CHAPTER 7 - DREAMS AND VISIONS

Summary

Chapter 1
The heart of man

The heart of man can mean different things depending upon it’s context. Some refer to the heart of man as the spirit of man. Some refer to the heart of man as the soul of man and yet still others refer to the heart of man as the mind of the person. We know that the heart of man is a spiritual living organism that was given to the Born-Again believer to worship God and to “know” God better. Thus the spiritual heart of God is in the core of man’s spiritual being. Your heart is central to hearing from God and “knowing” his graces and goodness. We do conclude that although a few teachers of the Holy Bible disagree about exactly what the heart of man is there should be no disagreement on it’s importance or relevance. The heart of man is spiritual and a critical part of every Born-Again Christian because we received this great gift from God. The Lord is the Knower of all things and we firmly agree that He is in our heart which could easily mean He is in our spirit and in our soul and located in the center of our spiritual being within your physical body all at the same time. Amen!

Chapter 2
The Source of Dreams and Visions

There are basically three sources of dreams and visions. The lowest source is Satan and his kingdom of darkness. The second middle source is man, since man is made in the image and likeness of God they can produce good dreams. However, due to the fact that mankind is in a fallen state they can also produce evil dreams. Since man has the capability of producing good he is on a higher level than Satan and his cohorts. The highest and most purest source of all good and positive dreams and visions is, of course, God. It is even believed by us (ihlcc) that every good dream or vision from man originated in the mind of Christ. Remember all good and perfect gifts come from the Father above according to James 1:17. Since all dreams and visions from God speaks about good things, important things and godly things concerning our life and future. It is necessary for each believer to clearly identify the correct source to know whether or not you should receive the instructions, information and/or guidance. Every good message given to you upon the earth from God is specific to you, your family and your ministry so treat it (the good dream or the good vision) with respect to properly honor the Lord who gives you all good things to enjoy. Amen.

Chapter 3
Judging Dreams and Visions

Dreams and visions originate in the world of the spirit. Some images used in dreams and visions come from God but the images of evil that produce fear are not from God. The dreams and visions produced by our Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ are the highest and purest form of dreams and visions. The Lord communicates in many different ways, using dreams and visions is just one of His many methods. Any revelation given to men should be based upon the Holy Bible. The Lord God has already given us sufficient revelations to live by from His Holy Written Word, currently known as the Holy Bible. The revelations in God’s Word not only describes our loving Creator but it also tells shows us how to live and what principles to live by. The second class (on a lower level than God) of dreams and visions come from men these can be both positive for godliness or negative for darkness. Man sits lost upon the earth until he chooses to live for God or decides to rebellion against God’s Word. If man chooses to rebel against God he is living for the devil as an instrument of darkness. Which brings us to the lowest level of dreams and visions which come from Satan. The king of darkness can produce evil and wicked images in the mind of men. The imaginations of these evil deeds and/or things are sometimes communicated through bad dreams (called nightmares) or evil visions (mental pictures of wickedness producing fear). The reason it is commonly called an evil dream or vision is primarily because it glorifies the enemy of our soul, the devil. If the dream or vision exalts the greatness of a man or the ideology of men it is still considered evil by God’s Word. Therefore purpose to glorify God in your spirit, soul and body by receiving good dreams and visions from the Hand of God and rejecting all other ungodly images in the Name of Jesus. Amen!

Chapter 4
Separating the Spirit and Soul

The separation of the soul and spirit is absolutely accomplished by the holy Word of God according to Hebrews 4:12. In essence the things of the Spirit of God are originated from God and can be validated by the precepts and principles of God’s Word. When someone says, “God Loves You” those words are from the spirit, specifically from the Spirit of God. The reason we “know” those words are from the spirit is because we have clear evidence of those words in the Holy Bible.-Refer to John 3:16 and John 17:23 You have a reborn spirit as a Christian therefore all the good things (including dreams and visions) that come through your spirit or unto your spirit have their roots in the very real Kingdom of God. Remember all good and perfect gifts come from our Heavenly Father unto the children of men according to James 1:17. The things of the soul include the decision making process of what to do with the information you receive. The soul handles both spiritual information and natural information. The soul moves the spiritual information received in your heart into the physical natural realm to be conveyed to others through words of sounds, notes of sound and pictures of visions. Likewise, the soul translates the natural information you receive by reading (eyes), listening (ears), smelling (nose), feeling (touch) and seeing (sight) into your heart (your spirit, your inner man) by the conglomeration of thoughts and pictures. This cogitation of thought will usually produce understanding of the knowledge received into your soul given divine enlightenment and proper time. Thus, we must spend time in God’s Presence to create the potentate atmosphere to learn all things in Christ both spiritual and natural, which means both divine and practical to aid our fellowman while we grow in the truth and revelation of Jesus Christ, our Savoir and our God. Amen!

