Consummation of the Unique Work in the Lord’s Recovery—the New Jerusalem).
- Further reading:
# Aspects of the New Jerusalem as the city of the living God (via, affcrit.com, PDF file);
# The churches as the golden lampstands consummate in the New Jerusalem (via, goldenlampstands.org);
# New Jerusalem is a sign full of spiritual significance (via, newjerusalem21.wordpress.com); - Hymns on this topic:
# Do you see them in the cities, / Meeting on the local ground? / They’re the local, golden lampstands, / Where the Lord His home has found.
# In the midst of seven lampstands, now the Son of Man we see; / Eyes ablaze and feet a’burning, He’s for God’s recovery.
# There are seven golden lampstands in the nature all divine — / Nothing natural does the Body life allow.
In the book of Revelation, which is the conclusion of the New Testament and even of the entire Bible, there are two great signs. In chapter 1 there is the sign of the golden lampstands, and in chapters 21 and 22 there is the greatest sign, the sign of the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is the aggregate of all the lampstands. At the beginning of Revelation, there are seven lampstands, the local lampstands in this age. At the end of Revelation, there is an aggregate, a composite lampstand, the universal lampstand in eternity. Therefore, Revelation begins with the lampstands and ends with the lampstand. The lampstands are signs of the churches, whereas the New Jerusalem is a sign of God’s eternal dwelling place and of Christ’s wife, His eternal counterpart.