Jesus Returns for His Bride
5-7-13 Betsy Elam
I was outside in a rocky area; the kind of massively extensive rocks that form a somewhat smooth and level foundation to walk on. The entire dream took place in the nighttime. People were milling about in the outdoor area, in the country, even though it was dark with no man-made lighting. I could definitely make out things; the darkness was not complete.
I was aware of a tall (6’2- 6’4”), fit man with wavy black hair who was in his 30’s. There was something very powerful about his face and entire presence. He was a bit handsome, but not overly so. Handsomeness could have been confused with his compelling countenance. He had a very determined and serious look on his face. I was able to see his facial features in a non-specific way, not with enough detail to paint him with absolute accuracy. I was not allowed, in the dream, to look into his eyes. He seemed to be an outcast to the group, although there seemed to be no reason for it. He had to go away, but I knew he was coming back for me.
He did come back in the next scene. He was sitting next to me on a big rock area and leaned his head over close to mine so that he was looking directly at my face. I became aware that he had asked me to marry him. I responded, “Are you sure that will be OK with your parents since they’re both Jewish?”
A slight smile touched his lips as he replied that it was fine. His position changed to a semi-reclining position so that his face was now further away from me. Then I leaned over to him and gave him a very quick kiss on the lips. Nothing sensual or strongly emotional. I just seemed to belong to him. The kiss seemed to be my reply of, “Yes.”
I noticed a watch in a hole-like recess of the big rock we were on. The watch was a style that impressed me as being from a bygone era. I picked up the watch from this hole, which was located right next to my betrothed. The watch had been sitting in the hole on top of his folded sweater of intermingled black and silver threads. I realized that it was not yet cold outside, but that later on, the sweater would be needed to keep a person warm. I was a bit surprised at my beloved choosing a sweater that had silver threads. It didn’t seem to fit his ‘style’. The watchband, which I was holding, was of black leather and very soft to the touch. The black color could also be described as a ‘soft’ black. I knew there was a metal framework underneath the leather. The watch did not encircle the entire wrist- it didn’t latch. It looked very masculine with the wristband in an open-ended bracelet style that formed a three-fourths circle. The band was the widest in the mid part which also housed a timepiece which had a cover closed over it. So, I could not see what time it was.
When I lifted the watch out of the hole, I turned and asked the man behind me, “Is this your watch?” I had been unaware of this man, who was seated immediately behind me, before this point in the dream.
The man said, “No.” Then I realized that the watch HAD to belong to my betrothed as it had been right next to him on his own sweater. He had been using the hole as a cache to store some of his things. The watch had been an easy reach, right in front of me. The dream ended with me still holding the watch and in the process of putting it back on my betrothed’s sweater in the hole. I may have even just put the watch back as the dream was ending. Not sure.
Thoughts - (All scripture references NASB unless otherwise noted.)
Huge foundation type rocks that formed a level place to walk - Jesus the Rock, Jesus the Cornerstone, and Jesus our foundation. We need to find the ‘cache’ (provision) hidden in the Rock, Jesus.
Nighttime - Hour is late. Is it the hour (or about to be) when no man can work? John 9:4 says, “We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.” Also, “the people who walk in darkness” are the Gentiles. Why have they not seen the Light (Jesus)? I believe the Lord is asking us that question. We should be carrying His Light. More need to know Him.
People milling about with no real light source, no one paying attention to the man except for me. People are going about as usual as if it’s daytime, so the darkness is a spiritual darkness, people living for self with no sight of others, no real direction for any of the people, people don’t seem to realize how dark it is.
Man’s description - Outcast in his 30’s who had to go away, but was coming back for me. His identity is beginning to be revealed.
Identity fully revealed at the marriage proposal when it becomes evident that He is Jewish. Whichever way you look at it, His Heavenly Father and Mary are ‘Jewish’. Also, His adoptive father, Joseph, is Jewish.
My identity is also revealed when I ask if our marriage will be OK with His Jewish parents. I represent Gentile believers.
My kiss, which I have to give of my own volition, is my way to say ‘yes’. Jesus had moved further away to see if my ‘yes’ was true. Would I seek His face? Psalm 2:12 says, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry.” I know I belong to Him. This dream is not sensual and not even strongly emotional. It is a parable, a type and shadow.
Note: Recently, I cried as I read Zach Neese’s book, How to Worship a King. He was talking about the story from the Bible about the woman who was a sinner who came into a Pharisee’s house weeping, wiping Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair. Then she anointed His feet with expensive oil and would not stop kissing His feet. The Pharisee was put off by such extravagant worship from a sinful woman. But Jesus replied to the Pharisee, “…you gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.” (Luke 7:36-50). I cried, wondering if I might be more like the Pharisee who gave Jesus no kiss. I prayed to be like that woman in my love and worship for the Lord. It is funny, in a sweet way, that the Lord showed me that I would kiss Him (in the dream).
Another interesting note: My friend had an extremely similar dream about a week before. She also chose Jesus (basically saying that she would marry Him) and also kissed Him very quickly on the lips in a non-sensual way. We knew it was Jesus in her dream because of various clues. My dream followed. Since I never dream about kissing anyone but my husband, I may have been reluctant to reveal my dream if Sebrena had not dreamed on the same theme first. As long as the Lord had our attention, He decided to reveal more details about Himself and His Coming through my dream. God is so amazing!
The watch has a double meaning. It is a timepiece, which reveals several things about God-time. Also, it represents the ‘watch’ that a watchman takes in prayer both in petitioning God and listening for His Voice, searching the Word, watching for enemy attacks, and giving warning that people must repent of sin or they will die spiritually, telling people to WAKE UP and be on the alert.
