When a believer in Christ spiritually grows, the standards set by God in the Tenakh (note: Old Testament) for dealing with evil may raise questions as to why YHVH, the God of Israel, instructed in particular situations to kill persons who were related to evil (see e.g. Leviticus 20:2-3; Deuteronomy 24:7; 1 Samuel 15:3).
 
Leviticus 20:2-3:
3 I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people; for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name.
4 If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death, …
 
Deuteronomy 24:7:
7 If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you.
 
1 Samuel 15:3:
“…3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”
 
The reason is because it was important for God to expose the result of sin to help future generations to notice its consequences (see James 1:15).

James 1:15:
15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

The Deliverance from Evil Spirits in the Tenakh and the New Testament

In contemplating the Word of God in its entirety, we find reports of various miracles, but the casting out of evil spirits in Christ Jesus being unique in the New Testament.

At the time of the Tenakh, there was only one way to effectively disconnect a man possessed by an evil spirit from his tormentor, and that was to kill that man. With Jesus Christ this method has changed because He is the fulfillment of the law (see Matthew 5:17).

Matthew 5:17:
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Jesus empowered His followers/disciples to drive out evil spirits from men without using the sword in the literal sense, but to use the Word of God in the way of liberating truth in the life of a demonized man in order to lead him into true freedom in Christ (see Hebrews 4:12 i.c.w. John 8:36).
 
Hebrews 4:12:
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
 
John 8:36:
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
 
This is clarified by Jesus' words spoken to Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane to put back the drawn sword, because the battle of a believer in Christ is not against flesh and blood (see Matthew 26:52 i.c.w. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4; Ephesians 6:12).
 
Matthew 26:52:
52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. …”
 
2 Corinthians 10:3-4:
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
 
Ephesians 6:12:
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
 
The History of the People of Israel and the Coming of Jesus and the Land Canaan
 
Therein the order established by God in the Tenakh and the related experiences of the people of Israel as well as their history served to create a place, a context and a framework for the coming of Christ. The people of Israel, their way of life and their experiences prepared the way for Jesus, the Messiah, to come to Israel in order to fill it with light (see Matthew 4:13-16).
 
Matthew 4:13-16:
13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali – 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah (see Isaiah 9:1-2): 15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – 16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
 
God said to Abraham that his descendants would be given the land of Canaan after the sin of the Amorites who were present at that time had reached its full extent (see Genesis 15:16).
 
Genesis 15:16:
16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
 
This promise reveals that Canaan developed in the spiritual realm into a region where people were greatly influenced by evil spirits, so that they were convinced of themselves and their own power to resist God's plans. So, all generations (note: young and old) of the peoples living there as well as their economic system (note: animals, supply) were handed over to evil spirits, so that they implemented the plans of the adversary.
 
In Genesis 6:1-4 we are told of an antichrist “brood”, people who consciously put their bodies at the disposal of the powers of darkness.
 
Genesis 6:1-4:
1 When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days – and also afterward – when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
 
One of their goals is unbridled perversion, homosexuality, child sacrifice and finally the lifestyle of complete conscious sexual devotion with demonic spirits present in the concerned people. Such a lifestyle extending over a long period of time, leads to a fullness of sin in the eyes of God, which in a certain generation carries with it His judgment on earth.
 
This “long period” shouldn't be interpreted as “cheap grace”, but is destined by God to call the concerned people to repent and not to miss the time of His goodness and grace (see Romans 2:4 i.c.w. Matthew 5:44-45).
 
Romans 2:4:
4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
 
Matthew 5:45b:
… 45b He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
 
The term “sons of God” in Genesis 6:2 doesn't refer to physical sons of God, but to spiritual beings that belong to the supernatural realm. This also becomes clear in the scripture from Job 1:6.
 
Job 1:6:
6 One day the angels (note: sons of God) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them.
 
Because Jesus said that angels do not marry (see Mark 12:25), it can be assumed that from time to time in the course of history rebellious spirits seized natural bodies to produce an antichrist brood (satanic) of men through man and woman.
 
Looking at Genesis 6:4, we can see that this is not a one-time event, even if these giants (note: Nephilim) mentioned above perished in the flood by the judgment of God. This biblical reference makes it clear that this hasn’t been the last time this brood appeared.
 
As already mentioned, in the time before Jesus Christ to drive evil spirits out it was the only way by using the “sword”. This was the reason why God commanded the people of Israel to completely destroy a nation/people/person in order to deliver the region from darkness and fill it with the light of God, His love, His standard and His freedom.
 
The Hebrew word for “completely destroy” is “ḩāram” and means among other things “consecrate, banish” and is an indication to irrevocably bring YHVH, the God of Israel a certain thing as a sacrifice. (note: part excerpt from the Elberfelder Study Bible to the word “completely destroy – ḩāram” with the word key number: 2836)
 
Hence, this process was a priestly act. All the men of Israel weren't only entitled to participate in this act of worship, they were also instructed to do so.
 
The Sign of the Deliverance of People
 
With this explanation and in relation to the present time, it means that where the Holy Spirit leads us to deliver people from evil spirits by the triumph of Jesus Christ on the cross, this deliverance is a consecrated act that glorifies the God of Israel, and confirms His standard through the generations (see Isaiah 58:6 i.c.w. Luke 4:18-19; Mark 16:17).
 
Isaiah 58:6:
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting (note: consecrated time) I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
 
Luke 4:18-19:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (see Isaiah 61:1-2)
 
Mark 16:17:
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; …
 
When saints deliver people from evil spirits by the power of Jesus Christ, this is a sign of the government of God and the presence of His kingdom. This is made clear by the statement of Jesus, speaking in the synagogue of Nazareth of the freedom of prisoners and the year of the Lord’s favor, while afterwards sitting on a special chair, the chair of Elijah (note: the ambassador of covenant). Jesus' preaching and His sitting on this particular chair was the reason why in the synagogue all eyes were fixed on Him (see Luke 4:20 i.c.w. Matthew 12:28).
 
Luke 4:20:
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.
 
Matthew 12:28:
28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
 
(note: This message is based on a revelatory knowledge of Miles Wylie Albright from the book “Tale of Two Hearts”.)
 
Amen and Amen.
 
In His Wisdom,
 
Daniel Glimm

Those who would make the Creation account given in Genesis 1 and 2 in the Hebrew Bible a myth open the door for those who say that it is a myth that the Jewish people are God’s chosen people: the Jews created their own God and myth to compete with, and separate from, the other gods and myths of pagan nations. (What a powerful myth!) They would be in agreement – knowingly or not – with those who claim that there is no God who intervenes in human affairs, no center of the universe or of this spherical Earth, and that there is no “specialness” of any thing, not even human beings, whom God uniquely created in His image and in His likeness. God has a plan and a purpose for His creation, and redemption to accomplish it is at the heart of it from before the beginning.
 
But YHVH God has chosen this planet as His focal point in the universe which He created; He has chosen a particular man – Abram/Abraham – through whom He promised with a covenant and an oath a chosen people – through His choice of Isaac and of Jacob – and an inheritance, and to be a blessing to all the families of the Earth – and towards whom all people would be held to account; He has chosen a particular land – the Land of Canaan – for that inheritance; He has chosen a particular city – Jerusalem – within this chosen Land of Israel as His city; He has chosen a particular tribe – Judah – through whom the King whom He has chosen will establish His righteous kingdom when He comes again, with His elect saints, from that city in that land over all the Earth and nations; He has chosen a particular person of that tribe – David – to whom He promised in covenant and with an oath that this King Messiah would come from him; He has appointed one mediator between Himself and humanity – Yeshua the Messiah/Jesus Christ, the unique and beloved Son of God – and one way of salvation through the forgiveness of sins in order to be justified for inheriting all of these great and precious promises, and especially eternal life together with Him: repent and believe the gospel – that Yeshua died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day, all according to the Scriptures, which are Holy Spirit/God-breathed inspiration written through chosen men of His choice.
 
Our God is holy, and He is Sovereign. He is the God of Truth. Nor is He a liar or a deceiver, which the devil is both. All myths and false narratives will fail. This Heaven and Earth will pass away, but His word will never pass away!
 
Howard Bass

Introduction
 
We, the people of God, live in a time where darkness is clearly increasing in such a way that unrighteousness is rampant and therefore the love in the hearts of many grows cold (see Matthew 24:12). Thus I would like to take a closer look at an important spiritual “weapon” of God we will see more and more among the interceding saints in the body of Christ in this time.
 
Prophetic Ecstatic Prayer
 
This spiritual “weapon” of the Heavenly Father is the prayer of supplication or intercession which is accompanied by an ecstatic behavior of the respective person(s) praying, because God pours out the power of prayer over the bride of Christ in a special way (see Zechariah 12:10a).
 
Zechariah 12:10a:
10a “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. …
 
It is a power characteristic of prayer that makes “sweat” look like “blood”, because the intercessor is truly and completely devoted to the high, victorious plan of God, and this results in new life (see Luke 22:44b).
 
Luke 22:44b:
 … 44b And his (note: Jesus) sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
 
What is Ecstatic Prayer or Ecstatic Prophecy?
 
The Greek word for ecstasy is derived from two words which mean “ék – outside” and „stasis – standing” (see Acts 10:10; Acts 11:5; Acts 22:17).
Literally translated, the word means „standing outside” or to use a more common term it means “to be beside oneself”.
 
=>The primary Greek word of ecstasy is “existemi” – “to move something from its place or its status, to remove it”.
Ecstasy describes a state of spirit, in which it moves itself away, is beside itself and has lost itself. That's why ecstasy can also entail astonishment or bewilderment, as well as amazement or dismay (see Mark 5:42; Mark 16:8; Luke 5:26; Acts 3:10; note: part excerpt from the Elberfelder Study Bible- Greek language key 1595).<=
Ecstasy equates to the term of religious enthusiasm (note: inspiration), where “theos“, God, “enters – entheos“, which means the word “the one full of God/alive with God“.
Ecstatic prophecy means, the kind of prophecy is received in a changed state of mind in the respective person and released, or it includes prophesying when that person is taken over by a spirit. <= (note: analogously quoted from the book “Ecstatic Prophecy” by Stacey Campbell, page 38).
 
What is Ecstasy, Translation or Trance in the Biblical Context?
 
=> It is the momentary translation from one place to another. It is a certain leaving of the body that was observed in people falling into trances.
In past times trances were viewed as a medium, by which the prophets and ecstatics received visions from God to transmit high prophecies – this means words outside of or beyond normal prophetic communication. They generally depict revelations of something new for the earth received via trances.
This was the case with Balaam in Numbers 24:4.16.
In Acts 10:10 the trance of Peter was the result of something that in those days was seen as a spiritual translation of his mind.
A region of his mind was opened up to the world of God; there the Lord communicated a message synonymous with a crash course for his global ministry. <= (note: analogously quoted from the book „The Prophet’s Dictionary„ by Paula A. Price, PhD.; page 563)
 
=> The term “trance” also means the expression of a spiritual state, in which the affected person is partly or totally unaware of objective perceptions, but is intensely conscious of subjective impressions.
However “trances” may be caused or triggered, they are perceived as if they were revelations from the outside. They can adopt the form of visual or audible perceptions or other impressions, such as tasting, smelling, heat or cold. These conditions are sometimes preceded by epileptic appropriations, depicting something called „Aura Epilepsy”. <= (note: analogously quoted from the book „Ecstatic Prophecy” by Stacey Campbell, page 75 and page 76).
 
