WHEN GOD SPEAKS
God is always speaking to us in various ways; He is always speaking. There are many people out there who say they have never heard the Lord speak to them, that they don’t get dreams and visions, or they don’t have these types of experiences. I hope this message will encourage those of you who say this, as well as all others. Really, we just need to open our eyes and ears to see how He is actually speaking to us all the time. This message is also for those skeptics who would rather hold fast to only the Word and are not much for the supernatural with dreams and visions. Many remain skeptical thinking that it’s all too open to everyone’s different interpretations and that deception is too rampant today, both are understandable. I am prayerful that this message will help bring clarity to these things and the various ways that God does speak to us. The other purpose for this devotional teaching is so that we can understand that dreams and visions will be a very important means by which God will provide for us in the time to come.
Let’s begin with Hebrews 1 where it talks about how God has been speaking to us.
HEBREWS 1
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:
It starts here by saying that God has been speaking to us in diverse manners unto the fathers by the prophets. He is talking about the five books of Moses and the prophets. It is interesting that it says He spoke in diverse manners, which is more than one way. Then it says that in the last days, He has spoken to us through His Son, who is the express image of His glory, who upholds all things by His Word. The Word of God and the ways He speaks to us is absolutely critical to understand, because that is how we live by the Spirit.
In what way did Yeshua speak to those in His time? He spoke to them in diverse manners, just as He spoke to and through the prophets before that time. One of the most important ways, and actually the first way, which God spoke before and Yeshua spoke to them then, was through the Word. When He spoke by scripture, He would quote out of Isaiah, Moses’ books, Jonah, etc. He spoke about the fathers and the prophets; he spoke out of scripture. In the same way, God speaks to us now out of the scripture. When we read the Word, our hearts are pricked, and we know He is speaking to us. We know that He is speaking directly to us and it applies directly to our own lives. It can either bring conviction, repentance, direction, encouragement, or understanding.
He also speaks through dreams and visions. An example is when John the Baptist baptized Yeshua, and He saw the Spirit come down on Him like a dove. This is symbolism within a vision. Another example is on the Mount of Transfiguration when John, Peter, and James saw how Yeshua was transformed. He spoke through these events and others as well.
Another way He speaks is through experiences. Different things would happen around Him that were like a type and shadow. For instance when Yeshua fed the 5,000, He fed them with five loaves and two fishes. We know that He had previously declared to satan, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). This experience with the five loaves and two fishes set the table, so to speak, for Him to declare to those present that He was this bread/word, the living bread, and the true manna that fed the fathers in the wilderness. He said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). The overall experience gave Him the place to minister to them this truth. Another example is when Yeshua fasted for 40 days. Moses was the type and shadow of this when he fasted for 40 days. In Hebrews 3:3 it says, “For this man [Yeshua] was counted worthy of more glory than Moses…” That experience was speaking to us and speaking to everyone around Him. He was constantly speaking to His disciples and others by what was happening around Him. In the same way, whatever happens around us or to us first has to come through the Father to get to us, and He has a divine purpose with it when it happens. Whether it’s in your body, with someone else, something you see happening around you, or things repeating, He is speaking to you through these experiences.
Yeshua also spoke through creation, and He did it through the different parables. He spoke of seeds, pearls, sand, sparrows, lilies, coins, wind, fire, gold…everything created, and He used it to get a message across. He speaks to us through all things created. In Romans 1:20 it is clear that the Father speaks through creation when it says, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead…” Since creation He has been speaking, and through creation He has been speaking.
He also speaks to us through numbers. Many people say they see various numbers continually, whether it be 11, 8, 9, 444, 222, and other combinations. These numbers have great significance. If you see it once, then it’s just a number. When you see it repeatedly, then you need to take note. In my own personal life, He has been speaking to me through a few numbers that are very important to me. These can either refer to a scripture (for me, 444 is John 4:44 and 333 is Jeremiah 33:3), a Strong’s Concordance number, or even a date. 222 is actually a date for me when He said something specifically to me. He lays so much emphasis on numbers that He would use them when He spoke to His disciples. He told them to wait for 10 days in the upper room, and 10 means completion, perfect, fulfilment. He said He would be in the grave for three days and three nights, meaning divine perfection. The five loaves and two fishes is a reference to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. Two of the churches are evangelists, Smyrna and Philadelphia, and they are the two fishes as they fish for men. The other five churches are the loaves of bread, which represent the rest of the churches. He even named one of the books in the Word, "Numbers".
