Prophetic word for today
Bridgend
First posted: July 1, 2008
Word received by: Shamah-Elim Bible Studies
The area of Bridgend in southern Wales (UK) has been struck by a rather unusual spate of suicides of young men and women aged between 15 and 30. In the year between February 2007 and February 2008, 17 suicides had happened. At present, the tragic count stands at 21. This contrasts with the rate of 3 suicides per year for 2005 and 2006.
Police have denied that the suicides are directly linked, discarding the possibility that social networking sites such as Bebo may have led to some sort of "suicide pact". This is because many of the youngsters had apparently never used a computer and were not interested in the Internet.
{You can read more on the Bridgend suicides at wikipedia.org, google.com, and news.bbc.co.uk}
Our comments
There is spiritual significance to this string of suicides in Bridgend, a significance that is "all too obvious" (at least in the spirit realm) to God's suffering green-horse remnant. In order to understand this significance, we must first consider certain issues regarding Bridgend.
As indicated on wikipedia.org, Bridgend is a town in the county borough of Bridgend, which in turn belongs to the "South Wales" county of Glamorganshire. The area known as "South Wales" can be loosely defined as the area surrounding the M4 Motorway, which links London with Wales. South Wales also includes the county of Monmouthshire.
As we have shared before, Monmouth, in Monmouthshire, is a gated-bridge border town. In other words, it represents a place of spiritual transition into the dimension of God's revival Glory. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the word "bridge" is embedded in the name of neighbouring "Bridgend". The M4 Motorway that defines the area of South Wales includes the Second Severn Crossing, a bridge that crosses the River Severn (the UK's longest river), linking Wales to England. This crossing lies between Junction 22 on the English side and Junction 23 on the Welsh side.
As we have said before, the number "22" refers to spiritual "civil war", and it points to the 4 years of civil war that God has decreed over America's spirit realm. This 4-year period of judgement and internal division is due to the American Church's unwillingness to enable the transition into God's latter-rain revival. This unwillingness has delayed God's visitation process not only in America but throughout the world, for America (and New York in particular) was to be the epicentre of this revival. As America's revival process remains "on hold" during this 4-year period, the Lord has shifted His spiritual focus towards the UK and Europe. Therefore, it is no spiritual coincidence that the number "4" is embedded in the name "M4 Motorway".
The junction numbers "22" and "23" also points to judges Tola and Jair (Judges 10:1-5). As we have studied before, Tola, who judged Israel for 23 years, represents God's green-horse believers weaving an invisible but crucial spiritual work outside of man's natural view. This thorny underground work involves going through the valley of the shadow of Death and Sheol, but it paves the way for the emergence of "Jair enlightenment". Jair, who judged Israel for 22 years, represents the period when the anointing in God's earthworms is vindicated through the release of 6th-seal judgements that certify that God's light shall indeed shine through those rejected and ignored by the soulish Church. Thus, we can say that the M4's Junction 23 on the Welsh side represents the Tola period, that Junction 22 on the English side represents the Jair period, and that the bridge across the River Severn represents the transition from "Tola" to "Jair".
As we said above, the M4 Motorway crosses the River Severn, which is the longest river in the UK, and is England's greatest river in terms of water flow, as indicated on wikipedia.org. Therefore, it points to the flow of God's River in the UK and throughout the entire Earth. The River Severn eventually discharges into the Bristol Channel (which in turn discharges into the Celtic Sea). Interestingly enough, the Bristol Channel is known as the place where the "Mission to Seafarers" was founded. As indicated on wikipedia.org, the Mission to Seafarers (formerly known as the "Missions to Seamen") was started when John Ashley became interested in ministering to the mariners and sailors on the island of Flat Holm in 1835. This points to the spiritual connection between the Bristol Channel and the green horse of the Apocalypse, since, as we have said before, the green horse is strongly related to the "sea" and to those who are willing to travel across the sea because they visualise the spiritual potential of the nations, a green potential they perceive as they gaze towards the sea's horizon. The surname "Ashley" also points to the green horse, since green-horse riders are not only "hopeful" about the nations, but they are also willing to pay the heavy price required to see that hope fulfilled, a price that involves dying and being reduced to ashes, in the full conviction that God can resurrect His remnant from the ashes.
