Revelation 11:19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, voices, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
When the Temple is opened where the Presence of FATHER’S Glory resides, there is much commotion. This is due to direct action taken by FATHER. A storm occurs when two aspects of the atmosphere collide and in this case it is between the “earth” and Heaven. When Our Heavenly Father spoke the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, a similar outworking occurred:
18 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off.19 Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”
20 And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”
21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.
When they “trembled”, that word nuwa` means: to wave, quiver, vibrate, swing, stagger, tremble, be unstable. The closer you are to an earthquake, the greater the shaking. When you are in HIS midst, you will encounter a great earthquake and great hail referring to HIS TRUTH. This great hail is referenced in Isaiah 28 when HE lays the foundation beginning with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone:
16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation,
A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
Whoever believes will not act hastily.
17 Also I will make justice the measuring line,
And righteousness the plummet;
The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
And the waters will overflow the hiding place.”
The lightnings speak of Divine Illumination that break the darkness we were once surrounded by. No longer are we in darkness but HIS light has come forth and illuminated our own sky so we are now able to see HIS great purpose in our lives. We know who we are IN HIM without any doubt. HIS Sovereignty over the entire earth is now fully comprehended. Psalm 97 expresses this reality:
1 The LORD reigns;
Let the earth rejoice;
Let the multitude of isles be glad!
2 Clouds and darkness surround Him;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
3 A fire goes before Him,
And burns up His enemies round about.
4 His lightnings light the world;
The earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples see His glory.
There were voices! These voices are the Living Word spoken out of the mouths of those around HIS Throne. One has become many and Jesus is being joined with “His Christ”, the many-membered Body. Ezekiel experienced these voices as is recorded in chapter 43:
1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east.
2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.
3 It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw—like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face.
4 And the glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east.
5 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
HIS Glory is now filling the Sons who make up the Body of Christ and their voices are speaking forth in unison and according to HIS Divine Intent of Love. There is complete and absolute unity among them. No one is competing for position for each knows his place and occupies it with tremendous gratitude. Each supplies every other joint according to his purpose. They sought not for a man to act as mediator between them and FATHER as did the children of Israel at Mt. Sinai. Instead, they drew closer to Our Loving Father to hear HIS Voice and to submit to HIS individualized plan for their lives in full and complete trust. Can you hear HIS Voice or do you just hear thunder? Pursue HIM and HIS Voice so that you may be counted among the many voices speaking Spiritual things, not carnal.
Psalm 81:7 You called in trouble, and I delivered you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah (strife and contention).
When the thunderings occur we can be assured that lightnings will accompany the event. Lightning is the power and thundering is its audible expression. It is HIS Living Word illuminated in such a fashion that we both see and hear. This bespeaks of eyes to see and ears to hear thus we fully comprehend those voices in Heaven. We are no longer blinded to HIS plan and purpose. The Living Word when expressed, releases a mighty power in a thunderous manner.
When this Living Word reaches its full expression in us, there comes an earthquake. When FATHER descended upon Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19:
18 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly (violently).
When the Spiritual arrives on the scene, the physical goes through a great shaking. At an individual level, anything and everything that is not of HIM will be shaken loose and removed. Any foundation that has been laid and is not of HIM, will not withstand this earthquake. Men’s creeds, doctrines, past successes, past revelations of a lower nature, knowledge, earthly wisdom, and any other past sources of stability derived from man’s intelligence, all will be removed by this great quake. This shaking will remove the letter of the Word and replace it with the higher Living Word. It will remove our natural understanding with the higher Spiritual understanding. Those weights that so easily beset us are shaken off so that we may attain to the high calling without hindrance. This great quake is a great awakening in us.
Finally, we see the great hail before us. This great hail is the water of The Word but it has been hardened for the purpose of judgment. It brings the end to man’s carnal nature as it plummets to our earth, destroying everything in its path. All of our works outside of HIS mandate will be pummeled. The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies. The illusions, perceptions, the falsehoods, and any other aspect of carnal thinking will be dealt their final blow. Once the commotion of lightnings, voices, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail have come, the focus is now directed to the manchild, the elect.