January 12, 2008

I was privileged to attend Lora Allison’s Signs of the Kingdom Power and Presence Conference with family and friends this past weekend in Houston, TX (www.celebrationministries.com). 

What follows is an experience in the Spirit I had the last night of the conference. 

Early worship was drawing me as I entered the doors.  And then it was time for service worship to begin and while I tried to sit with family I could not.  I moved to “my” place at the far right of front and gave myself to the Lord.   

The music was exquisite, cascading rivers and tumbling falls of God’s power, glory, honor and blessing bathed all those who would enter in.  This just kept piling higher and higher, dancers and flaggers and banners breaking through and climbing up into His realm of wondrous delights. God truly just loved on us.  And our God so loved our love thrown back to Him in worship, reverential fervent worship! I was deeply affected, so much so I was moving as if I did not have problems breathing and did not have my foot tendons taped.   

And then someone read the scripture I had earlier that day read to our son, Ben.  Isaiah 6:8 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”  I heard myself screaming, “I will go! I will go! Send me!” 

The next thing I found myself doing was walking slowly to the front towards the speaker and the altars.  There was no altar call, but I could not resist that pull.  Psalm 109:4 best tells what happened next, “”But I give myself unto prayer.” 

Just as I got to the altar, the speaker said, “come to the altars” or something like that, for I found myself surrounded by hundreds of other eager believers crying out for Jesus.  They were obedient to the draw I had responded to moments before it was given and responded as fervently as I. 

Something began to happen to me as I gave myself to prayer and worship – I began tingling as if I had lay in the sun too long.  That warm vibrant tingle you feel right before you need to cover your skin – it began to consume me.  I chose to ignore it and press in further, deeper, higher and wider to the presence of the Lord.  I could hear my sisters and brothers crying out for the Lord, for more of His presence.  But I pressed even deeper yet. 

Deeper might be the wrong word, looking back, because I felt myself lifted up out of the crowd and lightly moving towards the sun.  About 40 – 50 feet up I lost feeling in my body and had one brief thought.  Sit down.  But then I opened my eyes and I was not sitting at all, but riding on the back of a great white eagle.  We appeared to be drawn toward a great golden white sun, and at the beginning there was evidence of deep purple-blue sky all around and then no more.  The closer and closer we got the whiter and warmer it got.  

I experienced no fear.  Actually no emotion at all except exhilaration.  I opened my mouth and the white winds went right through me, filling me.  We drew closer and closer until I could see nothing but the brightest warmest white ever.  I actually could no longer see anything (not me, not the eagle) but that white, white, white.  I wanted to stay there forever.  I loved it.  I was one with it.   Actually, at that time I had no concept of what “it” was – only that I was born for that moment of union.  I knew it was the throne of God.  I knew it was the Lord.  I know His feel.  But other than that, I had no thoughts whatsoever. 

Then suddenly, we turned and went down several times faster than we had come up – like a jet out of control, spiraling down, down and down.  I clung to the eagle.  Again, there was no fear, only exhilaration.  Then I noticed the earth, and the familiar blue and white of continents.  We drew closer and closer and I knew we were going straight down into Kenya.  As we reached ground level the eagle swooped up, straight-lined and went over horizons.  All long the way the eagles’ talons scooped people up.  Sometimes one, sometimes 300 in those same talons, but always gently holding them, nestling them in its talons.   

And then whoosh right up into the glory of heaven again, where I am supposing they were left, because I never saw them again.  After awhile in the whiteness again, we went back down.  I noticed day and night across the earth.  Time passed very quickly, and over the entire experience, I supposed it was weeks, perhaps months. We traversed time back and forth from earth’s various countries (Sudan, Australia, Sweden, Easter Island, Nigeria, Russia, USA, etc. etc.).  Back and forth, back and forth, and each time the eagle carefully gathered up a few.  I understood from the care that was taken, these were faithful ones.  Ones who were true and faithful, ones full of good words and good works.  They were all dressed just alike, young or old, male or female – in pure flowing white.   

They never made eye contact with me and it was some days (in the Spirit) before I understood this.  Sometimes I was the eagle.  No longer riding on it, but I was the eagle itself.  Sometimes not the eagle, just the passenger.  A friend asked me what kind of eagle, and I told him, “white”, because I only saw his head and talons.  I was riding upon his neck and did not even see the wings.  (This is to answer the question, “Was it a bald eagle?” which some have asked me.) 

I felt the wings rather than saw them.  I felt them brake like airplane wing flaps put down.  I felt them fold behind me as we soared upward.  I felt them lift and drop to change direction or speed.  I felt them on my feet – they were velvet, so soft.  Once, while soaring upward, I felt the wings cover me and the eagle turned around and around and around, spiraling upward.  Delicious! 

Back and forth, back and forth, from earth to His glory, from His glory back to earth again, and again for days and weeks.  I was not hungry, nor was I thirsty.  I was not conscious of anything but being carried aloft and being in His glorious presence. 

The one difficult thing that occurred I share with trepidation.  Occasionally when the eagle and I would soar to earth – to one place or another, the eagle would gather up some in his talons.  Apparently not caring whether he hurt them or not, because we would then soar quickly up into the blue where he would fling them into outer darkness where the light never reached.  After awhile I covered my eyes when this occurred, because I didn’t want to see their faces.  I never saw them again.  But I fear for them.   

The other thing that I noticed was it seemed that the carrying up and the casting out happened randomly.  I don’t think he ever duplicated his movements at all.  I’m not for sure, because I was rather overwhelmed by the glorious white presence. 

I really don’t have any idea why I was allowed this wonderful visitation privilege.  I know my heart was completely in tune.  And more than I can express, because I was conscious that it was the music that kept the eagle propelled.  We went on the ebb and floods of the music.  The violin, the sax, the harp, the keyboards, the drums, the flute – they all possessed a different speed and fire and while I was barely conscious of them at all, I know they propelled us both coming and going. 

No, I did not see God, or any of His manifestations.

No, I do not know if the eagle signified anything or anyone.

No, I do not know why I was allowed to experience this.

No, I have no idea of how long I was gone. 

I do know that when I was done (and I have no idea how I know that) I opened my eyes and had no idea where I was.  I recognized nothing or no one.  I had no idea what day it was or time of day.  I was sitting facing a great crowd of nicely dressed people.  I heard earth sounds.  Then the earth sounds began to be clearer, so that I knew it was a man speaking somewhere way behind me.  Then closer and then I knew where I was but not how to get off the altar.  Then two angels came and carried me to my chair where it all began.  I came to there, really and found myself back in the conference.  That happened rather quickly, but the disorientation of earth and glory took a bit, so I sat there rather than return to my seat with my husband. 

I am open to any interpretations or queries – I can still feel the warmth, the comfort, the presence as I sit here typing, 2 full days later. I know He is close.  And perhaps this is why I have no compunction to interpret the experience.  He is close.