Spiritual Realms

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Better World View

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. This was not
just earth and sky. "The heavens" is the biblical name for the spiritual
world that exists in parallel to the physical world. God created a multi-
dimensional universe. We can only see the three dimensions of physical
space plus time, so we assume that is all that exists. The spiritual
dimensions consist of many more dimensions of reality beyond what we
can see.

We cannot see into the spiritual world due to the effects of sin, so we
think that the physical world we see makes up most of the universe. This
leads us to assume that the authority systems that we see on earth are
important, but we miss the parallel authority systems that exist in the
spiritual realms and frequently interact with the authority system on
earth. To understand the full working of authority, we need a thorough
understanding of the way that authority functions in the spiritual realms,
and how it affects events on earth.

Growing up in the modern world, we are taught that the physical world is
all that is important. If something cannot be scientifically observed, it is
not real. We all imbibe this materialistic understanding of the world during
our education and daily lives. We think that the physical world that we
live in is all that exists.

The physical realms consist of the earth, the sea and the sky. It includes
people and the things they have made. This realm of life can be
partitioned into two parts. The people who live according to Gods will are
part of the Kingdom of God. Those who reject God's will belong to "the
world" (1 John 2:15-17). In reality, these two groups are mixed up
together and interact with each other all the time. I have only portrayed
them separately for the purpose of illustration.

Spiritual Realms

Christians need a new worldview, that that sees the spiritual realms
operating over and alongside the physical realms. We need an awareness
of authority in the spiritual realms, if we are to understand the functioning
of authority here on earth.

Part of the problem is that we see God as "way up there" far away from
our world. We think of heaven as a distant place that we go to where we
die. This is short-sighted.

Heaven is not a distant place where God lives. Nor is just a place that we
go to when we die. The Bible refers to the "heavenlies" as a label for the
spiritual realms that exist alongside the physical world. The spiritual
realms are just as real as the physical world that we can see. These two
realms overlap and interact with each other.
We live in a multi-dimensional universe in which the spiritual dimensions
exist in parallel to our three-dimensional physical world. The spiritual
realms operate in continuity with the physical/natural world that we
observe. Most humans cannot see into the spiritual dimensions, so we can
only observe the physical side of existence. However, events in our
physical world are shaped by activities in the spiritual realm. When we
look at the physical world in isolation, we miss much of what is happening
in the universe.

God operates in the spiritual dimensions of reality, but he also created

and sustains the physical world. After the creation, the Holy Spirit
remained close to the earth.

The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Gen 1:2).

The Spirit was not in a distant place. The spiritual realms where he
operates hover over the earth. The spiritual dimensions of reality are not
way out at the edge of the universe, they exist in parallel to the physical
world in which we live. These two realms of existence interact with each
other in ways that we often cannot see, and fail to understand.

I am not sure how many Christians understand these things. Three

hundred years ago, almost everyone understood their world in this way.
Many people in Africa still think this way, although they focus too much
on the dark side of the spiritual. Now, under the relentless pressure of
education and the enlightenment, interest in the spiritual dimension of life
is labelled old fashioned and superstitious.

I also wonder how many Christians understand these things, but do not
live them. How many live as if the spiritual realms are irrelevant?

Many Christians are looking inward to establish connecting with the Holy
Spirit. This is good, but if we ignore what is happening in the spiritual
realms that surround us, we will misunderstand much of what happens in
the world. Most Christians need a vastly expanded worldview.

The previous picture correctly shows how the spiritual and physical realms
overlap each other. However, in the remainder of the article, I will place
the spiritual realms just above the physical realms so that the interactions
between them can be illustrated, but we must always remember that
these two worlds overlap and exist in parallel to each other.
Multi-dimensional

The spiritual realms are not limited to three dimensions like our physical
world. The Bible does not tell us how many more, but the fact that it is
more complex than our three-dimension world means that it is hard for
our minds to understand. The spiritual aspect of life can be thought of as
additional dimensions beyond the three core dimensions of length, height
and breadth. The spiritual world is not another world in another place, but
additional dimensions to the physical world we observe.

An even better way might be to think of the physical world as three

additional dimensions tacked on to a multi-dimension spiritual world. The
spiritual world is more real than the physical world, so this latter view is
most likely correct, but it is very hard for us to handle, because our eyes
are calibrated for a physical world. Our eyes are so attuned to seeing a
three-dimensional world, that we find anything grander difficult to
conceive.

