Today we will kindle eight candles.  This kindling activity will take us closer to becoming one with the Lampstand.

This is the last day of the festival of Hanukkah.

We have allowed more light into our hearts with each day’s meditations.  Together we have meditated on many different aspects of God’s Kingdom.  We have realized the fact that Christ is The Light of The World. Many parts of the Old Testament are symbolic of this very fact. For instance; the Lampstand of The Wilderness Tabernacle.

UNDERSTANDING THE MENORAH

God instructed Moses.  He was to use God’s instructions for making the Lampstand for the wilderness tabernacle.

The Lampstand was to be made of pure gold. Gold is symbolic of how God makes us perfect. Without Him, we are nothing.  With Him, we are gold. The greatest gold is Christ.

God instructs Moses that the base of the Lampstand is to be hammered out.  The shaft is to be hammered out. It is to have flower-like cups, buds and blossoms.  All will be made of one piece of solid gold. Remember how the word “Maccabee” means “hammer?”  The Menorah was hammered into place from one solid lump of gold.  The work was done by a skilled artist.

THE PERFECT DESIGN

Six branches are to extend from the sides of the Lampstand.  There are three on one side.  We see also there are three on the other side. Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are on one branch.  Three are on the next branch.   All six branches are the same.  They are all extending from the Lampstand in the middle.

On the Lampstand there are four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. One bud should be under the first cup.  A bud is under the second cup.  There is a third bud under the third cup.  We see six branches in all. The buds and branches are all of one piece with the Lampstand.  They are hammered out of pure gold.

WHO IS THE LAMPSTAND?

Christ is the Lampstand.

Seven lamps are made for this Lampstand. The seven lamps are set upon the Lampstand.  The lamps are used to light the space in front of the Menorah. The wick trimmers and trays are to be made of pure gold. A talent of pure gold is to be used for the Lampstand and all of these accessories.

The true Church is the seven lamps made for The Lampstand.

God instructed Moses to be very careful to make all of this exactly like the pattern He showed him. Nothing is to be altered or changed. Everything is to be done exactly as God had instructed.

SYMBOLISM OF THE MENORAH

That is why we can see the symbolism God gave us.  It is so we may always follow the path of Light in our lives.

This beautiful Lampstand is very symbolic.  We have much to learn from this magnificent piece of furniture placed to the left of the Holy Place.

One of the best published books about this Lampstand was written by Dr. John D. Garr, Ph.D. The book is titled “God’s Lamp, Man’s Light – Mysteries of the Menorah.” I highly recommend every person on earth purchase this book and read it.

I have no ties with this author. His writings are mentioned because they are a witness to the great significance of this Lampstand.  Dr. Garr does a beautiful job of describing the Menorah.

This is only a short article, but Dr. Garr’s book goes into greater detail than we do here.  His description is the best description and interpretation of the Lampstand I have ever reviewed.  I have read many.

MYSTERIES IN THE MENORAH

There are many mysteries in the scriptures relating to the Menorah from the wilderness tabernacle. These things are amazing and detailed. I cannot go into all of them here.  However, I recommend you do some reading of your own.  Study the works of other biblical scholars who go deeper into this subject.

The subject is fascinating and deep.  You could fill volumes and volumes of books on this subject of the Menorah.

My intention today is to briefly point to the description of The Lampstand.  We want to see the beginnings of how it is symbolic of the Light of The World – Jesus Christ.

TRUE SIGNIFICANCE FOR GOD’S PEOPLE

The Lampstand is very significant to the people of God.

I am humbled to even share this subject .  Also, I fear saying too much about such holy things could be misinterpreted if not spoken with great care. I would rather say too little, than add or subtract from the truth. As usual, I stand in awe of the wonderful way God teaches us.  Jesus has always managed to teach us through sacred objects as well as the ordinary things of life.

So let’s briefly explore the mysteries of the Menorah. What are the answers to “who,” “what,” “when,” “why,” and “where” regarding this subject.

