Nuclear Explosion

August 10, 2002

I generally don't remember my dreams, but this one was so vivid, it remained.

I was with my children in a building with a large window; not sure where my wife was. There were other people in this wide-open room. All of a sudden there was a bright flash of light coming from the window, and someone else in the room screamed.

I turned to look and saw a mushroom cloud rising from the horizon (far enough away, but yet not too far away, like maybe 3 or 4 miles). As the cloud billowed up into the sky, I noticed the blast on the ground spreading out further and further from ground zero·coming to get us.

I realized at once what had happened-there had been a nuclear detonation not far away.

I grabbed my kids as I watched the fire race toward the building where we were located, and I tucked them under me and huddled over them. The light from the windows got brighter and brighter as the blast got closer and closer.

Then, it hit-not the blast, the radiation. I could feel myself being penetrated by the radiation-but only briefly. Everything turned a blinding white light, and I felt myself and my kids being carried by the hands of the Almighty into His Kingdom. He shielded us from the worst of the blast, as though taking us just before our bodies would have been incinerated or crushed by the force of the blast. The light was so bright I could not see my kids, nor anything else, but the overwhelming sense of love and peace and serenity I felt surrounding me and penetrating my mind and heart was immense. There was no shock, no fear-God truly gave us sufficient grace to weather the storm and enter His glorious Kingdom.

And I remember thinking, "I made it to Heaven. Thank you, Jesus."

And then I woke up. I was a little startled to have had a dream like that, but not really disturbed.

I live in Des Moines, Iowa, but I'm not sure where I was in my dream geographically.  Not sure when it was other than during the day and it looked like summertime. I did see the Sum of All Fears movie, but that was back in May when it first came out, so not like I had nuclear explosions on the brain. I'm not sure what brought about this dream, but have felt the need to share it with others somehow. Heck, I'm not sure this dream really means anything, or if it was just some pizza and milkshake coming back for revenge. But the message was real: no matter what happens, God will not forsake His children.