In August 1993, I had a vision of the church that was represented as an island in the middle of a sea. Many different types of buildings were all over this island, each of which I understood to represent a different denomination or movement. These buildings seemed to clash with each other architecturally as very old ones were next to very modern ones. A war was going on between many of the buildings, and most of them looked like bombed-out shells. People were still living in the buildings, but most were starving and wounded. Two dark spirits over the island were directing this war. One was named Jealousy, the other Fear. Every time one of the buildings suffered damage or people were wounded, these spirits congratulated each other.
I then saw two powerful and frightening spirits rise over the sea. These became storms. One was named Rage, the other Lawlessness. They were stirring up the sea and causing great waves to crash onto the island. Soon these storms became so large that they seemed even more threatening to the island than the war. I felt that the people in the city had to be warned about these storms, and several apparent watchmen were trying to do this, but no one would listen The people only debated and argued about whether the watchmen could be trusted. This was remarkable because anyone who just looked up could see the storms for themselves, but no one would look up. These wars had left so many people wounded that the hospitals—movements or denominations that were giving healing—were fast becoming the largest buildings on the island. As these hospitals grew, the other warring factions had no respect for them as a place where even their own wounded were being cared for; instead they were soon more resolved to destroy them than the other buildings.
As the war continued, even those who were not badly wounded had the appearance of phantoms, or they became grotesquely deformed from starvation and disease. People were attracted to any building receiving a supply of food. The others then targeted the building. I could not comprehend how even a war could be so cruel — and yet this was the church!
In the midst of the battle, men were still trying to add to their buildings, or start new ones, but it was futile. Whenever one building would start to rise a little higher than the others, or any time a new building was started, it would become the main target of all the other buildings, and it would quickly be reduced to rubble. I was then shown many powerful leaders who were conducting this war. All of them had the same word on their foreheads: Treachery, I was surprised that anyone would follow someone with that written on them, but people did. I was reminded of 2 Corinthians 11:20, "For you bear with anyone if he enslaves you, if he devours you, if he takes advantage of you, if he exalts himself, if he hits you in the face."
A REMNANT
However, there were people who appeared as lights in almost every building. These lights refused to take part in the fighting, but spent their time trying to repair the buildings or nurse the wounded. Even though it was impossible to keep up, they did not stop trying. Each of these lights had the power to heal wounds, and this power increased as they worked. Those who were healed became lights just like those who healed them. These individuals were now able to do more than the hospitals because of the ruthlessness of the attacks on the hospitals. Understanding this, the hospitals dispersed their people as healing teams that spread out across the island and moved into many of the other buildings. Many small camps were around the perimeter of the island. Some of these were involved in the war between the buildings, and seemed intent on trying to destroy all of the buildings so they could bring the people to their camps. The leaders of these camps had the same word, Treachery, written on their foreheads.
A few of these camps were not involved in the war, and they, too, appeared as lights. These were growing in authority, but it was a different authority. They had authority over events. They were praying to stop small battles and to keep small storms away, and it was happening as they prayed. The two spirits over the city that were stirring up the two great storms became very intimidated by these small camps. I felt that these intercessory groups were actually close to having the authority to stop the major battles and big storms that were obviously the source of agitation of these large spirits.
THE TRAGEDY
Multitudes of boats and ships were all around the island, waiting to enter the city as soon as the fighting stopped. Many of these boats were full of refugees from other wars, and many were wounded. There were also ships bearing kings, presidents, and people who appeared wealthy and prosperous. They were all afraid of the storms, but they could not enter the city because of the fighting. They were groaning and screaming so loud, in obvious despair, that I was surprised that no one in the city could hear them; no one even seemed aware that they were out there. Then I saw the Lord standing and watching. His glory was so great that I wondered why I had not seen Him before, or why everyone in the city did not stop to worship Him. To my amazement, no one was able to see Him. I looked into the eyes of some of the people, and they were all so bloodshot that I was surprised that they could see anything, I wondered why the Lord did not stop the fighting; instead, He seemed content to just watch. As if He had understood my thoughts, He turned and said to me, "This is My church. These were the houses people tried to build for Me. I knocked on the door of each one, but they would not open to Me. I would have brought peace because I will only dwell in the city o f peace." Then He turned and indicated the people in the ships: "If I allowed all of these people to come to the city now, they would just be used in the war, When their cries become louder than the war, I will build a place for them."
Then He looked at me with great earnestness and said, "I allowed this to happen so that it will never happen again! " It is hard to convey the power of this statement, but it imparted to me a deep understanding that He allowed this conflict to continue out of profound wisdom. He then said, "Until you understand this, you cannot understand what I am about to do."
When the cries of those in the boats became louder than the conflict in the city, the Lord gave a command, and the sea was released. Great tidal waves arose and began to sweep across the island until they covered the buildings. The spirits that were storms joined the spirits over the island, and they all almost doubled their previous size. Then the island completely disappeared under the darkness of the spirits and the raging sea. The Lord did not move as this was happening. I knew that my only protection was to stand as close to Him as possible. I could not see anything but Him during this great storm. As I looked at His face, I could see both hurt and resolve.
