Tag Archives: Menorah

Seven Golden Lampstands – Part 3

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Seven Stars as the Menorah:

According to Zondervan, the Menorah should be translated ‘lampstand’ as there were seven olive-oil lamps emanating from one stem. The plan or arrangement of these seven was in the form of a six-point star with the center of it being the seventh lamp.[5]
This six-point star, revolving around a center point could be used to represent, or perhaps to sight, the equinoxes and the solstices of the year. The word Menorah may well be a contraction of a compound word mânâh, meaning “to divide, be divided.” One form of the word (Niphal), means to be numbered, etc, plus the word ’ûr, meaning “light.” The compound would therefore relate to the dividing and numbering of the lights of the heaven for purposes of determining the calendar.[6]

Psalm 19:1: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

The word translated “declare” (KJV) or “are telling” (RSV) in the original language has the sense of numbering, or tallying. In Old English we have this same sense in the expression: “a tale that is told” which can signify “a story that is related” or “a numerical problem that is solved.” So the heavens, in Psalms 19:1, are not only telling the glory of God but are also numbering it by the cycles of the times.

Zechariah also saw this lampstand:
And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which [are] upon the top thereof: (Zech. 4:2).

The Angel interpreted this for Zechariah:

“For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel [with] those seven; they [are] the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.” (Zech. 4:10)

Here we see that the seven golden candlesticks were a “plummet.” The word ‘with’ is supplied at the translator’s discretion and was not in the original text. That is, it is a builder’s instrument for aligning a building. Builders have used the stars to align buildings since some of the earliest historical records, (for example, the pyramids of Egypt.) Therefore, the “plummet” in the hands of Zerubbabel was, naturally speaking, the seven-branched candelabra, which was spiritually analogous to the Seven-fold, or Covenant Spirit of God. (See Commentary at 1:10 “Being Turned”).

Seven Stars as the Seed Sower:

The seven stars were also sometimes called the “Seed Sower.” They were pictured as the hand-carried container for the seed, which the sower carried, and from which the seed were broadcast throughout the fields. This is an apt picture of the Church as the Sower of the Good Seed of the Word. Since the Word is Light, Psalms 119:105, 130; Proverbs 6:23; Hosea 6:5, the preaching of the word is the sowing of Light.

Psalm 97:11: “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.” Christ is Light and the Word: John 1:4-9. The pictorial representation of Christ at the pole star position speaks of Him as the Sower of Light, the Good Seed of the Word, and the beginning of creation.

The Hebrew Menorah later became known as the “Nebrashta,” in the Aramaic of Daniel 5:5. The root of this word is perhaps bərê’shîyth, which is the first word of the Bible, “in the beginning”, Genesis 1:1.[7]

[5] ZPBD article “Candlesticks.” See the drawing at this place, showing the six-point star arrangement of the Candlestick.

[6] See my Word Study at 1:12 ‘Candlestick.’ See Josephus Antiquities 3.7.7, the seven branched candlestick is said to represent the seven planets. However in Wars 7.5.5, he makes the candlestick an emblem of the seven days of creation. Whiston in a footnote, (p.75 on 3.7.7), says that Josephus’ description of the candlestick as representing the planets is taken from Philo and “is fitted to Gentile philosophical notions.” This is no doubt true, but how else could the idea have been translated for the Greeks without a very large commentary on the subject? Since the days of the week were named for the seven planets, it may have been a matter of semantics rather than philosophy that caused Josephus to describe them as representing the planets in one place and the days of the week in another.

[7] See my Commentary on  Revelation 1:3 “Christ as Light and Time,” and also at 1:12-20 “Visions of God,” 1:9 “Tribulation,” and 12:10-12″Satan Cast Down.”

Seven Golden Candlesticks – Part 2

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What did the analogy of the “Seven Golden Candlesticks” mean to the Churches in the first century AD when the Book of Revelation was first written?

