Chapter 4

The Grand Consummation

    With this good start, spirit had congratulated Soul on her steadfastness of mind and heart to continue therein and had then bid her good day. It had been very hard at the outset, Soul remembered, but she had done very well, the Lord Christ helping her, and she stood this day reflecting on all that had led up to the present situation and the sudden darkness which had descended upon Mann. She had become so damaged by the effects of sin that even her outward appearance had altered and she seemed old beyond her years; worn, wrinkled, used and tired. Her unnatural affinity with the Body and township of Mann had not done well by her. Ah, but after she had come to her spiritual resurrection and ascension, she was, like the King's daughter, '. . . all glorious within:'(Psalm 45:13), her spiritual clothing all of wrought gold. It had been well worth it. But it did not yet appear what she would be. It was all an inward, spiritual work and there was as yet no outward manifestation.

    She remembered how she had troubled herself about receiving the new body and had gone to spirit, questioning him about it. It had been one of those dismal and cloudy days when there seemed to be no sun at all; just a grey and unpromising day. She had found spirit in the place in which they both spent much time these days; in the Garden of Communion. When spirit had ended his time of meditation he had turned to see Soul waiting patiently for him.

    "Why, good morning Soul," spirit said to her. "How is it with you this fine day which the Lord hath made?"

    "Why it is very well with me, spirit, since I no longer listen to Emotion these days. In fact, she is now at home lamenting that the sun may never shine again. Only yesterday was she heard singing all over the house that happy days were here again! That girl!"

    "Is there something with which I may be of help to you, Soul?" spirit asked.

    "Yes, spirit, there is indeed."

    Straightening some of the folds of her long, flowing dress, Soul continued.

    "spirit," Soul asked, "I have tried and tried to receive the new body and it occurs to me that I do not know how to receive it. What must I do?"

    "Why, Soul," spirit said with an amused chuckle, which brought a smile to Soul's face also. "You do know how to receive it. You just do not realize it. Let me ask you some questions which should rid you of yours."

    "I am presently ready to try to answer any question you may put to me, spirit, if they will answer mine," Soul responded, fairly beaming with anticipation. She had unquestionably never been so happy since . . . that time long ago, but now having returned to the care and subordination of spirit she was truly a woman liberated.

    "When you initially came to the Lord Christ in repentance," spirit asked her, "how did you receive Him and the free gift of your forgiveness and pardon?"

    "Why," her hand went instinctively to her mouth as the light within her began to dawn, "it was by the hand of Virgin-Faith!" Soul responded.

    "Correct. And when you received the free gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, how did you receive that?" spirit asked, clearly enjoying himself.

    "Also by the hand of Virgin-Faith," answered Soul, "as she was also the means by which I received each gift from the precious Holy Spirit! Oh! spirit, I see! I see!", exclaimed Soul, flushed with excitement.

    "Are you not telling me, spirit," Soul continued, "that this new body, although not a free gift, but a prize to be won after qualifying for it through death and resurrection, is to be received by the hand of Virgin-Faith also?"

    "Exactly!" spirit assured her. "Not only is the new body received by the hand of Virgin-Faith, it is also to be retained by her goodly influences. For even after your initial step of faith in receiving the Lord Christ as your Saviour, there was no proof nor evidence of that transaction other than your faith. But as you continued to walk in that faith, the faith of God began to arise and work in you and there began to appear the evidence of that faith as a present reality. So it is with the receipt of the new spiritual body."

    As Soul had no further questions and seemed quite beside herself with joy and anticipation, spirit had given her time to think on those holy things.

    "That was surely a gold-letter day for me," Soul thought to herself as she continued watching spirit who still stood motionless in the strange darkness. "For it was not long after, that Virgin-Faith came with Soul's new body and it had been beyond her most extravagant hopes." Soul's attention was drawn back to the dreadful situation at hand. Suddenly, as spirit stood calm and unmoving, Soul now at his side, joined as one in purpose and intent, there came a brilliant white Light from no particular direction. "And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light. . ."(Revelation 22:5).

    There was a sudden, involuntary, collective gasp. It was the Sovereign! He had come! Not only was Soul beside herself with rapture, being so filled with the radiating glory of her Sovereign, but all the city of Mann was completely bathed in His effulgent glory. One could not say that the beautiful Soul now resplendent in the Sovereign's intensely dazzling light and life was the same Soul who but a few moments before had looked so worn and used.

    Now that the usurper had been cast out and the city was under its rightful leadership, the Sovereign had come to dwell with Mann. Voices from on high were heard singing, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with man, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people and God Himself will be with them, and be their God" (Revelation 21:3).