The watch as a timepiece that reveals truths about God-time:
- The watch face is covered at the moment so that I, a Gentile believer, cannot see the time. Even Jesus may still not know the exact hour of all end time events. Two thousand years ago Jesus said, "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed; keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is. It is like a man away on a journey*, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper** to stay on the alert. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning, in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say TO ALL, ‘BE ON THE ALERT!’” (Mark 13:32-37). So, in God-time we remain ready and alert. In the Scriptures I just quoted, Jesus leaves out daytime (full daylight) as a possible time of His return. Interesting.
*The man in my dream went away (on a journey) and returned at night for His Bride.
**Doorkeeper is like a watchman
- Watch from a bygone era - God’s prophetic timetable started way before we came along. The watch is revealing the time that has gone by, what ‘time’ is over and is now in the past. I believe that the reason it encircles three/fourths of the wrist is actually an aspect of God-time that the Lord IS revealing. It is His way to say that three out of the four night watches have been completed; have gone by so to speak (more on this later). Our times are in His hands, not the other way around. He’s in charge of time. He is an unchanging God. He doesn’t change to fit our current times. The Timeless One does not go out of style. He sets the style. His style is gentle, simple, pure and holy.
- The watch, held onto the wrist by a manly open-ended style bracelet, has a framework and structure underneath it. God-time has a framework and structure… a timeframe.
- Two times the watch is described as ‘soft’. It is soft to the touch and a ‘soft’ black in color. I knew the Lord was speaking, so I researched “soft time”. I personally had never heard this term. What I discovered is a term for a type of computer or sequencing system. There is hard real-time and there is soft real-time. Hard real-time is a system of events and deadlines in a computer or system that have to happen exactly on time and in the correct order to meet the deadline or there will be bad consequences. Soft real-time is much more complex, needing to factor in numerous outside influences (you and me!) and events. God, through the imagery in the dream, is saying that God-time is similar to soft real-time. After researching soft real-time, it appears to be a system, which can be unbelievably fast, but also will wait, if needed, as one deadline or task completes before starting the next thing. Varied input or events can enter into the system, and there is much more flexibility than hard real-time. Hard real-time is all about deadlines and the ultimate deadline which everything is moving toward. In contrast, soft real-time wants to meet deadlines, if possible, and minimize the number of missed ‘deadlines’, but the main thing is not the deadlines. The priority of the system’s purpose is the main thing.
II Peter 3: 3, 4 says, “…in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” Verse 9 follows, revealing God’s ‘soft real-time’: “The Lord is not slow about His promise (i.e. His coming), as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” So, God operates in a similar fashion to ‘soft real-time’ because of His great mercy and compassion! He’s waiting for sinners to make their move, calling on Him with a repentant heart. His grace and mercy waits for us like a loving Father for as long as possible, but it would be wrong to presume that He will wait forever. He will not. Hebrews 3:15 states, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” Earlier in the chapter, the writer uses the phrase, “…as long as it is still called ‘Today’.” I am saying, according to the dream, “Today seems to be almost over.” Listen for the Holy Spirit’s voice while He is still calling and speaking.
- The watch sitting on top of Jesus’ cache (His ‘hidden’ things), His provision. Everything that belongs to Jesus, He has given to us. We are one with Him. We are the betrothed bride of Christ. Provision is hidden in the Rock (Jesus). Remember the provision of water that flowed from the Rock in the wilderness. He is revealing hidden things about time, which we will need to know in the coming days. Because the watch was on top of the stash of ‘Jesus’ hidden things’, it is showing something about the next thing that God is revealing or doing. ‘Time’ is on the silver ‘threads’ (a computer term which I will explain later) of the sweater (I will get to the sweater, also, which was part of the provisional cache).
- The manly bracelet-style watchband only encircles three-fourths of the wrist. Time has not come full circle to completion. Note - I actually mathematically tested the length to see if my statement that the band only came three-fourths of the way around was correct. I know that I felt compelled to use that particular fraction. It was exactly that. This leads to the next meaning of ‘watch’ and yet also shows a timeframe. We are ending or about to end the third watch of the night. We are beginning, or are about to begin the fourth watch of the night. I will explain more of this later. I believe God was using the watchband to show that there is one fourth remaining of the night watches. The fourth watch of the night is the last watch. Three night watches have been completed, or are about to be. I believe ‘day’ may already be passed in a figurative sense, but I do feel we have a very tiny window of time to still ‘work’ for the Lord. Let us redeem this small fragment of time for finishing up the works of the Lord that He has called each of us to walk in. We must not delay and take ‘time’ for granted.
The watch as a ‘watch in the night’:
-In my dream you could actually say that I was ‘observing or holding a watch in the night’. Literally, as well as figuratively, I was doing exactly that.
- In the dream, when I ask the man seated directly behind me, “Is this your watch?”, the dream is making clear that this ‘watch’ has a double meaning. In the natural, a person would not take a watch which obviously belongs to the man sitting right next to it and ask if it belongs to someone much further away from it. I am really asking, “Are you the watchman on duty for this particular night watch?” - The man tells me, “No.” It is not his watch. The watch has been entrusted to my care. Everything that belongs to Jesus, He has given to us, also. He has asked us to hold the watch. - There seems to be a ‘changing of the guard’ taking place or about to occur since I am in the process of putting the ‘watch’ back or have just put it back where I found it, next to Jesus.
- Is the Lord trying to say that we Gentiles need to finish out our watch in a more informed and alert way? The Gentile watch, which appear to be a combined second and third watch of the night, equaling the last 2000 years, is almost over or just ending. The fourth watch, in which it appears that Jesus returns for His (Gentile/Messianic) Bride has begun or will begin soon. Let us finish strong and pass the baton well. Will the man behind me, whom I believe to represent the Jews, now accept the baton of the ‘watch’ on this fourth and final watch of the night? Is his turn next? The Jews held the first watch. Are they to hold the fourth and final watch, also? I am not an expert on end-time Biblical prophetic events with all the timetables and the differing viewpoints.
