CHAPTER 6 - DREAMS AND VISIONS
Visions
Although we left off Chapter 5 speaking that dreams are not God’s primary mode of operation for the New Testament believer God did not limit Himself to only one form of showing His Will to your inner man. The other moving picture for your spiritual sight is called visions and these seem to be more prevalent for the New Testament born-again believer. We will not be so technical to describe a dream as only being one thing and a vision something else but we will attempt to separate the two encounters by this following description:
The simple difference between a dream and a vision is that dreams are generally associated with physical sleep and mental unconsciousness where as vision are typically associated with a person who is awake and mentally alert.
This description by itself does not do the visions of God complete justice because in the Holy Bible vision can mean revelation from God, not necessarily seeing a supernatural picture with your spiritual or physical eyes. Vision in the sense of direction or instruction or revelation from God is the core foundation for knowing God’s Will. In this particular study we will refer to these types of general usage of the word vision as “Visions of Revelation”. When the word vision is used in this context it is usually referring to the knowledge of God and divine wisdom (foresight). In the Old Testament this designation of vision is used at least three times so we thought it appropriate to give it it’s own classification. The concept of gaining the knowledge of God for a person on the earth is essential. In Proverbs 29:18 we see this general application of the word “vision” which we call “Visions of Revelation”.
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. KJV
Notice that in the first part of this verse the words “no vision” is used and in other translations the words “no revelation” is used. We can see from three different versions of this verse namely the New King James Version, the New International Version and the Amplified Version that they all agree this word for “vision” is speaking of the basic understanding of God’s Law.
Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;
But happy is he who keeps the law. NKJV
Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;
but blessed is he who keeps the law. NIV
Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]--blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he. AMP
This is the reason we are referring to the “Visions of Revelation” as the primary ingredient for living a godly lifestyle. The second part of the verse emphasizes the Law of God which is basically the Holy Word of God for all mankind. Today this Holy Word of God is found in the Holy Bible. Although there are many versions of the Holy Bible in many different languages we know the authentic Holy Bible includes the Gospel of Jesus about God’s true love for all mankind. Every person on the face of this earth needs to know this basic information to accurately represent God to others who are looking for God’s salvation (acceptance, deliverance). In the Old Testament this information about God could be found in the person of the priest or prophet. The office of the prophet was established in the first book of the bible because it was associated with our father Abraham in Genesis 20:7. The office of the Prophet has always been essential for God’s ministry upon the earth because the Prophet speaks to men on God’s behalf. Since we all know the Lord is very interested in speaking to men about His Love and His Will for them the words of the prophet must be accurate and true. The accuracy is necessary for clarification of God and His Ways and the truth of those words is necessary to set men free. Therefore, the selection of a true prophet of God is wholly dependent upon the Lord. If the man of God was not hearing anything specific from the Lord it was because the people of God turned away from serving (and worshipping) God. An example of this is found in Lamentations 2:8-9
8 The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.
9 Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD. KJV
In verse 8 we notice that the Lord has purposed to stand against the Children of Israel. However we understand the reason for His actions in verse 9 by the phrase, “the law is no more”. Again we see that the Law of God, which is the Word of God, was not being followed by the leadership of the nation. When the leadership does not want to hear the Word of God from the mouth of the prophets, then the Lord has to choose if He will speak to the prophets of the land. Typically, when a situation becomes this bad it is because the prophets have delivered a message for repentance from sin and the leadership and the people reject it. To reject sin (truly repent) the leadership and the people have to accept the Laws of God. There were many times in the Old Testament that the nation had ungodly kings who would kill a prophet of God for speaking words of truth because they contradicted the words of the king. These types of actions and errors in judgment caused the Lord to refrain the ministry of the prophet until their (the prophets) words would be honored by the audience they were sent to. This office of the prophet was used for public addresses to people but the principle of God’s silence still applies if the Lord senses that someone does not want to hear from Him. Notice the contrast in God’s actions between those who don’t want to hear from Him and those who do. Previously we read that the Lord will quiet Himself to those who don’t want to hear His Word but He will open His mouth wide for those who desire to hear His Will. As we stated earlier in the Old Testament the person who was a true prophet of God was always interested in hearing from God. In the book of Habakkuk we see this demonstrated by the prophet of that day.
