Dream & Vision

27 July, 2004

Gregory Smith

Würzburg, Germany

Before I give the details of this very unusual dream and vision, I first must say that I am not a person who dreams much, or at least I don’t remember them if I do dream.  However, in 1986 three days before the NASA Space Shuttle Columbia launched and exploded, I had a dream that it would happen just as it did.  It was very vivid and detailed and I even knew that the astronauts survived the explosion.  This was later revealed after the investigation of the accident.  I shared this dream with my wife and mother and father 3 days before it happened.  I was concerned, but not worried to the point that I felt that I had to do anything.  On the day that the accident happened, my wife and I had just finished classes at East Coast Bible College and had come out to the car to go home.  When I turned on the radio, the news of the disaster was on and I immediately went into a state of shock.  I knew there was nothing that I could have done to change this, so I accepted this dream as being from God and knew from that point that God could and would communicate to me in the future through dreams.   

Since 1986, God has only given me a few dreams that I consider to be prophetic.   Of the few dreams that I have had, most have come true but have been related to the current church I pastor.  One of the most horrible dreams which was very detailed was the detonation of a large nuclear bomb which I and my family died in.  This was so real that I actually awoke from the dream thinking that I was in heaven.  This one I pray never happens, but am afraid that someday it will.

This brings me to the dream and vision that I must share in this writing.  It has been the most unusual one thus far and is very detailed.  I must say that I believe it to be a prophetic dream concerning the end-times which are coming upon us faster than we would want to believe.

Before I give the dream as I received it, let me tell where the dream took place.  My family and I were home in the USA visiting our families which we do each summer.  Nothing could have caused me to have thought of these things since we were relaxed and enjoying our time on vacation.  Here is the dream.

The dream starts out with me getting ready to open up our church service in Wuerzburg, Germany.  I went to the podium to open up the worship service when all of sudden a large black dog came running down the center isle of the church charging toward me.  I immediately stop everything and tell everyone to get the dog out of the church.   After the dog was removed, I went back to the podium to open up the service when all of sudden a man or woman, (believe it was a woman) stepped into the church and asked to speak to me and Pat Calzadilla who is the church clerk.  Thinking it was important, I stepped out with the person and she proceeded to tell us that we are not supposed to be here.  I assured her that we did have a lease on the building and could be here.  After arguing with her for a brief time, I told her that we would discuss this on Monday.   I then stepped back to the podium to open up the service and I told Brother Francis to come lead us in worship.  Brother Francis (the worship leader) started to sing, but his lips were sealed shut.  It was like they were super glued shut.  He tried to lead worship, but it was apparent that he could not.  Somehow we managed to go on. 

Next I come to the front of the church and I welcome Alice Dittman who had been visiting us from the USA.  Alice is a good friend and is a member of our home church where we came from before coming to Germany.  She is an extreme worshipper and intercessor.  People often look at her as being a little strange, but she really loves God and expresses that in her style of worship.  In the dream, she was spending her last Sunday with us before returning to home.  I asked her if she would like to greet the people and say goodbye.  She was standing in the middle isle of the church just past the first row of chairs.  I handed the wireless microphone to her and she began to speak.  As she spoke, the power of God fell on the church.  I took the mic from her as she began to praise the lord and went to the ground.  I then turned behind me where there were 3 ladies that had come with her standing one behind the other.  My wife Dana was standing to their right.  I touched the first lady and she went to the ground and the ladies behind her went down as she touched them like a set of dominoes.  I then proceeded to go to each person in the church gently laying hands on them where they sit.  Everyone went out in the spirit as I worked my way to the back of the church.  When I got to the back of the church there appeared to be several young people standing there that were watching the service.  I proceeded to pray for them that were standing to my left and they too were ministered to and went out.  As I finished praying for them, I turned to my left and looked back over the sanctuary.  The entire church was out in the spirit, not one person was standing except me.  I thought to myself “Boy God, you really did an awesome thing today!”  As I thought this, the Lord spoke to my heart and mind really loud and said “I want to show you something”.   This next part of the dream was in fact a vision that I had while in the dream.  It was very clear and very detailed.  Here is the vision:

