“I’ve received a lot of hate from Christians,” the psychic told me, her eyes guarded.
When I thought to title this post, I almost wrote, “Psychics: A Christian Perspective,” but I realized how off putting that might be to psychics who have received something from Christians that they shouldn’t have: hate.
You won’t receive that here.
I do, however, want to offer a perspective from the Kingdom of God Mindset that lays at the foundation of how I interpret what seers see.
I frequently receive emails asking for readings from seers or psychics. Obviously, that’s not what this site is about, but one of those emails last week prompted these thoughts.
In the public arena, a psychic is someone who receives hidden information from extra-sensory perceptions. Where does the information come from?
As described here, those with psychic ability probably fall along a continuum of ability. For ease of understanding, I’ve broken the continuum into 7 categories.
The source of the extra-sensory perception depends on where the psychic is on the continuum. But not all “psychics” receive extra-sensory perception.
Charlatans
Charlatans are great at reading people’s physical states. They are extremely observant and able to detect what their subject wants or needs to hear. In The Wizard of Oz, Professor Marvel is a charlatan.
Once, while staffing a booth at a psychic fair, a young man with yellow eyes came to me for a “reading.” My team, of course, was doing prophetic encouragement but in that environment, we adopted the local language and offered “spiritual readings.”
I told this young man what I told everyone: the source of our knowledge is the Father in heaven, and the only way to the Father is Jesus, so we’ll ask the Father through Jesus to have the Holy Spirit reveal what God has for this young man. I invited the Holy Spirit, asked for a word, and waited.
This man stood perfectly still with a blank affect looking directly into my eyes.
I received the prophetic word, and gave it to him.
He was visibly startled.
“I wasn’t expecting to hear that. I go to a lot of these, and there’s a lot of fakes. They just read your face. I wanted to see if you were fake. Your reading was the most accurate I’ve ever received.”
I followed it up with, “It wasn’t me. God really wants you to know him.”
My point: he was looking to expose charlatans.
Empaths
An empath is very sensitive to what other people are feeling, to the point of feeling their emotions themselves. They are extremely intuitive. In the Myers Briggs/Keirsey Temperament Sorter, they are extreme INFPs or ENFPs.
It’s a marvelous gift and ability.
They are called into counseling, therapy, or pastoral ministry. Somewhere along the lines, they received guidance to channel their ability through the mask of psychic ability.
Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
These kinds of psychics were not trained to use their gifts appropriately. It is not rooted in the pure truth of God’s love as expressed through Jesus, so the help they end up offering others ends up tainted and distorted.
Parents: if your child expresses INFP or ENFP tendencies, guide him or her to get trained to use these amazing gifts for the most good.
Sensitives
These are people who are spiritually sensitive. They pick up spiritual baggage, spiritual entities, and spiritual destinies. They navigate these impressions, filtered through their worldview, to advise their clients.
They don’t see the baggage or entities or destinies, but they do receive impressions, and the impressions are probably accurate. The distortion comes from the incorrect worldview.
It’s important to adopt the worldview that Jesus had, or something close to it, rather than a gnostic or scientific framework when nagivating spiritual impressions to advise someone.
Seers
Seers are sensitives to an extreme: they actually see spiritual baggage, entities and destinies, and use what they see to advise their clients. Think of Whoopi Goldberg’s character in the movie Ghost.
The ability to see spiritual things is what this site is all about, so at the risk of sounding redundant: the best way to navigate what seers see is through the Kingdom of God Mindset.
False Prophets
Among Christians who think about these things, there is a ton of bad information regarding false prophets.
A false prophet is not a prophet speaking for God inaccurately or incorrectly. This is a “presumptuous” prophet.[ref]Deuteronomy 17:13[/ref]
A “false prophet” is a prophet who gets his or her information from a “false god” or any spiritual entity not aligned with God. (A “false god” is any spirit that receives worship, other than the one true God Most High).
Basically a False Prophet is anyone who delivers supernatural information from a spirit that is not the Holy Spirit or aligned with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sometimes angels or other spiritual beings aligned with God relay information from God. That’s not what I’m talking about.
