Garden Ministries

By Janet Weaver Smith – 1-8-2012 – ©gardenministries.org
(Authors note: I wrote this article on 1-8-2012 and find it as relevant now as then and am posting it to encourage us in our process of becoming one with Jesus)

How does the world know that we are in complete union with God?
Answer: John 17:21-23, they see and experience the glory of God in and through us.
Does Jesus receive glory through our complete union with Him?
Answer: Yes. John 17:10, “…and the glory has come to me through them.”
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OUR NUMBER ONE PURSUIT AND PASSION IS COMPLETE UNION
The prayer of Jesus in John 17 for complete union with us will be fully answered.
For those of us who want to be called the Bride of Jesus Christ, our life goal is to have the witness of the Holy Spirit in and through us that bears the fruit of complete union with Jesus— The fruit of complete union with God is: dwelling in and delivering the GLORY of the Living God.

Are we in complete union with God yet?
Answer: “more than I was but I know there is more “entering in” available to me.” Philippians 3:10-16

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Galatians 6:7-9 Keep going. Don’t let weariness dull your believing edge.
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“Get Ready” means that we are asking God to pinpoint everything in us that is apart from him and to deal with everything in us that is independent of our full surrender to him as Lord of our life, not just Savior.
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THE PATH TO ENTERING INTO THE GLORY IS VIA HUMILITY: Brokenness Precedes Revelation
The yielding process between God and us occurs in our daily circumstances. God deliberately engages us through daily opportunities that lead us into a state of brokenness—or not. In his faithfulness to our hearts and to his promises, and within the context of the assignments we have accepted from him, God brings us opportunities to grow—or not. These “opportunities” purposely exert greater pressure than our self-will can withstand (usually incubated within a “too-much-with-too-little” environment). This pressure creates a continual need to choose greater dependence on OR greater independence from God. I will continually get to the point where the end of me hits and a series of choices will be presented to continue my assignment and grow—or not.
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THE PATH TO COMPLETE UNION WITH GOD AND THE FIRE OF HIS GLORY
• • • • •
THE GLORY COMES TO THE HUMBLE OF HEART (Titus 2:12-14) THE PROCESS OF BREAKING IS THE PATH OF HUMILITY HOLINESS IS THE FRUIT OF COMPLETE UNION WITH GOD COMPLETE UNION WITH GOD MEANS THAT WE ARE COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON HIM HUMILITY IS COMPLETE DEPENDENCE ON GOD (Andrew Murray, “Humility”)

END OF ME SYMPTOMS –Symptoms Usually Hit Circumstances Surrounding our Assignment
Note: Be Encouraged when “End of Me Symptoms” occur. Breaking point is near.

Phase 1: Venting stage: self-discovery: “self” feels emotional explosions and/or implosions (not wrong) “I can’t do this anymore!” – “I’ve had it!” – “I’m so sick of this!” – “That’s it!” – “I can’t take it anymore!” – “Fill in your own words here _____!”

Phase 2: Venting stage: self-discovery: emotional explosion causes “self” to seek self-solution to problem (still not wrong) “I can’t take it anymore, so I won’t. I quit!” – “I’m not understood and never will be, I’m leaving!” “What’s the use, I don’t seem to fit in here anyway, I’m going to find someplace where I do.” “What’s wrong with me?” – “What’s wrong with these people?” – “Fill in your own words here___”

Phase 3: Decision-making stage (no neutral here, it is time to choose one way or the other):

GREATER DEPENDENCE (humility) OR GREATER INDEPENDENCE (self-will)
Self-Will (resisting God): Incomplete Assignment / Impatient with the Process
BREAKING FAITH—PATH TO SEPARATION: GREATER INDEPENDENCE: Apart from God Prolongs my time in the wilderness. Perpetuates immaturity and denies the glory of complete union.

• Self-will: doesn’t want to ask God and others for help, stops believing God about the assignment, stops or significantly reduces personal resources (time, emotions, money, energy) that engage me with the assignment: examples: showing up at the place, giving to and receiving from others. “Don’t tell me what to do.” “I can handle this. I can do it myself.” “I’m fine.”

• Self-will seeks to “go it alone.” Creates greater independence from God and the body he has called us to and lengthens our endurance process—we stay immature and do not enter into greater union with God as long as we are refusing God’s help to overcome self-will.

• Self-will withdraws by ignoring or rejecting others and by rejecting God’s grace.

• Self-will ultimately says, “I am closing my heart. I don’t trust you God. I will not be vulnerable.”

Humility (embracing the cross-Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:23) Tips to Help us Grow Patient in the Process of Preparation

• Remember the anchor points of your faith. Through humility, we GROW INTO THE GLORY
• Love for God: Obedience, “those who love me will obey me.” (I John 2:5) Love is patient. (I Cor. 13)
• The fire is when the truth of my call to love God and love others hits my self-centeredness
• Religion gets turned into the REAL in the fire of love
• Assignment not over because he hasn’t said that it is.
• Talk to the people who you know God has joined you to in the assignment. Beware of isolation.
• See the opportunity to grow closer to God by turning to him for help in our brokenness and by refusing to act out any self-willed options.
• Engage the language of the garden: “Lord, not my will but your will be done.”
• Dependence/Humility: I acknowledge my powerlessness, my inability to go on this way, I need your help to keep going.
• Ask for the greater grace.
• Ask for the desire to ask for the greater grace to continue in this assignment.
• Recall and review the promises and prophecies over your life: Choose to believe them • Say out loud: Decreeing the promises and prophecies over your life
• Saying yes to Jesus because of who he is sets me free from self.

Janet Weaver Smith © 3-19-16 gardenministries.org

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

It’s not how, or in what condition we come to Jesus, it’s that we come, just as we are. We simply keep coming, fully believing His promise to draw near to us when we draw near to Him. God’s Presence always changes us. He is the Transformer of our hearts. All He asks, is that we come—we come to Him.

The Spirit-filled bride of Revelation 22:17 has learned that all attempts to fix herself and be “good enough” for God before she comes to Him always fail and only keep her from the One who can change her. The bride has learned that no matter what she looks like or feels like, she is to “Come!” This lovesick Bride of Jesus Christ has so learned the secret of continually coming to Jesus, that now she cries out to any and all who would hear her profound revelation, “Come!” and those who are thirsty for the waters of life as she is, will learn from her that they too, can just come. He will respond. He will draw near. He will wash them and give them the free gift everlasting life. Any attempts on her part to “earn” this free gift of cleansing will come to naught. It is free. She must just come.

Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

The great revelation we can expect to have of God when we simply come to Him for His transformative work is this: God is Gracious and His kindness toward us is everlasting (James 5:11). For most of us, the full revelation of God’s gracious nature does not come in fullness all at once, though at times, it can feel very big. For most of us, this revelation of God’s compassionate, merciful kindness comes progressively.

Before we are even capable of realizing God’s kindness and mercy, we are led to the place where we realize how desperate we are for it and how broken we are without it. He is a gentle High Priest and deals ever so tenderly with the human heart. He does not treat us as our sins deserve (Psalm 103:10). We may think that we want all our outward behaviors and inward thoughts dealt with and perfected all at once, but God knows how much of the sword, fire, and hammer of His Word our heart is willing to process and endure. God’s mercy covers us in our brokenness while His grace empowers us to come to Him for change and transformation.

