ART: Holy Flood of God's Love

QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT!

All my paintings are lead by the Holy Spirit and this piece is definitely no exception. "Holy Flood of God's Love" was my first larger prophetic painting. It measures 24"x30". The first step was to apply many layers of multiple colors. Then while the acrylic paint was still wet, I was directed to a new dry brush and told to use long, sweeping curves across the canvas. As the Lord directed my hand, He spoke a powerful message: "To receive the holy flood of God's love, DO NOT restrict the Holy Spirit!" Prompted to repeat the message as I moved the brush across the canvas, I began to see a shape develop. Each brushstroke and spoken word grew stronger, bolder as I moved down the canvas. By the time I reached the end, I was shouting, "TO RECEIVE THE HOLY FLOOD OF GOD'S LOVE, DO NOT RESTRICT THE HOLY SPIRIT!" It was a profound and powerful experience in the presence of the Lord! I was so excited when I finished the painting that I called my sister, Janel to share the experience with her. I couldn't keep the message to myself!


Setting the painting on top of a large cabinet in the dining room, I saw it every time I walked out of the living room. One day, I stopped to study the piece and I heard the Holy Spirit whisper, "Flip the painting around." I did as I was told and tears began trailing down my cheeks. I saw a close-up section of a huge rolling wave with sunlight glittering on top of the water.In Scripture, Gold represents God's glory and the brightness of His presence. - Ezekiel 1:4; 1:27-28; 8:2 (KJV) Christ as the glory of God - Ezekiel 1:28, II Corinthians 4:6, Revelation 21:23 
 

Our loving God knows everything about us. What we like and don't like. He knows the desires of our hearts. Nothing is hidden from Him. Before leading me to paint this piece, God knew that one of my favorite things to do is sit by a lake or river and watch the sunlight dance across the waves. It mesmerizes me like the flames of a campfire. 

I live in Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but I don't know how to swim. Even so, this painting makes me want to take a leap of faith and dive into the holy flood of God's love! It wasn't long after I finished "Holy Flood" that I heard Steven Curtis Chapman's song, "Dive" for the first time. I was amazed at the how closely the lyrics match what the painting means to me. 

  DIVE! by STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN

The long awaited rains
Have fallen hard upon the thirst ground
And carved their way to where
The wild and rushing river can be found
And like the rains
I have been carried here to where the river flows, yeah
My heart is racing and my knee are weak
As I walk to the edge
I know there is not turning back
Once my feet have left the ledge
And in the rush I hear a voice
That’s telling me it’s time
to take the leap of faith
So here I go 

I’m diving in, I’m going deep in over
my head, I want to be
Caught in the rush, lost in the flow,
in over my head, I want to go
The river’s deep, the river’s wide,
the river’s water is alive
So sink or swim, I’m diving in 

There is a supernatural power
In this might river’s flow
It can bring the dead to life
And it can fill an empty soul
And give a heart the only thing
Worth living and worth dying for, yeah
But we will never know the awesome power
Of the grace of God
Until we let ourselves get swept away
Into this holy flood
So if you’ll take my hand
We’ll close our eyes and count to three
And take the leap of faith
Come on let’s go

PAINTING SCRIPTURE
1 Thessalonians 5:19
Do not quench the Spirit. NIV
Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. NLT
Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.TNIV


Ephesians 4:30
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.


GREEK WORD STUDY: QUENCH  
sbe'n-nü-mē 
metaph. to quench, to suppress, stifle

1) of divine influence

Romans 5:5
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
 
2 Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Prophetic painting by Christine Nichols ©2009

Do you remember reading that I called my sister Jan when I was finished with this painting? She shared my excitement, but later I learned that when she mentioned the phone call to her husband, Gary, all he said was that he hoped I continued with the art. I got the feeling that he thought I wouldn't. That the art was just a passing fad in my life. That was in the fall of 2009. Fast forward a year and half later to the summer of 2011. 

Jan and Gary attended my son's high school grad party. When Gary came in the house, he was struck by all the paintings on the walls as our home looks like an art gallery. Gary took the time to walk through the rooms and view the art. When he was done, he came back to this painting which is hung in the kitchen. As he stood gazing at the art, he said, "the painting drew him back and he couldn't take his eyes off of it." 