- In Romans 9, 10 and 11 we see that at least a remnant of Israel, the Jews, will be saved. They will be provoked to jealousy because of the Gentiles’ salvation. “I will make you (the Jews) jealous by that which is not a nation (Gentiles).” (Romans 10:19). Romans 10:12 says, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek (Gentile); for the Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
- The watch belongs to Jesus. It is always His watch, no matter who is ‘holding’ it. Jesus is the ultimate watchman. He is our example. He never stops praying for us. We are also to ‘pray without ceasing’, whether we are the official watchman or not. Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV) reads, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Note - from Jesus’ time to the present day, four night watches (four changes of the guard) are observed every literal night. Most of us are familiar with the scripture in II Peter 3:8 which states, “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” A much less noticed scripture about time which caught my attention after this dream says, “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:4, KJV). So, on God’s prophetic timetable, 1000 years can be represented as a day OR as a watch in the night OR both. The Gentile watch, which is ending, is the third watch of the night. Was the second watch of the night also given to the Gentiles? It has been about 2000 years (two ‘watches’ of the night OR two ‘days’) since the Gentiles have come in. I believe the first watch had been the Jewish watch, as the man seated directly behind me (‘yesterday’s watch’) seems to represent. Is this man behind me, who I believe represents the Jews, who held a past night watch, also next in line to hold the fourth watch of the night? Jesus, in my dream, came back for me, as the fourth watch is ready to begin. It’s my observation that the coldest, darkest part of the night usually occurs during the fourth watch, 3AM to 6AM. This matches the ‘feel’ of a type of ‘tribulation’ period.
I am in the middle of pondering some scriptures in which I believe Jesus is giving an object lesson, showing truths to His disciples, about His return. Since my dream was pointing to a figurative return of Christ just as the fourth watch is ready to start, I wondered if there was anything about this in the Bible. I was quite amazed to see the story I am about to recount, since I had never noticed that it took place in (or about) the fourth watch of the night. These scriptures surround a type of figurative foreshadowing of his Second Coming in the fourth watch of the night. Matthew 14:13-36, in a certain sense, is also a story of what happens at the ‘changing of the guard’. John the Baptist has just been beheaded. His voice has been silenced. His prophetic ‘watch’ is over. Jesus goes off by Himself seeming to know that a God-ordained time period has now shifted. Jesus spoke concerning John, who operated in the spirit of Elijah, that he would restore all things. This speaks of some type of completion.
John’s purpose was to make the people ready for the Lord by teaching on repentance and the Lord’s merciful forgiveness. The very last prophetic purpose of John’s life, as prophesied by Zacharias, was to introduce Jesus who would in turn be a Light to ‘those who sit in darkness’ (Luke 1:67-80). Zacharias is directly quoting a prophecy from the Old Testament. In Isaiah 9:2, we see that ‘the people who walk in darkness, who live in a dark land ‘is referring to Galilee of the Gentiles. I believe Jesus knew that the time was close at hand for the Gentiles to hear the Good News when He learned of John’s death. The people in my dream were also ‘walking’ in darkness. Not all Gentiles have heard the Good News! Where is (are) the preacher(s)?
The story of the five loaves and two fish being multiplied to feed the crowd comes right after Jesus learns of John’s death. Are the five loaves of bread the Jewish Torah, also known as the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament)? The Word of God is often referred to as bread. Are the two fish Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets? Moses was the most humble (broken) man who ever lived. John the Baptist, in the spirit of Elijah, had literally been broken (beheaded) just before this as Jesus breaks the two fish, along with the five loaves.
Jesus asks His disciples to ‘feed’ the people. Jesus is the first loaf of bread, which is broken. Only after the bread is broken and blessed can the miracle of multiplication take place. Brokenness precedes multiplication. There are twelve baskets full of broken leftovers. There are twelve disciples who will be ‘broken’. There are twelve Jewish tribes dispersed (broken) around the world. Gentiles started out with ‘crumbs, fragments, broken pieces of bread’. Jesus did not want to waste any fragments (nuggets) of His Word (bread), because He cared about the Gentiles that would soon be fed with those pieces. Let us, as Gentile believers, not be offended at being offered leftover, broken pieces. Jesus knows that in the brokenness is the secret of multiplication! He has broken the Word down for us. We will see how the story of the great faith of the Gentile mother who knew that even a crumb from Jesus’ table was more than enough to heal her daughter ties into this ‘feeding of the 5000’ story. To give you a foretaste, the Gentiles, I believe, have received those leftovers, crumbs in a sense, carried in twelve baskets - the twelve apostles/twelve tribes of Israel as broken for the Lord!
The baskets were full. I believe the fullness of the baskets relates to the ‘fullness of the Gentiles’. In Romans 10 and 11, it is explained that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:25, 26). Romans 10 and 11 show that the glorious salvation and relationship with the God of the Universe, the God of the Jews, which comes to the Gentiles will make Israel jealous for that same forgiveness and relationship with the Lord. My husband pointed out that here in America there is generally not enough submission and real faith in this all-powerful God, who can make a life holy unto Him and do wonderful miracles, to make others jealous of what they see taking place in and through Christians. Are we showing forth His glory? It is exciting to realize that a change is coming in us and those around the world, through the power of the Holy Spirit, where our consecration will be evident enough to make the Jews jealous to know Him, too. They will see Jesus (Yeshua) in us! Let us pray for that day! Jesus’ first coming was ‘in the fullness of time’. Will His Second Coming be when the ‘fullness of the Gentiles has come in’? The reason I ask this is because of what comes next in the Bible story:
Immediately after this feeding of the 5000 and gathering the leftover fragments into twelve baskets, Jesus made His disciples get into a boat to go to the other side while He went up a mountain alone to pray. Meanwhile, the boat, far from land, was getting “battered by the waves, for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night, He (Jesus) came to them, walking on the sea.” (Matthew 14:25). Another gospel version of this story states that it was ‘about’ the fourth watch.
