Wade E Taylor
At this present time, there are those who have an active personal relationship with the Lord, but are seeking to go further. These are seeking a fresh touch of His presence.
“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up here, and I will show you things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit…” Revelation 4:1-2
“And immediately, I was in the Spirit.” For us to be able to hear and receive a present word, we must first be established in our relationship to the Lord. A part of this is the restoration of our spiritual faculties (our being spiritually sensitive). No matter how well we are hearing the voice of the Lord, we can hear better.
“And the Lord God called to Adam, and said to him, Where are you?” Genesis 3:9
The Lord knew where he was, but was seeking a confession. He is asking Adam where he is in his relationship to the Lord.
“And he said, I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:10
Adam and Eve did not lose their innocence and then discover that they had no clothes. They lost something far more important than a sense of propriety. They lost the covering of “Shekinah” (not clothes), therefore they hid because they could not stand the radiant glory and power of the presence of the Lord. For us to abide the fullness of His glory, we also need a “covering.” This covering is “Shekinah,” the manifested glory of the Lord that enables us to enter into and abide in His presence.
“Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and the brothers James and John, and brought them up a high mountain to a solitary place. There in their presence His form underwent a change; His face shone like the sun, and His raiment became as white as the light.” Matthew 17:1-2 Weymouth
Adams’ confession brought forgiveness, and the beginning of a progression that would lead to the restoration of the Shekinah Glory. An animal was slain, and through the shedding of blood, they were forgiven and given a covering, but that which they had “eaten” was still within them.
This was the “right to do as they desired, apart from the will and purpose of the Lord.” Because Adam and Eve chose the “knowledge of good and evil” and partook, they could now do as they pleased, apart from being submitted to the Lord. We inherited from Adam this right to be independent, as we were born attached to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The Lord will not take from us this freedom to do as we please, but we can give it up, and come back into a relationship of unconditional dependence upon Him.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24
This taking up of our cross means that we “die” to the right to do as we please, and surrender “unconditionally” to the Lordship of Jesus. For us to do this, requires a specific act on our part in which we vocally take this right to do as we please that we gained through the transgression of Adam, and give it back to the Lord.
When we accepted salvation, we were covered with the “Garment of Salvation.” This garment, forgiveness through the blood of Jesus, is a free gift.
“…These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 7:14
There is another garment – the “Bridal Garment” that is available to us. Through a process of overcoming obedience, our salvation garment is replaced with the Bridal Garment. This Bridal garment must be “woven” by us.
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should array herself in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Revelation 19:7-8 ASV
The Lord desires to bring us beyond our salvation experience, to the place where we become His Bride. Here, we will again be covered with the “Shekinah,” which will enable us to sit with Him in His throne. This preparation – the weaving of our “Bridal Garment,” begins with the commitment of our lives to unconditional submission and obedience to His will and purpose, as we walk with Jesus.
“And He said to me, Write, Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Revelation 19:9
“…And they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.” Matthew 25:10
Not all will hear and respond to this higher calling, as it requires sacrifice and effort on our part. The first step is to separate ourselves from the “tree of knowledge,” and then re-attach ourselves to the “tree of life,” through the victory that Jesus gained in our behalf on the cross.
Now we have given up the right to choose for ourselves, and have begun to live a separated life of submission to the will of our Lord. As we rightly respond, we will grow into spiritual maturity and receive the linen bridal garment.
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Revelation 19:7-8 NASB
“They that were ready went in with Him” (Matthew 25:10). This is the time in which we are making choices and decisions that will affect us throughout all eternity.
“His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you into the joy of your lord.” Matthew 25:23
May each of us be in the place where we will hear Jesus knock on the door of our spirit, and enter through the open door into His eternal presence to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” and then be seated with Him, as His bride, on His throne.