Witchcraft In the Church or God's 'State of the Church' Address
October 2007 David Elam
This dream was given to me one night in October, 2007. My brother, Tim, had a dream the exact same night with essentially the same message. His dream follows this one.
I was with a worship leader friend who was leading a ministry team. We were just getting back from a ministry trip, carrying our various instruments and bags. I remember that the setting of the airport we arrived in was almost space age and very military-like. At first, there was no one to be seen in the airport. It felt like we were being treated like a top-secret operation. We stepped out of a doorway that was suspended in air in a large, open room onto a catwalk which was also suspended in air. The room partly reminded me of a NASA shuttle loading dock (at least the sort of thing you see in the movies). On one of the walls there was a large window that was letting a good amount of sunlight into the room, but it was much darker down below. I couldn’t see how far it was down below, but I knew it was far. The walls were covered with red, square tile with a pyramid-shaped embossment. The catwalk pathway we were on sort of morphed and formed as we would walk along on it. The path was quite confusing and uncertain at times, and then someone in the group would speak up and say, “I think we should go this way,” and we would follow as the path formed before them. Though we had just arrived, we were just about to leave again and were in a rush to find the place where our next plane was to be and get to it. The pathway was causing us to descend very quickly as it morphed. I remember there being somewhat of a spiral at one part and one of the team members swinging around the spiral, ‘having fun’. The way that they were swinging on the path was pretty dangerous and careless, as they could have fallen off. At this point, we were basically in the back of the airport.
The airport was very strange. At some point we had gotten off the path that would have seemingly taken us only down into darkness and got onto a platform which led us to an open-air section of the airport right in the middle of the whole complex, which was itself huge. This part reminded me of an outdoor street merchant fair in a third-world country. There were lots of tall, wooden carts with various necklaces and jewelry hanging from them. But there were all these Latin looking women dressed in their traditional clothes forcibly trying to sell us these various trinkets they had made. I felt a great uneasiness about buying anything from them, though, and told the leader of our team that I thought we should move on and avoid any business with them as I recognized a spirit of witchcraft operating in them and their merchandise.
Once we got back inside the airport, we were sort of pushed along through all sorts of tunnels and mysteriously quiet passageways, led along only by the logic of the paths as they formed before us. At the end of a passageway, we finally came upon two women who looked like airport personnel and asked them how to get to where we needed to go. They had been expecting us. Next to them, as a façade to this passageway we had just come from, was what seemed to be a large rock decoration covering the surrounding walls. It reminded me of the fake rock material you see at theme parks. In this part of the airport, the light was dull and everything was a dark, earthy tone. The women were very courteous and pointed us in the right direction. We were almost out. (Note: When we were inside the airport, it felt like it existed just for our mission and us. Everything catered to us.)
We came down a dark, covered escalator and finally managed to get to the foyer, right next to the entrance. The foyer was laid with solid white tile floors and white walls. It was a bright, cool white. It was nighttime when we first got to the foyer but next thing I knew, it was daylight outside. There was still almost no one around inside the airport. Altogether, we saw only about 8 or 9 souls in this huge airport. There were about 6 or 7 people in the foyer pacing and looking at various signs on the walls. This was more in the side part of the foyer, away from the doors. They seemed almost mindless from the time they had spent there.
We were now out of the airport, but I had a huge problem. Somewhere along the way, I had lost my shoes. That was a major bummer because I knew we were headed for some extremely harsh terrain. I could see in my spirit that it was like walking on molten rock with boiling lava filling the pores of the rock. The rock itself was like shards of glass underneath your feet. I knew this. I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but I had lost my shoes in the airport because I was fooling around, doing things I knew were stupid and ignoring any understanding I had of what was wise in regard to how I should treat my shoes. I knew what I was doing was dangerous. Once they were gone, I blew it off to my team members like it was no big deal. I acted like I was so strong that I didn’t need my shoes. In my mind, however, I knew what was coming and that there was no way I could walk there without my shoes. My teammates were shocked at my carelessness, especially some of the girls. I remember that I was using this foolishness as a means of getting attention, especially from the girls. As we went on through the airport, I became more and more worried about what I would do about my feet. I felt naked without my shoes.
Once out of the airport, we proceeded out onto a lawn. It was sunny outside, a seemingly perfect day. The outside of the airport was an elegant, warm white with a very modern design to it. There was a medium-sized tree to the left of the front doors of the airport. It was a pleasant tree and full of life. It reminded me of a cypress tree. I remember there was a young girl who seemed to be joyfully interacting with the tree, enamored with its life and beauty. It seemed like she was receiving of its beauty and life as she interacted with it. About 30 yards in front of the airport was a huge rock, over which had formed a dirt mound. The actual rock was only visible by its two far ends. There was a huge line of people, almost as long as I could see, who seemed to be going to and from the airport. This was a very strange sight, though, because the line of people didn’t start at the airport doors. The line started at the rock. Between the rock and the airport was a lawn, which was about 30 yards deep. The people going away from the airport simply ‘appeared’ past the lawn at the rock and were walking away from it. Those coming towards the airport were coming from a field that was beyond the rock. However, once they came to the rock, they simply ‘disappeared’. There were just a few who actually made it over the rock and were able to walk freely in the lawn and get to the airport – probably close to 5. However, those who crossed over the rock only walked across the mound of dirt on top of the rock. No one’s feet made direct contact with the rock on its far ends. The people in the line were without expression and never spoke. There were far more people coming towards the rock than were going away from it. We decided we would follow the line of people and see where it led us or else go home. We were tired and even ready to give up. Our morale was low because we had no direction. We were confused and unsure about which way to go to get to our plane. Also, the leader had been pretty passive about offering directives inside the airport, so the team started to look to me as a leader because I “apparently” had a bit of experience and thought I knew what to do. Plus, I was simply willing to make decisions. (Strange – I had already displayed my foolish heart for them to see.)
So, onward we went towards the rock. We got about halfway to the rock and turned around to go back towards the airport, confused about where our plane would be. Then, we turned back towards the rock. Then, back towards the airport again. Then, back towards the rock. (Remember, we are still on the lawn.) Finally, we had passed over the rock and were walking beyond it in the line of people, heading into a field where the numbers diminished greatly. At the end of this field, a few miles back, were some mountains. There seemed to be seven or eight; more like eight, I think. Somewhere back in those mountains, I sensed, was the treacherous terrain. When we were heading towards them, the sky changed and became like dusk, daunting in character. It had been rather sunny and beautiful when we were next to the airport. The further we got from the airport, the atmosphere rapidly got darker. After a while, it became too daunting and the group started heading back towards the airport. Just after we passed over the rock again and were on the lawn, I saw an acquaintance of mine walk by without noticing me. I desperately wanted some help (was at my wit’s end), so I slipped away from the group and turned again to call for her. I think I was mostly concerned and worried about my feet because I knew the treacherous terrain that we were eventually headed for. I was reacting out of fear and was not primarily concerned with the group. (It seemed like more people were making it over the rock at this point.)
