First Sunday in Advent

Sunday 28th November, not only marks the start of Advent but also is personally nostalgic because of the life-changing dream that brought a totally unexpected and radical encounter with Jesus Christ.

FIRST & SECOND ADVENTS

Note Wikipedia’s entry on Advent because I’m especially surprised its emphasis is not upon Jesus’ birth, BUT UPON HIS RETURN, viz.:

Latin adventus is the translation of the Greek word parousia, commonly used in reference to the Second Coming of Christ. For Christians, the season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from two different perspectives. The season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, and to be alert for his Second Coming. The theme of readings and teachings during Advent is often to prepare for the Second Coming while commemorating the First Coming of Christ at Christmas. With the view of directing the thoughts of Christians to the first coming of Jesus Christ as savior and to his second coming as judge, special readings are prescribed for each of the four Sundays in Advent….

Readers familiar with my personal story may recall Advent’s significance in this blog’s raison d’etre. My encounter featured two highly personal aspects of my life; thus 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.

Soon after launching this blog 10 years ago this month, I posted details of the encounter that gave me a foretaste of the Second Advent!

One aspect needs highlighting in view of current events because it’s important 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, it was only a few years ago when I realised another scriptural relevance of that fear – 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.

As I was writing this reminder for last year’s Advent, this highly appropriate song was playing on my PC…take a minute or two to listen and join in….

[Read an overview of the background to my life-changing story at I’m FREE!]