Such a Great Salvation
Hi Everyone,
I have several visions to share with you today. The Lord gives me visions and I write what I believe he is showing me. It is not simply for my benefit, for I do receive great benefit. As a matter of fact, I never write without the Lord bringing conviction to my own heart. But I write for the Lord asked me to do it. He wants us to grow in the knowledge of Him and to understand his heart. That is my deepest desire too, it to know him. So I try to encourage everyone to read the word and spend time in prayer, not just bringing our petitions, but to sit and listen for his voice, or by whatever means he makes his desires known to us.
The Visions
The Mouth
In this vision I see the lower portion of a face, looking directly at the mouth. The face did not showing any emotion, the mouth was not smiling or frowning. It was closed but not tightly. The meaning of the vision is to be still, say nothing, be silent. Several scriptures came to mind:
Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such times, for the days are evil. Amos 5:13
A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit. Proverbs 17:27
He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress. Proverbs 21:23
He who guards his mouth protects his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin. Proverbs 13:3
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3
In the last post, the Lord had shown us that the mouth expresses what is hidden in the heart. And if evil is in the heart, when the mouth speaks the evil is heard and defiles the man and perhaps his listeners. The tongue was shown to be a destroying fire, capable of doing much damage.
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. James 3:6
With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. James 3:9
I believe that with this vision, God is giving us instruction to not share about things for which we will be judged. Man’s judgment is not perfect, it is tainted with all types of ideologies, beliefs, thoughts, emotions, and prejudices. Some things that the Lord reveals are for our eyes only.
Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. Matthew 7:6
We must be careful with whom we share the Lords treasures and revelations. Even among believers, some are quick to judge and quick to condemn. If one is not studied himself, or is dogmatic in his doctrine, he may have zeal without knowledge and condemn another for having a differing opinion.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:10-16
If we know that what we share may be controversial, it may bring about contention and strife between people or groups. The Lord wants us to live at peace with all men as much as it depends upon us. So some things are best kept to ourselves.
A Hand in a Trap
In this vision, I saw a hand caught in a steel trap. A compassionate dog understood the problem and came to the rescue. Although the dog could not take the trap off, he could be sent to get help from someone who would be able.
I believe that the dog represents faith. When we experience a problem or situation that is beyond us to help ourselves, we need to call for help. If we have placed our hope and trust in God, then he will be the first that we seek.
I remember visiting my sister in Florida years ago. I had to pick up a rental car in Fort Meyers, so I drove with my sister on a stretch of highway from her house to the airport where the car was to be picked up. On the way, I noticed that there was a huge drop off along the shoulder of the road.
Once I hopped into the rental car, the rain started pouring. I followed my sister’s car onto the highway. The rain increased to the point where it was difficult to see the cars ahead. I thought, I better pull off until the rain lifts. So I looked for the flashers but because the car was unfamiliar to me, and a foreign car with no English words, I could not locate the flashers. Suddenly in my panic, I turned off the wipers. The water started sheeting off the window so that I saw nothing, not even the hood on the car. I knew there was a drop off on the side of the road, and I had no idea if there was anyone in front of me or behind me. I just cried out, “Jesus help me!” And suddenly, instantly, the sky turned blue, there were puffy clouds in the sky and one looked like a ring as if Jesus were giving me the Okay symbol with his fingers! I looked in front of me and saw my sister’s car. Then I heard his voice saying, “Here are your flashers, here is your defogger, and here are your wipers.” I cried all the way to her house, knowing that God himself had saved me from certain death. The Lord loves me! He cares for me! He hears my cries! I will be forever indebted to Him. He is my all in all.
I shared this story with my husband’s uncle just three days before he died. I was able to pray with him after sharing my testimony. He was dying of cancer, and he had so much pain that you could see it on his face. I asked him if he wanted to pray to be reconciled to God, and he said “Yes.” So I prayed with him.
I could see that his countenance had changed after our prayer. He was at peace, there was light in his face, he no longer grimaced in pain. His wife came over to the bed and asked, “Should I call the priest?” His reply was so sweet. “No honey, that is not necessary.” He was in the presence of God. The peace that passes all understanding was his!
God is good. He sees everything; nothing is hidden from his eyes. He is wonderful!