This acquaintance of mine was about 23 years old and had been coming towards me from the direction of the airport. She was leading a group of 4 or 5 young men. I think they were all wearing ‘casual dress’ black clothes. After I passed her and called her back, we stopped right on top of the rock and I asked her if she knew if they sold sandals in the market. I knew that she knew the market well. She may have even worked inside the airport; I’m not sure. They all told me, ‘no’. (Looking back, I would have liked to ask for real shoes, but I instinctively knew that they weren’t available nor did I feel worthy to ask for them because of my previous foolishness. I just wanted something until I could find the real thing again. But why was I willing to go back to the market? I knew the evil that was there.) Then the girl apologetically offered me some sandals she had pulled out of a bright blue duffle/gym bag full of stuff. She said something like, “I’m sorry, this is all I have.” They were plastic, sort of like Crocs sandals; one was a soft pastel pink, the other was a soft pastel purple. I took them. I knew they wouldn’t do, but they were all I had for right then; at least they were something.
Immediately following, as I was talking to her, I saw seven or eight women (it felt more like there were seven) briskly weaving in a line like a sidewinder snake through the field to the right of the line of people. They were not part of the sea of people. They were walking in a line, arms linked, chins up, and EXTREMELY arrogant. Their presence and attitude was very gross and evil. The leader on the end (head) was dressed very unflatteringly and provocatively. Her blouse was a shiny teal color and had jewels on it. I think she was wearing more jewels on her body. She flamboyantly announced, as they passed by the rock, “We’re going to Israel!” They were headed for the airport doors. There was something terribly insidious in her voice and their collective attitude. I got the feeling that they wanted to ‘cash in’ and ‘get their hands in’ what God was going to do in Israel. I would like to note here that these were the only people in my dream who were not in the line headed towards the rock. They were off to the side of the line of people and went to the side of the rock. Everyone around noticed them and heard their announcement. Everyone thought they were a bit strange yet some thought them to be intriguing and would have been quick to give heed to them. No one actually questioned them. As they passed by the rock, I noticed the wall of the airport to the right of the doors had opened up and there were some large steps heading up to a large porch-like area where lots of people had gathered and were watching this whole scene. Many of these people were those who had just passed over the rock. (Now, as the women went by, it seemed to be nightfall and pretty cloudy, with only a little bit of light coming from the airport which illumined the base of two of the mountains and the place in the field from which the women came. The atmosphere had taken an ominous, looming feeling.)
Right after that, a girl from my group came up to me and told me the group had all come back the way I was going. Suddenly, most of my group and I were in a tiny, dual-propeller airplane. (Now it wasn’t quite as dark or daunting as before, but very overcast.) A missions’ strategist that I admire was our pilot. We were waiting for the leader of our group and a couple of others who were outside the plane talking and trying to figure out what we should do. There were also more people outside the plane who had passed over the rock – those congregating on the steps. Inside the plane, I was sitting next to someone who seemed to be an ex-coworker of mine from a Bible school at which I gave private music lessons. He was hunched over and holding his back in an odd/strange way. He acted like he was in pain. His hand was way oversized and contorted and his arm, twisted. His hand was the most oversized and contorted part of his body. It was resting over his backbone. This image really struck me. The man almost didn’t seem real or human. He wouldn’t talk at first and had a gross look on his face. It was totally bent, contorted, and grotesque. It seems initially he was looking at me with his eyes open. He would just sort of stare at me, almost in self-pity. It looked sickly demonic. Then, I remember his eyes being squeezed shut tightly, almost like a child does when he/she doesn’t want to listen to authority or do what they are told. His attitude at that moment was rather defiant. His ears seemed very oversized. His head was oversized too. Our pilot began to address us. He was talking about how this plane was “so great because you can get going and move to the back of the plane and it’s still so quiet the closer you get to the engines, not like airliners”. Much of the group was like, “Oh, yeah, yeah”, as though they saw what he meant. At first, I wanted to go along with it, but then I didn’t see what he was talking about. In fact, quite the opposite seemed true to me. (He had turned up the engines, but we were still parked.)
After that, when the man next to me did finally talk, he spoke blasphemy but very faintly under his breath. He almost tried to play it off with a false childlike innocence while he was full of mockery at the same time. I was frozen from fear and wouldn’t rebuke him or go to warn our leader. I remember two girls behind me being shocked at what he had said, but I still let it live. I could tell they wished I would do something, but I failed to rebuke him or his words. I distinctly remember that once I let his words live a certain amount of time, their effect was sort of set in stone – seemingly unstoppable – it SUDDENLY poisoned EVERYTHING, almost like when an injection suddenly settles in to the blood stream, and then there’s basically nothing you can do about it. I now felt utterly helpless to stop anyone from being deceived. Our leader finally came in to the plane, and I tried to warn him and expose the blasphemous nature of this person’s/demon’s words. However, when I told him what he had said, he thought there was no problem with it, and just went on with his business. I was aghast.
The plane was fire engine red. Its proportions and contour were very much like a big toy airplane. The material even looked like plastic, as did the sandals I received.
I believe that is where my dream ended.
This dream was given to me one night in October, 2007. My brother, Tim, had a dream the exact same night with essentially the same message. His dream follows this one.
I was with a worship leader friend who was leading a ministry team. We were just getting back from a ministry trip, carrying our various instruments and bags. I remember that the setting of the airport we arrived in was almost space age and very military-like. At first, there was no one to be seen in the airport. It felt like we were being treated like a top-secret operation. We stepped out of a doorway that was suspended in air in a large, open room onto a catwalk which was also suspended in air. The room partly reminded me of a NASA shuttle loading dock (at least the sort of thing you see in the movies). On one of the walls there was a large window that was letting a good amount of sunlight into the room, but it was much darker down below. I couldn’t see how far it was down below, but I knew it was far. The walls were covered with red, square tile with a pyramid-shaped embossment. The catwalk pathway we were on sort of morphed and formed as we would walk along on it. The path was quite confusing and uncertain at times, and then someone in the group would speak up and say, “I think we should go this way,” and we would follow as the path formed before them. Though we had just arrived, we were just about to leave again and were in a rush to find the place where our next plane was to be and get to it. The pathway was causing us to descend very quickly as it morphed. I remember there being somewhat of a spiral at one part and one of the team members swinging around the spiral, ‘having fun’. The way that they were swinging on the path was pretty dangerous and careless, as they could have fallen off. At this point, we were basically in the back of the airport.
The airport was very strange. At some point we had gotten off the path that would have seemingly taken us only down into darkness and got onto a platform which led us to an open-air section of the airport right in the middle of the whole complex, which was itself huge. This part reminded me of an outdoor street merchant fair in a third-world country. There were lots of tall, wooden carts with various necklaces and jewelry hanging from them. But there were all these Latin looking women dressed in their traditional clothes forcibly trying to sell us these various trinkets they had made. I felt a great uneasiness about buying anything from them, though, and told the leader of our team that I thought we should move on and avoid any business with them as I recognized a spirit of witchcraft operating in them and their merchandise.
