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.

Blessings

This is a quick one~ I just wanted to bring out the different ways I see this, maybe to give it more depth for you.

This is both a heavenly place and an earthly place. It can be the throne room of Heaven, with the Lamb of God on the throne receiving worship. There is music in the air! The woman in white could be seen as an angel, but I mostly see her as the Bride worshipping in adoration before the throne. She is dressed in white, "the righteous acts of the saints", with which she makes herself ready for the Beloved.

I particularly see this as a simultaneously earthly place, because of the appearance of the room, which looks like it's nighttime. The lamb represents to me not only the Lamb of God, but God's little lambs. All children have angels for protection, and these ministers are always in the presence of God. All children, both natural children and spiritual children, need nurture and protection. Mothers and caretakers, pastors, counselors, teachers, etc., are all messengers and are responsible to impart the love and character of the Father to their charges. We should all keep in mind that these little ones belong to Him. He is the Good Shepherd, and as stewards, we must be found faithful. I also think of "whatever you do to the least of these, you've done it unto Me." When we serve the little ones as unto Him, the Lamb receives it as worship, and receives it with joy. The setting also reminds me of the Passover lamb that was taken into the home and loved as a pet before it was offered as a sacrifice, which holds much deep prophetic meaning about the Christ.

Scripturally, I don't see the heavenly angels as women, it doesn't refer to them as such, but sometimes says "a young man in a white robe". Other references to angels, such as seraphim, depict them as much more brilliant, powerful and multidimensional in ways that I have not been able to express artistically at this time. Whether you see this figure as an individual, the collective Bride, an angel, or even a fairy perhaps, the meaning is the same: a spiritual messenger from the throne room of God with blessings from Him. If we are born again, we are also spiritual beings with messages of love and truth from Him, and therefore the term "angels" can be properly applied to us as well, as that is what the word means: "messenger".

So be encouraged~ if you faithfully minister to His lambs, the Lamb of God receives your service. And in order to minister faithfully to His lambs, it is essential to minister to the Lamb Himself and to absorb His Presence through worship, intercession and careful listening to His voice.

Rev 7:17
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."

Mat 18:10
"Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Mat 25:40
And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did [it] to one of the least of these My brethren, you did [it] to Me.'

Luk 9:48
and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great."

Mat 22:30
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. [it says "are like", not are]

"My Times Are In Your Hand"

Most of the time, I make art because I have something on my mind, or in my spirit (both really), and I have to express it. The things that are the deepest tend to percolate for a long time, and then bubble up at the appropriate moment. This artwork expresses a combination of celebration and grief. The topic: life in the womb and the loss of that life.

As images go, this is a simple composite with easy symbolism, at least to me. The child's silhouette is the key to interpreting this image. (It's my oldest grandson~ who is now 5~ when he was first toddling around, looking out at the rain through the door in the den). I probably had more emotion as I created this artwork than I have had with many others put together. Perhaps this comes through, but it's impossible for me to discern, as I will always feel the feelings when I look at it from now on.

It usually happens (when I make art) that I'm feeling first, then groping to express artistically what I feel. The thinking is intuitive as I gravitate to photos I've taken or licensed that I keep archived for just such an "emergency". As I made this, the Scripture verse I quoted in the title above ran through my mind. I was struggling to find comfort for a loss~ someone else's loss of a baby by miscarriage~ that seemed to trigger something in me I couldn't explain. Grief welled up in me and threatened to bring on depression if I didn't deal with it. Art's good therapy, especially if we let the Spirit of God be involved, which of course I do.

I'm not going to go into a big discussion of what's on my mind, as this is an art blog, meant for interpretation (although I do get teachy and preachy here, I just can't help myself sometimes). But I am sure I will pursue the topic more in depth on "Fireberries" when I have time. For now, just let me say that my understanding of the preciousness of life has deepened over my lifetime, and it is a compelling force behind my artwork.

No matter what people think in this day and age, every life that is conceived in the womb is created by God. He breathes life into that tiny embryo, and it is a living person with a spirit. No child, born or unborn, goes unnoticed by Him or is unknown to Him. Whether they are miscarried or aborted they go to be with Him. I learned this when I miscarried my first pregnancy so many years ago. I will tell that story sometime when I blog all this out.

I actually titled this piece "Revelation #16" and included it in my series (as I felt it had universal revelation in it and worked visually with the rest). The background is an outer space image from the Hubble telescope, and this particular photo is of the Crab Nebula. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_Nebula Its appearance was perfect for my artwork with the glowing, womblike section that holds the child. I love working with these public domain space images (I've been invited to submit some of my artworks using their Hubble images for one of their official websites, I just haven't gotten up the nerve to go for it-- fear of rejection you know). http://hubble.nasa.gov/multimedia/astronomy.php

When I look at the small version of this artwork, I see angels circling the womb. The "angels" are actually dogwood blossoms, which of course you can see when you look up close. But I like the feeling of the womb being protected here, and I believe this is God's heart and action: to protect the life that is carried within.

Although death has not yet been "laid at Jesus feet", I believe it has been defeated by Him via the cross and resurrection. It is one of my great burdens that we begin to get a hold of this revelation. The dogwood traditionally represents the cross and passion of Christ. I think it is fitting here, for He "tasted death for every one". "He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," so He also knows how to comfort us in our losses and grieving. He always gives us hope and courage to help us keep on living life with joy and thankfulness.

In this artwork, the womb is portrayed as a vehicle, a "space ship", for the journey of growth and development that takes place for 9 months. It's spiritual counterpart is the concept of "the hand of God", which never lets go of this infant no matter what happens. The new life (each an eternal spiritual being), here, is being escorted to the heavenly realm: if the fetus is born a baby in the world, then God's hand is ever-present to guide him into the heavenly realm, by the Spirit, as the child grows naturally.

There's a white heart of light/love around the baby, which is God's heart of love, always present no matter what the circumstance. I like how the patterns made by the nebula and the flowering branches created an umbilical cord. Natural life is drawn from God through the birth-mother, and spiritual life is drawn from God through the spiritual mother, the Church (Body of Christ). As you can see, there is a deeper, more spiritual meaning to this artwork. We are to nurture all lives that are given into our care, for they all belong to God and derive life from Him.

Textures were overlaid in this artwork, one of rain through a curtained window during a violent tropical storm, signifying grief and a "veil" of oppression that keeps us from seeing the purposes of God when things look dark. Laid over that is another texture: a peaceful beach scene with gentle waves at sunrise, after a storm. This signifies the natural birth by water, and the spiritual birth represented by baptism. Life overcomes death, and light overcomes darkness. Underneath all of this is a texture made from a photo of light shining through a chalcedony stone, which is blue like the sky. To me this says the light of the third heaven breaks through the second and first heavens with the Truth of God, colouring everything we see, whether we know it or not.

I hope you've gained some insight and inspiration from this artwork and from my explanation. Thanks for reading! Be blessed.

References:

Psalm 31:15 (whole Psalm recommended)

Psalm 22: 9-11

Hosea 13:14

Romans 8:38-39

Hebrews 2:9

Isaiah 53: 3-4; 61:2

II Corinthians 1: 3-4