“A person who can pray is the mightiest instrument Christ has in this world”.
EM Bounds
The Golden Lampstand and Fellowship with God
Here we are now in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle of Moses. No longer are we under the bright glare of the sun in the Outer Court and faced with the bronze furniture. (Remember: bronze = judgment) We now enter the soft, glow of the Holy Place. Here, as specified by God Himself, there are no windows and no natural light. The only light in this room emanates from the glow of the Golden Lampstand standing on the South side. It takes a while for the priests’ eyes to adjust, but once they do they behold a glowing golden room.
The acacia wood walls are lined with pure gold. The light from the pure gold Lampstand casts a glow on the Golden Altar of Incense and the Table of Showbread – both of which are acacia wood overlaid with gold.
Imagine the beauty of that room! The shimmering golden light radiating from the seven lamps of the Lampstand and bouncing off the gold walls and furniture. Truly this is a picture of the beauty of our fellowship with the Lord.
For surely, as the Outer Court was the place of the judgement for our sins, placed upon the lamb, the Holy Place is the place of our fellowship with God and our enjoyment of Him.
Fellowship with God
God does not intend for His people to stop outside in the Outer Court, He wants us to progress through into the place of fellowship with Him.
God’s intention has always been to have a people in right relationship with Him. He longs for those with whom He can share His heart, for those whom will pray His prayers and walk with Him in the glow of His light. God has so much to give of Himself and He is calling for a people who are willing to receive of Him.
Indeed, we see in John 1:14 that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”. When God sent His Son to earth it was to dwell amongst us. In fact it has always been God’s desire to dwell among His people.
The word “dwelt” here is the same as “tabernacled”.
“The Word became flesh and “tabernacled” among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the only begotten Son….”
So when God gave Moses the instructions to build the Tabernacle it was in order that He would dwell amongst His People. Of course sin needed to be dealt with first, as it has been at the cross (the Brazen Altar in the Outer Court), and now God wants to dwell among His people to fellowship with them. In the Old Covenant He dwelt nationally amongst His people. In the New Covenant He dwells both individually in the believer and corporately in the Church.
The Purpose of the Golden Lampstand
The function of the Golden Lampstand in the Holy Place was to give light: to provide illumination for the priests as they ministered to the Lord. If the Lampstand had not been there it would have been pitch black and the priests wouldn’t have been able to carry out their ministry. God would never have us groping in the dark. He has provided His light to the Church, both in His Son Jesus Christ and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The Ministry of the Priests
The priests entered the Holy Place twice daily to minister to the Lord:
- To eat the showbread from the Table of showbread : The Showbread is both a picture of the Word of God and the Bread of God who came from Heaven to give life to the world : Jesus Christ Himself
- To top up oil in the lamps of the Golden Lampstand : The oil is a picture of the Holy Spirit
- To burn incense at the Golden Altar of Incense: The Altar of Incense is a picture of prayer and intercession
The Lampstand is a Picture of Jesus
| The Lampstand | Jesus Christ |
| The only light source in the Holy Place | Jesus is the light of the world. John 8:12 |
| Was made of pure gold. Gold = deity | Jesus is God. He is deity, divine, the second person of the Godhead. John 1:1 |
| The gold was hammered and beaten into shape | Shows the sufferings of Christ. Isaiah 53:5 |
| The Lampstand had seven branches | Jesus has the 7-fold spirit of God. Isaiah 11:1-2; Rev 3:1, 4:5 |
| Was decorated with almond blossoms and almonds | The almond tree was the first to blossom after winter in Israel. This speaks of the resurrection of Christ. |
| No natural light in the Holy Place | The natural, fleshly man can’t see His deity. It has to be revealed (illuminated) to us by the Holy Spirit. |
The Lampstand is Also a Picture of the Holy Spirit
| It illuminates the Table of Showbread | 1. Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us as the Bread of Life. John 6:35
2. Holy Spirit illuminates the Word of God. Matthew 4:4 |
| It illuminates the Altar of Incense | The Holy Spirit leads us to prayer, and prompts us to pray and intercede according to God’s will. Romans 8:26 |
| It had seven branches | 7-fold Spirit of God. Isaiah 11:1-2; Rev 3:1, 4:5 |
| It illuminated the Altar of Incense and the Table of Showbread in order that the priests could fellowship with and minister to the Lord | The Holy Spirit leads us to prayer and reading the Word in order that we can fellowship with and minister to the Lord, as His “royal priesthood”. 1 Peter 2:9 |
How to Have Fellowship with God
And so we see that just as God provided the Golden Lampstand to the priests of the Old Covenant, in order to fellowship with Him, so too has He provided us, the Church, with Light so that we too can have fellowship with Him. Firstly through the Light of the World, the person of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind. And secondly through the ministry of the person of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit shows us how to have fellowship with God – it is through the eating of the Bread (the Word of God) and ministering at the Golden Altar of Incense (prayer). In fact, God’s way hasn’t changed. It is only through His Son, the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, that any fellowship with God is possible at all. Once we are put back into right relationship with God through Jesus’ shed blood, then the Holy Spirit leads us to prayer and the Word.
