[Editor's note: Below are the dreams that Andrew Whalen shared during his recent interview on ElijahStreams. We encourage our readers to consider them prayerfully and watch Andrew's interview here for full context.]
Surrounded by a Great Cloud of Witnesses
Intro: My heart in sharing the following is not to promote an unhealthy focus on the cloud of witnesses. There is only one God, and one Mediator, between God and man: Christ Jesus! We don't seek reconciliation with or blessing from anyone else but Jesus. Also, our prayers are not directed toward the cloud of witnesses. Whatever function or "job" the cloud of witnesses may be assigned to in this realm is reserved for God alone to appoint, and any interaction with them should only be that which is sanctioned and initiated by the Lord and not us. (This is my current understanding on this matter.)
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1–3 BSB)
Paul made a strong point to let us know that we are not alone but surrounded. If the cloud we are surrounded by has no bearing on what and how we run our race, it would have been unnecessary to mention. However, it is mentioned so that we are not left ignorant but given glimpse into some of the kingdom (though its fullness remains mysterious). Paul wanted us to understand that there is a relationship between the cloud of witnesses and our present race in Christ. The previous runners are impacted by our leg of the race; and in ways not fully discerned, they are still "with" us to see their faith matured and perfected in and through us!
"These were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. God had planned something better for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect." (Hebrews 11:39–40 BSB)
Dutch Sheets shares the following about the cloud of witnesses on Give Him 15 (February 2, 2021):
Agreeing With the Cloud of Witnesses
by
Dutch Sheets
"As I led the student body in intercession, I heard the Lord whisper a phrase to me: 'You need to agree in prayer with Gordon Lindsay.' That startled me; Lindsay had died nearly thirty years earlier.
"'Lord,' I said, 'is that really you speaking? He isn't here; he's in heaven.'
"In retrospect, it's comical to try and explain something to the Lord, but I felt I needed to state the obvious. (Photo of Dutch Sheets)
"'He's dead, Lord,' I reiterated.
"The response was simple: 'Well, his prayers are not dead.'
"That really impacted me. If you had asked if I believed Gordon Lindsay's prayers had died with him, I would have said 'no,' yet I had never given the concept any real thought.
"Holy Spirit continued, 'Until this generation comes into agreement with what he asked me to do, I can't answer his prayer.'
"This greatly impacted me, as I realized God hadn't said, 'I won't.' He had clearly said that without this generation's agreement with Lindsay, 'I can't answer his prayers and do what I promised him.'
"I began to ponder Hebrews 11, remembering the heroes of faith listed there, along with some of their amazing exploits. Interestingly, however, the passage is also clear that some of those faith-heroes did not see the fulfillment of their promises. This has always seemed somewhat contradictory to me. When God searched history to accent greater lives of faith, he chose to list some that did NOT receive the fulfillment of their God-given promises. These people went to the grave with unrealized promises from God, yet they had truly believed, even making it into the great Hall of Faith. Clearly, they weren't deficient in their walk of faith; why then did they die without seeing the promises fulfilled?
"The last two verses of Hebrews 11 give us the amazing answer: They did not receive the fulfillment of their promises because God wouldn't allow them to be 'complete' without us.
"That is incredible! We, today, are a continuation of these individuals' callings and assignments. The Greek word translated 'complete' also means to finish, to mature, to reach the intended goal. Think about the ramifications of this: Without us, God can't finish what he began through those saints; what he started through them cannot mature or reach its intended goal until we grab the baton and run our leg of the race. That is mind-blowing!"
(To listen to the full word, click here.)
Dream of Old-Testament Prophets
Around 2010, I set apart three days and went away for prayer. During the last night, I had a dream. In the dream, I found myself in the exact place where I fell asleep, but the realm of heaven was manifested in this place. A thick, golden glory radiated all around, and suddenly four or five prophets appeared that I knew, by revelation, were Old-Testament prophets. They wore the clothing of ancient times, and they were visibly marked by fire and glory. They all looked intently at me, and I wept because of the overwhelming atmosphere of God's glory.
As they looked at me, I knew they were there because I was also called to be a prophet. One of them spoke lovingly but very soberly to me and said, "You must reject even the thought of trying to grow your ministry in your own strength."
At that word, I suddenly had a knowing that these prophets had watched so many prophets through the ages start well—yielded, hungry, and dependent on the Lord—but strayed into self-dependence, leaning on the arm of flesh, pride, and then destruction. (Photo via PickPik)
I woke from the dream deeply moved, weeping, and sober.
Maybe the most vivid realization I had from this dream encounter was a revelatory understanding that their ancient race was not disconnected from mine due to time. Their race and their prophetic call felt deeply connected to my own life and present time. This was shocking to me.
Dream of Bob Jones and My Grandma
Dream encounter from 2017:
In my dream, I saw Bob Jones walk out of the cloud of witnesses. He came walking toward me, holding hands with my grandma who passed away long ago. I watched as they walked toward me; they were walking under power lines. As they arrived at where I was, I saw that I was standing inside of my grandmother's home. Bob said to me, "Andrew, I have brought your grandma from the cloud of witnesses to show her what you have done with her house."
