October, 2015

I’m standing in a store that specializes in bridal clothes and accessories. The shop is very large with many rooms. The rooms are spacious and grandly appointed. There are young women in many of the rooms trying on bridal attire, including white, short-sleeved undergarments that appear to be like the tunics that ancient warriors wore under armor.

I’m looking for my mother and I can’t think where she might have gone. She’s supposed to be with me. This is important. I need her support. I start wandering from room to room, looking for her or my groom. Then I realize…I’d better get started with the try-on because time is of the essence.

Someone hands me an undergarment tunic to wear under the dress I’m to have fitted. The tunic is filthy. It’s stained and it looks as though it’s been dragged through mud. I’m repulsed. I decide to look around for another one. The next thing I know, I’m putting on the wedding dress. It’s very heavy, especially the top. The shoulders and bodice are laden down with jewels and beads. It’s ornate and the fabric is heavy satin. I know I’m wearing a tunic under it and I know it’s clean.

I’m still concerned because I don’t know where to find my mother. I’m still looking for her, but I know that I must go on with the fitting or I’ll miss my turn. I look around the room and realize that the soiled tunic, that they handed me before, is on the floor, not far from where I’m standing. The gown I’m wearing is weighing me down. It’s hard to breathe.

I keep looking at the tunic lying, crumpled, on the floor. It’s near a young woman trying on a gown. Then a man, very thin and unattractive, with an unclean look and demeanor, enters the room and slinks down on the floor. He picks up the dirty tunic and dons it. I’m more repulsed than before. The young woman nearby is staring at him and steps back, obviously trying to avoid contact.

The gown is so heavy. It bears down on my chest.

I awaken and, suddenly, when I start replaying the dream in my mind, I feel my heart racing.

An Interpretation:

Over all, the dream seems to illustrate the spiritual condition of the modern day church. Although not all of today’s churches are captured by this dream, so many are. We are proffering this interpretation, although we expect God may reveal the exact interpretation through someone else.

After prayer, elements of the dream became recognizable. Of course, the gown reflects the bridal gown Christ’s Bride (church) will be wearing. In this scene, the church is putting on a gown that is laden down with self-righteousness and “busy” works. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matt. 11:30. We understand today’s church is burdened by many things…endless dead meetings; compromised gospel; worldly ways.

The unclean man reflects the nature of so many of today’s ministries, long on repeating the same old messages and past revelations, year after year, seeing only the fruit of dead works.

The bride’s mother reflects the Holy Spirit. In this dream, the bride, in the interest of expediency, is getting ready without the Holy Spirit. Although the church longs for the presence of the Holy Spirit, it has little knowledge, or experience, in finding It. This correlates with the parable of the ten virgins, five who had oil for their lamps and five who did not.

We invite your comments.