His Manifest Presence - Part II By Joel M. Killion Email: joel@innerlifeministries.com Website: innerlifeministries.com
	Discerning the Difference (which makes a difference) Today, the Lord is restoring “the sons of Zadok” (Ezek. 44:15-31, KJV).  And while there are many purposes for this particular restoration, there is one that should be considered - it is found in Ezekiel 44:23 (AMP): “The priests shall teach [instruct, inform, point out to; show to] My people the difference between the holy and the common or profane, and cause them to distinguish [discern, ascertain, acknowledge, recognize] between the unclean and the clean.” (The comments in brackets belong to the author.) As it relates to His manifest presence, the Lord is raising up those who personally know “the difference between the holy and the common,” who can “distinguish between the unclean and the clean.”  Those who have devoted themselves to “knowing” the tangible presence of Jesus’ Person, know “the difference” between the “preciousness” of Christ’s manifest Presence and His generalized omni- presence. Let us examine some of the differences which make a difference in so many ways: The Omni-Presence of God God is everywhere at this very moment for there is no where that He is not - this is His omni-presence. David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, defined the nature of “this” presence in Psalm 139:7-8 (AMP): “Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there.” In Jeremiah 23:24 (KJV) the Lord Himself disclosed His omni-presence by asking two questions: “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him?...Do not I fill heaven and earth?...” The Lord “fills” both heaven and earth, as He is everywhere.  If you go to outer space, He is there.  If you go to the middle of the natural earth, He is there.  If you go to the bottom of the deepest ocean in the world, He is still there.  This is the essence of His omni-presence which is also called His “common” presence since it is “common” to everyone (sinners and saints alike) and everything all the time (Ezek. 44:23). One of God’s dearest friends, Walter Beuttler, once wrote that “This aspect of His presence may, or may not be revealed or felt.  When it is revealed, it is simply a feeling of ‘presence,’ apart from the revelation of a person.” Jesus Himself described the “all-presence” of God (as I like to call it) in Matthew 5:45b (AMP) when He spoke of His Father Who “…makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike]” (Matt. 5:45, AMP). This is the “common” presence of the Father, exemplified through the symbolism of the “sun” and the “rain.” Both of these illustrations give a clear picture of God’s generalized blessing to all (“the wicked and…the good…alike”). But the Father’s “common” (general) blessing toward all must not be confused with His “uncommon” (specific) favour, which is given conditionally by the Lord to those who meet Him on His terms: John 14:21, AMP: The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.] Selah. The Manifest Presence of God “The manifest presence of God…speaks of a presence in which the Lord reveals Himself as a person with personality and feelings. “‘He that has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves Me: and he that loves Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to Him.’  John 14:21 “This is more than spiritual, or inner perception.  It means that the Lord will make Himself known to us through one or more of our five physical senses.”  [Excerpt from Chapter Eight of The Manifest Presence of God by Walter Beuttler] Psalm 42:7, KJV: Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. There is a big “difference” between “rain-fall” (as we saw in the previous section) and “waterspouts”: Rain falls (generally) upon everyone and everything – houses, people, animals, cars, streets, fields, trees, mountains, oceans, etc.  Everyone and everything can mutually enjoy this provision. A waterspout, on the other hand, is something altogether different.  In simple terms, a waterspout is a funnel of water, similar to a tornado, which whips and channels massive quantities of water onto one specific spot. The rain spiritually speaks of the generalized-presence of God toward “all” while the waterspout speaks of the favour and approbation of the tangible, “out-pouring” (manifestation) of God especially targeted toward “one” particular person or group of people (Jn. 14:21). Another term for a divine waterspout is an Open Heaven which is simply a localized door, portal or window in the earth between the realm of God and man. An Open Heaven is not a gift.  Rather it is the result of time spent waiting upon the Lord in active silence where Deep (the Lord) calls unto deep (in our hearts).   As we wait, the seed of our intimacy grows to such a degree that the Lord Himself can eventually come and “lay His head” under the shadow of our mature union together (Matt. 8:20, KJV).   Within this place of quiet yet aggressive seeking, spiritual sensitivity, perception and maturity is fostered, causing us to “become” those who are wholly compatible with His will and purpose. It is tremendously important that we sit before the Lord and learn of Him as He teaches us how to cultivate His pleasure upon our lives.  No man can give us the “how to” of His manifest presence.  Only the Lord can impart the ability and patience necessary to attain to the goal of our waiting in His presence. Walter Beuttler once wrote that “To ‘experience’ the ‘manifest presence of the Lord’ is a marvellous reality, which quickens and renews every aspect of our being.  It produces a ‘deep inner satisfaction’ that cannot be explained, only experienced. “In John 4:24, Jesus said, ‘God is a Spirit.’  In Luke 24:39, He said, ‘Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself: handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see Me have.’” This is a personal invitation from the Lord to us. He wants us to “handle Him and see.”  He wants us to touch Him and “know” Him for ourselves. Oftentimes, when I sit before the Lord, He shows me that this “waiting upon Him” is as a vacuum.  Each time, He teaches me how to “inhale” (take in) His Presence until it becomes concentrated within my very being;  on every occasion, He helps me to get stronger so that I can inhale more in a shorter period of time. As I continue to “wait” patiently, His presence, which was intangible, becomes tangible and weighty - “touching” me in one or more of my five natural senses.  It is almost as if He sanctifies each “sense” so that it can actually “touch” or “handle” Him. Sometimes I can smell His scent, hear His sound [II Ki. 7:16; Song 5:2; Acts 2:2], see His form [Ex. 3:1- 4; Lk. 3:21-22; Acts 2:3], taste His goodness [Ps. 34:8; 119:103; Song 2:3] or feel His touch [Job 20:20; Acts 17:27]. The only way I can explain it is that His very Person breaks into where I am and physically moves upon my natural body (1 Jn. 1:1-3); the only word that I can think of that accurately explains what I am feeling during this time is “ecstasy.”  I may not always know why He does this, but at times, I do.  The main thing is that He is making His presence personally “known.” At times, I sense the nearness of an angel or even several at one time.  This happened most often when I was a child - the angels would physically appear in my bedroom to comfort me.  If a demon appeared outside my bedroom window, an angel would come and stand by my side. Sometimes, when I sit before the Lord’s face, I see visions of the Lord Himself with my natural and/or spiritual eyes.  Each time, His realm of existence becomes more and more real (tangible) to me as a person. The Lord uses these various means to make Himself “known” to us on a personal, intimate level.  And while they may be new or strange for some, these manifestations of God are to be the norm for us, not the exception; these mystical occurrences are just one aspect of normal Christianity. And while we may be tempted to focus on the “methods” of His manifestations, it is much more important that we “rightly respond” to Him on each and every occasion.  Only then will He take us higher into a place in Him where we “carry” this tangible presence within our very being into our daily lives (Ex. 33:14).