The gifts of the Holy Spirit, as presented by the Apostle Paul in his letters to the Corinthians, are spiritual abilities bestowed upon believers by the Holy Spirit for the edification of the church and the advancement of God’s kingdom. This report provides a detailed examination of these gifts, their purpose, and their application as outlined in Paul’s writings, with a focus on their significance in a Christian context.
Context of Paul’s Teaching in Corinthians
In 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses a divided and spiritually immature church in Corinth, where believers were misusing spiritual gifts, leading to pride, disorder, and factionalism. Paul emphasizes that the Holy Spirit bestows these gifts for the “common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7) and that they must be exercised in love (1 Corinthians 13) and with order (1 Corinthians 14). The gifts are diverse but unified in purpose, reflecting the triune God’s work through the body of Christ (the church). Paul lists nine specific gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. These gifts are supernatural endowments, distinct from natural talents, and are distributed sovereignly by the Spirit (12:11).
Below is a detailed breakdown of each gift as presented:
Word of Wisdom (1 Corinthians 12:8): The ability to apply divine insight or godly perspective to complex situations, reflecting God’s wisdom, which surpasses human understanding (1 Corinthians 2:6-7). They can offer biblically sound counsel to resolve disputes or guide the church in decision-making, ensuring that decisions align with God’s will.
Word of Knowledge (1 Corinthians 12:8): Supernatural insight into specific facts or truths, often revealed by the Spirit without prior human knowledge. It may involve understanding scripture or discerning spiritual realities. Used to edify the church through divine revelation, frequently complementing the word of wisdom.
Faith (1 Corinthians 12:9): An extraordinary, Spirit-given confidence in God’s power and promises, beyond ordinary saving faith. It enables bold trust in God for specific outcomes.
Gifts of Healing (1 Corinthians 12:9, 28, 30): The ability to heal physical, emotional, or spiritual ailments through God’s power, often through prayer or laying on of hands.
Miraculous Powers (1 Corinthians 12:10, 28): The ability to perform supernatural acts beyond healing, such as casting out demons or altering natural events. Also translated as “working of miracles.” Sometimes used to authenticate God’s message and glorify Him through extraordinary signs and wonders.
Prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:10, 28; 14:1–5): Speaking forth a message from God, often for encouragement, exhortation, or conviction. It may include foretelling future events or foretelling God’s truth. Used to edify, encourage, and console the church (14:3), with a focus on clarity and order (14:29–33).
Distinguishing Between Spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10): The ability to discern whether a spiritual manifestation, message, or influence is from God, a human source, or an evil spirit. Identifying a false prophet or demonic influence in a teaching, and to protect the church from deception and maintain doctrinal purity.
Speaking in Tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10, 28, 30; 14:2–28): Speaking in a language unknown to the speaker, either a human language (as in Acts 2) or a spiritual one (1 Corinthians 14:2). Tounges can either be spoken to the church, to commune with God (14:2) or, when interpreted, to edify the church (14:5).
Interpretation of Tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10, 30; 14:13, 26–28): The ability to translate or explain a message spoken in tongues, making it understandable to the church, while edifying the community, not just the individual (14:5, 12).
Key Principles from 1 Corinthians 12–14
Unity in Diversity (12:4–6, 12–27): The gifts are diverse but come from the same Spirit, Lord, and God, reflecting the unity of the Trinity. The church is like a body with many parts; each gift is essential for the well-being of the whole body (1 Cor. 12:12-27). No gift is superior; all serve the common good.
Love as the Foundation (1 Corinthians 13): Paul emphasizes that gifts without love are meaningless (13:1–3). Love is the “most excellent way” (12:31), ensuring gifts are used selflessly to build up others.
Order and edification (1 Corinthians 14): Paul prioritizes gifts that edify the church, like prophecy, over those that primarily benefit the individual, like uninterpreted tongues (14:4–5). He instructs that worship be orderly, with tongues limited to two or three speakers, requiring interpretation, and prophecy judged for accuracy (14:27–33).
References in 2 Corinthians
While 2 Corinthians focuses less on spiritual gifts, Paul indirectly references them in the context of his apostolic ministry:
Signs and Wonders: In 2 Corinthians 12:12, Paul mentions “signs, wonders, and miracles” as marks of a true apostle, aligning with the gifts of miraculous powers and healing.
Empowerment: In 2 Corinthians 3:3–6, the Spirit’s transformative work in believers’ lives suggests ongoing empowerment, possibly tied to gifts like teaching or prophecy.
Theological and Practical Insights
Sovereign Distribution: The Spirit assigns gifts as He wills (12:11), not based on merit.
Christian Values: The gifts align with values like unity (working as one body), love (prioritizing others’ edification), and stewardship (using gifts faithfully). Gifts are for God’s glory, not personal status.
Conclusion
Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 12–14 outlines nine core gifts of the Holy Spirit—word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues—alongside additional roles such as apostleship, teaching, helping, and administration. These gifts are given for the church’s edification, to be exercised in love and order, reflecting the unity of the body of Christ.
The ESP experiences started early for me, before entering elementary school. They were often premonitions of impending danger. As I reflect on them today, I see them as warnings from God and, in some cases, divine interventions. In all cases, they were warnings of danger and protection from harm. I did not think about much back then, but I knew that people saw me as a weirdo when I talked about them.
My experiences often came in dreams of things to come or knowing things before they happen. I have even documented several of them here to communicate how God repeatedly warned me of danger and protected me through the early years of my life. I will provide the links to a few of them here:
Today’s account was different in that it was a horrific out-of-body experience that was more than just a warning of danger for me but rather for the entire world. This event marked the beginning of the loss of innocence and the ascent of evil in the world.
This experience occurred shortly after high school while I lived with my mom and dad, delivering pizzas in the afternoons and evenings. I walked 2 miles to work and back, still saving money for a car. I started work around 2 o’clock in the afternoon and returned home around 10 on weeknights and as late as two in the morning on the weekends.
One November night, while walking home after a hectic night at work, I felt a big emptiness in my soul. It was like the guilty feeling I would get when I had accidentally harmed someone. However, this was a much larger emptiness, it was as if an enormous injustice had been committed.
I arrived home exhausted that night and went straight upstairs and into bed. Strangely, as I was dozing off, I felt my legs hovering up in the air above my bed. This startled me, and being concerned, I sat up and touched my legs to ensure they were alright.
Desperately needing sleep, I resolved to make it happen soon. Despite my good intentions, I soon sensed that my entire body floating off of my bed. I thought this was crazy; I was exhausted and may be coming down with something. I sat up again only to find myself on the bed as I should. I, therefore, once again resolved to ignore these sensations.
The levation sensation reoccurred, but this time, I ignored them. When I did, I floated upward off my bed and passed effortlessly through the ceiling and roof of my house. I ascended rapidly into the sky, eventually passing through the cloud layer. There, my direction changed, and my altitude leveled off. I continued on this course through the night sky for quite some time. I soon sensed the air warming, which meant I was traveling south. I began descending and eventually passed through the cloud layer and saw a city of lights shining, illuminating the darkness on the horizon. I gradually descended into this large city like an airplane approaching a runway. I arrived, having stopped before a wall of a tall white windowless building. I floated there, suspended about ten feet off the ground. I looked around and saw a line of streetlights in front of the building between the grass and the sidewalk. Each streetlight was made of dark metal that curled at the top like a candy cane.