There is not some new or secret way to fellowship with God. It is simply through spending time with Him in our prayer closets, with the Word of God and our hearts open ready to receive of Him.
May our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ bless you!
Little Children : the Victims of Political Correctness
Little children deliberately crushed in the streets of France by a truck driven by an Islamic terrorist and still our leaders and media spew forth leftist social platitudes and political correctness! Kids, think about it, children killed in another Islamic terrorist attack and STILL our leaders will NOT use the words “Islam(ic)” or “Muslim”. Poor kids, they deserve better than that. How many more of our kids will be laid on the altar of political correctness before anyone actually does anything? 
The French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, actually said:
“Times have changed and we should learn to live with terrorism.”
Really? That’s what it’s come to now?
Just give up and learn to live with terrorism, oh people of the West. Just give up and learn to live without your little child who was crushed in the street oh Mum and Dad.
It sounds to me like surrender. (I wonder what it sounds like to a potential jihadist?)
And surrender of course it is.
How do we fight a war that we cannot admit even exists?
How do we face up to the threat posed by Islam if we cannot admit the motivation behind these attacks in the first place?
You know the standard line we hear after every single terrorist attack: “police are searching for a possible motive…”; “He was possibly gay”; “His marriage broke up and he was depressed” …Hmmm, what could possibly be the motivation…? Here’s a clue : the Nice terrorists’ name is Muhammed Lagouaiej Bouhlel and he screamed “Allahu Akbar!” whilst driving into the crowd.
Every time someone actually drops the politically correct charade for a moment and admits the truth of the fact that Islam is NOT a religion of peace, they are apparently “playing right into the hands of the rhetoric of Isis”.
Well newsflash:
An act of war is declared when little children are crushed on our city streets by a truck!
I am sorry but the hash tags just don’t cut it anymore.
#JeSuisCharlie didn’t stop Islamic extremists from killing again in Paris, or in Nice.
#JeSuisNice wont stop the next one either.
But of course, France was surrendered, or rather betrayed, long ago by its leaders.
“Europe has become Eurabia as a result of France and Germany’s bargain with the devil as far back as the days of the 1974 OPEC oil embargo. In order to keep the flow of oil, agreements were made with the Arabs, which always included provision for mass immigration of North African and Arab populations into Europe. French leadership even allowed for the incorporation of Arab educational standards for French schools particularly in teaching of the Crusades, Islam and the Holocaust.” (Pastor Bill Randles, The Greatest Betrayal Ever Seen..France/Europe)
The Islamists/jihadists/terrorists know that France, and in fact, Europe, are toothless tigers. Of course France and Europe will condemn these acts and speak very harshly against them. But that’s it. After all, they need oil.
It reminds me of what happened in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea by the Russians – NATO spoke very harshly against it. They condemned it. But that was it. Because Russia is one of the EU’s largest suppliers of energy .
So once again we are forced to endure the nauseating calls for tolerance, unity and love.
A local reader of The Age newspaper put it very well:
“There is something soothing in Paul McGeough’s declaration of Western impotence on terrorism (“Nice attack: There’s little leaders can do about the carnage”, 15/7, The Age). We are reassured by the thought of our inaction being validated. Similarly the “lone wolf” narrative helps us deal with our disbelief at any concerted attempt to kill innocents, or in any need for reform within radical Islamism. After all, “it’s just a mad man” and “who are we to criticise other cultures?”
