Candy Cane

In order to fully understand the vision, it's helpful to understand the reason for the lampstand. Look at it's use in the Temple. There are 4 lampstands, but they are merely the receptical for the light. Without the oil and the constant watchful eye of the keepers of the lamps, there is no light. Jesus is the Light of the World. The lampstands may symbolize the entire world and my understanding of the significance of numbers is that 7 is the number for completion. Symbolically, this may signify that Christ, the Light of the World, stands in the midst of the lampstands ready to bring light to them, and to complete the task that was begun the moment God spoke the Word. This is very different to the humble carpenter who walked the dusty, earthly roads of Galilee and Judea. This Jesus is Master over all and Powerful. To me, this vision evokes an assurance beyond any doubt that Satan can throw my way. This says to me that there is nothing that can stop the Lord God and Jesus Christ the Messiah from completing the task ahead. With this understanding, the balance for each Christian is that all time, past, present and future, is put into perspective. There is great hope and joy in the knowledge that, no matter what, our Lord is in control and will, one day soon, reign over all the earth in His completion.

On Oct. 30, 2007, Linda Spillman did an internet search. It was good information. I would like to say that, if one watches closely, they will see that there is virtually no area of the world, no continent, country, state, city or village that does not have persecution of those who love and follow in the steps of Christ. But this is to be expected, for we were told it would be this way.

Jesus Christ is the only one raised from the dead and is also the same as God, who is the Alpha and Omega. In knowing, understanding and believing this fact, indeed, the most important fact in coming to Salvation through Christ Jesus, we are encouraged that Christ is our bridge to the Creator. Because of this, we no longer must go through an earthly priest or animal sacrificial blood in order to obtain atonement for our sins. What a blessing! Jesus has done the work and paved the way for each of us.

Hi. I go by the handle Candy Cane. I hail from Fair Oaks, California. Let me weigh in with my input on the Q1 set of questions: [#I] Why is the theme of testimony and witness so important to the purpose of strengthening and encouraging a church facing intense persecution? I feel the 'theme' of testimony & witness are important because we are sinners. All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. Because we all, as humans, know in the core of our being that we are "unworthy" of the love of a perfect God, we face personal destruction every day. That is why we are instructed in asking God to renew our minds every day - the battlefield is in the mind, because we war not against flesh & blood, but against principalities, etc. Their game is to sway our minds, as in the beginning with the lies that caused the falling away of creation from Creator. Without daily encouragement (and we are commanded to do this for our Brothers and Sisters in Christ), we are each one susceptible to the constant attacks of Satan on our minds, which leads to wrong words (words of cursing and not of blessing), which leads to wrong deeds (even Paul said he did what he didn't want to do and that which he DID want to do, he did not!). [#II] How is Jesus as the "faithful witness" (1:5) supposed to encourage us? Jesus has the same "free will" as we do. It was His Will that he gave up in order to die the death of a human being and cause His blood, sinless in every way and chosen of God, to cover our sins, thereby redeeming us and reconciling us to our Creator/God. BECAUSE HE HAS FOUGHT THE FIGHT OF DEATH AND COME FORTH VICTORIOUS, WE ARE ENCOURAGED TO RUN THE RACE - FOR THE PRIZE IS GREAT. Jesus died once for all -- He doesn't need to die for each and every one of us every single day. His precious blood covers us, like putting a sheep skin on an old wolf, so that the Shepherd will allow the wolf into the fold. The wonderful thing is that with the sheep skin as a cloak, the old wolf becomes calm, comfortable, feeling God's peace and His love, and, most of all, His undeserved Mercy - and the wolf begins to change from the inside out. If this is not of great encouragement to continue the fight, I don't know what is! [#III] Why are we afraid to be clear witnesses in a culture where we aren't persecuted? We continue to seek approval from man, rather than God. Maybe because 'man' is front & center every day. Going back to the beginning, it all started with lies. Have you heard the story about the frog who was caught and placed in a big pot of comfortably cool water? Little by little the water began to warm and, by the time the water was boiling, it was too late for the frog. This is how it is with Christians. We believe the lies that tolerance is the key to peace with our fellow man on earth. We believe the lies that tell us it's offensive to say 'Merry Christmas' instead of 'Happy Holidays'. We believe the lies that say if we read our Bibles at our office desk someone will see and be offended -- and they will deride us, tease us, or talk about us to others. Hey folks, that's what we all should want. We should count it GAIN when we are persecuted (in any form) for the sake of Christ! We all know that America is used as a measuring stick. But, as another member reminded us, persecution is alive and well and, in some cases (probably more than we hear about), death is a very real factor. But I submit to you that we must not fear persecution. It's really a sign that we're on the right track. Perhaps we do best to make God front & center at the start of every day. If you were going to have a healthy food diet, you wouldn't eat only on Sundays or Sabbath, would you? You'd make sure you had 3 squares every day... Yes? Thanks for reading. Looking forward to the next session. Candy Cane