The Kingdom of Peace

This work began as a study for a painting I had promised a friend, quite some time ago.  I have since decided that trying to paint detailed and surreal images like this would take more time than I have, so I've concluded that my digital composite art will have to do.  I am happy with this mode of expression now~ I have made my peace with it!

Her request was for a "lion and lamb" picture, and I know she likes gardens, so I began to create a spiritual garden mostly from photos of my own of the Cummer in Jacksonville.  The olive tree, of course, doesn't grow there in the natural world.  But I was envisioning a mountaintop garden, and since Jesus often prayed and rested with his disciples on the Mount of Olives, I thought it was fitting.  It represents here the Tree of Life.  I was concerned at first that it didn't seem to have olives on it, and I was going to try to clone them in, but I decided it wasn't necessary, as "the leaves are for the healing of the nations."

 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Revelations 22:2 

Now this picture doesn't match up with the Biblical description here, but then there's at least one in Genesis that's different.  What I'm thinking is that wherever Jesus is, there's the Tree of Life, since He is the Life.  I don't have clear revelation on "twelve fruits," so I am going to leave that alone right now.  I figure that He can bear fruit in His season, and that is His doing not mine.   I do know that in the natural world, olive leaf is a useful herb that promotes health and healing, and I occasionally use it myself if I'm fighting an infection!  Olive oil is also one of those really healthy things, and it stands for anointing in Scripture.  Sometimes I can't put every detail into a piece that there possibly could be, so we have to see the possibilities for understanding even in that which is "unspoken" but can be "read between the lines."

The main subject is Christ, and the Lion and the Lamb both represent Him:

But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." Revelation 5:5

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  John 1:29

"for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Revelation 7:17

In this picture, the lion and lamb are actually sitting on a rock that is in the middle of a stream!  That may seem uncomfortable, but this is a spiritual representation.  It's the river of God, which "proceeds from the throne of God"

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Revelation 22:1

Since this is a symbolic representation of the Kingdom of God, we will assume the throne of God is present but unseen as is God Himself.  The rule of God is visible however, in its effects.  Here, one of the effects is peace.  Remember that one of the premises I go on in my artistic representations of spiritual things is this:

nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21

So, if the Kingdom is in you by the indwelling Christ (shown by the dove who symbolizes the Holy Spirit), then the outcome would be peace.  This of course is a process, but we should be having an increase of peace as the rule of Christ in our life increases:

Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.  Isaiah 9:7

As much holy zeal as the Lord has, He is always at peace, which is why I have chosen to show the lion and lamb lying down.  He expects us to rest in Him as well, and be at peace.  He is the Prince of Peace!  There is no reason, no valid excuse really, to live in worry, stress and doubt if He is our King and Shepherd.  And what better Shepherd to have than one who knows what it's like to be a sheep?!  He knows how easy it is for us to fret and have care that takes away our health and well-being.  He knows our natural world does not often look like this artwork.  It often looks like devastation, as in Haiti.  However, for the Christian, even living in terrible circumstances and with incredible suffering does not have to steal our peace from us.  Indeed, we should endeavor to enter into His peace and rest, which will shelter us in times of difficulty. 

Hbr 4:10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. . . Hbr 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. . . Hbr 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. . . Hbr 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4  [I suggest reading the whole chapter, and also Psalm 91].

Jesus words about the end times were about tribulation of all types, so we should not be dismayed at the happenings in the world. 

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  John 16:33

We are to expect trials, tribulations, and persecutions, but we have the Spirit if we belong to Christ, and one of the fruits of the Spirit is peace.  Tribulation also works to train our character and bring us into line with Christ's character, of which patient endurance is certainly part.  (Galatians 5:22;  Romans 5:3)  Small trials throughout our life help make us stronger and more able to deal with large problems later.  But if we do have to deal with something for which we are not ready, then His grace is sufficient:

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

I have had plenty of opportunities in my life to test the validity of this Scripture, and I testify that is it indeed true!  And yet, sometimes I worry that something will happen in life, some big disaster or something, that I won't be able to handle.  Then the Lord gently reminds me of how His grace carried me through things I thought would certainly destroy me, or at least my mental stability.

No matter what, we have the hope of Christ's return in glory to rule on the earth!  I am looking for that, praying that it will be soon.  When we think of the "millenial reign" we probably first think of peace!  I love the word picture that Isaiah "painted" about that:

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them." Isaiah 11:6 

We often get these words confused with the "lion and lamb" concept, but I think these pictures fit together, so I took advantage of the fact that seeing a lion and lamb lying down together would evoke a concept of the millenial reign as well.  We often don't think of the fact that as we mature, our picture of Christ matures as well.  We may know Him as the Lamb at first (He is easier to handle that way), and then the Lion of Judah later (which I see as a more warlike representation, one that has already defeated Satan).  Eventually we will be comfortable knowing Him as both the Lion and the Lamb together, understanding that He will manifest whatever facet of Himself that is necessary for the time.

