The Boasting Enemy
In this dream, an older man with silver hair, who I knew had a girlfriend or wife, was showing off in his muscle car. It was not the latest model but one that was known to be nice and capable of being modified easily. However, it was mostly stock, but he was showing off like it was more than it was, and was trying to do special maneuvers with his actual hand while driving.
We were both then in a building where he was supposedly going to get his car worked on by a friend of mine. As I saw him there boasting, my view panned down to the ground and I could see that he had a long tail. When I saw it, it gave me a very creepy feeling. But at the same time, it was as though I knew he was one of a very few rare people who had a special gene that would cause a tail to grow. At the same time, I knew that he was rich, and that he had built up his wealth and business empire specifically because of having that tail. It was almost as though it was a source of wonder that people could not resist and their being transfixed by it would enable him to cause them to do his wishes. And he had used that to create a kind of corporation or vast business, and amass wealth.
He again was showing off, talking about his car and all that he owned, and was pushing my friend around, much like a bully would. I told him to quit and he looked at me like, "what are you going to do about it?" and then began to try pushing me.
I swiped his hands away from me and then slapped him in the face to see how he would handle being bullied. He seemed surprised that I confronted him and took a few steps back and went into a martial arts posture. It seemed a bit humorous, like something from a comedy, but I knew that was being totally serious. I said, "Oh yeah? Well I know martial arts too, four of them." He seemed slightly impressed and said "Really? Well, I know..." and he gave me a Japanese name that I had never heard but which I knew was supposed to be some kind of obscure martial art. I replied again, "well, I know aiki-jujitsu" (which I do, in real life), and he then began to walk over to an open area of floor and said, "Show me. Did you learn it on the mats?" I knew he was asking if I learned the art by direct experience, like throwing people and being thrown, rather than just learning from a book or theory. I replied, "Yes, we learned on the mats." He then lunged at me, and I did a technique I know in real life, which causes him to end up on his back with me in control. This particular dream then ended (and continued on to another spiritual one which I'll share separately).
When I later woke up and took the time to record this dream on my voice recorder, when I got to the part where I saw that he had a tail, I again immediately had that same creepy feeling come over me. I haven't had any nightmares in years, but it had that feeling of sudden terror, like being in the presence of a monster. Even though he was supposed to be human, it was not a normal human feeling. He was different.
I believe the dream was from God, revealing how the Enemy works. I don't know if it was supposed to be Satan himself or only a fallen angel or principality or demon, but the truth probably applies to any of those.
The creature tries to pass as one of us. He talks about having a girlfriend or wife, showing he is macho. He appears to be an elder (silver hair), like he has "been around the block" and has authority. He boasts of things we know and value (in real life, I like muscle cars and have one similar to what he had). However, what he has is really not that great, objectively. It may be nice and new looking, but it isn't very modified. It/He doesn't have a lot of "power." He may show off a lot, and try to impress by doing silly maneuvers, but the bottom line is he is just one of many.
He uses his different nature to get what he wants. I immediately was reminded of Satan offering to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory if He would fall down and worship him. But, thousands of years before that, Satan did the same thing to Eve. Satan and his minions promise humanity great things, by mystifying us with their nature/power (the tail). They clearly are different than us, but the truth is, they don't have anything to give that wasn't given to them, just like us. God is the Creator, and only He gives as a steward. But humanity continues to fall for the allure of the fallen power of these evil spirits, and they have amassed a great spiritual corporation in the process. They have built an empire based on our fascination with them. What do they do with it? They belittle us, bully us, even in the midst of showing off what they have.
This is the nature of evil. It is the opposite of everything that God is. There is no mercy, no love, no gentleness, no kindness, no self-sacrifice for others, and certainly no lasting fruit. Everything they promise has a limit and won't last for long. That is, if they don't take it back right away and make fun of us for it. They are strangers to all that is good.
But what happens when we (as believers) confront them? They are surprised, they are not used to humanity resisting them. They figure all are conquerable, but we are all not the same. The remnant of us that has a heart for God, and has come back to Him by faith in Christ, has received something they never had: the Life and Power of Yahweh. They may know some obscure arts (they do have power, from God Himself, fallen though it is), but the gifts we have from the Lord are much mightier than theirs. In the dream, I told him that I indeed had learned "on the mats." I did not know my authority in Christ as only a teaching of word, but experienced it in power. I learned how to use the gifts of the Spirit by actually using them. Practice had made perfect. He asked to see it, and I certainly showed him. I easily took him down. All of his boasting and bullying ended up being for naught.
And so, for those who have received Christ Jesus as Lord, and been baptized into His Holy Spirit, we too have the ability to learn "on the mats," and to practice until perfect, this spiritual warfare unto which we are called. When evil bullies our friends, we can intervene. We don't need to fear being beaten because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. The mighty empire these evil spirits have built will never withstand our forward march as God's Church. Their gates will crumble as we take the fight to them!