I wasn't dreaming of a white Christmas

Early Christmas morning I woke up after having a very vivid dream.  In the dream, I was at a crowded event waiting to hear a speaker when I looked out a large window and saw lightning in the distance.  It wasn’t normal lightning.  It was coming straight down from the sky to the earth--again and again.  I rushed to the window with several others to see what was going on.  As I kept watching, I saw tall buildings start collapsing.  At one point I was close enough to see the faces of two women who were being crushed between two buildings that had fallen towards each other.  All I could do was watch.

Then I woke up.

It was a strange dream to have on Christmas morning, but I probably wouldn’t have thought much about it except for what happened next.  After my shower, I opened my One Year Bible to the daily reading for December 25.  It included Revelation chapter 16 which says in part,

“Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air.  And a mighty shout came from the throne in the temple saying, ‘It is finished!’  Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed.  And a great earthquake struck—the worst since people were placed on the earth.  The great city of Babylon split into three sections and the cities of many nations fell into heaps of rubble.”

I know it sounds crazy, but I saw it and then I read it.  I dressed quickly and went downstairs to tell Richard what had happened.  Death and destruction are not your typical Christmas conversations.   We had presents to open, a ham to cook, and fun things to do.  Besides, the sky was clear and the ground was steady so I after telling Richard, I just wrote everything down in my journal.

The next day when I had time to think about what had happened, I wrote this,

“Wow God! You let me see that before I read it—the lightning and the buildings falling.  It’s a vivid reminder that we will have to face your wrath someday.  You will not let sin go unpunished.  Show me how to help those women in my dream before the end comes and it’s too late.”

I’m not a prophet.  I don’t claim to know when the end of the world will come.  I don’t even anticipate it happening in my lifetime.  But I do know that an end WILL come.  Everything we can see is temporary.  It is all passing away.

What is seen is temporary.  What is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

This earth will not last forever.  It will wear out just like my favorite jeans, but Jesus Christ remains the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

The earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies.  But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. (Isaiah 51:6)

You (Lord) will roll (the heavens) up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed.  But you remain the same and your years will never end. (Hebrews 1:12)

(Heaven and earth) will all wear out like a garment.  Like clothing you (Lord) will change them and they will be discarded.  But you remain the same, and your years will never end. (Psalm 102:26-27)

So where am I going to place my faith? 

In my house that is falling apart? 

In my bank account that is dwindling? 

In my husband and children who are mortal? 

In my friends who come and go? 

What is there in this world that I can cling to when everything is falling apart? 

Nothing. 

Nothing in this world.

There is only One who never fails.  

Only One who never changes.  

Only One who never ends.

On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.

And maybe… just maybe, God showed me what he did so that I would tell you that.