PROPHETS, SEERS AND RULERS

Part 2

by Lloyd Philips

 

TWELVE EXPRESSIONS OF INSPIRATION:

1. Impressions. An impression is like a feeling or intuition. Often I get the sense that the Spirit is pressing upon me in a certain way. This is a form of discernment. The still small voice really is under this category. In Numbers 11:29 Moses said to Joshua, 'Are you zealous (or envious or upset for me?) for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!" Nabiy is the Hebrew word used here. Everyone who is born again is in this category now. Paul said we all may prophesy. This is exactly what he meant. We are all in that category as far as we can receive through inspiration and we can receive through the voice of God and then speak it.

2. A knowing or witness. Romans 9:1 says,"l tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit: We all have an inner witness. It is called Christ in you. It is the mind of Christ that tells us what we ought to do or ought not to do. 1 John 5:10 says, "He who believes In the Son of God has a witness in himself". All believers have this. If we have confessed Jesus as Lord, we have an inner witness that is ours that will lead us in the way that we should go. The Spirit may witness with our spirit information about another individual or situation which we have no way of knowing in our senses. Take action, in love, upon these witnesses of the Spirit. This is often how we enter the realm of word of knowledge, word. of wisdom, and discerning of spirits.

3. We can feel things. We can receive things in the emotions of our soul and in our bodies. This is why it is so important to sanctify ourselves. 1 Peter 3:15, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense of everyone who asks you the reason of the hope that is in you. with meekness and fear". The word does not come through your flesh, but the word can effect the flesh. Often I have had the sense that the Spirit is touching a part of my body in order to communicate a message to me. There may be other times, however, when one might say, "Well, I just felt it was God" and it was not God at all. It was the lusts that are in our flesh and we ascribe it to Him. It is important to allow ourselves room to grow. If we have the attitude that we can not be wrong in our interpretation, or feel the need to always say 'God told me", then we will hinder our ability to mature. This is why we need mentoring and to submit ourselves and what we are receiving to other proven people who are committed to assisting us in our growth.

4. Visions. The first and most common manifestation of visions are visions of the spirit in the heart. The eyes can be open or closed. Seeing a vision and interpreting what is being seen are not one and the same. The prophet Daniel, one of scriptures greatest seers, often had to seek the Lord for long periods of time to receive the understanding of the vision. Interpretations belong to the Lord, as Joseph stated while still in the Egyptian prison.

5. Supernatural senses. In this level the five senses are amplified in sensitivity and ability. One can experience 'x-ray vision' giving the ability to see through something or a heightened sense of smell or hearing. A 'foul spirit' may be discerned through spiritual smell. One may hear a sound of conversation across a distance which could not be heard with your physical senses. One can have.a taste to communicate something spiritual to you. There is a record in the Old Testament where Elisha's prophets in training were making up some porridge and tasted "death in the pot." (2 Kings 4:40) How did they know there was death in the pot? Nobody had died. God communicated supernaturally through their sense of taste.

6. Dreams. The next level is dreams. They are seen all through the Bible. Jacob at Bethel saw the angels go up and down a ladder. Joseph saw the vision or dream of the moon and the stars. He saw the dream of the sheaves bowing down and got himself in big trouble by telling his family about it. Job 33:15- In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, 16 Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their Instruction.  17 In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man,

God will often use dreams to communicate warnings and other important information to us in order to avoid as much interference from our senses as possible.

7. Open visions. This is where the eyes are open and one sees spiritual things as if they appeared normal to the natural eyes. It is possible for the open vision to be so real to our eyes that it is only later understood that it was an open vision at all. It is likewise possible to actually be involved in the physical sense in a spiritual phenomenon only to realize later that it was not a vision. This happened to Peter in Acts 12:11.

8. Trances. This manifestation is distinct from visions because in a vision one is still aware of one’s surroundings. In a trance one’s surroundings are blotted out temporarily, unless God wants them to be observed. This also occured to Peter in Acts 10.

9. Audible voices. Acts 9 is the account of Paul's encounter with the Lord while traveling to Damascus. He was knocked to the ground and a conversation occurred between he and the Lord. In verse 7 it says the other men stood by and heard a voice but they did not see anyone. To Paul it was an audible voice. In my experience, the audible voice of God will always be life changing no matter the length or brevity of the conversation.

10. Visitations from angels. Angels can bring us information. An angel came to Daniel to bring him understanding. Angels came to Abraham because there was something important that needed to happen that he needed to be informed about. Mary spoke with the angel Gabriel, the same archangel who communicated to Daniel. Joseph was ministered to by an angel through a dream, as was Jacob.

11. Visitations from the Lord. At times there may be a commissioning that the Lord Jesus Himself will administer. It is often difficult for the person to communicate what happened in human words. It may not be something they want people to know about, especially since many people would not believe it. The Lord may come at other times, and He said that He would manifest Himself to those who love him (Jn 14:21).

12. Translation in place or time. Both Paul and John were caught up into the third heaven. They were used to doing service for the Body of Christ, to bringing the Word of God so that the Body would prosper, so that they could adjust and prepare for the things that are ahead. When we have a servant's heart like that, willing to give our life as a living sacrifice, then we will grow up in all things unto Him who is the Head. We will grow up to the place where we can see Him face to face like Moses did and be able to receive that sure word of prophecy which will change lives and change the nations as we give them the prophetic word. Philip was caught away by the spirit and physically translated from the desert of Gaza to Azotus (Acts 8). On the Mount of transfiguration four men, that is Jesus, Peter, James and John all were translated to a future time where they saw the Lord standing with Moses and Elijah, in His glorified and resurrected body. There is no record in scripture of more than one person sharing an internal vision simultaneously with another. I believe that in this case all ware translated to a time after Jesus' resurrection as well as that of Moses. Enoch himself, as well as Elijah, were two in scripture who were translated to be with the Lord and are examples of those who were physically translated into the heavenly realm of eternity.

(All scripture is NKJV except where noted)

(Lloyd Phillips, the author, is the director of the Fellow Laborers International Network, (FLint Net), an apostolic network of churches, ministries, and intercessors. He seeks to establish God’s apostolic order in churches in the USA and other countries. He has written articles for the Morning Star Journal. The Flint Net offers study courses, teachings and tapes. Lloyd C. Phillips, Director Phone (406) 251 - 8580 FAX (406) 251 – 7035 email: flintnet@flintnet.org  Web page: http://www.flintnet.org. This article was used by permission from the author.)