(Posted elsewhere in the forum as well.)
I just preached last Sunday about removing the candlestick for the focus on the CROSS.
Was blessed with a thought...
The candlesticks were necessary in the holy place for both activity in there with the bread and incense, as well as manifesting where the veil is for the high priest to pass through. Without that light, you could not find the veil and know where to enter the holiest.
The Book of Revelation begins with Jesus in the candlesticks. And the ONLY TWO elements of the vision in that chapter that are INTERPRETED for us are the candlesticks and the stars. They're the churches and the churches' angels.
Then we have two solid chapters of letters to those angels and their churches.
Chapter 4 begins with heaven OPENED.
REVELATION means DIS-COVERING -- UNVEILING -- REVEALING. The first thing John sees when Heaven is OPENED (unveiled) is the throne of God.
This corresponds to the tabernacle. The Ark of the covenant was behind the veil.
Heb 9 says heaven is the true holiest into which Christ went, instead of holy places made with hands in the form of the tabernacle. So the true holiest is HEAVEN itself. Entering HEAVEN, then, would be to enter where the true ARK OF THE COVENANT was., The throne!
The ark stands for the throne since it has a mercyseat where God's glory rests.
Heb 4 says we find MERCY at his throne of grace in speaking of Jesus as our high priest!
Isa 6 saw the throne with seraphims covering it overhead, just as the ark's mercyseat had cherubims covering it with their wings.
So, it's no coincidence the candlesticks are such an integral part of Revelation chapters 1 through 3 before we read of HEAVEN BEING OPENED. The light of the candlesticks is necessary to lead us to the OPENING and REVEALING and UNVEILING -- REVELATION -- of the most holy place of heaven.
And reference to the throne of God is often associated with ULTIMATE FORGIVENESS, as we see in chapter 5 where the lamb approaches the throne and redeems us by his blood, as the high priest sprinkled blood on the mercyseat to make atonement.
Anyway, the two chapters on the churches and their angels are vital. I've often wondered why they appear in those two chapters between the vision of Jesus in Ch 1 and the actual revelations given from chapter 4 onward. I think this may be part of it,
The candlesticks are so vital to bring people to the veil so sinners can experience that unveiling that the cross affords them, as Jesus died when the veil rent in the temple.
2 Cor 3 says our hearts are unveiled when we turn them to Jesus. So, churches that had to be corrected were corrected, and the two who were doing well were urged to continue to do so. Why? Because their light is vital for sinners to come to see an unveiling of Jesus and approaching the throne of grace to find MERCY! ATONEMENT.
And we can realize the weight behind Christ's words to Ephesus about the removal of their candlestick if they don't repent.
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