~ As is my custom as each new year approaches... I
ask God... "what are your plans for the future?" Just before the
decade of the 1990's... in response to this question, I began to receive this vision
of the future of the church. It came through words I heard from deep
within... scenes in my minds eye... and impressions I
received... as God spoke to my heart.... that our hearts might become one. It
came in the language of the Spirit... a language Jesus used and continues to use
in my life... which for me is highly symbolic. May I suggest that
you ask the Holy Spirit to give you God's interpretation before you read on...
if it is not your habit to do so already? That which you are about to read must
be spiritually discerned. ~
While
in prayer... the Lord gave me a vision of a Holy temple... fully destroyed,
except for the foundation. The foundation that was left standing was the
chief cornerstone... which I understood represented Jesus Christ and God's
messages which came through Him. The rest of the stones which were left... was
that which God had placed... through His Prophets and Apostles of old and
through the outpourings of His Spirit since.
I
was aware a tidal wave had come in... and wiped everything else out... as far as
the eye could see... so that
all which remained was God's work and not mans. I knew the temple
represented the Bride of Christ... each individual believer. I was aware God
Himself had swept His hand over His Holy Temple... His church... and in doing
so... had knocked down that which was not in Christ's image.... but was a work
of the flesh inspired by vain imaginations and inherited traditions, rooted in
fear... legalistic teachings and not His love.
I
was given understanding... the church as we knew it at that time... would no
longer exist in the future. God was unfolding His eternal plan for her... and
she was about to go through a season of weakness... even powerlessness for
some,
a time of fiery trials for many... so she might be emptied out to receive that which was coming... an outpouring of
His Spirit far greater than man has known to date.
The
Holy Spirit brought to remembrance... the time of Nehemiah... where the walls of
the temple had been torn down due to idolatry... and were mere rubble... and I
thought of Nehemiah having to access the damage... before the temple was to be
rebuilt. Concerned... I said... "Lord, the only protection we have
from the enemy of our Soul is You."
It
was then I heard: "The time has come for the Lord Himself to build His Holy
Temple as His Bride preparing herself... that she might become one with her
Bridegroom through their union. Judgment has come against her 'body'... to
purify and transform her through fire. The season for her to grow as an adult
has come... she is to put away childish things, of which many have become idols
and hinder her growth.
No longer do I want to hear her cry out 'we need to get
back to the way the early church was'... that was her infancy.. and those who
have come before her are becoming idols in her eyes. It is time for her to
grow and become mature as My Bride.... that she might walk as One with her
Bridegroom"
It
became clear through the Spirit of God within me... that the ways we've seen
things done in the past are over... for they are limited, compared to that which
HE alone would bring into being. I understood HE would be bringing forth a
new breed of Apostles and Prophets... for His purpose alone. I knew when
those called to their roles were sent forth... after having gone through a time
of consecrations and transformation... alone with HIM... it would not be
in the ways we think... or have become use to. Even the mark of the
Apostles and Prophets... signs and wonders and miracles... had not yet been
conceptualized in the mind of man. Our limited concept of their office... their call...
their function... will be
changed as well... to prevent a work of the flesh from arising in man's efforts
to duplicate that which He alone can bring into being.
In
order for this to be brought about... His Bride was being called, like Nehemiah
to look at the rubble before her... and to assess the damage and to pray and
abide in His love... remembering His promises... which would bring her into
God's manifest Presence.
It
was then... through His Spirit... I remembered Adam and Eve in the garden.
I came to understand... through the nature of the fall... they and their
descendants had built their own temple... which was tainted with fleshly
understanding.... the nature of man. I was aware... that through the generations since Christ... His
Bride had gone through a fleshy, so to speak, stage of building the temple... by
faith.... she had done that which she thought she was supposed to do...
Through
His love for her... God's Spirit had come... and by His Spirit HE was returning
her to His enclosed garden. I saw she had been brought to maturity and was
ready to be given to her Bridegroom that they might become one.
He
showed me the garden she had been taken from... it was polluted. I asked,
"Why is her garden polluted?"
He
replied, "Her garden had been a public garden... exposed for all to come
through. She has chosen to abide there... that others may partake of the work of
her hands... rather than abiding in My garden that we may drink of living waters
and flow together."
It
was then I saw a great 'body' of people crying to the Lord for forgiveness for
the sins of the world... abortion, drugs, porno and the like. This body
was running to and fro... carrying many issues... making demands... pointing
fingers... and commanding: "Keep God's Laws".
Grieved...
God spoke and said: "She has forgotten from where she came... she was saved
through My grace. She has forgotten, I and I alone give her power to keep
My law. How can she expect others to do that which she can only do through
the grace of My Spirit awakened within her? She has forgotten only My Holy
Spirit can convict someone of their sin and of My love. She has forgotten
she is to preach the good news of the gospel of the Kingdom. She has
forgotten, she is to allow me to raise up My standard through her lifestyle of
my living through her as she dies to the old... that she might find a new life
hid in Me. As she does... those who are lost will see and be drawn to My
love. She has forgotten she was created to walk in My love."
