TRANCE

By Fasanya Adesoji and David Olaluwoye

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh…”

Joel 2:28

At the close of Jesus’ ministry, He told us of the ministry of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. It is no mystery if we say that we are in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. He is God in us and in our midst. The covenant that was foretold by the mouth of Ezekiel is hinged on the Holy Spirit for Ezekiel said, “a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you…”

The Holy Spirit is here to teach us all things (John 14:26) and in teaching us all things, He uses methods or patterns that He wills (1 Corinthians 12:11). As I often say, ‘As children of God, we are entitled to the voice of God; it is our heritage to be led by God; we have a right to God’s leading and teachings, but how God speaks to us is purely His prerogative.’ This means, the Holy Spirit will always speak to us but the way He speaks and teaches us is according to His will. However, as children of God, we must sustain a posture of heart that is easily led by God or that God can easily teach.

Different methods by which God speaks to us exist; among them are:

1. Through His word
2. Through Inward witness
3. Discernment
4. Visions and dreams etc

Trance, which is a method/way by which the Spirit leads or teaches can be categorized alongside visions and dreams. The line of distinction between visions, dreams, and trance might be difficult to draw, however, it is not impossible. But for the sake of this write-up, we will stay with TRANCE.

What then is Trance?

Trance is a state in which someone has no conscious control over their thoughts or actions, but in which they can see and hear things. Trance is not hypnosis, new age meditation nor is it astral projection.

Why Trance?

According to Apostle Peter’s second epistle, we understand that grace to walk in a reality is dependent on the knowledge of the truth that is carried (2 Peter 1:2). And due to the inadequate knowledge that exists about trance, this spiritual reality seems to be a far-fetched occurrence for many believers. This is why we are writing this; to increase the knowledge of the average believer on trance to birth an experience accordingly.

Vision in Hebrew can be

1. Marah (pronounced as mar-aw) means to look into a glass or mirror. It is from the root word ‘Mareh’ (pronounced as mar-eh), meaning to have sight or vision. It is used in Genesis 46:2, Ezekiel 1:1, Daniel 10:7, and other places.
2. Machazeh (pronounced as makh-az-eh) means to be in an ecstatic state; more like ‘out of the body or natural consciousnesses. We found usage in Genesis 15:1, Numbers 24:4, and Numbers 24:6. It is this word that is translated as ‘Trance’.

Trance in Greek is ‘ekstasis’, which means the state where the mind is out of its normal state, a state of mental excitement, and amazement. To better put, it means ‘displacement of the mind’.

The Septuagint quotes Numbers 24:4 as “he that hears the oracles of the Mighty One says; who saw a vision of God in sleep when his eyes were opened.” ‘In sleep’ here alludes to lack of consciousness. A study through the book of Ezekiel shows that other types of vision can be with consciousness (however in dreams and trance, natural consciousness is lost).

From the above, we can see that

1. In trance, natural consciousness is lost
2. The mind enters a state of supernatural excitement or amazement

Those who fell into trance in the bible include

1. Abraham (Genesis 15:1)
2. Balaam (Numbers 24:4)
3. Peter (Acts 10:10, Acts 11:5)
4. Paul (Acts 22:17)

The Place of Expectation

As we live in this 3-D plane, we must recognize that the basis of our spiritual or supernatural experiences is expectation. In Genesis 18:1, Abraham had a divine visitation but it all rested on… ‘And he lifted up his and looked and lo…’

In Numbers 24:2, Balaam fell into trance because ‘he lifted up his eyes…’

John the beloved received the Revelation of Jesus on the island of Patmos and what characterizes his experience was ‘I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day…’

We cannot overemphasize the place of expectation, this is why Jesus said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6).

It is because of this law of expectation that we find some folks enter into some experiences, however in ignorance. It is possible that an expectation can be perverted and becomes an attractive bed to demonic spirits, such perverted expectation becomes fulfilled by demons and such persons will see visions, dreams, and trance that are falsehoods. In Ezekiel 13:6–7, we read,

“They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith: and the Lord hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have ye not seen a vain vision, have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The Lord saith it, albeit I have not spoken?”

The word ‘vain’ means falsehood, worthless, empty, lying or idolatry figuratively. This means it is very possible to have vain or false or idolatry-laden spiritual experiences. This is why as believers, we must stay within the confines of the word of God. The Bible must become the basis upon which we judge our own experiences. THIS IS SAFETY! If we can’t judge our trance experience through the integrity of the scripture then we should not have it, demons can fake a great encounter for a long time that it would become a tradition, lest Satan takes advantage of us, we are not ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11).

What then are the benefits of trance?

Since trance is a spiritual experience, the benefits of having spiritual experiences are the benefits of having trance.

1 Corinthians 2:4 says “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

1 Corinthians 4:20 says “For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.”

The above Bible verses go to explain that spiritual experiences strengthen resolve and conviction. This doesn’t mean that without spiritual experiences, we should not have faith. If it is faith, then it doesn’t need experiences but what spiritual experiences do is strengthen our resolve in God and His word.

ENDNOTES

No trance would contradict the written word of God, and prophecy would be vetted by the word of God, and the word of God is the boundary of God’s commitment to us. We have a more sure word of prophecy which is the written word of God. In addition, the Holy Spirit isn’t the only spirit in the spiritual realm we have to vet what spirit inspired the trance.

In conclusion, the trance experience should not be abolished but the false indoctrinated ceremonial practices should be removed completely or carried out in absolute modesty and orderliness.