Introduction
You would think that by now we would know enough about science to eradicate superstitious beliefs, especially beliefs in invisible entities flittering around us. There is no logical reason for believing in such nonsense, unless, of course, there really are unseen beings hovering around us, beyond the reach of current scientific measurement. Remember, it was eons before scientists detected germs, atoms, or molecules, but they existed just the same.
Several years ago, I made a rational study leading me to the decision that God exists, that Jesus is His Son, and that the Bible is a supernatural book that could only come from God. I believe what God says through His Bible, and my occasional human doubts don't erode that conviction.
The Bible clearly teaches the existence of things we cannot see. Several passages in the Scriptures teach that there are invisible beings. Here are two examples: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). Speaking of Jesus, Paul said, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him" (Colossians 1:15-16).
I believe that beings roam the earth today who are altogether spiritual. I mean "spiritual" in the sense that they don't have corporal bodies -- the kind of beings Jesus referred to when He said, "A ghost does not have flesh and bones" (Luke 24:39). The koine Greek word translated in the New International Version as "ghost" is the same word translated as "spirit" throughout the New Testament. It refers to beings who exist only as spirits, without physical bodies.
Do such creatures exist? In the passage from Colossians just mentioned, Paul said there are things visible and invisible. Then he immediately said, "whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities." The verse plainly states that invisible thrones, powers, rulers, and authorities exist. They are in the world today, and they are working powerfully in our daily lives.
What You'll Find in This Book
This book exposes invisible authorities and powers and illustrates how various spiritual forces work against us, within us, and for us. But this book is not a collection of scary stories of exorcisms and wild speculations about Satan and his angels. The unprovable, often unbiblical, misleading speculations on this subject don't help Christians win the spiritual war; they aid and abet Satan. Those believing the wildly sensational are so busy looking for a demon under every bush that they unwittingly expose themselves to the real attacks of satanic forces, which come unseen from seemingly innocent sources and hit them on the blind side. On the other hand, those who reject sensationalism often reject the reality of the spiritual war that sensationalism masks. Rejecting the foolish, they also reject the wise. The devil becomes a cartoon character not to be feared but to be ignored, having no more power or substance than the goblins of children's dreams.
This book gives the Bible a position preeminent to any speculation or opinion. In this book, we will study Scriptures about Satan, angels, demons, the dead, and much more. We will discuss openly the roles of angels, both good and bad, and of the demons working for the most evil angel of all.
In this revised version of Seeing the Unseen, you will find new chapters on the subject of demons, reflecting my recent findings, and many other rewritten portions throughout the book. This book will also share the stories of many people -- any one of whom may reflect you almost perfectly and give you insight into yourself and your circumstances that will change you forever. No, not stories of supernatural occurrences, but stories of real people facing real life with all its complications and frustrating puzzles. While I will always tell you the true core of each story, many names and other details will be altered. Sometimes I will blend two stories into one when they fit well without damaging either. My purpose in altering these stories is to protect identities and to ensure privacy. I have no right to bring more harm or pain to anyone, including myself, and especially my family. When both first and last names are used, you will know that the names and the stories are not disguised; they are told just as they happened. While it's true that anecdotal evidence proves nothing, the common threads of these lives weave a tapestry of revelation and conviction.
To make this study about spiritual warfare easier, this book is divided into four sections:
- Learning to See the Unseen
- The Forces at Work Against Us
- The Forces at Work Within Us
- The Forces at Work For Us
Each section is important and each relates to the other. I suggest you start at the beginning and read the chapters in order, making notes in the margins and writing questions that come to mind.
Spiritual Warfare Is Real
The real battle of evil is not against ghosts or demonic possession; it is within ourselves. The primary tool of Satan is not possession; it is deception. He deceives us into believing that he is not real.
While each one of us is very much responsible for our own actions, unseen beings do influence us, either for good or for bad. And because their influence is so powerful, it is imperative that we understand who they are and what they do. Only then will we be at a vantage point to accept or reject their subtle, or not-so-subtle, guidance.
Satan is real, and there are angels around us. If you believe the Bible is true, you must believe in spiritual warfare.
I pray for you an enlightening and profitable reading. May God bless you as you study.
Chapter One
What Is Spiritual Vision?
Slapping some sense into her wasn't an option, so I just sat there, drenched in frustration. No matter how hard I tried to help her see it, she couldn't believe she was sinning.
"How can you say I shouldn't see him again?" she asked incredulously. "God sent him to me."
"Then why are you here? If there isn't an awareness deep within you that you are doing wrong, why did you come to me about this?" I struggled to pierce her barricade.
"I don't know why I'm here, but I know God sent him to me, and I know that God wants me to be with him."
He was married, an alcoholic, and habitually unemployed. She was lonely and longing. Those filters distorted her clear-sightedness, and all she could see was his handsomeness, his charm, and that he wanted her more than anything or anyone. He appeared at just the right time, saying just the right words, and filling just the right needs. Since she had been praying for precisely those things, she was convinced, without doubt, that God had sent him. When he divorced his wife, they would live happily ever after, praising God for the introduction.
As I listened, I felt it again, that same desire I've felt so many other times. "God, if You ever offer me one gift like You did to Solomon, I know what I want. Give me the ability to lay hands on people to give them supernatural vision. God, I want to be able to make people see the unseen."
If I'd had that gift that day, I would have walked around my desk, placed my hands on Charlotte, and prayed, "God, for the next week open her eyes to the unseen spirit world. Make visible to her every angel, demon, or spirit who comes into her presence. Don't let them hide from her or disguise themselves. Make them plain." Then I would have sent her out to see the "shining knight" who had come to rescue her from her loneliness.
She would have come back.
Terrified.
She would have seen the spirits escorting this man, and she would have fled, screaming for deliverance. Because she was not yet completely corrupt, she would have been repulsed by the sight and nearness of the evil ones leading her into this trap.
But as it was, she did not see. They offered her a lie; she bought it altogether. The lie was leading to a disaster in her life and the lives of everyone who would be touched by their sin.
Spiritual Vision = Discernment + Bible Knowledge
I didn't have the gift of imparting spiritual vision that day, and God hasn't given it to me since. In fact, no one has it. But He has given His people the ability to discern good and evil and the ability to understand His Word. And well used, these two abilities can accomplish the same things as the gift I begged for. God has not left us defenseless against the attack of the evil ones, nor has He allowed them any advantage. He has made sure the vantage is ours. But, tragically, it is an advantage seldom used.
Charlotte didn't use it. She refused to discern good from evil, and she refused to listen to those who did. She refused to see the truth. Her knight kept his sheen until she married him. It lasted less than a year. Now Charlotte is lonely and longing again, but this time, she has an added bitterness that makes it likely she will be lonely forever. Spiritual men are repelled by her malignant aura. Deplorably, the hunters who stalk carnal pleasure aren't repulsed by it at all; they read it well and are drawn to her. Her angry isolation identifies her as an easy prey for seduction.
The evil ones do their job well.
Choose to See
Charlotte could have seen what was happening if she had chosen to. All of us c...
