Interpretation:

The Location and Components:

The first part of the dream seems to be not as important as the later part, but these types of 'missionary' dreams are usually the most prophetic for me. Since the colorful laundry hanging above the street stood out, especially the blue sheet, its significance seems to confirm revelation.

Three women may be symbolic of Christ's 'inner circle' of friends, and the plight of third world countries eat at my heart. Dwellings close together and fenced denotes close community and safety in numbers.  It was clear that we were to live and work with the commoners and not be separated from them. To live everyday life with those we came to minister reveals we were to become like the people there. We would have a greater chance to win them to Christ if we lived in the same manner as they did.  See Acts 18:3, 4. and 1 Co 19:19-23. A cafe is a familiar place to me as my parents owned and operated a cafe, hotel and restaurant. A job interview: see 2 Thes 3:7-10.

The fetid water I believe to be a symbolic of a lack of excellence in the world (just accepting a mess and letting it spoil rather than taking action to clean it). Not having a bucket seems to point to not always having all the tools needed to clean up a mess. An alley is a place where I spent a great deal of my childhood in exploration. Although it's usually a place to be cautious, but for me it's a place of discovery. Many treasures can be found in an alley if you know where to look!

An old man, for the most part, is someone I respect and think of as being wise.

The Old Man

The old man looked similar to the older of 'the two witnesses' in the TBN movie, The Omega Code, and spoke (in English) with that same unusual accent. Symbolic of the 'witness' of the church as it exists today, the old man had refined the most important truth he learned into one final statement. I detected a hint of regret in his voice as he spoke, yet he was determined to make sure I understood. I had the impression that he was an old pastor who had served the Lord for years, but didn't fully understand this simple but profound truth until the very end of his life. He may have gotten so busy doing the work of the Lord, that he did not spend time developing a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. Because it seemed like God had specifically shown him to share this revelation with me - this has given me a great sense of responsibility to clearly convey this message.

I believe that the physical condition of his body represents that the 'old way' of doing things in the church is dying. The admonition given to us by the church now passing is: "WE MUST SEEK HIS FACE!" If we hold dear this charge, this new emerging church will be known around the world by the intimacy it shares with the Father, the Bridegroom our Lord Jesus Christ, and His Holy Spirit. We must take 'seeking His face' deeply into our hearts, and hold to it.

By having me place my hands on his face, I believe, the old man was physically illustrating the importance for us to hold onto what he was saying. We are to seek God's face in such a manner that we will hold on and not let go even when it looks scary. We have to learn to recognize and discern the Lord in all situations. In Revelations 19:12 it states that Jesus will come bearing a name that no one knows but Himself.  This means that we must know Him by the Spirit.  Any serious student of the Word knows that God reveals Himself and His ways through His names.  So what is this name that we do not know? That is the point, we don't know and we won't know.  This is why we HAVE to know Jesus intimately.  Remember the five wise virgins.  See Matt 25 

When the lion's eyes and face appeared I felt a natural fear, but it immediately went away when I recognized the face to be that of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah ~ that being Jesus the Christ.

In this dream, I believe I was representative of believers who are willing to hear the most important revelation of an old and dying generation, and to pass it to the next - like a runner passing a baton in a relay race. It is very important to receive impartation from the passing generation before it is too late.  However, we do have to be careful not to mix the old wine and the new wine skins.

THE ORDER:

The order of his questions are significant. First he asked me about the location of his face, and then where the head was found. To get to the face I had to find the Head, to find the Head I had to first find the Body. One reason I have held this dream so long was that the Lord instructed me to, "Go to the Body of Christ and ask what it means to them personally when they hear, 'We must seek His face.'" So, I inquired of many spirit-filled believers and I have now compiled the insights I received which witnessed to my spirit into this interpretation.  (If you would like to share what this phrase means to you, "We must seek His face" please feel free to write me.)

SEEK MY FACE:

Scriptures make it clear we are to seek God's face. See 1 Chron 16:11; 2 Chron 7:14; Ps 105:4; Hosea 5:15

First, we seek the Lord because His love draws us to Himself. As we come closer to Him, the more we love him in return. 1 John 4:19. In seeking God's face we are hoping to receive God's perspective in everything we see and do. When we seek His face, our face is turned towards Him. Since our face is the center of communication, when we look to Jesus He sees our expressions and can tell whether we are listening to Him and accepting what He is saying, or if we are rejecting Him. As intimacy develops with someone we love, we share our dreams, visions, goals and private thoughts with them. As we seek His face, we learn about His feelings, thoughts and emotions. We learn who Jesus is in truth. We learn things like what brings Him joy and what brings Him sorrow. He longs for the desires of His heart to become the desires of our heart. He does not want us to come to Him seeking His hand but for us to come seeking His face - that is to say - His desires. The Lord wants to have a private audience with each of us. The Holy Spirit is drawing us to seek Christ's face so we see His full expression and have open and honest communication with Him. He wants us to be intimate with Him in this way. When we are facing each other, God will reveal the mysteries of the kingdom to our hearts.