Habakkuk 2:1-3
1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. KJV
The Prophet Habakkuk was praying about the condition of the nation of Israel and all the injustice he was seeing with his own eyes. This state of the nation was a burden on his heart because he knew it was not God’s Will for His people. It is very common for the prophet to seek God’s Word for the present condition of the nation. Although the prophet knows the people are not keeping God’s Word they will typically ask the question to God, “What are you going to do about it, Lord?”. This is a good question to ask God because the Lord is inclined to show mercy but if His mercy was previously extended and it was ignored the Lord may bring judgment upon His own people due to their continuous disobedience. This was the predicament that Habakkuk found himself in so as a good sincere prophet of God he prays.
Habakkuk 1:1-4
1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.
4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. KJV
This is the reason we stated that the general knowledge of God’s Law is crucial for a person (or nation) to be godly. Without an understanding of God the people can not do good and without obedience to the Word of God they don’t understand there can be no blessing from God. The Law of God gives people the general vision (direction, revelation, instruction) from God for the whole nation, including each person individually. This is used as an overall code of conduct and a guiding light to understand God’s heart. Where as the “current vision” of God involves a part of His Law that will be manifested for that particular day (at that time). We need both because the General Law of God tells everyone how to live their life. However, the “current vision” (direction, instruction, revelation) of God tells the children of Israel when to go to war and how to prepare the battle. Sometimes in the Old Testament we read cases where the Lord even told the people to stand still and see the salvation of God.
2 Chronicles 20:14-17
14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;
15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. KJV
Understanding the significance of a word from the Lord before going out to battle is why these “Visions of Revelation” are so important. Since there is a constant battle for our salvation it is good to know exactly what the Lord is speaking to our heart about the particular battles we face in life. Our obedience to God’s Law (His Word) is the primary reason this type of vision must be ranked the highest on the list of visions. These “Visions of Revelation” are basically starting with the fundamental “Fear of the Lord” required for believing in God and keeping this reverential respect for God during a time of challenging distress to gain God’s perspective on the trial (present day challenge). This general type of vision gives a person or a nation a foundational knowledge of God, without it the person and the nation is lost. All those without God are destined for eternal judgement because they chose not to receive the Lord Jesus into their life. This basic knowledge of God’s Laws, specifically stating what God is requiring of every man is absolutely essential to having any national or personal vision at all. We typically use the word vision to associate with seeing something or having light. This is why the thought of having no God paints a picture of total darkness. In the dark basically means you have no light and that sad state of a person best describes the spiritual state of those without God. When the Lord comes into your life you instantly have light and the light of God is design to bring you out of the surrounding darkness into the bright glory of God. This classification “Visions of Revelation” is the core belief that there is a God in Heaven and as a creation of God upon the earth I acknowledge His existence and humbly confess my allegiance to Him who sits on the Throne, the God of all creation. I think that we can all agree that this is the broadest use of the term “vision”. Therefore it is the most widely observed in the Old and New Testament by reason of every saint of God must have this manifestation (divine revelation) in their life to be called a true saint of God. Amen! If you can not see Heaven as the real home of God you have no vision of God. As stated earlier we also use this classification to describe the current sense of what God is saying today. There will always be those who have a better understanding of the Lord God which enables them to see spiritual things clearer (godly vision). In life we sometimes look for people with spiritual vision (divine revelation) to help us in understanding the Ways of God. At other times we look for such a person to guide us in the way we should go to accurately follow God’s Will. In the Old Testament a person of that description is referenced in 2 Chronicles 26:3-5 as Zechariah.
3 Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.
4 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did.
