In 1980, Robert E. Burnell had a dream about a Christian pilgrim on a journey which symbolizes a person on his/her Christian walk. Because of its content, I believe this to be a genuine dream from God with spiritual and prophetic importance. Because of its length, I will not include it all here, but will merely discuss what it says and what it means, along with some quotes that will provide a good summary. There are many valuable lessons that we can learn from this dream, but the most important is that many Christians will be here when the USA is invaded. The pilgrim approaches a glorious city:
In my dream I see the lone figure of a man following a road. As the sun sets beneath the hills, a city comes into view. Nearing it, the traveler sees what appears to be a large group of churches. Spires and crosses pierce the skyline. His pace quickens. Is this his destination? He passes an imposing structure, a neon sign flashing “Cathedral of the Future.” Farther on a floodlit stadium supports a billboard boasting that fifty thousand people crowd into evangelistic meetings there three nights a week. Beyond this, modest “New Testament” chapels and Hebrew Christian synagogues cluster together on the street front.
“Is this the City of God?” I heard the traveler ask a woman at the information booth in the central square.
“No this is Christian City, “she replies.
“But I thought this road led to the City of God!” He exclaims with great disappointment.
“That’s what we all thought when we arrived,” she answers, her tone sympathetic.
The City of God is a metaphor for Heaven, and Christian City represents the majority of present-day Christianity in America. To arrive at the City of God, the pilgrim must travel through the Wilderness of Forgiveness, then the Wilderness of Worship, then of Prayer, then what is simply called the Harvest.
The pilgrim continues on his journey and is occasionally approached by a man or woman who gives him instructions and encouragement. At first the pilgrim is tempted to settle down in Christian City, where there are Christian restaurants, Christian bookstores, and many activities to keep Christians amused and happy.
He sees busy people hurrying hither and yon with their Bibles and shiny attaché cases, looking like men and women who know their destiny. But it is clear they lack something which the old man with eyes like a prophet possesses.
The traveler is about to leave Christian City and travel through the desert toward the City of God when someone tries to discourage him from going toward the City of God:
“Don’t be fooled!” His neighbor replies quickly. “Everyone who has ever taken that path has been lost, swallowed up by the desert! . . .”
The road to the City of God is a path that is rarely traveled. He considers whether to travel the path or stay in Christian City, then one of his angelic guides shows up:
“If you stay here in Christian City, you’ll wither away. You must take the path. I belong to the desert you saw earlier. I was sent here to encourage you to press on. You’ll travel many miles. You’ll be hot and thirsty; but angels will walk with you, and there will be springs of water along the way. And at your journeys end you will reach the City of God! You have never seen such beauty! And when you arrive the gates will open for you, for you are expected.”
His guide goes on to say:
“Christian City is the place for those who want religion but don’t want to lose their lives. The desert is the territory of those whose hearts are so thirsty for God, that they are willing to be lost in Him.”
Each person appears to travel through the deserts alone, but when they are famished, someone is there to give them a flask of cool water. We are each accountable directly to God; we cannot rely upon any church or any other person to get us to the truth.
In the Wilderness of Forgiveness, he learns to forgive; in the Wilderness of Worship he learns to worship God and experiences wonderful worship. He also realizes that in Christian City many people go through the motions of worshipping God, but their “real worship, the thing which obsesses the mind day and night, is idolatry.” His guide tells him:
“When you are lost in the worship of God, you no longer worship such things as money, romance, or success. You have found the one true object of worship, and as you worship Him you are fulfilled.”
When he reaches the final area before Heaven, he encounters many people who are sick and suffering. He is instructed to take a flask of water and give some to each person who needs help. This water revives them, and they begin to give water to others. The pilgrim realizes that this work will never end; that he will be occupied with it until he dies or until the Rapture. This work is the work of spreading the Gospel and helping the poor.
The previous three Wildernesses served to prepare the traveler for his work of helping people find true Christianity. He works until he becomes tired and asks how long this work will last. The pilgrim nears the end of his work here on Earth as he sees two great revivals taking place; one takes place in Christian City, and another takes place in the desert:
I saw beneath me two revivals simultaneously in progress. Christian City was experiencing a revival which manifested itself in a massive and rapid growth. Within a very short amount of time the population had increased tenfold. Building was going on everywhere. . . . But the most dramatic aspect of this growth in Christian City was the appearance of magnificent new church structures towering over the countryside. One cathedral was being completed which had a spire seventy stories high, housing the world’s most powerful transmitter. Another church was taking shape in the form of a giant glass dome with revolving stage and wrap-around sound systems. The most unusual one looked like an upright cross with fifteen elevators taking people up to the sanctuary housed in the south arm and a Christian restaurant housed in the north arm. There were Christian educational facilities for every age group . . .
This vision was seen in 1980 when there were only a few mega-churches, but are now commonplace. It continues:
There was a feeling in Christian City that this growth was a sign of the world’s last days. Books on the end of the age were up near the top of the Christian best seller lists . . .The inhabitants of Christian City were claiming that when the End came, they would be caught away to the City of God, before the chaos erupted.
This shows that they believed in the Pre-trib Rapture.
At the same time, I saw across the desert far distant from Christian City a very different revival taking place . . . They were being delivered from their diseases, their sins, and their spiritual prisons, merely by drinking Living Water from the holy Spring. . . . Laborers there, who had spent years seeing limited results, found that now it was taking no more than a single drop of water on a parched tongue to raise the dying to life. . . . Finally I saw the last prone body raised to life. . . . Suddenly an earthquake shook the ground beneath my feet. The Sky darkened and a sound of war rolled in from the east.
