Jeans & Sardines

12/30/22

As I have said in the past, dreams can be funny.  But funny dreams can also have a serious message to them.  This is the case with a dream from this summer I tossed aside as nonsensical.  But the Lord caused a remembrance of it recently and I have sought its significance as He has led. 

I have come to see it was a God dream due to its symbols.  Yet, it fell into my life during a time when I was dealing with a manifesting physical sign that kept me preoccupied.  Really, I was not interested in pursuing its meaning until now. 

So, here goes…I was viewing a line of men.  I believe there to be 6-7 (I don’t know the exact number) men facing me in a straight line, like a firing squad.  They all had jeans on.  I sensed they were church leaders as one of the men I recognized as a former pastor from my old church.  Nothing was said in the dream.

At the same time, their jeans dropped to expose their white drawers.  It was like their pants automatically fell down.  Yikes, I quickly looked away as I was embarrassed for them and as I did, my attention was drawn to the ground.  All over the ground and lined up were dead fish (they were silver in color and different sizes).  Some as big as six inches and baby fish, too (1-2 inches).  I thought them to be Sardines. 

I heard upon waking: “Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter”.  “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “For it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’"  (Mark 14:27).

First, I sensed it was not their choice to have their pants fall down.  Jeans represent work pants, and these were leaders of churches.  I don’t think they exposed themselves willingly.  Perhaps God did it.  

I received some scripture to help with His meaning:  Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, I will save My flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another.  (Ezekiel 34:21-22).

For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?  (1 Peter 4:17).

I talked about this theory of the Lord cleansing His leaders before revival comes in Chapter 4 ~” Spiritual Justice”, Believe Miracles Are for Today ~ The Book.  An excerpt below:

“After participating via simulcast with the Return, Prayer Walk on Washington (9/26/20) and Revival 4 Survival (10/10/20) events, I had a strange sense of letdown.  I prayed about my disappointment which I couldn’t understand because I was joyful that the events even took place.  What was going on?  Then, I realized what was missing.  There were only a few leaders who spoke at each event who repented themselves in front of the audience.  Mainly, the leaders told us (the sheep) to repent and return.  My agitation was confirmed by the Lord.

“My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD Almighty will care for his flock…” Zechariah 10:3.

I sense that what is needed to bring in revival is not so much the repentance of the sheep (though this has a part in it), but the visual repentance of the shepherds in front of their sheep.  And if this doesn’t happen, if our Christian leaders miss what the Lord God is requesting then He will bring it Himself.  With that said and the end-time revival rolling down the tracks soon to arrive, I believe the Lord will clean up His church first.”

Chapter 4 ~ Spiritual Justice – Believe Miracles Are for Today (believemiraclesr42day.com)

Let’s review the symbols remembering almost all symbols can have both positive and negative meanings. To begin with, silver means “knowledge.”  In addition, redemption or an object/person of value.  Hence, negatively it means worldly knowledge or the furnace of affliction.

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” (Ps. 12:6).

The symbol of jeans is helpful in the interpretation; jeans mean work (blue being a heavenly color) and completing your calling.  Could the fallen jeans mean some leaders will not complete their callings? 

The number six represents: humanity; flesh; carnal.  We will look at seven, too since I’m not positive on the number of men (but given Rev. 3:1 below, seven makes more sense).  It means complete, finished or all.  Another verse was given titled in my Bible ‘The Dead Church’.

And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works (jeans), that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”  (Revelation 3:1).

Now, on to fish symbolizing the spirit or soul of a person(s).  Fish are the goal of evangelism.  Aka, the newly re-created spirit of man as we are called to be fishers of men.  Fish also represents miraculous provision (when Christ fed 5,000).  The fish I saw were Sardines.  Silver in color meaning precious and redeemed.  Is it a play on words as the Revelation passage is addressed to ‘Sardis’…Sardines?  An interesting thought, definitely!

With more prayer, more meaning came.  The words that drew my attention were dead (fish), works (jeans) and ground (fish and jeans were on the ground).  I heard: “Bring it low to the ground” and a scripture:  For He brings down those who dwell on high, the lofty city; He lays it low; He lays it low to the ground, He brings it down to the dust.  (Isaiah 26:5).

I believe the Lord is saying that as we are living in the last days, He will expose leaders of His church which He finds as dead.  Dead works as represented by the fish which were in front of the men and at their feet along with their jeans.  In front, suggesting a current or future time.  The fish were believers that the men caught and were at their feet, but they let the fish die.  Perhaps, they didn’t feed the fish nor were they careful with the believers.

Is God planning on exposing various church leaders, bringing them to open repentance?  Will these leaders’ efforts be dead (futile) in evangelism, or will they let the Lord's fish die by not caring for them?  Questions I don’t have the answers to, but I am faithful to ask and wait until time tests out the dream.