In our daily meditations over the last two days, we have examined what the Bible says about the unseen realm that intersects with Earth. There are not only angels of God in that hidden realm but also evil angels and demons. God has given us protection against evil spirits through an unseen barrier. In a later meditation, we will talk about the armor of God given to Christians for their protection against the enemy's warfare, but for now, let's talk about the natural “fence” or “hedge” (Job 1:10). This barrier keeps the enemy from making inroads into people's lives:
6One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. 7The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it." 8Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on Earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." 9"Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. 10"Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face." 12The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger" (Job 1:6-12 Emphasis mine).
Satan wanted to destroy Job’s testimony of God's faithfulness, and for unstated reasons, God allowed the hedge of protection to be removed and permitted Satan’s attack on Job. The enemy strategizes how he can break down that natural barrier that protects our soul from fear, bondage, and servitude to demonic forces. When we play around with drugs or the occult, this "hedge" is gradually eroded or cut back, and one can see and experience things that are generally unseen.
The enemy, Satan, gives occult power to those obedient to his will. Mystical power can attract those seeking such things, but it never comes without a price. Every form of evil supernatural power comes with a hook, trapping one in satanic bondage. When we obey our enemy and do his will, oppression, and darkness always result. Drugs are another means of eroding that barrier to experiencing other states of reality.
Satan never gives away such experiences without bringing those searching in the darkness closer to him. God, by His Spirit, also enables His people to move in supernatural power if we are open to being used by Him, but when God leads His people to act under His authority, there is never a hook. It brings joy and peace to the heart to be used by God. Unlike walking with the enemy, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is always liberty and freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17)
Chip Ingram, the author of a book called “The Invisible War,” states, "There is a visible and an invisible world that intersects, and we live in that intersection."[1] Sometimes, people may see things in the unseen realm when they are sick. There are also accounts of people seeing into the other realm as they die. For instance, Svetlana Stalin, the daughter of Josef Stalin, the evil leader of Russia from 1922-1953, accompanied her father while he lay terminally ill and said she would never again sit alongside an unbeliever who was dying. She said that he went into hell, kicking and screaming. Voltaire was said to have died crying out in torment. As for those who know God, C.M. Ward said, "No Christian has ever been known to recant on his deathbed." Keith Thomas
[1] Chip Ingram, The Invisible War, Published by Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI. Page 39.
This shortened meditation is from the series, The War Against Satan and Demons; the study is 1. The Unseen Realm.