(Isaiah 59:2)

The night was pitch-black, yet I could clearly see my surroundings. I walked in the midst of a massive crowd, observing multi-ethnic people of all ages. Something had occurred which left them startled and alarmed. Many walked by themselves, others walked together in twos, or threes while others stood grouped together in small numbers. I saw confusion and fear in many faces.

A strange, nondescript, and average height middle-aged man approached and stood three feet in front of me. He was dressed as the character of Sherlock Holmes in a gray tweed coat with its attached short cape while wearing that strange hat as seen in cartoons, but minus his pipe. I looked at him, waiting for him to say something. He didn’t. It almost seemed as if he was "presenting" himself to me. He continued standing before me completely silent. As I waited for him to say something, I turned to the left and saw a large church with the lights on. Then I spoke to the man and said, "I’m going into that church." He remained standing in his place as I turned and walked a short distance to the church and entered.

The church was brightly illuminated inside. The overhead brightness in the church that beamed throughout was non electrical. The church was half-empty with people of all ages. Everyone was fair complexioned. I glanced throughout the large sanctuary and observed some of the people in the back of the church where I stood while others milled before the podium by the front platform. A few wandered aimlessly in the aisles. Others spoke questioningly with each other with shock written on their faces. Many sat in the pews. Absent were the typical friendly congregational greetings, handshakes, smiles, and friendly conversations. I sensed strong despondency in the church.

I glanced at the front of the church and noticed a blond woman in her twenties wandering slowly and aimlessly on the platform while slowly shaking her lowered head. A few other people seemed pensive as they sat quietly by themselves on the platform. Unexplainably, I walked down the aisle to the front of the church, climbed the steps to the platform, and approached the blond woman just as she stopped wandering. She stared pensively at the floor and did not acknowledge my presence as I stood in front of her. Apparently, she didn’t see me. Incredibly, however, I could HEAR (!) her silent, paused, and confusing thoughts:

I watched her as she then turned away and continued wandering slowly and aimlessly on the platform with a pained and anguished look on her face. She never did acknowledge my presence. While still on the platform, I turned and looked throughout the sanctuary with a better view under the brilliant light. Some people continued standing alone and appeared dazed, while others were sobbing softly. Then a few began to cry remorsefully. Others began wailing. (Oh, those mournful sounds!)

Those who sat in the pews were immovable, silent, and stunned. They were statue-like in appearance. Others dozed while sitting up in the pews. I did not recognize anyone who seemed to be in authority. The pastor was not on the platform, and I did not see anyone kneeling or praying. END.

In this dream, I am present throughout in the spiritual realm. The pitch-black night symbolizes the sinful and hopeless dying world. The people’s demeanor reveals their hopelessness, and their lost and confused state in life coupled with fear.

The characteristic occupation of Sherlock Holmes is to hunt for criminals and fugitives so that they can be brought to justice. In this scene, Lord Jesus reveals the Sherlock Holmes’ detective character as Satan in disguise. He is seen here in the midst of the pitch-black sinful world, his domain, and not inside the church. However, the accuser now prepares to approach these backslidden Christians and tempt them into further and deeper sin so that he can then bring them before God and accuse them day and night, and they can be found guilty forever. Satan will increase his attempts to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus already came so that everyone might have [eternal] life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

The large church, half full, represents the worldwide Church of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The fair complexioned people in the church represent the backslidden Saints of God. The half empty church (the absent half) represents those who had been caught up in the Rapture. The stunned, confused, distressing, and dozing scenes inside the church need no interpretation to the Lord’s Church. However, for those outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, these disobedient and unfaithful Born Again Christians are stunned, in shock, and in deep grief. They were left behind, and had not been caught up (raptured) to the clouds to meet their Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ (1Corinthians 15:51, 52; 1Thessalonians 4:13-17) who had appeared in the clouds to call His faithful and obedient Born Again (John 3: 3-5) Saints out of the sinful world to be with Him in eternal Glory. [See THE RAPTURE! file link listed at the end of this document.]

The pastor’s absence in the church reveals that he had been raptured and was now with the Lord in Glory. The brightly lit church reveals that the Word of God, THE LIGHT, had been preached uncompromisingly, and also been taught to the Saints of the Church of Jesus Christ of Nazareth in Spirit and in Truth.

The overhead brightness represents the continued presence of the Lord Jesus Christ who will never leave nor forsake His Church (Heb. 13:5), -- The Word of God (John 1:1-18; Rev. 19:13), and the Light: "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12).

Revealed here, is a warning of how exceptionally fierce Satan’s attempts will be in his efforts, during the Tribulation, to cast deep guilt, deep fear, deep condemnation, much sorrow, and great torment into the hearts, minds and souls of the Saints that were not raptured. His objective through torments and temptations will be to cause many Saints that were left behind after the Rapture to fall back into the world, forsake following their Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, take the mark of the beast (666) on either their foreheads or on their hands (Rev. 13:16-18), and avoid being martyred (Rev. 20:4).