Vision in Dream:  I was standing on a bus that could have been a school bus or a public transportation bus.  I was at the front of the bus standing just behind the driver looking toward the back of the bus.  It was completely empty except for one man sitting on the right side of the bus (my left from where I was standing).  This man did not recognize me nor did I recognize him.  He was a white man and he was completely bald headed and had a full black beard.  He appeared to be looking at some kind of paper.  I thought it was some kind of scroll, but either way he was looking at some paper.  Then immediately, I was somewhere, but not on the bus, in front of a 12” wall clock that had a white background with black hands.  It was right in front of my face.  As I looked at it, I noticed that the little hour hand was on 9:00 o’clock while the large minute hand was going backwards.  It was going pretty fast and I thought to myself there is something wrong with this clock.  I thought it is broken because the hand should be going the other direction.  As I though this, I was put back on the bus.  This time the man had moved up to the middle seat of the bus except he had a full head of black hair and had lost his beard.  He was continuing to read the scroll/paper.  Then I saw the clock again.  This time the hour hand was at 6:00 o’clock and the minute hand was continuing to go backwards like a countdown.  Next I was back on the bus again except this time the man was sitting right in front of me in the first seat.  This time he had a full head of black hair and a full black beard.  He looked very Jewish to me and was continuing to read the scroll/paper.  He never recognized me at all.  After I saw this, I was back in front of the clock.  This time the hour hand was on 3:00 o’clock and the minute hand continued to go backwards.  When I saw this, I was then taken out of the vision but was still in the dream.

I was back in the sanctuary where I was taken into the vision.  I began screaming out to everyone that I had received a vision from God (in the dream).  I went to everyone that I could find and began telling them about the vision.  No one could give me an interpretation of the vision.  There was a previous co-worker going along with me that was assisting me, but no matter who I told this vision to, no one was able to give me any meaning to it.  Some were convinced it was from God, while others seemed to think I was crazy.  This went on for a while.  It was at this point that I awoke from the dream.

When I awoke from the dream and vision, I knew that it was from God.  I woke up crying and shaking because the power of God was on me.  I woke up my wife Dana and began to tell her this powerful dream.  It was so vivid and detailed, it was as if I had actually done these things and it was more a memory than a dream.  Even now as I write this, I see it more as a memory of something that actually happened rather than a dream memory.

I later wrote this dream in my journal, but for the past 5 years have been trying to get an understanding to the dream and vision.  Many ministers have heard this dream and vision, but just like in the dream, no one has been able to give any meaning to it.  I have prayed and shared this with my congregation and still no understanding.  Some have given a little insight, but none with detail.  I understand that there are two parts to this dream, first there is the dream, and then there is the vision.  I believe they are both inter-related somehow and I have tried to understand them individually. 

Recently the Lord has allowed me to gain better insight into the dream and vision.  I now want to share what I believe this dream and vision means.  If you the reader of this have more insight, I would appreciate any input that the Lord may reveal to you.  Here is what I believe I know right now.  The dream has two parts.  First is the church and second there is the vision.  I have always believed that the two were related.  Here is what I know about the dream.