5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. KJV
This use of the word “vision” implies a learned one in the things of God that can expound upon the deeper truths of God. The New King James Version and the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible all use the word “vision” but some other versions use key word “instruct” to indication that it is revelation of God’s Law that Uzziah needed. Notice a few other translations of 2 Chronicles 26:5
He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success. NIV
Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. And as long as the king sought the LORD, God gave him success. NLT
He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the things of God; and as long as he sought (inquired of, yearned for) the Lord, God made him prosper. AMP
The point of this version of the scripture is that we all need a godly counselor of wisdom to aid in our understanding of God. It only makes good sense to have a saint of God, like Zechariah, with a consistent track record of sound doctrine and proven foresight on interpreting the move of God’s Spirit at a specific time. This follows the usage of the term “Visions of Revelation” because it enhances the basic knowledge of God unto a deeper revelation of God. We can only imagine that there are more saints of God that share the basic knowledge of God than those that possess a deeper understanding of God simply because God ordains teachers but not every saint is called to teach others. This verse (2 Chronicles 26:5) could mean that Zechariah had understanding in how to interpret the visions he saw from God or that Zechariah was a learned elder in the deeper truths of God. Whatever the case may be we all can agree that Zechariah was a man of supernatural revelation from God. Thus, “Visions of Revelation” is appropriate for the scripture context of 2 Chronicles 26:5. This category reaches to all true believers in God including those that are just babies in the things of God unto those elders whom the Lord has revealed His deep secrets. It is a type of vision that has general meaning for every saint of God but has special meaning to those who explore the vastness of God’s Ways. Hopefully all Christians appreciate the simplicity of Christ wrapped up in the unlimited knowledge of God. The classification “Visions of Revelation” is the most common for all saints, thus it is the most popular in the Kingdom of God as it relates to saved men upon the earth.
The next in popularity according to our study on visions is labeled as “Audible Visions”. These “audible visions” involve hearing the all mighty Voice of God to obey His Will for your life. This would include speaking on His behalf and just as importantly hearing directly from God Himself or one of His divine messengers (angels). This type of “audible vision” is so popular in the Holy Bible that it is often a part of other types of visions that we will discuss later. This classification of vision is solely audible, therefore it is called “Audible Visions”. On purpose we are not distinguishing whether or not the listeners are hearing with their inner spiritual ear or the outward physical ear. The determination of which ear was not important to us because we are sure that the supernatural encounter with God did influence the hearer spiritually making them a better witness for God. We know that God is a spirit and those that worship Him must worship in spirit and truth according to John 4:23,24. However, since God has the ability to manifest His voice in various forms we thought it more appropriate to concentrate on the source instead of the method. In the examples following we will always see emphasis placed on what God said rather than how it was heard. The key with this type of vision from God is recognizing that it is the all powerful supernatural message of God sent directly to the blessed individual to enlighten their path, the path of someone else or the path of many. Praise be to God for the manifestation of His Word to His holy people. Starting in the Book of Genesis we notice that God spoke to Jacob during a difficult time in his life using this type of vision.
Genesis 46:1-4
1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.
2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.
3 And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
4 I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. KJV
This was a difficult time for Jacob because he thought he was already in the place God had for him. Remember, Jacob raised animals so they needed a very spacious land with much vegetation for their livestock. Jacob thought that Joseph was dead and yet he was alive. Jacob thought that going to Egypt was not God’s Will for him or his family and yet he is traveling that way. Jacob like most of us feared primarily because of the many uncertainties. This is why a supernatural revelation (vision) from God can dissolve all doubts. This Word of God set him free to relax and enjoy the journey. When we do not “know” God’s Will we can not partake of God’s peace. In verse 2 it is clearly stated that, “God spake unto Israel” it did not say that “God appeared unto Israel”. We must take the word of God literally without adding our own interpretations to it or taking away from what is distinctly written.
Revelation 22:18-19
18 For I testify unto every 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:
19 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. KJV
Since it is written that God spoke to Israel and there are other verses that plainly state the Lord (or one of His messengers) appeared to a saint of God we should stay with the manifestation of God’s Voice. The Holy Bible was written in great detail to keep us from making errors. The interpretation of God’s Word is directly connected to how we understand God. The Lord has many ways to manifest His Presence so adding the verb of “spake” makes it easy to understand the form God chose in this instance. If we choose to imagine that the Lord made a visible appearance we would be adding to the Word of God which is not necessary for the understanding of this verse. We will read later on in some other examples that when the Lord (or one of His messengers) did appear to someone it is consistently mentioned that way. If we interpret the Holy Scriptures in the light of exact wording we will keep ourselves from unnecessary errors and the confusion of conflicting accounts. As we study this type of vision we will learn that “audible visions” were quite common with the saints of the Old Covenant. In the next example of the Old Testament we see Samuel learning to hear from God. We will see in verse 1 the classification of vision but the manifestation was more divine communication than spiritual eye sight.