I’m talking about receiving information from a demon or Watcher spirit or ghost who does not have permission from God to speak, and passing that information to their clients. This is a false prophet.
In the New Testament, false prophets told the truth. In fact, all the supernatural messages in the New Testament that originated from a demonic spirit were accurate. Their fruit revealed the source of the data.
While accurate, they were still false prophets: the source of the information makes them false. Again: Woopie Goldberg’s character in Ghost.
Psychics who get their data from false spirits might convey true facts and might appear to help.
But ultimately their fruit, which may be produced much later, will be sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.[ref]Galatians 5:19[/ref]
Illegal Prophets
Some psychics receive supernatural information from God, or they tap into God’s information, but they don’t do so through the Lord Jesus. They climb over the fence and steal Heaven’s resources, and then deliver that to their clients.
They are thieves and robbers, and their actions eventually steal, kill and destroy.
In other words, they may receive information from the Holy Spirit, and then deliver that information, but they refuse to glorify the Lord Jesus. These are illegal prophets.
If this is you, I implore you in love, align with the King Jesus, before whom all in heaven and earth and beneath the earth will be subject.
His reign is pure and true and results in selfless love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. The world needs more of this fruit.
Your loyalty matters. Be loyal to the Lord Jesus. He loves you and he’ll forgive you of all wrong doing.
Prophets
Someone who receives God’s message for someone else, and then delivers that message to glorify the Lord Jesus, is acting as a prophet or within the gift of prophecy.
Don’t get confused by the “office of prophet” talk in some quarters of the Christian community.
Prophets aren’t supposed to be in the office, but in the world speaking God’s words to others, offering God’s loving course corrections, and bringing God’s life with God’s words.
They are not psychics. They are prophets.
Apologetics: Ministry of Reconciliation
At the paranormal fair, when the young woman in the black dress who had a psychic/medium booth down the aisle came to me for a reading, she did not know I was an ambassador from the Kingdom of God, and a representative of the Lord Jesus.
When I told her that (not in so many words), she didn’t know what to do. I just said I would listen to see if I received God’s message for her.
I did.
I apologized for the hate.
And I told her God loves her. Really loves her. When the Lord Jesus sees her, he sees his little girl whom he loves and died for and came back to life for, so she could live with him forever.
And I cried. And she cried.
I had more from God for her, but that was just for her.
God’s representatives have no business hating psychics. God loves psychics.
God wants them to submit their gifts and abilities to his rule, so God’s Kingdom and God’s good fruit can fill the earth.
God implores his representatives to tell them that, so they can be reconciled God, because God has already reconciled to them.[ref]2 Corinthians 5:18-20[/ref]
Greetings! Bravo! Wonderfully Done! GOD Bless You And This Ministry! Surely THE LORD Our GOD Speaks Through You! Amen!
Truth be told! Everyone should read this.
I recently was speaking with my uncle of our youngest memories and I started remembering more and more. There is one that particularly interests me. It’s not a memory that is with me always but it always comes back. It’s hard to describe. I’m in a white room or maybe it is pink, I don’t remember the shape of the room if it had one, also i do not remember having a body, there were colored dots, I dont remember the colors specifically but I think it was every color in the rainbow (reminds me of the top of a strawberry poptart), I remember the dots were different sizes. This sounds crazy I know but does anyone know what i’m talking about? I assure you this is no troll. If someone could relate to me on this that would be great. Or have an idea about what it means. Deep down i think no i feel this was before i was born. It’s hard to clearly remember like a movie thats been recorded over. There are pieces that aren’t showing up. As i’m writing this i can remember when i was a baby in a boosted up baby chair with the built in table and i think i’m asking for grilled cheese, pouting over not liking the food i have the details are foggy this is a truly sereal experience. I could type forever so I’ll end it by saying. I’m 18 and my social media handle is Terror Tycoon. I mainly use twitter. I hope someone responds to this.
