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.
No comments:
Post a Comment