There’s a joke about an elderly woman who when her young doctor suggested she get hearing aids replied “thanks sonny, but I’ve heard enough”. How true is that today? Hearing enough, I mean? While I’m not yet deaf, I have a similar reaction to the cacophony of self-appointed prophets whose many contradictory dreams and visions have led to much confusion and division among believers. Why it’s enough to make me thankful for tinnitus and the need for peace and quiet to manage my condition.

Perhaps you’ve noticed the clamor of so-called prophetic warnings; young and old sharing dreams and visions within hours of having them. Never questioning whether they’re intended only as a personal teaching dream. That Jesus who taught by parable might continue teaching us through symbolic dreams and visions intended only for the person He gave it to? Nah! Dreams and visions are to be shouted from the rooftop for everyone to hear and apply, for the church and the whole world. Fledgling prophets and prophetic ministries springing up over night complete with web pages, Spew Tube channels and even donation portals to support their groaning (er, I mean growing) prophetic ministry! It’s a chaotic whirlwind of disparate dreams and visions out there. So what’s a believer to make of it all?

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1E9X4xOqY94qWjZvmUR1bq

The answer I believe, is found in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, and what Paul refers to as a “strong delusion” sent or allowed by God, so that those who have embraced the lie would believe the lie.

Of course that wouldn’t include me – or at least the way I used to look at scripture which was always from the viewpoint that I’m OK – right with God – saved – blessed and anointed. And those scriptures about disobedience, judgment, deception and delusion? They’re for someone else – not me – because I “have it all together”. Naturally I was using “The Narcissist’s Translation” back then. The TNT version, as it’s known in religious circles; downright explosive in the hands of a pharisee, like me.

But if I’m honest, I’ve had some ignorant dreams. So what lie did I embrace that opened me up to delusion? Well for starters, I was card-carrying member of a man’s church – a Laodicean church – a church that self-identified as “non-charismatic” who on finding out I was charismatic, became downright “anti-charismatic” and thereby anti-Christ. They preferred religion and tradition to the living Jesus whose presence comes through the Holy Spirit. It was in such a church, where I submitted to men and their understanding, that the Spirit prompted me to talk about “revival” which I did without hesitation, believing God to mean He would send “revival” to that tomb of a church. The lie was not believing in and talking about revival. Rather, I had embraced the lie inherent in the harlot’s religious system together with the teaching and authority of man’s Laodicean church. Coupled with my lust for ministry and recognition, I was ripe for some delusional dreams about revival.

The church I was a member of owned an orphanage but had to close it down for lack of funding. The first of 3 revival dreams envisioned converting the orphanage – which consisted of dorm rooms, cafeteria, chapel and classrooms, to a kind of school for equipping young people for street ministry. In the dream, I saw the sanctuary ringed by flags representing every country in the world. Instead, the orphanage closed and was repurposed as a shelter for battered women.

In the second dream, I saw a small independent charismatic church in the same town exploding with growth, with standing-room-only crowds in the street all around their building – listening to the service over loud speakers. Instead, the pastor moved, the church closed and was sold to the Baptists.

In the third dream, I saw a large field north of town, developed with a huge new church complex in the round with 3 wedge-shaped buildings. Each was a 1/3rd of the circle. At the center point of the buildings, there was a kind of covered staging area where the people on stage could exit one building and go directly back stage to the next church for conducting round the clock services. Twenty five years later, the 10 acre field is still used to grow corn and soy.

All 3 dreams proved to be delusional. In pondering the failure of each to come to fruition, the Lord impressed me with these words “if a man wants to chase his religious tail, I’ll let him for as long as it takes him to run out of steam and surrender to Me”. I read a similar affirming statement from Watchman Nee who wrote “A drowning man cannot be saved until he is utterly exhausted and ceases to make the slightest effort to save himself.”

Indeed, I was such a man – thrashing about and running after my own tail in lust for ministry and exciting concert-like revival services. No doubt my delusion was also fueled by the mind-numbing funeral-like atmosphere of liturgical church services that left me feeling unfulfilled.

As I continued to meditate on the dreams and seek the Lord for His understanding, He imparted another word of wisdom that finally settled the matter for me. Simply “revival comes through death”. As often as I think of the Lord’s command to “take up your cross and follow me”, I should have thought “revival comes through death” would be obvious. Revival doesn’t come like a circus with a marching band. It comes when you reach the end of yourself and the Lord says “Lazarus, come forth!”