God draws us into an ever-deepening relationship that continually surfaces our “not-yet’s” until we reach an insufferable end to our every self-effort to change them and again, simply “Come!” He is right there, positioned to remove another layer of sin, self, and unbelief from our hearts and replace it with Himself through faith, hope, and love. He is doing two things at once, He is delivering us from the thing itself and all potential for pride that may have taken credit for fixing the problem in our own self-effort.

God sees all of our “not-yet'” imperfections and brokenness and simply asks us to “Come.”

Why do we even struggle with this simple concept? Perhaps we think that it is up to us to make ourselves clean, ready, and good enough for God before we can come to Him. This is not true. When scripture tells us to “clean the inside of our cup,” or “wash our robes and hands,” or “purify ourselves,” or “make ourselves ready,” or “put off the old man and put on the new man,” it does not mean that we have to figure out how to fix ourselves before we can come to Jesus. It’s the opposite.

It means that over and over and over again, we simply come, just as we are, in whatever condition we may be in, and we draw near to our gracious, loving, forgiving, compassionate, and merciful God and expect Him to be true to His Word that promises to transform us into His image and cleanse us as we just keep coming to Jesus. He provides all of the resources of the Way, the Truth, and the Life that frees us.

In our continual coming and depending on Him, we are “cleaning our cup,” we are “purifying and making ourselves ready,” we are “putting to death the earthly nature and thereby ridding ourselves of bad attitudes and behaviors.”

The coming to Him IS the work of yielding that we are asked to do.
The coming IS the yielding and turning to Him.
The coming IS the humbling of self and relying on Him to do the work.
The coming IS the receiving.
The coming IS the cleaning.
The coming IS the “fixing our eyes on Jesus.”
The simple act of coming, over and over again, IS the act of overcoming.

Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Instead of trying to fix ourselves first, every time we turn, set our focused attention on Jesus, and just come, the very faith that makes us pleasing to God and righteous in His eyes is growing and being perfected and is what makes room for Him to fill us with Himself so that we can actually throw off the sins and hindrances. One drives out the other. We cannot function in a vacuum. We must have the greater power of the Holy Spirit drive out the lesser powers of sin and self. Until that happens, we are in process about it.

In the meantime, no religious-looking outside-in fixes will work as a substitute. Since true transformation only comes from the inside-out process of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring and inworking, we do no one a favor pretending to be something we’re not. Jesus rebuked the Pharisee’s for trying to “polish the outside of the cup” through their self-righteous performance-oriented religious system that boasted in outwardly, good-looking forms of godliness but fostered hypocrisy and injustice. Their outside-in approach denied the real power of inner transformation that only comes from intimate dependence on the Living God, not on a system about Him (Matthew 23:25-28).

Since only God can truly change a willing human heart, the workaround of the outside-in approach seeks to change outward behavior through rule keeping without first dealing with the inward condition of the heart. Success and failure within this structure has nothing to do with inward transformation nor does it bear the lasting fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Paul purposed to press in to fully know Christ and become like Him (Philippians 3) and described “maturity” as simply being filled with the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). Paul’s process toward this maturity involved being utterly stripped of everything that qualified him for human and religious approval in order to gain true righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. Toward the end of his life, when Paul was the most spiritually “mature,” he had a robust realization of God’s utter graciousness and mercy when he referred to himself as the worst of all sinners whom Christ came into the world to save (1 Timothy 1:14-16).

Excerpt from the article: GOD’S FACE: SIÓNÉ – SPIRITUAL ZION – Entering the 7th Day Rest
Entering the state of Spiritual Zion or Sion is to seek and find God’s face. To “find” God’s face means that we fully enter into His Living Presence. Thus, seeking and finding the face of God is equivalent to entering the Presence of God. In His utter graciousness, Our God, Who is Light and lives in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16, 1 John 1:5), has provided a way for us to be so close to Him that we are literally face to face with Him! But we have to want to be that close to Him. That is why He has asked His children to diligently seek His face. We must show desire for Him and invite Him to lead us into the processes that prepare us to fully enter into His Presence and become filled by Him in His glory.

We must “Come!”

The Overcomer’s Witness Protection Program
Janet Weaver Smith ©3-9-16 gardenministries.org

Hebrews 11:35b, 39-40 …There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better (Greek: kreittón or kreissón) resurrection. These were all commended (Greek: martureó) for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better (Greek: kreittón or kreissón) for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect (Greek: teleioó).

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded (Greek: perikeimai) by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

Revelation 12:11 They overcame (Greek: nikaó) him [satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony (Greek: marturia); they did not love their lives (Greek: psuché) so much as to shrink from death.

6 Key Greek words help us understand the role of those who have gone before and those who are still alive in the earth that we call the champions of the faith, or the Witnesses.

1. Kreittón or kreissón: better, stronger, more excellent, mastery, dominance.
2. Teleioó: as a course, a race, or the like: I complete, finish, reaching the end-stage, i.e. working through the entire process (stages) to reach the final phase (conclusion). This root (tel-) means “reaching the end (aim).” It is well-illustrated with the old pirate’s telescope, unfolding (extending out) one stage at a time to function at full-strength (capacity effectiveness).
3. Martureó or marturia: I witness, bear witness, give evidence, testify, give a good report, commended, witness, evidence, testimony, reputation.
4. Perikeimai: surround; I am encompassed, surrounded, or clothed with, am in submission to.
5. Nikaó: I conquer, am victorious, overcome, prevail, subdue.
6. Psuché: the soul, life, self.

Witnesses are overcomers. They are those who not only accept Christ’s forgiveness from sin, they also make daily choices to run an intense race of shedding self-centered temporal gain in favor of winning the prize of being filled to the fullness of Christ Himself. Having let go of all other lesser love’s, overcomers relentlessly seek the Face of God and being filled with the fullness of His Divine Presence is their great reward.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that (1.) he exists and that (2.) he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 12: 22-23 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect (“only together with us, would they be made perfect” see Hebrews 11:40).

The messages to the 7 churches in Revelation 2 and 3 specifically call for the church to overcome certain spiritual evils and then describes the rich rewards that will be awarded those who overcome. These are they who will fully participate in the eternal purposes of God. Thus, it is important to understand the eternal purpose of God in creating man in the first place.

Terry Bennett (https://store.messengersofshiloh.com/store/product/within-the-circle-of-the-throne/) has given the body of Christ important revelation on this subject in his “Within the Circle of the Throne” series. In short, Terry teaches us that the eternal intent of God in creating man is for representation. A representative is another term for witness. Those overcomers who finish their race are those who will represent or be witnesses of God Himself to all creation throughout the entire universe for all eternity!

1 Timothy 6:15b-16 …God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. 1 John 1:5 …God is light;

Terry Bennett teaches that due to the unapproachable nature and essence of God’s eternal existence, the council of the Godhead entered into counsel and purposed to create an order of beings and a throne room from which to govern them and their habitation. In order to become approachable to these created beings, God must make an image—or representative—of Himself. He did this when it was decided in the Council of the Godhead to form the Man—who is the Word of God, the Son of God, and who would also come into humanity and become the Son of Man. The Representative Word of God/Son of God created and made all of creation (John 1:1-4).

Human beings are the only created beings who were designed for representation of God and were “created in the image of God.” (Genesis 1:27) The first image of God is the Son and then in the Son, is His body, who consist of created human beings who bear the image of God in and through the Son. In order to fully bear the image of God, one must enter into union with Him and thus, become like Him. The only way to become one with God, is to allow Him to fully conform them to the image of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:29-30 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

The eternal intent of God is to have fully glorified human representatives or witnesses of Himself in the earth who testify of the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness to all creation forever. In order to become fully glorified, one must become fully conformed to Christ’s image and transformed into His nature, filled to the fullness by the Holy Spirit and be shining lamps, or witnesses of the Living God wherever they go.

