The Spirit of Deep Sleep
When I was a new Christian, I would worship before I left for work in the mornings. One day I was on my knees with my forehead touching the floor in worship when I felt a great sleepiness come upon me. Since I was praying, I did not want to fall asleep. My neck felt loose, so I stiffened my neck to fight the sleep. Then I felt a slight touch on the back of my neck, I felt my neck loosen, and started falling asleep, so I fought back again. I felt another touch on the back of my neck, and I fell into a deep sleep. As I was sleeping, I had a vision, a beautiful prophetic vision.
I want you to know that the Spirit of Deep Sleep is very real. God uses the Spirit of Deep Sleep still today to convey a spoken message to a person or to give a vision which also conveys a message. He also uses it to stop an event or to facilitate an event.
Genesis 2:21 “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam”
Genesis 15:12, 13 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and behold, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. And He said to Abram, “Know of a surety that your seed will be a stranger in a land that is not theirs…”
1 Samuel 26:12 So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul’s head and they went their way, and no man saw it, or knew it, or awakened, for they were all asleep because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.
Isaiah 29:9,10 Stay yourselves and wonder. Tarry and look around. They are drunken, but not with wine. They stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord has poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep.
Daniel 8:18 Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground, but he touched me, and set me upright.
God will pour the spirit of deep sleep on a person in special circumstances, as described above, but this spirit is also used as follows:
Before the resurrection of our Lord, the souls of the unrighteous departed to a place called Sheol or Hades, a place of torment, and the souls of the righteous would go to Abraham’s Bosom, located inside the earth, to enjoy a peaceful deep sleep until a time of awakening.
2 Samuel 7:12 And when your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers…
1 Kings 1:21 Otherwise it will be, when my lord the king will sleep with his fathers….
The Temporary Awakening of Samuel.
King Saul could not get a response from God. The Lord did not answer him when he inquired of Him, neither by dreams or Urim or prophets, so he resolved to use witchcraft. His servants told him about a witch at Ein Dor who could help him. Saul disguised himself and went to see the witch at night, “incognito.”
Because Saul himself had been kicking out witches, wizards and those with familiar spirts out of his kingdom, the witch was hesitant to do anything even when she did not know that it was Saul himself who was asking her. Saul assured her that there would be no punishment and asked her to bring up the prophet Samuel for him.
This woman worked with her familiar spirits that would impersonate the person called. She thought this was going to be routine
work, but the Lord knew what was going on and allowed for Samuel to be disturbed. This is why the woman screamed as she was expecting a familiar spirit to appear and not Samuel.
1 Samuel 28:12-15 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice and the woman spoke to Saul saying, ”Why have you deceived me, for you are Saul!” And the king said to her, ”Do not be in awe, What did you see?”
And the woman said to Saul: “I saw a divine being ascending from the earth.” And he said to her: “what form is he?”
And she said, “An old man came up and he is covered with a mantle.” And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed himself.
And Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me, to bring me up?”
Samuel was very angry that he was awakened from his deep sleep.
Other scriptures reveal the deep sleep in Abraham’s Bosom:
Deuteronomy 31:16 And the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, you will sleep with your fathers…”
The following three scriptures relate the death of a young girl and what Jesus said:
Matthew 9:23 Then after Jesus came to the house of the leader and He saw the flute players and the troubled crowd He was saying: “You must go away now, for the girl is not dead but she is sleeping.”
Luke 8:51, 52 Then after He came into the house He did not permit any to enter with Him except Peter and John and Jacob and the father and mother of the child. But all the mourners were crying and mourning her. And He said: “Stop crying! For she did not die but she is sleeping.”
Mark 5:39 And when He entered He said to them, “Why are you distressed and weeping? The child did not die but is sleeping.”
About the death of Lazarus:
John 11:11 He said these things, and after this he said to them: “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I could awaken him.”
I Kings 2:10 And David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
The End of the Deep Sleep at the Crucifixion.
Jesus was crucified between two thieves. One of the thieves was mocking Him, but the other thief feared Go and said that Jesus did nothing improper. This thief then told Jesus:
Luke 23:42,43 “Jesus, you must right away remember me when You would enter Your Kingdom.” Then He said to him: “Truly I say to you, this very day you will be with me in Paradise.”
Jesus disclosed a tremendous event would be happening soon!
Luke 23:44 And it was now about the sixth hour and it became dark on the whole earth until the nineth hour (from noon to 3pm.) As the sun was darkened, and the veil in the middle of the sanctuary was split, and having spoken in a loud voice Jesus said: “Father, into Your hands I entrust my Spirit.”
The Awakening.
Isaiah 26:19 Your dead people will live. They will rise together with my dead body. Awake! Sing! You who dwell in dust, for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast out the dead.
Matthew 27:52-53 And the graves were opened
And many bodies of the sleeping saints were raised. Then when they came out of the graves, after His resurrection they entered the holy city and they appeared to many.
From the grave Jesus went down to “Abraham’s Bosom” where the “captive saints” were in deep sleep. He then awakened them and led them ascending up to Paradise along with the repentant thief (and the ones who had come out of the tombs, I presume).
Psalm 68:19 You have ascended on high: You have led captivity captive.
And since then, when the righteous people “die,” (what is called “death”), their souls go directly to Heaven. It is just a moving to a better life. We leave our worn-out bodies behind and keep on living.
And the Spirit of Deep Sleep? God still uses it in several ways. I know. As I said, He put me into a deep sleep once.
Note: Scriptures from The One New Man Bible.