PERSECUTION!--AS GOD SEES IT!    DO 2828  12/92
--The Priceless Golden Treasure!

         1. I have such detailed dreams sometimes, it's amazing! For some reason we were in the downtown area of some city and we'd been invited to look at some things in a jewelry and watch shop. We were looking at watches, but then the jeweler brought out this special art piece that was really amazing! It was like an old antique, all solid gold, and you could hold it in your hand. I'd say it was about a foot high and maybe four inches wide. It had a background of pillars, and on the front of it were these figurines, figures of people, that seemed to be carved or cast in gold.
         2. The figure at the top was a man, rather large and tall, and he was holding a strap in his hand above his head, like a weapon! The middle figure was a beautiful, rather fragile-looking woman dressed in one of those Grecian gowns, and she had her arms around the man at the top, clinging to him, as though seeking his protection. And this big man was glaring at a third figure down below, which was another man who seemed to be pursuing the woman. It seemed like the first big tall fellow in the background was protecting the woman from this other man. My impression was that the man pursuing her was her enemy and the large man at the top--who symbolized God--was defending her from her ex-husband or whoever he was. The other guy down at the bottom looked almost like a little devil or some demon trying to grab her.
         3. This was all worked into the fine art of a gold carving! I can remember particularly the eyes of the big man that were glaring down at the other man. He had a big strap in his hand, like he was going to beat the other man if he didn't get away from the woman! And the gold framework was beautiful, like pillars in a Greek garden. It was a marvelous work of art; I've never seen anything like it, it was just beautiful!--Made of gold and yet some of it was jeweled insets, like the different colored flower blossoms, and God's eyes were two bright blazing jewels! He was big and powerful and looked like one of Michelangelo's statues, a very strong, muscular man! His hair was up in a big sort of bunch, flying, and He was looking down with His great face in great wrath!
         4. The woman was clinging to Him, very much afraid of the other man who was trying to grab her, but I had the impression that God was going to protect her and not let the other man get her. The man below was grabbing for her and trying to pull her away from God--and the impression was that God was her new Husband.
         5. It could be a picture of our persecutions, the woman being like the Church--us! (Maria: And God was angry.) Very angry! His eyes were bulging and glaring with anger as He looked at this other man in real wrath! And He had this big strap raised in His hand like He was about to strike him if he didn't let go.
         6. The jeweler had handed this piece to us and said we might be interested. It was very old and a real classic work of art. That could be symbolic that there's nothing new about persecution. The Devil's always been chasing the Church and the Lord's always been protecting her. It was like God and the woman were in the garden, and this other bad man was trying to take her away. And God had His arm raised, ready to strike this bad guy, this fiend, with a big heavy razor strap or belt. I had the distinct impression she had belonged to the other guy, but now she belonged to this Godlike image.
         7. It's almost like we should look at persecution like a beautiful golden work of art, very valuable, very much to be cherished, something very precious. I guess that's the way the Lord looks on our persecution.
         8. The jeweler was telling us, "This is a very valuable piece and something very precious!" He said that we would like it. (Maria: And you did!) I was just fascinated by it! It was so real and so beautiful! I'd never seen such a beautiful work of art!
         9. That must be how God looks at persecution! To Him it's a beautiful antique work of art--solid gold, precious, very valuable, studded with precious stones! He does speak of us coming through our trials as gold. "When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold!" (Job 23:10). And "the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold" (1Pet.1:7). It was like an illustration of His protection and His wrath against our Enemy, the man at the bottom of the picture being symbolic of the Devil and his followers who are fighting God's work! It was obvious that the woman was going to be perfectly safe in God's arms. Her arms were around His waist, and His right arm was raised in wrath with this strap. Of all things, I never thought of God using a strap! It was like He wasn't going to necessarily kill our enemies, but He was really going to chastise them. And His left arm was around her.
         10. It was a beautiful piece and I was admiring it and just marveling at its beauty, like, "Oh, we couldn't afford a thing like this! This is too priceless and precious. It must be very expensive." We don't think we can afford the persecution, but God's put it right in our hand, just like a valuable possession, something to be really treasured! It's like the way God looks at persecution, and we have nothing to fear; He's going to protect us and He's going to use that strap on the bad guys!
