I had a clear and unforgettable vision from the Lord in the summer of 1986. As I closed my eyes for a moment of rest, it seemed as if I were suddenly transported to a spacious field of golden wheat. This wasn't in my mind or my imagination, nor was it an "out of the body" experience. It happened in the spirit, yet I was somehow truly there, and all of my senses were alerted to the sights, sounds and smells of the place. The entire sky was blackened by an ominous storm in the distance. The storm billowed with thunderous power, threatening imminent and great destruction. Suddenly, I saw an immense shaft of golden light pierce through the dark cloud and shine upon the earth in stark contrast to the turbulent darkness of the storm. Then I saw what looked like a mass of shimmering energy in the midst of the shaft of light, having the appearance of sparkles on the surface of moving water. It was the most vibrant, iridescent purple I had ever seen. There is no color on earth to compare with it. I was both fascinated and bewildered. "What is that?" I asked aloud. To my surprise, I was instantly caught up to see at close range what I had been viewing from the distance: hundreds of purple doves flying closely together. The rapid, spontaneous movement of their many wings is what gave them the appearance of dynamic power. As I watched them, they flew together into a formation of one giant and powerful dove, moving from heaven toward the great field of wheat on the earth below. Then I distinctly heard the voice of the Lord say, "There is a great darkness coming upon the earth— such as the world has never known. There will be a great light that shines in the darkness — such as the world has never known. And there will be a great move of My Spirit in that light — such as the world has never known. Those whom I use in this coming move of My Spirit will be characterized by royalty of character and unity of purpose as a great harvest of souls is gathered unto Me by the power of My Holy Spirit."
The vision ended. I opened my eyes and thought long about what I had seen. Was this from the Lord? What did it all mean? When would it take place? These and many other questions filled my mind for some time until I came upon an amazing passage of Scripture:
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the
glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, dark-
ness covers the earth and thick darkness is
over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you." (Is. 60:1-2)
I could hardly believe my eyes. Here in the Bible was a striking description of the very thing I had seen in the vision: the great darkness, the great light But what about the doves? As I continued to read this chapter of Isaiah, I came to verse 8: "Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests?" I hesitate to say how this made me feel because it could seem presumptuous; nevertheless, the thought entered my mind that the Lord had shown me in a vision what Isaiah himself had seen so long ago. I am not claiming that this is, in fact, the case. Rather I'm just describing how I felt. I can recall only a few occasions in my life when I have been rendered speechless — this was one of them. I know that the Lord God spoke to me in a vision about what is coming upon the earth. My conviction is founded not simply upon what I saw, but upon the sure Word of God, which so undeniably attests to the revelation He gave me.
