This photo below is one that I took the other evening as I was walking through the bush near my home. It was getting dark, but a beam of light was streaming through a hole in the trees and made a pool of light on the bank next to my path. As I walked past it, my shadow appeared in the light. I had just been declaring that the Church would arise according to Isaiah 60:1-3 and shine in these last days when darkness covered the earth. I believe this was a sign that my prayers were on track and God knew my every thought.
“Arise, my people! Let your light shine for all the nations to see! For the glory of the Lord is streaming from you. Darkness as black as night shall cover all the peoples of the earth, but the glory of the Lord will shine from you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see the glory of the Lord upon you.” Isaiah 60:1-3
“and I will glorify my glorious Temple in that day.” Isaiah 60:7
I know that this is speaking of the nation of Israel but I also believe its speaking of His spiritual Israel - The Church. In Haggai 2 it also speaks of the Lord glorifying His Temple in the last days before the Desire of all nations comes and how He will fill His House with glory.
“For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.” Haggai 2:6-9
Recently a few of my friends around the world joined together to prophesy and call for the Church to arise from her slumber and prepare for the Lord’s return. We synchronised our times together in London, South Africa, Zimbabwe and here in New Zealand for a time of declaration. Our purpose was to prophesy for the Bride of Christ to get herself ready, for the hour is getting late. In Matthew 25 it speaks of the 10 Virgins waiting for the return of the Lord and how a cry went out at midnight that He was coming. “Wake up.”
“While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go ye out to meet him.” Matthew 25:5-6
It also speaks at the end of the bible in Revelation 22 of the Spirit and Bride saying “Come Lord Jesus.”
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17
He which testifies these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20
I have some thoughts here that I want to share with you.
Isaiah 60 is a powerful chapter concerning Israel and the Church before the Lord’s return. I will look at this from the Church’s perspective. It starts with a call for the Church to Arise and Shine during a time of great darkness over the world. Aren't the days in which we live very similar to this spiritual darkness? Praise God He has promised that the glory of the Lord will arise upon us and stream from us during this time. I believe this will usher in a great revival before the Lord’s Return. Look at Malachi 4:5-6
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”
I can see God is going to do a new thing that He has not done before and those who respond will be the Bride who will get herself ready. She does this by setting her whole focus on the Lord. She has a burning passion for Him, her heart is aflame and the the glory shines upon and in her in ever-increasing splendour. 2 Corinthians 3:18.
She is changed into the glory she reflects. The glory will be the dawning of a new day, which will culminate in His coming. Its like the first faint gleams of light that begin a new day.
The path of the just is as a shining light that grows brighter and brighter unto the eternal day. Proverbs 4:18.
The great sign that Christ will soon return will be that the Bride will start to get herself ready. Her whole life is consumed with her beloved and her rising will be recognised even by creation that has been kept in bondage waiting for this day. It says Romans 8:18-19 that creation is on tip toes waiting for the manifestation of the sons and daughters of God.
“I am convinced that any suffering we endure is less than nothing compared to the magnitude of glory that is about to be unveiled within us. The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! “
As the Bride wakes up to who she is and acknowledges all that she has within her, it releases His glory. The Church is called the daughter of Zion and she is the perfection of beauty. It is from her that God will shine. It will come from the glory that is within her. King David saw this in Psalm 50 and also in Psalm 45.
“Out of Zion the perfection of beauty God has shined.” Psalm 50:2
“The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.” Psalm 45:13
Paul pays that the Holy Spirit will unveil the vast limitless glory that is within us, His Church. God doesn't want it to be kept all for ourselves, He wants it to be shared with the world. We have this treasure in earthen vessels.
“And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favour until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power.” Ephesians 3:14
I can see that the Bride is pregnant with this new day and is longing for its dawning. This is the day of His Power that precedes His return. In that day power will come from her mouth and the true Church will delight herself in God.
“The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.” Psalm 110:2-3
Pray that the Holy Spirit might unveil inside of you the unlimited riches of His glory and favour, so that our inner most being might be flooded with His supernatural strength, divine might and explosive power.
“Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through you.” Ephesians 6:10
There is a glory inside of us that God wants to manifest to the world. It’s like a vast ocean of glory. One day the whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of His glory as the waters cover the sea.
The Day-spring is the beginning. It’s the beginning of a new breed of people. A vanguard of a new day where the sun, His presence will shine 7 times brighter.
Our present sufferings are nothing compared to the magnitude of the glory that is about to be revealed in us. As we face towards that day and pray for it with an earnest desire we begin to taste the power of the age that is to come.
This people are those who love Jesus with all their heart. They are His Bride and she will rise like the dawn. She is the first fruits of a new creation that ushers in a new day - the day of His power. A day where His people are willing, they surrender. And delight to do His will.
As I said, creation is waiting for this day when Jesus will finally come and judge the earth and set things right. I can see that as His Bride gets herself ready and begins to shine in the spirit, creation knows what this means, that Jesus is coming soon. Creation rejoices.
“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; Let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.” Psalm 96:11-13
As I walk next to the sea, rivers, fields and through the parks, I declare that the trees are clapping their hands and the sea is roaring for they know that its time. The time to favour Zion has come. Even our glorious mountain is singing for joy.
“Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. Psalm 98:7-9
In the light of Matthew 25 and the parable of the 10 virgins (who are all Christians), not all of them were the Bride invited into the marriage feast. The Bride however was prepared and had her lamp filled with oil. She believed her beloved was coming and got herself ready. She didn’t know exactly when, but was ready. The Father is waiting for the Bride to get herself ready before He will send His son. Let us hasten that day by preparing ourselves and throwing off all that hinders. Having a single eye for our beloved so that our whole bodies will be full of light. May we be those without spot or wrinkle on that day.
“and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Ephesians 5:27