The overcomers who have gone before us are “made perfect” together with the Last Day’s saints. These faithful witnesses are very motivated to see us complete our race because, like our forerunner Jesus has fully entered and occupies the Holy of Holies, we too, together in Christ, will become fully manifested family members of the Romans 8:29-30 Church of the firstborn. These are they who fully occupy Spiritual Zion and are made one with the Godhead, just as Jesus prayed in John 17. (See article: “GOD’S FACE: SIÓNÉ – SPIRITUAL ZION”)

We can interact with those who have gone on before and are now surrounding us in the Spirit. Just as we may encounter angels, we may encounter humans who are from the Hebrews 12:1 Cloud of Witnesses. Their testimony serves as a protection of God’s family, thus the title “Witness Protection Program.” These witnesses are engaged in helping those of us, who are alive in the earth today, run our race and finish strong like they did. They are very much alive and God is the God of the living, not the dead. These witnesses learned much in their overcoming process and can help teach us what we need to overcome. Their testimony of faithfulness, their stories of learning faith, hope, and love are precious to the Lord and He is not ashamed to call them His family or share the glory of their story with us.

I have encountered the ultimate Witness, who is Jesus! And I have also encountered at least 7 other witnesses: the Apostle John (the Revelator), the Apostle Paul, Anna Ziese—a missionary to China, LaVerne (my mother), Elijah, Moses, and King David. Each encounter was unique and never the same as the other. Some encounters happened in person while I was awake and some encounters happened as I slept. Some included an exchange of conversation and some did not.

Encounters like these have imparted greater strength for me to endure. I learned from their testimony, how to fix my eyes on Jesus and throw off sin that hinders. The dynamic family-of-God connection that I felt with them assured me that I am not alone and imparted new energy to run my race with perseverance (Hebrews 12:1-2).

These witnesses can expound upon the revelation they have gained of Jesus and help us better understand God’s Word. Whatever revelation our generation of bridal overcomers lays hold of, those who have gone before us get to feast upon! If the angels long to look into these things, so do those from the cloud. It’s so beautiful how we all work together as God perfects His family in Christ and fills us with Himself—making us ready representatives of His divine nature for all eternity to all of His creation (2 Peter 1:4, Ephesians 2:6-7). What a gift of grace and love!

Entering the 7th Day Rest

Janet Smith © 3-2-16, edited 10-10-19 gardenministries.org

SIÓNÉ means “God is gracious.” The English variant of this name is John, Sean, Jane, etc. In Psalm 27:7-8, David cries out to the Lord, asking Him to be gracious to him by showing His face. To enter spiritual Zion or Sion is to seek and find God’s face. To seek face time with God means we seek God for who He is more than what He will do for us. Above all else, our prayerful cry is to intimately know God and dwell in the restful sanctuary of His great and mighty Presence. This is David’s secret and why God’s pleasure rested on him. David was a man after God’s own heart.

Psalm 27:7-8 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, and be gracious to me and answer me. 8 When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”

Isaiah 30:18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Our God, Who exists as unapproachable Light (1 Timothy 6:16, 1 John 1:5) has graciously provided a way for us to abide close to Him—so close we can see His face and not die. This gracious provision has come through Christ’s living sacrifice that carries us into the Presence as we are hidden in Christ. But we must want that closeness. We are instructed to diligently seek His face, so there is our response to consider.

Psalm 24:3-8 Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. 5 They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob. 7 Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

The old saying, “you’re so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good,” is a lie. In fact, the more heavenly-minded a believer in Christ Jesus is, the more earthly good they will do. We are living in a time when the end of this age has finally come and the millennial reign of Jesus Christ is upon us. We are in the very transition zone between two ages—the church age is over and the kingdom age has begun.

Those who are willing are being prepared to receive the King of kings in His progressive, 3-fold arrival. Going from glory to glory, each wave of Christ’s transformative, invisible, one-on-one encounters with us, prepares us for His final and visible coming. When He comes to take us up with Him, we are ready to serve Him as His royal, priestly agents—or witnesses—who rule and reign with Him for all eternity.

We see these waves of His invisible and private encounters expressed in the Greek word, “Parousia,” which comes as the manifested Word of God that separates and purifies us (Matthew 24:36-51). Another wave of the Lord coming TO us, before He comes FOR us, is expressed in the Greek word, “Epiphaneia.” This word describes the Lord’s dawning and shining, sanctifying Presence that glorifies us (2 Timothy 1:9-10, 1 Timothy 6:14-16).

This Parousia and Epiphania process prepares us for the final Apokalupsis, which means “unveiling.” The Apokalupsis of Jesus Christ is the fully visible unveiling of Jesus when He comes for His people. It is the result of a culmination of first two waves preparing His overcoming bride to enter into  matured sonship and experience the Resurrection Power of His life that swallows up death forever (Romans 8:18-21, Revelation 1:1, 1 Corinthians 1:7-8).

King David prophetically saw our day and the millennial age to come and wholeheartedly sought the Lord to fully enter into His Presence. Even under the Old Covenant, David set his sights on Zion and built the Tabernacle of David. These keys of David are used to open heaven and to keep it open. No one can close these doors. God rewarded David’s diligence to seek His face and dwell in union with Him by giving Him His Presence. Throughout history, many have sought the Lord as David did and now, at the end of the age, we enter the 7th Day rest together and enjoy the full reward of God’s gracious gift—His Presence.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

My husband George was shown in a night encounter with God that the key that opens the Door that Jesus is knocking on is called, “the A.S.K. key.” We are to Ask-Seek-Knock until the door opens. This pursuit of God represents a heart of longing and desire. We are pursuing God!

Hebrews 6:17-20 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Spiritual Zion represents the state in which the overcoming believer in Jesus has fully followed their anchored hope (i.e., Christ) through the veil of separation and has become fully conformed unto the image of Jesus Christ going from glory to glory. Spiritual Zion is the state in which an overcoming believer has entered the Holy of Holies and is on heavenly ground, though they are still on earth. Heaven and earth have merged in these overcoming temples within whom our heavenly God graciously dwells in the earth in His people. Living stones manifest the living God in His glory and act as His transformed representatives—or witnesses—in the earth, leading many to righteousness (Daniel 12:3, 2 Corinthians 4:6).

Hebrews 12:22-24 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Spiritual Zion (Hebrews 12:22) all refer to the same concepts found in this list of metaphors: The Temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19, Eph. 2:22) = The House (Bethel) of God (Haggai 2) = The Mountain of God (Micah 4) = The House of Prayer for all Nations (Isaiah 56:7) = The Parousia Presence of God (Matthew 24:36-51) = Open Door to Heaven (John 1:50-51, Revelation 4:1, Genesis 28:12-17) = City of Refuge (Joel 3:17, Obadiah 1:17-21) = Dwelling Place of God (Revelation 21:3, Ephesians 2:21-22) = New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2) = Married Bride & Bridegroom (Revelation 21:9-10) = Tabernacle of David (Acts 15:16-17) = Glory of God (Haggai 2:9) = Light of God (Revelation 22:1-5) = Holy of Holies (Hebrews 10:19-22) = Church of the first born (Hebrews 12:23).