If we delude ourselves into believing this, then we guarantee a soul numbing pattern of death and terror. Almost by definition, there is no hope of a decline in terror without an abandonment of this despondently apathetic outlook and cowardly refusal to confront the growing contradictions of our “tolerant even of intolerance” society.”
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!
Missionary Quotations: My 11 Year Old Daughter
Usually I share here a quote by a famous missionary. But today I’m sharing something my 11-year old daughter Lucy has done:
Yesterday she asked me for my street-chalk. This is not so unusual in itself as she sometimes draws pictures in the driveway and pavement outside.
This time however was a bit different. When I went out there and saw what she’s written I just couldn’t stop smiling. I’ve taken photos of what she’s drawn and written on the pavement outside our house and at the bottom of our driveway for all passers by to
see:
No soft-peddling, political – correctness there! Out of the mouth of babes….needless to say, I am one proud mumma.
🙂
blessings,
belinda
The Lord Looks After His Own
Friday street-preaching I encountered a hostility which I have never encountered before. It actually left me a little 
disturbed all weekend.
I was there with my little group, 5 of us, and my new PA, graciously provided by God. Because it was raining we set up under the shelter at the train station.
Before long I was preaching and praise the Lord, the anointing fell down on that place. People were listening, some were recording on their mobile phones. One of the ladies with me said it was so amazing that she felt to repent all over again.
But then out came the cops. One of them said that I can’t preach there, I need a permit , blah blah etc. I had done my homework and so very respectfully I told him that I am allowed to preach without a permit as it comes under the Freedom of Speech Act. He acquiesced but told me to turn the PA down, it was too loud (I’ve never had that problem before!).
So we kept going. We had many good conversations with people – a syncretistic muslim who simultaneously is reading the Bible and the Q’uran. He said he is going to come back again to continue our conversation. A confused Christian who thought that his occult gifts had been given him by God in order to help others. He left saying that he is going home to get rid of all his astrology etc books and tapes, renounce it all and repent. I pray that he did.
Then preaching again. Then the anointing again. Then the cops again.
This time he was agitated.
“No, you cant keep doing this! You have to go now!”
I didn’t know what to do to be honest, as I am of the opinion to respect authority. However I knew he was on Satan’s errand and that I was perfectly within my rights to be there.
However, God stepped in on my behalf and the policeman’s partner, whom previously had said nothing, quietly said, “Just turn it down a bit more.”
So I did and I never saw them again.
But that’s when the real fun began. I went around handing out tracts to people and came to a bloke who was physically huge with a long, white beard. He looked like a biker. I tried to hand him a tract and immediately he started blaspheming Jesus. As I could see that the conversation was going nowhere I started to move away from him. That’s when he started on me.
“You crazy, deluded lady! You are crazy. You think you know Jesus. Oh you’ve met Him have you?” He said this while looking me in the eye and then openly laughed a mocking laugh at me.
I’ve been called many things before, actually things a lot worse than what he called me. I’ve had horrendous swear words, blasphemies thrown at me while preaching. I’ve had people laugh and shake their heads at me, but somehow this was worse than all of that. I think it’s because he looked at me in the eye while he said it and laughed. It was disturbing. I realised that this man was full of demons. A mocking spirit was very obvious and I took myself away from him.
It entered my mind that he was so big he could probably kill me with one punch. Now this is not a typical thought for me on the street. I rarely ever feel unsure or threatened out there because the presence of the Lord is so real.
Anyhow I started preaching again and he stayed to heckle me. This was ok by me though. Strange as it sounds I enjoy a good heckle. I find the Holy Spirit anointing is so strong when I am being heckled. Also, it draws a crowd, and therefore more people hear the gospel.
He was screaming at me while I preached. You know – crazy lady, blah blah blah. He was trying to drown me out and he almost did because my PA had been turned down so much. He shut up for a little while until I preached about the coming day of wrath and to flee to Jesus from the wrath that is to come. Well, that set him right off again.
“You are preaching hate!! Hate preacher. I’ll get you for religious vilification.” For a while all I could hear was the word “hate”.
I realised he was waving around a Q’uran. Aha – not a biker dude, an Aussie muslim convert.
Well he kept going and I kept going. There was a crowd. It was quite fun.