1 Samuel 3:1-15
1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;
4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
6 And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.
9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
11 And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.
13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision. KJV
In this story of Samuel we see the development of a believer in learning the voice of God. This account represents every saint of God in his or her walk with knowing the voice of the Lord better. This shows us that when Samuel was not acquainted with the voice of the Lord he thought God to be his elder teacher, Eli. This means that when God spoke to Samuel it was not inwardly but rather outwardly through his senses. This also shows us that until we can develop our own prayer life to the point of hearing God for ourselves the Lord will use our spirituals advisors (pastor, parent, teachers, etc…) to help us do what it right. We know from the history of Samuel that he was trained and taught by Eli, this means he observed the things of God through the example of Eli, the priest. We can make a note that all the children of God will come to a place in their life that the Lord requires them to “know and communicate” with Him personally, not through someone else. Samuel with a little instruction from Eli was able to position himself to hear from God to receive divine information. The Lord had to use Samuel’s name to get his attention otherwise Samuel would have thought the voice was for someone else. The Lord chose a quiet time to speak with Samuel when nothing else had his attention. Likewise, the Lord will speak to us when necessary, if we give Him our undivided attention. This is why prayer, praise and meditation upon God’s Word is so important for our spiritual growth. We need to learn from God and we desperately need to learn more about God. Therefore, the study of the Holy Bible is essential since that is the ordained book of God to become familiar with His Ways and His Nature. Although the voice of God was audible to Samuel it is clearly mentioned as a vision in verses 1 and 15. This may have been considered a vision by God because the nature of divine revelation and his physically senses were not dormant. In the Second book of Samuel there is another example of a vision from God and yet it is also recorded as audible.
2 Samuel 7:4-12
4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?
6 Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
7 In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?
8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.
10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,
11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.
12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom
13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. KJV
Here again we see the Word of the Lord coming at a time of rest to get Nathan’s undivided attention in verse 4. The Lord desired to share His heart with David but the Lord used the Prophet of God, Nathan, to deliver that message. In verse 5 the Lord gives specific instructions to Nathan, His servant, to deliver the message to David choosing to communicate with David through the witness of an established minister. There are times when the Lord decides to use someone else to speak with you even though you started talking directly to Him. This is done to establish or re-affirm a truth in your heart. We all love to hear from God personally but when you hear a word of truth from some one highly respect it has special significance. We should purpose to hear from God for ourselves and if the Lord sends someone else your way to confirm what He (The Lord) has already spoken to your heart so be it. According to verse 17 this divine encounter with God is called a vision and the vision was given to Nathan, the Prophet. This is a case where a Prophet of God will have more manifestations of this type of vision for someone else (or a whole nation) simply because of his office. The average Christian will receive manifestations as necessary but since the full time minister of God is set in the Body of Christ for ministry to others he/she should have more manifestations of God’s wisdom for someone else. In this instance the Lord sent Nathan unto David and David received the message from God
2 Samuel 7:18-20
18 Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?
19 And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?
20 And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant. KJV
This type of vision was common in the Old Testament for the man or woman of God, typically a Prophet, to speak a word from God to someone else. Sometimes this Word of God was for a single person as was the case with David and other times it was for the whole nation as we see in the next example.
Obadiah 1
The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. KJV
In the Kingdom of God upon the earth during the time of the nation of Israel (in the Old Testament) when the nation was operating properly the prophet of God would bring the nation the mind of God. This was similar to what Moses did as a deliverer to the Children of Israel when bringing them out from the bondage of Egypt. In the book of Deuteronomy we see Moses addressing the children of Israel to establish the ministry of the Prophet speaking the Word of God.
Deuteronomy 18:15-18
15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me (Moses); unto him ye shall hearken;
16 According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
17 And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee (Moses), and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. KJV
When a righteous prophet (that is bold enough to speak God’s truth) dwells in a nation the Lord will speak His truth to that prophet to help guide the people of that nation. Quite often the Lord would give him (or her in a few instances) instructions on when to speak His Word, where to speak His message and exactly whom His message is sent to.
Hosea 12:9-10
9 And I that am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feast.
10 I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets. KJV
Some problems came when false prophets arose in the land that confused the people by speaking lies and hypocrisy. This often brought deception and rebellion which caused the Lord to withdraw His Presence. Remember the Lord will confirm His Word with signs following but if His Word is not being practiced or spoken He has nothing to work with. Thus, in the days of disobedience the Word of the Lord is rare and the ministry of the Prophet is diminished.
Micah 3:5-7
5 Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.
6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.
