"Supernatural" Experiences

[Piebald]

Post strange experiences that you had that could be interpreted as supernatural experiences.

I'll go first!

1. A couple years ago I was sitting in a restaraunt, waiting for my order to come, thinking about the people who post on the CARM boards -- specifically the Christadelphian board. I considered that perhaps I had been "De-humanizing" the people I was debating. I thought to myself, "that waitress could very well be Dianne (one of the posters on the board). . . if it turned out that she WAS Dianne, how would I respond to her, since we had been in such heated arguments anonymously?" Well, I thought about this for 5-10 minutes. The waitress went to a table next to me and an elderly man that she was waiting on asked her "Is your name Dianne?" She laughed and asked, "What made you ask that?" I didn't hear his answer, but he said something about his ex-wife. That was a pretty bizarre experience.

2. This was also a couple years ago. I was sitting on the stairs thinking about how I had just flamed the heck out of someone in a debate chatroom. I think they had it coming, but I was still feeling remorseful about how I handled the situation. I literally grabbed my tongue and said a brief prayer to God asking him to chasten my tongue. That evening I went back into the chatroom and flaaaaamed the heck out of a White Supremacist who had entered and was vomiting rhetoric. The next morning I woke up and my tongue was covered in blisters*. It was so sore that I couldn't eat well for 2 or 3 days.


*or those little .. cold sore.. thingies.. that I don't know the name of

[Taran Wanderer]

Hamster, I have a strange experience every time I look at one of your recent avatars.

The closest thing I remember having to a supernatural experience was when my apartment mate and I both had a similar dream on the same night about another friend who used to live with us. He couldn't remember his exactly, but my dream was that our friend had come back to visit us, but he had changed. The only way I could think to describe it was that he had become spiritually arrogant. I couldn't remember him being that way when he was with us at college, but it felt familiar. We thought it might mean something, but we decided not to do anything about it unless we had the same kind of dream the next night, which we didn't.

A year after we had this dream, I found out from our friend's mother that he and his brother had gotten involved in an abusive cult. About six months later we went to try to persuade him to leave, and I saw some of the same attitude he had in the dream, though the tone of the meeting fluctuated a lot. He didn't leave during that trip, though his brother did, but he eventually did get out.

That was all rather vague, wasn't it? I hope you could follow it.

[Piebald]

My guess is that the powers that be grant us 3 unusual quasi-supernatural events per lifetime... I have one more coming, unless I'm forgetting one

[Taran Wanderer]

Why do you say that? Some people seem to have dozens.

[mossrose]

I have only had one, but I am sometimes not paying attention, so there might have been more. This is the only one I am sure about.


In 1993 I started a job in a small local retail store. The very first day that I was on the till by myself, I was short at the end of the day by $5.00. The owner said not to worry about it, that it was nothing to be concerned about.

It was difficult for me not to think about it, even though I knew she was not upset with me, because I just could not figure out what had happened.

That night I had a dream, that the cash register was outside in the back alley (don't ask me why, you know what dreams are like........:hehe:), and I was out there rummaging around in it, and I lifted up the cash drawer liner thingy that holds the coins and bills, and there underneath was a $5.00 bill!

I woke up, remembered the dream as clear as if I were still living it. When I went to work, I took the owner to the register, told her about my dream, and said, "I do not believe in dreams having meaning. I don't believe in portents or anything like that, unless God did it. I don't know what to think about this, but could we look under the drawer liner, just for fun?"

She told me that nothing has ever slipped underneath the liner. Nothing is ever put in there, all the receipts from credit cards, gift certificates, etc., are put into the actual drawer. In all the 10 or so years she had owned the store, she had never even lifted that drawer liner up to look underneath it. But, she said, we'll look anyway.

Sure enough, and I swear to you that this is true, there was a $5.00 bill underneath the drawer liner! That is all that was under there, except some dust. I was as amazed as she was! :lol: That money could have been there for 10 years, for all we knew!

I worked in that store for about 5 years. I looked underneath that drawer liner a few times and never saw a thing. None of the other people that worked there ever found anything under there again.

All I can believe is that God showed me in that dream where that money was. Why it was important, I can't tell, except that it allowed me to talk to my boss about Him a little bit........

:nsm:

[Abigail]

Once my little brother phoned me unexpectedly early in the morning. The day or so before he had gotten an e-mail out the blue from someone we'd been to primary school with. Anyway we talked about all the things we'd done and the people we knew and neither of us could remember some peoples' names and so he said he'd phone our elder sister. He phoned her and then my elder brother (we are all pretty close in age) and they all had pretty much the same reminiscing conversations. The next evening my little brother was killed on his motorbike.

[mossrose]

:hug: How wonderful that God allowed you all that time with him!

[RumTumTugger]

Abigal let me say first that like Mossrose I'm happy God let you have that time with your Brother.

I've had 3 experiences that I can only describe as supernatural in my life that I hope I never again. they all had to do with getting a certain chill in my back like someone walking over my grave. and one other experience that is a possible supernatural happening.

Before I get into mine there is one thing I would like to point out. I as a Christian have never and will never look for supernatural things to happen it is not something we need to search for I am content to let God handle this type of knowledge I can only say that my experiences appear to me as his way of getting me ready for a certain type of news before hand so I could handle it, since after that fourth experience I never had it happen again.(for which I say Thank God.)

the first time was when one of my Uncles Died I was sitting in a restraunt with a friend of mine when that feeling came and I told her about it the next day I found out my Uncle had died.

the 2nd was the day of the death of one of my favorite cousins I was at work when the feeling came, the same friend as above was there and I didn't even have to tell her she guessed I was having one of those feelings, when I got home that day my mom was on the phone with someone and my cousins name came to mind( I did not know who my mom was talking to but from the look on her face I could tell it was bad news.)

the 3rd time was on my way to visit my Maternal Grandfather who was in a nursing home ill with alzheimers and getting close to death I got the chill and knew it was too late. when we got to the nursing home they said he'd died at around the time I'd gotten that chill.

The 4th was the Saturday before my Paternal Grandmother died now this experience was different then the other three it was just a feeling of greif that came over me about my Grandmother who was slowly dying I found out later that that was the day she'd been taken to the Hosptial for the last time she never left.

I'm not sure if this is what you were looking for Hamster. These are my experiences and ones as I said I Thank God I don't get anymore.

[lee_merrill]

Abigal let me say first that like Mossrose I'm happy God let you have that time with your Brother.
Yes, God does go ahead of us in a special way sometimes in times of trials, may the Lord continue to minister to you and your family, Abigail...

I would also echo what Michele (RTT) said about premonitions, only I have had a special extraordinary sense of God's peace at various times, when praying for people who were ill, yet just before they died, with my mother, with a friend's daughter, and with Terri Schiavo, as it turns out.

God does let us participate in the aspect that will enable us to do good for him afterwards, I believe, even though the feelings may not necessarily be pleasant to experience.

Such as most of the other apparently supernatural experiences I have had, it would seem...

Blessings,
Lee

[Gideon Brook]

I had not long been a Christian, and everyone was telling me about demons, and spiritual warfare and stuff like that, things I hadn't encountered before. I was in a quandry about how far I should get involved in it, since many I knew claimed some form of spiritual warfare ministry, be it deliverance or intercesion, or something.
One night, I woke up, and found I could not move - I know now there is a sleep related condition often associated with abduction stories - and half of my room was in darkness, which was odd considering there were two street lamps outside my window. Also the electronic display on my stereo was moving around, as in a heat haze. I then became aware of a presence just out of sight, and it appeared to be a malevolent one. I lay there for a few seconds, then did was I had been told: I rebuked it in Jesus' name. Suddenly I was free to move, the darkness and the presence had gone. As I rolled over to go back to sleep I asked the Lord for a sign that something had happened.
In the morning, alas, there were no smoking hoofprints on the carpet, but as I got dressed, first one, and then the other bootlace snapped. It was enough for me. Enough for what, you might ask? Enough that something had happened, and that I was safe, I had nothing to fear. My interest in that kind of interest in spiritual beings dwindled after that, and I am less likely to think 'manifestation' when I see something happening to someone, especially after someone was declared to be manifesting a demon, and a friend who was a nurse said, actually he has hypothermia.