At that, I took my grandma's hand and began to give her a tour of her home. Then I woke up.
I shared this with Lou Engle, and he said, "Ah, your grandmother is your 'power-line'/power lineage."
At that moment, I remembered that my grandma was the first person in our family to come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. She was a faithful prayer warrior and led my mom to Jesus.
God was letting me know that I had now stepped into the answers to her prayers, and by faith I am adding to her house, according to the promises and callings given to her!
I was so provoked to thanksgiving for my grandma's prayers and faithfulness, I began to seek the Lord, asking that I might continue to build the house of faith in my generational line!
A Man Named Serene
Around 2012, I had the following dream. In the dream, I was driving my car. The next moment, I saw an angel staring straight at me through the windshield. The angel looked at me and said, "Look in your rear view mirror." At that, I looked and saw a man sitting in the back seat of the car.
The angel said, "Andrew, this man is from the great cloud of witnesses. He died in battle during WWII, and his name is Serene... and he has loved your warring spirit, and asked the Father if he could be assigned to your life."
Then the angel said, "There has never been a time where you have driven your car that Serene has not been present."
End of dream.
I was stunned by this encounter. At the time, I honestly didn't have much of a grid on how to place it. Questions like "Are the cloud of witnesses more active than we know? Are they still involved in God's redemptive work in the earth in ways we've never known?" though mysterious, I think can be answered with a "yes."
What this encounter did for me, personally, was reiterate that the "warring spirit" is something that is part of the call and anointing on my life. I need to protect it and run my race accordingly!
I Was Taken Into a Place of Glory
Dream received on June 17, 2022:
In a dream I was taken into a place of glory called the "Cloud of Witnesses." I knew that I was in this present time... but somehow, in this place, I was in the future as well.
All of the sudden I saw someone very precious to me, who is currently alive, come to me from the cloud after they had already passed away to be present with the Lord. Standing with this person was a young girl. Immediately, I had an instant knowing that this girl I was looking at was our daughter whom had we lost in a previous miscarriage. (Photo via Pexels)
In that moment I longed to be in that place with her, and the other person dear to my heart. I knew, however, that my job on earth was not complete. I also knew in that moment that my daughter had a sword; it was large and glowing with fire. I knew that she and the other loved one in my life were working together from the cloud of witnesses on behalf of my life.
I can't say I understand how, specifically, but I knew by revelation that even though these loved ones had gone beyond the physical dimension of earth, they were actively engaged in the kingdom of God for his purposes and for ours. This filled me with such an incredible peace, knowing that even though their journey on earth is finished, they are still apart of what God is doing here...
I'm not sharing this to debate the theology of the afterlife, but I believe this will comfort many of you who have lost loved ones. God is the God of the living and not the dead! They may have gone on ahead, but I believe they are fully alive and involved in God's glorious plans for his kingdom in our lives. And what a celebration it will be when we all reunite together in him!
A Sign from the Cloud of Witnesses
Dream received on March 28, 2025:
In my dream I was with some women from my region who had been contending, dreaming, and believing for some kingdom breakthroughs in ministry and business. Together, we began to get these breakthroughs.
Suddenly there appeared a woman—Nancy Schneider—in the room where we were meeting. This woman was a powerful intercessor prophet to the entire Peoria, IL region. I knew when I saw her that she was a sign from the cloud of witnesses to us that we were stepping into some of the words she had prophesied and dreams that she had interceded and contended for.
This was profound because it reiterated the reality and closeness of that realm/the cloud of witnesses whose prayers, prophecies, and race now belong to us!
How Then Should We Respond?
Ask the Lord, according to Hebrews 11–12, to make us aware of the cloud of witnesses for our own lives, families, cities, regions, nations, etc.
Ask the Lord to send us his ministers/angels/messengers, and the cloud of witnesses, on our behalf for his kingdom purposes.
Ask the Lord for a revealing of what has previously been given, believed for, and spoken over these areas.
Now, let us run our race with them in mind! Pick up mantles of prayer, prophecies of hope and breakthrough, and prayers that never die!
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Andrew Whalen
Vanquish – Prophetic Warriors
Email:Â wordonfire11@gmail.com
Website:Â www.vanquishpw.com
Andrew Whalen is an emerging leader and prophetic voice to a generation. He functions as a prophetic warrior to advance the Kingdom of God in all spheres of society. Andrew is uniquely called to raise up spiritual special forces, equipped to achieve spiritual breakthroughs against regional and national level, demonic resistance. Andrew and his wife Kelly have pioneered and led various ministry initiatives, while also engaging in the marketplace, for over fifteen years. In the last four years, they have served as core prophetic leaders with Lou Engle ministries. Today, Andrew and Kelly, along with their three children, reside in Peoria, Illinois, where they lead VANQUISH – PROPHETIC WARRIORS, and are also working to establish an apostolic training center, The Unapologetic Dreamers. Andrew's heart burns to see a generation take hold of everything that Christ has provided for us through His victory.
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