Dream: A Terrible and Awesome Harvest

Behold, there was a great multitude... a mass of people, excited and in awe as they were running like a roaring sea towards what appeared to be a large stage off in the distance.  I was standing among the the rush in wonder trying to ask the people WHAT was going on.  Finally I spotted a very dear loved one and I asked her, "What is going on?" and she answered with much excitement "HE is about to speak!!"

Because I was facing the direction in which the masses were running from, my eyes could see behind them... and there I saw a great red tornado.  No one seemed to have a clue what was looming behind them and I was filled with a terror and wonder.  Why was everyone oblivious???  What was this massive red tornado?  Its span was enormous covering miles and yet everyone seemed distracted by WHOEVER was about to "speak" down towards a valley.

Suddenly I was propelling towards the red tornado from above (as only one can do in a dream... so cool) and behold, I looked down to the ground and saw what I thought were five ravenous combines devouring the earth.  Their chaff flying out behind was red as blood and the wind caused by these massive combines was causing the red chaff to twist, twirl and swirl upwards giving the appearance of a red tornado.

Each combine appeared to have its own designated colour, which I am no longer remembering, but they advanced ferociously in a V-formation... one side being shorter than the other.

In the distance, I saw Duane, on a land appearing to be his but not his... rocky, treed and water running through it... a land for livestock.  I tried yelling to him in warning but he seemed unafraid although unaware, and did not hear.

I had this dream a few years ago before I started truly delving into scripture.  When I had awoken from this dream, I told it to Duane and asked him if the world now had only five major grain companies controlling the food industry.  He didn't know but a little research lead us to a book called "Merchants of Grain: The Power and Profits of the Five Giant Companies at the Center of the World's Food Supply" by Dan Morgan.

Well, could that be it?

Still, something felt unsettled about the dream and it seemed more than just a question of what I had eaten the night before!

A year later, while delving more diligently into scripture and our Torah Portions, we read about the mass Exodus from Egypt... the first Passover story... the very framework of our salvation God would provide thousands of years later... and the framework of end time prophecy.  But I digress...

As we were reading aloud together (as we take turns reading the portions each Sabbath), we read about God being among the Israelites as a pillar of smoke by day... and... get this... a pillar of FIRE by night!  A pillar of fire?!  Wouldn't that have the appearance of a red tornado?!  I gasped, my jaw dropped, and I looked at Duane.  This was a huge motivator to seek beyond a literal harvest and grain companies!

Further readings about end time prophecies seemed to speak of putting in the "sickle" to collect the harvest... and that the wicked (disobedient, unfaithful) will be like "chaff."

Gulp!

I have wanted to write down the dream BEFORE doing a word search on "chaff" specifically in my bible software... otherwise the brain seems to want to bend details to match what is read.  So for integrity's sake, just now, here are the pertinent verses I have found:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.  The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.  (Psalms 1:1-6)

O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.  As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze, so may you pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane!  Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O Lord.  Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, that they may know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.  (Psalms 83:13-18)

Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea!  Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!  The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm.  At evening time, behold, terror!  Before morning, they are no more.  (Isaiah 17:12-14)

But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff.  And in an instant, suddenly, you will be visited by the Lord of hosts with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.  (Isaiah 29:5-6)

Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation, before the decree takes effect—before the day passes away like chaff— before there comes upon you the burning anger of the Lord, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the Lord.  Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.  For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted.  (Zephaniah 2:1-4)

The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law- breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  (Matthew 13:39-43) 

My dear ones, I would love to write to you about happy, fluffy feelings... of masses holding hands and singing Kumbaya... but I fear that this is a time and age more than ever where we are to reject teachings and doctrines that "tickle" our ears and cling to the healing wounds of a double-edged sword, called Truth, which is the Word of God.  There is a sense of urgency on my heart, whether right or wrong, that makes me grateful God has prepared me to be untouched by ridicule... for this is not an easy task... but there is a call to repentance at hand.

