Last night, I awoke from a dream that felt so real. I want to share it because I believe it may be something the Lord is going to use to encourage the Body of Christ in these days we are living in and the days ahead of us. In my dream, I was in an urban neighborhood, possibly in Louisville, but somehow in my dream it felt like this city represented all of the cities in the United States. There was wickedness all around. Everywhere I looked, there were people robbing and homes being destroyed. People were in a panic, wondering around on the streets, feeling vulnerable, like someone was going to take from them. There was a sense of deep poverty that had brought many homeowners to a place of complete desolation. Their homes were without electricity and people were using some sort of a massive type of bubble wrap to insulate their homes all around in order to keep out robbers from breaking their windows.
My husband and I were in a back yard for one part of the dream and there was a flying saucer type of instrument in the sky that fell into the back yard where we were sitting. This flying saucer was radiating with some type of harmful radiation coming out of it. Kevin immediately hurled it away from the area we were in as far as he could throw it, but someone in the government had placed this into the atmosphere to harm innocent people with the harmful radiation waves inside of this. In my dream, there was an overwhelming sense that perilous times are ahead and we need to prepare ourselves spiritually for these times, by drawing deep roots with the Lord now, so that when these perilous times come, we will be sound in our faith.
In my dream, there was a spirit of suicide that seemed to be lingering around. It seemed that the way that the world and those who were not abiding in the Lord were dealing with the pain and poverty and destruction, was to kill themselves. Aside from the spirit of suicide, it seemed that people's hearts were failing them all around because of the wickedness that they were encountering. There was no love, no comfort anywhere, only desolation and absolutely no peace. There did not seem to be any safe place to turn in the world anymore. All that people were holding onto seemed to be stripped away, almost overnight. There was no longer television to soothe and comfort the pain. It seemed that everyone was each man for himself, and no one was looking out for the needs of anyone else. There was a sense that each person was in a survival state of mind and they were willing to kill, steal, and destroy in order to survive.
I woke up from this dream with two verses on my heart very strong. I think it is healthy to have a fear of God in our hearts. Even the Bible tells us that we should fear the One who can cast our bodies and souls into Hell, rather than living in the fear of man. However, in the last days, the love of many will grow cold because of the wickedness all around.
Matthew 24:12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
This was the first verse on my heart which caused me to fear the Lord when I woke up. I say this because we will be tempted when perilous times come, to forsake the Lord and walk in sin like the rest of the world, but we must not obey the devil when we are tempted, we MUST obey the Lord and walk in His will for us no matter what evil may befall us.
The second verse on my heart when I woke up was that if we endure to the END, we will be saved. This gave me so much hope, yet fear coupled with it as well. I have this fear of the Lord in my heart that keeps me close to Him. I fear walking away from Him and His incredible love for me, and not finishing the race. I fear taking my eyes off of Him when all I can see is evil all around. I can not imagine that this would not be a temptation if my eyes ever beheld anything this terrible on the earth.
I just realized that these verses are in the same passage just now as I write this! WOW! The Lord is good.
Matthew 24:13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
I am so encouraged now to share the gospel more and more. Jesus is our only Hope during perilous times. I have had some adversity in my walk with the Lord, and I believe that we can never leave Him. He is our only Hope and we can never abandon His Love no matter what we will face on this earth. Let us go forth with bold love for our Master with a heart like Peter who said, "Where would we go, Lord? YOU have the Words of Eternal Life!" Let us keep this ever before our hearts and continue to take even more earnest heed to those things we have learned, so that we do not fail in the day of adversity that lies ahead.
Here is an encouraging passage to encourage our hearts to trust and obey our Precious Lord in the time of tribulation to come.
“He who would love life and see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." 1 Peter 3:10-17
God bless you as you seek Him~
Tabitha
