1 - The Menorah in the Bible
1 - The Menorah in the Old Testament
Zechariah 4
4.1 The angelic messenger who had been speaking with me then returned
and woke me, as one is wakened from sleep.
4:2 He asked me, "What do you see?" I replied, "I see a menorah of pure
gold with a receptacle at the top and seven lamps, with fourteen pipes going
to the lamps.
4:3 There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the receptacle
and the other on the left."
4:10 For who dares make light of small beginnings? These seven eyes will
joyfully look on the tin tablet in Zerubbabel's hand. (These are the eyes
of the Lord, those that constantly range across the whole earth.)
4:11 Next I asked the messenger, "What are these two olive trees on the
right and left of the menorah?"
4:14 So he said, "These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord
of the whole earth."
Exodus 25
25:31 And you are to make a lampstand49 of pure gold. The lampstand is
to be made by hammering out its base and its shaft; its cups-namely its
buds and its blossoms-are to be of one piece with it.
25:32 And six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand,
three branches of the lampstand from one side and three branches of the
lampstand from the other side.
25:33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are
to be on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds
and blossoms are to be on the next branch, and the same for the six branches
extending out from the lampstand.
25:34 And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond
flowers with buds and blossoms
25:35 -with a bud under the first two branches from it, and a bud under
the next two branches from it, and a bud under the third two branches from
it, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand.
25:36 Their buds and their branches will be one piece, all of it one piece
hammered out of pure gold.
25:37 And you are to make its seven lamps, and then put its seven lamps
up on it, so that it will give light to the area in front of it.
25:38 And its trimmers and its trays are to be of pure gold.
25:39 About seventy-five pounds of pure gold is to be used for it and for
all these utensils.
25:40 Now be sure to make them according to the pattern you were shown
on the mountain.
Daniel 5
5:1 King Belshazzar1 prepared a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles,
and he was drinking wine in front of them all.
5:2 While under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar issued an order
to bring in the gold and silver vessels-the ones that Nebuchadnezzar his
father had confiscated from the temple in Jerusalem-so that the king and
his nobles, together with his wives and his concubines, could drink from
them.
5:3 So they brought the gold and silver vessels that had been confiscated
from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles,
together with his wives and concubines, drank from them.
5:4 As they drank wine, they glorified the gods of gold and silver, bronze,
iron, wood, and stone.
5:5 At that very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote
on the plaster of the royal palace wall, opposite the lampstand. The king
was watching the back of the hand that was writing.
5:6 Then all the color drained from the king's face and his thoughts were
alarming him. The joints of his hips gave way, and his knees began knocking
together.
5:7 The king called out loudly to summon the astrologers, Chaldeans, and
sorcerers. The king proclaimed to the wise men of Babylon that anyone who
could read this inscription and declare its interpretation would be clothed
in purple and have a golden collar placed on his neck and be third ruler
in the kingdom.
5:8 So all the king's wise men came in, but they were unable to read the
writing or to declare its interpretation to the king.
...
5:13 So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel,
"Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives of Judah, whom my father
the king brought from Judah?
5:14 I have heard about you, how there is a spirit of the gods in you,
and how illumination, insight, and extraordinary wisdom have been found
in you.
5:15 Now the wise men and astrologers were brought before me to read this
writing and declare to me its interpretation. But they were unable to declare
the interpretation of the matter.
5:16 However, I have heard that you are able to provide interpretations
and to solve knotty problems. Now if you are able to read this writing and
declare to me its interpretation, you will wear purple and have a golden
collar around your neck and be third ruler in the kingdom."
...
5:23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You
had brought before you the vessels from his temple, and you and your nobles,
together with your wives and concubines, were drinking wine from them. You
glorified the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone - gods
that cannot see or hear or comprehend! But you have not glorified the God
who has in his control your very breath and all your ways!
5:24 Therefore the palm of a hand was sent from him, and this writing was
inscribed.
5:25 "This is the writing that was inscribed: mene', mene', teqel, and
pharsin.
5:26 This is the interpretation of the words: As for mene' - God has numbered
your kingdom's days and brought it to an end.
5:27 As for teqel - you are weighed on the balances and found to be lacking.
5:28 As for peres - your kingdom is divided and given over to the Medes
and Persians."
5:29 Then, on Belshazzar's orders, Daniel was clothed in purple, a golden
collar was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed third ruler in
the kingdom.
5:30 And in that very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed.
5:31 So Darius the Mede took control of the kingdom when he was about
sixty-two years old.