These experiences with the numbers and miracles and parables, He used to speak a message to them and is also how He is speaking to us today.
To recap, He speaks to us by His Spirit through:
The Word,
Visions and dreams,
Experiences,
Creation, and
Numbers.
There could be more, but this is a good summary of how He spoke to them then, and it is how He still speaks to us now.
Some are a bit skeptical and careful because they’ve heard so many dreams and visions from different people. Some people are more conservative who prefer only the Word, and then there are those who are so dream and vision oriented that there is no substance and no scriptural foundation. We need both. They are both there to minister to one another. There are some apologists who say that God no longer speaks to prophets today, so there is no one today who will be in the office of a prophet. They say that God now only speaks through His Word. I absolutely disagree with that statement, simply because the office of prophet is within the five-fold ministry spoken of in Ephesians 4:11. If you take away the prophet, then you also must take away the apostle, the teacher, the pastor, and the evangelist. This five-fold ministry is a hand, and the body needs a hand in order to do anything. The Body of Christ needs this hand, or five-fold ministry, as a shepherding function to look after the Body. You cannot eat, dress, brush your hair, write, etc., without your hands. You need your hands to do anything and care for yourself. So the Body of Christ has the hands to minister to it, and it should be subject to the hands and also to pray for them. All parts of the five-fold ministry, whether apostle, teacher, prophet, pastor, or evangelist, are all shepherds, but they shepherd in different ways. I would like to focus on two in particular… the teacher and the prophet.
God speaks through the teacher by opening up the Word of God and giving revelation of scripture by scripture and through scripture. They bring greater understanding of the Word, and mysteries are opened up by the Spirit that guides the teacher. When it comes to the prophet, God speaks through the prophet through dreams and visions by giving a specific Word for them to speak but also to use the prophet’s life itself as a message. For example, Hosea had to marry an adulterous woman as was Israel. Jeremiah’s wife died, and he wasn’t allowed to cry to specifically show that God would not cry or mourn over Israel’s demise. He uses the prophet himself, so different preparation goes into the teacher compared to that which goes into the prophet. That does not mean that a teacher cannot prophesy or a prophet cannot teach. It means how they were prepared will determine their office and the specific call on their life. They need each other. How? Everything about them has to be based on scripture. The teacher is the one who will come to the prophet and say, "I am not sure if what you say aligns with the Word of God." A prophet is given certain liberties in his obedience to the Spirit that may seem in contradiction to the written word. That is a provision to protect the prophet when the teacher addresses this, whereas the prophet is there to come to the teacher and help him to not put God in a box and remind him that He will use various things to speak. For example, we know the law says there are certain unclean animals, such as a raven. Yet God told Elijah, a prophet, that He had commanded the ravens to feed him. So if Moses had to tell Elijah, a raven cannot be used to feed you because it is an unclean animal, then Elijah can say that God told him that He would command the ravens to do so. One is the letter, and one is the Spirit. The letter brings death, and the Spirit brings life; together they minister to the Body. That is why there is still such a thing as a prophet. We need to understand the difference between the gift of prophecy and the office of a prophet. Paul said to the Corinthians that he desired that they all prophesied. To prophesy is to exhort and minister, and in this case, Paul is referring to the gift and not the office. The office is completely different.
Another good way to show how Father uses dreams and visions is just before I started this devotional teaching, I had a dream.
CHLOÉ
In this dream, I was looking from the outside into a car, but I couldn’t see clearly into the car. I saw someone in the car, but I could not make out who it was. The car was light blue, and it had misty windows. I saw a finger writing the word “Chloé” on the window. If I am standing on the outside, it would be written backwards, but I could actually see it written the right way.
Interpretation:
The car represents ministry, because it is moving and carries people forward in a direction. The blue speaks of revelation, as this colour is also that of the heavens. The window has to do with eyes; the window of the car is basically its eyes, as you can see out of the windows. With the word “Chloe”, Father was referring to the house of Chloe. I spoke of the house of Chloe in my last devotional teaching, “Apostolic Sending and Seeing”, specifically in 1 Corinthians 1 where there was division in this house. Father wanted me to understand that I should go to this scripture to reveal what He wants said in this teaching, specifically with regard to the purpose of dreams and visions.
Let’s go now to 1 Corinthians 1 where Paul starts out saying that he has come to them after having heard about what is going on in the house of Chloe.
