The Lion of the Tribe of Judah

I was in prayer and found myself continuing with Father in the desert. If you’ve never heard me speak about my experience with Father in the desert, I’ll briefly tell you here… 

I was at our regular Friday night prayer meeting at my friend Teri’s house and I had a vision. I was sitting with Father in the Tabernacle of Meeting like I had been for about two years. He spoke many things and showed me many things there under the tent of meeting. But on this night, He rose up, lifting the top right off the roof of that tent and He started moving toward a vast, barren desert. For as far as I could see, I only saw a bright, beige sand and nothing else. I said, “No, Lord! I don’t want to go into the wilderness… noooooo!” Well, He moved forward into that desert without listening to me. So I moved right along with Him. For the next several months, the following scene played out… 

I began to see a storm and then it was upon us – a huge, violent sandstorm, like a gigantic whirlwind. Father and I both had lightweight white scarves wrapped around our heads and faces. They covered our mouths and noses. (Again, as I have previously explained in other writings – I see Father as a type of Cloud Person. I perceive His features, but it’s as though I clearly see them. My perceiving has become more vivid over time, but He’s only a vaguely human form inside a type of Cloud.) Anyway, I was scared to be in this place, so I clung to Father with all my heart. He had become massively tall and I came up to only about His midsection, His belly. I was walking somewhat sideways trying to cling to Him, holding onto Him as we walked. He just moved forward into the vast nothingness and sand and wind. As the days passed, I thought to myself, Father is the eye of the storm. I thought this because as the winds whipped around us, I felt nothing. It was clear skies and calm there walking and moving with Father, even while all around us the sand whirlwind continued.

Then one day I began to question Father about Jesus, Root of Jesse, Root of David. I don’t even know why I did it, but I asked Him, “What exactly is the Root of Jesse, or the Root of David?” About this time, I began to find myself melding into Father’s midsection as I clung to him, burning my head in His belly area. For a couple of weeks I was literally half in and half out of Father’s belly and thinking how incredibly odd it was to find myself moving into the inward parts of Father. Until – there I was… I was fully inside Father. Everything was green. Vibrantly, excitedly green! I saw huge shoots of what appeared to be giant, green roots, and inside each one was a round ball of light of life. I thought once again, Father IS creation. (He had shown me before that He is creation, under the Tent when He breathed on my face one time and I could see that His very breath was the blue, blue sky and the white puffy clouds. I knew from seeing that, that inside Father is creation.) 

Then Father said to me as I was considering these shoots of roots, You are My descendant. Hearing Him tell me this was one of the most intense moments I’ve had with the Lord. 

At this point walking with Father, I began to think Father is the Oasis. I started to pray it out in prayer, “Father, You are the Oasis.” The mindset of my heart began to cling to this revelation, Father is the Oasis. I walked among the green, green shoots of life until one day, Father said to me, “Look up Oasis in My Word.” He’s had me look many things up over the years, searching things out, so this was totally commonplace for me and I didn’t hesitate. I went to the scriptures and looked for Oasis. Well… the only place I could find Oasis was in Exodus.

After leaving Marah, the Israelites traveled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water. Exodus 15:27 (NLT)

It was exciting to find Elim, so I looked deeper into this place. 

Elim in Hebrew: “terebinths”; a place in the desert. Plural of the root, ayil: ram, oak, tree, etc. So ram is the root of this Elim place. This terebinth place. (Already, I’m obviously thinking of Abraham. Abraham dwelt by the terebinths and was given the ram to sacrifice.) Then I go to the root of “ram”, from the same as uwl: mighty; the body; the belly. 

Deep in the roots of the Oasis of Elim, is the belly! How could I possibly have ever known that? I was completely astounded. It was utter confirmation in His Word of what He was showing me in the Spirit! He is amazingly and profoundly awesome!

