The Revelatory Realms

by Rod Christensen

As Christians we go through seasons whereby the Lord's presence seems to be very distant and as such we feel like God has moved and must be busy with someone else. Ever had those times? Maybe you have been wrestling with sickness, financial challenges or hardships within relationships. At this time you may feel so spiritually punch drunk you don't know up from down! If this is your testimony at this time I have good news for you - you are positioned right now for a break through into the revelatory realms of heaven.

At times like these, the enemy of our souls stands before us creating a spiritual shadow preventing us from seeing the Lord's glory. While on a ministry trip Kerrie and I experienced this type of spiritual resistance. Everywhere we went people didn't seem to like us. There was a general feeling of coolness in the air whilst we fought to build new friendships.

Then in a vision I saw the Lord stand up and approach me with His sword drawn. Seeing the fire in His eyes and feeling the zeal in His heart I was frightened. I thought His anger was reserved for me. After this prophetic experience I asked the Lord why was the Lord so angry with me. To my surprise the Father said the fearsome anger was not reserved for us, but for the enemy who had been resisting our intercession.

Job went through this type of opposition. Anytime the enemy deals with us in an attempt to cut off heaven's flow into our lives there comes a point when the Lord stands up and says, 'That's enough! Touch not my anointed, do my prophets no harm'. Are you at that point in your walk? We know that the Lord God Almighty is invisible and He makes His home in heaven. He is the unknown and unknowable God who dwells outside the reach of natural man's senses. He desires to come near to us, so much so, that He sent His Son to make a way for us to have intimate fellowship with Him. But how do we have communion with a God who is not only invisible and unreachable but also unknowable with the natural senses? He has to be revealed to us, and essentially there are three methods have been set in place so that we can know Him. These three methods include General Revelation, Biblical Revelation and Personal Revelation.

1) General Revelation - The Creation.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1.

The Creator speaks through His creation. The entire creation carries the signature of the Creator. Much like the Architects who design and commission a special work. We can identify their work by those attributes that can be seen in the planning and development of buildings. This truth can also be seen in works of art. For those who are trained they can easily identify who painted a great work art due to the signature left behind by the artist.

Likewise it is easy to identify the traits of the Great Creator as He has left behind a signature that is generic to Him and we can see this in all aspects of creation. Day after day all of creation speaks of the intricate work of a loving, creative supernatural God. The creation itself should be enough to convince the most ardent skeptic there is a God. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Man has developed complex methods in an attempt to explain away that there is a God. Often this just an attempt to remove their responsibility to acknowledge that there is One who is greater than they are.

While creation may not provide us with an ability to have a personal relationship with God, nevertheless it provides us with a measure of revelation about the God of heaven and earth. As a result, man is without excuse. Creation daily shines forth attributes of the Creator and is able to provide us all with a general understanding of what God is like.

The history of the nations is a tapestry with God's signature intricately interwoven within the affairs of mankind. If you will commit to research the many facets now available to us in creation and history you will be afforded greater revelation of the Creator. Or, you could now access the next aspect available to us. The written word of God, sixty books penned over many years by various authors who had divergent backgrounds but yet complemented each other. Take the next step with me and partake of biblical revelation.

2) Biblical Revelation - The Word of God.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16.

The scriptures are the inspired word of God. We are very blessed that God has ensured that we have access to the bible. The scriptures provide us a revelatory insight our origin, creation, fall of man and the plan of redemption. The sixty six book are revelatory by nature, they have been God breathed and, as such, as we study the scriptures we position ourselves for the Holy Spirit to breathe upon the written word so that they become life to us, feeding our spirits.

The scriptures are to be the benchmark by which we judge all other revelation. Because of the revelatory nature of the scriptures the Holy Spirit will use them to speak to our lives at a personal level bringing correction when required. If we do not obey God's word personal and corporate vision will be lacking. The ultimate purpose of the scriptures is to reveal the work of Jesus Christ so that all people can come to the Savior. Endeavor to spend much time not only reading but also studying the bible. If you do, your walk with the Lord will be revolutionized. Obedience to the written word of God is the precursor to personal revelation.

3) Personal Revelation - God Still Speaks.

Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 AMP.

While we honor the Word of God unequivocally, religion has taught that we can only know God by what He spoke many years ago. However, the God that did speak is still able and willing to communicate with His people now. This verse is a statement to this reality. Jesus was quoting from the book of Deuteronomy and He uses the Greek word 'Rhema', which means the personalized declared word. What He is saying is that our relationship with God is maintained by vital, personal communication with Him. As He speaks to us at a personal level our relationship with Him flourishes.

As you come into the presence of the Lord each and every day come with an expectation that God wants to release personal revelation to you. One revelation from the Lord's heart can and will release from any snare that the enemy has set for your life.