By Hazel Holland
About 12 years ago (1996) I received this vision one night as I was praying for a friend of mine just before we attended a Cleansing Streams Weekend Retreat. After sharing with her what I had seen, she confirmed that the visual portrayal of her in a fish tank clinging to the air filter was exactly how she felt at times as a worship leader within the church. She felt restricted and controlled by man-made rules while at the same time struggling to let go of her own need to be in control of everything.
Often she felt like she would die at times if she didn’t get some fresh air soon. She wanted to receive the gift of the Spirit, but was afraid that God might send her a “stone” instead of “Living Bread”. Consequently, she found herself resisting the work of the Spirit by telling God how to do His job. Finally, the wall of fear that she had erected collapsed, and she was freed to venture beyond the confining walls of the “fish tank” and discover an ocean of clear Living Water where there were no restrictions to Life in the Spirit…
Recently the Lord brought back the imagery of this vision as He urged me to paint what He had originally shown me! I had never painted it or even thought about writing about it before, because I thought it had no further purpose. However, when I started to write down what I had seen, God began to download His heart about what the symbolism in the scene meant. The message He had originally given me twelve years ago was not just for my friend, but it was for all of us in the larger body of Christ. I hadn't recognized the broader message back then, because although I knew the Spirit I was still holding on to the "air fliter" in the "fish tank".
Moreover, after sharing the vision with Ramone (my friend in Japan), I was encouraged to proceed with writing it out after Ramone shared with me further insight He had gained from the Lord about the meaning of the symbolism in this vision. Since his interpretation supported the clear message that I had already received from the Lord through these vivid images, I have gathered together his thoughts along with mine and presented them in the interpretation that follows the vision.
The Vision
I saw a very beautiful and extremely large fish tank with all kinds of live plants in it. They were very green, and very real as they swayed back and forth in the blue water. As the Lord took me closer to the fish tank so that I was looking at it as if my nose was up against the glass, I would not have been able to tell it was a fish tank. From that perspective it looked more like an underwater ocean scene, except there appeared to be no fish swimming around, just all kinds of living plants.
In the vision I was taken through the fish tank very slowly so that I could observe that there were no fish in this tank at all. Light from above was shining into the tank making everything look beautiful, but I noticed that the water in the tank was becoming cloudy, like it needed to be changed pretty soon. Having had a fish tank in my classroom years ago, I know if the water isn’t changed regularly the fish will die.
As I came through some dense underwater plants suddenly I saw my friend who I was praying for! She seemed very insignificant and small compared to this very large fish tank. She was near the top of the tank, dressed in a modest, one-piece bathing suit, holding on to the filtering system that brings oxygen into the water. I saw that she was concentrating on trying to swallow the tiny air bubbles that came out of the filter into the water.
Visible Speaks of Invisible
In this vision God is using the visible and natural things of this world that we are all familiar with to speak to us to us of the invisible and supernatural things of His Spirit. In the natural world, the water in the ocean is in constant motion and circulation. Because it has no limit, it does not stagnate or die—it lives! In that way the ocean resembles the supernatural free flowing of the Spirit.
However, if you were to take the ocean water out of the ocean and put it in a fish tank, it would begin to die. So in order to slow down that process the water in the tank must be frequently changed. Not only that, the tank must also be regularly cleaned and the filter scrubbed, because the water inside the tank has to be in constant motion and circulation or the decaying process will proceed faster. The filtering and changing process is done precisely in order to slow down the process of death and decay in the tank. This is what I sense the Lord is saying to us through this object lesson…
An Object lesson
“My Beloved children, some of you have taken the Living Water that flows from Me, and you are trying to control and manage the flow of it by placing it into very large and beautiful “holding tanks”. From the “holding tanks” you re-distribute it so that it can be purchased by those who need water to live. But the water you are “selling” is not always Living Water, but is made to look like Living Water. The plants that you see in the fish tank swaying in the gentle current look like they are growing in the ocean, but they are not. You planted them in a fish tank in order to make the “tank” look authentic, attractive, and like the real thing”.
“My Beloved children, as you look at the cloudy water in the “tank”, you must know that the process of death and decay is already at work. By nature the “tank” itself brings death. Water that was once alive in the “tank” will surely die. The whole setup in the “fish tank” is designed to mimic the reality of the ocean. In the ocean the water cannot stagnate or die, because it is in constant motion. But in this very large “fish tank” there is no free-flowing water. Instead, water is being “recycled” through a “filtering system” that produces tiny air bubbles that is supposed to bring “life” to the tank environment”.
