From the desk of Steve Shultz:
Below is an excerpt from Keith Miller's book Surrender to the Spirit. It gives excellent insight into the Seven Spirits of God and His workings.
I encourage you to both read this excerpt and for further study why not purchase his book right below. It's a win-win for both Keith and the Elijah List.
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Keith Miller:
The Lampstand: The Seven Fold Flow of the Holy Spirit
Seven Spirits as Seen in the Lampstand
In the traditional Jewish tabernacle, God had instructed that there always be lampstands in the Holy Place, to bring illumination. The lamps were oil lights, not candles, and they were never to be extinguished (Leviticus 24:1-4). They illumined the Holy Place so that the priests could walk and minister in the light, and so they could see the showbread which was placed on the altar (in some translations it is called "Bread of the Presence"). Every morning and evening, the priests would tend to the lamps, trim them, take away the ashes, and supply the oil to keep the lamps continually burning.
Traditionally the lampstands symbolized God's guidance and revelation through His Word (Psalm 119:105). They also speak of Jesus, the light of the world (John 8:12). Salvation also is as a lamp that burns, and the Lord will not hold His peace or rest until the brilliancy of the salvation lamp goes to the nations (Isaiah 62:1).
The oil in the lamps symbolized the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the source of power that illumines the Church. The showbread is a metaphor for the Word of God, our daily bread (Matthew 4:4). The Holy Spirit illuminates the Word, just as the lampstand would shine on the showbread. Psalm 104:15b tells us that that oil makes our face shine. The lampstand signifies the Church (Revelation 1:20).
There are several references to lampstands (sometimes called candlesticks) in both Old and New Testaments that are, in fact, metaphorical: The lampstand in John's heavenly vision (Revelation 4:5), the lampstand in Moses' tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-40) and in Zechariah's fifth vision (Zechariah 4:2). These three occurrences symbolize the fullness of the Holy Spirit, the seven Spirits of God referenced in Isaiah 11:2: the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord.
Zechariah's Vision
God gave Zechariah a vision of the golden lampstand meant to stand in the temple. Since Zechariah and his people were there to rebuild the temple, it made sense that God spoke to them in temple images. The meaning of the vision was to show how Zerubbabel would accomplish the overwhelming work of rebuilding the temple, by the Spirit of God. No doubt, it was a monumental task, and Zerubbabel may have been discouraged as he stood in the rubble and surveyed the task.
The lampstand God showed Zechariah represented the full ministry of the Holy Spirit. God wanted to assure Zerubbabel (via Zechariah) that the Holy Spirit would continually supply his needs as he embarked on the enormous building project. Zerubbabel would not rebuild the temple by his own strength or ability but by God's, and he could draw on the endless supply of resources supplied by the sevenfold Spirits of God.
God wants His supply and our reliance on the sevenfold flow of the Holy Spirit to be continual. The work of rebuilding the temple was so massive it seemed like a great mountain. Here God promises that by the fullness of His Spirit, that great mountain will be leveled into a plain.
Zechariah's vision in Zechariah 4:1-14 adds significant detail to the metaphorical tabernacle candlestick. He saw a solid gold lampstand with seven pipes and seven lamps. Two olive trees dripped a never-ending supply of oil into a bowl, and the bowl, like a fountain, dripped oil into the seven pipes. The oil flowed from the pipes and into the seven lamps that continuously burned in the tabernacle. It was a never-ending supply of oil.
Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, "What do you see?" So I said, "I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left."
So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, "What are these, my Lord?"...
..."This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts. 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'"
Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth."
...And I further answered and said to him, "What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?" Then he answered me and said..."These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth." (NKJV)
Grafted to the Olive Tree
The number seven Biblically signifies fullness or completion. Here we see a lampstand with seven pipes tapped into a perpetual oil source, two olive trees. The pipes represent seven paths (seven Spirits of God) through which the oil (Holy Spirit) flows. I believe the two olive trees represent the Spirit and the Word. This is a metaphorical image of the Body of Christ plugged in to the fullness of the seven-fold flow of the Holy Spirit. Tapping into the source releases the unlimited anointing (fresh oil) of the Holy Spirit (John 3:34).
Legendary evangelist, apostle of faith, and Christian hero Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947) experienced a prophetic vision where he saw two great revivals sweep across the world: the first known as the "Word Movement" (1970s), and the second, "Spirit Revival," came later in the 1990s. However, in this vision, he saw something much bigger and more powerful that was to happen following these two revivals. He saw a massive harvest that would cover the earth, and it would happen when the Word and the Spirit (or anointing) were "married." Unfortunately, he died before he saw any of these revivals. I believe we're in that time of massive harvest right now!
The foundation of the Bible is very important, but we need to live by the living Word daily (Hebrews 4:12). My friend Bill Johnson says, "Faith doesn't come by what you have already heard, it comes by what you are presently hearing." If there was ever a time that the Church needs eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying, that time is now. God wants us to live daily with our spiritual ears open and eyes illuminated, and we can, when we tap into the fullness of the Holy Spirit fresh oil every day.
Without oil, there is no flame. Without oil, there is no flow. Apart from Him, the fresh oil, we can do nothing (John 15:5). When we plug in to the source, we're changed and transformed; we walk in purity and holiness before the Lord. He replenishes the oil when we stay plugged in to Him. The more we allow the working of the Holy Spirit, the more we embrace His work, and the more we allow Him liberty in our life. These things transform us from glory, to glory, to glory into His image.
As Believers, we've been grafted in among these olive trees (Romans 11:17) and we've become partakers of the root and fatness, the continual flow of the rich, flourishing oil. We remain strong as we partake of the oil, and remain grafted and plugged into the flow: "But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil" (Psalm 92:10). Anointed in this context means overflow, and horn signifies strength. When we function and operate in the full expression of the sevenfold Spirit of God, we'll walk in fresh oil every day. When we remain plugged into Jesus, the Vine, we will be fruitful; but apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Tapping in to Endless Supply
We need fresh oil! We can't live in last week's supply of oil or the seven flames will die. We need to tap in to the ceaseless supply of His fresh oil from the Spirit and the Word daily, and it is available to us now through the "pipes" of the seven Spirits of God!
The lampstand had a center pipe with six other pipes tapped into it. Six represents the number of man. Add the center pipe and there are seven. Christ symbolizes the center pipe since He is the mediator between God and us (1 Timothy 2:5). Christ is the center, the divine nature, and all of the other pipes flow out of that one. We can't have the fullness of the oil without tapping into the center pipe of the lampstand.
From the center pipe, the three pairs of pipes went outward on opposite sides. The three pairs represent the three pairings of flows of the Holy Spirit as mentioned in Isaiah 11:2: wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, and knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Add to these six "the Spirit of God upon" (the Presence of Christ), and there are seven.
From the Book Surrender to the Spirit. This book was written by Keith Miller from a series of encounters with the Lord in 2002.
Keith Miller
Stand Firm World Ministries
Email: info@sfwm.org