I
saw deep within my Spirit... this 'body' was not yet fully separate from the
flesh nature... from the world's way of thinking and being, as He said to me,
"I hear many who cry from among them... repeatedly begging me: 'Lord, we've
humbled ourselves and repented... Heal our land!' Yet some who cry out... are
not repenting for their own sin... but for the sins of the world... of those
they see as separate from themselves, because they are afraid My judgment will
come upon them... because of the sins of another.... they do not yet know Me in
my fullness. Did I not protect my people in the land of Goshen when my judgments
came against Egypt? Because this body cannot see... their own sin... I am
exposing sin among their own.... through their leaders, for judgment begins in
the household of God.... and if I do not bring in My light... the blind will
continue to lead the blind. Come out from among them lest you become one with
their sin."
Suddenly,
His
Spirit burned within me a greater awareness of... His desires to heal our land... our private
lives... a greater awareness of His work which had already begun and would come to fruition through the
ways He knew were best... ways we might not understand, but ways we could trust
He would work out for the good in the end.
It
was then I became aware of the sins of many... rooted in unbelief... which
resulted in lies... abuse... perversion... hate... death... fear and other dark deeds of
the heart and I heard the Lord say: "I have turned them over to their own
will... to a reprobate mind, that they might come to the end of themselves and
choose life and it more abundantly. I do not desire the generation of
those who would remain in darkness... and inner turmoil to prosper in their
present state. Do they not have a choice... is not my law written within
their hearts... within their conscience... that they might discern good from
evil? Can they not return to ME and My ways... and repent whenever they are
convicted by My love... of the grace I offer them? When they do... My Bride must be ready... she must be a
city of refuge... a city set upon My Holy Mountain for all to see... as I draw
them back to Me and nurture and love them through my Bride."
The
scene changed and in my spirit I saw His Bride was then brought to an enclosed
garden... an abiding place, where she was separated... to become alone with her
Bridegroom... so their love might grow... and transform her... and others
through their union.
As
she entered the garden prepared for her... I saw the Angel of the Lord standing
there... guarding the entrance... with a fiery sword in hand. He smiled... and
presented it to her.. and said: "Now the two shall become as one."
This
garden instantly changed into a bridal chamber... it became a garden of life...
where spiritual children would come forth through her time alone in intimacy
with her spouse.... as they supped together on the food HE had prepared for her.
When
the scene changed before me... I became one with her in the spirit realm and I
knew her heart; Upon entering... and taking sword in hand... she was impressed
immediately how much she was not one with her bridegroom. In her passion to give
Him her whole self she was grieved that she had not received more of Him in
return.... So much love yet to be given... she thought. She had spent
years with Him... yet... they were not as a couple who through years of
intimately knowing one another knew the others next thought and intent, without
having to ask. She had become aware of her need for their love to grow and
mature.... through a deeper union. She recognized her love had been based
upon feelings of excitement and delight in discovering His love... and all it
offered... yet her sorrow quickly changed to joy and she understood... she had
been brought to this place of abiding in HIS eternal love... by Him...
and no matter what happened, all would be well with her Soul, for this had been
a part of His plan all along.
She
cried out, "If it pleases You my love... awaken our love anew... stir up
our love my Lord... that the two of us shall surely walk as ONE through our
union."
Immediately,
I saw Him rebuilding His Holy Temple ... it soon became her abiding place of
rest... His secret place of love for her.
She
was resting in His love... it had been His only requirement.
By
His abilities... and His grace alone.. she would watch HIM rebuild the temple,
with complete trust... as only HE and HE alone knew it was to be done.
Then truly... when the capstone was finally set in place... she would shout,
"Grace! Grace!", for indeed with grace and grace alone it would be
accomplished through the two having become ONE.
Next,
I became aware... God Himself was raising up Apostles and Prophets... who would be
going forth with His unlimited power... called like John the Baptist... and
Elijah... as witnesses to His own.... and those who would respond to His love...
calling for repentance... and openness... "The Kingdom of God has come... it is here among
you... destroy your idols... open your Spirits to His love anew... a double
portion anointing has been released... the early rains and the latter rains have
arrived together. Receive that which His Spirit offers you... look no longer to
man... Receive from His Spirit awakened within you."
It
was then I understood His Bride... would answer His call to come away... so she could be
alone with Him... that she would receive from Him directly, no longer putting
her trust in a man or man's system.
Through the uniting of their hearts... she would accept and embrace those who are lost...
as seeds within the womb of life... yet to be brought forth... in His timing....
through His ways... birthed through love and a deep peace from within.
I
knew... and understood.... Christ Himself... would indeed be Lord with His Bride
through their Spiritual union... for His Spirit had brought her to the place of
wanting it so, through love...