Part 4 (1/2)
a If we sow in prayer, we will reap His answers.
a Visions are a major key for the Holy Spirit to prepare the ground, open people, and build faith for that which is to follow.
a Like the Mona Lisa, the true Church of G.o.d is a woman of high stature and moral reputation which the enemy takes particular delight in painting as a woman of low moral standing.
a When an interpretation for a vision or dream is not immediately forthcoming, we can be sure that G.o.d will bring an interpretation to the genuine enquirer in His time and with our best interests at heart.
Endnote 1. M. Comte, ”The Mona Lisa Masterpiece,” The Advertiser (September 28, 2006), 33.
Chapter Seven.
Counterfeit Interpretations by the occult.
By Adam F. Thompson..
The Source of Interpretations.
As established in the first chapter, G.o.d has poured out His Spirit on all flesh in accordance with the prophecy of Joel, And it shall come to pa.s.s in the last days, says G.o.d, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28).
It should also be evident, after reading the opening chapters, that it is G.o.d's will for us, through the Holy Spirit, to prophesy and to have dreams and visions. However, it is one thing to have dreams and visions; where we go to obtain their interpretation is an entirely different matter. Many unknowingly turn to the occult in their desire for answers.
At this point, it is important to understand that the devil is not a part of the G.o.dhead. He is actually a fallen angel, a created being, and he cannot create anything but mayhem. While it is impossible for him to constructively create, he is the master of imitation and deception. As the thief (see John 10:10) he will, through imitation, attempt to steal the glory that rightly belongs to G.o.d and rob the inheritance that belongs to the saints. Consequently, when we look at those who dabble in occult practices, such as tarot cards, astrology, palm-reading (even interpreting dreams), what we see is the devil imitating and perverting what G.o.d has for the saints. Likewise, when people go to clairvoyants, they are visiting counterfeit prophets and seers. Clairvoyants have an inherent sensitivity to the spirit realm and most likely have familiar spirits operating in their lives (see Acts 16:16; 1 Sam. 28:7). Having bought the devil's liea”that they are clair-voyanta”they enter the heavenlies illegally and a.s.sist the devil in seizing what G.o.d has for the saints.
Once we understand that G.o.d is the Creator and the devil is the imitator, we don't have to fear that Christian dream interpretation or the gifts of the Spirit are vehicles to bring us into the occult (see 1 Cor. 12). G.o.d initiated our spirituality, not the devil. The occult is a mutation of what G.o.d had originally planned for us. Consider that a counterfeit Pica.s.so painting has no value unless there is an original. Operating in the image of G.o.d as spiritual beings simply moves us into G.o.d's original plan. The fall of humanity robbed us of this primary calling to walk and talk with G.o.d as fellow spirit-beings (see Gen. 3). However, it was not the plan of G.o.d that we should remain without a spiritual dimension. And so, through His death upon the Cross, Jesus once again made a way for us to fulfill our true spiritual nature. Born-again believers have been re-created to become the Spirit-led people G.o.d intended them to be (see 2 Cor. 5:17)a”able to prophesy, move in the gifts of the Spirit, and interpret dreams and visions. This is nothing new. It is what we were created to do. Jesus did not die for us that we would merely be saved, but that we would be saved, filled, and empowered by His Holy Spirit and fulfill the perfect plan that He has for us. Those who enter the heavenly realms using occult practices are doing so illegally according to the Word of G.o.d, and place themselves under a curse and at enmity with G.o.d (see Lev. 20:6; Deut. 18:11-12; 1 Chron. 10:13).
The Danger of Half Truths Jesus told His disciples, ”. . .when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. . .” (John 16:13). Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will reveal, ”all truth,” that is the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The devil, on the other hand, likes to feed us partial truths. You may be thinking to yourself right now, What does that mean? The devil knows that half-truths are more destructive, addictive, and convincing than blatant lies. Being deceived and anesthetized by a half-truth often keeps us away from the whole truth. How blatantly real this is! The devil has effectively swamped the spiritual arena with many half-truths, making it harder for the righteous to make it through unscathed. Every weekend we witness religious door-knockers sincerely pounding their beats trying to coerce others into their organizational web of half-truths. If you have ever tried to converse with those believing a half-truth, then you have experienced the ensnarement of half-truths and the a.s.sociated difficulty of breaking the mental strongholds they create.
Similarly, at the Fall, satan said to Eve, ”You will not surely die. For G.o.d knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like G.o.d” (Gen. 3:4-5). Now while that is partially true, it is not the whole truth. The devil, acting like the slick salesman he is, peels off all the benefits, but conveniently omits to tell the shortcomings or consequences of his proposal. It was true that humankind would become like G.o.d in one dimension (choosing between good and evil), but he did not tell them that their disobedience would bring humankind into sin, suffering separation from Almighty G.o.d.
