When you hear the phrase “out of body experience,” you probably imagine some kind of occult phenomenon. Yet, in Scripture, we see Elijah, Ezekiel, Jesus, John, and Paul all having sovereign encounters of this nature. Clearly, these men were not engaged in any activity that was forbidden by God, so this tells us that the experiences themselves – the spiritual technologies – are not the problem. It also tells us that there is both a godly real and a demonic counterfeit. It tells us that there is Someone who created the real, and that there is someone who stole and perverted it and who has tried to convince us that it belongs to him.
A very obvious and benign example of this dynamic is the hijacking of the rainbow. We know from Genesis 9:12-17 that God created the rainbow and placed it in the sky as an everlasting reminder of His covenant with mankind to never flood the entire earth again. Both Ezekiel and John, in their heavenly encounters, saw the rainbow surrounding God on His throne, radiating His glory. Yet, in our culture today, these things are hardly what most people think of when they see a rainbow banner, garment, or flag. Several groups have stolen this sacred symbol and have used it to promote agendas that mock the glory and the holiness of God. Many believers might even be hesitant to display the rainbow for fear of being associated with something ungodly. Yet we know that God created the rainbow, so we know that it belongs to Him. The same principle applies to many other spiritual technologies and terminologies. The adversary did not create them; he merely stole and perverted them.
Nowhere in Scripture do we see the adversary creating anything, nor is there any Scriptural evidence that he possesses that ability. Isaiah 14:12, Ezekiel 28:16 and Revelation 12:7-9 reveal that he is a fallen being, stripped of his former glory. I Peter 5:8 presents him as one who seeks to devour. And John 10:10 describes the adversary only as the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. God alone is the Creator and legitimate Source of all true spiritual gifts and technologies.
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
-Colossians 1:16, ESV
Created beings possess the God-given ability to create things from other things, but only an uncreated Being can create something from nothing. Only God can do what we see happening in Genesis 1! To give the adversary credit for creating spiritual gifts and technologies is to make him “creator,” instead of just “thief.” Many well-meaning believers have glorified lucifer, making him an anti-god, so to speak. And this doctrinal error is every bit as heretical and dangerous as the universalist doctrine that seeks to make man “god” apart from God.
Now, the enemy is a high-level fallen being, possessing many once-glorious gifts and attributes corresponding to his lofty job of covering the throne. This is why we are told to respect his wiles. And this is why the archangel Michael dared not revile him (Jude 9). God’s Kingdom is built upon honor and is governed by spiritual protocols, even concerning fallen foes. It is imperative that we rightly divide the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15) in regard to our adversary.
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
-John 10:10, NKJV
These words of Jesus establish with certainty that the adversary is a fallen being who no longer possesses any creative ability and whose job description is to steal, kill and destroy. But what is he stealing? He steals the things that God has created, including knowledge of and access to the supernatural world. Who is he stealing from? Us, God’s children. How does he destroy? He perverts the beautiful gifts that God has created until they are barely recognizable and then uses them to accomplish his evil agenda. Just because people are illegally walking in something stolen does not mean it is theirs. Just because people learn about and put language to a spiritual law or technology does not mean they created it.
It is a spiritual law that the unseen realm influences and governs the seen realm. And spiritual laws, like the law of gravity, work for whoever applies them. God is so good that He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45). Even unbelievers, as beings created in God’s likeness, can harness the innate power of the human soul, causing unseen reality to manifest tangibly in the earth realm. Every human being has the power to do this and actually is doing this every moment of every day, either knowingly or unknowingly. Because of free will, man can utilize the laws of God, and, just like Adam, choose to be his own source. We must be very careful not to give the adversary credit for something that was birthed by God. And we must be very careful not to reject our Father’s gifts to us just because we see others illegally accessing the distorted version of them. Because of who lucifer is NOT, there can be no counterfeit without there having first been a “real!”
When we align our view of lucifer with Scripture and cease giving him undue credit, we will no longer be afraid of these stolen counterfeits. Freed from fear, we will begin to recognize and walk in all the gifts and technologies Jesus died to give us. Light displaces darkness just by showing up. In the same way, the adversary and his subordinates will be displaced from their positions of usurped power and will be stripped of their stolen goods… as we just show up, releasing and BEing the light!
Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
-Luke 10:17-19, NKJV
Just the return of these stolen treasures would gloriously transform creation, but it doesn’t stop there. The Biblical principle of restoration demands a seven-fold return!
And thieves who get caught must pay back seven times what was stolen and lose everything.
-Proverbs 6:31, CEV
Jesus must remain in heaven until the restoration of all things, about which God spoke long ago through his holy prophets.
-Acts 3:21, CEB
We see clearly from this Scripture that God has promised the full restoration of everything that fell under Adam’s stewardship. Because we really cannot comprehend the magnitude of what was lost in Adam, we have yet to know all that Yeshua has restored to us. But we do know that Adam was a multidimensional being, who walked in dominion over the laws of this physical realm rather than being subservient to them. Because that is our original design, that is what we will look like, as we grow into the fullness of all that has been restored to us through Christ! We are in a season where the mature sons of God are taking back all that Adam lost… all that Christ purchased for us with His shed blood. And this restoration will manifest in all of creation through us, the sons of God!
The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! For against its will the universe itself has had to endure the empty futility resulting from the consequences of human sin. But now, with eager expectation, all creation longs for freedomfrom its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children.
-Romans 8:19-21, TPT
It’s about to get exciting on planet earth!
If this resonates with you, pray this prayer with me:
Father, forgive me for any ways I have glori!ed the adversary, giving him credit for things You created for my good and Your glory. Forgive me for any ways I have traded with a demonic spirit of fear and have rejected Your gifts to me. I receive them now, with thanksgiving. Thank You that Your sons are displacing darkness and low-level counterfeits, as we arise and shine. By Your grace, I will answer creation’s longing for the restoration of all things!
This is an excerpt from my most recent book, Restoring The Ancient Paths: Reclaiming Divine Technologies. You can order on my website HERE or on Amazon HERE.
Until next time,
Virginia