1 CORINTHIANS 1
11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
Paul is addressing that within the house of Chloe there were contentions, because they were upholding different people. Paul did not approve of this. He shares that he had determined of himself to know nothing except the cross and Christ crucified. He is saying not to look to man and drawing the attention back to Christ. In verse 23, he speaks about preaching Christ and it being a stumblingblock to the Jews, because the word says they require a sign. They came to Yeshua and asked Him to show them the sign that He was the Messiah, to which He replied that it is a wicked generation that must see signs and wonders. They did not believe or have the faith but required a sign in order to believe. The Greeks, on the other hand, received the preaching as foolishness. They were known for their wisdom -- philosophy, humanism, psychology – which all comes from the Greeks. They represent man’s wisdom where the Jews represent man’s unbelief. Verse 24 is about us who understand, us who are walking by faith and not by man’s wisdom, we receive the preaching of Christ as the power and wisdom of God. Think of Yeshua and how He spoke in parables about created things and other various means, and they considered this foolishness. God used a weak man, Yeshua from Nazareth. Nazareth was considered the lowest of low places near Jerusalem, which is why Nathaniel asked if anything good could come from there. The Father uses the weak things; He used a babe born in a manger in Bethlehem.
Now we’ll go to 1 Corinthians 2:4-7:
1 CORINTHIANS 2
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.
Paul is telling them that he did not attempt to convince them of how much he knows. If anyone could convince with enticing words, it would probably be him because of how well he knew the scripture, having been a Pharisee and been taught by one of the greatest rabbis. In verse 6, he says that they speak the wisdom of God among the perfect. Who could this be? This refers to the scripture in 2 Chronicles 16:9 that says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” These are those who seek Him alone and His will and they have no guile in their hearts. In verse 7, Paul is saying that they speak mysteries of wonderful, hidden things from before the world was created. These are for our glory to be able to understand. Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” All these ways that Father speaks to us is a mystery. It’s not just scripture, but scripture is the foundation of it. Going to verse 9 now, we think of the things that God has prepared for us for the time yet to come and what we shall see and hear, and we realize we have no idea. He is saying that whatever is written in scripture, we have not even read it yet. It has not even been documented yet what He plans to reveal to those He will use in the time to come – those whose hearts are perfect towards Him, those workers who have not seen yet what He has prepared for them. In verse 10, Paul tells them that he comes to them in the power and demonstration of the Spirit, and the Spirit reveals the deep and hidden things of God. He says the wisdom of God is a mystery, and it is the Spirit that reveals it to us. God has given us the Spirit so that we can know these mysteries. People who are unwilling to be taught by the Spirit in these various ways, afraid of that which is mysterious and of the Spirit are still walking in the natural/flesh and not by the Spirit. Many are scared… scared of deception and that they will go in the wrong direction. However, God has set us free in His liberty, and we should trust Him. He said that His sheep know His voice and follow Him, and they will not follow the voice of another. If you know scripture, and you know His voice, you will know His ways. A man who is walking by the Spirit is not judged by any man, because He is perfect in His heart.
We need to know the difference between Paul and Apollos. Paul was a man of the Spirit, considering the number of revelations he received. Even as he talked about the thorn in his flesh, it was because of the abundance of revelation he received and to keep him humble. Whereas Apollos was well known for his eloquent understanding of scripture. The Word says he was actually mighty in the Spirit, and he was a teacher and a man of fervent zeal. The word “apologetic” actually comes from Apollos. So, we have Paul as a type and shadow of the prophetic and Apollos who is a type and shadow of the teacher, and they work together. When we read Romans 16, we read about Priscilla and Aquila who came to Apollos, who at that time still baptized in the name of John the Baptist. The word says that Priscilla and Aquila came and opened up the scriptures to him. The name Aquila means eagle. When we think of this, we think of the prophetic, because an eagle has 20/20 vision, and it flies in another dimension. Another example of this is that Priscilla and Aquila are linked to the church of Smyrna. Yeshua said that John the Baptist was as Elijah, and he was a prophet. He died of beheading, and the church of Smyrna, which is the Priscillas and Aquilas, lay their necks on the line as it is says in Romans 16. They are a type and shadow of the John the Baptist group; they are the eagles. This is why the church is an apostolic and a prophetic entity. They came to Apollos, as a prophetic entity, and they opened up the scriptures to him. The teacher and the prophet are there together to minister to the Body. Overall, the whole hand is needed – the prophet, apostle, teacher, evangelist, pastor – to wash the Body.
In John 4:24 Yeshua tells the woman at the well, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him”. That’s both the truth of the word of God and the Spirit to work in conjunction. This is why we cannot throw away dreams and visions and the various ways and diverse manners Father speaks to us by His Spirit. These are the mysteries and the hidden things of God that the world will not receive.