The name "Severn" is apparently derived from the Celtic name "Hafren" (Latinised as "Sabrina"). As indicated on wikipedia.org, Hafren is the name of a mythical person in Geoffrey of Monmouth's book "History of the Kings of Britain". According to Geoffrey's narration, Queen Gwendolen drowned Hafren and her mother Estrildis (who was the daughter of the king of Germany) in the River Severn, and ordered that the river be named after Hafren. Estrildis had been hidden away ("stowed away", shall we say) in a cave beneath London for 7 years, giving birth to Hafren there as she was cared for by the servants of Locrinus. This story behind the River Severn points to both the "stowaway" and "meadow house" words in which the Lord had us speak about a mother hiding with her child and about the remnant finding a somewhat uncomfortable but relatively safe and prosperous place to hide during their 5th-seal period. "Coincidentally", the Lord had us mention the name "Gwendolen" in only one other posting. In that word, we mentioned it in the context of the name "Wendy", which we found to be spiritually related to the same two words. All of this emphasises the spiritual connection between the River Severn and the remnant suffering through their 5th-seal hiding in the UK's spiritual realm.
As we mentioned above, the island of Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel is where the "Mission to Seafarers" was born. According to wikipedia.org, the Anglo-Saxons called the island "Brandanreolice", which is derived from an Irish word meaning "churchyard" or "graveyard"; this points to how people in the area have long associated the island to spiritual issues. It also points to the 5th-seal period during which the remnant remain "buried underground", in hibernation, after their Sheol death.
Flat Holm is also home to many "slow worms". This points to the "Tola" earthworm nature of God's green-horse riders, who weave an important spiritual work underground outside of man's natural view. Interestingly enough, the slow worms in Flat Holm have unusually large blue markings, which points to the blue prayer shawl that God's green-horse riders must wrap themselves in in order to fulfil their appointed spiritual work.
Flat Holm is also known for its 30-metre (98-ft) lighthouse, which began operating on 25 March, 1738. This lighthouse points to the "watchman" nature of God's green-horse riders. Interestingly enough, the lighthouse was struck by lightning on December 22, 1790 during a severe storm; the keeper narrowly survived, but the top of the tower was severely damaged. As we have shared before, lightning points to the all-encompassing revival that God will unleash upon the Earth through His remnant. In 2006, the Lord spoke into my heart about the connection between lightning and His vindicating 6th-seal revenge:
"41If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. 42I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. 43Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people." (Deuteronomy 32:41-43)
The word "glittering" in verse 41 was translated from the Hebrew word baraq, which literally means "lightning" (and is translated as such in the King James Version 14 of the 21 times it appears in the original Hebrew text). Thus, the phrase "glittering sword" literally reads "lightning sword" in the original text. This passage speaks of God's vindicating vengeance against the matriarchal nations of the Earth, which correlates with His 6th-seal judgements against those who sent His remnant to their 4th-seal (green-horse) death and 5th-seal hibernation. It is no coincidence, therefore, that the hundreds and hundreds of wildfires that are raging simultaneously throughout California in recent days have been caused by persistent lightning strikes. California is the state most directly related to the 4-year revival delay in America, and, as such, it has been enduring (and shall continue to endure) the Lord's "lightning judgements" ... until the remnant are manifested in America.
{You can read more on the 1420+ wildfires burning in California in news stories posted today [June 30, 2008] at news.yahoo.com, foxnews.com, and cbsnews.com. These stories describe the battle against these blazes as a "stalemate", which points to the spiritual stalemate America is in during this 4-year delay period.}
As we said above, the lightning strike on the Flat Holm Lighthouse happened on December 22, 1790. This was exactly 215 years before December 22, 2005, the last day before God's 4-year delay decree became permanent. As this "silent" decree was about to become official the next day (December 23, 2005), the remnant were forced into hiding outside of America's spiritual realm, as was the case with the Flat Holm Lighthouse's keeper, who was forced to flee the lighthouse's structure as the lightning came down.