This shows that when the task of taking the Gospel into all the world is finally finished, then the USA will be invaded. WW3 might have started some months or years before this invasion. Notice that an earthquake takes place right after the last body is raised; Rev. 11:13-14, shows an earthquake when the second rapture takes place:
Then I saw Christian City being invaded and destroyed. The magnificent cathedrals, the world’s largest cross, retreat centers and seminar halls were splintered apart and flattened by deafening explosions. Dead bodies of the inhabitants who had thought they would escape this holocaust filled the streets. The armies of destruction now pressed on into the desert toward the scene of the second revival. Soon this seemingly indestructible horde was engulfing the Wilderness of forgiveness, the Wilderness of Worship and the Wilderness of Prayer. When the City of God came into its view, a single roar like that of a wounded beast filled the air. The horde drove on toward its goal, appearing about to storm the City of God.
This dream tells us that America will be invaded, and that Christendom will be here on Earth when the invasion takes place. But what about the three Raptures? I do see a Rapture in this parable, though not clearly seen. Because of context, it is the second rapture. I believe those in Christian City represent those who are NOT sold-out followers of God, because they are guilty of the sin of “idolatry.” These are 5 foolish virgins who will have the door shut, so they do get right with God (have revival), but they will not take part in the marriage supper of the Lamb, and will miss this rapture. The dream continues:
But near the wall of the City, the army of revived ones waited poised and ready. When the enemy came within range, the gates of the City burst open. Out marched the Army of Light led by a King of such splendor that the enemy horde had to shield its eyes. The revived ones merged with the Army of Light and joined battle with [against] the enemy. Three-and-a half days later the war was over. The enemy was destroyed and the triumphant ones entered the City of God for which they had been chosen before the foundation of the world.
This vision can be difficult to understand in regards to the timing of the Rapture. Notice that those living in Christian City are attacked and receive destruction from the invading armies. Notice also that those living in the Wilderness join the army from the City of God right before they are attacked. Both Christian City and the Wilderness are not physical locations, but spiritual; this means that a Christian can be in the Wilderness while living next door to someone who lives in Christian City.
That being the case, this vision tells us that the revived ones in the Wilderness represent the 5 wise virgins; when they merge with the army of light, that represents them being killed in the global terrorist attack that happens right before the invasion. Only spiritual beings can fight with an angelic army, so they are killed.
And if you notice, it happens BEFORE the army reaches them. So even though the dream shows the army attacking Christian City; since the righteous Christians can be living next door to those in Christian City, then it requires that those in the desert are attacked at the same time, but in this dream, those in the desert are already dead and are fighting with the angel-army.
In Revelation 11, the Two Witnesses are killed; then 3.5 days later the Rapture takes place, and the bodies of the dead witnesses come to life at the Rapture. So in this vision, 3.5 days after they join the angelic army, the battle is over and they enter Heaven. So, again, the only way they can join the angelic army is to be killed, but they are not killed by the invading army, so they must be killed in the jihad attack, because it happens before the army arrives.
This sounds as though it represents 3.5 years, but they very well may only fight with the angelic army for 3.5 days, then go up in the Rapture, which happens seconds before the physical invasion.
The most important thing to get from this dream is that there are two groups of Christians in America; one group will not be prepared, and even though they repent and have revival, they will not be taken in the second rapture. They are the majority of Christians in America; they are not lost in Christ nor truly follow Him daily. Those in Christian City go to church on Sunday morning, then binge-watch trash on Netflix all Sunday afternoon. Those in the wilderness are living for Christ and shun worldly living.
Those in Christian City are prosperous and successful Americans, and feel secure in their Churchianity. They enjoy going to movies and sporting events, and are almost indistinguishable from nonChristians. Chances are high that they believe a lot of false doctrines, such as eternal security and the prosperity gospel. Sermons on repentance, holiness, and taking up your cross to follow Christ, have been replaced by sermons on success, prosperity, endless grace, and the Pre-tribulation Rapture.
Many pastors look like they are working hard, doing the Lord’s work, but they are really just building their own kingdoms, not God’s Kingdom. Many “Christians” have not been converted to Christ, but to a denomination, or to becoming the follower of a big-name preacher. They don’t know true Christianity. This is why so many churches in America have become apostates and have no idea of it. Do you follow religion? Or Christ?
The Christians who are part of the lukewarm Church today will not be spared from the invasion during WW3. Not only will they miss the first two Raptures, they will not be told to flee to the Cities of Refuge. The dream concludes:
Never has it been more clear to me that two revivals are in progress on the earth. One is the revival of the Spirit of God by which dead men and women are freed from their sins by the blood of the Lamb and raised to a life which is the life of the sons of God, a life which bears God’s nature, manifests God’s mercy. The other revival is the revival of religious flesh, a revival which is so appealing and gathers such multitudes and wields such power in this world because it offers all the comfort of religion, while allowing you to keep your ego and all rights to yourself.
Surely each of us has to decide which revival he is going to be part of. Am I going to invest my life in some enterprise of booming Christian City? Or am I going to lose my life in the pursuit of God’s will of mercy? Am I going to concentrate on building something that will cause the citizens of Christian City of sit up and take notice? Or am I going to spend my life bringing the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind to the Master’s table?
You can read the entire dream on many web sites, including mine, and can be found in several books.
