Janet Weaver Smith – May 22, 2015 – September 28, 2016 ©gardenministries.org
Before the middle heaven veil is fully torn away and the millennial age of Christ’s rule on earth begins, the constraints of time and the fallen human nature directly affect what is visible and what is invisible to the human eye. (For more on this subject, see my article entitled, “The Visible Invisible.”)
Grounded in the Living Word and guided by the testimony of Jesus Christ through the Spirit of Prophecy (Hebrews 6:5, Revelation 19:21), a believer has living access to realms beyond their body’s physical ability to see and perceive. Our illumined heart-eyes can cross a prophetic bridge between heaven and earth and see outside of the constraints and limitations of this age into the not-yet-seen invisible realm of the Kingdom of God and the age to come. Peering through this lens, I write this article about the Spirit of Might and Power and the Coming(s) of Christ.
Samson was a sarcastic punster who loved wordplays and riddles and integrated them into his powerful exploits as the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in might. Judges 15:14-16 As [Samson] approached Lehi [Hebrew for “jawbone”]; the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him [Samson]. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. 15 Finding a fresh jawbone [Hebrew – lehi] of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men. 16 Then Samson said, “With a donkey’s jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey’s jawbone I have killed a thousand men.”
The Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon Samson and empowered him to single-handedly slay 1,000 charging warriors. Because the Spirit of Might’s immense power, Samson probably did not even need the donkey’s jawbone as a weapon. It seems that Samson deliberately chose to yank out a donkey’s “fresh” jawbone to make a point and used the jawbone as an ironic, sarcastic “nod” to the place called Lehi (i.e., “Jawbone”) where he made “donkey’s” out of his enemies.
Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17-23 that by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, we would know God better and have the “eyes or our heart” illumined so that we could see three very important things:
1. The hope to which we are called.
2. The riches of the Everlasting Father’s glorious inheritance in his holy people.
3. Almighty God’s incomparably great power for “us who believe” which is the same as His mighty strength exerted when raising Christ from the dead and us who believe with Him.
How do we access these three promises and gain access to the Spirit of Might and Power?
• By never giving in to hopelessness, despair, or empty religion that does not require faith.
• By consuming and holding fast to the prophetically inspired Word of God—
especially His Word in the 66 books of the Bible.
• By asking Jesus to make us His ready bride and continuing to say “Yes!” to Him in our process of overcoming evil and trusting and relying wholeheartedly upon God.
• By letting perseverance finish its work so that we become mature and complete (James 1:4).
• By turning to Jesus and continually offering up great praise—no matter how we feel.
• By loving Jesus as our First Love and patiently waiting for Him to fulfill His Word. Love is Patient.
As Kingdom Priests who are being prepared to reign on the earth with Christ during The Millennium, we are called to continually offer up the spiritual sacrifice of Great Praise. This helps stave off hopelessness and despair and engages a BIG key toward opening the door to breakthrough! The Angel of Great Praise activates and opens doors for Great Change as God Himself comes and inhabits His chosen dwelling place in His beloved people (Psalm 22:3, Ephesians 2:22, 1 Peter 2:5, Revelation 5:10, Luke 2:13).
The Spirit of Might and Power is necessary for the government of God to function in the earth. Jesus is the head of His body and His governing bride will be in perfect union with Him.
Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
Revelation 12:5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.
(AUTHOR’S NOTE: In the following text, I submit to each believer in Jesus Christ what I believe are inspired possibilities. It is likely that I do not yet see the entire or complete picture and thus accept that, as the Spirit of Understanding and Wisdom hones it into completion, there may be some tweaks to this verbalization of what I have been seeing and perceiving.)
As we know, the Bible teaches us that the Son of God came to earth and took on human flesh in order to fulfill His Father’s will and offer Himself as a sinless, fully human sacrifice unto God on behalf of all sinful humanity, thus establishing His rightful place as the Savior of those who believe in Him and as the loving King of the universe for all eternity.
Through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit within an asking-seeking-knocking believer in Jesus Christ, a process of preparation is underway. Prepared for what, or better said, for Whom? They are being prepared to receive Jesus in his “comings” or “arrivals.” Notice the use of a plural form of “coming” and “arrival?”