Once we got back inside the airport, we were sort of pushed along through all sorts of tunnels and mysteriously quiet passageways, led along only by the logic of the paths as they formed before us. At the end of a passageway, we finally came upon two women who looked like airport personnel and asked them how to get to where we needed to go. They had been expecting us. Next to them, as a façade to this passageway we had just come from, was what seemed to be a large rock decoration covering the surrounding walls. It reminded me of the fake rock material you see at theme parks. In this part of the airport, the light was dull and everything was a dark, earthy tone. The women were very courteous and pointed us in the right direction. We were almost out. (Note: When we were inside the airport, it felt like it existed just for our mission and us. Everything catered to us.)
We came down a dark, covered escalator and finally managed to get to the foyer, right next to the entrance. The foyer was laid with solid white tile floors and white walls. It was a bright, cool white. It was nighttime when we first got to the foyer but next thing I knew, it was daylight outside. There was still almost no one around inside the airport. Altogether, we saw only about 8 or 9 souls in this huge airport. There were about 6 or 7 people in the foyer pacing and looking at various signs on the walls. This was more in the side part of the foyer, away from the doors. They seemed almost mindless from the time they had spent there.
We were now out of the airport, but I had a huge problem. Somewhere along the way, I had lost my shoes. That was a major bummer because I knew we were headed for some extremely harsh terrain. I could see in my spirit that it was like walking on molten rock with boiling lava filling the pores of the rock. The rock itself was like shards of glass underneath your feet. I knew this. I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but I had lost my shoes in the airport because I was fooling around, doing things I knew were stupid and ignoring any understanding I had of what was wise in regard to how I should treat my shoes. I knew what I was doing was dangerous. Once they were gone, I blew it off to my team members like it was no big deal. I acted like I was so strong that I didn’t need my shoes. In my mind, however, I knew what was coming and that there was no way I could walk there without my shoes. My teammates were shocked at my carelessness, especially some of the girls. I remember that I was using this foolishness as a means of getting attention, especially from the girls. As we went on through the airport, I became more and more worried about what I would do about my feet. I felt naked without my shoes.
Once out of the airport, we proceeded out onto a lawn. It was sunny outside, a seemingly perfect day. The outside of the airport was an elegant, warm white with a very modern design to it. There was a medium-sized tree to the left of the front doors of the airport. It was a pleasant tree and full of life. It reminded me of a cypress tree. I remember there was a young girl who seemed to be joyfully interacting with the tree, enamored with its life and beauty. It seemed like she was receiving of its beauty and life as she interacted with it. About 30 yards in front of the airport was a huge rock, over which had formed a dirt mound. The actual rock was only visible by its two far ends. There was a huge line of people, almost as long as I could see, who seemed to be going to and from the airport. This was a very strange sight, though, because the line of people didn’t start at the airport doors. The line started at the rock. Between the rock and the airport was a lawn, which was about 30 yards deep. The people going away from the airport simply ‘appeared’ past the lawn at the rock and were walking away from it. Those coming towards the airport were coming from a field that was beyond the rock. However, once they came to the rock, they simply ‘disappeared’. There were just a few who actually made it over the rock and were able to walk freely in the lawn and get to the airport – probably close to 5. However, those who crossed over the rock only walked across the mound of dirt on top of the rock. No one’s feet made direct contact with the rock on its far ends. The people in the line were without expression and never spoke. There were far more people coming towards the rock than were going away from it. We decided we would follow the line of people and see where it led us or else go home. We were tired and even ready to give up. Our morale was low because we had no direction. We were confused and unsure about which way to go to get to our plane. Also, the leader had been pretty passive about offering directives inside the airport, so the team started to look to me as a leader because I “apparently” had a bit of experience and thought I knew what to do. Plus, I was simply willing to make decisions. (Strange – I had already displayed my foolish heart for them to see.)
So, onward we went towards the rock. We got about halfway to the rock and turned around to go back towards the airport, confused about where our plane would be. Then, we turned back towards the rock. Then, back towards the airport again. Then, back towards the rock. (Remember, we are still on the lawn.) Finally, we had passed over the rock and were walking beyond it in the line of people, heading into a field where the numbers diminished greatly. At the end of this field, a few miles back, were some mountains. There seemed to be seven or eight; more like eight, I think. Somewhere back in those mountains, I sensed, was the treacherous terrain. When we were heading towards them, the sky changed and became like dusk, daunting in character. It had been rather sunny and beautiful when we were next to the airport. The further we got from the airport, the atmosphere rapidly got darker. After a while, it became too daunting and the group started heading back towards the airport. Just after we passed over the rock again and were on the lawn, I saw an acquaintance of mine walk by without noticing me. I desperately wanted some help (was at my wit’s end), so I slipped away from the group and turned again to call for her. I think I was mostly concerned and worried about my feet because I knew the treacherous terrain that we were eventually headed for. I was reacting out of fear and was not primarily concerned with the group. (It seemed like more people were making it over the rock at this point.)
This acquaintance of mine was about 23 years old and had been coming towards me from the direction of the airport. She was leading a group of 4 or 5 young men. I think they were all wearing ‘casual dress’ black clothes. After I passed her and called her back, we stopped right on top of the rock and I asked her if she knew if they sold sandals in the market. I knew that she knew the market well. She may have even worked inside the airport; I’m not sure. They all told me, ‘no’. (Looking back, I would have liked to ask for real shoes, but I instinctively knew that they weren’t available nor did I feel worthy to ask for them because of my previous foolishness. I just wanted something until I could find the real thing again. But why was I willing to go back to the market? I knew the evil that was there.) Then the girl apologetically offered me some sandals she had pulled out of a bright blue duffle/gym bag full of stuff. She said something like, “I’m sorry, this is all I have.” They were plastic, sort of like Crocs sandals; one was a soft pastel pink, the other was a soft pastel purple. I took them. I knew they wouldn’t do, but they were all I had for right then; at least they were something.
Immediately following, as I was talking to her, I saw seven or eight women (it felt more like there were seven) briskly weaving in a line like a sidewinder snake through the field to the right of the line of people. They were not part of the sea of people. They were walking in a line, arms linked, chins up, and EXTREMELY arrogant. Their presence and attitude was very gross and evil. The leader on the end (head) was dressed very unflatteringly and provocatively. Her blouse was a shiny teal color and had jewels on it. I think she was wearing more jewels on her body. She flamboyantly announced, as they passed by the rock, “We’re going to Israel!” They were headed for the airport doors. There was something terribly insidious in her voice and their collective attitude. I got the feeling that they wanted to ‘cash in’ and ‘get their hands in’ what God was going to do in Israel. I would like to note here that these were the only people in my dream who were not in the line headed towards the rock. They were off to the side of the line of people and went to the side of the rock. Everyone around noticed them and heard their announcement. Everyone thought they were a bit strange yet some thought them to be intriguing and would have been quick to give heed to them. No one actually questioned them. As they passed by the rock, I noticed the wall of the airport to the right of the doors had opened up and there were some large steps heading up to a large porch-like area where lots of people had gathered and were watching this whole scene. Many of these people were those who had just passed over the rock. (Now, as the women went by, it seemed to be nightfall and pretty cloudy, with only a little bit of light coming from the airport which illumined the base of two of the mountains and the place in the field from which the women came. The atmosphere had taken an ominous, looming feeling.)