         11. It was solid gold, very heavy, colored with brilliant colored jewels! It was a precious piece to be treasured and admired, extremely precious, just like it was priceless! In a sense, the application is that we are to treasure these experiences, these persecutions. To God they're priceless, precious golden treasures--more precious than gold, He says. How can it be more precious than gold? Well, it had jewels in it. Persecutions were to literally be treasured as priceless, precious works of art!
         12. Think of that! That's how God looks at these persecutions: That persecutions are not to be feared or regretted, but to be admired and treasured! They're priceless treasures to Him, because they're bringing out your pure gold value, as works of art.
         13. It was as though we shouldn't look on [the jeweler and his people] entirely as enemies. They were showing us this gorgeous work of art. They were instrumental in bringing it to us and putting it in my hand.--Like the Lord sent it, even if the Devil did bring it! It was almost like we should be thankful that he was putting this gorgeous thing in my hand, like it was almost his most priceless treasure that he could show us or give us.
         14. The [jeweler] looked a little like those modern conceptions of the Devil, but he seemed to be pleased to show this to me. I'm sure they're pleased to have caused it! It was like he was showing me one of his most priceless treasures. It certainly is expensive, that's for sure; it must be costing them millions!
         15. Isn't that beautiful? We're not to fear it, but we're to treasure these experiences! They're works of art by God Himself, even if the Devil does bring it! It was the Devil handing me the work of art; he brought it, but God sent it! Some [ACs], like devils, are bringing the persecution against us, but God's allowing it, because to Him it's a work of art! It's a piece of beauty, a priceless treasure to be thankful for and admired!
         16. It was awesome! I think it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in a work of art! Apparently that's how God looks at the persecution of His people, and it was anything but a defeat!
         17. This jeweler handed it to me like it was one of his most expensive treasures that I'd have to pay a lot for! I'm sure they're trying to make us pay all they can, and they're sure paying a lot for it too. But they're hoping we'll pay for it. And I had the feeling like, "This is too expensive; we could never afford it!" Isn't that how we feel sometimes about these persecutions? Don't we feel like they're too expensive and we can't afford them? But not to the Lord! He looks on them as a beautiful, golden, precious treasure, a priceless work of art, a masterpiece!
         18. Who'd have ever thought of picturing persecution as a work of art but the Lord? So apparently He wants us to look on it that way--as pure gold, refined in the fire of persecution, with precious gems that are like the lessons we learn.
         19. The Lord looks at things so differently! Remember how the Lord looked at death as a spiritual orgasm?--One of the most exciting feelings of this life, one of the biggest thrills in the world for us? It's not to be feared, but to be looked forward to as a thrilling experience! (See "Death--The Ultimate Orgasm!" ML #2761.) And here He pictures persecution not as something to be feared, but as something beautiful, priceless, treasured, a beautiful work of art, pure gold, gem-studded, as though He treasures each of these experiences of our persecution and our clinging to Him all the tighter as beautiful experiences!--Real beautiful works of art, masterpieces! It's very precious to the Lord and we should look on it as He does--not fear it or dread it or complain about the suffering. The gold has to go through the fire in order to come out into a beautiful statue or gorgeous work of art!
         20. It's not like He was going to kill the Devil, but he was going to really give him a thrashing, really hurt him and bash him if he didn't let go of the woman! Apparently He lets the Devil pursue us till we're driven to the Lord's side and driven to cling to the Lord for protection, thus far and no further. It was almost like, "Just one more inch, buddy, and you're going to get it, whammy! No further!"
         21. Thank You Jesus! Hallelujah! Encourage the hearts of Thy people with this, Lord! Help them to look at it like You see it, and not as the Devil sometimes tempts us to look at persecution, as something bad and evil and defeating, but like a beautiful, priceless, golden, gem-studded treasure! It's not something to be feared, but to be treasured! It's like a treasured experience, full of gems of lessons that drive us closer to Him and show His mighty power to deliver! TYJ! PYL!
         22. "The trying of your faith is more precious than gold, yea, than much fine gold!" (1Pet.1:7). I never thought of that gold as being a statue or a picture, but that's what comes out of the fire! A golden picture of persecution! It was so beautiful! We're to treasure it, value it, admire it and be thankful for it! We're to "take pleasure in persecutions!" (2Cor.12:10). It's beautiful! That's how the Lord looks at it. Isn't that something? Thank You Jesus! Praise You Lord!
         --How do you look at it?



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