This other side of the Sea of Galilee, which Jesus was making His disciples go to, housed many more Gentiles and within a very short time they met up with the Canaanite (Gentile) woman who was crying out on behalf of her demon-possessed daughter. Jesus was testing her faith as she cried out for help. I believe He was actually assessing whether her daughter would have enough of God’s truth to remain delivered. ‘Dogs’ return to their vomit (demonic). When Jesus heard her words, “…even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” He declared that her faith was great and that her daughter would be healed. This Gentile woman of great faith humbly received the first ‘crumb’, which had been gathered up with the 12 baskets full of leftovers. It was enough to immediately heal her daughter. Jesus, I think, was hoping that the disciples would make the connection that those leftover baskets full of food were meant to be taken to the Gentiles in a figurative sense. It was actually an act of great love to not be wasteful of the wonderful Word (food) they were receiving and pass it on to the Gentiles.
She had dipped into the baskets and removed a crumb. After many, many more Gentile believers down through the centuries had received of these leftovers, their fullness would be complete. All who were hungry for the true Word of God would have been fed from these 12 baskets until the fullness of the Gentiles had come in. The next event on God’s timetable after the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, according to my dream and this story about Jesus’ return in the fourth watch, walking on the water, is the Second Coming of Christ. The tumultuous waves and contrary wind speak of the tribulation. When Jesus gets in the boat, the wind (tribulation) ceases. Also, one gospel version of the story says immediately they were to the other side after Jesus joined them. This parallels when Jesus said that the days of the great tribulation would be cut short or else no one would be saved. (Matthew 24:22) Is this God’s ‘soft real-time’ and the rapture with His Second Coming? Returning to them, walking on water, has a similar feel to Jesus’ coming again in the clouds (one normal sized cloud has enough water to fill a small lake). Also, the fourth watch can be as much as a thousand year timeframe. Yet the fourth watch could be time-condensed because of the gospel version of this story just stated which says that when Jesus got into the disciples’ boat, immediately (in the twinkling of an eye? - see I Cor. 15:51-53) they were at the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Reaching the ‘other side’ can be a foreshadowing of the Heavenly realm. I simply am not an expert of end time events. The Lord is calling me to study and know more about end time prophecies of the Bible.
Now that they are at the other side of the Sea of Galilee, I believe the ‘object lesson’ or foreshadowing of events surrounding Jesus’ Second Coming is over. They are now in ‘lab’ time for a while concerning what they have just been shown. They are now ‘carrying’ the twelve baskets full of fragments of spiritual food into progressively more and more Gentile territory until they get to the Canaanite woman who, we have seen, gets the first crumb (Word) because of her great faith. Her faith in the Word (Jesus) heals her daughter.
The Sweater:
- I felt directed by the Lord to use the word ‘threads’ instead of ‘yarn’. I also was very aware that it would not be accurate to call the threads ‘gray’. The threads were definitely shiny silver against the black background of the sweater. I am actually not very computer literate, so it is almost amusing that the Lord has put computer language in this dream. It was there for me to search out, not knowing the meanings, but seeing the terms in the dream.
I learned that a sweater and a computer program are similar in that both are made up of many ‘threads’. In computer terms, threads allow sequential actions or many actions all at the same time, as in multi-tasking (God is the ultimate multi-tasker). In computing, a thread is the smallest sequence of instructions in the program and threads within a process share its instructions, resources, and memory. Threads are all kept track of until the work is completed.
- I heard this phrase in my head after having the dream: “Silver threads of Time”. I immediately knew that the phrase meant old or mature age. I understood that Time itself was getting old, late in years, so to speak. I researched that phrase to see if it meant what I felt it meant and if it was a phrase in common usage. Sure enough, I found it and it did mean what I thought. Also, the Bible has a similar metaphor for advanced years: Ecclesiastes 12:6 reminds us to, “Remember Him before the silver cord (i.e. temporal life) is broken…” Hair turns silver in old age.
So, both the watch and the sweater are showing that the hour is late for the earth, as we know it.
- It was not yet cold enough to need the sweater at the ending of the third watch/ beginning of the fourth watch. But I knew that it would be getting cold and then would be needed. Here again, I know my betrothed would put His own sweater on me when the cold set in. He is a gallant gentleman. He has already demonstrated that He would die for me. Oh, praise His Name!
In conclusion -
Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24 about the times before His Coming and the end of the age. He tells of famines, earthquakes, and wars; perilous times, when many will fall away because of the tribulations occurring; killings, betrayals, hatred and misleading false prophets. In Matthew 24:12, Jesus reveals, “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” I believe that the sweater will soon be needed to clothe our hearts with the love (the warmth) of Jesus. It is protection for the days ahead, so that our hearts not grow cold when we witness the increased lawlessness. We need to love our brothers and sisters. Everyone needs to know the love of the Father. We are the extension of His love to others through His Holy Spirit living in us.
In the verse which follows, Jesus says, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” I wish to challenge all Gentile believers that we finish our watch strong. We must not fall asleep as our specific watch is closing. We must stay on the alert! Let us do our part as the fullness of the Gentiles is coming in. Let us make sure that every last fragment has been given out of the twelve full baskets! There are those who still need to hear before Jesus comes back for His Bride. Let us live in such a way, that the Jews will recognize and long to know their Messiah intimately, Who came for them, too. Let us live to show Christ.
