| (Copyright 05-27-2024) by Paul Janvier Mbock (Cameroon) |
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| “Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and woke me, as a man is awakened from his sleep. “What do you see?” he asked. “I see a solid gold lampstand,” I replied, “with a vase at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven spouts to the lamps. There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right side of the vase and the other on its left.” (Zec 4 :1-3). I – INTRODUCTION What is the significance of the golden lampstand, and what is its prophetic significance in the events of this end time? “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.” (Am 3 :7). “And he (the angel) said unto me, Seal not the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand”. (Rev. 22 :10). “Many will be purified, whitened, and purified…. those who have understanding will understand.” (Dan 12:10). So, in the book of Revelation, Jesus Christ identifies the Lampstand as the Church of God (Rev 1:20). Revelation 2:1 speaks of seven (7) golden lampstands in the midst of which the resurrected Christ walks! Only the Church in which Christ works today knows the true meaning of this candlestick, God having revealed it to his little flock who will soon take possession of His Kingdom (Luke 12:32)! The Golden Lampstand of Zechariah 4 is therefore the Church of God in all its fullness. It describes the history of this church from Genesis to Revelation; from righteous Abel to the two Witnesses. This is the Life of the Church, as God has preserved it throughout the ages, until the end of time! So, let’s dissect the components of this lampstand to know its true meaning and its implication in current, prophesied events! II – THE TWO (2) OLIVE TREES Chapter 4 ends at verse 14 by giving the meaning of the two olive trees which are near the vase, we will begin with them: V 14: “And he (the angel) said: These are the two anointed ones who stand before the Lord of all the earth! “. The two olive branches are therefore two people who have received a special anointing from God (1 Jn 2:20,27). Revelation 11 tells us in detail who the two olive trees of Zechariah 4 are and their work in the events of the last hour (1 John 2:18): Rev 11:3-4: “I will give to my two witnesses power to prophesy, clothed in sackcloth (humility) for 1260 days. These are the two olive trees…which stand before the Lord of all the earth. » (Ref Zec 4:14). It is therefore clear that the 2 olive branches of the golden candlestick of Zechariah 4 are the 2 Witnesses of God during the Great Tribulation. But where do they come from? Zec 4:12: “What do the two olive branches mean, which are near pipes of gold from which gold flows? “, Zec 4:3: “There are two olive trees near it (the lampstand), one on the right side of the vase, and the other on the left. » The two Olive Trees, therefore the two Witnesses, are connected to the Vase which is at the top of the Golden Lampstand. What does this Golden Vase represent? III – THE VASE OF GOLD (SION) Two parables of Christ in Matthew 13, speaking of the Kingdom of heaven, enlighten us on this Vase which is at the top of the golden candlestick and on its contents. Let us always keep in mind that the golden candlestick represents the Church of God: Matt 13:47-48: “The kingdom of heaven is still like a net cast into the sea…When it is full, the fishermen draw it in…They put into vases that which is good and throw away that which is bad. “. NB: The Vase is therefore used to preserve or receive what is good! Matt 13:37-38: “And he said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good grain is the sons of the Kingdom; the tares are the sons of the evil one.” NB: We can therefore say that the Vase which is at the top of the lampstand of Zechariah 4, will preserve or receive the good grain, that is to say, the sons of the kingdom which are a treasure hidden in the world (Matth 13:44; Luke 17:21), and which will soon be revealed (Rom 8:19). All this shows us that the Vase which is at the top of the Golden Lampstand, is the last phase of the Church of God, from which the sons of the physical kingdom of God will be born. After the seven (7) embryonic phases, the Church of God will be born at the top as the physical Nation of God, composed of those who will overcome the Laodicean correction (Rev 3:19-22). How will The Vase get to the top of the golden lampstand? Or how will the Church be