the watchman’s dream on 2022-10-16

The watchman’s dream and 2 Thessalonians 2

Nothing could be more ridiculous. The only good thing about it is that it was only a dream. The watchman was with a small group of people for no particular reasons in a large gated house. There was an alert that the enemy were coming so they had to prepare themselves. There was no indication of who and why and when and from where and how, all the details in a real world that would have mattered were missing. Anyway the group of people did not consist of members of a family. Nor were they related in anyway, social, political, economic, religious, or ideological affiliation of any sort. It was an unfamiliar house and compound. Were they tourists? A decade ago the watchman had dreams of being tourist in similar but different in details dilemma.

Somehow he became the ad hoc leader of the band of people. So he said they had to arm. There were nothing except kitchen ware. Some took a butter knife. Some carried an umbrella. Some a plastic rod or something, hat hanger? The watchman led them to line up with their back facing the gate, which seemed as if the enemy would come from inside the house and they had to be outside and stand against the wall that surrounded the house and yard/garden.

None of the participants seemed to have had any training in using weapon or self defense or martial art or any form of combat. They were women wearing dresses, old men, children, and ordinary tradesmen such as the watchman. Some looked like the watchman’s old classmates from junior school whom he ad not met for over fifty years. The watchman in the dream was a rather senior person with white hair.

The mood was strangely calm and unhurried. No one had any idea what strategy we were to adopt should the enemy come. Butter knives, forks, umbrellas, and the unidentified plastic stuff the watchman and a few others carrying were hardly anything of any value in terms of warfare, if any.

When the watchman woke up it was a great relief. Any story writer would have found this plot too rudimentary to be worthwhile to continue. Yet, It was so real in the dream. It was like a scene out of a future when ordinary people would find themselves the center of a reality plot whether anyone would want to record it or not.

The watchman had not had this kind of dreams or any lucid dream at all for about a decade. Standing with their backs against the wall and knowing that it was ridiculous that they were totally unprepared, the watchman decided to wake up. it was still early but there was no desire to sleep further.

After boiling water with a steel pot the watchman made a mug of strong coffee and sat on the floor to ask a few questions. Above all, “what is the Lord trying to tell me?” A week ago he found his old One Year Bible in a former house, brought it back and started reading it daily. When he opened the day’s reading it was on 2 Thessalonians. So he read.

Here are some verses from the Epistle for the believers:

Chapter one 11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Stand Fast

Chapter two 13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

Pray for Us

Chapter three Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.

3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.

5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

The immediate week before the dream the watchman watched some testimonies given by teachers of faith about how they encountered the presence of God in the Spirit and the reality of the spiritual realm of God. There was a sharing of a book titled, The Spirit of Prophecy: A Portal to the Presence and Power of God. After watching, the watchman thought about his own experience with the gift of prophecy, and the manifestation/application of it years ago. As there were no occasion to use the gift he had put it in the closet. Very occasionally when needed he would use the gifts of the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom.

Is there any interpretation for this dream? For years, he has sought answers directly from the Word. The Word will come in time.

καὶnotes, 2022-10-17

(12-22-15) Watchman’s Christmas dream

This morning I woke at 2:44am from a vivid Christmas end time dream of two parts: the first part shows the end time thief who blatantly comes in to steal, kill and destroy, even by cheating and lying to the face. It happened in a shopping scenario.  The 'cheaters' were from within the salesmen of the shop concerned. The second part shows how in the end times the 'thieves' (in the form of militant) blatantly distorts the Bible and imposes threat and violent force on those who want to hold fast to The Truth about Jesus. This happened in a 'Christian' indoor 'camp' or a gathering place. The uniformed 'law' enforcer of the 'camp' came in to arrest those who refused to wear a t-shirt bearing the distorted proclamation. (Jesus' warning in John 10:10 about the enemy who came like thieves was enacted in the dream in two modern scenes).

