The Unseen World and How It Works
A veil exists between the spirit world and the earthly plane in which we live. However, God on occasion opens or lifts this veil to reveal to us His truths. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9–10).
God’s visible creation is an illustration of the things in the spirit, a picture of the world to come. For everything there, there’s a counterpart, a natural example, here. “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” (Romans 1:20, KJV).
Whenever there is a copy, somewhere there must be the original. To find God in everything makes life the greatest adventure there is!
The present material world is only temporary, but the now-unseen spirit world will never pass away. “Of old You [God] laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure” (Psalm 102:25–26). “The things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
The apostle Paul explained that our perception of the unseen world is presently somewhat obscured: “Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).
There is only one God Almighty, the Creator of all things, but there are also countless millions of lesser spiritual beings whom He has created, who operate within the bounds God has established for them.
The American preacher William M. Branham (1906–1965) explained his experiences with the spirit world this way: “They’re sort of like when I was a little boy. I wanted to see what was going on at the [baseball] game and I couldn’t afford to pay my way in, so I used to climb the fence and cling to the top of the fence and peek in. That’s sort of how the Lord does with me, only I don’t do it in my own energy anymore. Now it’s like when my big brother used to lift me up and hold me so I could peek over—the Lord sort of lifts me up and lets me peek in.”
God wants us to believe in things unseen purely by faith, because of what He says about them in His Word. If we could see all that is around us in the spirit world, it would be too easy to believe. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. … But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:1,6).
In Matthew chapter 8, we read of a Roman centurion who hit upon an important truth about the spirit world when he asked Jesus to heal his servant, saying, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (Matthew 8:8–9). God and Jesus don’t have to do everything or personally carry out every answer to our prayers. They’ve got plenty of help in the form of angels and other spirit beings, including believers who have died and passed over to the spiritual realm, whom the apostle Paul calls “the spirits of just men made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23).
The 11th chapter of the New Testament’s book of Hebrews lists the exploits of many of the most outstanding men and women of God who appear in the Old Testament. Immediately following this list of heroes and heroines of faith, we are told in the first verse of the next chapter, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). The heroes of faith of Hebrews 11 are among those many witnesses. Think how wonderful it is that there are millions up there, all watching and praying for us, and lots of them coming down to help!
Some helpers from the spirit world are given to people to stay with them and watch over them through their entire lives. These are commonly referred to as guardian angels (Psalm 34:7; 91:11–12). Others are sent on special assignments when there is an especially great need or in answer to prayer, such as the angel who came to Daniel’s aid when he was thrown into the den of lions, or the figure who mysteriously appeared with Daniel’s friends in the fiery furnace, who King Nebuchadnezzar said looked like “the Son of God” (Daniel 6:20–22; 3:22–28).
Because in our life here we are confined within the parameters of the four dimensions—length, breadth, depth, and time—there are many things about Heaven and the spirit world that are impossible for us to completely understand. Yet little bits and pieces that we gather start to fall into place like pieces in a giant intriguing puzzle. The more we learn, the more apparent it becomes that there is infinitely more to discover.