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Aug. 1, 2016 - Praying Medic

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056 The Biblical Basis for Traveling the Spirit

A straightforward study from the scriptures on traveling in the spirit. Resources Keys to Traveling in the Spirit on MP3 Supernatural Transportation by Michael Van Vlymen

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	Hi, I'd like to welcome you to our show.
	I'm your host, Prang Medic.
	We're talking about life as a child of God and all things related to His Kingdom.
	Thanks for joining us.
	If you're a new listener to the show, you can find articles and books and other resources on my website www.prangmedic.com.
	Now let's jump into this week's show.
	Hey everybody, so glad you could join me on the podcast today.
	Today I'm going to be talking about one of my favorite subjects, traveling in the Spirit.
	The purpose of this message is to outline the biblical basis for traveling in the Spirit.
	There are many believers who are under the impression that what some of us call traveling in the Spirit is not biblical.
	A lot of people have heard that it's astral projection.
	That it's only done by the New Age, and that believers shouldn't be doing it.
	But the truth is, there's a surprising amount of scripture that either describes or teaches the principles of spiritual travel.
	I'm going to go through the scriptures starting in the Old Testament, and then go to the New Testament, and look at examples where prophets and apostles had experiences where they were traveling in the Spirit.
	We're going to begin in 1 Kings chapter 18.
	The 18th chapter of 1 Kings has a fascinating interaction between the prophet Elijah and Obadiah.
	The word of the Lord had come to Elijah, saying that the drought which he prophesied was coming to an end.
	So Obadiah had been serving King Ahab, who sent him to find pasture for their animals.
	He was on the road and he met Elijah, who sent Obadiah to tell Ahab where he was.
	Now, Obadiah apparently knew that Elijah had been physically moved by God as he confronted the prophet about his fear that if he told the king where Elijah was, he would disappear and go somewhere else.
	1 Kings chapter 18, I'm going to read verses 11 and 12.
	And now you say, Go tell your master, Elijah is here.
	And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know.
	So when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me.
	This passage indicates that Elijah had been traveling supernaturally to different locations in his physical body.
	He was doing it under the direction of God and Obadiah was aware of it.
	Some people who believe spiritual travel is for Christians are under the impression that it always has to be done under the control of God.
	Well, let's take a look at another example and see if that's true.
	In the fifth chapter of 2 Kings, there's an account that can only be interpreted as a case of the prophet Elisha traveling in the Spirit.
	So, let me give you some background.
	In this story, Naaman, the Syrian general, had come down with leprosy.
	Elisha volunteered to heal him, but instead of meeting with the general in person, he sent his servant Gehazi to tell Naaman to wash himself in the Jordan.
	If you remember, he told him to dip in the Jordan seven times.
	Naaman was not happy about this.
	He had a lot of objections.
	He said, we have better rivers in Syria than you have in the Jordan.
	Look, I'm a general.
	What are you trying to pull?
	Why don't you just come out and heal me?
	His servant said, look, You know, if he had told you to do some great thing, you'd do it.
	Why don't you just do it and see what happens?
	So Naaman reluctantly went down to the Jordan.
	He dipped himself in the water seven times and he was healed.
	After he was healed, he offered gifts to Elisha, which he refused.
	Naaman then left, but Gehazi followed him and asked him for silver and garments.
	Elisha had gone back to his home.
	So the general gave clothing and silver to Gehazi.
	He went and stashed them before he returned to the house of Elisha.
	When he got there, Elisha was waiting for him and asked him where he'd gone.
	Gehazi lied and said he didn't go anywhere.
	Elisha then said, this is in verse 26, The word lave here in this verse, which is translated heart, can also be translated inner man or spirit.
	So, Elisha told Gehazi that he had secretly traveled with him in this spirit to witness what had transpired between him and Naaman.
	He knew exactly what Gehazi had done and said the disease that Naaman had was now going to be his.
	Many people believe that spiritual travel is done under the direct control of God.
	They believe that we can't do it safely by exercising our free will.
	But this passage clearly illustrates a case where a prophet of God exercised his free will to travel in the Spirit to observe one of his servants who he didn't trust.
	This is not a case where God initiated the travel or controlled it.
	Elisha just used his ability to travel in the Spirit to eavesdrop on one of his servants.
	Now we're going to go to 2 Kings chapter 6.
	The background for this story is Syria and Israel had been at war.
	Elisha had been receiving information on the Syrian king's troop placement.
	The knowledge that Israel had was so accurate that the Syrian king suspected there was a spy.
	He asked his servants who the traitor was.
	One of the servants said, there was no traitor, explaining in verse 12, the prophet who is in Israel tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.
