INTRO:
Recalling the gentle admonition “wait and tarry” in the expectation of its promise as we sauntered over the seas whilst island hopping I took time to consider how the Lord has covered, rescued and touched me throughout my life and on the coming heavenly city . I was prompted to ponder the significance of my second name, by which my mother always called me – “John” – and how Jesus had referred to him when restoring Peter, as at John 21:22 : If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” (HA, didn’t realise the verse is my number until searching just now – so my birth-date pops up yet again!!)
Moreover, a prophet walking by me turned without stopping to say “Wait His Return!” That was many years ago, and the night of Visitation was a foretaste or ‘test-run’ of the actual event. So we needs follow Jesus repeated admonition to “Watch!” and get back to this blog’s strap-line “Looking for the signs of Jesus’ Return“…
UPON returning home, what do I discover?….we must heed this closing exhortation from the Lord to Chris G Bennett:
THE FEAR OF HOPE DEFERRED
I had a wonderful vision and warning.
I saw trumpeters, dressed in white – they may have been angels – preparing to sound a fanfare. They were all blowing their instruments, just like you see an orchestra warming up. They were excited, chattering, and looking around kind of expectantly, almost looking for the conductor to make sudden appearance. Suddenly he appeared, not dressed in white like the trumpeters, but sort of ‘dressed down’ a little bit. I understood from this that I was watching a rehearsal!
In proper conductor style, he mounted a small podium and tapped it several times with his baton. The trumpeters were instantly in the ready position, instruments to their lips, all eyes watching. The conductor raised his baton and held it aloft while he did a very quick scan to endure they were all ready. Then he brought it down and the trumpeters started playing.
Oh, the sound! It was a beautiful melodious fanfare, at once both militaristic, triumphant, yet fluently flowing with melody and counter melody. Almost close harmony except that there were probably two or three dozen players. Each seemed to have a melody of his own, yet the whole sound was beautifully melodic, each complimenting the others. It really was beautiful. The sound drifted as a cloud over them and each trumpeter had a look of sheer bliss – they were loving it.
The sound covered the earth like a mist or thin cloud. I was able to see people from every part of the world as they looked up to see what was happening. The effect on those listening was electric. Some were looking up pointing and shouting and jumping excitedly. Many just looked puzzled, while a small proportion looked angrily around them, shouting curses at those who were celebrating.
I knew I was watching the rapture. Was it a rehearsal? Was it the real thing? Was it just a little glimpse of that which is soon to come. As I watched, I saw those who were celebrating just disappear – in the twinkling of an eye – and I saw several of those looking puzzled disappeared too. Many left behind looked shocked and distraught, while some continued to look angrily about them and continued to hurl curses at anyone close enough to hear them.
Altogether a disturbing, yet confirming vision. I didn’t think it needed much interpretation but the Lord still spoke to me.
“Are you still wondering about this. Many are, and many are doing little or nothing to prepare. Yet you need to keep on warning them, keep telling them that I AM is coming. I did not leave you that picture of the wise and foolish virgins for nothing. It wasn’t just an allegorical tale to entertain you. It was a pictorial warning. Time is so short, yet so many either think there is plenty of time, or they just don’t believe I am coming at all. You have taken the scripture, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick!” (Proverbs 13:12), and you have applied it to My return. You have said in your heart, “What’s the use – He’s not coming yet, if at all!” You have believed the enemy’s lies! Don’t let him rob you! Don’t let him kill, rob, and destroy all that you hope for. That’s the only weapon he has – the fear of hope deferred! I AM is coming, and coming suddenly, coming soon – much sooner than many expect or think possible!”
“What you have seen here is literal; it’s a foretaste, a forewarning of that which WILL come. REAP THE HARVEST, BUT ALSO TELL THE PEOPLE ‘I AM’ IS COMING VERY SOON. TELL THEM, TELL THEM, AND TELL THEM AGAIN!”, says the Lord.
In the Fear of the Lord
CGB
PS. Remember Derek Johnson’s very apt reference 7 days later, 17th June, as below:
Richard's Watch 
Richard do you recall my dream from June of 2012?
In Jewish tradition, the unmarried friends who attend the bride provide light for the groom who comes at night.
“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
(Mat 24:12-13 NASB)
Wickedness is often called darkness. In fact, In John it says the following about light and darkness, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
(Joh 3:19-21 NASB)
The Father had to approve of the bride and had to approve of the house that his son built for his bride. Only then would the bridegroom be able to come for his bride. Jesus told His disciples the following:
“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also”.
(Joh 14:2-3 NASB)
But of the day and hour Jesus said the following:
“But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.
(Mar 13:32-33 NASB)
The groomsman would run ahead of the groom sounding the shofar, and shout that he was coming. While the father’s head was turned, the groom would steal the bride. Then the wedding party went back to the groom’s house to meet the guests. Jesus Himself said that He would come as a thief.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
(1Th 4:16-17 NASB)
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning. And you yourselves be like men who wait for their lord, whenever he shall return from the wedding, so that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Truly I say to you that he shall gird himself and make them recline; and coming up he will serve them. And if he comes in the second watch, or comes in the third watch, and find it so, blessed are those servants. And know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be dug through. Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man comes at an hour when you think not.
(Luk 12:35-40 MKJV)
This has really been on my heart. To be watchful of the Lord’s coming and to live every minute of the day anticipating Jesus’ immanent return with our lamps light is not a suggestion but a command.
Then shall the kingdom of Heaven be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. The foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes! Go out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps have gone out. But the wise answered, saying, No, lest there be not enough for us and you. But rather go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And they who were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterwards the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Truly I say to you, I do not know you. Therefore watch, for you do not know either the day or the hour in which the Son of Man comes.
(Mat 25:1-13 MKJV)
I do not believe that the Lord sent an angel to me in a dream which I re-post here if the time were not short:
I had a dream early the morning of 04/29/2012. In the dream my wife and I were in bed sleeping and it was very late. Our door bell rang and I remember saying to my wife, “who would be ringing our doorbell at this late hour. We both got up to see who it was. What was odd was that each of us had an old fashioned hurricane lamp, the kind you fill with oil, as our light . When we opened the front door, we saw an angel standing there with a jug of oil in his hands. He filled our lamps and told us that the time is short
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Thank you very much dear Tony and I know we’ve been in touch since my first year of blogging and your dream rings a bell, but unsure if I read it then or we spoke of it later.
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