WHO

The Lampstand  is the middle and main branch of the Menorah.  It clearly represents Christ, as The Most High Priest of God.

You can see the importance of the number One in the design of this Lampstand. Everything is hewn out of one solid piece of gold. It reminds us of the Oneness of Christ with God the Father. This is what qualifies Him to be The Most High Priest.

There are seven lamps that work together to provide the light from the Menorah. The main piece providing the light from the middle of the Menorah (The Lampstand) represents Christ.  It holds and offers the greatest light.

THE OIL

All of the other light is made possible through the oil which flows from this one great light. Six other lamps are fed by the oil of olive leaves.  This oil pours out into and flows from the center of the Lampstand. These six lamps represent those who follow Christ. There are three on one side and three on the other side. Could those represent the Old Testament and the New Testament Christians?  Could the lamps represent God’s churches of today?  That is a thought to ponder.

THE VINE AND BRANCHES

The number six is always representative of the humanity of mankind. When we think of the six branches connecting to the Lampstand in the center, we are reminded of the words of Christ.  He told us in John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches.”

The rest of Christ’s words in this passage clearly emphasize His place as our Most High Priest.  He is standing before the Throne of God to make intercession for our souls. It is He who said “If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Without the Lampstand in the center, the branches of the Menorah are totally useless. They can only bear light into the darkness if they are connected to the center of the Lamp. This reminds us of how Christ makes us complete. If you add 1 to 6 you get the number seven; the total number of the lights of the Menorah.

THE PLAN FROM CREATION

Without the One the other six would are not complete.  Alone, they can not function properly. The number seven stands for completeness.

God completed the six days of creation with the seventh day.  This was the most holy part of the creation week.

Also; God completed the creation of mankind by sending His beloved Son to live as one of us.  Yeshua’s presence is what makes our lives sacred and holy. Because of the seventh light, the other six are useful to the work of The Kingdom of God.

It is the Most High Priest who can go into The Holy of Holies.  He is the One who can come before the Presence of God.

THE LIGHT

The Lampstand provided the light to see the way to the Mercy Seat in the wilderness Tabernacle.

Without Christ, mercy would not be possible for anyone.  In ancient days if a man entered improperly; he would die. So it is with our souls.  We must be covered with Christ before entering before the Throne of God into The Kingdom of Heaven.

THE OIL

We can see the oil comes from the oil that flows from the center (Christ.) He brings the oil of the great Lampstand.  This oil represents the presence of God’s Holy Spirit.

All of the other lights receive oil from the center (The Lampstand.) This is symbolic of the fact that without the foundation of Christ in our lives we have no access to God’s Holy Spirit.

THE BRANCHES

The six branches and/or lights; the ones on each side of the center light, stand for those who have followed and been associated with Christ throughout the ages (The True Church.)  This section of the lamp shows how God’s people are connected to God through Christ as The Most High Priest of God.

THE VINE

He is the Lampstand in the center of the Menorah.  The whole Menorah works together to shine out God’s glory to illuminate the darkness. As each individual light with the others through the oil from the largest light in the center, they have stories to tell.  These stories bring glory to God The Father.

You must learn to distinguish The Lampstand from the whole Menorah.

The Lampstand is the center which holds everything together (Christ.)  There are branches on the sides (God’s People) holding lamps that hold oil.  Thus, the whole Menorah symbolizes God’s Kingdom at work.  Everyone is working together with Jesus acting as The Most High Priest.  God’s Holy Spirit is flowing from Christ and indwelling the people.  The people are living like lamps.  These lamps are not hidden.  They are shinning their light out into the world.

OUR HOPE

So you see, this Menorah in the Sanctuary is so much more than a mere functional light fixture in a room.  God living inside our hearts is so much more than words can ever describe.  We sense here that The Menorah which gives off physical light also gives off spiritual hope.

It is a beautiful piece of art designed and conceived from God.  This Menorah represents so much more than any human artist could ever portray.  The ancient Israelites actually called the light from the Menorah “ner Elohim” or “The Lamp of God.” Can you see how “The Lamp of God” would be Jesus Christ acting as our Most High Priest?

