Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.
HEBREWS 1:1–3
Still marveling over the revelation that we are lovingly and joyfully shepherded through life by Jesus, I finally removed my 3-D glasses. As I laid them on the table, several sharp barks interrupted my thoughts. All three dogs were huddled around the back door, scratching and whining to be let inside. How odd, I thought, it is such a nice day outside. The pups were quite insistent, so I gathered up the 3-D glasses and hurried over to let them into the house.
Stepping back out onto the porch, I sensed strangeness in the air. It was still nice out, but there was an oppressive feeling that hadn’t been there a few minutes before. Hmmm, I thought. Maybe it is some atmospheric thing that dogs can sense and humans cannot. I walked back over to the garden to join Margaret, and as I sat down in my chair, I was stunned to see that a miraculous change had taken place in my angel friend’s appearance. Her entire being was radiating a glow of light, forming a halo all around her. The color of her gown had taken on a decidedly shimmering silver hue, and a huge silver shield now rested at her side against her chair. Light continued to radiate from her eyes, making those merry blues look somewhat fierce in their intensity. My sweet, funny Margaret was now appearing to me as the guardian in guardian angel!
She rose from her chair, and I noticed she had become significantly taller. I did not speak because I knew she was gearing up to say something important. I was too overwhelmed by what I was witnessing to say anything coherent anyway.
“Jennifer, in your life’s journey with our Lord, you have learned a great deal about listening to him and that his messages may take time to understand. The Word of God speaks to us where we are, and he teaches us as we are ready to receive. And now our Father has deemed you ready for some messages of great importance.”
Just as she finished speaking, a strong breeze suddenly picked its way through the tree branches above. Clouds began to swirl overhead in a darkening sky. The breeze increased until it was no longer a breeze but a steady wind picking up leaves and sending them skittering around the yard and across the patio. Startled birds took flight and went in search of the protection of a nest or secure tree branch. At first I thought this might be another approaching summer storm, but when I looked up at the dark clouds racing above our heads, I knew that was not the case. I had never seen anything like this. The air turned chilly, and I saw dark shapes flitting in and out of the swirling mass above. The sense of oppression grew heavy, and I began to feel afraid.
Margaret reached out and took my hand in hers. Immediately, the fear and sense of oppression I was experiencing vanished. And, oddly, Margaret and I were completely unaffected by the wind. It was as if we were enclosed in a safe cocoon. Uh-oh, I thought, here comes another one of those serious heavenly angel moments!
Her voice was now much louder and commanding. “Jennifer, I want you to stay seated so that you will remain within our protective cover,” she instructed. Our protective cover? I covertly tried to peer around me, wondering if there was something or someone else I was not seeing but, of course, I saw nothing. Margaret continued. “The next two dreams we are going to explore were powerful and a bit frightening, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes, they were,” I answered, my heart beginning to pound.
Margaret leaned down slightly and looked directly at me, her intense blue eyes, now reflecting a steel-gray hue, penetrated mine. “Jenn, do you know what spiritual warfare is?”
“Um, I think so,” I replied cautiously, dreading where this was going. This is a subject I didn’t like to think about. “From what I’ve heard, I believe it is the constant battle being fought in the spiritual realm by God and his angels against Satan and his followers.”
“You are quite correct, and that is why you are now seeing me as a warrior. Spiritual warfare was active while you were dreaming these next two dreams. God sent me and others much mightier than me to guard you while you dreamed and received his messages. Make no mistake, the Enemy did not want you to remain in a dream state to receive God’s message. You needed help and we were there. Hear what the Word of God says: ‘For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.’ ”
Gulp! That was a sobering thought. All I did was sleep and dream while the powers of light and darkness waged a war around me. It was frightening, but at the same time strangely comforting—yet I admit I was at that moment seriously considering purchasing a night light for use in the foreseeable future!
As if she could read my thoughts, Margaret laughed softly and said, “Don’t be concerned. This happens all day long, every day, Jennifer. God is always watching over his children and fiercely defends those who bear his mark on their souls.”
She picked up her shield and moved to stand behind me in my chair, placing her right hand on my shoulder. Her grip was so firm and determined that it hurt a little. “I will remain right here while you speak of your next two dreams . . . Let’s begin.”