7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God. KJV
Since there is an enemy of God we must be cautious to always use the Holy Bible as our guide to truth. Specifically for the Born-Again believer we should be using the New Testament Gospel of Jesus combined with the letters written to the Church of Christ in the spirit of the God’s Love. In verse 7 the word “seers” was a previous name for the ministry office of the Prophet.
1 Samuel 9:9
(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) KJV
The major thing to grasp from the words spoken by Micah in chapter 3 verses 5 through 7 is that if anyone practices sin and decides (willfully) to walk contrary to God’s Laws (which is His Word) the “Visions” of God will not be opened to them. When Micah states that the sun shall go down over the prophets and that it shall be dark to the people listening to the prophets it is basically warning the Children of Israel that they will have no revelation of God. Thus, no vision, no understanding, no protection, no counsel, no wisdom and no Presence of God in their midst. This is why we should never get so interested in seeing visions or dreams that we would allow them to lead us away from our Faithful Heavenly Father. The Children of Israel made the huge mistake of letting a so-called messenger of God lead them away from the message of God. The message of God is always contained in His Word, so it behooves us to stay with God’s Word so that God will stay with us. The Word of God coming to one of His saints to help give them guidance in a time of need is practiced under the New Covenant also. We can look at a few recorded accounts in the Book of Acts. In our first example the Lord speaks to Paul about continuing to preach in the city of Corinth.
Acts 18:9-10
9 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
10 For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. KJV
We notice again the key words, “Then spake the Lord to Paul” which indicates that the Lord said something to Paul. In the prior verse the Apostle Paul had mentioned leaving the Jews in Corinth to go unto the Gentiles due to opposition and blasphemy by the Jews.-Refer to Acts 18:1-6 However, we see the Lord told Paul to stay and the Lord gave the Apostle a word of wisdom that no man would hurt him. As it turns out the Apostle Paul stayed there preaching a full year and six months. This is why hearing from God is so important because the Lord teaches us to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Therefore all we need is the Word of God in the form of our Holy Bible and a Word from God to know what to do at a specific time to make us victorious on this earth. The Word of God we keep with us always, whereas the Word from God (or the Word of the Lord) comes to us in our time of need. In this particular case the Apostle Paul was trying to do God’s Will to the best of his ability. Previously Paul was taught by God and other ministers of God that if the people don’t receive your testimony about Jesus being the Christ shake the dust off your clothing for a testimony against them and then depart from them. The Apostle had already shaken the dust off his raiment the only thing left was for Paul to depart to another place.
Acts 18:6
And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. KJV
To leave prematurely would have meant that Paul would have stepped outside of God’s Perfect Will for his ministry at that time. However, the Lord knew Paul was sincere so through the grace of God the Lord intervened to give the Apostle Paul divine guidance. This guidance helped accomplish two things 1) Paul stayed in God’s perfect Will and 2) the believers of Corinth were blessed because of his obedience to preach the holy Word of God without fear. The preaching of God’s Word may be done effectively to win people to Christ in a short time when there are demonstrations of the power of God. However teaching God’s Word to renew the minds of men takes longer than a couple of months and in the Apostle Paul’s case it took years. The next example of an “Audible Vision” is demonstrated in the ministry of Agabus, the prophet. This may not appearance to be a spectacular encounter with God but it is no less supernatural. The Prophet Agabus speaking on God’s behalf as a prophet of God is an “Audible Vision”. Remember, the simple definition of “Audible Vision” is hearing the all mighty Voice of God to obey His Will for your life. This is exactly what happened to the Apostle Paul because whether the Lord personally speaks in your ear or the Lord sends someone to speak directly into your ear, the message of God is still the message from God. Any message from God spoken directly to you outside of the normal circumstances qualifies for a classification of “Audible Vision”. The Prophet of God is suppose to speak the Words of God that are relevant for that time so everything Agabus did was in divine order.
Acts 21:10-11
10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.
