Death, Life and One Like a Son of Man Among the Candlesticks

Random revelation notes. Sorry if this doesn't really have a perfect flow. I had to listen to this sermon twice because there was SO much in it..

‘Death, life and one like a Son of Man among the candlesticks.’ (Opening reading, Rev 1 and Isaiah 22: 15-25) In reference to the clothes of Christ-

‘The Clothes make the man.’  When we look at people we size them up by how they dress. This appearance of Christ is the most significant thing in all revelation. What is coming in the latter parts of the book is defined by who Christ is. Every attribute of Christ, has to do with what the book is about.

*We need to think more broadly about the whole Bible when understanding Revelation. When you read the Bible, it is telling our redemptive history and how God has revealed himself to us. You have to understand geneses 1,2,3 and 4 or you cannot understand the flow of the Bible.

*The Garden of Eden is pictured in and throughout the whole bible. Eden is where God lives. You go on the top of the mountain to be with him. There is a river that flows out to the four corners of the earth. We have perfect communion with God but then we are thrust out and there are angels guarding the door. We cannot get in. Corresponding is the tabernacle. It is a kind of Eden. In the garden, tabernacle and the temple there is a picture of a person.

Holy of Holies- The head

Show bread table- The body

Bronze alter- The Feet

(Daniel is behind all of revelation. 10:5-6 is a corresponding picture of Jesus)

When God thrust Israel out that does not mean He is not done with His people. He is still working with them but they then lived in the 'time of the gentiles.'

*The statue from Daniel has fallen down. It toppled from the bottle to top. It toppled all at once. This is very important. When the statue falls, the ‘time of the Gentiles’ is over. The people of God no longer had protection by the rulers and governors. We have a kingdom now. We are in Christ’s kingdom. There is now a new man and the new man is Jesus.

John was in the realm of the spirit. On the Lords day- Sunday.

The trumpet: God calls his people together by trumpets. God is calling John.

(1: 14-16 is a description of Jesus.)

Golden lampstands: 

1.) As you enter into the holy room, by the curtain there is a golden lampstand, a table of showbread and the alter of incense. The Lampstand is casting light on the showbread.

2.) The lampstand represents an ‘almond’ tree. The Hebrew does not have a word for ‘almond’ however, that is how the bible translates it. Jer 1: 11-12 What does Jeremiah see? ‘A rod of an almond tree.’ The word comes from the root that means, ‘to watch.’ Jeremiah sees a “watcher tree.”

3.) What is it watching? It is watching the showbread. Just like the priest has to trim the lamp, Jesus is walking through the 7 churches and he is trimming the lampstands. 

4.)Jesus is the Gardener. When He was raised from the dead and Mary mistakes Him for the ‘Gardener’ She does not mistake Him by accident. This is a literary devise God planned because Jesus IS the TRUE gardener. Jesus is the NEW Adam. Go back to creation. Adam fails, but then along comes one like a Son of Man, a second Adam. He does everything perfectly and that is what revelation is about.

The Garden is now the 7 churches and the 7 churches are ‘watchers.’

*On the table there are 12 loaves of bread which correspond in Israel literature to the 12 constellations. If you went into an early synagogue you would see on the floor the zodiac. (And the 7 stars) Each constellation corresponds to a tribe of Israel. (Leo- Judah. Aquarius- Ephraim. Taurus- Rueben. Scorpio- Dan) (Mr. Nelson called this a fun fact. ;)

* The watcher tree in the tabernacle is watching the 12 tribes of Israel. Gen 1:14-18 (the word ‘Seasons’ should be better translated as ‘Festivals.’) All the stars are made in a certain pattern. The stars are governors between light and darkness. When you look through the O.T. the stars, the sun and the moon are representatives of people who govern.

“The sun will go dark...” Babylon has fallen and died, Edom has fallen and died, Egypt has fallen and died. These things have already happened.

1.) We see a picture of a lampstand which is the picture of the tabernacle. Rev 1:20. The seven lampstands are the stars and they are watching the showbread. They are looking at Israel which is a greater picture of the 12 constellations and also a picture of the whole world. We are supposed to be watching the whole world.  

2.) Every Sunday we gather report to the Lord and we talk with each other about what is happening in the world. We are watchers. Jesus has 7 lampstands and He begins is trimming the lamps in chapter 2. He has something to say to each of the churches about their behavior. And He tells them if they do not do whatever He commands then He will remove their lampstand.

*Angels in the O.T are compared to stars. In the N.T, angels do not govern anymore but instead, man governs now over the world and under Christ. The word ‘Angel’ is the word messenger’

The church is a watcher. It’s a type of the Garden of Eden and here in the Garden Jesus is trimming the trees, taking care of the garden. Jesus takes care of the Garden unlike Adam ever did. *The lord is in the church (as a whole) still trimming us, taking care of us and shaping us. We don’t need to fret about the different denominations because the gardener is still here and he is walking among us.

*Jesus is clothed like a priest. (His clothes resemble the ephod in the O.T.) These clothes are for glory and beauty. (The priest wears Linen on the day of atonement. Which resemble ‘Work clothes’ for Him. ) Jesus is walking through these lampstands but His work is done. He put on His linen clothes (His work clothes) at the cross and He presented the sacrifice to God almighty. And He now has put the clothes on that are for glory and for beauty. He work is done, He is at rest.

(In Hebrew the words for ‘temple’ and ‘palace’ are the same and also, the word for ‘priest’ and the word for ‘servants’ (of the King) are the same.)

Jesus is clothed like Eliakim. (Is. 22) Jesus is the doorkeeper and you can’t get to God unless you go through Jesus.

“Blessed is the one who hears and keeps what he hears.” The Lord has a voice like many waters and we are to listen to Him.

*John fell at his feet, “Like a dead man.”… “And he placed his right hand on me….” 

The most numerous command that the Lord gives to His people is the command, “Do not fear."

1) John is an apostle, he had seen Jesus on earth and John had seen Jesus after He died when He had appeared to the 12... But now when John sees Jesus he is afraid. Why?

2.)  Why is the right hand significant? In the Garden, Adam and Eve see they are naked; their eyes are opened to see good and evil and they look at themselves and realize they are NOT worthy. So they sew fig leaves to cover their nakedness and then they hear God. The NASB says they heard God “Walking in the cool of the day.” The Word ‘cool’ is the word ‘Spirit.’ ‘The Spirit of the day.” The ‘Wind.’ God comes like Wind. This is the first picture of God riding the clouds like a chariot. Flashes of lightening and peals of thunder. They hear him and they hide because they know they as good as dead. But God raises them up and clothes them by a bloody sacrifice. 

3.)All throughout scripture there are pictures of us being dead and Jesus reaches down and raises us up to new life. John was raised up to new life.

*One of the things that is lacking in the evangelical church is a true fear and revering for God. Real joy comes out of real fear for knowing God. When we hear what the Bible says and we choose not to do it we show ourselves not to fear God. 

 John understood he was dead and Jesus saved him. Jesus has raised us with His right hand out of darkness into light. We have passed out of death into new life. 

Love Always 

HollyDee

But remember this, my brother

See in this some higher plan
You must use this precious silver
To become an honest man
By the witness of the martyrs
By the Passion and the Blood
God has raised you out of darkness
I have bought your soul for God