5-7-13 Betsy Elam
I was outside in a rocky area; the kind of massively extensive rocks that form a somewhat smooth and level foundation to walk on. The entire dream took place in the nighttime. People were milling about in the outdoor area, in the country, even though it was dark with no man-made lighting. I could definitely make out things; the darkness was not complete.
I was aware of a tall (6’2- 6’4”), fit man with wavy black hair who was in his 30’s. There was something very powerful about his face and entire presence. He was a bit handsome, but not overly so. Handsomeness could have been confused with his compelling countenance. He had a very determined and serious look on his face. I was able to see his facial features in a non-specific way, not with enough detail to paint him with absolute accuracy. I was not allowed, in the dream, to look into his eyes. He seemed to be an outcast to the group, although there seemed to be no reason for it. He had to go away, but I knew he was coming back for me.
He did come back in the next scene. He was sitting next to me on a big rock area and leaned his head over close to mine so that he was looking directly at my face. I became aware that he had asked me to marry him. I responded, “Are you sure that will be OK with your parents since they’re both Jewish?”
A slight smile touched his lips as he replied that it was fine. His position changed to a semi-reclining position so that his face was now further away from me. Then I leaned over to him and gave him a very quick kiss on the lips. Nothing sensual or strongly emotional. I just seemed to belong to him. The kiss seemed to be my reply of, “Yes.”
I noticed a watch in a hole-like recess of the big rock we were on. The watch was a style that impressed me as being from a bygone era. I picked up the watch from this hole, which was located right next to my betrothed. The watch had been sitting in the hole on top of his folded sweater of intermingled black and silver threads. I realized that it was not yet cold outside, but that later on, the sweater would be needed to keep a person warm. I was a bit surprised at my beloved choosing a sweater that had silver threads. It didn’t seem to fit his ‘style’. The watchband, which I was holding, was of black leather and very soft to the touch. The black color could also be described as a ‘soft’ black. I knew there was a metal framework underneath the leather. The watch did not encircle the entire wrist- it didn’t latch. It looked very masculine with the wristband in an open-ended bracelet style that formed a three-fourths circle. The band was the widest in the mid part which also housed a timepiece which had a cover closed over it. So, I could not see what time it was.
When I lifted the watch out of the hole, I turned and asked the man behind me, “Is this your watch?” I had been unaware of this man, who was seated immediately behind me, before this point in the dream.
The man said, “No.” Then I realized that the watch HAD to belong to my betrothed as it had been right next to him on his own sweater. He had been using the hole as a cache to store some of his things. The watch had been an easy reach, right in front of me. The dream ended with me still holding the watch and in the process of putting it back on my betrothed’s sweater in the hole. I may have even just put the watch back as the dream was ending. Not sure.
Thoughts - (All scripture references NASB unless otherwise noted.)
Huge foundation type rocks that formed a level place to walk - Jesus the Rock, Jesus the Cornerstone, and Jesus our foundation. We need to find the ‘cache’ (provision) hidden in the Rock, Jesus.
Nighttime - Hour is late. Is it the hour (or about to be) when no man can work? John 9:4 says, “We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.” Also, “the people who walk in darkness” are the Gentiles. Why have they not seen the Light (Jesus)? I believe the Lord is asking us that question. We should be carrying His Light. More need to know Him.
People milling about with no real light source, no one paying attention to the man except for me. People are going about as usual as if it’s daytime, so the darkness is a spiritual darkness, people living for self with no sight of others, no real direction for any of the people, people don’t seem to realize how dark it is.
Man’s description - Outcast in his 30’s who had to go away, but was coming back for me. His identity is beginning to be revealed.
Identity fully revealed at the marriage proposal when it becomes evident that He is Jewish. Whichever way you look at it, His Heavenly Father and Mary are ‘Jewish’. Also, His adoptive father, Joseph, is Jewish.
My identity is also revealed when I ask if our marriage will be OK with His Jewish parents. I represent Gentile believers.
My kiss, which I have to give of my own volition, is my way to say ‘yes’. Jesus had moved further away to see if my ‘yes’ was true. Would I seek His face? Psalm 2:12 says, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry.” I know I belong to Him. This dream is not sensual and not even strongly emotional. It is a parable, a type and shadow.
Note: Recently, I cried as I read Zach Neese’s book, How to Worship a King. He was talking about the story from the Bible about the woman who was a sinner who came into a Pharisee’s house weeping, wiping Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair. Then she anointed His feet with expensive oil and would not stop kissing His feet. The Pharisee was put off by such extravagant worship from a sinful woman. But Jesus replied to the Pharisee, “…you gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.” (Luke 7:36-50). I cried, wondering if I might be more like the Pharisee who gave Jesus no kiss. I prayed to be like that woman in my love and worship for the Lord. It is funny, in a sweet way, that the Lord showed me that I would kiss Him (in the dream).
Another interesting note: My friend had an extremely similar dream about a week before. She also chose Jesus (basically saying that she would marry Him) and also kissed Him very quickly on the lips in a non-sensual way. We knew it was Jesus in her dream because of various clues. My dream followed. Since I never dream about kissing anyone but my husband, I may have been reluctant to reveal my dream if Sebrena had not dreamed on the same theme first. As long as the Lord had our attention, He decided to reveal more details about Himself and His Coming through my dream. God is so amazing!
The watch has a double meaning. It is a timepiece, which reveals several things about God-time. Also, it represents the ‘watch’ that a watchman takes in prayer both in petitioning God and listening for His Voice, searching the Word, watching for enemy attacks, and giving warning that people must repent of sin or they will die spiritually, telling people to WAKE UP and be on the alert.
