I looked across me; there was a dried up riverbed that I had not noticed before. I walked across and jumped into it. It was completely dry with no sign that there had recently been a river here, there wasn't even any mud that you would expect.
It was then that I felt water slowly running up my leg - I looked down - the river was ever so slowly filling up. I noticed that this was gathering a crowd around the riverbank. Some just stood there wondering what was going on, some decided to jump in, most of them returned to the river bank. I looked at them there was a sense of complete panic about them, it made me feel insecure. I looked over to God who just looked at me like before in a reassuring manner. I felt peace again.
The river had run up to my knees by now. It was then that I saw something coming towards me, I realized it was a huge wave, more like a tsunami then a wave but it was coming towards me with great speed. There was a sense of total panic as the wave traveled close and closer to us, people were scrambling out, clambering up the riverbank. Those on the bank were pulling people out. I still felt secure, so I decided to stay still. I prepared myself for what was about to happen, yet I wasn't quite sure what would happen?
The wave came and picked me up from where I was standing and transported me up the river. There was immense power in the waves as they crashed over the riverbank. Yet somehow the waves just carried me safely to my destination. There didn't seem to me to be a more dangerous way of travelling, yet I had never really felt safer. My journey seemed to be taking forever. The waves were travelling very fast. I couldn't take the scenery in as I was travelling past it at such speed. It felt like I was on a never-ending roller coaster ride, yet I was not scared in fact I was enjoying myself.
Those who were panicking fighting against the waves were either thrown over the side of the riverbed or dragged down by the undertow of the river.
The waves eventually led me to my destination and became flat. My body slowed as the waves died and I was gently pushed to the side of the river. I put my arms over the side and clung on trying to catch my breath. I was on the side of what seemed to be a swimming pool. I dragged myself out of the water and dripped onto the tiled floor on which I was standing. I was in some temple of sorts, it was the most awesome thing I had ever seen, even more awesome than the palace. I thought I was in heaven.
I looked to the end of the huge room I was standing in, behind me was the river, in front of me were figures seated I didn't recognise any of them but the figure that was positioned in the centre and also looked more prestigious. I stepped closer, I was indeed in what I fought was heaven. I stepped forwards up to a figure that was God. I looked at him, I was glad to see him seated on His throne again.
Then an angel came up to me and I was given a ball of sorts. It was rather large, slightly larger than a football <soccer ball> and was perfectly round, with a silvery bluey colour. I took it and threw it to the floor. Suddenly flames engulfed the room that I was standing in. This wasn't a destructive fire but was a burning cleansing fire; I could feel the passion of the flames burning in me. The flames shot from the head of the room to the end until it reached the river.
Incredibly it crossed the surface lighting it on its surface and making it's way from where I had travelled from.
Again I was given another ball. I threw this to the floor it smashed. Suddenly I saw the bride I had seen earlier. She was still beautiful, but her hair had been cut into a bob and she didn't look as beautiful as she was before. She seemed to me to be still beautiful yet not pure but spoilt. If this were the first time I had seen her she would have looked the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She still looked awesome but this was not as awesome as she had appeared before. Her demur had changed she no longer radiated but seemed to be coy, hiding her differences. Hiding her sin!
I was given another ball, I dropped it and again it smashed. All of a sudden snow fell from above. It was beautiful and reminded me of how I imagined a white Christmas should be every year as a young child. The drops slowly fell and as they hit the ground they melted and turned to water. Very soon the surface I was standing on was covered in water. What was most strange was that the fire, which I had ignored when the bride appeared to me was still burning from the floor despite the snowdrops. It was then that I realized that the fire was actually melting the snow. For a moment I thought about my death. I could remember the swing of the blade, the sound it made and the feeling of the air gently caressing my neck as the blade swung towards me, the crunch as it hit my neck then nothing. I then realized I wasn't in the temple anymore. I was at the palace where I had earlier died, but now it had vanished. I looked up - God was standing in front of me.
Just then it began to rain. As the rain became harder and came down faster I tilted my head back and swung my arms out, I started turning and spinning round enjoying the refreshing coolness of the rain. I finally stopped this then looked back at God while the rain was dripping of me. He said nothing. I then looked over to the river. It was brim, full of rain but somehow its banks wouldn't break. I watched as the rain began to pick up bodies that were still on the battlefield. They floated towards and then down the river. I watched them one by one, as the horror of what had happened here was removed. Just then I spotted some bodies I knew, eleven of them, my brothers. I watched them as they were picked up one by one and floated down the river. The pain in my heart was immense and I hung my head. We had travelled together out of this scene to escape the battle yet they had somehow not escaped from it and I felt as if somehow, despite the fact I was still alive would never escape from this scene.
Just then God spoke to me "this is just a part, a small fragment of this scene if you really want to judge the evil of this part then you must see the beauty and the good of the whole scene."
He then took me to a place high up on a hill where I could see the bigger picture I looked in awe and wonder at what I was seeing. Yes there was carnage and bloodshed that I could see was the battlefield, but there were other areas in this place that showed the full beauty of God and his awesome power that I could see displayed in creation in front of me. I was taken aback, even in the areas where terror and fear had become established in this place I could see that life was returning to the way it should always be, and I knew that eventually everything would be established to the way it should be.
God then spoke again "In the life that you are now living you will face many battles, some more life threatening than others. Eventually the Church will face a great war in which it must fight to preserve it's identity, this is the fight that you have just fought and will fight, it is for your generation the good fight. This is to prepare the whole of creation for the ultimate battle but before you fight that ultimate battle this one will be fought in this space and time. To some this will be a bloody game, which will be known as a holy war by others. For others they will turn the holy war into a game which will then be a very bloody affair."