Seven Stars as “The Lesser and Greater Sheepfold”[1]

In that region of the world at that time in history, this constellation, Ursa Major, was known as “The Greater Sheepfold” (Seiss, 20, 126-7, 178). The smaller constellation, Ursa Minor, known as the “Lesser, or former, Sheepfold,” hangs upon the pole star and is in the center of the revolutions of the circumpolar stars known as “The Greater Sheepfold.” The Greater Sheepfold therefore encompasses it. This “Lesser Sheepfold” would have represented the original body of Jewish believers from which the Church began. The seven named churches of Asia, (see also Revelation 1:11),[2] therefore represented the “Greater Sheepfold”, i.e., the entire universe of both Gentile and Jewish Christians, the complete Church.

The Heavenly Pattern

The earthly churches are therefore the spiritual counterpart of The Church in the heavenlies, where the Angel of the Church resides. Just as nations have their “Prince,” (as the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Grecia in Daniel 10:13, 20), so the Church has its “Angel,” or Prince, in the heavenlies, which is Christ. The local, earthly counterpart has its “Angel” which is to represent Christ on earth.

The heavenly “Mount Zion” was in Old Testament times represented on earth by the earthly city of Jerusalem. The Psalmist could say: [3])

“Walk about Zion, and go round about her, tell the towers thereof, mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces, that ye may tell it to the generation following. For this God is our God forever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death,” (48:12-14).

Seven Stars as God’s Writing:

In another analogy, the starry heavens are thought of as God’s handwriting.[4] It is therefore appropriate that the scenes of the Book of Revelation are portrayed in the constellations of the night sky.

The Menorah, or seven-branched candlestick that was in the tabernacle and the Temple, was made according to the original pattern given to Moses while he was upon Mt. Sinai, (Exod. 25:31-40; 37:17-20 and Number 8:2-4.). Later David gave to Solomon the plan for the lampstands along with the other plans for the Temple, 1 Chronicles. 28:11-19. All of these plans were those given by God:

“All this he made clear by the writing from the hand of the Lord concerning it, [even] all the work to be done according to the plan.” (1 Chronicles 28:19 RSV).

The “Writing from the hand of the Lord” was that of the starry heavens.

[1] Some Scriptures that show how important this concept was in the Bible are: Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 23:3; 31:10-12; Ezek. 34:10-31; chs. 37 & 38; Mic. 3:12; 4:8; Zech. 9:16; Luke 12:32; John 10:1, 16; Acts 20:28-9; 1 Pet. 5:2-3.

[2] Note that “in Asia” is not in the Greek text of 1:11. The Greek text of 1:4 actually reads: “in the Asia.” See Commentary at 1:4 “Asia”.

[3] For discussion of Pole Star as Mount Zion, see “Satan Cast Down,” my Commentary on Revelation 12:10.

[4] See “Alpha and Omega” Commentary on Revelation 1:8.

 

Being Turned

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Revelation 1:12: “Being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks.”

Praying Toward Jerusalem

John was in the isle of Patmos. The Jews in exile from the land of Judea were taught that they should pray toward Jerusalem according as Solomon had prayed at the dedication of the temple:

“Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: 29 That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, [even] toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place. 30 And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.” (1 Kings 8:28)

We know that Daniel followed this tradition while Israel was captive in Babylon:

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” (Daniel 6:10)

“Being Turned” Away From the Fallen Jerusalem

We can understand, then, that John was praying toward Jerusalem and the Temple. From the Isle of Patmos, he would have been facing in a southerly direction. Upon hearing the Voice, John turned. He would then have been facing north. It was as he was facing north that he saw the seven golden candlesticks, (KJV), or “lampstands,” (RSV). John’s “turning”, then, symbolized turning away from the old Judaism to the Church of Jesus Christ, visually represented by the north polar constellations, sometimes known in the Hebrew culture as the Menorah, or seven-branched candlestick of the Temple.

