Saturday, April 20 2019
Jewels from Judy: The Cross Rises
Judy A Bauman
In July 2000, after taking the Lord’s Supper in the home of our elders, we quietly worshipped God around their dining room table. There was such a sweet and powerful presence of the Lord, so we all sat in prayer and quiet adoration for some time. Suddenly, I heard a deep rumbling like an earthquake. I opened my eyes and the rumbling stopped. Looking at them, I saw everyone else still had their eyes closed in prayer. Thinking I must have imagined it, I shut my eyes and immediately the rumbling resumed! When I opened my eyes, the rumbling stopped. Everyone still had their heads bowed in worship, and it was clear that I was the only one hearing this alarming noise.
This
time I closed my eyes and kept them shut when I heard the deep rumbling
sound. In my mind’s eye, I saw a very craggy looking, rough wooden beam
coming up through the middle of the table and knew it was the Cross of
Christ! Though afraid, I was compelled to watch and see what the Lord
was showing me. As it continued to rise, I saw the thorns twisted
around, and then the top of Jesus' head. It continued to rise and I
could see the nail-like thorns smashed into His bleeding head. Knowing
what was to come next, I turned away because I didn't want to see
anymore.
The
rumbling continued and got louder as the Cross continued to rise. I was
shaken to my core, afraid to look at it – at Him! The Holy Spirit
gently beckoned me to reopen my spiritual eyes. When I did, I saw Jesus’
chest and arms extended out onto the crossbeam, but when I saw His
hands nailed into the Cross, I became so grief-stricken and terrified at
the gruesome sight, I turned away again.
Even
though I had been praying to see Him, I didn't want to see Jesus like
this! While I was tearfully pleading with Him to show me no more, I
realized the rumbling had stopped. I looked again and saw the Cross
directly above me. It was as if I was physically at the foot of the
Cross at Golgotha! Jesus tenderly yet firmly spoke to my heart, "Look at
Me." Slowly I looked, first seeing His feet nailed into the wood and
then His muddy and lacerated legs. There was a mixture of dried and
fresh blood running down them. Then I looked higher and saw the face of
Christ beaten to a bloody pulp. His eyes were very swollen. I didn't
want to look anymore; I couldn't bear it.
Then
His sweet voice resolutely commanded, "Look at Me!" I looked straight
at His beaten and disfigured face and wept. He slightly opened His left
swollen eye and looked long at me. It broke my heart to see Him in such
terrible pain and so close to death, but even at such a dark time there
was a light in His eye that compelled me to gaze at Him. Then He did
something that shocked me. He mustered a grin, winked at me, and said,
"Watch what happens next, Toots!" Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light
appeared and split the sky from one end of the horizon to the other,
east to west. At that very moment, the vision ended and everyone else at
the table spontaneously lifted their heads, opened their eyes, and
started to praise God aloud!
At
first, I wasn't sure what had just happened. I was especially
confounded that Jesus called me “Toots” and wondered if He would say
such a thing. Toots was something my dad and uncle affectionately called
me when I was a child. This perplexed me, as I had not thought about
that nickname for years. I knew this is not something I would ever think
Jesus, especially from the Cross, would call me. However, the Lord used
it to confirm this was a vision and did not originate out of my
imagination. When I saw the flash of light, I knew it was the light of
Jesus’ resurrection.
I will add here, to the glory of God, this vision happened four years prior to Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ.
When I saw that movie, I was so stunned; and not only because of its
content, but because the actor looked exactly like Jesus in the vision!
The only difference I could detect was that the swelling of the eye in
the movie was the right eye and in my vision, it was the left one – like
a mirror image. This was also a year before Third Day released the
song, “Show me Your glory.” (I encourage you to look it up and give it a
listen!)
It is my hope that this testimony edifies you this holy holiday. Happy Resurrection Day!
In the Father’s love,
Judy A Bauman
Judy A Bauman
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