These things were all in me as I "painted" but I received a "hidden manna" from it as I meditated on the picture and prayed for more understanding.  I saw it while I was listening to a Brenda Craig teaching on the Word.  Suddenly I saw that the garden here is divided into three parts.  I knew this when I did it but I didn't see what it really showed.  It is all about how we pursue (seek after) the Lord. 

This is what I saw:  on the left, He leads us into green pastures, a place of quiet and rest.  He does all the work, we just lean on Him and soak in His presence.  In the middle, there seems to be no way in, just something you can look into but not walk to.  The Lord showed me that there are two ways to go deeper, dive in or fly in!  This is spiritual, and it's takes seeking the Lord to understand.  But it takes a leap of faith and giving up your own control.  The third way of pursuing the Lord is climbing.  As on the right hand side of the picture, one has to climb up some steep stairs to venture out into more of who He is.  You might get to a mountain top and have a revelation of God.  You might go down into a valley then to serve, and discover more of His character and have it worked into you.  It's about action,  testing, and experience.  But it all takes us to a higher level with Him.  Each of these three modes requires faith, hope and love-- along with obedience and perseverance.  But they will all three lead to more intimacy with Christ and knowing God more.

I haven't explained the statue (from Middleton Place in South Carolina).  What do you think it means?  Comments?

Credit for images licensed  for use in this composite:
Grand old olive tree  © Manicblue
Hills & Swiss Alps © Ken Brown
Rotunda in Crimea  © Vladyslav Surnin  
Lamb © Mikael Damkier
Male Lion © Eric Gevaert
Beautiful stone urn with flowers © Douglas Freer
White Dove in Flight 6 © Christopher Ewing
Dreamstime.com

"The Kingdom of Peace" is a composite artwork by Karen Gladys Henry © 2009. All rights reserved. For permission to use this image in any way other than copying to your computer as wallpaper, please email me at ArteZoe@gmail.com Thank you.

Entrance

I started this composite last year, I think, and once I got the images pieced together, it was mind-bogglingly tedious work getting it all blended. I am now glad that my work on it was temporarily suspended as I gathered my resolve to finish it. Right after I did, my pastor began teaching on some things that gave me more insight into this image.

As I had already chosen to call it "Entrance", I had realized I was depicting an entrance into the Kingdom of God. The circular doorway represents eternity. The woman standing there is symbolic of the Church of believers, and the lion on the top left stands for Christ, the Lion of Judah. To me it seems the woman is curtsying to Him, or greeting Him in a loving and worshipful manner. She has on a veil, since she is His Bride, but she is not dressed in white linen yet, as the works she is to do are empowered from the Kingdom, which she has not yet entered.

On this side of the wall, we see a rather watery garden, representing the Earth. At this point, the woman is still facing the Earth, or her earthly life. There are three "waters" here: the sea (humanity), the fountain which is old and toppling over into the sea (religion), and the stream of Life, which is flowing out from the Kingdom. The Tree has roots going down into the sea, showing that Jesus has roots in the Earth because He was the Son of Man. But the Tree is on top of the wall, and if we use our imaginations we can see there are roots going down the other side of the wall into the heavenly Kingdom, because Jesus is also the Son of God. The stream represents "the Way", which is full of difficulties, but leads straight to the Kingdom. The stream also is Jesus, as He is the Way. He is also the Entrance.* Above the circular door are the Greek letters alpha and omega, which represent the beginning and the end, and this is a name used for Jesus in the Bible. Jesus, the King, is overseeing the earthly garden as well as the heavenly Kingdom and the gateway into it. He glows with His own light.

On the other side of the entrance, we see a vista of glowing mountains, clouds and heavenly lights representing a spiritual and perfect realm we've rarely or never seen with our eyes. There is a sunrise/sunset because the sun is setting on one era and rising on another. There is outer space and galaxies because the Kingdom is much greater than anything we can grasp or imagine. It encompasses all of creation. The huge mountain represents the Kingdom of God as is depicted in Daniel's dream: a mountain that is covering the whole world (Daniel 2:35,44). Until the Bride enters the Kingdom, the government of God does not cover the earth. But when she submits to her Lord, she becomes part of the Entrance, and the Kingdom of God will enter the earthly garden through her, creating the situation needed for the King to return to Earth in person.

Although the earthly garden reflects some of the heavenly realm, and one can see some of it if one lifts the eyes upward or gets close to the Entrance, it is still difficult to see from the vantage point shown in this artwork. This is where my pastor's teaching offers some insight.

He began with this scripture, where Jesus says:

"If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" John 3:12

At church, we discussed how the earthly things were those things revealed by scripture, especially things Jesus said and did, that pertain to life here. This includes repentance and forgiveness, all kinds of healing and deliverance, and learning how to walk in Spirit and Truth. Most scripture has to do with earthly things, things we need now. Since Jesus is the door into Life, and the Way to God, we must accept Him as Savior in order to see the Kingdom.*

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

After we've followed Him for a while we begin to see what the Kingdom of God is all about. We start out thinking it's just about after we die we get to go to heaven. But as we mature, we realize there is much more, and that it is for now as well as later.

". . . as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3-11 NKJV

Notice that he says that if we lack these things we are shortsighted, or blind, meaning that we can't see the Kingdom! But if we are diligent about obtaining them, we will be supplied an entrance into that Kingdom.

After Jesus' initial statement to Nicodemus about being born again, he said something else:

Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' John 3:5-7

Nicodemus didn't get it, and this is where Jesus said "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" Being born again is an earthly thing! How do we get born again? By believing the Word and receiving it/Him. The Word is Truth and Jesus is Truth. First our minds our renewed by hearing the Word; we begin to change and grow by acting on it in faith. But we also need to receive it into our hearts: this is being born again in the Spirit. The Word grows in our hearts until He is all in all~ of full stature. This is when we gain an entrance into the Kingdom. But first we must see it, or we won't keep on the difficult Way to Life.

Jesus' prayer to the Father, before he was crucified and resurrected, was that we would be one with Him, the Father, and one another (John 17). This is accomplished in the Spirit as we lay down the things that hinder us and we allow God to rule us. We are "seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 1:20), but we have to learn to walk in that reality. He has already purchased it for us, and He is in us and we are in Him if we are born again. But how many of us participate in that? It is His desire that we not only see the Kingdom from afar and hope to enter it after we die, but that we see it as right near us, that we press on to enter it, and that we regularly take what we gain there and demonstrate it in the earthly realm. This is my spiritual quest.

'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelation 3:14- 22 NKJV

Flowers:
In Victorian lore, as far as I can find, wisteria represents "youth and poetry". If I take it in a spiritual sense, to me it represents humility, teachability and prophetic revelation. It also has an appearance like grapes, so it also says fruitfulness to me. And I have to say, it partly just needed to be there as a visual balance. The irises are quite significant, I found out after I put them there. It's not a biblical meaning, but a traditional, Victorian one (I think the Lord can still use our understood languages as a means of communication). It means "I have a message for you", and also stands for faith, wisdom, promise in love, hope and valor. All these are found in the 2 Peter passage.

I hope this stirs you to pursue what has been offered us through Christ. I am seeking to see much more of the Kingdom, so that I can help others enter in.


*To the sides of this picture there are two other openings in the wall. These are not "other ways to God". The fact is that God is a triune being, and He's the only door into His own Kingdom. The reality that Jesus is the Way to Life and God is not my idea: it is not a product of personal prejudice or intolerance. It's God's own statement: He chose to give Christ "all authority in heaven and on earth". If it were up to me, I'd make it easy. But it's not up to me. If you don't believe my testimony and that of the Bible, then ask God to show you the truth of it, and if you really want to know, He will show you. Then you'll know I'm not making it up. You can have an internal witness that is unassailable.

Credits for this artwork:

Many images went into making this~ my thanks to all the photographers:
http://www.dreamstime.com/cascading-mountain-stream-rimage5820508-resi122770
http://www.dreamstime.com/circular-port-in-chinese-garden-rimage4432113-resi122770http://www.dreamstime.com/himalayan-mountain-rimage4791266-resi122770http://www.dreamstime.com/italian-renaissance-dress-rimage3246760-resi122770www.dreamstime.com/roots-rimage632696-resi122770www.dreamstime.com/water-fountain-rimage120017-resi122770www.dreamstime.com/lion-rimage2097236-resi122770http://www.dreamstime.com/purple-flowers-wisteria-rimage705712-resi122770http://www.dreamstime.com/rocks-rapids-along-a-stream-rimage2393809-resi122770www.dreamstime.com/the-old-barn-rimage5454492-resi122770 [irises]
[tree image no longer available]
My own sunset and ocean photos were used, along with a public domain space photo. The image inside the circular entrance is also a composite of my own photos.