There are many ways God speaks to us. He speaks through the created world around us, through pictures in our imagination, through dreams in the night…to name just a few.
The Bible is filled with examples of God speaking to people through supernatural spiritual experiences. And recently in Kingdom Seekers we've started exploring some of these, especially those happening in the mystical realm of God.
What Is The Mystical Realm?
It's the realm where you experience the spirit world with your natural senses. In mystical seeing, your eyes are open, and you're seeing the physical world, with the spirit world overlaid on top of it.
I want you to know: this realm is real and available to you.
Joel 2:28 promises us: "In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. The young will see visions, the old will dream, dreams."
Visions are part of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They are part of the prophetic package. And mystical seeing is part of that.
What Is The Biblical Foundation?
In 2 Kings 6, Elisha and his servant Gehazi woke up surrounded by an enemy army. Gehazi was terrified. Elisha was not. He said, "Don't be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
Elisha was actually seeing into the spirit world with his natural eyes. He prayed for his servant: "Open his eyes, Lord, that he may see." And then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
The heavenly host is always a majority. There are more angels with you than demons against you in any scenario.
Just like Elisha prayed for Gehazi's eyes to be opened to the spirit realm, you can pray and ask God to open your eyes too. Just remember to stay focused on the light more than the darkness.
Three Ways You Can See Into The Mystical Realm
In 1 Corinthians 12:10, Paul lists "the discerning of spirits" as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This is the ability to see the spiritual forces underlying a situation — when we see an angel, a demon, or into the human spirit for what is in operation there.
An open vision is where you are seeing in the natural but then something like a movie screen comes down or opens up in front of you, and you begin to see both the natural and the spirit at the same time — the overlay of one reality on top of another.
My first open vision happened when I was 17. I was driving home across a long bridge, singing in tongues, already in the spirit. All of a sudden the top of my car disappeared, like it just faded away. I could still see the road and the bridge, but then the top of the bridge disappeared and I saw these clouds just rolling. They looked metallic, like silver and gold and bronze, burnished and on fire. It was just glorious.
A trance state is when your physical eyes are open, but you are absorbed in the heavenly reality. The biblical word for trance comes from the Greek word ekstasis and means to be absorbed into another reality.
You've probably experienced something similar and don't even realize it. Have you ever been in a conversation, eyes open…but your thoughts are somewhere else? And the person talking to you says, "Hey, where did you go?" That's a similar state.
Who Is This For And How Do We Steward It?
All three of these mystical encounters are possible for any believer. It's not more spiritual to see an angel than to see what God is doing through the natural realm. It is not a better way of seeing; it's just a different way of seeing.
All these are very real things and the way we stay healthy with them is staying teachable, staying humble, receiving counsel and input, and then guarding against the counterfeits. Submit what you're seeing, sensing, and perceiving to a spiritual community; be careful not to stay isolated in these experiences.
Remember, with any God experience, our goal should always be to love, to serve, and to point everything back to the Lord and give the glory to Jesus.