Greetings. Congratulations On Accepting JESUS CHRIST As Your SAVIOR And LORD. What you’re describing sounds similar to accounts I have heard about areas in Heaven. The mention of Colors, the airiness, the shapeless feeling…
You Will know for sure one day through CHRIST JESUS … Pray. Ask GOD To Reveal The Meaning Of Your Visions.
GOD Is Merciful. GOD Bless You.
“In the New Testament, false prophets told the truth. In fact, all the supernatural messages in the New Testament that originated from a demonic spirit were accurate.”
So what you are saying is that FALSE prophets are accurate, but what of prophecies that are inaccurate, like Jesus?
Let’s look at some of the inaccuracies of Jesus:
JESUS WILL SET UP HIS EARTHLY KINGDOM IN THE LIFE OF THE APOSTLES::
Matthew 16:28 “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
23:36 “I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.”
24:34 “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”
Mark 9:1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
FAIL: Jesus states in Matthew that all the signs marking the end of the world would be fulfilled before his generation ended, before the people that were standing in front of him “taste death.” Those people have been dead for over 2000 years and the world did not come to an end, neither have those signs been fulfilled.
JESUS PROMISES ETERNAL LIFE IN HIS EARTHLY KINGDOM:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
FAIL: Who do you know that is over 200 years old, much less 2000 years old. Eternal life is a failed prophecy.
PEOPLE WILL RECEIVE MANY TIMES WHAT THEY GAVE UP TO FOLLOW HIM AND THE APOSTLES WILL BE THE JUDGES OVER ISRAEL:
Matthew 19:27-29
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life
FAIL: The apostles,except John, were murdered. None was ever a judge over Israel.
FAIL: Since Jesus didn’t return like he said he would, no one received anything to replace what they gave up.
FAIL: There was no apocalyptic “renewal of all things” and Jesus never sat on a glorious throne.
CONCLUSION: Jesus’ false prophecies, whether intentionally to gain followers, or unintentionally because he was not connected to the Holy Spirit, prove that he cannot be trusted.
Jesus and Paul taught two different messages. Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God that he was going to set up, whereas Paul created a metaphysical story about salvation through faith. Paul claimed he got his ideas through a “revelation” (Galatians 1). But, it seems more accurate that he created a metaphysical savior that was similar to the pagan beliefs of the people that he was trying to convince. “I become all things to all men,” 1 Corinthians 9:22, in other words, “I fake it to get people to buy my story.”
Great comments! I’ll operate under the assumptions that your objections are sincere and you have a growth mindset, rather than a fixed mindset:
The topic Jesus was discussing wasn’t the End of the World, but the End of the Age – specifically, the Age of the Covenant between God and Israel, manifested in the Temple. Read the complete passages again – more than just the verse, but the passage.
The disciples were marveling because Jesus had JUST declared the Temple would be destroyed. This declaration shook them to the core. The Temple was God’s house, it’s where heaven met earth, and where the covenant elements were housed and maintained. It was the center of Jewish identity and had stood for centuries.
So when Jesus declared it’d be destroyed, the disciples wanted to know when, and what would the signs be. Jesus probably was talking in 30 AD.
The passage you describe is Jesus’ answer to the question when the Temple would be destroyed. The timing and signs Jesus happened in that generation – 40 years later – in 70 AD.
John at least was still walking the earth, and probably a few others were as well. This ended the Covenant between God and Israel, leaving only the New Covenant between God and Jesus, which continues to this day and will continue forever.
To partake in this covenant, you must be found in Christ, through faith – declaring and believing that Jesus came in the flesh, died, and rose again.
Most of the Book of Revelation describes in more detail the charges God had against Israel’s covenant violations, and the judgement God was required to bring, according to the covenant. Revelation is a court-like document, based on Ezekiel, which is another court-like document describing how Israel violated the covenant, leading to the destruction of the 1st Temple.
The Kingdom is the dynamic rule and reign of God. It’s not a territory like the United States, but where God is ruling and reigning.
Rather a funny interpretation of the verse, that imports a foreign interpretation of “eternal life” into the text.