The fulfilled bride carries out the will of her Bridegroom King Jesus on earth as His agents and witnesses of Divine Love. What heaven has known now fully manifests in the bride of Jesus Christ in the earth. The heavens will witness this change and rejoice! These Christ-like witnesses will testify to God’s eternal goodness and love throughout His universal creation forever. The Faithful Witness of Jesus Christ bears witness to the eternal nature of God through a pure and spotless bridal company of witnesses who rule and reign in His name forever.

The exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt was to ultimately lead them to Zion. Our present day exodus is taking us out of worldly incompleteness and into God’s dwelling place of completion—fully transformed and clothed in Christ’s glory. Forerunners are expected to reveal the first fruits of this truth. God prepares and sends forerunners ahead of what He is about to do on a larger scale. These forerunners are the tip of the spear whom God uses to pierce through the veil of darkness and corruption and open up zones throughout middle heaven.

These openings, or zones, are spiritual gates to Zion (God’s Presence) that lay a path upon which the Lord of Glory enters, releases Himself, and blesses us with His Presence. Heavenly eternal Life Himself comes to earth and earth gloriously responds and reveals His nature. (Isaiah 40:5, Revelation 21:1-7)

2 Chronicles 7:14-15 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

Houses of Prayer for All Nations that seek God’s Face and host His Presence provide a place for these gates to function: Isaiah 56:6-7 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant—7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

The bulk of those Israelites who left Egypt in pursuit of the Promised Land and Zion never let go of their self-centered focus. They groaned and complained their way through the wilderness until they died—never entering God’s promises and rest. Those today who would seek and find God’s face and enter into His Presence will only do so if we quit our propensity to focus on ourselves; groaning, complaining, and whining about our unique cleansing and purifying processes.

When the pressure of opposition hits and depressing circumstances loom, instead of turning inward in self-pity, we can deliberately turn to God and thank Him for sending us customized circumstances to better trust Him. Trust is essential to entering His Presence. In seeking His face, trust is the fruit of our faith which we purchase as the gold refined by fire (Revelation 3:18). Every time we purpose to turn and worship God with a thankful heart in the midst of opposition, injustice, and trials, we are exercising Trust and growing in our faith, hope, and love.

Meditating on God’s word is an important way to seek God’s face. His living and active word is often how He comes to us in His Parousia Presence. The Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus illuminates His word in us and soon we see how His Epiphaneia dawning and shining Presence increases in and through us. One day, His Apokalupsis Presence will demonstrate His mature Sonship and Resurrection Power in us in undeniable ways.

Our hope in God’s fulfilled word is how we enter and access our High Priest Jesus who stands in the Holy of Holies beyond the veil. When we choose to turn and trust Him instead of sulking in self-pity, we are remembering SIÓNÉ! We are believing that God is gracious and is our only true Answer. We are refusing to stay stuck in our own ways (…which aren’t working anyway) by turning to God and trusting that His ways are higher and better than ours. Whining, complaining, disobedient children are choosing unbelief and as such, are unable to enter into His rest because they do not want to (Hebrews 4).

Each time we refuse to turn inward in self-focus and instead turn upward and exercise faith and hope in God’s Word, the veil of darkness in middle heaven thins and separates before our ascending faith. One day, the veil will be torn asunder. The places where the middle-heaven veil is torn will experience an open heaven—an opened gate of spiritual Zion. These heavenly gates, when opened, release divine exchanges of the glory of God between heaven and earth. As vessels of hope in the last days, we will literally carry the glory of God to the nations and live in Cities of Refuge where the full Presence, i.e., the Face of God dwells and we will minister to Him in Houses of Prayer for All Nations throughout the earth (Colossians 1:27).

Exodus 33:14-18 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” 17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” God rewards Moses for pursuing His face and for becoming His friend.

The apostle John, whose name is the same as SIÓNÉ, meaning: “God is gracious,” has the last word about his own personal witness of God’s face (Revelation 22:4, 8) In his closing benediction, John calls upon the Face of grace to be with God’s people. Revelation 22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.
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Note: In speaking of a spiritual Zion in this article, it does not mean that it replaces literal Zion. We do not believe in Replacement theology (also known as supersessionism). This theology teaches that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan and that the Jews are no longer God’s chosen people, that God does not have specific future plans for the nation of Israel. We believe that there are two harvests of the believing remnant. One harvest comes in the time of the Gentiles and one harvest comes in the time of God’s revelation of Jesus to literal Israel (Romans 11). The end of the age will see two great revivals: one in “spiritual Zion,” which consists of all overcoming ethnicities who believe in Jesus Christ and who constitute His church and one in “physical-literal Zion,” which occurs after “the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled,” and consists of Hebrews who see the truth of who Jesus is and become believers in Him as their Messiah.

Janet Smith © 1-22-16 edited 11-13-19 gardenministries.org

The 4 Living Creatures are representative of the government of God which consists of 3 branches and manifests in a 3-in-1 relationship. The face of the lion represents the branch of the King. The face of the flying eagle represents the branch of the Prophet and the face of the ox represents the branch of the Priesthood. All three of these branches are manifested in the face of the man, who is fully represented in Jesus Christ and His body.

This same governmental setup is what served as the backdrop for the setup of the American government: Prophet (Judicial Branch), Priest (Legislative Branch), and King (Executive Branch); representing the people (Man).

God has prophetically promised to restore the “Prophets, Priests, and Kings” governmental structure in the earth. This article focuses on the Priesthood component of that structure.

In the government of God, the priesthood’s main function and purpose is to minister to the Lord of Glory in response to His initiation, leading, and Lordship as our Great High Priest. The church-age ministry of the priesthood comes to us through Jesus Christ Who is from the Hebrews 7 priestly order of Melchizedek. This priesthood is ethnically non-exclusive within the human race (Hebrews 7:3 “without genealogy,” meaning without genetic and ethnic exclusivity such as the Hebrew Aaronic-Levite priesthood).

1 Peter 2:9 describes this priesthood as a holy nation set apart unto God as His own possession with a specific function; to declare His praises: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

The submissive and responsive priestly heart requires sensitivity to discern the will of God and to instantly obey the Holy Spirit in all things and in all His ways. Interaction between the priestly nation and their God is one of union and ministerial pleasure.

Psalm 133 eloquently describes the priestly blessing upon the body of believers: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! 2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. 3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”

This glorious union and interaction between God and His priestly temple in the earth is the manifestation of heaven-on-earth, glory-come-down dwelling and habitation of God! (Exodus 25:8, John 1:14, Revelation 21:3, Zechariah 2:10, Psalm 132:13-14, Ephesians 2:19-22)

The vigorous and oftentimes grueling process of becoming fully yielded to Jesus will continue until His priestly bride is fully surrendered and mature. Once she has made herself ready to marry Him, she can be filled with His fullness and walk in His glory.

We are created for Jesus, not the other way around. He first chose us. We did not choose Him. He first loved us and asks us to respond and make Him our First Love. This idea that we are, on any level, in charge of ourselves more than God is in charge of us must go undergo the complete work of the cross. He’s in charge. And His ways are not our ways. Humility is the complete realization and deep appreciation of this truth.

Hebrews 12:1-14 connects Father God’s discipline with love and holiness. The first 13 verses tell us to appreciate God’s discipline and then verse 14 follows with the connection between discipline, peace, and holiness.

