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The year 5780 is almost done now and I am reminded often that the Lord called this the Year of Preparation, the Morning Watch Year for His remnant. I have been calling to remembrance what counsel for preparation has been poured out from heaven in this year, starting right from the beginning.

On the first weekend of 5780, I participated in a Firestarters Conference in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Part of what the Lord instructed us to do is to hold an invitation-only banquet for 12 people at midnight in the King David Chamber at the facility. The blueprint for this meal was that, apart from the lavish meal, the people who accepted their invitations would receive scrolls, new sandals, new shofars, have their feet washed in wine and receive two anointing oils: the Spirit of Burning oil and 'The Sound of Extraordinary Power' oil. The instruction was to tell them, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the inheritance stored up for you" and that they represented a people who would be taken into the chamber prepared by the Bridegroom and fed and instructed before being released with an apostolic anointing in the earth. Because the Lord always declares the end from the beginning, this banquet at the beginning of the year 5780 was a prophetic display of what would be occurring at the end of 5780.

He has emphasized this banquet appointment to me in these days where 5780 is drawing to a close, reminding me of what He had us portray and release in the earth at the beginning of this year. All of 5780 has been working toward this event for His remnant company; His good and faithful servants. There comes a fiery anointing of consuming zeal for God's house. Blueprints and scrolls will be handed out, new shoes, a double portion anointing of power and the Spirit of Burning. This is the private appointment with the Bridegroom which we work towards. We want to be among the wise virgins who are taken into His chamber before the door is closed for the night. To this end, we watch and make sure we have enough oil for our lamps.

I had had a dream some time before this event which we held, of being taken into the Bridal Chamber, which had a smaller chamber off to the side of the main room. In this area, a table was being lavishly set, with candlesticks and beautiful crockery and cutlery and then a veil covering was placed over it to indicate that this table was for an appointed meal at an appointed time, for invited guests. Then, in the dream, the Bridegroom arrived during the night with a giant armful of white roses for me. He set them down on the floor and they became a large sheaf of grain. Out of the stalks at the bottom came a hen with her wings around a number of chicks. Immediately I thought of what Jesus had said about Jerusalem and His anguish that she had not known the time of her visitation and that He desired to gather her as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. He had gathered this bouquet in order to bring it into the Bridal Chamber.

The grain represents the firstfruits sheaf gathered by the Bridegroom when He goes to gather His Bride and bring her into the chamber He has prepared to enjoy a banquet in the night hours, (this happened normally any time from 12am onwards until the morning watch in ancient Hebrew weddings). This is the darkest time of the night in the natural and speaks of the Bridegroom gathering for protection and provision a certain company, to shelter them during this period. This does not mean that they are gathered off the earth necessarily, but rather taken into the spiritual place He has prepared for them.

While others sleep, they will experience face to face encounter and be given scrolls of instruction for their kingdom purposes. Their feet will be washed with the wine of the Word to remove all the dust and debris of the last season. The new shofars we handed out represents a new sound and new sandals represent walking in the inheritance stored up in heaven for us. In Revelation 14, we are told of 144000 who are gathered as the firstfruits to God and the Lamb. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. In other words, they do what they see Him doing. The sheaf of grain in my dream represents this company. Like pure white roses, they are virgins, having kept themselves consecrated to their Betrothed Bridegroom and having intimacy with no other.

For some time, the Spirit has been prompting me to write on the concept of being sheltered under the Lord's wing. We tend to picture the Lord like a giant bird, with us huddled under His feathers. However, the phrase 'under Your wing' actually refers to an ancient understanding that, during a Hebrew wedding ceremony, a bridegroom would bring his bride under his shelter, provision and protection. He would demonstrate this by wrapping her in his prayer shawl or tallit. This would be called 'bringing her under his wing'. This is what Jesus meant when He spoke of Jerusalem and its people. He wanted to be a Husband to them, to bring into a marriage covenant of His provision and protection, 'but they would not'. Ruth asked Boaz to spread the wing of His garment over her. She was saying, "I want to be your wife. Marry me and protect me and provide for me".

