I want to tell of a dream I had some years ago. It has been a while and I have lost some of the content of that dream (details), but hope and pray that God can help me remember the important stuff.
I remember that in the dream I was in what can only be described as heaven. It was pure peace, love and the overwhelming presence of God was everywhere. I, along with other beings/souls, were in what appeared to be a classroom setting with desks and chairs. We were being taught various things; about what I don’t know or remember. I do remember singing out suddenly. It was amazing. We would all just lift our voices and sing a song like nothing I have ever heard before. It was pure and perfect and it filled us up and each voice filled a cavern’s width of sound. WOW doesn’t even begin to describe the sheer joy of our souls singing to God and giving this unearthly praise. It was addicting and you never wanted to stop.
What really stuck out in the dream at this point was the fact that I needed NOTHING. I was complete and I lived only to do this praise and worship and it was beyond compare to feel God’s pleasure at the praising. When you would sing His presence would fill up every corner of heaven and words fail to express the feelings it produced. Now, where the dream took a curious turn was that even though I was in heaven, it was like I wasn’t there permanently. I was only there for a short while. I was learning and spending time with God.
Then it was time to take up tasks assigned to each one of us “visiting” souls. It turns out, one of our assignments for learning was to escort, on a daily basis, the souls of people that we failed to witness to while they were alive to their final destination….hell. We would meet the souls of the newly deceased at a place outside of heaven. We would be dressed in glowing white attire. These people would be confused and some would be scared or sad (and sadly some would believe us to be angels to take them into heaven). Then we would have to walk to an elevator made of stone and file in with our “lost” souls.
Then we would begin to descend into hell and the closer we got the darker and more stifling it was. These people would be stunned and afraid. When the elevator would open, you could see cavernous tunnels and hear the sounds of fire echoing throughout and beasts crawling in the shadows. I was horrified and did NOT want to let those people out of the elevator. They began to cry and beg for reprieve and my heart felt like it was ripping inside my chest. I was totally protected; the horrors of this place would never touch me and I knew it. I could even step out of the elevator and not one creature would be allowed to hurt me. Yet, I knew these people would suffer endlessly and I cried and cried for God to save them and allow me to rescue them back.
As the souls were ripped from the elevator and doors shut, I traveled back up in shock and grief. I had failed these people. It was too much and I woke from the dream. I was alarmed and also Spirit-filled after I woke up. I believe it was God’s way of showing me a fraction of the joys He has for us that are saved and also how pained He is when a soul is lost to Him.
Perhaps He was also telling me that even one opportunity missed to share His story, could mean someone has to ride that stone elevator to a place of eternal torment …. I pray to never fail anyone, even if I only plant a seed that grows into the fruit of salvation.
Traci Lambert