For Bible believers, we already know that the plural form of “coming” is accepted because Jesus has already come once and has also promised to come again. However, in His Last Day’s coming, could it be that it happens progressively and in stages? For example, after a series of some very intense happenings in the earth in what is termed, “The Day of the Lord,” Joel 2:28-30 prophesies that God will pour out His Spirit and as a result, believers who have received His Spirit will supernaturally experience and express the Presence of God like never before. I believe that we can call the Joel 2:28-30 outpouring of the Spirit of God one of a few waves of The Lord’s end-time coming(s). This wave, along with a preceding wave, results in preparing believers for His final full-on physical appearing, which is the final wave that changes everything forever. Thus, I believe the Lord’s Last Day’s coming is of a 3-fold nature.
I call the first wave Christ’s parousia coming. I see this “coming” as a wave that usually happens over time and comes to a hungry, seeking believer in Jesus. He comes in a deeply private, somewhat hidden work of the Holy Spirit. I see that this wave is that which prepares the believer to become what I call, “The Word Bride.” Though possibly severely tested in their faith, these “Word Bride” believers will not undermine, devalue, or deny the 66-books of the Bible as being God’s true Word. They are those who prove faithful to His Word and His promises by holding fast to them, even when directly challenged by fear, doubt, and unbelief.
The Word Bride has come to intimately know and love the Person who is called The Word: Jesus Christ. Loving God by obeying His Word is how this lovesick bride is perfected and made complete in Christ’s parousia coming to her privately and personally revealing Himself to her and asking for Her response of faithfulness and love. In the end of this cycle, the perfected bride loves Christ even more than what He has promised her! (Matthew 24:3, 1 Thess. 2:19, 3:13, 4:15, 5:23, 2 Thess. 2:1, 8, James 5:7-8, 1 Peter 1:16, 2 Peter 3:4, 12, 1 John 2:28)
I call the 2nd wave Christ’s epipháneia coming. Titus 2:10-13 describes an epipháneia of His grace and then of His glory. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. 12 It trains us to renounce ungodly living and worldly passions so that we might live sensible, honest, and godly lives in the present age 13 as we wait for the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus the Messiah. 14 He gave himself for us to set us free from every wrong and to cleanse us so that we could be his special people who are enthusiastic about doing good deeds. (1 Timothy 6:14, 2 Timothy 1:10, 2 Timothy 4:1, 8)
This epipháneia coming is Christ’s Spirit filling His faithful, steadfast Word Bride with more visible manifestations of Himself, for example, through the Spirit of Might and Power. Faithfulness in this 2nd wave means that the Word Bride continues to hold fast to His Word and furthermore, gives all glory to her husband, Jesus. Filled to the fullness of Christ, and in love with Him heart, soul, and body, the Spirit-filled Word-Bride doesn’t even think to take self-credit or glory for the vast displays of Christ’s wonder and majesty manifested by Christ in her, nor does she become offended with her God when the resulting persecutions come. Like her Husband Jesus suffered when He emerged in the earth, she too endures persecution as she emerges and takes her place alongside of Him. (Psalm 45:9)
I call the 3rd and final wave of His coming Christ’s Apokalupsis. This is the complete merger of the previous two waves into the 3rd and final wave in which the invisible totally emerges into the visible when the resurrected King of all kings: Jesus Christ is fully revealed in all of His glory and majesty and comes to earth to rule and reign. (Zechariah 2:10, Zechariah 14, Revelation 19:11-16)
It should be noted that on the enemy’s side, there will be a counterfeit 2 or 3-fold “coming” of Satan in the coming of the lawless one, the antichrist, the beast. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9 Then the lawless one will be revealed (Greek: apokaluptó), whom the Lord will destroy with the breath of his [Christ’s] mouth, rendering him [lawless one] powerless by the manifestation [epipháneia] of his [Christ’s] coming [Christ’s parousia]. 9The coming [lawless one’s parousia] of the lawless one will be accompanied by the power of Satan. He will use every kind of power, including miraculous signs, lying wonders, 10and every type of evil to deceive those who are dying, those who refused to love the truth that would save them
In Matthew 24:3, when the disciples talked privately to Jesus about his coming, they used a Greek word, parousia. Yet when Paul describes Christ’s coming in 2 Thessalonians 2:8, he uses the Greek word epipháneia. Add to that, both Paul and the Apostle John use yet another Greek word to describe the coming of Christ: apokalupsis which means the opposite of being hidden—an unveiling and revelation of what was hidden. (For more on this, see my article entitled, ” Preparing for Christ’s 3-Fold Arrival and The Transfiguration of Spiritual Zion.”) (Author’s Note: There are other Greek words associated with Christ’s coming to also explore such as erchomai, phanaroo, and maranatha.)
