P-03

Prophetic Dream: Caught up to Heaven

Dream: October 6, 1973 I dreamt I was in a house. I stood in the kitchen and I was looking through a window and noticed that the night was very dark. Then I saw people ascend into the sky. Those that were caught up to God and His throne were outside of their houses. I saw them in a distance outside the city. Those who ascended into the sky shone like polished gold and they were very few in number. I saw them afar off and they appeared like small shining golden bars lifting-off into the dark sky of the night ascending higher and higher. They were the only glittering objects, the only light in the pitch black sky of the night. I was utterly disappointed because I was not counted worthy to be among the ascending ones. I knew I was not ready and God in His righteousness had treated me justly. Then I woke up. Interpretation A house in this dream symbolizes an individual life. Whatever a man sows he also will reap and every man shall give account of himself to God.

The kitchen is a room in a house where food are prepared and cooked that the family of the house and its guests may be fed. Many activities take place in a cooks kitchen and the unavoidable responsibility thereof can be distractive at times. The kitchen symbolizes your heart, the place where you contemplate your thoughts and sentiments that develop your mindset and attitudes. Much of your thoughts are troublesome worries that distract you from the purposes of God for your life. "Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and approached Him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me. And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken from her (Luke 10:38-41, emphasis added). Marys mind-set was fashioned by love for the Lord while Marthas troublesome attitude was shaped by worries of her daily responsibilities. Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (Nicholas Herman) was a lay brother at a Carmelite monastery in Paris. Lay brothers served in auxiliary duties, assisting priests. Lawrence became the communitys cook. The first ten years he was troubled in his heart, feeling spiritually inadequate and was unhappy in his work (worried and troubled). He resolved that the peace he sought was out of his reach. Then he found the constant abiding presence of God that he sought. He said, "Suddenly I found myself changed all at once; and my soul, which till that time was in trouble, felt a profound inward peace, as if she were in her center and place of rest. He was no longer frustrated by his work; he found himself in the presence of God

while peeling potatoes as well as when he was kneeling in prayer. He changed from a Martha to a Mary. To have a changed heart, you need not to change jobs or relocate to a new city but obey God every moment of your day. Life is to live in His presence. His presence is the breath of heaven, the atmosphere where His word is changing you. Looking through a window refers to the focus of your faith and expectations of your hope. God commands every new day, first the evening and then the morning. The dark night means it is the Lord that closes the old day by starting the new day with darkness. He will start the new age with judgment; taking away the old that He may establish the new. Then I saw the rapture. The rapture I saw was not the depiction as per the traditional Pretribulation Rapture Theory for this dream witnessed another event. For example, I did not witness Christ meeting the saints in the air or I did not hear the blowing of a trumpet. It must have been a different event. I am interpreting it as the sons of God being caught up to God and His throne as recorded in Revelation 12. Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, red dragon having seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them on the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one-thousand two hundred and sixty days (Revelation 12:1-6). I do believe that at the last trumpet the dead in Christ will be raised

incorruptibility and the saints who will be alive at His coming will put on immortality as the Scriptures say. However, I believe this dream emphasizes the event concerning the manifestation of the sons of God and not the coming of the Lord. What is the difference? The sons of God have grown into a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ and were caught up to heaven, just like Enoch (without the law) and Elijah (under the law) that were types of this glorious fulfillment. The last trumpet event will be the bodily glorification of the dead in Christ and the saints that will be alive at His coming regardless of their maturity status in Christ. I believe this is two strikingly different events. This dream is about the manifestation of the sons of God that the apostles Paul and John spoke off; otherwise this dream is not making sense to me. This dream was so vivid that I thought it really happened. Outside the house symbolizes to live your life away from yourself. He who finds his life [in the house] will lose it, and he who loses his life [outside of the house] for My sake will find it (Matthew 10:39). Outside the city means to suffer with Christ outside the gates of the Traditional Church. It was the Traditional Religion of Christs day that persecuted Him and finally killed Him. It is not different in our day as it is written, "A servant is not greater than His master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also (John 15:20). Those blessed ones that shone like polished gold are those whose faith was fully tried and tested through Gods fire. These are the ones who grew most in love; being conformed to the image of Christ. Unless you grow in divine love there is no trace of spiritual growth. The only way to mature more into the image of Christ is to become