[lee_merrill]

One night, I woke up, and found I could not move...
Shiver me timbers!

Yes, there are wolves around, and also a Good Shepherd...

Blessings,
Lee

[Cognos]

I see that non-theists are allowed to post in this forum.

I am genuinely confused by some of the comments in this thread:
1) Mossrose: How wonderful [??] that God allowed you all that time with him!
2) RumTumTugger: Abigal let me say first that like Mossrose I'm happy [??] God let you have that time with your Brother.
3) Lee_Merrill: Yes, God does go ahead of us in a special [??] way sometimes in times of trials, may the Lord continue to minister to you and your family, Abigail...

Abigail's brother was killed in a motorbike accident, right? I feel sorry for your loss. I recently lost my mother.

But is this tragedy offset by God's love in allowing Abigail to have one last phone conversation? Where was God when the accident occurred? Part of his plan, I guess.

It seems, then, that the posters in this thread are saying that no matter what happens, it's good and it's from God. Is that right?

Then isn't every experience supernatural?

Thanks.

[Gideon Brook]

Cognos, you have picked on one account out of this thread, and generalised from there:

It seems, then, that the posters in this thread are saying that no matter what happens, it's good and it's from God. Is that right?

Then isn't every experience supernatural?

Firstly, by supernatural, we mean that involving unusual events, unusual modes of communication - such as dreams - that help in some way in circumstances arising.

Secondly, by supernatural, we understand God's intervention in our lives in some way.
Hamster's was about the way the Lord can deal with us to discipline us.
Trial's involved a warning.
Mossrose's was a help out of a situation
Abigails was premonitory, though not understood to be so until afterwards, and then was presumably comforting.
RumTumtugger's were also premonitory
Mine was educational at a time of difficulty.

None of us make a big thing of them, none of us go out of our way to seek them, all of us, I would guess, are healthily sceptical about them, but give the matter to the Lord.

Of the one involving Abigail, the simple matter is, all of us die, and though some of us die 'before our time' yet we trust that it is in the Lord's time. You know the verse, all things work together for good to those who, etc. Not necessarily to the good of, as we understand it, but to the good as he sees it. That is the nature of humble & trusting faith, and raises a different issue to the matter of this thread.

God shall alone the refuge be,
And comfort of my mind;
Too wise to be mistaken, He,
Too good to be unkind.

In all his holy, sovereign will,
He is, I daily find,
Too wise to be mistaken, still
Too good to be unkind.

When I the tempter’s rage endure,
Tis God supports my mind;
Too wise to be mistaken, sure
Too good to be unkind.

When sore afflictions on me lie,
He is (though I am blind)
Too wise to be mistaken, yea,
Too good to be unkind.

What though I can’t his goings see,
Nor all his footsteps find?
Too wise to be mistaken, still
Too good to be unkind.

Hereafter he will make me know,
And I shall surely find,
He was too wise to err, and O,
Too good to be unkind.

(#7, Gadsby’s Hymns; 1983)

This hymn was written by a man who had recently witnessed his young baby son killed in a road accident in the 18th or 19th century.

[Zarathustra]

I see that non-theists are allowed to post in this forum.

I am genuinely confused by some of the comments in this thread:
1) Mossrose: How wonderful [??] that God allowed you all that time with him!
2) RumTumTugger: Abigal let me say first that like Mossrose I'm happy [??] God let you have that time with your Brother.
3) Lee_Merrill: Yes, God does go ahead of us in a special [??] way sometimes in times of trials, may the Lord continue to minister to you and your family, Abigail...