I think everyone knows it.  Everyone can feel something impending.  There is a storm brewing in the distance and I love God's creation too much to care more about whether or not I sound crazy than to reach out in love and hope that a genuine inclining of the ear will begin... a stirring in the heart will cause a seeking... a crying out of our souls will begin... and it will be heard from on high.

So if you are willing to hear, willing to endure the refinement of godly chastisement through His everlasting Word, to resist the temptation to turn away and give in to what tickles the ears, then please persevere with me as I let go of my desire to blog only about family moments and embrace my greater love, which is to magnify His Holy Name.  I promise you, if you choose to endure, the greatest treasure awaits you!  I can promise this, because God promises this.  And I pray that this non-posteducated stay-at-home mother of six can be a vessel made ready by the Potter's hands.

The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.  (Psalms 119:130) 

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.  (Proverbs 8:17)

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.  (Psalms 19:7) 

 "... if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.  For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.  Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul."  (Proverbs 2:1-10)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting... (James 1:5-6) 

I pray I can be a living testimony to the fulfillment of these promises... or better yet, that YOU will be!  I love you all very much.

Butterflies, Dreams/Prophesies and Deuteronomy 13

Shabbat Shalom (peaceful sabbath) to all of you out there!

I am emerging from a spiritual cave, if you will, and greeting the sun on my face (despite a current thunderstorm outside) with a renewed peace.  These last few years, nearly ever free moment of my time has been spent with my nose in scripture, seeking understanding and discernment in accordance with the Word of God... eager in my expectation that He would grant me wisdom because I have asked believing fully He will deliver.

But my timing is certainly not God's timing!  However, I am learning that His timing is far more gracious than even my imagination could fathom.

Patience and diligence are becoming all-too-familiar words of "reassurance"... sometimes met with annoyance and other times met with humility.  But the journey is one leaving me deeper and deeper in love with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... the one and only everlasting God who is steadfast in His love, slow to anger, merciful and just in all His judgments.  And to Him belongs all glory, forever and ever.  Amen.

So why the cave?  Perhaps cocoon is a better description.  I am undergoing a transformation, if you will, as I let the Word refine, rebuke, reshape all that I once believed was Truth.  My old self has experienced a death as God revealed to me where I had elevated my own definition of Truth above His universal one for all peoples for all time.  I thought my understanding of Love was truth but He is showing me how HE defines love... and it is drastically different than what my own understanding had perceived.  To my horror, it left me empty before the question "do I LOVE God?"

No matter how well-intentioned I thought my heart was, I have been deeply humbled by a veil being lifted by the grace of God allowing my eyes to see the god I placed before Him... my own understanding.

"Trust in the Lord your God with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."  (Proverbs 3:5)

As I have been transforming, my natural desire has been to share all revealed knowledge with anyone and everyone... whether they asked or not!  "Look!  Look!  Look!  Behold the manna of life!  It will humble you to the point of dying to one's self but see the life it gives!!  Repent!  Repent!  For we risk worshipping in vain!!"

Hmmmm, can you imagine how well THAT message feels to loved ones who never asked for it?  Before I realized it, I was becoming a sledge-hammer whacking anyone near me with a sword of truth I thought would shed light and bring life.  After all, isn't that what anyone wants for those they love?  Well, cue in dose of humble pie number one of... well... countless to come.  Sigh.

I was yielding a sword that left me standing in the blood of a spiritual massacre, trusting that God would breathe life back into His people!  But I ran into battle without waiting for Him alone to say "go... I will be your front guard and your rear guard."

I withdrew as I observed loved ones pulling away rather than drawing near.  How is THAT glorifying to God?  His word should burn like a burning bush and cause others to draw near, just as Moses did... not flee in the opposite direction!  But by the same token, His truth truly IS a double-edged sword cutting through flesh and marrow and revealing the true intentions of the heart.  If that revelation stings (which it ALWAYS does), not everyone will eagerly declare, "Oh please, sign me up for some spiritual torment!"

