Dreams And Visions
A dream is a state of mind, in which images, thoughts or
impressions pass through the mind of a person who is sleeping. A
vision is a state of mind, in which images, thoughts or impressions
pass through the mind of a person who is awake. The main difference
between a dream and a vision is that dreams occur during sleep,
whereas visions happen while fully awake.
Dreams and visions had a prominent place in the religious and
historical writings of ancient peoples. In ancient times, dreams and
visions, even those of pagan kings and pharaohs, were thought to
convey significant messages from God (Gen. 41:1-36, Dan.4:4-5.). In
the Bible, many of these dreams and visions have prophetic
implications and are of national or global importance.
But God’s desire is still to speak to us plainly, face to face
without going through dreams and visions:
Then
the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the
entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of
them stepped forward, he said, "Listen to My words:
"When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal Myself to him
in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of My
servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. With him I speak
face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of
the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against
My servant Moses?" Numbers 12:5-8
Miriam thought that she was more superior and spiritual than
Moses because she had also "heard from God," through probably dreams
and visions (Num. 12:2). But God told her off. Moses saw God
plainly, face to face, and not through dreams and visions! Moses was
a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the
earth (Num. 12:3). Dreams and visions can cause great pride.
Remember young Joseph who boasted to his brothers and parents about
his dreams. He landed in Egypt as a slave. Much later in the jail,
he learnt his lessons. God then promoted him to become the prime
minister of Egypt.
All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the
man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work
(2 Tim 3:16-17). If one does not have the Word of
God or a particular verse, God may give a dream, a vision or an
impression of an object or a word or a scenario so that he will be
diligent to seek out the answers in His Word! No dreams and visions
should be interpreted without having the Word of God as the basis.
Many true
prophets of God, while prophesying to others, see visions of this
disease or that disease, this problem or that problem. They then
prophesy and proclaim the Word of the Lord for the persons, giving
them the instructions to follow. Many claim to see angels. And
angels are sent by God to announce good news (Gen. 18:9-10; Luke
1:13,30; 2:8-15); to warn of coming dangers (Gen. 18:16-19:29; Matt.
2:13), and also to destroy and execute judgment of evil (Gen. 19:13;
2 Sam. 24:16).
Elihu clearly
stated that God speaks through dreams and visions for specific
reasons and purposes:
For God does
speak-- now one way, now another-- though man may not perceive
it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls
on men as they slumber in their beds, He may speak in
their ears and terrify them with warnings, to turn man from
wrongdoing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from
the pit, his life from perishing by the sword. Job
33:14-18
Dreams and
visions are not meant for private consumption and
self-glorification. Like the spiritual gifts of God, having more
dreams and visions do not imply that one is more holy than the
others. More dreams and visions may, on the contrary, mean more
warnings, more turning away from errors, more humbling to go, and
more dangers ahead.
In a dream God
warned Abimelech, the king of Gerar, not to touch Sarah, because she
was Abraham's wife (Gen. 20:3). An angel of the Lord appeared to
Joseph the carpenter in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do
not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 1:20). Joseph,
through this dream, was warned not to divorce Mary.
Biblical dreams
and visions bring supernatural insight and awareness. They are only
profitable when God sends the revelation and interpretation to His
servants, the prophets. Pharaoh dreamed but Joseph the Dreamer
received the revelation from God, and interpreted the dreams.
Without the proper interpretation and revelation, too many dreams
may become nightmares and too many visions may cause blindness.
Pharaoh dreamed but was deeply troubled till he got the revelation
from Joseph. Saul, on his road to Damascus, saw a vision of the Lord
in broad daylight. He was blinded till Ananias came to his rescue
(Acts 9).
One of the
purposes for dreams and visions is to give guidance and direction to
God's servants as they are to foretell the future. And these dreams
and visions may come in cycles or in a series like those of Joseph,
Daniel, Ezekiel and John the Beloved Apostle. All of these need
godly revelation, interpretation and wisdom to carry out the
instructions. In each of these cases, the dreams and visions pertain
to events of the future. God granted the ability to interpret these
dreams to Joseph (Gen. 40:8; 41:12) and Daniel (Dan. 2:20-45).
John’s visions at Patmos are still in the midst of unfolding! Joseph
was also given the task to carry out the instructions of the dreams
and their interpretations – in preparation of the 7 years of plenty
and 7 years of famine.