Paul visited the spiritual realms in a vision. He was dramatically affected

by what he saw, but he could not describe it (2 Cor 12:2-4). His problem
was that human language is designed for describing a physical world, so it
cannot cope with spiritual reality. He explained that,

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, and no human mind has conceived (1
Cor 2:9).

We need spiritual insight to understand what is happening in the spiritual

dimension. That is why Paul prayed that the "eyes our hearts may be
enlightened' (Eph 1:18).

Seeing Changed

Prior to the fall, Adam and Eve could see into the spiritual world. They
were able to walk with God in the cool of the evenings and speak directly
to him. They were able to see the devil, when he came to tempt them.
His activity in the spiritual dimensions, made him appear snakelike from a
physical perspective.

This situation did not last longs. When Adam and Eve sinned, their sight
was changed so that they could no longer see into the spiritual realms.

The Bible says their eyes were opened, and they realized they were naked
(Gen 3:7). This statement is a huge irony. Their eyes were actually closed
to the spiritual realms. When they could see the brilliant glory of the
heavenly realms, their observation of the physical world was dimmed, and
they did not notice they were naked. Once the light of heavenly glory was
turned off, their view of the physical world was greatly intensified, so they
realised for the first time that they were naked.

After his death and resurrection, Jesus gained a spiritual body, which
enabled him to interact more freely with the spiritual world. After death,
those who believe in Jesus will be given new spiritual bodies. This will
enable us to interact with the spiritual dimensions in the same way that
Adam and Eve did before the fall. We will be able to see the glory of the
total universe that God created. We will be blown away by the glory of the
spiritual realms and the wonder of the physical world will be diminished.

Authority

Authority is the ability to give a command and be certain that it will be

carried out. Originally, God has absolute authority in the spiritual realms.
The angels all do his bidding instantly.

Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word (Psalm 103:19-21).
All the angels accepted the authority of God and followed the directions of
his Spirit.

At some point, a third of the angels rebelled against God's authority. We

do not know if this was before, or after, humans were created. Satan set
up an alternative kingdom, under some semblance of his authority. I
presume these angels grew tired of being subservient to God and wanted
independent authority for themselves.

God created the earth and placed humans in it. He gave authority over
the earth to the people he created, but kept authority in heaven for
himself (Gen 1:26).

Satan wrested authority from Adam and Eve by persuading them to

believe a lie. This gave his spiritual forces of wickedness a place in heaven
and authority over the earth, but it was stolen authority. The devil also
wheedled a place in the spiritual realms by acting as accuser /prosecutor
of God's people before the presence of God (Job 1:6, Rev 12:10).

Sin and the fall destroyed the unity that had existed in the spiritual
realms. God still dominates the spiritual realms, and two-thirds of the
angels remained loyal to him. However, Satan drew together the angels
that had rebelled with him and squeezed them into an alternative power
structure in one corner of the spiritual world.

Division in the spiritual realms extenuated the division on earth. The

struggle between the Kingdom of God and the world became more
intense. In places where the spiritual forces of evil gained control,
darkness prevailed.

The spiritual forces of wickedness are not all viciously evil. A few have a
real passion for evil, but most a just looking for opportunities to promote
their own power and position. Many of them are deceivers and others
specialise in producing anger or fear. Sometimes they actively do nasty
stuff to good people, but most of the time the just produce chaos and
disorder. There will be time when evil gets a hold in the world by working
through an evil dictator like Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin. Mostly the effect
of the fall is chaos and shambles. This contrasts with the peace and
wisdom of the Kingdom of God.

Interactions

Interaction between the spiritual sphere and the physical world are critical
to the operation of authority in both spheres. These interactions go both
ways. (The picture describes a situation where the influence of the
kingdom has increased beyond the dark days of the fall.)

The angels live in the spiritual dimensions, but have the ability to move
between the spiritual and physical worlds. The spiritual forces of evil are
fallen angels with the same ability to move between the spiritual and
physical dimensions. They operate in the spiritual realm, but they can
cross over into the physical realm to work evil.

Angels and evil spirits can touch our physical world in only one place at
one time. This limits what they can do on earth. In contrast, the Holy
Spirit is present everywhere on earth at any time. This gives him
unlimited power and makes him far greater than any angel and much
greater reach than the devil.

