Years ago, my wife Laurie and I pastored in a small, rural community in eastern Washington. Attached to the church building was the parsonage where our family lived, and from the south windows there was a beautiful view of the foothills, foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
One night Laurie had a dream in which the sky and the tops of those hills opened up; split in two like a photo sliced from top to bottom. In the vast opening was Jesus. He was returning. This truth was revealed that startled her and still does: It was the end of this present reality. Time was over. No time to make decisions. No time to do anything.
Phil Keaggy wrote and recorded a song entitled Time that deals with this truth.
“Too late for apologies
Too late to forgive your brother
Too late to get on your knees
Too late to help the needy
And worst of all it’s too late to turn
You must face eternity.”
Like most such spiritual truths that the Lord makes known to us, it is difficult to express what is being experienced. They are so real, real in a way that is unlike anything else we have ever known. As with all such events, Scripture must be checked to make certain that what the person is testifying to lines up with Scripture. So, let’s investigate.
Jesus said this about His return:
“For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day” (Luke 17:24).1
How long does it take for lightning to flash? A second or less? The blink of any eye? It happens, and it is over. So, we see that so far Laurie’s dream was on solid biblical ground.
John wrote, “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’” (Revelation 21:5a).
“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there” (Revelation 21:23–25).
So, what Laurie dreamt was from the Lord. She is not a wild-eyed false prophet. It is true. Everything we presently know about this reality will change when Jesus returns.
However, what does that mean to us?
Jesus gave us the answer.
“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:42–44).
Pretty clear, isn’t it? Christians must, during the length of their lives, “stay awake.” Jesus likens it to not letting our houses being broken into at night. That means always being on guard and not “falling asleep”; not allowing sin, false gods or doctrines come in and steal our faith in the one, true God and our Savior. That means continuing to enter the narrow gate and walk in the hard way, not taking the broad road that leads to destruction.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13–14).
We believe You are going to return, Jesus. Please hasten the day. Please come and make all things new. Lord God our Father, please help us stay awake and walk that narrow road.
1All Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (2016). Crossway Bibles.
Gif courtesy Edge images.
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