QB74 The Bride Has Come of Age (Part 6)
The Changing of the Guard
Previously in this series we have explored the concept of the Bride’s coming of age, noting the importance of this watershed moment in the life and maturity of the Bride of Christ. It marks her transition between not holding legal capacity and having guardians who make decisions on her behalf, to reaching the age of majority when she is legally recognised as entitled to determine her own course and therefore the tenure of her former guardians has officially ended. However, all is not quite that simple, because she must be proactive in accessing the rights now afforded her, since the guardians will not relinquish their position easily. If she is to complete her maturity and desirability in the eyes of her Bridegroom it necessitates a departure from the guardians she has known. However, despite her awakened heart and desire to respond to her Bridegroom’s call to “Come away with me”, there is one further aspect we must now inquire into because even though a doorway has been anointed for her exodus, the resistance against her will become so great and the obstacles seemingly so unsurmountable, she will need help if she is to succeed in this season of change and transition. Thankfully, the Bridegroom is sending some of His closest friends to assist.
This is what happened in Egypt. When the Lord determined it was time for Israel to leave Egypt and enter into a marriage covenant with Him on Mount Sinai He raised up Moses as His friend (Exodus 33:11) and prophet demanding Pharoah to “Let My people go” and enforce His decree. Likewise it is imperative that among the prophets being raised today there are among them those who can fulfil this vital role on behalf of the Bridegroom. I’ll share more about this and who those prophets may be a little later, meanwhile let’s take a look at a very insightful passage in Numbers 11 which records what happened not long after Israel had passed through the Red Sea. The people began to complain displeasing the Lord enough to kindle His anger against them and cause a fire to consume on the outskirts of the camp. On that occasion Moses interceded for them and the fire ceased but the Israelites never learnt the lesson that day because soon after they complained again when all they had to eat was the manner graciously provided for them from heaven. Rather than gratitude they displayed nostalgia as they reminisced over the delicacies of the Egyptian diet left behind.
“We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being [is] dried up; [there is] nothing at all except this manna [before] our eyes!” Numbers 11:5,6 (NKJV)
At this stage Moses was exasperated, here’s the account given:
10 Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. 11 So Moses said to the LORD, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favour in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? Numbers 11:10-11 (NKJV)
When Moses lamented he recited what the Lord had previously told him to do:
12 “Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You swore to their fathers? Numbers 11:12 (NKJV)
Did you notice what the Lord had asked of Moses? He was to carry Israel in his bosom as a guardian carries a nursing child, the word for guardian is H539 āman (ah man) and in this context means to foster as in a parent or nurse. It is a key point to grasp: Although the tenure of the guardians ends when the Bride comes of age and she is granted every right to accession free from custodial restraint, she will have new guardians appointed. However, they will look and act very differently to the ones she has known before because rather than confining her, they will lead her out. This is clearly the case with the prophet Moses. I call this the changing of the guard. Reading further,
“(14) “I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden [is] too heavy for me. (15) “If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now–if I have found favour in Your sight–and do not let me see my wretchedness!”” – Numbers 11:14-15 NKJV
Moses was well acquainted with his inability to fulfil the Lord’s assignment and considered himself better smote dead rather than struggle in such an impossible position. Thankfully, the Lord had mercy upon him and provided the following solution:
“(16) So the LORD said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. (17) “Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that [is] upon you and will put [the same] upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear [it] yourself alone. … (24) So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. (25) Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that [was] upon him, and placed [the same] upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did [so] again.” – Numbers 11:16-17, 24-25 NKJV
The Lord’s answer to Moses’ confession of weakness was to take the Spirit upon him and place the same upon a group of seventy elders of Israel who would assist in his role as guardian and therefore share the assignment with him. Notice when the Spirit rested on the elders they each prophesied revealing the manifestation of the Spirit upon Moses as a prophet. I believe a precedent is established here that a changing of the guard requires the raising of a prophetic council to foster the Bride. Indeed this council is necessary to advocate on the Bride’s behalf before, during and after her transition across the threshold of her present confinement.
“(7) Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” – Amos 3:7 NKJV
The word used here for secret is sôḏ (H5475 sode) and carries with it the notion of a secret council, or a company of persons in close deliberation. In other words there is a posture of intimacy the prophet is called into that positions them within the Lord’s secret council before He acts. This is what I see in the spirit and believe passionately that there must come the raising of a prophetic council to steward the Word of the Lord over a nation and in particular to advocate on His behalf and relay the decree made in Heaven “THE BRIDE HAS COME OF AGE”. Not all prophets will carry this assignment and I’ll explain why: Every prophet has a particular lens through which they observe and it filters their interpretation of what they see. Each lens releases different prophetic streams as a valued revelation to the church but in the context of “THE BRIDE HAS COME OF AGE” and all its ramifications, it requires the raising of prophets who are looking through the lens of the Bridal Paradigm. Without this bridal consciousness they will either fail to see the centrality of the Bride in the heart and eternal purpose of God and therefore be of little help in the Bride’s departure from her guardians or accession to her rightful position, or though they totally embrace the centrality of the Bridegroom and Bride paradigm, they carry a different mandate. In concluding this Quick Bite “The Changing of the Guard”, whilst I have predominantly focused on the raising of prophets to form council and foster the Bride I want to add that I equally recognise the importance of both apostles and prophets who compliment each other’s role and gifting and indeed that of the pastor, teacher and evangelist also. Scripture is quite clear that revelation is not unique to the prophet, for example on the night Jesus was preparing to leave His disciples who were also apostles He told them
“(12) “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear [them] now. (13) “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own [authority], but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” – John 16:12-13 NKJV
Later when writing to the church at Ephesus the apostle Paul affirmed that the revelation of the Gentiles inclusion into Abraham’s promise was made to both apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:5), and how this revelation became the foundation of the church as the One New Man. (Ephesians 2:14-20). Since there can only be one foundation as there can only be one chief cornerstone, namely Christ (Ephesians 2:20) some argue for the cessation of the apostle and prophet with the early church. Whilst I agree their role was uniquely foundational, we should also note Paul’s teaching later in the same letter to the Ephesians in chapter four, which quite clearly instructs the necessity of not only the apostle and prophet but the pastor, teacher and evangelist.
“(13) till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;” – Ephesians 4:13 NKJV
In other words, until the Bride is fully mature without spot or wrinkle, and therefore compatible with Yeshua, there will always be need of the five gifts given by the Bridegroom to His Bride to operate. (Ephesians 4:7). But the prophet is unique in that by definition the word prophētēs (G4396 ‘prof-ay-tace’) defines their role as one who “speaks forth”. They are called (or summoned) to stand before the Lord that they should speak forth by virtue of being in council with Him.
This concludes “The Bride Has Come of Age” series of Quick Bites, and I do hope you’ve been blessed even inspired as you’ve read or listened to this teaching. I feel I’ve shared enough to relay what I believe I heard in the Lord’s council whilst providing a solid Biblical exegesis to support the suppositions made regarding why and how the Bride should leave home and the Lord’s provision for her to do so. There’s more I could say but next time I’d like to begin a new series on the Warrior Bride, which will build upon the principles here and take a closer look at the battle facing the Bride’s accession and how the Spirit of Elijah will come to her aid.