1. The dream is centered around our church here in Wuerzburg, Germany, but certainly could represent the Church of Jesus Christ worldwide.  The black dog we believe represents deception which has tried to infiltrate our church, but has certainly infiltrated the church in general all around the world.  This aligns with what Jesus said in the last days.  That a great deception would come. Matt 13:22; Matt 24:5,11,24; Mar 13:6,22; Rom 16:18; 1 Co 3:18; Eph 5:6; Col 2:4; 2 Thes 2:3; Jam 1:22; Rev 20:8.
2. The lady that came to challenge us meeting in the church I believe represents what could be coming when the governments of the world begin to impose restrictions on churches, causing us to have to meet possibly like the Chinese in house churches/cell groups.  This would mean coming persecution to the church as we know it today.  Rom 8:35; 1 Thes 3:7; Heb 10:33; Rev 2:10.
3. My worship leader not being able to sing with his lips sealed I believe represents the attack of the enemy to silence our praises that may come from the persecution.  Psalms 115:17-18.
4. The great move of God in the church.  This is where it gets interesting.  I have thought that the actual Alice was to come and spark the move of God.  For some reason, we have not been able to work it out for her to come over these past 5 years.  She is referred to as an intercessor.  Months ago when I invited Pastor Kevin White to come speak at our church, he asked me if it would be ok to bring some of his intercessors.  He then said these words “they are like the Alice in our home church”.  When both my wife and I heard this, we knew that Pastor Kevin must come and that something was going to happen regarding the dream/vision.  We are looking for a GREAT move of God, but also something in the spirit will take place regarding the remaining vision. I believe God is going to begin to pour out is Spirit just as He said he would in greater way than ever for those that are hungry and seeking Him.  Eze 39:29; Joel 2:28-29; Zec 12:10; Acts 2:17-18.

 Now for what I believe the vision represents.

1. The man on the bus I am certain is a Jew.  I believe he represents the Jewish nation of Israel in some kind of timeline.  The bus is a mode of transportation and although I cannot say it was moving, it certainly represents movement.  The first man was bald headed and with a beard.  This I believe represents the old Israel.  The second man was young because he had a full head of hair, but no beard.  This represents the newness of Israel in what may be the rebirth of the Jewish nation in 1948 and 1967.  The third man had both a full head of hair and a full beard meaning that he was full.  I believe the last man represents the fullness of the Jewish nation of Israel which is yet to come.  It may represent the return of the Jews to their temple worship as in the Old Testament, and the way Israel will be right before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.    
2. The clock represents time.  Since the Jewish man and clock moved together, it is safe to say that they are related and this is concerning the end times where God will bring the Jewish nation to its fullness right before His return.
3. Now for the clock details.  The clock counts down in 3 hour increments ending with me seeing 3:00 o’clock as the last hour in the vision.  The clock moves from 9 to 6 to 3 and then would move to 12 or zero if it represents a countdown.  The next logical move would be to the 12:00 o’clock position just 3 hours away, but I was not shown that in the vision.  I just know that is the next placement of the hour hand.

My Interpretation of the dream and vision. 

What I am about to share with you has just been revealed to me in the past weeks. The clock starts at 9:00 o’clock, which I believe represents the year 2009.  The countdown clock counts down in 3 year increments ending at the 12:00 o’clock position or the ‘0’ position.  I believe that the number 12 represents the year 2012 which something big will happened.  The Jews will come into fullness, but also the world may go into some kind of turmoil. Certainly the rapture of the church could take place, but I am not saying that it will.  I just know that the clock will start ticking possibly in the next week and we will have 3 years in which things will change drastically.

I am not a doomsayer, nor am I a prophet.  But I know this dream is from God and we need to be prepared for whatever is coming.  I am preparing my family and the people that God has placed under me.  I believe this will be the greatest time for the church, but it may not be the way we have thought it would be.  We may have to meet in our homes, but there will be many people coming to Jesus during this time and we the church must be ready.  We do not know the day or hour of the coming of our Lord, but Matt 24:33 says that when we see certain things, know that the Lord is even at the door.  I am asking people this simple question and I present it to you the reader now.  If you knew that we had only 3 years before the coming of the Lord, or even persecution of the church, what would you do differently? 

One last thought.  I believe that God moves in seasons and cycles.  This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday and then comes the Passover and then Easter in the same week.  Could it be that the clock does start to countdown in this period?

Please read, pray, and comment on this if you have any further insight.  I just want to share what I have received in hopes that it will help the Body of Christ.

God Bless Us All,

Pastor Gregory Smith Sr.