Seeking a physical visitation from Jesus is not an idea inspired by God. One may certainly be visited by the Adversary.
We all want to see Jesus, and we all will one day. But for now, we’ll just have to wait. Or, maybe that’s not true. Currently, there are prophets out there that claim that you can have a real, face-to-face, personal, visitation from Jesus Christ, in the flesh, in this life. How many believers would like that?
I post this in love knowing there are many sincere Christians who think that this practice of seeking Jesus’ visual presence is OK. Today we’re going to talk about why seeking visual signs from Jesus is not an idea inspired by the Father, the Holy Spirit and certainly not Jesus Christ.
But first, let’s accept the fact that Jesus does appear to people, even today. After his death and resurrection he walked among the saints for over a month (Acts 1:3). He appeared to Paul (then named Saul) on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9).
Today, there are testimonies of people being taken to heaven and seeing Jesus, and Muslims who were converted to Christianity after they seen Jesus in a vision. So I believe, based off the bible, and the testimony of some people, that Jesus does make appearances today, and if we’re alive to see him return in judgement, we will surely see him as well.
I don’t believe it’s God’s will for us to seek after his visual presence because of what the bible says. God wants us to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Instead of looking for him, we should be looking like him.
Throughout the bible, Jesus is concerned about a relationship of faith with us on a growing level in which we hear his voice and follow him more and more each day (John 10:27). But he never once told us to seek after his visual presence. Let’s look at some scriptures:
29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:29-31).
Jesus says there’s a blessing for those who believe in him and haven’t seen him. Jesus honors faith, and the accounts of his acts are written in the his word so that we may believe.
Another scripture:
Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith (Hab 2:4). For we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7)
If those who walk with Jesus don’t do it by physical sight, then to seek his visual presence isn’t in God’s will. Let’s clarify what walking in faith is again:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb 11:1).
So, the Christian life is one where we follow Jesus spiritually, without actually seeing him. And as Jesus said, “it’s a blessing to believe and not see.” So there you have it: God wants us to have faith and faith doesn’t involve the visual presence of God.
So what does Jesus have to say about those who seek after proof and signs from Jesus:
38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas… (Matt 12:38-39)
While those evil men were asking Jesus to perform some acts to prove himself to them, the seeking of Jesus’ visual presence can be likened to the same as seeking a sign from him. And Jesus response was: an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign. Why? Because they refuse to have faith in Christ — the main criteria required to please God.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Heb 11:6).
So, brothers and sisters, don’t let false prophets stimulate your flesh and tell you that you can have a face-to-face visitation from Jesus. While he may visit you, it’s when he wants to and not what we should seek after. By seeking a sign, it’s an indication that you don’t have faith in Christ and you’re letting your flesh dictate how Jesus is to communicate with you. Christ is the Lord, we are not lords over Christ. He dictates the relationship, and for the time being, that relationship is spiritual — it’s unseen and that’s just the way it is.
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).
How many more scriptures can I post that expose this lie that it’s OK to seek after a visual presentation of Jesus?
There are consequences for seeking a visitation
If a person continues to seek after a visitation, at most, they’re probably get it, but of course it won’t be Jesus but another spirit impersonating him, and from there, they could be drawn off into a delusion and fall away.
The devil is a liar and if you walk in the flesh he’ll be able to take advantage of you. I can see people saying, “Jesus told me to do this or that, directly, because I see him and I know him face-to-face!” Yet, what they say doesn’t align with scripture and their prophecies don’t come true.
I would exhort anyone, even if you don’t seek after signs, that if Jesus shows up in your bedroom, that you measure the experience and what was said with the written word of God.
In these last and evil days, the devil and his servants are able to do great signs and wonders and you’ll need the Holy Spirit with the word of God to discern them.
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie… (2 Thess 2:9 NIV)
Beware saints.
Seeing Jesus on a grand scale
On top of that, there are prophets that are saying Jesus is making a grand visitation to your city or that city, and all across America. They say the appearances of what look like to be faces, eyes and silhouettes of a man are in fact members of the God-head visiting us.
Ask for discernment from the Holy Spirit and then watch this video of one prophet who claims this, and afterward, think about all of it. Do these “visitations” do anything to convict men of sin and to turn to God to be saved? I believe most of these “appearances” are mere cloud formations and some may be generated by Satan himself. With that being said, Jesus told us not to go looking for him once again:
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be (Matt 24:23-27).
Brethren, when you hear about sightings of Jesus here and there, unless everyone can see Jesus on a global scale collectively, as he prophesied, don’t believe it. Don’t be fooled. Don’t be stupid.
This ministry is no longer in service. I left the Christian faith and no longer agree with some of the content posted here. However, this website will remain available for archive purposes. Read the details in my last post.
Dear Neil Chester…. HOW DARE YOU…. reveal the truth and the answer I was looking for :p.
Jesus changed my life, and I’ve not seen Him, but felt a really good presence a few years ago.
After researching, I was amazed and actually kind of envious that people have had visitations from Jesus. I also read that verse from the bible stating about being happy to believe and not see.
If you get the chance, please pray for me, that I walk in Jesus’s light and hope to please God and Jesus.
@Mb Glad you received the answer to prayer. Your prayer request is one of mine as well. I will pray for you. May God continue to bless you.
Thanks bro
It is quite biblical to warn people to test spirits to see if they are from God should one encounter them. John even suggests a formula for it. But I don’t think it is right to say praying to Jesus for a visitation or lets face it, special attention, is the same thing as the Pharisees asking for a sign. Also, if by “seeking a visitation” you mean praying for one, the result you suggest… demonic spirits showing up is especially troublesome.
If that is not your meaning, perhaps an update might clarify.
I believe it’s in the same vein as what the Pharisees did—the root being a lack of faith. And this is applied to all those who claim to fellowship with Christ. I can’t say what God would do for a non-believer who just needed a sign from God in order to believe. Like I said, Muslims have come to Jesus because of a “visitation.” But I’m saying as believers we shouldn’t seek for it because the bible says it’s about faith and not sight. To disobey and seek after something physical when the relationship is spiritual could give room to the devil.
Seeking a visitation for lack of faith is what the Pharasees wanted. To prove something. Seeking a visitation for comfort is another thing altogether. If you have the faith, you will be visited in some way or another. A claim that any prayer to God is going to produce anything demonic is a far more spiritually dangerous proposition, imo.
The second part of your writings deals with a completely different subject, that not everyone claiming to be Jesus is Jesus.
Obviously you don’t agree with the article, but I hope you don’t think I’m going to change what was written because of your opinion.
The scriptures are clear about a believer’s relationship with God: it’s one through the Holy Spirit. The only reason why a so called believer is asking God for a visitation is because they’re in their flesh. They feel alone and far from God; and so they want a physical representation to come visit them for comfort. But if they were in the Spirit of God, they wouldn’t need that.
So God doesn’t need to make them feel comfortable, it’s that they need to connect with God the right way–in the Spirit, and in faith—and get out of their flesh. When they do that, God will “feel” more close than ever before. God is clear on how he will interface with his people on this earth. Anything other than that could eventually open a door for a demon to masquerade as Christ.