What I find truly sobering about this is – I love and follow the Lord. Karen and I both do. We devoted our lives to Him in our youth. He led us to the town where I had the dreams and we moved there sight unseen. But apparently, God had to wait for me to exhaust myself and surrender before He could begin working with me in earnest. Like completely remodeling a house, I had to be gutted first. In hindsight, God moved me from one dead Laodicean church to another, to show me my powerlessness and bring me to the point of abject surrender. As many scriptures there are telling His people to “come out” from the Harlot’s religious system, from the camp of men, from the dead Laodicean church, why did it take me 40 years to hear and obey Him? The simple truth is Jesus wants His people to follow Him directly, not by proxy through a human religious leader. In the end, I had to repent of believing in the lie that led to delusion and come to Jesus directly, where He has taught me by His Holy Spirit.

As for my hope that Jesus would enter the church I attended and bring revival, I failed to consider Jesus unimpeachable character – His Holy Name. He will not allow His name to be profaned (Isaiah 48:11). He will not enter into the harlot nor compromise with her in any way. He will only destroy her by fire (Revelation 18). He will not enter into the Laodicean church who shut Him out (Revelation 3:14-22). He will only spit them out of His mouth. He will not abide in temples built by men (Acts 7:48 and 17:24) nor dwell in the camp of men who reject Him (Hebrews 13:12-14). For His namesake, His righteous and holy name, He will ONLY call His people to come out from where they dwell, unto Himself.

About God dreams, warped by our faulty human understanding, corrupted by the lies we embrace, the Lord impressed me to consider Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28. Jacob it’s said, left home and fled from his brother Esau, making his way from Beersheba to Haran. 48 miles proved too far for a day’s travel so when night fell, Jacob made camp in the wilderness near Luz (Looz). Laying his head upon a rock for a pillow, Jacob ceased his flight and rested for the night. It was there Jacob had the ladder dream.

Every retelling of that story I’ve ever heard focuses on where Jacob slept, dreamed, and the ladder between Heaven and earth with angels descending and ascending. Jacob’s own words suggest his interpretation of the dream was a literal one. He said “Surely the LORD is in this place … This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven”. In response to the dream, Jacob erected the stone as a monument, anointed it with oil, and called the place Bethel, which means “House of God”. Thereafter, Bethel was considered a holy place, King Jeroboam erected a golden calf and people worshiped there.

Is that what God intended? A physical holy place? Jacob can hardly be blamed for his literal interpretation, for Christ had not yet come, the Law and the Prophets that would foretell His coming were not written yet. No, Jacob’s rest from flight was symbolic and should be interpreted spiritually. Resting his head upon the rock is prophetically symbolic of yielding his mind and understanding to Christ who is the rock. Resting from flight is symbolic of ceasing to strive for his own salvation. In his position of surrender and rest, the gates of the kingdom opened to him. So how is it Bethel and the ladder have been made out to be more important than Jacob’s simple act of falling upon the rock of Christ and resting? Wherever a believer surrenders and rests, heaven opens; not just at Bethel.

In similar vein, the Lord also had me consider John’s Revelation. It is said of John that he rested his head on the bosom of Christ – where symbolically, John’s ear was attuned to the heart of Christ. Thereupon, John received the Revelation, in his place of surrender and rest.

It’s written that Jesus said “the son of man has no place to lay his head”. Many believe that to mean Jesus did not have a bed or home to sleep in. If however Jesus also meant it in terms of understanding and authority, then there is none greater than Jesus upon whom we can lay our head. In answering His call every believer must give sober consideration to where they have laid their head – in their understanding whether upon Christ or men and in authority whether to Christ or to men.

It was in finally hearing and obeying Jesus call to “come out” where now I follow Him alone, that the delusional dreams stopped. In this place of peace through resting my head upon Christ, there is a conspicuous absence of rapture dreams, apocalyptic visions, political dreams, and the like. That makes perfect sense to me, for John wrote in Revelation “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”. The few dreams I have now, always lead to Jesus.

And in joining Jesus outside the camp I finally found the revival I wanted.

A revival of one. A life set afire by the Spirit of Christ.