Photo by Georgie Sharp*
August 2008
I saw a group of Canadian soldiers, men and women, standing in the foyer of a building. There were only a handful of them, perhaps six or eight and they were waiting for a vehicle to come and pick them up. I understood them to be a well-trained, elite unit. As I watched, they were busy doing small things like adjusting a belt or double checking their packs to make sure they had everything. I saw one man lean over and adjust the sock inside his boot.
Next I saw a very beautiful white flower. It was a camellia and I immediately understood that as a flower traditionally used for weddings, I was seeing the Bride in these soldiers.
Then I next saw these soldiers unloading cargo from the belly of an airplane. The plane was remarkably close to the ground and the cargo door was under the wing of the plane. One soldier had to bend low to unload the boxes and then passed them to the other soldiers, rather in the way of a bucket brigade. The impression was that they were working efficiently as a team.
Next I saw this elite team individually crawling through a row of tunnels and I understood that these tunnels were under the Canadian/American border. Each soldier was in full battle gear and wearing heavy backpacks filled with supplies they’d taken from the plane.
Then I found myself following one of the soldiers as he was walking through an American city. I knew it was American because I saw a J.C. Penney sign dangling from the side of a building. The city looked like pictures of Iraq after the bombing and looting with a few stores, offices and houses standing but in very bad condition. There was debris everywhere and as I looked around I realized everything was a grey/beige colour except for the J.C. Penney sign, the soldier in forest green uniform and half of a McDonald’s arch. The other half was crumbled.
There wasn’t a person on the street except for the soldier, however, there were people in the buildings peeking through boarded up windows. These boards weren’t sheets of plywood but looked instead as if people had used any kind of wood they could find. In each of these windows I could see eyes and they were following the soldier as he walked down the street. Their fear was obvious and I understood that fear to be because of his uniform.
I knew the people needed the supplies the soldier was carrying but they were too afraid to call out and ask for them. I also wondered why the soldier didn’t offer the supplies but realized he was entirely focused on whatever his mission was.
Then I saw a young, African American man lying bleeding on the sidewalk in front of what was once a store.. His eyes were closed and he was clearly moments away from death. The soldier stopped, looked at the man and simply said, “Rise up.” With that the young man opened his eyes and lifted one arm which the soldier grasped, helping the man to his feet. This man looked completely stunned and incredulous as he stood staring at the soldier and after a few moments he yelled, “I’m healed.”
The soldier started walking again and now the young man was following him, jumping up and down as he did and calling out, “I’m healed, I’m healed! This guy healed me.”
The soldier replied, “I didn’t heal you, Jesus Christ did.” In the strange silence of the street these words seemed very loud.
Meanwhile, the people inside the buildings were still watching and still afraid to come out and the soldier continued walking down the street, now apparently looking for something else.
Then the soldier stopped at a place where the asphalt of the road had heaved from some force and a huge chunk of the road was almost vertical leaving a gaping hole in the ground. The soldier stopped and in the hole were three children. One was a little African American girl wearing a dirty white blouse and the other two were little boys in grubby, stripped t-shirts. When they saw the soldier they looked so terrified I wanted to hug them and tell them he wouldn’t hurt them. I have never seen such frightened children.
The soldier leaned down to help them out of the hole and they kept shrinking back trying to avoid his hands until the young man told them they would be safe. Although they clearly didn’t believe him they were so afraid of the soldier they didn’t fight him any longer. As they got out of the hole, they clung to the legs of the young African American man, whose name was apparently Alphonse.
The soldier opened his backpack and took out some water and some special candies that were a kind of meal replacement enriched with vitamins and gave one to each child.
At that point, the soldier seemed to know he had to keep moving. He was still looking very focused and now as he turned down another street Alphonse and the three children were following him.
We walked past more grey/beige damaged storefronts on one side of the street but oddly on the other side of the street there was the federal Capital Building surrounded by beautiful, well-maintained lawns and trees. I walked along wondering if this was an indication of government officials who had safe and clean shelter and food while the citizens were struggling on their own without supplies. (In spite of the fact I saw the Capital Building I am not sure that this was Washington.)
The soldier walked down several more blocks until he came to a two-storey, flat-roofed building with a set of exterior stairs leading to the second floor. We all followed him up and watched as he knocked on a dull, red door. At his knock, we saw a pair of eyes looking through a very small window and then the soldier said,
“I come in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.”