This reminds me of an incident that happened about 20 years ago. A female friend got saved and was born-again. However, being a young Christian, she was very ignorant about the Word of G.o.d and what was right and wrong. After her conversion, the grace of G.o.d was fully on her life, yet she was robbed spiritually due to her lack of knowledge. She had arranged to be baptized, but in the week prior, she went to a clairvoyant, one whom she had been consulting regularly before her salvation. The clairvoyant did not know she was going to get baptized, but as he was giving his prophecy into her life, he told her he sensed she was going to go near water. She said, ”Yes, that's true,” and it drew her in. The clairvoyant said, ”If you are going near water, that is dangerous. You must stay away from water.” That really confused her and brought fear into her, and unfortunately she did not get baptized, but went back into the world. This is a cla.s.sic example of how the enemy can reveal some truth to deceive us.
A similar thing happened when Jesus went into the desert after His baptism. The devil tried these same tactics of half-truths on the Messiah. Praise G.o.d, Jesus overcame the devil! The devil threw truth at Jesus, even using Scripture to try and deceive Him. However, as the Word of G.o.d personified (see John 1:14), Jesus, pulsing with Spirit and Life (see John 6:63), was able to outmaneuver and humiliate the enemy. Though Jesus was at the end of a 40-day fast, it was the devil who withdrew, needing respite after this encounter (see Luke 4:13).
Jesus defeated the devil on the same grounds that you and I do, through living the Word. Notice that I did not say, ”By quoting the Word of G.o.d.” Many people can quote the Word of G.o.d, but fewer are living it! Our victory is not in knowing the Word of G.o.d, but in Jesus (the Word of G.o.d) knowing us (see Matt. 7:22-23). We are to so absorb the Word of G.o.d that it is no longer we who live, but He who lives in us (see Gal. 2:20). G.o.d is still empowering the ”Word become flesh” today, by His Spirit.
Jesus not only won the opening round, He went on to win the ultimate victory at Calvary. The Father raised Him from the dead and seated Him in heavenly places. The Bible says that we share in that victory. Paul states that G.o.d has ”. . .raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).
This means that, in Christ, we also have overcome the worlda”with its l.u.s.tsa”and are victoriously seated, by faith, in Heaven. The Holy Spirit has also given us discernment and spiritual gifts to hear from G.o.d so that we understand all the truth (see John 16:13). When we know truth, anything short of it sets alarm bells ringing. As believers, we have a responsibility to be immersed or baptized in the Worda”through study and applicationa”so that we can detect the faintest hint of falsity. We need not turn to the occult or the New Age for interpretation, because the interpreter is ”on-board” within us, and He will draw from the deposit of the Word within us to bring the interpretation.
Summary: Chapter Seven.
a Where we go to get our dreams and visions interpreted is important. Many turn to the occult in their desire for answers, not realizing the consequences of their actionsa”placing themselves under a curse and at enmity with G.o.d.
a The devil is the master of imitation and deception.
a As the thief, the devil steals the glory due to G.o.d and the inheritance that is rightly the saints'.
a Going to clairvoyants or palm readers or using tarot cards, astrology, and New Age dream interpretation materials is effectively opening oneself up to counterfeit prophecy and deception.
a Jesus did not die for us that we would merely be saved. G.o.d also made provision with the infilling of the Holy Spirit for His children to live as the true spirit beings they were destined to be. Dream and vision interpretation is just exercising our spiritual senses in the Holy Spirit so we go on to receive our G.o.d-given inheritance.
a The devil likes to feed us half-truths. These not only deceive us, but also keep us from exploring the whole truth.
a Half-truths create mental strongholds that have the potential to rob us spiritually.
a Our victory over the devil is not in merely quoting the Word of G.o.d, but in Jesus (the Word of G.o.d) knowing us!
a When we know truth, anything short of it sets alarm bells ringing. Therefore, we have a responsibility to be immersed in the Scriptures through study and application.
Chapter Eight.
Beyond Dreams and Visions.
By Adrian Beale.
A Statement of Doubt and Unbelief.
Near to my home is a church with a notice board which at this very moment reads, ”The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not available today.” What a statement of doubt and unbelief! This billboard is an announcement that what goes on behind those doors is merely intellectual and dead religion. A denial of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is a blatant denial of the Word of G.o.d and is a prime example of those who claim it is possible to know G.o.d apart from His Spirit.
In building a scriptural response to such a declaration, let us consider a few points. In 21 chapters, the apostle John outlines the life of Jesus as G.o.d become man. Of those 21 chapters, which span a period of three years, almost a quarter of the book (chapters 13a”17) is allocated to the upper room discourse, which took only a few hours. This stark contrast of content allocation against time says that the communion around the Last Supper is vitally important and is not captured without purpose. Prior to His departure, in the midst of that intimacy with His disciples, Jesus promised that He would send His replacement. He said, ”And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16).
