Seeing by Revelation Leads to Conception and Birth
David W Palmer
The story of Jesus’s conception and birth is full of great insights to help us in our relationship with God. Jesus is God’s son; but he is also a picture of God’s word being conceived spiritually in us, coming to birth through us, and then coming to maturity as a promise fulfilled or new covenant ministry.
(Luke 1:29 NKJV) But when she saw him (the angel), she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. (Parenthesis added)
This passage describes Mary’s initial response to God’s messenger and message: “she was troubled.” But what’s relevant for us is that the whole encounter pictures: a correct response to receiving a word from God, how it can be conceived in us spiritually, and how it can grow to maturity and fruitfulness for God’s kingdom. Let’s look at this passage phrase by phrase:
“When she saw.” This first phrase begins with the word, “when,” implying: “at that time—but not until that time.” This was a “suddenly,” if you like—a particular moment when God did and said something unexpectedly. In a similar way, he could speak to you with a fresh word today.
At that precise moment, Mary “saw” something supernaturally from God; she had a revelation (meaning something was revealed, came to light, or was seen). This is a crucially important first step to receiving a promise fulfillment. Yes, she received a message from God, but it was not just a written message, a second-hand word, or even a fresh but intellectual concept; something was revealed to her spirit. For us, it represents seeing something from God with our spiritual eyes—our insight.
Jesus later clarified and confirmed that we can receive specific and fresh revelation to our spirit from God, by his Spirit:
(Matthew 16:17 NKJV) Jesus answered and said to him (Peter), “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” (Parenthesis added)
Jesus not only confirmed that Peter had received a revelation directly from God, but that it made him “blessed.” Mary too was blessed when she received God’s revelation from the angel:
(Luke 1:28 NKJV) And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
Receiving fresh revelation from God will activate the blessing in your life too.
“Seeing” revelation with, or from, God is crucial for receiving all that he has promised. Jesus said that he “only” did what he saw with his Father (John 5:19–20), and God showed Abraham the Promised Land as a precursor to possessing it:
(Genesis 13:14–15 MKJV) … Jehovah said to Abram, Lift up your eyes now and look from the place where you are northward and southward, and eastward and westward. {15} For all the land which you see I will give to you, and to your seed forever.
Abraham saw physically what God promised him; and later under Joshua, his descendants walked through it and possessed it. God gave Abraham what he saw physically that day to illustrate to us that what we see with God in the spirit, he will give us: “For all the land which you see, I will give to you … forever.” If you see in your spirit today what God is showing you, this is the first step to it being materialised to you.
The apostle Paul also said that God reveals to us, or shows us in the spirit, what he wants us to receive from the things he has “prepared for those who love him”:
(1 Corinthians 2:9–10 NKJV)