“My Beloved children, My heart is filled with deep sorrow as I see you putting forth every effort to stay alive in such restrictive surroundings. Because of the outward beauty of the “tank”, it is hard for some of you to admit that the water is “cloudy”. But I see you clinging desperately to the “air filtering system” trying to swallow tiny air bubbles that come out from the end of the “air filter” in order to stay alive in the “tank”. For some of you it seems wrong to dare to say that you feel like you are dying as you struggle to breathe… After all shouldn’t you be grateful for this “air filter” that supplies you with much needed oxygen?”
“My Beloved children, I know that you feel very small and insignificant compared to the large and beautiful “plants” in the “tank”. I know you believe that the “air filter” that you so tightly cling to is necessary in order to control and preserve your Life in the “tank”. But just the opposite is true. The “air filter” is gradually cutting you off from your true Air Supply. The “air filter” is preventing you from knowing that there isn’t true Life in the “tank”. Many of you don’t realize that you are living in a “fish tank” instead of My “ocean!” Why are you willing to settle for a substitute instead of the real thing?
The Interpretation
Although the symbol of the “fish tank” can apply to many things, (particularly the spirit of control), I am reminded of the traditional meaning of the word, “church“. For most of us when we say “church” we mentally see a building that we go to in order to worship God. But that is not the New Testament understanding of “church”. The body of Christ is the church, not a building that we assemble in for worship. We don’t go to church. We are the church… and we gather together regularly, usually in a building, for corporate worship.
Yet the tradition of “going to church” or being “in a church” has been a “tank” to Christians for too long. In fact the "church" today has become like the synagogue in Christ's day. The synagogue was not commanded by God, but He did use it, and many were blessed there. However, it was not law. When people came to freedom in Christ, they were under no obligation to attend the synagogue. However, many did go, but they understood that their life was in Christ. Today, the synagogue is called, "church". For many it has become a visible institution—a “tank” instead of a living body that flows like the ocean…
The Filter
The "filtering" system that many church leaders have set up in order to "protect" the members of the body from harm is actually control, controlling how much of the "air" comes in ("spirit" in Greek is pneuma, which also means "wind" or "breath"). Sadly, when the Life is choked out of the body by leadership’s control, it causes the members of the body to cling to the leadership “filter” for dear life!
Members of the body often do not know what is truly going on. They often feel too "insignificant" to dare to say anything, or even see that anything is wrong. Since the church structure has made the leaders the filter, and the only source of air, timid and obedient members in the body cling to the leaders (the filter) all the harder because they need the breath of life, and that's the only place they can get it in this “tank” of dying water and diminishing air. They concentrate as hard as possible on listening to the words and receiving the anointing of the leaders, because they have no Life of their own.
Then when someone really does connect with Jesus Christ and gets passionate for Him, leaders and well-meaning church members often want to hold that person up for everyone to see. In some way that person’s passion and real experience with Jesus Christ becomes a kind of "validation" of the church or the ministry. At times people start to feed off the passion and experience of someone else instead of going directly to God for themselves. As a result that “someone else” becomes the display model that is held up for others to try and emulate.
This truth is revealed through the symbolism in the vision of someone clinging to the “air filter” in the “tank”. When someone becomes passionate about God and is “up there” for all to see clinging to the filter (leadership) for "air" (Spirit and Life), it then becomes a lesson to the rest of the church (in the tank). Often the person who has found Life is brought up front for display and testimony—giving further credit to the blessings that come through submitting to the “air filtering system” within the “tank” (church). "See how passionate and alive so-and-so is? That is because they are under leadership’s authority and 'covering'. The blessings that they have received can be yours too if you do the same!”
The Plants
Although the “well” is dry in some churches and ministries, leadership will sometimes take someone who has found Life and try to “implant” them. Could that be what the plants mean in the “tank”? Although the plants in the “fish tank” are beautiful, the “tank” is definitely overcrowded with too many plants. Have so many been "implanted" into the church in order to cover up the death that the “tank” is bringing to all life inside of it? Have so many colorful and lively-looking plants been “implanted” into the “tank” in order to dazzle our senses so that no one will notice the clouding of the water and the lack of air, or even the lack of living fish?