WHAT DAVID KNEW

King David identified with this “Lamp of God” in the psalms that he sang.  He used the words; “He wraps Himself in light as with a garment.” David was speaking of the beautiful illustration of God through Christ.  We see this represented in the Menorah. (Psalm 104:2) .

It was also David who spoke of The Lamp of God as being a “lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” He was speaking of this Lampstand that connects to the lamps of the Menorah in the Tabernacle.

Christ being “The Word Of God” represents the Torah as well as representing the role of our Most High Priest. He IS the Living Word of God. His words are direction for our souls. David received instruction for life from the Holy Scriptures in Torah. Even before the Messiah walked the earth, David knew these words contained The Words of Life.

A PATH TO THE TREE OF LIFE

No matter how dark the human condition becomes; just one ray of light from this “Lamp of God” is said to dispel the darkness.  It brings clarity and purpose into our world. This marvelous Lampstand is said to mark the pathway to The Tree of Life. (Isa. 35:8)

THE LOVE OF JESUS

We know that Jesus Christ is “the way.” The Glory of God is fully revealed in Jesus Christ. Jesus became known as “The Light Of The World.” Through this light, in the living, dying, rising and giving of His life, mankind has been illuminated and brought into the Divine Presence of God.

John 8:12 speaks of this: “I am the light of the world, he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

The significance of this Lampstand of God started at the very moment of creation when the voice of God said; “Let there be Light.” Light came into the nothingness of total darkness.  The universe began with glorious light, seen for the first time ever.

Many see the significance of the six branches and their lamps representing the first six days of creation.  They have also recognized the seventh branch, the middle branch (the Lampstand,) as being representative of the seventh day; the Sabbath.

KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM

As the universe was born into light and time went on, light became equated with knowledge and wisdom. The Light of God shone from the Lampstand.  This light gave meaning to the whole universe and everything that made up life.

So, in this previous illustration we see the “who.” It is Christ, our Creator, Our Savior, Our Beloved, Our Most High Priest. Way before he came as a man, His presence was there before the Glory of God in the tabernacle in the wilderness. He was showing types and shadows of what was to come later.  His mission was to provide a way for man and God to be together forever.

WHAT

That is the “Who” of The Lampstand; but now let’s look at the “What.” Just what was the main purpose of the Lampstand?

It seems The Lampstand’s primary purpose is to connect mankind with God.  Next it is to help men to shine God’s light out into the universe.

This giving of “light” and illumination was achieved through the pouring of the oil into the lamps.  This pouring out caused a holy fire that illumined the way to the Tree of Life.

Christ has made this possible. Through Him, all believers have The Holy Spirit living inside of them. Through Him, and those living in Him, a light has come into the darkness.  The darkness is overcome.

THE TREE OF LIFE

Notice how the Menorah is tree-shaped?  This is not coincidence.  The shape of the Menorah with the branches coming from the central stem is clearly patterned after a tree. It was clear to the Israelites that the Menorah represented The Tree of Life.

AARON’S STAFF THAT BUDDED

We can see a repeat of this symbolized from the burning bush story.  Also, we can see another repeat of this in Aaron’s (The High Priest of Israel’s) staff.  This is the same staff God used in the deliverance from Pharaoh.

The LORD chose to decorate the Menorah with almond cups from the almond tree.  He used the almond blossoms that are very beautiful to behold. Most people think that the staff Aaron used to perform the signs and wonders from God was made from the branch of an almond tree.

There was a later time in the wilderness when Aaron’s staff budded.  It produced flowers and almonds overnight. We now know this was symbolic of the power of the Resurrection of Christ.  All of these facts are symbolized in the design of the Lampstand.

UNITING MEN TO GOD

So we see that the main purpose of the Menorah was to shine God’s light out into the universe.  This design was so that God’s light could reach and unite men’s souls to God through Christ as the center.  All of these facts represented the structure of The Kingdom of God.  They reflect God’s Glory to the world.

