A Prophetic Vision for the Church

Understanding the Vision

In December 1984, shortly after I acquired an old 1940 Cadillac sedan, I found myself reflecting on the past, especially the era surrounding World War II. Suddenly, I heard a gentle voice from the Lord say, “It’s 1940 and Pearl Harbor is coming up for the Church.” This statement stirred thoughts of betrayal, warfare, death, and awakening.

I prayed about this revelation, and the Lord began to unfold more about Pearl Harbor. He reminded me of a poignant scene from the film “Tora Tora Tora.” In this scene, a Japanese military leader remarked after the attack, “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”

This made me think about the Church awakening to its true condition. The painful price paid by our country in the 1940s was a wake-up call to the harsh realities of global politics. The cost was human life, suffering, and destruction. Yet, we did awaken. I recalled December 8, 1941, when we declared war against the Axis powers. Before that, we had been sending arms, supplies, and money to our allies but not men to fight. We watched as China, the Pacific Islands, France, and much of Europe fell to Germany, Italy, and Japan. We remained uninvolved until a catastrophic event forced us to wake up.

The Revelation During Baptism

I continued to meditate on what I had heard until May 1985, during a baptismal service at our Church. An older lady, who had spent fifty years in disobedience and rebellion against God, was about to be baptized for the first time. Just before I entered the water with her, my wife delivered a message in tongues. The Lord then provided me with an interpretation through a vision. This vision depicted a future time of both great hardship and great blessing for the Body of Christ.

In this vision, I saw a deep harbor with clear blue-green water. A Person floated in the water, not swimming or standing, but motionless like a ship in a windless sea.

Suddenly, many Japanese Zero aircraft appeared from the east, dive-bombing and strafing the Body in the water. As the Body began to sink, I noticed many small people on it. As it sank deeper, many of these small individuals jumped off just before they entered the water. Thousands swam away, some jumping onto beds of adultery, others onto whiskey bottles, and still others onto books, all heading in the same direction.

To my left, I saw an extraordinarily beautiful woman with deep reddish-purple skin and clothing, standing on the harbor floor. She stretched out her arms toward the sinking Body, sweetly calling out, “Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you WHAT YOU WANT!”

The people jumping off were like rats fleeing a sinking ship. Some scurried to higher ground on the Body, moving from the shoulders to the ears, and finally jumping off the top of the head just before it submerged. It was clear they did not want to leave the Body, but they also did not want to go down with it. The Body eventually sank completely, and some little people clung on as it descended. However, after a few moments of holding their breath, they swam to the surface, gasping for air, and headed toward the woman.

The seemingly lifeless Body sank deeper into the clear water. At the bottom of the harbor, I saw a large, perfect pearl of immense value. It was supernaturally beautiful, lustrous, and pure. As I watched, the Body transformed from a single entity with small people clinging to it into many individual people swimming toward the pearl. Many chose to quit and swim to the surface for air, eventually heading toward the beautiful woman. Those who dove down to touch the pearl realized they had to expend all their natural strength to embrace it. Yet, the closer they got, the more beauty they saw.

I witnessed many touch and embrace the pearl, then shoot straight up. Each person emerged from the water with the pearl, and as they rose higher, they became one Body again. By the time they reached the surface, they burst forth as one Body—the Body of Christ—manifesting His possession and holding the Pearl of Great Price, Jesus Christ Himself.

As the Lord revealed this beautiful picture, He spoke to me, saying, “Just as Jesus emerged from the waters of baptism, so My Body will rise from Pearl Harbor with a new and powerful anointing of My Holy Spirit, equipped to fight the enemy.”

The Call to Awakening

He indicated that the Church of Jesus Christ would experience a Pearl Harbor event akin to what the United States faced on December 7, 1941. When the Body of Christ begins to sink due to an impending, devastating attack from the enemy, many will choose to abandon our Lord Jesus Christ. They will not value the Pearl of Great Price (Jesus Himself) enough to sacrifice their selfish desires. They will not make the selfless effort of love to dive deeply enough to embrace Him, as they do not love Him more than their own lives. Many will refuse to identify with what they perceive as a defeated individual or group. They will see themselves as winners and will not associate with a Jesus who appears to be losing. Instead, they will gravitate toward the beautiful woman of the harbor, who promises them what they want.