The analogy comes to mind of trying to transplant a living branch onto a dead root. Eventually the life in the branch will die because the root and soil have no life in them. In this case, a fish tank has no connection with the real life underground. A plant in a pot cannot be nourished from the underground streams—the things that make life in the desert grow!
Since a plant in a pot cannot be nourished from underground streams it must be watered constantly. Do we as members in the body of Christ sometimes expect constant weekly “watering” from the leadership of the church? Could it be that our roots are shallow, because we have not tapped into the "well" that will keep us flourishing in all seasons? Didn't Jesus say that His salvation in us would be like a well springing up to eternal life? Doesn't this come from sinking our roots deep into Him?
Could it be that God is going to stop the overhead "watering" and "dry up" the "rain" in some churches in order to force us to sink our roots deep into His Son, tapping into the underground well… the underground River that is not always seen manifested in "Spirit-filled" churches? Could it be that He will bring us into the "desert" in order to restore us to life?
“Lord, if you are breaking us so that our roots will sink deeply into You, then take us to the desert. You seem to be doing this to people individually more and more in recent years. Are the individual removals to the desert precursors to a more massive church removal to the desert? Are you going to expose us to the hot sun (Son) in order to dry up our dead works, so that we will produce fruit in keeping with our faith?”
Works of Death
Is God showing us how He really sees things? Although we may feel insignificant ourselves, have we been pointing to the beauty of our "life" and "plants" within our “tank” (church) instead of pointing people to Him? Have we been more impressed by the beauty of our “tanks” (churches) than the beauty of His heart? Has God given us this vivid picture of a “fish tank” to illustrate the same thing that He spoke about in the old Temple in Jerusalem? Are our dead works and controlling patterns (works of death) just as fated to be torn down as were the dead stones of the old Jerusalem Temple?”
Remember how the disciples called Jesus' attention to the beautiful stones and work of the Temple in Jerusalem? We know that Jesus response took them by surprise when He told them that the Temple would be destroyed. All the stones would be taken down, because not one of those stones was a Living stone! Just like the works of the leaders of that age, and the life in them was not life but death, and their works were dead works! So the Temple had to be torn down, and the tearing down was violent and painful. Those who clung to the dead stones perhaps mourned the most…
Although we know that God no longer dwells in a physical temple made with human hands because He has chosen to come and live in us by His Spirit, I believe the message of this vision is revealing that many of us continue to build an Old Covenant “Temple” instead of a New Covenant Living Temple. Although in theory many of us have already left the man-made temples of brick and wood for one made of Living Stones, in reality we continue to build according to the Old Testament Model. We continue to build according to the Old Covenant Laws, because we continue to have “priests” who weekly distribute life and Spirit to us as members of the body. If we’re honest aren’t pastors modern-day priests in many churches, and isn’t the “priesthood of all believers” just a mere name only?
By re-building an “Old Covenant Temple” aren’t we making people into dead “stones” in order to make impressive-looking “temples”—impressive looking “fish tanks”? Have we been teaching people to contribute to the “building” and “ministry” that is focused inward to the “church” instead of outward to the needy? If this is true then we have been teaching the members of the body to build dead works! Then it follows that we have been erecting a building of death—a building that God will eventually tear down just as He did the Old Covenant Temple. The only temple that will stand is one that is built with Living Stones. Aren’t we called to become the Living Stones that He is joining together?
God's Sovereign Rule
As I was pondering the seriousness of what God is revealing through the symbolism in this vision, I asked Him why He waited twelve years before He brought this vision back to me. Then I remembered that twelve is a perfect number in God’s economy, signifying governmental perfection. The number twelve in the Bible is found as a multiple in all that has to do with "rule".
First I was reminded of the Scripture in Genesis 1:16 that supports the significance of this idea of “rule” when it says, “God made two great lights—the greater light to govern (rule) the day and the lesser light to govern (rule) the night.” We know today that the sun and the moon in their passage through the great circle of the heavens (360=12x30) govern the year.
Furthermore, there are many examples in the Bible of twelve being the predominating factor in anything that has to do with “government” and “rule”. For instance, there were twelve patriarchs, twelve sons of Israel, twelve apostles (disciples), twelve foundations of the heavenly Jerusalem, twelve gates, twelve pearls, twelve angels, twelve tribes of Israel, the 144,000 (12 x 12) representing the “great multitude of the saved" in Revelation, and many more individual examples could be added to this list.
