Awakening: The Deep Sleep (The Deep Sleep Trilogy Book 1) (6 page)

“I watched the river of people as they continued to travel under the water’s control. At length, the river was overwhelmed by the magnitude of people in it, all wanting deliverance but not believing it was possible.

“My heart was heavy – I could see an empty hunger in each heart and could feel the horror overtaking them. As I looked across the sea of faces one by one, I was burdened by the emptiness in their eyes. Their life-stories all held similar burdens, with hopelessness running through them. Shame held them captive.

“In actuality, the dark creatures possessed no great power to hold the people captive. But the masses were bound by the shame they had experienced, and they felt helpless to fight it.

“I knew that if they could know Jesus as I did, they would be filled with His joyous love like I was. If they could understand the mysterious love of God, their lives would be full of His purpose for them and the shame would be vanquished. Every terror they’d endured would be used for the glory of the kingdom of heaven.

“As I tried to show them Jesus, in their despair they were frightened of Him. They thought He would hurt them; they could not look at Him without shame and remorse generating terrible pain.

“The chilling winds blowing through that wretched forest made it nearly impossible to help them because of the fear that hung in those damp, black branches. I could see the fear overtake them and freeze cold the sparks of love that flickered in their hearts.

“I cried out again to the Lord and asked, ‘Oh, Jesus, what can we do to help these people?’

“I was almost angry with Him now, because I didn’t understand why He’d brought me to this place if I could not help the people. I knew there must be a purpose and that He must want me to help them somehow, but
how? ‘Why wasn’t He stopping and helping them,’ I wondered in my heart.

“The intensity of His countenance almost frightened me as He continued to stare toward the horizon. I felt that He was directing my attention to follow His gaze. I began to look ahead to see what He was seeing.

“I watched and as I did, my focus was urgently captivated by what I thought I saw up ahead. I stood paralyzed, unable to believe what my eyes were seeing.

“ ‘Noooo!’ I cried.

“My heart, once alive with willingness to help, was now drowning in a sense of overwhelming helpless panic – I saw the river’s end.

“The end of the river was much more shocking than the river itself. People, masses of people, were being hoarded together and shoved relentlessly over a massive cliff to a bloody, rocky ravine below. Death was the goal.

“It wasn’t enough that the enemy was stealing their lives from them, he wanted to assure their eternal death – he wanted their souls.

“Causing them to sin, then enslaving them to shame, he was able to imprison them in a cycle of fear and condemnation in which they were continually abused and ridiculed by those who held them captive and used them like playthings.

“Again and again they were unrelentingly violated until they were numb to the conditions they were living in and the dark forces that could do as they pleased with them, doing all, not just to steal their joy but their very souls. Eternal death was a game to them and they enjoyed playing it.

“I looked back at the river as those nearing the edge watched those at the edge plummet thousands of feet to their deaths. Panic gripped them when they realized there was no way they could escape the same fate. They were doomed to death without deliverance – terror striking yet another blow, without hope.

“Leaving the boat, I ran away from Jesus and back to the river’s edge to those I could reach. I began to scream at them – ‘Wake up! Stop! Get out!’ Anything I could think of to get their attention, but they turned from me frightened even more by my aggressive, panicked countenance.

“I panicked as I tried to think of what could be done for them. I looked to Jesus and He watched me with a look filled with thankful emotion.

“I saw a small crowd of people on the other side of the river. I thought maybe they could help me reach these people, so I hollered to them to get their attention. However, when they looked toward the river, they were filled with disgust at the sight of it. They seemed
unconcerned by the condition of the people held captive and were angry with me and even cursed at me.

“Pious revulsion stood before helpless depravity and I watched in disbelief.

“Suddenly, I stepped back and my heart was filled with understanding. This was it! This was the reason Jesus brought me here, why He made me feel the river’s darkness and the forest’s deception. I knew then the only way I could help the people was to awaken His bride. Without that, there was very little I could do.

“The deep sleep had blinded the bride of Christ, catching them on a wheel of unending routine governed by the concerns of their own heart leading them nowhere.

“It was then that I heard an echo in the wind and felt the warmth of the Lion’s fire flow through me as I heard Him speak. ‘Awaken, My beautiful ones!’ He whispered in joy-filled relief.

“Again and again He spoke a word resounding through my being,
‘Awakening,’
again and again, just
‘Awakening,’
as if the universe joined Him in this historical exhortation.”

Joined by the prophetic host with her in the inner room of the mountain, Beloved spoke of the Lion’s cry to awaken His bride. As their voices echoed the emotional, heartfelt cry of the Lion, together they called out in earnest harmony again and again, “Awakening! Awakening! Awakening...”

The passion for the Lamb’s bride that had been imparted to them all had empowered them to bring deliverance to the sleeping bride. As the glorious host wept with the remembrance of the burden they were still facing, they were emboldened by the added newness of the urgency of their call.

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.

—Psalm 23:2 NLT

THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE COMPASSION
of the Lord, the Father’s relentless love for humanity, literally filled the inner room of the mountain as Beloved and her friends were now submerged in the transforming power of the Lord’s heart.

He spoke to them and flooded their hearts,
“Dear ones,”
the Lord began,
“I have held you in reserve for this hour. You will experience the greatest outpouring of My presence on the earth to this day. It will be ignited by My love
flowing through you. Guard this love with your whole being, for it is the greatest force on earth. It is the reality of heaven made manifest to the world through you, My dear friends.

“I commission you now to administrate My outpouring on the earth. It is for all men to experience. Although some will not respond well to My presence, they must have the opportunity to know who I Am and what they mean to Me.

“It is both your calling and your great responsibility that they would have the knowledge of who I Am revealed to them. Without the fulfillment of this call, we cannot be together as I wish.

“For some, it will be a time of great pain, but not for you, friends, for you have captivated My heart and will compel many to turn to Me. I have kept the best wine for last, and this wine will complete My will
–
empowering you to carry out My commission and establishing My kingdom on the earth.

“For as I spoke through Joel, I will truly pour out My spirit on all flesh. I will come, I will release My kingdom and I will have My way
–
there is no truth to the lies that cause My children to become complacent and forget My commands. I am Lord and I will be Lord on the earth as I am in the heavens. You will share in the joys and victories of this historic season
–
we will fight together to restore the Father’s house and complete His great joy.

“When all is finished, I will reveal Myself to all mankind. They will know I Am who I have declared Myself to be and then the end will come.

“It is then we will enjoy the great wedding feast I have prepared for us. It will truly be a feast of great celebration and fulfillment.”

As the Savior gathered His friends and prayed, His body was transfixed and made radiant, emitting glory of unearthly power and force. The room was filled with a burning energy – the power of transmutation. The intense light seemed to explode from inside of Him like an atomic blast, hitting every person in the room with great force.

Empowering them for their mission, His light instantly engulfed them and they appeared as though they were limp human forms held in the grasp of the light’s intense power.

Burning and creating, the light transformed them. Working first in their hearts and then through their minds, the light of the Savior created brand new untainted memories out of the painful past events in their lives – transforming them into trophies of grace to be used to impact the children of the earth.

Then, gripping their necks and shooting down through the spine, it continued. The light enveloped
each vertebra, penetrating the stomach cavity and shooting out from the arms and legs until it burst forth from their fingertips, even as a star reflects light from the inside out.

As the light rescinded, they returned to their conscious state. He gave each of them an impeccably pure white stone the size of their hand and told them all of the heavenly power it possessed. “This stone has the ability to release the faith of the Kingdom. Strong enough to crush doubt, it has the power to awaken faith, and My faith is the power of the kingdom released for such a time as this – the season of the kingdom.”

“One more thing before I release you,”
Jesus said.

“I have given My life to receive My bride; she is the most treasured possession I have. I, alone will present her to the Father to complete His joy. Yet My great treasure and heaven’s anticipated delight has been treated with disdain by many. Brutally and heedlessly, liars have attacked My true followers and they have suffered cruelly.

“Without fear of reprisal, thinking they were for Me, they have slashed at My beautiful bride. Warn those who will repent of My displeasure for their cruel actions, for I will soon shower the unrepentant with terror – they loved to curse, so they will
walk in their curses, chaining them to darkness. I have come to show mercy, I seek even those who would condemn My bride, but My love is accomplished through repentance.

“My dear friends,” He continued, “you must tell My bride that it was not I who abused her – I have come to restore her, to fill her with My glory – the glory she was destined to live in. She is My glory and I will restore her!

“Seekers, you must love My bride like I would love her. I am asking you to lay your lives down to see her restored to Me.”