I WAS entering a large city by the main street. It was an industrial city with many factories, lumber yards, and coal yards. Crowds of people were hurrying back and forth, running for fear they missed something; working and carrying things and packages, going in and out of the factories, all as busy as bees.

I walked slowly, a man at my side. He belonged to me, seemed to be my companion on my way. I cannot recall his face now, but in my dream I knew him very well. He was tall and slim and dressed in a dark cloak. Sometimes we talked, sometimes we only exchanged thoughts.

As we walked I thought, “This is the world of today, the material world, with all its hustle and bustle.” And he confirmed my thoughts with his own. By and by we came to the middle of the city. It was a large square, surrounded by many buildings, but only on three sides. The fourth side seemed to be open and to stretch out far. To one side there was a coal yard, and many wagons of coal were being loaded. The people looked black and dirty and had no other thought except their work.

We walked past, toward the open side of the square. As we came nearer I noticed that it was fenced off from the town by iron fences that were twenty feet high and the upright bars as thick as my arms. We stood still and looked at them. As I looked there appeared behind them the largest elephants I ever beheld. These beasts were twice the size of ordinary elephants. They were grey in color and had vicious tempers; their eyes were evil and they were shaking with resentment at being shut in.

I looked at my companion, but he seemed to think nothing at all of it. This surprised me. But he just seemed to wait to see what I would make of this. Understanding dawned on me.

“These are the passions of man, still shut in, but waiting their chance to get out and destroy the world and human beings, when they succumb to them.”

My friend nodded his head to my thoughts. “Look farther,” he said. The elephants parted and there came from behind them another beast, black, twice as large as the rest of them, with eyes of fire and his breath steamed. His head was thrown back and he stamped impatiently where he stood.

“This is the Anti-Christ,” I said, and my friend nodded again. Then the beast looked at me and made for the fence; swift as a swallow it climbed with all four legs the high fence, balanced a moment at the top, and took one quick dive down on my side of it. Then it made for me.

I stood where I was and saw it coming. For a single moment I looked for my companion, but he had disappeared from my side. (I know now that he had not disappeared, but had just made himself invisible to me, to see how I handled the situation, and to be near in case I couldn’t handle it alone). And there I stood.

As the beast came nearer I lifted a hand and said, “Stop, I am in the hands of the Eternal God, and no harm can touch me.” And the beast stood rooted three yards in front of me. For one second we looked at each other, then he turned and ran another way. As he did so he trampled to death hundreds of men, women and children. The people ran screaming, the air was filled with horror and destruction.

I turned and walked slowly down a road. This road led up a hill. Halfway up was a low wooden fence, and behind that fence a garden. In order to enter the garden I had to go into a little house, where the road ended. It was a one-room house, square, and had windows in all the four walls. As I entered it I closed the door behind me and turned the key.

Looking out of the window in the door, I saw the city at my feet, and the terrible beast running about wildly. Then the beast came onto the road which I had taken. It ran up the hill, and I knew that if I let it in it would destroy my house with one lifting of its foot. But I stood guard at the door and when it came near me, I called out, “Stop, in the Name of God!”

It stopped short and turned again, running down the hill. It was raging with passion and made straight for the iron fence behind which the other beasts were confined. Then it hurled itself against the fence and the fence broke down, and all of the beasts were freed. And now I witnessed the destruction of the material world and its inhabitants. The beasts ran in all directions, killing and trampling men, women and children. But I heard no sound. I stood within my garden and looked over the fence, and no sound of material world destruction reached me. I just saw it all. The beasts gathered together again and they were transformed into a large swarm of bees, which rose high into the air.

In my garden the sun was shining and the flowers were blooming, and peace was everywhere. Outside the world was dark from the huge cloud of bees which hung over it. Then the cloud broke, and the bees flew in all directions and were stinging everybody. The people who were stung would walk a few paces, then they would become blind, would stagger on, and finally fall down and die. I saw an old woman holding a child by each hand coming up the hill. She was stung also as were the children, and I opened the gate and knew if she reached it they would be safe.

But she did not reach it; she died with the children on the road. And I saw hundreds and thousands of human beings die, and no hope for them anymore. My heart went out to them in great sorrow. I fell on my knees and thanked the Father that He had graced me with salvation. Then I awoke.

I WAS standing in my house at the window, with a friend standing beside me. She had come for a visit, and we had planned to go somewhere from the house. As we looked out we saw a storm was gathering. My house seemed to be on top of a hill, and we could see the whole city of Cleveland stretched below. The clouds became dense and dark, and we decided we would rather stay home. Then we heard a low thunder and my friend thought it would be an electric storm; but I said, “This is an earthquake.” As I said this we saw the earth heave up and buildings rock back and forth. I said, “We are in the Father’s hands, and we will not go anywhere, but stay where we are; because here in this house we are safe. The Father will protect us.”

That moment a gust of wind caught our house, lifted it up, carried it through the air and set it down gently, so gently that not even a picture fell off the walls and we were still standing at the same window. We walked from room to room and found even the water-taps were still running. (Think what that symbolized!) And then as we looked out again we saw another upheaval, and this time the big buildings of downtown Cleveland came down with a terrific crash. They smashed people and everything and buried all that section under dirt and stones. And Lake Erie rose and sent a giant wave over it all.

But the Terminal Tower still stood. I wondered at this, but as I looked the Tower suddenly rocked to and fro and then broke in the middle and tumbled down. As I awoke there was still that low thunder in my ears, but there was no sound in the outside street.

And I lay in my bed and thanked my Father that I had been given this assurance of His loving protection. And I learned this from both dreams—no matter what is coming to pass, I am protected in the Father’s Love and Care. —L. L.

—o—

THESE two dreams are most significant, in that they are graphic illustrations of the perfect control over one’s emotions and the unbounded love and trust in the Father’s protective care one must have in order to cope with the trying times ahead.

Of course the dreams are symbolic, bringing vividly before the mind’s eye how, when the great forces of lust and passion and the beasts of the lower nature are loosed in the world, causing all people to tremble and quake with fear when witnessing the destruction of everything they hold dear, including most of their loved possessions, and we stand firm and unmoved by it all in a perfect love and trust, none of the chaos raging outside can reach or harm us.

The little house on top of the hill symbolizes the inner consciousness we “ascend”—surrounded by the “garden” of the soul, which nothing from the outer world can penetrate, when we stand fearlessly at the “gate” and prevent, as did our sister in the dream.

Study these dreams carefully and prayerfully, trying to under- stand all of their vital significance, so that you may be fully prepared as she was, when similar threatening things approach the door of your consciousness.—The EDITOR.

← previous | The Inner Life 1938 | next →