	Now, the servant basically said Elisha somehow had secrets that the king only spoke about in private.
	How did Elisha have access to this information?
	Well, we don't know for certain, but we already know that Elisha was adept at traveling in the spirit and he had spied on his own servants.
	The most likely explanation is that Elisha probably traveled in the spirit to the king of Syria's bedroom to listen in on his private conversations.
	He would get information and then go back and tell the king of Israel.
	Next, we're going to go to Ezekiel chapter 3.
	This is one of the most well-known cases of spiritual travel.
	In this chapter, God had commissioned the prophet to speak to his people who were in captivity.
	In verses 14 and 15, we read, The Spirit lifted me up and took me away.
	I went in bitterness and turmoil, but the Lord's hold on me was strong.
	And then I came to the colony of Judean exiles, and I was overwhelmed and sat among them for seven days.
	So this is an example where the prophet was physically picked up and transported a distance of, well, at least hundreds, possibly over a thousand miles.
	It was a sovereign act of God.
	The Lord picked him up and moved him.
	Ezekiel was actually a very supernatural prophet.
	It seems like he was being picked up and moved by God quite often.
	In chapter 8 there's a similar account.
	I'll read verses 2 and 4 from chapter 8.
	I saw a figure that appeared to be a man.
	From the waist down, he looked like a burning flame.
	From the waist up, he looked like a gleaming amber.
	He reached out what seemed to be a hand and took me by the hair.
	Then the Spirit lifted me up into the sky and transported me to Jerusalem.
	In a vision from God, I was taken to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the temple, where there's a large idol that made the Lord very jealous.
	Suddenly, the glory of the Lord God of Israel was there, just as I had seen it before in the valley.
	Now, Ezekiel describes this both as an experience where the hand of the Lord picked him up, but he also says he saw this in a vision.
	There is another account similar to this in chapter 40.
	I'm going to read verses 2 and 4 from chapter 40.
	In a vision from God, He took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain.
	From there I could see toward the south what appeared to be a city.
	As He brought me nearer, I saw a man whose face shone like bronze, standing beside a gateway entrance.
	He was holding in his hand a linen measuring cord and a measuring rod.
	And he said to me, Son of Man, watch and listen.
	Pay close attention to everything I show you.
	You have been brought here so that I can show you many things.
	Then you will return to the people of Israel and tell them everything you have seen.
	In this chapter, Ezekiel is asked to measure all the dimensions of the court.
	Again, this is an experience where the prophet was taken by the hand of the Lord, but he describes what he sees as a visionary experience.
	Now we're going to go to the New Testament and John Chapter 6.
	It's surprising how many people read this chapter and don't actually understand what's happening with this account, so I'm going to read it to you.
	This is John Chapter 6, verses 16 through 21 in the New King James Version.
	Now, when evening came, his disciples went down to the sea and got into the boat, and went over toward Capernaum.
	And it was already dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
	Then the sea arose, because a great wind was blowing.
	So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat, and they were afraid.
	But he said to them, It is I, do not be afraid.
	Then they gladly received him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at land where they were going.
	The disciples are on the Sea of Galilee.
	They've rowed out three or four miles.
	It is the middle of the night and there's a storm.
	The Sea of Galilee is about nine miles across at the widest point from east to west.
	If the disciples had rowed three or four miles, they were somewhere in the middle of the sea.
	Jesus came to them.
	He got into the boat and then it says immediately the boat was at land where they were going.
	They didn't have to continue rowing for several more hours to get to Capernaum.
	The boat was immediately there.
	Jesus gets into the boat.
	So this is a case of group translocation.
	If you are wondering if this is possible for us, I believe it is.
	three or four, maybe as many as five or six miles.
	So this is a case of group translocation.
	If you are wondering if this is possible for us, I believe it is.
	One of the very first dreams that I had where the Lord started speaking to me about traveling in the spirit, I had two friends of mine who were with me in this dream and we were being physically picked up and located what I call translocation to different places where we We were being shown different experiences.
	We were being taught how this happened.
	We were kind of comparing notes as to what we observed.
	Next, I would like to go to Luke chapter 4.
	There's an account in this chapter of a mob that attempted to throw Jesus over a cliff.
	I'm going to read from Luke chapter 4 verses 28 through 30 in the New Living Translation.
	When they had heard this, the people of the synagogue were furious.
	Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of a hill on which the town was built.
	They intended to push him over the cliff, but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.
	This is a case where Jesus was seen by the crowd.
	He was visible, but no one was able to grab him.
	Some have described this as a kind of a quantum event.
