ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: A VIRTUOUS WOMAN

Another Coffee Break:

A Virtuous Woman

Well, here we are already in the final month of 2012, and it seems like the year just started yesterday. The pace of events worldwide has been quickening. God's Time Clock for this age is ticking in its final moments.

The Bride of Christ has been going through some pruning, some cleaning, some refining, and a lot of final preparations for the coming of the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. This morning, just after getting up and heading into the kitchen to start heating water for my French Press coffee, the Lord downloaded a picture of the finished Bride for me in a way I've never seen before. I'd like to share that with you today, as well as in the next few Coffee Breaks as we wrap up our eighth year of publication.

A word of reminder before we begin today. Destiny Image Publishers is preparing to release A TALE OF TWO BRIDES shortly. Many of you know that this book is a product of a series of experiences in which the Angel of the Lord took me out of time, into eternity, and back into time a different intervals to see the preparation of the Bride of Christ.

A TALE OF TWO BRIDES is the first book to come out of those experiences, and it is a picture of the preparation and responses of two separate women -- Vashti and Esther -- when they were called to become the wife, the bride, the queen and the counterpart of King Xerxes (Ahasuerus in our KJV).

The book continues on into the present to see the exact parallel in the processing and the responses of Christians in this modern age and separates the body of Christ into two distinct groups: those who rely on their religious upbringing, their doctrines and their traditions in the way they respond to the quickening of Holy Spirit; and those who throw away all of their preconditions, their religious understanding and their "learning" in order to respond to the heart's desire of the Lord. It is a look at what believers are experiencing today as the call of Holy Spirit quickens and strengthens within their being, and it is a careful look at what is required of us as believers if we are going to be a part of the chosen and called-out company known as "The Bride of Christ."

That said, let's begin today with the portion of the Word (Proverbs 31:10-31) which specifically describes "a virtuous woman."

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

^"She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

"Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

"Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."

Many years ago, when I was attending Bible College, I'd been dating several different classmates. The "search" going on my spirit was for a wife, a companion who would share my vision, my call and my destiny in the Kingdom. When I became engaged to one of my classmates and asked her to marry me, one of the young men who shared the house where I was living on campus felt quickened to deliver a Word from the Lord to me. I came back to the house late one night and his Bible was opened up on my pillow. Proverbs 31:10-31 was highlighted for my attention, along with an implied warning to be careful that the young lady I was engaged to would meet those qualifications.

It all seemed a bit overboard at the time and unrealistic. The picture of this paragon of virtue wasn't something I could relate to and -- not realizing the significance of the Word being given to me -- I set it aside to my own peril. I closed the Bible and put back on my roommate's dresser. The day would come when I would rue that decision. At that stage of my life, I was devoid of any understanding of the concept of God having designed a mate who was the exact counterpart and missing pieces of one's existence.

That, my friends, is an area of teaching that has been sadly lacking in all of the pre-marital counseling and instruction given by pastors or church leaders in any recent generations within the body of Christ; and I'm not even sure any of that teaching has existed in many centuries. Nevertheless, the Word of God is filled with it!

There are uncountable hundreds of thousands of marriages that have ended in divorce -- the one I just referred to included -- because folks entered into them in absolute ignorance of the will, the design and purpose of the Lord in joining a man and a woman together whom He had specifically created and equipped for each other.

Were it not for the grace and mercy of the Lord in giving Della to me, I would not be in any position to share what I'm about to share. I absolutely understand and appreciate the picture of "the virtuous woman" of Proverbs 31 because Della meets every description and characteristic given -- and I have almost 30 years of marriage to her as living testimony. We'll talk more about that as this discussion proceeds.

Let's see if I can get to the nitty-gritty of this discussion right from the get-go! In the same way that we have been created to be a counterpart -- an "Other Self", if you will -- for the Lord Jesus Christ; in the same way that we have been, and are being, prepared to complete Him in every respect, God has created for each of us a wife (or a husband in the case of a woman) who fulfills and completes us.

Here's the principle. In the same way that Adam was first created complete, then rendered incomplete once Eve was created out of his side, and then completed once again when Eve was presented to him as his wife, everyone of us -- having been born of Adam & Eve -- have that same incompleteness without our counterpart.

