Now and then I have a dream that seems to speak of what is going on in the wider world in relation to the Kingdom of God. This one I write about here seems to be one of those.
I was working on the land as an agricultural worker. It was on a big farm complex. I was dealing with some machinery. There was other activity going on around me with other workers busy working on different tasks.
(Possibly the same dream or an expanded one of the above):
I was approached by a guy (let’s call him the owner) who had a large tanker like lorry who wanted me to keep an eye on it whilst he attended to some other business. He gave me some instructions what to do if such and such happened. I began to fill it up with petrol on one of the lower parts of it and then noticed there were two or three other ports for different fuel types on the vehicle. I went to ask him if I was filling up the correct one.
He had been intercepted by a guy who needed to do vehicle checks. The same guy came over whilst I was there and was asking me some questions in regards to the vehicle. I wasn’t able to answer them and referred him to the owner.
I left them to it and wondered around the service area. The owner’s wife was there having a meal and she invited me to her house whilst her husband attended to his business.
There had been some travel before this point and I was weary and making my own investigations.
I found her house and she let me in to the large vestibule and was showing me some of the features when her husband returned home. I let him in the door but had to remove a blockage, a large comfy brown chair (like our green one).
He came in and went off to sort some things. She explained about the business and I said that I knew someone in a similar line of work. He came back with two guys who seemed foreign. The first one he introduced me to reminded me of a prophet who has passed away called John Paul Jackson and the other a shorter guy who was very shiny and smiley. He reminded me of another prophet called Tracey Cooke. They were really smartly dressed in suits but they held brooms. I thought they were servants. I greeted the first guy but was a little reticent with the second. I then noticed they were both bare foot! I didn’t see them again.
I was then shown more of the house. Initially I had thought it was just an ordinary small cottage or terrace house when I arrived at the front but it turned out to be a really grand country house. Some kind of palace. I stepped out of the front and looked back at it. I realised I knew the place. I had seen it from the road before. It was a familiar stately home. It was amazing!
Something about the woman set me on edge though. I wasn’t entirely comfortable in her presence.
In the next scene I was looking into a courtyard. The businessman owned a special rifle. (This is where the dream turns in emotion). I am looking down into the courtyard and some activity is taking place with some people who leave the gun with someone. Suddenly it became impossible to get at the gun as the gates shut restricting the area into it. I look up to the opposite window overlooking the gun and it turns dark as something drops over the windows on the other side. The dark turns out to be a giant red flag with the Nazi symbol of a swastika on it! I awaken.
Now am I conjuring this up with my mind from things that I think or is this genuinely The Lord speaking through this? Or both? Somewhat of a dilemma. Too much modern thinking? See understanding the dreaming process
This dream has a mixture of some people and places. They are not familiar in one sense but they are in others. Although there wasn’t a strong sense of warning about it some parts of the dream made me uncomfortable.
As I wrote out the dream I had sense that the woman was the church and the owner or the businessman was The Father or The Lord. I think the whole dream may be to do with Kingdom business.
The Nazi flag symbolises the system of the world, like Babylon represents in the Bible. I’ve had this kind of symbol before, it comes in different forms in my dreams. (See Freedom dream for example)
After having the dream I pondered its meaning and was a little disturbed by the imagery at the end of the dream as it wasn’t a positive ending. As they talked about the word apocalypse on the Bible Project Podcast it occurred to me that the Nazi flag has a double meaning here in the dream.
When we think of the word apocalypse in our culture we think of various scenarios taking place (listen to the podcast to hear some of these). Scenarios like end of the world kind of scenarios, big brother, big corporations, one system, one world type thinking.
My initial thought about the Nazi flag was that it related to the system of the world. It is symbolic of something that happened during and before world war II of a system a form of politics that had at its core control and subjugation led by one powerful figure.
The symbol used in the dream is representing an apocalypse of the kind I’ve just mentioned also the kind of apocalypse the Bible Project guys talk about. It is revealing something, showing something, telling of things unseen. The Bible at its end has a book called Revelation. This book is an unveiling, an uncovering of what God is doing.
