HAILSTONES
Exodus 9:13-15, says “And the Lord said unto Moses, rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thy heart and upon thy servants, and upon the people; that thou may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; that thou shall be cut off from the earth.
The Lord was getting ready to intensify the plagues He was sending upon Egypt. He was not only sending several new plagues, but said He will send “all” His plagues upon them and specifically names “pestilence” as one of the plagues again.
God had pleaded with Pharaoh to “Let My People Go,” but Pharaoh refused the command of the Lord. God sent plague after plague but Pharaoh refused to let God’s people go. Egypt was experiencing calamitous plagues which were devastatingly their economic stability and social activities. Egypt (the world) had a “stranglehold” on the Hebrews, and the Hebrews were still holding onto Egypt (the world). Though the social, religious, and economic foundations of Egypt had been shaken, Pharaoh still refused to comply with the command of God to “let my people go.”
It had become clearly apparent that it was going to take an even greater shaking in the land of Egypt to loosen the stranglehold Pharaoh had on the Hebrews. In the same way there is going to be a great shaking on the earth to shake the Church from the world and the world from the Church. God will shake all that can be shaken until only those things that cannot be shaken remains.
Exodus, 9:18, 22 ,23, 24 and 26, says: Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. And the Lord said unto Moses stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon every man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail and fire mingled with hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
The word “hail” in these verses comes from the Hebrew word for “hailstones.” It was not the type of hail we in the United States or other parts of the world are accustomed to seeing. This hail was not made of water vapor formed into ice, but of rocks and stones that fell from the sky. There were thundering, hailstones, and fire coming out of the sky that fell upon the Egyptians, their livestock, their dwellings, and their crops.
THE DREAM OF HAILSTONES
In the book of Revelation an angel, or messenger, sounded a trumpet that preceded each plague. Today God is sending a message to the world in the form “plagues” like the ones He sent upon Egypt. Each plague is a judgment against the attitudes, sins, motives, and evil deeds of mankind. In many cases thunder, lightning and fire preceded the plagues. The fact that an angel (messenger) sounded a trumpet and poured out a vial should tell us that God was sending a “particular message” through each event that was taking place.
During the night of April 15, 2001, I had a dream about hailstones falling from the sky. The following is what I saw and heard in the dream: As I was standing outside I saw a cluster of dark clouds forming in the sky above me. As the clouds started falling toward the earth, I could see large rocks and stones in and around them. The rocks were hitting and banging against each other as they fell to the earth. The collision of the rocks made sounds like thunder. Sparks of fire like lightening would flash around them as they clashed together. These clouds and rocks hit the earth with a great force.
Out of the midst of the clouds came an ultramodern vehicle like I had never seen before. The vehicle drove out of the clouds, pulled up before me, and stopped. The door of the vehicle opened and a large man stepped out. He was a least seven feet tall. He had a package in his hands that was gift wrapped, and it had a bow in the center of it. I walked up to him and asked him if the package was for me. He looked down at me and said “No, this package is not for you. I have been sent to hurt people who complain. I have been given the power to cause bad things to happen to those who complain, and you do not complain much.” He also told me he worked for one of the largest companies in the world. He was telling me there were many more just like him because there is much complaining going on in the world.
There was also something written on the package, but I cannot reveal yet what it said or meant because I do not yet have the complete interpretation of its meaning. I could probably write another book on this subject alone, and may well do so if the Lord permits: however for now I will just leave you with a few paragraphs. It is not my intention to write and rewrite scripture again and again on subject matter that should be obvious to every born again believer.
Throughout scripture we can find the meaning of this dream, and the causes and effects that are relative to murmuring and complaining. I think, however, that a fresh new look at certain scriptures that deal with murmuring and complaining can enlighten us to certain facts that Christians many times tend to overlook or reject in the Bible.
The fact that God loathes and despises the sin of murmuring and complaining should be incentive enough to seek out the seductive sources of murmuring and complaining and correct our attitudes or there can and will be disastrous consequences. Great judgment has been pronounced upon the perpetrators of these spiritual crimes. During the “Great Storm,” the penalty for the sins of murmuring and complaining will increase seven fold. If we need an example in the scripture for this, we can take one from the Children of Israel who were destroyed in the Wilderness for their sins of murmuring and complaining against God and Moses.
Just as the Children of Israel who murmured and complained in the Wilderness were destroyed, God will separate and leave to the destroyer those who imitate their sinful behavior. We must remember the storm is coming to test ALL who live upon the earth, including both saints and sinners. According to the Bible judgment must begin at the house of God. If the righteousness of believers fares no better than the self-righteousness of men and women in the world today, the same judgment will be meted out to both of them.
