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.

Discovery

Although this composite may look like a simple fairytale or illustration for a child's story, it is much more than that. Remember that the pictures I blog about here are visual parables, or at least illustrations or pictoral representations of spiritual truths. When these are imparted by the Holy Spirit to you, the truth becomes revelation. Once you have a little knowledge of the "language" being spoken, you can get some illumination.

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Doorways, which I use often in my artwork, are quite obvious symbols--they're entrances to somewhere you're not yet. This one's permanently open, although somewhat hidden, if you don't know what you're looking for. This is also a living door to somewhere safe and inviting, not a dark and threatening door. It can be interpreted as either the Door into the family and Kingdom of God (Jesus said, "I am the door." John 10: 1-15), or else a door into another "place", experience or understanding within that Kingdom. The little girl (who happens to be my granddaughter) may be discovering the doorway for the first time, meaning she is being drawn by the Father into the family of God, and she is ready and welcoming the new thing.

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I see this artwork a little deeper though, and I think the little girl represents the child of God (if you are "born again", then you are a child of God). The reason I say this is that she seems to already be in a garden, or a manicured grounds, and that this is a special place within it. She is also dressed like a "princess", representing that she already knows her place in the family and in the Kingdom. The dove (actually, it's a pigeon here, but it will do as a representation) always stands for the Holy Spirit in my artwork. Here, He has already done His job and has led her to this passageway. She has gotten a glimpse inside, and she's excited!

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The name of the background photo is "Secret Garden" (for credits and links to the other photos used in this collage, see my Flickr stream:http://www.flickr.com/photos/artezoe/3185912827/), so far, a mystery, as are many of the "places" in the Kingdom until they are revealed to us. God knows what we are ready to receive at any given time; and receive is what this little princess is about to do.

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Beyond the entrance to this place, that shines with a richer light than where she is at present, stands a beautiful white horse. I don't know all that this horse could stand for, but I do know that, here, it surely represents this little child's dream. She is enraptured by seeing him, and though she is twirling in joy, she will run in to embrace him in just a moment!

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Honestly, my heart swells at this very moment in gratitude for my Heavenly Father's gifts!. How often He has surprised me and overwhelmed me with His love! Sometimes it's been in response to long held dreams and prayers, and sometimes it's been a complete surprise. He knows me better than I know myself, and He has placed dreams in my heart and then made them come true. So, at least on one level, this noble horse represents the Father's good gifts and provisions (e.g. companionship, transportation).

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"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

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"Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

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"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:11 (Another reference ends a little differently: "how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" Luke 11:13).

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Those of us who are born again of the Spirit (John 3:1-21) are children of God, but we are still supposed to grow up in Him and become mature. The Father doesn't stop surprising us, though, or giving us gifts; however, the gifts become more powerful, and require more responsibility the "older" we get.

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Even though this little girl looks young, she has been given a large responsibility in the care of this horse. It also appears that the horse knows her and is awaiting her entrance with patience and love. This horse could be seen as a new move of the Holy Spirit in her life, one with more power and authority [appropriate follow-up reading would be Rick Joyner's "The Torch and The Sword"].

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I also see another, even deeper meaning to this artwork. In the book of Revelation, Jesus Christ is shown as returning on a white horse. Could it be that the archetypal "knight in shining armor" (always shown riding a white horse) is actually based on this? It is almost every little girl's dream to be "swept off her feet" by a "knight in shining armor"! Disney® and company have certainly capitalized on this with all their "Disney Princesses"™ merchandise. Some cynics scorn this, but I see it as an indication that it is more than just a girlish fantasy. In the greater reality of things, it is the Bride (one picture of the Church) who longs for her Prince, her "knight in shining armor" to appear. Jesus Christ will return for her, when she is fully mature, trained to "ride", and ready to do battle and to reign with Him.

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"Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19: 11-16 [all verses are from the New King James Version]. I suggest reading this whole chapter, and even through to the end of the book, as you'll see the Bride there.

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I hope this artwork and these words encourage you to enter into that deeper, more intimate relationship with your Heavenly Father (or to come into the Kingdom for the first time via the new birth). He has many awesome gifts for you, many new and glorious revelations and experiences to share with you, and most of all, He Himself to spend forever getting to Know.

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I always enjoy writing out the interpretations of these pieces, as I always receive more about them as I do, which always blesses me immensely!