Watchmen

Saturday, October 11, 2008, 8:49 a.m. – I woke from A DREAM:

In the dream, I was pregnant again at the age of 58. It felt like I had just had a baby a year or two ago, as well. My daughter and at least one of my DILs (she is pregnant in real life) was also pregnant - all at the same time.

Someone was searching for a woman (me?) in a hospital room. He walked into the room and saw a man in a bed and so he began to walk out, but then he saw that the woman was also in the room in a bed. I think the man in the room was the woman’s husband and that he was staying with her but she was the patient, i.e. the one having the baby.

Then, the dream ended with a young man (the choir director from our present church) having had a dream in the morning and needing to record it, but struggling with the thought that his wife and children might need him to be with them. His wife told him to go ahead and write. Then someone suggested that this young wife might find consolation in talking with my husband, because he was used to me having to write down dreams in the morning before I did anything else. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Ezekiel 3:16-27:

At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: 17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.

20 "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 21 But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself."

22 The hand of the LORD was upon me there, and he said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you." 23 So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.

24 Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: "Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25 And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says.' Whoever will listen let him listen, and whoever will refuse let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.

Harper’s Bible Dictionary: watchman, a sentry stationed on a wall (2 Sam. 18:24; Song of Sol. 5:7) or in a watchtower (2 Chron. 20:24) whose task it was to warn of approaching danger (Ezek. 33:2-6; cf. Ps. 127:1). Watchmen also guarded the fields and vineyards, especially during harvest season (Isa. 5:2; cf. Job 27:18). The term is often used in a figurative or symbolic sense (Isa. 62:6; Ezek. 3:17; 33:7-9; Mic. 7:4).

My Understanding: The pregnancies in this dream have to do with getting ready to give birth to either a new ministry and/or to revival. My daughter is often a symbol of the church; the people of God. My DIL is a co-laborer in ministry with me.

The person searching for me (or another woman) in this dream is the LORD, and when he stood at my bedside, it was the glory of the LORD standing there. My pregnancy was the hand of the Lord upon me in preparing me to give birth to a ministry to which he has called me and others in the church (my daughter), including my co-laborer in ministry, my DIL.

The Lord (the man who walked into my hospital room) first saw my husband (a man, obviously), but that isn’t who he chose for this specific ministry. My husband has other gifts. Yet, since we are married, my husband shares in this ministry with me via our marriage relationship. I’m still under his authority; his protective umbrella.

A couple of things the Lord is showing me here with this is first of all that in the OT times, typically a messenger for the Lord was a man, but the Bible says that in the last days that his sons and daughters will dream dreams, have visions and will prophesy (speak God’s truths found in his Holy Word in a way that is both practical and applicable to the church and the world today). So, the Lord is calling both men and women to speak his truths to today’s world and church.

The other thing I noted is how the Lord bypassed the man but chose the woman. Now, this does not necessarily mean that the woman was somehow superior, but that the Lord gives different gifts to different people regardless of age, race or sex; slave or free. And, sometimes it is because he first went to the man, but the man did not respond, so he chose the woman because she would do what God wanted (See: Luke 7:36-50: Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman).

The calling in this passage of scripture and obviously is to be translated over into the dream is that of a “watchman,” one who warns of approaching danger. “Ezekiel was to warn Israel that God’s inescapable discipline was coming... He was to warn the wicked that if they did not turn from their wickedness, they would die in unrighteousness” (NIV Bible Commentary: Zondervan).

I find it particularly interesting that the Lord told Ezekiel to “shut yourself inside your house.” He would be bound by the rebellious house so that he could not go out among the people. That’s exactly what has happened to me and has happened to many of us. The church of today has rejected us. We are the “upright pianos” pushed up against the back wall and neglected by today’s church. They don’t want us. So, they push us out the door. And, we end up at home, but that is what God wanted.

If we are at one church, we can only speak to those people, but by being stuck at home “shut up inside our houses” we can speak via the internet and websites and blogs and can speak God’s messages to far more people than we could ever speak to from our local congregations. This was God’s design, I believe. But, the key is to be silent when God says to be silent and to speak when God says to speak.

Lastly, in this dream, there was a young man (a choir director in a church) who was also given a dream or dreams. This is obviously a new ministry for him and his wife, so they need to find encouragement from my husband who can help them to cope with the changes in their lives via his perspective. I am not certain if the Lord is saying that this specific young man is going to be given this gift/ministry, but that the Lord is going to give it to the young and to men and it will be new to them and for those of us who have been down this path awhile, we can bring encouragement to them on how to cope; how to adjust to the changes it will naturally bring about.

This young man is a choir director in a church, so he has great influence. He loves the Lord and he has been such an encouragement to me and to my husband these past few weeks. We are thankful for him. So, I pray the Lord’s will to be done in this young man’s life and in the lives of all of God’s servants, both men and women, old and young, slave and free, of any race. I pray that we will all hear God’s voice and that we will respond to the Lord’s calling on each one of our lives, no matter what the calling may be; no matter how difficult; no matter how much rejection we will face because God is all powerful and HE can handle anything we will come against.

JESUS MESSIAH / CHRIS TOMLIN

He became sin, who knew no sin
That we might become His righteousness
He humbled himself and carried the cross

Love so amazing, love so amazing

Jesus Messiah, name above all names
Blessed redeemer, Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners, the ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

His body the bread, his blood the wine
Broken and poured out all for love
The whole earth trembled, and the veil was torn

Love so amazing, love so amazing, yeah

Jesus Messiah, name above all names
Blessed redeemer, Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners, the ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

All I hope is in You, all I hope is in You
All the glory to You, God, the light of the world

Jesus Messiah, name above all names
Blessed redeemer, Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners, the ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

Been There Before

I woke from A DREAM: I was visiting someone in a basement house or apartment. As soon as I walked in the door, I recognized that I had been there before when the previous owners/occupants had lived there. In fact, I had been there several times.

I recognized first of all a brown exterior building adjacent to the house/apartment. Then, there was a brown leather sofa and a green leather sofa straight ahead in the front of the room that were separated by some kind of post or column. I mentioned to the present occupants that the previous owners had a brown sofa just like that one. The lady of the house said it had been left there by the previous owners.

Then, I looked around the room and I noticed and recognized up against the back wall an old upright piano and a book case with books that were also left there by the previous owners or occupants. And, I also observed how the lady of the house had arranged her furniture in the room just like the previous owner had with the full-size bed in the back left-hand corner of the room, so it was like an efficiency apartment, i.e. a living room/bedroom combination. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Ezekiel 2-3:15:

Ezekiel's Call
1 He said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you." 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

3 He said: "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says.' 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you."

9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, 10 which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.

Ezekiel 3:1-15:
1 And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

3 Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

4 He then said to me: "Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. 5 You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel- 6 not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate. 8 But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. 9 I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house."

10 And he said to me, "Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. 11 Go now to your countrymen in exile and speak to them. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says,' whether they listen or fail to listen."

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound—May the glory of the LORD be praised in his dwelling place!- 13 the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound. 14 The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me. 15 I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Abib near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days-overwhelmed.

My Understanding: When I first entered this house (the rebellious house), the first thing I noticed, other than the brown (earthly; dead) exterior building adjacent to the house, was the two sofas front and center (the green one behind the brown one) with a post of some kind in between them. A sofa is a seat (authority; rule) for more than one person and it is also a seat designed for rest and repose. One was brown (earthly; dead) and the other green (all men are like grass that withers). Both sofas were made of leather, i.e. of the skin of an animal (hair, i.e. authority removed); pliable; supple (bending easily; flexible; compliant; adaptable; yielding).

I believe the brown sofa in this dream is the “woody thorn” and the green sofa is the “thorny plant”. And, the post in between them is an “iron pillar” (Jer. 1:18), i.e. it represents those who bring these difficult messages to people who are fleshly (brown; green) and troublesome (thorny; prickly). This house is the description of “the house of Israel”, i.e. the church of today. Yet, it is also a description of a nation, i.e. in the case of my dream, the USA. The “basement” describes where the church (in America) and our nation are spiritually – in spiritual decline.

As I prayed about this, the Lord had me look at the room again and where pieces of furniture were located as well as the nature of the specific pieces of furniture. I saw that the two sofas were front and center. They represent the leadership (seats of authority and rule) in our churches and they also represent the primary messages and atmosphere of today’s churches – comfort; ease; social conformity; compliance and easily bendable with regard to the flesh and the world (earthly).

And, just as the Lord told Ezekiel that these “briers and thorns” (the sofas) would be all around him (the iron pillar), he was not to be afraid of them but he was to speak God’s words to them, whether they listened or they failed to listen. The Lord was reminding me, in this dream, that he has given me a similar call to go to the “rebellious house” and to speak to them whatever God gives me to say. He has called many of his children to be “iron pillars” among “briers and thorns.” And, we are not to fear men or their responses to us.

