The Voice of the Trumpet is the Voice of God
John heard the voice of the trumpet and turned to see what it was. It was as the voice of God, specifically in this instance, as Christ speaks from the midst of the Church. St. John saw 7 golden candlesticks and in the middle of the 7 candlesticks, one like unto the Son of Man. From studies of the Tabernacle in the books of Exodus and Leviticus we know that in the outer holy place on the South side, adjacent to the Table of Showbread, there was the Candlestick. Actually it was a stand made of gold and was more of a lamp as we think of it. There was an oil reservoir which supplied the wick with fuel. Then there were 6 additional candlesticks (or lamps) that came out of the central candlestick and were arranged in a circle around it (not every expositor agrees about the "circle"). This is what we see here. The purpose of the Candlestick in the Tabernacle was to give light.
The New Priesthood of the New Testament
This was to show that in God's work the only light comes from Christ, the Head of the Church and from the Holy Ghost as He works in and through the Church. The outer Holy Place represents, for one thing, the era of the Church in this world (there are other analogies that we will not go into here). The Holy Place is a fitting picture of the Church with its temporary light that will go out when the eternal day dawns and we see God face to face.
The Oil of the Spirit
The wicks were supplied with oil which fed through the piping from the central candle stick and reservoir in which the oil was stored. Christ is the central Candle Stick. The Light of the World is Jesus. The oil is the Holy Ghost from which the Church gets its light.
The Heavenly Tabernacle
Many Bible teachers who study the tabernacle have said that the prophetic witness of the Old Testament Candlestick - the light of the world - would never be complete until Christ takes His place in the midst of His people in the New Tabernacle. With this we heartily agree and hasten to point out that is exactly what we have here in this Book of Revelation: "In the midst of the candlesticks one like unto the Son of Man." Christ is not entered into holy places made with men's hands which are only figures of the true, but into heaven itself, there to appear in the presence of God for us (Heb. 9:24)
The Melchisedec Priesthood
Christ is made a high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building (Heb. 9:11). The earthly tabernacle only served as an example and shadow of heavenly things. But now Christ has obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much He is the mediator of a better covenant established upon better promises (Heb. 8:5, 6). If it was a tabernacle built by men, on this earth, Christ could not be a priest because He was not from the tribe of Levi (Heb. 8:4, 7:12-17). But the scene which we see here, while it pertains to the Church and the present dispensation, is not an earthly one. It is a heavenly one. Christ, the great High Priest, adorned in the High Priestly garments, is in the middle of the candle sticks, supporting them, supplying them and involved in the work with them.
6 + 1 = 7
There are 6 candlesticks in the circle and there is a 7th in the middle. 6 is the number of man. 1 is the number of deity. The Church united together with the deity of Christ becomes 7: The Perfect work of God; the finished work of Christ; the complete working of the Holy Ghost; the work of the Church in this world. This symbolism develops and fills in as this chapter progresses.
Clothed With A garment Down To the Foot
First, it is Christ in the midst of the Church. Then, it is Christ the righteous and the Holy Man who has personally won the favour, the blessing, and the office from God - He was clothed completely with the garment of personal righteousness (Heb. 1:8, 9). This was a seamless robe of pure white linen. Over the righteous garment was the Ephod that consisted of an upper, vest-like design and a long, flowing robe. It was not a habergeon with a hole in the top by which it was slipped over the head, but was made in two pieces as a front and a back. It was put on and laced at the sides. Thus, if the seamless white robe represented His eternal righteousness, the Ephod represented His earthly accomplishments by which He learned to be and earned the right to be our High Priest (Heb. 5:6-10). There were two squares attached to the shoulders of the Ephod worn by the High Priest. On each shoulder of the Ephod there was a socket of gold in which a diamond was set. On each of the diamonds was etched the names of 6 of the tribes of the Children of Israel. The Bible says that the High Priest was to bare the children before God in memorial. The term "memorial" is used in the Old Testament Scriptures to indicate something that would cause God to remember and accept them on the bases of one of His mighty acts on their behalf in the past. When the children crossed out of Egypt through the Red Sea, stones were set up for memorial and again when they crossed out of the wilderness through the Jordan and into the Promised Land. It was written that whenever the children of God in coming generations would ask, "What are these stones?" they would be told that they were for a memorial of the time
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nice post