1. Spiritual to Physical

The battle in the spiritual sphere has a strong influence on events on

earth. Paul explained this in his letter to the Ephesians.

Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the
devil's schemes. 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 (Eph
6:11-12).

Paul reminds us that when we are dealing with people and events on
earth, they are being manipulated by spiritual forces that we cannot see.
The spiritual powers of evil are attracted to authority and people with
authority. If they can influence a person with authority, they can amplify
their power on earth. When Daniel was praying about the situation of the
exiles in Persia, God revealed that the power driving the situation was a
spiritual being called the Prince of Persia.

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days;

and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had
been left alone there with the kings of Persia (Dan 10:13).

The spiritual power had to be defeated in the spiritual realms, before the
situation would change in Persia.

Changes in government, whether by military coup or election, often

change nothing. The reason is that nothing has changed in the spiritual
realms.

Influences from the spiritual realms explain why economic crises occur
when economists think the situation is improving.

Spiritual influences explain why war breaks out when peace looks
permanent, as in 1914.

2. Physical to Spiritual

Interactions between earth and heaven flow both ways. Events in earth
often cause changes in the spiritual realms.

Daniels prayers released the archangel Michael to constrain the spiritual

being called the Prince of Persia (Dan 10:13). This enabled the other
angel to speak to Daniel on Earth. This changed the situation for the
exiles in Persia and they eventually returned to the Promised Land.

Angels and evil spirits do not have unlimited authority to move on the
earth. God has given authority over the earth to humans (Gen 1:26), so
they can only get involved if humans with the relevant authority give
them permission (and evil spirits will cheat when they can). This means
that beings in the spiritual realms are constrained by people on earth.

I explain how people on earth influence events in the spiritual realms

in Prayer and Authority.

Authority Struggle

John challenged Christians to avoid becoming entangled in the world.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world,
love for the Father is not in them (1 John 2:15).
The Greek word for "world" is kosmos. It is not just the physical world.
John used this word to describe the world system. It describes a system
that is controlled by the devil and his forces of evil and the people and
things under their influence.

The Kingdom of God is everyone and everything that freely submits to

God's will, whether in the spiritual and physical realms.

History of Interaction between the Realms

The Bible tells the story of interactions between the physical and spiritual
realms. During Old Testament times, the interactions were infrequent,
because God did not have authority to get actively involved in the world.
Following the cross and Pentecost, the interaction between the spiritual
and physical realms increased significantly.

Jacob

Jacob was given a clear view of this interaction at the place he called
Bethel (house of God).
He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its
top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and
descending on it. There above it stood the LORD (Gen 28:12).

In his dream, Jacob saw a stairway between the spiritual realms and the
physical realms. God was in the spiritual realm at the top. Jacob was in
the physical world at the bottom. They seemed to be really close. The
angels were travelling between the spiritual realms with God towards the
physical world. They were not able to go out into the physical world,
because no one had given them authority to act on earth. That is why
they turned and went back up the stairway again.

Jacob did not fully understand what he saw. He assumed that heaven and
earth were only close at this place, so he set up a stone pillar, so he could
find it again. He promised to give a tenth of what he received to God (Gen
28:22). God did not need his wealth. He wanted him to understand that
the spiritual realms are close all over the earth, wherever people seek
God with open hearts. God wanted Jacob to pray, so his angels would
have authority to go to work on earth.

Moses

Moses gained a glimpse into the spiritual realms before God called him
into his ministry.

There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within
a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.
When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him
from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" (Ex 3:2,4).

The Burning Bush was not a miraculous sign to dazzle Moses. God wanted
Moses to understand that the spiritual realms were close to the world of a
lonely shepherd. God was able to speak to Moses from the bush because
the spiritual realms touch the physical world. Learning this truth enabled
Moses to hear God speak wherever he went. Hearing God's voice was
critical for his ministry. This is why he was a great prophet (Deut 34:10).
When Moses led the children out of Israel out of Egypt, God travelled in
front in a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night (Ex 40:36). He
led Moses and his people to Mount Sinai.

Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they
stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke
because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it
like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently (Ex
19:17-18).

The people saw this intervention of the spiritual realms into the physical
world. God came close and gave Moses the law. Before they moved into
the promised land, God wanted the people to understand that the spiritual
realm was close, wherever they went.

When Moses and the people had built the tabernacle, it became a place of
connection between the spiritual realms and the physical realms.

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD
filled the tabernacle (Ex 40:34-35).