Since God is Sovereign and His timing and rule in all things is flawless, what might He be saying to us at this time regarding the timing of this word for the body of Christ? I believe NOW is the time He is bringing His order and His rule back to His church! He is calling out those who have His name and His Father’s name written on their hearts to stand in the gap so that the church can be restored to Life! He is exposing our “dead works” so that we will choose to repent and turn away from this “body of death”. He is restoring the church back to Life in Himself!
Perhaps it is hard for some of us to believe that the church (especially here in the West) in such a state that it is actually necessary for the Lord to take us into the desert in order to restore us to Himself? Lord, open our eyes to see what is really going on! Open our eyes to see that you are looking at our hearts, and that our hearts have been in fish tanks! Open our eyes to see the deep longing inside of us for Your life that has not been met, because we have quenched Your ability to fulfill our needs. Lord, release us from fish tank living into the Ocean of your amazing grace where we can drink daily of Your River of Delights. Lord, You are the air we breathe! We’re tired of being bound to man-made “filtering systems” that keep your Holy Spirit from breathing His true Life-giving energy into us. Lord, we want the quality of Life that comes from living in You with no filters, because You came to give us Life to the fullest!
(Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see a larger copy of this painting!)
About 12 years ago (1996) I received this vision one night as I was praying for a friend of mine just before we attended a Cleansing Streams Weekend Retreat. After sharing with her what I had seen, she confirmed that the visual portrayal of her in a fish tank clinging to the air filter was exactly how she felt at times as a worship leader within the church. She felt restricted and controlled by man-made rules while at the same time struggling to let go of her own need to be in control of everything.
Often she felt like she would die at times if she didn’t get some fresh air soon. She wanted to receive the gift of the Spirit, but was afraid that God might send her a “stone” instead of “Living Bread”. Consequently, she found herself resisting the work of the Spirit by telling God how to do His job. Finally, the wall of fear that she had erected collapsed, and she was freed to venture beyond the confining walls of the “fish tank” and discover an ocean of clear Living Water where there were no restrictions to Life in the Spirit…
Recently the Lord brought back the imagery of this vision as He urged me to paint what He had originally shown me! I had never painted it or even thought about writing about it before, because I thought it had no further purpose. However, when I started to write down what I had seen, God began to download His heart about what the symbolism in the scene meant. The message He had originally given me twelve years ago was not just for my friend, but it was for all of us in the larger body of Christ. I hadn't recognized the broader message back then, because although I knew the Spirit I was still holding on to the "air fliter" in the "fish tank".
Moreover, after sharing the vision with Ramone (my friend in Japan), I was encouraged to proceed with writing it out after Ramone shared with me further insight He had gained from the Lord about the meaning of the symbolism in this vision. Since his interpretation supported the clear message that I had already received from the Lord through these vivid images, I have gathered together his thoughts along with mine and presented them in the interpretation that follows the vision.
The Vision
I saw a very beautiful and extremely large fish tank with all kinds of live plants in it. They were very green, and very real as they swayed back and forth in the blue water. As the Lord took me closer to the fish tank so that I was looking at it as if my nose was up against the glass, I would not have been able to tell it was a fish tank. From that perspective it looked more like an underwater ocean scene, except there appeared to be no fish swimming around, just all kinds of living plants.
In the vision I was taken through the fish tank very slowly so that I could observe that there were no fish in this tank at all. Light from above was shining into the tank making everything look beautiful, but I noticed that the water in the tank was becoming cloudy, like it needed to be changed pretty soon. Having had a fish tank in my classroom years ago, I know if the water isn’t changed regularly the fish will die.
As I came through some dense underwater plants suddenly I saw my friend who I was praying for! She seemed very insignificant and small compared to this very large fish tank. She was near the top of the tank, dressed in a modest, one-piece bathing suit, holding on to the filtering system that brings oxygen into the water. I saw that she was concentrating on trying to swallow the tiny air bubbles that came out of the filter into the water.
Visible Speaks of Invisible
In this vision God is using the visible and natural things of this world that we are all familiar with to speak to us to us of the invisible and supernatural things of His Spirit. In the natural world, the water in the ocean is in constant motion and circulation. Because it has no limit, it does not stagnate or die—it lives! In that way the ocean resembles the supernatural free flowing of the Spirit.
