I have something to share with you that I feel the Lord has given to me to share. I would like to say that it was a vision, or a dream, though I definitely believe it was inspired; to some though you may think it was a nightmare! Nevertheless, I have spent a lot of time praying over this.
I have given a lot of time to prayer and meditation partly due to the condition I find the world heading into and the upheavals that are happening in the earth itself. All signs, that we as God’s children need to be alert and ready.
You may consider this a hallucination from the pain I have been through, or you can pray about it and ask the Lord if there is something in this for you. As always, our Heavenly Father gives YOU the choice.
I awoke, or arrived somewhere, not sure just where, was, but it was beautiful. I found myself surrounded by a forest of verdant trees, lush and bountiful. Flowers of all kinds and colors, surrounded the lower trunks of these magnificent trees. It was to me at the time, a beauty indescribable. I have experienced a beauty similar to that many, many years ago while visiting Mount Rainier National Park, and I told those with me at the time, it literally took my breath away. This was even greater!
I found myself on a small platform with a chair or seat of some kind. As I looked to the sides and front of me, I could see the forest was cut in two, by a wide path that stretched out in front of me for a distance I couldn’t gauge. The early morning sun was just rising behind me and it was neither hot nor uncomfortable, but it produced a brilliant ray of light towards what lay in front of me in the distance. It was then that I realized the platform I was on was slowly moving forward.
To this point I had not looked back and as the platform was gently gliding forward, I stole a look backwards behind me. To my amazement, I saw hundreds of well-dressed and very beautiful looking people. Fancy suits, dresses, polished shoes and even expensive watches and rings seemed to adorn their wrists and fingers. They didn’t seem to even know I was there but were looking almost expectantly towards the direction of our slow glide.
Of course, why would they even acknowledge me, as I was dressed in my usual blue-jeans and thin button-down shirt. I was nothing, if not commonplace! Turning back around I was watching towards the front again. In the distance, the far distance, I could see that the beauty of the forest was thinning and that many more paths such as I was on was converging from the sides towards the center.
While I was contemplating this it was then that I had my first glean of something glistening, gleaming in the rays of the morning sun, still shining from directly behind me. It was a brilliant, yellowish gold that glowed, shimmered and sparkled. I could also make out glints of blue and green as well as a prismatic wave of colors, all sparkling as the rays shimmered in reflection to the sun.
I was still traveling, gliding slowly forward, but I was beginning to see something in the distance start to appear and I had to strain my eyes to determine what it was I was seeing. Whatever it was, it was huge and the closer I got, the larger I could see that it was looming ever larger and bigger than the few sparse trees that was close to it. I could make out that the closer to this thing I got, the more paths or lanes there was and the less of the forest beauty remained. Even the beautiful flowers of amazing colors were disappearing.
I still had no idea how far from this new enigma was, but I could tell that it was enormous in size; actually very much beyond my comprehension to ascertain its size. But, the closer I did get, I could start to make out a crown, a crown of precious materials and jewels from which the brilliance of the suns reflection was streaming forward. I could also start to make out deep, lush colors of magenta and purple and what appeared to be gold threaded tapestry. The picture from this distance was one of great beauty and brilliance and it dawned on me that this must be someone or something of royalty!
I glided forth ever slowly, but I was beginning to make out more distinct features and I saw that this person or creature was actually sitting. At first I thought it was a throne, mainly because of all that appeared to be royal trappings that surrounded it. I soon realized that what it was sitting on was a type of wooden bench. Now, don’t get me wrong, this was no ordinary wooden bench, but rather a bench of some dark wood that looked as polished mahogany or walnut. The bench (or pew) itself had a brilliance that was amazing to behold as the polish was to such a degree that it also glinted in the sun’s rays.
I knew I was still some great distance away and yet I could make out what appeared at this creature’s feet (as yet I could determine if it was a person) as boxes and casks of treasure full of gold and silver and I could see even the gleam of even more jewels mixed within. His feet were surrounded by untold treasure and wealth, the likes of which most men could only dream and imagine! It was no wonder there was such a brilliance of reflection at such a great distance as when I first saw that glint of brilliance!
