There is an interesting story in the 6th chapter of II Kings. God has been telling Elisha about the war plans of the Syrian army. Elisha reports all that he learns to his king, the king of Israel. With this information, the king of Israel is able to counteract the Syrians’ plans.
Once the king of Syria becomes aware of Elisha’s efforts, he amasses a large portion of his army to go and seize Elisha. One morning, Elisha wakes to find the town he is in has been surrounded by the Syrian army, and he knows why. Elisha’s servant is panicking, because he also knows why they’re there. In his attempt to assure his servant, Elisha makes a strange statement.
“Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
II Kings 6:16
Really? Who else is with them? These two men are standing alone facing an entire Syrian brigade!
So Elisha prays:
“Oh Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.”
II Kings 6:17
And the Lord opened the servants eyes, and what did he see? The mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire!
Now, please take a step back and carefully consider the situation, as I ask you – which is true:
- 2 men were facing the Syrian army -or-
- 2 men and a host of heaven were facing the Syrian army
Do not give your answer so quickly. Consider again the question. Which is true?
The answer is both were true!
In the natural realm, there were only 2 men facing the Syrian army. But in the the supernatural, beyond our ability to perceive, there is a reality that is just as real. In this realm, there was a host of heaven standing with those two men!
Why do we need to understand this? Because the Kingdom exists far outside the parameters of human perception. If we are going to seek this Kingdom and live in it, we must first understand that its very existence is not going to be detected by our 5 senses. When God says, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” the evidence of whether God is with you at the moment of your crisis is not based on what your 5 senses are perceiving. Elisha and his servant stood desperately hopeless, facing swift destruction – but only in the natural realm. In the spiritual (the supernatural) realm, God had assigned a host on their behalf. There was no way for those 2 men to know that God’s host was there by using their 5 senses. But it was there. And it was real. Very real.
So we see from this story there are 2 realms
- the natural
- the supernatural
Both realms are true. We live in both realms. But you must choose which one you are going to live by. Because most often they conflict.
The servant was living by the natural, as do most of us most of the time. Elisha was living by the supernatural. If God said, then Elisha believed. No matter what the circumstances tried to tell Elisha, Elisha believed only what God told him. The circumstances said, “This is hopeless. You will never survive. The Syrian king will have your head.” God said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Elisha made a choice.
And do you know the end of the story in II Kings 6? Elisha single-handedly led the entire Syrian army to the King of Israel and turned them in as prisoners of war! (I’ll let you go and read your Bible to see how he did it!)
So now that you are aware of both these sides of reality, you must consider which one you will live by. Your circumstances will most often conflict with what God says to you through His Word. Which are you going to choose to walk in? Will you, like the servant, continue to live by the natural circumstances of life? Or are you like Elisha, ready to take the step of faith and choose to live by the supernatural truth of God’s Word? Once you realize that you must walk by the Word of God and believe every word that has proceeded out of God’s mouth, no matter what the circumstances are, you will have experienced your first glimpse into the reality of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ!
Continue to Lesson 6 – A Multidimensional Kingdom
Return to the beginning of the teaching series – Introduction, Click here
Lesson 1 – A Kingdom Purpose
Lesson 2 – The Importance of Seeking God’s Kingdom
Lesson 3 – Expectations in the Kingdom
Lesson 4 – Entering the Kingdom