The exact phrase translated as “eternal life” comes from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, in Daniel, where it’s usually translated “life of the age,” designating the life of the future age after the resurrection of the dead. The basic meaning of “life” in the Old Testament is not immortality or life after death, but complete well-being in earthly existence. However, this well-being is viewed not as an end in itself but as God’s gift. To enjoy life means to enjoy the fullness of God’s blessings and gifts. The good gifts of God, which constitute life, must be enjoyed in relationship with God, fellowship and enjoyment of the divine presence of God. This conviction led to the idea that death could not destroy this relationship but that somehow, the living God would enable his people to transcend death. This led to the idea of the resurrection of the body and life in the “Age to Come.” Eternal life was conceived of how life would be in the Resurrection Age, or the “Age to Come.”
The “Age to Come” contrasts with “This Age”, in that this age is ruled by chaos, dark spirits, and sinful humans, but God would rule in the Age to Come. This dualism forms the intellectual backdrop of Jesus’ time period.
When the Gospels discuss “eternal life”, they’re referring to “life in the Age to Come.” Nicodemus (the attitude of whom John 3:16 is addressing) would have found that eternal life could be found by studying Torah.
But John emphasizes life in the Age to Come can be experienced NOW through relationship with Jesus. The purpose of Jesus’ mission was to bring people a present experience of the future life. He came down to heaven to give life to the world, to satisfy the world’s spiritual hunger and thirst.
The definition of eternal life is given in 17:3 – through the knowledge of God mediated through Jesus Christ. Knowledge isn’t head knowledge, but experiential relationship with God in Christ.
That is what eternal life means, and you experience it today through faith in Jesus.
You’re interpretations misses the boat on all accounts. The Greek word for “renewal” implies a process. It’s not instant, but a process. It began with Jesus coming to earth and continues through the gospel spreading around the world. A bit of yeast is worked into the dough until it transforms the dough. A bush starts as a tiny seed, and slowly grows until it’s huge. The rock comes from heaven and slowly grows until it becomes a mountain filling the earth. Haven’t you read the parables about the Kingdom of God? It starts small, and slowly grows. The culmination of this process is the new creation.
Jesus states that the Twelve will share in the leadership responsibilities of the Kingdom, which they began doing shortly after Jesus’ ascension when they became ambassadors of the gospel, in Acts 2. They began spreading out to find all of Israel – remember that Israel didn’t live in the land of Judah at the time, but were scattered to the ends of the earth through the two exiles of Israel’s ancient history.
So you missed what “false” means. False means it comes from another spirit. Everything Jesus said came from the Father. As for their accuracy, you missed the clear meaning and point.
Other strange ideas. Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom. What’s the good news about God establishing his rule on earth as it is in heaven? It’s that we don’t have to be slaves anymore to other spirits or to ourselves or to sin or to anything… that we can experience life in the future age now. It’s that the chaos monsters of our lives can be tamed and even slain by Jesus. It’s that the true King has come, and we can join him in transforming the world, even as he transforms us.
This is Jesus’s message, and Paul taught this same message. In fact, practically the last verse of Acts tells that Paul continued preaching the gospel of the Kingdom!
His message was that in Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, God fulfilled Israel’s promises, and because of that, the nations don’t have to follow their enslaving gods anymore, that the true God has come, and everyone can receive God’s life now.
Then they proved the inbreaking Kingdom Age by healing the sick, casting out demons, and overturning injustice. In Paul’s letters, he reminds people who they are, then describes how that should look – how to live as Jesus’ representatives in their varied contexts.
I become all things is an act of submission and means to relate to people in a way they can understand. In Stephen Covey’s language, it’s seek first to understand, then be understood.
To a gnostic, I’ll attempt to understand their perspective before describing how the Gospel is a better solution; to a materialist, I’ll do the same. To my pagan friends, I’ll approach them still differently. Each group of people has a different mindset, different concerns, and as Jesus invites them to participate in the Kingdom, they have different concerns that need to be addressed. Therefore, I attempt to be all things to all people.
Thanks again for sharing your challenges!
From the pre-existence till futures end is the seers tool/as God has chosen