However, if the righteousness of the Church outshines the self-righteousness of the world, judgment will then befall the unrighteous. When the Light of Christ is reflected in the Church as it was meant to be reflected, that “Light” will condemn the world. The condemnation that Light brings against darkness will provoke the judgment of God upon the ungodly and unrepentant individuals.
The Israelites were always claiming to be the Children of God, but many times acted like the children of Gog. Many were bitter, complainers, self-seeking, and spiritually adulterous. They ended up in Babylonian captivity because the majority of them sought after the gods of the heathen nations round about them. These gods, or demon spirits, changed their motives, attitudes and focus of worship. They provoked the God of Heaven to jealousy, therefore He sent them great delusion and they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians.
Judgment began upon Mount Zion, and most of Israel was taken into Babylon where they remained in captivity for seventy years. God gave many of them up to a reprobate mind and they served the “pagan gods” in the land of their captivity.
In the Wilderness many Israelites complained about their circumstances and wished they were back in Egypt. Egypt is the place where they had forgotten Jehovah and worshiped many of the gods of their taskmasters.
God spoke to an adulterous Jerusalem in Isaiah, 29:6-7, when He said “Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake (great shaking), and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel (another name for Jerusalem), even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.
The dream of the hailstones is about judgment coming to spiritual Jerusalem and the world for murmuring and complaining. God’s purpose for the Church during the Great Storm is to cleanse and prepare the Bride for the coming of her Bridegroom. All the spots that stain her wedding gown must be removed before her groom comes to rapture her and take her “away” to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. The Bible tells us, “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14).
Isaiah continued to say in Verses 10-14, “For the Lord hath poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes; the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath He covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned saying: “ Read this I pray thee”: and he saith “I cannot for it is sealed.” And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying “Read this I pray thee” and he saith “I am not learned.” Wherefore the Lord saith, forasmuch as these people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precepts of men. Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.”
Many have written books about the coming tribulation and have spoken to the world of things to come which they themselves do not understand. They tell us that God does not want us to understand. Somebody said “we will understand it in the great by and by (Heaven).” They say there are certain things that are hidden from the foundation of the world that God does not want us to know, and that the mysteries of God are beyond understanding. God’s Word tells us the opposite. If do not study to show “ourselves” approved and listen to the voices who “proclaim” they know the truth but do not, we will not be “approved.”
The Bible tells us “there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.” Many people have questions about end time prophecy. Many pastors refuse to teach on end time prophecy because it scares them. Some refuse to even study the Book of Revelation. Others say “I just don’t know” which is better to say then making up or teaching doctrine without “revealed knowledge.”
God has chosen dreams, visions, and prophecy to reveal to His people many future events. If we are to become wise concerning future events, we must consider the “wisdom of men” to be insufficient and seek the wisdom of God.
We cannot explain the supernatural by natural means or natural understanding. The mind of the wise is able to know all things and understand all things through the revelatory gifts of the Holy Spirit. The problem with those who are “wise in their own eyes” is that they try to “interpret spiritual things” with their carnal minds. Their earthly wisdom, along with their carnal thinking will perish. When the eyes of our understanding are opened to perceive the realm of the supernatural, we will be able to SEE into the past, present, and future. Understanding future events are revealed to believers by the Spirit of Revelation. Only the Spirit of God can reveal the truths which are hidden in the books that He Himself has sealed. God desires to give “spiritual insight” regarding coming events to all those who seek understanding.
Many of God’s people need a change in attitude. They need to realize their biggest enemy is themselves, and their lack of faith in His total redemptive plan. Christians will not be murmuring and complaining when they are trusting in the redeeming power of the Lord God Allmighty.
In the Wilderness Israel meditated on the “food” they had eaten in the land of their captivity. They were displeased with God because He had not provided what they thought they needed or wanted to eat in the Wilderness. Even though God had brought them out of bondage with many signs and wonders and fed them with manna in the Wilderness, they still lacked faith and did not fully trust in His ability to provide for them. He fed the whole nation of Israel with manna from heaven and provided everything they needed, however they were an unthankful and ungrateful clique of murmurers and complainers.
Complaining about anything shows a lack of faith in God’s redemptive work which He so “graciously” executed at Calvary. Complaining is the voice of unbelief and accusation. It tells God that the sacrifice of Christ was not enough to procure the needs we have need of in our daily lives. It sends a message to the world that the Christian God either does not know how to help in the time of need, or He just does not care about His children.
The complainer doubts the integrity of God’s word. He does not believe the promises of God because in his heart doubt is greater than his faith. His doubt brings false accusation against the Word of Truth, and fear restricts the fruit of joy, peace and righteousness in his heart.
