"The Vision of the Seven Candlesticks From the Apocalypse" - Albrecht Durer, Public Domain Image
“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” – Revelation 2:5
As believers we are admonished to examine ourselves and make sure that we are in the will of God. This can only be done through careful study of the scripture. Jesus said to his disciples, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch the beareth fruit he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit (John 15:2)."
The only way to know if God is taking us out of the way for our sins or purging us so that we can bear more fruit is to study the scriptures and examine our own lives to see if it is pleasing to God or not. We have liberty in Christ, but we are warned throughout scripture that we must not use our liberty as an occasion to sin as we saw Eli's sons do in the Old Testament:
27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD....
29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
31 Behold, the days come , that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. -1st Samuel 2
The context of these verses in 1st Samuel chapter two is that the high priest Eli has neglected his duties as a priest and as a father by failing to raise his sons in the proper admonition of the Lord. God points out that Eli honors his sons above God by turning a blind eye to their fornication and embezzling, “Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD…” we are told in 1st Samuel 2:17.
God’s proclamation against Eli is a foreshadowing of Israel’s final destruction as a nation and the implementation of the new covenant. God acknowledges in verse 30 that he had indeed declared that Aaron’s house would be the priestly class for ever. This verse alludes to Exodus 29:9, “And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.”
But we are being shown in 1st Samuel that God as sovereign Lord is free to modify his statutes at any time. He appointed Aaron high priest for his obedience to his word and his faithfulness to Moses, but the good works of one's parents or ancestors will not endow anyone a blank check from the Lord to do anything they want. God declares that “for them that honor me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed,” regardless of ancestry, or tribe, or pedigree.
After God rebukes Eli he keeps his word and removes the ark of the covenant from Israel, killing Eli and his sons, and granting the high priesthood to Samuel. In the New Testament likewise, John the Baptist warns the Pharisees, “And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire (Matthew 3:10).”
Eli’s sons, forerunners of the Pharisees, are slain in one day. God is no respecter of persons in judgement. Lest we deceive ourselves by thinking that because we are under grace we have carte blanche to do as we please let us end with the words of Jesus in Revelation:
“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” – Revelation 2:5
Mercy is always available to those who repent of their errors, but God reserves the right to remove our candlestick for continuing in disobedience - whether we be the Levitical priests, or the Catholic Church, or the Southern Baptist convention.
Selah.
Except...thou...repent.