VISIONS OF GOD: Sharing One of My Experiences
One of the most fascinating descriptions and testimonies in the Bible is Ezekiel the Prophet’s testimony of “I saw visions of God” (Ezek. 1:1). Every time I read this portion of scripture, I can’t help but to stop and ponder and begin asking so many questions about this experience. There are so many testimonies in scripture from God’s servants of occasions when God broke through the earthly veil to reveal portions of His glory to His people. Many times they were revelations to His servants for the purpose of encouragement, wisdom, revelation for His people, and at times for salvation of souls. Ezekiel is one of those people who received miraculous revelations and beautiful pictures and interactions of God’s glorious throne room and eternal home. Here is Ezekiel’s description:
Ezekiel 1:1-3 “On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. This happened during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity. (The Lord gave this message to Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians, and he felt the hand of the Lord take hold of him.)”
On one occasion, I had a profound vision of the Heavenly and Earthly interactions. I would like to share this experience as an encouragement to you in how your prayers and worship to God are not in vain but how they interact and move God to respond on our behalf. I will also say that every experience we have should be filtered through God’s written Word and submitted to Christ as a tool for bringing glory to Jesus Christ (Rev. 19:10). I did not see a picture or vision of God or His throne room but saw how God uses the angels to work in the midst of His people.
“About 4 years ago, while attending a large Pastors and Church Leaders worship conference the Lord anointed my minds eyes (Holy Spirit-inspired vision) to see a glimpse of what it looks like in times of unified worship. As the 200-plus leaders worshiped the Lord in corporate song together, there was a clear sense that we were worshiping Jesus in unity. The atmosphere was thick with the tangible presence of the Lord. While we continued worshiping together, I began hearing people shouting and even some weeping in the presence of the Lord. As I had my eyes closed, I saw flashes of light at the top of the room and towards the high ceiling; lightening fast movement. I then saw what appeared to be an opening of light over the center of the sanctuary we were in. From the opening of light, there appeared to be slower movements of light ascending and descending over us. I could only imagine that these movements of light were angels sent from God to minister to and with us as we were worshiping Jesus. As I watched some of these angels moving towards individuals in the room, they appeared to be holding small bowls that were being presented in front of people. These angels appeared to be collecting our prayers and worship some how in these small bowls. As quickly as they had come they traveled back up this opening of light. I then saw those same angels who had left back towards Heaven with the bowls filled with prayers and worship then returning with the same bowls filled with some type of light or fire or oil or water or something and then being poured over those who had been offering the worship to Jesus. It seemed that this was a picture of how God uses angels to interact and collect the worship and prayers of the Saints on the Earth in order to participate with the worship and prayer in Heaven around God’s throne. As I opened to see with my my physical eyes, some of the people receiving the poured out gifts from Heaven and these people in the room were weeping in the presence of the Lord and physically being ministered to by God.”
This again was a real and powerful vision that I felt God gave to me and I believe He desires to open all of our eyes to receive visions like this also. I am listing a few Bible verses that reference how this vision might fit into The Biblical narrative:
David said about unity in worship: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalms 133:1
Writer of Hebrews said: ““Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.” Hebrews 1:14
Ezekiel said about the Living Creatures around God’s throne: “And the living beings darted to and fro like flashes of lightning.” Ezekiel 1:14
John from Revelation said: “And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” Revelation 5:8
John from Revelation also said: “Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out. Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake.” Revelation 8:3-5
There are many more Bible references of the Heavenly movements interacting with the Earthly. My prayer and hope is that God will give all of His children a holy and anointed imagination for the things that were and that are and that are to come. The life to come is our promise and home far more than this short physical life that is fading quickly. May God bless you and keep you and cause His beautiful revelation to be released to you. Amen!
David Futrell
IHOP-Miami
Prayer Missionary