I believe that when we use Revelation as a tool to map out the End Times, that we have missed the point of this book that we are encouraged to read.
In Revelation 1:3, Jesus tells us, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
In the Bible, prophecy is a message from God. Sometimes about the future. But more commonly addressing current events.
So, the message from Jesus to those seven churches in the first century is the same as it is for us today. Be faithful in the face of opposition to the gospel. Do not compromise with the culture. Babylon, our culture, will fall and be destroyed.
So come out from her (Revelation 18:4) and be the distinct people that God has called us to be. A people that will inherit the renewed creation.
Nightmares concerning random, irrelevant things happen frequently. Your mind is weaving together events from your day and your past to form a story. Kaleidoscopic scenes and images whirl about you, which may be funny but more likely will leave you bewildered. Because of this, we tend to laugh at our hopes and dreams. However, some dreams have greater meaning than that, both emotionally and perhaps spiritually.
In one dream, for instance, I was protecting a penny from a would-be thief. I hastily gathered my change and ran. When I opened my eyes, my fist was gripped and I was sweating. I searched my pocket for a penny when I thought I might need one. That occurred more than three decades ago. For a while (beginning in the late 1980s), I thought it was ridiculous that I had to spend over $30,000 year on Kristi and my graduate psychology studies. After sharing my concerns with Kristi and God, I began to feel more at ease.
“The Spirit of truth” is at work inside us, appealing with us to see the truth (John 14:17, 16:13; Rom. 8:26)—not simply the presence and activity of God, but also the reality of our own selves and experiences. The things God is saying or doing in our waking life often get brought to our attention through dreams.
This prayer instruction has important implications for decoding our dreams. Even while our rational brains are busy with other things, the Spirit of Jesus Christ is always interceding on our behalf in prayer. But we have to stop thinking for a while in order to sleep. This makes more room in our heads for the Holy Spirit to plant ideas, images, and feelings.