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

The Father’s loving discipline is what works His humility into us. Humility is the highest virtue by which God’s holiness gets into us, whereby His glory can then rest within us. By trusting and receiving God’s love through His discipline, we receive His humility, which opens the door to His holiness, and that is where His glory enters us. Humility, holiness, love, and the glory—they all go together. Without holiness and humility, we cannot see God, receive His transformative love, and be transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

The key to sustaining His Presence understands the importance of the initiation and response protocols of heaven:

He invites us to come.
We come.
He asks us to wait.
We wait.
He reveals.
We receive.
He asks us to obey.
We obey.
He helps and blesses those who obey.
We release praise and thanksgiving back to Him.
He releases loving discipline and trains us.
We respond and say yes to His leadership—He’s in charge!
The Veil lifts. He reveals Himself.
We become more like Him.

As a Romans 12:1 living sacrifice, the priesthood chooses to daily yield and respond to God’s invitations to come and minister to His heart. We sacrifice our rights and compulsions to do our own thing and set apart time and energy to give to Jesus. We come. We wait. We receive. We obey. We release our worship and praise. The veil lifts. We see more of Jesus. We are changed to be more like Him.

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Gentleness is at the heart of our High Priest and King Jesus. He is able to deal gently with those who respond and come to Him.

Hebrews 5:1-4 “Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.”

Janet Weaver Smith © 9-26-2015 gardenministries.org

We have been invited, chosen, and prepared to be an integral part of God’s execution of His end-time plans and purposes in the earth. Just like Daniel, we too can study the end-time prophecies of Scripture, ask to enter the Revelation 4:1 open Throne Room door and, like Daniel and John and Ezekiel, we can be shown from heaven’s perspective, how to pray and release God’s divine purposes in the earth. By entering into Throne Room intercession and praise, we are directly participating in and releasing on the earth in our time, the prophecies of ages past that we have found in scripture. In some cases, like Daniel and Esther, we will literally be saving people’s lives because of our prayers, and in other cases, we will see the impact of God’s judgments lessened in certain places in the earth.

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

In praying like Daniel, we are not seeking to stop what is prophesied that “must be.” We are, however, praying for people to receive the grace and divine awareness of God’s truth so that they can “reposition” themselves and align correctly with God and His Word, and thus, lessen the impact of how they experience the released judgments of God against the enemy. The less we have of the world, the flesh, and the devil in us, the less there will be in us that will be judged by God with appropriate consequences for rejecting Him. Aligning with God’s Word is our sure protection. God’s mercy always has precedence and place throughout His judgments and we are a part of releasing that “repositioning” opportunity in the earth through our prayers and by shifting the spiritual environment through praise and worship of the Lamb, Jesus.

Our Sovereign God has chosen to release His authority in the earth to a people He has prepared and anointed to pray and petition Him about His heart and desire for the nations. There is a Sovereign Head. And there is a Team that He heads up! Amazingly, the God of the universe has chosen to move in response to His sovereign vessel’s prophetic prayers and petitions. These end time servants, who know their God, and know the times and seasons, are constantly searching the scriptures and are engaging in Throne Room prayer, establishing heaven’s Golden Altar on earth, as it is in heaven.

Revelation 8:1-5 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

Psalm 141:2 May my prayer be set before You like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

Daniel 9:2-3, 17-18 … in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. … 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. … 17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name.

When the Golden Altar is filled with the prayers of the saints, heaven makes a contribution of “much incense” that combines with these prayers and then an angel prepares it all to “go up in smoke” to God. It should be noted that “much incense” implies that there is “much prayer” that fills the Golden Altar. And until it is full, not-good-stuff [i.e. much evil] will be allowed to happen because we are not engaged in our place of prophetically inspired, of-one-heart, personal and corporate prayer. Once this incense/prayer offering finally finishes and goes up to God, then we see in scripture how good things begin to happen. This is when the Ancient of Days responds and sits down and rules on behalf of the saints (Daniel 7:21-22) and the judgments of God against “the horn” (the murderous spirit of antichrist) that is destroying God’s people will be swiftly dealt.

Revelation 13:7 It [the beast] was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.

Daniel 12:1 At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people everyone whose name is found written in the book [not just Israel] will be delivered.

Daniel 7:21-22 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.

This divine intervention by the Ancient of Days reconciles the apparent contradiction of Revelation 13:7 with Daniel 12:1. For a time, bad stuff happens (Revelation 13:7) but then it is stopped in certain places (Daniel 7:22 & 12:1) because the Golden Altar prayer-and-incense offering has been completed, the Ancient of Days has responded to His people’s fervent cries (even Jesus had to cry out!), and justice against the enemy has been swiftly dealt. What seemed to be going in a very bad direction has stopped, and is now reversed because Daniel assures us that a time comes “when the saints possess the kingdom!” Just like Daniel’s prayers affected outcomes and released global revelation, our engaged Throne Room prayers and worship have direct cause and effect! James 5:16 confirms that effective, fervent prayer of faith-filled, righteous people has great impact.

Now when we read the sequence of events described by Jesus in Matthew 24, they make more sense because He told us about all of this stuff and said, “Don’t be alarmed by it!” When we are tuned in the heavenly counsels within the Throne Room’s Golden Altar intercession and worship, we will prophetically see much of it before it happens and be sent as witnesses of the Gospel of hope to the nations right in the midst of all of the chaos, fully empowered in God’s love. Isaiah 43.

Haggai’s prophetic promise is another end-time scripture to activate as we engage in Throne Room, Golden Altar harp-and-bowl worship and prayer. This beautiful prophecy belongs to our generation to personally and corporately take responsibility for it, and to actively and aggressively believe and pray for its fulfillment!

Haggai 2’s message was addressed to three “types”: 1.) Zerubbabel 2.) Joshua 3.) The Remnant. Zerubbabel symbolizes the apostolic kings who are anointed to build the end-time House of God as wise master builders with plumb line revelation. Joshua represents the Golden Altar high priestly worship and prayer anointing. The Remnant represents the end-time prophetic bride of Christ who sees through the eyes of the LORD and serves Him faithfully as His kings and priests unto God. Together, these three “types” form the capstone that finishes the bridal Mountain of God. Zechariah 4:10 “For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel, these are the eyes of the LORD which range to and fro throughout the earth.” Zecharaiah 4:7 tell us what Zerubbabel brings to the building process, “What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!'”

Haggai 2:1-9 …on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 2 “Speak to Zerubbabel … governor of Judah, to Joshua … the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua … high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 5 ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.‘ [i.e., do not fear the shaking!] 6 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, ‘ says the LORD Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace, ‘ declares the LORD Almighty.”

Mountains in scripture can symbolize kingdom authority and cultural influence. The Zechariah 4 capstone is the top of the Mountain of God. This Mountain rises above all other mountain’s as the Micah 4 governmental center of the world from which Jesus and His bride rule and reign together. The capstone on this mountain is now being placed in our generation! Fulfilling Jesus’ prayer in John 17 for complete union, this glorious remnant forms the Bride-and-Bridegroom capstone in which the Psalm 24:1 / Micah 4:1 “Mountain of the House of the Lord” is completed and makes way for Father God to come and dwell in His house with His people and grant them peace. You, the Bride of Jesus Christ, are the set-apart remnant called to work to this end. The Cloud of Witnesses are pouring into the earth to actively witness this crowning day. Will you perceive them?

1 Peter 2:9 tells us why a royal priesthood is formed and chosen. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” We are chosen to offer up heaven-on-earth, one-with-Jesus, Golden Altar praise and prayer to the One who called us out of darkness (Who extracted a remnant) … into His wonderful light.

This is not a time to procrastinate, be lazy or self-centered. Our assigned angels are ready to get to work and fight the greatest battle of all time right along our side. This is the time for the REMNANT to RISE AND SHINE and get to work.

