Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners? (Song of Solomon 6:10)

I sat and began reading this verse in my quiet time this morning, and the Lord began to open up revelation to me about the end-time prophetic army which is the fully consecrated bride of Christ.  He began to show me attributes of that army from this verse:

Supernatural Increase: The New American Standard Version of the Bible translates the first part of this verse as, “Who is this that grows like the dawn.”  I believe this is a word picture representing the way in which the prophetic revelation of the bride will increase as the “Light,” being the Son of God, continues to shine upon us in ever-increasing measure.  As we move closer to the great and terrible day of the Lord, we will increase in prophetic revelation as we grow in consecration to the Lord and as He continues to reveal Himself to us.

Supernatural Identity: “Beautiful as the full moon” are not the words that I would use to describe myself, but this is the way that Jesus sees us.  In the last days, the bride will continue to move into her identity and find affirmation in the words that Christ has spoken about us rather than our tainted self-perception.   This realization will relieve us of the performance burden and, having found our portion in Him, will empower us to perform miracles, signs, and wonders.

Supernatural Purity: “Clear as the sun” has been translated in many versions to read, “Pure as the sun.”  When I think of the purity of the sun, I think of a burning hot inferno in which any impurity is consumed by the intesity of the energy.  I believe that this is a prophetic picture of the heart of the end time church that is now beginning to emerge in the Earth.  I believe that we will continue to feel His fire until we burn with a Holy intensity that has a purifying effect on our lives.

Supernatural Commission: An army that is directed by banners is one that is under the control of it’s general.  An army with no banners is not only not terrible, it’s also quite comical.  It will defeat itself from lack of communication, lack of orders, and lack of discipline.  We must begin to content to be sent forth from the General from whom all orders originate. Our general judges the faithfulness of soldiers by their willingness to live in the prayer room, be separate from the affairs of this world, and follow orders when issued.

This scripture comes from Song of Solomon Chapter 6, where the “friends” of the bridegroom are describing the bride.   In other words, this phrase is meant to be a prophetic picture of the end times church, a prophetic army of radically devoted fanatical believers.

Banners have much significance in antiquity.  They had several functions on the battlefield, all of which made them important:

They identified units: Each commander would have a crest, and each of his units would bear his crest upon their standard.  In this way, the commander would be able to keep track of his units in the confusion of melee.  Perhaps more importantly, this was a way for units to proudly declare, “We belong to our Lord.”

The prophetic end-time army of radically devoted believers will proudly bear the standard of the Lord.  They will be known throughout the land as His possession.  Rather than carrying a physical standard everywhere they go, these faithful men and women will carry the mark of the radical anointing upon their lives developed through years of praying, fasting, and hotly persuing the Lord.

They provided communication: In an era before radio communications were possible, battle flags were the way in which signals were sent from commanders to subordinate units.  “An army with banners” would have been an army that had a complex, robust, and reliable communications ability.  As a result, they would have inflicted terror on their disorganized opponents, able to maneuver efficiently even in the midst of melee.

Our ability to communicate with our commander will also be of the utmost importance during the coming conflict.  Banners, however, are not the answer.  Prayer and fasting, seeking His face, and learning to hear the still, small voice of the Lord is the only thing that will help.