The next two pieces of furniture that I noticed were an old upright piano and a book case full of books – they both looked neglected. As I examined this before the Lord, what he showed me, I believe, is that the upright piano represents those in the church who have not conformed to the pattern of the world, but who are God’s instruments in striking (with the Word of God, i.e. the hammer of truth) upon metal (of man; man-made religion) strings. But, they have been shoved against the back wall in today’s church.

The book case full of books represents God’s Word; knowledge; understanding; study of the Word; time spent with the Lord in the Word in daily quiet times, etc., and in many of today’s churches this also has been shoved up against a back wall and is grossly neglected in favor of entertainment (the sofas) and comfort. The interesting thing about this is that the piano, the book case and at least one of the sofas was “leftover” from the previous owners. And, I felt as though I had visited this house before, so what the Lord is showing here is that this is not new – it has happened before all through history.

Ok, then I noticed that the bed (this was not leftover) was placed in the back left-hand corner of the room. The full-size bed represents our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ. I believe the “former” owners were the Jews (Israel) because this bed was different from the bed that the former owners had, and yet this bed was placed in the same location. So, what the Lord is saying here is that what was true about the “house of Israel”, i.e. a rebellious house in Ezekiel’s day is true of the church of today, only we are under the new covenant. Still, the church of today has shoved their covenant relationship with the Lord back in the back corner of the room while the “sofas” take front and center stage. Also, the position of “left” brings with it a political position of liberal and socialistic or even communistic.

The bottom line here is that the Lord has called many of us to be “pillars” among these “briers and thorns” and this “rebellious house”, i.e. today’s church, in order to say to them whatever the Lord has us say. We are not to be afraid of them no matter how they respond to us. We are to speak God’s words to them. And, God will make us unyielding and hardened in our stance so that we do not cave into fear. We are to go to our own countrymen (for me, the USA) and speak God’s words to them.

This is really important, because the church of today, in America I know, is in this spiritual decline. The messages of comfort; compliance with the world, etc. does take front and center stage and “uprightness” and those who “strike against the metal strings,” i.e. those who speak God’s words against man-made religion are pushed to the back and are neglected as well as the study of the Word is neglected. And, most importantly, the covenant relationship with the Lord is shoved in a back corner and is changing in nature from man’s end, not God’s end, so that the pure gospel is now tainted with liberal teachings. So, we need to speak out, but only as God leads.

Square-shaped Animals

Friday, October 10, 2008, 12:00 midnight –

I woke from a dream that I did not remember once I woke up. So, I began journaling and then I closed my eyes to pray before I read the Word. Then, I had A VISION: I saw figures (people or whatever) dressed in black acting all scary like (not scary to me). I asked the Lord if this was of him to give me understanding of what I was seeing. Then, I saw orange pumpkins. I realized I was seeing Halloween.

Now, I had not been reading about Halloween and I don’t celebrate Halloween. So, I closed my eyes again and inquired of the Lord more about this. Then, I saw a white background of some kind against a black background to where the black was seeping through the white.

Then, on the white background someone had drawn in black ink or marker outline figures of animals, only they were squared instead of rounded. Since only the outline of the animals was drawn, the white on black background is what filled them in. The animals were in a line, like a caravan, that was facing and going to the left. At the front of the line was an elephant followed by a pig and then sheep. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Ezekiel 1:

The Living Creatures and the Glory of the Lord
1 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
2 On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin- 3 the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD was upon him.

4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 5 and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, 9 and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.

10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. 12 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14 The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.

15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not turn about as the creatures went. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome. 23 Under the expanse their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. 24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.

25 Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. 26 Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

My Understanding: In giving me this vision with this scripture passage, I believe, the Lord is contrasting Ezekiel’s vision of the holiness and awesomeness of God to the wickedness and ‘glory’ of man as seen in my vision. First, let me share a little bit about Ezekiel’s vision and then we’ll make the contrast.

Zondervan NIV Commentary of Ezekiel 1 (excerpts): “Against the backdrop of the awesome holiness of God visualized here, Ezekiel saw the wickedness of Israel and thereby understood why God had to judge his sinful people. When the nations profaned the Lord by claiming that Judah was in captivity because their God was weak, Ezekiel knew that his God was greater than Babylonia’s gods. Though the Lord had chosen to discipline his people then, he would be victorious over all the nations when he restored Israel to the Promised Land…

Ezekiel’s vision began with “what appeared to be a raging electrical storm – dark clouds, lightning, and thunder – coming from the north. Within this storm he saw four figures resembling living beings…

“Their forward movement was in the direction in which the human face looked. When they moved, they did not turn around. The creatures moved only under the control of the Holy Spirit… Ezekiel’s vision was a manifestation of God’s glory. This manifestation of the Lord’s glory forms a backdrop for the announcements of judgment Ezekiel would make. Since the glorious, holy God who gave the Mosaic covenant could not tolerate disobedience to that covenant because of his righteous character, he had to execute judgment on the iniquity that his holy nature could not tolerate…”

Ok, here is the contrast. In Ezekiel’s vision, the “backdrop” was God’s holiness and righteousness (white). In my vision, the backdrop was black symbolizing the wickedness of man, which is why the vision began with Halloween, Satan’s holiday. In Ezekiel’s vision, the awesomeness of God and his glory was predominant even though it was compared to the wickedness of man. In my vision, the ‘glory’ of man and his wickedness was predominant and what stood out to me is how this wickedness has gotten so bad that it is seeping through into areas in our homes, the church, our schools and the government of our land that should be where we shine as lights for the Lord and where his glory should shine through. Instead, the evil of man is what is coming through and God’s glory in our world is fading away. God hasn’t changed. We have!

Ok, Ezekiel’s vision begins with dark clouds, thunder, lightning and within this storm he saw four figures resembling living beings. In my vision, it began with figures, too, whose sole purpose was to instill fear. And, then I saw that it was Satan’s holiday I was seeing. In Ezekiel’s vision, the creatures moved in one direction only under the control of the Holy Spirit. I think my creatures were moving under the control of Satan. Ezekiel’s vision was the manifestation of God’s glory. My vision was the manifestation of man’s ‘glory.’ But, in both Ezekiel’s vision and my vision, the end result is still the same. It forms a backdrop for the announcement of judgment and the reason why judgment must come.

I believe this is what my vision is about. This is about our government and its leaders and all these steps that the government has been taking to ‘save’ our economy. The problem is that every step they have taken has only brought us down further into the basement (next dream). The ‘figures’ in my vision dressed in black and trying to scare people are our government leaders, particularly our president (the elephant) and Congress. They are trying to control by fear tactics.

I believe the “pig” represents not only the bailout package but all the previous and subsequent measures the government has taken ‘on behalf of the American people.’ So, the caravan goes like this: In the lead is our president (the elephant) and his cabinet and/or advisors, then the ‘stuff’ they’ve been pulling over on the American people via fear mongering. Following them comes Congress, the presidential candidates, and many Americans who really believe that our government is acting in our best interest. The Lord is showing here what ‘spirit’ is leading our government and it isn’t the Holy Spirit. Satan is leading our government right to hell and the sheep are going right there with them.

This is why God must judge America.

Quotes from news articles related to this vision:

US stocks extend huge losses over credit concerns
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081010/wall_street.html

"Fear has been running rampant all over the Street. Fear and greed, that's what rules the Street. I think the carcass has been stripped to the bone," said Dave Henderson, a floor trader on the New York Stock Exchange for Raven Securities Corp.”

Bush says anxiety feeding market instability
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D93NNA1O0&show_article=1

WASHINGTON (AP) – “President Bush said Friday that the government's financial rescue plan was aggressive enough and big enough to work, but would take time to fully kick in. "We can solve this crisis and we will," he said in brief remarks from the White House Rose Garden.”

“The president noted that major Western countries were working together in an attempt to stabilize markets and end the spreading panic, including coordinated cuts in interest rates.

“Through these efforts, the world is sending an unmistakable signal. We're in this together and we'll come through this together," Bush said.”

“It was the first time the president has mentioned suggestions that the government buy shares of banks, although it has been mentioned by other administration officials.

“Since the bailout package was signed into law, the conversation about how it will be used has shifted from taxpayers buying troubled mortgages to taxpayers buying troubled banks. Or at least pieces of them.

“Such a move would amount to a partial nationalization of the U.S. banking industry, a move once considered unthinkable.”

