(4 of 7) The second visitor over the night of 13-14th September 1989 was far more challenging than that evening’s first one, when I’d shut the door on hearing about Jesus – this time it is life or death! Mine!!
THE HEAVENLY VISITOR
In a most unusual dream that night I go back in time. A dream so lucid that even thirty years later, it remains vividly etched within me. Therefore, it must be exceptionally significant. Continue reading
Why? In short: I was told to watch – plus a spectacular event made it personal. Yet why do that? To answer this, and other questions, take a quick trip with me back in time.
Like scrolling page to page on pc, tablet or smartphone brings different images to your own virtual or cyber realm, use your mind’s eye to imagine yourself getting into a ‘time machine’. Are you sitting down? Then let’s go for a spin’… Continue reading
Recent re-blogs’ references to one of eight possible eschatological scenarios, that of a pre-Tribulation Rapture, plus a theological blog’s discussion has prompted me to revisit and expand upon one of this blog’s earliest entries – ‘Why Watch?’ It’s now time to consider who, why, when and what we are watching out for:
You, me and everyone, especially those who believe in and follow Jesus Christ – HE is the WHO and thus the basic reason we should be watching. If you’re not familiar with His life, ministry and status, or with the fact we can be in a close, loving relationship with Him, then dip into this blog’s brief outline at Do You Know Jesus?
For me, a spectacular, life-changing event in 1989 made watching very personal and connected into relevant, directive scripture. Then in 2008, wanting to check Jesus’ parable of the wheat and tares in Matthew 13, I opened my Bible and IT EXPLODED! and I heard
“This is ALL about to be fulfilled!”
Thus began my series of emails to friends and church leaders about prophecy, as told nine years ago this month in part one of The Endgame Is Now In Play, wherein I wrote:
‘Jesus urged His disciples to look out for and observe signs of the times. Regarding their questions about His return at the end of this Age, the earliest Gospel account has Jesus stressing 7 times, “Watch…be alert…on your guard“ (Mark 13). Matthew 24 reports Jesus saying 4 times, “Watch…and when you see…” followed by the parables of the burglar and of the virgins > “Don’t be caught napping!” [Is the Church still asleep?] Luke’s account has, “Be always on the watch…” (Luke 21:36 and chapter 12 (NIV) has sections on watchfulness and interpreting the times. In each Gospel Jesus commands, “Learn the lesson of the fig tree…”. Also, the Apostles went on to give more indicators (Acts 3:20-1, Hebrews 12:26-7, 2 Peter 3, 2 Timothy 3 and the first and second letters to the Thessalonians).’
It’s claimed that for every OT prophecy about Jesus Christ’s birth and life there’s seven to eight times as many about His eventual return or ‘Parousia’, also called ‘The Second Advent’ or ‘Second Coming’. I’m of the opinion the likelihood of that event sometime in our lifetime is rapidly increasing !
Jesus stressed the great importance of His return. Eg, His instruction to the four who’d been with Him from the outset of His mission is given at Mark 13:33-37 (NKJV):
“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.
“Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming – in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning – lest, coming suddenly, he finds you sleeping! And what I say to you, I say to all, ‘Watch!’.”
That’s why I’m watching and, believer or not, you too are included, as can be clearly understood from Jesus’ words: “I say to ALL…“
You may object and say, “But even if that’s an accurate quotation it’s only guesswork”. That is, prophecies don’t always come to pass. In answer and in synopsis only [more details here], I therefore offer the following key to foretelling the future.:
We’re privileged to learn what Almighty God has decided is to happen. He shared his plans with a select number of ancient sages, or prophets, over a long period that started 29 centuries ago, and several centuries before Christ. Amidst extensive instructions He told the prophet Isaiah:
“For I am God and there is no other, I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand and I shall do all My pleasure’…” (Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV)
In fact, some years before Isaiah the first of the ‘writing prophets’ had received a distinct word about God’s intention to divulge His plans. This is recorded in Amos’ scroll at the seventh verse of the third chapter (in modern notation):
“Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”
Next, we learn when we’re to be watching for whatever’s coming…click to continue
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.
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 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!
‘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!]
