Scene 3: A Familiar "Walk" (Part 1)

The "Familiar Walk" scene of the dream

BELOVED'S UNFAITHFULNESS

I saw your sense of relief as you drew closer to the procession of people ahead of you on the wilderness trail.  You felt "safe" joining them because the road seemed "familiar".  You felt sure they were on a “Sabbath walk”.

My beloved children, this "Sabbath walk" is the “walk” of Adventism.  It began in 1844 when the early Adventist leaders assumed illegitimate authority by proclaiming the day when I would return for My children.  They took My Father’s name and used it to proclaim a message that He had not given them—as if it was from His mouth, when it was not.  When the founders refused to acknowledge their error and face the truth that they had been wrong about October 22, 1844, they shut the door of their hearts and minds to the Spirit of Truth, and opened themselves up to be further deceived by the enemy...

Rather than submit to My Spirit of Truth, they created their own truth about Me, failing to recognize Me for who I truly am.  In their ardent fervor to preach about My Second Coming they failed to see that they walked away from My gospel!  All they had left then was the religious performance and regimentation of perfecting their "Sabbath walk”.  As a result of holding on to these false beliefs about Me, you who have come after them have remained stuck in “childhood”—stunted by fears and unable to return to the narrow path which alone would lead you to the growth, maturity and harvest in Me that I created you for.


"In their ardent fervor to preach about My Second Coming they failed to see
that they walked away from My gospel... My 'Coming' trumped My Cross!"
The sin of Adventism’s “house” is like the sin of Adam and Eve—it has resulted in countless generations of my beloved Adventist children becoming victims and perpetrators of spiritual abuse.  Since you have been profoundly affected by the company you have been “walking” with in Adventism, following behind those who came before you, you have failed to realize that you have joined in the same cycle of spiritual abuse that began with your spiritual parents.

My beloved children, I see your hidden list of rules, and how your “Sabbath walk” is the filter through which you interpret My love.  You constantly seek My approval through your performance-driven behavior, because you are afraid I will reject you if you don't “march” perfectly.  The less-than-perfect things that you do offer you no reprieve, but You won’t let Me change the motives of your heart.

It makes Me sad to see the deep wounds that fear and shame have left upon your soul.  I see how you stifle your true feelings about Me because you’ve been taught to place greater value on what you’ve been told is truth than how you truly feel inside your heart.  I see how you are afraid to let others on your “Sabbath walk” know how you really feeling inside.  You’re afraid that if they know you’ll be left alone, because they won’t want to have anything to do with you anymore.

But that’s not true, My beloved children.  Let Me become real to you through the hug of a fellow traveler who struggles with the same fears as you.  Let Me become real to you through their understanding eyes and their caring ears.  Let Me become real to you through legs that are willing to walk beside you, and shoulders that I’ve prepared to receive your tears.  How My heart grieves for you, My beloved children, because I am the only One who can heal the deep wounds you have received in the “house” of Adventism.

Just as early Adventists adamantly refused to deal with the bitterness of their disappointment, confess their mistake, and repent of their errors, I see that you are walking in their footsteps and refuse to face the same truth.  In the same way that I called early Adventists to die to their own selfish desires and fall upon Me, I am calling you, My beloved children, to die to your own selfish interests and fall upon Me instead.  It breaks My heart to see you “walk” down that same familiar path.

___________________________________________________________________________

Next: Part 2 of the message for the third scene...

Scene 2: The Desolate Wilderness

"The Desolate Wilderness" scene of the dream

LOVER'S FAITHFULNESS

 Wilderness "walk" of Adventists

I saw your moment of relief quickly turn to panic when you caught a glimpse of the large procession of people passing you by as they continued on their “wilderness” journey.  You had no idea that they represented past generations of Adventists who have been travelling down this same wilderness path since 1844.

Even though you didn’t know who they were, or where they came from, or where they were going, you were eager to join them because you didn’t want to be alone anymore.  You, and the people who fell in line behind them on the wilderness trail represent this present generation of Adventists, all hoping to find a sense of “closeness” and “family” after you join the procession of Adventists on their wilderness “walk”.   In fact, every generation of Adventists since 1844 has walked down this same wilderness path, seeking the same feelings of “closeness” and “family” as you, My beloved child.