Sadly, because of disobedience to God’s Word, these Saints were left behind to endure the consequences through Scriptural warning of persecution and martyrdom in a most horrifying manner during the imminent Tribulation period during which time the antichrist arrives on the scene. These Saints will now have to work out their salvation with much fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12), and remain faithful through much persecution before entering Glory to be with our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, eternally.

It was deeply distressing, and utterly heartbreaking to see the absence of peace and joy in these Saints’ hearts that had previously been filled with the expectation of being caught up to be with the Lord in the Rapture. That joy and hope had now turned into profound remorse, deep grief, and great sorrow.

[Bolded, capped and underlined emphases in all the NKJV Scriptures used in this file are mine. -- Celia]

-- "Is the Spirit of the Lord restricted? Are these His doings? Do not MY WORDS do good to him who walks uprightly" (Micah 2:7)?

-- "CALL UPON ME IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." … "Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God" (Ps. 50:15, 23).

-- Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me; for I am poor and needy. … Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry to You all day long. … For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me. Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and do wondrous things; YOU ALONE ARE GOD. … But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering [patient] and abundant in mercy and truth. Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me (Ps. 86:1, 3, 5-10, 15, 16)!

-- "AS MANY AS I LOVE I REBUKE AND CHASTEN. Therefore be zealous and REPENT" (Rev. 3:19).

-- O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! … Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from You … For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. For I said, "Hear me, lest [for fear that] they rejoice over me, lest, when my foot slips, they magnify themselves against me." For I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin. … Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation (Ps. 38:1, 9, 15-18, 21, 22).

-- Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail: but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Ps. 73:25, 26).

-- Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your generous Spirit (Ps. 51:10, 11, 12).

-- Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. HE ONLY IS MY ROCK AND MY SALVATION; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. … My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; THE ROCK OF MY STRENGTH, AND MY REFUGE, IS IN GOD. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. ... God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; for You render to each one according to his work (Ps. 62:1, 2, 5-8, 11, 12).

-- If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me (Ps. 66:18-20)!

-- Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. … Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity… He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. HE WILL AGAIN HAVE COMPASSION ON US… (Micah 7:7, 18, 19).

-- "I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU" (Heb. 13:5).

-- "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you," says the Lord, "thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I WILL LISTEN TO YOU. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:11-13).

-- And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8)?

-- Therefore we must give the more earnest heed [attention] to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him…(Heb. 2:1-3)?

-- …let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. … For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. … Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant [Mat. 26:28] by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Sprit of grace? For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord." And again, "The Lord will judge His people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. … "Now the just shall live by faith; BUT IF ANYONE DRAWS BACK [withdraws; defects; forsakes; deserts], MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM" (Heb. 10:22, 23, 26-28, 29-31, 38).

-- "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross DAILY, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. [John 12:24-26] For what advantage is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels" (Luke 9:23-26).

-- "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see [eternal] death" (John 8:51).

-- "Go and sin no more" (John 8:11).

-- Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial [a name for Satan]? Or what part [association; connection] has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God [1Cor. 6:19]. As God has said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people. COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND BE SEPARATE, says the Lord. Do not touch [associate with] what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting HOLINESS in the fear of God (2Cor. 6:14-18; 7:1).

-- …and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true HOLINESS (Eph. 4:23, 24).

-- For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to posses his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother [Christian neighbor] in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in [unto - KJV] HOLINESS. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit (1Thess. 4:3-8).

-- …"BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY" (1Pet. 1:16).

-- Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He [chastens us] for our profit, that we may be partakers of His HOLINESS. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. … Pursue peace with all men, and HOLINESS, without which no one will see the Lord; looking diligently lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears (Heb. 12:9-11, 14-17).

-- …so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for HOLINESS. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves [servants] of God, you have your fruit to HOLINESS, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD (Rom. 6:19-23).

-- "Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘HERE I AM.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger [blaming others; accusations], and speaking wickedness… then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday" (Isa. 58:8-10).

-- "…He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing… IF YOU ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:5, 7).

-- Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For "He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile [deceitful cunning]; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear [reverence for God]; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil (1Pet. 3:8-17).

-- If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters [snooping and gossiping]. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. [2Tim. 3:12] For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator (1Pet. 4:14-19).

-- But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things HAVE FERVENT LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER, FOR "LOVE WILL COVER A MULTITUDE OF SINS." Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a [spiritual] gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles [prophecy; revelation; vision; prediction] of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen (1Pet. 4:7-11).

-- "ALL FLESH IS AS GRASS, AND ALL ITS LOVELINESS IS LIKE THE FLOWER OF THE FIELD. THE GRASS WITHERS, THE FLOWER FADES, BECAUSE THE BREATH OF THE LORD BLOWS UPON IT; SURELY THE PEOPLE ARE GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, THE FLOWER FADES, BUT THE WORD OF OUR GOD STANDS FOREVER" (Isa. 40:6-8).

-- JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER (Heb. 13:8).

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Post Date: May 25, 2003