The night is ink black as I run down the street to get back to my home. Others are doing the same, knowing full well that we are in great danger. Just as I leap into my house and slam the door closed, a tremendous, house-shaking roar fills the air, accompanied by a blinding bright light. Immediately there is a large explosion, and I hear screams of agony outside. I do not dare open my door because I have no idea when another of the harbingers of death will fall from the sky. It has been happening all night and I am exhausted. I want the morning to come so badly, because I know that with the dawn we will have a respite from the death and destruction until the following dusk, when it will all begin again. Some on the news are saying it is solar flares; others say the stars are falling. All I know is that they are points of light that fall indiscriminately from the sky and slam into the earth. Several more of these things fall throughout the night, and all I can hear are explosions and the agonized screams of people caught outside. I am aware that I am dreaming and I try to wake up, but it doesn’t work, so I hide in a bathtub for the rest of the night. Finally, it falls quiet as the light of the morning sun fills the sky.
Breathing easier now that the new day has arrived, I get up and prepare myself to go outside and try to attend to anyone needing help. With some surprise, I notice that I am very pregnant. I move slowly down the road, stepping carefully so as not to trip on the large amount of debris and rubble. I do not see any people, injured or otherwise, so I assume they must have already been helped or have found shelter. It is so very quiet. All I can hear is gravel and broken glass crunching beneath my feet. Suddenly, I realize I am in labor and am going to give birth right here on the street. I deliver my baby in a hospital laundry cart. It is a little boy! I pull him up into my lap and am amazed at how big he is—he looks to be the size of a two-year-old. He looks up at me with admiring big blue eyes, and then astonishingly he says, “Hello, Mother!” and smiles at me. We stand, he takes my hand, and we head back to the house together. It is mind-boggling that this naked, newborn child is so grown up, can walk and talk. He completely takes charge, as if he is the one taking care of me. I do not have a word to say, all I can do is smile at him.
The day passes, apparently peacefully, because the next scene I remember is strolling down to the shore of a large, peaceful lake with my beautiful boy. He still wears no clothes, and he stands at the silvery water’s edge, turning to look at me with his wonderful smile. I begin feeling anxious as I notice the sun is low in the orange sky behind him. With the setting of the sun, the terror from the skies will return. I call out to my child that it is time for us to go home. He stays where he is at the water’s edge and says to me, “Mother, I have to go to my father now.” “Your father?” I reply, mystified. I have no idea who this child’s father is. “Yes, Mother,” he replies, “my father is the sun.” He turns away from me and points directly at the setting sun. With that, he begins to wade deeper into the water. “No! No! Child, don’t go in the water, you will drown!” I cry out. My beautiful boy turns back to me and smiles. “Don’t worry, Mother, I will be just fine. I am going to my father now, but I will always be near if you need me.” He wades out into the calm silver water toward the setting sun and disappears. Strangely, his words have a great calming effect on me, and I no longer worry about my child. I turn and leave the lake behind me.
Time passes, and in the next scene, I am being swept through the middle of town in a raging river. I, along with many other people, am fighting to keep my head above water as we are pushed along by the strong current. I can see shops and docks along the riverbank and lots of debris floating in the water with us, as if this is some kind of flood. I look over the heads of several people and something catches my eye. I suck in my breath, absolutely stunned. There, floating as calmly as can be in the water across the river from me, is my little boy! He smiles his big smile at me, and I can hear his voice as if he is whispering right into my ear. He says, “Don’t be afraid, Mother! You see? I am always here!” The river becomes calm, and I lay my head back in the water and just float, completely relaxed. I am no longer afraid. Finally, I awaken.
I swiveled in my chair to look up at Margaret. Without removing her hand from my shoulder, she spoke. “This is a powerful dream our Lord has shared with you, my child—particularly in its energy and imagery. I’d like to hear your immediate impressions of it.”
“It was powerful,” I agreed, “and when I woke up, I was exhausted. I experienced so many conflicting emotions associated with the mysterious images in the dream—stars of terror raining from the night sky, a pregnancy and birth, the setting sun, a large peaceful lake, and a raging river. And the child. As I began to think about the dream, I puzzled over the comment by the child that ‘my father is the sun.’ Then it hit me with a force that took my breath away. Not the sun, but the Son! I knew there was an important message buried deep inside this dream, but I really could not get my head around it enough to come up with any reasonable interpretations, so I laid it aside, trusting God would reveal its message when he felt I was ready. The only thing I knew for a fact was that the child in my dream was Jesus.
