As many people know by now, Pastor Dana Coverstone’s series of prophetic dreams have caused quite a stir. As I write this, the two videos on the dreams that he posted are starting to close in on two million views. In addition, others have made videos discussing the dreams, and there are several hundred thousand views of them. If you are one of the few who haven’t seen Pastor Dana’s two videos, here are links to my YouTube channel where I posted them along with a few comments:
First video (3 dreams): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWpNqXaWU4E&t=7s
Second video (1 dream): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8bSEJS-t34
Here’s a brief summary of the dreams so we’re all on the same page for what I have to suggest later concerning them:
Dream #1 – This dream occurred in December 2019. A calendar flipped into 2020 and brought emphasis on the months of March and June. The dream effectively showed the rise of COVID-19 with its many health issues, including ventilators, hospitals, masks, newspaper headlines, etc. It also portrayed the aftermath of the George Floyd shooting on May 25. This included protesting, rioting, guns, barriers, cities on fire, vultures over cities, and great fear. The message from the dream was “Brace yourself.”
Dream #2 – This occurred in late June 2020. In this dream through calendar emphasis again, the overall impact was one of chaos with armed protesters and anarchy, particularly in November. Schools were closed, banks were losing money, and politicians were dealing in back rooms. There was no apparent presence of President Trump as Washington, DC, burned and foreign military personnel came in, including Russian, Chinese, and U.N. blue helmets. The vultures were now attacking.
Dream #3 – This dream occurred the night following Dream #2. The bottom line of this dream was the move toward a cashless society. There was no change (i.e. coinage), and small denomination bills ($1 and $5) were soon going away. The warning was of hyperinflation.
Dream #4 – This dream took place at the very end of June or first of July. It was a message very specific for the church, mostly in America. It spoke of great persecution of pastors who preach the true Word of God, with much of the opposition arising from backsliders within the church and those who disagree with the true Gospel message of repentance and salvation through Christ alone. It was a message of wolves among sheep and extremely unpleasant trials and tribulations for those who truly follow Jesus Christ.
If you’ve read any of my various other essays, you may have noticed that what I try to do is to reason through something, i.e. to attempt to apply a logical framework to the Scriptures, including Bible prophecy. I ask the questions: “How does this work? How could this play out in various circumstances?”
So, let’s do that with this series of dreams. Cutting to the chase, the big issue at hand is—assuming the dreams are from God and the events portrayed will occur—how do they line up with the Rapture of the church? Setting aside the first dream, as those events have already happened, where might the Rapture occur within the timeline of these dreams? And please: I’m not date setting. I’m saying, let’s reason together. I’m speculating under an assumption that the dreams are from God. If so, how does this all fit together?
One of the interesting aspects of Bible prophecy is that many times the visions of the prophets didn’t simply pertain to a single event. There was a telescoping aspect to the prophecies which the prophets couldn’t see. Thus, an initial fulfillment of a prophecy might be near-term, while a later fulfillment would be sometime in the future. Yet, to the prophet, it all seemed as though, and was communicated as if, everything took place all at once.
If we look particularly at Dream #2 in this way, we might make more sense of it. The major objection I’ve heard pertains to the Russian, Chinese, and U.N. troops present in Washington, DC. That doesn’t seem to make sense today, before the election, even with the efforts of many to bring down the country.
Another objection that Dream #4 brings is persecution of the church in America. Certainly it’s rising, but will it reach the level of intensity portrayed in the dream prior to this fall? Obviously, circumstances on the ground are rapidly changing, but to reach this point the dream conveys before the election seems to be a stretch.
Some folks have speculated that to make Dream #2 a reality, the church has to be Raptured out. There are too many patriots, conservatives, and Christians, especially in our military, for us to allow these foreign troops on our soil. The problem with this scenario is Dream #4. Will the church really be persecuted to that degree prior to November, then the Rapture occurs, and then all this other chaos comes forth? I personally don’t see it.
That takes us to the telescoping effect. Once we hit November, all hell breaks loose according to the dream. I can see this happening, particularly with a Trump victory in the election, and the Left erupts in violence. I don’t like this aspect, but perhaps something happens to the president—the reason he’s not a factor.
At that point, it’s all downhill. Leaving aside how the government would look if the head were removed, this country could certainly devolve into more chaos. The economy could tank like crazy, all the debt that’s been accumulated could cause serious problems, the Federal Reserve could print more and more money, and the prophesied hyperinflation could come about. As these events occur, if the Left has its say, the church could then be persecuted as the dream contends it will. That final message in Dream #4 was for us to “Brace yourself and endure to the end.”
Sometime after this—however long we as Christ-followers must endure—then the Rapture occurs. Note that I’m still placing all this within a pre-Tribulation Rapture scenario. The tribulation we must endure is not THE Tribulation, but more on a par with what our brothers and sisters in Christ have gone through in the 10-40 Window for many years.
None of this is pleasant. The ideal would be for God to remove us from the earth prior to all this that might take place. We can hope and pray that He will. However, once more under the assumption that the dreams are from God, and despite the doctrine of imminence which I believe in, there may be more of this world that we’ll have to see and respond to before our blessed hope materializes.
God will deliver us from the wrath to come. We who are pre-Tribbers believe in that. Jesus Christ is our only hope. I think we should take God’s Word to Pastor Dana to heart. We should brace ourselves. More may very well be coming our way. But in all things, we must endure to the end.
…………………….
Gary W. Ritter is a lay pastor, Bible teacher, and serves as Missions Director at his church. He is also a prolific author. His Whirlwind Series is comprised of three books: Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind, and There Is A Time. These books are contained in the collected volume of the Whirlwind Omnibus. Gary has been given the Christian Redemptive Fiction award for two novels: The Tattooed Cat and Alien Revelation. He has recently released a new novel on eco-terrorism called Green Dreams, and Looking Up – Volume 3, a non-fiction work that contains essays and devotions on end-times and prophetic events. Gary’s intent in all his writings is to bring a strong Christian witness to what people read. You can reach him at his website: www.GaryRitter.com or his Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/gritter3390. You can also see his video Bible teachings on his Gary Ritter YouTube channel – look for the fish symbol.