The Unseen Life

1 Cor 2:10 - 16; Eph 6:12; 2 Cor 4: 18
 
Spiritual manifestations, be they negative or positive, are understandably a controversial subject. Nevertheless, its relevance within the Biblical context is beyond doubt (c.f., Deut 32:17; Ps 106:37; Matt 8:16; Eph 6:11; 1Tim 3:6-7). The polarisation of views can be rather brutal; where medical science has generally regarded visions and sensations as delusional or even schizophrenic. Only recently has the scientific community considered for serious study the different states of altered consciousness, which has been in existence since time immemorial (cf., visions in the book of Ezekiel; Acts 10:9-16; 2 Cor 12: 2-4). At the other extreme, for any negative unexplainable event, attribution to a Satanic root appear to predominate the opinions of a large segment of religiously-oriented folks. As humans are spiritual beings, nothing can be further from the truth, and if truth be told, the fact of the matter probably lay somewhere in between. Hence, not all ‘sightings’ or ‘presentations’ are attributable to a mental illness, nor are they all demonic in origin. Scripture instructs us to persistently verify the distinctiveness of ‘otherworldly’ perceptions as to their origin for our own safety (1Tim 4:1; 1John 4:1). 
 
The following three encounters are just a few personal narratives, when God chose to pull back the curtains to our ‘unseen’ world. This is the first of several on this topic, which I shall post on this blog over time. 
 
Ten days after my conversion, I found myself in a Christian meeting, in a Scottish home in Glasgow, sitting in a circle with a dozen rough looking Hells Angels. Our heads bowed in prayer, unexpectedly, a gentle voice prompted, 
“Look up at the guy opposite you!” 
Not knowing Who may have spoken, I opened my eyes and immediately noticed a menacing looking cat slouched across the young man’s shoulder, staring straight at me. I signaled the home owner for clarification - there were no cats in her home. 
“What should I do?” I questioned her, being a neophyte believer in this situation.
“Do what the Lord tells you!” she said rather nonchalantly; as if I should have known better. So, in order not to alarm anyone in the group, I silently mouthed the words,
“Get off his shoulders.” 
It immediately disappeared. A couple of days earlier, together with a group of friends, the young man was gaming with an ouija board. Since then, he was plagued with sleepless nights and an uncomfortable shoulder ache. The ache vanished during the meeting. This was my first encounter with a malevolent spiritual entity. It taught me that what was critical was not so much the content of what was said, nor the tone of it, but the presence of God and our faith in His authority. And even though all authority has been given to believers (1 Cor 12:4-6; John 5:19-20), confronting evil remains God’s prerogative, and we need to be clear that the initiative for clarification and action always comes from His Holy Spirit. 
 
While on an overseas assignment, our home was next to a smallish prayer hall. Walking across the courtyard one day, I glimpsed through its window, and caught sight of a veiled faceless lady in white sheer fabric, standing at the front of the hall. Initially, I thought the lady was out of place in the hall, but decided to brush that aside. Ladies would normally stand in prayer towards the back of the hall, not at the front, which is reserved for the men. Then a young man stepped out of the front door. 
“Was there anyone else with you inside just now?” I queried. 
“No one. I was checking on the wiring system.”  
Immediately, my goosebumps surfaced. On further enquiry, a few of our neighbours volunteered that they had only seen that apparition during the ninth month festival’s last three days. But no one knows who she was, nor had anyone seen her face. Invariably, fear pervades sightings of this ‘lady in white.’ This episode brought about an intercessory outpouring over its apparent hold over our neighbours. Subsequently, we witnessed some measure of success.
 
One late morning, my wife and I were window shopping in town. My eyes just happened to have met those of a middle aged man who was standing at the entrance of a boutique along Orchard Road. I smiled, and he nodded his head in acknowledgement. The still small voice whispered, 
“His life here will end shortly!” 
“Is he a believer?” I immediately interjected. 
“No.” 
“Why are You telling me this?” 
“I want you to pray for him.” 
“Do You want me to talk to him?” 
“No need. He won’t believe you.”  
It was an extremely disconcerting exchange, but I was thankful to have an opportunity to pray for this singled out stranger. I wonder what was the outcome? God’s unconditional compassion and love challenged me then, and it still does. With Him, everyone, in fact, all living creatures, are precious.
 
As His imago Deo in Christ, saved by grace, we become insiders in spiritual fellowship with our Saviour and Lord. Our God has always maintained a dialogue with man through human history (1 Kings 19:11-12; John 16:13-15; Gen 4, Cain, an unrepentant murderer). This extraordinary privilege is available to us, as we learn to patiently discern His voice amidst the clamouring 'noises' around us (John 10: 3-4; Rev 3: 20).