(Continuing the personal account in commemoration of victims of terrorism and the 4th anniversary of both posts’ publication.)
That night of 14th September’s second visit was far more challenging than polite Peter’s chat – this time it was life or death!
And I went back in time!
Stepping into my ‘time machine’ I found myself in a most unusual dream. One so lucid that, over twenty years later, it remains vividly etched within me. So it must be exceptionally significant. Come back with me :
I find myself in the lounge of my childhood home and in front of the large casement window abutting one corner of the room. I look up into the inky, dark night sky.
A small flotilla of large, wingless aircraft drifts slowly across from left to right at high altitude and I groan, “Oh…not that flying saucer nonsense. I must be dreaming!” (Occasionally in dreams I’d be aware of dreaming and could change the scenario.)
I’m sceptical about the existence of UFO’s, but now another ‘fleet’ appears from the right and heads towards the first.
Now, the dream changes gear (rather, goes up a level) from the normal mixture of mental material > to that of absolutely convincing lucidity:
The ‘light goes on’! In my ‘knower’, I realise the first fleet is demonic and the second is masses of angels under the command of Jesus Christ. (I did not believe in them, and regarded Jesus as one of many world teachers – I didn’t know Jesus appeared as the commander of the Lord’s host, or angels, to Joshua when outside Jericho. Here, I cannot see any individuals but have inner knowledge of the situation.)
I think I’m about to watch an amazing heavenly battle…but…OH NO! Somehow, I now know Jesus has espied me far down below and is coming down directly towards me!
All I see is a distant bright light very rapidly getting brighter and larger as it drops down to my location, just like an airliner approaching a runway to land at night.
Instantly, I realise my life has been one of sin that contrasts starkly against Jesus’ own holiness. Right away I realise what’s claimed about the Judgement is true – but mine is about to happen right now!
Beyond any doubt I realise my involvement in the occult was most definitely wrong. Consequently, I deserve the undesirable abode!
“My number’s up!” I groan, inwardly trembling in knowing I’m about to die at any moment and an invisible trapdoor I’m standing on will drop me straight into hell.
Uttermost mortal terror strikes and I dive right under the drop-leaf table in the other corner of the room to hide from Jesus. But he knows where I’m hiding and swoops down straight through the wall at the side of the window to stand in my room and right beside the table!
Cowering under the table with my back turned towards him, I glance over my shoulder and see him from the waist down, his face out of sight above the table.
Most unexpectedly, somehow I have the courage to reach my hand out backwards to grab at the hem of Jesus’ robe…
As I tug, the event goes into yet another level of revelation regarding my childhood…
Then I awake! Thoroughly alert, further sleep eludes me!
The event reminds me of an evocative small picture that impressed me as a child – the return of Jesus Christ:
Later I understand that my terror had been ‘the fear of God’ brought through his Holy Spirit in convicting me of my personal sinfulness (ie. wrongdoing) and, thus, preparing me to receive God’s grace (ie. undeserved favour).
Also, what happened when I touched Jesus proves he’s intimately acquainted with the private details of my thoughts as a little boy. The last moments of the dream show he will topple my childish concepts of him and thus hint at his replacing them with a sure knowledge of his true identity.
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love” (Psalm 111). Mercifully, he plucked me from the domain of darkness to bring me into his own and receive its blessings. I deserved none of that. Truly, Amazing Grace – how awesome and wonderful..!
The most remarkable, life changing dream I’d ever had. Therefore, over several months I carefully reconsidered all my New Age notions. Meditational and mystical exercises had resulted in my having some unusual, ‘psychic’ dreams, but none whatsoever like this!
The only remotely similar dream was that of an ‘altered’ state of consciousness known as ‘nirvana’, or bliss, where I’d been taken behind its alluring golden light. However, ecstasy then turned to abject terror at the sight of an approaching hideous, devouring beast of blackness far worse than any nightmare! (I didn’t take drugs.) In this dream, however, fear had been overcome by Jesus himself and his wonderful mercy and love – and pervasive peace.
REALITY CHECK
Time now to take a reality check. We’ll find this story can be validated and in three ways! The first confirmation was to come from an unexpected source…as herein.