2 - The lamps of the Old Testament
Samuel (2) 21
21:17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to David's aid, striking the
Philistine down and killing him. Then David's men took an oath saying, "You
will not go out to battle with us again! You must not extinguish the lamp
of Israel!"
Psalms 119
119:105 Your instructions are a lamp that shows me where to walk,
3 - The Menorah in the New Testament
Hebrews 9
9:1 Now the first covenant, in fact, had regulations for worship and its
earthly sanctuary.
9:2 For a tent was prepared, the outer one, which contained the lampstand,
the table, and the presentation of the loaves; this is called the holy place.
9:3 And after the second curtain there was a tent called the holy of holies.
9:4 It contained the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant
covered entirely with gold. In this ark were the golden urn containing the
manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.
9:5 And above the ark were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy
seat. Now is not the time to speak of these things in detail.
4 - The lamps in the New Testament
Matthew 25
25:1 "At that time, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who
took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
25:2 Five of the virgins were foolish, and five were wise.
25:3 When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take olive oil
with them.
25:4 But the wise ones took flasks of olive oil with their lamps.
25:5 When the bridegroom took his time in coming, they all became drowsy
and fell asleep.
25:6 But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look, the bridegroom is here!
Come out to meet him.'
25:7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
25:8 The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, because
our lamps are going out.'
25:9 'No,' they replied 'There won't be enough for you and for us. Go instead
to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
25:10 But while they had gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and those
who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet. And the door
was shut.
25:11 Later, the other virgins came too, saying, 'Lord, lord! Let us in!'
25:12 But he replied, 'I tell you the truth,12 I do not know you!'
25:13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour.
John 5
5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also
the Son gives life to whomever he wishes.
5:22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge anyone, but has assigned all
judgment to the Son,
5:23 so that all people may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
5:24 "I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes
the one who sent me, has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has
crossed over from death to life.
5:25 I tell you the solemn truth, a time is coming and is now here when
the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will
live.
5:26 For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the
Son to have life in himself,
5:27 and he granted the Son authority to execute judgment because he is
the Son of Man.
5:28 "Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are
in the tombs will hear his voice
5:29 and will come out-the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection
resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection
resulting in condemnation.
5:30 I can do nothing on my own initiative. Just as I hear, I judge, and
my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of
the one who sent me.
5:31 "If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.
5:32 There is another who testifies about me, and I know the testimony
he testifies about me is true.
5:33 You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth.
5:34 (I do not accept56 human testimony, but I say this so that you may
be saved.)
5:35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining, and you wanted to rejoice
greatly for a short time in his light.
5:36 "But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds
that the Father has assigned me to complete-the deeds I am now doing-testify
about me that the Father has sent me.
Revelation
1:11 saying: "Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches-to
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."
1:12 I turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, and when I did so,
I saw seven golden lampstands,
1:13 and in the midst of the lampstands was one like a son of man. He was
dressed in a robe extending down to his feet and he wore a wide golden belt
around his chest.
1:14 His head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow, and
his eyes were like a fiery flame.
1:15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice
was like the roar of many waters.
1:16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword
extended out of his mouth. His face shone like the sun shining at full strength.
1:20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the
seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
2:1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write the following:
"This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who has a firm grasp on the
seven stars in his right hand - the one who walks among the seven golden
lampstands:
2:3 I am also aware that you have persisted steadfastly, endured much for
the sake of my name, and have not grown weary.
2:4 But I have this against you: You have departed from your first love!
2:5 Therefore, remember from what high state you have fallen and repent!
Do the deeds you did at the first; if not, I will come to you and remove
your lampstand from its place-that is, if you do not repent.
4:4 In a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated
on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white clothing
and had golden crowns on their heads.
4:5 From the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring and crashes
of thunder. Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God, were
burning in front of the throne
4.1.2 - The lamp in relation to the power over droughts and floods
11:3 And I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260
days, dressed in sackcloth.
11:4 (These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before
the Lord of the earth.)
11:5 If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths and
completely consumes their enemies. If anyone wants to harm them, they must
be killed this way.
11:6 These two have the power to close up the sky so that it does not rain
during the time they are prophesying. They have power to turn the waters
to blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague whenever they
want.
18:23 Even the light from a lamp will never shine in you again! The voices
of the bridegroom and his bride will never be heard in you again. For your
merchants were the tycoons of the world, because all the nations were deceived
by your magic spells!
21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because
the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb.
22:4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
22:5 Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp
or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they
will reign forever and ever.
4.1.5 - The end
22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.
GrandPontif