A woman stood beneath a streetlight with her head down and hands covering her face. She was sobbing uncontrollably. As I hovered above her, I watched for a while as she continued to cry, and I felt a deep sense of compassion for her grief. I wanted to comfort her, to understand her pain.
I wondered what caused her sadness and if I could do something to comfort her. I wondered if she would be able to hear me if I spoke? Then I wondered if I could even talk. I deduced I had nothing to lose and attempted to speak, but no sound came out. It was as if there was insufficient air to speak. I contemplated abandoning my effort for a moment but decided to use a louder voice instead. This time, it worked as I said, “What is wrong, lady?” and then watched for a response. She did not respond but kept sobbing. Not giving up, I spoke even louder, “Why are you crying?” This time, she answered without looking up, “Why, don’t you know? Don’t you know that today… today… they killed the President?”
At that instant, I was instantly transported back to my bed, sitting straight up, thoroughly soaked in sweat, with my heart pounding so hard I thought it might explode, breathing as if I had just run a four-minute mile. I looked around my room only to find I was alone in the dark. I sat there for several minutes, waiting for my body to return to normal, not knowing what to think about what had just happened.
The thought of the President being killed seemed to be a very improbable thing to me. I admired President Kennedy and believed he was doing good things for our country, so I guess his death was something I wanted to reject. As before, I rationalized that this out-of-body experience, while seeming very real, must have been a bad dream and returned to sleep.
When I awoke the following morning, I felt out of sorts even though I had slept in. I was alone. I went to the kitchen for breakfast before starting my walk to work. I felt displaced, as if I were somewhere I was not supposed to be. Walking to work, things around me seemed abnormal.
For one thing, it was an overcast and gloomy day. The typically busy streets had almost no traffic, and I wondered where all the cars and people were? It was a tranquil walk that morning; the birds were not chirping, the horns were not blowing, and things were eerily quiet. Soon, I had that empty, hollow feeling inside of me again.
I entered the pizzeria through the back door leading to the kitchen. The owner was there watching the television as I entered. Being enraged, he shouted at me, “Do you know what those crazy SOBs did today?” I thought to myself, “Oh no!” For it dawned on me that I certainly did know, and being horror-stricken, I shouted back, “They killed the President.” His mood turned quizzical, and he asked me how I could know this because it had just been announced on TV. I just shook my head and did not answer him. I thought I could never explain what had happened to me the prior night.
I did not know why this happened to me at the time. I wondered why this pre-knowledge was something I should know. Was there something that I could have done to change things? No, I don’t think so. Perhaps just telling the story is sufficient. Or there is more here than meets the eye. After all, the woman under the streetlamp said, “They killed the president.” Maybe my experience indicated a coup had occurred, and an evil organization was now subverting the people’s right to self-rule.
I still wonder what the value for me was to know of the assassination in advance. Perhaps it was another warning of impending danger. Many people believe that this event was a significant turning point in our country, which was necessary to change the nature of our democracy and the direction of our country.
Interestingly, I recently viewed a video entitled “Dark Legacy” about President Kennedy, his policies and actions as President, and the circumstances of his death. In this movie, they demonstrate that Mr. Kennedy repeatedly took action to bring about peace.
As a part of this film, they included a clip of a speech that John F. Kennedy gave to the United Nations in 1961. In it, he stated that he would seek a treaty with Russia to ban long-range missiles. Further, his long-term intention was total disarmament, which would be achieved by eliminating all weapons and armies worldwide. I recommend that you view this film for yourself. You can find it on netflix.com.
The point made above is the diametrically opposite view of the actions taken by the US and other countries regarding Vietnam immediately after President Kennedy’s death. Mr. Kennedy issued a presidential order for the removal of 1000 US troops from Vietnam by 1963 that was reversed just a few days after his death by the new President. (seeNational Security Action Memoranda [NSAM]: NSAM 263, South Vietnam | JFK Library for a copy of the executive order). Orders for a massive troop build-up in Vietnam were initiated within just a few days of the President’s assassination. It would appear that the military-industrial complex had won.
Kennedy had been effective in stopping the Russians from arming Cuba with nuclear weapons by implementing a diplomatic agreement that included the US to remove missiles near Russia. This action appears to have delayed the military-industrial complex war agenda. To get an idea of how desperately the Joint Chiefs of Staff wanted war, watch the movie Thirteen Days, which documents the course of events surrounding the Cuban missile crises. You can find it on Amazon.
We now know that if Kennedy had given in and approved the military’s recommended course of action to invade Cuba during the Cuban missile crises, our invasionary force would have been nuked on the beach using tactical nuclear weapons. So, in seeking a noninvasionary solution, President Kennedy adverted a massive defeat of our invasion forces and, even worse, a possible nuclear exchange with the Russians that could have been the end of humanity.
So yes, I would say that we lost a lot when President Kennedy was shot that day in November 1963. As for me, I now see that my experience was a warning of things to come, that the assassination of President Kennedy was the day that evil began to take action to overthrow the world, democracy, freedom, and religion.
Since then, they have taken control over our congress and presidency. They now have authority over the medical sectors. They run the offices of the President, like the FBI, intelligence organizations, IRS, Homeland Security, etc. They have compromised the judicial system and our voting processes. They have assets deployed to control state and local governments.
I see the evil and seemingly nonsensical policies being implemented by our government against the will of the people and, in fact, are designed to impair the people they govern. They are everywhere, coiling around us like a Python strangling its prey.
What can we do? First, pray that the evil organizing all of these things fall into the trap they have built to enslave us. Secondly, we must take action to subdue them and remove them from power in a loving way.
I have written the following two posts addressing an essential section of the Lord’s prayer. They can teach you what you need to achieve to take down the actions of evil. They also reveal the objective of your activities. Here they are:
In addition, I will also provide you a posting that communicates my experience in the spirit, as a component of the bride of Christ. It reveals the war that is ahead for Christianity. Here is that link:
Finally, I will present a vision from God of the new Earth. This new Earth develops and matures into a flower that blossoms from a bud and then blooms forever because Jesus lives at its core. This is the destiny of the Christian warrior. Here is the link:
Thats it for today. I hope you find this a helpful and illuminating posting. I would love to hear your comments. May God’s blessings be upon you and yours. Until then,
Despite all the evidence that God was the source of all my progress, it never occurred to me that I should be thanking Him for delivering me from the calamities inflicted by the devil’s attacks. Therefore, this foolish position would soon result in another torrent of aggression by the devil. Further, because I was unaware of Spiritual Warfare, I had no idea that I was even in a war or that I should turn to God for help.
At this point, I had been in the hospital or in-home care for over four months, and my physical condition gradually improved. They had released me from the hospital, and I no longer required IV sugar water feedings at home and was able to digest food properly. Having little to do at home, I became restless and desired to return to work. So, I went to my company’s personnel department, passed the required physical exam, and was authorized to start work on a restricted work schedule. I did all of this despite warnings from my doctors that I was not as strong as I presumed.
For details about the experiences documented here please go to https://possess-the-vision.com/ and look the section titled: THE SPIRITUAL WARFARE OVER ME.