Abigail's brother was killed in a motorbike accident, right? I feel sorry for your loss. I recently lost my mother.

But is this tragedy offset by God's love in allowing Abigail to have one last phone conversation? Where was God when the accident occurred? Part of his plan, I guess.

It seems, then, that the posters in this thread are saying that no matter what happens, it's good and it's from God. Is that right?

Then isn't every experience supernatural?

Thanks.

I think this boils down too this being the best possible world, God is all good. Hence God could only create the best possible world. Therefore anything bad or good that ever happens is because if it had not happened that way, this would cease being the best possible world. The proximal reason for say finding a $5 bill under the register lining is a dream. The ultimate reason for finding the $5 bill is for this to continue being the best possible world. Therefore the ultimate reason for everything is that it must be so or this world will cease being the best possible world. The world must therefore be deterministic; there can only be one best possible world.
Yes, everything that has happened in the past and present is supernatural, because if God had not made it happen like it has. This would not be the best possible world. If I had not written this post this would not have been the best possible world. I have written this post; hence it is the best possible world.

Maybe a little of topic, but I just wanted to agree with your point.

[Gideon Brook]

If this was the best possible world at all times and in all places, God would not have sent Jesus to redeem it, and bring in a New Creation. You must assume the world is as it currently is because God wants it that way as a matter of course, he has determined it should be this way. Only if you accept a rigidly deterministic view could you say so, but even then, the fact that the world, so determined, is as it is, does not make it the best possible world, since you are co-opting a value judgment to make your case, viz the word Best. Even on a deterministic basis, the world could still be only on its way to being the best possible world, yet contingently not The Best now. Such interventions by God are then actions on his part, on behalf of his people where they can recognise it as such, to overcome the nonBestness of the world.
While it is true that the world can be characterised as a supernatural event, and therefore all that is in it, yet given the regularities God has built into the world, and maintains, then only events contrary to those regularities are characterised as supernatural, for our purposes.

[Zarathustra]

If this was the best possible world at all times and in all places, God would not have sent Jesus to redeem it, and bring in a New Creation. You must assume the world is as it currently is because God wants it that way as a matter of course, he has determined it should be this way. Only if you accept a rigidly deterministic view could you say so, but even then, the fact that the world, so determined, is as it is, does not make it the best possible world, since you are co-opting a value judgment to make your case, viz the word Best. Even on a deterministic basis, the world could still be only on its way to being the best possible world, yet contingently not The Best now. Such interventions by God are then actions on his part, on behalf of his people where they can recognise it as such, to overcome the nonBestness of the world.
While it is true that the world can be characterised as a supernatural event, and therefore all that is in it, yet given the regularities God has built into the world, and maintains, then only events contrary to those regularities are characterised as supernatural, for our purposes.

Yay, someone kind of agrees with me. Though I see not on all points. This is mainly based on God being all good. If God were all good then God must do everything in God's power so as not to loose a soul needlessly to hell. Yes, I do make a value judgment here, this being that it is better for a soul to go to heaven apposed to a soul going to hell. This value judgment seems pretty rudamentry to me, though it is contentious. If though it were so;

The world must then happen so that the maximum people make it into heaven throughout all time. Therefore this world would have to be the best possible one, necessarily. Gods all goodness being a necessary truth, God cannot be less then all good by definition. Everything in the past and present must necessarily happen this way. A world where everything did not happen in the best possible way become impossible because it would become a necessarily false world that cannot exist. Nothing that involves this world being the best possible world can be contingent. Which makes contingent rather meaningless, for anything and everything that happens in time is a part of making this the best possible world.