The Bell
As I was praying to receive a vision or a word to share in my blog, I heard a bell sound, as if my phone had received a text. It was similar in sound, but not exactly. I opened my eyes and saw my phone on the desk. It came to me that the Lord had given me the sound, and that He had a message for me. I closed my eyes and then received this next vision.
The Purple-Blue Tube
I saw a purple-blue plastic tube that would have held some type of skin-care cream or lotion. Written on the front of the tube was the name and description of the product. Overlaying a portion of the printed words was a dried on transparent liquid stain, that was a light golden brown.
The color purple generally denotes wealth and nobility, for purple was a very expensive dye reserved for royalty, and those who could afford it. The color blue generally stands for God, heaven and heavenly. So the purple and blue together pertains to God’s kingdom for He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
In the vision, the purple-blue bottle was apparently neglected and left to sit for sometime on a liquid spill. The golden brown substance after evaporating left a stain on the tube covering part of the label.
As believers, we belong to the kingdom of God, (the kingdom of heaven), for we are a “royal priesthood, a holy nation.” We are children of the Most High, created for his good pleasure. We represent Him as ambassadors of the kingdom, for His spirit dwells within us.
In the vision the stain on the plastic tube covered part of the name. If the tube represents the kingdom in the vision and we, the church, represent the kingdom in reality, then when we sin, we tarnish the Lord’s good name. When we follow the world and behave as the world does, we no longer represent God but the world. And if others have known us as Christians, but see us in sin, then we have become hypocrites in their eyes and the Lord’s name is dishonored.
Being enticed by the world and succumbing to sin causes some believers to leave their first love. When we sin, we grieve the Holy Spirit, who in turn convicts us of sin and moves upon our hearts to repent. Repentance means to change the mind. It means to forsake the sin and never do it again. But if our hearts are divided and not willing to recognize it as sin, or let go of it, then we have unknowingly made a decision to depart from God. Anything that turns our hearts from God is idolatry. Idolatry is everywhere. We can idolize our children and give preference to them or the activities that they love. Whatever we take pride in, can become an idol: Our talents, abilities, money, business or jobs, and even our ministries can take precedence over God. We can rationalize and justify our decisions based upon our priorities, but if they are idols, they stand in opposition to true faith.
In the book of Revelation, John is told by the Lord to write to the seven churches in Asia Minor. One of those churches was Ephesus, who was warned to repent for abandoning their first love.
I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles. Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name.
But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God. Revelation 2:2-7
Just because we are Christian, does not make us perfect. We can still sin. That is why it is so important to confess our sin and repent, for the Lord will forgive us and heal us. He wants us to overcome our weaknesses and rely on him for the strength and the ability to overcome.
The golden brown liquid that dried on the bottle’s label represents the world and sin. It is the world and its values, its material treasures and pleasures that lead us away from God. The bottle remained in the liquid long enough that it dried as a stain. It wasn’t a thoughtless quick decision, nor was it purposefully chosen. But the change and development occurred over time, as a slow and steady drift towards the world and away from God.
We are to live for God, not to deny him or hide his identity. If we become more like the world we become less like God. It is hypocrisy to claim to be Christian, but to live as the world. Instead we are to be without spot, stain or wrinkle.
“...Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:25-27
This is something the Lord does for us. We don’t have to work for our salvation trying to clean ourselves up, to make ourselves worthy of salvation. The word says:
And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:22-24
Our job is to believe in Him, and to stay in the faith.
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” John 6:29
So we believe and continue to believe. However, if we do not stay grounded in the faith, we can drift away. The writer of Hebrews describes how this occurs, over time. By neglecting the fellowship of other believers, neglecting the word of God, and neglecting meaningful worship and intimate prayer with the Lord, we can fall away.
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? Hebrews 2:1-3
The question arises: How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
Before Jesus came in the flesh to restore us to fellowship with God, the Old Testament Law was in force. Paul referred to it as “the law of sin and death.”
For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2
It was impossible to keep the Law—it simply made people aware of sin. Those who died under the law went to Sheol to wait for the resurrection and judgment. Their hope was in the Messiah. Jesus came to suffer death and rise from the dead to destroy the works of the devil and to reconcile us to the Father. Then 40 years later, he came in the clouds in judgment, as the Roman army, to terminate the Old Covenant, and to consummate the New Covenant, in his blood. This established his kingdom both on earth and in heaven. Without the ending of the Old Covenant, by the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple where the sacrificial system was in place, the Law would still be in force, and we would still go to Sheol upon physical death. But because Jesus came in AD 70 to end the Old Covenant and law, we are not bound to it.