With that, the person inside opened the door and we all went into a large room with a big table in the centre and about ten or twelve people, both men and women. The children were still terribly frightened and three women came over and each took a child over to a chair and sat down and held them on their laps. In spite of the fact the children would have normally been too old to sit on a lap, these children just held on for dear life. It was a heart wrenching scene.
The people in the room were wary of the soldier but he simply pulled off his backpack, opened it up on the table and started pulling out packages wrapped in silver foil. It was food and he was giving this packets out to each person in the room. Then he pulled out some very small Bibles.
When a couple of the women saw the Bibles, they looked absolutely terrified and had tears in their eyes. One of the women said,
“If they find us with Bibles they’ll send us to the camps.”
Nevertheless, each person gratefully and eagerly took a Bible.
Then I saw a white curtain billowing into the room from an opened door, opposite to where we’d come in. There was a brilliant light and suddenly Jesus walked into the room. He immediately looked at the children with such compassion and sadness that I got tears in my eyes and especially as I saw those children run right up to Him to hug Him. He held each of them and as He did I could see them changing from terrified and traumatized children to looking rosy and happy.
All the adults had fallen to their knees the moment Jesus walked into the room. They were bent low with their heads bowed. I wanted to do the very same thing but heard the Spirit say, “Watch.”
I watched as Jesus held these children and then said to the others in the room,
“From this day on do not be afraid. I am with you and I will be with you to help you. I will protect you. You will find shelter and you will find necessary food. In just a while your troubles will be over. Watch for Me. I am coming soon.”
“Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor. The Lord rescues them in times of trouble. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity and rescues them from their enemies. The Lord nurses them when they are sick and eases their pain and discomfort.” Psalm 41: 1-3
WHAT I BELIEVE THE LORD HAS SHOWN ME ABOUT THIS VISION:
During the last months as I have read many of the dreams, visions and prophetic words regarding the judgment that’s coming I have asked the Lord, if it be in His will, to show me a picture of what we can expect.
There are many here in Canada who are praying the Lord will work through this country to be light to the world. While I do not believe Canada is free from a coming judgment, I have a sense that we may have a little time in which it could be possible for us to help our brothers and sisters in the U.S.A. in their time of need. I pray that is so.
You may read this vision and see only a picture of the devastation that appears to be imminent for America but I would ask you to see more than that as well. This is very much about the calling of the Bride of Christ--or the remnant-- for this generation and time.
The soldiers in this vision are the remnant, the Bride of Christ, who have been prepared and trained through some grueling circumstances in their lives in order to learn faith, trust, obedience and focus on Christ. Those who have been through this and those who are presently experiencing this ‘stretching and pruning’ of the Lord will be the special ops crew the Lord will send to those who are in desperation, whether they are people who do not know Christ as Saviour or those who do but find themselves in very great need both physically and spiritually.
For those who have been through much during these last years, each will recognize the difference in their new levels of faith and trust, not to mention a genuine respect for the importance of obedience. When the call comes it will require immense faith, a deep level of trust and entire obedience. There won’t be much margin for error for lives are, and will be, hanging in the balance.
It’s only upon reflection that I look at the cargo plane in this vision and see the significance that the soldier is unloading under a wing. It seems clear this speaks of the way those who trust the Lord will find protection under His wings. The boxes in the plane were filled with food and with the Word--the bread of life. The Lord was providing this physical and spiritual food in a manner similar to the parable of the loaves and fishes when Jesus then asked the disciples to distribute the food to the hungry crowd.
It seems to me that the underground tunnels speak of a death to self or a seed dying in the ground as well as great humility. The soldiers had to crawl through those tunnels in full gear with heavy packs but rather than complain about the difficulty or load, their attitude was one of determination to obey orders from their commander instead of complaining about the inconvenience or pain to ‘self’.
That the city was an American one does imply there is much ahead for America that will be dreadful. Having said that, I do believe this devastated city is also a picture of the type of judgment that will occur around the world. This is very much a picture of the decimation of all that has been held in greater worth and esteem than the Lord Himself.
The J.C.Penney sign speaks to me of the materialism which has become such an immense part of the western culture. It isn’t only an American mentality, yet it has been American corporations that have created a very great deal of suffering and cruelty to the poor of the world and perhaps this dangling sign is an indication of God’s righteous hand against such that has happened.
The crumbled buildings would suggest that everything that can be shaken, will be shaken whether it’s a building or an attitude.
There was such a tremendous fear through those streets and as I ‘walked’ behind the soldier it was almost tangible. A spirit of fear was unleashed at some point over the world and it seems particularly apparent in the U.S.
