The Invisible World- (Doug Batchelor) AmazingFacts ©

when God made Adam and Eve in the beginning man had another dimension there was something about our natures where we were plugged in we had receivers that were able to pick up that spiritual world for over 40 years amazing facts has been dedicated to sharing God's Word through media this program features highlights from some of our best television broadcasts we invite you to sit back and enjoy this edition of amazing facts presents we share time and space right now with another whole world that we cannot see it's invisible invisible to us it wasn't always that way turn with me in your Bibles to the second book of Kings chapter 6 if we could just believe a little more and what we don't see it would change the lives that we live that we do see right now and the story begins in second Kings 6 with verse 8 the king of Syria was trying to find some way to ambush the king of Israel they were always at war they're still at war today really and he would set up these ambushes where he thought the king of Israel might be passing through some valley or down some road where he would not have his whole army and they could surprise them they used to have marauding Raiders that would come into the land but every time their army got ready to do a surprise attack it seemed like the king of Israel somehow found out where they were and either launched a counter-attack or avoided them now this really began to bother the king of Syria and he finally figured the only way the king of Israel knows whatever my plans are I must have a mole I've got a spy on the inside that's telling him what my plans are and he called his war council together and he said alright fess up which of you is for the king of Israel who is betraying my secret plans and one of his advisers said it's none of us Oh King but Elijah the man of God the prophet in Israel he tells the king of Israel what you say in your bedchamber oh he had heard about Elijah he'd heard about these prophets of Israel how powerful they were he said so they have a secret weapon well we need to capture their secret weapon find out where Elijah is and they came back and said well we found him he's in a little town it's not very well fortified it's called Dothan Dothan means wells it was a little town with a couple of little wells for sheep you remember when Joseph went looking for his brothers they had gone to Dothan this pasture land lowlands couple of wells and he said all right we're going to send an army and we're gonna seize their secret weapon won't harm him but we're going to arrest them and then we'll be able to freely attack the king of Israel and Elijah won't be telling them what our plans are early that morning in the same way that Elijah was an apprentice for Eli job Elijah had a servant that was sort of trainee as a son of the Prophet to maybe fill in his master's footsteps he gets up early in the morning as he often did he'd go catch the water from the well wash his face get some for the household and the walls around Dothan were pretty low just enough to keep the cattle out he goes and he gets the water the Sun is just beginning to come up and he sees the glint of armor and he may be off in the distance here's the snort or stomp of these horse hooves and he looks around his eyes get adjusted and he sees all the way around this little city of dalton is a great syrian army they're done for and this is where you find the story here verse 15 2nd Kings chapter 6 verse 15 and when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out there was an army surrounding the city with horses and chariots fly Kevin tanks today and he runs in the wakes epilation he says alas man what will we do and Elijah came out he rubbed his eyes and he looked and he saw the Syrian army was he worried no he had trained under Elisha al I just stood up two kings and armies he wasn't worried he said do not fear for those who are with us are more than those who are with them he said basically you and God are a majority it may not always see that way or feel that way and even when Peter took out his sword to defend Jesus and the the mob came to arrest him Jesus said put your sword back Peter don't you know that I can say the word and God will send 12 legions of angels to deliver me and so he then prays an interesting prayer his his servant didn't seem convinced when Elijah said those that be with us are more than those would be with him Elijah prayed he said Lord I pray thee open his eyes that he might see and the Lord opened his eyes of the young man and he saw and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots and fires all around Elijah now Dothan was surrounded by hills and you could see hills that are on the other side of the Jordan hills were on their side of the Jordan and so when he said open his eyes here you get this little little sheep town little looked like a little Pueblo of Dothan and then you've got the Syrian army with their horses and chariots surrounding it but when his eyes were open he lifted up his eyes above the Syrian army and in the hills all around the city of Dothan he saw blazing bright chariots and horses of fire they had been there but they were invisible his eyes needed to be open to see it and that encouraged his faith and then you know you read the rest of the story when the Syrians finally closed in on the town Elijah walks out to meet them and he said this is not what you're looking for he says I'm going to take you where you really want to go you don't want to go here I'll show you who you're really looking for you don't want me you want king of Israel I'm paraphrasing says follow me and Elijah prayed Lord smite this people with blindness and all of a sudden something happened to their perceptions where they got disoriented they either couldn't see or they didn't know where they were and Elijah he takes hold of a leader the lead horse and he begins to march over from Dothan to Samaria which is the capital of the northern empire and they've got a fortified city with a big courtyard and are all the war towers