Phyllis Beveridge Nissila

Access entire series here.

A Prophecy?

Sometimes, a prophecy boosts the spiritual immune system, especially in distressing times. See what you think of the one I had by way of a dream, shared below.

Now, my calling, if you want to label it that, is to encourage. By secular profession I was a teacher. So, no prophet here, generally speaking.

However, although that dream I had about thirty-five years ago amid the bustling, bright, prosperous eighties, seemed way out of place, then, it’s a dream that comes to mind more and more these days that are so drastically different.

And dreams of prophesy and instruction, both personal and general, can be experienced by anybody, not just by those for whom the calling is their major ministry such as the Old Testament prophets, because any believer can serve as an ad hoc preacher, teacher, evangelist, prophet, and so on, as need arises and the Holy Spirit prompts.

If nothing else, elements of my dream cover a universal theme that believers know: God hears and answers prayers in myriad ways for myriad occasions and reasons. Here’s what I continue to understand from my dream. But first, a thumbnail synopsis.

The Dream

I was at home where I lived at that time, tending to the usual business. I heard a  loud noise as of a big group of people coming down the street. It wasn’t necessarily a foreboding sound because the crowd was laughing and talking and following whomever was leading them as if going to a festival.

However, I had an increasingly-foreboding feeling growing in my “gut.”

In the dream, I knew whatever was going on wasn’t good.

Soon, a knock came to my door. A smiling, uniformed person told me to come along, now. I felt to go, but had him wait a minute while I went in the bedroom and put on a few layers of clothes, and grabbed some food and water for my pockets.

I joined the group, keeping to myself, but remaining wary.

After walking out into a countryside, the crowd growing all the time, we were herded into a huge, covered and fenced-in shed, but there were no solid  side walls. Everyone was told to sit down. People who brought food shared all around and continued to enjoy each others’ company, relaxed, and casual. I was reminded of end-of-year grade school outings going to a local park for games and a picnic.

Two young women were now with me and shared my feeling of growing dread. I suggested we gather up as many leftover food scraps as we could hold in our pockets and wait.

I began praying for specific direction…

Chronologically, the prayers God answered in the dream, in various ways, were:

• for some indication of when we should escape,
• for God to somehow make approaching military on horseback not notice us as we ran across an open field,
• for cover at nightfall,
• for more food,
• for directions to a “getaway” location.

The three of us eventually made it to that getaway location which was a river where a boat filled with other believers was waiting on shore (talk about a universal symbol of deliverance), whereas those who remained back at the shelter were held for some reason (indeed one reason we knew exactly when to pray for an exit was when armed guards began gathering at the entrance).

The Interpretation–for Then and for Now

But I have shared this dream primarily to point out the following–for us all–which makes it a whole lot more understandable in this day and age given the global turmoil and how close many Bible scholars believe we are to the so-called “end times,” aka, “end of the Church Age“:

• The importance of paying attention to our “gut,” being “mindful” of our surroundings, whether in the spiritual or practical sense, figuratively and/or literally. (see commentaries on other aspects of survival)
• The importance of prayer at all times.
• The importance of “listening” to God’s answer to our prayers. It might come in some practical direction, in the form of a suddenly remembered Scripture, or some teaching or instruction from a pastor, preacher, teacher, evangelist, or some other brother or sister in Christ operating in his or her calling. It could also come in the form of a secular source of guidance–or an actual miracle of provision.
• The importance of operating in discernment, particularly if the impression is spiritual in nature, so that you know it is really God. Here is some information on that.
• The importance of obeying the answer either immediately or when it seems appropriate, as God leads.
• The importance of resisting panic and putting trust in God.
• The importance of dreams or prophecies perhaps given long ago that might well be for such a time as this.
• The importance of tending to biblical prophecies* which, in and of themselves, enable us to be ready for what comes as well as to better understand how God prepares and provides for those who choose to follow Him and that span the range of not only spiritual but also temporal history. For believers today, there are innumerable sources of information on prophecies specific to our era.**

Sounds like pretty universal instructions from that long-ago, out-of-place dream to share with you now in what one might call “the age of rage”–and of unparalleled global danger–on many fronts that, many fear, might portend western civilization’s closing days.

I myself have been blowing the dust off of blog posts on related topics from years ago to re-read and to feature in this series on how to boost physical, mental, emotional, psychological, and spiritual immunities during this trying time.

For we may well need all the internal and external resources we can muster and build up for the days ahead…

The Encouragement

So may I encourage you to access such information  yourself from as many sources as you can, to pray often and look and listen for the answers, and to keep “looking up,” for as Jesus, the Prophet of prophets, foretold in His day for perhaps this very day or one soon to come:

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:28, KJV).

~~~~~

*Here is just one summary of prophecies (of the many thousands) in the Bible that have been fulfilled already (note the year of publication: 1997).

**Here is just one summary of the prophecies of the so-called “end times,” aka “end of the Church Age” that have been or are being fulfilled then and since, to now.

BONUS MATERIALS

Here is another dream coupled with another person’s that I pray might also inform and encourage and motivate the reader in this summer of 2020.

I would also encourage the reader to check out my sister Claire Gumbs’ prophecy charts, several of which offer rarely discussed information on the significance of times and seasons as pertaining to the end of the age and the return of Jesus Christ. They are free for downloading and sharing, and can be accessed here.

Although Claire began her research and writing on these topics ten years ago, in the last several months alone there has been a significant uptick of views and downloads of the materials, to the the tune of nearly a thousand  “hits”. There might be something of interest there for you, too.