For the Israelites this meant becoming a holy nation under God. They were the shadow of the coming of God’s Kingdom in the hearts and souls of all mankind.

WHEN

So we have seen “who” and we know “what” but now we ask “when.”

When will the message of God’s Lampstand be most significant?

There are many time periods in history where the Lampstand is extremely significant. For Israel and all of the people living in the Old Testament days The Lampstand representing the Most High Priest represents the promise of Messiah.

PROMISES OF MESSIAH

For us on the other side of the cross; it represents the Second Coming of Christ.

All of this light points to a future time where we, through Christ our Savior, will obtain the right to eternal life through the blessings of The Tree of Life.

If you read Revelation 22:14 you will hear “they who do His commandments have a right to the tree of life.”

WHEN THE TREE OF LIFE IS REVEALED

The Menorah becomes most significant to us when we are following the commandments.  When we come to the time of the revealing of The Tree of Life, those who have followed the commandments, or have been given mercy from their sins and have turned to living out the commandments because of Christ; they will be allowed to taste of The Tree of Life.

This “when” will be an eternal “when.”

WHY

So we know the “who,” and the “what” and the “when.” Now we seek the answers to the “why.”

Why does God chose to place the Lampstand inside The Holy Place in the wilderness tabernacle?  Why is everything about the Menorah so significant?

Well, if the Menorah stands for Christ, and the reflection of the light of God living from within the souls of mankind who have Jesus Christ living within their hearts, what could matter more?

Is there possibly more which we should recognize?

WHAT IS THE MORE?

The blending of the tree motif, and the fire in the design of the Menorah, is very significant.  It is the Light of God, that eternal fire from the burning bush, that Moses first saw which connects these two together.  I speak of the connection of the divine and the human.

Do the flames coming from the lamps not remind you of the flames of fire from the Day of Pentecost?

THE BURNING BUSH

The burning bush drew the human man, Moses, to the divine being; God. This was the beginning of the connection God wished to make with those He loves. He does not desire to see our sin when He looks upon us.  Instead, He desires to see our goodness. The light of the Menorah reveals all things. God sees us in this light for exactly who we are.  He sees the good and the bad of us, unless we are covered in the blood of Jesus.

If God sees this covering of Christ in the pure, clean, light of the Menorah, He will only see the evidence of His most Beloved Son, our Most High Priest and Holy Intercessor. God will love and cherish us because He loves and cherishes the Son who died for us.

LIGHT REVEALS WHO WE ARE

So; one reason for the light of the Menorah is that the light reveals who we really are. God either sees us standing in Christ, or He sees us standing in our sins. The light of Christ reveals everything that is true. This is one reason why the Menorah is so very significant.

There are many more reasons as to “why” God chose to place this Lampstand in the wilderness tabernacle.  The biggest reason is that it shadows the role of Christ as our Most High Priest.

WHERE

We have answered the questions of “who,” “what,” “when,” and “why.” Now we must answer the question of “where:”

Where is the Menorah is placed within the Tabernacle?

It is strategically placed.  The Menorah stands where the light will shine into the most needed area.  This is so that those who are working in the tabernacle can find their way around.  They can see what is most important to their mission. The light is there to dispel the darkness. God gives us His light so that we can give Him the Glory. His light shows us the way to all that we need to know.

WHERE IS THE LAMPSTAND TODAY?

And after all of these significant facts, you might ask where the original Lampstand now resides?

That is a good question.

No one knows the answer to where the actual, physical golden Lampstand is at this present moment.

We can only know the answer to where the One it stands for is. He is at the right hand of God in Heaven, ever interceding for our souls before God the Father.  As the lampstand reveals men’s hearts to God, so too will Jesus reveal us to Our Heavenly Father.  He is the filter that removes our sins from the eyes of God.  He is The Light of the World.

Yeshua is receiving our prayers even now.  He is answering our prayers through the connection of God’s Holy Spirit.  This gives light to our days.  Yeshua’s mercy and love is forever shinning hope into our hearts.