Yesterday, Sunday 3rd December, saw the celebration of the First Sunday of Advent 2017. It’s always highly nostalgic to me because of a life-changing dream in 1989 that brought a totally unexpected and radical encounter with Jesus Christ.

FIRST & SECOND ADVENTS

The First Advent was when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea 2,000 years ago. The four weeks leading into Christmas are designated within the church calendar as Advent, and start the church year.  In traditional churches the scriptural readings for the First Sunday in Advent are usually on the glorious return of Jesus Christ to rule and reign on earth, known as the Second Advent.

My encounter featured two highly personal aspects of my life; thereby validating the experience as real, not imaginary. Amazingly, both validations are directly related to the First and Second Advents and enhanced my interest in End-Times, by which I’d been figuratively grabbed by an Invisible Hand only a few years earlier.

Six years ago this week, soon after launching this blog, I posted details of the encounter – one that gave a personal foretaste of the Second Advent!

One aspect I haven’t previously referred to, however, now needs highlighting in view of current events I must blog about. So it’s important for you, my reader, to appreciate the wider grounds upon which I take my stand AND call fellow disciples of Christ to TAKE A STAND.:

THE VISITATION

The brief account On a Trapdoor into Hell – Jesus Swoops to the Rescue tells the full story.

My background was one of deep involvement in New Age, Gnostic and occultic notions with meditational and mystical practices. Although not a practitioner, I was nevertheless  aware of the principles of witchcraft. Those practices had led to some unusual ‘psychic’ dreams, but none whatsoever were like this one.

This dream’s sudden ‘gearing up’ into the supernatural reality of demonic and angelic activity and the appearance of Jesus Christ above the clouds and His fast descent towards me, startlingly made me conscience-stricken and realise the truth of judgement – in great dread, mine was about to happen NOW!  And because of my sins I was now about to be dropped right into Hell – so in terror I just had to hide from HIM!  (And I did…but!)

Later, I understand that terror had been ‘the fear of God’ brought through Holy Spirit in convicting me of my sinfulness (ie. wrongdoing) and, thus, preparing me to receive God’s grace (ie. undeserved favour).

However, only this weekend have I realised another scriptural relevance of that fear – and that I’D BEEN BLESSED WITH A FORETASTE OF THINGS TO COME! 

APOCALYPSE – THE SIXTH SEAL OPENS:

‘The kings of the earth, the great men, the rich, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great and day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Rev6:15-17)

My reaction to that visitation from Jesus very closely matches the reactions described in Revelation chapter 6 to earth-and-heavens-shaking events that will lead into His return.  It could be said that, in addition to natural fear, the Spirit of Knowledge and of the Fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:2) will come upon them.

So, I’ll be using that personal aspect as grounds for praying in a particular way for the conviction of sin and sincere repentance of reprobates who serve satan’s schemes.

Hence my taking note at the close of Emma Stark’s video of 24th November on the Lord’s preference for the kind of revival we should pray for.  ‘He said, “But Emma, I’d rather you ask Me for the revival of the holy, reverential fear of God.” And God said, “It is in that, that I can bring the extraordinary miracles.” And the Lord says that he is going to give back to his people right now…a godly capacity to fast; a godly capacity to pray; a godly capacity for greater holiness, because I believe that He’s saying to us,:

“Choose My move that is a holy, reverential, all-based response to Who I am, that will bring the greatest harvest, and the greatest salvation and the greatest miracles for a generation.”

[For an overview, with full background, of my true story click I’m FREE!]