Our natural world exists within the spiritual realm, and the Bible shows us wonders and signs that indicate a spiritual world of angels and spirits invisible to the naked eye but discernable to the spirit. In some cases, God opens a gate so we can see into this realm, and the stories below are just a few examples that reveal an active and very real supernatural realm around us.
Photo by Edin Hopic
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever.. he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things.”
Daniel 2:20-22
As we are approaching Halloween/All Hallow’s eve, and people start thinking about the supernatural and the spiritual realm, we thought it would be fun to highlight a few spiritual acts that you may not be aware of in the Bible. Be sure to read the full chapter for more context. Don’t have a Bible on hand? Check out Bible Gateway for the full chapters.
- Daniel 5:5-6 The Writing is on the Wall
‘Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.’
- 2 Kings 6: 16-18 Heavenly Army of Angels
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.
- 1 Samuel 28: 11-13 Saul and the Medium
‘Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”
“Bring up Samuel,” he said.
When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”*
The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”
The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth.”’
*We note here that God was not pleased with Saul for consulting with a medium, and we share this simply as an illustration of the spirit world.
- Numbers 22: 26-31 Balaam, the Angel of the Lord and the Talking Donkey
‘Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”
…
Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.’
- Exodus 3: 2-4 Moses and the Burning Bush
‘There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”’