Elder Ko Swee Chay

Visions and Dreams in the Bible

Introduction
In the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament, there are many records of visions and dreams which God used to communicate His Word or will to His servants, particularly the saints and the prophets of old. In our world today, claims of visions and dreams from God are widespread and on the increase, especially from the Charismatic churches. It is needful therefore for us to study the many visions and dreams recorded in Holy Scriptures so that we may understand and learn their divine purposes and that we may learn discernment to evaluate, according to God’s Holy Word, today’s claims of visions and dreams.

1. Visions
In the Bible, the words "vision" and "visions" appear in 96 verses: 79 verses in the OT, mainly in Ezekiel (14 verses), Daniel (29 verses) and Job (7 verses); 17 verses in the NT, mainly in Acts (12 verses).
a. Examples of Visions in the Old Testament
Genesis 15 records the first vision in the Bible. The LORD came unto Abram and gave him specific promises and revelation and made a covenant with him through a face-to-face dialogue:
· Specific promises of protection, reward, and his own son and descendants: "Fear not Abram: I am thy shield, and thy great exceeding reward." (v1); in response to Abram’s complaints of his childlessness and having no seed (v2-3), the LORD assured Abram that his very own son would be his heir and his descendants would be innumerable (v4-5).
· Revelation of God’s personal Name Yahweh (v7)
· Covenant made with Abram (v9-21).
1 Samuel 3 record Samuel’s first vision as a young boy when the LORD called him four times in a row. In the fourth call, the LORD gave Samuel a very difficult and frightening message that concerned the impending severe judgement coming upon his guardian and mentor Eli and his household. Samuel was faithful to relay the vision to Eli even though it was bad news and he was fearful. Samuel passed the test to be a true prophet of God by speaking the whole counsel of God, not adding or subtracting from the Word of God. The LORD continued to speak to Samuel for the rest of his life as he faithfully served as judge, prophet and priest of Israel.

b. Examples of Visions in the New Testament
In the book of Acts, a number of visions were recorded for our understanding and learning. In Acts 9:10-18, the Lord spoke to Ananias, a certain disciple at Damascus, in a vision. The Lord commanded him to go and look for Saul of Tarsus in the house of Judas in Straight Street, and to put his hands on him that he might receive his sight. Ananias told the Lord what he had heard about the much evil Saul had done to the believers at Jerusalem. However, the Lord commanded him a second time to go and heal Saul of his blindness, "for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake." (Acts 9:15-17). Ananias obeyed God’s command and leading. Saul (Paul) regained his sight, and found the truth, came to the saving knowledge of Christ, was baptized and called to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles .

Paul had several visions in his missionary career, one of which sent him to preach in Macedonia. "And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them." (Acts 16:9-10). Another vision told him not to be afraid to preach as no one could hurt him, and encouraged him to continue preaching God’s Word in Corinth, which he did for one and a half years. "Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them." (Acts 18:9-11)

2. Dreams
In the Bible, the words "dream", "dreams", "dreameth", "dreamed" and "dreamer" appear in 87 verses: 79 verses in the OT, mainly in Genesis (30 verses), Jeremiah (6 verses) and Daniel (22 verses); 8 verses in the NT, mainly in Matthew (6 verses).
a. Examples of Dreams in the Old Testament

Genesis 20:1-7 records how God came to Abimelech in a dream by night to intervene and stop God’s plan and purposes from being broken by the acts of foolish man. Abraham dwelled in Gerar, and Abraham told Abimelech king of Gerar that Sarah was his sister. Abimelech took Sarah to be his wife, but God came to him in a dream by night and told him not to touch Sarah because she was Abraham's wife. Abimelech defended himself that he "had not come near her", and asked whether God would punish a righteous nation, and that he took Sarah to be his wife in the integrity of his heart and innocency of his hands, for it was Abraham and Sarah who told him that Sarah was Abraham’s sister. "And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her." (Gen 20:6). Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham the next morning; the dream had protected Sarah and safeguarded God's plan for her to be the mother of His chosen people, and through her lineage the Messiah would be born.

1 Kings 3:5-15 records the dream of Solomon: "In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee." (v5). Solomon chose wisdom, "an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad…." The LORD gave him "a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any rise like unto thee" and also gave him things that he had not asked for: "both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among kings like unto thee all the days." (vv12-13).

b. Examples of Dreams in the New Testament

Matthew chapters 1 & 2 record how the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in dreams to reveal God’s instructions to him (Matt 1:20, 2:13 & 19) and God’s warning to Joseph of dangers in dreams (Matt 2:12 & 22). Joseph would have put Mary away privily when he found out that she was pregnant, but God sent an angel to him in a dream prior to the birth of Jesus, saying to him "fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. " (Matt 1:19-21). After Jesus was born, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in two dreams: in the first the angel told him to flee to Egypt with his wife and young Jesus so that Herod could not destroy Jesus, and to remain there till the Lord brought His Word to him (Matt 2:12-13); the angel told him in the other dream that Herod was dead and that he could take his family back to the land of Israel. Finally, he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth (Matt 2:19-23).