more like Him. That is the only indicator and confirmation. They were very few in number. As I understand the Scriptures, the sons of God, one hundred and forty four thousand saints, will be caught up to God and His throne. Whether this number is a symbolic number or a literal number I do not know. To the contrary at Christs appearance, at the shout of an archangel, hundreds of millions of saints will be united with Christ in glory. This is why I have said that this dream will not make sense if it is about the coming of Christ at the last trumpet. The number of people being caught up to God and His throne in this dream were few in number and not the hundreds of millions when Christ will come for his bride. Confusion exists because many believe there will only be one event. I do care that many saints believe in the PreTribulation Rapture Theory because they do not prepare for future persecution when Christ will judge His Church. The days of trouble ahead will be for many a spiritual Pearl Harbor; they will be sitting ducks. The Chinese Church believed in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theory and because of their error was unprepared when Mao Tse Tungs Red Guards started to relentlessly persecuted her. A Bishop from China sadly said, "We have failed. We should have made the people strong for persecution, rather than telling them Jesus would come first. Tell the people how to be strong in the time of persecution, how to stand when the tribulation comes; to stand and not faint. Someone said, "In America, the churches sing, Let the congregation escape tribulation, but in China and Africa the tribulation has already arrived. The tribulation is Christs judgment on the Church to prepare her for Himself, a bride without spot or wrinkle. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:32).

I saw them afar off and they appeared like small shining golden bars lifting-off into the dark sky of the night ascending higher and higher. They were the only glittering objects, the only light in the pitch black sky of the night. You cannot earn it. You have to trust God for it and then be strictly obedient to His leading. Unless you die to self, Christ will not mature in you. What seems to be impossible with man is possible with God. I was utterly disappointed because I was not counted worthy to be among the ascending ones. I knew I was not ready and God in His righteousness had treated me justly. I was not caught up with the matured saints because I have never discovered the secret to constantly abide in the presence of God in spite of daily trouble. This abiding heavenly atmosphere is essential for maturing in Christ. How will we do it? The same way the apostles did it? But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4). It is first prayer and then living in the word to be ready in and out of season to minister the word, not vice versa. The house of the Lord is primarily a place of prayer and then the ministry of the word. God is love and everything He is doing for you is because He loves you. The more you expose yourself to Him the more His love is transforming you. In this manner He is opening a way for Himself to the secret chambers of your heart and from there changes your attitude; in this way He turns you inside out. He opens you up for His Spirit that you in the course of your daily life progressively live more with Him. The purpose of life is to love Him more than yourself and to love yourself only for His sake. A true intimate life with God is imbedded in the spirit of contemplation. It is a prolonged prayer that does not just exist out of talking to God but also move on into the open freedom of the Spirit

where words and thoughts make place for an awareness of His awesome presence. It is where childlike faith changes into a deep rest in God and you without effort are humble in His presence. It is a place where you are stripped of all pretence, having nothing to offer the Lord but pure faith. It is a place where you are naked before the Lord and exposed to Him, where He, in His infinite love for you, is changing you. If you want to minister the word you need to study it and meditate on it beforehand. You must read and meditate on the word until the word lives in you. Why should you meditate on the word? The Holy Spirit mostly uses revelation from Scripture to reveal the nature and power of God and of Christ to your heart. While it is still day prepare yourselves to mature into the image of the Word of God. Now is the time for preparation. When the night fall and it is time for war it may be too late then to become an able warrior. To become an able warrior of God and of Christ you need to put on the full armor of God, which is the full image of Christ. There is no time to waste. Seven Steps how I meditate on the Word of God How do you meditate on the Scriptures? I guess some of you know how to do it. Stay with what is working for you. There is different ways that suit different people. I can only tell you how I am doing it. I normally meditate on the word, any place, any time. When my spirit is open to God, the Holy Spirit reveals Gods will in any area of my life, any time and any place as He wishes. It helps if my body is fresh and my mind and spirit are alert. Meditating on the word while busy with other things is a very informal way of meditating on the Word or any other matter. The problem with it is that I forget divine impressions coming to me easily. So I have a small little book that fits my shirt pocket and a pen