However, those desires for “closeness” and “family” that I created and put in your heart can only truly be met in Me.  That is why I’m calling you into the desolate wilderness, My beloved child.  I am drawing you with cords of loving-kindness because My heart’s desire is to be with you.  How I long to have “closeness” and intimacy with you, like I had with Adam and Eve before they tasted the fruit of disobedience!

I’m calling you—every one of you, My precious children—into the wilderness.  As a Lover, I seek you out so that I might allure you into My presence.  I want you to hear the gentleness in My voice as I tenderly place my arms around you, and remind you that I am betrothed to you forever in love and righteousness.  With My blood I have engraved your name on the palms of My hands.  I have clothed you with My garments of salvation, and covered you in a robe of My righteousness. 

 Your fruitfulness in Me

 I’m not calling you into the wilderness to chastise you for your inability to remain faithful to Me, My beloved.  No!  I’m calling you into the wilderness to assure you that I will always remain faithful in My commitment of love to you.  Righteousness is My belt, and faithfulness is the sash around My waist.  I will maintain My faithful love to you forever, and my covenant with you will never fail.  Although you may reject Me, I will not reject you!  Even when you are unfaithful to Me I do not cast you aside and look for a new bride.  Never!

There is no interruption in the flow of love that comes from Me towards you, because I have swept away your sins like a cloud.  Like the morning mist, they have disappeared.  That is why I see no flaw in you, for you have stolen My heart!  I rejoice over you because you are My bride.  I have called you by name because you are Mine.  I delight in you, My beloved child.

Now I wait for you to respond to My call of love upon your heart.  Will you pick up the cup I offer you to drink in the darkest and loneliest deserts of your life?  Will you accept your Lover’s invitation and come away with Me into the wilderness so that I can heal your brokenness?

My beloved, when I drank the bitter cup of suffering, it was you that I had in mind.  When a cruel spear tore at My flesh and opened up My side, it was for you, My bride.  I tasted death and sorrow for you so that I can make you fruitful in the “land of your suffering”.  How I long for you to share in My cup of joy, because I know your joy will be complete when you finally come to rest in My love!

___________________________________________________________________________

Next: The message for the third scene...

Scene 1: Path Through the Woods

The "Path Through the Woods" scene of the dream

A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING
 

A spiritual awakening

"The spring season of the year is the time when everything in the natural world awakens to new life.  It is the life that I designed My creation to have so that seed-bearing plants and trees would bear fruit with seeds according to their kind (Genesis 1:11-13).  The spring season of the year is a time of much change and new growth.  It is the time when you can see new shoots spring forth from the ground and buds unfold their delicate leaves on the trees.  The old creation has been exchanged for the new (2 Corinthians 5:17)!

I designed it this way from the very beginning of time.  I created the natural world first before I created you, because I wanted the beauty of nature to always be a reminder of My goodness and My faithful love to you—My child (1 Corinthians 15:46).  I wanted the natural things that I created to always be a sign—a token of how I AM the Creator who chose to make you in My image and My likeness.

Yes, I made you with the capacity to hear My voice, and have fellowship with Me through My Spirit.  I created you so that you could respond to My call of love upon your heart.  You were the crowning act of My creation—I created you for My glory!

Just as I have ordained each season in the natural world to come at its appointed time, so I have designed each season in your spiritual life to follow My chosen plan.  As you look back on your life, you will recognize some of these times of spiritual awakening.  You will remember the tug on your heart each time My Spirit revealed Himself to you as you and I walked through the “woods” together.  I remember how your heart burned within you at times when you were deeply touched by My goodness and love.  During those seasons of spiritual awakening, your life was being prepared to respond to My Spirit at the next appointed time.

I remember how child-like and trusting you were as you and I walked through the “woods” together.  You were delighted as you looked up at the “tall and airy” trees growing in the forest.  Not for one moment in your child-like innocence did you ever suspect that those trees symbolized the “lofty” doctrines of Adventism.  That’s because you were “raised in the woods”.  You were familiar with these “trees”.