Swaggers turn to shudders a year after market high
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081010/ap_on_bi_ge/meltdown_stock_market_fear

• a frightening reversal of fortune
• We are dealing with fear
• only seems to be scaring people even more
• negative images
• are trying their best not to be spooked
• Fear is the most dangerous emotion
• Some things in the world are pretty scary
• We have every right to be scared
• Doomsayers
• An illusion
• America’s Financial Apocalypse
• Sounded even more alarms

Big enough (elephant); together (caravan); shares of banks (straight lines)…

New World Order

Thursday, October 09, 2008, 7:00 a.m. – This song is in my head: Draw Me Close / M. W. Smith

Draw me close to you
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear you say that I'm your friend
You are my desire
No one else will do
‘Cause nothing else can take your place
To feel the warmth of your embrace
Help me find the way
Bring me back to you
You're all I want…

DREAM ONE: I was unmarried, my present age and past my prime for getting married. There were two young men I was interested in, but they were much younger than me. They seemed to both like this younger girl, which is normal, but then I think I kissed one of them (the one I liked best) and we ended up in bed together. We were lying on a top bunk bed together when the young man’s mother walked in the room and scolded him (us). END

DREAM TWO: In this one I had a husband. He and I went to a dog shelter of some kind and bought around a dozen dogs – all different types and sizes. We got paperwork for each one of them. We took them home and put them in the garage off to the right of the house (house was on the left) and we gave them food and water. I also thought that I would need to buy them some toys, though they seemed to entertain one another pretty well.

I said that we should name the dogs, so I asked my husband for the papers, but he didn’t know where they were. I asked him for the papers for two other items, as well, but he didn’t know where any of them were. I thought they might be in his briefcase, but he left for work before I could check. So, I looked around the house on all the surfaces until I finally found all the papers I needed on top of his dresser. I had to get my reading glasses to read them.

My daughter and her husband Randy (name means ‘wolf’) offered to help name the dogs, so they went out to the garage, but they forgot the papers, so I handed the papers to them through the doorway.

Then I was out there with them. They had opened the garage door to the outside, but the dogs were all trained not to run away, so they stayed close by. They were well disciplined dogs. We had to keep some of them, nonetheless, from drinking the water from a mud puddle on the ground just outside the garage door to the right, and then to train them to drink the water we provided them inside the garage.

Behind the garage was a doorway to a small room, maybe like a closed-in breezeway between the house and the garage and off to the right of that was a large open room that was unfinished and that had places in it where, if the dogs got in there, they could easily escape. One of the animals in the garage was sniffing at the door, only it felt like it was a cat. So, we made sure that we kept the door closed. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Lamentations 4 and 5 (selected):

Lamentations 4
1 How the gold has lost its luster,
the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered
at the head of every street.
2 How the precious sons of Zion,
once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay,
the work of a potter's hands!
… 5 Those who once ate delicacies
are destitute in the streets.
Those nurtured in purple
now lie on ash heaps.
6 The punishment of my people
is greater than that of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment
without a hand turned to help her.
7 Their princes were brighter than snow
and whiter than milk,
their bodies more ruddy than rubies,
their appearance like sapphires.
8 But now they are blacker than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;
it has become as dry as a stick.

… 11 The LORD has given full vent to his wrath;
he has poured out his fierce anger.
He kindled a fire in Zion
that consumed her foundations.
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
nor did any of the world's people,
that enemies and foes could enter
the gates of Jerusalem.
13 But it happened because of the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,
who shed within her
the blood of the righteous.
14 Now they grope through the streets
like men who are blind.
They are so defiled with blood
that no one dares to touch their garments.
… 17 Moreover, our eyes failed,
looking in vain for help;
from our towers we watched
for a nation that could not save us…
20 The LORD's anointed, our very life breath,
was caught in their traps.
We thought that under his shadow
we would live among the nations...

Lamentations 5
1 Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us;
look, and see our disgrace.
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens,
our homes to foreigners.
3 We have become orphans and fatherless,
our mothers like widows.
4 We must buy the water we drink;
our wood can be had only at a price.
5 Those who pursue us are at our heels;
we are weary and find no rest.
6 We submitted to Egypt and Assyria
to get enough bread.
7 Our fathers sinned and are no more,
and we bear their punishment…

15 Joy is gone from our hearts;
our dancing has turned to mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head.
Woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 Because of this our hearts are faint,
because of these things our eyes grow dim
18 for Mount Zion, which lies desolate,
with jackals prowling over it.
19 You, O LORD, reign forever;
your throne endures from generation to generation.
20 Why do you always forget us?
Why do you forsake us so long?
21 Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may return;
renew our days as of old
22 unless you have utterly rejected us
and are angry with us beyond measure.

Related News Articles:

White House considers ownership stakes in banks
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081009/D93MS0L80.html

Global gamble: the fight back begins http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/global-gamble-the-fightback-begins-955485.html

New World Order: Global co-operation, nationalization and state intervention - all in one day - http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/latestnews/-New-World-Order.4573452.jp

World finance chiefs heading for Washington for crunch talks - http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081009060122.8tk2vw73&show_article=1

Aussies joke - and hope - that China can save capitalism
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081009081613.i24wpu2h&show_article=1

My Understanding: There was a difference in age between me and this young man (first dream) of '41' which then led me to George H.W. Bush who was the 41st president. He served with Ronald Reagan for 8 years and then he served as president for 4 years followed by Bill Clinton. So, in essence, in this 'bed' (together) were Ronald Reagan (me), George H.W. Bush (41) and Bill Clinton (the young man).

The gold has lost its luster = our financial crisis. A bunk bed is symbolic of one covenant on top of another, so this is representing this “New World Order” covenant on top of the Constitution of the USA – committing adultery against the American people, basically. In vv. 1-8 of chp 4, it talks about the sons of Zion, which in the context of this dream are these three men. And, it continues to describe how those once nurtured in purple (royalty) now lie on ash heaps (the bunk beds).

The Lord has shown me many times that this New World Order began with Reagan's administration. Bill Clinton's administration was the one that pushed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and other lending institutions into these high risk mortgages. It was even being discussed then that if this failed, that the government would have to provide a 'bailout.' I believe this was intentional, i.e. the plan all along in order to bring about this One World Order.

The people of America did not believe that we could ever be invaded; taken over. Yet, this happened because of the sins of our leaders (presidents and congress). I believe that in this second dream that my husband is representing George W. Bush and that I am Hank Paulson and we are purchasing these troubled assets and are “strengthening the capitalization of financial institutions of every size” (dogs).

The “papers” represent “ownership” in these troubled banks. And, we are keeping these “dogs” local via training them not to wander. We opened the door to the outside (opened for buyers on the Stock Exchange?) but the “dogs” are trained not to leave and to be dependent on the US government for their basic needs (liquidity). Paulson said, “We’ve emphasized the purchase of liquid assets” (Dream: water).

The scripture talks about “the Lord’s anointed,” who would be George W. Bush right now in America. The indication is that he “was caught in their traps.” We thought that under his leadership we would be safe – we were wrong. As Hank Paulson, I looked “in vain” for help for America (the papers), but the US can not save us. I also see these “dogs” as aliens and foreigners that have taken over our homes; our inheritance. They pursue us at our heels (like dogs).

In the dream a cat had somehow gotten in among the dogs, maybe when the garage door was opened, and it is “sniffing” at the door to the house. I believe, based upon previous dreams and also upon these articles I’ve read, that the “cat” is China. America’s “crown” has fallen, i.e. America is losing her super-power status and China is waiting in the wings. I keep seeing China as “taking over.” This will be God’s punishment on America; the full vent of his wrath; his fierce anger poured out.

Oh, in the second dream, I handed “the papers” to a “wolf”? As I read these articles, I saw that Hank Paulson selected Neel Kashkari, an assistant Treasury secretary, to be the interim head of the new program. Paulson is consulting Bush, Congressional leaders, Obama and McCain before choosing someone to fill the job permanently. Anyway, the person in the ‘wolf’ position is supposed to ‘name’ the ‘dogs.’ See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neel_Kashkari.

He Will Defend Them

Sunday, October 5, 2008, 11:48 p.m. – I woke with this song in my head:

JESUS MESSIAH / CHRIS TOMLIN

He became sin, who knew no sin
That we might become His righteousness
He humbled himself and carried the cross

Love so amazing, love so amazing

Jesus Messiah, name above all names
Blessed redeemer, Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners, the ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

His body the bread, his blood the wine
Broken and poured out all for love
The whole earth trembled, and the veil was torn…

All I hope is in You, all I hope is in You
All the glory to You, God, the light of the world…

I also woke from A DREAM: I was back in school, only this time it was at our local community technical college. I had been invited to join a team of people who were part of a larger team of people that were deciding on something, but I didn’t have the prerequisite to join.

