The Golden Candlestick was not a candlestick in the modern usage of the word. It was a lampstand with seven lamps which burned olive oil. It consisted of a main shaft out of which emerged seven branches, three on each side and one directly out of the top. (See this Scripture passage: Exodus 25:31-40—click link)

The Candlestick, the most beautiful, the most ornamental of all the pieces of furniture, was made out of a solid block of pure gold. It was not poured into a mold, nor was it made in sections and the pieces assembled together. It was hammered out of a solid block of pure gold, weighing over 90 pounds.

The purpose of the Golden Candlestick was to give light in the Holy Place. There were no windows in the Tabernacle. The only light there came from the Golden Candlestick.

This teaches us, first of all, that Christ is the Light of the world. Both spiritual life and light come from Christ. He said,

"I am the light of the world: he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12

The light was furnished by olive oil in the lamps. Oil is a type of the Holy Spirit. This tells us that the Holy Spirit is the agent or instrument of spiritual light. No one can understand spiritual truth unless the Holy Spirit reveals it to him.

The Golden Candlestick speaks not only of Christ, but it also speaks of believers and the local churches. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world." (Matthew 5:14)

The branches with the lamps were not the light; they only held the light. You and I are not the light. Christ is the Light. We simply receive Him and reflect Him. And we do this in the power of the Holy Spirit.

If we are to be good "light-bearers" in this dark world, we must be filled with the Spirit. The Bible says, "Be not drunk with wine…but be filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:18)

The wicks of the lamps had to be trimmed each day by the priests so that the light would not grow dim. As we come daily to Christ and to His Word, He takes away the things that are not of the Spirit, so that our light may shine more brightly.

The Golden Candlestick is a beautiful type of Christ and His believers. It points to the deep, mysterious oneness that exists between Christ, the Head, and the believers, as members of His body.

The union of Christ and His believers is taught throughout the Bible. Speaking of Himself and His believers, Jesus said, "I am the Vine, you are the branches." (John 15:5)

The Golden Candlestick with the seven branches is a picture of Christ and His believers. One amazing thing about this is that it was hammered out of a single block of pure gold. This shows that the believers are one in Christ.

We look at a large block of marble and we see nothing but a crude block of stone. Ask a great sculptor like Michaelangelo what he sees, and we can hear him say, "Beautiful! Lovely! I see a group of angels waiting to be released from that marble!" Then he takes his hammer and chisels and begins the long process of "releasing" the angels. That is how a beautiful statue comes into being.

Back in eternity past, God saw the Church as a beautiful body of believers in Christ. The Bible says,

"According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world…" Ephesians 1:4

Long before man was created, God had planned His great salvation for us. We were to come out of Christ and be made like Him. The Bible says,

"For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son…" Romans 8:29

Surely this should make us shout for joy! We were not linked to Christ as an afterthought, but we were one in Him and with Him from eternity past.

As branches and lamps in the Golden Lampstand, we are not here to draw attention to ourselves, but to Christ. The light from the burning lamps threw light on the lampstand itself. The oil which furnished the light speaks of the Holy Spirit, whose object is to glorify Christ. Jesus said,

"He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you." John 16:14

The seven lamps, filled with oil and shining brightly, revealed the beauties of the Golden Candlestick. The saints, filled with the Holy Spirit, reveal the beauties of Christ.

When the saints who compose the local churches are living in fellowship with God, subject to Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit, sinners will be saved and the saints built up in Christ. The local church will then be a clear, shining light in this present evil world. Blessed is the assembly that stands true to Christ in earth's dark hour before Christ returns.

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