Walls

"Whoever has no rule over his/her own spirit is like a city broken down without walls."

 Proverbs 25:28 

The kingdom of God comes with free will and begins to grow & take benevolent dominion with self governance. 

When both Jesus & John the Baptist heralded the message, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand" .. 

They were confronting the ways of governance which the people were under. Religious rules & regulation from the Pharisees...

 the iron teeth of Rome...

 and Herod who was trying to mix iron with clay (in a humanistic mix of both). 

The people were terribly oppressed and free will was being subjugated. 

The word REPENT was telling them to make a direct "about face" toward Good News...

and prepared their hearts to receive a totally new paradigm. 🙌

 (Repent does not mean what the western church at large has made it out to mean-such a sad & hopeless definition) 

What did Jesus mean by kingdom "at hand"? He began to immediately demonstrate...

with His hands-on love.

"He went about healing ALL who were oppressed of the devil." This means those who sought Him, with a free will. 

ALL...there were no specific criteria other than coming to Him and asking. Such freedom. Such respect toward each individual heart. 

"I will make your officers peace, and your magistrates righteousness. 

Violence will no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; 

But you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates praise." 

Isaiah 60:17,18

Walls of Salvation. 

Gates of praise.

When I speak, here, of walls...I am not speaking of the walls we create due to being hurt or deeply offended by circumstance in our liPraise.

here....I am speaking of supernatural, wonderful, invisible walls & gates of our secret garden;

our Eden of delight.

Our interaction with Heaven's kingdom. Invisible but indestructible walls nonetheless.

This garden of worship & delight... is the place we begin to interact with "the kingdom at hand" which both John & Jesus announced. We demonstrate "hands-on" love like Him.

"A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse  (church) a spring shut up a fountain sealed... 

A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, a stream flowing down from Lebanon." 

Song of Solomon 4:12,15

From this place of delight in our Creator and His Creation...a fountain springs up and eventually joins with His River from heaven. The walls are fortified with the stones of Revelation...

 of Who He is...

 and Who We are, 

by divine design. 

The gates are kept secure by going in and out in an attitude of pure thanksgiving & praise. Our focus always on Creator... recalibrating our eyes... to gaze upon His glorious, beautiful countenance. Basking in His LIGHT.

"Coming to Him as to a Living Stone...

rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,

you also, as Living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 

1 Peter 2:4

Chosen by God, and chosen by mans free will...a meeting of hearts, a communion, a co-laboring of partnership between heaven and earth. No force, no coercion, no manipulation, simple and pure cooperation. 

"My son/daughter, give attention to my words, incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; 

For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.

Keep (or guard) your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life." 

Proverbs 4:20-23

Birth Pangs bring Newborns

 "All this is the beginning of birth pangs" Matthew 24:8

Jesus and His disciples were standing on the Mount of Olives, the wonderful place of His Ascension and Triumphant return, when He shocked them with His insight on the destruction of Herods Temple. 

They began to ask about the Father's Time Line. He apparently agreed to tell them certain aspects but also clearly warned that all was not known or to be revealed. There is a reason for this.

"But of this exact day & hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" Matthew 24:36

Actually there are several reasons but I will focus on the One the bridegroom would care most about. He would not desire for His beloved to be frightened of the birthing process. He called the church to bring forth new life but as foretold in Genesis, it would be labor intensive. 

As a birthing coach, who has attended many births, I can tell you what a sobering event a birthing is! 

We prepare our mothers & attendants for the "birthing pangs"...especially the stage called "transition" by letting them know about the entire process. We give them tools to deal with each stage and especially focus on the light at the end of the tunnel...the beautiful newborn. The treasure of their consummated love.

Transition can literally be like baptism, the woman can experience a form of death, burial & Resurrection because at transition she can feel she cannot go on. She can face death.

She can despair of getting through this shortest stage of birth (transition) due to the intensity. She can despair & give up, if...  she does not have encouragement & hope of her end result. It can be exhausting if she doesn't know there is an end to transition.

In birth class, we repeatedly go over each stage and even show them videos of other births to help them know that transition is the shortest stage before completing new birth & their ultimate reward.

I believe Jesus purposely used the words "birth pangs" (that is the original translation) so that the disciples understood that something new & wonderful would be birthed out of their future suffering. He was preparing them in love, there was no fear present in His instruction. 

End time teaching in a spirit of fear is never the right spirit. Perfect love casts out ALL FEAR.

They (His beloved disciples, whom He was lovingly preparing) were about to go through an intense "transition".  

Each new generation of believers have faced their own "birth pangs" for this is the way of birthing NEW on this fallen planet. 

Yet, it was not so in the beginning. Nor will it be in the fulfillment of His plan. The curse has been dealt with...but His Promise of NEW must be applied & engaged.

I do not understand the morbid focus of many last day or end time teachings. Nor, do I understand the extreme need to predict which part we are in. There is no such focus in the Gospels, Epistles or Revelation. 

The focus is on THE NEW! 

THE NEW BIRTH. 

The scripture focuses on Newness of life! Romans 6:4, 7:6.

Jesus declares in Revelation 21:5

"BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW."

If we are Word of Faith people, then, we must take Him at His Word. Yet, we must participate in the process & learn to work with seed time & harvest, as well.

Yes, there is a church historical period of conception, development, birth pangs & new born. Then there is the rearing & maturation of the offspring. 

There is a time of confrontation of Heavenly seed toward the "seed of the serpent" but that's another story or blog session. Our focus is on...

THE NEW. AND GIVING JOY & HOPE TO THE BIRTHING MOTHER.

Scripture introduces us to...

NEW BIRTH

NEW WINE & WINE SKINS

NEW COVENANT

NEW TESTAMENT

NEW & LIVING WAY

PUT ON THE NEW MAN

NEW SONG

NEW DAY 

TREASURES NEW & OLD

Oh, and so much more! 

New life after a short immersion under the flow of NEW, FRESH LIVING WATER FROM HIS THRONE.

JESUS went through the transition of The Cross due to "the joy set before Him" and He would have His bride bring forth....with the same joy set before her. Joy in her royal birthing. 

Post Script:

In Acts 1, Jesus again tells the disciples, " It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me." 

Acts 1:7,8 

So, it is our purpose & occupation to work with Holy Spirit as birthing coaches, not to be "end time" zealots. It is simply our purpose to be witnesses of Good News. Witnesses of love, not fear. Witnesses of faith, joy & peace.

Yes, of course we are to study & meditate on all scripture but developing an "end time" theology was never our main focus or assignment. You are not saved by your correct theology but by being born again. 

In Revelation the LORD declares He is angry with "the destroyers of the earth"...He redeemed the earth & its people.. so to say He is angry & is going to rapture His own & then destroy the earth is actually a doctrine of demons.

There are way too many positive, loving, good plans for earth.... recorded in scripture...for true theologians to continue this nonsense. Just check out the "inherit the earth" scriptures. Psalm 37.

 It is the "world system" which will be destroyed & a new Kingdom Era which will be ushered in. The rapture is related to the bridal celebration of the remnant overcomers. Another subject for another time.

Somehow we have become enamored with dooms day,  apocalyptic, bad, destructive predictions rather than the wonderful, marvelous, 

Good, Good, Good News

 of the Gospel.