I’m not a prophet or the son of a prophet. I don’t have visions or apocalyptic dreams. However, I do have an over-active imagination and under the right conditions (late night popcorn seems to help) I’ve had dreams that wake me with a pounding heart and a brokenness before God that changes my life. Here’s a dream like that from earlier this year.

The dream was set in Daytona Beach, probably because my wife, two sons and I were planning to vacation there. As in our plans, our daughter and grandson would be staying home. So in the dream we were at the beach. My wife and sons were down by the water but I went into the hotel restaurant to take a break from the heat. On the TV, the news was all about a string of disasters that were happening all over the world. These disasters were unusually huge and widespread and more were happening even as they reported the last one. The realization swept over me – this was it, the end the Bible talks about; the world was turning inside out as the Son was about to return.*

Anyway, in the dream I had to get outside and tell my wife and sons. I ran out to the beach, and I saw them laying on the sand. They didn’t see what I could see. The sky had changed and the tide had pulled so far back from the shore that I couldn’t see the water. I knew what was coming – there would be a wave rushing toward us in minutes. I wanted us to get to high ground before the water came crashing back in. I called to them, yelled to them, to come in. We had to get to the top floor before the wave came and, more importantly, to see Jesus returning.**

We were together, running into the hotel. At the stairwell to the roof, it hit me that I need to tell my daughter. Even though I had cell reception the call was not connecting. I quickly typed up a text.

I wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay. I wanted to tell her not to panic, to hold her son close and pray, to remember the things that we taught her that most of the time it seemed she was in a hurry to forget. Most of all, I wanted to tell her to hold fast to faith in Christ because I wanted her to be among the rescued; I wanted to see her and my grandson again and enjoy the blessed hope we long for.

I pressed the send button.
The wave was coming, the sky was tearing apart, but I held fast. I was so desperate to tell her all the things I should have told her the day, week, month or year before.
I held by breath as I watched the little sending indication line move across the top of the screen; the one that tells you the message is going out.

Then the screen updated: Failed to deliver.

 

*The second coming will be a joyful time – think of your best friend who you haven’t seen for years is flying in to see you. At the same time, there is an anxiety. What’s going to happen when you see your friend again; will you hug, will they be the way you thought they would be, will they land okay and all that stuff? Also, while I have faith in Christ and in his resurrection power, I’m not in a hurry to die in a landslide, flood or earthquake.
**When the world collapses, you can’t get high enough – Tower of Babel much? Our security is found only in The Lord. You can be on high ground, low ground, or even in the ground and it won’t make a difference because if you have put your life in his hands you place with him is assured. And by the way, there will be some significant and key signs before this event so it will be unlikely we will be vacationing at Daytona Beach when it happens. Remember this is just a dream.