The watch as a timepiece that reveals truths about God-time:
- The watch face is covered at the moment so that I, a Gentile believer, cannot see the time. Even Jesus may still not know the exact hour of all end time events. Two thousand years ago Jesus said, "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed; keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is. It is like a man away on a journey*, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper** to stay on the alert. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning, in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say TO ALL, ‘BE ON THE ALERT!’” (Mark 13:32-37). So, in God-time we remain ready and alert. In the Scriptures I just quoted, Jesus leaves out daytime (full daylight) as a possible time of His return. Interesting.
*The man in my dream went away (on a journey) and returned at night for His Bride.
**Doorkeeper is like a watchman
- Watch from a bygone era - God’s prophetic timetable started way before we came along. The watch is revealing the time that has gone by, what ‘time’ is over and is now in the past. I believe that the reason it encircles three/fourths of the wrist is actually an aspect of God-time that the Lord IS revealing. It is His way to say that three out of the four night watches have been completed; have gone by so to speak (more on this later). Our times are in His hands, not the other way around. He’s in charge of time. He is an unchanging God. He doesn’t change to fit our current times. The Timeless One does not go out of style. He sets the style. His style is gentle, simple, pure and holy.
- The watch, held onto the wrist by a manly open-ended style bracelet, has a framework and structure underneath it. God-time has a framework and structure… a timeframe.
- Two times the watch is described as ‘soft’. It is soft to the touch and a ‘soft’ black in color. I knew the Lord was speaking, so I researched “soft time”. I personally had never heard this term. What I discovered is a term for a type of computer or sequencing system. There is hard real-time and there is soft real-time. Hard real-time is a system of events and deadlines in a computer or system that have to happen exactly on time and in the correct order to meet the deadline or there will be bad consequences. Soft real-time is much more complex, needing to factor in numerous outside influences (you and me!) and events. God, through the imagery in the dream, is saying that God-time is similar to soft real-time. After researching soft real-time, it appears to be a system, which can be unbelievably fast, but also will wait, if needed, as one deadline or task completes before starting the next thing. Varied input or events can enter into the system, and there is much more flexibility than hard real-time. Hard real-time is all about deadlines and the ultimate deadline which everything is moving toward. In contrast, soft real-time wants to meet deadlines, if possible, and minimize the number of missed ‘deadlines’, but the main thing is not the deadlines. The priority of the system’s purpose is the main thing.
II Peter 3: 3, 4 says, “…in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” Verse 9 follows, revealing God’s ‘soft real-time’: “The Lord is not slow about His promise (i.e. His coming), as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” So, God operates in a similar fashion to ‘soft real-time’ because of His great mercy and compassion! He’s waiting for sinners to make their move, calling on Him with a repentant heart. His grace and mercy waits for us like a loving Father for as long as possible, but it would be wrong to presume that He will wait forever. He will not. Hebrews 3:15 states, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” Earlier in the chapter, the writer uses the phrase, “…as long as it is still called ‘Today’.” I am saying, according to the dream, “Today seems to be almost over.” Listen for the Holy Spirit’s voice while He is still calling and speaking.
- The watch sitting on top of Jesus’ cache (His ‘hidden’ things), His provision. Everything that belongs to Jesus, He has given to us. We are one with Him. We are the betrothed bride of Christ. Provision is hidden in the Rock (Jesus). Remember the provision of water that flowed from the Rock in the wilderness. He is revealing hidden things about time, which we will need to know in the coming days. Because the watch was on top of the stash of ‘Jesus’ hidden things’, it is showing something about the next thing that God is revealing or doing. ‘Time’ is on the silver ‘threads’ (a computer term which I will explain later) of the sweater (I will get to the sweater, also, which was part of the provisional cache).
- The manly bracelet-style watchband only encircles three-fourths of the wrist. Time has not come full circle to completion. Note - I actually mathematically tested the length to see if my statement that the band only came three-fourths of the way around was correct. I know that I felt compelled to use that particular fraction. It was exactly that. This leads to the next meaning of ‘watch’ and yet also shows a timeframe. We are ending or about to end the third watch of the night. We are beginning, or are about to begin the fourth watch of the night. I will explain more of this later. I believe God was using the watchband to show that there is one fourth remaining of the night watches. The fourth watch of the night is the last watch. Three night watches have been completed, or are about to be. I believe ‘day’ may already be passed in a figurative sense, but I do feel we have a very tiny window of time to still ‘work’ for the Lord. Let us redeem this small fragment of time for finishing up the works of the Lord that He has called each of us to walk in. We must not delay and take ‘time’ for granted.
The watch as a ‘watch in the night’:
-In my dream you could actually say that I was ‘observing or holding a watch in the night’. Literally, as well as figuratively, I was doing exactly that.
- In the dream, when I ask the man seated directly behind me, “Is this your watch?”, the dream is making clear that this ‘watch’ has a double meaning. In the natural, a person would not take a watch which obviously belongs to the man sitting right next to it and ask if it belongs to someone much further away from it. I am really asking, “Are you the watchman on duty for this particular night watch?” - The man tells me, “No.” It is not his watch. The watch has been entrusted to my care. Everything that belongs to Jesus, He has given to us, also. He has asked us to hold the watch. - There seems to be a ‘changing of the guard’ taking place or about to occur since I am in the process of putting the ‘watch’ back or have just put it back where I found it, next to Jesus.
- Is the Lord trying to say that we Gentiles need to finish out our watch in a more informed and alert way? The Gentile watch, which appear to be a combined second and third watch of the night, equaling the last 2000 years, is almost over or just ending. The fourth watch, in which it appears that Jesus returns for His (Gentile/Messianic) Bride has begun or will begin soon. Let us finish strong and pass the baton well. Will the man behind me, whom I believe to represent the Jews, now accept the baton of the ‘watch’ on this fourth and final watch of the night? Is his turn next? The Jews held the first watch. Are they to hold the fourth and final watch, also? I am not an expert on end-time Biblical prophetic events with all the timetables and the differing viewpoints.