Right after that, a girl from my group came up to me and told me the group had all come back the way I was going. Suddenly, most of my group and I were in a tiny, dual-propeller airplane. (Now it wasn’t quite as dark or daunting as before, but very overcast.) A missions’ strategist that I admire was our pilot. We were waiting for the leader of our group and a couple of others who were outside the plane talking and trying to figure out what we should do. There were also more people outside the plane who had passed over the rock – those congregating on the steps. Inside the plane, I was sitting next to someone who seemed to be an ex-coworker of mine from a Bible school at which I gave private music lessons. He was hunched over and holding his back in an odd/strange way. He acted like he was in pain. His hand was way oversized and contorted and his arm, twisted. His hand was the most oversized and contorted part of his body. It was resting over his backbone. This image really struck me. The man almost didn’t seem real or human. He wouldn’t talk at first and had a gross look on his face. It was totally bent, contorted, and grotesque. It seems initially he was looking at me with his eyes open. He would just sort of stare at me, almost in self-pity. It looked sickly demonic. Then, I remember his eyes being squeezed shut tightly, almost like a child does when he/she doesn’t want to listen to authority or do what they are told. His attitude at that moment was rather defiant. His ears seemed very oversized. His head was oversized too. Our pilot began to address us. He was talking about how this plane was “so great because you can get going and move to the back of the plane and it’s still so quiet the closer you get to the engines, not like airliners”. Much of the group was like, “Oh, yeah, yeah”, as though they saw what he meant. At first, I wanted to go along with it, but then I didn’t see what he was talking about. In fact, quite the opposite seemed true to me. (He had turned up the engines, but we were still parked.)
After that, when the man next to me did finally talk, he spoke blasphemy but very faintly under his breath. He almost tried to play it off with a false childlike innocence while he was full of mockery at the same time. I was frozen from fear and wouldn’t rebuke him or go to warn our leader. I remember two girls behind me being shocked at what he had said, but I still let it live. I could tell they wished I would do something, but I failed to rebuke him or his words. I distinctly remember that once I let his words live a certain amount of time, their effect was sort of set in stone – seemingly unstoppable – it SUDDENLY poisoned EVERYTHING, almost like when an injection suddenly settles in to the blood stream, and then there’s basically nothing you can do about it. I now felt utterly helpless to stop anyone from being deceived. Our leader finally came in to the plane, and I tried to warn him and expose the blasphemous nature of this person’s/demon’s words. However, when I told him what he had said, he thought there was no problem with it, and just went on with his business. I was aghast.
The plane was fire engine red. Its proportions and contour were very much like a big toy airplane. The material even looked like plastic, as did the sandals I received.
I believe that is where my dream ended.
The following dream was given to my brother on the same night as the Lord gave my dream to me.
Dream – Tim Elam – October 2007
I was in a large plaza-type atmosphere in front of a building in the downtown area of a big city. There were also a few steps going up to the building. I was there with a large crowd of Christians, probably 100 or so. Most people were sitting except people on the steps who were standing. I was standing even though I wasn't on the steps. We were all facing a man standing by the street. He was saying and doing some things that didn't seem quite right to me. I couldn't hear him audibly. There wasn't really any sound. He seemed almost like a street magician, putting on a sort of show. He had a street vendor cart with him. I didn't look closely at what was on it but there were small objects hanging from it. I wasn't paying extremely close attention to the man. I kept looking around me at all the people sitting and watching. They seemed quite enamored. Eventually, I found myself near the cart and right next to the street. I don't know where exactly the man was at this point. The scene seemed to get a little more chaotic. People were more restless. The weather had picked up. Strong winds now were blowing and it felt like a storm was headed in. Soon, I found myself in the shape of a cross with my arms extended straight on each side and my feet together facing forward. At this point, I was no longer in control of my body. Remaining in this perfect position, I began floating straight up until I was 2-3 feet off the ground. At the same time that I was going up, I began spinning around in a circle. It began slow but accelerated to incredible speed. I had no control of my body and I knew that it was being controlled by Satan. Whether the man from before was Satan or a representation of Satan, I don't know. I only know that at that point Satan was controlling my body. In the dream, I cried out to Jesus and immediately, I was awake, lying on my back in my bed. My heart was pounding very quickly and I had broken out in a cold sweat. I immediately felt the strongest presence of evil that I ever have there in my room and knew that there were evil spirits surrounding me and I had the sense that one was above my feet, facing me and staring me in the face. Now awake, I again cried out to Jesus and immediately, all evil spirits fled and I could physically feel the peace of God falling slowly over my body like a blanket. I just stayed there in God's presence and fell back asleep. Beginning with me taking the form of a cross in the dream, this all affected me very physically.
Witchcraft in the Church – Interpretation - David Elam and Betsy Elam
My brother Tim and I were given two different dreams on the same night in October, 2007; two dreams, but very much the same message. I remember that particular weekend we had hardly even seen each other and had not spoken of anything relating to the themes of our dreams. Joseph told Pharaoh, who had two dreams in the same night with the same meaning, “Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.” (Gen. 41:32) It could be that God is saying this about the message of these two dreams: it is coming to pass quickly.
In my dream, I represented a generic leader in ministry today. I believe all the main people did. I’m not sure the dream necessarily has to do with specific individuals; although, God has spoken to me personally very much through this dream. I used to almost never speak up when I was grieved about something and would, more often than not, ignore the discernment that God would give me about spiritual things. I have repented and am actively putting an end to the fear of man in my own life. I do travel and help lead worship in various parts of the U.S. and overseas, sometimes teaching and/or preaching the Word. I can attest to the message of the dream as being true in much or most of the Western Church. I believe this dream to be a “State of the Church” address from God. This is how He sees us. I knew we were in a dire state in the Church but as God began to reveal the interpretation of my dream, I realized we were in much worse shape than I thought. It wasn’t just the interpretation itself that shocked me though. I don’t give myself to just any dream. However, my family and I kept discovering many elements of this dream in God’s Word. We got to see things the way He sees them through the Word. That is what has scared and troubled me the most. I’ve been very grieved to realize the true state of the Church through the things God is revealing in this dream and confirming with His Word. We have tried to be very careful not to include things in the interpretation that we didn’t sense the Spirit was bearing witness to. We have tried to keep a focused interpretation of each detail, as God seemed to highlight it.
The Airport
1 – The NASA-like airport represents the Church as a sending place for ministries and missions. Space age seems to speak of keeping up with the world system in terms of gadgets and devices, but also has a feeling of “hands off” or isolation. I believe the catwalk path is like the path much of the Church walks on today – a path that is supposedly great in wisdom and revelation but is lacking true biblical foundation. There was even an exciting feeling of danger or adrenaline as we walked the path. I believe the fact that it was always changing and morphing speaks of “tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming…” (Eph. 4:14) The path was descending very rapidly, even spiraling in at least one spot. I believe spiraling on a downward path speaks of backsliding. One of us was even having fun doing it! “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” (Prov. 16:18) Red (tiles & plane) is the color of rescue organizations. However, we seemed to bring more harm than good (allowing deception, not carrying the whole gospel – see below). The interior of the airport got more and more dingy as we would go along, but the appearance of the foyer and exterior was very nice and clean – white walls on the outside, and bright white walls and tile covering the foyer. The red, pyramid embossed tiles in the very first room signify that the airport was “full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (emphasis added). Pyramids contain burial chambers. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.” – Matt. 23:27
Witchcraft in the Airport
2 – The airport (Church) was strange – something was wrong. The open air, ‘old world’ market which was selling trinkets in a forcible way and operating in a spirit of witchcraft represents the rebellion/manipulation/false bewitching teaching that has tried to come into the Church even from the time of the first Apostles (Acts 8:9-24; 1 John 2:18-19; Jude; Revelation 2:17-29; Galatians). ‘Open air’ is open to the prince of the power of the air, Satan (Eph 2:2).