A DIFFERENT LIFE
My doctors described how the pancreatitis damage I suffered would influence my future life activities. They communicated that pancreatic dysfunctions typically arise from three lifestyle determinants and that I must focus on each to stay healthy. The most dangerous factor would be alcohol consumption, and consequently, I would have to stop drinking altogether. The other two factors would be a high-fat diet and a high-stress lifestyle. They were right. When I thought about it, I occasionally drank excessively, ate loads of fatty and deep-fried foods, and had an exceptionally stressful job. I would have to focus on all three to live.
They further explained that acute pancreas conditions like what I had experienced would likely reoccur without due diligence to these three lifestyle determinants, especially if I began drinking alcohol again. They reinforce this point by providing the following statistics: If I resumed drinking, I would have a ninety-nine percent probability of experiencing a reoccurrence of the condition that sent me to the hospital for three months. Further, such a reoccurrence would be much more life-threatening than the first, ninety-nine percent of the time. They also disclosed that only one in three people entering the hospital in the condition I had that night I entered the hospital would have survived. I then realized I would likely die if I began drinking again. So, my choices were to either drink or live. I chose to live.
STARTING OVER FROM SCRATCH
I never comprehended how difficult it would be to quit drinking, however. What I would soon find out was that drinking had become the focus of my interpersonal relationships. Liquor was almost always intertwined with my social activities and, quite candidly, had become the foundation for many friendships. While I participated in numerous social activities, I soon conceded that drinking was involved in all of them. Drinking was a component of the softball leagues, as well as canoe trips, camping, bowling, poker games, parties, travel, and other pursuits, and I would face a large void without it.
So, I attempted to avoid drinking at bars and social events, but when I did, it seemed that my drinking friends, whom I have high esteem, were less friendly than before. Sure, they were cordial and gracious every time we got together, but even so, I felt a new distance had emerged. I wondered if they were skeptical of our friendship since I was not drinking or hanging out with them as often as before. It was not their fault; I was the one who changed.
Then I thought, what the heck? There is no reason I should avoid going to these activities with my friends. I will drink ginger ale or club soda and forget the alcohol. In practice, however, that did not work either. My world-class comedian buddies were not as funny when I was sober. I saw myself as the stick in the mud—the only one not laughing. Then I thought, well, maybe I will try recreational drugs. Perhaps this will allow me to get down with the crowd. But these drugs only dumbed me down, which was not what I wanted either.
In the end, I dropped out entirely. I started thinking about how few people visited me during my three-month stay in the hospital. I suddenly felt like a stranger and realized my old life was gone! I was also disheartened at home and eventually moved into an apartment about a year later. I needed to reinvent myself—build a new life. I had to change, but into what?
SATAN CALLS
One day, shortly afterward, I was alone in my apartment when the phone rang. I answered, and a horrific-sounding voice answered, this is Satan. The voice seemed mechanical, like a monster in a science fiction horror movie. Its sound was loud, garbled, reverberated, and possessed a ringing tone. It also spoke in several well-defined distinctive octaves concurrently. Therefore, the resulting voice echoed as if numerous individuals were uttering the exact phrases but slightly out of synchronization, creating the garbled effect.
You can imagine my horror based on my encounter with Satan in Hell (IN HELL – CONFRONTED BY THE DEVIL) several years prior. I was terrified, trembling, and panicked, so I quickly hung up. I considered, however, that perhaps this was a prank. Possibly, someone was having fun with me—using an electronic device to frighten me. But who would do such a thing? No one I knew would, nor would they have the capability. Besides, I had not told anyone of my encounter with the devil. So, just as before, I put this horrific memory in a faraway place in my mind; I made it small and rationalized it away. But then, just a few days later, an identical incident transpired. I then understood that the devil was relentlessly stalking me and that his harassment was not likely to stop anytime soon.
Somewhat later, I contemplated relocating to another city and was using the National Business Employment Weekly to look for job opportunities. I spotted an ad requesting my skill set and called them. I was enthusiastic about this great opportunity and hoped to be able to present my exceptional qualifications. Instead, the same garbled voice answered, “This is Satan.” I replied, what? The voice replied, “This is Satan!” My heart was pounding as I immediately smashed the receiver down. How in the world could this happen? You know, sometimes a person will not believe the handwriting on the wall. That was me. Believe it or not, I redialed the number, reasoning that maybe I had accidentally misdialed. Astonishingly, the identical thing transpired once again. I hung up, dreading that Satan was still coming after me.
THINGS CHANGE
Soon after, I transferred to the Dallas/Fort Worth with my current employer. I had a new love, a lovely lady who would shortly become my wife. She would be influential in helping me through some troublesome times and finding the pathway to the Lord. I felt like I was reinventing myself by moving to a new environment and having a new love and home—I was delighted with all these things.
But things were imperfect, as my dad died from a prolonged heart condition, and I lost the one person who truly believed in me.
I afterward began having work-related difficulties. There had been a departmental reorganization, and I was assigned to work for someone with a different perspective on everything. As time went on, my work situation became very strained. Late one night, while my wife was asleep, I found myself pacing the hallway, pondering the consequences of potentially being out of work. I speculated that obtaining another job in the current downturn of the economy would be difficult. More than anything, I reflected on how letting my wife down by becoming unemployed would feel. This circumstance brought me to a breaking point. I finally gave up, slumped against the wall, and blurted out the words in my heart: “Okay, God, I give up. I will do whatever You want me to do.”
I did not apprehend it then, but several beautiful transformations commenced after surrendering to God that day. God was about to lead me toward a vision of the future, and I would receive His blessings and favor as I walked toward it. I was about to see the manifestations of God’s power and glory. I had been saved from the dreadful fate of the second death (SWIMMING IN THE LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE) and placed on a pathway leading to God’s Glory.
A GLORIOUS VISION
I believe the vision came just a few nights after surrendering to God. It appeared when I was in bed, in that twilight place between slumber and consciousness.
A fluorescent orange globe appeared, fronting a steel blue-black background. It was captivating; its colors were vivid, emitting light from within somehow. Despite the lack of oceans, continents, and blue and green coloring, I understood this orange planet to be Earth. I knew this because knowledge was being inserted into my mind to help me comprehend what I saw.
Then, a tiny black arrowhead-shaped object emerged above the North Pole, and the idea of it being a space shuttle entered my mind. The shuttle trekked Southward, leaving a thin black stripe across the Earth’s sky before vanishing over the Southern Pole. Shortly afterward, it reappeared at the North Pole, orbiting on a new longitude and eventually disappearing beyond the South Pole similarly. It then continued in this manner, painting the major longitudinal lines across the face of the Earth’s sky, leaving the planet resembling a peeled orange.
With the longitudes printed, the shuttle emerged at the Eastern Equator, traversing the Earth on a Westerly course while circling the planet until it had painted the significant latitude lines across the sky. When completed, the sphere looked like a globe of the Earth, like one you may find in a school room or office, except for its bright orange color and lack of oceans and continents.
I watched in awe as a slice of the planet’s orange skin (that space between two of the Earth’s longitudes) began peeling back on itself, commencing at the top and then curling downward into a scroll shape near the Equator, exposing an astonishingly beautiful pink underlayer. Each section then, one at a time, unwound identically. When completed, a gorgeous pink upper hemisphere was visible above the coiled-up orange skins at the Equator. As I continued to watch, The silky pink exterior revealed itself to be the flower petals of a tightly wound blossom that began maturing. At the north pole, I saw new growth forming and expanding from the flower’s nucleus. This expansion forced the exterior petals to stream over its edge, creating a waterfall of pink flower petals flowing downward.