The tabernacle was a place where the people of God could go to interact
with the spiritual realms.

Job

The book of Job is really important, because it explains why evil occurs on
earth. Innocent people often suffer, because the devil has a go at them to
prove a point in heaven. When Satan left the presence of God to work his
evil on earth:

 Fire came down from heavens and destroyed his flocks of sheep.
 The Sabeans attacked and stole all his oxen and donkeys.
 The Chaldeans attacked and carried off all his camels.
 A wind blew from the desert and destroyed the house of his
youngest son. His children, who were in the house, were also killed.
These events seemed to be natural disasters, so insurance companies
would call them Acts of God. However, we know from Job 1 that they
were the works of the evil one and his spiritual forces. When Job
continued to honour God, the devil decided on a second attack. He
afflicted Job with boils. A doctor would say that Job had caught an
infection because he was run down by his grief, but we know something
different was going on. The sickness was a direct attack from the spiritual
realms by an angry devil.

Prophets

The prophets are often perceived to be people who could predict the
future, but this is a distortion of their true role. The prophets were called
to act as intermediaries between the spiritual and physical worlds for
people who could not see. Jeremiah said that prophets see in the spiritual
realms and convey to the people what they are seeing.

But if they had stood in my council,

they would have proclaimed my words to my people
and would have turned them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds (Jer 33:22).

The false prophets spoke for their own minds. The prophets could see into
the spiritual realms and they explained to the people what they saw.

Ezekiel had an amazing vision at the beginning of his ministry. He saw

wheels moving in unison.

When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and
when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose.
Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise
along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the
wheels (Ez 1:19-20).

Ezekiel did not have an encounter with a UFO of a piece of modern art.
God opened his eyes to see into the spiritual realms. What he saw was so
amazing, that he struggled to describe what he saw. He used words like
jewels and spinning wheels to give his listeners and understanding of
what he saw, but these words mostly failed him.

Isaiah's ministry began when he saw into the heavenly realms in a vision.

I saw the Lord, high and exalted seated on a throne; and the train of his
robe filled the temple. Above him were angels, each with six wings: With
two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and
with two they were flying (Is 6:1-2).
Understanding that the spiritual realm ran parallel to earth assisted Isaiah
to function in his ministry as a prophet.

When their city was surrounded by an army of horses and chariots, Elisha
opened the eyes of his servant so he could see what was happening in the
spiritual realms.

Elisha prayed, "Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see." Then the
LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of
horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:17).

The servant only saw the horse and chariots of the enemy army. He
needed his eyes opened to see the huge army in the spiritual realms that
was ready to support and protect Elisha. They blinded the army, so he
could humiliate them by leading them into the centre of the city (2 Kings
18-23).

When Ahab and Jehoshaphat were planning to go to war against Syria,

Miciah saw what was happening in the spiritual realms.

I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven
standing around him on his right and on his left. And the LORD said, "Who
will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death
there"... A spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, "I will
entice him... I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his
prophets" "You will succeed in enticing him," said the LORD. "Go and do
it" (1 King 22:19-22).

The false prophets believed that Ahab would win the war. Miciah had
spiritual insight, so he realised that Ahab would die. He saw what was
going on in the spiritual realms and knew that Ahab was in trouble.

When Elijah was on Mount Carmel, his prophesying released an

intervention from the spiritual realms.

Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the
stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench (1 Kings
18:38).

The power to destroy the wood and the altar came from the heavenly
realms. When Elijah fled to the cave on Mount Horeb, another
intervention occurred.

The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the
LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by" (1 Kings 19:11).

Elijah went outside the cave and saw a great gale, followed by a fire,
followed by a gentle whisper. He knew that God was not a fire or a wind,
but understood that he had seen into the spiritual realms. God spoke to
him and gave him instructions for the remainder of his ministry.

Jesus

When Jesus came to earth, he was constrained as a man to operating in

the physical world. However, he had not fallen into sin, so he still had
access to the spiritual realms while on earth (he is the one wearing a
crown in the picture.)

 His baptism was an encounter with the spiritual realms. People

watching saw a dove descending on Jesus. It was not a real dove,
but an intrusion of the Holy Spirit from the spiritual realms. This
was confirmed by the voice speaking from there (Matt 3:16-17).
 Jesus temptation was a different kind of encounter with the spiritual
realms. The devil spoke to and tried to divert him from obedience to
the Father. This was an amazing contest that ended differently from
the original encounter with Adam and Eve. It resulted in the devil
leaving and the angels caring for Jesus (Matt 3:11).
 Jesus regularly drew aside to commune with the father.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up,
left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he
prayed (Mark 1:35).