The False Rock – Where Is Jesus?
3 – Two women knew the way out. Why are so few people in the Church? Why are so few being sent out? The few that are there are mostly on the sidelines (side foyer) in a state of confusion looking for direction. Why is there a false rock inside the Church? Notice that the rock wasn’t even part of the foundation. It was just a decoration on the wall – a façade. Is Jesus only a decoration in our churches, or is He truly our foundation? This reminds me of the verse, “…this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote”. (Isa. 29:13) If this is God showing us the way He sees us, then we are in big trouble and need to turn back to the Lord before it’s too late! Where is Jesus in our church meetings and our fellowship? Have we lost Jesus? “Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.” (Rev. 3:2) Numbers 25 shows us that adultery against God or ‘playing the harlot’ is a product of a FALSE ROCK in our midst. Read this chapter. The name of the Midianite woman Cozbi means ‘false’ and her father’s name, Zur, means ‘rock’. Together they stand for ‘false rock’. They were bringing physical and spiritual harlotry into the camp of the Israelites. God spoke very highly of the man who was jealous for the Lord and against this harlotry. I believe the dream is largely speaking of the witchcraft that now exists and operates in the Church because of the spiritual harlotry we have committed against God. It is very important to understand this subject and how it comes about. That is why I encourage you to read and study Numbers 25. I believe spiritual harlotry and how to avoid it are some of the most important things to understand in following Jesus. Harlotry is one of the most common cases that God has against His people in the Old Testament, and it is one of the last things spoken of in the Bible (Rev. 17 &18). Wow! That should give us a clue as to its importance. It also helps us see just how pervasive it will be in the last days.
Lastly, why all the confusion in the airport? Well, the Word says, “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you…The LORD will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do…” (Deut. 28:15, 20a) It felt like there was confusion for those in the foyer because of lack of training and discipleship, so that they just didn’t know what to do. It seemed like they were waiting for an assignment, or just someone to tell them what to do! They were slightly exasperated, but patient and content with a dim hope.
Don’t Lose Your Gospel Shoes!
4 – I lost my shoes in church. I lost my ability to carry the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6:13, 14, and 15 says, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day… Stand firm therefore…having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace…” I had lost the readiness to share the gospel, even in the very place from which it should be proclaimed. I represented church leaders that are no longer preaching a full gospel: that Jesus both saves us from our sins and commands to turn away from them; that His atoning work on the cross is the all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins and His grace teaches us and empowers us to deny ungodliness and to live a holy life of discipleship and consecration to Him. The eternal gospel in Revelation 14:6, 7 is summed up as, “Fear God and give Him glory.” I lost the full gospel (my shoes) because of foolish pride and wanting to gain attention and approval from others; also, because of not listening to the Holy Spirit’s wisdom. Leaders are looking to other things for their strength rather than Jesus. Flesh is their strength. (Jer. 17:5-10) They are trying to cover their foolishness (not preaching the whole gospel) with their own charisma and human wit rather than relying on the anointing of the Holy Spirit, as I did in the dream.
Perhaps the harsh terrain represents the ‘evil day’ in which we must have the full armor of God, including the pure gospel. Also, the land God wants us to walk on with our gospel shoes is currently cursed and hellish – a land where nothing could live. Only a strong gospel could possibly go there to change things and bring life.
Paul said this: “Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert…” (Acts 20:26-31a, emphasis added) Are we innocent of the blood of all men?
The True Rock Covered by False Doctrines
5 – The huge rock/boulder represents Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:20 says, “…having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone…” I was very concerned about whether or not the rock was actually Jesus because it was almost completely hidden by the dirt mound that had formed over it. However, after prayer, the Lord gave us the reference Isaiah 26:4, which (unknown to us) said, “Trust in the LORD forever, for in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.” So, we had to believe that it did, in fact, represent Jesus. I believe the dirt that has covered the Rock is the winds of doctrine that have blown in that have hidden Jesus from individuals. His witness in the earth has become obscured. The huge line of people going to and from the airport (Church) started at the Rock. All humanity must deal with the Rock, Christ Jesus. “‘Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.’ This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very corner stone,’ and, ‘a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense’; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.” (1 Pet. 2:6-8) Why is the real Rock outside the Church? It’s not even inside the Church. Why is the Church not built on the Rock? What an indictment against us! The line of people in the dream that came to the Rock and disappeared were those who stumbled and were offended by Christ, so they remained dead in their sins (disappearing).
Just a few people made it over the Rock and were able to walk freely. “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (Jn. 8:31, 32; emphasis added) These people had believed on Him and He became their firm foundation. These are the hearers and doers of the Word described in the parable of the wise man who built his house on the Rock (Luke 6:47, 48). However, remember that there was much ‘dirt’ on the Rock – fleshly, false doctrines of men. These doctrines would no doubt bring harm to those who believed on the Rock but carried these fleshly things with them as well. They would also hinder them from preaching a pure gospel, just as they had not received a pure gospel. The people in the line headed towards the Rock had no expression and did not speak because they were dead in their sin. Only passing over the Rock and having Jesus as their foundation could remedy their condition and bring them to ‘life’ and freedom.
Much indecision about direction is noted here and the leader and I were not offering clear directions. We were even afraid of the rough terrain ahead and ended up avoiding it altogether. We knew deep inside that we had no power, no confidence in the gospel we boasted of. I represented the foolish leader who is looked up to simply because of experience and natural leadership qualities and yet is devoid of the gospel.
As for the tree, a cypress is used a few times in the Bible to represent Jesus. I believe it is a picture of how we are supposed to draw from Jesus. Hosea 14:8 says, “O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like a luxuriant cypress; from Me comes your fruit.”