"There will be only one way to fight this and that's with my presence. You must come of the battlefield and ascend the hill of the Lord to receive my wisdom and command and to see the bigger picture."
It was then that I felt water slowly running up my leg - I looked down - the river was ever so slowly filling up. I noticed that this was gathering a crowd around the riverbank. Some just stood there wondering what was going on, some decided to jump in, most of them returned to the river bank. I looked at them there was a sense of complete panic about them, it made me feel insecure. I looked over to God who just looked at me like before in a reassuring manner. I felt peace again.
The river had run up to my knees by now. It was then that I saw something coming towards me, I realized it was a huge wave, more like a tsunami then a wave but it was coming towards me with great speed. There was a sense of total panic as the wave traveled close and closer to us, people were scrambling out, clambering up the riverbank. Those on the bank were pulling people out. I still felt secure, so I decided to stay still. I prepared myself for what was about to happen, yet I wasn't quite sure what would happen?
The wave came and picked me up from where I was standing and transported me up the river. There was immense power in the waves as they crashed over the riverbank. Yet somehow the waves just carried me safely to my destination. There didn't seem to me to be a more dangerous way of travelling, yet I had never really felt safer. My journey seemed to be taking forever. The waves were travelling very fast. I couldn't take the scenery in as I was travelling past it at such speed. It felt like I was on a never-ending roller coaster ride, yet I was not scared in fact I was enjoying myself.
Those who were panicking fighting against the waves were either thrown over the side of the riverbed or dragged down by the undertow of the river.
The waves eventually led me to my destination and became flat. My body slowed as the waves died and I was gently pushed to the side of the river. I put my arms over the side and clung on trying to catch my breath. I was on the side of what seemed to be a swimming pool. I dragged myself out of the water and dripped onto the tiled floor on which I was standing. I was in some temple of sorts, it was the most awesome thing I had ever seen, even more awesome than the palace. I thought I was in heaven.
I looked to the end of the huge room I was standing in, behind me was the river, in front of me were figures seated I didn't recognise any of them but the figure that was positioned in the centre and also looked more prestigious. I stepped closer, I was indeed in what I fought was heaven. I stepped forwards up to a figure that was God. I looked at him, I was glad to see him seated on His throne again.
Then an angel came up to me and I was given a ball of sorts. It was rather large, slightly larger than a football <soccer ball> and was perfectly round, with a silvery bluey colour. I took it and threw it to the floor. Suddenly flames engulfed the room that I was standing in. This wasn't a destructive fire but was a burning cleansing fire; I could feel the passion of the flames burning in me. The flames shot from the head of the room to the end until it reached the river.
Incredibly it crossed the surface lighting it on its surface and making it's way from where I had travelled from.
Again I was given another ball. I threw this to the floor it smashed. Suddenly I saw the bride I had seen earlier. She was still beautiful, but her hair had been cut into a bob and she didn't look as beautiful as she was before. She seemed to me to be still beautiful yet not pure but spoilt. If this were the first time I had seen her she would have looked the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She still looked awesome but this was not as awesome as she had appeared before. Her demur had changed she no longer radiated but seemed to be coy, hiding her differences. Hiding her sin!
I was given another ball, I dropped it and again it smashed. All of a sudden snow fell from above. It was beautiful and reminded me of how I imagined a white Christmas should be every year as a young child. The drops slowly fell and as they hit the ground they melted and turned to water. Very soon the surface I was standing on was covered in water. What was most strange was that the fire, which I had ignored when the bride appeared to me was still burning from the floor despite the snowdrops. It was then that I realized that the fire was actually melting the snow. For a moment I thought about my death. I could remember the swing of the blade, the sound it made and the feeling of the air gently caressing my neck as the blade swung towards me, the crunch as it hit my neck then nothing. I then realized I wasn't in the temple anymore. I was at the palace where I had earlier died, but now it had vanished. I looked up - God was standing in front of me.
Just then it began to rain. As the rain became harder and came down faster I tilted my head back and swung my arms out, I started turning and spinning round enjoying the refreshing coolness of the rain. I finally stopped this then looked back at God while the rain was dripping of me. He said nothing. I then looked over to the river. It was brim, full of rain but somehow its banks wouldn't break. I watched as the rain began to pick up bodies that were still on the battlefield. They floated towards and then down the river. I watched them one by one, as the horror of what had happened here was removed. Just then I spotted some bodies I knew, eleven of them, my brothers. I watched them as they were picked up one by one and floated down the river. The pain in my heart was immense and I hung my head. We had travelled together out of this scene to escape the battle yet they had somehow not escaped from it and I felt as if somehow, despite the fact I was still alive would never escape from this scene.
Just then God spoke to me "this is just a part, a small fragment of this scene if you really want to judge the evil of this part then you must see the beauty and the good of the whole scene."
He then took me to a place high up on a hill where I could see the bigger picture I looked in awe and wonder at what I was seeing. Yes there was carnage and bloodshed that I could see was the battlefield, but there were other areas in this place that showed the full beauty of God and his awesome power that I could see displayed in creation in front of me. I was taken aback, even in the areas where terror and fear had become established in this place I could see that life was returning to the way it should always be, and I knew that eventually everything would be established to the way it should be.
God then spoke again "In the life that you are now living you will face many battles, some more life threatening than others. Eventually the Church will face a great war in which it must fight to preserve it's identity, this is the fight that you have just fought and will fight, it is for your generation the good fight. This is to prepare the whole of creation for the ultimate battle but before you fight that ultimate battle this one will be fought in this space and time. To some this will be a bloody game, which will be known as a holy war by others. For others they will turn the holy war into a game which will then be a very bloody affair."
"There will be only one way to fight this and that's with my presence. You must come of the battlefield and ascend the hill of the Lord to receive my wisdom and command and to see the bigger picture."