Before the grad party, I prayed that the art would glorify God and be a blessing to everyone who saw it. The one person I thought who wouldn't get it, got it. I was so blessed by Gary's comment. It's like that was the moment I arrived as an artist because in my mind, it's truly art when the painting affects someone that deeply and draws them in. Praise be to God! I couldn't have done it without HIM!

REFERENCES:
Bible Gateway: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Thessalonians%205:19,%20Eph%204:30&version=NKJV
Blue Letter Bible: http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Th&c=5&v=19&t=KJV#conc/19
Steven Curtis Chapman: http://stevencurtischapman.com/
http://stevencurtischapman.com/music/songs/dive-259
Christian Lyrics Online: http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/steven-curtis-chapman/dive.html 
Riding The Beast: http://www.ridingthebeast.com/articles/colors/

ART: Cometh as a Thief in the Night

The words "Cometh as a thief in the night" are associated with Christ's return and are taken directly from Scripture in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2: "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." When I posted this painting on the Steen Art page, Donna, a dear sister in Christ who is well-versed in Scripture, commented, "It is like the calm before the storm. It is as if He (Jesus Christ) will be here any minute."  I believe that is exactly the message the Lord intended for this prophetic painting. It's not for us to know the day or the hour but be assured, JESUS IS COMING SOON and we need to be ready!

PAINTING IN THE SPIRIT

Here's a couple of pics during the painting process in 2010. I remember the Holy Spirit directing me to varying hues of blue (like every blue I had on hand!) and a comparably smaller amount of gold when choosing the paint colors. The sizable amount of paint used in this piece stands out in my memory, even though the canvas dimensions are only 16" x 20". 

When painting, I dipped the brush into whichever blue tone the Spirit directed and then dragged the brush horizontally across the canvas. I kept repeating that process throughout the painting. As the piece began to take shape, I thought I was painting a seascape. It looked like water to me. About midpoint, I turned the canvas upside-down because it was getting difficult to paint the horizontal stripes. The Holy Spirit said to add little gold to the blue and I continued the long brush strokes to the top of the canvas. To finish the piece, I was told to paint gold on top of the dark blue/green in the upper right hand corner.

Canvas upside-down on easel.

Turning the painting right-side-up again, I realized it wasn't a seascape but rather a midnight scene with a small city in the distance. I knew the message of the painting was Christ's return. God loves to surprise me with the paintings. I'm always in awe when it's done because I know that I was simply the vessel. The prophetic works of art are created by the Holy Spirit. Even though the Lord surprises me with the final outcome of the paintings, as Christians we are not to be surprised by the events of the last days. Jesus speaks of His return in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 and plainly tells us what must happen before He comes to gather His Bride, the Church to Himself. Prophecies are woven throughout the Bible in the Old and New Testaments.

Canvas right-side up.

INSIGHTS REVEALED

Just recently, as I studied the painting, Jesus gave me more insights of the painting's meaning. Take a journey with me into "Cometh as a Thief in the Night."  

Gaze upon the sky. The dark tones clearly indicate the setting of the painting is at night. (There are Scripture passages that parallel the night setting - see below.)  Notice there is no moon. Perhaps, it's too cloudy or it's a new moon? (Perry Stone teaches on the correlation between the new moon, Jewish Feast Days, and Christ's return.) Now lower your focus and let your eyes follow the horizon to a knoll or mound on the right. The knoll represents a city. There you will see a few glimmers of light in an otherwise sleeping town. The lights represent believers who are eagerly awaiting Christ's return. They won't be caught off guard when He appears in great power and glory! Their lamps are full of oil like the wise virgins. 

Speaking of His glory, that's exactly what the gold on the bottom left represents. Imagine Jesus standing just beyond where the canvas ends and His glory is shining around Him. He is standing there watching the city "like a thief in the night" - scoping out the place. 

Will the Lord find you with your lamp full of oil and shining brightly when He returns?

SCRIPTURE VERSES

The Day and Hour Unknown - Matthew 24

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[e] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

   42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him."

 The Parable of the Ten Virgins - Matthew 25

 1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

   6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

   7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

   9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

   10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

   11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

   12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

   13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

The Day of the Lord - 1 Thessalonians 5

The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5 "Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

I strongly encourage you to read God's Word daily. Become well acquainted with what Scripture says about the end times, which simply means the time is close to Christ's return. Don't rely on what others say (including me!) about the last days, Christ's return, the rapture, Armageddon, etc. Find out for yourself in Scripture. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach and guide you through your search for the truth so that you aren't deceived. 

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