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Symbolism has always intrigued me. The way God weaves symbols and foreshadowing together
through prophetic words, dreams, visions, pictures, and even human history is astounding. God authors history the same way He
authors other forms of revelation, using symbolic language and powerful metaphors to shape our understanding of Him.
Throughout Scripture, we read many examples of how God speaks in symbolic language, as Numbers 12:6 says: "Then He said,
‘Listen to My words: When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal Myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams.
'" God spoke to Pharaoh in a dream that only Joseph could interpret. The same thing happened with Nebuchadnezzar
and Daniel. Joseph of Nazareth also had a dream about his betrothed, Mary, during which an angel said, in essence,
"Marry the girl!" That dream changed Joseph's mind, because prior to the dream, he was doubtful about her
pregnancy (cf. Matthew 1). The so-called "Three Wise Men" were warned in a dream to avoid King Herod. Later on,
Joseph had another dream instructing him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt, also to avoid Herod. These were very practical,
very prophetic dreams that contained real spiritual power and an impetus for change.
But God is too wise to focus simply on dreams as a means of communication with us. His hand can be seen working
throughout history, even in seemingly random events. God has His own unique "sign language" that every
Christian ought to learn and reflect upon.
God is at work in everything. If we have eyes to see Him moving, we can partner more effectively with what He is doing. Even a casual
reading of Scripture reveals that God invented the literary device of foreshadowing. Our mission as prophetic Christians is to recapture
and relearn the language of symbols, metaphors and signs. Knowing what God wants to do will provoke us to pray, fast, and work toward
seeing His Kingdom established on earth. These symbols, can be learned only through spending time with God. As we give Him our dreams,
visions and prophetic impressions, God develops our ability to see Him working in places we never would have dreamed.
One resource for such symbols and metaphor is our dreams. Dream interpretation is a gift produced by meditating on our dreams and then
asking God for His take on them. Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams," says Daniel 1:17. One of my closest friends
has a gift of interpreting dreams. If you are a dreamer, write down your dreams and work through them with God. Open them up for comment
and prayer. Your dream may not seem relevant in the moment, and a few weeks down the road, you may want to put them on the shelf. But you
ought to get in the habit of writing things down; treating your dreams as you would any other type of revelation, because you never know
when they will be called upon.
Visions, which are closely related to dreams, are another source of revelation. Sometimes, revelation comes through such pictures or
even through moving scenes. Many of us have probably had such experiences. Some visions speak to us through everyday objects and may
even use our own understanding of these things to speak prophetically. In Jeremiah 1:11-12, we witness this kind of vision:
"The word of the LORD came to me: 'What do you see, Jeremiah?' ‘I see the branch of an almond tree,' I replied. The LORD said to me,
"You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that My word is fulfilled."
When God asked the prophet what he saw, Jeremiah looked around and noticed the almond tree branch. It was a perfectly common sight,
totally unremarkable. However, the interpretation, timing and specific need of the people combined to produce a positive and significant
prophetic interpretation.
I had a similar experience once, also involving a tree. I was about to speak to a meeting of several hundred people when the Lord
directed me to a young woman in the middle aisle. I asked her to stand up. As she did, God showed me a picture of a hazel tree.
I knew the type of tree it was, because my father and I had been landscape gardeners. All I had was this picture, so I asked the
Lord, "What do you want to say?" There was nothing, so I started in with what I knew: "I'm seeing a picture of a
hazel tree." I said, and then I began to describe its properties from memory.
" It has beautiful flowers and fruit. It can grow almost anywhere. It's resistant to disease, and its bark and flowers can be used for
medicinal purposes, as a tonic or a sedative that brings comfort from pain. It's very hardy and resilient."
As soon as I came to the end of that statement, I knew what God wanted to do. "That's how God sees you," I continued,
"He thinks you're beautiful and that you're going to bear good fruit in your life. You mustn't worry that you're no good.
You're tough and able to resist the enemy. You'll grow in almost any situation." As I moved prophetically, she cried, and her
friends cheered and laughed.
I finished prophesying, prayed for her, and taught my seminar. At the end of the meeting, she came to me." Thanks for what
you said. You don't know this, but my name is Hazel," she told me. Apparently, that same afternoon, she and her friends had
been drinking tea, and Hazel had been in a bad mood. "Hazel. Stupid name, Hazel," she had said. "Why couldn't
I have been called by a prettier name? I hate it, and I wish I could change it."
God, in His incredible sense of humor, had used me to say, "Excuse me, but I chose your name. I gave it to you, and I gave
it to you for this purpose." She told me that she had cried, because she realized that her name had been given to her for a
reason. When she was in the womb, God had named her Hazel. What a powerful word from a perfectly ordinary and common source.
Metaphors and signs that flow from dreams, visions, history, and current events play a key role in the supernatural development of
people and the communities to which they are joined. In Scripture, this practice of invading the logical world with supernatural
communication is widespread and commonplace, almost ordinary. What is not ordinary (yet) for the Church is an awareness and acceptance
of this form of revelatory communication and the ability to interpret it.
The world has hijacked the realm of symbolism to such an extent that it is almost despised in western Christian
thinking. But in the Bible, God speaks through symbols and metaphors that need interpretation. Jesus, Himself,
used parables repeatedly to share the deep things of the Kingdom. He has always spoken in this way and will continue
to do so. "He who has ears to hear; let him (or her) hear!" If the Church will not listen to revelatory
language, the Lord will speak to the world directly, as He did with Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar. How many people in
our society and culture are starting to have amazing experiences in a revelatory spiritual context? They need the
correct interpretation. And such an interpretation can only come from practitioners in this Heavenly, pictorial
language, people like Joseph and Daniel. Through their understanding of God's symbolic language, these two ordinary
people turned the fortunes of God's people at critical times through their alignment with God in understanding dream
language. The New Age movement has taken revelatory language prisoner, but God is in the business of setting captives free.
THE VALIDITY OF PROPHETIC ACTIVATION
Whatever means the Father uses to communicate this great heart to us, can all be used to train and equip people to
do the work of ministry. Nothing in scripture forbids it. Symbolism, prophetic actions, dreams and visions
are all part of the interpretive process that the Lord uses to express His word to His people.
People are trained in the principles of hermeneutics in bible colleges, the world over. Training in the act and
the art of prophetic actions, symbols and speech is a valid part of educating and enriching prophetic people in the
discipline of their gift.
I have used activation training in my schools of prophecy since 1986. It is a necessary and vital part of the
development of the prophetic gift and ministry. God does use the visual to stimulate our inner man of the Spirit. It is
clearly evident in scripture that He uses both natural and supernatural means to communicate in a visual dimension.
I have seen tens of thousands of people activated and grow in their prophetic gift in this manner. The methodology
is sound, God honoring and very effective in enabling people to express the heart and nature of God in a prophetic context.
It is our destiny to see the world through eyes that understand God's symbolic language and actions.
Graham Cooke |
