Yesterday we had a fire going in our fire place. I took a
picture of it, and when I did, I all of a sudden saw in the picture an image of
what looked like an angry dog with his mouth open, and he appeared to be
snarling (roaring) or growling (barking). Then, in the middle of this picture,
but more faint than the other image, I saw what appeared to be a skeleton head
of a dragon.
I shared this picture with a sister in Christ who also saw
the dog, but she saw the dog as a gargoyle (1). And, she also saw a dragon, but
to the left of the dragon head that I saw. And, when I looked where she saw the
dragon, then I saw another image, which appeared to be a double image of
something round with a face on it, which seemed to be attached to what appeared
to me to look like a squirrel or a pig (or a combination of both).
So, I drew out what I was seeing in the fire, and as I began
to pray over what all this could mean, then I realized that the scripture for
today was about false prophets and evil spirits of the antichrist, and so I
believe the Lord was showing me these evil images in the fire to illustrate the
message in this passage of scripture as is applied to our world today.
1 John 4:1-3 ESV
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.”
In the scriptures, false prophets are sometimes referred to
as dogs (Phil. 3:2; 2 Pet. 2:22), literally “a spiritual predator who feeds off
others” (2). So, I believe this image of the dog in the fire represents false
teachers who are spreading their false gospel message, which is of Satan (the
dragon head). But, the head was a skeleton, which represents death, but is also
some kind of structural framework (agenda) of this dragon, i.e. of the
antichrist.
A head is a symbol of authority, but it is also a symbol of
our minds, our thinking, believing, and attitudes. These heads also had faces,
and a face usually has to do with our character and our make-up, which is also
our spirit. And, we are told here to test the spirits, which is not just evil
spirits, but it is the thinking, the believing, the attitudes and the character
of those who are spreading these messages, and of the messages themselves.
My sister in Christ saw the dog as a gargoyle, so I looked
it up, and it fits with the character, the nature, and the spirit of the
messenger and of the message, too. For, a gargoyle is a distorted, twisted, falsified,
deformed, unnatural human or animal which throws water clear of (away from) a
building. This is a false teacher spreading a false gospel, in other words.
And, in scripture water is a symbol of spiritual cleansing
from sin, the Holy Spirit, and of eternal life with God, all of which are being
thrown away from the building (the building up of one another in the faith to
maturity in Jesus Christ, and the building being the body of Christ). For, this
false message of this “dog” (what is filthy and immoral) requires no death to
sin, no walk in the Spirit, and no submission to Christ as head of his church.
1 John 4:4-6 ESV
“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
So, this false prophet/teacher (dog/gargoyle) with his false
message, which is the message of this dragon (Satan), was aimed in the
direction of these other two images which appeared to be two-in-one. When I
read “they are from the world,” I immediately saw this other dragon head, which
I saw as the head (authority, mind) of this squirrel/pig, which appeared to be
attached to this round figure which appears to represent the world of sin, i.e.
worldliness, i.e. meaning this pig/squirrel/dragon is from the world of sin.
I noted that the squirrel/pig figure had puffy cheeks, which
then translated to prideful, exaggerated, and escalated boldness, cheekiness, and
disrespect. I also noted that a pig is often a symbol of an unclean spirit, or
of a greedy, gluttonous and contemptible person. And, a squirrel is a symbol of
someone who hides things, who puts them away, who stores up things. And, this
brought to mind those who store up wrath against themselves.
But, it also brought to mind those who store up hatred,
unforgiveness, resentment, jealousy, bitterness and secret sins and lies to
cover them up. And, this fits with the fat belly that I saw on this
pig/squirrel, too, for a fat belly has to do with an insatiable appetite for
sin, i.e. this is someone who lives by the lustful desires of the flesh which
are never satisfied.
But, this is not a singular individual here. This is a body
with Satan as its head, i.e. this is the false church which is from the world
of sin which does not honor Christ as Lord, and which does not turn away from
sin, but which holds on to it, and then lies to cover it up.
This is the false church which has bought into the lies of
this false prophet (dog/dragon), and which has adopted its ways. For, it is
convinced that faith in Jesus Christ requires no repentance, no obedience, and
no submission to Christ as Lord.
One other thing I saw with this round face that looked like
the world with a friendly face on it, is cyclical patterns, things that go around
and round, i.e. habits, i.e. this is sinful addiction. Those who have bought
into the lies of Satan and of his false prophets who are giving out a false
gospel are not free from their sin, but they are still in bondage to their sin
and bound for hell. It looks friendly and inviting, but it will bite you in the
end if you believe it.
So, if we are going to overcome these false teachers with
their false messages, then we have to test these spirits which are of the
spirit of the antichrist, with the dragon (Satan) as its head. And, so we have
to biblically and prayerfully discern truth from error, for error is disguised
as truth and is made to look inviting. So, we have to study the scriptures (in
context) so that we can discern truth from error.
And, just know that these false prophets/teachers disguise
themselves as servants of righteousness, as the Lord’s sheep, but they are
really wolves in sheep’s clothing. So, an outward confession of Christ as
Savior and Lord does not mean that person is a true follower of Christ or a
true messenger of the gospel of Christ. And, that is why we have to test the
character of what they are proclaiming as well as their own character to see if
they are of God or if they are of Satan but disguised as messengers of the light.
1 John 4:7-12 ESV
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”
This love is not human love. It is God-like love which
submits to God and which prefers what God prefers, which is what is holy, pure,
honorable, trustworthy, faithful, honest and upright, etc. So, it is not going
to willfully and habitually sin against others knowing that what it is doing is
harming and hurting other people and that it is opposed to God and his
holiness.
Jesus equated this love with obedience to his commands, too.
So, this love is the opposite of what those false teachers are spreading which
teaches no necessity for repentance, obedience or submission to Christ as Lord.
And, the false gospel gives free license to continue in habitual sin, which
does not act in love towards others, but which willfully causes others much
harm.
So, if the message coming from the mouths of these teachers
who say they are proclaiming the gospel of our salvation does not love others
with the love of God in all his holiness and righteousness, but it teaches the
opposite of love for God and our fellow humans, then it is not of God, but of
Satan.
So, be discerning and don’t believe the lies which are not
of God. But, believe the truth and live the truth and you will have the hope of
heaven.
When I Go Home
By G. M. Eldridge
“He will wipe away
every tear from their eyes…” Revelation 21:4
In the moment He appears
And the light from heaven shines,
I’ll forget ev’ry fear,
Ev’ry pain I’ll leave behind.
Then I’ll see Him as He is
And I’ll know Him as I’m known.
Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.
Ever present is the tho’t
That a moment waits for me
When unworthy as I am,
His glory I will see.
I will empty all my praise
Before my Father’s throne.
Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.
If the trial I endure,
And your presence I can’t find,
Be near me, Lord, I pray,
Bring back unto my mind
That your promises are firm
And I’m never on my own.
Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.
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