The Revealer of Mysteries

Do you believe God is a God who reveals mysteries? On Tuesday, April 26, 2016, I had a dream. In the dream, I met a man named Sebastian in an intimate place. I knew this place was intimate, because it was pictured as being a room full of beds. But contrary to what you might think, it was not about physical intimacy. Beds were only shown to demonstrate just how close an intimacy the dream was talking about. But what is closer than physical intimacy? As it turns out, there is something that is closer than physical intimacy. And that is intimacy with God.

But how could this be? The fact is, God knows everything about us. God himself is eternal. But physical intimacy is only temporary. It cannot last. There is something that is much deeper than physical intimacy, and that is a relationship with the living God. God offers this to us through Jesus Christ. Imagine being loved, and in perfect relationship, with God, for all eternity. That’s what God offers us. And that relationship is only available through Jesus Christ. Do you want it? You can have it. The Lord invites us all to say, “Yes” to him, and it is the most important thing that anyone could do ― that is, to say “Yes” to him. Saying “yes” to Jesus is important, because here is what Jesus said:

“Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33)

I think we all want to be on good terms with Jesus, do you not think? Furthermore, being on good terms with Jesus leads to the most amazing, blessed, relationship, that anyone could imagine. After all, who is Jesus? He is the Creator (see John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:16).

In the dream, I was in a room full of beds. In real life, this would turn out to represent a room of people praying. I didn’t know it at the time. But I would find out what all this was about in about 14 hours.

I was lying on top of a bed, of course, fully clothed. About three feet from me, still on top of the same bed, but on the opposite side of the bed, was a man, of course, also fully clothed. We did not make any physical contact, except that my arm was stretched out, and I seemed to be comforting this man. This was the imagery. Furthermore, I knew the man’s name in the dream, and his name was Sebastian. Sebastian had been crying non-stop.

What was this dream all about?

I had no idea. But I was going to find out.

The Bible says that in the last days, God will give dreams and visions (see Joel 2:28-29 and Acts 2:17-18). And this dream was certainly no exception. This dream was about intimacy. It was about something emotional (because Sebastian had been crying non-stop). But of course, there was not even a hint of physical intimacy. Because that is not what this dream was about.

Why was Sebastian crying? I did not know.

Who was Sebastian? I had no idea.

At the very end of the dream, there was an epilogue. An epilogue is described as, “a speech or piece of text that is added to the end of a play or book, often giving a short statement about what happens to the characters after the play or book finishes”.1 This dream had an epilogue, and the epilogue was as follows: At the end of the dream, I said to the man named Sebastian, “I saw you in a dream this morning, and I wrote it down, and here it is on my phone!”

The dream ended.

When I woke up, I wrote the dream down and sent it to myself in an email. For that is my normal practice. It helps me to remember my dreams, make them searchable, and to keep them organized. So that is what I did. I wrote the dream down, and sent it to myself on my phone.

That evening, I attended a prayer meeting at a church. Perhaps you have never been to one before (or maybe you have). But at any rate, this was a meeting where Christians gather to pray about important items. Many Christians attend prayer meetings. And Jesus said that his followers should always pray (see Luke 18:1). So whether you pray at home, or attend a prayer meeting with many others, it is something which Jesus commanded.

Now prayer to the God of heaven (and there is only one God) is by nature intimate. For it is prayer to the living God. It’s not intended as a formality. Rather, it is a relationship. And there is nothing more devastating than turning prayer into a formality. That’s not God’s intention for how we should pray. God wants us to be able to converse with him, just like we can converse with our best friend. On the other hand, we are talking to God, and we must always be very respectful. There is no room for coarse jesting or foolish talk with God. But yes, you can talk to him in a most natural manner, just like you would talk to any friend.

God is an intimate God. For Jesus says to those who know him,

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

This is a statement of intimacy. God is standing at the door, meaning he’s standing at the very door of our lives. And his desire is to have intimate fellowship or relationship with us. That’s what it means to dine with him, and him with us. His purpose is to bring us into a close, personal, relationship with himself. Is it possible? It is absolutely possible.

In another passage, Jesus says,

“He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me; and he that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21)

This is another statement of intimacy. God promises to get very close to us if we are serious about him. We can demonstrate we are very serious about him by reading his word (the Bible) and seeking to obey his commandments, even as it says in the above passage. And what is the greatest commandment of all? Jesus said,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

The Prayer Meeting

I had never been to this particular prayer meeting before, because I was visiting from another city. Therefore, I did not know what to expect, or who I might meet. I did not know a single person in the room.

There were many people present (around 50). At one point, we were asked to split into small groups of about two or three, so we could pray for the persecuted church. A man and a woman whom I had never met before approached me, and we prayed together in our little group of three. After that, the woman disappeared into the crowd.