How can we correctly discern this? In Matthew 5:8 Yeshua said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God”. The Word says that we are to guard our hearts with all diligence, because out it flows the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). Everything that happens to us, we perceive through our hearts. Whatever is there in the heart, the manifestation comes out of the mouth, determines how we see, and determines how we hear. If you still have past issues and are still wounded, you cannot handle criticism and tend to take it personally. If you still hold old to certain traditions and the law or things that are burdensome, you discern through that and become judgmental. When you have bitterness or anger in your heart, you will become critical. All these experiences and dispositions, even certain dispositions about dreams and visions and how God speaks, are filters through which you live your life. Yet Yeshua says to us that those who are pure in heart shall see God. Your ability to see accurately is determined by the condition of your heart. It is determined by whether you have guile in your heart or whether your heart is pure and whether or not you have dealt with all those filters. A good example from my own life is that there was a time when I had dreams, and I was involved in something that was deceptive, and I still had emotional baggage. Father took me out of that, and I asked Him at that time to remove all dreams from me, because I knew I could not trust them. One dream I would be able to understand, and then the next I could only understand it through my filters that still existed, which means I got it wrong. Therefore, how could I discern what was really right or really wrong? I asked Him then to take them away until I had dealt with my heart and went through the necessary seasons. About two-and-a-half years after that, the Spirit guided me again to ask for dreams, and then He started giving me dreams and visions, and it has multiplied ever since. The point I want to make is that I myself had to deal with my own filters in order to purify my heart by the Spirit so that I could see and hear clearly. Everything in our walk is determined by the condition of our hearts, specifically our seeing and hearing.
We will go to Matthew 6 now where Yeshua talked about seeing with the eye.
MATTHEW 6
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
The single eye is a reference to dove’s eyes. It can only focus on one thing at a time, and it doesn’t have peripheral vision. Yeshua says that if you are wholly devoted to Him with no lovers and everything belongs to Him, then you have a single eye. Then your whole body is full of light. On the other hand, if you have an evil eye, then you have a divided eye, like a snake or a lizard. It is an evil eye with many lovers and divided within itself. You become dark within and unable to see, because you walk in darkness; it is dark within you. In 1 John 1:5-7, John talks about walking in the light, and then in John 11:10, Yeshua speaks of those who walk at night (in darkness) and that they will stumble because the light is not in them. Those who have a single eye will have their whole body full of light; they will not stumble in darkness. A very interesting fact about light is that scientists have found that the whole colour spectrum is in light, with the exception of black. There can be no darkness in light, because darkness cannot comprehend light and cannot overpower it. The moment you strike a match in a dark room, the whole room is full of light.
About seven years ago, the Lord said to me that then I was seeing in monotone but I would begin to see in colour. At that time, I didn’t know what He meant by it, but I understand it now. Right after this, He began to bring across my path videos about people who were colour-blind and received glasses that helped them to see in colour. He was saying to me that He would give me “glasses” in the Spirit that would help me to see and perceive things in colour. He was saying that at that time I knew things in general, but once He gave me the spiritual glasses to see, and because I had dealt with my filters and my heart was becoming pure, I would then begin to see in colour and in light. There would then be more light in me to perceive the hidden things and meanings all around me. My whole life would become full of colour. That is what happened and is the case now. He speaks to me constantly, and sometimes it is overwhelming. I am now constantly able to receive Him speaking to me through everything I have mentioned to you. This is not anything about me being special; it is only because I have allowed His Spirit to deal with those things in my heart, so there can be more light and I can see in colour. When we say that we see things in the same light as someone else, we also see in the same colours. Even further, think about the fact that scientists have proven that at the moment of conception when a sperm penetrates an egg and becomes one with it, there is a flash of light at that very moment. This speaks of the spark of life entering into that egg. Also think of the Word that says Yeshua is the Light of the world. John the Baptist said about himself that he was not the Light, although he was a light speaking of the Light. The Light is the Word of God. The first thing that was said at creation in Genesis was, “Let there be light”, when the whole world was full of darkness. Same for us… when we were born again, we were in darkness before, but then as the Word says, we now say that we have seen the light. The moment you were born again, there was light, there was life, and the Word became flesh in you. The Word of God is light; it is Spirit. These are all mysteries combined together. Again, your ability to see is determined by the purity of your heart and the things you have dealt with.
