Read Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Online
Authors: Steven Brooks
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (9 page)
Dr. Tan’s testimony helps us to realize that it is not necessary to physically meet someone in order to receive a mantle or impartation. Brother Tan never physically met Watchman Nee. Bob Jones never physically met the prophet from South Africa whose mantle he inherited. In my own life I never physically met the prophet whose mantle the Lord passed on to me. In my case, there’s no natural way I could have met him since he lived hundreds of years before I was born. What’s important to remember is that these former saints are still alive in Heaven, and as Brother Tan pointed out, there is still a communion of the saints taking place today.
Of course, many believers get a little bit nervous when you start talking along this line about having met someone who is dead. What they fail to realize is that these are visionary experiences that occur in the realm of the spirit, and these former saints are still alive spiritually. One of the best examples of this can be found in the Book of Revelation when the writer John encounters this type of situation:
Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that!
I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren
who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!
(Revelation 19:9-10)
Some translations attempt to make it sound like this person was a servant just like John’s brethren. But the King James Version and the New King James Version translate it accurately by saying “of your brethren,” denoting that he is also a Christian brother. This was not an angel that John was talking to. This was a fellow servant and Christian brother that had gone on to be with the Lord. Here we see John who was still alive on the earth having been caught up in a vision to Heaven and there carrying on a conversation with a redeemed saint. Why should we think this strange when we clearly find it in the New Testament? When Jesus walked on the earth as a man, He also had fellowship with saints who had previously left the earth.
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shown like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him
(Matthew 17:1-3).
Here we see Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah. Some people may think this a little bit far out, but it’s there in the Bible and it won’t go away. Please keep in mind that this meeting took place in the spirit realm. You would need to have the
gift of discerning of spirits in operation in order to see this. How do we know this took place in the spirit realm? The following verse proves it to be so.
Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “
Tell the
vision
to no one
until the Son of Man is risen from the dead
(Matthew 17:9).
Jesus, Peter, James, and his brother John, all at the same time
had a vision
while they were on that mountain. This was an open vision which allowed them to see with their natural eyes being wide open while at the same time seeing into the realm of the spirit with their spiritual eyes. During this vision they saw Jesus transfigured and Him talking with Moses and Elijah. This is a supernatural manifestation known in the Bible as the gift of discerning of spirits, which Paul spoke of in First Corinthians
chapter 12
.
ISCERNING OF
S
PIRITS
What is the gift of discerning of spirits? Some people have misquoted the Word of God and call it the gift of discernment. But discernment in itself is not a gift. Discernment is the ability to accurately judge a matter. This in itself does not require a supernatural act of God. We all should use good judgment in the daily affairs of life. But the gift of discerning of spirits is different. The gift of discerning of spirits is a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit that allows you to see, hear, taste, touch, and smell
in the realm of the spirit
.
Whenever a person experiences a vision, the gift of discerning of spirits is in operation. Actually, throughout the Old Testament,
all the gifts of the Spirit, except for tongues and interpretation of tongues, were in operation. Tongues and interpretation of tongues are exclusive to this church-age dispensation. Today, all nine gifts of the Spirit that Paul spoke of in First Corinthians
chapter 12
are in operation as the Spirit wills.
HREE
T
YPES OF
V
ISIONS
There are three types of visions that we see in Scripture. The first is known as an
open vision
. The experience the three apostles had on the mountain with Jesus was an open vision. An open vision is the highest type of vision. They not only
saw
Jesus transfigured but they also
heard
his conversation with Moses and Elijah. The Gospel of Luke gives us insight into what the discussion actually focused on, but that’s a different topic for another time.
If you were to have stood on that mountain close by to see Jesus and the apostles when this event took place, you would not have noticed anything unusual
unless
the gift of discerning of spirits operated through you allowing you to enter into the same vision. In the natural, all you would have seen were three startled apostles and Jesus apparently saying something to someone you could not see. You can more readily see now why some issues that are truly biblical are very controversial to others because they have no understanding of the spirit realm nor how it operates.
I believe there are going to be times when whole groups of believers experience open visions simultaneously. It happened to Jesus, Peter, James, and John all at the same time. There will be times entire prayer groups will be caught up to the throne
room to behold the glory of God through open visions. Entire children’s classes in church will see angels. The supernatural is invading the Church. Christian leaders must have a solid biblical foundation to stand on as they lead in these coming waves of revival glory.
The second type of vision expressed in Scripture is what is known as a
trance
. In a trance, your physical senses are suspended and you are only aware of the spirit realm. We see this taking place in Peter’s life when he went up on the housetop to pray. While there, a tremendous hunger for food came over him. This was not a result of having skipped breakfast, but it was the Spirit of God moving upon Peter, prepping him for a supernatural encounter that was about to take place.
Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance
(Acts 10:10).
Notice Peter
fell
into a trance. This was not a self-induced experience that he brought on by himself. That’s the difference between genuine manifestations of the Holy Spirit and occult and New Age practices. People in New Age practices can cause themselves to go into a trance. This is normal for them to do. For them, it’s just as easy as pushing a button on a microwave oven. But Peter did not put himself into a trance. The Holy Spirit caused him to fall into a trance. Entering into the realm of the spirit any other way outside of the Holy Spirit is moving into the realm of occult powers. Don’t push or try to make something supernatural happen. Demons force and coerce. The Holy Spirit leads us into experiences that we might more clearly know Jesus. The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus, not experiences.
In his trance, Peter sees a large sheet lowered down to earth full of animals that were considered unclean according to Mosaic law. The Holy Spirit is beginning to open the eyes of Peter’s understanding that the sacrificial death of Jesus was not only for the redemption of the Jews but also for all peoples of the world. It was just after this experience that Cornelius and his family and friends became the first Gentile converts to Christianity.
Now while Peter wondered within himself
what this vision which he had seen meant,
behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate
(Acts 10:17).
While Peter thought about the vision,
the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you
(Acts 10:19).
Here we see two times where the aforementioned trance is now identified as being a vision. A trance is one of the three types of visions. In my personal walk with the Lord I have noticed that the times when the Holy Spirit has come upon me and taken me to Heaven have most often been in a trance state of vision. In my book,
Working with Angels
, I describe how I was taken to Heaven and given a necklace called the
Diamond of Hope
. That experience actually took place when I fell into a trance when in a time of deep prayer. Open your heart to these types of experiences that the Holy Spirit grants. Jesus purchased these types of inheritances for us on the cross along with salvation and every other blessing.
The third type of vision is known as a
spiritual vision
. This is when your eyes are closed and you see an image—a vision—appear to you. This is what happened to Saul as he was going
through his conversion experience. After having His encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus he was left blinded by the Lord’s brilliant glory.
Then Saul arose from the ground, and
when his eyes were opened he saw no one
. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was
three days without sight
, and neither ate nor drank
(Acts 9:8-9).
We see from the above verse that Saul was in a condition of blindness. Keep that in mind as we examine the following verse.
Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying
.
And in a vision he has seen
a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight
(Acts 9:10-12).
Here we see that Saul has had a vision while in prayer. What’s interesting to note is that this vision took place when he was blind. His natural eyesight had not yet been restored. It was restored later when Ananias prayed for Saul and something like scales fell from his eyes. But when he had the vision he was still blind. This would thus be considered a spiritual vision. In a spiritual vision, your eyes are closed and you see the vision within. In a spiritual vision your mind is involved. This is why we need to be careful what we allow our eyes to see and ears to hear. Spiritual pollution
will
muddy the waters
and make it difficult to distinguish genuine Holy Spirit manifestations. Jesus said,
The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness
(Luke 11:34).
I have experienced open visions and trances numerous times but most of the visions I have are spiritual visions. I have found this to be the case across the board also with the majority of ministers I’ve spoken with. These are supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Of course, you can’t push a button and make these types of things happen; it is only as the Holy Spirit wills. But I have discovered that the Holy Spirit is more willing then many have ever thought to reveal more and more of Jesus to us. As we position ourselves to walk near to God, the supernatural becomes a much more common experience and the mysteries of God are unfolded before us.
Another interesting event regarding encounters with redeemed saints who have gone on before can be found immediately following the Lord’s resurrection. The fact that it was after the Lord’s resurrection means this is a New Testament event.
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection
,
they went into the holy city and appeared to many
(Matthew 27:50-53).
Here we have another verse referring to an event after the resurrection that shows communication between saints on the earth and those saints from the spirit realm who belong to the Lord. This event was not “far out” or heretical, but rather holy and glorious. The Scripture says, “they appeared to many.” You can only imagine the excitement and awe that this would cause. What’s remarkable about this particular event is that the saints who arose obviously walked around in physical bodies. Those who saw them did not have to experience a vision; it was fully manifested in the natural realm for all to see.
God’s timing for this event couldn’t have been better. The Jewish historian Josephus tells us there were more then a million visitors in Jerusalem. It was one of the cycle years when Jews made their pilgrimage from all over the world to make their sacrifices. The whole city was shaken to the foundation over the story of the Lord’s empty tomb. Those redeemed saints who walked around brought witness to the Lord’s resurrection. The Bible does not mention their names, but I could easily see Abraham, Joseph, Judah, Moses, Miriam, Samson, Ruth, David, and a host of other redeemed saints walking around alive in Jerusalem! What would you have done? You would probably do the same thing I would do—go up and talk to them!
Don’t you think this event must have upset a lot of people’s theology? I believe in good theology, but there are simply some things about God we are never going to understand. God is going to pour forth signs and wonders in His church today that
are going to cause people’s jaws to drop in amazement. If these things took place to give witness to the Lord’s resurrection, just imagine what He will do to give witness to His Second Coming. Get ready. We haven’t seen anything yet.