The fact that the lightning struck the lighthouse exactly 215 years earlier has spiritual significance. As I searched for the number "215" amongst this website's postings, I was surprised to find that it appears in only 1 posting, in an article section titled "Teacher Tim". This was particularly surprising to me, especially since the Lord had caused me to establish a strong association between the name "Timothy" and the word "lighthouse" ever since 2006, a puzzling association I would often try to understand but which, to this day, remains somewhat of a mystery to me.
From all of the above, we can safely conclude that Bridgend represents a "5th-seal bubble region", a temporary holding place where the remnant await the transition into their 6th-seal phase. In a sense, the remnant are standing at the end of the 5th-seal bridge, waiting for the moment when they will be able to take that first step into the land of their full-blown manifestation. This waiting period, however, is wrought with despair, to the point that they sometimes feel as if they have reached a hopeless cul-de-sac. As we have studied before, those who walk in the Spirit (rather than the soul) develop a deeper soul that is much more sensitive to the spiritual vibrations around it, which makes them more susceptible to depression and despair. Such believers can perceive the spiritual stagnation around them, and, since they are unwilling to settle into spiritual conformity, their souls become heavily burdened when they discern external factors that hinder spiritual progress on Earth. This is the spiritual agony that the young men and women are perceiving at Bridgend, and it is the silent despair that is driving many them to suicide. We are on the brink of a new dimension, but the Church remains oblivious to it. The Church keeps associating "revival" with visible outbreaks such as the one in Florida, USA, but the Lord is after something far superior and foundationally transformational, something that goes beyond "magical" solutions and gets to the roots of the comprehensive human experience.
For a time, the suicide count stopped at 17, and it was after a while that 4 more suicides were added to the count, leading to the current total of 21 (17 months into the suicide spree). There is a spiritual reason for this. As we have said before, the number "17" speaks of a manifested remnant, and the number "21" speaks of silent spiritual warfare in the heavenlies that is imperceptible to the natural eye. The remnant long to be manifested ("17") but there are hindrances in the air --- promoted by man's will on Earth --- ("21") that impede that manifestation. This manifestation will not only bless the remnant but also bless and regenerate the entire Earth. The "humanity project" will be fulfilled once this full-blown manifestation takes place. The fact that so many potential enablers of this manifestation remain "frozen still" (when they could be enabling the remnant spirit) frustrates the remnant (and God's heart) all the more. Instead of hearing God's trumpet blasts and enabling His purposes on Earth, these potential enablers continue to be led away like little toddlers by the baby rattles of superficial manifestations and religious activities. They are unable to hear the infra-sounds of God, sounds which are perceptible only if you are willing to seek after the Spirit and forsake the waves of the soul.
{The Lord prompted me to search for the phrase "baby rattle" on the Internet, and I was surprised to find a website called "Lighthouse Toys" with some baby rattle offers. If you are interested in a rattle, you can visit their site at lighthouse.co.uk! Let him who has ears hear what the Lord is saying.}
It is no coincidence, therefore, that Bridgend's representative in Parliament is named "Madeleine Moon". As we have studied before, the name "Madeleine" is spiritually related to the uncomfortable but relatively safe tower of refuge that the remnant must hide in during their 5th-seal period. On the other hand, the moon represents the soul. As is well known, the moon's gravitational pull affects ocean tides, causing water in the ocean to constantly rush towards two different "bulges" that form in the Earth's water surface, one at the point closest to the moon and the other at the point furthest from it (as indicated on wikipedia.org). A righteous moon (i.e.- soul) will remain submitted under the Sun (i.e.- Spirit); this is what happens in the hearts of remnant believers (Revelation 12:1). By contrast, non-remnant believers allow the moon to dominate, which causes their hearts to rush towards superficial bulges that come and go as the moon moves about, with no interest in delving in the deep, underlying issues of the soul.
