The Spiritual Realm of the Bride of Christ
We had made some new friends at church and they in turn, introduced us to a prayer group meeting that they knew about. It was being hosted by another couple who attended our church. During this meeting, I had an experience where I kept hearing a series of words over and over again in my head. I wanted to memorize these words and the repetition helped me do this.
In addition, I had thoughts and memories that were not mine. I had the distinct understanding that they were the thoughts of the bride of Christ on her wedding day. It was as if I was inside the bride of Christ. The following passage is what I remember experiencing during the meeting:
We were alone in a beautiful room. It was a quiet time; a time of preparedness, for there was to be a great event of which none can compare. There was joy and happiness. There was 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.
The quiet is good for reflection upon the images of the old world. There were trials, tribulations, and threats of war. In looking back, there were wars, earthquakes, storms, floods, disease, famine, pestilence, and sin. The earth was fouled. There was 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. We are one being comprised of many in the perfect image and likeness of God, assembled like the atoms of the bodies we once knew. There is great unity and power in the new creation. There is ecstasy in the bride. Every soul that exists 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? Truly, this is our hour. The preparation is complete.
Someone knocks at the door. It is the Father, and He is beaming. He holds out His arm, we take it and walk arm in arm. We enter the great hall where the floor is as a single dark green emerald. In this room, the pews are crystal,29 the walls are gold, and there is no ceiling, just the sky. The seats are filled with the winged angels, dressed in white. 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 as 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 rises30 over the altar behind us. A new world awaits us.
During the prayer meeting, I spoke words very similar to these for all to hear. These are the thoughts and words that I received from God and spoke in prayer at the meeting that day. Despite having spoken these words, I had no previous knowledge of their foundation. I did not know anything about the bride of Christ. Indeed, I did not even know that there was such a thing. I had no idea what I was doing or experiencing.
When it came my time to pray, I had simply repeated the words that God had given me just moments before. I also thought that they were special enough that I wrote them down when I got home. Not immediately, but over the course of several years I began to see how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.
Review – SIGNIFICANCE TO THE VISION
In the postings of the past several months, I have been telling about the spiritual attack that brought me to be brink of death on multiple occasions. An attack that even took me to the other side of our human reality, into the spiritual realm that exists beyond our death. I experienced hell, the lake of fire, the devil and the judgment day while outside my body.
When I returned I though all of this was a really bad dream but the reality was that the devil kept attacking me time after time until I finally surrendered to God.
I finally told God that I would do whatever He wanted and He gave me a vision of an earth filled with Jesus that was a beautiful, ever blooming flower. Still unaware that He was moving in my life, God relocated me to a place where I could learn more about the vision He has shown me, and He blessed me all along the way. He drew me to the exact church and ministry where I would find the vision. Shortly after I arrived there I publicly surrendered my life to Jesus Christ and at that moment, a major victory was won in the heavenly realm.
From this point forward there would begin a steady flow of messages designated to instill in me an understanding of the vision God wanted me to possess. I did not understand much of this yet, and a lot would come later with the writing of my book, “Possess the Vision.”
Starting with this posting we will introduce more of the spiritual experience that led to the development of the Vision statement foundation, and we will also look at the scriptures that support them as well.