Slowly, the storms died down and the tides receded. The individuals who were the lights in the buildings emerged and remained standing where the buildings had once been. Then the Lord, who had been on the edge of the island, moved to the center and said, "Now I will build My house." All of those who were lights started turning toward the Lord. As they turned, they became even brighter, and each group was changed into a living pillar right where they stood. Soon it became obvious that these pillars were the framework of a building, which would almost cover the entire island. The pillars were different colors, shapes, and sizes. It was hard to understand how all of these, being so different, would work as a single framework. However, the Lord seemed very pleased with each one, and they did eventually fit together. Then the ships and boats started landing on the island. Each ship or boat was from a different country or race of people. Soon I began to think that, even as large as the building was, there were too many people. The Lord looked at me and said very sternly, "We will build as many rooms as we need—no one will be turned away." This was said so sternly that I resolved never again to consider turning people away as an option. I also pondered how the biggest problem before was how to get people to come to the buildings. Now the biggest problem was what to do with all the people. When each ship arrived, the people on it were led straight to the Lord. He looked into the eyes of each one and said, "If you trust Me, you will die for Me." When one said, "I will die for You," He immediately thrust His sword right through their heart. This caused very real pain. To those who tried to avoid the sword, it was obviously even more painful. To those who relaxed, it did not seem to hurt as much. These people were then taken to a cemetery with the word Obscurity over the gate. I felt compelled to follow them. Those who had been stabbed were checked to see if they were really dead before they were buried. Some clung to life for a long time, and were laid off to one side. Those who were buried began to arise quickly as great lights, just like those who had survived the storm. I noticed that they were not staying in their tombs the same length of time. Some of them arose before those who were clinging to life were even buried.
When I first looked at this cemetery, it looked like a dreadful place, and I did not think that it fit on this now-glorious island. As I left the cemetery, I turned to look back at it, and it looked beautiful. I could not figure out what was different. Then one of the workers said to me knowingly, "The cemetery has not changed—you have." I looked at the building, and it was even more glorious than I had remembered. I looked at the island, and it had become much more beautiful. I remembered the Scripture, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His godly ones" (Ps. 116:15). The worker, who was still looking at me said, "You have not died yet, but were changed just by being close to those who have. When you die, you will see even more glory.
Those who were emerging as lights from the cemetery were each being led to their own place in the building that had their name on it. Some joined the walls; others joined the pillars. Some became windows or doors. They remained people even after they became a part of the building.
THE TEST
I returned to the Lord's side. Standing in His presence was so wonderful I could not imagine why anyone would not be willing to die for Him, but many of the people coming from the ships refused. They backed away from Him at the request. Many of these went back to the ships, some of which left and some of which remained in the harbor. A few of the people who refused to die stayed on the island and were allowed to walk about freely, and even enter the house of the Lord. They seemed to love to bask in the glory of it all. Many of these began to shine with a glory too, but they never had the glory within themselves—they only reflected what was coming from the others. As I was thinking that it was not right for these people to be allowed to stay, the Lord said to me, "My patience will win many of these, but even those who never give Me their lives, I love and am pleased to let them enjoy My glory. Never turn away those who love My glory. These people really did enjoy the presence of the Lord that radiated from the house, but they seemed timid and retreated when the Lord himself came close to them. I watched as those who had refused to die for the Lord began to act as if His house were their own, and had been built for them. I wanted to be angry at their great presumption, but I could not feel anger. I understood that I could not be angry because I was standing so close to the Lord. This forced me to make the decision to stay close to Him or to move away so I could be angry.
I was surprised that this was a difficult decision, but it honestly was. Out of fear at what was arising within me, I stepped closer to the Lord. He immediately reached out and grabbed me as if I were about to fall off a cliff. I looked behind me and was astonished to see that I had been on the very edge of one. Had I taken that step away from the Lord to feel the anger, I would have stepped off the cliff.
The Lord then said to me, "In this house I can tolerate presumption more than anger. That anger would start the war again. I was overwhelmed with the knowledge that I had not yet made the decision to die for Him, and that I, too, had been presumptuously feeling possessive of both the house and the Lord. When I saw this great evil in my own heart, I was appalled and immediately begged the Lord to destroy my evil heart with His sword.
RESURRECTION LIFE
When the Lord pierced my heart, I was surprised to feel so little pain; I seemed to have been so hard on others. He then said, "Those who request death die easier." I remembered His statement in Matthew 21:44: "And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust."
I did not remember being carried to the cemetery, but just as if no time at all had passed, I emerged from it again. Now the glory of everything I saw was unspeakable. I looked at a rock and loved it. I looked at trees, the sky, and clouds and could not believe how wonderful they were. A sparrow seemed more glorious than any bird I had ever seen. I wondered at the great treasure that this little bird was, and why I had not appreciated it like this before? I looked at the presumptuous people. Not only did I feel no temptation to be angry, I loved them so much I would have let them all pierce my heart again if it would have helped them. I began to think of how blessed I was to be able to meet them and be with them. Now I actually wanted them to stay and could not comprehend how I was ever tempted to be angry with them— they were much greater treasures than the sparrow!