- In Romans 9, 10 and 11 we see that at least a remnant of Israel, the Jews, will be saved. They will be provoked to jealousy because of the Gentiles’ salvation. “I will make you (the Jews) jealous by that which is not a nation (Gentiles).” (Romans 10:19). Romans 10:12 says, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek (Gentile); for the Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
- The watch belongs to Jesus. It is always His watch, no matter who is ‘holding’ it. Jesus is the ultimate watchman. He is our example. He never stops praying for us. We are also to ‘pray without ceasing’, whether we are the official watchman or not. Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV) reads, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Note - from Jesus’ time to the present day, four night watches (four changes of the guard) are observed every literal night. Most of us are familiar with the scripture in II Peter 3:8 which states, “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” A much less noticed scripture about time which caught my attention after this dream says, “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:4, KJV). So, on God’s prophetic timetable, 1000 years can be represented as a day OR as a watch in the night OR both. The Gentile watch, which is ending, is the third watch of the night. Was the second watch of the night also given to the Gentiles? It has been about 2000 years (two ‘watches’ of the night OR two ‘days’) since the Gentiles have come in. I believe the first watch had been the Jewish watch, as the man seated directly behind me (‘yesterday’s watch’) seems to represent. Is this man behind me, who I believe represents the Jews, who held a past night watch, also next in line to hold the fourth watch of the night? Jesus, in my dream, came back for me, as the fourth watch is ready to begin. It’s my observation that the coldest, darkest part of the night usually occurs during the fourth watch, 3AM to 6AM. This matches the ‘feel’ of a type of ‘tribulation’ period.
I am in the middle of pondering some scriptures in which I believe Jesus is giving an object lesson, showing truths to His disciples, about His return. Since my dream was pointing to a figurative return of Christ just as the fourth watch is ready to start, I wondered if there was anything about this in the Bible. I was quite amazed to see the story I am about to recount, since I had never noticed that it took place in (or about) the fourth watch of the night. These scriptures surround a type of figurative foreshadowing of his Second Coming in the fourth watch of the night. Matthew 14:13-36, in a certain sense, is also a story of what happens at the ‘changing of the guard’. John the Baptist has just been beheaded. His voice has been silenced. His prophetic ‘watch’ is over. Jesus goes off by Himself seeming to know that a God-ordained time period has now shifted. Jesus spoke concerning John, who operated in the spirit of Elijah, that he would restore all things. This speaks of some type of completion.
John’s purpose was to make the people ready for the Lord by teaching on repentance and the Lord’s merciful forgiveness. The very last prophetic purpose of John’s life, as prophesied by Zacharias, was to introduce Jesus who would in turn be a Light to ‘those who sit in darkness’ (Luke 1:67-80). Zacharias is directly quoting a prophecy from the Old Testament. In Isaiah 9:2, we see that ‘the people who walk in darkness, who live in a dark land ‘is referring to Galilee of the Gentiles. I believe Jesus knew that the time was close at hand for the Gentiles to hear the Good News when He learned of John’s death. The people in my dream were also ‘walking’ in darkness. Not all Gentiles have heard the Good News! Where is (are) the preacher(s)?
The story of the five loaves and two fish being multiplied to feed the crowd comes right after Jesus learns of John’s death. Are the five loaves of bread the Jewish Torah, also known as the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament)? The Word of God is often referred to as bread. Are the two fish Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets? Moses was the most humble (broken) man who ever lived. John the Baptist, in the spirit of Elijah, had literally been broken (beheaded) just before this as Jesus breaks the two fish, along with the five loaves.
Jesus asks His disciples to ‘feed’ the people. Jesus is the first loaf of bread, which is broken. Only after the bread is broken and blessed can the miracle of multiplication take place. Brokenness precedes multiplication. There are twelve baskets full of broken leftovers. There are twelve disciples who will be ‘broken’. There are twelve Jewish tribes dispersed (broken) around the world. Gentiles started out with ‘crumbs, fragments, broken pieces of bread’. Jesus did not want to waste any fragments (nuggets) of His Word (bread), because He cared about the Gentiles that would soon be fed with those pieces. Let us, as Gentile believers, not be offended at being offered leftover, broken pieces. Jesus knows that in the brokenness is the secret of multiplication! He has broken the Word down for us. We will see how the story of the great faith of the Gentile mother who knew that even a crumb from Jesus’ table was more than enough to heal her daughter ties into this ‘feeding of the 5000’ story. To give you a foretaste, the Gentiles, I believe, have received those leftovers, crumbs in a sense, carried in twelve baskets - the twelve apostles/twelve tribes of Israel as broken for the Lord!
The baskets were full. I believe the fullness of the baskets relates to the ‘fullness of the Gentiles’. In Romans 10 and 11, it is explained that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:25, 26). Romans 10 and 11 show that the glorious salvation and relationship with the God of the Universe, the God of the Jews, which comes to the Gentiles will make Israel jealous for that same forgiveness and relationship with the Lord. My husband pointed out that here in America there is generally not enough submission and real faith in this all-powerful God, who can make a life holy unto Him and do wonderful miracles, to make others jealous of what they see taking place in and through Christians. Are we showing forth His glory? It is exciting to realize that a change is coming in us and those around the world, through the power of the Holy Spirit, where our consecration will be evident enough to make the Jews jealous to know Him, too. They will see Jesus (Yeshua) in us! Let us pray for that day! Jesus’ first coming was ‘in the fullness of time’. Will His Second Coming be when the ‘fullness of the Gentiles has come in’? The reason I ask this is because of what comes next in the Bible story:
Immediately after this feeding of the 5000 and gathering the leftover fragments into twelve baskets, Jesus made His disciples get into a boat to go to the other side while He went up a mountain alone to pray. Meanwhile, the boat, far from land, was getting “battered by the waves, for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night, He (Jesus) came to them, walking on the sea.” (Matthew 14:25). Another gospel version of this story states that it was ‘about’ the fourth watch.