    A great and happy chorus from both saints and angels alike sounded forth: "Now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them!" (Revelation 12:10-12).

    spirit and Soul found themselves singing, together with countless of the redeemed from on high, "Oh! Lo, this is our God! We have waited for Him and He has saved us! This is the Lord! We have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation! For in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest. We have a strong City! Salvation hath God appointed for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in" (Isaiah 25:9-26:2).

    Suddenly, when the sound of the joy and praise had reached an almost deafening crescendo, that heretofore invisible realm began to materialize before the very eyes of all and there was added to this resounding volume of praise and worship, the worship and adoration of countless saints, now coming forth as a cloud. These were they who had gone on before, having obtained a good report through faith, having suffered the heat of the day and who had died in the faith, not having received the promise, for without us they should not be completed (Hebrews 11:40). In the midst of this great cloud was the One upon Whom every eye was now fastened.

    It was the Lord Jesus Christ! The very Lamb who had given Himself in order to reconcile Mann to God. The joy, the grandeur, the splendor and the majesty which accompanied this glorious advent was such that any who had not a new spiritual body could not have survived it, but to such as had the new body, it was all most pleasant and invigorating. The resounding praise and honor being paid to the Lamb now came as if in wave after wave from a creation beside itself with joy and gratitude.

    Soul then heard as it were the voice of this great multitude as the voice of many waters and as the voice of great thunderings, saying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth! Let us be glad and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her is granted that she be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Blessed are you which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' (Revelation 19:6-9).

    Soul, now lost in sheer gratitude and thankfulness, gazed through tear-filled and joyful eyes at all of Mann. All were beside themselves with joy and gratitude. "They sung a new song, saying, thou art worthy for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, tongue and people and nation, and hast made us unto our God, kings and priests, and we shall reign on earth!" (Revelation 5:9-10) And as she watched, white robes were given to every one of them. She could see the Lord Christ as He appeared in this one and that one! The mighty inward work which had been wrought in each was now manifested in each and there could be seen in each of these heavenly tabernacles, a prince with God!

    A table whose length and breadth and depth and height could not be measured, was spread with all delectable delights. Both great and small were seated with the King at this table in a vast hall of white, green and blue hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble. Each one in attendance was given to drink (none did compel) according to every man's pleasure, and they drank from vessels of gold, each vessel diverse one from the other, and royal wine was in abundance, according to the hand of the King (Esther 1:7).

    The Light which had suddenly burst forth from the very heart of the city of Mann was His Light! It now radiated all shimmering and glistering upon and through everything in the city of Mann. Darkness and anything akin to it was so absent that it almost seemed there had never been a night. A sparkling effervescent fountain suddenly burst forth in the midst of the city from the Garden of Communion, sending forth rivers of crystal clear waters in every direction. Those drinking of these waters were immediately energized with Life and power. It was by these issuing waters that many miracles flowed out from the new body and township of Mann. As all of Mann was rejoicing in this sudden turn of events, the great and wonderful Voice of the Sovereign was heard throughout the Body and township of Mann saying, "Behold, I make all things new. It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. You who have overcome shall inherit all things; and I will be your God and you shall be my sons." (Revelation 21:5-7) It was, indeed, as Holy Spirit had promised it would be, and more besides.

    It was learned, upon investigation, that Reason had so defrauded and misled the city of Mann that both he and his entire family were, as Logic had once concluded, put out of their stewardship and banished from Mann forever. Mann then was given to live, act and have his being according to that true "logic" of the cross, the reservoir and supply of eternal Virgin Wisdom.

    This happy conclusion saw also the Quintuplets -- Hearing, Sight, Smell, Taste and Touch restored to their former, glorious super-sensitive estate as protectors and servants to the Body and township of Mann. They were not at all as they had been in their lapsed condition. In fact, the whole of Mann literally glowed with the radiance of the glory which came from its very heart. Mann was truly a City which could not be hid. A City which had foundations. The best thing about all this was that after all the long years of the lapse and ruin of Mann, the Sovereign finally saw the travail of His soul and was satisfied. He had exactly what He had purposed to have in the very beginning -- a place in Mann to tabernacle and fellowship with that creation which He had made in His own likeness and after His own Image.

    It should be noted that not only did the unrest in the city of Mann come to a happy end, but the same peace and glory and contentment, which the city and township of Mann had come to enjoy locally, eventually spread to the outlying areas, then to neighboring provinces, then to neighboring countries and nations until the entirety of planet earth was as filled with the glory of the Sovereign as the waters cover the seas. His glory covered the heavens and the whole earth was full of His praise. And it was but the beginning!