I returned to Revelations 21 and 22. My Father taught me first through Revelations 21: 5. “See, I make all things new,” refers to the renewed relationship of humans with the Father through Jesus. All else is also renewed because of God’s presence among us. Our relationship to everything has changed because of God’s presence in our midst. As citizens of the Kingdom, we should strive to see all situations, people, and things as our Father sees them, not as the world sees them.

He took me to 21: 6, then – “To anyone who thirsts I will give to drink without cost from the spring of life-giving water.” Faith is a free gift to anyone who genuinely wants it. Baptism of desire is sufficient for citizenship in the Kingdom.

My Father returned to what He had been teaching me about the Interior Church and the Exterior Church, and clarified it for me. The Interior Church is the Kingdom. It is perfect. It is indivisible. Nothing we can do can harm it or change it in any way. The walls of the city and the structures within it are Truth. The light of the city is His presence within it. The water and trees of life are His graces, His gifts to the citizens of His Kingdom. Most importantly, for me personally, He made it quite clear that the Kingdom is not the sum of its citizens, as I hear so many people say to me. It is an entity in its own right, defined by God’s presence within it. The Kingdom is spiritual in nature and is the repository of Truth.

The Exterior Church is composed of the many different paths to the Kingdom. It appears to be fragmented, to be many different churches, but the reality is that there is a deep, underlying unity bonding all the paths. That unity comes from the Interior Church.

Unlike the Interior Church, the Exterior Church can claim no perfection. It bears heavily the imprint of fallible humankind. It can fail in its purpose of leading citizens to the reality of the Kingdom. It can be corrupted by the pride, base motives, and other sins of those who claim membership in it. Worst of all, it can wage civil war upon itself.

In connection with these teachings, my Father has given me two things to pray for. The first is that all the members of the Exterior Church will have the grace to reflect the beauty of the Interior Church. The second is that the eyes of those who would criticize the Interior Church because of the failing of the Exterior Church will be opened.

Please understand that much of what I write of today came from what my Father was teaching me day before yesterday and was influenced by yesterday’s prayer period. This was all too heavy for just today’s prayer time, but was too unclear to go into earlier. (1)

I feel ready, now, to go on to the next section. The time, today, went very rapidly. (2)

(1) Spiritual director: I can see why.

(2) Spiritual director: Your words probably don’t describe the totality of the perspective God gave you. This showed expansion of spiritual maturity in yourself, that is a closer identification with the perspective of God, or a more expanded worldview, etc.