born as the physical Nation of God, after the 7 embryonic eras? (1) The Son of Man Luke 17:30,34-37: “In the day that the Son of Man is revealed…I tell you that on that night two people will be in the same bed, one will be taken, but the other forsaken …”, “So creation awaits with ardent desire the revelation of the sons of God. » (Rom 8:19). The advent (revelation) of the physical kingdom of God is closely linked to the appearance of the Son of Man (Matt. 10:7,23; 24:23; Mk. 13:29; Luke 21:31). But actually: who is this son of man? (Jn 12:34). Jesus is no longer Son of man: Since his resurrection from the dead, He is Son of God (Rom 1:3-4; 2 Cor 5:16; Luke 20:36; Jn 3:6). A son of man cannot sit at the right hand of God (1 Cor 12:50; Ex 33:20). Another Son of Man (the second) must come in flesh and blood before the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord! Through the mouths of the prophets Ezekiel and Malachi, Yehovah (who later became Jesus-1 Cor 10:4), said that He will send a Son of Man, a Prophet (Ezek 2:1-5; 7:1- 10), and Elijah, the Prophet (Mal 4:5) to the children of Israel at the end of the age, before the Day of the Lord of the Lord, lest His coming strike the land with utter destruction (Mal 4:6)! This therefore means that Elijah, the prophet, and the Son of Man, a prophet, who are sent by Christ to the Israelites (physical and spiritual), at the same time (end times), and for the same work (warning), are one and the same person, “For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. » (1 Cor 14:33). He only uses one man as Leader, for a specific task! The Son of Man (the second), is therefore Elijah who must come in the name of the Lord (Jesus), to do preparatory work which will prevent the annihilation of the earth at the second Coming of Christ (Mal 4: 6). This is also why Jesus (who is no longer Son of man) must remain in heaven, at the right hand of the Father, until Elijah comes to restore and reestablish all things (Act 3:21; Matt 17: 11, Mc9:12), in His devastated house, after the death of Moses and Zerubbabel of the end times who was Herbert W Armstrong! NB: Ask on the internet for the document “Here are the 4 Servants of God of the end time”, to better understand this son of man, who is the Elijah to come! (2) The Two Advents Biblical Prophecy clearly speaks of two distinct advents which will take place in this end time, these are: – On the one hand, of the Advent of the son of man (2nd) who is Elijah and who will bring the Kingdom of God, – On the other hand, of the Advent of the Son of God who is Jesus and who will bring about the Millennial Reign or Millennium. The confusion that has always been maintained about these two advents, taking them for a single advent, is now clarified, because the time is near (Ps 118:27; 119:130; Rev 1:1-3; 22: 10; Am 3:7). So here are the differences: a) Visibility * The coming of the Kingdom of God will not be visible (Luke 17:20; Matt 13:31,38), * The coming of Christ will be visible (Matt 24:30; Rev 1:7) b) The Gathering * The Angels will gather the Elect, at the birth of the physical Kingdom of God (Zion), because they are physical (De 30:4; Jer 3:14; Matt 24:31; Luke 17:34-37)! * The Angels will not gather the Resurrected Saints, because they will have autonomy of movement (1 Cor 15:51-52; 1 Thes 4:16-17; Jn 3:8; Rev 11:11-12)! c) The Trumpet * The resounding Trumpet, for the gathering of the physical Elect of the Nation of God, will be sounded by ordinary Angels (several angels-Matth 24:31). They will then gather the elect, where there will be the body of the Son of Man (2nd), who is also a descendant of David, returned to physical life (Luke 17:34-37; Ps 30:1-4; 40:1-3)! * The Trumpet of the Resurrection of the Saints, which is the last trumpet of God to be sounded (1 Cor 15:52), will be sounded by the voice of an Archangel (a single angel – 1 Thess4:16; Rev 10:7)! d) Before the 2 Advents *Before the coming of the son of man (Elijah) which is very near and which Precedes the Day of the Lord (Mal 4:5), men are today carefree and suspect nothing (Matth24:39), they go about their usual activities which are: eating, drinking, marrying, planting, building, selling, buying, as it happened in the times of Noah and Lot, they lead in a way the “Good Life”. (Luke 17:26-29)! * Before the advent of the Son of God (Jesus), who will intervene After the Day of the Lord, it will no longer be the Dolce Vita, because men will suffer a