But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. Matthew 13:20-21

I need His root of life; His light in me so that I will not be offended when I speak and am persecuted. I can’t make this happen in my mind. We have to put off the stony places – the hardness of heart that lacks spiritual perception. We have to continually commune with Him and experience His word and His Spirit, understanding now that when the wilderness comes, the barrenness, the storms… when the tribulation comes and the persecution comes, He is our Oasis. This understanding produces His roots of life. If we have no Light of Life inside us, no roots of life in us, we will be moved by offense rather than cling to Him, drinking of the twelve wells, sitting among the seventy palm trees, enduring our afflictions in the peace of the Oasis. 

So now we’re getting to the Lion. I found myself walking among the roots and then one day I was standing inside of what appeared to be a large cavern. I questioned. I thought, Oh no, I’m still in His belly, but what is this? Am I inside a cave? So, like every other time I’m in a place or experiencing something I’m not used to, I just go to my knees and I worship Him. So I’m there in the dark cavern for days and days worshiping, until… One day I saw a man from a distance walking toward me. Behind him I saw a red glow. I thought to myself, Is that hell? I strained to see who he was because I couldn’t make him out. But this man walking toward me had charisma. He had on a black shirt and black pants and he walked like he was a boss. I don’t know how to say it, but no one – no one – would ever consider messing with this Man. I initially thought it was Jesus, but I had never seen Him like this before. So overtly masculine and strong and powerful and confident. As He got close up to me, I looked and saw that He was Jesus… He was a Man, but with a Lion’s head of pure roaring flaming fire. I thought of scripture describing His eyes of fire and I wondered, Did He get that fire in His eyes in hell?

From about His chest upward, was all fire. As I watched Him, He turned His face to the side and then lifted it straight upward and He roared! I realized I was seeing the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. And then I had a knowing… Jesus Christ gave Himself as the spotless Lamb on the cross and went into the grave, but descended into the heart of the earth as a Lion. And the lions warred there in hell. And the Lion of the Tribe of Judah prevailed! I saw the old lion, the devil, laying whimpering on his side, whipped by the Prevailing One. Jesus took those keys to hell and death as if to say to the devil, Don’t EVER offer to Me My own creation! (Referring to the time the devil offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world.) He prevailed against the gates of hell so that the gates of hell could not and would not prevail against us, His church.

Then I went to the scriptures… 

And one of the elders saith unto me, weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loosen the seven seals thereof. Revelation 5:5

There it was – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. His nature of overcoming, prevailing victory AND the Root of David, all there in the very same verse. I never realized that! Father was giving me insight into my question but He offered so much more than I had asked for. I was again utterly blown away.

As the days passed and I continued to pray, I remained on my knees. I continued to consider Him like this until one day, I stood up and He embraced me. As Jesus embraced me, my head was up near His head. I saw that the fire of His head was engulfing my head and I knew this fire was sanctifying, perfecting and empowering my senses – my vision, my hearing, my smelling (perception), and my speech. He was sharing His ability and power to prevail. We remained like this for many days until one day He looked into my eyes and said, You are a lion. And I saw that I had a lion’s head of fire. I didn’t quite roar like Him but I tossed my head, learning to see myself in this new way.

Now as the months have moved on, and I remain with Him like this, I continually ask Him for the baptism of fire for the last days church. I believe that He has this baptism of fire for His end time sons. 

John answered, saying unto [them] all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Luke 3:16

I wonder… are there three baptisms? We know about the water baptism and the Holy Spirit baptism, but I believe there is a whole other baptism of fire. Yes, at Pentecost, the tongues of fire sat upon their heads. But I am learning that there is more. There is a place of intimacy with the all powerful Lion. The Victorious One. The Prevailing One. This One with fire in His eyes. I so want the fullness of the baptism of fire. And I expect that He has it for all His endtime sons.

One day in prayer several years ago, I entered the Kingdom of God through Father’s heart. Coming into Him while already inside Him is something I can’t really fully understand yet but finding this Lion and His roaring flaming fire continues to give me so much raw faith and insight into this all knowing, all powerful Man, Jesus. The prevailing One. The everlasting Father. 

… and so, together we walk…