Our God is an all-consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29
The Lord gave me a vision of a ring of fire when I was in prayer. Persecution is coming.
The ring of fire is for the finger of God’s beloved bride. The ring of fire is to refine and purify the bride of Christ before the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. It's to make her beautiful, for the bridegroom, Jesus.
For some, this ring of fire will cause many hearts that are not surrendered to the Way of the cross of Jesus Christ to go the way of the world and of the spirit of the antichrist.
Many who profess Christ now will seek to avoid the ring fire of persecution. They will fear and submit to the wiles of man and of the spirit of the antichrist, who is in the world already. This will expose the true contents of hearts that claim salvation, through Jesus.
Those who do not submit to God, but to the world and to the desires of their flesh will reap God's discipline at best, and at worst, judgment and wrath. But, the bride who submits to God over the pressures of man and their flesh, even unto death, will be richly rewarded, and will shine with the glory of God.
Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles
The true bride of Christ will enter persecution with the gritty joy that the power of Christ gives to us, through genuine faith that he has redeemed all of it. Those who submit to God by going through the ring of the fire of persecution are Jesus' betrothed bride. This is his grace to grant us more of glory. Do we recognize it?
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. Revelation 22:17
Just as Jesus, the bridegroom was persecuted, the real bride will likewise be persecuted. Some of this persecution will come from the apostate church. Those who go the way of the world to avoid the persecution that is coming upon the bride of Christ reject the proposal of the cross way.
When the purification of the bride is complete, God will take her out of the way, as she is not destined for wrath. (1 Thess. 5)
In the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22, there was a man who showed up to the wedding banquet without wedding garments on, expecting to be allowed to join it. He was turned away.
And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ... (Matthew 22)
God's grace doesn't gloss over unholiness. He does not compromise his holiness, because we have compromised our affection for him. God's grace makes us righteous -- what we are hopeless to be on our own.
Matthew 25 explains the difference between foolish virgins and wise virgins -- those who prepare to meet the bridegroom and those who don't. We are to prepare, now, so that we can receive his strength, courage and faith to joyfully endure.
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. ..."
"And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. "
Gold is symbolic of the glory of God. Gold bands are welded in the fires of affliction. Suffering is the curriculum for holiness. Praise God. Every hardship is an invitation to his glory.
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12
The ring of fire is also a difficult part of labor. Scripture tells us that the earth is in birth pains, leading to the second coming of our Lord. These difficult events will be more contractions. The farmer likes a rainstorm, because it's good for the harvest. Let us be vessels, willing to suffer, to bring forth his glory and reap a harvest for his kingdom.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “ For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.… Romans 8:36-37
We are forgiven and saved upon simple faith in Jesus, through his free gift of grace, by the blood he shed for our sins. But, let us not be so proud to assume that we don't still have some more working out of this grace to do, through sanctification, before we stand before the Lord. We are not saved by works, but by grace, so that no man can boast (Eph. 2). Yet, we are called to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil 2:12)
God will allow confusion and hardship so that people will disown the world and follow Jesus, as he intends. So that we will crucify our flesh and trust God alone. That way, we can walk in the spirit. We are called to put to death the deeds of the body (Romans 8:13). Let’s not hope that God would rapture us out before completing the good work of the grace of the cross of Jesus Christ in us. Let's hope that he will apply to us the grace of sanctification, through persecution and trials, just like "Jesus learned obedience by suffering" in Hebrews.
Like the burning bush, this ring of fire will not consume the bride. It will try to intimidate her, but she will not fear it, because she will recognize what it is -- an invitation to more glory with Christ. She will not fear it because she sees her seat at the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven. She will burn like torches in the dark for Jesus Christ, the suffering servant, who died to pave a way through. His blood offers us the grace of the POWER OF GOD to do his will.
What does it mean about our love for God if we aren’t willing to suffer for what is good and righteous? For his Word?
This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Jeremiah 6:16
This word accompanied a tongue. On Rosh Hashanah, I received a song with Hebrew words. One of the words was "Hara" which means crossroads. There was also language such as, "appointed time". I'll include the song and what I was able to translate in the link below.
This ring of fire is a crossroads. Many will flee the proposal of the ring of fire because they aren't willing to give up their comforts, their lives, or experience pain. They will continue to idolize family, children, self, career, and earthly things. But, Jesus said that those who seek to preserve their life will surely lose it, but that those who die for Christ’s sake will gain life. (Matthew 10:39)
This is the perspective we must have, to endure it all with joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength. Lord, return to us the joy of our salvation! We need your strength for the days ahead.
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10
The rain storm needs to come in order to ripen the Harvest. God has his methods for separating the wheat from the tares. This is historically done by tossing it in the air. The wheat falls to the ground and the chaff is carried away by the wind. The ring of fire is his threshing floor. Let us resolve now not to complain or doubt his ways. This is the crossroads where we will see who will take the cross road and who will blow away with the way of the world.
We cannot straddle the paths. They are not parallel. They go opposite ways. The wide path that leads to destruction and the narrow way to eternal life are a crossroads.
But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:13
There is thunder in the love of God. And much rain. But the blood of Jesus parts the sea of sin and suffering with the joy of our salvation. The power of the cross paves a path of peace through hardship and persecution -- into a harvest of glory.
The bride of Christ trusts that every pain is a glory proposal. Let us never be presumptuous of his path into the promised land. Let us not mistake his kisses for curses. Let us always respond in praise, "Yes, Lord."
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Revelation 19: 7-9
Heavenly Song on Rosh Hashana - Tongues with Hebrew:
Songs in the Night - A Warfare Instruction for the Bride of Christ, from her Bridegroom:
Aha! Warhorse Word from the Lord: