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being born again, Christ in us, condemnation, darkness, deception, delusion, demons, discerning the spirits, evil spirits, experience, fear, following Jesus, grace, Indwelt by the Holy Spirit, Lawlessness, light, The Gospel, The Holy Spirit, visions, walking by the spirit
Before sharing another vision with you on here, I want to clarify that I have never been a person who was intrigued by “the dark realm”. For my whole life I have been running immediately when I was confronted with something that caused anxiety or fear. In other words, what I always avoided to see and hear had to do with violence and cruelty of any kind. Whenever I saw someone watching science fiction films, horror movies, or in case they were drawn to demonic stuff in general, I closed my eyes and ears to not let it in and went away as soon as possible. Since we live in a world that has been increasingly influenced by all those dark things, it is not easy to always withdraw immediately, in particular, when some dark thing jumps at you without premonition.
The more I have been occupied with our Lord Jesus Christ and His life as the Son of Man who walked the earth, the clearer it became to me that He who lived in the spiritual realm also saw what was going on there, even everywhere. He had the closest communion possible with His Heavenly Father Whom He alone could see. Jesus said,
“Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he that is from God, he hath seen the Father.” (Jn 6:46 ASV)
Furthermore, Jesus saw what was going on in people’s hearts (cf. Jn 2:25) just as He could describe what happened in Hades when He shared this story about the rich man and poor Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31) or when He said that His voice could be heard by the spirits of the deceased as well.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” (Jn 5:25 ESV).
Of course, there are more Scriptures which point to Jesus Christ’s faculties to see and to hear everything, both in the visible and in the invisible realm, but as an introduction to the vision I think it is enough for now. However, if you know or find more Scriptures concerning this matter, please, feel free to post them in a comment. Well, from what I read about our Lord and about Old Testament prophets in Scripture, I was somehow afraid that sooner or later we as His followers might be confronted with the dark side of the invisible world in a visible way, too. But let’s dispense with the preliminaries now.
This vision took place in the night. Quietly I was standing with Jesus on another mountain. Beneath us and on the left side below there was a very scenic area, a seaside town with pretty one-story houses that were bathed in soft moonlight. Right before them gentle waves were slowly coming ashore on a white and sandy beach. ‘A really beautiful picture!’ I thought. Then Jesus directed my attention to a higher elevation of the same mountain we were standing on. In front of us, yet a bit further to the right and a little higher as well, you could see a bright light shining out of a cave into the dark of the night. Alas, what you could not see was the light source. As Jesus asked me whether I wanted to explore the inside of the cave, too, I did not mind. What was strange when I walked closely behind Him, though, was the fact that Jesus chose a non-existing way on the backside of this rocky elevation to go right through the mountain! 😳
I wondered about this a lot while I was watching how all those rocks quickly disappeared before Him so that I could tread on a path that had not been there before at all. I followed Him until we reached a small, illuminated room inside of this mountain. We stopped at the threshold so that I could see what was going on there. ‘Well, what might be the reason why such a strange technical device is standing here?’ 🙄 Drawing a comparison with something I have been familiar with, this tiny room which had an opening toward the seaside looked like the screening room of a movie theater. There was an object that reminded me of a movie projector, just as it bore resemblance to a catapult and a rocket launch pad. However, there was no movie screen or else to detect. Instead, there was only this one ‘hole’ I had seen before, where the light coming from this device had illumined a small part of the night sky outside the cave.
I felt that there was ‘someone’ in this room, too. I had not looked closer at him yet, but I was aware of a ‘being’ that was busily occupied with this strange device. Jesus told me to focus on what he was doing there at this device, but I could hardly zoom in on it. So, the vision as to the device remained for that moment blurry to me. What I could clearly discern, however, was the appearance of this ‘being’. He was so close that I could have easily touched him if I had approached him one or two steps further. He was not as tall as Jesus, yet he seemed to be strong, too. His arms were muscular just as was his body that was lightly clad with something that looked like animal skin or leather. His own skin, though, was of an ocher, almost yellow color with both human hair and fur on it. He had a very long face which appeared to be both human and apelike. His strained facial expression revealed that he was heavily burdened. As I was still wondering what that meant, I saw out of the corner of my eye that this demon had just sparked something off. A big round ball sparkling with light was just leaving the aforementioned device, cutting its way through the night toward this sleeping city at the seaside.
Nonetheless, the town was somehow protected because this flying object finally bumped into the ocean close to the shore. As soon as the light ball had touched the surface of the water, the light began to spread right under the surface to all sides. When I asked Jesus about the whereabouts of this projectile, He mentioned that this light bomb (!) would be self-dissolving under water.
This time I had to only wait one day until the meaning of the things seen had begun to make sense to me. The town whose inhabitants were sleeping in the night represented those Christians who were not awake to The Truth which was Jesus Christ indwelling them through the Holy Spirit. As they have not been born from above yet, they rely on their own limited, natural light which is typified by the moon shining on their houses (lives). Not having been enabled to discern the spirits yet, they embrace every ‘light’ that comes down from above as having come from God.
But why did this light bomb that was fired from the mountain toward the sea not reach this town directly? 🤔 As I mentioned before, these Christians have no spiritual light but their own natural mind. If they want to know more about God, they need to communicate on another, lower level to get what they want. The sea often represents the subconscious mind of human beings. Every idea or thought that has not been processed consciously by us will automatically leave the ‘surface’ (read consciousness) and sink down into the subconscious mind where the information cannot be influenced willingly anymore. From biblical symbolism we might know that the sea can also stand for “the nations”. This additional meaning is not necessarily a contradiction to what I said before.
Plainly speaking, this ‘information bomb” dropped by the hairy demon is false light that spreads quickly all over world. Everyone who has not accepted the truth as presented by the gospel will fall prey to any light that has seemingly come from a higher source than the earth. The demon who looked like a hybrid was a personified blend between man and animal. His apelike appearance points to a bestial and untamed nature. Believing his illuminated lies turns human beings sooner or later into lawless creatures who follow their own lustful desires while believing their behavior would be acceptable to God (see Rom 1:18-32). We know that the contrary is true since self-control to crucify all human passions comes as a fruit from the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:23).
I need to admit that I was shocked yesterday when I realized that this demon’s Chief Commander was Jesus Christ Himself. Knowing our Lord as gracious as He is, I could hardly breathe when He reminded me of the Scripture which confirms the aforementioned statement.
“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
THEREFORE GOD SENDS THEM A STRONG DELUSION, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thes 2:9-12 ESV – emphasis in caps added)
All images by Paul and Susanne Schuberth 2019
Yes, Susanne, the enemy is given authority by God to send his specially concocted lies to those who do not have the love of the Truth, Jesus Christ, that they might be saved. The world, represented by the light balls falling into the sea, has bought into his lies already. It is interesting that John in his vision saw a “sea of glass” before the throne of God, These masses were resting in Him and not like “waves tossed on the sea carried about by every whim of doctrine.” In contrast John wrote,
“We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1John 5:19, ESV2011)
We must receive the Truth in an intimate way that we might be saved. If we don’t and only have an intellectual apprehension of Christ but are not alive in a two way communication with His Spirit within us, obeying His commands as He leads us, that will not be good enough to overcome the enemy’s assaults in this final hour. That is what this passage in 2 Thessalonians is all about…
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come the falling away [Grk. apostasia – apostasy] first, and that man of sin be revealed…” Satan is the father of all lies and he is working overtime to bring the church into total apostasy and we see it all around us. How is it manifest?
“the son of perdition; Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” Where is the temple of God? It sure is not in Jerusalem! In the NEW Covenant temple of God is not made of wood and stones, but of living stones with Christ as our Chief Cornerstone and our sure Foundation (see Isaiah 26:16).
Paul warned the elders of the church that men would rise up in the church to lead it astray,
“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:29-31, KJV)
And John warned,
“Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.They went out from us [Grk. exerchomia – to issue forth], but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out [issued forth], that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” (1John 2:18-19, ESV2011)
The word “antichrist” was translated from the Greek word “antichristos” which not only means against Christ, but in means INSTEAD OF CHRIST! Today it is accepted practice for men to rise up from among the fellowship we have in the Spirit of Christ or come in our fellowship from the outside like ravenous wolves, not sparing the flock and start teaching perverse things to draw away disciples after them. And we often hear the gullible say, “Brother So-n-so is MY pastor. Who is YOUR covering? Oh, you follow Jesus, well THAT is not good enough!” All this “your church – My church,” “Your pastor, MY pastor” mindset is divisive and not of the Spirit of God. David knew the difference when he wrote, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…”
The church, yes Christians, have let men rise up from their midst, leaving the simple brotherhood of Christ in which all believers are the family of God. They come out from us and rise up over us, teaching perverse things, tickling the ears of the carnal. They gain power over Christians who have not let the cross of Christ do a deep pride killing work within them, separating soul from Spirit. These men (“for there are already many antichrists already” – see 1 John ch. 2) do all they can to wrest our love for Jesus away and get us to love them instead. That passage in 2 Thessalonians continues to say,
“Do you not remember, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?And now you know what restrains that he might be revealed in his time.For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he who now restrains will do so, until he be taken out of the way.And then shall that Wicked One be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deception of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be condemned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
This is exactly what is going on right now in the churches, even in some so-called “home churches” men rising up and ruling over the faithful. It is a very strong seducing spirit at work among us and it feeds on pride! This is what happens when we believe that Jesus is not enough, but we must have a “tangible… Jesus with skin on” and refuse to walk by faith in Jesus Christ and no other.
What does true leadership in the Church that Jesus shed His blood for actually look like? First of all there is not a singular entity over each gathering, but a multiplicity of elders and these men do not rule over the people of God, but rather live lives that walk by the Spirit and not the lusts of the flesh. They do this without lusting after wages and other worldly gain. Peter wrote,
“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” (1Pet 5:1-3, ESV2011)
Christendom today is part of the world systems of men, patterned after the world’s hierarchic structures, taxing the faithful with their tithes and “special offering for the building fund” and building ever bigger buildings from which to stand elevated before the faithful and rule over them. It is far from what Peter wrote to the elders but has become everything that John, Peter and Paul warned against.
“But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2Thess 2:13-14, ESV2011)
I thank the Lord for you, Susanne, and all His saints who have found Christ as their sufficiency in this life and the one to come. Amen.
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That was sweet, Michael. Thanks! 😇 I thank the Lord, too, for this spiritual fellowship we can have through the Holy Spirit leading us ever closer to God in Christ. You have been a treasure from Our Father, my dear brother.
Your Scriptures all fit, Michael. What particularly spoke to me was this verse,
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…”
What could we ever want more than being nurtured and cared for by the Living God in Christ Himself?
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Yes, He is our ALL in all as we yield to His Spirit in us. What more could we ask for?
“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers [servants] of a NEW covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2Cor 3:4-6, ESV2011- emphasis added)
Yes, we are not called to be ministers of the old covenant, but to be servants of the NEW Covenant by His Spirit in us and His Spirit gives Life. Such is our confidence toward the Father because it is ours through Christ and Him alone.
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This Scripture you quoted jumped right off the page! Thank you very much for sharing, Michael. 😇🕊️🙏🏼🕊️😇
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The increasing belief in extraterrestrials ties in w/ this, as well. It seems human beings are willing to accept anything but the truth of Jesus Christ.
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Wow, this thought fits in perfectly! ⭐ Thank you for weighing in, Anna. 🙂
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