By Melissa Nordell
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
(1 Thess 5:1-2 KJV)
I had a prophetic dream recently with 3 vivid scenes that happened one right after the other, and the symbolism was profound in its conclusion.
In the first scene of the dream, I was in a house (representing the Church) where all the people were very concerned about politics and current news, talking, stressing, arguing, and protesting. It isn’t that we are not to be concerned with political issues, it was that they were not in the Word of God and not worshipping the Lord, not evangelizing, no effort to bring in the Harvest or to be ready for Jesus’ return, but spending all their time in political upheaval. God was definitely not their priority as politics was #1. In the dream, I heard the Lord say: “You don’t belong here, for I am coming soon.”
I would in no manner want to downgrade the gifts of those called to the political mountain since it is so needed; what the Lord was saying in this dream is that many in the Church have their focus more on politics, not interceding enough, not asking God how to change what is wrong in the political arena, and most of all not in the worship of the Lord. I had the feeling in the dream that some are so entirely focused on and so angry about current events that they may not hear the Lord’s last trumpet call when it sounds and were doing nothing to effect kingdom change.
Next, in the second scene of the dream, I went into another big house (another aspect of the Church) where leaders were very concerned about the people who had missed a meeting or service, not in compassionate concern but deep in worry about a lack of the absent parishioner’s giving and whether the church was declining in attendance. I could see that the leaders felt that the people of the congregation “belonged” to them so these leaders spent most of their time trying to get the people to attend, counting attendance, trying to get back those who had left; but these leaders were not in the Word nor the Presence of God. They were not in faith, not asking God what He wanted them to do as far as worship, direction, and sermons. There was no dependency on the Lord but on man’s ideas of bringing people in. I saw no effort to evangelize here either, just worrying about the already-saved. Some leaders in this dream were saying that the people who had left were either lazy or complacent, with the leaders not seeing that the former congregants may have felt led to leave or wanted a different church for varying reasons. It seemed as if these leaders, as well, would not be able to hear the last trumpet call due to a wrong focus and worry.
I saw much dirt and layers of old dust in this second “house,” which I knew represented religion. I saw clutter since many clothes were strewn all around the house, representing greed as I knew no one could use that many clothes, shoes, and jewelry. With all the various clutter, I also knew that there was no order in the house. I saw dirty dishes strewn all over as if they had just been socializing and no one wished to clean up. I knew this represented the emphasis on socializing; and not worship, not teaching, and not lovingly cleaning up the Bride.
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves. (Matt 21:13 KJV)
The first two houses represent aspects of His Church that God is concerned with and that need attention. Both represent churches and people who do not have their emphasis on what Jesus said the Church is to be: a house of prayer. These surely were not houses of worship unto the Lord as well but were mainly self-focused. Neither scene showed anyone spending time with Jesus, in His Presence.
Then, in scene three I was outside a large old building with many people on the inside who represented another aspect of His Church. This was like an old building that housed many people on many different floors, and the fact that it was old represented that His Church has been around for a long time. As I was walking towards this huge Church, the Lord said to me: “You must get home quickly now (into this “house”) because your elder brother is coming soon” (Jesus is our elder brother).
I went inside and hurriedly started to tidy up and throw out old and unnecessary things. I also began organizing the contents of the house for my special guest and changed the guest’s sheets as quickly as I could. As I was putting the sheets in a hamper, feeling like there was just a little more to do, I suddenly saw Jesus out the window, arriving in a stretch limousine driven by the heavenly host, some surrounding the limo, all very active and powerful.
Jesus soon came into the Church, bounding up the stairs with such joy, skipping some of the many steps. When He entered, He questioned: “Now why did you think I was coming on the 31st?”
I knew that myself and the other churchgoers were just not quite ready for Jesus to return even though we knew it would be sometime soon. The 31st day of the month represents “the last day(s)”; also meaning that we believed He would come a bit later than actuality.
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (Rev 19:7 KJV)
We know He is coming soon – but do we really realize how soon it will be? And are we interceding for His grand return? Are we interceding that the most people possible can be saved before He comes? Being often in many intercession circles, I rarely hear this type of intercession. Are we interceding and working for the Good News to reach the uttermost parts of the earth so all can hear it? Are we really working on the cleaning up of the Bride, ourselves, and getting things in order?
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Eph 5:27 KJV)
The question is also raised: are we really listening for that last trumpet blast, ready at a moment’s notice? Do we just think these times show minor birth pangs or is the head for the birth already crowning?
Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. (Matt 24:7-8 NLT)
As the Lord indicated in this dream, He is sounding the alarm to alert the Church as to the urgency of the hour. The Church needs to recognize this severity and impending closeness of the hour – that He is coming sooner than later. We must be ready for His return, both individually and corporately, with a cleaned-up, spotless Bride, fully ready for the Groom.
Two days later I had another dream in which the Lord said that intercessors have been working hard on the transformation of cities, but that He wants transformational intercessors to now concentrate in strategic warfare for the transformation of the Church at large, making the Bride ready.
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. (Matt 24:42-44 KJV)
(Copyright 2020 SPCM Melissa Nordell)
Strategic Prayer Command Ministry 