I picked up my class schedule at a window and looked at it. There were three classes listed on the schedule, but I could not take the third one because I did not have the prerequisite necessary to take it, so I went to the first class on the schedule.

It was a very small class, maybe two or three other people and I around a table. The teacher sat me at the head of the table with my back facing her. She stood right behind me. She didn’t like me for some reason. She treated another student badly and I didn’t like that and I mumbled something under my breath or grunted or moaned. And, she heard me and picked up on my disapproval.

She began criticizing me and called me a poor student. I thought about telling her to check my record and my 4.0/4.0 GPA, but I decided that was prideful, so I didn’t. I asked her if I could please move to another seat, because I couldn’t see with my back to her, but she was unwilling to move me, even though the table was very long and there was plenty of room.

Then she drew something on the whiteboard, so I must have had to turn my head in order to see it. She drew a ship of some kind that had two humps (like camel humps) on it that were tall and narrow. They each had a name written on them (same name on each) – something like “Shina” or “Oshina”. I asked the teacher what the name meant, but she didn’t know. I asked if it meant the sun was shining in Ohio, and she said “no.” END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 50:21-46:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2050;&version=51;

The Lord’s Judgment on Babylon
… 31 “See, I am your enemy, you arrogant people,”
says the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
“Your day of reckoning has arrived—
the day when I will punish you.
32 O land of arrogance, you will stumble and fall,
and no one will raise you up.
For I will light a fire in the cities of Babylon
that will burn up everything around them.”
33 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“The people of Israel and Judah have been wronged.
Their captors hold them and refuse to let them go.
34 But the one who redeems them is strong.
His name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
He will defend them
and give them rest again in Israel.
But for the people of Babylon
there will be no rest!

35 “The sword of destruction will strike the Babylonians,”
says the Lord.
“It will strike the people of Babylon—
her officials and wise men, too.
36 The sword will strike her wise counselors,
and they will become fools.
The sword will strike her mightiest warriors,
and panic will seize them.
37 The sword will strike her horses and chariots
and her allies from other lands,
and they will all become like women.
The sword will strike her treasures,
and they all will be plundered.
38 The sword will even strike her water supply,
causing it to dry up.
And why? Because the whole land is filled with idols,
and the people are madly in love with them.

39 “Soon Babylon will be inhabited by desert animals and hyenas.
It will be a home for owls.
Never again will people live there;
it will lie desolate forever.
40 I will destroy it as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah
and their neighboring towns,” says the Lord.
“No one will live there;
no one will inhabit it.
41 “Look! A great army is coming from the north.
A great nation and many kings
are rising against you from far-off lands.
42 They are armed with bows and spears.
They are cruel and show no mercy.
As they ride forward on horses,
they sound like a roaring sea.
They are coming in battle formation,
planning to destroy you, Babylon.

43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about the enemy,
and he is weak with fright.
Pangs of anguish have gripped him,
like those of a woman in labor.
44 “I will come like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan,
leaping on the sheep in the pasture.
I will chase Babylon from its land,
and I will appoint the leader of my choice.
For who is like me, and who can challenge me?
What ruler can oppose my will?”
45 Listen to the Lord’s plans against Babylon
and the land of the Babylonians.
Even the little children will be dragged off like sheep,
and their homes will be destroyed.
46 The earth will shake with the shout, “Babylon has been taken!”
and its cry of despair will be heard around the world.

When I was saying “Shina” “Shina”, this came to mind:

Shekinah (Nave’s Topical Bible) Glory: The visible sign of God’s presence on the ark of the testimony In the Holy of Holies [Exodus 25:22; Leviticus 16:2; 2 Samuel 6:2; 2 Kings 19:14,15; Psalms 80:1; Isaiah 37:16; Ezekiel 9:3; 10:18; Hebrews 9:5]

I also had a sense that this could be a foreign vessel, and Russia came to mind for some reason. I checked the news this morning, and this article appeared:

Russia's warships head for exercise with Venezuelan navy - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4887728.ece

If, indeed, these are the ships the Lord is referring to in this dream with the reference to a ship with two humps, then what the Lord is saying here is that these ships are being sent by him, and ultimately what results is for His glory.

A friend sent me this: Shina - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shina

Shina (word), a Japanese term for mainland China, namely it isn't used in Mongolia, Taiwan, etc, and it's considered offensive and ashamed by many Chinese people; Shina language, a language spoken in Northern Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir, India

I looked up camels and two hump camels and learned this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactrian_camel ... native to the steppes of north eastern Asia… in October 2002 the estimated 950 remaining in the wild in northwest China and Mongolia were placed on the critically endangered species list…

Camels do not store water in their humps… the humps are actually a reservoir of fatty tissue. When this tissue is metabolized, it acts as a source of energy…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel

My understanding: First off, I saw many parallels between the dream and the song “Jesus Messiah”:
• He humbled himself – I could have proved I was a good student, but I didn’t want to be prideful – Jesus could have proved who he was, but he didn’t
• He became sin for us – I didn’t care about being at the head of the table; I was perfectly content being with the other students at their table
• He carried the cross - The table was actually two tables joined together in the shape of a T and I was at the top of the T, which is shaped like a cross – Jesus hung on a cross with two thieves on either side of him
• Rescue for sinners – I didn’t like how the other students were being treated and I made my displeasure known – Jesus is our defense against persecution
• Ransom from Heaven – the “teacher” who was the persecutor (Bablyon) “drew”, i.e. attracted this “Shekinah Glory” ship sent from the Armies of Heaven against Bablyon and to the rescue of God’s elect
• All the glory to You – “Shekinah Glory” – all this is for God’s glory

Then, I compared the dream to the passage in Jeremiah 50 and this is the understanding I received: There is a direct parallel between what Jesus went through for us by dying for us on the cross and what the church will go through during the tribulation period – we share in the fellowship of his sufferings. So, in one sense I am depicting Jesus’ sacrifice for us and in another sense I am representing those in Christ who are sharing, and who will truly share in those sufferings through religious persecution during the tribulation period.

Our persecutors during this time are described as “Babylon.” They are our captors who have wronged us; who hold us captive and who refuse to let us go. This sounds to me a lot like the American government in all these decisions they have made recently with regard to the financial crisis on Wall Street, and they have worsened it, I believe, by this recent move to extend lending to Corporations. Soon our whole country will be massively in debt to the government. And, who is our government in debt to? I know that China – “Shina” - holds many of our loans.

This time of persecution and captivity, nonetheless, is a precursor or a prerequisite to the return of Jesus Christ and to us ruling with him on the earth during the Millennium.

“Babylon” will “draw”, i.e. will attract God’s wrath upon them via His chosen instrument of judgment, which is this “ship” with the two “camel humps” each with the name “Shina” on them, which could certainly stand for China as well as God is giving the message that they represent the presence and the glory of God. These “humps” on this ship represent a source of energy, but the scriptures talk about how a great army is coming against “Babylon,” which I believe is the USA, in particular our government. This army – ship - is armed… with “camel humps” that are a source of “energy.” It sounds to me like nuclear weapons coming against America.

The Lord says he will defend his people and will give them rest again, but for the people of Babylon – of the world system who are not God’s own – there will be no rest. I do know that for those outside of Christ, if they are killed in this judgment, they will have no eternal rest, but for those in Christ, we will have eternal rest. That is our hope in all of this that one day, when God comes to judge Babylon and Jesus returns for his own, we will have our rest with the Lord forever.

Beulah Land Pts 4-6

Part IV

Now I was at some kind of meal. We were standing in a long line to get our food. We were being given specific numbered tables to sit at, too. When I saw the #1 I knew it was the table of the person behind me in line, but I also knew that was our table. I had two children with me. When we went to sit down, my children did not sit next to the person in line behind us and her husband, because her husband would have been annoyed by my children. Instead, my children sat one seat away from the woman and her husband, leaving a space (empty chair) in between. The table was actually two tables put together in the shape of a T and the woman and her husband were at the top of the T and I sat at the other table.

As compared to this passage from Jeremiah 51:

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
the God of Israel, says:
“Babylon is like wheat on a threshing floor,
about to be trampled.
In just a little while
her harvest will begin.”
34 “King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has eaten and crushed us
and drained us of strength.
He has swallowed us like a great monster
and filled his belly with our riches.
He has thrown us out of our own country.
35 Make Babylon suffer as she made us suffer,”
say the people of Zion.
“Make the people of Babylonia pay for spilling our blood,”
says Jerusalem.

My Understanding: I believe I represent the Lord in this portion of the dream and that the two children are the Jewish people and the church. The person behind me in line is this "King" of Babylon, although it was a woman behind me, but she had a husband who did not like the children, so he most likely is "the king".

In this world system of ours; in our schools, our government and even in many of our churches, even though God should be #1, he is being pushed away and his children are being pushed away because "the king" does not like them.