THE CHURCH HAS BECOME THE MENORAH

The “seven golden candlesticks” are the seven churches of Asia, Revelation 1:20: “The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”

These same seven are also the seven spirits of God, Revelation 4:5. These same seven spirits are also the seven eyes of the Lamb, Revelation 5:6.

(See also my Commentary at 1:4 “Asia”.)

In Revelation 1:20 the seven stars are the fire upon the top of the lampstands: “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.”

These angels are spirits, Psalm 104:4 and Hebrews 1:7, 14. Therefore, in this writing, these are all synonymous and interchangeable to some degree: Lampstands, Churches, Spirits, Eyes of the Lamb, Angels and Stars.

How the Natural is Analogous to the Spiritual

It is probably helpful to understand that there is a natural reality that corresponds to, or is analogous to, the spiritual reality. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse,” Romans 1:20.

For example, the “Angels” of the seven churches of Asia are spiritual entities that inhabit the natural pastors or leaders of the earthly churches. However, the earthly churches are merely the counterpart of a heavenly reality, the Eyes of the Lamb and the Seven Spirits of God. As in all use of analogy, the analogy only holds for certain parts of the entities represented. The two figures are not identical in every respect.

This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation in Context, available locally at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma or www.Amazon.com, orwww.XulonPress.com.
Free downloads are also available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net.

Asia – The Earthly Copy – Part 2

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Asia Minor and the Seven Literal Churches

Geographically, Asia Minor, the location of the seven literal churches, appears on a map to be shaped like a horse’s head, its nose extended to the Bosporus, its mouth at Ephesus, (eph-sus in Hebrew, means “mouth of horse”), and its front hoof in a running position at the Sinai.[iv] This is an example of how the Revelator used Greek words and played on them with Hebrew meanings.

The seven literal churches may have been situated within Asia Minor in a pattern resembling the prominent stars of the constellation we now commonly call the Big Dipper, but known variously in ancient times as the Great Bear, or the Sheepfold, or Biblically, ‘Âsh, [v] from whence perhaps we can trace the etymology of the word Asia.

In the Greek text of Revelation 1:4 the term is :  έν tή Άsίa, “in the Asia.” This is a dative phrase. The word Asia here could be the Hebrew word ‘âsh, (Strong’s #5906), transliterated into the Greek and given a dative case ending. It might, therefore, be used symbolically as “the former (or lesser) sheepfold,” meaning the Churches in Jerusalem. In this symbolism, the other Churches would represent the greater sheepfold.

Mount Zion, On The Sides of the North

This symbolism is also borne out by Psalm 48:2 where Mount Zion, symbolizing Jerusalem, is said to be “on the sides of the north,” the location of the seven-starred constellation called ‘âsh. [vi] Whether or not this etymology is true, the apocalyptic writer could well have used the similarity of sounds as a means of play upon words, a known literary device in the Hebrew Scriptures, especially apocalyptic writings.

The term ‘ayish is also used in Job 38:32 but Job 9:9 spells the same word ‘âsh. In both cases the RSV translates “the Bear,” but the KJV as “Arcturus,” meaning ‘a Bear’, a star of the first magnitude, (BDB, p.747, 736). [vii] However, the idea of “the Bear,” as the name of the constellation, is a Hellenistic idea and not the view held by Old Testament Israel.[viii] There it was used symbolically variously as the Menorah, the Seed Sower, the Threshing Wain, or the Greater Sheepfold.[ix] These names make it imminently appropriate as a symbol of the universal Church.

 A Symbol of Christ?

Some scholars believe the vowel pointing should be iyûsh, meaning “to lend aid, come to help.” By metathesis this word in verb form then would become yeshua`, “he comes to help, or save,” (BDB 747 and 736), the Hebrew form from which we have the English Jesus. Perhaps the writer used this also as a means for a play upon words. If so, the phrase would read: “…the churches that are in Jesus.”