Whereas the soul of non-remnant believers is stirred by superficial bulges, the soul of remnant believers is stirred by invisible spiritual waves. Their souls agonise and weep whilst the souls of others remain unaffected. They cry like a woman in labour pains longing for the manifestation of the sons of God. They behave like mad men and women in the midst of a "sane", soul-dominated world. They are stirred by pregnancy-induced cravings that seem nonsensical to those around them. It is no wonder, therefore, that Madeleine Moon is a Labour MP, for the remnant are like a soul in protracted labour. Their soul is pulled by a moon that the souls of others fail to perceive. They are driven by invisible waves that others are impervious to. This is the spiritual reason why the wave of suicides at Bridgend remains such a mystery, even after 17 months. These youths are reacting to a wave that they perceive but do not understand, and they are unfortunately taking their lives in despair, in much the same way that many remnant believers may be wanting to do as their gastric burden becomes all the more unbearable. The remnant are longing to enter into their rest, a rest that shall unleash blessing upon all of mankind, but, as of yet, they remain homeless.
Shortly before we began to write this article, the Lord drew my attention to a prophetic word regarding the spiritual climate in Wales. It is entitled "The Ghost Is Homeless", and it is an accurate reflection of what has been happening in the spirit realm over the past few years. This word reveals the spiritual issues underneath the visible events in Bridgend. Fellow believer, even before you continue to read the rest of this posting, we strongly urge you to read it. It is available at etpv.org.
As indicated on wikipedia.org, the county borough of Bridgend, which is the geographical heart of South Wales, happens to be 17th in area amongst Wales 22 unitary authorities. This is no spiritual coincidence, for Bridgend represents the hiding place for the remnant's spiritual manifestation ("17") in the midst of the current "civil war" period ("22"). As I meditated on Bridgend, the Lord dropped the words "stepping stone" into my heart. I then understood that Bridgend represents a spiritual stepping stone into the fullness of God's calling for the remnant, the Church, and the world at large. As we saw above, Bridgend represents a transition from "Tola" Wales to "Jair" England, but the remnant have been held up on the "Tola" end, one stone short of making the crossing.
Because the county borough of Bridgend is based around the River Ogmore, I felt the Lord's prompting to look up images of the River Ogmore on the Internet, and I was surprised when I quickly stumbled upon this photo at geograph.org.uk:
Stepping stones on River Ogmore, near Bridgend, Wales
© John Goodall; licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
The remnant are crying out to be allowed to skip from the final stone into their home, and despair envelops their heart as man refuses to remove the final hindrances and enable their literal manifestation. Let the enablers with ears hear what the Lord is calling them to do, for they are being called to enable the missing link.
As indicated on wikipedia.org, the River Ewenny is a river that rises to the northeast of Bridgend town and enters the River Ogmore estuary just below Ogmore Castle (which is visible in the image above). As indicated on wikipedia.org, the River Ewenny has supported grayling fish, something that is unusual in Wales. As is also indicated on wikipedia.org, the grayling have been recorded as reaching the age of 14. This has spiritual significance. As we have said before, the number "14" represents an "unmanifested" remnant, and the colour grey speaks of compromise that passes up for uncompromising green to the simplistic eye. Therefore, the presence of grayling in the River Ewenny near Bridgend speaks of an inflow of the spirit of compromise, the same grey, fence-straddling spirit that led to the delay in America's revival. That is the spirit that is holding the remnant up at the last stone, preventing them jumping from "Tola Wales" into "Jair England" and into the fulfilment of their Earth-regenerating calling.
Since Estrildis was hidden away in a cave beneath London, I felt the prompting from the Lord to know the meaning of the name "London". As indicated on wikipedia.org, several theories have been postulated as to the origin of the name "London", one of the most plausible being the one that says that it is derived from the pre-Celtic word "plowonida", which means "a river too wide to ford", in reference to the River Thames. Since the letter "p" was usually dropped from the beginning of words when absorbed into the Celtic language, and since it was common to add an "-on" suffix to names, the theory asserts that the word plowonida morphed into lowonidon or "London". Whether this is the actual historical source of the name is secondary; the fact is that the name "London" is "derivable" from the word plowonida, which establishes a spiritual connection between the two. The word plowonida ("a river too wide to ford") points to verse 5 of the following passage:
"1Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. 2Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. 3And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. 4Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. 5Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over." (Ezekiel 47:1-5)
As we have studied before, this passage refers to the righteous River of God that will flow over the Earth in these latter days. Therefore, we can say that there is a mighty calling on London to manifest the River of God, the River that cannot be forded. There is a "Tamesis rose revival" awaiting London, "England", but the remnant are held up in Bridgend, "Wales", languishing as they wait.