This other side of the Sea of Galilee, which Jesus was making His disciples go to, housed many more Gentiles and within a very short time they met up with the Canaanite (Gentile) woman who was crying out on behalf of her demon-possessed daughter. Jesus was testing her faith as she cried out for help. I believe He was actually assessing whether her daughter would have enough of God’s truth to remain delivered. ‘Dogs’ return to their vomit (demonic). When Jesus heard her words, “…even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” He declared that her faith was great and that her daughter would be healed. This Gentile woman of great faith humbly received the first ‘crumb’, which had been gathered up with the 12 baskets full of leftovers. It was enough to immediately heal her daughter. Jesus, I think, was hoping that the disciples would make the connection that those leftover baskets full of food were meant to be taken to the Gentiles in a figurative sense. It was actually an act of great love to not be wasteful of the wonderful Word (food) they were receiving and pass it on to the Gentiles.
She had dipped into the baskets and removed a crumb. After many, many more Gentile believers down through the centuries had received of these leftovers, their fullness would be complete. All who were hungry for the true Word of God would have been fed from these 12 baskets until the fullness of the Gentiles had come in. The next event on God’s timetable after the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, according to my dream and this story about Jesus’ return in the fourth watch, walking on the water, is the Second Coming of Christ. The tumultuous waves and contrary wind speak of the tribulation. When Jesus gets in the boat, the wind (tribulation) ceases. Also, one gospel version of the story says immediately they were to the other side after Jesus joined them. This parallels when Jesus said that the days of the great tribulation would be cut short or else no one would be saved. (Matthew 24:22) Is this God’s ‘soft real-time’ and the rapture with His Second Coming? Returning to them, walking on water, has a similar feel to Jesus’ coming again in the clouds (one normal sized cloud has enough water to fill a small lake). Also, the fourth watch can be as much as a thousand year timeframe. Yet the fourth watch could be time-condensed because of the gospel version of this story just stated which says that when Jesus got into the disciples’ boat, immediately (in the twinkling of an eye? - see I Cor. 15:51-53) they were at the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Reaching the ‘other side’ can be a foreshadowing of the Heavenly realm. I simply am not an expert of end time events. The Lord is calling me to study and know more about end time prophecies of the Bible.
Now that they are at the other side of the Sea of Galilee, I believe the ‘object lesson’ or foreshadowing of events surrounding Jesus’ Second Coming is over. They are now in ‘lab’ time for a while concerning what they have just been shown. They are now ‘carrying’ the twelve baskets full of fragments of spiritual food into progressively more and more Gentile territory until they get to the Canaanite woman who, we have seen, gets the first crumb (Word) because of her great faith. Her faith in the Word (Jesus) heals her daughter.
The Sweater:
- I felt directed by the Lord to use the word ‘threads’ instead of ‘yarn’. I also was very aware that it would not be accurate to call the threads ‘gray’. The threads were definitely shiny silver against the black background of the sweater. I am actually not very computer literate, so it is almost amusing that the Lord has put computer language in this dream. It was there for me to search out, not knowing the meanings, but seeing the terms in the dream.
I learned that a sweater and a computer program are similar in that both are made up of many ‘threads’. In computer terms, threads allow sequential actions or many actions all at the same time, as in multi-tasking (God is the ultimate multi-tasker). In computing, a thread is the smallest sequence of instructions in the program and threads within a process share its instructions, resources, and memory. Threads are all kept track of until the work is completed.
- I heard this phrase in my head after having the dream: “Silver threads of Time”. I immediately knew that the phrase meant old or mature age. I understood that Time itself was getting old, late in years, so to speak. I researched that phrase to see if it meant what I felt it meant and if it was a phrase in common usage. Sure enough, I found it and it did mean what I thought. Also, the Bible has a similar metaphor for advanced years: Ecclesiastes 12:6 reminds us to, “Remember Him before the silver cord (i.e. temporal life) is broken…” Hair turns silver in old age.
So, both the watch and the sweater are showing that the hour is late for the earth, as we know it.
- It was not yet cold enough to need the sweater at the ending of the third watch/ beginning of the fourth watch. But I knew that it would be getting cold and then would be needed. Here again, I know my betrothed would put His own sweater on me when the cold set in. He is a gallant gentleman. He has already demonstrated that He would die for me. Oh, praise His Name!
In conclusion -
Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24 about the times before His Coming and the end of the age. He tells of famines, earthquakes, and wars; perilous times, when many will fall away because of the tribulations occurring; killings, betrayals, hatred and misleading false prophets. In Matthew 24:12, Jesus reveals, “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” I believe that the sweater will soon be needed to clothe our hearts with the love (the warmth) of Jesus. It is protection for the days ahead, so that our hearts not grow cold when we witness the increased lawlessness. We need to love our brothers and sisters. Everyone needs to know the love of the Father. We are the extension of His love to others through His Holy Spirit living in us.
In the verse which follows, Jesus says, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” I wish to challenge all Gentile believers that we finish our watch strong. We must not fall asleep as our specific watch is closing. We must stay on the alert! Let us do our part as the fullness of the Gentiles is coming in. Let us make sure that every last fragment has been given out of the twelve full baskets! There are those who still need to hear before Jesus comes back for His Bride. Let us live in such a way, that the Jews will recognize and long to know their Messiah intimately, Who came for them, too. Let us live to show Christ.
Back to Dream Index