But, even though I still couldn’t make out any distinct features because of the royal coverings and the brilliance of the sunlight reflected all around, I still began to feel an unease as if something was not right; almost as if something was out of place. I was pondering this very thing, when my eyes were drawn to a banner above this creature’s head. I hadn’t noticed the banner before, but maybe it was because it blended so well with the background of the sky.
It had to have been enormous for I could make out the lettering and the words perfectly. “Come and Serve Me,” it stated. Also, as if almost on cue, I became aware of a sound. I would like to describe it as a “din” in the distance, but I could tell that there was rhythm and melody, but at this distance it still just kind of blended together. But, I was still gliding slowly forward. By this time, I had long past the beauty of the trees and flowers and all I saw was lane after lane of other platforms, all filled with the beautiful people I described beforehand. They were all merging to this one single track the closer we moved toward this creature or person. It seemed though that no matter how many platforms merged, I was always in front, for whatever reason.
Again I must tell you, there is no way I can describe the immense enormity of this creature as it towered so far above us and yet I was only just beginning to see detail, all the while the unease with which I had started to feel was increasing. Something was not right, something was askew, is the only way I can describe my inner feeling.
The music as I can definitely tell you now that it was, began to become so much clearer and you could hear the distinct quality of the trumpets and horns of various kinds. You could hear the beat of the drums lending the rhythm to the music. I became so engrossed in the music, trying to remember the song, that it took me a minute to realize that the gently glide forward had stopped.
Suddenly the memory came flooding back as the words came to me;
“Let the Church be the Church, let the people rejoice.
Oh, we’ve settled the question,
We’ve made our choice.
Let the anthems ring out, Songs of victory swell
For the Church triumphant is alive and well.” 1
I remembered it as a beautiful anthem of the Church’s victory over the world and over our inherent fallen condition. Yet, for some reason, that feeling of unease was beginning to flood over me, like a tidal rush of anxiousness and despair.
Just then, all those beautiful people behind me, let out a roar of seeming delight and the clapping and yelling started. I was startled and taken out of my thoughts of the music, I looked up and the creature that had been sitting, had arisen, with his arms in the air and then the music ceased.
I looked upon a sight that even now makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. As this creature, this person rose up from his pew, the royal robes fell from his shoulders to lay on the pew that he had arisen from and before us stood the most hideous creature (person) I had ever seen! I was aghast and sickened at the same time and yet all around me people were shouting and clapping and chanting “Hallelujah” and so forth. I was beside myself.
In front of me, (I’m still a distance back) was a person, if that can be said truthfully that was so grotesque and hideous as to defy description. The crown of gold embedded with the beautiful gems and stones still adorned its head, but what a head.
Its head was misshapen and huge, too big and too out of proportion for its body. Its eyes were not symmetrical upon its face but rather one eye was more to the right of its face and looking to the right as well as up and down and the left eye was almost touching the nose, which in fact was closer to the hairline at the forehead than where the nose should be; and the nose itself looked like some hooked claw that didn’t even belong on its face!
The mouth was abnormally large, the upper lip, more plump as if someone had punched it in the face and had given it a swollen lip and the lower lip curled in almost a snakelike manner from left to right that caused the mouth to look like it was in a perpetual grimace! But the teeth are what caught my eyes even more so than the lips or the mouth as a whole. For each of the teeth looked like they were either gold or silver tombstones, but brilliant in reflection except – each tooth had what looked to be commandments written upon each one. The upper teeth had what I assumed where the first five commandments given to the Prophet Moses, and the lower teeth had the second set of five. To me it was a gross abomination of Law that the Lord had given to His children Israel.
