I had a dream in 1991 in which I saw multitudes of fighter planes departing at a fast speed. I knew they were going to war. As I looked in the direction that they were going, it was as if I were on a cliff standing over a large city by the sea shore. I then saw six large sailing ships rise on the waves and come crashing down the streets of this city. As the ships tumbled down the streets, they were being destroyed and were doing great damage in the city. The dream then changed and I was standing in front of a doorway. A man came out of the door and gave me a cup, and said, "This cup is 1931."
This dream has proven to be true as far as the speed with which we went to war at that time. However, knowing that we "see in part," my interpretation in 1991 was only partially accurate. I still do not have a full understanding of it, but I have a little more than I want to share now. At the time, I knew that the planes taking off at such a speed represented the speed with which we were going to war, but I assumed that the rest of the dream was likewise related to the present situation then. I now think it was more expansive than that.
In 1991, I felt that the sailing ships represented those who are blown about by the wind, or who are unstable. This may be true in a way, but I now believe that these ships represent spiritual leaders because the wind often represents the Spirit (see John 3:8), and these ships were sailing vessels. Ships often represent leader-ship in dreams and visions. Because there were six ships, and six is the number of man (see Revelation 13:18), I feel that these were spiritual leaders, but those whose authority was more from man than from God. The way that the waves picked up these ships and sent them crashing down through the streets of the city, doing much damage to both the ships and the city, speaks of waves of the sea (humanity) coming that will cause these leaders to crash into the works of man (the city) doing much damage to each other.
This was a very dramatic event, and it could relate to what has actually been happening since the PTL debacle, though it certainly has not been limited to that ministry. I do believe the judgment that begins with the household of God started in a significant way in the 1980s, and that it too is coming as many things do at the end, in wave after wave of spiritual contractions. Eventually, all of these ships that are built on using the power of the Spirit to propel what is in fact man’s ministry will be destroyed. Their destruction will also bring significant destruction to "the city of man," which I think has certainly proven to be true.
All of this is also taking place at the time when we will again have to partake of the same cup that was served in 1931. This was not only the year that The Great Depression actually began, but also the time in which many of the events were released that paved the way for the Nazi spirit to prevail over Germany. The main purpose of that spirit was to destroy the Jewish people. I believe that this same spirit is what is presently working in the Islamic extremists, and it will again try to exert itself through major, world-wide economic problems. That is why the World Trade Center was a target of the September 11 attacks.
I believe we must beware of this Nazi spirit which is seeking to gain entry into every aspect of our culture, and even into the church. The Nazi’s used the church in Germany as one of the springboards to power, and in times of conflict such as we are entering, we must guard our hearts against the kind of racist extremism that is seeking to prevail in the hearts of men in our time. As Christians, we are called to be a house of prayer for all peoples, Jews and Arabs included.
The following are practical things that I wrote in 1991 which remain crucial for our time (some I have modified to include the additional understanding that I have at this time).
1. We must Seek the Lord.
We should NOT seek Him for what we should do but because He is what we are to be doing. Our first calling is fellowship with the Son, to be conformed into His image, and to follow Him wherever He goes. We may know exactly what is about to happen in the world, but if we are not abiding in Christ we will almost certainly be in the wrong place at the wrong time and suffering the wrong consequences. If we are abiding in Him, we will be in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing, regardless of whether we know what is going on or not.
READ: Matthew 6:25-34, Hebrews 12.
2. We must become an established, fruitful, functioning member of the body of Christ.
No one is properly joined to the Head who is not also properly joined to His body, the church. The church is, and will be until the end, the vessel through which the Lord does His work on the earth in this age. However, we must discern that which is being built whose "…architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10) from the works of man. We are also proceeding into the time when everything that can be shaken will be, and we must build our lives on the kingdom that will not be shaken.
READ: 1 Corinthians 3:3-6,10:16-17, 11:23-30, Ephesians 4.
3. We must get rid of our excess baggage.
We must get out of debt and get out of everything else that is entangling us, sapping our time, strength, and resources and keeping us out of God’s will for our life. To the degree that the world and the prince of this world has his grip on us, it has been used to keep us out of God’s will. Debt is one of Satan’s most effective yokes to keep the church neutralized and powerless.
It does not matter how badly you are presently entangled, or how disobedient you have been to His previous warnings, if you repent now without compromise or wavering, He will help you.
READ: Deuteronomy 15:6, 28:12, Proverbs 22:7.
4. We must go on the offensive spiritually.
The Persian Gulf War, and the present War on Terrorism are parallels of what is happening in the spirit. This war is a righteous war that we must fight in both the natural and spiritual. We must fight against those who seek to control the world through fear, intimidation, or other forms of tyranny. We must do this in the church as it is being done in the natural. We must reject fear, paranoia, and the other forces of darkness that seek to destroy the true works of the Spirit. Fear cancels out love, and if fear is dictating our actions, we have fallen from our place in Christ.
This particular war is against the biblical "prince of Persia" whose contemporary name is "Allah." This is the same principality that resisted the prophet Daniel. Its primary strategy is the subjection and then destruction of all who call upon the true God, just as we see in its schemes to destroy Daniel when he prayed to the Lord. This is not the only battle that the church is in but it is the major one that is raging at this time.
Our warfare is for the destruction of strongholds so the people can be saved. It is time to pray for the destruction of the stronghold of Islam and the salvation of the Arab people. Before we can effectively launch a spiritual offensive against this stronghold, its grip on us must be removed. Strongholds are deceptions or misconceptions. A part of the strategy of the stronghold of Islam has been to erect misconceptions about Arabs in the minds of Christians as well as the reverse. Presently, this stronghold has a grip on Christians through fear, intimidation, and misunderstanding. We must respond to the fears and intimidation with courage and boldness and cast off the misunderstandings we have about the Arab people. We tend to perceive them in the light of the more extreme elements in their religion, just as they tend to perceive Christians by the extremists in our midst (who have historically been just as cruel, intolerant, and even murderous as any Moslem fundamentalists have). Our offensive against the stronghold of Islam must never become an attack upon the Arab people. We are commanded to "honor all men" (I Peter 2:17). We must honor the Arabs for that which is honorable, respect them for that which is worthy of respect, and above all, love them because God loves them and gave His Son for them.
King Solomon said that there is a time for war and a time for peace (see Ecclesiastes 3:8). We must be discerning of the times if we are going to be effective in our calling. One who has been in a conflict or battle knows that there is no other sensation quite like the level of consciousness, intensity, and focused vision that comes in the battle. Those who do not wake up to the circumstances when the battle begins will be in the most jeopardy. It is now time for war; the battle has begun. It is time to go after the strongholds of the enemy without relenting until the gates of hell have been shut.