He needed frequent interaction with the spiritual realms.

 Jesus ministry always originated in heaven. He only did what he

saw the Father doing (John 5:19).

The Father loves the Son and shows him all he does (John
5:20).

He knew what to do because he could see into the spiritual realms.

 Jesus did not respond to what people said and did, but what he saw
in the spiritual realms. He was able to tell Nathaniel what he had
been doing.

I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip
called you (John 1:48).

 A different kind of spiritual interaction occurred when Jesus was

crossing the lake in a boat. When they were in the middle of the
lake, a terrible storm struck. This was not an ordinary storm. Mark
describes it as a "great storm of wind" (Mark 4:37). Matthew says a
great shaking (seismos) occurred in the sea. (Matt 8:24). The men
in the boat were experienced sailors, but they were filled with terror
because they realised they could be destroyed.

This was not just another storm. Most storms are caused by strong
wind. This was caused by something stirring the sea. The forces of
darkness understood that Jesus was a risk to them. Now he had
started his ministry the risk was becoming clear. He was casting out
demons, and they were powerless. He was healing the people they
had inflicted with sickness. They knew that they had to deal with
him, before he really got going. So they stirred up the sea and the
wind in an effort to kill Jesus.

When the disciples woke Jesus, he understood what was happening.

He rebuked wind in the same way as he rebuked evil spirits that he
was casting out. He spoke to the said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still"
(Mark 4:39)! Speaking to an "act of nature" is a pointless waste of
time, but Jesus knew the storm was demonic. He seemed to be
speaking to the wind and the waves, but he was actually speaking
to the evil spirits who were at work in both.

The disciples just saw a storm. Jesus realised that in the spiritual
realms, a host of evil spirits had stirred up the wind and the sea in
an effort to destroy him. There were other boats on the Sea of
Galilee that night (Mk 4:36), but the spirits focussed the attack on
his boat. Jesus understood his authority, so he rebuked the evil
spirits. I presume that when he spoke, a host of powerful angels
forced the evil spirits off the lake. That is why the wind and the
waves instantly calmed.

Unlike a natural storm, this storm came without warning and ended
suddenly. Much is made of the unpredictability of storms on the
Galilee, but Jesus disciples knew how to read the weather signs
(Luke 12:54) and would not have gone out if a storm was brewing.
This storm ended as quickly as it started, because its source was
demonic.
  At the Transfiguration, Jesus took Peter and John into the spiritual
realms.

Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus

(Matt 17:3).

It appeared to them that Moses and Elijah had come down to earth.
The reality was that Jesus parted the curtain between physical and
the spiritual realms, so could see were these men were living with
God.

 Jesus had come from the spiritual realms, so he was familiar with
their operation. He knew he could call for a spiritual intention into
events whenever he chose.

Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once

put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels (Matt
26:53).

Jesus knew the spiritual powers could overwhelm the greatest

power political empire on earth.

 When Jesus was on the cross carrying the weight of human sin, he
was totally separated from the good side of the spiritual realms. The
evil forces in the spiritual realms were able to torment him. This
was the source of his desolation.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me (Matt 27:46).

Jesus' pain demonstrates the importance of understanding the

spiritual realms.

Ascension

At the ascension, Jesus appeared to go up into the air and behind a cloud,
but he was really moving back into the spiritual realms from which he had
come
Because the eyes of the disciples were calibrated to seeing the physical
world, he seemed to go into the sky and disappear. If they could have
seen with spiritual eyes, they would have realised that he had simply
moved across the divide into the spiritual realms.

Pentecost

Sin closed the spiritual realms off from human sight. Jesus death and
resurrection dealt with the problem of sin. His ascension opened up the
spiritual realms for those who trust in him. Jesus followers perceived by
faith what he had seen naturally. The Day of Pentecost was a massive
intervention from the spiritual realms.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven
and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what
seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of
them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
other tongues as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2:1-4).

The spiritual realms opened up and observers heard and saw a violent
wind and fire. The believers were filled with the Holy Spirit, which gave
them continuous access to the spiritual realms. They were equipped to
speak languages that could be understood in the spiritual realms, but not
by people on earth.