[Gideon Brook]

But you are applying philosophical categories here. We often see them used, such as 'God is all good', 'God is all loving', 'God is all powerful', 'and therefore...'
God is a living being, a personal being, and he is not necessarily directed by the logical categories of 'being all anything'. It is often the gambit of sceptics to start with the statement 'God is...therefore...', but such a god is not necessarily the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jesus. You must first of all make the connection between what we consider an all good god would do, and what this God actually wants to do. It is only a proposition, not a truth, that God would want as many people as possible in 'heaven' rather than 'hell'. divorced from the scriptural revelation, you are whistling in the wind with such theorising.
Perhaps you had better ask a molinist or open theist though, since I don't subscribe to the best of all possible worlds idea. This is the world, this is how it is, and that's it, for most Christians. The Best is yet to come. You could of course use the nomenclature 'best' to describe this world as it exists as the outcome of the past, but there seems little reaosn to, and it actually semes quite contentious to do so, since one must then face the problem of evil and sin in a 'best' world.

[Zarathustra]

But you are applying philosophical categories here. We often see them used, such as 'God is all good', 'God is all loving', 'God is all powerful', 'and therefore...'
God is a living being, a personal being, and he is not necessarily directed by the logical categories of 'being all anything'. It is often the gambit of sceptics to start with the statement 'God is...therefore...', but such a god is not necessarily the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jesus. You must first of all make the connection between what we consider an all good god would do, and what this God actually wants to do. It is only a proposition, not a truth, that God would want as many people as possible in 'heaven' rather than 'hell'. divorced from the scriptural revelation, you are whistling in the wind with such theorising.
Perhaps you had better ask a molinist or open theist though, since I don't subscribe to the best of all possible worlds idea. This is the world, this is how it is, and that's it, for most Christians. The Best is yet to come. You could of course use the nomenclature 'best' to describe this world as it exists as the outcome of the past, but there seems little reaosn to, and it actually semes quite contentious to do so, since one must then face the problem of evil and sin in a 'best' world.

Granted, it is only a proposition and hence epistemologically I have very little room to argue in, for I will never be able to prove such a proposition to be absolute truth. Though it would be interesting discussing the pro's and con's of the proposition on purely philosophical grounds, and hence a possibility of finding affirmed truth through JTB justification of the proposition. maybe another night.

I agree that it may be best for me to continue discussing such idea's with people who take heed to applying human morality to God.

[Cognos]

Cognos, you have picked on one account out of this thread, and generalised from there:

Firstly, by supernatural, we mean that involving unusual events, unusual modes of communication - such as dreams - that help in some way in circumstances arising.

Secondly, by supernatural, we understand God's intervention in our lives in some way.
Hamster's was about the way the Lord can deal with us to discipline us.
Trial's involved a warning.
Mossrose's was a help out of a situation
Abigails was premonitory, though not understood to be so until afterwards, and then was presumably comforting.
RumTumtugger's were also premonitory
Mine was educational at a time of difficulty.I asked: "It seems, then, that the posters in this thread are saying that no matter what happens, it's good and it's from God. Is that right?

Weren't all these experiences "good" and didn't they all involve God?

I just wonder, in your particular experience, what would have happened if you had rebuked the evil presence in the name of Allah? Would your boot laces still have snapped?

Anyway, please treat the above questions as rhetorical.

Thanks for your comments.

[lee_merrill]

Hi everyone,

Cognos: Then isn't every experience supernatural?
Well yes, it is, actually, if God is as involved and has such complete control as Scripture says he does!

Zarathruster: God could only create the best possible world. Therefore anything bad or good that ever happens is because if it had not happened that way, this would cease being the best possible world.
Well, there has to be consistency too, and reason to believe that God is both good, and in control. I would not sign up for just saying "All that happens is good by definition, because (by definition) God is good and in control." No, it is "Taste and see that the Lord is good" instead.

Zarathruster: If God were all good then God must do everything in God's power so as not to loose a soul needlessly to hell.
Yes, and I hold that Scripture gives us reason to believe that all will be saved, even after judgment in hell, if that turns out to be the case for a person.

Romans 11:32-33 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

Blessings,
Lee

[Piebald]

Weren't all these experiences "good" and didn't they all involve God?


My tongue didn't think so :shifty:

In any event, I don't proclaim that my experiences are an absolute witness to the reality of God, or irrefutable evidence, or anything like that. Just very unusual and reflection-provoking.