For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 5:18
Heaven and earth refer to the Old Covenant not to the physical earth and the physical heaven (i.e. the sun the moon and the stars)
"You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail." Hebrews 1:10-14
The term "heaven and earth" is used in scripture to speak of the nation of Israel and of the Old Covenant. The writer of Hebrews says that the heavens and earth will, "grow old like a garment," and would be "changed." He is speaking of the Old Covenant which is becoming obsolete and soon to pass away. Heaven and earth are only prophetic symbols used to speak of the change from the age that was, to the age that was to come: the New Covenant age. And until heaven and earth passed away the Law would still be in effect. But it was soon to pass as the writer of Hebrews declared:
By speaking of a new covenant, He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. Hebrews 8:13
By coming in the clouds, in judgment, in AD 70, God terminated the Old Covenant, fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, and consummated the New Covenant. At that time, He destroyed the works of the devil, and death, that is spiritual death, which is the death that Adam died on the day he ate of the fruit, separating man from God.
Therefore, when we die physically, we go directly into the presence of God, not to Sheol, or Hades, to wait for a “soon coming” that some believe has not yet happened, for over 2000 plus years. Jesus promised he would come in his audience’s generation, (the disciples and the Pharisees’ generation). Those who were alive at the time of his coming, would be changed, becoming spiritually immortal, and being given eternal life. Those at the time of the parousia (the coming) who were in the grave would rise, and would also be given eternal life. One to continue living on earth until physical death, and the other to be ushered directly into heaven.
Those who were faithless and whose names were not written in the book of life would suffer the second death which was to perish in the lake of fire.
Today, because Jesus has already come, we are made alive spiritually at the time of our new-birth. We then continue to live in the Spirit while on this earth. Then upon our physical death, we remain spiritually alive and we are instantly joined to the Lord in heaven for all eternity.
If you believe in the Lord Jesus as the Son of God who by his sacrificial death upon the cross paid for our sins, and by his rising from the dead on the third day, giving us new life and an eternal home in heaven, then you are born of the Spirit and will live now and for evermore spiritually. His kingdom will have no end.
Jesus spoke of this reality when speaking to Martha.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Even though we die physically we will live spiritually for all eternity. Eternal life is the gift of God. It is not to live on planet earth, but to live in new immortal spiritual bodies in the heavenly realm. That is why Jesus said he was going to prepare a place for us so that we would be where he is.
The earth is not going to be burned up, and the sun and moon will continue to shine, and the stars will remain in the heavens. These again are symbols of the spiritual rulers, powers and authorities. If you read the Old Testament, you will begin to understand prophetic language with many of the same images used again and again. The Book of Revelation is not a future book, but a warning given to the first century church about the coming judgment upon Jerusalem and its wicked leaders that would end one age and begin another.
Now let us return to the question: How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
Salvation is to be greatly valued. How can we describe it? To be with the Lord for all eternity is of most importance. How can we neglect it? How can we treat our Lord as if he is only a backdrop to our lives? Our very breath comes from him and is sustained by him. How could we choose to walk on the other side of the road, or down a path that leads to destruction? The Lord warns us throughout the entire Bible that He is God and there is no other. Why become so engrossed in things that don’t last. If we have food, clothing and shelter why do we seek fame, fortune, and power?
Life is so short, we need to not succumb to the world and its temptations, but follow the Lord for his ways bring life and contentment. Money cannot buy life, health, contentment or peace.
How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
This is a serious question. Do we take our faith seriously? Do we know the Lord? Do we place our hope and trust in him?
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end, the assurance we had at first. Hebrews 3:12-14
So we call to the Lord, knowing that he is the one who can sustain us and can keep our faith strong in him.
“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:13-16
The Lord promises that when we confess our sin, that he will forgive us
If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:6-9
So let’s take our walk with God seriously. Let’s stay in step with Him. We will know his heart and know him if we read his word and spend time with him every day. God is love, and so much more. He is good and his mercies are new every morning. To know him is to love him. So that is his message to us. Our work, if you call it work, is to believe in Him as our Lord, Savior, God and King. I call it a delight, and a pleasure to be with him. He’s my best friend, I hope someday He is yours too!
God bless you! Please share with others!