Spiritual gifts are an intervention from the spiritual realms into the
physical world.

Now concerning spiritual gifts, I do not want you to be ignorant... There

are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are
different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of
working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work...
All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them
to each one, just as he determines (1 Cor 12:1,4-6,11).

Paul said we should be informed about "spiritual gifts". However, the word
gift is missing from the original text. A more precise translation would
say, "I want you to know about the spirituals". Paul wants us to know
about the spiritual realms, so we can facilitate intervention from there
into the spiritual world by exercising them.

When I speak in tongues, I am speaking a language from the spiritual

realms that other humans cannot understand. Receiving a word of
knowledge is hearing words being spoken in the spiritual realms. I hear
them because I am walking in the Spirit and he enables me to hear what
is being said in the "room' next door. The people who are stuck in this
room need me to tell them what is being spoken on the other side of the
wall. A word of wisdom is insight received from the spiritual realms. These
spiritual gifts support our interaction with the spiritual realms.

Early Church

Stephen was filled with the Spirit (Acts 6:5), so when he was about to be
stoned, he described what he could see in the spiritual realms.

When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and
gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up
to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand
of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing
at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:54-56).

The Jewish leaders saw a man preaching. Stephen saw Jesus seated at
the right hand of God. That was the reality that was shaping events on
earth.

When Peter was in prison, he was released by a spiritual intervention.

Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He
struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and
the chains fell off Peter's wrists (Acts 12:7).

King Herod had locked Peter up. Something different was happening in
the spiritual realms, so he was set free.

Unveiling

When John's life was drawing to a close, he was given a unique ability to
see into the spiritual realms.

On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice
like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it"...
I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me (Rev 1:10-12).
He did not have the words to describe what he saw, so he took words like
emerald, crystal, rainbow, glass, sea, thunder, gold, lampstand, snow,
that describe some of the most amazing things in this world, and jumbled
them up to describe what he saw in spiritual realms. We should not
assume these are literal descriptions. John was doing his best with words
designed for describing a three-dimensional world, but he was actually
describing the indescribable.

The Greek word translated "revelation" is "apokalupsis" (Rev 1:1). It

means unveiling or uncovering. Our focus on the physical dimensions of
life hides the spiritual dimensions and gives us a false view of reality. The
spiritual world was unveiled for John and he got a glimpse of reality as
the angels see it. Jesus gave him this revelation to show that our view of
reality is only half the truth.

The world assumes that a visionary person sees something that is half-
real. The truth is opposite. The physical world that we see with our human
eyes is only half of reality. The spiritual world unveiled to John in his
vision is the other half that we usually miss. John struggled to grasp all
that his prophetic eyes saw, but he carefully recorded everything for the
benefit of those coming after him. The main purpose of the book of
Revelation is to increase our awareness of the spiritual realms. To get a
true perspective on reality, we must see things in heaven and things on
earth together. Revelation gives us the other side of reality.

John gained a massive insight into what was happening in the spiritual
realms, but he found it difficult to do justice to the beauty of the spiritual
glory.

Parousia

When Jesus returns at the end of the age, the gap between the spiritual
world and the physical world will be completely removed and everyone
will be able to see into the spiritual realms. The appearance of Jesus will
be a massive interjection of the spiritual dimension into our physical
world.

Jesus return will bring a change of seeing. The spiritual realms that are
currently hidden from the people on earth will be opened up for everyone
to see. Paul wrote of the "manifestation of Jesus' appearance" (2 Thes
2:8). He was explaining that the spiritual dimensions will open and be
visible to everyone on earth.

The limits of our human seeing make the physical world appear bright and
real. The spiritual dimension seems distant and dim to us, as it must be
perceived by faith. When our seeing is changed, the physical world will
fade into obscurity. As the spiritual world comes into clearer focus, we will
be stunned by its glory. Jesus does not come back to earth. He appears
when the spiritual world is opened and joined with the physical world for
everyone to see.

When our spiritual eyes are opened to see clearly, the spiritual
dimensions of life will suddenly be real. When the curtain is pulled back,
the indescribable glory of Jesus will be revealed. Once they can see reality
clearly, everyone on earth will see Jesus seated on the throne at the right
hand of the Father. He has always been there, but from a human
perspective, he will seem to have appeared.

