Okay, per the prompting of the Holy Spirit, apparently it's time that I reveal to you an instructional dream I was given a number of years back.  As some of you know, from time to time Jesus gives me what I like to call "teaching dreams".  There's nothing prophetical about them.  They're merely dreams that come with an object lesson, or something I need to learn about my walk with Him and perhaps something in life.  God has exposed some pretty interesting things to me through these, both on the fleshly side (ie, sinful things I'm doing wrong), and on the spiritual side (Ie, my walk with Him, things that I'm either doing right, need to start doing, need to know about, etc).

Anyhow, this is what I saw.  In the dream I was in my bedroom laying on my bed that was set against the wall next to my window.  As I'm laying there a powerful demon came into my room and began to accost me.  And wow, was he ever a powerful one!  He overflowed me and pinned me down so hard that I couldn't breath, and I felt as though, if I didn't cry out soon, even my ability to speak would be taken from me and I would be forever silenced.  So, doing the only thing I knew to do in a situation like this, I cried out to Jesus, and yelled, "Save ME!"

Immediately I felt the pressure lift from me and the power of the demon stripped away.  A split second later I found myself like a little child, sitting in the lap of Jesus, as He was holding and protecting me like a father would his child.  The look the demon gave me was like nothing I can describe.  It was so evil and hateful it's beyond words.  I also remember realizing at that moment that the demon, who'd only moments earlier had been beating the stuffing out of me, now looked like nothing more than a harmless shadow.  Without even saying a word Jesus looked sternly at him, and the demon gave out an angry grunt, turned and left as though ordered to leave.

Another thing I will describe for you is the incredible peace that filled my heart and mind the moment Jesus took me into His arms.  Wow.  From dark, heavy, crushing oppression to a loving, kind, freeing peace that passes all understanding.  The fear was replaced with joy, and the love I felt from Him was incredible.  It still brings me to tears even to this day.  I felt protected, safe, secure, and untouchable so long as I was in His arms, because it was not by my strength that I was made safe, but by His boundless, unlimited, almighty strength that I was protected.

And I think there's a message in this for today for everyone, given the events of recent days that have begun to generate fear in so many people.  I believe that's why He brought back this memory and prompted me to write about it.  If you are without Jesus, or you have strayed away from Him, the devil can use you as a whipping boy, and it's a horrible experience when he does.  But if you are near to Jesus, safe in His arms, not even the destruction of the entire universe can harm you.  So long as He holds you in His arms, nothing can touch you, no matter how bad it becomes around you.

So if you are of Jesus, one of His called and redeemed children, I beg of you to draw close and hold tightly to Jesus, seek Him in all things, and He will draw close to you as you draw close to Him.  However, if you are one of those who is a friend who has not taken Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I beg and plead with you to seek Him while you still can.  Time is very short, as recent events have demonstrated.  The hours and the days of mercy and grace are rapidly coming to a close.  What lies beyond is Tribulation like you have never seen it before.

Even just the first day after the Rapture will be a day of suffering, turmoil, agony, sorry, fear, pain and so many other things to a level far, far greater than you have ever seen before, perhaps even all of the sorrow of your entire life combined into one day.  It'll be THAT BAD, and only grow worse as the days go by.  So if you have not accepted Jesus, now is the time.  The days are short, the window is closing.  Saints, now is the time to draw close to the Lord in these last hours before the rapture, when the tribulation of the church will reach its greatest levels seen since the 1st century, or quite possibly even in all of history!

Unsaved friends, now is the time of grace before the wrath of God falls.  There is still room in Heaven for you.  But if you don't choose Christ now, even if you choose Him after the rapture, after all the believers are rescued into Heaven, you will STILL have to suffer through that horrible time of torment, death, tribulation, suffering, and worse.  God loves you.  He can save you, even from that darkest hour of Earth.  But you must come to Christ now, for once that trumpet sounds the time of grace will be over.  All that lies ahead for you, even if you do choose Christ and are saved from Hell itself, you will still have to suffer through the outpouring of Hell that will come on the Earth.

And with, at best, only 5-10% of ALL humans living on Earth at this present time surviving to the end, your chances of making it out alive is slim to none.  But if you don't have Christ, be that now or later, before He comes to Earth for the second time, then you will not have Heaven, at all, ever.  Only the forever torment of Hell, and that'll make even the worst days of the coming Great Tribulation look like a Sunday picnic.  So please, unsaved friend, turn to Jesus now while there is still time.  And Saints, brothers and sisters, hang on tight and look to the sky, for our redemption draweth night!  Hallelujah! :D

So even if we have to go through a period of difficult tribulation on this Earth before Jesus comes to rescue us, know this, even if we have to suffer and die as martyrs, what comes after, namely Heaven, will be worth it all.