The Children of Israel misunderstood the message I Am had been trying to get through their faithless “spiritual skulls.” Many of them learned the hard way, and they were destroyed in the process. “I AM” all you need” was the message God tried to impress upon their hearts of unbelief. If God could have replaced their desire for self-rule and self-dependence with faith and trust in Him, they would have needed nothing, and the desires of their hearts would have been realized. The “complainers” were much like many in churches today who do not put their trust in God, but in the things they possess in Egypt (the world).
Many go to Church on Sunday morning and tell God how much they love Him. Later when they get home and things do not go exactly the way they want, the gods of rebellion, doubt, and insurrection enter into their hearts and “rule and ruin” their day. It becomes easier for them to look back and see “how good things were” before they went to Church. They focus on their problems, and not on the solution to their problems--Jesus. The complainers fail to realize a change of heart is more important than a change in their current circumstances. God has proven Himself to be faithful time and time again. God has shown that He is faithful and is more than able to provide whatever need we may have.
THE CANADIAN GEESE
In another dream I had about hailstones I was looking up at the sky and saw many lights gathering together like birds. The sky was dark, and the lights were not very bright. In the dream I could remember thinking “this was not the first time I had seen these lights.” The dream reminded me of one Thanksgiving Day when my wife and I had gone outside our home to watch hundreds of Canadian Geese swarming high above the area where we lived near Cleveland, Tennessee. We lived out in the country and many of these geese gather around the area and feed on many of the farms that were around us. In the fall hundreds, if not thousands of Canadian Geese can be seen feeding in the fields in that area.
I watched the Geese as they circled high above the house. I surmised they were getting ready to fly south for the winter. They circled over the area for what seemed like hours. They were gathering together from all over the area. Time after time the birds would gather and circle overhead until a large force had accumulated. Then the geese formed into squadrons like military planes, turned, and headed south.
My wife and I watched as these birds gathered together into military type formations above us. After circling for a long time we watched as wave after wave turned and headed south for the winter. As the birds gathered and swarmed together, they were making an unusual quacking sound. No other sound I have heard sounds quite like the sound Canadian Geese make. The quacking noise they made as they all “quacked” together “quickly” turned into a buzzing sound. The gathering of the geese together was quite an amazing sight to see. The dream about the lights in the sky reminded me of the swarms of Canadian Geese we had seen on that Thanksgiving Day. It was a “sight to behold.”
The lights (hailstones) in the sky I saw in the dream circled the sky and gathered together just like the geese had done. They circled for a while until the sky was full of them, then they split up into groups or squadrons and started flying off in military like formations. They made a loud buzzing sound just like the geese had made above our house on that Thanksgiving Day. However, the sound the lights in the sky in my dream made were much louder and much more intense. The lights in the sky and the sounds they made reminded me of movies I had seen of World War II military planes flying together in formation. The sound of the ominous looking lights made the same sound the aircraft in World War II made.
In the dream my wife and I, along with some other ministers I knew, were just getting ready to load some young people into vans to take them camping. We had all met in a large parking lot. As the ominous looking lights started going forward in squadrons, we witnessed huge balls of fire coming out of the sky. The balls of fire were being dropped like bombs by the lights. Most of the huge balls of fire were as large as houses. They were falling all around us; and as I watched closely they fell upon the ground all around us; and upon houses, other buildings and people. Almost everything was being completely destroyed by these “great balls of fire!” I knew if these huge balls of fire were to fall on us they would have completely destroy all of us too.
Water then started pouring from the sky. The water was pouring down upon us. It seemed to me to be like “rivers of water.” I could still see the huge fire balls coming from the sky to the earth and was destroying everything they hit. There was no place the water or the fire did not touch. I felt great sorrow for the people who were being consumed by the fires which were destroying everything and everybody they hit. Within just a few feet of us the “balls of fire” were destroying everything around us. The rivers of waters falling from the sky were protecting us and keeping us safe from the “hailstones of fire.”
In Revelation 8:5-7, it says, “And the angel took the censure, and filled it with fire of the alter, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightening, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first angel (messenger) sounded, and there followed hail, and fire mixed with blood, and they were cast upon the earth; and the third part of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
The angel was sending a message to the world. The message came in the volume of the book it was written to fulfill the “sentence” of condemnation and judgment upon ungodly men. The Bible tells us, “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (2 Peter 3:7).
There is an appointed time for every prophetic word in scripture to be fulfilled. If there is one thing in creation that is sure, it is the fact that all things the Creator has voiced will come to p