The Vine & The Branches

Dr. Jay Worth Allen

Within the Tabernacle of Moses there was a Lampstand (Exodus 25), crafted of pure beaten gold: seven golden lamps, burning pure beaten olive oil - six golden branches and one golden shaft, (Exodus 27:20).

That golden Lampstand was a picture of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ: “And in the midst of the Lampstand, One like the Son of man . . . the seven churches are the seven Lampstands” (Revelation 1:13-20). And the golden branches and the oil burning lamps, growing out of the Lamp’s stand, is a picture of the New Covenant Believers. The Vine & The Branches(John 15).

In the Exodus description of the Lampstand, the branches grew out of the Lampstand. So, if the branches are growing out of the Lampstand, what then is the Lamp’s stand? Moses describes the Lamp’s stand as the “shaft.” The “shaft” was the Lampstand’s stand. The “shaft” held the Lampstand’s branches and lamps. What then is a stand? Isn’t a stand, something stands on? And if the “shaft” is the stand, then something must stand on the stand. So it stands to reason that Jesus is the Stand on which the Exodus “Lampstands” and “the seven Lampstands” of Revelation, both stand and grow out of.

What does the Church stand on? What, for that matter, does all the world and the universe stand on? Jesus of course! “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in the earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. All things were created by Him, and for Him; And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:15-17, KJV). Jesus Christ is the Eternal-Glue, the Heavenly “shaft,” which holds the whole of all matter, seen or unseen, together!

So, in fact and in parallel with the Book of Revelation, Jesus is the Lamp’s stand. And out of Him is growing the Lamp’s branches - His redeemed people. One perfect unit: Vine & Branches (John 17:11,21,22). On top of each of His branches is a lamp (light) “the light of the world”, which Jesus was first called, and now He calls His Church. Under each of the Exodus lamps was a set of knobs, bowls, and buds [flowers]. Each of the branches had three sets of these knobs, bowls, and buds - three sets of three on each branch - (a wonderful picture of the nine gift ministries, given by the Holy Spirit, in 1 Corinthians 12), until you reach the “shaft,” the center of the Lampstand, which had four sets of knobs, bowls, and buds (this of course, is a brilliant picture of the four perfecting ministries in Ephesians 4).

The three sets of three, knobs, bowls, and buds found on each branch of the Lampstand, is also a picture of the nine graces of the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22,23. The fruit of the Spirit can be divided into three sets of three. Love, joy, peace. Long-suffering, gentleness, goodness. Faith, meekness, temperance. The pomegranates, calamus and spikenard, from The Song of Solomon (4:12-14).

The first set of three are nourishing agents (the pomegranates), which parallels love, joy and peace. The second set is our healing agents (calamus), the long-suffering, gentleness and goodness, which heals in the body of Christ. The last pictures faith, meekness and temperance (spikenard), a perfume, which has a sweet smell to all who are blessed by its fruit. We are a garden of the Lord growing the Lord’s fruit.

The whole of the Exodus Lampstand and “the seven Lampstands” in Revelation, both speak of the Lord Jesus, His light, His gifting, and His church (Exodus 25:30 ff) as one.

The Shaft is the Lamp’s stand; the Lord Jesus, “the light of the world;” and the Holy Spirit, the burning oil of the lamp. We are the branches growing out of Him giving light to the world (John 15). The Vine & The Branches are one!.

The Lord is not just the Stem of the Vine. He said that He is, “the Vine!” The Root, Stem, Branches, all of it! He said, “I’m the whole thing!” His people are small segments growing out of Him. We are the branches, bearing “fruit,” growing out of the Vine, filled with the Holy Spirit (the oil, the fruit), giving His light, His fragrance to the entire world. The Vine & The Branches are one!

And how do we grow? We grow out of Him with His “fruit” that blossoms, from our “knobs, bowls, and buds” into light. He is the Shaft, the Stand, the Vine. We are His golden branches growing out of Him. That place of Life, His life, produces His branches. And in turn, we, His branches, produce His fruit. The Holy Spirit providing the burning fire.

“I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your [nourishing, healing, sweet smelling] fruit should remain” (John 15:16). And the glory that the Father gave into His Son, He has given unto us “that we may be one” with Him as He is with the Father (John 17:21).

The Vine & The Branches are one!.

The Vine & The Branches
Published: 4 July 2011 on Freed In Christ! blogsite.
Published: 9 June 2011 in FAITH Column of The County Journal.

Link goes to A Brief History of Redemption

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