Fear of the Treacherous Terrain
6 – Going towards the Rock… then, away. Trying to find the plane… going towards the Rock… again turning back toward airport (Church). We, the group, finally passed over the Rock and walked toward the way God was sending us, where the treacherous terrain was. The sky became dark and daunting showing the spiritual warfare that was ahead. This was no place to go without gospel shoes, though. I felt spiritually naked and open to any attack without this one part of my armor. We obviously sensed that we were not yet equipped for the treacherous mountain terrain since we again headed back to the airport. I felt we were avoiding our real mission by trying to find other ‘good’ things to do in place of it. We were like a special operations outfit, but even we were not equipped. Sadly, I think most of the Western Church, even many pastors feel ill equipped to cast out a demon, heal the sick, or preach the true gospel with genuine, Holy Spirit results. I’ve only met a few people in my life who were living what I would call a ‘normal’ Christian life according to the Bible. (I think we should remember, though, that the Apostles didn’t just start winning thousands and raising people from the dead in one day. They spent three years with Jesus. They literally left everything they had and paid a hefty price of rejection and danger of persecution – even death. To the world, they were dead. (Gal. 6:14) Surely, we won’t see what they saw until we are willing to pay this price, too.) After we had decided to go back and were almost at the airport, I turned once more and headed toward my friend for help. I was worried about my feet not having adequate shoes for the treacherous terrain if we ever got there. Fear for my own safety seems to be the motive for me coming to my friend at the Rock.
Plastic Sandals and the Word of Righteousness
7 – The plastic mismatched sandals – one pink, one soft purple – represent the easy, fun, pretty/feminine parts of the gospel. The colors of the sandals are feminine baby colors. They are part of the gospel because they were received on top of the Rock, but they are the parts that are not hard words for us, but only the easy, such as ‘Jesus loves me’, ‘God wants to bless me’, etc. They do not include things like, “Take up your cross and follow Me”. The sandals are mismatched. I think this is saying that churches, ministries, denominations and believers in general cannot even agree on the ‘easy’, ‘fun’, ‘weaker’ (pretty/feminine) parts of the gospel. Divisiveness is a symptom of spiritual immaturity. The Bible shows that it is a consequence of being infants and drinking only milk. (1 Cor. 3:1-4) These parts of the gospel are ‘prettier’ and more presentable, but also require less strength on our part (certainly not on God’s part), thus ‘weaker’. [God defines the female as the weaker sex but also calls the husband to honor her (1 Pet. 3:7). No part of the gospel is unnecessary or inferior. God doesn’t say weakness is inferiority. God covers a woman’s weakness with her husband’s physical strength or the strength of God (1 Cor. 11:3).]
The sandals represent the ‘milk’ of the gospel. At one time, I did have the gospel shoes and would have been able to walk on the treacherous terrain, but I lost them. Now, I was receiving sandals that were baby infant colors. The Bible defines baby Christians as carnal, fleshly and only taking the milk. (1 Cor. 3:1-4). However, we must remember that those who do not repent, but continue to practice the works of the flesh, will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:19-21; Heb. 10:26-27; 1 Jn. 3:8-10) Hebrews 5:11-14 speaks very strongly against going from ‘meat’ back to ‘milk’. “Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” One of the most shocking signs of the state of the Church today is the widespread inability to “discern good and evil”. It appears that, at one time, the Christians to whom Hebrews was written were able to eat solid food. All of the verb tenses refer to a backsliding from their previous state, so that they had become dull of hearing, had come to need milk, needed to be taught again the basic principles of Christ. That’s amazing. The part of the gospel that is missing today in America and the Western Church is the ‘word of righteousness’. Since we have been partaking of only milk, we are not accustomed to the word of righteousness. Therefore, because we have not practiced our senses and learned to discern good and evil, witchcraft is seeping into the Church of Jesus Christ at an alarming rate, and the people don’t even recognize it or question things they don’t feel comfortable with, just as the people on the steps were unable to discern the dangerous spirit of the side-winding women.
It is interesting that I asked about sandals (certainly not adequate to walk as a fruitful disciple of Jesus on molten rocks and shards) from a woman less mature – younger – than myself who was out of order as a leader of only men. These sandals are certainly not the full gospel shoes of a warrior in full battle dress needed for treacherous terrain. (Eph. 6:13-18) It seems the men who were following the woman were ‘in the dark’ (dressed in black), so they were looking to her for direction and leadership. I didn’t sense that she had taken that position for herself, or that she didn’t have good motives. It just sort of happened. Note that throughout the entire dream, it is almost exclusively women that are even a little bit aware of what might really be going on. Where are the men? They were passive because of pride and fear of not appearing to be strong before people. Rise up men of God! “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Cor. 16:13) Also, note that the real gospel shoes were not readily available. I believe this was a judgment on my actions of foolishness and pride.
Please don’t feel like I am against women or women in ministry. I’m not at all. Most of the interpretation for this particular part of the dream was actually written by a godly woman. =) I actually think it’s our fault as men for not taking responsibility for our rightful place in the Body of Christ.
The Insidious Sidewinder Snake Women
8 – A sidewinder snake is a poisonous horned rattlesnake and one of the most ‘crooked’ or ‘bent’ snakes, if not the most. The seven linked, seductive, arrogant women weaving like a sidewinder were avoiding the Rock. These women saw no need for Jesus – as if they were above Him. This is Satan’s attitude. This scene represents a new wave of witchcraft which is coming to infiltrate the Church in great intensity and uncleanness. Most importantly, it is God’s judgment on the full gospel not being preached. Why shouldn’t God judge us when we’ve watered down His glorious gospel to make it more palatable for people who are not interested in becoming true disciples of Jesus anyway? (Gal. 6:7, 8) We need to remember that the gospel does not belong to us; nor is it open to interpretation. It is God’s gospel. When God’s Word is not clearly held out for people to see, it creates a vacuum for all kinds of strange things and lies to come in and take the place which the truth of God’s Word is supposed to take in our hearts. Note that the arrogant announcement made by the snake women leader – that they were going to Israel – was made as they passed by the Rock. They are lawless ones who boast of themselves, as they come deceptively close to the Rock, but pass by Him and draw the attention of His people to themselves as they put on a show. They seem ‘oh, so spiritual’ as they make their proclamation, but steal all the attention for themselves and, thus, take it away from Jesus. They would try to keep people in spiritual Israel (the Church) from finding Jesus the Rock. They would do this to physical Israel, too. The seven snake women going to physical and spiritual Israel without first passing over the Rock would not be possible if these were seven literal women. (Humanity has to deal with the Rock – Jesus – in this life.) That would mean there is a demonic element to the women. They were going to Israel with their arrogance of side-winding past the Rock.
God is warning his people about a new wave of sorcery/evil/witchcraft that is about to (as of October, 2007) infiltrate both spiritual and physical Israel. This is not the old type of witchcraft the Church has had to contend with since its inception (like in the street market). This is something new and very insidious and deceiving. It is witchcraft that will try to look, ‘oh, so spiritual’ and will be seductive to those without discernment and will appeal to any spiritual pride we have to be ‘in the know’ about spiritual things.
Right after the women passed around the Rock, my group came back to where I was. They had still made no progress. Thankfully, more people were making it over the Rock (Jesus) at this point, but it is sad that they had no discernment to know that the snake women were evil as they watched them pass by. We need fathers to teach and train up these young disciples in the kingdom.
