A Bitter Warning

I got an email from one of my Anakypto Forum listeners.  She chooses to remain anonymous, but wrote:

         This past week (Monday) while praying, I believe I heard the Holy Spirit tell me that "bitter water" is coming.  I shared this with [my husband] and then with [my son], asking both of them to pray with me about it.  As I have continued to pray about this I have felt in my spirit that we are going to see something happen to water in some way that will result in a literal "bittering" of the water.

I'm pretty careful with "I had a dream" and "voices from the Lord" but I have known this woman for a while and trust her a lot.  To me, "bitter" water is opposed to "sweet" water, the latter being fresh and potable.  So "bitter" could be either polluted (biologically unfit to drink), contaminated (chemically tainted or radioactive), or simply salt water. 

Biblically, "bitter water" appears in Numbers 5:18-24 with regard to .... UNFAITHFUL WIVES.  Very possibly something like this is in view, since judgment comes first to the house of God.  The bitter water brings a curse (verse 18, first Biblical mention of "bitter water").

The word for "bitter" (transliterated) is mar.  Strongs H4751
1) bitter, bitterness

         a) of water or food

         b) of harlot's end, end of wickedness, cry (fig.)

         c) of pain (subst)

In the Numbers passage, there are two outcomes:

And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, [that], if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, [and become] bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.

or

And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.

It may be that the Lord sees America's corporate "churches" as a pretender, a counterfeit.  This may not test it/them at all.  In view is the true believers, many of whom may be involved in corporate churches and many of whom may not be.  The question is probably not one of religious practices or religious culture, but of true faith lived out every day.  Are we faithful to Him?  Or have we turned aside to idols?

We shall see.