In this dream I have a behind-the-scenes look at an elaborate stage production. The Mistress of Ceremonies wants the costume designer to make her an “original” gown, but she wants him to copy a fashion she saw on Project Runway. It is an Erte style, Art Deco black dress, with a bandeau bra top, straps leading to a halter neck and choker, long crepe skirt, bare midriff with fabric strips connecting the top and skirt, and long black gloves with vertical slits allowing the skin to show through.
The final result is chic and dramatic, but she doesn’t
want the audience to know she has stolen someone else’s design. She asks me to
find her makeup tray, so I look inside a 1920’s style vanity, but it is filled
only with cassette tapes and a recorder. I accidentally start the recorder
playing and can’t shut it off. The song is a 1920’s tune that apparently
accompanied the model on Project Runway when she showed the original design.
The MC is furious because she thinks the audience will make the connection to her
gown’s true origins.
The dream then fast forwards to the final scene of the
play, which is set like the Victorian drawing room in the Nutcracker ballet,
ready for a lavish Christmas celebration. After the characters parade around
and exchange not-so-pleasantries, the MC announces that the world is about to end, and this is their last chance
to hold onto what is most important to them.
The final tableau shows each character worshipping their god, pledging
their allegiance to what they hold most dear. A middle-aged woman who has parlayed
her physical charms into a wealthy but loveless
marriage and equally empty affairs draws close to her reflection in a full-length
mirror. Her husband
reaches lustfully for the young maid, who has her hands in the silver drawer.
The learned professor
gets on one knee in a courtly pose and extends his arms to the bookshelf, as if
he could encompass all the science, poetry, and philosophy contained in its
volumes. While the athlete contorts his muscular frame into a manly expression
of physical prowess, the obese glutton stuffs his face at the buffet, and the
addict snorts his stash of cocaine. The children grab as many presents as they
can, shoving each other
aside, and run to the fireplace, peering up into the chimney and hoping they
can get more from Santa.
A priest, who was
invited to pray before
the meal, piously holds his rosary in one hand and his censer in the other,
looking upward to heaven yet hoping a crowd will kneel at his feet. Meanwhile,
a beggar out in the cold, nearing the threshold in hopes of a few scraps
discarded from the sumptuous dinner, flings himself prostrate on the ground and
begs God for mercy and forgiveness.
I awoke with the realization that only the beggar, who
realized he was a sinner in need of a Savior, would spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus Christ, and that the idol
worshippers would all be cast into the lake of fire (Ephesians 5:5; Revelation
20:15;21:8)..
The pattern of the black
dress reminded me of a “map” Todd Friel drew on an episode of the Wretched TV show, with the skirt
representing the lake of fire, the top representing the “Devil’s Pond,” and the
slits on the gloves, straps, and fabric pieces representing the tributaries
feeding into the pond and ultimately into the lake of fire. He explained that
Satan lures souls to follow the current into these various tributaries and
rivers of worldly thought leading
to destruction, including
sexual immorality, substance abuse, humanism, atheism, pagan worship, and
works-based religions.
In the dream, the
dress design was stolen but masqueraded as an original creation. Satan is the
great deceiver and the father of all lies (John
8:44), and in his desire to be God he imitates Him, from the unholy trinity to his distortion of God’s Word, seen first in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-5) and not ending
permanently until he is cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10) . But all evil deeds are recorded and made
known (Mark 4:22; Luke 8:17;
(Ephesians 5:11-13), and
those who rejected God and His Son will answer to Christ when He reads their
sins from the books He keeps (Revelation
20:12).
Except for the beggar,
all of the characters in this dream staked their eternal destiny on something other than faith in the death, burial and
resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only way to Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; John 14:6). The “Christmas”
celebration failed to honor Christ, Who came in the flesh (John 1:14) to reconcile sinful man to Holy God (2 Corinthians 5:18-19; Hebrews 2:17).
Instead, it glorified the false gods of this world as the celebrants stumbled
into Satan’s traps of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life (1 John 2:16).
Falling prey to the
lust of the flesh were the drug abuser and the glutton. The middle-aged beauty
succumbed to the lust of the eyes as well as the lust of the flesh, worshipping
her own image while seeking confirmation of her desirability in meaningless sexual encounters. Her husband, who should have been the spiritual leader
of the household (Ephesians 5:23-26),
was no better. Small wonder that they had neglected their parental responsibilities of spiritual guidance, and that their greedy
children were following in their
parents’ footsteps !
Also attempting to satisfy
the lust of the eyes and the pride of life was the maid, as those who crave wealth
do so for the lovely things it buys as well as for the power linked to prestige
and worldly success (1 Timothy 6:10).
And the athlete placed his faith in his physical strength and accomplishments to win the respect of others (1
Corinthians 9:25). But we are saved by God’s grace alone, and not by
our own works, no matter how impressive (Ephesians
2:8-9).
Thinking himself to be
wise by embracing all the world’s writings, the professor proved himself to be
a fool, as the world’s “wisdom” is no match for God’s Word. Trusting in evolution
and humanism as absolute truth deceives men from realizing their own sinful
nature and leads them to deny God’s very existence (Romans 1:21-25; Psalm
14:1; 53:1).
One would hope that
the priest would be a better role model than the other characters in this morality play, but he
too counted on his own works and self-righteousness (Luke 18:10-14) Vain repetitions in prayer, without speaking
to God as a child approaches their Father (Matthew
6:7-9) for wisdom, advice, and loving guidance and provision, are
meaningless works. Even worse, he pretended to be worshipping God while seeking
only admiration and reverence from others (Matthew
6:1-5), which made him a false prophet and teacher whose only god was
himself ((Matthew 7:15;:2 Peter
2:1).
Far outnumbered by
those who tried to enter eternity by the broad gate leading to destruction was the
beggar. Sadly, those who have been born again (John 3:3-8) and accept Jesus Christ as the only Way, Truth
and Life (John 14:6) are in
the minority, and even Jesus said that His way is narrow (Matthew 7:13-14). May we renounce our false gods, repent of
our sins, and trust in Him to lead us to eternal life!
Everyone is looking
for something, but even in this life, nothing satisfies other than a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ. Only He brings joy, peace and abundant life here and now,
and unimaginable, everlasting joy and peace in His presence in Heaven. May we
tell all we encounter of His goodness and of the satisfaction only He can give!
© 2013 Laurie Collett
Reposted from the archives