to record any key words and verses of Scripture coming to my mind. I also use a formal approach. I choose the early morning hours when my body is fresh and my mind and spirit are bright and this time of the day is distraction free for me. Early morning hours are not a hard and fast rule. You must find a time that suits you best. Firstly, I need to be physically comfortable. I will take a shower, put on comfortable clothing and have a glass of cold water. I do not like any bodily distractions when I am focusing on the Lord. I will fetch my Bible my note book and a pen. I love to sit down on my big chair in my family room. I need to be comfortable and distraction free. Secondly, I also need to be spiritually comfortable. My spirit needs to be open to God. When I am focused on the Lord I get relaxed in my inner-man and silent in my spirit. When I remember You [focus on Christ] on my bed [place of rest], I meditate on You in the night watches [time of silence] (Psalm 63:6). There is more to reading and meditating on Scripture than you think. Your spirit needs to be open to the Holy Spirit when you search for a revelation of Christ in Scripture. Meditation in Scripture is only worthwhile if Christ is the beginning and end of your search. The only objective to meditate on the Word of God is to conform to His glorious image. The purpose of our lives is to be partakers of Christ sufferings, to be conformed to His death in hope to attain to His resurrection from the dead. This is to be bodily clothed with the glorious light of His Word to the glory of God our Father. After waking up from sleep my love for the Lord makes my heart to focus on Him. I am in a habit of

practicing His presence even while I am busy with other activities. When I am at peace I will pray for about 20 minutes before I open the Scriptures. I will pray both with my understanding and also in the Spirit. I will ask the Lord to reveal Himself to me so that He may be manifested in me. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). It is difficult to open your spirit to God if you are not obedient to the truth and disciplined in the faith. It is a matter of willingness, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. When the Lord looks at you He is not seeking perfection in you but faith. As long as there is a basic hunger for the truth in your heart and a willingness to do the will of God, you please Him. If you are faithful with little things He will give you charge over more. Humility, which is utter dependence on God, results in sincere obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Obedience to the Truth is the basis for an open spirit toward God. It is neither legalism nor sloppiness but disciplined faith. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier (2 Timothy 2:4). Thirdly, you need to focus on the word of God, which is the object of your meditation. You need to be part of the story in Scripture. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things (Philippians 4:8). You may say you do not know which passage to choose. It is wise to stay in the flow of the word that is coming in your church and also a good habit to make notes of the sermons. Choose some of

those verses of Scripture to read. Alternatively choose a passage of Scripture that is relevant to what the Lord is speaking to your own heart. Some people may be on a course reading through the Bible. Never take too big a passage of Scripture to read. Just take big enough passage that you can handle otherwise you may grow weary and loose interest. It is like eating too much food. If you eat too much, a great deal of the nutritional stuff does not get absorbed into your system. Normally when I have chosen the passage of Scripture, I will read one time through the whole event or chapter to obtain the background of the passage of Scripture that I want to meditate on. Then I will read the passage of Scripture prayerfully, visualizing the story in my imagination until I see it clearly. Remember, though this may be intense you need to remain relaxed in your body and be peaceful in your heart. It is suppose to be a fun exercise. I will do it for a second time seeing myself as part of the mental picture. This time I am trying to feel what the Bible characters felt and experience what they have experienced to get into the spirit of the event. To master this technique it will take some people longer than others. Techniques normally require practice to master it. and exercise yourself toward godliness (1Timothy 4:7b). The flesh will war against your spirit but if your focus is on the Lord your spirit will be refreshed. When it has become a healthy habit, everything will fall into place. It is fun to spent time with the Lord. Remember it is the best investment you can make. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21).