The world has a counterfeit that it refers to as one's "soul-mate." The problem with that terminology is that it doesn't take into account the fact that we are first and foremost spirit beings, created in the image of God. When I refer to Della, I do not refer to her as my "soul-mate." She is much more than that! She is my counterpart. She is my "other self." She has every characteristic in her that I lacked.

As I said to her last night, I became "me" as a whole and complete person when the Lord gave her to me. She fulfills and completes every part of my being. She is what I am not. By the same token, I am what she is not. Together we make one whole being!

I've used a portion of this illustration in the past, but let me repeat myself. Let me share with you a segment from another book in progress titled, THE GARDEN EXPERIENCE.

The Adam and Eve we consider in this place of timelessness (for time has not yet begun) are a visible representation -- a prophetic image -- of that which will be worked through six millennia of time, as our Bridegroom forms for Himself a people -- a corporate entity -- who will become One with Him, and in so doing cause Completion! They are a picture of unity. Yes, Eve is different than Adam -- in the way she thinks, in the way she talks, in the way she arrives at conclusions -- and yet, no two people could be more alike.

They share the same existence. They are a part of each other. Without Eve, Adam is incomplete. Without Adam, Eve is incomplete. They share the same purpose. They are best friends. Yet they are spiritual beings, created to have fellowship with the Lord, our Bridegroom, without whom they would be even more incomplete.

Consider Eve. She is the perfection of Adam. No woman could more compliment and finish a man. Yes, she is beautiful -- stunningly so -- but, that is not our focus. She has been given an independent mind with which to think. She has been given the independence to choose. Were a thousand other men arrayed before her, she would still choose Adam.

Why? Because she was literally taken from him. She was extracted from his side. Before she was, he was. Before she was, he saw her -- if only in his spirit. Before she was, they were one -- but incomplete. Adam had no separate feminine expression of his onoma. He was forever bound to exist in only one dimension as a masculine expression. There was no independent expression of love and commitment towards him from a like being who could share his thoughts, his desires, his hopes, his purposes.

Though Adam was ruler over the earth, though he had been given power over every living species, though he had been given the wisdom and revelation to identify the onoma of every living creature, he had no one with whom to identify his onoma.

Eve is like him. Yet, she is different. Full of grace and beauty, Eve is the expression of all that Adam could not be. Her onoma is his onoma because she was taken from his side. His onoma is her onoma because he is in her as she is in him. Without Adam, Eve is terribly incomplete. Without Eve, Adam is incomplete, lonely, unable to fully express that onoma which was bred into his genetic structure when the Lord breathed those first breaths into his being. Together, they make one whole being.

Even though the Adam we see walking here in the Garden is a picture of masculine greatness, authority and power, he is only that way because Eve is here to complete him. Remove Eve from the equation and you have a man unable to be whom the Lord created him to be. Remove Eve, and his destiny will never be fulfilled. Remove Eve, and you will have a partial man.

Eve, for all her stunning beauty, is incomplete without Adam. Remove Adam from this picture and you have grace, form, stature, loveliness, compassion, love, emotional expression and tenderness that will never be fully expressed. There will be no counterpart with whom to express those facets; there will be no recipient of her love; there will be no complete demonstration of the power, authority and greatness incorporated into her onoma.

With Adam, Eve is the personification of greatness. With Adam, Eve is the complete expression of love. With Adam, Eve is the visible manifestation of grace and power. With Adam, Eve is complete. With Adam, Eve is Eve!

With Eve, Adam has greatness. With Eve, Adam's authority can come forth. With Eve, Adam can rule the dominion he has been given by the Lord. With Eve, love will go forth in the land. With Eve, Adam is Adam!

Together, there will be a full expression and demonstration of the onoma that is Adam. Adam is not Adam without Eve. Eve is not Eve without Adam. Adam pours out his being to Eve. She reciprocates of her own free will and choice. They are Adam.

And now we understand the mystery of our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. Now we know why He brought us to the Garden to see this picture. He is the second Adam. We are the second Eve.

Before we were, He was. Before we -- the second Eve -- became, we were One in Him. Before we were, He saw us and knew us. We are because of Him. And He now is because of us.