I remember how you smiled with joy as the same breeze that caressed your face caused the spring leaves to shimmer in the sunlight.  But you never realized that those same leaves would become a canopy so dense in the summer season that they would obscure the “light,” and prevent you and your “family” from seeing Me clearly.  You didn’t know that those leaves were like the leaves on the fig tree that I cursed because they were taking all the sap instead of producing fruit!

I saw how you admired the beauty of the green carpet of leaves at your feet as you slowly walked along the winding path through the “woods”.  You never once suspected that this covering over the forest floor that appeared so lush and green actually covered up the truth about the foundation of Adventism’s “house” not being built upon Me!  That’s because you were still a child of Adventism.

Even though you weren’t aware of My presence, I was with you at all times as you followed the winding “path” through Adventism’s "woods".  While My path is a straight path, the path that you were walking on was the “required” path that Adventism had marked out for you by the “trees”.  Although you hadn’t yet chosen the Adventist path that was marked out for you by the “trees”, you still followed it through Adventism’s “woods”, because that’s all you knew to do as a child growing up in the “house” of Adventism.

It continually breaks My heart to see that there is so very little room for Me in the “house” of Adventism.  Consequently, My grace and truth are made to fit around Adventism’s “lofty” teachings and squeezed between its endless requirements.  How I long for you to come to know Me so that your old life could be exchanged for your new life in Me!  How I long for the time when you will be overjoyed to be in My presence!

But even though many of you were raised in the “house” of Adventism, I have been faithful to bring about seasons of spiritual awakening in your lives when I saw that you were ready to take the next baby steps in your walk and understanding of Me, and My love for you.

I remember the day your spiritual awakening came.  You lost your child-hood innocence when I called you out of the “woods” and brought you into the “open wilderness”.  As you stood at the edge of the forest and peered out into the open wilderness, you were delighted to see a large company of people in the distance, because you didn’t want to “walk” alone anymore.  You noticed that they were walking in line at a good pace, and you became afraid that if you didn’t hurry up and join them you would be left behind.  So you took a shortcut, running as fast as you could to join them on their wilderness path.

Only later when it was too late did you wish that you had chosen a different path.  Because you had grown accustomed to the “safety” of the “woods” you thought that the wilderness looked like a far more dangerous place to be by yourself, so you chose to leave My path and join up with people who felt “safe”, and even “familiar” to you.  But you didn’t recognize that they were walking away from Me.

For a brief moment you received a glimpse of My love for you, when I stopped you dead in your tracks.  You saw the Light that gives light to every person who comes into the world, and your heart desired to follow Me.  I remember you thinking that surely they must have see the Light, too, and wondering why they were walking so quickly away from the “harvest” fields that filled the horizon.

  

Fruitfulness in Me

In that brief encounter I saw how you wanted to tell “them” about the Light that you had seen resting over the “harvest” fields.  You hoped to persuade them to turn around and face Me.  So you continued to run towards them, feeling sure that they would listen to you and turn around to see what they were missing...  You never realized that after joining them, they wouldn’t be able to “hear” you...

Oh, how I longed for you to know that the wilderness is where I call all my children to be alone with Me!  The wilderness is the place where I draw My children into My presence with My deeds of loving-kindness and tender mercies that I have towards them.  The wilderness is the place where I give back my children their vineyards of lost fruit (Hosea 2:14-15)!  It is in the wilderness where I show them their fruitfulness in Me.

I know all of My children’s hearts.  I know that if you sow to please the Spirit you will reap a harvest of righteousness, because you will reap the fruits of walking in Me.  But I also know that if you choose not to walk in Me, you will turn your back on Me.  Instead of sowing to please the Spirit, you will sow to please the flesh because of your fear of being alone.  This will result in your reaping what you have sown—a terrible harvest of unrighteousness (Galatians 6:8).  But the biggest “harvest” that you, My Adventist children, are in danger of missing is the harvest of your own souls!

I saw how Jeremiah agonized and wept over the people to whom he had been sent by Me.  Yes, he and I both agonized and wept because they had missed the time of their harvest.  Spring had turned into summer, and the summer had ended, and they were not saved (Jeremiah 8:20)!  Sadly, they had missed the harvest of their own souls!

Oh, My beloved children in the “house” of Adventism, when will you choose to turn around and not follow down that same path?
___________________________________________________________________________

Next: The message for the second scene...