It is important to look unto Jesus when you meditate or visualizing. It is like discussing the word with Him but without using words. When your meditation is filled with the Word and the Spirit then it is Spirit and Life. If it is void of the Holy Spirit it is as dead as a body without the spirit, in other words, as worthless as a corpse. The letter kills but the Spirit makes alive. Your focus on the Lord and the word shows faith in God. Fourthly, ask the Lord to explain to you the mysteries and riddles in Scripture. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter (Proverbs 25:2). The Lord sometimes, but seldom, answers you immediately. Normally it takes time to find the answer. So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him, time that he might tell the king the interpretation (Daniel 2:22). It is the Lords way of drawing you into a relationship with Him, to teach you to trust Him and to love Him regardless of delays. The Holy Spirit normally gives you an unfolding revelation of the will of God. So in recording your revelation you can discover after a week or longer what the Lords will is for your life or you may discover what the Lord is working out in your life. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little (Isaiah 28:10). Revelation and especially illumination from Scripture is often like the flow of a river; a whole sermon can come from a few scriptures. However, when the Lord speaks to me while I am waiting on Him (prayer of listening) He normally speaks to me in one or a few short phrases, very short and to the point. Because your spirit is open to God while you are meditating on the word, the Lord may speak to you also concerning personal matters. Often it cannot be verified in Scripture and you may not receive

conformation of it. Time alone can prove if it was a word from God or not. Fifthly, record your impressions. Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it (Habakkuk 2:2). The impressions that you have recorded should agree with the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit and the Word is one and shall never disagree. Sixthly, sift, sort and evaluate your impressions. After you have recorded the impressions that came to you, you must sift sort and evaluate it to discern between carnal input and what was from the Holy Spirit. I normally go through this exercise over and over. As these impressions are recorded, it leaves you with the opportunity to come back to it as often as you want. Do not hurry; this takes time and patience. I am using a word processing program to update my devotional journal because it makes it easy for me to chop and change. Of cause you will make mistakes. How else will you learn? You need to practice to discern if your meditation is from the Holy Spirit or from your own heart. If you are scared to make mistakes and do nothing about it you will never learn the voice of the Lord. If you are faithful to seek the Lord in all your ways you will come to know His voice. I will give you an example of how I do it. I am writing revelation down and develop them into short articles. I change or rewrite my articles all the time as a result of new revelation and personal growth in my relationship with the Lord. Stagnancy is death but the Spirit of God is alive, vibrant and is always moving. Lastly, take responsibility for what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you. Visualize the answer over and over. Meditate on the answer and pray it through until its fulfillment. As long as you seek Gods

wisdom and understanding to do His will, He will let you prosper in all areas of your life. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper (2 Chronicles 26:5). When the Holy Spirit reveals to you the mind of the Lord, visualize the message, over and over and pray accordingly. Revelation is normally for prayer and ministering the word. The chief objective of the ministry whether prayer or the ministry of the word is always to see Christ formed in you. My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you (Galatians 4:19). Christ in us is the only hope of glory the Father has given us. It is a vision of glory, the hope to conform to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Why am I doing it this way? I have prayed for people using my imagination and the Lord has answered many of those prayers. Is it scriptural correct? I believe it is. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has done this deed (1 Corinthians 5:3, emphasis added). If you can judge people in this way, you can also bless people in this way. Please, do not judge others lest you be judged. Remember when you bless someone learn to use the force of your spirit. As the Lord is one Spirit with you, His life-force is manifested when you project your spirit. Be assured the Lord does anoint sanctified imagination. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and Redeemer (Psalm 19:14, emphasis added). Waiting on the Lord and meditating on the word techniques can also be used for problem solving and inventions. It is wise to know the Lord in all

your endeavors. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:6). Remember to stay with the current flow of the word, which creates an atmosphere for revival, prophecy, signs and wonders. God took me into the future to witness His reign on earth. When I saw these things, I asked the Lord when this would happen and He said, When My Spirit will flow these things will come into existence. It will happen through My Spirit and through My Word.