I also see the children as the American people and the people of other nations who are being "swallowed", "crushed" and drained of our strength because of this financial crisis world-wide that was forced upon us by our leaders. They filled their belly with our riches and threw us out of our own country via their poor management of our resources and the ultimate government take-over so that we are no longer the free nation we once were.

Part V

My Aunt Helen was sitting at a table across the room from me. She asked me to come over and help her. At first I was not sure she really needed help, but as I went over to check on her, I saw that she had some kind of previous injury that made it difficult for her to maneuver. Her chair was caught on the chairs of the people on either side of her because the chairs were too close together, so I separated the chairs and put some space between them so that she could move closer to the table.

As compared to this section of Jeremiah 51:

36 This is what the Lord says to Jerusalem:
“I will be your lawyer to plead your case,
and I will avenge you.
I will dry up her river,
as well as her springs,
37 and Babylon will become a heap of ruins,
haunted by jackals.
She will be an object of horror and contempt,
a place where no one lives.
38 Her people will roar together like strong lions.
They will growl like lion cubs.
39 And while they lie inflamed with all their wine,
I will prepare a different kind of feast for them.
I will make them drink until they fall asleep,
and they will never wake up again,”
says the Lord.
40 “I will bring them down
like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and goats to be sacrificed.

My Understanding: First of all, I wondered why the Lord used my Aunt Helen in this dream. She has been in other dreams and I never did identify why her. She is 80 yrs old, twice widowed and lives in Ohio. I found this about the name Helen:

HELEN - Gender: Feminine Usage: English, Greek Mythology (Anglicized) Pronounced: HEL-ən (English) [key]
English form of the Greek ‘Ελενη (Helene), probably from Greek ‘ελενη (helene) "torch" or "corposant", or possibly related to σεληνη (selene) "moon". In Greek mythology Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, whose kidnapping by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War. The name was also borne by the 4th-century Saint Helena, mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, who supposedly found the True Cross during a trip to Jerusalem. The name was originally used among early Christians in honour of the saint, as opposed to the classical character. In England it was commonly spelled Ellen during the Middle Ages, and the spelling Helen was not regularly used until after the Renaissance. A famous bearer was Helen Keller (1880-1968), an American author and lecturer who was both blind and deaf. http://www.behindthename.com/name/helen

I get the sense that she represents true believers in Jesus Christ here (she found the true cross). Again, I am representing the Lord who will come to the aid of his children who are being held as captors by Babylon, i.e. government take-over such as is described in the book of Revelation where those who do not take the mark of the beast will not be able to buy or to sell. She also could be representing believers in Israel, as she was across the room from me and my children in America.

I have a sense that the Lord has a very specific application for this portion of the dream that I am not yet seeing, i.e. a person or group of people have been injured in some way. People to the right and left of her are blocking her from getting to the table because the chairs are too close. Chairs are often symbols of power and rule, so that is why I think the Lord has something specific in mind here. So, he moves the chairs to the right and to the left of "Helen" so that she can get to the table.

Lord, I pray you will grant understanding to your servant of this portion of this dream.

If Aunt Helen represents Jerusalem, then this could be related to what is going on over there now with her neighboring countries and is a picture of how the Lord will come to her aid.

Part VI

I’m not sure of the order of all this or where this comes in, but I woke up hearing this: “I would submit, but only within Biblical guidelines for submission.” END

My Understanding: Well, the order I listed the dream in fits with the order of the scriptures and I know this is the phrase I heard right before I woke up, so this must fit with the remainder of Jeremiah 51 somehow. Lord, I pray you will give me understanding of this last section. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Compare this last phrase to this portion of Jeremiah 51:

A Message for the Exiles
45 “Come out, my people, flee from Babylon.
Save yourselves! Run from the Lord’s fierce anger.
46 But do not panic; don’t be afraid
when you hear the first rumor of approaching forces.
For rumors will keep coming year by year.
Violence will erupt in the land
as the leaders fight against each other.
47 For the time is surely coming
when I will punish this great city and all her idols.
Her whole land will be disgraced,
and her dead will lie in the streets.
48 Then the heavens and earth will rejoice,
for out of the north will come destroying armies
against Babylon,” says the Lord.
49 “Just as Babylon killed the people of Israel
and others throughout the world,
so must her people be killed.
50 Get out, all you who have escaped the sword!
Do not stand and watch—flee while you can!
Remember the Lord, though you are in a far-off land,
and think about your home in Jerusalem.”

51 “We are ashamed,” the people say.
“We are insulted and disgraced
because the Lord’s Temple
has been defiled by foreigners.” 52 “Yes,” says the Lord, “but the time is coming
when I will destroy Babylon’s idols.
The groans of her wounded people
will be heard throughout the land.
53 Though Babylon reaches as high as the heavens
and makes her fortifications incredibly strong,
I will still send enemies to plunder her.
I, the Lord, have spoken!

My Understanding: The Lord will use "Babylon" as his instrument of judgment against his people in order to get them to return to HIM, then he will turn on the enemies of his people and he will judge "Babylon." But, for a time, Babylon will take the children of God captive.

So, how do we "come out from her" and yet be under her rule? I believe this is where this last paragraph comes in to play. In previous dreams the Lord told how he will use "Babylon" to come against his people in judgment and he said not to be afraid to come under that rule; to not fight it. I wondered what that meant exactly, so I inquired of the Lord about it.

I believe we will be required to submit to any governing authority God places over us, but we are not to become like her; we are not to partake with her in her ways. God is still to be our God and we are still to follow him with all our minds, souls, hearts, etc., so our submission to "Babylon" will only be as far as Biblically we are required to submit.

In other words, we are not to try to fight the take-over, because it is God's plan for his people at this time. Yet, we are not to take the mark of the beast and we are not to bow the knee to the beast. We worship the one and only true God! So, our submission is much the same as was Daniel's or Jesus' or the disciples.

Beulah Land Pts 1-3

Monday, October 06, 2008, 8:11 a.m. – I woke with this song in my head:

The Greatest Story / AVALON

Some days your own resolve is strong
And other days you bend
it's two steps forward, one step back
and a stumble now and then
You wonder if you'll ever really make the difference
you've prayed that you will
Well, I know that prayer will be fulfilled 'cause

Your life woven day by day
is a new design of the glory God displays
on the canvas of creation
Through the poem of history
in the pattern of redemption
running through the tapestry
Your life in Christ can be
the greatest story ever told

You cannot see the hands of God
or feel the grace that flows
from Him through you to those you touch
In ways you'll never know
you cannot measure worth by human standards
That's always a lie
oh, you have to see through heaven's eyes how...

In the light of eternity
Standing face to face you will finally see
for the very first time you'll understand
your perfect place in the master plan and how...

I also woke from A DREAM: Part I: I was back at camp in Beulah Beach, Ohio. I was in the building next door to the hotel where I used to stay when I went to camp there as a child. I was talking with someone about the old hotel. This person told me that the beds all had box springs and new mattresses and bedspreads that color coordinated with the curtains in the rooms, etc. I was even shown all the patterns of bedspreads that they used. Each bedspread varied from the others in pattern and in color scheme, yet they all seemed to be based off the same basic design. I remarked to the person telling me all this that I used to stay at that hotel. I was also impressed how everything was all coordinated now. END

www.excite.com Daily Bible Verse: 2 Chronicles 15:7 (NIV):
But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.

My Understanding: The Lord is beginning to give me understanding of this morning's dream. The first thing I noticed was the parallels between the song and the first paragraph of the dream. As I went back and read it again, I noticed even more from the song:

In the light of eternity
Standing face to face you will finally see
for the very first time you'll understand
your perfect place in the master plan and how...

The Lord encouraged me so much through this in this way: Beulah Beach Camp, in this case, is a reference to eternity and heaven when we shall see Jesus face to face and we will understand for the very first time our perfect place in the master plan and how our lives are woven day by day by his design he displays through history (went to camp as a child), through the pattern of redemption (pattern on the bedspreads, i.e. God's covering for our covenant relationship with him), running through the tapestry (the bedspreads) and how we are all uniquely designed and yet God coordinates all of his designs together under one master design. And, then he added the verse from II Chron 15 that states that our work will be rewarded. So, I appreciate so much these wonderful words of encouragement from the Lord today.

Beulah Land - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“This is the gospel hymn by Edgar Page Stites; for the Southern gospel song "Sweet Beulah Land" by Squire Parsons, see here Beulah Land is a well-known gospel hymn written by Edgar Page Stites (1836-1921) in either 1875 or 1876. The hymn, Stites' most popular, is set to music written by John R. Sweney (1837-1899). The hymn concludes with the chorus:

“O Beulah land, sweet Beulah land! As on thy highest mount I stand, I look away across the sea Where mansions are prepared for me And view the shining glory shore My heaven, my home forever more.