The way this devotional teaching started was because I asked Father why He was using dreams and visions in my teachings and why not just scripture, as it alone is more than enough. He reminded me of the scripture where the disciples asked Yeshua why He spoke in parables. A dream and a vision are also like a parable; it’s a mystery and something to figure out. Let’s go to Matthew 13 now and read about these parables, remembering that Paul said that the mysteries are the hidden things of God.
MATTHEW 13
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
The first verse shows that there are people who have ears but do not have the ability to hear. There are people who have eyes, but they do not have the ability to see. Both are because of the darkness in their hearts, where the filters in their hearts still need to be dealt with. As Yeshua is talking to the disciples, He confirms with them that they know the mysteries and what He is speaking of in His parables, but the others (the Jews and the Greeks), they cannot perceive it. It is stumbling block and foolishness to them. Verse 12 is a grave warning to us. He says that He gives us different things and that He will speak to us the mysteries of God, and if we will lay weight to it and understand how important it is, then He will give us more. If we search out the hidden and deep meanings, then He will give us even more. But if we think it is frivolous and we lay no weight to it, and we don’t consider that He uses these things, then even that which we have will be taken away from us. In verse 14, their lack of seeing and perceiving is again a condition of the heart. Just as it says in Romans 1 where it says He has been speaking to us through creation, but the people cannot receive it because their hearts waxed dark; they grew dark. But those who do see and hear can understand, because they have been given the mind of Christ, and the same applies to us. The degree that we understand is the degree we understand the Word of God and the light within our hearts, which is determined by the purity of our hearts. In verse 17, He says that the prophets that foretold all the things happening then longed to see them, but the disciples were seeing it then. Blessed are their eyes. We need to understand this scripture in the “is to come” sense regarding the tribulation. We need to understand that He is going to show and speak to us through these various means that Paul referred to when he said in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “…Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him”. He is saying to us that you have no idea of the things I will show you in the time to come; not just the things that will happen on earth, but the things in the spirit realm that I will reveal and open up to you. Because you have no guile in your heart, and because of the purity of your heart, you will see the things of God… the deep and hidden things of God. That veil will be lifted, and you will see the things that were never before since the creation. You were born for such a time as this to be able to receive the hidden mysteries and things of the Spirit that others will not see. I will use you as my prophets, a prophetic entity, and the church will go forth as light and bring colour to this monotone world. Others see the monotone world as full of colour, but it is gray and lifeless; it is bondage. You will bring light into their darkness through signs and wonders, dreams and visions, just as Peter spoke referring to Joel 2 that these signs and wonders will come in the last days. Joel 2:28-29 says, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” He has determined that in these last days He will use dreams and visions, because it will be required to help us. It will be a provision for us.
Have you ever asked yourself why out all of all things, the Lord God said He would use dreams and visions in the last days during the tribulation? It is because the time we are going into is going to be seethed in unreality, and only that which is of the Spirit is reality. Artificial intelligence will be taking over those who take the mark of the beast, the whole system of the beast, and the whole world. People will be seethed in unreality. You will not be able to trust anything you read, see, or hear. They will manipulate and control everything with things such as bluebeam technology, and everything will no longer be real or true. But we who are of the Light will see clearly, because God will speak to us in our spirits and through all these circumstances with dreams and visions, and He will direct us. We are going to need to be guided by the Spirit in this way, as the world will be in the clutches of everything that is no longer real. We must walk by the Spirit.
In Luke 21, the disciples asked Yeshua what it would be like in the end times, and He told them that various things would be happening that would be quite frightening. Specifically in 21:12 He said, “… Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken”. We can only imagine what it will be like in the great darkness and the thick sense of fear that will be prevalent on this earth when the tribulation is taking place. There will be another world war, hunger, famine, murder, pestilence and plagues, natural disasters, the sun darkening, meteors, and earthquakes. This darkness will bring fear that will be like a thick blanket over this earth. We will see this, and we will need to be strong. He is going to provide for us in such a way that can only be done if we are walking in the Spirit.
The Lord has shown me eight things of how He will use dreams and visions during this time of tribulation. We must remember that these are for provision for the time to come. The first thing is for DIRECTION. For instance, in Acts 16 when Paul wanted to go to Jerusalem, he received a vision that he must go to Macedonia. There he met a lady named Lydia who was a seller of purple, and she and her family were converted. It is said that through Lydia the doors of the gospel were opened to all of Europe. One person had this impact, and it is because Paul did not ignore that vision. Another example is Ananias, who also through a vision received a message that he was to go and help Paul who had lost his eyesight and also tell him the things that he would suffer for the gospel. He was also directed through a vision. Dreams and visions are given to provide us with direction.