lot, and will “bite their tongues in pain“, because ulcers that the plagues of the Day of God’s wrath will cause them, and they will blaspheme the God of heaven (Rev 16:8-11). It will no longer be the “Good Life”, but Calvary! e) At the Advent * When Elijah, the son of man arrives on the world stage with the physical Nation of God, God will then begin to shake the world, as in the days of Noah and Lot (Ag 2:6-7; Luke 17: 26-30): – The Flood did not come before Noah and his family entered the ark (Luke 17:27), – The rain of fire and brimstone did not fall on Sodom before Lot and his family came out (Luke 17:29), – Likewise, God will not begin to shake the world until the Son of Man appears and His nation is born and goes to the place of refuge in Galilee, on Mount Hermon (Isa 66:7-8; Ex 15:17; Ez 34:12-14)! * When Jesus, the Son of God comes with His Bride, the resurrected saints, God will put an end to a shaking world, by establishing the Millennial reign (Rev 16:17; 19:11-21; 20:4)! IV – THE SEVEN LAMPS Before the birth of the Nation of God (the Vase atop the Lampstand of Zechariah 4), which will soon occur, when the United States of Europe (the Beast) will be in place (Dan 2:44; Rev 17:12), we are today, at the end of the 7 eras of the Church (the 7 Lamps), described in Revelation 2 and 3: (1) Ephesian era (Rev 2:1-7) This era which begins after Pentecost of the year 31 AD, is characterized by the work of the 12 Apostles of Christ, the last of whom was John. The highlights of this period were: * The Flight from the Church to Pella (Luke 21:20-21), before, * The Destruction in 70 AD of the Temple of Jerusalem (Matth 24:1-2). * True Christians who have kept the faith and rejected the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, disciples of Simon the Magician, are called the Nazarenes or Ebionites (Poor) – (2 Cor 11:13-15; Jude 3-4). This era lasted about 100 years, until 135 AD, after the 2nd Jewish revolt, put down by the Roman emperor Hadrian! (2) Era of Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11) This era, which starts from the 2nd to 4th centuries AD, lasted approximately 300 years. The faithful figures of the Church who influenced this era are Polycarp, disciple of John, and Polycrates, disciple of Polycarp. The highlights of this period were: * The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) was convened by the Emperor Constantine who imposed the observance of Sunday as a day of rest in place of the Sabbath of God. * The Council of Laodicea (363 AD) which prohibited the observance of the Sabbath. * The persecution of true Christians occurs in Rome, * They fled and dispersed throughout the regions of Asia Minor. * Beginning of the 1260 days (Rev 12:6). The Church is only visible to God! (3) Pergamon era (Rev 2:12-17) This era extends from the 5th to the 11th centuries; a faithful personality stood out in the 7th century in the Church of God, it was Constantine de Mananali (620-681). Here are the highlights of this era: * Pergamum was the seat of the ancient Babylonian Mysteries religion (Rev 2:12-17). * True Christians living in the Balkans were known as the Paulicians, then the Bogomils. It lasted about 700 years! (4) Thyatira era (Rev 2:18-28) It goes from the 12th to the 16th centuries, or around 500 years. Here are the men raised up by God who marked this era: Pierre de Brys (1104) – Pierre Valdo (1180) – Oswald Glaidt, Andreas Fischer, Andreas Eossi (1527). Installed in the south-east of France, the true Christians were: * The Cathars who were the remains of the Bogomils, * The Waldensians (by Pierre Valdo), * The Lollards who were German Waldensians, * The Anabaptists who were the remnants of the Waldensians, who rejected baptism by sprinkling! (5) Era of Sardis (Rev 3:1-6) This period goes from the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century, around 300 years! Here are the notable men of God of this era: John Traske (1618), John James (1661), Stephen Mumford (1664), William Miller (1844), Jacob Brinkerhoff (1871-1910), G.G Ruppert (1922), and Andrew Dugger (1933). Here are the events that marked this era: * The Sabbath Watchers settle in the New World (Rhode Island 1664). * Appearance of 7th-day Baptists and Sabbatical Adventists. * Birth of the 7th-day Adventist Movement, by Ellen White (1860). * Publication of ‘The Bible Advocate’ (publication). * Publication of ‘The Remnant of Israel’ (publication). * Birth of the 7th Day Church of God (Final Phase of the Sardis Era)! (6) Philadelphia Era (Rev 3:7-13) It starts from the 3rd decade, to the last decade of the 20th century (around 70 years). Mr. Herbert W Armstrong was, without doubt, the main architect of this period. Through him, God opened the doors for: * The Birth of the End-Time Church of God (Zec 4:7-10), * The Restoration of Lost Truths (Mal 4:4), * The Testimony of the Advent of the Kingdom of God on earth (Zec 1:20-21; Matt 24:14; Rev 14:6-7; 10:10-11)! (7) Era of Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22) It began just after the death of HWA (1986) and will continue until the Vase is at the top of the Golden Lampstand, that is, until the advent of the Nation of God through the son of man (the 2nd), who is Elijah (Mk 9:11-12). The notable personality at the beginning of this era was undoubtedly Joseph Tkach (1995), Mr. Armstrong’s replacement upon his death, and who led the Universal Church of God into: * The Apostasy (Abomination of Desolation) – (Matt 24:15; 2 Thes 2:3; 1 Tim 4:1), * The Dispersion of God’s people (Ez 34:5-6; Matt 26:31). * God therefore hid His Work from the eyes of the world (Matt 13:44,38; 7:13-14). * The True sons of God, scattered and hidden in the world (Matt. 26:31; 13:38), will soon be revealed, through the one-day birth of Zion, the Physical Kingdom of God (Luke 12:32; Rom 8:19; Isa 66:7-8)! V – THE REST OF THE CANDLESTICK (TRUNK) The Dictionary defines a Trunk, speaking of the tree, as “the part from the birth of the roots to that of the branches”. For our Golden Candlestick, it is therefore “the part which starts from its base, to the beginning of the vase, without the seven lamps”. If the Vase above the lampstand represents the Church of God which is reborn from the Laodicean Correction, to become the physical Kingdom of God, called Zion, and if the 7 lamps of the lampstand represent the 7 eras of the New Testament Church, what does the Trunk represent, that is to say the rest of the candlestick? Hebrews 11, the chapter of faith, lists a cloud of Old Testament Servants of God, from Abel the righteous, through Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, etc. …The Bible says about them: “By faith they all died…knowing that they were strangers and sojourners on the earth” (V13) – “All these by whose faith he was borne witness, did not obtain what was promised to them, God having in mind something better for us, so that they would not arrive at perfection without us” (V39-40). The Trunk or Remnant of the Golden Lampstand therefore represents all the Servants of God of the Old Testament. Moreover, Abraham (AT) is presented in the New Testament as the father of all believers, and all nations are blessed in him (Gal 3:7-9). New Testament Christians were built on the Foundation of the Old Testament Prophets (Eph 2:20)! VI – CONCLUSION In summary, the Golden Candlestick of Zechariah 4 is the History of the True Church of God, from Abel the Just, to the two Witnesses: – The 2 Olive Trees: are the 2 Ambassadors of the Nation of God; these are the 2 Witnesses of Revelation 11 during the Great Tribulation! – The Vase: above the lampstand, it is the Church of God which is reborn from the Laodicean correction, to become the Nation of God, which will be born in one day as Zion (Isaiah 66:7-11; Ps 87; Luke 17:34-37)! – The 7 Lamps: are the 7 eras of the Church of God of the New Testament of Revelation 2 and 3! – The Rest of the Lampstand: these are all the faithful Servants of God of the Old Testament (Hebrews 11)! Let’s watch the prophesied events unfold before our eyes! (Luke 21:34-36). In the Name of Jesus Christ! Testimony from: Paul Janvier Mbock |
| Iron Sharpening Iron In regard to: The Gold Lampstand (Zec. 4) Article by Paul Janvier Mbock Comments by Laura Lee (Bismarck, North Dakota) |
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| First of all, we do not teach church eras. Take note that all the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 existed at the same time. So, what can be concluded from that is that all of those different types of people described in Revelation 2 and 3 can exist today just as they existed at the same time back then. We also do not teach a place of safety. God is fully able to protect and take care of His people no matter where they are in the world. As for the rest of it, I believe there are major flaws in your teaching on prophecy. |
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