Message from the "Lampstand" Clouds

Message from the "Lampstand" Clouds

In Oct last year at World Prayer Assembly river cruise in Perth, a young man handed me a flag painted with the "LAMPSTAND".

As a follow up from the miraculous healing of my neck a few days ago (read about that in maundy-thursday-reflection-if-praise-is-like-perfume.html), I felt to write about this phenomenon the next day. 

Honestly I am not into looking at clouds at all. But this one is extremely unusual and I felt the Holy Spirit drew my attention to it as I was walking towards my house with my dog. It is also a witness of God's greatness and miraculous work in my life,  from not being able to walk my dog and everything the doctor said I shouldn't do, to the fact that I am now able to, since the miraculous healing of my neck in less than 24 hours.  So I took a picture of it on Thurs evening. I was also able to share this with 4 persons this evening at the dog park, one of them visibly touched and had goosebumps hearing the story of my healing and how God did it.

‭I looked at the picture yesterday..I counted..I can see 7 branches of the lampstand. It actually looks like the 7 Branch Menorah 🕎 ie. the lampstand mentioned in the bible. And I was reminded of Rev 2 where the angel of the Ekkelsia of Ephesus writes. (A friend prayed for me last week and without knowing what had happened to me, got this exact same passage from Rev 2:1-7 for me before I even shared this with him.) 

Revelation 2:1-7 NKJV‬
[1] “To the angel of the church ("Ekklesia") of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 
[2] “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 
[3] and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.  [4] Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 
[5] Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 
[6] But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
[7] “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.

In the Old Testament, the gold Menorah or lampstand in the holy place of the tabernacle is filled with oil and lighted, burns giving light in the Holy Place of the tabernacle. The lampstand in Rev 2:4 which the Ekklesia in Ephesus had, whom the angel of the Lord said would be removed if they did not repent, represents our witness and light to the world to whom we are called to be. In Mat 5:16 Jesus commands us to let our light so shine before men, so that men can see our good works and our Father is glorified. 

The Menorah/lampstand also speaks of the fullness of the Spirit,  the "7 Spirits of God" (Rev 1:4, Rev 3:1, Rev 4:5, Rev 5:6). In Isa 11:2 this verse lists them,
"The Spirit of the Lord …, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord."

As the Ekklesia we are also called to walk in the fullness of these Spirits - these 7 Spirits of God if we have the Lord Jesus in our midst of our Ekklesia the 7 Spirits "rest upon Him" (Isa 11:2)
‭
In Rev 2:1-7, 

• the Ekklesia in Ephesus had tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars
• They were commended for hating the deeds of Nicolaitans.
• But they had left their first love
• They were rebuked to remember therefore from where you have fallen;  to repent and do the first works
• OR ELSE He will come quickly to remove the lampstand from its place

Back to Oct last year at World Prayer Assembly river cruise in Perth, a young man handed me a flag painted with the "LAMPSTAND".  (I m really not into flag waving,  but the young man from France working in Toowoomba, who had many prayer flags and banners insisted I took one and wave it. On a side note: he was wearing the exact same pair of sunglasses as I had. In March 2023 at the Equipping hub conference we organised in Perth, where various ones of who are part of DiscipleMaking/Organic Church/Missional movements flew in from different parts of the world, I had opportunity to share a message on "Frames and Lenses - Biblical worldview".  And I also noticed that last year in 2023 it seems that I have met a few young people who have the exact pair of glasses as I have.) 

That night (the only full night I went and stayed on out of all the night sessions) at WPA the message was also about the Menorah being passed from church to church which started in Turkey.. then to Indonesia and that night there was a prophetic declaration of it being passed to the church in Australia.

This message is certainly NOT about me but there is a message in all of this. 

My prayer is that may we the Ekklesia in Australia have the One who "walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands" and may God not remove "our lampstand", our light (our witness to the world) from our midst. May we also carry the anointing of the 7 Spirits of God upon on lampstand.

In the lampstand, the main centre branch carries the "oil" of "the Spirit of the Lord"(Isa 11:2) where in Isa 61:1-3
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

May His Ekklesia in Australia display in each pair of the 3 branches of our lampstand : 
the first pair -  the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding,
the second pair - the Spirit of Counsel and Might and
the last pair - the Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord. 

May there be a deep repentance as we RETURN to our FIRST LOVE whom we have left, DO THE FIRST WORKS of witnessing His mighty works.  What are the First Works that we should do? Do we remember when we first fell in love in the Lord Jesus and was born again, we would tell everyone and share with everyone what He has done for us. Let us TESTIFY again of His works in our lives as at first! 

Let us continue to test those who say they are apostles and are not in this city. Let us hate the "deeds of Nico-Laitans" (Nico- means "victory" in Greek, and laos means "people" or, more specifically, "the laity". Hence they take the word to mean "lay conquerors" or "conquerors of the lay people".) which God Himself hates i.e. the evil deeds of "hierarchy, power and control through a positional system" lording over the saints causing a clergy-laity divide, corrupting and destroying the church with the doctrine and practices of Balaam of idolatry, extreme greed and spiritual fornication).

Just as there is a huge tree in front of the cloud formation, may the Ekklesia in Australia overcome as we are called back into relationship and oneness with Him and return to Him, so that we can eat from the tree of life (Rev 2:7)  in God's paradise.

May we be attuned to the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead, be filled with the "Ruah" of His breath, walk in the abundant life He has given us, having His "Zoe" life flowing through His Ekklesia and may this holy weekend be not one filled with dead works, or religious lifeless rituals but that we will see and experience His resurrection life and power. May we follow Jesus the Way , abide in Jesus the Truth, and live in Jesus the Life. May we experience the fullness of His Spirit in His Ekklesia.

He who has ears to hear let Him hear what the Spirit says to the Ekklesia whom Jesus is building so that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Mat 16:18) Amen.

JESUS IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED. 

Let us be faithful witnesses of His resurrection this week and every opportunity He gives us to share!

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