Let’s enter the Revelation 4:1 Throne Room door and fill the Golden Altar with our prayers and praise and stop evil. Let’s join the great worship scene of heaven and build a house on earth for Father that He’s excited to come and fill with His glory!

Janet Weaver Smith ©gardenministries.org –  June 25, 2015

In my article entitled, A Faithful Bride for the Faithful Bridegroom, I describe Phase 1 and 2 of the believers walk with Christ. In this article, I introduce Phase 3.

The 3 phases of relationship with Jesus are as follows:
PHASE 1.) THE EVENT of SALVATION = Eternal LIFE
PHASE 2.) THE PROCESS of SANCTIFICATION through SURRENDER = Eternal GLORY
PHASE 3.) THE BEGINNING OF THE END = Fullness in Christ. The blameless, spotless bride.

In Phase 1, a person has accepted and come to know Jesus as their Savior.
In Phase 2, a person has entered into the process of sanctification and surrender to know Jesus as their LORD.
In Phase 3, a person has continued through Phases 1 and 2 and now comes to know Jesus as their Bridegroom-King.

Phase 3 marks the culmination of Phases 1 and 2 and happens as our spirit, in surrendered partnership with the Holy Spirit, peaks and groans under the burden of life itself; crying out for perseverance to finish its work and to be filled to the fullness of Christ that Ephesians 4:13, Colossians 2:9-10 promises.

Phase 3 is the time when we confront the last enemy, which is death (1 Cor. 15:16) by overcoming the fear of death that Hebrews 2:15 describes as a lifelong “slavery.” We are “crossing through the valley of the shadow of death and fearing no evil,” (Psalm 23:4) and we are overcoming [satan] by the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony; and we do not love our lives so much as to shrink from death. (Revelation 12:11)

In Phase 3, we have accepted the call of God on our life. When tested, we stand firm in the faith by believing His word and promises. We have passed through the Romans 8:30 bridal process of being called, and justified, and now, we are about to become “glorified.” Jesus Himself modeled this process for us before He died so, like Him, and in and through Him, we too can attain by His grace what he modeled for us even before we die.

The Matthew 17:2 transfiguration and subsequent interaction with the Cloud of Witnesses is available to Christ’s overcomers on this side of eternity. If we hold fast to the word of life and patiently endure the intense bridal preparation process, we will enter the state of fullness, which is union with Christ Himself, and experience the light of God as we become one with Him on this side of eternity! Like Jesus, though we are not yet in our final resurrected bodies, we can be transfigured though not fully changed into the final resurrected state. The parousia presence of God fill us as He comes to us before He comes for us. (For more on the parousia, see my article: The Spirit of Might and Power – The Fullness of Christ)

In Phase 3, the believer is entering the stage of transition into a complete new-man rebirth. They are crossing over into the fullness of Christ and are experiencing the climatic end juxtaposed by the intense groanings of their dying flesh and the Spirit’s emerging new life. And yet, the greater grace to endure and complete this phase is always available and dispensed upon request. The process of sanctification is almost done and the pure and spotless, glorified bride emerges.

Supporting Scriptures:

2 Corinthians 5:1-7, Philippians 2:15, 2 Peter 3, Daniel 12:3, 2 Peter 1:19, Matthew 13:43, Romans 8:11, Romans 8:18-23, Romans 8:30

2 Timothy 2:10-13 describes the first 2 phases: For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the [Phase 1.] salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it [Phase 2.] eternal glory. 11 It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; 13If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

Janet Weaver Smith 9-4-2015 gardenministries.org

Not only are encounters with the Cloud of Witnesses possible, they can be so inspiring that we are moved to throw off everything that may be slowing us down. Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The word “surrounded” in Greek is: perikeimai (pronounced per-ik’-i-mahee) and its expanded meaning is: “I am encompassed, surrounded, or clothed with, am in submission to.” Hebrews 12:1-3 tells us that we are actually “wearing the testimony” of those who have gone before us like clothes. Thus, the Ephesians 5:21 mutual submission of the body of Christ extends to and includes these from heaven, as well as those in the body of Christ who we are in relationship with on earth. We are all working together—literally!

Hebrews 11:40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they [the Cloud of Witnesses] be made perfect. In these last days, together with the Cloud of Witnesses, we will be made perfect (Greek: teleios completed). Our process of finishing well is combined into and with their well-run race. Together, by faith, we will be interacting on heavenly ground as it invades our earthly existence. That means that like Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, we too can expect to encounter those who are in the Cloud of Witnesses.

But what might be the purpose of these encounters? We need to acclimate toward a more heavenly-minded lifestyle and to know our supernatural God who promises that “no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love Him.” (2 Cor. 2:9) In Hebrews 12:22, Paul teaches us to expect to “come to” heavenly ground and have supernatural experiences with God with joyful expectation. He contrasted the Old Mountain of Fear to the New Mountain of Joy and described all of the heavenly encounters we can expect to “come to.”

Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

In these last days, God is sharing with us His testimony of faithfulness in and through His saints of old as our encouragement and joy. God is the God of the living, not the dead. These saints are alive. And some never actually died. And whether they died or never died, like Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, both “types” can appear in person for our encouragement. They can wear cloaks of invisibility and appear exclusively to one person and not others or they can appear to groups. It depends on the assignment.

No encounter surpasses those with Jesus Himself, however, I cannot deny the good fruit that has come from my encounters with the Cloud of Witnesses. For example, to my surprise, I encountered in person, someone whom I believe to be the Apostle John. It happened on 7-21-2001, at a Contemplative Prayer Conference in Kansas City, MO. At the time, I did not realize that such a thing was even possible and besides telling the ladies I was with about it, I mostly kept it to myself. 14 years or so later, I encountered a relatively unknown missionary to China named Anna Ziese in a grocery store parking lot. I saw her years earlier in a dream where Jesus showed me the transition between her generation and mine. My encounter with them provoked me to ask God why they appeared to me and I learned His message in that creative way.

Then I encountered and talked with the Apostle Paul in a deeply reverent “live-chat” as he tangibly ministered to me in a dream-vision-trance on Mother’s Day, 2015. I also saw in a dream, my own Mom come out of heaven and down to speak to a church group that she had been a part of most of her life. As she spoke, the white smoke of God’s glory came out of her mouth. She warned us of a demonic entity that was releasing a “demonic anointing” on young women and was channeling through the pop performer named Beyoncé.

And not only do the Cloud of Witnesses enjoy interactions with us and have divine purpose in doing so, the angelic realm will become more and more visible and interactive with us as well. Our angels enjoy meeting up with each other and with us. They look forward to our times of koinonia fellowship as much as we do!

The purpose of these encounters is to receive impartations, wisdom and revelation, understanding, and encouragement from what these saints learned and developed in their love relationship with Jesus when they walked the earth. Hebrews 2:12 tells us that Jesus Himself declares their name to His brothers and sister [in heaven and on earth] and in the assembly [on earth and in heaven] He even sings their praises.

Ask the Lord Jesus yourself whether these encounters are real and if you are to receive them. Let Him bear witness to your heart about the matter and then let Him take it from there. It is not something we can make happen, but we can open our heart by faith to its possibility and thus, enter into it as He leads and chooses by His Spirit.

Janet Weaver Smith and George Smith ©9-4-2015 gardenministries.org

The road toward complete dependence on God and trust in Him may include any or all of the harsh conditions Paul described in 1 Corinthians 4:11-12. For those of us who must have Christ fully formed within and who are relentlessly pressing toward the goal of winning the prize of our heavenward call, God is dealing with the last vestiges of unbelief and fear. Ironically, it is hardship that “tells on us.” When hardship hits, our response reveals how much we trust and hope in God and His goodness, or don’t.