Similarities to Revelation
There are some interesting similarities between the imagery used with the snake women and that of the dragon in Rev. 12, as well as that of the harlot and the beast in Rev. 13, 17 and 18. I believe there are spirits of antichrist at work here to make war against the Church in the form of a spirit of harlotry, just as Balaam taught king Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of God to weaken them through spiritual harlotry. (Rev. 2:14; Num. 31:16; Num. 25) As for the mountains in the dream, I don’t remember if there were seven or eight. It almost seemed more like there were eight. Also, in my dream, it was hard to tell if there were seven or eight of the snake women, but it felt more like seven. At times, it almost seemed like both would be true. That was hard to figure out, until we saw Rev. 17:9-11, which says, “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.” (emphasis added) So, it could be that the dream was illustrating this element by seeming to go back and forth between seven and eight. Much of the biblical imagery used for the dragon, the beast and the harlot is found not only in the women moving like a sidewinder snake, but in the demonized man as well. Below is a comparison chart highlighting many of the similarities between the dream and the book of Revelation.
The Dream:
- Sidewinder (poisonous horned rattlesnake) - Seven (women) - Women - Seductive/Provocative, Arrogant - Head snake woman – Jewelry - Demonized Man – Blasphemous - Seven or eight mountains (more like eight), seven or eight snake women (more like seven) - (Witchcraft in) Snake women, Demonized man, Open air market |
The Bible:
- Dragon, serpent of old, Satan (Rev. 12:3-4, 7-10p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } - Seven heads (Rev. 12:3) - Harlot (Rev. 17:3-6); Beast (Arrogant – Rev. 13:5); Babylon (Sensuous – Rev. 18:7) - Harlot – Adorned w/ jewels (Rev. 17:4) - Beast (Blasphemous – Rev. 13:1,5,6) - “…seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings…The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven…” – Rev. 17:9b,10a,11a - “…all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.” – Rev. 18:23b |
The Red, Plastic Airplane – Are We Getting the Picture Yet?
9 – The red, plastic, toy-like airplane is another symbol of the gospel and perhaps missions specifically. However, it is only part of the gospel, just like the sandals. We can see this because it is plastic and tiny. It is hardly adequate to carry anything and certainly not strong enough to weather any type of storm or go long distances. Remind you of the sandals yet? I believe the pilot represents some leaders in evangelism who believe that it is OK, and actually better, to preach a gospel that is quiet and void of any boldness or power, rather than to preach the gospel that Jesus and the Apostles preached. I believe we have been fed a warped view of evangelism in America. I’ve heard the quote that says, “Go out and preach the gospel; and, if necessary, use words.” I think we miss the point of that quote and use it as an excuse to not preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Word of God says (above any quote), “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14, emphasis added) The idea of us being able to truly have an impact in people’s lives without ever opening our mouths is only part of the story. Yes, they should be able to see the fruit and power of the Spirit in our lives as a testimony, but God also says that they need to hear about Jesus. Many of us simply haven’t understood the gospel or know deep down that the gospel that we have heard and preached does not manifest itself in Holy Spirit power in the lives of those who hear it. I know exactly what that is like. God wants to restore His truth and His power to His Church today! He is ready to do this and, in fact, is doing it.
The pilot made the statement that the airplane was so great because you could get closer to the engines (which should be the power and force of the gospel) and it was just as quite there as it was further away from the engines, unlike airliners (real airplanes). What he is really saying is that it is a good thing that this airplane (gospel mission) doesn’t have any kind of power that could cause a stir. Everyone else agreed. Let us be careful that we don’t boast in the fact that when we preach the gospel, nothing happens. Something always happens when the real gospel is preached. The hearers either get mad, sad, glad or a sequence of all three.
An admired leader in the dream again was faulty (the missions strategist), clueless as to the real warfare we were up against as Christians bringing the gospel to others. He didn’t seem to notice that one of the ministry workers was extremely demonized. The missions’ strategist also showed total lack of discernment in his comparison of our plane to an airliner. He seemed to think the truth was opposite of reality. What he deemed the truth was in actuality a deception/lie. The biblical remedy for deception is a love for the truth – God’s Word – the gospel. Is the airplane going to go anywhere? The engines were revved up, but no action.
This was a toy airplane – plastic and fire engine red. We were playing at missions. Pride and spiritual one-up-manship were in the pilot’s speech. Just one storm would show that all has been pretense. A plastic, toy-like airplane coming out of such a high-tech airport? Clearly, the gospel that is being preached has much more bark than bite. Fire engine red speaks of a rescue operation; but it was void, without power.
Remember there were more people gathering in front of the airport at this point, who had passed over the Rock. It is interesting to note that more people are finding Jesus even as the warfare and deception are increasing, but it’s also sad that they didn’t have discernment about the snake women. It seemed they needed guidance/teaching.
Spirit of Witchcraft Pervasive
The demonized man was bent over, ‘crooked’ and contorted; the snake women were ‘crooked’ in that they were weaving through the field like a sidewinder. I believe this is to show that the demonized man was operating in the same spirit as the snake women, but on a more blatantly evil level. It may be that God was showing what the spirit of the snake women and its effects would cause, once let in to the Church. It was playing off of major self-pity and trying to get compassion from me. Self-pity is just manipulation to get what you want from others, another form of witchcraft/sorcery. I felt this was his means to get me to listen to or give attention to him. He was playing off of my sympathy. The punch line (his blasphemy) soon followed. Watch out for demonic forces trying to gain your sympathy. Don't make a covenant with the enemy! (Joshua 9) There were three times in the dream where there was something operating among God’s people in a spirit of witchcraft: The street market in the airport, the snake women, and now this thing. Almost no one recognized any of them for what they were. O God, give us discernment!
The Demonized Man
There were many parts of the man’s body that were contorted, enlarged and/or twisted. I believe some of this was to show different parts of the Body of Christ that are, in a sense, ‘sick’ or ‘ill’; while other parts were to show Satan’s strategy against the Body. I believe the demonized man’s hand was grossly enlarged in order to show it was powerful to bring a curse to the backbone or uprightness of many in the Church which is exactly what happened when he uttered blasphemy: it literally poisoned EVERYTHING. In the Bible, the hand usually represents strength and power. The man’s hand was contorted to show that the strength it was getting was from witchcraft. I believe the contortion in the dream represents the sorcery/witchcraft at work. Contortion is closely related to ‘crookedness’, ‘perversion’, or ‘wickedness’. The head was oversized to show that some leaders would allow this witchcraft and blasphemy to take over, which is basically what I did in the dream through my passivity. The head, of course, usually represents leadership. Our group leader didn’t think the man’s blasphemy was wrong. He didn’t recognize it for what it was. Many leaders today have become desensitized to unbiblical speech, doctrines and behaviors in our meetings because we’ve tolerated them for so long, which creates an open door for worse and worse error to come in, eventually leading to outright blasphemy. I’ve been there myself. The oversized ears may represent people described in this verse: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Tim. 4:3, 4)
Immaturity in the Body: God’s Answer
Many things about the demonized man’s actions and attitude showed that he was acting like a child, including how he shut his eyes in defiance. I believe his general behavior is demonstrating our immaturity as believers because of receiving only milk and not the word of righteousness. Because we have not practiced training our spiritual senses, there is no discernment so we are vulnerable to Satan’s attacks against the uprightness of God’s Church. We have not learned to eat solid food in most of the Western Church, and have not received or preached the whole gospel of God, therefore we are still like “children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming…” (Eph. 4:14) God’s plan to protect us against this and to cause His Body to grow into maturity is the five-fold ministers. However, we have neglected and refused for centuries to submit ourselves to the five-fold ministry which God set in place as His government in the Church. God specifically gave this government in order that “we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:13, emphasis added) No matter how hard we try, denominations will never be able to take the place of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers because they are not God’s prescribed order of government. God will not fully bless something other than what He has ordained. Our earliest brothers and sisters were “continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer”. (Acts 2:42) Today, we either give ourselves to just about everything that comes down the pipeline, without weighing it first, or else we give ourselves to our denomination’s teaching. Much denominational teaching, almost by definition, either ignores or over-emphasizes some part of the Bible, not giving itself to the whole counsel of God, thus failing to “accurately handle the word of truth”. (2 Tim. 2:15) That’s where error can take place. I am not an apostle, so please don’t think I am “tooting my own horn”, so to speak. Also, please don’t believe that I am against the Church. If I wasn't for God's Church, I wouldn’t be trying to obey Him by speaking what He gave me to speak to His Body.
