Ephesians 56:11

I dreamt about this verse, some time ago, and wrote about my first impression about it, and then stopped to analyze it a little more.  I’ve come back to it now and then, still unable to forget it as just another dream, so maybe I should meditate on it some more …

In my dream, an agitated man was questioning a second man, and trying to get past him.  The second man was blocking his way, and telling him to go to another location across the room? outside?  The first man asked, ‘Are you sure that it’s 56:11?’  And the second man calmly but insistently replied,  ‘Yes sir, it is Ephesians 56:11.  It really is Ephesians 56:11.’

This scene repeated itself, with the agitated man more agitated than ever.  And the second man still calmly insisting that it was Ephesians 56:11.

And then as happens in dreams, it wavered, blurred, dissolved, into another scene, and then I woke up.  But the “Ephesians 56:11” stuck in my head, and I had to go and look it up.

There is no Ephesians 56:11.  What?!  I looked again, and no, Ephesiansdoes only has 6 chapters.

So I looked at Ephesians 5:11 (NIV version) instead.  I quote the preceding or subsequent verses, to help me put this in context.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light  9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.  11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 

And then Ephesians 6:11 (NIV version)

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

Expose fruitless deeds of darkness … take a stand against the devil’s schemes …

Was this trying to tell me something?  That I may have to expose some dark deeds and then will need to take a stand to defend myself?  Is there something going on now, or is this in the future?  Near or distant future?

I can’t see anything going on now specifically (most obvious is work and whistle-blowing, etc), but then we don’t know that, do we?  So fore-warned is fore-armed?

Reading on in Ephesians 6: 13-17:

¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Or in the simplest of things, maybe it was just reminding me or trying to put me back on the right path …

Truth … righteousness … faith … salvation.