As I prayed the Lord spoke to me in the Spirit and asked that I pray from the scriptures that were preserved in the Bible. The Spirit moved me to pray from the book of Isaiah. Isaiah teaches of the coming of One out of Zion that is the righteousness before all the nations. Out of Zion comes a Light and all nations shall come to the Light (see Isaiah 60:1-3). As a garden brings forth what is sown in it, so will praise spring forth out of Zion for the One that is glorified (see Isaiah 61:11). As David recorded in Psalm 22, “My Praise will be of You in the great assembly,” (see verse 25) and, “Those who seek Him will praise the Lord” (see verse 26).

In prayer the Spirit asked me to ask to see the face of my Lord, Jesus the Christ. As the words came, I became as one sleeping and in a vision saw that face of the Lord on the cross of redemption. His face was badly bruised and had open wounds (as from the force of a man’s hand and/or the end of a whip gone wild). The blood, from the crown upon His head (now drying and clumped), had anointed His hair and ran onto His beard. It is not an image that one would see only from what is described in the scriptures concerning Jesus. The sight caused me to go into a deeper vision and to pray in the spirit. When I came to myself, my face and shirt were wet with tears, and my heart was heavy.

The Spirit spoke and asked me to ask to see Him on the other side of the tomb. As I did so, the same face appeared to me. The face was healed and the blood had been replaced with a bright white light. The heavy heart was replaced with one of peace, and the feeling of pure love flooded over me. The Grace of God, provided by His blood, was before me. Seeing the blood I had understood my sins more, but facing the Light I understood His grace more. “For all have sinned and fell short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23-24), whom God set forth as a mercy seat (a propitiation) by His blood. “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:10).

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be sons of the light” (John 12:35-36). It is written, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14) and “so that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). By the grace of God we are reconciled to God to live in the life of Jesus the Christ; being a light to the world. The blood of Jesus has cleansed us, His stripes has healed us, and His life has saved us.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). It is your reasonable service that, in your presentation, you let Jesus Christ (our living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God; given to us by the mercies of God) be seen. Do not present your body conceived in corruption but present Jesus Christ, our new conception conceived in incorruption (Spirit – truth). Just as in the first womb, we are surrounded by water and blood. “This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth” (1 John 5:6). Our birth is Spirit, no longer the lie of immortality promised by the snake in the garden (see Genesis 3:4), but the truth of an eternal life in Jesus the Christ – the living sacrifice. Praise God.

© 2006, 2017 Tim D. Coulter Sr.