Seeing the Unseen

What if there was a whole other world that you couldn’t see? And what if this world was going on all around you as you journey through your life here on earth? And what if when you died, you became a part of this unseen world? Does this sound impossible? Well, it’s not! It’s the unseen world of the kingdom of God. And you can start to glimpse the unseen world right now, even while you are here on earth.

2 Cor 4:18 – “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

So how can you fix your eyes on what is unseen? It all depends on your focus. You’ve heard of wearing rose-colored glasses, right? Well, I don’t have any rose-colored glasses, but I did have a pair of amber shaded sunglasses that just made everything look prettier. I loved those sunglasses, but unfortunately, they broke. So in the meantime, I’m using a pair of gray sunglasses, and it’s just not the same! The greens aren’t as green, the reds aren’t as red, and the blues aren’t as blue. I know this sounds strange, but when I would put on my amber sunglasses, things just looked more beautiful and clear. I think of seeing the unseen kingdom similar to when I put on my amber sunglasses. God gives us a vision of the unseen kingdom when we focus on Him. When we are focused on God we are “tuned into” Him. We hear Him more clearly and we see Him more clearly. We see Him in nature, we see Him in our circumstances, we see Him everywhere!

We can also see the unseen through the eyes of Jesus. Jesus came to earth to show us the unseen kingdom and to show us who God is. The kingdom of God can seem a little topsy-turvy at times. Things are not always as they would appear because God’s kingdom is an upside-down kingdom. Here are just a few of the kingdom principles that seem a bit “upside-down” from a worldly perspective:

• The first shall be last (Matt 19:30; Matt 20:16; Mark 9:35; Mark 10:31)
• Give and you will receive. (Luke 6:38)
• Die to yourself in order to live for God. (Phl 1:21; 1 Pet 2:24)
• Love your enemies. (Matt 5:44)

When we read God’s word with an open mind, God will show us the unseen world. It’s a world of angels and demons, light and dark, heaven and hell. And though this world is unseen, it’s as real as the world we’re living in right now. All that we now see is temporary and will one day be gone, but the unseen world will last forever. One day you will live eternally in the unseen world. The question you need to ask yourself is will you be a part of the light or the dark, of heaven or of hell?

If you want to find out more about the “unseen world”, put on your God glasses and read God’s word with eternity in mind. And God will show you more and more of the unseen world so that you can fix your eyes on what is unseen. Because when you focus on God He will give you His eyes to see the unseen.

*All scriptural references are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.