But...

God is looking for the humble and contrite and let me testify, nothing in my life has humbled me as the chastisement of His word and revelation of His truth.  It is fearfully beautiful, humbling and glorifying, terrifying and glorious all at once.  It is the deepest hurt and death I have experienced and the greatest joy and life I have encountered.  I don't know how He manages to encompass all of these extremes in one but it sheds light to His truth that He is indeed "the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end."

So I have been cocooned in hopes of emerging a new creation... His new creation... in submission to His everlasting and unchanging word... declaring His word, not by whacking people over the head or yielding His sword carelessly around those who never asked, but by living my life as a living testimony to it.  And should my life burn with His light, then He will stir something in others that will cause them to draw near.  Only then, when a heart wants to know and consequently inquires will I be able to answer to the best of my ability... knowing it will never be by my words that one will see and know but by His grace alone that a seed will germinate and bear fruit for His glory... by His calling alone... just as Jesus alone lifted the veil from his apostles in Luke 24 allowing them to "see" Him in all the scriptures (Torah - books of Moses, Neviim - prophets, and Ketuvim - writings (psalms, proverbs, ecclesiastes and song of solomon).

Having said this, I emerge with the hope to share my journey with a humble heart... praying that no one feels the need to withdraw, run away, or take offence, but rather to simply know it as my testimony for others to do with it as God alone inspires them to do.  I am now ready to share because I no longer feel the need to "prove" or "defend" what I understand as if one little person could make a difference in the big picture, but rather to simply testify to what has always been and will always be, truth.

All of this to say my next few posts will likely be dedicated to sharing this journey.  I have taken Deuteronomy 6 very seriously (the Greatest Commandment) and am devoting my motherhood to teaching my children the word of God.  I will indeed talk about it when I am sitting in my house, when I am walking by the Way, when I lie down and when I rise.  I will keep them as frontlets between my eyes and bind them as a spiritual sign on my hand.  And I will indeed, teach them diligently to my children, too.  That the world may know that the Lord our God is ONE.  Not one God for Israel and one God for Gentiles... nope.  One God.  One righteous rule.  One Shepherd.  One bride.  One faith... united through the blood of a Passover Lamb.  Just as Egyptians left with the multitude of Israelites after the 1st Passover and God addressed this WHOLE mixed multitude as "Israel"... so does He look upon Gentiles grafted in to Israel through the blood of the Passover Lamb whose name is Immanuel.  God has indeed fulfilled the promise spoken through Abraham that "God Himself will provide the lamb."  And just as the Gentile, Ruth, declared "Your God will be my God" so do we who have faith through the blood of Yeshua declare this same redemptive work through the outstretched arm of God.

I have known my whole life that I was living in a precious time.  Prophecy is unfolding before our eyes and I feel privileged to live in such a time as these.  I have had dreams and visions for as long as I can remember.  At age five I shared this with my parents concerning God's will for His creation... "God intended His church to be a place of healing, not of judgement."  Even back then, my heart knew this was not concerning a physical building but rather His dwelling among the people... His ecclesia.

It has been pressing on my heart to share some of these dreams knowing full well there could be nothing to them.  But also knowing that God uses dreams and visions to reveal His will.  However, these visions and dreams MUST align with His word or it fails the Deuteronomy 13 test which states that should a dreamer of dreams or prophet come and these visions come to pass BUT this dreamer of dreams or prophet teaches God's people to move AWAY from His Torah (instructions), then these are FALSE PROPHETS sent by God to test our faithfulness to Him.

So I share some of these dreams praying that someone out there, anointed by God, may shed light on their meaning, should there be any.  Again, perhaps they mean nothing but perhaps they mean something.   I put it out there trusting God will reveal which it is.

With much love in my heart, I leave you with this blessing which reaches deeper than my own prayers for you ever could:

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, 'The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.'  So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them."  (Numbers 6:22-27)