A Word in Season
 Friends,
The focus this past year has been one of continuous
prayer and fasting. I am sure you too have felt how
intense the spiritual warfare has become. At the
same time, the world is spiraling downward at a
dizzying pace as the sodomite nature rises to
preeminence in every worldly facet of life. Friends, it
will not be long before we are looking at Satan
incarnate.
In an attempt to propel the Gospel of Jesus Christ
around the world, one of our main focuses has
become the Internet. Our
website has been updated with all of the Bible
Study messages for the past year, and more updates
are to come. We have a team in place that is
charged with managing this content and responding
to inquiries from around the world.
One of the benefits of having The Omega Times
distributed via email is that it is now easier for you to
share the newsletter with others. Please help us to
get the word out by forwarding these newsletters to
others you know. Simply use the "Forward Email" link
at the bottom of this newsletter.
Lastly, we are seeking partners who can commit to
supporting this ministry with consistent contributions
of at least $25 a month. You can make your
donation on-line via the Omega website or mail it in
to us. We need the support of dedicated partners
who can commit to keeping this ministry in prayer,
passing on the information to others, and
contributing consistent donations. We ask that you
prayerfully consider whether you can become an
Omega Ministries partner, supporting the ministry in
these regards.
There is nothing hidden that will not be uncovered.
As God begins to expose the hypocrisy and
perversion undergirding much of the religious world,
there needs to be a place of refuge for people to be
spiritually healed, physically cared for, and
empowered to be ministers of the Gospel
themselves. This is the mission of our church and we
invite you to be a part of that.
Maranatha,
Pastor Gary C. Price
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A Beaten Work
“The mystery of the seven stars which thou
sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden
candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the
seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which
thou sawest are the seven churches.” Revelation
1:20b
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The Seven Churches
One of the first images we see in the book of
Revelation are the seven candlesticks.
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard
behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I
am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and,
what thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto
the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus,
and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto
Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and
unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that
spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden
candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven
candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed
with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the
paps with a golden girdle. (Revelation 1:10-13)
As John turns, he sees seven golden candlesticks
which we find out a few verses later are the seven
churches. John is receiving a vision of the last days,
and the first thing that God draws his attention to is
the church. The candlesticks are not themselves the
light, but they lift up the light. In the midst of the
candlesticks is Jesus Christ.
The seven candlesticks also reflect the Jewish
menorah which was located in the sanctuary.
Easton’s Bible Dictionary has this to say about the
candlestick:
The lamp-stand, "candelabrum," which Moses was
commanded to make for the tabernacle, according to
the pattern shown him. The tabernacle was a tent
without windows, and thus artificial light was
needed. This was supplied by the candlestick, which,
however, served also as a symbol of the church or
people of God, who are "the light of the world." The
light which symbolizes the knowledge of God is not
the sun or any natural light, but an artificial light
supplied with a specially prepared oil; for the
knowledge of God is in truth not natural nor common
to all men, but furnished over and above nature."
This candlestick was placed on the south side of the
Holy Place, opposite the table of shewbread (Ex.
27:21; 30:7, 8; Lev. 24:3; 1 Sam. 3:3). It was
lighted every evening, and was extinguished in the
morning. In the morning the priests trimmed the
seven lamps, borne by the seven branches, with
golden snuffers, carrying away the ashes in golden
dishes (Ex. 25:38), and supplying the lamps at the
same time with fresh oil.
The candlestick provided the only light in the "Holy"
and made manifest the shewbread, just as the
church is to make manifest Jesus Christ, the bread of
life. If we take a closer look at the candlestick, we
can find out more about what the church is going
through to be prepared to shine forth in these last
days. |
The Pattern for a Perfect Light
The first time we see a reference to the candlestick
is in Exodus 25, where God commands Moses to make
a sanctuary so that He may dwell among the people.
God gives Moses the pattern for the sanctuary which
included instructions on how to make the
candlesticks.