Matthew 24:3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming [“coming” in Greek is Parousia meaning the coming of Your Presence] and of the end of the age?” I believe that Jesus will come by His Word (first wave: parousia) and by a mighty outpouring of His Spirit (second wave: epipháneia) to fully prepare and mature a bride and to physically return to and fully change (final wave: apokalupsis). During the first wave of His parousia, or what I call, “The Word of His Presence” coming, Jesus unites with His responsive and willing bride by washing her with the water of His Word until she is fully persuaded that she is loved and utterly trusts Jesus and gives Him her full “Yes.”
As Christ the Word comes [parousia] to the believer and transforms them by dividing between the old man nature embedded within the fallen soul and plants His truth deep within [his or] her spirit, she responds and sheds her old man nature in preference for Christ’s new man nature. Over time, if the believer doesn’t quit, he or she will be prepared to be filled with the Holy Spirit’s 2nd wave of coming to them [Christ’s epipháneia].
This coming is a new level of shining and illumination that fully manifests the true nature of the Godhead through her transformed heart, soul, and body. As His very own possession and body, Christ fully releases Himself unto her and fills her to His fullness by the powerful overshadowing of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring. (Joel 2:29)
This filling and indwelling is done by and through The Word Himself and is done through His Presence being imparted unto a faithful bride, who by the Holy Spirit, is crying, “Come!” The Word enters His lovesick bride, unites with her, and fills her with His fullness, thus completing her in His image, upon which, she receives His commissioning for governing headship as His eternal marriage partner.
Transformed and transfigured into His pure and spotless image, Jesus’ beautiful bride will operate in the Spirit of Might and Power and act in Christ’s governmental authority. Alongside of her Husband Jesus, the bride begins to rule and reign on earth, having gained divine marital rights and full access to His name(s) such as: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”
The “Parousia” coming of the Word Presence of God to Christ’s bride is a mysterious filling-and-completing that will happen to the bride before the final physical Apokalupsis coming of Christ. I believe that it is during the second epipháneia wave of Christ’s coming that the bride will receive her transfigured body. Just as the Pattern Son Jesus was transfigured and received fullness prior to His death and receiving His resurrection body, so will His bride be transfigured into His fullness prior to receiving her resurrection body at His final physical Apokalupsis coming.
As governmental agents representing Christ’s Kingdom in the earth, the crowns of reward with their overcomer titles will be given from Jesus to His empowered Bride who is fully enabled by the Spirit of Might and Power to rule and reign with her beloved husband Jesus. The transfigured bride will be in a state of ruling and reigning on earth before she makes her final transition into her resurrection body that serves as her functioning state during the millennial age. This final transition into a resurrected, eternal body like Christ’s happens at the 3rd wave or stage of Christ’s apokalupsis coming. The Lord Jesus Christ comes in waves spiritually to prepare those who say Yes to Him for His second physical coming. When we behold Him, we become like Him (1 John 3:2). Thus we are beholding Him spiritually and we are being changed from the inside out in our spiritual uniting with Jesus. When we see Him physically, our prepared spiritual state will be enabled and empowered to behold Him and as His Lovers, be physically changed to become like Him in His resurrected bodily state of glory.
Before the final resurrected body stage, the Shining, epipháneia Spirit-filled bride of Jesus Christ is spiritually and somewhat physically transformed, transfigured, and lives in an enabled “heaven-and-earth” reality until at the last trumpet when she receives her resurrected body at Christ’s second physical coming (1 Corinthians 15:50-57). Some are alive and changed. Some have laid their life down and are killed as the Two-Witnesses martyrs who are dead for 3 days and then resurrected. Some are already asleep and come from the Cloud of Witnesses.
At some point during this entire end-of-the-age governmental shift, middle heaven is directly impacted and war breaks out between Michael and his angels. I personally believe it may happen when a remnant company of overcoming saints break through the final barrier of resistance and become the fulfillment of Romans 8:19. These are those who are the Word Bride who is filled with the Spirit of Might and Power and who is also transfigured into His fullness. Full manifestation is used of the revealed sons of God that creation groans to have revealed in the earth! Romans 8:19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing [Apokalupsis] of the sons of God.