around it and he marches this whole army you can just imagine what that must have looked like when the watchman called there's an army approaching to the king and they locked the doors and they locked the city and they locked the gate and as everyone gets their armor and they get their swords and they get their spears and they're all ready for a surprise battle and the watchman says now your highness if I'm not mistaken it doesn't look like they've got their bow is strung it doesn't look like they're ready for battle it looks like they're just walking down the road and if I'm not mistaken that's Elijah leading them and Elijah comes to the gate and he shouts up open the gate while they listen to Elijah they opened the gate he leads this army into the midst of the walls of Samaria and now all of the soldiers of Israel are on the walls all around them and they their bows however you do that and they're ready to launch their spears and the king of Israel says shall i smite them shall i smite them let's mow him down he knowed Elijah says no you've captured him why would you kill him give him something to eat and drink oh I know and then he prays open their eyes I forgot that part can you imagine the expression on the soldiers faces when all of a sudden they become oriented again their eyes are open they realize where they are and they find out they're now surrounded the conquerors became the conquerors and they're surrounded by their enemy and he says give him something to eat and drink and send them back to their master and you know this story ends by saying that the radiant armies of the Syrians Kame no more and this is verse 23 into the land of Israel these marauding bands they said look they've got a secret weapon we can't fight against now I share this story with you because it's just a great story to illustrate the central point of this message which is that we are surrounded by things that you cannot see that are very real God is real you can't see him we're surrounded by angels good and bad the Holy Spirit and if your eyes could be open and you could see these things it'd be a lot easier for us to live the Christian life but we sometimes forget that this is not it there's a whole spiritual world that we can't see in most of the world is blinded to that 2nd Corinthians 4 verse 3 and 4 but even if our gospel is veiled it is veiled to those who are perishing the perishing world cannot see the unseen world around us whose minds the god of this age has blinded the devil has blinded the eyes of the world around us who do not believe lest the light of the gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine upon them what does the word invisible mean that means not visible not perceptible to the eye withdrawn from or out of sight hidden not perceived or discernible to the mind not ordinarily found in an invisible thing or being an unseen or spiritual world aw Tozer said the root of the Christian life this is a very important thought the root of the Christian life lies in the belief in the invisible the object of the Christians faith is an unseen reality I'm not talking to you about fairytales today I'm talking to you about something that's very real you don't see everything that's real we're surrounded with things that are invisible that we believe in we're surrounded by invisible facts hopefully you've got it turned off but how many have a cellphone how is it that those signals somehow transmitted through the air and we don't know they're there right now you are completely swimming in cellphone calls the signals are floating all around you do you feel it some people have said now you've got that cell phone or that earpiece too close to your head you're going to get a tumor because you know all that radiation emitting I mean there's nowhere you can go in a city right now where you not somehow being bombarded by cell phone calls but you can't hear them Kenya it requires special equipment to receive those calls on those frequencies when God made Adam and Eve in the beginning man had another dimension there was something about our natures where we were plugged in we had receivers that were able to pick up that spiritual world and after man sinned and the glorious robes seemed to fade and disappear man lost like some people lose their sense of hearing some people can lose their sense of sight the human race has become a handicap in that we have lost our spiritual sense but that doesn't mean it's less real Paul said in first Timothy 1:17 now unto the King immortal invisible to God who alone is wise beyond our glory forever and ever God is invisible to us but does that mean he's less real how many of you have cooked some food in a microwave before you put your food in there you press a button it makes a noise you might have one of those revolving microwaves and somehow it's making this sound you don't know exactly what's happening but something's going through the air in that little box that's invisible to you and me I think it's like 2400 vibrations per second is happening in the molecule two thousand four hundred million vibrations per second and that is happening within those molecules so that instead of it taking you an hour to boil a potato in four minutes your baked potatoes none it's it's invisible now for the last six thousand years of Earth's history people would have thought you were crazy if you told them about television and microwaves and radio and all these frequencies that are going around us all the time so Jesus when he tried to communicate the invisible he use wind because you know you can't really see wind you see what wind does you can see the aftermath of a tornado you can see a tree bend over the will ripples in the grass but win for you and I is invisible matter of fact sometimes they look out and think what a beautiful day until you get outside then you get hit with the wind and God's Spirit is like that jesus said it's very real but we may not see it so this is very real invisible kingdom the Christ talks about now we will see the physical kingdom that will reign on earth here someday but the spiritual kingdoms already begun when Christ began preaching he said the kingdom of heaven is at hand it's available now to you and me not only are we surrounded by good angels that are there to protect we need to be mindful of there is also an invisible enemy that is very real and he would love for you to think that he's just a fable that he doesn't really exist but oh he does he's real Ephesians 6 verse 11 Paul said put on the whole armour of God that you might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil for we don't wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this age against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places these are principles and powers and spirits that are around us they're invisible to us but they live in the same time and place they're very real they're very involved in what happens in our world now I don't want you to become preoccupied with it don't think too much about it I think it was CS Lewis who said there's a couple of dangers we need to consider when we're thinking about this invisible world is that we don't believe it exists the other is we believe in it were preoccupied with it so you go around haunted all the time wondering what your good and bad angels are doing but it is true if somehow right now if I could pray the way Elijah prayed and your eyes could be opened you would probably see in this sanctuary right now armies of good angels and the Bible calls them chariots and horses of fire not necessarily meaning that God and His angels are galloping around heaven on horses with chariots clattering they used the vernacular of their day but God is God he's powerful angels Ezekiel talks about the wheel within the wheel and he was trying to find words to describe how God moves in these spirits and that's why Paul said can't even enter into your mind the things that God has prepared for those I love him it's a whole world we can't even understand except it's real you know I I understand that they've got I've seen him I've heard about them they've got invisible fences for training pets where they put a radio collar on a dog and they've got these little electronic components that are stationed around your yard and if the dog leaves or approaches these certain forbidden spots or these barriers this frequency starts to go out that hurts it's years and it shrinks back and it trains the dog to stay away from certain boundaries it's an invisible fence what you know the Lord sets a fence around his people what was the devil's complaint when God said have you considered my servant job is it all you put a hedge about him that's a fence there fences back then sometimes they grew a fence to keep the animal in it was like hedge row and he says you've you created a hedge of protection around in the angel of the lord encamps around about those that fear God God fences us and we don't need to be afraid of all the devils that might be out there in the evil forces God promises to protect his own and anything that he allows to come as with a job it'll God opened up the fence he gave limits to what the devil was allowed to do and God will not suffer you to be tempted above what you're able but every temptation that comes if you're trusting him you can be sure that what comes comes from your Heavenly Father and it will work together for good Romans 1:24 since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and Godhead can we see God even though he physically is invisible can we see God and the things he's made can you see him through creation how Paul says though he's invisible he is clearly seen through the things I can't see when but I can see when through the things that the effects of it through what it does the evidence for God and his reality is everywhere out there we believe in a lot of things that are invisible anyone here believe in love love is invisible do you believe in faith the real things in the world are invisible but you see them when they ricochet off of people now catch this light is invisible and you're probably thinking pastor do these lights are bothering my eyes right now how do you mean they're invisible course they're visible not really you get out in the space you can't see light you could matter of fact those who landed on the moon they commented that the thing they'll never forget was the inky velvet blackness of space because around the moon is no atmosphere what gives our sky the color it has is the atmosphere around the world when the the reason you see the moon is because the light hits it the reason you see the planets light strikes then so how do you see love loves really invisible until it ricochets off somebody how do you see faith it's reflected off of somebody these ideals are very real to us because you see them reflected off people's lives but otherwise they're intangible you were trying to explain love to people with words Colossians 1:13 through 17 he has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of his son of love in whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins he is the image Jesus is the image of the invisible God the firstborn over all creation for by him by Jesus all things were created that are in heaven above that are on the earth visible and invisible Paul says Christ created everything the things that are visible you see and there are invisible things you don't see are we going to just not believe in something because we can't see it what did Jesus say to Thomas unless I see him I'm not going to believe Jesus probably was not far away and he said aha Thomas next week he appears to Thomas Thomas says oh my lord and my god he falls down to worship Him Jesus is here you want to see you want to touch you won't believe unless you senses can all take it in and register everything said here touch my hands plunge your hand into my side see the nail wounds on my forehead I think he was being chastised for his lack of faith he says you believe because you've seen blessed are those who believe without seen when Elijah prayed and said Lord open the eyes of my servant you know it's a lie she