 I woke reviewing who we really are as believers of Jesus Christ. What are our real positions? What can we claim for ourselves according to the Bible? I pondered, refreshed my memory, and repeated aloud the following list in my heart before I finally got up from the bed. Here is the list:

I BELIEVE JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD. I HAVE LIFE IN HIS NAME
^"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:" (John 1:12 NKJV) "but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." (John 20:31 NKJV)
"And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:34 NKJV)
MY REAL LIFE IS IN JESUS, THE SON OF GOD. Jesus lives in me. The Holy Spirit dwells in me. His word abides in me.
I am born of God, the Holy Spirit.  ⁵ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:5 NKJV)
Jesus is the Son of God. I live by the faith of Jesus Himself. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 KJV)
My real life is in Jesus Christ (in God). I am in Christ.“For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3 TLB) “And when Christ who is our real life comes back again, you will shine with him and share in all his glories.” (Colossians 3:4 GNT).
Jesus is the vine and I am a branch. I abide in Jesus. (“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." John 15:5 NKJV)
I am the righteousness if God in Christ."God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)
I AM OF GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVES IN ME
God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit live in me.
I do the will of God by believing in Jesus, the Son of God. I belong to the family of God. I am one of the children of God. Jesus said, “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35 NIV). “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)
Because I belong to God, I have the Holy Spirit in me and have overcome the spiritual wickedness of the world. “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4 NKJV)
I HAVE THE LOVE OF GOD IN ME. I AM LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TO LIVE LIKE JESUS
Because God loves me so He has given me the status of a ‘child of God.’ “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” (1 John 3:1 NKJV).
I am led by the Holy Spirit. I am a child of God. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14 KJV)
As Jesus is, so are we in this world- living like Jesus.“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17 NKJV)
“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.” (1 John 5:10 NKJV) I am born of God.
JESUS CHRIST HAS MADE ME AN OVERCOMER. I CAN LIVE BY FAITH, BELIEVING IN THE WORD OF GOD
Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil. “The one persisting in sin belongs to the diabolical one, who has been all about sin from the beginning. That is why the Son of God came into our world: to destroy the plague of destruction inflicted on the world by the diabolical one.” (1 John 3:8 The Voice)
I overcome the world by faith. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 John 5:4 NKJV)
I have Jesus as my protection from the evil one. “We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.” (1 John 5:18 NLT)
I CHOOSE TO AND CAN LIVE THE SUPER-ABUNDANT VICTORIOUS (FREE FROM THE BONDAGE OF SIN AND DESTRUCTION) LIFE THAT JESUS HAS GIVEN ME, BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN ME
"12 So, my brothers and sisters, you owe the flesh nothing! You do not need to live according to its ways, so abandon its oppressive regime. 13 For if your life is just about satisfying the impulses of your sinful nature, then prepare to die. But if you have invited the Spirit to destroy these selfish desires, you will experience life. 14 If the Spirit of God is leading you, then take comfort in knowing you are His children. 15 You see, you have not received a spirit that returns you to slavery, so you have nothing to fear. The Spirit you have received adopts you and welcomes you into God’s own family. That’s why we call out to Him, “Abba! Father!” as we would address a loving daddy." (Romans 8:12-15 The Voice)
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Scripture quotations are taken from the following:
King James Version (KJV) by Public Domain
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Voice™. Copyright © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Why did God call him "Greatly Beloved"? Wisdom for end times

Lifestyle is the sum total of who we are inside and our attitude toward life. Let us read Daniel today, my spirit cries out. What makes Daniel different and worthy as an individual to be so well recorded in heaven and written with such great length in the Bible? What does God say of Daniel? Why is he considered so special and highly respected and honored by even the powerful pagan kings? What is the key success factor word if we have only one sentence or one word to describe him? I shall try to summarize the book of Daniel to answer these questions.