I was so taken aback by the appearance that it took me a minute to realize this “thing” had started to speak! What I heard came forth like honey or syrup. Thickly, sugary sweet and the people that were gathered again set up a cheer and you could hear, “Hallelujahs” and “Amens” ring out as far back behind me as the people were congregated! I felt a buzzing in my ears, or a tickling as it were and it brought to mind what the Holy Book says in 2Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
As I continued to ponder this, I continued to observe this monstrosity. Its arms were not equal for on the right side, his one arm reached down almost to its knees and the hands were small with fingers (or digits) that were not proportional to the hand or to one another. On the left side, the left arm didn’t even look like it had an elbow for it stood straight with no bend. The arm itself didn’t appear to have any musculature to speak of and the left hand, though more proportioned to the arm, had fingers that seemed to go in every direction, but the proper one. The left-hand thumb didn’t even look like it could touch the other fingers to grasp or to serve its purpose!
The same could almost be said for the legs. One side, the leg looked muscular and fit, but the foot looked way too small to hold up the body and the toes looked more like claws digging into the floor than actual toes. The other leg, just like the arm looked almost atrophied and yet the foot had to have been twice as big as the foot on the other side!! It was obvious this creature/person was supporting its weight on this leg, but only because of the width and length of the foot! Nothing seemed to be capable of what it was meant to do and yet, around these very same monstrous feet, lay worldly treasure unlike anything that anybody could imagine!
One other thing I noticed and I am a bit hesitant to mention it, and yet I know when the Holy Spirit is prodding and convicting (convincing) me to be obedient; this creature’s backside was enormous! The gluteus maximus muscle is located in the buttocks and is regarded as one of the strongest muscles in the human body as it is used to help in locomotion of the legs as well as flexibility for rising and sitting etc. This creature didn’t look like it had anything but fat in place of muscle and the thought came to me that about the ONLY thing its backside was good for, was making the pew it sat in, more comfortable!
I want to tell you that I was in no way humored by anything that I had seen and even while I was considering what it was the Lord was trying to show me, I was aware that all those around me, all the wealthy and beautiful and I presumed successful people, those who thought well of themselves and their “obligations” were streaming forward leaving even more worldly treasure at the feet of this, thing!
While watching this unfold I then heard a thundering, authoritative yet very audible voice speaks WORDS that were written by the hand of man, yet inspired by the Holy Spirit:
1 Corinthians 1:10-13, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
Romans 12:1-18, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”
“For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.”
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” (Paragraph breaks in Romans added by me for emphasis.)
So it is in the natural AND the spiritual. When we commune with one another, we are coming together with the same purpose or goal of relating to one another in unity. Whether that goal is to accomplish something beyond ourselves or to just strengthen our individual relationship with one another, we have something in common and it takes our unity to accomplish that!
The importance of this communion becomes Holy or sacramental because when we partake the symbols of the flesh and the blood, the bread and wine, we are demonstrating to all others in this spiritual community that we have bound ourselves with Jesus, in spirit and truth, in that we are uniting with His Spirit AND His sacrifice in common with all others who are also joining in the remembrance. Our spirit is joining, bonding in unity with the goal, in common with other brothers and sisters, of being one in Christ, just as Jesus and the Father are One. This is what Jesus meant when He told the disciples to “eat” His flesh, and “drink” His blood. We accept the life His blood gives us spiritually, AND we accept the Living Word that His body reveals to us!
However —-, when you study the Scriptures in depth an interesting fact starts to emerge; God’s love, His justice, His grace and mercy, all the positive character attributes that make up our Creator’s personality are “encapsulated” in His Holiness! Let me explain it the way the Apostle James best stated it, 
I have seen a picture several times of a giant cross spanning a chasm and thousands of our Heavenly Father’s children crossing the chasm upon the bridge that the Cross has made. This is a perfect illustration of the truth of the Cross of Christ for this is exactly what it does. The chasm is sin and death, there is no way to approach our Heavenly Father across this open and ever widening chasm, EXCEPT for the very Cross that our Redeemer shed His blood upon! The Father accepts those that come to Him across this Holy Bridge. This is the reason that there is no other way to come to God as Father; the Cross leads straight to Him but is narrow in the sense that it is the only path acceptable to our Heavenly Father.
As Christians, we need to intercede for the leaders of nations and the peoples of those nations, but we also need to pray for the Lord’s swift return. But, that “swift” return comes with it all the situations and circumstances that are to foreshadow His return. We can’t escape it! What are Christians to do?!