The Penetrative Power of Ecstatic Prayer
 
Ecstatic prayer has a special impact in the invisible world, and it involves a great change on the earth; it causes the angels assigned by God to throw the prevailing giants of darkness off their courses by the power of prayer and the passionate zeal of God – as was the case with Goliath for instance, when he was defeated by the hurling arm of David (see 1 Samuel 17:49-50; Obadiah 1:3-4 i.c.w. Revelation 8:3-5).
 
1 Samuel 17:49-50:
49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
 
Obadiah 1:3-4:
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
4 Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.
 
Revelation 8:3-5:
3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne.
4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.
5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
 
Ecstatic Intercessors
 
Ecstatic Intercessors, who may also be called prophetic intercessors, are people close to the heart of God; they know His innermost being well like the disciple John, who knew the heartbeat of Jesus (see John 13:23).
 
John 13:23:
23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.
 
The Shaking of the Spirit
 
The reason for the above mentioned penetrative power of the ecstatic prayer lies hidden in the vibrating of the spirit (note: the supernatural manifestation of God in the atmosphere over the present darkness and the present chaos) being closely connected to the voice of God and His word; this leads to His prophetic, eternal light shining in the world for this time in order to reveal the correct standard (see Genesis 1:1-5 i.c.w. John 1:1-5; Matthew 4:16; 2 Peter 1:19).
 
Genesis 1:1-5:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering (note: vibrated, trembled) over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day.
 
John 1:1-5:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
 
Matthew 4:16:
„… 16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
 
2 Peter 1:19:
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
 
This means, the “shaking” – the ecstatic intercession/travailing prayer – precedes the prophet(s), so that they are able to speak the plans of God on the earth according to the measure of revelation allocated them by God, thereby initiating a transformation of darkness and chaos to give people in the world the chance to enter into a true relationship with the Heavenly Father, as Adam did when he entered into rest with God on the seventh day (see Genesis 2:2-3).
 
Genesis 2:2-3:
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
 
The Manifestation of Jesus
 
This approach of “ecstatic intercession” can also be observed in the intervention of Jesus on the way to His friend Lazarus, who had just died.
Here we can quite clearly see darkness in form of death; but Jesus did not allow the peace he had with his Heavenly Father to be disturbed.
Jesus entered into the so called travailing prayer that resulted in Lazarus coming alive again.
 
Through the manifestation of the spirit and his acting in this circumstance, Jesus broke off all accusation, deception and unbelief in the atmosphere, so that life literally jumped out of the darkness (see John 11:33.38-44)!
 
John 11:33.39-44:
33 When Jesus saw her (note: Mary) weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved (note: The Greek word is “embrimaomai” and means “to snort in rage, like horses; a hard, loud sound caused by the hard intake of breath through the nostrils”) in spirit and troubled. …
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
 
What is Travailing Prophecy?
 
=> Travailing prophecy is the spiritual opposite to a natural birthing of life coming into the world. It applies to the prophetic because of its similarity of seed in regard to the natural process. For the word of God is life. The prophet or prophetic vessel is pregnant with the word of God in the spirit and can have experiences similar to that of a pregnant woman.
When the word of God as the seed has matured over time in the prophetic vessel, it is birthed forth in the spirit. This can become apparent through spiritual contractions.
The prophet Jeremiah spoke of such an event during a time of prophesying (see 1 Kings 18:42; Isaiah 21:3; Isaiah 26:17-18; Isaiah 37:3; Isaiah 66:7-8; Hosea 13:12-13; Romans 8:26-27; Hebrews 5:7; John 11:33 = The Greek word for “sigh” means “embrimaomai/ enebrimésato, derived from enebrimaomai“, which is explained as follows: “to snort in rage, like horses; a hard, loud sound caused by the hard intake of breath through the nostrils”). <= (note: analogously quoted from the book „The Prophet’s Dictionary„ by Paula A. Price, PhD.; page 95).
 
Amen and Amen.
 
In His Wisdom,
 
Daniel Glimm
 
Translation:
Margit Kelly