Doves to Their Lattices

"Who are these who fly like a cloud and like the doves to their lattices?" Isaiah 60:8

For sometime, this passage has been intriguing. Over the last several months, I have often shared it in my messages. However, it has now been highlighted in a more pronounced way as a present word, and even an invitation.

On February 24-26, 2007, I was scheduled to participate in a conference with Patricia King in Tucson, AZ. I included with this conference, a trip with Pastor Steven Shelley and Pastors Peter and Cathryn Nash to several of the places William Branham encountered the Lord in the 1960's. However, a little over a week before I left for this trip, I had a fascinating revelatory encounter that was immensely encouraging.

This portion of the revelation was similar to John's language on Patmos when he said, "After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in Heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.'" Revelation 4:1

The Greek word for "door" in this passage is "thura" and defined by Strongs as "a portal or entrance providing an opening or closure, both literally or figuratively."

The Cloud of His Presence

Following the doves, a thick, dark cloud emerged that I instantly knew represented the Lord's presence. I suddenly screamed out, "It's happening, it's really happening." For me, this phrase signified the arrival of this generation's promised day of visitation. I instantly remembered Psalm 18:11-12 saying, "He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds, hailstones and coals of fire."

As I watched the Lord descending in thick darkness, my heart was pounding with excitement. However, once His presence reached a certain level, it appeared as though He was going to continue moving away from the place I was standing. I intuitively shouted, "Lord Jesus, if I have somehow found favor in Thy sight, please do not pass me by."

That was Abraham's declaration in Genesis 18:3 at an appointed time of visitation in his life. He said, "My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by." Likewise, when the two disciples encountered the Resurrected Christ on the Emmaus road, the Lord first acted as though He would continue, until the disciples beckoned Him to remain.

There is something reminiscent of these two encounters that are pertinent to our visitation. It is a declaration of desperation that is somehow essential for us to encounter the Lord in this fresh new way. The Bride is going to be anointed and established with the fullness of God' Spirit to fulfill John's revelation when he recorded Revelation 22:17 declaring, "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."

When I asked the Lord to please not pass us by, the cloud descended and manifested Himself with power and glory. When this transpired, it made everything seem good. Suddenly all the pain, difficulties, and hardships we have encountered over the prior years vanished from my mind. It is like a woman giving birth; once the child is delivered, the pain and travail is abruptly overridden by the joy of the new birth.

The Confirmation

Fortunately, I shared this encounter in a conference our ministry co-hosted in Frederick, Maryland the weekend before departing for Tucson. The message in Maryland provided a documented verification of the revelation before the events that transpired the following week in Tucson.

A tremendous confirmation came concerning the implications of this revelation while we were in Tucson, when a supernatural manifestation occurred at 3:00 AM on February 26th in the hotel room of Pastor Steven Shelley. What appeared to him seemed to be a golden light that manifested on the wall of his room with blue and white flames flickering above it. Close examination reveals that the amber colored light resembles a portal while the camera captured the blue flames as the appearance of lattice (picture included).

The Bible clearly promised there would be signs and wonders in the New Testament Church that confirms His Word. This is absolutely a supernatural manifestation to validate our invitation to encounter the Lord through "Open Heaven" revelations that reveal His presence and power. This has provided a great source of encouragement for where we presently stand in God's prophetic timetable.

Thy Kingdom Come

"...Those who have insight with understanding will shine brightly as Heavenly firmament and turn many to righteousness."

The prophet Isaiah asked the question, "Who are these who fly like a cloud, and like doves to their lattices?" There is a natural application to this prophetic declaration related to the promised restoration of Israel to the glory of God's Kingdom. There can also be a spiritual implication involving "sons of the Kingdom" who soar in the Spirit by tremendous revelatory encounters with the Living Word, and bring the unveiling of His Kingdom to the earth. The messages this company presents will prepare the Bride of Christ for compatibility with the Bridegroom so that the Spirit and the Bride can say, "Come."

The Hebrew word translated "lattice" is arubbah, meaning a chimney, lattice or Heavenly window. It is the same word used in Malachi 3:10 describing the Heavens opening and God's blessings descending.

The Lord's Prayer will be fulfilled in its entirety. He prayed, "Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven." The portal or Open Heaven experience is to indicate a visitation of the Seven Spirits of God to this generation and the manifestation of His presence in real and tangible ways.

The Bible tells us that the Heavens opened over the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit descended as the appearance of a dove, and remained upon Him. From that point onward, the greatest miracle ministry in history of mankind transpired.

Our promised day of visitation is quickly approaching. To do the "greater works" as outlined in John 14:12, we must expect no less than this precise manifestation of God to produce a Tree of Life. God's Word tells us in Proverbs 13:12 that, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life." Like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, our counsel is to "urge and insist" that He comes in and remains with us, and continues to allow humility and character to be established within us.

Fireside Chat with Bob Jones--Freedom from the Chain Gang
By Paul Keith Davis

"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." Galatians 2:21

In a revelatory experience, Bob was shown how our enemy has deceived many Christians in such a way that they are essentially functioning as if they were members of a chain-gang. He saw in a vision how Christians were bound together with chains laboring under a heavy burden they were not equipped to bear. It looked identical to the images we have seen of early 19th and 20th century prison labor gangs working along roads and fields.

A chain gain is defined as a group of prisoners chained together for the purpose of conducting outdoor labor. Our adversary has effectively created this scenario by convincing Christians to do "penance" instead of repentance. Many are deceived into doing things for God in order to remove the guilty conscience of sin, instead of faithfully receiving forgiveness of sin through repentance.

Penance is defined as punishment or tokens remitted in exchange for the forgiveness of sins. It is a form of disciplinary action in order to gain the removal or absolution of an individual's wrongdoing. Penance is actually a form of self abasement in order to atone for unrighteous acts. Paul said,

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Salvation is the gift of God and the forgiveness of wrong actions after we have become believers and is derived the same way. We cannot continue with works, what began by grace.

Increased Demands

Bob watched as the enemy continued to escalate the demands of penance in order for people to feel a sense of relief from the conviction of their sins. Eventually, this burden was so great that it became impossible for their conscience to be free from the weight of sin. The chains of condemnation and shame resulted; these snares then produced a fruitless life.

True repentance is more than Godly sorrow; it is also a change of mind. In its truest form, spirit granted repentance will:

1. Produce genuine sorrow for unrighteousness.
2. Produce a disdain and forsaking of the acts unrighteousness.
3. Produce a surrendered heart to God's will, resulting in fruitful works.

In reality, it is simple faith in the completed work of the Cross that cleanses us from the violations of sin. If we do not accept that plain truth, then we are not coming to Him on the basis of faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. No matter how our natural mind attempts to override this literal reality, we must come to the realization that faith in the cross sets us free from the "chain gang" of deception.

Free From Chains of Failure

"Great faith is required for the maturity needed to accomplish our latter-day mandate."

The Lord is seeking repentance so that the chains of failure can be dismantled. It is unbelief when we continue to feel guilty for something the Lord has completely forgiven and erased.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9

Penance is another expression for the works of the flesh. Clearly, there is a place in God that we do works to validate our faith in Him. Nevertheless, our works can never pay the price for the remission of sin.

Without this revelation we become like slaves living in continual penance without ever coming to the knowledge of the truth. Penance is not pleasing to the Lord, but repentance is.

Great faith is required for the maturity needed to accomplish our latter-day mandate. This is the first step in the process--simply believe God's Word and move on to fruitfulness.

"Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God." Hebrews 6:1

Paul Keith Davis with Bob Jones
WhiteDove Ministries
Email: inquiries@whitedoveministries.org