If the Scriptures given at the top of this exposition have any truth to them (and I KNOW they do) then no matter the circumstances in a person’s life at any given moment is ordered, prepared, by the Lord who loves us above everything else! When we know that He truly wants only the best for us in all circumstances, then and only then can we determine to let Him lead us beyond the ruts that we dig for ourselves.
I have taught on this subject before in greater length on my website years ago and truth be told, I could probably write a book about the pros and cons of the healing question. I have had to deal with the hurtful consequences as well when a sister couldn’t understand why God wouldn’t answer her prayer for an ill brother. In closing, I want to ask you to consider something; have you ever wondered why we don’t see miraculous healings to the extent we read about them in the Bible?
If you allow ANY belief to come before these Scriptures, you are the one that no longer considers those who believe these principles your brother or sister. This is what has saddened me, nearly to tears, because posts that have been written in condemnation of certain denominations despite the fact that these writers and those that have commented in agreement I have considered my brothers and sisters. Understand this, I truly still consider them brothers and sisters in the Lord, but I also realize that in faith and in love they are weaker vessels, but being weaker vessels they are creating not just divisiveness but hurt, great hurt in the hearts of fellow Christians. They demonstrate a lack of openness to the Holy Spirit all in the attempt to prove how much better they are in their beliefs and how much more selfish in wanting to PROVE their “religious” theories. You will never convince me that this is an example of the Lord’s way of loving others but more so an attempt to assuage ego, to make one feel superior. This same thing went on in the time of Christ AND the disciples. When the Pharisees tried to trick Him, He used the wisdom that the Bible says is freely given to all who ask. He still demonstrated love, (in action) for those that were not just misguided in the Scriptures but who were actively more concerned with retaining what they considered authority over speaking the truth in liberty. History has went full circle and if this doesn’t cause your spirit to weep and cry out, then in LOVE I am admonishing you to hit your knees and cry out to God, our Heavenly Father!
So, because I will be adventuring into SOME areas of “doctrine” that can be in some circles, controversial and divisive, I have chosen to take some time to lay a foundation here; the arguments or divisions that arrive from certain doctrines being taught in different “divisions (denominations)” of Christianity have led to a splintered church rather than a spiritual Church built upon the 
I believe God through His Spirit wants us to know the intimacies of His Character, Nature, Attributes and Personality because He desires a TRUE relationship with His creation, US! We must worship Him in Spirit and Truth and the only way to accomplish that is to get to KNOW, to truly know, Who He is in all of His being!
I wrote down a lot to show you that God is not just Creator, but He continues to strive to be a personal Father to each of us as individuals. This demonstrates that He IS a God with a personality, a God who loves, truly loves His creation, ALL His creation. Truly, there are not enough adjectives in the English language alone to describe all that God is to His creation!
IN THE BEGINNING. Simple, revealing, yet deep; much deeper than a lot want to admit. It is our beginning, and the beginning of life created in the image of its Maker. The beginning of man’s relationship with the creation around him, in the natural AND in the spiritual. But, it is just the beginning and that is not to undermine its importance, by saying, just.
Our greatest weapon, 
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend by the name of Common Sense who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
This is pretty much the season of giving all over the world as we commemorate Christ Jesus’ birth. Now I know, as well as you that He didn’t arrive in this world on the 25th of December, and I also know all the controversy of the actual season of the year, BUT – this is the day that has been traditionally set aside to commemorate His birth and not just His birth, but His MISSION for coming to us in the flesh in the first place!
So in closing, if you are not sure what to give your neighbors, or your hospital or school workers, your first responders or even your neighborhood soldiers and their families; give them something that will do the most good, pray for them; ask the Lord to give them peace, joy, safety, etc., the list is only as small as your imagination.
Now I will be honest with you; I was NOT angry, but I WAS annoyed for each of those things that happened takes a lot of time and in the case of the computer, I can do that myself but it is time consuming. In the case of my vehicle, well, let’s just say my disability will not make it easy to do IF I even try to undertake the fix. Yep, you got it, there must be some sin in my life, secret or otherwise!
Paul states in several Scriptures to need to give thank continually; at ALL times.