Chapter 5
Dreams

Dreams are considered mini-motion pictures shown to your inner man. Typically, they are revealed at night but it is possible to daydream. The information in dreams can come from three sources the first and highest being God, the second and middle level is man and the third and lowest is the devil. When the Lord gives man a dream it will possess God’s peace and His “knowing”. The information shared in a dream from the Lord will bring wisdom and understanding with the proper interpretation. Generally, the person who has the dream will “know” what it means if they are born-again and sincerely looking for God’s help in the light of the Holy Bible. Those who are not familiar with God through His Word are at an extreme disadvantage and for that reason those outside of Christ Jesus many need help understanding a true dream of God. This can happen to some backsliding Christians who understand a personal dream they have experienced means something bad but they lack the spiritual strength and wisdom to repent. Thus, concluding that it is God’s divine will (their fate is sealed) they ignore the dream and suffer the consequences. Since they have been living in disobedience to God and their own conscience they see no need to humble themselves to a dream. When people won’t listen to the preaching of the Word of God the Lord will sometimes use dreams (or visions) to get their attention. Those who will not follow the simplicity of God’s Word will never follow (believe in) a supernatural manifestation of God’s power but sometimes it is God’s last resort. Every believer should know that a dream is not on a higher level than God’s Word, nor is a dream on a higher level then the Holy Spirit of God. We (ihlcc) state this because some have dreamed a dream which showed them to behave outside of God’s Love and they have obeyed it. This is foolish and gives place to the works of the enemy and the lust of the flesh. Likewise, if someone dreams a dream that is contrary to God’s Word know that the dream came from the kingdom of darkness to confuse and destroy. Every man on the face of this earth has been given power (authority) by God to dream. Yes, men can create, therefore they can create good dreams or develop evil dreams. Good dreams are only dreams that promote godliness, simply put dreams that glorify God. On the contrary, evil dreams are considered by many as nightmares because they produce fear to manifest the kingdom of darkness. All spirits, both of men and those divine beings created by God, have the ability to interpret dreams which has caused much confusion. Remember dear child of God just because everyone has the freedom (liberty) to interpret a dream does not give them the ordained gift (and grace) of God to do it as God’s spokesman. Since many believe dreams to be of divine origin we (ihlcc) recommend leaving all interpretations of dreams unto God. Today, the interpretation of any dream should be examined in the Light of the Holy Bible, preferably the New Testament under the revelation of Jesus Christ. Thus, since Jesus is the Divine Interpreter please leave this ministry to the Holy Spirit of God to orchestrate the Will of God in this area. God’s will for every person on earth is for him or her to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the reason we should encourage each person to call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus to be saved and that would include calling upon the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal interpreter of all your dreams. Since God is the source of all good things it only makes sense to ask for His guidance for good dreams and reject all other dreams which do not glorify Him. Amen!

Chapter 6
Visions

Generally visions are encounters with God when your physical body is awake, although they can happen when you are at rest. However, visions are more commonly used when one is awake according to the examples we reviewed in the Holy Bible. In the Word of God there are recorded several types of visions from God. The five different types of visions are listed in order of occurrence when considering all the saints of God from the Old Testament unto the New Testament.

Visions of Revelation
1) Is the basic knowledge of the true God with the belief in your heart that you will spend eternity with Him after death simply because you followed His will on this earth. This is required by all believers in God’s born-again family and/or servants in His Kingdom.

