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If one has not encountered this idea before , it can be a shock , but many here today have been thinking from this perspective for so long that they do not realize what a radically different perspective it is .
There are Scriptural stories , however , that can give a glimpse of what it is like to experience this shift . We read , for instance , of the time when the King of Syria feared Elisha , the prophet of God , and sent a great army against him :
And the servant of the man of God got up early to arise , and he went out , and behold , an army was surrounding the city , both horse and chariot , and his young man said unto him , Alas my lord , what shall we do ? And he said , Fear not ; for they who be with us are more than they who be with them .
And Elisha prayed and said , O Jehovah , open his eyes , I pray , that he may see . And Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man and he saw ; and , behold , the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha . ( 2 Kings 6:15-17 )
And so too there can be troubled times in our lives , times when we feel alone , and yet , if our spiritual sight were to be opened , we would see the reality of the heavenly army with which the Lord surrounds each one of us .
Again , the book of Genesis tells the story of the patriarch Jacob and a journey he took . He stopped to pass the night in a place that clearly did not seem remarkable to him at the time . But as he slept he had a dream , a dream that showed him a vision of a ladder or stairway reaching from earth to heaven , with angels ascending and descending and the Lord above the top . When he awoke , he exclaimed :
How fearsome is this place ! This is none other than the house of God , and this is the gate of the heavens . ( Genesis 28:17 )
His eyes were opened to recognize the presence of God and the gateway to spiritual reality in this seemingly ordinary place . So too can our eyes be opened if we will let them to see the presence of spiritual forces behind our superficial view of the world around us . Perhaps we can get some idea of what this might be like by thinking about an example even on the purely natural level .
Picture this : Your high school or college class takes a field trip into the autumn wilderness . You follow a naturalist of many years ’ experience down a woodland path . You try to be observant . You recognize that there are different kinds of trees ; you note some leaves taking on their fall color ; you see the variety of grass and brush in the understory . Perhaps you notice some lateblooming flowers . But suddenly your guide stops . Pointing some distance from the trail , he says , “ vole tracks .” You look , but you see nothing . Your party goes to investigate . Even as your guide stands above the spot , you still see nothing . As he bends over and points a twig mere inches from the ground you finally see the tiny indentations , a miniature set of footprints . How did your
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