I Believe In Visions by Kenneth Hagin

While Jesus was talking to me, an evil spirit that looked like a monkey ran between Jesus and me and spread out something that looked like a black cloud or a smoke screen. I couldn't see Jesus anymore.

Then the demon began jumping up and down, waving his arms and legs, and yelling in a shrill voice, "Yakety- yak, yakety-yak, yakety-yak."

I paused for a moment. I could hear the voice of Jesus as He continued to talk to me, but I could not understand the words.

I thought to myself, Doesn't the Lord know I am missing what He is saying? I need to get that - it is important — but I am missing it. I wondered why Jesus didn't command the evil spirit to stop. 

I waited for a few more moments. Jesus continued talking as if He didn't even know the evil spirit was present. I wondered why the Lord didn't cast him out, but He didn't.

Finally, in desperation, I pointed my finger at the evil spirit and said, "I command you to be quiet in the Name of Jesus Christ!" He stopped immediately and fell to the floor. The black smoke screen disappeared and I could see Jesus once again. The spirit lay on the floor whimpering and whining like a whipped pup. I said, "Not only must you be quiet, but get up and get out of here!" He got up and ran away.

I was still wondering why Jesus had not stopped this evil spirit from interfering, and of course Jesus knew what I was thinking. He said, "If you hadn't done something about that, I couldn't have."

"Lord, I know I misunderstood You! You said You couldn't do anything about it, but You really meant that You wouldn't."

"No," He said, "if you hadn't done something about that spirit, I couldn't have."

"But Lord, You can do anything. To say You couldn't is different from anything I've ever heard preached or preached myself. That really upends my theology."

"Sometimes your theology needs upending," the Lord answered.

I said, "Lord, even though I am seeing You with my own eyes, even though I hear your voice speaking to me as plainly as any voice I have ever heard, I cannot accept that unless You prove it to me by the Word of God. For the Word says, '.. .In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established' (2 Cor. 13:1). I will not accept any vision, I will not accept any revelation, if it cannot be proved by the Bible."

Instead of becoming angry with me for saying this, Jesus smiled sweetly and said, "I will give you not just two or three witnesses; I will give you four witnesses."

I said, "I have read through the New Testament 150 times and many portions of it more than that. If that is in there, I don't know about it."

"Son, there is a lot in there you don't know," the Lord pointed out.

 "There is not a single place in the New Testament where believers are ever told to pray against the devil and I will do anything about him. There is not one instance in any of the epistles written to the churches that said to tell God to rebuke the devil or do something about the devil. If they do, they 're wasting their time. God has done all He is going to do about the devil for the time being until the angel comes down from heaven, takes the chain and binds him, and puts him into the bottomless pit.

"Every writer of the New Testament in writing to the Church always told the believer to do something about the devil. The believer has to have authority over the devil, or the Bible wouldn't tell him to do something about the devil:

MATTHEW 28:18-20

‘All power [or authority] is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go YOU therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded YOU: and, lo, I am with YOU always, even unto the end of the world.’

"You might say, 'But you could have done something about that spirit because this Scripture says you have all power and authority in heaven and in earth.' However, I have delegated my authority on the earth to YOU, the Church:

MARK 16:15-18

‘Go YOU into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow (YOU) them that believe; In my name shall (YOU) they cast out devils; (YOU) they shall speak with new tongues; (YOU) They shall take up serpents; and if (YOU) they drink any dead ly thing, it shall not hurt (YOU) them; (YOU) they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.’

"One of the first signs mentioned as following believers is that they should cast out devils. That means that in my Name they will exercise authority over the devil. I delegated my authority over the devil to (YOU) the Church, and I can work only through the Church, for I am the Head of the Church.

James 4:7

"In writing to believers, James said, '. . .(YOU) Resist the devil, and he will flee from YOU'. James didn't say to get God to resist the devil for you. He said, 'YOU resist the devil and he will flee from YOU.' "

I looked up the word "flee" in the dictionary later and saw that one definition is "to run from as in terror. " As I read that, I remembered how the evil spirits in the vision had fled when I had rebuked them. And since then I have seen them quake and quiver in fear as I exercised my God- given authority over them. They were not afraid of me, but rather of Jesus, whom I represent.

1 Peter 5:8-9

Jesus continued, "Peter said, 'Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour'. 

What are you going to do: Throw up your hands and say, 'I am whipped'? No, a thousand times no! We read in verse nine, 'Whom resist steadfast in the faith.... ' YOU couldn't resist the devil if YOU didn't have authority over him. But YOU do have authority over him, and that is why YOU can resist him.

Eph. 4:27

"Paul said in his writings to the Church at Ephesus, 'Neither give place to the devil'. This means YOU are not to give the devil any place in YOU. He cannot take any place unless YOU give him permission to do so. And YOU would have to have authority over him or this wouldn't be true!"

Then Jesus said to me, "Here are your four witnesses: I am the first, James is the second, Peter is the third, and Paul is the fourth. These are the four witnesses I told you I would give instead of just two or three. This establishes the fact that the believer has authority on earth, for I have delegated my authority over the devil to YOU on the earth. If YOU don't do anything about it, then nothing will be done, and that is why many times nothing is done."

Then I said, "Lord, You have told me about only three categories of evil spirits: the rulers of the darkness of this world, the powers, and the principalities. What about the wicked spirits in the heavenlies?"

He said, "You take care of the ones on earth. I will take care of those in the heavenlies."

Jesus exhorted me to be faithful, saying, "Fulfill your ministry. Be faithful, for the time is short." Then He disappeared.

I realized that I was still on my knees in the kitchen of that parsonage, and about an hour and a half had passed while I was caught up in this vision.

Excerpt from Kenneth Hagin book: I Believe In Visions. 

http://www.rhema.org/store/i-believe-in-visions-book.html

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus 
There's just something about THAT NAME
Master, Savior, Jesus 
Like the fragrance after the rain 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus 
Let all heaven and earth proclaim 

Kings and kingdoms will all pass away 
But there's just something about THAT NAME!