The soldier also represents authority. The remnant will be walking in God-given authority but absolutely NOT to inspire fear, as was the perception of the people as this soldier walked down the street. Their fear of his uniform indicated they had suffered at the hands of those in authority as it has been, or will be, usurped by evil forces but the remnant’s authority is based in Kingdom love. The lack of trust on the part of the people hiding behind the boarded-up windows, even when they so desperately needed food, was a serious indication of how these evil forces (Satanic) had made them prisoners in both their homes and their way of thinking. This fear of the uniform also spoke to me of the conditions under martial law.
Continually through this vision I was aware of the intense focus on the part of the soldier. He knew he had a mission and did not allow himself to side-tracked in spite of the need he saw. It puts me in mind of John 5:19 where it says, “Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing.” Was this an unkindness not to help those this soldier was passing? I would suggest the answer to that is ‘no’. This soldier, in his precise focus and obedience, would open the door to allow the Lord to do the work. By simply doing the thing that was required of him, the soldier left the way open for the Lord to do the work of implementing His higher purposes.
When the soldier said, ‘Rise up’ to Alphonse I noticed he didn’t say, ‘in the name of Jesus’. I almost wrote that in and then realized it would be presumption on my part. As I have prayerfully considered this I believe this is suggesting the Bride, or the remnant, is to walk in the authority of her “Husband”, the Lord.
This healing also represents the miracles that will be seen through this very difficult time ahead. The purpose of judgment isn’t merely punishment but more like a last resort to save eternal lives. The healing of a man close to death suggests the miracles will be astounding but the soldier didn’t spend time analyzing the healing, or proclaiming the healing, or advertising it. Instead, he kept his focus and moved to the next assignment which was rescuing the children.
I believe the children represent all those who have been sacrificed on the altar of convenience, materialism and a complete disregard for the statutes of God. I would also suggest they represent the orphans that we have been commissioned to care for as more important than the unproductive projects in which so much time, effort and money has been spent. It could also be said that as there were three of them they were a kind of Shadrach, Meshech and Abenedgo.
That Alphonse and these three children chose to follow the soldier is a picture of revival. They had been ‘saved’ out of their situations and then ‘followed’ which is, of course, the very thing we’re told to do as Christians when we read that Jesus said, “Come, follow Me.”
It was interesting to look up the meaning of the name ‘Alphonse.’ It means ‘ready for battle’ as well as ‘noble.’ This gives me the impression that there will be many who come to know the Lord or return to Him during the revival that stems out of this time of judgment and these will be quickly made ready for the battle of winning more souls. We’ve heard from those with a prophetic calling that many of the strongest soul winners during the harvest will be new Christians and children.
The second storey house where the people were together put me in mind of the gathering of the disciples after the death of Jesus and before His resurrection.. It can be assumed these people had been much in prayer and certainly in a great deal of fear and discouragement. It would also suggest the way believers are to be unified together as the body of Christ. In their true fellowship they would strengthen and encourage one another.
When the soldier unpacked the food the understanding is one of provision in the midst of great deprivation or famine or the setting of a table in the presence of our enemies.
The fearful comment by the woman when the soldier offered a Bible is a reminder that as Christians there will be times of suffering and/or persecution in our lives for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s pretty much unheard of here in North America but something with which Christians in many parts of the world are all too familiar. When Peter denied Christ it was because he was feeling truly threatened. I have often thought when I’ve heard people speak of Peter as a coward that perhaps they have never felt threatened to such an extent that they had to make this kind of choice.
“But God will use this persecution to show His justice. For He will make you worthy of His Kingdom, for which you are suffering, and in His justice He will punish those who persecute you. And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven.”
Ultimately, we simply must believe. Abraham believed and God called him righteous. Our belief may be stretched to the limit during difficult times but we CAN trust the Lord to be with us always. This belief is grounded in repentance. Our stance today must be one of repentance before the Lord. This cannot be emphasized enough for it is when we are ‘right’ before the Lord we can expect the blessings of obedience.
God saved you by His special favour when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2: 8-10
And so we keep on praying for you, that our God will make you worthy of the life to which He called you. And we pray that God, by His power, will fulfill all your good intentions and faithful deeds. Then everyone will give honour to the name of our Lord Jesus because of you, and you will be honored along with Him. This is all made possible because of the undeserved favour of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1: 11-12
*flicr.com/photos/georgiesharp
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