11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. KJV
This is one example of the Holy Ghost, as God, inspiring the Prophet Agabus to speak the Word of the Lord unto a group people. Since the Prophet Agabus did not quote a scripture to prove the authenticity of the word of God we will need to test this prophecy with time. The prophecies of God spoken through men without scripture support can be proven by the results. In this case we all know the prophecy was fulfilled in Acts 21:26-35. This is a wonderful example of how the Body of Christ ministers to the Body of Christ. Remember we read in Deuteronomy 18:18 that the Lord said I will raise up one of your brethren to speak unto you. Likewise, the Lord Jesus Christ will typically raise up other believers to speak to us about the things of God. However, we must note that the role of the Prophet in the Old Testament is different from what it is today for us as Christians. In the Old Testament the Prophet acted as the sole authority on hearing from God and speaking His Word. This meant that if the Prophet spoke the laymen (average Israelite) was not able to question the message spoken, even if the message was spoken directly to them. The only insurance the individual had to prove if the word spoken was really from God was to request a sign. The sign was a physical manifestation of something beyond normal natural occurrence that would prove (confirm) the words as being from God. Therefore in the Old Testament the sheep were more prone to follow because they were more vulnerable. We must remember that the saints of God in the Old Testament did not have the Spirit of God within them. However, the New Testament Christians have the Spirit of God within them continuously. The indwelling Presence of God’s Holy Spirit allows us the opportunity to hear from God for the major and minor decisions of our life. The role of the Prophet in the New Testament is only to confirm what the Lord has already spoken to your heart. In some cases the Lord may give the minister a word for you that is different from what you were currently thinking about for a particular situation but these types of occurrences must be proven. We stated previously that you should be led by God and not men. You must consider what they say first and foremost to see if the message is in-line with God’s Word. Secondly, you must seek God for yourself to see exactly what He (The Lord) is speaking to your heart at that time. If you have no specific personal revelation about something spoken to you from someone else you are not obligated to receive it. Please, dear child of God, do not obey a personal prophecy from another without personal confirmation from God. The Prophet of the Old Testament directed people into God’s Will, whereas the Prophet of the New Testament confirms the direction of God already presented to your spirit. In the example we just looked at the Apostle Paul had a warning about going to Jerusalem previously spoken to him on several occasions.
Acts 20:22-23
22 And now, behold, I (The Apostle Paul) go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. KJV
Since Acts 20 is before Acts 21 it is obvious that the Apostle Paul knew what the Lord was trying to speak to him. Therefore Agabus, the Prophet, only confirmed what Paul already knew, the New Testament prophet did not guide the Apostle Paul to Jerusalem. This special manifestation of divine grace to impart a word from God to another is not limited to Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers or Evangelist but the Lord chooses to use whomsoever He (God) Wills. The example of Ananias and the Apostle Paul bears this truth out in Acts 9:10.
And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. KJV
In this verse Ananias is referred to as a disciple of Christ, not a leader of the Church of Christ, but only spoken of as a servant of God. In this example we can see that Ananias did not have an elevated position in the church of God but he did have a word from God (referred to as a vision) and that is all he needed to help Paul in his time of trouble. Any New Testament Christian may be used by the Lord to help a fellow brother in their time of need. The key is don’t seek to be used in visions and don’t hope to know something divine about another one of your fellow brethren. Seek only to know God better as you serve your fellowman more faithfully. The Lord can choose to use anyone He desires, our part is to simply obey if we are called upon to speak the Word of the Lord to another. Ananias is a child of God that the Lord used wonderfully to set Paul free from the scales upon his eyes after Paul had been converted on the road to Damascus. The scales could have been placed upon Paul’s eyes to keep them from severe damage by looking directly into the Glory of God with his natural eyes.-Refer to Exodus 33:17-23 Some will operate in this grace on a few rare encounters whereas others who stand in the office of one of the ministry gifts may have this experience on a more regular basis. We as humble servants of God must purpose to help others in the ability God gave us, with or without a vision.