[Iktovian]

to zarathusta:
no, no, no, and no.
God did create the best of all possible worlds but since the fall it has been self-evidendtly not the best possible world. This does not say anything bad about God as gidbruk seems to be saying God is his own person. this means that the creation is separate from God so it need not be perfect for him to be perfect, and also that God is separate friom human conceptions of goodness so he does not have to fit in with our concepts of morality. we only describe God as good because it is the best word we have. because God is separate from what he made and vastly trancends it the corruption (chosen or not) of creation does not mean He is bad. if creation was perfect and incorruptible it would incompatible with human falleness. God could hardly be expected to make a world where people were allowed to sin in complete safety. in fact He could hardly be expected to do anything at all. He has free will as well as us and He has fourtunately chosen to use it in a way which enables us to walk with him if we so choose. if we do not choose to do so we will eventually lose the option of God's prescence, which from what i have heard is typically rather uncomfortable.

to continue to present a credible Christian position in any kind of discussion relating to God's involvement in the world but particularly when dealing with the problem of evil it is necessary to maintain a strict doctrine of God's trancendence. not doing so will lead to indentifing God with creation and makes the problem of evil a far more relevant question than it should be allowed to become.

but i digress. this thread is about supernatural happening, so i will tell mine.
a few months ago i was at work locking a door when my manager came walking up behind me and saw a young boy standing next to the door at my elbow but not where i could see him. without going into circumstances too much i can be sure that that boy was not human. for one thing he dissapeared as soon as i turned around. it was an empty locked building and there was no way he could have just walked out. My boss was not joking. neither had he smoked pot or been involved in the occult for many years. this means that the boy was either an angel or a demon. i would lean towards an angel as it was holding somthing i was meant to be carrying at the time.

[docjam]

yeah, so here I go...I was at a prayer conferance in Grand Rapids, Mi. The speaker was Steve Hill from the Brownsville church in Florida, right at the peak of the revival there. I was I think about 19 at the time and there as a youth chaperone. After his main message, he gave an altar call like every good preacher does...
...since i'd already been saved who knows how long, I just sat praying in my chair for 20 minutes or so while a few of our youth kids went up for prayer. As they all departed with the prayer team, Steve got this solemn look on his face and said now he wants to speak to those of us left, who all say are believers. I don't remember everything he said, but I remember I kept praying in my chair. Finally something hit me...I just kept having this sense that I needed a bigger cup...it meant nothing to me so I kept praying...it kept popping in my mind. Finally he said that God has poured Himself into us yet we still don't feel complete all the time. He used an analogy I've heard many times before but it really hit home to me this night...if you fill up a cup with water, when it's full, if the water's running, it will begin to overflow...we're like that cup. God has filled out cup and we need to get a bigger cup so that we can fit more of God into us...we settle too many times for a little cup...
so I went up to the altar to leave my little cup up there and ask for a bigger one...A guy was praying over me and prayed specifically for a double portion of God's spirit in my life so that I may be such a blessing to others. I prayed with him for about 10 minutes, then became slain in the spirit...I just lay on the floor praising God and thanking Him for giving me a bigger cup...Eyes closed and just completely in His presence, I just continued to soak up all of God I could...
when I opened my eyes(which was about an hour later) there were there three women standing over me...They were whiter than snow...and they literally had a glow around them. If you've ever looked directly into a spotlight, it was like three of them hovering right over me. It was super bright...They were also talking about me and what God was going to do in my life and how, they didn't know what, but He had something unique for me. I rubbed my eyes quickly to adjust to the light and when I opened them again, two seconds later, there was no sign of them...most people had gone so it's not like they were lost in the crowd, they were gone...I continued to pray all night and there were a few promises which I received from God that night. I remember those promises and hold them dear to my heart, but I also remember opening my eyes and seeing three ladies standind over me, talking about me and what God's going to do in my life....
So anyways, that's my supernatural experiance...