I think the gun referenced in the dream could be a double meaning too. Here I relate it to the word of God. This gun could be a reference to the book which holds God’s words to us The Bible. It is a book that has been valued down through the centuries. The words in it have been distorted and put under restrictions but it has never been fully restrained. The reason why I think the gun may be the word of God is that it’s a weapon that is like the sword of the spirit it gets to the point.
It is more likely that the gun relates to destruction and that idea fits better with the Nazi flag idea. Apoleia is the Greek word for destruction, ruin or loss. The word can also mean waste. This Greek word was also used when Mary poured out the oil over Jesus’ feet and the disciples said: Why all this apoleia?
Another derivation or similar Greek word is translated lost below.
John 17:12 (CSB): ‘”While I was with them, I was protecting them by your name that you have given me. I guarded them and not one of them is lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture may be fulfilled”‘.
So the other meaning in regards to the Nazi flag is that the system is old, dated or lost. It is in other words history, especially in the light of The Kingdom!
The gun in the dream is outside the wall or gate of the stately home. The gate or the city wall represent, the new Jerusalem, the bride. The system that is not God’s Kingdom is outside! Everything outside was shut off from the house – the church. Separation came across strongly in this part of the dream! Separation from the family of God.
Two references came to me in regards to this part of the dream. One in Rev 22.15 and the other refers to the broad way that leads to destruction:
Matthew 7:13–14 (CSB): ‘”Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it”‘.
The outer structure of the courtyard is separated from the stately home by the shutting of gates. Death is symbolised by the gun and the Nazi flag contrasts to the place of security and life; the stately home, which is where the Citizens of heaven dwell.
Prior to the Nazi flag in the dream were two prophets. Not until writing this out do I realise that significance. John in Revelation writes about the two witnesses and the theme is carried throughout scripture. The two prophets who are smartly dressed have the official clothes on of working for The Businessman. They take what they do seriously and are formally recognised. Yet at the same time they are servants of the Master (The Businessman). They are barefoot representing humility in what they do and their walk with servant hearts. They are ready to clean up for the Master.
Whilst watching another Bible Project video I recognised the role of the witnesses throughout scripture. These two witnesses represent bearing witness to who Jesus is and the role that the church has of declaring the gospel to the nation’s in turning them back to God. (See Witnesses and latter part of Revelation 1-11)
The fact that I was suspicious about the wife of the businessman (the church) reflects something of my thinking out of sleep state. The church has had many influences from culture and the world around it and the people of God have not been in a place of unity. We do need to guard our hearts towards being suspicious of one another and of other churches. We need to be discerning and we need to be loving to other branches or streams of the church. We also need to guard our hearts from worldly influences as well. Maybe take note again of what the book of Revelation says in regards to each of the churches in chapters 2 and 3.
There’s also that sense again of moving out of our comfort zones. Allowing the Lord to work on us by surrendering to him. Removing things that hinder our walk with God. I had to remove the comfy seat to get by into the rest of the building.
The tanker in the earlier part of the dream represents my body which is not my own it was bought with a price.
‘Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.’
1 Corinthians 6.20
I have to look after my body. It is material and contains an immaterial part, soul and spirit I will have to account for what I do with my body as all of us will. Best to ask The Master’s advice on what that is and be obedient to him.
Two things are going on with the man who was assessing the vehicle. He is behaving how I can be in life. He is over analysing a situation. He is being critical of the body. Critical of his own body and of that which is the body of Christ. In the dream the tanker is my body which is being filled up with the Spirit of God. I believe it is also representative of the wider body. The body of Christ. The man analyses the tanker, the body as a whole, and what goes on there and takes the assessment to The Master who has the final say about the body.
The initial scene of the dream takes place in a fuelling station which to my mind is another symbol of the church and how we need to be refuelled regularly. The church is a place where we can get refreshed and grow in our faith. The church is both inward looking and outward looking.
This time with Corvid-19 has probably highlighted for all of us that we are dependent on God and we need to find our strength in Him. Many churches are offering services to their people and many are watching who have not had church connection. This is happening like never before and they are being fuelled up.
There is some more I could get from this dream but for now this is what I see. Maybe there is something of yourself you see in this too. There is something in a dream which calls out to those parts of us deep down which need to be brought out into the open before the Lord. This is part of his sanctifying work.