The second reason for dreams and vision in our time is for WARNINGS. An example of this is with Polycarp, who was the head bishop of the church of Smyrna, of which Priscilla and Aquila are a type and shadow. He was a disciple of John the Revelator. Just before he died, the Lord gave him a dream where his pillow was on fire, and he knew then that he would burn at the stake. The next morning the Centurions came and got him and bound him to the stake to burn by fire. However, the fire did not burn him, and he died by daggers and knives instead. The Lord warned him through a dream that this was the way he would die. Another example would be with Pharoah who had the dreams of the cows and the wheat, which was a warning of the coming 7-year famine.
Another way dreams and visions are used is for giving us UNDERSTANDING. Think of Peter who was on the roof and saw the vision of the white linen sheet with all types of unclean animals on it. He was told to kill and eat, to which he responded he would not since he had never eaten anything unclean. The Father showed him through this vision that the gospel was then opened up to the Gentiles, because the Gentiles were seen as unclean. Peter received understanding from this vision. It could happen to us where we feel we would never go and speak to a certain person, but the Lord gives us a vision that provides us with understanding that the person will receive our message. He also gives us the understanding of the meaning of scripture this way.
Another way is that He provides CONFIRMATIONS to us through dreams and visions. A personal example for me is that a month or two ago I began to see that I was beginning to lack the time to continue typing out my transcripts for my devotional teachings, as they were taking very long to do. I asked Father that if it was His will for me to have help that He would send someone to me to do it by giving that person a dream about it. About a week later, my friend Stacy messaged me and said she had a dream that she was typing out my transcripts for me. I had not told anyone what I had asked Father. He confirmed my request by giving my friend a dream, just as I had asked Him.
He also uses dreams and visions to SERVE THE BODY. I have people come to me and share their dreams with me, and they do not know the interpretation. As Joseph told Pharoah, the interpretation is of God. In the same way, we need to understand that the Body within itself ministers to each other with their gifts. An example is Myha’s dream that I shared in my last devotional, “Apostolic Sending and Seeing”. In her dream, she was on a conveyor belt where she could see into a building that was a dilapidated children’s home that represented the broken-down church. She saw toys hanging from the ceiling, and toys are gifts. They were hanging from the ceiling, because they come from above. The word says in John 1:17, “Every good gift and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights…”. These toys were hanging from the ceiling, because the church was not utilizing them. The church was broken down and demented, because they were not utilizing the gifts the Father had given them. The gifts are there to serve the Body, which obviously includes dreams and visions.
Dreams and visions are also used to MAKE A WAY. Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men”. This means that the gift makes room, or expands your space, giving you a bigger platform in which to minister to people. It will also bring you before great men, and this means men of authority. We have the example of Joseph who interpreted the dreams of the baker and cupbearer. The cupbearer left the prison before Joseph, and Pharoah had a dream where this cupbearer remembered Joseph interpreting his dream. As a result, Joseph came before Pharaoh… he received “room”, and he came before a great man, as Pharoah was seen as a god. Because of his gift of dream interpretation, he was able not only to become second in command, but he was able to feed his father and his 12 brothers and their families in the midst of great famine. The gift made the way. We don’t know if in the time to come having a dream or the ability to interpret will bring us before those in authority who do have dreams and visions but are fearful of it, because they sense there’s a meaning behind it. And because we are able to interpret or help them, God will make a way for us. He will help us, give us favour, and maybe even save lives through it.
Even further, having dreams and visions can OPEN A DOOR to speak of the gospel. For example, if I have a dream about someone who is unsaved, and I go to them and warn them about the dream; then if the dream comes true, they will know that God had compassion on them and wanted to save them. It opens the door for the gospel.
The last way I will share that dreams and visions can be used is to give REVELATION. If you think of Daniel and John the Revelator, both received revelation through visions and dreams. Daniel also received revelation through the interpretation of dreams as well. It is because of those revelations that we now have an understanding of the end times. People who want to throw out dreams and visions may as well go ahead and tear out the books of Daniel and Revelation and set them aside as not needed. No, this should not be, as this bears great weight! God will also give us revelation in the time to come through dreams and visions.
This helps us to understand the weight and purpose behind dreams and visions and the various means that He speaks to us, especially for the time to come, as we are desperately going to need it. This is why Yeshua said that man cannot live by bread alone, with bread referencing scripture (manna), but from every word that proceeds from the mouth of God in every way He may speak to us. We live by the Spirit, and we walk by the Spirit.
