In the past few months I've been taken into several interactive encounters with the Holy Spirit all of which have served as marked indicators into the heart of God to experientially "catch us away" into heavenly places. We've entered a place in church history and time where interactive throne room experiences are becoming more and more a part of a normal Christian life. The Holy Spirit is teaching us that access into "Heavenly Places" is normal and available for all who would prepare themselves for these kinds of encounters that come by intimacy. Here is one of those experiences.
In a vision I was taken to a place that appeared to consist of pure light. There weren't any physical objects that I could tangibly focus on, but it was a place of incredible beauty and great light. Standing in front and on both sides of me were three beautiful angels. I could feel their presence and without saying a word I instinctively knew their thoughts and feelings. They were standing in beautiful light that appeared translucent in nature. It became apparent to me that we were in a waiting or preparation room, and that it was necessary for me to be there in order to get to the next place. The angel standing in front of me picked up a paint brush and dipped it in a bucket of what looked like swirling liquid light. He took the brush and began to paint me with it from head to toe. I felt warmth begin to cover my body. Psalm 104:2 say's that even God covers Himself with pure light as with a garment. The experience then shifted and I saw myself as if I were on T.V. As I looked at myself I no longer looked of human origin, but was transformed into the appearance of light. I looked just like they did. I knew the angels were preparing me for the Throne Room and that it was necessary for me to be covered with the same radiant protective light as they were, or in my fleshly human condition I wouldn't be able to stand before the all consuming greatness of His power.
Show me Your Glory
God knew this and told Moses that in order for him to be able to see His glory he would have to be hid in the cleft of the rock. Exodus 33:19-23 say's "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim My name, THE LORD, before you; You cannot see My face, for no man shall see My face and live. And the Lord said Behold, there is a place beside Me, and you shall stand upon the rock, and while My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and COVER YOU with My hand until I have passed by. Like Moses we have to be covered and prepared by the hand God or we won't be able to stand before Him much less see Him. Moses was acquainted with God's ways but couldn't stop until he caught a glimpse of the one he came to know and love as friend. Moses cried out "Show me Your glory" Exodus 33:18.
Access to My courts and to the angels In Zechariah chapter 3, Joshua the high priest was given clean robes to wear and a clean turban was placed on his head by the guiding angel as he stood in the presence of the Lord. It was necessary for Joshua to be clean inwardly with his thoughts (the reason for the clean turban) and outwardly with his robes (being free from the stain of the world). The Angel of the Lord instructed Joshua "If you will walk in My ways and keep My charge then also you shall rule My house and have charge of My courts and I will give you access to My presence and places to walk among these who stand here with you. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your colleagues who sit before you- for they are men who are a sign of what is to come"! (Zech3:7-8)
Wow! Joshua and his friends were being extended the right of direct access to the presence of God and to the angels. They were to be a sign to all of what was to come. It was clear they had to present themselves clean in appearance and pure in thought in order to gain this access. Romans 12:1 & 2 says "I appeal to you brothers and beg of you in view of all the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your BODIES presenting all your members and faculties as a living sacrifice, holy and consecrated and well pleasing to God., which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this world or present age, but be transformed by the entire RENEWAL OF YOUR MIND or in the "spirit of your mind"( Ephesians 4:23). Joshua had to be prepared by the guiding angle that stood with him in order to gain this access into the presence of God.
Enoch walked with God We see that in Genesis 5:24 the scriptures clearly indicates that "Enoch walked with God and he was not any longer for God took Him". Hebrews 11 states "Because of faith Enoch was CAUGHT UP and TRANSFERRED to heaven, so that he did not have a glimpse of death; and he was not found, because God had TRANSLATED him. For even before he was taken to heaven, he received TESTIMONY still on record that he had pleased and been satisfactory to God" (Hebrews 11:5-6). The scripture says Enoch was "caught up" - "transferred" – "translated" to heaven. Webster defines these terms as follows: Transferred: To carry, remove, or shift from one person, position, or place to another Translated: To change from one form to another: To transport or to enrapture: To move from one place to another in space by means of reaction power. God not only transferred Enoch from earth to heaven by way of visions, but God translated the very form of Enoch's body into a heavenly rapture.
Paul had a similar experience in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4- Paraphrasing Paul writes: lets go on to visions and revelations: I was caught up into the 3rd heaven. Verse: whether in the body or away from the body I do not know, God knows I was caught up into paradise and heard things beyond the power of man. There was so much love between God and Enoch stemming from intimacy that God saw it fit no longer to be without him and He simply "translated" him. There's a friendship being offered to the people of God that far exceeds any experience we could possibly have on earth. John 15:15 Jesus say's "I do not call you servants any longer, but I call you My friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father.
Enoch was known on earth as a righteous man, but in heaven he was known as the friend of God. Enoch learned that by intimacy with the Holy Spirit and pure thinking he could achieve just about anything, even unlimited access to the very throne room of God! Enoch did away with unrighteous thinking. He didn't pollute himself with the demonic temptations of his day, but he kept every aspect of himself body, soul and spirit clean in order to maintain access into the garden of the Lord and to his greatest love. Enoch was a forerunner revealing to us the hidden truths of walking in the divine nature (I Peter 1:4). The good news is because we have the "testimony of Enoch", according to the word of God we also have access to the same experiences that he did.
I love what Bill Johnson says about the power of a testimony. He reveals the spiritual principal that according to Revelation 19:10 the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophesy. The testimony of the Lord is the spoken record of Gods works that reveal His nature and demonstrate His covenant with man. As we begin to give expression to a particular truth or testimony from any past experience or act of God, we literally can bring into an atmosphere of power the ability to reduplicate that testimony and birth it into a place where we can experience it over and over again! Every time we testify of a miracle or healing of any kind, the power or reality of that testimony opens the atmosphere in that place and creates the ability for that particular truth or act of God to be reduplicated again.
So because we have the testimony that Enoch walked with God, that testimony opens a place for us in the Spirit to be able to have access to the same revelations, transportations and translations in the Holy Spirit by prophetic proclamation as Enoch did! The understanding of this kind of access is almost inconceivable to think of, but true. Enoch understood many wonderful truths and mysteries of God by revelation that we shy away from because of our lack of experience and understanding. If we were to have a fraction of the understanding and experience Enoch had in his day, I'm sure we would see things quite differently. We would have cures for sickness and disease by revelation of God for just about everything. Inventions by the Spirit of Wisdom would be off the charts. The world would be turning from "Decrease" to "Increase." Our fellowship with God would be like a "Garden Experience."
There were no limitations on Adam in the garden and Adam never saw himself with any. All Adam knew was that he loved God and enjoyed communion with Him. Nothing was impossible for him. Adam lived, moved and acted with a "spiritual mind". According to 1st Corinthians 2:9: Eye has not seen and ear has not heard and HAS NOT ENTERED INTO THE HEART(understanding) OF MAN all that God has prepared for those who love Him!). God is preparing us for greater encounters into His presence that require this kind of understanding. Even now He is changing us in the spirit of our minds so we can begin to see Him in a completely new light. God has summoned the angels to help prepare us with the right kind of thinking and to paint us with the liquid light of His presence so we are able to enter into this new place of experience and understanding by intimacy.
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