The physical Daniel: a noble (royal family) young man taken hostage from Jerusalem in 605 BC to the Babylonian court. He qualified for the pagan king’s requirement: an Israelite from the royal family and nobility-young man without any physical defects, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well-informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. The Babylonian king considered Daniel as a person with insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom, ten times better than his counselors (all the magicians and enchanters) in his whole kingdom. (Daniel was taken hostage probably in his teen, and subsequently lived through the captivity period 605-530 BC in the courts of the Babylonian kings and the Medes and Persian kings respectively.)

The spiritual Daniel: He knew his God. All his actions were persistently and consistently based on this reality of a living God in his personal total life (inside and outside). He described God as “the Lord my God”. He addressed God as: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” He knew God as absolutely holy. Therefore he resolved not to defile himself with the spiritually ‘unclean’ (including pagan food, drink, idolatry religious practices and rituals). He knew God as awesome and the only God for him. Therefore he remained calm and composed despite threats of his life. He remained faithful and loyal to his God. He knew God’s spiritual reality. Therefore he could understand visions and dreams of all kind. He could even ask God to reveal mysteries (beyond the human realm) to him, about things to come.

For example: He even knew the details of a dream of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and correctly interpret them The king heard and fell on his face and prostrate before Daniel and declared that Daniel’s God is “the God of gods, the Lord of kings.” The queen mother described Daniel to her son King Belshazzar that Daniel was a man “in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. Light and understanding and excellent wisdom were found in him.”

The Daniel as a role model of an overcomer: He knew God. He testified for God. He was not afraid of death because of his testimony and faith in the living God.
What does God say about Daniel? From the conversations and messages the angel (Gabriel) held with Daniel, we know that Daniel was a man greatly beloved of God, and from the first day he set his heart to understand God’s mystery, God heard his words (prayers), replied, granted his requests. God even sent His mighty angel in reply. God also saved and preserved Daniel from harm. Daniel lived to a ripe old age before the living God.

Daniel’s spiritual, godly and prayerful lifestyle was entirely based on his lifelong unwavering belief in the living God and attitude toward God. Indeed, he has the Spirit of the Holy God in him.
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“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14)
The Time of the End
“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who lead many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” (Daniel 12:2-3)

Spiritual traveler’s notes : two dreams

The traveler Ying had two dreams. In the first he was with a group of fellow travelers packed tightly standing on a low oval shaped oak coffee table. They were trying to balance hard not to fall off. Aliens with laser guns were shooting and killing all who were not on the table.

In the second dream he was running with a group of fellow travelers with Cyclopes chasing them to kill them. Many ran ahead and he and his group knew they could not outrun the Cyclopes so they found a tiny space hidden behind some mountain rocks and hid there. It was a dead end. They could hear the Cyclopes running pass in pursuit of those who had run ahead. He knew the Cyclopes would turn back to search them out when they discovered that this group was missing from their targets. So he climbed on top of a brand new metal filing cabinet and looked for a way out. He saw a space with light at the other end in between two cliffs so narrow that only one individual could squeeze through side way one at a time. Then he woke in cold sweat.

He was a mere individual seeking divine direction to live this end times period. He never expected to face this kind of adventure with a group of strangers as if they were in a science fiction movie. Yet it’s real at this point of time when he woke and found himself still flying high in the rope carriage on two eagles’ wings.

What will all these come to? He asked himself. Will he ever return to his own comfort zone again? No one answered his thoughts.

He knew the dreams meant the assumed safety zone for many travelers were not real. They were crumbling down. The enemies were everywhere pursuing and the travelers were running as though they were helpless. How could this be? They were trained and given authority in the spirit and the power of the King’s name.

Yet they were running and hiding. The former secure private abodes and public gathering ‘clubs’ no longer afforded any shelter.

Each individual had to launch out and face the enemy head on. He thought.

He felt a pang of pain for some of his closer ones. But he soon found solace in the thought that time was still available on this planet. All was not lost yet.

He made a commitment that when he returned to his own place he would seek them out and help them to rise above the filing cabinet!

Meanwhile, the eagles continued to soar and they were climbing.

Isaiah 21:5

Prepare the table, Set a watchman in the tower, Eat and drink. Arise, you princes, Anoint the shield!