This company of 144,000 has been gathered under the wing of the Bridegroom; the Lamb Who paid the bridal price with His own blood. Psalm 36 speaks of the children of men taking shelter under His wing and feasting on the abundance of His House. This is a veiled reference to a wedding ceremony and a feast within His house. When a Bride got married in ancient times, she wore her own worn sandals to the wedding and then the Bridegroom took them off, and washed her feet and replaced those worn-out sandals with new ones, signifying the fact that she would walk in the sharing of his inheritance. This is why we gave out new sandals at our midnight banquet.

Psalm 91 is also a Bridal psalm. The 'shadow' of the Almighty that we abide under is the covering of His wing; His tallit – the covering of our marriage covenant with Him. The Hebrew word for 'dwells' means 'to settle down and marry'. He who dwells in the secret place is the one who comes under the full protection and provision of the marriage covenant with the Lamb upon the Throne.

Psa 91:4  He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall trust.

Under His wings, under His 'kanaph' you will trust. Kanaph means 'wing, edge of garment'. From this place under the Almighty's tallit, you shall not fear the terror of the night or the sudden destruction at noonday. Only a spectator shall you be because you are hedged in and protected and guarded by your marriage covenant with Him.

There is a good reason why the Spirit has put such an emphasis on taking communion daily in these days. Every time you partake, you are proclaiming that you are coming under His wing; His marriage covenant. This is definitely something to proclaim daily!

1Co 11:25  Similarly when supper was ended, He took the cup also, saying, This cup is the new covenant [ratified and established] in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink [it], to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance. 1Co 11:26  For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are representing and signifying and proclaiming the fact of the Lord's death until He comes [again].

You are proclaiming His death, but not in a 'visit the grave and lay flowers' kind of way. What you are actually proclaiming loudly into the spiritual realm is that you have been paid for with the bridal price of His spotless Blood and that you are under His wing; under the protection and provision of all that this glorious marriage covenant provides. This must be an established understanding that you walk in during the days ahead. This is why you can walk without fear of lack or harm. You are His. And now His faithful remnant are about to be released into the glorious inheritance which has been stored up for them.

This week, the Lord reminded me of a documentary I had watched on the country of Morocco. In a certain area, one of the tribes has a mass nuptial day and all the couples who desire to wed have to present themselves before the authorities in order to ascertain if there is no impediment to them being legally wed. The wedding festivities only take place on another occasion after this. But first, all their documents have to be examined and then once the stamp of approval is given by the chief justice of the tribe, then they can go ahead and have the full wedding. The Lord whispered to me that this is what is occurring with His people during Elul. All impediments to participation in the full wedding festivities are being removed at this time. Every area of our lives is being checked and when the Holy Spirit puts his finger on something, then we need to joyfully and quickly deal with it as it is standing in the way to our progress into full participation of what has been prepared for us. Is there any legal impediment to me being wed to my Bridegroom? Am I wed to anyone or anything else? As David cried, "Search me and know my heart, show me if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting". Let us proclaim daily that we come willingly under the wing of His covering and are consecrated unto Him as a set-apart bridal company, allowing nothing to keep us away from its full privileges and rights. He has a stream of pleasures for us to drink from and in His house is abundant supply.

Ruth came under Boaz' wing before the official legal marriage matters were dealt with in the gates. She received an outpouring into her mantle in the 3rd watch of the night while others at the threshing floor slept. It is this outpouring of barley that depicts the outpouring awaiting those who come under His covering. Bar is Aramaic for 'son', but specifically a son who is ready to take over his father's business, as opposed to the Hebrew 'ben' which just means a son by DNA. The Bar-ley remnant is appointed to receive an outpouring after coming fully under the wing of the marriage covenant with our Kinsman-Redeemer.

Selah

New song about the Shelter of His Wing