About three years ago, I had a vision while I was praying. I saw a Bible and then immediately an oak tree was growing out of this Bible. It was a massive oak tree growing up very high, so high I could barely see the top of it. Then I saw the branches spreading out and the birds coming to sit in the branches. What Father was saying to me is that out of scripture, He was causing me to grow into an oak tree where others will be sitting in my branches. Then there’s Matthew 13, which I was not even thinking of at that time; but we can clearly see my vision in this scripture. This is also another parable.
MATTHEW 13
31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
The vision Father showed me was a type and shadow of these scriptures. The word of God is an incorruptible seed, note, I first saw the Bible. Then out of it came this massive tree. The kingdom of God is like a little mustard seed, but it grows like a tree and the birds come and sit in it. Why did He choose a mustard seed? I decided to look up the meaning of this mustard seed, and it means to hurt or to sting. It is not a reference to faith in this case, even though Yeshua said if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could cause a mountain to move into the sea. This mustard seed is a reference to the Word of God, and it stings and hurts, because a sword can hurt and sting. This scripture also says that this seed is sown in the field. The word “sown” means to draw a sword, so this is a clear reference to the Word of God that is as a seed that grows as a tree. The word “grow” means to wax or increase, which is what I saw in my vision when the tree came out of the Word and grew very tall in strength and stature.
Just a few weeks ago, I woke up with the words, “You must wax strong in the Spirit”. There is a reason why He said this to me, which is two-fold. First, because of the things that will come upon this earth and what we will see. Secondly, it is about what He will show us when He lifts the veil and we see those things which are hidden in the spirit realm. When Yeshua appeared before John the Revelator, he fell down before Him as a dead man. His body could not handle the things of the spirit realm. The same is true of Isaiah when chapter 6, He saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up. He said, “Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). There is a clear understanding that when God starts to show you things of the spirit world, your physical body cannot handle it. I have been speaking to Him about this very thing in my private conversations with Him, asking Him to enlarge my heart, as I cannot contain all that He shows me. This is not because He is showing me such mighty revelations, but it’s the abundance of revelations. I am aware of the veil between the spirit world and my own life becoming thinner and thinner, and it’s overwhelming. I know I am dealing with the living God, and it overwhelms me to know that He is speaking to me all the time. Sometimes I feel I could jump overboard and just swim to the nearest shore, but He knows He has me hook, line, and sinker. It is a fearful thing to stand before Him and know that He speaks to you, and you are accountable for what comes out of your own clay lips. Paul said, “And I was with you in weakness, in fear, and much trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3). I often fear and tremble before I make a video. I tremble, because I have absolutely no confidence in the flesh. As a result, we all need to wax strong in spirit, as He said to me. These same words are also written in Luke chapters 1 and 2. In Luke 1, it was said that John the Baptist “waxed strong in spirit” as a little boy. In Luke 2, it says that Yeshua as a boy “waxed strong in spirit”. That word “wax” is G2901, and it means to increase, grow mighty, and strong. The word “spirit” is the word pneuma, and it means a vital principle by which the body is animated, which makes me think of the moment of human conception when the light comes. The spirit of man is the light in him. Yeshua’s spirit waxed strong, because as a boy, he would go to the temple and spend time amongst the rabbis, and he would learn of them. Remember that incorruptible seed that grows into a mighty tree, it waxes strong.
Recently Father has drawn my attention to Psalm 1 and to memorize it. (And for those of you who are not memorizing scripture now, think about what you will do when there is no Bible available to you. Memorize it now while you can.)
PSALM 1
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The man whose delight is in the law and he meditates on it day and night is blessed; He is in the Word of God. He will be like the tree in my vision, waxing strong, with green leaves that never whither, and He will produce fruit. We, because we drink from the water of the Word of God, become oaks of righteousness that are established in the Word of God. The fruit we bear is what others eat of. We become trees of life that others can eat from and trees of light that others can see. We grow and wax strong in the Spirit and in the Word of God, and this is what we will need in the time to come. Dreams and visions are not the end, but they are a means to the end. The Word is the beginning and the end, and we will only wax as strong to the degree that we are in the Word of God and walk by the Spirit. In Ephesians 3:16, Paul prays and says, “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man…”. It’s both the Word and the Spirit that causes us to wax strong. This is what this whole teaching is about… the Word and the Spirit, the teacher and the prophet. They go together, and this will be our provision in the time to come.