Every now and then though a thought would pop in my mind that he may come over and break my arm with one flick of his wrist. He really hated me, that much I knew.
To my left then I noticed were two men standing there. They looked like workmen because they were wearing orange high-vis vests. They were standing in the rain, although they could have easily fit under the cover. They stood together and quietly talked whilst intensely watching the big man screaming at me.
They never once looked at me, nor even in my direction. They kept their eyes firmly planted on him, and I immediately knew that they were there to protect me. I just knew that my Father had sent them to watch over me and that if screaming man took one step towards me they would intervene.
I wonder if they were angels? I have no idea if they were or not, but I knew like I knew that God had sent them there.
After I finished preaching and started packing up to leave the big man was still screaming at me. He was still saying that he was going to get me for religious vilification.
The two workmen were still standing watching him. When he finally shut up and started losing interest I looked back and they were gone.
Anyway then we went to McDonalds for lunch and praised God for an awesome time.
One thing I know for sure : that when we obey the Lord He will provide for us and He will watch over us. I left there with the sense that Jesus is happy with us.
God bless you my dear brothers and sisters,
Belinda
Missionary Quotations: Hudson Taylor2
“You must go forward on your knees.”
Hudson Taylor
Missionary Quotations: John Newton
“My memory is nearly gone, but I remember 
two things: that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Saviour” John Newton (author of the hymn Amazing Grace)
Jesus and the Golden Lampstand
Leaving the Outer Court of the Tabernacle of Moses, we now enter the Holy Place, the place of fellowship with God.
The contrast between the Holy Place and the Outer Court is immediately apparent.
| The Outer Court | The Holy Place |
| The Outer Court is outside, lit by the daylight. | The Holy Place is enclosed, lit only by the Golden Lampstand
|
| The furniture is made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze | The Holy Place’s furniture is made of gold or acacia wood overlaid with gold
|
| The Israelites were free to bring offerings here | Only the priests were allowed to enter the Holy Place to minister to God and for fellowship with Him. |
The Holy Place
Imagine stepping from the daylight, through the heavy door and into the Holy Place. Here there was no daylight, only the light from the beautiful golden candlestick to your left casting a soft glow over the Golden Altar in front of you and the Table of Showbread to your right.
It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust but when they do, you see that it is positively luminous within the Holy Place. Everything is shimmering gold, reflecting the light of the candlestick. In fact the wood-panelled walls are overlaid with gold and so the whole room seems to glow in the soft, golden light.
The Golden Lampstand
The Golden Lampstand was made from solid gold. It was not cast in a mould, neither was it made from acacia wood overlaid with gold. It was hammered from one piece of pure gold. The only other piece of furniture in the Tabernacle of Moses that was made of pure gold was the Mercy Seat with Cherubim, which was in the Most Holy Place.
“You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft,
its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece….It shall be made of a talent of pure gold” Exodus 25:31, 39
The Beauty of the Lampstand
The Lampstand had a main shaft with six branches protruding out of it, three on each side. At the top of each branch was a small gold bowl in the shape of almond blossoms which held the olive oil for burning. So in total there were seven branches and seven bowls. Each branch had ornamental knobs and flowers hammered into it.
“And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it. And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils.”
What a stunning piece of artwork! God certainly doesn’t do anything by halves, He is the ultimate artisan. And He is still creating beautiful artworks today in His church, ie, you and me.
Of course, not only was this lampstand beautiful, but it also shows forth significant truths.
How the Materials of the Lampstand Point to Christ
As we have seen from our previous studies, every single item contained within the Tabernacle had a purpose and a divine pattern. God uses the Tabernacle to reveal His precious Son; and the Golden Lampstand’s purpose is no different.
Gold: always points to deity/divinity. This shows us the divinity of Christ. The Lampstand was made of one piece of gold and hammered into shape.
Hammered: the hammering of the gold points to the sufferings of Christ
Seven: is the number of divine perfection/completion. It is the number given to the Holy Spirit, ie. “The seven spirits of God” (Rev 1:4; Rev 4:5, Isaiah 11:2-3) whom Jesus has, “He who has the seven Spirits of God…” Revelation 3:1
Almond blossom: were hammered into shape on the branches of the lampstand. The significance of the almond is also pictured in the story of the blossoming of Aaron’s rod in Numbers 17.
