The prophet's handbook

taught by the Lord to grasp what He says no matter what sign or symbol He uses. Divine symbolism also works well in dreams and visions. This is because pictures are self-explanatory and relate to the dreamer’s world. Dreamers are instructed by God using images and symbolism typical of their everyday life. When prophetics are at work their transmissions are from God. They use His ways of talking to His creatures in their terms. If a trucker is to really heed what the Lord wants to say, then he or she hears God’s message in trucking terms. If the word comes in a vision, the Lord captures his attention by using a highway, road stop, or payload imagery. In like manner, if the Lord needs to get a cook’s attention, He will use food, recipes, cookware, and utensils, as well as hungry or satisfied eaters. Visions are a little different from dreams. They are more like broadcasts that depict the mind and happenings of God in His expressions irrespective of our comprehension. Visions tell God’s story God’s way and leave their interpretation and translation to the recipient to obtain from His Spirit. Visions are not interested in our trends, idioms, slang, or language, and many times appear outdated. The Lord resorts to contemporary terms when they help Him make His point. Otherwise, the words and terms He uses are drawn from the things He made: the earth, the heavens, air, water, and so forth. Good prophetic training says prophets must become adept at God’s wording and eternity’s vernacular. To see that they do, the Lord begins prophetic education with a deep study of His prophets’ writings. He walks newcomers through the words He spoke long ago and causes trained prophets to zero in on His own interpretations. Once the prophet gets the hang of this, he or she is ready for more advanced lessons in symbology and later prophecy formation. This continues until the learner is skilled in divine communication and prophetic enforcement. In the next chapter, the ancient premise for modern prophetics is presented.