“The hymn derives from King James Version of Isaiah 62:4; "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzibah and thy land Beulah; for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married."

The verse is in reference to the return of the Jews from their exile in Babylon in which the Jews shall no longer be called Forsaken, but Hephzibah (My Delight Is in Her), and Jerusalem shall no longer be called Desolate, but Beulah (Married). This implies that the Jews have turned back to the worship of God... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beulah_Land

Part II
There was a part of this dream or another dream where I was in a building or a house of some kind with other people. I wanted some personal space so that I could cry some things out. I went to the house/building next door which was abandoned, but it was too dark and eery in there, so I didn’t go inside (it was dark outside, too)...

Jeremiah 51:6-10:
6 Flee from Babylon! Save yourselves!
Don’t get trapped in her punishment!
It is the Lord’s time for vengeance;
he will repay her in full.
7 Babylon has been a gold cup in the Lord’s hands,
a cup that made the whole earth drunk.
The nations drank Babylon’s wine,
and it drove them all mad.
8 But suddenly Babylon, too, has fallen.
Weep for her.
Give her medicine.
Perhaps she can yet be healed.
9 We would have helped her if we could,
but nothing can save her now.
Let her go; abandon her.
Return now to your own land.
For her punishment reaches to the heavens;
it is so great it cannot be measured.
10 The Lord has vindicated us.
Come, let us announce in Jerusalem
everything the Lord our God has done.

My Understanding: There are many theories of who "Babylon" is in the last days. Iraq would be the closest to the actual physical location of where Babylon was located, and the United States of America has been the "occupiers" there for the past five years.

The description of Babylon in both OT accounts, i.e OT prophecies against her and in the NT in the book of Revelation (chp 17) best fit The USA of today, mainly our government, I believe. Babylon has also been described as the world system that we need to flee from; come out of.

I saw these parallels between this portion of the dream and this portion of Jeremiah 51: I needed a place to cry alone. I went to an abandoned building "next door." It was too dark and eery, so I didn't go inside.

The passage of scripture said to weep (cry) for Babylon and perhaps she could be healed. The response was, though, that we would have helped her if we could, but nothing can save her now. So, we are to let her go (don't go inside); abandon her (leave her as she was) and return (go back where I was).

And, continuing with Part II of the dream:
Someone planned to move into that building/house. I believe I offered to help get the house/building ready to move into when it was daylight outside.

As compared to this portion of scripture:

11 Sharpen the arrows!
Lift up the shields!
For the Lord has inspired the kings of the Medes
to march against Babylon and destroy her.
This is his vengeance against those
who desecrated his Temple.
12 Raise the battle flag against Babylon!
Reinforce the guard and station the watchmen.
Prepare an ambush,
for the Lord will fulfill all his plans against Babylon.
13 You are a city by a great river,
a great center of commerce,
but your end has come.
The thread of your life is cut.
14 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has taken this vow
and has sworn to it by his own name:
“Your cities will be filled with enemies,
like fields swarming with locusts,
and they will shout in triumph over you.”

My Understanding: The "someone" that I was getting the house ready for is the instrument of God's judgment that God plans to bring against Babylon, i.e. her enemies.

Part III
At these houses/buildings, the kids had some kind of a toy that needed an insert that someone else had to supply for them. The insert was something that was frozen and whatever they placed on the frozen material also became frozen. Later they needed a replacement part, so I assisted with that somehow, though this is really fuzzy. Then the toy was like a life-size boat that we all got inside. A man was sleeping in the back of the boat on one of two twin beds.

As compared to this passage of scripture from Jeremiah 51:

15 The Lord made the earth by his power,
and he preserves it by his wisdom.
With his own understanding
he stretched out the heavens.
16 When he speaks in the thunder,
the heavens are filled with water.
He causes the clouds to rise over the earth.
He sends the lightning with the rain
and releases the wind from his storehouses.
17 The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge!
The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make,
for their carefully shaped works are a fraud.
These idols have no breath or power.
18 Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!
On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.
19 But the God of Israel is no idol!
He is the Creator of everything that exists,
including his people, his own special possession.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!

My Understanding: I was watching the news this evening when the commentator used the term "credit freeze" to describe the present financial crisis in the USA, and perhaps around the world, as this affects more than just the USA. And, when he said that, the Lord immediately brought to mind this portion of the dream.

The use of houses and buildings is related to the mortgage crisis which facilitated this bailout of Wall Street and the subsequent "credit freeze" and the falling of the stock market. A toy is to symbolize that it is man-made and those who were to manage our money obviously did more playing (playing the market, perhaps) than they did good management.

The insert, thus, was this "credit freeze" and the "replacement part" was the bailout package with all the "sweeteners." Then the toy became life-size (the enormity of the financial situation in America and the world) and we all got inside via our government committing the tax payers for this bailout, previous bailouts and more to come. The man sleeping in the back of the boat has to be our president who is obviously asleep on the job or he would not have allowed us to get into this mess.

A full-size bed shows a covenant relationship/partnership whereas a twin, i.e. single bed would seem to symbolize a person alone, not in a covenant relationship with God and perhaps the two beds shows that God and this man are sleeping in separate beds, but only one is asleep on the job, and it isn't God who is sleeping.

Verses 17-18 (above) give a good picture, I believe, of how God views this whole bailout and our whole credit/financial system in America, in our government and on Wall Street.

Those Were the Days

Tuesday, October 07, 2008, 8:11 a.m. – I woke to this song in my head:

Days of Wine and Roses / Henry Mancini

The days of wine and roses laugh and run away like a child at play
Through a meadow land toward a closing door
A door marked "nevermore" that wasn't there before

The lonely night discloses just a passing breeze filled with memories
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
The days of wine and roses and you

I also woke from A DREAM: I know that at the end of the dream, either my daughter or my sister (these two often blend together in my dreams) was telling a story about a wedding she attended. She had pictures she was showing us. I opened an envelope with negatives only first and then I opened an envelope with pictures and negatives. I looked at the pictures as she told the story.

She was complaining about something in relation to the wedding, and the dream cut off with me stating something to the effect that she always had an excuse for something. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Lamentations 1:1-17:

Jerusalem, once so full of people,
is now deserted.
She who was once great among the nations
now sits alone like a widow.
Once the queen of all the earth,
she is now a slave.
2 She sobs through the night;
tears stream down her cheeks.
Among all her lovers,
there is no one left to comfort her.
All her friends have betrayed her
and become her enemies.
3 Judah has been led away into captivity,
oppressed with cruel slavery.
She lives among foreign nations
and has no place of rest.
Her enemies have chased her down,
and she has nowhere to turn.
4 The roads to Jerusalem are in mourning,
for crowds no longer come to celebrate the festivals.
The city gates are silent,
her priests groan,
her young women are crying—
how bitter is her fate!
5 Her oppressors have become her masters,
and her enemies prosper,
for the Lord has punished Jerusalem
for her many sins.
Her children have been captured
and taken away to distant lands.
6 All the majesty of beautiful Jerusalem
has been stripped away.
Her princes are like starving deer
searching for pasture.
They are too weak to run
from the pursuing enemy.

7 In the midst of her sadness and wandering,
Jerusalem remembers her ancient splendor.
But now she has fallen to her enemy,
and there is no one to help her.
Her enemy struck her down
and laughed as she fell.
8 Jerusalem has sinned greatly,
so she has been tossed away like a filthy rag.
All who once honored her now despise her,
for they have seen her stripped naked and humiliated.
All she can do is groan
and hide her face.
9 She defiled herself with immorality
and gave no thought to her future.
Now she lies in the gutter
with no one to lift her out.
“Lord, see my misery,” she cries.
“The enemy has triumphed.”
10 The enemy has plundered her completely,
taking every precious thing she owns.
She has seen foreigners violate her sacred Temple,
the place the Lord had forbidden them to enter.
11 Her people groan as they search for bread.
They have sold their treasures for food to stay alive.
“O Lord, look,” she mourns,
“and see how I am despised.
12 “Does it mean nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Look around and see if there is any suffering like mine,
which the Lord brought on me
when he erupted in fierce anger.

13 “He has sent fire from heaven that burns in my bones.
He has placed a trap in my path and turned me back.
He has left me devastated,
racked with sickness all day long.
14 “He wove my sins into ropes
to hitch me to a yoke of captivity.
The Lord sapped my strength and turned me over to my enemies;
I am helpless in their hands.
15 “The Lord has treated my mighty men
with contempt.
At his command a great army has come
to crush my young warriors.
The Lord has trampled his beloved city
like grapes are trampled in a winepress.
16 “For all these things I weep;
tears flow down my cheeks.
No one is here to comfort me;
any who might encourage me are far away.
My children have no future,
for the enemy has conquered us.”
17 Jerusalem reaches out for help,
but no one comforts her.
Regarding his people Israel,
the Lord has said,
“Let their neighbors be their enemies!
Let them be thrown away like a filthy rag!”