“And, okay, the laundry cart. I know exactly where this image came from. When I’d had this dream, I was working for a hospital system in Ohio and had recently been assigned an office in the basement of one of the hospitals in the laundry department. Some days I literally had to climb over mountains of bags of dirty hospital laundry in order to get into my office. Apparently, it caused enough stress to make its way into my dream.”
Margaret laughed. “Yes, Jenn, things of your everyday world can very easily work themselves into your dreams! Let’s move forward a few years now to when you had a surprising revelation about the events that take place in your dream.”
I continued. “After Guy and I moved to Houston, I joined a disciple Bible study at a church near our home. While reading my homework toward the end of the thirty-four-week study, I turned my attention to Revelation chapter twelve. After reading a few verses, I had a funny sensation that I had seen this material before. Strange, since this was the first time I had read or studied the Book of Revelation. As I read further into the chapter, I realized something so startling that it downright frightened me. This chapter was my dream! I slammed my Bible shut and jumped up from the couch where I had been comfortably reading. I was actually trembling and had to walk away for a while to gather my wits about me and to muster up the courage to open my Bible again.”
“That must have been quite a shock,” said Margaret. “When God decides to reveal something, he certainly grabs your attention! Can you tell me briefly what this passage from Revelation said?”
“Sure,” I answered. “I remember it pretty clearly. In the twelfth chapter of Revelation, a pregnant woman is in labor, and a dragon sweeps a third of the stars from heaven to earth with his tail. The woman gives birth to a male child, who is to rule all nations, but her child is caught up and taken to God and to his throne. The woman flees into the wilderness. She is protected and nourished there for three and a half years. Then a serpent pours a river of water out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away in a flood.
“Margaret, I was absolutely astounded that this scripture so closely matched the events in my dream. I have learned a lot about this passage by consulting other sources and understand its meaning pretty well as it relates to the scriptures, but I still am wondering what God’s message was for me in all of this.”
“I can help you with that,” said Margaret. “Let’s begin with your dream’s images of the terrifying, exploding objects falling throughout the night—stars, you mentioned—and the quiet peace that the morning sun brought. Now consider the beginning part of the scripture you read about a dragon sweeping the stars from heaven with his tail. The dragon, Jenn, represents Satan as he was cast out of heaven, along with his fallen angels. This being of Light was cast into Darkness, where he would live and reign, unleashing his havoc on earth and on the children of Light. The images in your dream—the night terror balanced by the morning peace—reflect the ongoing battle between the realms of Light and Darkness. In other words, the reality of spiritual warfare was being revealed to you.”
Margaret paused, and a little shiver ran up my spine. “The battle is fierce,” she acknowledged, noticing my reaction. “But the presence of the sun in your dream brings you the assurance that Light will always rule over Darkness. Are you with me so far?”
I nodded and she continued.
“You mentioned earlier that the one thing you knew for a fact was that the child in your dream was Jesus, and you are correct. God was doing something very special with the images he sent you of the child, the sun, and the ‘woman’ caught in the flooding, raging river. In this dream, God revealed himself to you as the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit. As the child said to you, ‘my father is the sun,’ you correctly realized that he meant ‘Son.’ In this statement, God revealed the Divinity of Christ—that the father and the son are One.
“And, as you were carried along in the flooding river in your dream, you heard your child’s voice whisper to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, Mother. You see? I am always here!’ In this portion of your dream God revealed the third person of the Trinity—the Holy Spirit, the comforter and advocate, the One who is always with you, no matter what trials you face.
“Additionally, your role as the mother of the child in your dream correlates to the woman in the Revelation twelve scripture, who is considered to be the heavenly representative of God’s people—the nation of Israel and the Christian Church. As the child gently whispered his words of comfort to his mother in the river in your dream, think about what a deep expression of God’s love this was, not only for you personally, but also for Israel and for his Church!”
I sat, spellbound. I never could have come up with these profound revelations on my own. I thought about what Margaret had told me and then shared a few of my own thoughts with her.
“As scary as it is, I have to admit I do believe spiritual warfare is real, Margaret. The chaos, hatred, and violence in this world seem only to be getting worse. Thankfully, I know there is only one place in which my hope rests. I choose the Light, and I trust the Trinity.”
“My dear girl, you have no idea how much your words please the One in whom you place your trust,” said Margaret, “and this is his response:
“Treasure of my heart, I have revealed myself to you as Father, Son, and Spirit, and I want you to know that I am here with you always. Do not fear the future and the trials it will bring. Because you believe in me, I am forever your deliverer. Hope and victory abide in me.”