New Birth

I was dreaming; I don't remember now the content of the dream, except one thing: someone placed a card of some kind in front of me with a concealment over it; when the concealment was lifted, the following words were written there:

"I lost my sins 6 years ago."

I immediately woke up.  I sensed there was more on the card, but the whole concealment had not been lifted before I awoke.

I asked the Lord for a meaning. I heard in my spirit that 6 is the number for man and therefore represents the old nature before the new birth. There seemed also to be a dual meaning that I was sensing. While we are freed from slavery to sin at the time the Holy Spirit gives us a new heart, and are therefore freed from the sinful nature and its power over us, we are not freed fully from the flesh of man in which we still dwell. The completion of our new birth will come at the time when we are raised incorruptible. At that time, we will look back and say, "I lost my sins at man's demise." In other words, when the sinful nature of man is cast off, the glorious completion of the new birth which Jesus Christ purchased for us His Bride, will have transpired.

At the time I woke up, it was 12:33. I had a sense that the double three was meant to draw my attention to that number. I lay in bed for a while thinking about it. I thought about the 33 years Jesus ministered on the Earth. I thought about the three that composes the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. None of those stood out to me. Then I thought about the three days and three nights of Jesus in the grave and His resurrection. Immediately, the following Scripture came into my mind:

"Wake up, O sleeper,

rise up from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you" (Ephesians 5:14).

In reading the context, I became aware that there is a spiritual aspect to rising from the dead, and it has to do with turning our back on the darkness of sin and embracing the light of Jesus Christ.

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.Test and prove what pleases the Lord.

Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself. So it is said:

‘Wake up, O sleeper,

rise up from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.’

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:8-18).

After this meditation, I had, in succession, a vision of the ocean, as one looking down from space; a vision of a candle flickering against a backdrop of darkness; and a vision of an eagle flying. I asked the Lord what these meant. "What do these three have in common?" I soon thought of the following Scripture: "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11). I suddenly realized that this was an image of the person who has been born again. He has been cleansed (and is being cleansed ongoing) by the washing of water through the Word (Ephesians 5:25-27) and repentance, symbolized by water baptism. I had a vision of the earth’s oceans because I heard the Spirit say, “I am going to bring great disaster on the earth on account of the oceans, while at the same time flooding the lands with my Word and washing many with the water of my Spirit.”  Genesis 1:2: “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

There is another stage to the new birth that is revealed in the second vision.  The newly washed man is then filled with the Holy Spirit, who is as fire. “And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them” (Acts 2:3). The fire purges and sanctifies (Revelation 3:18: “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire”) while also causing us to shine with the light of God. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Finally, the Spirit moves us to a realm of such separation from the world that we are nearly halfway to heaven. In this way, we rise up above the cares of the world as an eagle that has learned to soar. We soar on the winds of the Holy Spirit as we rest on God to care for all our earthly trials. "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). "But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31).