I was awestruck by the majestic beauty of this ever-expanding flower. I couldn’t help but continue watching this awe-inspiring sight, but then I wondered if I might be dreaming. I pondered, what would happen if I reopened my eyes? So, I opened them while lifting my head and looked around my bedroom.
To my astonishment, I could see the flower superimposed over the features of my darkened room. It was as if my retinas had a semi-transparent video projected onto them. Even though I did not understand how this could occur, I instantly closed my eyes, not wanting to miss any part of this captivating experience. Next, I started to wonder why this was happening to me. Why should I know this, and what importance should this be to me?
Then, unexpectedly, everything around me began moving. My vantage point to the flowering globe rotated ninety degrees, so my view became directly over the planet’s epicenter, precisely where the new growth had arisen at the North Pole. Then, a gigantic hole dilated open there, and an unseen force drew me inside. I looked around and realized that I was at the feet of Jesus, who filled the Earth from pole to pole. When I looked up into the immaculate clarity of this place, I saw His outstretched arms and somehow knew He was delivering blessings to the souls of the Earth. At this point, all of my vision’s heavenly peace faded away.
Interestingly, I received this vision of a world filled with Jesus shortly after surrendering to God. I was unsure of what this meant then, but the reality is that everything in my life would rapidly change for the better from this point forward.
GOD’S PLAN TURNS TURMOIL INTO BLESSINGS
The morning arrived, and it was back to the reality of everyday life. I may have received a magnificent vision of a Jesus-filled world, but my struggles in this world remained for a moment. One of these struggles was my continuing strained relationship with my boss that stemmed from my telling him the truth too often. His retaliation took the form of a considerably lower performance evaluation than the prior outstanding reviews I received for years from other directors. Notability: even though his review could have been fairer, it still resulted in what the corporation regarded as satisfactory performance and, therefore, did not warrant any remedial action.
Despite this, he called me into his office after my performance review to convince me that I was not managerial material and should, therefore, volunteer for a downgrade to a technical position. I refused, knowing he had no legitimate case to do so. I also knew I had years of excellent reviews filed away to challenge his delusion if he ever tried. But what became crystal clear from this meeting was that he was out to get me by hook or crook. And as fate would have it, a golden opportunity would soon come his way.
The economy had substantially turned down again, along with company revenues and profits. Our top executives responded by mandating across-the-board headcount reductions. I soon became aware that my boss planned to surplus my job and lay me off as a part of this headcount reduction program.
Then, shortly afterward, however, the company offered senior employees an Early Out incentive package. It was an exceptional offer that included health insurance, a year’s salary, and free space available airline tickets for life. To qualify, an employee must be near early retirement age and have at least twenty years of service. Unfortunately, I would not meet the age requirement until my next birthday, just a few months away. So, I explained this impediment to our personnel Department and received a management leave of absence to bridge my employment to my birthdate.
When my director discovered that I had applied and qualified for the Early Out initiative, he promptly took action to get me fired. I caught wind of what he was attempting and went to the Personnel Department to object, stating that I would file an age discrimination lawsuit if they permitted him to do so. Fortunately, they were very concerned about being prosecuted and promptly advised him to alter his course of action. He unbelievably responded that he had surplused my job and had no work for me. He demanded they fire me before I qualified for the Early Out package. Afterward, I discovered that the two organizations were shouting at each other, battling behind closed doors over the issue.
A few days later, the Personnel department called me to inform me that a director I had previously worked for agreed to move me into his organization until my retirement date, securing my severance package. That was a real blessing.
So God was there shielding me from harm again, just like all the other experiences I have written about here. In addition, He was about to move me to a place where I would see the power of God and how He worked through his people. I had pledged to do whatever God wanted, and now God was guiding me to a place where I would get spiritual enlightenment while showering me with favor and blessings along the way. This event started God’s new life, which He had held in reserve for me.
With my early retirement worries resolved, I began looking for another job. Surprisingly, a well-known entertainment company in California called me about an opportunity. Since I had not sent them a resume, I was interested in how they acquired my contact information. They responded that the hiring director found my resume on his desk, but he did not know how or who delivered it.
The hiring manager then interviewed me on the phone, and he was so impressed that he wanted to hire me on the spot. However, I needed more time to protect my retirement package. So, I responded that I needed to learn more about the job, the work environment, and the culture before deciding, as I knew arranging these things would push my potential start date back a few weeks.
Consequently, they flew me to California, where I met with many of the people I would be working with, and everything went remarkably well. The only issue now was that the hiring director wanted me to begin working immediately, even without giving my employer a customary two-week notice. After some negotiation, I persuaded him to wait until I became available.
So, we relocated into a lovely Santa Monica residence with beautiful mountains, ocean, and beach views just three blocks away. We also arrived with a 30% improvement in salary, a year’s wages in cash, health insurance, and flight privileges for life with the airline. Quite a change in circumstances for me and my family! Particularly for someone still clueless about God being at the center of all these blessings. God was setting everything into place, and I walked through the open doors He had placed before me.
MY VOCAL PROCLAMATION FOR A TOUCH FROM GOD INITIATES GOD’S INVITATION
Soon after we had relocated to our new home, our daughter, who had just graduated from college and had the summer off, came to visit. After arriving home from work one day, I found her and my wife in the living room laughing and having a great time while talking about God. Sadly, I could not relate to what they were saying, and for some reason, I spontaneously blurted out: Whatever it is that the two of you have, I want it! That was my vocal proclamation.
GOD RESPONDS BY LEADING US TO A CHURCH WHERE I WOULD GET A TOUCH FROM GOD
Then, one evening, not long after, I was up in the loft flipping through TV channels, looking for something to watch, when I flipped by a man in a white suit who was talking about God. Something he said at that moment caught my attention and led me to swing back to hear more about what he was communicating. The longer I listened, the more I liked what he had to say. I invited my wife to watch with me, and she also loved his message. We then discovered that this preacher would be speaking at a church in Anaheim, and we decided to see him in person.
I had never been to a charismatic church service before and was unsure what to expect. When we arrived at the church, a long line of people surrounded the sizeable round building, and we walked a significant distance before finding the end of the line. As the line gradually moved forward, we overheard the people in front of us discussing what a big deal it was to have this preacher here.
After quite some time, we entered the church and promptly took some seats. We sat before a 360-degree circulator stage with about ten musicians occupying the stage’s right side and a choir of about forty stood in five rows of bleacher seats on the left.
The service began with the loudest praise and worship music I have ever experienced. I was unfamiliar with most songs they played, but I did my best to keep up with the congregation singing along. People raised their hands while praising God, and I joined them. Throughout all of this experience, I felt a strong desire for a real relationship with God.
After the praise and worship ended, the pastor came to center stage and led the church in prayer. I remember hearing the people sitting next to me praying in a language I believed was Latin, and I wondered what this might mean. I speculated that they were foreigners, but they spoke perfect English before the service. All of this was entirely foreign to me.