I asked the man who remained, “What is your name?”

He said, “Sebastian.”

I said, “Really?”

I was slightly shocked! I immediately remembered the dream. I said, “I saw you in a dream this morning, and I wrote it down, and here it is on my phone!” I quickly pulled out my phone, and showed him the dream. The subject line of the email was the single word, “Sebastian.”

Sebastian glanced at the subject line of the email ― staring at his own name ― and immediately exclaimed, “I want to know what is in that dream!”

Intimacy in Relationship

After that, we spent time talking at a coffee shop (Tim Horton’s), and shared. Even though we had just met, we talked about things that were very personal, because God had revealed something in the dream, and Sebastian was more than willing to open up a little bit about his life. We shared as though we were brothers. We were brothers in the faith. We both had God as our father.

The Bible says,

“But as many as received him (speaking of Jesus), to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name.” (John 1:12)

Since we had both believed in his name (that is, the name of Jesus), then according to this verse, Sebastian and I were both children of God. And that means that we were both brothers.

In another passage, the Bible says,

“See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God!” (See 1 John 3:1)

Yet we had only just met. Having this intimate brotherly friendship was only possible, because God was in our midst.

Jesus said,

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.” (Matthew 18:20)

A Special Encounter

Now Sebastian and I met in Toronto, Canada. For I was visiting at the time. Also, Sebastian was visiting from overseas. He was attending a ministry training program sponsored by that same church where we met. He had been there for about five months.

Sebastian said to me, “I have been involved with this church now for more than five months. But I am closer to you in one day than with anyone I ever met here.” Then he added, “I have always wanted to have a special encounter with God, and have been asking him for it, and waiting for it, but I never had it for myself. I knew that other people had it, but I never had it. Now, God has given it to me.” Thus, this encounter was very meaningful for Sebastian.

Thus it was that Sebastian and I talked. We talked for a few hours (perhaps from about 9 to 11 pm that same evening). I said to Sebastian, “You were crying in the dream. You could not stop.”

Sebastian replied, “That part does not really make sense.”

I said, “Maybe it is about your heart, for example, some pain in your heart. Maybe it’s not about physical crying at all, but about sadness deep down.” That’s the best I could figure. I didn’t know any more than that. And Sebastian didn’t know, either. But there was more to this puzzle than met the eye.

Eight Days Later

Sebastian called me up on the phone about eight days later, and said, “I think I know what that crying was all about that you saw in your dream.”

He went on to explain, “At almost the same time as we spoke, my uncle died on his private boat, but nobody knew it, because he was alone. They found him just recently, and I have been crying a lot. I was very close to him.”

And thus everything now made sense. The part about Sebastian crying was about his uncle dying. Thus it was that the Lord had given the dream as a means of providing comfort to Sebastian during his time of grieving.

And so that is the God that we serve. He is an awesome God. And he does indeed speak today.

Shortly after this, Sebastian returned to his home country. For his time at the ministry training center was now completed.

And that is how God works sometimes. God is not distant, but very close.

But how close is he to you? And that really is the question.

Think about it. There is this great God. He is the most amazing, spectacular, being, that anyone could imagine. He is our Creator, even. And he wants us to know him. But there are people who don’t know him. And that’s the problem. Some people say he’s this, or that, or the other thing. Meanwhile, he has already revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said,

“He who has seen me has seen the Father.” (See John 14:9)

But what did he mean by this? And this is a very controversial topic. But essentially, what he meant was that he was in perfect unity with God the Father. And this means something rather amazing. Because there has never been anyone like Jesus.

Jesus never sinned. He performed many miracles. And he is the Son of God.

But more than that. The Bible says that through him, and even by him, all things were created (see John 1:1-3, and Colossians 1:16).

Who is Jesus? And do you have Jesus? And do you know him? This is the big question.

It was Jesus who said,

“Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33)

And so I leave you today to think about this, and the implications of all of it, for your own life.

Is God supernatural? He is. Is Jesus supernatural? Of course, he is. Is there a reward in store for all those who serve God? Yes, indeed. And is God personal, like he said? Yes, indeed.

Dear friends, God is very much alive, and desires a personal relationship with you, on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus went to the cross, and paid the penalty for our sins on that cross, so that you and I might have eternal life. Are you willing to believe him and take him at his word?

In the Bible, we read about Jesus,

“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. All the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, Amen.” (Revelation 1:7)

And towards the very end of that same book, which is the book of Revelation, which details many end-time events, Jesus said,

“Behold, I come quickly. My reward is with me, to repay to each man according to his work.” (Revelation 22:12)

And so where will you be on that day, in which Jesus is revealed to the entire world? Time is running out!