Isn't it interesting that when we confront something, we have to 'face' it. As I looked into the mirror one morning, I seemed to see something different. I asked the Lord what He was showing me and that is when I realized that we can see, hear, taste, smell and touch all within our face. Not only are all five senses located in our face, but it is the center of communication as well. Our words (inflection and tone) come from our mouth and facial expressions can be read when we talk face-to-face. We gain greater understanding when we look at a person and study their face as they speak to us.

God's word, the Bible, is like a mirror. He reflects Himself in it and when we read His Word we become aware of what we are reflecting out of our lives, whether it's Christ-like or worldly. When we do not reflect Jesus, then we are to repent (face it) and yield ourselves to be polished into that true reflection. When we become models of Christ, then we share the Father's love for children, the elderly, family members, friends, neighbors and even for our enemies. We then want His will for the world around us. That is when His glory has risen upon us! See Is 60:1-5   This is also when we can walk as His ambassadors because we can 're-present' Him appropriately.  See 2 Co 17-21 

It is not about seeking the blessings of God's hand, but about developing a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus. See Matt 6:33 (Don't look to the hand, look to His face!)

THE HEAD:

The head has two significant parts that I thought about in the dream as the old man was speaking to me. The first is that Christ is the Head of the Church, and second the husband is the head of his wife. See Eph. 5:23. We must honor Christ as the Head of the church. May no man take Jesus' place as Head, or they will in essence be placing 'the hand', which is what the church refers to as 'the five fold ministry,' and obscuring the face of God. To illustrate this stand in front of a mirror and take your hand and place it in front of your face. Now look and see how much of your face can be seen. Christ is the Head of the Body! May the 'hand' do its duty to serve the Lord by grooming the Body's many parts, and let Jesus take His rightful place as the Head to His Body! See 1 Co 12; Romans 12:4-10; Eph 4:11-13; Rev 3:22.

In the second part, God is offering protection for wives through their husbands. May the husbands also find protection in following God's directive for marriage. See Eph 5:21-33.

THE BODY:

The Body is the individuals who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He was born of a virgin, was crucified, died, was buried and on the third day He was resurrected. Those who believe in Him and have called upon His name are born anew into the Body of Christ and make up The Church. Each member is part of the Body of Christ, and is in effect, a son, a soldier, an ambassador of Jesus Christ, a temple of the Holy Spirit and the emerging Bride of Christ. See Eph 2:18-22; 2 Tim 2:3; 1 Co 6:19; 2 Co 5:20; Rev 19:7-9.

THE LION'S EYES AND FACE:

The eyes of a lion are so penetrating. The closer you get to a lion when it looks straight into your eyes, the more deeply terrifying it becomes. In the dream, terror was my initial reaction, especially since its face was in my hands; but I quickly recognized it was Jesus' eyes piercing my soul. See Heb 4:13; Rev 1:14; 1 Co 3:9-16. Because of His great love for me as a believer the fear passed through me (John 3:16). Remember, perfect Love casts out fear! 1 John 4:18

As His face disappeared and His eyes remained, I believe God was showing me that His eyes continually seek those who worship Him in spirit and in truth (as opposed to those who worship in flesh and emotion). In effect, the Lord is seeking our face too. God is seeking the seeker. See John 4:23 and Jeremiah 29:12-14.

CONCLUSION: WORSHIP IS KEY

When seeking God's face, we must worship Him with no strings, plans, or our own personal agendas attached. Even those things that God has promised us must be put on the altar and willingly sacrificed. We do not want to be found guilty of honoring the Lord with our lips when our hearts are far from Him. See Mark 7:6. If anything is lifted up in our hearts as we worship then we must fervently seek to illuminate those things from coming between us and our Lord. Heartfelt praise and worship are keys to seeking God (as are prayer and fasting). We must focus upon His countenance as He inhabits and is enthroned in our praises. There is so much written in the Scriptures on praise and worship the list of references would be overwhelming, but to start - meditate on Psalms 22:3; 9:9-11; 61:7, 8; 107:19-22, 31, 32, 43 and see where the Lord leads you from there. It is a great study for all believers. As we praise Him, He dwells in our midst, and that is when we will see His face. When we see His face then we must listen and pay close attention to what He is saying to us.

The Lord desires to see us face-to-face and He asks each of us, "Who do you say I Am?" How will you know if we do not seek Him?  The Lion of Judah is on the move!

CHURCH, WE MUST SEEK HIS FACE!

Note: Four months after I had this dream the Lord put a book into my hands written by Dr. Dale A. Fife, The Secret Place; Passionately Pursuing His Presence. I would highly recommend your reading it. If you are serious about seeking God's face, it will bring fullness to your search. It is important to look up each Scripture reference (both in his book and in this writing). Even if you are sure you know it, the Holy Spirit will reveal volumes of His manifold wisdom to you if you will. God bless you in your search.

 Judy Bauman