Then the Lord stood next to me. Though I did not think it was possible, He was much more glorious than before, and I was able to bear it. He said, "This is why the death of My people is so precious to Me. Those who seek to save their life always lose it, but those who lose their life for My sake find true life. Now you know true life because you know love."
Then I looked at the house and all of those who composed it. Everything and everyone seemed to stir up a great feeling of love that was more wonderful than anything I had ever felt before. I wanted to talk to each one, but I did not want to leave the Lord's side, since His presence was even more compelling. Knowing my thoughts, He said, "You need never fear leaving My side, because I have made My abode in you and I will be with you everywhere you go."
As I watched the presumptuous people, who were enjoying all of the blessings and even thought of themselves as the reason for them, I realized they really were not even a part of what was being built. Having just been one of them, I also knew how shallow their enjoyment was, compared to what it could be, and a great compassion came over me. As I continued watching, these people gradually became thinner in substance until they were just like the phantoms I had seen in the former city. Again I thought of the Lord's words, "Those who seek to save their life will lose it, but those who lose their life for My sake will find it." Then I looked at how the building kept getting higher. The higher it went, the more glory it exuded and the farther it could be seen. This resulted in even more ships and people coming through the storms that were still raging, but seemed unable to affect the island. As I wondered how high the building could get, the Lord turned to me again, and, as if He were answering my thoughts, said, "There is no limit to how high we can build this, because I am the foundation and love is the cement." This caused me to look at the cement. It was transparent but radiated a great power. I wondered how I had not noticed this before; it was now so obvious and captivating. I started pondering how I seemed blind even to the greatest wonders of this building until the Lord directed my attention to them. This caused me to turn back to the Lord and to watch everything to which He gave His attention.
Then the Lord began looking at the people who now composed the building. As I looked at them again, I was immediately struck by the fact that they were more than people — I knew that they were the "new creation" that had transcended the old creation. They had bridged the gap between the physical and spiritual realms and were clearly a part of both. They were unquestionably supernatural, which did not mean that they were not natural, but were far more natural than anything "natural" I had ever seen. They made everything else seem like a shadow, and this sense increased as they continued to change. Soon the glory that was coming from them could be both seen and felt. The feeling was not like a touch but like an emotion. As I walked close to this glory, it made me feel so good. It was like a wonderful intoxication—not one that clouded the mind but illuminated it. I felt somehow ennobled, not with pride, but with a powerful sense of destiny. I also felt a profound security, as if I were in complete harmony with the ground, the atmosphere, and especially the Lord and His house. This feeling was so good that I never wanted to move again.
With the addition of each new boatload of people, the transformation of those already a part of the building continued, and the glory of the whole building increased and expanded. Everyone in the building greatly rejoiced when each new group of people came.
SHARING THE GLORY
When those who came from the cemetery took their place in the building those who were already a part tried to give the new ones their own glory. A they did this, the glory radiating from the Lord would increase, and He would give even more to those who had given their own glory away. Those who were the most devoted to this sharing would be the ones used to start the next level of the house that kept going higher and higher. I thought of how opposite this was from the jealousy that had prevailed previously in the city. I then tried to ponder the jealousy to understand it more, but it was almost impossible to do—it seemed as unreal as if it had only existed in bad dreams. The joy of sharing was so great that not doing it would seemed incomprehensible. The more the glory was shared, the more each one received to share. I knew that all of us would be spending eternity just seeking others with whom to share the glory. I had a strong sense of knowing that the Lord would be creating many new worlds just for us to have new places to share His glory. I then knew that this was why He had created the universe with such diversity, and why He created it to continually expand at a rapid pace. He had set in motion a glorious chain reaction that would never stop! There were no limits on time or space, and we would need every bit of it!
THE STORMS RETURN
Suddenly my attention was turned toward the storms that had continued to grow in the sea. To my shock they had grown larger and faster than the house of the Lord, and were now coming toward the island. Great waves covered the island, and the building disappeared from my view, even though I was still very close to it. The fury of this storm was beyond comprehension, but I felt no fear at all. I had already died to this world and had a life that could never be taken from me. As wonderful as the island had become, I was just as happy to die physically so that I would be free to carry the glory of the Lord to the rest of the universe. It really would have been hard to choose whether to stay or go, so I just rested and waited.
Gradually the storms abated, and the building reemerged. Both the building and the island were much smaller, but even more glorious. Then I noticed that the storms were just offshore and were returning. This happened several times, and each time the building would emerge smaller, but more glorious. Each time this happened the storms were also much smaller—they were wearing themselves out on the island. Soon the storms could only generate small waves that posed no threat of any real damage. The glory of the house was now beyond any human description.
Then the clouds dissipated altogether into the most beautiful sky I had ever seen. As I gazed into the sky, I realized that it was filled with the glory that was being emitted from the house. There was no damage from the storm, though the house was much smaller. Even so, the glory now coming from the house was much greater than before, and was reflected by everything. I felt that it was so great, it must already be extending far beyond the earth.
