Life has substance in Heaven!
In March I wrote about tongues being an extra-dimensional language, which was a revelation from God (see Vision and Extra-dimensional Prayer). Today I got a glimpse of Heaven, and God showed me that in Heaven everything has extra-dimensionality, even those things that seem insubstantial to us: words, colors, thoughts, life, and spirit. Of course, those things are for the most part indescribable. There is no practical way to describe extra dimensions in a way that three-dimensional beings can understand. That’s why the Bible has lots of bizarre creatures and visions. That’s also why people who have been to Heaven try to describe what it’s like, and they can’t adequately do it. They say vague things about the flowers, grass, and trees being so alive. That’s because the flowers, grass, and trees in Heaven are alive, and the life in Heaven is extra-dimensional. In other words, the living things in Heaven have an extra-dimensional substance to them that makes them seem somehow more alive than their earthly counterparts—and indeed they are more alive.
John Paul Jackson had an interesting insight into the physical state of fallen angels (including satan himself). He said that they continue falling, losing authority, and losing their former beauty as they fall farther and farther out of Heaven and away from God, the Source of all life. So in other words, while the devil can manifest as an angel of light (which he once was), it is harder and harder for him to do so. At the same time it is important to remember that the gifts and the calling are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). He noted that authority has to do with proximity to God. Think of Joseph in the Egyptian prison (Genesis 40). He had no authority in Egypt. But when he got close to Pharaoh, proximity gave his very great authority. The fallen angels have lost their authority as a result of falling ever-farther away from God, but their gifts and power remain.
So the devil, who was Heaven’s worship leader, has lost his authority, yet he retains his musical power and gifting. This is why he has such a strong hold on the music industry. If it seems that some popular musicians have made a deal with the devil—that could literally be true. In fact, many rock bands have boasted of their satanic ties, while others try to hide it under a cover of good works. (See the four-part series They Sold Their Souls for Rock and Roll—and it’s not only rock and rollers who have made this unholy alliance, there are also country artists.) If you think it doesn’t matter what music you listen to, just look at how music influenced the Columbine killers. In some of their posts they quoted violent song lyrics that they later acted out to the letter. The computer programmers have a saying: “Garbage in, garbage out.” If you feed your mind (and spirit) garbage music, what kind of harvest do you think you’ll reap? At best you’ll produce no fruit at all, but is that a good thing? (Matthew 21:18-19 & John 15:1-8).
This thought led me to a deeper understanding of the importance of worship. In fact, I believe that the more free and extravagant that we are in worship, the more effective we are in tearing down strongholds and advancing the Kingdom. It may just look like singing and dancing, but it is a powerful form of warfare. And the more our spirit, mind, and body cooperate in worship, the greater the victory against the enemy. Think of each worship song as a tank, a battleship, a fighter jet; and think of each dance as a grenade, a missile, a nuclear bomb. We have weapons of mass destruction to destroy every work of the enemy, and we don’t even realize it. Think of Joshua at Jericho (Joshua chapter 6). Think of Jehoshaphat’s worshipers that led the army of Judah into battle (2 Chronicles 20).
But what do we do? We stand when the worship begins in church on Sunday morning, but we don’t sing out-loud for fear of sounding off-key. We may clap when prompted by the worship leader, but not with any real enthusiasm, and quitting as soon as we can. Some of us raise our hands, but our bodies remain still as statues. The few who do dance or worship with flags are often criticized by those who think they are doing it to get attention.
Any time that you step out in faith and do something out of your comfort zone because of the Holy Spirit’s prompting (whether in worship or ministry), there will always be someone who doesn’t have the same vision or revelation that God has given you. You will be criticized. And although the devil has seeded his own in the churches, it doesn’t mean that the critic is one of the devil’s flock. Often sincere believers will criticize someone’s vision, believing that they are helping you find your way back to the truth. This is when it’s very important to ignore criticism (with all the kindness and compassion in you) and cling to God and to the vision He has given you. Of course, every vision and every revelation must be measured up to the Word of God. If your vision contradicts the Bible, then you need to repent and get back on course. Sometimes the critic are right.
So be courageous, be bold, be full of faith, and go destroy the works of the enemy. God is good!
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