My Understanding: My daughter usually symbolizes the church in America, in particular, and my sister is living among foreigners, so in combining the two together, the Lord is showing the church (his people) in America living under the rule of foreigners because of their sins.

The wedding is a picture of when things were good here in America, but now with the financial crisis looming over our heads, many people are complaining. The “negatives” represent “negatives”, i.e. bad stuff, I believe. Then, the negatives plus pictures represent memories of good things in the past, when things went well, but also lamenting over our present conditions.

I have a sense that a specific news story will soon emerge to go along with this dream, especially how it ended with the people making excuses. I do see that our political leaders are very good at the “making excuses” category, but the Lord used my daughter here to represent his daughter. This sounds like “passing the buck” or the “blame game” where the people do not take responsibility for what is happening.

The truth of the matter is that all this financial crisis, though certainly the fault of many, was allowed by God as an instrument of judgment on our nation, and in particular the apostate church here in America because of our many sins against God – spiritual adultery, idolatry, man followers instead of followers of God, disobedient, forsaken our first love, false teaching, i.e. putting “band-aids” on serious wounds and treating them as though they are not serious, i.e. easy-believism, etc.

“Making excuses” for everything has to do with us blaming everyone but ourselves for this present financial crisis in America. The purpose of this is to get us to return to God; to return to our first love; to bow the knee to God in humility and repentance and to seek God’s face.

“The Lord is right,” Jerusalem says,
“for I rebelled against him…
Lord, see my anguish!
My heart is broken
and my soul despairs,
for I have rebelled against you (Lamentations 1:18a, 20a).

Oreos and Black Spiders

Friday, October 03, 2008, 8:30 a.m. – I woke to this song again:

Mighty Long Way / Davis and Knight

Walked through valleys, climbed the mountains,
Marched across the glorious golden plains,
By still waters, through the desserts,
God has brought me from a mighty long way.

There were times my spirit prospered,
Other times I thought my hope would fray.
In my weakness, He’d always strengthen.
God has brought me from a mighty long way.

He has kept me and sustained me,
Never left me or let me stray.
Every need He hath provided.
God has brought me from a mighty long way.

Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.
With gratefulness I say, thank You.

I also woke from A DREAM: I was cleaning house, like a spring cleaning. The kids had left 2 mini Oreo cookies on the kitchen counter which had then attracted black widow spiders around them. The spiders were everywhere, so I went around the house killing the spiders.

I also got out a garden hose and hosed down all the area rugs (indoor/outdoor carpet) in all the rooms with water. I planned to eventually use the wet/dry vacuum cleaner to get up all the moisture so that the rugs did not become filled with mold and mildew. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 47:

A Message About the Philistines
1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:
2 This is what the LORD says:
"See how the waters are rising in the north;
they will become an overflowing torrent.
They will overflow the land and everything in it,
the towns and those who live in them.
The people will cry out;
all who dwell in the land will wail
3 at the sound of the hoofs of galloping steeds,
at the noise of enemy chariots
and the rumble of their wheels.
Fathers will not turn to help their children;
their hands will hang limp.
4 For the day has come
to destroy all the Philistines
and to cut off all survivors
who could help Tyre and Sidon.
The LORD is about to destroy the Philistines,
the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.
5 Gaza will shave her head in mourning;
Ashkelon will be silenced.
O remnant on the plain,
how long will you cut yourselves?
6 " 'Ah, sword of the LORD,' you cry,
'how long till you rest?
Return to your scabbard;
cease and be still.'
7 But how can it rest
when the LORD has commanded it,
when he has ordered it
to attack Ashkelon and the coast?"

My Understanding: I am symbolizing the Lord who is bringing the Babylonians against America (Gentile nation) because of our idolatry, our refusal to listen to and to obey God, etc. God is the one, basically, who is going to “clean house.”

I see the possibility that these black widow spiders symbolize the Neo-Nazi movement here in America. Here is an interesting link:

The Swastika, China History Forum
http://www.chinahistoryforum.com/index.php?showtopic=4061

One person private messaged me with this possible slang definition of Oreo: a black person who acts white, i.e. is black on the outside but is really white underneath. That would fit with the spiders, because if the spiders are a reference to the Neo-Nazi movement, that is similar to the KKK as it is a White Supremist movement, so if two mini (not sure yet why mini) Oreos are left out in the open, they might attract Neo-Nazi organizations.

The BKC: “…God predicted that the Philistines would be caught in the middle of the struggle between Babylon and Egypt and would be destroyed. As a result, they were to shave their heads and cut themselves—both signs of mourning or grief (cf. comments on 16:6). God’s sword of judgment would not rest till it had attacked Ashkelon and the seacoast and destroyed them (cf. Ezek. 25:15-17).”

Ok, an Oreo is a cookie that has two chocolate wafers with white icing smashed in the middle, so this could be about some kind of faction of some sort being caught in the middle of a struggle between two other factions. One thing that came to my mind is the news about Wachovia today:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...efer=worldwide
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122303190029501925.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081003/wells...via.html?.v=17

In this instance, it appears that Wachovia is now in the middle of a buyout struggle between Citi and Wells Fargo, though it may be self-inflicted.

Someone wrote this to me: “A friend and I debated back and forth about spiders and what they meant. He says spiders are a sign of money and I say spiders are a sign of things forgotten or not taken care of - things that have been put off to do for a long period of time.”

Sue’s Thoughts: If this dream is related to the present financial crisis, then actually both of her definitions could possibly come into play here. When I thought of an Oreo cookie in relation to our financial crisis in America, what came to mind was this bailout bill that just passed in the Senate and then the House. It had outer layers that were filled with "sweeteners", but it was rather large and it didn't sit long at all but was constantly on the move trying to get passed, which it did.

Ok, one possibility here, and I'm still praying over this one, is that these "mini" Oreos could end up being "mini" versions of the bailout bill we saw just happen here in Congress. So, there could be more to come - mini versions by comparison to the big one that was just passed.

In the dream, these Oreos were left out in the open on the counter and thus became prey to these spiders and the spiders thus multiplied. Using these (above) definitions, this certainly could apply to how we got where we are financially in this country, and if that is the case, they could apply to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, potentially, who had been neglected and left to collect these "spiders."

If so, this could be related to this news article from 1999 that was passed along to me by the American Family Association the day before this dream:

The New York Times
September 30, 1999
Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending

By STEVEN A. HOLMES
“In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders.

“The action, which will begin as a pilot program involving 24 banks in 15 markets -- including the New York metropolitan region -- will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by next spring.

“Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.

“In addition, banks, thrift institutions and mortgage companies have been pressing Fannie Mae to help them make more loans to so-called subprime borrowers. These borrowers whose incomes, credit ratings and savings are not good enough to qualify for conventional loans, can only get loans from finance companies that charge much higher interest rates -- anywhere from three to four percentage points higher than conventional loans...” http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...prod=permalink

Eeyore

Saturday, October 04, 2008, 12:38 a.m. – I lay down to go to sleep and immediately the Lord gave me THIS VISION:

The first thing I saw was a donkey. Then I heard the name “Barney Frank.” Then the donkey’s ears were drooping, just like Winnie the Pooh’s Eeyore:

“Eeyore (ˈiː.jɔː(r) (help•info)) is a character in the Winnie-the-Pooh book series by A.A. Milne and the Walt Disney Company franchise of its cartoon adaptation. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, old grey stuffed donkey who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh…” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eeyore

After I saw the Eeyore character I saw sets of hands. Then I saw a carving of a rooster on some kind of metal surface, maybe bronze or brass. The rooster lifted its head up in the air and then immediately its head went back down. Then I saw the rear of a donkey (or horse) raise its rear legs in the air and then have a bowel movement. Following that were other carved images on metal that I did not recognize but felt they were images of false gods. Lastly, I saw a goat off in the distance. The image was faded because it was far away. END

I received an e-mail from the American Family Association this afternoon which contained these two links to articles about Barney Frank:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/09/28/franks_fingerprints_are_all_over_the_financial_fiasco/

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,432501,00.html

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 48: A Message About Moab
1 Concerning Moab:
This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
"Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined.
Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured;
the stronghold will be disgraced and shattered.
2 Moab will be praised no more;
in Heshbon men will plot her downfall:
'Come, let us put an end to that nation.'
You too, O Madmen, will be silenced;
the sword will pursue you…

6 Flee! Run for your lives;
become like a bush in the desert.
7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches,
you too will be taken captive,
and Chemosh will go into exile,
together with his priests and officials.
8 The destroyer will come against every town,
and not a town will escape.
The valley will be ruined
and the plateau destroyed,
because the LORD has spoken…

11 "Moab has been at rest from youth,
like wine left on its dregs,
not poured from one jar to another—
she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
and her aroma is unchanged.
12 But days are coming,"
declares the LORD,
"when I will send men who pour from jars,
and they will pour her out;
they will empty her jars
and smash her jugs.
13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh,
as the house of Israel was ashamed
when they trusted in Bethel…

15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded;
her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,"
declares the King, whose name is the LORD Almighty.
16 "The fall of Moab is at hand;
her calamity will come quickly.
17 Mourn for her, all who live around her,
all who know her fame;
say, 'How broken is the mighty scepter,
how broken the glorious staff!'
18 "Come down from your glory
and sit on the parched ground,
O inhabitants of the Daughter of Dibon,
for he who destroys Moab
will come up against you
and ruin your fortified cities.