As I was memorizing Psalm 1, it was just before my birthday. My mother-in-law gave me a necklace that is a tree of life, which was yet another way He spoke to me. Again, we are trees of life that bear much fruit for others, and the condition of our fruit will be determined by the condition of our hearts. One of the things Father said to me as I was preparing for this message was, “The source determines the substance”. When the Word is planted in your heart as a seed and you’ve already dealt with the issues of your heart, you will have the ability to see. You will be full of light. It also produces the fruit you will bear that others will eat. As it says in Psalm 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”.
We will go to John 1 now where Nathaniel is discussed. Nathaniel is a type and shadow of the workers, the first 144,000 who will be here during the seals period. There will be another group of 144,000 during the trumpets period as well. The reason I refer to Nathaniel as a type and shadow of the first 144,000 is because he is also seen as the man without guile. The same description is given to the 144,000 in Revelation 14:1-5 where they are virgins without guile. Nathaniel is from the tribe of Issachar. His name means gift of God, so we are talking about the gifts of the Spirit. The gift of God is the Spirit, and Nathaniel is a man after the Spirit. He is a representation of the Spirit working through man. In my teaching, “Two Johns and a Jezebel”, I explain how the Johns are a reference to Issachar and the blessing that is spoken over this tribe that they will be as a donkey in the meadows that bears the burden. This means that they are as shepherds over the flock. Then the Levites, the priests, dating back to Aaron, refers directly to John the Baptist, who are those of the light. This is the reference to the first group, the prophetic group. On to John 1 now:
JOHN 1
45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
In verse 46, Yeshua is referred to as the son of Joseph. What do we know about Joseph, the type and shadow of Yeshua from the Old Testament? He was a dreamer and he had a multi-colored coat. The coat is a reference to the three gospels. In Luke 23:11 it mentions the “glorious” white robe that Yeshua wore just before the crucifixion. When you look in Mark 15:17, it is referred to as a purple robe, and in Matthew 27:28 it is referred to as a scarlet robe. So here in this scripture we have the Son of Joseph in his multi-colored robes -- the gospels, the one who was a dreamer or the man of the Spirit, meeting Nathaniel, who is a representation of those who will be sent out. Next, notice the reference to Phillip, who represents the second group of 144,000. As we see the exchange between Yeshua and Nathaniel, we can see that Nathaniel is pure of heart with no guile. He could see the mystery of God when Yeshua said he saw him under the fig tree even before Philip told him to come and see. This wouldn’t seem to be a big enough deal to have Nathaniel immediately acknowledge Him as the Son of God and the King of Israel. However, Nathaniel could fully see. Because of this, God is saying that He will show those who are pure of heart great and mighty things; He will show us the heavens open up. This is again why we must wax strong in spirit and by the Spirit, so that we will be able to bear and endure both the things that will come upon the earth and the things we will see in the spirit realm.
About four years ago, the Lord showed me the hordes of hell in a dream. It was a terrible experience to see it, and I was traumatized for hours afterwards. Seeing the grotesque figures and what they look like, huge and murderous and evil, and feeling the evil, had a tremendous effect on me. One of the intercessors who was praying for me told me that while she was praying, she had a vision of me walking out of my house, and the heavens opened up and I could see chariots. She said she looked at me, and I looked like it was the most normal and ordinary thing for me to see these things. This has not happened yet, but I know that I will see these things. If we are unable to bear that which is physical that He speaks to us, and it’s too much for our bodies to handle, how we will handle it when the heavens open up and we will see what is happening in other dimensions? We will only be able to handle seeing this continually if we wax strong in spirit.
Think of Moses walking past the burning bush and seeing it only as another bush burning, since it was normal for them to see bushes burning in the desert. What if he would have walked by and not acknowledged it for what it truly was? How many burning bushes have you overlooked or ignored on your path, because you were not willing to turn around and look? You were not willing to stop and hear or receive the various ways that God wants to speak to you, all because you do not lay weight to these things. We are going to desperately need dreams and visions and the various ways that He wants to speak to us, and it will be very soon. I know I am going to take heed.
I pray that you will dive deep into scripture so that the Spirit can draw out the water of the word and wash and cleanse your heart, so that more light can come in and you can see through purity of heart the hidden mysteries of God. Understand that for those who have and believe, more will be given; and those who have and don’t believe, even that which they have will be taken from them. Desire these things and pursue Him for these things, according to His will for you; He knows what you need. Don’t dismiss it and think it’s only for others and not for you, when you are actually going to need it more than ever. He has made a way by His Spirit. May the Lord bless you and keep you as you consider these things prayerfully before Him. Amen.