However, if you were to take the ocean water out of the ocean and put it in a fish tank, it would begin to die. So in order to slow down that process the water in the tank must be frequently changed. Not only that, the tank must also be regularly cleaned and the filter scrubbed, because the water inside the tank has to be in constant motion and circulation or the decaying process will proceed faster. The filtering and changing process is done precisely in order to slow down the process of death and decay in the tank. This is what I sense the Lord is saying to us through this object lesson…
An Object lesson
“My Beloved children, some of you have taken the Living Water that flows from Me, and you are trying to control and manage the flow of it by placing it into very large and beautiful “holding tanks”. From the “holding tanks” you re-distribute it so that it can be purchased by those who need water to live. But the water you are “selling” is not always Living Water, but is made to look like Living Water. The plants that you see in the fish tank swaying in the gentle current look like they are growing in the ocean, but they are not. You planted them in a fish tank in order to make the “tank” look authentic, attractive, and like the real thing”.
“My Beloved children, as you look at the cloudy water in the “tank”, you must know that the process of death and decay is already at work. By nature the “tank” itself brings death. Water that was once alive in the “tank” will surely die. The whole setup in the “fish tank” is designed to mimic the reality of the ocean. In the ocean the water cannot stagnate or die, because it is in constant motion. But in this very large “fish tank” there is no free-flowing water. Instead, water is being “recycled” through a “filtering system” that produces tiny air bubbles that is supposed to bring “life” to the tank environment”.
“My Beloved children, My heart is filled with deep sorrow as I see you putting forth every effort to stay alive in such restrictive surroundings. Because of the outward beauty of the “tank”, it is hard for some of you to admit that the water is “cloudy”. But I see you clinging desperately to the “air filtering system” trying to swallow tiny air bubbles that come out from the end of the “air filter” in order to stay alive in the “tank”. For some of you it seems wrong to dare to say that you feel like you are dying as you struggle to breathe… After all shouldn’t you be grateful for this “air filter” that supplies you with much needed oxygen?”
“My Beloved children, I know that you feel very small and insignificant compared to the large and beautiful “plants” in the “tank”. I know you believe that the “air filter” that you so tightly cling to is necessary in order to control and preserve your Life in the “tank”. But just the opposite is true. The “air filter” is gradually cutting you off from your true Air Supply. The “air filter” is preventing you from knowing that there isn’t true Life in the “tank”. Many of you don’t realize that you are living in a “fish tank” instead of My “ocean!” Why are you willing to settle for a substitute instead of the real thing?
The Interpretation
Although the symbol of the “fish tank” can apply to many things, (particularly the spirit of control), I am reminded of the traditional meaning of the word, “church“. For most of us when we say “church” we mentally see a building that we go to in order to worship God. But that is not the New Testament understanding of “church”. The body of Christ is the church, not a building that we assemble in for worship. We don’t go to church. We are the church… and we gather together regularly, usually in a building, for corporate worship.
Yet the tradition of “going to church” or being “in a church” has been a “tank” to Christians for too long. In fact the "church" today has become like the synagogue in Christ's day. The synagogue was not commanded by God, but He did use it, and many were blessed there. However, it was not law. When people came to freedom in Christ, they were under no obligation to attend the synagogue. However, many did go, but they understood that their life was in Christ. Today, the synagogue is called, "church". For many it has become a visible institution—a “tank” instead of a living body that flows like the ocean…
The Filter
The "filtering" system that many church leaders have set up in order to "protect" the members of the body from harm is actually control, controlling how much of the "air" comes in ("spirit" in Greek is pneuma, which also means "wind" or "breath"). Sadly, when the Life is choked out of the body by leadership’s control, it causes the members of the body to cling to the leadership “filter” for dear life!
Members of the body often do not know what is truly going on. They often feel too "insignificant" to dare to say anything, or even see that anything is wrong. Since the church structure has made the leaders the filter, and the only source of air, timid and obedient members in the body cling to the leaders (the filter) all the harder because they need the breath of life, and that's the only place they can get it in this “tank” of dying water and diminishing air. They concentrate as hard as possible on listening to the words and receiving the anointing of the leaders, because they have no Life of their own.
Then when someone really does connect with Jesus Christ and gets passionate for Him, leaders and well-meaning church members often want to hold that person up for everyone to see. In some way that person’s passion and real experience with Jesus Christ becomes a kind of "validation" of the church or the ministry. At times people start to feed off the passion and experience of someone else instead of going directly to God for themselves. As a result that “someone else” becomes the display model that is held up for others to try and emulate.