19 Stand by the road and watch,
you who live in Aroer.
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,
ask them, 'What has happened?'
20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.
Wail and cry out!
Announce by the Arnon
that Moab is destroyed.
21 Judgment has come to the plateau—
… to all the towns of Moab, far and near.

25 Moab's horn is cut off;
her arm is broken,"
declares the LORD.
26 "Make her drunk,
for she has defied the LORD.
Let Moab wallow in her vomit;
let her be an object of ridicule...

29 "We have heard of Moab's pride—
her overweening pride and conceit,
her pride and arrogance
and the haughtiness of her heart.
30 I know her insolence but it is futile,"
declares the LORD,
"and her boasts accomplish nothing.

… In Moab I will put an end
to those who make offerings on the high places
and burn incense to their gods,"
declares the LORD.
36 "So my heart laments for Moab like a flute;
it laments like a flute for the men of Kir Hareseth.
The wealth they acquired is gone…
37 Every head is shaved
and every beard cut off;
every hand is slashed
and every waist is covered with sackcloth.

… 40 This is what the LORD says:
"Look! An eagle is swooping down,
spreading its wings over Moab.
42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation
because she defied the LORD…

Summary: This is a message from God to the American government and in particular to Barney Frank. God says:
• You will be ruined, disgraced and shattered (head low; droopy ears)
• You will be praised no more
• Men will plot your downfall (head low; droopy ears)
• They will put an end to you
• You will be silenced
• Since you trust in your deeds (hands) and riches (false gods), you will be taken captive
• The destroyer (goat) will come against you
• Men will pour you out; they will empty you; they will smash you
• You will be ashamed because you trusted in false gods (carved images in metal – I believe the Lord is saying this is for printing money)
• Your scepter; your glorious staff will be broken
• Come down from your glory (head lifted high)
• You are disgraced (droopy ears; head low)
• Your horn is cut off
• Wallow in your vomit (your feces, i.e. bailout bill), an object of ridicule
• We have heard of your pride, conceit, arrogance and haughtiness (rooster)
• We know of your insolence (raised hind legs and bowel movement)
• Your boasts accomplish nothing
• I will put an end to your idol worship (printing money)
• The wealth you have acquired is gone
• I will break you like a jar that no one wants (judgment)
• An eagle is swooping down (goat)
• You will be destroyed as a nation because you defied the Lord (judgment)

Taking the Test

Sunday, October 05, 2008, 7:09 a.m. – I woke to this song in my head:

Mountain of God / Third Day

… Even though the journey’s long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who’s gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I’ve been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God…

Lord, I accept whatever valleys you have for me today. Go before me and prepare the way. I am your servant. Put your words into my mouth, love others through me, let me be an instrument of yours in reaching others with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Lord, I will go where you want me to go, be what you want me…

I just remembered a dream I had last night. THE DREAM: I was back in college in Ohio (the north). I had gone back to finish my degree and I only had one semester left. I had been out sick a few days. I had not studied for my tests nor had I done any homework assignments for my three classes, so I was unprepared. I just wanted to drop out and to not finish. Yet, my husband was encouraging me to finish and to get my degree, but I wondered if I really needed a degree, or not.

I picked up the test from the teacher. I took it into another room where I got this really long piece of white paper to write on, plus I picked up some water, too, and some other supplies. Then I remembered that I was supposed to take the test in the other room so that the teacher could watch me take the test, so I went back to the classroom in order to take the test. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Jeremiah 50: A Message about Babylon
1 The Lord gave Jeremiah the prophet this message concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians. 2 This is what the Lord says:
“Tell the whole world,
and keep nothing back.
Raise a signal flag
to tell everyone that Babylon will fall!
Her images and idols will be shattered.
Her gods Bel and Marduk will be utterly disgraced.
3 For a nation will attack her from the north
and bring such destruction that no one will live there again.
Everything will be gone;
both people and animals will flee.

Hope for Israel and Judah
4 “In those coming days,”
says the Lord,
“the people of Israel will return home
together with the people of Judah.
They will come weeping
and seeking the Lord their God.
5 They will ask the way to Jerusalem
and will start back home again.
They will bind themselves to the Lord
with an eternal covenant that will never be forgotten.
6 “My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them astray
and turned them loose in the mountains.
They have lost their way
and can’t remember how to get back to the sheepfold.
7 All who found them devoured them.
Their enemies said,
‘We did nothing wrong in attacking them,
for they sinned against the Lord,
their true place of rest,
and the hope of their ancestors.’

8 “But now, flee from Babylon!
Leave the land of the Babylonians.
Like male goats at the head of the flock,
lead my people home again.
9 For I am raising up an army
of great nations from the north.
They will join forces to attack Babylon,
and she will be captured.
The enemies’ arrows will go straight to the mark;
they will not miss!
10 Babylonia will be looted
until the attackers are glutted with loot.
I, the Lord, have spoken!

Babylon’s Sure Fall
11 “You rejoice and are glad,
you who plundered my chosen people.
You frisk about like a calf in a meadow
and neigh like a stallion.
12 But your homeland will be overwhelmed
with shame and disgrace.
You will become the least of nations—
a wilderness, a dry and desolate land.
13 Because of the Lord’s anger,
Babylon will become a deserted wasteland.
All who pass by will be horrified
and will gasp at the destruction they see there.
14 “Yes, prepare to attack Babylon,
all you surrounding nations.
Let your archers shoot at her; spare no arrows.
For she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout war cries against her from every side.
Look! She surrenders!
Her walls have fallen.
It is the Lord’s vengeance,
so take vengeance on her.
Do to her as she has done to others!
16 Take from Babylon all those who plant crops;
send all the harvesters away.
Because of the sword of the enemy,
everyone will run away and rush back to their own lands.

Hope for God’s People
17 “The Israelites are like sheep
that have been scattered by lions.
First the king of Assyria ate them up.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon cracked their bones.”
18 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
the God of Israel, says:
“Now I will punish the king of Babylon and his land,
just as I punished the king of Assyria.
19 And I will bring Israel home again to its own land,
to feed in the fields of Carmel and Bashan,
and to be satisfied once more
in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead.
20 In those days,” says the Lord,
“no sin will be found in Israel or in Judah,
for I will forgive the remnant I preserve.

My Understanding: I believe the “last semester” is these final days on earth before the return of Jesus Christ. The college in this dream is the one I attended from 1968-72 in Akron, Ohio and I did not graduate. I did drop out. Akron is my home town. In the dream I returned to college in my home town. In this passage of scripture, the Israelites were being told to flee Babylon because God was going to destroy her in judgment, and they were to return to their home towns in Judah and Israel.

They were also to bind themselves to the Lord (the teacher) with an eternal covenant (school, tests) that will never be forgotten (dropped out). God’s people have been lost; they have lost their way (dropped out) and they need to get back to the sheepfold (back to the classroom under the teacher). Our Babylon is this world system; the pattern of the world from which we are to flee, and our “home” is our intimate relationship with Jesus Christ to which we are to return.

I believe that the Lord is having me personify the church in America, in particularly, in this dream, which is unprepared for the “last semester” of school and many do want to “drop out” before the “final exam.” I believe that we see this attitude much in the pre-tribulation theory for the return of Jesus Christ. The people who hold to this view believe the church will be raptured prior to the tribulation period (final semester), which makes them unprepared for the reality of having to take the final exams. The Lord (our husband) is encouraging us, the church, to stay the course, to finish the last semester, to take the tests, and to graduate.

I believe that the supplies that I picked up in another room (time before the tribulation) prior to taking the test (tribulation period) represent death (water) and righteousness (long white paper), i.e. this eternal covenant with the Lord that will never be forgotten.