1 Peter 4:11
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. KJV
The vision we just discussed in the Old Testament and New Testament is referred to in our first example as an Open Vision according to 1 Samuel 3:1. However, I was not able to find another reference for the words “Open Vision” in the Holy Bible and we did explore several examples. Therefore we will refer to these types of vision as “Audible Visions”. These types of “audible visions” are when the believer senses the Presence of God and hears the Voice of God being awake but does not see into the spirit realm. These types of visions are quite common for the minister of God who operates in this grace. Although the minister may not always say, “Thus saith the Lord” the words he or she is inspired to say they believe to be directly from the Lord. One could argue that many speak words that they say are from God and they are false. We will say, “Yes and Amen!” but just because some people have automobile accidents does not stop me from driving. We know men can make mistakes and that is exactly why we must prove all things in Christ Jesus. Some people have a sincere heart but speak the wrong information and others are learning how to flow with God’s Holy Spirit. There are others who lie on purpose to deceive the hearts of people. Since the Holy Bible is full of God’s prophecy you can rest assured that the Lord never makes a mistake. We already stated that anytime someone speaks to you about God in the Name of the Lord their words should be validated by the Word of God and the spirit in which they speak should be motivated by God’s Love. This type of “audible vision” is accessible to every believer and should be highly esteemed if an encounter of this nature happens to you. We (ihlcc) know when we look back over our walk with the Lord for many years we both can recall numerous experiences with this type of “audible vision”. In no wise were we seeking for it but it happen and on the contrary when we did seek for it to happen inevitably nothing happen. We (ihlcc) have since concluded that the Lord is our Wise Awesome Teacher and He has shown us that He will speak to our Heart on His terms not ours. The Holy Word of God found within the pages of the Holy Bible is sufficient for our thirst for more of God because we are still finding more and more revelation when we spend time reading and studying His Word. This is how the “audible visions” of God first started as a precedent in Genesis 15:1-6 and it continues unto this day.
1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. KJV
We notice that the Holy Scriptures are very clear in stating that the Word of the Lord came unto Abram. Some could imagine that it was God himself appearing to Abraham in a form that could be seen by Abraham but that is not what the Word of God said. We know there are other examples when it clearly states the Lord appeared in a visible form but that is not always the case. It seems like since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden natural things became more real to us than spiritual things. Thus, our natural senses gained the dominance that our spiritual senses once had. This produced in Adam and all those who are born after the flesh dullness to the spiritual kingdom surrounding them. This is why the Holy Bible states that many are in spiritual darkness but even in a fallen spiritual state God’s Word is so strong that it will penetrate the spiritual realm as well as the natural realm. When the spiritual Word of God comes to people they will hear Him, whether they hear Him with their inner ears spiritually and/or their outer ear audibly they are still hearing from God. The Word of the Lord came to many of God’s servants as recorded throughout the Holy Bible.
1 Samuel 3:20-21
20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.
21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD. KJV
1 Kings 17:1-2
1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, KJV
2 Chronicles 11:2
But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, KJV
Isaiah 38:4
Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, KJV
Jeremiah 1:1,2,4
1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
2 To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, KJV
Ezekiel 1:3
The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. KJV
Malachi 1:1
The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. KJV
In the Old Testament many of the ministers from the Children of Israel used the term, “the Word of the Lord came” but in the New Testament many Christians prefer to use the Names of God, “the Holy Ghost and Jesus Christ”.
Acts 1:1-2
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: KJV
Acts 1:16
Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. KJV
Acts 4:29-31
29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. KJV
Acts 5:30-32
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. KJV
Acts 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. KJV
Acts 15:26-28
26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; KJV
Acts 28:25
And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, KJV
As Christians we may not always refer to these types of encounters as visions but the point is made that a Christian certainly could classify these types of encounters with God as visions without violating the scriptures. We started this chapter with the comment that vision can mean more than just spiritual sight into the spiritual Kingdom of God because audible spiritual revelation from God is sometimes referred to as a “vision”. Some of the examples we previously gave prove that God’s people have supernatural encounters of God without (void of) seeing Him spiritually called visions, for the purpose of this study on visions we have classified them as “audible visions”.
Psalm 89:16-20
16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.
17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.
18 For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: KJV
We usually don’t associate hearing in our ear with the vision of our eyes but clearly the Word of God does. Since the scripture is so clear on this subject we (ihlcc) would venture to say that this is probably the most common type of vision after “Visions of Revelation”. In our own lives we had more manifestations of this specific type of vision then all the other types of visions combined, excluding “Visions of Revelation”. Please be open to this type of vision dear child of God because we believe this type of “audible vision” to be an option of God’s grace for all His Beloved Children.
