The last several weeks in our nation have been heavy. In this Year of Open Books, witnessing the depth of what the Lord is revealing regarding the exposure of corruption in this Kairos Season, will continue to be heavy. Keep in mind, it has only has just begun. However, it’s necessary to refine us and prepare us for what God has planned.
It is important that we, as intercessors, continue to bath the nation in prayer.
- Pray for continued grace upon the intercessors as we weep and war over these issues.
- Pray for the nation. There’s tremendous fear of exposure by the fraudsters, and when a criminal operation feels threatened, especially one that I believe, is also funding unbelievably nefarious activity, violence often ensues. Mafia-style violence.
- Pray for those journalists exposing the corruption, pray for those trying to bring justice, pray for the protection of emergency personnel, and pray for the innocent.
- Pray for the nation, the Minnesota situation is a template, we will see more. The emotion across the nation is high. There’s relief, shock, and increasing anger over our tax-payer dollars going to this fraud, the nation needs prayer.
We will cover these issues and more this week on our Thursday/Friday calls. The Lord will bless you for your sacrifice of prayer, praise, and worship in times of trouble.
Please also continue to pray over our finances, and please know, we are praying over yours as well. We know the enemy is hitting ministries across the land who stand for righteousness but I believe we can win if we are faithful. At times, it’s an all-out battle, isn’t it?! After we prayed over your finances last week, I received messages highlighting what I suspected: legal battles, job losses, medical bills, car repairs, and on and on the list went. We know the enemy is attacking the intercessor’s resources to try to stop the work of the Lord in our nation! We are in this together my friends, and we will stand shoulder to shoulder with you, and refuse to allow the enemy to win this battle against the finances of God’s children!!
We are deeply thankful for each of you as you give to the ministry, financially and/or through your time, may God richly reward you for your sacrifice!
In today’s message, I’d like to cover how God is preparing the Ecclesia for the coming days.
In this year of Open Books, we will see the Hammer of Justice fall. When it does, it will hit everything. We will see the Lord deal in greater measure with the church and will witness a wider separation between “the church” and the Ecclesia as He does.
The Lord must expose those who use His name to abuse His people for their gain.
Why?
He is preparing us for the Glory to fall, and for His Glory to fall upon the land and rest in the Ecclesia, He must first examine us…
The book of Revelation gives us insight into how the Lord examines the Ecclesia. Some translations call them Lampstands and in others, they are His Candlesticks.
Before we look at what Revelation says about the Lord’s examination of His Candlesticks, let’s review the Apostle John’s situation, and consider the power revelation of the Lord that he saw.
John receives and writes Revelation from the Island of Patmos. A barren quarry on a 60-square mile island to which, Emperor Domitian banished the Apostle John to, in order to stop his influence among the people. This is where the Roman Emperors, in this case Emperor Domitian, banished political prisoners to silence and prevent them from influencing the general population. It’s isolation and hard labor could drive a man mad.
The revelation, as is often the case, is one that comes out of a profound wilderness season, one in which most would feel the immense crushing that comes from the weight of isolation, hard labor, verbal abuse, and so on, had they not had the Lord to lean upon. John was not unfamiliar with persecution, he witnessed among his friends and suffered immense persecution and even attempts upon his life, by Divine intervention.
He was preserved for the revelation that he would bring.
God uses this period in John’s banishment as part of His redemptive plan to bring forth prophetic revelations so far into the future, we have yet to see them come about. They contain revelations about the court of Heaven that few have seen and lived to tell the tale.
John experienced plenty of correction from the Lord as he was changed from a “son of thunder” to the “one whom Jesus loved.” But in Revelation, he will see a side of Jesus he did not see when he spent three and a half years as His disciple. He will see “The Son of Man” the fulfillment of Daniel 7: 13-14, the “One with Everlasting Authority and Dominion” and this alone causes John to “fall down as a dead man”. This is the Righteous and Holy Lord, the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, the One Who holds the keys to life and death in the palm of His hand. He is holy and His holiness is what fills the temple. Anything not purified will be consumed and that which has been purified, will fall down as a dead man in front of this Righteous Judge.
Revelation 1:12-18 KJV
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death
Revelation 1:13-16 depicts this Righteous Judge. Jesus does not appear as the humble carpenter of Nazareth that John and the other disciples walked, slept, and ate with. Instead, Jesus revealed Himself to John in the unveiled majesty of the risen Christ—the vision Israel longed for in their Messiah.
This is important to us because God is preparing us for His Glory, and as His Glory falls, it will cleanse as much as it heals. Most of the church is not ready for what this really means.
An example: February 9, 2023, I awoke from a dream wherein I knelt among a group of people as we were crying out to the Lord. I heard myself cry out, “the Baptism of Fire, it’s coming!” and those around me began to wail as they fell on their faces. My cry was filled with such agony, I awoke.