God Is Judging the Crookedness in His Church
It is important to note the common theme of ‘crookedness’ or ‘twisting’ found in the women like a sidewinder snake, the demonized man, and the spiral path that was always morphing in the airport at the beginning of the dream. Isaiah 27:1 says, “In that day the LORD will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, with His fierce and great and mighty sword, even Leviathan the twisted [crooked]1 serpent; and He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.” These are days when God is judging the crookedness within His Church so that He can come in. He disciplines those He loves. Let’s make the crooked ways straight to prepare a highway for the LORD! (Luke 3:5)
I’m going to say something bold here. I’m not prophesying, but only offering something important to consider for the days ahead. The book of Revelation talks about how the devil will make war on the saints and even be able to overpower them for a little while. (Rev. 13:7) I would like to suggest that his war tactics may come in forms that are different than what we would expect. I guess that would be pretty obvious. Certainly the devil is going to make war against the saints from without through persecution and the unrighteousness of the world, but he is going to make war on us from within, too! In fact, Paul warns of this incessantly. There are loads of Scripture to support that. I believe one of his tactics will be to make war on our spirits through a spirit of harlotry (like the snake women), in order to lead us away from the LORD. If he only came at us from without, that would be pretty easy to spot. However, Jesus warned us more than once, as did Paul, by the Spirit, that “ravenous wolves” would arise from within the flock to lead many astray, even to “draw away the disciples after themselves”. (Acts 20:29, 30) “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Cor. 11:14) Let us be careful if we think we have Jesus and the gospel all figured out, because we may, in reality, be blind. (Jn. 9:39-41) “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” (1 Cor. 10:12)
If anyone is confused about what spiritual harlotry is, the Bible is very clear. It says this: “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (Jas. 4:4, emphasis added) If we are friends of the world, then we are ‘sleeping around’ on Jesus! It couldn’t be clearer. He is a jealous God and He will not share His Bride with other loves (Deut. 6:15).
What Is Witchcraft?
Now, I keep using the word ‘witchcraft’. What is witchcraft? Witchcraft is simply using any power other than God’s to control something, or to discover information (divination). Also, manipulation is witchcraft. It is sorcery at the heart, because a person is trying to control a thing or someone else with their own power instead of trusting God, and leaving the rest up to Him. God says that rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft or divination. (1 Sam. 15:23) Whenever a person rebels against God, they think they are in control and have ‘stepped out of bounds’ in regard to their covenant relationship with God. Those who operated in supernatural power in Jesus’ Name apart from a covenant relationship of humble submission and obedience to His will, like Jesus did with the Father, He calls workers of lawlessness. They are like soldiers fighting under their own command in the midst of battle. Of such people He will say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matt. 7:23)
Friends, brothers and sisters, it is time to call evil what it is and stop playing with the devil in our lives. It is time to confront evil to its face. You are the light of the world! You are the salt of the earth. But has the salt lost its flavor? Are we foolish so that our lamps are going out? Will you be ready to enter the door when the shout is given?
Again, only the whole gospel can take us where we need to go to follow Christ – whether we walk in gospel shoes or fly in an airplane to the destination Jesus takes us.
We must not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ! It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16). If your gospel does not have power to save, sanctify (make holy), heal and deliver, then there is no doubt it is not the true gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Tim. 3:5; Tit. 2:11-15) You need to check it out, search the Scriptures and find the true gospel again or even for the first time.
WARNING: Witchcraft will permeate where the full gospel does not. Church leaders and preachers, I plead with you to repent if this is you. We pray a holy boldness will come on you to preach the whole gospel, the whole counsel of God to the Church and the world which Jesus died to save. Amen.
Closing Scriptures
“But Jeshurun [Israel] grew fat and kicked – You are grown fat, thick, and sleek – Then he forsook God who made him, and scorned the Rock of his salvation. They made Him jealous with strange gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons who were not God, to gods whom they have not known, new gods who came lately, whom your fathers did not dread. You neglected the Rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth.” (Deut. 32:15-18)
“Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3)
“Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him, ‘Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips. Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses; nor will we say again, “Our god,” to the work of our hands; for in You the orphan finds mercy.’
“I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; He will blossom like the lily, and he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon. His shoots will sprout, and his beauty will be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon. Those who live in his shadow will again raise grain, and they will blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon. O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like a luxuriant cypress; from Me comes your fruit. Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous will walk in them, But transgressors will stumble in them.” (Hosea 14)
"Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible ®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)
Similarities Between the Two Dreams:
Tim's Dream:
- Large crowd of Christians in large plaza-type area with steps in front of a building - Christians facing a man standing by the street, watching him do tricks - “He was saying and doing some things that didn’t seem quite right to me.” - “They seemed quite enamored [by the man].” - “Street vendor cart”, “small objects hanging from it” - “I found myself near the cart and right next to the street.” - Display of power that would seem spiritual – form of a cross – but quickly shows itself to be controlled by Satan, a mockery of the cross. - Weather got worse as spiritual warfare became more intense. “The weather had picked up. Strong winds now were blowing and it felt like a storm was headed in.” |
David's Dream:
- Christians gathering on and around steps in front of airport, i.e. those who had passed over the Rock - Christians watching snake women as they went by and put on their ‘show’ - “Everyone thought [the snake women] were a bit strange…but no one…questioned them.” - Christians, especially baby Christians found the snake women ‘interesting’, ‘intriguing’. - “lots of tall, wooden carts with various necklaces and jewelry hanging from them” - Some of our group, including the leader, were talking to the women forcibly trying to sell them stuff and almost buying from them (and were near their carts), but we got away. - At first snake women seem spiritual – going to Israel. But latter form of the demonized man shows the result of their ‘visit’ to Israel, the Church Body – mockery and blasphemy. - Sky always changed whenever we got closer to heavy spiritual warfare. “When we were heading towards [the mountains], the sky changed and became like dusk, daunting in character.” “…as the women went by, it seemed to be nightfall and pretty cloudy… The atmosphere had taken an ominous, looming feeling.” |
The gist of both of the dreams was that witchcraft was seeping into the Church while the Church was not discerning it at all and was even intrigued by its guise.
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