Throughout Scripture the Lord gives us pictures of His Kingdom. When Scripture tells us to "study to show thyself approved; a workman that needeth not be shamed, rightly dividing the Word of God "- we can in no wise fully understand the depth of what the Lord is speaking to us in His written record without the 'epi-knosis '( God-breathed understanding) of the Scriptures. 'Knosis ' is knowledge on the surface, but we need the deeper understanding if we are to have His heart and plan revealed to us. The whole theme of the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelations - from Adam until the end - is a marriage relationship.

Agapeo' means - "to love so completely as to become one with" and that is the Lord's unltimate intention for mankind.

The dating relationship begins with the man courting the woman - "no man cometh unto the Father but the Spirit draws him" . God begins His courting by wooing us by His Spirit and giving us - as it were - sound bites of who He is and also of His great love and intentions towards us.

Then after some time, there comes various 'proposals' as it were - times when He asks us for a committment to Him - "Behold I stand at the door and knock -if any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him and sup with him" . Jesus enters the spiritual dimension of our hearts and lives, and resides and begins to nourish us - like the Psalmist David wrote "He preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies"

When we say in our heart "yes" to Jesus, we have become engaged or betrothed to Him. A public confession of that committment follows. We are then water baptised and that is our spiritual wedding day - we are joined to Him and in the presence of witnesses. Now we are His bride.

Then, as in an earthly ceremony, we have a wedding reception where we eat and drink and fellowship with the invited guests - whether it be through attending church services, books, tapes, or one on one fellowshipping with like-minded believers, or simply times when the Lord speaks to our hearts one on one.

And as in the natural - so it is in the spiritual - the night comes and we enter in to the wedding chamber and become one with our Bridegroom, so it will be when Jesus returns - we will meet Him in the air and become one with Him and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

When Scripture speaks of the dead in Christ rising first, it is referring to present day Christians being awakened from their backslidden condition /sleep and once more their love for their 'first love' is rekindled.

In Scripture, the parable of the ten virgins is a perfect picture of the return of Jesus Christ... the church waiting and only half are ready with their lamps (hearts) trimmed and plenty of (Holy Spirit) oil. Five enter into the wedding chamber and the door is closed. This will all happen in the twinkling of an eye - His eye - for us. "Many are the called, but few are chosen". We are presently in the final moments spiritually speaking where we are preparing ourselves by dying to self and filling up with the Holy Spirit (oil) areas of our lives that once contained 'self'. And we are trimming our lamps - ridding our hearts and lives of all that is not of Him.

One night I had a dream where I was looking toward the North and a bright flash/explosion occurred in the night and men went flying in all directions. When Jesus returns ( from the spiritual Mt Zion/Heaven/the right hand of God - on the sides of the North) there will be a spiritual burst of power where He enters us in His fullness and we become one. Men will be "blown away" by this event, and the world will witness once again the fullness of man and God joined as one - just as I believe Adam and Eve were with God. All that God purposed for mankind and was lost - will now be restored...