That's Not All...

Saturday, December 12, 2009, 6:00 a.m. – I woke this morning from a dream.

THE DREAM: At the end of the dream, I was getting ready to leave to go to the store. That meant leaving the little children at home with my dad who I knew would abuse them. This had me very concerned.

My sister decided to go with me. She said something to the effect of “All that he wants to do is…” I replied by saying, “That’s not all that he wants to do.” I had a difficult time understanding how she could be so nonchalant about the whole thing.

I had this picture in my mind of what my dad would do to the children as soon as we left, and it was not a pretty picture. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Matthew 26:47-56:

Jesus Arrested
47While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." 49Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.
50Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for."

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

52"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"

55At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

My Understanding: My dad was an abuser. I know what it was like to suffer under his abuse as a child. It tears at my heart strings whenever I think of the possibility of another child suffering what I went through. If it was within my power to do so, I would want to rescue all the children of the world from abuse. So, I do understand Peter’s impulse to draw the sword and to want to rescue Jesus from his abusers.

The Lord has often used my father in my dreams as a depiction of Satan. And, the Lord has, as well, often used the story of his own suffering and ultimate death on the cross for our sins as a parallel (though not equal) to what his saints will suffer at the hands of Satan during the tribulation. I believe that is what this dream is about.

I believe, also, that the primary message here is for us to put away our swords and to realize that none of this could happen if God did not allow it and for a purpose. These things must take place in fulfillment of the prophecies of scripture. There is not a thing we can do to stop what is coming. Jesus’ response to Peter was, “But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” And, a little further on down he says, “But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.”

So, I guess the primary question would be, “Why must these things take place?” Is it merely because it is written about in scripture and thus it must happen?” Did Jesus suffer and die just to fulfill scripture? That was certainly part of it, yet his purpose in dying on the cross for our sins was to be that perfect sacrifice that could take away the sins of the world for all time. It was so that he could become our mediator between God the Father and us. It was so that we could be set free from the power of, the bondage to and the punishment of sin for eternity. It was so that we would have a mediator who had gone through what we have and will go through, i.e. so that we would have a compassionate high priest. It was all that and more.

So, what is God’s purpose in having his saints suffer through the period of the tribulation? What is God’s purpose in allowing Satan (the Dragon), the Beast and the False Prophet (see Revelation 13) to make war against the saints and to conquer them? I believe it is because the saints of Almighty God and the church, His Body, have gotten so far away from the Lord that the only way he can bring them back to Himself is through divine correction, tribulation and judgment of Almighty God on his people. He wants his family back. All He really wants is His family.

Revelation 13:1-10: Further Understanding: In this dream, my sister seemed to have a “nonchalant” attitude about the children being left with our father. She generally represents China in my dreams, which made me think about this article in the news about population control being discussed at the Climate Summit in Copenhagen:

Population Control Called Key to Deal - Population control called key to deal

The Real Inconvenient Truth - The real inconvenient truth

China Population Control Programs – “In rural areas the day-to-day work of family planning was done by cadres at the team and brigade levels who were responsible for women's affairs and by health workers. The women's team leader made regular household visits to keep track of the status of each family under her jurisdiction and collected information on which women were using contraceptives, the methods used, and which had become pregnant. She then reported to the brigade women's leader, who documented the information and took it to a monthly meeting of the commune birth-planning committee. According to reports, ceilings or quotas had to be adhered to; to satisfy these cutoffs, unmarried young people were persuaded to postpone marriage, couples without children were advised to "wait their turn," women with unauthorized pregnancies were pressured to have abortions, and those who already had children were urged to use contraception or undergo sterilization. Couples with more than one child were exhorted to be sterilized.” China - Population Control Programs

In the dream, my sister said, “All he wants to do is…” I replied with, “That’s not all that he wants to do.” The bottom line here is that this is just one example of the abuses that the world will face during this time of Tribulation, because that isn’t all that Satan and the Beast and the False Prophet (the unholy trinity) want to do.

The bottom line for us, I believe, is to put away our swords because these things must take place. The swords that we should be most concerned with using are our Bibles, the Sword of the Spirit. And, we should be about the Lord’s business in trying to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ, not in trying to stave off the inevitable rule of the Beast and this time of Great Tribulation. We should educate people so that we are not deceived, but we can’t stop what is coming.

__________________
Sue

Acts 26:16-18: Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.