When the storms of hardship begin to whip up around us, we cannot let them distract us from our fervent goal of completeness and union with Christ. All the more, hardship is the time to press in and fix our eyes on the Author of our faith—Christ Jesus—and let Him perfect us as we continue to believe Him. We can actually use these very hardships and shocking events to our advantage by letting them drive us deeper into Jesus.

When shocking events began to unfold, like Job, our first reaction should be to bow before the Lord in worship and thanksgiving, declaring that God is good, not because we are acting all fake and religious, but because we have learned along the way that when hardships occur, we actually want to turn to God and dive into His deep, not detach and turn away from Him in offense. In our season of preparation, God has changed our hearts to be like Jesus who always entrusted Himself to Father.

Thus, that which we “speak” about God’s word, we have come to intimately know as truth and so it will holds us when the storms blow. That is why God often speaks His word to us before the storm comes and then gives us time to believe it so that it works within us an intimate, knowing belief in who He is. When hardships come, this “knowing” place with God instantly activates and empowers us to take refuge in Him because we have learned to love and trust Him in all circumstances. And this is how we have come to know Him; we know, believe, and obey His living and active word.

Ephesians 6:13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

True love and devotion for Jesus is and will be the only thing that holds us when we are opposed. No human compassion or love can hold us in what is coming in the earth. The revelation that we are about to begin seeing is how much God personally and intimately loves each one of us.

Jesus is going to begin to reveal to each individual the true Bridegroom heart—His intimate passionate longing for me as an individual… and who I am in what He has assigned me to be within His body. When we begin to get that revelation—the empowered knowing of how much Jesus loves individually us—we will be, by the Holy Spirit, empowered to respond back to Him with an equal love. But it will never be human love; it can only be divine love. God loves God. Jesus came and made the way for God to literally be put in us so that Father could love us and show it and have a relationship with us that reveals the truth of our Father’s love.

It is a great mystery in the Throne Room of Father; how it is all about Him, beginning to end, yet He has chosen to take it “being all about Him” and make it all about us. But in making it all about us, we are freed by the Spirit to give it back and make it all about Him. That’s intimacy. That is a truly interactive, intimate relationship. Because as much as I sit and long for Jesus, it’s such a pale shadow of His longing—His waiting for me to want Him the same way He wants me. We do not have the capacity in our own human physiology to generate that kind of love so He put His love in us by the Holy Spirit so that we can love God with the Love of God so that we can partake of God’s love for God in us.

Janet Weaver Smith © 8-11-2015 gardenministries.org

Revelation 10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.” …

8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.'” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”

Ezekiel 3:1 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

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What is this scroll or open book? What are the 7 Thunders and why did they need to be “sealed up” and remain undisclosed until the end of the age? I propose that the 7 Thunders are bridal in nature and thus, their intimate nature, and what they impart are sealed up in this book until the bride is ready to receive them. I propose that this 7 Thunders revelation begins to happen when the Revelation 8:1 7th seal is opened. The Apostle John is a bride-type. As such, he is the one who took the now open book that was sealed, which means that both he and the end-time bride of Christ are ready to receive what the 7 Thunders are about to declare and impart. These impartations release the necessary changes for the bride to carry out her Romans 8:19 calling of manifest sonship and her 2-witnesses-empowered assignments in the earth. This ready bride can receive the release of the 7 Thunders because the Holy Spirit has made her ready for Jesus. Empowered by the impartations that the 7 Thunders release, as Jesus’ own agent of change, the Christ-filled bride can now release on earth in the prayer room what is ignited in heaven on the golden altar of incense and prayer.

Prior to this release, it is no surprise that many in the body of Christ have experienced an unprecedented and extraordinarily long, extremely hard, faith building, death-to-self, alive-to-Christ process. The groaning nature of a birthing bride has culminated to its peaking point. Those who have said “Yes!” to Jesus as His cleansing Word sanctifies them through and through, they are crying out in pain as He prepares them for birth and for that change when they become fully conformed into His likeness and ready to receive His fullness of love poured out. They are passing through the last layers of the veil of Satan’s religious spirit that has separated earth and heaven all this time. The jezebelic religious spirit is Satan’s attempt to counterfeit God’s Holy Spirit, holding to a form of “godliness” but denying the power of transformation that only the Holy Spirit can deliver. As the church repents of her double-minded tares and puts off the religious spirit within her in favor of believing and obeying the entirety of God’s Word, the bride emerges clean and pure, unstained by the world. The confrontation of the ages has come to an all-time-high head and the final squeeze before the push is upon us. Some people are even feeling spinning and nausea as they spiritually pass through this last layer of the veil.

This extreme process points toward an unprecedented event that is about to happen that will be epic in nature and of which the 7 Thunders will likely be released to a ready bride. To prophetically symbolize the process, both the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel and the New Testament Apostle John were both instructed to eat a scroll that contained the living, active Word of God which was sweet to the taste and for John, sweet but also bitter in his belly. John experienced the future Laodicean-age nausea from the eaten scroll (Revelation 3:16: lukewarm “Christians” who would not receive the love of God’s corrections and rebukes caused God to vomit them out). Both Ezekiel and John were commanded to release the prophetic unction they had eaten when the time was ripe. Ezekiel prophesied in his time and John has prophesied and will again prophesy “in his time.” Later in this article, I disclose how John’s “time” may have a 2,000 (plus or minus) year time span.

This sets a Biblical precedent for a prophetic and apostolic body to be asked to “eat the Word of God” and be ready to prophesy. For those who have “eaten” the Word of God and, like John, are asked to seek and eat the end-time bridal revelation of the Daniel 12 and the Revelation 10 scroll containing the yet-to-be-revealed 7 Thunders understanding, this is the time to enter through the Revelation 4:1 “open door” and access heaven’s unlocked mysteries especially those of the 7 Thunders. All believers in Jesus Christ are invited to seek God in this way. This is the time to seek the Word of God and let it go into us and divide out our soulish, world-entrenched ways of living and bring us into the fullness of a Spirit-led life. It is a struggle but one that is promised a tremendous, historical outcome. The Cloud of Witnesses that have gone before us rejoice over this day and pray for us to enter into this bridal reality and finish our course so that they can finish theirs with us. The fullness of Hebrews 12 and Isaiah 26:2 is at hand. “Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith.”

One current minister who has been seeking the 7 Thunders revelation is Paul Keith Davis from WhiteDove Ministries. In a very vulnerable openness, he is boldly releasing his prophetic pursuit of this message so that what he gets, others can chew on and see how the Lord owns it (or not) in their own heart. This is an example of the prophetic body of Christ working their “parts and pieces” together in prayer and scriptural grounding to discover together what the whole message is for our times. Paul Keith Davis proposes that the 7 Thunders are likely to be what heaven is listening to as it falls silent for one half hour after the breaking of the 7th seal. (Paul Keith’s message: https://vod.whitedoveministries.org/the-seven-thunders-part-2-paul-keith-davis-august-4-2015/)

It is important not to prematurely conclusively judge something that may still be in the process of becoming a full revelation but is yet in its unfolding and partial stage of revelation. To prematurely stamp as “right or wrong” what may still be in the process of discovery, without letting the fruit of its end point come and reveal its wisdom (or not) is what 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 warns us not to do; that is “to treat prophecy with contempt.” “Contempt” in Greek: exoutheneó means to: ignore, set to naught, despise.