The appearance of the earth and sky will be totally changed. With the
physical and spiritual dimensions merged, earth will seem much less
grand. Physical things will not have changed, but we will be seeing them
in correct perspective for the first time. We think that space is immense,
but when we see the spiritual realms, it will suddenly seem small. As we
see the glory of the spiritual realms for the first time, Jesus will be
revealed, while earth and space shrink away.

Interaction Now

To do God's will on earth, we must understand what is being done in

heaven. We do not need to indulge in occult practices to get this
understanding. That would place us in bondage. We learn about events in
the spiritual realms by listening to the Holy Spirit. He sees and hears
everything spoken in the spiritual realms.

When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.
He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he
will tell you what is yet to come. All that belongs to the Father is mine...
The Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you (John
16:13,15).

The Spirit knows everything that is happening in the spiritual realms. An

important part of his role is telling us what Jesus and the Father are
saying and doing. Jesus promised that he would reveal it Gods will to us.
Once we know his will, we can declare it and pray it into being.
Hearing the truth proclaimed in the spiritual realms is essential. For God's
will to be done on earth, he needs humans living on the earth to give him
authority to do his will here. Paul explains how the Holy Spirit teaches us
God's will.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who
knows a person's thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the
same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is
from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us (1
Cor 2:10-13).

God declares his will in the spiritual realms. If we listen to his Spirit, he
will tell us all that we need to know. The next verse is a key.

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in

words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught
words (1 Cor 2:13).

This verse is important. Human wisdom misses half of what is happening

in this universe. True wisdom results from being taught by the Spirit. He
explains spiritual realities to us in Spirit-taught words.

The Holy Spirits speaks, an tells us what God is saying (John 14:25). He
also shows what is happening in the spiritual realms (John 16:14).

People who reject the Holy Spirit's calling cannot understand the
importance of the spiritual realms.

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from
the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand
them because they are discerned only through the Spirit (1 Cor 2:14).

They cannot be seen through human eyes. This is why the rulers of the
world are blind to what is really happening.
None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Cor 2:8).

Herod and Pilate thought they were getting rid of a minor political
nuisance. In fact, they were bringing about a massive victory in the
spiritual realms that would change the direction of history. They were
releasing the Kingdom of God, which would sweep away their kingdoms
and continue forever.

Paul concludes this bit of teaching by saying that we have the "mind of
Christ" (1 Cor 2:16). That does not mean that we are theological
educated, or even that we understand the truth. We have the mind of the
spiritually anointed one, if we can understand the interaction between the
spiritual and the physical realms. We receive this understanding by
listening to the voice of the Spirit.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul explained why this is important.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things
above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds
on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now
hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:1-3).

We are easily distracted by things that happen in the world. That is a

mistake. We have been raised up with Jesus, so we should fix our hearts
on the things that are happening in the spiritual realms. Paul goes on to
explain why.

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him
in glory (Col 3:4).

When Jesus appears, what we have established in the spiritual realms will
be revealed. The houses and businesses that we have built on earth will
wither into insignificance.

Kingdom Come

When Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray, he taught them how to
pray in the Kingdom of God.

Your will be done in the earthly realms, as it is done in the spiritual

realms (Matt 6:10).

In the spiritual realms, the angels rush to do the Father's will (Ps
103:20). The kingdom comes on earth when people rush to do his bidding
in the same way as the angel in the spiritual realms. When the Holy Spirit
prompts and people follow his guidance, the kingdom will come.
Paul said the same thing in a different way when he explained that God's
goal for history is for there to be unity between the spiritual and physical
realms.

He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good

pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the
times reach their fulfilment-to bring unity to all things in heaven and on
earth under Christ (Eph 1:9-10).

When the times are fulfilled, things in both the spiritual and the physical
realms will come into unity by being submitted to Jesus. His kingdom will
have come when all authority in heaven and on earth has been brought
back under him.

I often hear Christians say that they are going to change, because God
has released angel of victory, or has opened the windows of heaven. Yet
nothing really changes. These voices are confused, because they do not
understand that God does not have a free hand to do what he likes on
earth. He has given authority on earth to humans. He has provided
everything we need through the cross and the Spirit. He needs humans
with authority to release him to deliver what Jesus established.

I explain some of the Big Authority Shifts in the Gods Big Strategy. I will
show how these authority shifts came about through interactions between
the spiritual and physical realms.

This material is developed further in a book called Kingdom Authority.