This truth is revealed through the symbolism in the vision of someone clinging to the “air filter” in the “tank”. When someone becomes passionate about God and is “up there” for all to see clinging to the filter (leadership) for "air" (Spirit and Life), it then becomes a lesson to the rest of the church (in the tank). Often the person who has found Life is brought up front for display and testimony—giving further credit to the blessings that come through submitting to the “air filtering system” within the “tank” (church). "See how passionate and alive so-and-so is? That is because they are under leadership’s authority and 'covering'. The blessings that they have received can be yours too if you do the same!”
The Plants
Although the “well” is dry in some churches and ministries, leadership will sometimes take someone who has found Life and try to “implant” them. Could that be what the plants mean in the “tank”? Although the plants in the “fish tank” are beautiful, the “tank” is definitely overcrowded with too many plants. Have so many been "implanted" into the church in order to cover up the death that the “tank” is bringing to all life inside of it? Have so many colorful and lively-looking plants been “implanted” into the “tank” in order to dazzle our senses so that no one will notice the clouding of the water and the lack of air, or even the lack of living fish?
The analogy comes to mind of trying to transplant a living branch onto a dead root. Eventually the life in the branch will die because the root and soil have no life in them. In this case, a fish tank has no connection with the real life underground. A plant in a pot cannot be nourished from the underground streams—the things that make life in the desert grow!
Since a plant in a pot cannot be nourished from underground streams it must be watered constantly. Do we as members in the body of Christ sometimes expect constant weekly “watering” from the leadership of the church? Could it be that our roots are shallow, because we have not tapped into the "well" that will keep us flourishing in all seasons? Didn't Jesus say that His salvation in us would be like a well springing up to eternal life? Doesn't this come from sinking our roots deep into Him?
Could it be that God is going to stop the overhead "watering" and "dry up" the "rain" in some churches in order to force us to sink our roots deep into His Son, tapping into the underground well… the underground River that is not always seen manifested in "Spirit-filled" churches? Could it be that He will bring us into the "desert" in order to restore us to life?
“Lord, if you are breaking us so that our roots will sink deeply into You, then take us to the desert. You seem to be doing this to people individually more and more in recent years. Are the individual removals to the desert precursors to a more massive church removal to the desert? Are you going to expose us to the hot sun (Son) in order to dry up our dead works, so that we will produce fruit in keeping with our faith?”
Works of Death
Is God showing us how He really sees things? Although we may feel insignificant ourselves, have we been pointing to the beauty of our "life" and "plants" within our “tank” (church) instead of pointing people to Him? Have we been more impressed by the beauty of our “tanks” (churches) than the beauty of His heart? Has God given us this vivid picture of a “fish tank” to illustrate the same thing that He spoke about in the old Temple in Jerusalem? Are our dead works and controlling patterns (works of death) just as fated to be torn down as were the dead stones of the old Jerusalem Temple?”
Remember how the disciples called Jesus' attention to the beautiful stones and work of the Temple in Jerusalem? We know that Jesus response took them by surprise when He told them that the Temple would be destroyed. All the stones would be taken down, because not one of those stones was a Living stone! Just like the works of the leaders of that age, and the life in them was not life but death, and their works were dead works! So the Temple had to be torn down, and the tearing down was violent and painful. Those who clung to the dead stones perhaps mourned the most…
Although we know that God no longer dwells in a physical temple made with human hands because He has chosen to come and live in us by His Spirit, I believe the message of this vision is revealing that many of us continue to build an Old Covenant “Temple” instead of a New Covenant Living Temple. Although in theory many of us have already left the man-made temples of brick and wood for one made of Living Stones, in reality we continue to build according to the Old Testament Model. We continue to build according to the Old Covenant Laws, because we continue to have “priests” who weekly distribute life and Spirit to us as members of the body. If we’re honest aren’t pastors modern-day priests in many churches, and isn’t the “priesthood of all believers” just a mere name only?
By re-building an “Old Covenant Temple” aren’t we making people into dead “stones” in order to make impressive-looking “temples”—impressive looking “fish tanks”? Have we been teaching people to contribute to the “building” and “ministry” that is focused inward to the “church” instead of outward to the needy? If this is true then we have been teaching the members of the body to build dead works! Then it follows that we have been erecting a building of death—a building that God will eventually tear down just as He did the Old Covenant Temple. The only temple that will stand is one that is built with Living Stones. Aren’t we called to become the Living Stones that He is joining together?