1 Corinthians 13:10 but when completeness [teleios] comes, what is in part disappears [katargéō]. The “completeness” has not yet fully come, but when it does, what is “in part” will fall away. In the meantime, we are in a process of maturing and discovery that will culminate in a Christ-like fullness and a maturity that empowers us to let go of what is partial because we have been filled by the One who has makes us completely whole.

1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child [Greek: népios: unlearned, immature], I talked, thought, and reasoned like a child [immature]. When I became [Greek: ginomai] a man, I put the ways [Greek: katargéō] of childhood [immaturity] behind me.

So let us press on to discover the revelation of the 7 Thunders bridal mystery and not be afraid of the challenging process it may entail. Be warned though! Eager false accusers stand at-the-ready with insults and dis-accreditation of character for anyone who may attempt to pass through this open door by seeking the greater revelation of this now-open bride’s book. Self-centered people who say they are Christians but are afraid of experiencing the mystical supernatural of God will try to undermine, and even oppress those who believe that God is mystically supernatural in nature and that the revelation of His Word can still unfold into a greater understanding of God’s eternal purposes, i.e., the bridal paradigm.

But who made these unbelieving, I-know-better “believers” our judge? Shall we succumb to the fear-of-man and unbelief grounded in the pride of intellectualism and religion rather than align ourselves with our ever-unfolding and revealing, mystically profound and supernatural God? This is the time to aggressively pursue the revelation that completes our understanding of God so that the fullness of Christ’s love can be poured out into us. Romans 5:3-5: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

All the more, let us seek to know the all-powerful, mighty Spirit of wisdom and revelation and find out more about the Ephesians 5:32 “profound mystery” behind the bridal paradigm of Christ and His church. What is it that has been sealed up and reserved for us who live at the end of ages? We must lay hold of it. We must not be way laid by name-calling insults. They are par for the course. We cannot be put off by our frustrations with our own personal incompleteness either. He who began a good work in us will complete it!

Fixed on the promises of God, we are to look upward, worship God, pray, and regularly get together in fellowship with like-hearted people. For those pressing in for the fullness and the unveiling of knowing Christ and His hidden treasures, we are to both seek and give time for the ripened fruit to become clear before we make definitive conclusions about unfolding revelation that is not contradicting scripture. It is tragic when we shut the creative process down by swooping in with our editorial fear-hats on, slicing and dicing what has not yet been fully formed. It’s best to wait until the baby is born before we start cleaning it up from its bloody, beautiful birth!

Not all revelation has to be established as doctrine and taught in every basic Christianity classroom. Paul said that there were mysteries and concepts that were for the mature that would overwhelm baby Christians (Hebrews 5:11-12). An example of an unfolding revelation that I don’t need to form into a doctrinal teaching would be something like this: I personally believe that the Apostle John did not physically die but was transfigured into a pre-resurrection-body “fullness” that allows him to access both the physical and spiritual realm like Jesus had before he went to the cross. When Jesus’ physical life was threatened, and because His “time had not yet come,” Jesus could disappear into crowds. Thus, when necessary, Jesus manifested a cloak of invisibility. (Luke 4:30, John 8:50 and 10:39, Luke 24:31) I personally believe that the Apostle John is still alive and walks the earth while being fully clothed in his transfigured state and has a “cloak of invisibility” from which he can appear to one person and at the same time no one else around that person can see him. He can also translate to various places around the globe and traverse between heaven and earth as the fullness of the Holy Spirit empowers him.

This is a remarkable ability and will be characteristic of those who become fully matured and transfigured into Christ’s fullness. This is what the remnant overcomer bride can expect to happen to her when the fullness comes to her before she receives her final resurrected body form at Christ’s second coming. Jesus had 3 phases to his bodily changes. Phase 1: transfigured. Phase 2: resurrected from death with an eleven (or more) dimensional body that was able to pass through walls and yet eat physical food. Phase 3: ascended resurrection body and eternally crowned with all dominion, authority, and majesty.

Like Jesus before His ascension and like John as our bride-type, there will be Phase 1 and 2 overcomers walking the earth in their rewards, supernaturally infused with unique abilities. Abilities such as having their youthful vigor completely restored because they are able to eat from the Tree of Life and not die or be killed unless they are led by the Spirit to let themselves be martyred, or the ability to translate from place to place (as the Apostle Philip demonstrated) as the Spirit leads them, or the ability to employ a cloak of invisibility when needed, and best of all, the ability to discern and release the perfect will of Father God in the moment.

And all of this will be experienced before they receive Phase 3 of their final resurrected body changes that happens at Christ’s return when “every eye will see Him” return. One of the benefits of being transfigured is that the tyranny of time, that the spirit of this age subjects people to, will no longer affects that person. Time is no longer painful because the power of its limitations has broken off of the transfigured bride.

The married bride of Jesus lives above the power of time and no longer lives inside of it and subject to time’s limitations. Thus, the Apostle John (who I personally have reason to believe has lived nearly 2,000 years) does not experience long periods of time as painful because, in his eternally transfigured state, the tyranny of time, i.e. aging, and the power of death do not affect him. This will happen to a transfigured, Phase 1 and 2 bride as well.

This same Apostle John, and those transfigured as he has been have yet to fulfill end-time assignments. Revelation 10 tells us that John is yet to prophesy what he heard the 7 Thunders say. When the seal that kept him quiet is opened, he will do just that, and so will the bride! The Revelation of the 7 Thunders will not in any way contradict scriptural truths but will unveil a bigger scope of bridal understanding. John does not act alone. He also represents a company of unshackled lovers of Jesus who will not rest until they are fully known by and who intimately know Jesus.

An example of how the mystery of a “Thunder” can be revealed, executed, and remain completely within the context of scriptural truth could look like this: I propose that one of these bridal thunders, and perhaps the first of the 7, is the declaration of truth that Jesus Christ is LORD of His bridal body and that as such, it is time for the release of the supernatural empowerment of God to fully transform the faithful wise virgin bride into Christ’s own image. Those who stayed faithful to Jesus as He completed His LORDSHIP process in them receive their overcomer reward(s). Perhaps the 7 Thunders are directly related to the 7 churches overcomer rewards.

For example, the church of Thyatira was commanded to repent of sinful compromise by tolerating “jezebel” who taught that sinning was ok. This false doctrine, prevalent in the religious system of today, has “fed” the dark veil of the religious spirit (the tares within us) and is fueled by fear, doubt, and unbelief. Overcomers are commanded to utterly repent of such beliefs and shed all compromise with sin by embracing the cross and the grace of God. From this baptism of repentance, a pure and spotless bride emerges with, in this case, the promise of authority to rule and reign in the intimate knowledge of the Morningstar Himself.

As with all Revelation church age promises, the in-working of the Holy Spirit in the overcomer completely supplants all other “loves” and “gods” in the bridal heart of Christ’s followers.With a fully circumcised heart, the bride of Jesus cries out in union with the Spirit, “COME!” Released by the Father, Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, impassioned for His bride, does indeed “COME!” and releases His marital benefits to His trusting, submissive bride as His fullness enters her sanctified faith and transforms her into His image. One with Jesus, the bride is now unveiled having become the very transfigured and transformed flesh and bone of His body on earth.

This royal exchange of the LORD Jesus’ bridal declaration of thunder serves as the final thrust that ousts the dragon from middle heaven having been completely purged from it by Michael and his angelic company of warriors. What goes up must push down! The completion of the Phase 1 and 2 bride supplants Satan and a loud voice in heaven says: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” (Revelation 12:10)