the
mystery of the seven golden
candlesticks
Part
1…The letter to Ephesus.
The Lord has
spoken to us by means of
the seven letters to
the seven churches of Asia
(Rev. 2-3). Seven is the
number
of
the
church, and the seven letters portray a prophetic picture
of the course
of the church throughout the dispensation
which is now drawing to a close. This is the day
that all things
pertaining to the church are coming to a consummation,
and before
long the final trumpet shall sound the call to battle. During
the days of the voice of the seventh angel
the
mystery of God will be finished, and only those prepared shall be able
to stand
victoriously and help bind the power of Satan's
fury (Rev.
10:7).
EPHESUS
The Lord's first
message was to the
church at Ephesus
(Rev. 2:1). Of the seven
churches mentioned, only to the church of the Ephesians did the Apostle
Paul
also write an epistle. This is significant for it shows that the letter
which
the Lord sent to Ephesus
portrays the condition in the early church
during the days of the Apostle Paul and those
associated
with him. Even though it was conveyed through John to that
church a
number of years after Paul's ministry was sealed by death, it
portrays by symbolic representation, the church
of
the Apostolic period. This is why the Lord is represented as
the one "that holdeth the seven stars in
His
right hand, Who walketh
in the midst of the
seven golden candlesticks" (Rev.
2:1). In
those days the Lord was
still in control of the ministries of the church, and He was still
walking in
power in the midst of His people. He is still walking in the midst of
His
people, but He
is not manifesting the
living Word and power through them as His heart
desires,
because they are as yet unwilling to
give
Him all the glory, and He will share His glory with no man.
He is still holding in His right hand certain
special ministries of His choosing, and they are being prepared in this
hour for a mighty work; but so many of
those ministries are
as yet unwilling to
let Him hold them completely, having so many desires and ambitions of
their
own. So, by His Spirit He
broods
over His people and ministries, longingly waiting for
the time that He can once again assume full
control and Headship
over all that is
His. This He will do, and very shortly, for none shall be
able to thwart
His purpose, and those who have
been
prepared shall rise up in power as ONE MAN, fitly joined together as
His Body, ready to fulfill their destined calling in
this end-time.
Now
the glory of the Apostolic church is seen in the
words of
commendation which the Lord
spoke unto it.
"I
know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how
thou canst not bear them which are evil; and thou hast tried
them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast
found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and
for My Name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. "
Revelation
2:2-3
The
early
church was vigilant against evil which corrupts and
against false apostles sowing seeds of error. But they were lax in
guarding against the intrusion of interests which began
to capture their attention and affection to
the extent that
their love for the
Lord was no longer the primary, all-consuming focus of their lives.
Therefore
the Lord said, "I havesomewhat
against thee, because thou hast left thy
first love” (Rev.
2:4). Here
is the key to maintaining
freshness and vigor in your Christian life as well as power and
vitality in the
church.
Ever make the Lord the object of your love and adoration.
Let no person or thing
become more important in
your life than Him. Let not your primary concern be
the doing
of things for
Him, but let it be the outpouring of your love
to Him as you spend much time in
the secret place of meditation
on His Word and the uplifting of praises unto Him. When you
become primarily occupied
with the doing of things FOR Him, in works and labors, you are focusing
your
attention on that which is secondary, and like those in the
early church
you are in danger of leaving your first love. Live in His love; let it
consume
your very being; then your labors
will indeed be great. But they will be a
demonstration of
LOVE WROUGHT OUT, and not merely the attempt to gain
something:
whether that be in the sight of men, for praise and
recognition, or in the Lord's
sight, to gain His favor and reward. The Lord does not care for your
works, as
such, but He prizes highly
that which represents love poured out, in obedience
and faithfulness.
His admonition to
the church at Ephesus,
as representative
of the Apostolic period, was to "Remember
therefore from whence
thou
art fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I
will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of
his place, except thou repent" (Rev. 2:5). The
"first
works" which
the Lord
wanted them to return to were the works of obedience,
demonstrating love. For
those who love Him keep His
commandments. He is not interested in His people doing
works for works
sake. He is interested in His people loving
Him and obeying Him. When the early church began to get
its eyes on labors
and works, no matter how well intentioned,
forgetting to look unto Him in obedient love, to
do His
will, then were they commanded to repent. But having failed
to heed that
warning, their lamp was removed, and the glory and power of the
Apostolic period
began to wane until it
was as a lamp which had ceased to shine.
But there were
those who rose above the
wayward tendencies of their brethren. They were sensitive to the
Spirit’s
wooing and leading. To them did the Lord speak:
"He
that hath an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit saith unto
the churches;
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of
the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of
God."
Revelation 2:7
The "overcomers"
were given
special promises because of
their fidelity to the Lord and obedience to His Word,
overcoming
the tendency to laxness in seeking Him and His will first.
They were privileged to eat
of the
"tree of life." This tree
is none other than the Lord's own life and righteousness imparted to
those who receive Him
by faith. But the eating
of the fruit thereof speaks of the joys and
blessedness of those who
have so yielded unto Him in love and obedience,
that the fruits of
righteousness, the fruits of the Spirit's working
in their inner being, have been
brought forth in profusion.
This is the tree of life bearing its fruit in the midst of
the paradise of
God. That paradise, in one application, represents the 'garden' of the
human
body, in the midst of which
divine life is at work, watered by the Word and
the Spirit,
and quickened by the warmth of reciprocating love.
The
Lord commended
the church
of Ephesus
for one other
attribute. "But this
thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds oj the
Nicolaitans, which I also hate" (Rev. 2:6). The
Nicolaitans were
those who slyly sought to elevate certain leaders above the
people in such
a way that they gradually assumed sacerdotal
importance, even as the priests of the pagan
religions. But such deeds were clearly evident in those who were followers
and
promoters of false apostles, and the true saints refused
to be misled by those who
sought to substitute spiritual
authority for authority appointed and enforced by men. If
God's people in
this day are to enter into His purposes, and
receive the glory awaiting, they must have the
spiritual perception
to discern between the false and the true, and "hate the deeds of
the
Nicolaitans" even as the early Christians
did. The Lord's true ministries
do not need the carnal ways
of man to fulfill their calling, and He will hold
His people exalt
and promote the flesh of men as a substitute for true spiritual
authority and power. That which is highly esteemed among
men is an
abomination in God's sight (Lk.
16:15).