God's Sovereign Rule
As I was pondering the seriousness of what God is revealing through the symbolism in this vision, I asked Him why He waited twelve years before He brought this vision back to me. Then I remembered that twelve is a perfect number in God’s economy, signifying governmental perfection. The number twelve in the Bible is found as a multiple in all that has to do with "rule".
First I was reminded of the Scripture in Genesis 1:16 that supports the significance of this idea of “rule” when it says, “God made two great lights—the greater light to govern (rule) the day and the lesser light to govern (rule) the night.” We know today that the sun and the moon in their passage through the great circle of the heavens (360=12x30) govern the year.
Furthermore, there are many examples in the Bible of twelve being the predominating factor in anything that has to do with “government” and “rule”. For instance, there were twelve patriarchs, twelve sons of Israel, twelve apostles (disciples), twelve foundations of the heavenly Jerusalem, twelve gates, twelve pearls, twelve angels, twelve tribes of Israel, the 144,000 (12 x 12) representing the “great multitude of the saved" in Revelation, and many more individual examples could be added to this list.
Since God is Sovereign and His timing and rule in all things is flawless, what might He be saying to us at this time regarding the timing of this word for the body of Christ? I believe NOW is the time He is bringing His order and His rule back to His church! He is calling out those who have His name and His Father’s name written on their hearts to stand in the gap so that the church can be restored to Life! He is exposing our “dead works” so that we will choose to repent and turn away from this “body of death”. He is restoring the church back to Life in Himself!
Perhaps it is hard for some of us to believe that the church (especially here in the West) in such a state that it is actually necessary for the Lord to take us into the desert in order to restore us to Himself? Lord, open our eyes to see what is really going on! Open our eyes to see that you are looking at our hearts, and that our hearts have been in fish tanks! Open our eyes to see the deep longing inside of us for Your life that has not been met, because we have quenched Your ability to fulfill our needs. Lord, release us from fish tank living into the Ocean of your amazing grace where we can drink daily of Your River of Delights. Lord, You are the air we breathe! We’re tired of being bound to man-made “filtering systems” that keep your Holy Spirit from breathing His true Life-giving energy into us. Lord, we want the quality of Life that comes from living in You with no filters, because You came to give us Life to the fullest!
(Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see a larger copy of this painting!)
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Wow, Hazel! God is awesome!
ReplyDeleteThe sub-heading you added called "Works of death" really helped me understand more about what that means -- even though I had written it before!
Any type of "filtering God" is a work of death. Any type of "putting in a tank" is a work of death. Building up people to be dependent on filters (leaders) and to look to human temples ("churches") instead of discerning God's temple (us!) is also a work of death. Implanting once-thriving living plants into our "tanks" to beautify the tank, intimidating people from speaking about the cloudiness of the water or the lack of air -- these too are works of death.
Wow, God made this clearer! Thank You, God. Set us all free! In Jesus' name, amen!
God's timing is so perfect and His ways beyond our imagination...
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine just sent me an email that said, "When I went thru deliverance at the Prayer Center, they saw me in a dirty tank. Thank you for the explanation.
Lord, release all of us from living in dirty "tanks" so that we can expereience the freedom of living in Your Ocean...
Hi Hazel,
ReplyDeleteTwo days ago the Lord impressed me to take certain ink brushes and a pad as we went out to Denny's. While there I began to paint a picture of His free sea -- it's His heart for us as we come out of the "fish tank"!
"Free in the Ocean"
Blessings in His freedom--
--in the ocean of His love!
You know, I was looking through some pictures on my site tonight and found a link I put there back to this picture, and felt impressed to re-look at it again. As I did and began to scroll through the interpretation above, something new struck me.
ReplyDeleteThere were no fish in the vision.
Your friend was in a 'leadership' position, and often things in leadership(s) look very attractive, like all the plants. But there is a kind of "invisible glass wall" that you can't get beyond. So you're always looking with admiration at the beauty and seeming bliss of the people in leadership, always wanting to drink that same spiritual drink they are drinking, but you can't get there.
Instead of being like fish pressed up against the glass looking outward to freedom, the irony here (in many, many churches) is that the fish are outside, but pressed up against the glass looking longingly into the tank! We always want to get "inside", to be "inside" with the leaders. But as your friend discovered, even in there it is often just an old pipe with a trickle of air. The fish "outside" don't know that the ocean is behind them and they are free to swim! They are taught to look for life and prosperity inside the tank!
Bless you in Jesus. Father, give us courage to speak about these things to those You send us to, in Jesus' name, amen!