As the vision indicated, many who leapt off the sinking Body did so because the woman of the harbor offered them success. They believed they could obtain Jesus on their own terms without paying the high price of true discipleship.

When the Body of Christ emerges from the waters of death, the Lord assured me that His Body would be fully alive, ready to confront the enemy with purpose and genuine anointing. His Body would wield only supernatural weaponry.

He made it clear that we would begin this spiritual war with conventional weapons in the Spirit, but by the war's end, we would wield spiritual atomic bombs—powerful and beyond our current comprehension. The Lord assured us that we would emerge from the water equipped with divine anointing to heal the sick, perform miracles, and deliver those in demonic bondage. Before the warfare concludes, we will operate in a dimension of spiritual warfare that is unimaginable today. We will accomplish greater works than Jesus did and witness the defeat of demonic forces like never before.

After the message in tongues and interpretation, my focus returned to the woman being baptized. The Lord indicated that the Pearl Harbor experience for His Church would mirror this woman’s baptism. I observed her closely, noting her nervousness and fear of going under the water. I reassured her that she would be fine. After a brief prayer and teaching on the significance of baptism, she was submerged. When she emerged, her hands were lifted in praise to God. I had not shared the Lord's message about her baptism, as I was unsure of what would transpire. Once she regained her composure, she testified about her experience. Initially fearful, she felt a beautiful peace envelop her underwater, dispelling her fear. This peace transformed into joy as she surfaced, praising God for His comfort, love, and mercy.

I believe God was demonstrating that we need not fear what He will lead us through. His purpose is to bring us peace, joy, cleansing, and power. He was also illustrating that His Church will undergo a baptism—a death and resurrection. We must trust Him to guide us from this watery tomb of death into the glorious resurrection power of His Son.

The Harbor of Safety

It is essential to understand that a harbor represents SAFETY and REFUGE. God’s people involved in these events will require safety and protection. The Harbor of the Pearl of Great Price is the only refuge that will provide safety, and ALL who believe will willingly pay the price of dying to their own desires.

Pearl Harbor signifies the death and resurrection of the Body of Christ, preparing to do His work in His way, with His heart. It marks the final separation of David from Saul—the David Church being purified and separated from the Saul Church.

This event serves as the final AWAKENING blast of God’s trumpet, rousing His people for battle. It signifies the judgment that begins with the house of the Lord. It is the refining fire that separates gold from dross. This will be preceded by the Lord’s dealings with His true people, both to survive and to desire this final preparation for battle. It promises unmatched power and purity: power over sin, power over the enemy, power to live a virtuous life, and power to glorify our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. Even now, God is working with those in the David Church, just as He dealt with David. Whenever David began to drift from God’s purity and purpose, the Lord would intervene to AWAKEN him. God did not expend this effort on Saul, as Saul CHOSE to remain asleep to God and His desires.

Pearl Harbor serves as a warning of betrayal and disaster. The Church has faced many Pearl Harbors of betrayal and disaster throughout history. Jesus was betrayed, killed, and rose again. English Puritans experienced their own Pearl Harbor in the early 17th century, surviving because they could not comply with the laws imposed by the Church of England. They fled to the New World, laying the spiritual foundation for one of the greatest revivals in history.

John Bunyan penned “Pilgrim’s Progress” while imprisoned for refusing to attend the Church of England’s services and for preaching outside its liturgy. Had he complied, he could have been free. Yet, for the sake of his conscience, he chose not to. His uncompromising obedience to the Scriptures and God allowed him to rise to prominence in Christian literature. Today, we continue to benefit from the fruit of that resurrection power.

To those who remain unprepared, Pearl Harbor will arrive suddenly and tragically, like a thief in the night, sweeping them away into Great Deception. For those open to God’s will rather than pleasing religious men, it will be an anticipated ordeal, a call to arms, and a prelude to great victory. The initial stages will herald the greatest move of God in history—the greatest Revival and the most significant manifestation of Christian Unity the world has ever witnessed.

Images supplied by Guest Blogger Alex Smith