“And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of
beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft,
and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his
flowers, shall be of the same. And six branches shall
come out of the sides of it; three branches of the
candlestick out of the one side, and three branches
of the candlestick out of the other side: three bowls
made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in
one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in
the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the
six branches that come out of the candlestick. And
in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto
almonds, with their knops and their flowers. And
there shall be a knop under two branches of the
same, and a knop under two branches of the same,
and a knop under two branches of the same,
according to the six branches that proceed out of
the candlestick. Their knops and their branches shall
be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of
pure gold. And thou shalt make the seven lamps
thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that
they may give light over against it. And the tongs
thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure
gold. Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with
all these vessels.” Exodus 25:31-39
In this candlestick we find a representation of the
God-head. Pure gold - one of the highest and most
precious metals - symbolizing the divine nature of the
Father. Gold that was of a beaten work,
representing Jesus Christ and the sacrifices He made
to reconcile us to the Father. The seven lamps
showing forth the presence of the Holy Spirit:
"And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the
spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of
counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the
fear of the LORD" (Isaiah 11:2)
"And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and
thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps
of fire burning before the throne, which are the
seven Spirits of God." (Revelation 4:5)
We see that when there is a complete embodiment of
the God-head, fruit is evident. Where the presence
of God abides, there is life. This life grows
organically as witnessed by the almonds, knops, and
flowers decorating the candlestick. Yet, before the
fruit can be realized, there must be a beaten work of
pure gold. |
The Beauty in the Beating
"That the trial of your faith, being much more
precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be
tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (I Peter
1:7)
Gold is tried by fire to purify it so that it becomes
useable. Impure gold loses its true lustre and is
unyielding. During the refining process, the heat
from the fire drives the impurities to the surface. This
is the same thing that God does with us when we get
saved. He places us in the fire of affliction to drive
off the dross, those fleshly unclean ways in us that
stop the flow of His Spirit within. By bringing these
impurities to the front, God gives us the opportunity
to repent and be cleansed of these defiling elements.
Yet, the gold to be used is not only purified, it is
beaten. The word for “beaten work” describing the
candlestick is the Hebrew word miqshâh which means: rounded work, that is, moulded by
hammering (repousse): - beaten (out of one piece,
work), upright, whole piece. Gold beating is an
ancient skill where gold is reduced into extremely thin
sheets by beating it with a hammer.
Beaten gold has three significant characteristics:
- It has more reflective quality than anything
produced with pigment
- It is durable and can last for centuries
- It is very stable and will not tarnish
Although gold leaf is durable, it cannot be touched
by hand or it will disintegrate. So it is with us. This
work of purification is God's alone; we cannot rush
Him nor try to help Him. Human intervention will only
mar the effort.
When gold is beaten very thin and then heated, it
becomes permanently transparent. This is what God
desires to produce in us. He is a refiner who is
producing pure gold in us in order to restore
the true beauty of His creation and render us fit for
every good work. We will be transparent so that
people no longer see us, but see only Christ. We will
reflect His nature and love to the world through the
power of a self-less life. We will be durable and able
to withstand these evil days. We will be stable, not
turning back to be tainted by the world.
Through a process called gilding, the gold leaf can be
applied to a surface piece by piece, each one
overlapping slightly. Then it is rubbed with small bats
of lamb's wool which tightens the bond of gold leaf
and removes loose, overlapping fringes of the metal
sheets. Although you start with numerous
individual gold sheets, when finished with the gilding,
you are left with one single brilliant layer.
This is what is happening to the church. All over the
world, God is taking individual members of His church
and adhering them to one another in the Spirit to
make one Body. As the precious lamb - Jesus
Christ - walks in our midst, the loose chaff and that
which hangs on the fringes will be rubbed off as the
bond of love grows stronger among those who are
gilded to Him.
Our goal as Christians should be to hasten this
process. How is that done? Prayer and fasting.
Fasting is the glue that further adheres us to
Christ and prayer increases the spiritual friction
which rubs off the chaff. Yet, who will endure
the fire? The beating? The friction? Who will be made
into a beaten work of pure gold that upholds the light
of Christ?
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