	Actually, Michael Van Vlijmen, who has written the book Supernatural Transportation, has an account of this happening to him in that book.
	I know of other people who have had similar experiences.
	Next, we're going to go to Acts chapter 8.
	One of the most well-known passages describing physical transportation of a believer is found in this chapter.
	Let me give you the background.
	So, Philip had gone down to Ethiopia at the direction of an angel to find a eunuch who had been reading the scroll of Isaiah.
	So, Philip finds the eunuch, and he joins him in the chariot.
	He explains a passage the eunuch is reading, and the eunuch asks if he could be baptized.
	Philip said, yeah, you can be baptized.
	They happened to be near a ditch.
	There was water in it.
	They went down in the ditch, and Philip baptized him.
	When Philip came up, he was carried away.
	I'll read what it says from verses 38 and 40.
	So he commanded the chariot to stand still, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
	Now when they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more.
	And he went on his way rejoicing.
	So Philip was picked up and taken to Caesarea, and continued preaching there.
	The next chapter I'd like to go to is 2 Corinthians 12.
	In his second letter to the Church of Corinth, the Apostle Paul described an incident of spiritual travel that happened years earlier.
	Although he didn't claim it as one of his own experiences, many Bible commentators believe it was Paul and that he omitted the fact out of humility.
	I'm going to read verses 1-4 from 2 Corinthians 12.
	It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast.
	I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
	I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago, whether in the body I do not know or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows, such a one was caught up into the third heaven.
	And I know such a man, whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows, how he was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words, which is not lawful for a man to utter.
	So, let me give you some background information and some things to think about regarding this verse.
	Paul stated that the person who had this experience, whether they were in the body or out, they did not know.
	This is a common problem for people who travel in the Spirit.
	Sometimes you are aware that you are traveling out of body, and sometimes you're not sure.
	Paul said that the person who had this experience heard inexpressible words that are not lawful for a man to utter.
	Some have taken this as a prohibition against telling others what they've seen or heard during their spiritual journeys, but I'm not sure that's actually what this is teaching.
	There are two kinds of revelation that God gives to us.
	One kind is intended to be shared with others, and the other is intended to be kept to ourselves.
	When someone has an experience or they receive revelation, they are usually told whether or not it can be shared.
	And apparently, the experience that Paul wrote about was allowed to be shared even though the revelation he received was not.
	This is a similar concept that's found in the books of Daniel and Revelation.
	Daniel was told twice after receiving revelation from God to seal up the book.
	It was not to be given out at that time.
	But in Revelation chapter 22, the Apostle John was told not to seal up the book, although both of them were allowed to share the experiences that they had.
	Whether or not you're allowed to share the revelation you receive or describe the experience is something that the Lord can help you out with.
	Next, we're going to go to the book of Revelation.
	In Revelation chapter 1, the Apostle John wrote, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day.
	The phrase that he uses here in the Greek, in the Spirit, means to become totally absorbed with what is going on in the Spirit, to the point where you are completely unaware of what is happening in the physical world.
	His primary understanding of what was happening was completely focused on what was going on in the spiritual world.
	Nearly the entire book of Revelation is written from the perspective John had while he was in the spiritual world, talking with Jesus, meeting with various creatures, speaking with angels.
	In chapter 4, John writes, After these things I looked, and behold, a door was standing open in heaven.
	And the first voice, which I heard like a trumpet speaking with me, said, Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.
	So, John was shown a door, a portal, if you will, and he was told by the voice, come up here and I will show you things to come.
	We have to understand the dynamic here.
	John wasn't told, I'm going to bring you up here.
	He wasn't picked up like Ezekiel was, sovereignly, and carried somewhere.
	The voice told John, you need to exercise your free will and you need to come up into the heavens.
	I want to show you some things.
	So John needed to exert his will and go into the heavens.
	He needed to ascend, if you will, into the heavens to see what the Lord wanted to show him, to hear what he needed to hear, and to write down the things that he needed to write down.
	If we did not have an apostle like John, who was sort of a mystic, we would not have the book of Revelation.
	There are many more stories in the Bible of spiritual travel that I'm going to cover in the book, Traveling in the Spirit Made Simple.
	When it becomes available, I hope you have a chance to check it out.
	Thanks for listening.
	Pragmatic out.
	Well, folks, that is our show for today.
	I hope you enjoyed it.
	Thanks for dropping by.
	If you're new to the podcast and you haven't been to my website, you might drop by and check out the articles I have there.
	If you have any questions or comments about the show, you can contact me at admin at prayingmedic.com.
	That's A-D-M-I-N at prayingmedic.com.
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	I'd like to thank you again for dropping by.

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