didn't say open my eyes I don't know that Elijah could see that army of soldiers that were there does it ever say he saw them he knew they were there by faith but he said Lord I know you're there I believe in you I was with Elijah I saw the fiery chariots take him up into the heaven so I believed in them but he doesn't believe open his eyes so he can see you don't need to open my eyes I know they're there you hear that and so God is wanting us to have that kind of faith where you know he's real even if no one around you believes you know one thing that makes children special jesus said unless you're converted and you become like little children you will not enter the kingdom of heaven have you noticed when your children it's easier to believe in the invisible are you willing to raise your hand and admit you had an imaginary friend growing up how many of you are going to admit you have an imaginary friend now I know I've outgrown that I've got angels that take care of me but you know sometimes you talk to these little kids and you see the little girls there and she's got her little tea set and she's playing in the room alone by herself but she's got three places set and she's having a little tea party with her girlfriends that are imaginary or imagining your bunnies or whatever they are and do you condemn them for that no if you just kick out a lot of imagination and you know I wonder as we get older and we become more cynical and jaded if that damages our ability to believe in the unseen I know with all our kids when they're little I'd tell them yeah there's angels you can't see they go yeah I believe it mom and dad say it and there's a lot of things I don't understand why doubt that they have no problem you know why Jesus came Jesus came to make the invisible visible he came to help us to get a picture of what God is like through the life of Christ he showed us what God is like so we could see it matter of fact look at first John chapter 1 verse 1 that which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands of handle concerning the word of life the life was manifested and we have seen and bear witness and declare unto you that eternal life that was with the father was manifested to us we saw that which we have seen and heard we declare to you that you may also have fellowship with us and truly our Fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ Jesus came to help us see what God is like Jesus came to help us to see how to live Jesus came to help us to see how much God loves us through his sacrifice he came to reveal the father he came to show us to be an example and he came to demonstrate the love through sacrifice he came to help us to see Christ came to open the eyes of the blind you know the devil has been trying to blind the eyes of those in this age and like Elijah Jesus is saying Lord open their eyes stay tuned we'll be right back with this week's special offer you may be receiving a diluted gospel you got preachers who are not sharing it straight and then you get people who don't want it straight they are hiring and attracting to themselves teachers that will tell them what they are itching to hear you think I'm going to trust you to tell me what the gospel is and not find out for myself when my eternal life is at stake it's time to impact your life your world for Jesus Christ get the new challenging brain stimulating resource from dr. Neil Nedley in the lost art of thinking or try the brand-new prophecy foundations DVD featuring 50 hours of video teaching with Pastor Doug Batchelor even more audio files and 48 complete books save huge right now on life and world impacting resources at store dot amazing facts to RG your online Christian bookstore in six days God created the heavens and the earth for thousands of years man has worshipped God on the seventh day of the week now each week millions of people worship on the first day what happened why did God create a day of rest does it really matter what day we worship who was behind this great shift discover the truth behind God's law and how it was changed visit Sabbath truth Calm thank you for joining us for this broadcast if you've missed any of our amazing facts programs visit our website at amazing facts org there you'll find an archive of all our television and radio programs including amazing facts presents central study our everlasting gospel Bible answers live and wonders in the word you'll also find a storehouse of biblical resources geared towards answering some of your most difficult questions and our online bible school is just a click away one location so many possibilities amazing facts org can you describe what the wind looks like what color is it does it have a taste you may not be able to describe the wind but you know it's there you can see the effects of it you know many people have a difficult time believing in things they cannot physically see but this doesn't stop them from accepting the fact that the wind exists what about God can you describe what he looks like do you see the effects of his love how can you trust something or someone you don't know or can't see we would like to offer you a wonderful study guide entitled is there anything left you can trust this study book will give you a clearer picture on how to address this life-changing question please call our toll-free number and ask for offer number 103 if you prefer you can visit our website amazing facts 0rg well times up for this edition of amazing facts presents we will see you next time this is your last chance to take advantage of this week's special free offer there is no cost or obligation just call the toll-free number on your screen and be sure to note the offer number when you make your request you

Channel: 11:11 Ministries

Views: 76,453

Keywords: invisible, world, jesus, pray, god, prayer, holy, spirit, bible, sda, seventh-day, adventist, doug, batchelor, amazing, facts, religion, religious, spirituality, gospel, truth, lord, salvation, word

Id: htwIeHj4Yz4

Length: 28min 17sec (1697 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 04 2012