Afterward, the pastor introduced the visiting evangelist, who began his preaching by reading several Bible verses and then sermonizing on them. Once he had completed this teaching, he led the people in praising God and invoking the Holy Spirit in song. The entire assembly was reverently engaging in this effort. Then, without any warning, he pushed his right arm around to the far-left side of his body, then quickly pivoted it back past the audience and backward toward the now standing choir while shouting choir, receive your anointing. Amazingly, the entire quire fell in unison into their bleacher seats. I could not believe what I saw as they dropped as if they were all a part of a single unit. They fell so perfectly that it appeared as if a trap door had dropped open under them. I immediately knew that this could not have been a stunt. Even if they practiced for years, they could not achieve this perfect level of synchronization.
God’s anointing hit me as the evangelist’s arm swung past us. I did not fall to my seat with the choir, but I felt something like a bolt of electricity hitting my heart. This powerful charge ignited a burning sensation in my chest that persisted throughout the service. I turned and looked at my wife and said; is this a touch from God? I told her of my experience, and she admitted that she had received this blessing, also. I then looked around the congregation and saw people lying in their seats all over the building as others attended to them. They were down all around us. I knew God was touching people here, and I had received the touch from God I was looking for.
God had once again taken me to where He wanted us to go. He took the initiative by providing a message on TV, and we answered by following His lead to this church.
COMING TO CHRIST
We began attending this ministry regularly immediately after this first visit. The pastor would generally provide an altar call every Sunday, and several people would come to the altar to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour each week. For me, it only took a few weeks before I was one of many who stepped forward and gave my life to Christ. I remember the pastor flowing in the spirit that day, having raised one hand high above his head while shouting praises to God as he approached me, his eyes blazing directly at me. I remember thinking there were twenty people up here. Why was he focused on me? He later told me he had discerned a significant shift in the heavenly’s during this alter call. I then acknowledged that the Lord attained a spiritual victory, snatching me out of Satan’s hands.
Some weeks later, God showed me yet another vision. In this one, I saw an old wooden cross standing unattended on an otherwise barren hilltop. God had been aiding knowledge into my brain for some time to improve my understanding of what I experienced, so I knew the cross I saw to be Jesus’s crucifixion cross. It stood there unaided, tilting backward moderately and listed at about a forty-five-degree angle to one side. It appeared tattered, as if no one had been caring for it.
I lingered there momentarily to observe this cross in greater detail when, suddenly, something moved me nearer for a better view. My observation began by concentrating on the grain of the timbers, which gradually began to glow a fluorescent red-orange color resembling a hot electric stovetop burner.
Soon, the whole cross began glowing, faintly at first but gradually increasing in illumination until it was vibrantly beaming. The cross that had appeared dead just moments before came to life! Blood circulating through the lines of the grain became visible, appearing like the blood that flows through the veins of our bodies, transporting nutrients and revitalizing energy throughout the body.
Shortly afterward, the wood’s transparency increased, giving it a three-dimensional countenance. I could now see down into multiple layers of the wood as everything inside the cross became observable. Subsequently, the glowing red cross began firing randomly colored photons of enlightenment, one blast at a time, in seemingly random directions. Soon, the cross started emitting these photons rapidly, like a machine gun, into all areas of the Earth.
I now see this vision of the cross shooting photons of enlightenment across the Earth as a reoccurrence of what happened in Acts 2, in which the disciples were empowered by the Holy Spirit, who came in the form of tongues of fire and spoke in tongues such that all could understand their words. Here is the scripture which explains this. The photons of enlightenment are the Holy Spirit.
Coming of the Holy Spirit
2 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all [a]with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them [b]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The Crowd’s Response
5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own [c]language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and [d]Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”
13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
Peter’s Sermon
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only [e]the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you [f]have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having [g]loosed the [h]pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning Him:
‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’ 29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, [i]according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all Witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted [j]to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”‘ 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [k]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Let it be known that, according to one of Kim Clement’s prophecies, God has raised up one He calls My David, who lives among us today.
Take Up the Cross of Christ
I now realize this vision to imply that the Christians who seek to be members of the bride of Christ must have the fire of the living cross in their hearts. If they do so, they will do what Jesus did.
John 41:12 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
Doing these things is how the bride prepares for Jesus’s second coming. The bride is ready for the return of the Bridegroom because she has taken up His cross. The cross of Christ must become alive in our hearts and minds. These things must happen for Jesus to come again.
That’s it for today. May God bless you and yours. And remember to:
When Jesus’s disciples asked Him how they should pray, He gave them what is now called the Lord’s Prayer. It has endured for over two thousand years and is still prayed and reflected on today.
I have often prayed this prayer myself; still, in doing so, I often find myself seeking the meaning of the phrase “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” So, I searched the Bible for answers and was surprised at what I found. You might be surprised where this leads us as well.
Therefore, this post will clarify the verse”Your kingdom come.” It will present New Testament scriptures and my spiritual experiences and observations to illuminate the meaning of this prayer passage. In a future posting, we will address the second part of the passage, “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.”
Thy Kingdom Come
We start with Luke 17:20-21
Jesus Confronting the Scribes and Pharisees
Now, when He was asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you.”
Therefore, the Kingdom of God is not a physical location, political regime, government, or power but rather the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are evidence of this dwelling of the Kingdom of God in His people.
The Gifts of the Spirit Identified
Paul identifies the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Cor: 12 4-11.
Jesus heals the man at the pools.
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
When thy Kingdom comes, these gifts of the Spirit will manifest and be demonstrated in the power of the gifts of the Spirit. But is this the condition being demonstrated by God’s people today? We see long lists of sick people to pray for in our church bulletins every week. So, where is the gift of healing? Some churches have led their members to take the COVID-19 vaccines despite knowing that they contained the blood of aborted babies. This vaccine then proved to be unsafe and ineffective, killing hundreds of thousands and harming millions worldwide. So, where is the gift of wisdom and knowledge? Where is the gift of the prophetic? Why were we led by our own ministers to take what many believe is a bioweapon?
Why Do Spiritual Gifts Matter?
We live in a world where evil has been allowed to thrive, where the devil launches spiritual warfare campaigns against God’s people as if they are powerless. I know because I have been the victim of spiritual attacks, knowing nothing about spiritual warfare, and never realizing that I was even in such a war. Because of my ignorance, I became a human punching bag for the forces of evil.
The reality is that many evil people are running the world by doing the devil’s dirty work by way of spiritual warfare. They are lovers of money and power; they hate people, even advocating the killing of babies and using boys and girls as sex toys, then offering them up for Satanic sacrifice. They believe that they are superior to the rest of us. They seek to destroy our way of life, our freedoms, and our belief in God because they are in the way of their agenda. Therefore, their goal is to eliminate them, including our freedom of religion and speech, and to bear arms. They seek to end democracy by taking down America while destroying our constitution, thereby enabling them to rule over us and the world.
Think of Hitler’s Germany around the time of World War 2. Many people do not know that Germany had a democracy before Hitler took power. They did it by deploying a number of strategies. One was that they took control of the media and published propaganda designed to divide the people. Another was building political armies to force their will on the people, persecuting truth-tellers, and punishing political opponents. Their main target was the Jews, who were removed from their homes and businesses, placed in concentration camps, subjected to forced labor, and eventually killed. Those who objected to these practices were severely punished or killed such that after a while, no one dared say a word; their guns had been removed long before. Think of all the people who were involved in the persecution and killing of the Jews and decenters. Think of everyone who knew the horrors of what was happening but did not dare say or do anything. Think of how many churches and Christians knew of the injustice but remained mute.