Asbury broke out that morning. It was ignited in the heart of college kids from a Christian college as they worshipped, repented of their sins, immersed themselves in the Word, and cried out to God for forgiveness. This is what the Baptism of Fire does, this is what happens as the Glory falls upon the land. Jonathan Edwards walked under such an anointing, he would walk down the street, and people would fall on their faces and begin repenting of their sins.
Let’s read Revelation 1:12-18 again, but first, let me break down what each element represents and then as we read the passage again, consider the following:
- The robe and golden sash: this reveals Jesus’ rank as High Priest, King of kings and Lord of lords.
- His hair, white like wool: this recalls Daniel 7:9, speaking of divine purity, holiness, and eternal wisdom.
- His eyes like blazing fire: this symbolizes His penetrating judgment—no heart, no secret, and no motive remains hidden from His gaze.
- His feet like polished bronze: this denote His judgment, strength, stability, and the crushing of His enemies beneath His reign, as foretold in Psalm 110:1.
- His voice like the roar of many waters: this echoes the thunderous sound of God’s voice at Sinai and Ezekiel’s visions of glory.
- From His mouth comes a sharp, double-edged sword: this representing the living Word of God, by which He will discern and cut away that which offends Him, and defend that which belongs to Him. (Hebrews 4:12)
- His face was shining like the sun in all its brilliance: this echoing the Mount of Transfiguration, but now displayed in full, unrestrained glory.
These descriptive verses of Jesus reveal to us the Jesus who Jesus sends forth the Baptism of Fire into the earth.
With all of this in mind, let’s review Revelation 1:12-17a:
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.
This is our Holy Savior, our Righteous Judge. He is above clichés and catch phrases, He is man, but He is GOD, the One Who was, Who is, and Who is to come!
Friends, our familiarity with Him is about to change… He is examining His Candlesticks in preparation for His Glory!
Jesus gave John the outline for the book of Revelation. I am simplifying a very complex text, for the purpose of this message. This is clearly not exhaustive.
Revelation 1:19
19 Write the things which thou hast seen (Jesus among the candlesticks in heaven), and the things which are (the condition of the candlesticks or churches), and the things which shall be hereafter (future stuff, the end-time tribulations, the final battle, the judgment.)
For the purposes of this message, we are focusing on our Holy Lord and His examination of, as well as the messages to His Candlesticks. Why? There’s a message here for us today. He is working to prepare His Ecclesia to be ready for His coming, whether He is coming for His Church in that final call, or whether He is coming to pour out His Glory in this last Great Awakening, we must be ready. The Glory brings the Baptism of Fire. As Mario Murrillo would say, there’s no light show, no fog machines, or even skinny jeans in revival! No, my friends, it is a pure and unadulterated holy outpouring of His presence and that presence will course through His body.
Jesus continued in Revelation 1:20:
20 the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
To lay the groundwork for the second part of this revelation, to ignite the faith in the hearer, Jesus is going to walk among the Candlesticks and unpack the secrets of their hearts. He will reveal to John the dangers some of them face, and if they do not repent, the judgment that awaits them. He will reveal the tender love He has for those who are faithful. He will expose those who are divided, two-faced, compromised, and what awaits everyone as the scrolls are opened.
These seven churches were active churches located in modern-day Turkey. In fact, tradition holds that when John was released from Patmos, he went to Ephesus and settled there. There is a small memorial where it is believed that he was buried, that still remains.
I’ve shared this before, but it bears repeating. When an apostle wrote a letter, that letter could be sent out in duplicates (or duplicated on site), and read to each of the churches in that area. In Galatia for example, there were four cities where Paul began churches. History records that there was often more than one house-church that resulted from an evangelistic outreach. The members would attend a reading of that letter, then it would be copied so they could study and continue to reflect on the instruction, correction, and edification contained therein. Then, the messenger would go to the next location, and the same scenario would be repeated. One letter to Galatia went to four cities, and two or more house-churches within each city.
The same thing occurred with Revelation. These seven Candlesticks are being examined by Jesus Himself. John is transcribing what the Lord has found, and these corrections, complements, and concerns will be read, not only to the individual church, but the other six. In addition, the revelation of the tribulation and final judgment will be read. If Jesus examined your candlestick with such specific details about your congregation, wouldn’t your eyes be opened to receive, with a greater measure of faith, the revelation of the Great Tribulation and the Final Judgment?
We will look at what the Lord is addressing as He examines His candlesticks in a moment. Just briefly here, however, what is a candlestick?
A 1st Century candlestick elevated the lamp or light in a home to allow it to fill the entire space with light. In the first century, after the Passion of our Lord, this is where most church services were held.
If we look at the Temple example, we see the menorah. It was pounded out of a pure gold, weighting in at about one talent, or 75 pounds. The engineering skill of the Betzalel, those who formed the Menorah that resided in the temple was born out of true God-given craftsmanship. He begins with a single sheet of gold and hammers, shapes and molds it into a long stem that runs up the center, with three branches on either side for a total of seven stems that end in a small cup, shaped like an almond blossom. No welding, no soldering, this is a single piece of pounded gold. Small oil lamps are placed here in each blossom, and the priests tend to them daily to ensure the light burns continually. To garner the purest oil, they harvest and crush the olives from the finest of olive trees. Much like the olives within the garden of gethsemane, the one Jesus Himself went to pray in the night before the Cross. This is where He was crushed as He cried out to the Father in preparation for His Passion.