And

2) A deeper understanding of God’s spiritual principles and/or how to interpret God’s information in the exact light of God’s Heart. As we would say in the New Testament, “Having the Mind of Christ”. This level of understanding is generally associated with those who have a proven track record of accurate foresight into the direction of God’s Holy Spirit and they have spent a lot of time in God’s Word to be a well learned in God’s Law, precepts and principles. This level of maturity can only be found in certain elders of God but it is not found in all elders of God. This level of spiritual insight is typically found in those in the full-time ministry who have managed to follow God’s perfect will for their life over a span of decades.
Audible Visions
Is when the Lord or one of His messengers (angels or a man) speaks the Word of the Lord to you directly in a supernatural way. This means that the encounter was outside of the normal preaching, teaching or casual conversation of men. These encounters are by divine appointment. In some cases the Lord personally comes to where the recipient is and speaks His Word to them audibly or inwardly. This is primary the case when the receiver senses (feels, knows, perceives) God’s Holy Presence and then hears God’s Words spoken to them without seeing any form of God with their eyes. This type of vision includes the ministry of both the angels of God and the ministers of God when given a divine assignment to deliver the word of God to a specific person. Very common for the offices of Prophets, Priests, Apostles, Pastors, Teachers and Evangelist because they represent the messenger of God to the people. Those people in these offices will sometimes experience a divine encounter (a personal message from God) for their ministry, their personal life and/or the people they minister to in Jesus Name.
Open Eyed Visions
These are visions when your physical senses are not suspended but rather functioning normally but you are seeing into the spiritual realm through your natural eyes and/or your spiritual eyes. In some of these types of visions it is possible to see spiritual beings come into your natural surroundings. In other cases the person is taken to specific sights where they can see spiritual beings, creatures, things with sounds. These types of visions are not a common occurrence for those in the full-time ministry but seem to be reserved specifically for those whom the Lord ordains. In this study of visions this type of encounter was used if the receiver had their physical eyes opened while they were seeing spiritually into the Kingdom of God. This type of vision seemed to be shared by a variety of saints both those in the clergy and some in the laity. This is not very common but limited to divine assignment by God and His administration.
Visions of the Inner Man
Refers to visions of your inner man (your spirit man) when your spiritual eyes see things and your spiritual ears hear the words of God without your natural eyes and ears being involved. This type of vision includes supernatural travel in the spiritual Kingdom of God to see, hear and understand the message God is sharing with the receiver. This also includes stationary times in your own dwelling when the Lord brings you spiritual information from the Kingdom of God that includes seeing spiritual things, being and hearing spiritual words to accompany what they are seeing in the spirit. Although some in the Old Testament enjoyed these types of visions it seems to be more prevalent in the New Testament but since we only studied a few examples it ranks fourth on the list of common visions. The people we examined in the Holy Bible were Daniel, the Apostle Paul and the Apostle John although there are more people who experienced this encounter there is not a lot of information given in the Holy Bible about them. Thus, we shared what was obvious without trying to interpret what was obscure.
Transitory Visions
Is when your physical body is totally suspended while your spirit man (your inner man) is completely engaged with the spiritual phenomenon. Typically, your physical senses are not aware of any natural activities because the person suddenly changes from being in complete control of their physical body to losing the control of their physical body for a span of time. There is not a lot of examples for these types of visions recorded in the Holy Bible in our limited study we found three (3). Therefore this type of vision was recorded as the least common in the Holy Bible. We know this type of vision happened to a servant of God in the Old Testament and two apostles of God in New Testament. All examples of this type of vision happened during a time of prayer to God because the physical senses should never be interrupted when they are being used to perform a physical task. Like all visions the key is what was said by God to bring the receiver more understanding for further growth and development in the wisdom of God.

All God’s visions should be interpreted in the light of God’s Holy Word. Visions of the Old Testament should be understood in the context of the writer, the covenant, the specific people and the revelation given to the receiver. Likewise, any vision of the New Testament should be understood in the revelation of the New Covenant. Some visions given by the minister of God are for nations while other visions are for more private persuasion. However, no vision should ever contradict the proven Word of God found in the Holy Bible. Specifically, for us right now the New Testament the teachings of Jesus and His Apostle supercedes any private interpretation of visions meant for the Body of Christ.

We will state in closing that all dreams and visions should be understood during the encounter, if a dream or vision brings confusion instead of peace please disregard the vision. The Holy God of the universe sent His Holy Bible into the earth to help mankind understand God. Therefore whenever you desire to understand more about God don’t look for dreams or visions but study the Holy Bible (line-upon-line) to gain the pure counsel of God in the context of God’s Love. The Holy Bible has the witness (testimony) of numerous people to validate the authenticity of God, everything you personally need to be successful in God is already contained in the holy Word of God. The only thing a dream and/or vision can do on this earth is help to guide you while you are practicing God’s Word or give you further enlightenment of God’s Word. However, at the end of time when this natural world is destroyed through the corruption of sin we will still be living in Heaven or on a new earth by the ever-living all-powerful Word of God revealed to men through the Holy Bible. When thinking of dreams and visions it is so important to keep the big picture in mind. Our Heavenly Father loves you and all mankind and He sent His very own Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins through the message of His Love. Love needs no interpretation either you know Love (Our Father and Jesus) or you don’t. If you know love you will quickly understand that God will never send you a dream or vision to hurt you. If you don’t know God’s Love the enemy will attempt to show you dreams, visions and thoughts to drive you away from God’s goodness because Satan is evil and the devils purpose on earth is to keep man separated from God. Keeping this message of God’s Love at the forefront of your understanding for all the dreams and visions of God will keep you on the straight and narrow path of God’s Will for men. Amen!

In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster

back to the top