These things are important to think about because the same strategy deployed by the German Nazis to overthrow democracy and freedom appears to be rolling out in America. Our mainstream news has become the propaganda organization for a political party at the behest of the so-called elites and the deep state. These news agencies heavily support political agendas which mirror the Nazi tactics of lies and deception. They shape the news to subtly turn truth into lies, to make good look evil and evil look good. Their biggest lies are the items they refuse to report because they implicate them and the agenda of their sponsors.
But then, they are not the only ones lying. Our politicians are telling lies constantly to support their political narratives that, in many ways, are anti-American. Pharmaceutical companies are lying to us, as are most government agencies like the FDA, the FBI, the IRS, and many others. Why are they lying to us? Because they do not want the people to know about their plan to take over your country and your liberty and eventually the rest of the world. Our government publishes over a million top-secret documents a year. What are these things that are denied to the public? Why is it that they, in some cases, vote in private? Who knows how many of these private or classified items are to cover up their illegal and immoral actions designed to take down America so that they can rule over you? Why? Because your values are in the way of their plans to extend their evil satanic practices.
Unelected employees in deep state government agencies have placed Christian organizations on the US terrorist list. Therefore, Christians are to be persecuted like the Jews were under the Nazis as the plans for a takeover are seemingly the same. The result is that evil flourishes as it goes unchecked in America today.
It makes one wonder if the body of the church has been empowered with the gifts of the spirit identified above. Is the body even seeking them? I wonder how many of us even know that we are in a spiritual war designed to eliminate us and our loved ones from the face of the earth. What spiritual gifts do you have in which to enter into the battle for Christianity, your nation, community, and family? If you don’t know, you are unprepared for the spiritual battles ahead. If you are not being attacked by the forces of evil, it may be because you have already been defeated. It takes purity to become a component of the bride of Christ (THE BRIDE OF CHRIST AND HER VISION.) More than this, we must take action against these forces of evil. Therefore, more than ever, the bride of Christ must put on the whole armor of God.
When “Thy Kingdom Come(s)” and dwells in you, you will be empowered by God’s Holy Spirit to do His will and engage in spiritual warfare. What does it mean to put on the whole armor of God before engaging in spiritual warfare?
The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
We can defeat those who seek to enslave us as they did in the Crossing the Red Sea
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Therefore, seek the Kingdom of God that is the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Identify and exercise the gifts of the Spirit that God has given you. Put on the whole armor of God and engage in the battle against God’s people for the dominion of the Earth.
In my next posting, I will present the second part of this verse, “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven,” where we will learn what we are to do that has already been done in heaven.
Pancreatic pseudocyst concept. Medical vector illustration of pancreas damaged by pancreatitis
On day two of my hospital stay, I could not have been any sicker. I recall thinking, at this point, that at least I was still alive. I spent the entire first week in the intensive care unit (ICU.) Most of my time there was spent sleeping and healing. My doctors affirmed that my pancreas went into hyperproduction, producing thousands of times more digestive enzymes than typical, causing it to burst. This overproduction caused tremendous pressure on the inner lining of the pancreas, pushing it through the organ’s outer wall in a way similar to how an inner tube protrudes through a weak spot in a bicycle tire. The doctors called this protrusion of the inner lining a pseudocyst.
They considered it a dangerous situation, claiming that the pseudocyst would eventually harden and break, releasing massive amounts of digestive enzymes into my body in an instant, causing a disastrous result. This harm is inflicted because these digestive enzymes decompose proteins as part of the digestive process and, therefore, would decompose the proteins in my body and internal organs.
A similar release of these digestive enzymes sent me to the hospital when this all started. My pseudocysts had discharged extraordinarily high volumes of digestive enzymes into my bloodstream, causing the deterioration of my body proteins. My blood, veins, arteries, muscles, nerves, organs, bones, and brain had all been deteriorating since I entered the hospital. This deterioration helps explain the numbness I felt all over my body that first night. The continued leakage of these enzymes through the pseudocyst kept me in the hospital for almost three months, and my body continued to decompose over this period. Therefore, surgery to fix this problem was on my doctor’s mind and in their hearts for obvious reasons.
But at that time, I was not strong enough for an operation as my body needed to gain strength. The doctors proceeded with a recovery strategy focused on a food abstinence approach. They reasoned that since the pancreas is a digestive organ and only produces digestive enzymes when food enters the digestive system, abstaining from food would severely reduce the damage to my body. This abstinence program would give my body time to cleanse itself of the toxins causing the damage.
I made it through the first week without eating anything. After that, I received an IV sugar and vitamin solution as a replacement for food. The doctors soon reported that the process achieved the desired effect: my digestive system was sleeping, and I was gaining strength. While this was good news, I still felt very sick, and the devil continued to attack. You can read about them by following the links here:
In my preceding post, I wrote about how God transported me from the Pit of Fire and Brimstone into Hell to face the devil and experience his absolute hatred for me. I watched this beast in horror as he violently tried to attack me, but God had fastened his feet to the ground, keeping me just out of his reach.
In this experience, just like so many before, God protected me from harm. In this circumstance, I was instantly transferred to another place, leaving Satan in a rage, trying to break his restraints and harm me. This experience certainly changed my disbelief in the devil’s existence, a belief that likely was at the center of these spiritual experiences.
Now that God had revealed these spiritual truths to me, I was again transported from there to the Judgement Seat of the Lord.
I arrived in a tranquil fog that mysteriously had no dampness. The mist engulfed me, so all I could see was gray. I pondered my recent experiences (see the links above). I felt fortunate to be in a peaceful, calming place like this one. All of this abruptly changed as I began to re-live the iniquities of my life but in a much more vivid way than when I lived them. Once again, I experienced the feelings, emotions, and perceptions of the individuals I had infringed upon, and it humiliated and humbled me. All of these experiences occurred concurrently and instantaneously.
Suddenly, I heard a voice coming through the fog. It was a mature, comforting voice, one that projected love. It emitted a confidence that lured me toward it. It was firm and yet unintimidating and had a flawless tempo. Its power, phrasing, and diction were exact, yet the voice transmitted a sense of caring and consideration. I perceived all this from just the four stunning words He spoke.
I remember thinking, how did I discern all this from just four words? After all, it was a straightforward question, yet so profound that it cut to my heart. The inquiry had shocked me, and its implications hit home like a sledgehammer. “Why should you live?” is all the voice said without expression of judgment or wrath. Therefore, there were no clues as to what an acceptable response was. The ramifications of the question devastated me as I began recognizing that my answer would likely determine my fate. There must be a correct answer; otherwise, why ask the question I thought? Frantically, I searched for justifications for my behavior.
Then, another understanding came out of the blue (the truth kept arriving when I needed it,) rocking me even more. I realized this place has no lies; only the truth exists. Lies do not exist here because the one who asked the question knows the truth, and every soul there has access to this truth. Soon, yet another truth smacked me into turmoil. The query pertained to more than just mortal life and death on Earth. The inquiry is about living eternally, either in paradise or in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, the second death (see the links above.) I then began to comprehend the consequence and gravity of the question. Death forever! Agony, torture, and suffering in the Lake of Fire for eternity. Everlasting torment at the hand of Satan. Then that “oh, no” emotion swam over me in a deluge, you know, that remorseful sensation you get in your gut when your actions have severely hurt someone.