The lampstand itself endures great crushing to be shaped and molded into a vessel from which the light can shine. When Jesus is speaking to the Candlestick, even though it is nowhere near as elaborate as the one in the Temple, the intention is the same, the Candlestick holds up the Light to shine in the midst of the darkness.
Who is the Light? Jesus
Back to our Scripture
Revelation 1:12-13a,16 KJV
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Does Jesus have a right to examine His candlesticks? The vessels from which His light will shine? I think if the candlesticks kept His image, this one right here in Revelation 1 in front of them night and day, they would embrace His thorough examination.
Let us consider the imagery here, Jesus is walking among His Candlesticks to examine how they are carrying His light into the environment around them. The Lamp or Candlestick was to be pure gold. It’s hammered, crushed, and formed into a God-directed stand to hold His pure and holy Light. Examination, shaping, and molding all often feel like immense crushing but that is what enables us to carry His light.
Why is He doing this with the seven churches? What was He seeing that concerned Him? This could involve an entire message on each church, but for the purpose of this message, we will cover them briefly:
1. In Ephesus, they left their first love (Rev 2:4) this is the beginning of the end for many churches.
2. In Pergamos, they allowed those who held to the doctrine of Balaam to remain. (Rev 2:12-16) This symbolizes corrupt teachers who permitted immorality and stumbling blocks.
3. In Thyatira, they tolerated Jezebel. She taught, seduced, fornicated, and embraced false prophets. Jezebel engages with the depths of Satan’s realm.
4. In Sardis, in spite of the lively nature of the Church, they were dead in the eyes of the Lord and in the eyes of the enemy. (Rev 3:1-5) Consider the tragedy that this statement reflects; if the enemy sees you as dead, he views you as one who is simply not a threat, nor worth his time. You are nothing more than a social club.
5. In Laodicea, they are lukewarm, and because of this they were indifferent to the reality of their spiritual compromise. (Rev 3:15-16) They were straddling the fence between Jesus and the world hoping to keep hold of both. As a result, their religion was cold and full of compromise. No greater damage to the image of Christ does
a Church inflict, than to live a Laodicean life.
I can see the condemnations and corrections of these five churches, in many very popular denominations of our time. The beauty of each of these is that Jesus still calls them to repentance that their names might not be blotted out of the Lamb’s book of Life and adds that He reproves and disciplines those whom He loves. His love for them had not changed, theirs however, had grown cold.
What about the other two? What did Jesus see as He examined the Candlesticks from Smyrna and Philadelphia?
6. In Philadelphia, (Rev 3:7-8) He saw His church had the opportunity for evangelism and were embracing it, He saw that they relied on God, and they were faithful to the Word and in the midst of great persecution, had not denied His name.
7. In Smyrna, (Rev 2:9) This church had been crushed, more than any of the other candlesticks, they had endured great persecution, and that pressing produced a sweet-smelling fragrance that reached the heavens. They were the poorest but the purest of the seven candlesticks and all He could do was encourage them in their suffering.
The messenger who read these letters took a mail route. John wrote the letter in the order of each stop. They were 30-45 miles apart. Can you imagine the response of these churches as the messenger who received this letter from the Apostle John, took it around that mail route to each church and one by one, stood in front of their Candlestick reading the entirety of John’s letter? It was not only the portion designated for that specific church, but the entirety of his letter. From the Revelation of the glorious Son of Man who walked among the Candlesticks with feet like brass (representing judgment) examining each one and releasing his verdict, to the revelation of the end-time wars and catastrophic world-events, to the final Great White Throne Judgment by the One who holds the power of life and death in His hands… that messenger would read it all aloud. Then, scribes pulled out their quill and a scroll and copied it word for word so a copy could be kept in the church for reference and study, as was customary to do. Do you think those words stung? Do you think they repented? Do you think the scribe paused under the weight of this profound revelation of what is, what will be, and what is yet to come?
I do.
Would Jesus do such a thing today? Imagine if He went to the Methodist, the Catholic, the Baptist, the Four-Square, the Non-denominational and read out the findings of His examination of what He uncovered in His examination of the Candlesticks? Would they cry out in agony as those in my dream did?
When the Glory falls, the health of our Candlestick will be exposed. The Lord is examining them even now and as this occurs, we will see greater and greater separation between the “church or social clubs” and the Ecclesia. Why? God is preparing us for His glory.
I think it’s important we lay ourselves before the Lord and ask Him to examine our hearts, prepare us for the days ahead, refine, purify, equip.
This week we will cover the Glory, as well as seven signs of a healthy Candlestick.
Blessings & love,
Ricci Johnson-Wilson
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