The Covenant Church

The term seven churches should be understood to mean “the Covenant Church,” for the Church is One Body, the Body of Christ, and therefore one Church, (Ephesians 1:23; Romans 12:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 10:17; 12:12-20). In the same manner, the seven Spirits before the throne should be understood to mean “the Covenant Spirit,” for there is One Spirit, (Ephesians 4:4).

The message of the Book of Revelation is to the Churches. Since Jerusalem and the nation of the Jews, had rejected the warnings, it is the Churches that now must be warned, lest they fall into a similar error and reap a similar judgment. Just as the earthly city and nation had been images of heavenly realities, so the Church is now to be the Body of Christ in the earth. And just as Jerusalem and the nation fell, so, too, does the Church suffer destruction when she falls away from her Living God.

Eusebius describes the fall of the true Church in terms reminiscent of the Fall of Jerusalem:

“But all marvels pale before the archetypes, the metaphysical prototypes and heavenly patterns of material things – I mean the re-establishment of the divine spiritual edifice in our souls.

“But when, through the envy and jealousy of the demon that loves evil, she, [the Church], became by her own free choice a lover of sensuality and evil, the Deity withdrew from her, and bereft of a protector, she was soon captured, proving an easy prey to the inveiglements of those so long bitter against her. Overthrown by the battering-rams and engines of her unseen and spiritual foes, she came crashing to the ground, so that not even one stone of her virtue remained standing on another in her; she lay full length on the ground dead, her natural thoughts about God gone without trace. As she lay prostrate, made as she was in the image of God, she was ravaged not by that boar out of the wood visible to us, but by some destroying demon and spiritual beasts of the field, who inflamed her with sensual passions.[x]

The Roman Catholic Church fell. It did not hold fast to the warning.[xi]

Footnotes

[iv] See Strong’s #5906. D. S. Russell mentions that the apocalyptic writers sometimes used their own versions of the alphabet for their writings so that their enemies or the uninitiated could not read them, (Russell, 109).

The Bosporus is the strait that connects Asia Minor to Europe between the Marmara Sea and the Black Sea. Western Asia Minor is thus often referred to as the Bosporus. The name Bosporus in Greek may be the words bous, and phoros, meaning a beast of burden. The Greek name Ephesus might have been used to play upon its Hebrew meaning “horse’s mouth.”

[v] See also Joseph A. Seiss, The Gospel in the Stars, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Kregel Publications), 178. Hereafter cited in text.

[vi] The Qumran community apparently believed that Paradise was situated in the north, for the alignment of their graves shows that their heads were placed to the south, contrary to Jewish and Christian practice of placing the head to the west, so that at the resurrection they would rise facing the north. See Joseph T. Milik, Ten Years of Discovery in the Wilderness of Judaea, English ed., RB volume 65, (London, SCM Press, 1959), p. 104 and RB, vol.65, 1958, p. 77.

[vii] The term arctic is from the Greek arktos, “a bear.” From this has come also the name of the star Arcturus and the north polar regions of the earth.
Ges. Lexicon defines ‘âsh as “The constellation of the Bear… Ursa Major… Gk. and Roman, the wain … a bier… perhaps nightly watcher … to go about by night; … because of its never setting,” (Lexicon pp. 625, 659).

The word Arcturus is composed of artos + ourous, a ward, guard, (watcher). The star now commonly known as Arcturus is located by following the curve of the handle of the “Big Dipper.” It is easily located because of its brilliance, a star of the first magnitude. It may at times have been considered as part of the constellation of Ursa Major.

[viii] “Epiphanius further recounts how they possessed a vocabulary of their own in Hebrew for the zodiac and other celestial beings” (Malina, 74).

[ix] See my Commentary at 1:12 “Seven Golden Lampstands”.

[x] Eusebius, History of the Church, 10.4.58.

[xi] See Santillana, and von Dechend, Hamlet’s Mill. See also Thor Heyerdahl, Early Man and the Ocean, A Search for the Beginnings of Navigation and Seaborne Civilizations, (Garden City, New York, Doubleday and Co, Inc.), 1979.