Then I heard a commotion from behind the One who asked the question, and another voice declared, “What about good works?” I then heard more rustling and commotion, and abruptly, the disruption stopped, and a third voice said, “There are none.” I stood there stunned and wondered how this could be since I knew I had done good works? Then, another truth entered my mind. Even my good deeds were done for the wrong reasons.
I understood that the focus was back on me to answer the question, and I became desperate to find a suitable reply. I knew I had to say something, so I blamed others and waited for a response, but I received only silence. Then, I conceded that I should not try to blame others for my bad choices, and I yielded, telling God that I would change and asked for His help.
That was the last thing I recall about being before the judgment seat of God. My next memory would be stirring in the ICU the following morning. I had survived the night by the mercy of God because I surrendered and promised to do better.
Yes, it happened again; God guided and protected me, just like I reported in many other postings. This time, however, it is evident that the one who saved me had the power to rescue me from the greatest misfortune of all: hell and the second death. You would think that by this time, there would be no mistaking who was watching out for me, but regrettably, I was still blind. I saw these Judgment Day experiences as one terrifying dream, and so I moved my rememberings of that night to a remote place in my brain and moved on.
But the devil was not done with me; fortunately, neither was God. The spiritual battle over me would continue for years. In subsequent postings, I will tell of the continuous setbacks I suffered in the ICU, the hospital, on home care, and at work until, eventually, I surrendered and once again turned back to God. Miraculously, after years of tumult, this surrender was immediately followed by the Vision from God (A VISION OF A JESUS-FILLED WORLD COMING TO PASS), which became a substantial focus of this website. Soon after receiving this vision, God changed everything in my life. He did this to lead me to a place where I could learn more about Him and how His Spirit operates in the world. This is the help that I asked Him for. All these things and more would become the heart of Possess the Vision.
My next posting will take over where this one left off, communicating my experiences in the ICU. You can find it by following this link: BACK FROM DEATH
In my earlier postings (When You Disbelieve The Devil’s Existence…, and THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT AND THE INITIAL PROGNOSIS,) I shared an experience of how I suffered a spiritual attack that sent me to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where I was examined by three doctors who agreed that I had pancreatitis that threatened my life. Unable to do anything more than treat the pain, they left me there to see if I would make it through the night.
LEAVING MY BODY BEHIND After dosing off to sleep, I experienced a near-death out-of-body experience. In it, I found myself seated in a transparent spaceship, hovering in the blackness of space with the radiance of billions of stars around me.
I knew the ship was solid because I could feel my buttocks and crossed legs on it. I was also obtaining information relevant to my circumstances. In this case, I knew I had left my body and was about to travel through space and time. Mysteriously, I also learned I had a transparent dome above me, shielding me from outside conditions while allowing me to see in every direction.
I soon detected the first sensation of the ship’s movement, starting slowly forward and then gradually accelerating. As I passed, I began to hear conversations and stretches of people’s voices. One remark after another in succession, as if I were slowly driving a car past an unbroken line of people, all engaged in dialogue.
Initially, I would hear complete sentences, but as I accelerated, the words came in faster, were higher-pitched, and less recognizable. Soon, there were very few recognizable words, and eventually, none. Words sounded like a 33 RPM record played at a 78 RPM speed. As the acceleration continued, the sounds transformed into something like Morse code and ultimately into a squelch that an old-time radio makes when the tuner rapidly shifts across a wide range of stations. I felt I was passing by the voices of my life’s future conversations as my ship traveled through time. I believed they were the voices of a future I would not have. Suddenly, these sounds just stopped, and I remember thinking that I would have had a very long life if I had lived.
With the sounds of voices now behind me, I focused on trying to determine my location. Initially, all I saw were the stars and the blackness of space around me, but I soon noticed that I was zigzagging back and forth through space. Like a sine wave, the ship advanced in S-shaped curves, veering to the left and then curving to the right. Back and forth I went while maintaining one precise heading forward. Where was I going, I wondered.
One day, my wife and I attended a prayer meeting at the home of a couple who attended our church. In this meeting, I experienced being a part of the bride of Christ. I will share this experience and provide insight into biblical passages that support what I experienced.
The meeting began with a socialization period in which we met several people who also attended our church. After this get-acquainted period, our hosts had us form a prayer circle, in which each person, in turn, had an opportunity to pray out loud for the intentions of their heart. As the first person prayed, I began hearing thoughts that were not mine. They were beautiful words, and not wanting to forget them, I promptly commenced memorizing them by repeating them several times in my mind. But soon, I realized that I was receiving more than just random phrases. I was experiencing the thoughts, memories, reflections, and feelings of the Bride of Christ on her wedding day.
When it became my turn to pray, I repeated what I had recollected from this beautiful experience. The next day, I wrote down what I had spoken during the prayer group meeting. Here is what I wrote:
The Experience of the Bride of Christ
We were alone in a beautiful room. It was a quiet time, a time of preparedness, for there was a great event to which none can compare. There is joy and happiness. There is anticipation, for we are the source of celebration. We are the focus of attention. There is no sound in the room, just the song of rustling linen.23
The quiet time is good for reflection upon the images of the old world. There were trials, tribulations, and threats of war. Looking back, I see wars, earthquakes, storms, floods, disease, famine, pestilence, and sin. The earth was fouled. There was the war with Satan and then the victory of souls. Eventually, confrontation came with the beast and the final victory—the deliverance and unity of the saved.
We are a new creation! We are the culmination of saved souls.24 We are one, comprised of many in God’s perfect image and likeness, assembled like the atoms of the bodies we once knew.25 There is great unity and power in the new creation. There is ecstasy in the bride.26 Every soul in the bride shouts with joy, for we all know that we confessed Him. We all know that we changed our sinful ways for Him. We all obeyed His commandments, and we all loved Him. We are so united when we think of Him.
How many times did He forgive us? How many times did He heal us? How many times did He save us from evil or keep us from harm? How endless is His love? Indeed, this is our hour. The preparation is complete.27
Someone knocks at the door. It is the Father, and He is beaming. He holds out His arm, and we take it and walk arm in arm. We enter the great hall, where the floor appears to be a single dark green emerald.28 In this room, the pews are crystal,29 the walls are gold, and there is no ceiling, just the sky. Winged angels dressed in white fill the seats. They are all gazing at us while singing the wedding song in seven-part harmony. We look for Him, but the aisle is too long to see the end. We walk, and we walk. We see Him! JOY! JOY! He is very handsome, and He smiles a big smile, and we see heaven in His eyes. We keep walking, and then we are there. The Father presents the bride. Jesus holds out His hand. Our heart sings as we take His hand. The angel, Gabrielle, conducts the ceremony, but we can think of nothing but Him. We say, I do. We hear You may kiss the bride. Anticipation! He comes closer, facing us. He lifts the veil, draws closer, and embraces us. Cheers and celebrations! We turn to face the assembly. We walk down the aisle. The angels are delirious. They sing, they fly, and they cause great explosions in the sky. A new, larger sun rises 30 over the altar behind us. A new world awaits us.
References
23. Revelation 19:8And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen, is the righteous acts of the saints.
24. Ephesians 4:15 – 16 But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ; from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
25. 1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one and has manymembers, but all the members of that one body, being many,are one body, so also is Christ.
