The Spiritual Realm

Maria Billingsley said:

Logically speaking, could it be possible you are speaking of apocalyptic scripture or parables from Jesus? These could be taken symbolically however the existence can not.

Click to expand...

Interestingly enough, some of the discussions concerning the 'symbolism' of the spirit realm were to do with the book of revelation.

Akita Suggagaki said:

I believe in a continuum of being. that is to say, the spiritual is not some separate realm than the physical. Just we can entertain the idea that the microscopic and even quantum realms interpenetrate the physical realm, are just the same thing at another scale, so also the spiritual. All sorts of interesting things happen at the atomic level. Chemistry is all around us. We don't see that level but we see the effects. We come up with models of how it works and they are like symbols. Same with spiritual. Symbols are symbolic of real things.

Click to expand...

I think I know what you're saying, but I don't know that I agree entirely. Definitely, there are spiritual things and events that manifest into the physical, but beyond that, I don't know how 'natural', atomic level or otherwise, the spiritual realm is, or can be.

But I do know that we were designed to be spiritual beings, albeit housed in flesh, but that flesh was supposed to endure and not die. And yet it still regenerates itself, (although not perfectly) was it designed to do so, or was it designed to not have to? How much did we lose in the fall?

Akita Suggagaki said:

I think that is a misconception. Even Jesus died.

Click to expand...

He died because Adam brought sin into the world. If Adam hadn't fallen, there would have been no need for salvation. Adam was supposed to live eternally. On the day he sinned and disobeyed, he died. He wasn't supposed to.

Akita Suggagaki said:

I believe "Adam" is a symbolic literary figure who has no real influence on our mortality.

Click to expand...

Are you kidding around because of the subject matter, or are you being serious? I honestly can't tell.

FutureAndAHope said:

I believe that our physical world overlays the spiritual one. In the same way you put on a coat. In the highest realm we know in Jesus all things have their consistency, or are held together:

Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Col 1:17 God's Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together.

So even demon powers, which are created have their consistency in Christ. That should be enough to know that demons are subject to Christ. We are joined to Christ by the Holy Spirit, so like the disciples, we share power over them.

As for which realm is most real, each is as real as the other, we live in the natural realm so should be more focused on the natural. But there are times when the spiritual forces of darkness want to influence our worlds for evil, it is at those times that we need to have faith that a) God has given us power over those things and tell them to leave, b) but if God allows natural suffering to occur (inspired by the evil one), and it does not change instantly, we must endure patiently (like Job), and we will receive the crown of life promised to those who endure.

Click to expand...

I have never thought about it this way before. It makes sense, but I wonder if the spiritual realm is more real than the physical one, since the physical one will only be temporary and will pass away. In addition, Paul calls the spiritual (on the heavenly side of things) the incorruptible. It will not fade or be eaten away.

Akita Suggagaki said:

Serious. We don't need to take Genesis as literal historical fact.

Click to expand...

What is your reason for this?

Akita Suggagaki said:

There are so many. Do you believe in a seven day creation a few thousand years ago? Who did Ada and Eve's children marry? Each other? This is literature not history. It has far deeper meaning.

Click to expand...

Do you believe that God is limited by the same limitations we have? Do you believe that what is impossible with man is impossible with God?

We are three dimensional beings. We 'know' there's at least five dimensions out there, we can barely imagine how the fourth dimension looks like or operate, there are disagreements on its arrangements and properties. Is the fourth dimension time? Is there such a thing as a four-dimensional tesseract? I've seen them being illustrated, but could one actually be made in its proper dimensions to demonstrate four dimensions so we can see it? Would we be able to perceive it?

What if there are more than five dimensions? What if God is above and outside of all of them, able to manipulate them at will? What if He can make the sun literally stand still in the sky without causing any major gravitational or kinetic shockwaves through the solar system so as to avoid all calamity?

What if man's cleverness is just far too puny to be able to conceive of the power and capability that God possesses? And I'm asking about the Einsteins and Hawkins's, the very best minds among us. What if all that collective intelligence just isn't enough to understand God? What then? How could we even begin to relate to God?

Glorytothefather2245 said:

The spirit world is real, what ever happens in the spirit realm happens on earth, that is why its important to engage in spiritual warfare and pray.

Click to expand...

So true! It's important for me to remember that the spiritual realm is not affected by time in the same way as the physical realm. It can take many, many years for a manifestation of the spiritual to come about it the physical. And I think God is in control of exactly what manifests, what is allowed to manifest, and when, if at all.

There's also two sides of the spiritual realm, the kingdom of God, which is light, and the kingdom of darkness. Not everything that seeks to manifest is from God, and many times we allow such things to manifest through ignorance and disobedience to God.

People are especially ignorant of spiritual warfare through prayer. It boggles me, though, that we, as we are, independent of God, have been given a will and authority of some kind over the kingdom of darkness. I say some kind. Free will and choice is such a powerful thing, I don't think we fully understand it, or have the maturity to do so. It weirds me out sometimes, lol. Think how much more authority we exercise when we submit to God in prayer. The more we submit, the more authority He gives us. That's also like a weird deal, and a weird exercise in trust. Not that God is weird, but that by human, flawed logic alone, I cannot compute! It's amazing.

Michael Collum said:

From the little the bible says about it, everything in the physical realm has a copy in the spiritual realm. If you erase the spiritual object, the physical copy will not regenerate.

Click to expand...

Can you provide scripture that expresses this? Thanks