Posted by giveawayboy on October 30, 2002 at 00:49:28:
In Reply to: Re: Hopeful mortal posted by Marcos on October 29, 2002 at 15:19:40:
: ~I thank yall for your response, and yall are right; this is great stuff.
: The ghost of "my past fellowship of believers" may have been in my dream bugging me and trying to tell me that if I don't believe in the inminent rapture in this generation, I will not go and be saved.
: But I will keep on listening to the skull instead :)
: and thank God in my dream I also had a present fellow in Bill and you all in the conscious life.
Marcos, I like your relfexion on this dream along with Jonvon's and Steve's. Let me add that your poem on Sunday stands out against the backdrop of your dream like a jewel on black velvet. In your dream you were experiencing a dark confusion. You were sort of unsure of the rapture as it related to your salvation. In your poem on Sunday, you and your friend were brilliant. You were grounded and strong. I love how you tied the themes of death and Golgotha together. Mother Teresa said 'to die at peace with God, is like a coronation'....This is consistent w Christian theology too. It does not surprise me that such dreams come at times of great assertions in your life. That something has been revealed to you and that you stated it out is a good thing. It is just like the enemy to deemphasize this. It is also our human nature to sometimes fear that tentative step into a committment. Hopefully I'm making sense here. It is rather late. Anyway, many great heroes of our faith have had confusing dreams and thoughts when they were making great strides. Saint Therese of Liseux was at one time being called upon by people around the globe for the encouragement she was to their faith. at these times she was also experiencing great doubt. I have seen this in my own life. Marcos, now I see it in yours. You are in great company.
Another thing that has helped me is seeing the rapture as an ongoing experience. That we are caught up to God is the rapture. Physically we may not have the full revelation of this, but it is part of our lot in life as poor banished children of Eve, to catch glimpses of it in moments. One can practice this. I think you know about it already. To me through prayer, through moments of grace, and through practicing awareness of these moments we are caught up to God. This may not have the outward fervor or dynamism we might desire, but it nevertheless is fervent and dynmaic. When you will yourself to allow the thought of God to enter, Grace is already at work. The OTHER is already there, wooing you. When we allow that thought to enter and remain and grow that is being caught up. The spiritual city is there. We are not waiting for it to descend from the heavens. We are seated IN HIM and IN HIM we already have every spiritual blessing. We are already united to him, but we have this illusion to overcome. That is where practice can help. Prayer is great here, and spiritual reading, as you already know, can help to enlighten our understanding until we can take the next step, and the next....