3. Understanding Visions and Dreams in the Bible
A quick survey of the visions and dreams in the Bible leads to the following observations:
a. Visions and dreams mainly occurred in the OT, in Genesis, Job, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. In the NT, a number of dreams occurred in Acts. The book of Revelation is actually the prophetic revelation of Jesus Christ (visions) which God gave to Apostle John to show the things that must soon take place.
b. The terms "visions" and "dreams" in the Bible have to do with seeing or perceiving.

c. The distinction between a vision and a dream has to do with whether the recipient was awake or asleep: visions were received while the person was awake and they were often "in the Spirit"; while the dreams occurred while the "dreamer" was sleeping.

d. The purpose for both visions and dreams is spiritual – that is, God revealing His Word, will, plan, calling to service, promises, impending judgment, instructions, and future events to come to His servants. These were recorded in the Bible for our understanding, learning, edification and application.

e. They were audio-visual communications between a heavenly being and an earthly recipient. The heavenly giver is the Almighty Lord GOD, the angel of the Lord or Spirit of God. The earthly recipients were faithful men dedicated to the service of God, often the Prophets.

f. Visions and dreams were given mostly at night. "He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open." (Num 24:16). "But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife." (Gen 20:3)

g. Only the God-chosen one can see the visions: "And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves." (Dan 10:7)

h. On a few occasions, unbelievers such as Abimelech, Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar received visions and dreams from God.
i. They who received the revelations were convinced that they came from the Almighty God.

The prophetic use of visions and dreams is summarised in the Lord’s defence of Moses in the face of Aaron and Miriam who spoke against him:"And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream." (Num 12:6).

4. Warning of False Visions and Dreams

The Bible warns us of false visions and false dreams.

a. False Visions
Not all visions were of the LORD. The Bible warned of prophets who prophesied lies in the name of the LORD through false visions and divination. The LORD warned to not listen to the prophets that spoke a vision out of their own deceitful heart. Let us hear the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel: "Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart." (Jer 14:14). "Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD." (Jer 23:16). "Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?" (Eze 13:7).

b. False Dreams
Likewise, let us take heed of God’s warnings against those who prophesy false dreams in God’s Name that are not from God but by their lies to deceive God’s people: "25 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets, said the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. 32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD." (Jer 23:25, 31-32); "For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed." (Jer 29:8). God’s Word labelled those who prophesy false dreams as filthy dreamers: "Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities." (Jud 1:8).

5. Does God come to us in visions or dreams today?
We all have dreams while we sleep. Dreams can come from spectacular scenes we’ve seen, movies or videos we’ve watched, materials or news we read, new experiences we encountered, what we heard from others, our own thoughts, etc. Dreams are a natural part of the sleeping state. Some people have more dreams than others, depending on each individual’s daily activities, work and encounters, physical and mental conditions. Whatever it is, they are just dreams and one should not attach any meaning or spiritual significance to dreams. "For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words." (Ecc 5:3). "For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God." (Ecc 5:7). "It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion." (Isa 29:8).

It is God’s sovereign will to use visions and dreams to speak to His servants, even today. Dr John Sung testified in his book that he received visions and dreams from God, one of which revealed that he would serve God for a period of 15 years, divided into 5 equal periods of 3 years each. All these came to pass in John Sung’s life. Even then, this experience very rarely happens and the vision was personal to Dr John Sung only, not profitable to others, and not to be added to the Bible. How can people know for sure if visions and dreams are from God? Dreams are so random in nature that it is humanly very difficult to say with any authority and certainty that they are from God. All we can do is very carefully evaluate them against God’s Word.

Sadly, many people today claim that they have visions and dreams from God, particularly the Charismatic Movement which claims that the Bible is not the final source of God’s revelation. They maintain that God continues to communicate new revelations to their leaders and even members who are spiritually mature through visions and dreams. Such claims undermine the sufficiency, completeness and authority of God’s Holy and Perfect Word.

Proof text for sufficiency of God’s Word: "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 perfect (complete), thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good work." (2 Tim 3:16-17).

Proof text for completeness of God’s Word – no one is to add or subtract from the perfect Word of God: "For I testify to everyone man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Rev 22:18-19).

The Word of God is the only source for absolute divine authority: "Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." (Ps 119:89).
The Bible is complete and no further revelation is necessary. The Bible does not need any new chapters or verses, or supplementary information. All that God wants to reveal to us is in the Bible. It is clear that Christians are to seek God’s Word and God’s will from the inspired scriptures, the Bible. We have all the truth, all we need for our salvation and holy living already revealed and recorded in the Bible. Truly born again Christians ought not to look for or believe in new revelations through their own or others’ so called "visions and dreams". They will do well to please and honour God by instilling love and desire for God’s Word, to labour diligently, persistently and intensively in the study of God’s Word, to seek proper understanding of God’s Word, to keep God’s Word, and to obey God’s Word constrained by the love of God.

Conclusion
Visions and dreams recorded in the Bible were from God. Most of the visions and dreams were prophetic. God appeared to the saints and prophets of old in visions or dreams to reveal God’s Word, will, plan and calling to service to them, to give them promises, instructions, directions, and things to come. We don’t really need any new revelation from visions and dreams today because we already have God’s final and complete revelation in His written Word, the inspired and preserved Bible. We have all the truth, all we need for salvation and holy living in God’s Word. There is no new revelation needed. The Bible warns us of prophets prophesying lies in the name of the LORD through false visions and dreams. The LORD also warns us to not listen to the "prophets" that speak a vision out of their own deceitful hearts. We must reject the claims of Charismatics who profess that they see visions and dream dreams. God’s Word has labelled those prophesying false dreams as filthy dreamers. May God help us to see the truth and not be taken in by lies and deception. AMEN.