26. Revelation 21:9 – 11 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
27. Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.
28. Revelation 4:3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a Sardis stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.
29. Revelation 4:6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal.
30. Revelation 22:16 – 17 I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let him who hears say, Come! And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
THE BRIDE OF CHRIST DEFINED
Based on my experience of being a part of the bride of Christ, it is evident that the bride is the collective of saved souls, where each one has a role to play in the proper functioning of the whole. In my prayer, I stated the following:
We are the culmination of saved souls. We are one, comprised of many in God’s perfect image and likeness, assembled like the atoms of the bodies we once knew.
I believe the following scripture magnifies this concept:
Ephesians 4:15 – 16 But, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ; from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
This scripture implies a realization of oneness, where each soul is a viable and active member of the Bride of Christ. Jesus also spoke of this unity in the Gospel of John:
John 15:20-23 I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
The Bride of Christ is pure and holy, perfect in every way:
Ephesians 5:25 – 27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Jesus also spoke to His disciples about the Bride of Christ in this passage:
John 14:2 – 4 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
So, Jesus states that He will come again and receive His disciples to Himself. What could this mean except that the Lamb and His bride become one?
Building on the scripture above, Jesus talks about the many mansions in his Father’s house. Could it be that these mansions exist in the spiritual New Jerusalem? The answer follows:
Revelation 21: 9 – 10 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.
Keep Your Lamps Burning
The Bride of Christ, the great city, the holy Jerusalem, comprised of God’s anointed, has her lamps burning brightly, which means she is prepared to enlighten the earth. To allow God’s illuminating flame to die results in being refused entry into the wedding feast and exclusion from the Bride of Christ as well.
Matthew 25:1 – 13 Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight, a cry was heard: Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him! Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered saying, No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward, the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us! But he answered and said, Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
In another parable of Jesus, He proclaims His followers shall walk in His light.
John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.
Jesus brought the light that leads us into everlasting life with God. He provides a light that enables us to cast aside our walk in darkness and live in God’s provision and bounty. In doing so, Jesus also passes this light on to us to illuminate the world. We, therefore, are to become like Him and do as He did until His return.
Matthew 5:14 – 16 : You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
The following scripture calls us to do even greater works as Jesus did.
John 14:12 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
Jesus’s works demonstrate His loving compassion for His people because they enhance their physical and spiritual well-being. The following scripture communicates Jesus’s love and actions.
Luke 7:20 – 23 When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One or do we look for another?'” And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”
But what are these works identified in John 14:12 above that are to be greater than those of Jesus? We can do more today because we have much more to give. For example, the sciences and technology of the modern world are vastly superior in every way than in the days of Jesus. Modern medicine has enabled us to do the mighty works Jesus did in his ministry. The insertion of artificial lenses can correct blindness for those who have glaucoma. Artificial joints can be inserted into the body to correct lameness, etc. In addition, because of technology, we can reach more people with the messages of Jesus. We can educate people via technology to give them skills that lift them from poverty and enable them to better provide for their families.
Despite all these excellent technological improvements, however, a vast number of people in this world still live in oppression and poverty. Even worse, it seems that we are losing the battle against evil as the world spirals downward into poverty and despair. There are homeless on our streets and tent encampments around the globe and even here in America. Military attacks in parts of the world are destroying the homes of innocent people, and displaced people are walking across continents, fleeing from this oppression, carrying whatever they can, sometimes even on their heads. Our governments and the people representing us have been either compromised or muted, and our news agencies distort the truth of all of this. Christians are under attack even in America by their government and, in some cases, are identified and treated as terrorist organizations.
Consequently, we also have an immense opportunity. We must give the world what we have, including the blessings from the Spirit of God and our goods, know-how, and technology! I will now present a few scriptures that support and clarify these statements.
1 John 3:16 – 18 By this, we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
We each have a distinct set of Spiritual Gifts that are the foundation of doing more wondrous deeds than Jesus. These must exist in every component of the bride of Christ.
1 Cor 12:8-12 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
Also, we have a call to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Luke 10:30-36 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now, by chance, a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise, a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you. So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?
Works like those identified in the above scripture demonstrate the love of the Christian, who takes action to better the lives of the less fortunate by sharing what she has. In doing so, she keeps her lamps burning and remains ready for the coming of the Lord.
The unity of the Bride of Christ is necessary for her perfection and for winning a war for the world against Satin. This unity is also required for the world to know that Jesus is the Son of God the Father. In support of this statement, I provide the following prayer of Jesus:
John 17:20 – 23 I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
But we are not united today. How many Protestant denominations are there? How many sects of Catholics? How many factions are there inside each of these denominations? And what about the Jews? Are they an integral component of the bride of the Lamb? Please read this:
The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb
Rev 21:9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Yep, the Jews are a component of the bride, as the twelve tribes of Israel are the gates or doors to enter into the bride, the lamb’s wife.
Matthew 24:42 – 51 The bride is united in her devotion, direction, and commitment to doing the work that the Bridegroom left her to do. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.
Do we believe that Jesus will return for a bride that is less than perfect? If the answer to this question is no, then the bride must be perfect. Therefore, this unity must be achieved before the Lord’s return.
The bride is to rule over the Bridegroom’s household until His return. We, therefore, are to demonstrate Jesus’ compassion for all of humanity. We are to feed them the spiritual bread that came down from heaven: Jesus, the Bread of Life.
What Actions Are We To Take?
Firstly, my experience in the prayer group meeting described a unified bride. The first step to achieving this state is to reach out in love to others, including our brethren in different denominations, to create the unity of the souls that constitute the bride. This action is not an effort to unite religious organizations with diverse interpretations of scripture, but rather a uniting of individuals across these organizations to work together to overcome the existing evil in the world today (What Has Been Done In Heaven That We Are To Do On Earth?, andWhat Has Been Done In Heaven That We Are To Do On Earth?). The next step is to identify and develop the spiritual gifts in the members that are necessary to guide and protect the bride on her mission of love. To heal the sick and strengthen the bride for spiritual battle. To prophetically know the devil’s plans and develop the strategies necessary for victory over the evil that seeks to destroy the church and the world. The bride is to identify and disseminate the truth through the prophetic, freeing all people from the deception of propaganda and lies from evil.
To take actions that legally displace the evil ones in power, who seek to eliminate religion, and then identify members from within the bride to replace them. To do this, start with local organizations around you, your town, county, and state, ensuring everything local is evil-free. In democratic countries, voting places must honestly reflect the will of the people. Doing so ensures that higher-level representatives will be affected, as voting is conducted locally.
The bride must recommend candidates as replacements for the compromised or misinformed. In addition, the bride must scrutinize the decisions of Judges according to the law. Those who violate the law must have their poor judgments published and face justice. The bride must replace them with an approved candidate. She must publish a list of the endorsed candidates in all elections.
Doing these things is designed to drive out evil and make us the God-fearing nation God wants us to be.
And so much more to achieve the above scripture’s requirements toward purity and power over evil.
Revelation 21:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
Revelation 2:26 – 28 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations; He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels; as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.
The sun that rose in my story of the bride had to be the Morning Star. The sun rose but then stopped low in the morning sky.
Isaiah 60:19 – 21 The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended. Also, your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified.
SEEKING JESUS 