The Significance of the Almond Blossom
Moses’ brother Aaron was the High Priest of Israel. This was a position to which God Himself called Aaron. When others rebelled and contested Aaron’s High Priestly role, God commanded Moses to :
“Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house. Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you. And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom” Numbers 17:1-5
The next day it was Aaron’s rod that had “sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds.” Numbers 17:8
The miracle of a long dead piece of wooden rod sprouting new life was God’s confirmation to all of Israel that Aaron was the man he had endorsed to be in the High Priestly role.
But this miracle pointed to something even more significant.
Aaron as High Priest of the Old Covenant foreshadows Christ as our great High Priest now in the New Covenant:
“…We have such a high Priest who is seated at the right had of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected and not man.” Hebrews 8:1,2
Jesus is the Man whom God has ordained to be His Great High Priest. And God’s approval of Aaron’s High Priestly role foreshadows His endorsement of Christ’s High Priestly role. That is, through the resurrection.
You see, the almond tree was the first to blossom in Israel after the cold, winter months. The first tree to bring forth life from death. So Aaron’s dead rod physically brought forth life from death to show God’s approval of him. And of course, the anti-type is God raising Christ physically from the dead after His sufferings, being God’s ultimate seal of approval.
The Golden Lampstand’s branches have almond blossoms beaten into their golden shape to show forth Christ’s resurrection from the dead after His sufferings.
Next ….
- more on how the Lampstand points to Jesus; and
- The Lampstand also as a picture of the Holy Spirit
Street Preaching and the Homeless
Friday we went into the city to street preach. 
Unfortunately my PA didn’t work properly, on every third word or so it would cut out. So I couldn’t preach as my voice isn’t naturally strong.
But God sent Tony, the homeless man whom we met two times ago.
Tony used his God-given, very loud, male voice to open-air preach. Thank God for men.
Tony has no home, no money, hardly any clothes. But I tell you what – he is one of the best preachers I’ve ever heard. Not just one of the best street-preachers, but I mean, any preacher. That includes pastors, televangelists, you know, the ones who’ve grown rich on Churchianity.
On the street, his home, Tony shares his testimony. He was a drug addict who’d done time in prison. He was a murderer of the heart. But one day he met Jesus. And Jesus changed him.
“You may think I’m crazy!” he cries, “Well I am! I am crazy for Jesus!”
Praise God for that.
Where are all the pastors, the ministers, the ones who get paid to stand up in front of a nice, middle-class congregation on a Sunday morning? Where are they? I have not seen them on the streets.
Instead God is using us, a ragtag bunch of women, and one homeless guy.
“In that day I will assemble the lame and gather the outcasts and those whom I’ve afflicted. I will make the lame a remnant and the outcast a strong nation.” Micah 4:6
Truly God uses the lame, the weak, the outcast. Btw, of us women:
1 is an ex-muslim, ex-alcoholic, ex-agoraphobic (see From Muhammed to Jesus)
1 is an ex-atheist
1 is an ex-Christian cult
All glory to the Lord Jesus Christ!
So Jesus used us outcasts to save “D”, another homeless man, on Friday. He came up to us and told us he is a thief and a drug addict. No hope for him. I told him about the thief on the cross. He said he shot up ice that morning.
Tony sat with him on the ground and talked with him. He ended up leading him to Christ.
I have rarely seen a more beautiful sight than two homeless guys sitting together talking about the love of God. One in the love of Christ leading the other to Christ.
“Christianity is one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread”
(Oh – and the Lord sent me a Christian after we finished on Friday who provided another PA for us! He is a good God.)
Blessings,
Belinda 🙂
The Left; The Serpent Hates The Woman…Gender
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.(Genesis 3:15)
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.(Revelation 12:17)
We see by these texts that the Serpent of Genesis becomes a Dragon by Revelation. He is the enemy of all mankind, the original murderer and tempter, whose task is to alienate all men from God. But the Dragon/Serpent hates women in particular.
Judeo/Christian civilization has recognized the uniqueness of women. A women is elevated, by God, she is the receptacle of new life, salvation would come through the woman. She is different, uniquely made, she has weakness that make her worthy of protection and dignity, she is…
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Grace and Truth 
