Dreams!

This post serves no purpose other than to get it off my mind.  I had a vivid, bizarre dream last night.  I don't put a lot of stock in dreams, unless they are repetitive and then I know there's something I have to do.  But I've never had a dream quite like this one, and it has troubled me a bit.  I guess there's nothing to it, but I'll still be thinking on it the rest of the day.

I was inside a house when I looked outside and saw a vivid rainbow.  I ran outside so I could see the whole thing (something I would typically do).  The rainbow was unlike anything I had ever seen.  It was rich in color, unlike a rainbow of light - as if drawn with an art medium.  There was a mirror rainbow below it of equal color strength.  It was placed in dark clouds, but there was no rain.  I watched as color was taken from the rainbow in a watercolor fashion and was used to make new colors, shapes, and designs.  I was in awe, knowing that God was "painting the sky".  I was completely fascinated and wanted others to come see as well, but I was unwilling to leave the sight.  God continued to "paint" until the rainbow was gone and only dark clouds remained.

Then the clouds opened up and I saw God, Jesus at his right hand, and what I suspect to be the Holy Spirit.  They were surrounded by lights, which I suppose to be angels and there was a loud chorus of people singing "Glory!  Glory!  Hallelujah".  I was terrified.  I was in awe.  I felt a strong compulsion to raise my hands to the Heavens.  Two thoughts raced through my mind:  I lived to see Jesus return and Romans 14:11, ""'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'"

As I watched to see what would happen next, the sky went completely dark.  No light whatsoever.  No moon, no stars, no sun.  Dead birds began to fall from the sky.  I ran back inside to ask family what was going on.  Apparently, I was the only one experiencing these things (imagine that!) but chaos quickly ensued.  Our lives were in danger, and Christians were being taken away.  We found ourselves, outside the home in a different area, trying to avoid being "taken" from these evil people, though unwilling to lie or compromise our faith.  I can't describe the scene well, because it was equally confusing in the dream!

It wasn't long before the ground we were standing on began to tilt.  People were falling into an abyss.  We saw a place where lots of knotted ropes were hanging.  We raced towards them, seeing them as 'lifelines".  Only a few seemed to make an effort to get to the ropes.  But it didn't matter.  We were "dumped" with no chance to grab the rope.

We found ourselves in a large arena filled with birdseed, oddly enough (wait..dead birds, from earlier in the dream??  I JUST put that together...)  The arena had been set up to kill Christians.  There were lots of "killing posts" set up through out.  As I sat, I watched a young girl being held with a knife to her throat.  I didn't hear the questions she was asked to answer, and my mind raced with whether or not I was ready for this.  Would I be able to face my own death?  Would I stay true to God?  What kind of torture was awaiting me?  Why had I seen God and then He disappeared?  Did He appear to make me strong for this moment?  What was happening?!

I don't know what decision I made.  I was woken up by the kids.  When dreams are that vivid, I find them hard to shake.  I'm kinda scared to even go outside and look to the sky - even more afraid of seeing a rainbow now! I have never in my life had such a bizarre dream.  

It's making me think a lot.  I'm not quite sure on what.  Dreams and God.  Persecution.  Faithfulness.  I don't know if the dream "means" anything, though I sincerely hope it doesn't become repetitive.  Have any of you ever had such a vivid "spiritual" dream?