These overcomers are the first fruits [after Jesus, Who is the original First Fruit] who become the manifested sons that all creation has been groaning for. When the church births these believing male and female “sons,” the veil of the demonically-infested religious spirit that has occupied the middle heaven will be torn and cause a complete displacement of evil from the middle heaven screw zone (for more on this, see my article “The Visible Invisible – ay 13, 2015” and my illustration “Middle Heaven Screw Zone.”)
When Satan’s occupation of middle heaven is over he has to change the way he conducts his “business.” When Satan is completely ousted from middle heaven and thrown down to the earth, he will become limited to being an earth-bound being with no earth-and-middle-heaven access. This displacement signals the short amount of time he has left (Revelation 12:7-17) and in his realization of this, Satan’s rage explodes. Now Satan conducts direct onslaughts to which the fully enabled, manifest sons of God in the earth will be given governing authority through the 7-fold Spirit of God and will directly combat and confront Satan’s work through the Sprit of Might and Power and the entirety of the 7-fold Spirit of God.
An open heaven happens when the veil is taken away. Heaven rejoices to receive God’s Kingdom replacements who now occupy middle heaven and are activated and sustained by an ever-praising and praying Priestly bride who occupies and governs both the middle heaven zone and wherever she walks about the earth as she is led by the Holy Spirit to finish His work in the earth. Because of this open-and-middle heaven occupation, the transformed, transfigured bride has “boots on the ground” and is walking upon the earth while at the same time is kept in her transfigured “heavenly” state from being vulnerable to the power of evil. Heaven-and-earth have become one in and through a sanctified bridal remnant company. This company of saints bears continual witness to Christ’s love and salvation throughout the earth and call people to repentance by turning to Jesus Christ for salvation and disciple those who say Yes to Jesus to be conformed into His image. They operate in the earth for a time as a “Two Witnesses” company, in the same ways the actual Revelation 11 Two Witnesses will operate in Jerusalem.
The faith-inspired “greater, good works” that the bride is prepared [parousia wave] in advance to do are now operating in full force and the [epipháneia wave] Spirit of Might and Power graciously endows this company of saints (John 14:12, Ephesians 2:10). Fully transformed, these sons of the Kingdom/bride of Jesus Christ are the Last Days Peacemakers and Peacekeepers who represent and enact Christ’s government on earth as they wait for Christ’s final second physical [apokalupsis wave] coming. They will operate in the Spirit of Might and Power and will generously manifest and especially produce the fruit of the Spirit called “Peace” in full keeping with the Word of Truth.
In the meantime, we who would be fully conformed to Christ’s image and be transformed and transfigured by Christ’s fullness are to hold fast to the Word of Life and be faithful in the little during the parousia wave of His preparation. Faithfulness in this wave prepares us to be entrusted with the next epipháneia wave of His outpoured Spirit of Might and Power. We remain faithful by embracing the cross, laying down our self-rights and, like the Apostle Paul, daily purpose to know Christ and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2)
If Jesus is our First Love to Whom we daily turn our hearts toward in worship, praise, adoration, and thanksgiving, then we can trust Him to speak to us and help us lay down the temporal and old man nature in exchange for the eternal, new man nature. This daily embrace of the cross-life involves Holy Spirit-led trials and is what permits His Word to become fully anchored within us so that we can be entrusted with the More of God—without being taken out by it. First Love the Word Himself is at the core of an empowered and enabled overcomer who purposes to forever hold fast to Jesus and never deny His name or His Word—even unto death. (Revelation 12:11)
The bride of Jesus Christ, the wife of the Lamb will forever say, “GOD HAS SPOKEN!” and will forever love the Word of God Who is now her eternal husband. In the faith, hope, and love that remain, she is forever one with God through the transformative Word, Jesus Christ and, as a mature son of Heaven Father, is fully indwelt by His Holy Spirit. Never again will fear, doubt, and unbelief tempt this bridal overcomer. Completed by Christ’s outpoured love, she is fully persuaded that God’s Word is true and never to be disobeyed. Her garden of intimacy with Christ is secure and forever impenetrable to the first lie that tempted Eve to disbelieve God’s Word, “Hath God said, ‘You must not…?'” (Genesis 3:1)
When it’s all said and done, Papa’s family is complete. His eternal purpose in creating humanity has, through Christ, reached its fulfillment. As Christ’s eternal witness and body, the wife of the Lamb bears testimony for all eternity of the goodness of God. As His established witness to the true character and nature of the triune Godhead, the eternal wife of Jesus Christ effectively represents God to the entire universe for all eternity. (Ephesians 1:3-14) This is why we must get to intimately KNOW Him—now.