Before we were, He had no complete expression of the onoma which was incorporated into His spiritual genetic structure. To be sure, He was full of grace and beauty. To be sure, He was the personification of all that is love, the manifestation of all power, all authority, all strength, all life. And, yet, none of those facets had expression. There was no recipient of His love. There was no way for His strength and life to be demonstrated. There was no means for all that is His being, His essence, His makeup, His character, His onoma to be shared and to be given back in a way that would fulfill Him. They were capped, enclosed, sealed within Him awaiting a counterpart: an "other self" who would receive and reciprocate His life -- all that He is -- by free will and choice, a co-equal who would know as He knows, see as He sees, and function as He functions. By the same token, this co-equal must have been taken from Him in order to be imbued with His onoma -- his essence, his personality, his very makeup.

Before we were, He was incomplete, unfinished, lacking in the expression of His innate perfection. For each of us here today, there is not a shred of doubt that we are because of Him. We, the second Eve, the Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, came forth from His side just as surely as the first Eve came forth from the side of the first Adam. In the same manner in which Adam willingly was put to sleep in order that Eve could be taken from His side and molded, conformed and shaped in his image, the second Adam, Jesus Christ, willingly allowed Himself to be put to sleep on the cross, suffering the pain of crucifixion and the sword thrust into His side so that the second Eve -- us, His Bride -- could be taken from Him and molded, conformed and shaped in His image and likeness. Just as Eve came forth to become the source of ecstasy for Adam, we have come forth to become the source of ecstasy for our Lord and second Adam, Jesus Christ.

This is the mystery of Godliness. This is the mystery of "the way of a man with a maid." This is the mystery of Christ and His Bride. The mystery is -- no more and no less -- the completed expression of His onoma. It is the manifestation in both the first Adam and the first Eve of the completed Adam -- all that had been hidden in his being from the time of creation, and now expressed fully in both Adam and Eve. They were the complete Adam. The mystery of Godliness is the complete expression of Jesus Christ as the second Adam with His Bride who is the second Eve. Jesus Christ and His Bride are the completed I AM!

And you've just seen a glimpse of "the virtuous woman" -- that perfected Bride, the second Eve, that lady whose exquisite character and personality compliment and complete the Lord Jesus Christ. You've just had a peek at a corporate woman -- that many-membered Bride of Christ -- whose entire existence revolves about pleasing her husband and seeing that every need of His is fulfilled and completed.

You understand, don't you, that this isn't a one-sided arrangement? This woman's husband literally suffered every indignity, every humiliation, persecution, torture and death itself -- gaining victory over death in the process -- in order to win her hand in marriage. This woman's husband literally breathes her existence, and has provided every conceivable need in order to assure her welfare, her safety, her protection, her provision -- and He has done it in such grand style and grandeur as to defy human imagination!

Here's how the apostle Paul put it in I Corinthians 2:9 [my amplification]:

"But as it is written, [natural] Eye hath not seen, nor [natural] ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of [unregenerate] man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

This is where we will stop for today, and pick this up again in our next Coffee Break and finish Paul's statement.

After years of walking with the Lord, David gave expression to his heart's longing. He had ultimately concluded there was only one thing he truly desired and one thing that would fully satisfy the purpose of his life: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life and to behold the beauty of the Lord and meditate in His Temple (Psalm 27:4).

David's passion was to gaze upon and perceive the Lord's beauty and delight in His loveliness. His expression signifies an experiential comprehension of the beauty realm of Heaven. Can we behold the King in all His beauty?

In Isaiah 33:14-15, the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah asks a revealing question: "Who can live with continual burning?" Or, in other words: Who can live in an atmosphere where there are perpetual expressions of God's justice? The prophet provides the answers:

1. The one who walks righteously.
2. The one who speaks with sincerity.
3. The one who rejects unjust gain.
4. The one who shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe.
5. The one who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed.
6. The one who shuts his eyes from looking upon evil.

Such a person lives in a state of consecration and purity, which allows them to dwell in the heavenly heights; their refuge will be the impregnable Rock. Such a person's heavenly bread will be provided and their spiritual water source will be sure. Such a person's eyes will see the King in all of His beauty and will behold the far-distant land (Isaiah 33:14-17).

Although the Lord first appeared as the suffering Lamb, He is now being revealed as the victorious King. Presently, Heaven is unveiling the Lord's great glory and kingly authority. It is our outstanding privilege to be offered the opportunity to possess anointed eyes to see, behold, and perceive the revelation of the King and His Kingdom design. (excerpted from a recent prophetic Word delivered by Paul Keith Davis.)

Blessings on you!

Regner

Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES

709 South 7^th Street
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
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