As I was reading in the book of Revelation, the Lord began to give me more insight about The Book of Life and it’s seals. He spoke to me of the seventh seal, and the ministry of the grace thereof – on heaven as well on earth. This grace is unchangeable in it’s nature, ways, and purpose toward his saints. In his grace, they are being reconciled into eternal life in God the Father, as members of His family, and citizens of The Kingdom of His Son. This grace will be ministered or dispensed in uniquely different temperaments and with different dynamics, relating to happenings in Heaven and on earth from the past. It is with understanding of the nature of these things, that Jesus spoke of what His own ministry involved – in terms of “spiritual warfare,” as the onset and context of His walk on earth. He walked as Savor and King, Teacher (Witness or Messenger) and Lord, then Brother and Friend, and as a fellow servant of the Father in Heaven. A careful reading of what he shared in Matthew 11:7-19 might offer us more insight on this…
I was reading in other sections that there will be praises and adoration unto God and The Lamb by: the 4 creatures, 24 elders, saints and angels, or the heavenly assembly. The Lord had me count them. There are 7, with the last one being just prior to The Marriage Feast of Christ and His Bride.
Along the same lines, the Lord quickened me to revisit one of my dreams, given the night just before Wes and Kara’s wedding. (First, a few details for context…) At their wedding, in reality, I remember Wes’ brother-in-law and I with two other guys between us (me being the last), as we were honored to be his groom’s men. On Kara’s side were her two precious sisters and a dear friend. The wedding was held in the Jewish tradition, with a Messianic Rabbi. He was brother named David, who wept like a baby as he shared his testimony as we sat together at the wedding dinner: He was cast out from his family after he chose to follow the Lord. As Kara was circling Wes 7 times during the wedding ceremony, blessings were pronounced over them as husband and wife by David. I remember the Lord gave me the understanding of Jeremiah 31, where it mentions that “a woman will encircle (or encompass) a man.” I was confused prior to the wedding of that exact scripture, as I was contemplating on the theme of the desolate woman. With David’s message, I came to know that it was about the wedding of the Son, and that the Father will restore the Desolate Woman back to Himself as her husband. More understanding has been given to me along these lines as well. For now, let me share my dream, as I just understood that it has to do with more than the people who will walk with me in my earthly life, but rather about a new chapter (a new day), in God’s plan- that we as a generation are entering into.
I have been holding back from sharing this dream for years. Only now, the Lord has granted me the freedom to share it. I know that the time has come, as the Marriage Feast is not far from us.
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Quietly Waiting
The dream started abruptly, as if I had been transported. I looked around and found myself sitting behind a desk in a room with others, and felt dumbfounded and curious of where I was, who I was, and what was going on. Suddenly understanding came to me that I was like a high school student, among others, waiting for something.
The room was very plain, like any classroom that I went to in my high school times, except that all the things in it were new. There were three teachers or inspectors standing on an elevated platform before a blackboard at the front of the room. Sitting behind two rows of desks (running straight back from the front of the classroom), were students that seemed to be my classmates. Each of the rows had about 5 desks, but only the front ones were occupied. I was sitting on the front one on the right. Everyone was extremely silent, knowing that this was a solemn moment, with something serious to be unfolded. It dawned on me only this moment that we were about to take a test. I was puzzled because on our desks there were no tests, pens, or papers as I used to have seen before a test when I was in high school in reality.
Sing a New Song
Suddenly, we intuitively knew, without any hints, that the time had come. I was more puzzled by now, as there was still nothing given for a test. As I was wondering what was going on, the one on left of the three inspectors who were all facing us stepped down from the platform and walked to my side. He said: “Now, your time has come.” I was even more confused, not knowing what he meant. “Now, teach all of us to sing the song.” I had no clue what He was talking about. He then pointed to the blackboard. I looked it. Written on it were some lines of sentences written in two rows (as Chinese characters are written). Suddenly, I was made to understand that these were not a poem or any other writing, but the lyrics for a song. And I had no clue how to sing it.
“Yes. But you are designated to make a new song of it and to teach all of us to sing it. Hurry to the front now, everyone is waiting!” I felt very uncomfortable. Firstly, I had no experience in making a song, not to mention for such a serious occasion. Secondly, I was very uncomfortable to be the center of attention. But I realized at the moment that if I were to refuse, everything would come to a halt and it would be my fault.