As dreams and
visions are often associated with prophecies, they must be treated
with great responsibility and accountability. Whenever God sent us
dreams and visions, He had a purpose to be fulfilled. There is no
place for hide and seek, trial and error. Many prophets carried the
Word of the Lord by their own life examples. They are responsible
and accountable. God counts them worthy to bear the message. The
messengers became the message themselves, living epistles being read
by all men. Dreams and visions call for accountability and
responsibility.
Like false
prophets who falsely claim to utter revelations that come from God,
to foretell future events, or to have God's power to produce
miracles, signs, and wonders, people with false dreams and visions
must be recognized and rejected, even when their dreams and visions
do come to pass:
If a
prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and
announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign
or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says,
"Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us
worship them," you must not listen to the words of that
prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find
out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your
soul. It is the LORD your God you must follow, and Him you must
revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold
fast to Him. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death,
because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God, Who
brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of
slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God
commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.
Deut 13:1-5
"I
have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in My name.
They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' How long will this
continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the
delusions of their own minds? They think the dreams they tell
one another will make My people forget My name, just as their
fathers forgot My name through Baal worship. Let the prophet
who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has My word
speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?"
declares the LORD. "Is not My word like fire," declares
the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
Therefore," declares the LORD, "I am against the prophets who
steal from one another words supposedly from Me. Yes," declares
the LORD, "I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues
and yet declare, 'The LORD declares.' Indeed, I am against
those who prophesy false dreams," declares the LORD. "They
tell them and lead My people astray with their reckless lies,
yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these
people in the least," declares the LORD. "When these people,
or a prophet or a priest, ask you, 'What is the oracle of the
LORD?' say to them, 'What oracle? I will forsake you, declares
the LORD. 'If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, 'This
is the oracle of the LORD,' I will punish that man and his
household. This is what each of you keeps on saying to his
friend or relative: 'What is the LORD's answer?' or 'What has
the LORD spoken?' But you must not mention 'the oracle of the
LORD' again, because every man's own word becomes his oracle and
so you distort the words of the living God, the LORD Almighty,
our God. This is what you keep saying to a prophet: 'What is the
LORD's answer to you?' or 'What has the LORD spoken?' Although
you claim, 'This is the oracle of the LORD,' this is what the
LORD says: You used the words, 'This is the oracle of the LORD,'
even though I told you that you must not claim, 'This is the
oracle of the LORD.' Therefore, I will surely forget you and
cast you out of My presence along with the city I gave to you
and your fathers. I will bring upon you everlasting
disgrace-- everlasting shame that will not be forgotten."
Jeremiah 23:25-40
Always remember
the third commandment: "You shall not misuse the name of the
LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who
misuses His name." (Exodus 20:7) Do not say the Lord this
and the Lord that if He does not say this and that.
Some people
think that they are so special that God gives them dreams and
visions every day or every hour. They are only special if they have
the revelation, interpretation and wisdom, through the Word of God,
to unravel the mysteries. Personally, I think God’s special people
are those stated in Psalm 1:2-3, "But his delight is in the law of
the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be
like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its
fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever
he does shall prosper."
If God does send
us a dream or a vision, let’s be diligent to carry out the
instructions as it is being revealed and interpreted through the
authority of the Word of God and the leadership of Holy Spirit. Seek
God, and not dreams and visions. If they come, they come.
"And it shall
come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My
Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams."
(Acts 2:17). Young men seeing visions because without visions, young
men will perish, wandering aimlessly. Without dreams, old men will
die early having no desire or hope for living! I know of many Jews
and people of other faiths coming to receive Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord
through dreams and visions. Once or twice in a lifetime but not on a
daily or monthly basis. Like a mission statement, dreams and visions
should not change from day to day like a chameleon. We cannot tell
people that our dream is to be a pastor on one day, and then a
successful businessman on another. Our integrity and trustworthiness
will be at stake.
We live by
faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). Faith in God and His Word, and not
by having dreams and seeing visions! Preach His Word, and not your
dreams and visions. Too many churches have ended chasing dreams and
visions, and foregoing preaching the pure Word of God.
When dreams and
visions contradicted the Word of God (even when they did come to
pass), the ancients Jews stoned their false prophets and dreamers!
"Stone him
to death, because he tried to turn you away from the LORD your
God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you
will do such an evil thing again." Deut 13:10-11
One question in
two: Does Jesus have dreams and visions? What about David – the man
after God’s own heart?
Clue: Remember
Moses.
Source:
Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Please
also read:
A Moment In Time
Information Overload
Revelation Explained
A Vision Of
Heaven