A World War II Pilot's Dream

This is a long one, but it is well worth the time it will take to read.


I came across an interesting story the other day. It's about a British pilot who was shot down near the end of WWII over Germany.
The pilot was found in a Nazi concentration camp a few months later, and he soon died after the camp was liberated by the Allies, after suffering from severe ailments that millions fell to in those horrific camps.
But this story wasn't about the pilot living under Nazi tyranny, or his experiences flying.

This story is about a dream this pilot had, which he recorded in a small book that was found in his possession upon being rescued by the Allies.
Before I continue though, I must mention that this man's view of salvation was very different from what most of us see salvation as. But do to this man's profession and the times he was living in, I think it is a very important aspect of salvation.


The following is an excerpt from his journal:

"I have finally discovered what this world really is. I've discovered the sin that infests it, the salvation that has come to fix it, and the war that is being waged between the two.
I understand this because of a dream I had last night. It goes as follows:

All of us are like pilots in little fighter planes, buzzing around in the skies above the clouds. We occasionally fight with one another in spectacular little dogfights, hoping to gain some small achievement for ourselves; because up here, it is all about us. The clouds are white and fluffy, the view is spectacular.
Yet, something is missing. I guess deep down we all know that there has to be more than these fluffy clouds and little fights with each other. There has to be something more important, something to live for, besides ourselves.
It is at this point that a small plane flies by ours, and from it we hear of life under the clouds. We hear that there is something to live for down there. We are told the only way we can get there though, is to ask Christ into our hearts.
But the clouds are all we know? Would we dare leave all we know behind to join those under the clouds? What is it like down there?

Because of this, many ignore the call from this plane. They would rather live a meaningless life above the clouds, because they feel safe here.
But one brave pilot dares to accept the call. As soon as he does, a rocket flies up through the clouds, striking his plane and crippling it. And so, he begins his plunge through the meaningless clouds to what lies below them.
The pure whiteness of the clouds slowly gives way to darkness; rain begins to fall, and lightning strikes. This once daring pilot who accepted the call is now terrified, not knowing his fate.
The fall continues, the clouds give way to smoke; the rain is still falling and hammering into the poor little plane. It seems as if this will be the end for the pilot.
Suddenly, however, the plane breaks through the last cloud, and escapes the last pillar of smoke. And suddenly the pilot sees what he has always longed to know, that is, what lies under those clouds. And it is not what he expected.

The view consists of a large city that his plane is pummeling towards from the sky. Fires are everywhere in the city, gunfire and heavy artillery can be heard, and a huge battle is being waged inside of it. Explosions are everywhere. The fighting is so fierce that the city seems to be destroying itself at a rapid rate.

After a few moments of shock, the man remembers his parachute. He quickly escapes the plane, and is soon hovering down to the city.
He barely misses a building as he floats down to the middle of the street, hitting the pavement hard. Bullets pound into the ground all around him. He quickly cuts himself free of the parachute, and dives for cover behind a street corner, drawing his measly little pistol to defend himself.
He peaks back around the corner, and sees dozens of evil looking, well-armed creatures and humans approaching his location quickly.
The man fires several rounds at the approaching enemy, but his weapon has no affect on them.
The small group reaches him, and their leader steps out from among them, and comes close to him. This leader does not appear to be human, if anything, he is a demon. He draws his weapon, and prepares to kill the pilot, who is wishing he had never left the fluffy clouds behind.

But suddenly, shouts and yells are heard. A bright flash of white light. Gunshots. Several of the evil creatures and men fall, the rest flee. The pilot is grabbed by strong arms, the noise of gunshots grows louder, and then fades, and a voice yells, 'Fear not! You are safe now brother!' as the man passes out...

The pilot slowly awakens; the noise of battle can be heard in the near distance. The man opens his eyes, sitting up slowly. He is under a blanket on the ground, underneath a tent. Men are walking to and fro, well armed. They are battle-hardened, yet they have a peaceful appearance about them. One of these men approaches the pilot.
‘How are you brother?’ the man asks.

The pilot replies, ‘I honestly don't know.’

The man says, ‘Well, you are safe here in the stronghold of our Lord.’

‘Those…those things aren’t going to kill me?’ the pilot asks.

The man smiles.
‘No brother, they can never kill you now. Indeed brother, you made a wise choice when you decided to leave the clouds behind, because those that fly around up there are no better than those evil beings that tried to kill you. Your soul is no longer protected by you, but it is in the protection of our Lord, who is here to reclaim this place from the enemy.’

The man gets up to leave. The pilot asks him one more question as he walks off.

‘Kind sir,’ the pilot says, ‘what is this place you speak of?’

The man stops, then turns around.
‘This place was stolen from Him once, long ago, but He has returned in full force, after the glorious work of His Son. He has come to save us mere mortals from what we cannot defend ourselves against. Even now brother, you are welcomed into His army and at His table. Many battles await us yet, but the day is coming when the Son Himself will return in His power, and we will fight the last fight with Him by our sides. Until then, brother, you must fight along side of us so that more can be ushered into the Kingdom before it is to late. This place is Earth, and the Lord will stop at nothing until it is His again.’


That was my dream…
And now I think I truly understand what I should be fighting for. Yes, I am doing the right thing by resisting Hitler, but the true battle is on a spiritual level, and the war this world is being dragged into now is only a small battle in this great spiritual war.

By just fighting Hitler I am fighting the consequence. But when one is ill, the remedy is to fix thing that is causing the consequence. Yes, Hitler will be beaten one day, but the main problem won’t be fixed that way. The solution to all these consequences lays in killing the very thing that is causing the consequences, and that is sin. And as far as I know, Christ is the only solution to that.”


By the time I got to the end of this pilot’s story, I was speechless.
This story reminded me of 2 Thessalonians 3: 1-3.

2 Thessalonians 3: 1-3
Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

I don’t think I need to explain anything on this one. I hope you walk away from this pilot’s story and dream with as much as I did.

In Christ,
Hackett

Loyalty and Values

"The secret of a good life is to have the right loyalties and hold them in the right scale of values."
Norman Thomas (1884 - 1968)


While I disagree with Mr. Thomas' political, socialist beliefs, I think he makes a good point here if it is taken in a certain context. That context is, of course, relating to loyalty with God.

The right loyalty in the right scale of value...apply that to belief in God, sounds like a winner.

But what should the extent of those two things be too?

Jude 1:3
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

So, we must "contend for the faith"...
If we must contend for our faith, our loyalty to God and knowing His value in our lives must be beyond our understanding.
So how can we find out what our value and loyalty to Christ should be?
The answer is found in friendship. Good friends are loyal to each other no matter what, they value their friendship...how much more so with Christ!
Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for us, His loyalty to us has been unending, even after the world has turned its back to Him due to the Fall.

Our loyalty to Him and His value to us should be the same in return, and as Mr. Thomas mentions, it is the secret to a good life.
After all, life is not life if you aren't willing to die for something. Without that, there is nothing to live for.

In Christ,
Hackett