“OK, I will have to try,” I thought to myself. “Well, I had made some pretty good tunes in my own music times, and never had a hard time making a song out of a poem or words… maybe I can do it like that. Who knows, maybe my private composing of songs could have been a preparation for this very occasion?” It was only with this shaky confidence that I rose from my seat, walked to the front, and stood before the left row of students on the ground level. After ushering me into place, the inspector quietly retreated to his place. Looking at the room of students, I was ready to just sing, expecting everyone to follow suit…. Then suddenly, something else happened.
A Different Kind of Test
I heard a loud voice from behind me read out something and ask: “Who can answer this question?” I turned around a bit, acting now as a witness of something being unfolded, which was unexpected as well. I found out that the one who was calling out was the inspector standing in the middle. (I am not so sure of this, but it might be the one who came to me before.) What he announced was the first line of the lyrics from the left row, which he read out from the blackboard.
It was such a drastic change of what I expected that I felt a bit embarrassed. I thought to myself: ”Why bother to call me to the front of all others, and tell me to teach them to sing?” But as if it had been rehearsed, the student just in front of me, which was on the front of the left row, offered an answer with a loud voice. He was definitely fully prepared, as I recognized quietly that his answer was so correct that it was accurate word for word. Interestingly, I found myself enjoying a surprising capacity to see (almost in a vision) the written answer to the question. I said to myself: “He answered perfectly.”
With a pause of silence, I raised up my head to see what was going on. I was surprised to see the inspectors and students were now all gazing at me, as if to waiting for me to judge the answer. I nodded intuitively, not knowing why they did that. But, again to my big surprise, as if having gotten the permission to proceed, the inspector began to read out aloud the second question. As you might guess, it was the second line on the left from the lyrics on the blackboard.
“Who can answer this question?” He asked again. Well, as if planned ahead of time, the student on second seat in the left row correctly answered the question, and I recognized it as correct and acknowledged it to be so. Then the third, the fourth, and then turned to the right row from the back- the fifth, and the sixth. Every question was read out in sequence from the lyrics on the blackboard, and was answered voluntarily by someone as if assigned to their very person- already seated in perfect array in their positions in the classroom. I remembered that I noticed this in my dream, and it surprised me greatly then as well. It was like a miracle to me.
Cistern and Brim
Now, it comes to the last question, which was the longest. As it was read out, none in the seats responded. I know intuitively that it was my turn to answer. Just then I heard a voice that spoke to me in the back of my mind.
“Brim, brim, brim.” Suddenly I was caught in a vision. I saw this big cistern made of clay, like the ones we used when I was a young boy back in our village in reality. As a family, we used to draw water from a well and filled one up for our daily use. My mother also used some to make home-made wines (reserved only for special occasions), and it would fill our house with the smell of wine as the content was being fermented.
I was made aware that I should promptly answer the question. But as I was still standing at the front, I was a bit confused whether I should answer it from I was, or return to my seat, and answer it as other students did.
With this, I woke up from my dream.
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Impressions:
1. I learned the English word “brim” from reading about the wedding of Cana in the KJV. But through the years, I never thought that the cisterns used in Judea at Jesus’ time would be like the ones we had used in China. It was a great joy and surprise for me to find out that they are actually the same in size and material. I know now that there would be a time that when the water is filled to the brim, and then the Lord would change it into wine as He did in Cana. I trust, if my understanding is right, a great blessing to His chosen people is on the way swiftly.
2. The numbers of the lyrics and students were a bit blurry for me between 7 or 8 through the years as I tried to recall the details in the dream. Now, I venture to record it as 7. As I recognized I was the 7th in turn, which indicates the 7th day.
3. I used to relate this number to how many people the Lord would bring into my life as friends and brothers to walk together as a group. Now, I know, it is not about that or more than that, the number of questions rather represent seven days of God’s work, and the opening of the seals of the book of life. Each student is a representation of His faithful, truthful, and obedient people of that age or day.
4. This new song, I believe, is the one that is mentioned in Revelation 14:1-5.
5. I can conclude now, after years of contemplation and even through other visions and dreams given to me, that I should come to back to my seat to answer the question.
6. I believe that the three persons, as you might guess, represent the godhead.
7. The interesting part to me in this dream is that God has a perfect plan to bring about His salvation unto mankind. What a privilege to live in our age as His own, and become an integral part of this glorious, all-wise, and all-powerful plan!