Take note how long Jesus said His replacement would be with us. He said forever! Now, considering in greater depth the words Jesus used here, we also discover that the word another is the Greek word allos, which means ”another of the same quality.” There is a Greek word which describes ”another of different quality.” That word is, heteros.1 Let me ill.u.s.trate this. If I gave you a tennis ball and then said, ”I will give you another ball” and proceeded to give you a golf ball, I will have given you another (heteros) ball of a different kind. If I am to give you another (allos) of the same kind, I would have to give you another tennis ball. Therefore, in choosing to use the word allos, Jesus meant that He would send someone exactly the same as Himself. This means that we cannot only be sure that the Holy Spirit has come, but also that He is of the same essence and quality as Jesus and that He is here forever. It is also not unreasonable to expect, because they are the same, that the replacement would have a ministry like the One He replaces.
If at this point we add Peter's declaration that the Holy Spirita”the Promise of the Father (see Luke 24:49)a”is available ”to all who are afar off” (Acts 2:39), we immediately recognize that the statement on the billboard is in violation of Scripture. Peter's p.r.o.nouncement not only confirms Jesus' promise that this gift is not limited by time, but also confidently a.s.serts that it is not restricted by distance either. Are we distant in distance or time? Then it is for us!
Our current common understanding of the word helper (see John 14:16) is also far from its biblical usage. The word helper is the Greek word parakletos, which comes from a word which means ”to speak to” and ”to encourage.” It describes someone who is a legal advisor or advocate.2 This is why Jesus says in the previous verse, ”If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). When we are legally right with G.o.d by keeping His Word, the Holy Spirit (as the Parakletos) comes forward as the representative of Christ and is empowered to undertake for us while Jesus is absent from the world. The Holy Spirit will only undertake in line with the Word.
Finally, take note of the words Luke uses to open the Book of Acts. ”The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach ” (Acts 1:1). Does Luke say, ”all that Jesus completed”? No! He deliberately says that his former worka”the Book of Lukea”only portrays what Jesus began to do and teach. That beginning, as seen in the ministry of Christ, is continued because the Holy Spirit is poured out so that all believers are empowered to do even greater works (see John 14:12). In using the words, do and teach, Luke also silences any ambiguity about Jesus' continued ministry through the Holy Spirit. We can be sure that if there is proper teaching there will also be doing to confirm that Word (see Mark 16:20). The Book of Acts is then a confirmation and proof that Jesus has not finished, that He has not packed up shop and gone home, but that He is still continuing both in doing and teaching today by His Spirit. To say that the gifts of the Spirit are not for today is a statement inspired by the devil, propagated by those who seek to strengthen their own religious position (see Matt. 12:24) and who are mindful only of the things of people (see Matt. 16:23).
While most churches would not make a blatant confession like the one this chapter opens with, the obvious lack of the gifts of the Spirit flowing in the Church today may indicate that we are settling for such a belief in our hearts.
G.o.d Awaits an Invitation G.o.d is the Master Craftsman. He is capable of engineering the events in people's lives with incredible precision. The Bible is full of examples of what may look like just a random sequence of events that then turn out to prefigure events in the life of Christ. Some examples are the life of Joseph (as discussed earlier), Abraham's offering up of Isaac on Mount Moriah (see 2 Sam. 12:1-15), and the death and resurrection of Jonah, to name a few. One such sequence in the life of Christ reveals truth about the Holy Spirit that I would like to share now. We are likely to miss this gem without the opportunity provided by this longitudinal preview.
John's Gospel records that after He had fed the five thousand, Jesus perceived that the people would come and take Him by force and make Him king (see John 6:15). This same Scripture says that when Jesus saw what was about to happen, He departed alone to the mountain. This is very significant.
There was to be a day when Jesus would accept the people's accolades as their king, but this was not it. That day was yet to come and was manifest as the day of His triumphant entry into Jerusalem (see Luke 19:37-40). The prophet Daniel records that day in prophecy with pinpoint accuracy. He says that recognition of Mes.h.i.+ach Nagid (Messiah King) would take place 173,880 days3 from the date of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (see Dan. 9:25-26). On the exact day prophesied by Daniel, Jesus entered Jerusalem, accepted recognition as their king, and was subsequently executed as the nation's subst.i.tutionary sacrifice. This is all recorded in Daniel's prophecy.
Therefore, when John records that Jesus went up the mountain alone, he is showing us something deeper. In Mark's account of this episode, he tells us that Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, and then He went up the mountain to pray (see Mark 6:45-46). John adds, ”Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea” (John 6:16).
If we make a parallel between going up the mount and Jesus entering Heaven (see Heb. 8:5), recognize that evening is a metaphor for Jesus' departure (see John 9:4-5), and also note that Jesus is praying for His disciples in Heaven (see Heb. 7:25-26; Rom. 8:34), an incredible insight is revealed to us.
In outline, what we see is: a Jesus broken as the Bread of Life (see John 6:35) a Feeding an innumerable number of people a Being proclaimed king a Rising up into Heaven a His physical absence from the earth a Praying for His disciples a The disciples making their way across the sea of humanity.