John 10:27-28
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. KJV
We will now move on to the visions of God that include seeing into the realm of the spirit with your physical eyes known as “Open Eyed Visions” for the purpose of this study. As we stated earlier since the various types of vision are not specifically classified in the Holy Bible we (ihlcc) are only classifying each vision to point out the differences between them. If anyone else has called the visions recorded in the Holy Bible different names that is perfectly acceptable because the content is more important than the classification. The first example of an “Open Eyed Vision” recorded in the Holy Bible is found in Ezekiel 1:1-5
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,
3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. KJV
This witness recorded by Ezekiel, the priest (verse 3) has some key elements we would like to point out. The first one is in verse 1 where the statement is used, “the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God”. Notice that the Holy Bible is very clear to say the eyes of Ezekiel saw something which is why this type of vision is classified as an “Open Eyed Vision”. The Word of God did not say Ezekiel was sleeping but in the description it is revealed that he was very much awake. We also see that Ezekiel the priest saw “visions” this means it was plural. In verse 3 we can understand that also with the eyes of Ezekiel being engaged he also had his hearing engaged. In this experience the Priest Ezekiel is seeing into the heavens of God with added information about how to interpret what he was seeing. This Priest of God had unique experiences with the Lord that are described throughout the whole Book of Ezekiel. As a Priest of God he was trained in the things of God which made it easier for him to understand the foundational truths of the scriptures. The main thing to remember is that Ezekiel definitely saw into the spiritual kingdom of heaven because of God’s Grace and he also heard the word of God to give him instructions as to what to do with what he was seeing. This was not a one time event with Ezekiel but seemed to be a definite part of his ministry with God. In Ezekiel 8:1-5 we see the same key words repeated again.
1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
5 Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry. KJV
In this account it is important to note that the Priest Ezekiel was sitting in his house with the elders of Judah which means he was wide awake. In verse 1 we also see that Ezekiel uses the term, “that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me” it is obvious in verse 3 why such a term is used. Today that term is used to describe the Spirit of God coming upon a person. However in Ezekiel’s case he was literally describing exactly what he saw in the spirit. The word “visions” is used again to indicate a plurality of visions which means multiple moving sights with different meanings and/or interpretations. The visions that Ezekiel saw were specific to his time and circumstances which is typically why these types of experiences with God should be interpreted in their proper setting and context. As the Priest of God, Ezekiel was ordained to pray (commune) with God about the welfare of God’s People. However, this can only be done effectively if the one praying sees things from God’s perspective. At that time and in that place the Lord choose to show Ezekiel some spiritual revelations concerning the Children of Israel. The eyes of Ezekiel were opened and instruction from God was given in the ears of Ezekiel to help him perform God’s Will for the Children of Israel. Although the vision continued for more than 5 verses we only copied enough to make the point that an “Open Eyed Vision” includes the eyes being open and may have audible words and sounds included. To prove that Ezekiel’s ministry was given to these types of manifestations from God we will look at another example.
Ezekiel 40:1-4
1 In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither.
2 In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south.
3 And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.
4 And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel. KJV
Immediately in verse 1 we notice that the hand of the Lord came upon Ezekiel and brought him to a specific place. We need to mention that these types of manifestations are solely through the grace of God, not by the works of men. In this case just like the others the Lord initiated the vision and inside of the vision we had the audible message of God. See, hear and speak seems to be the pattern of God in the ministry of Ezekiel, the priest. We keep repeating the office of Ezekiel (a priest) to draw peoples attention to what was a primary office in the Old Testament and under the Old Covenant because it is not a major office we stand in today. In the Old Covenant one was ordained a priest by God for a whole nation or tribe but today under the New Covenant all God’s children are ordained priest for their family, both spiritually (Christians) and physically (naturally). In the New Testament the five-fold ministry of the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher have replaced the Priest and Prophet office of the Old Testament.
Ephesians 4:10-13
10 He (Jesus) that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he (Jesus) might fill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: KJV
All of these five-fold ministry gifts are called to seek God’s heart for a people (like a Prophet and Priest) and at the same time pray for the needs of the people (like a Prophet and Priest) and yet still proclaim the Word of the Lord unto the People (like a Prophet and Priest). The Lord will never change His principles, nor Will He ever change His Love but He does have the latitude to change His Methods to fit His New Way through Jesus Christ the sum total of all offices in one. We can conclude in the mouth of at least three witness that the Priest Ezekiel had a ministry of visions which is why we stated earlier that there are some ministers (ministries) that are given to more of these types of manifestations simply because the Lord ordained it that way. We as humble believers in Christ should never covet this gift (or grace) because we have our own gifts and talents. We (ihlcc) are positively absolutely sure the Lord knows what He is doing and He has already provided each believer with the gifts and graces they need to fulfill their ministry in the earth today. If we are willing to be faithful with the gifts and talents that the Lord has already given to us we will be fruitful in the knowledge, wisdom and revelations of God. Amen! Ezekiel is not our model for today our example is Jesus, the Christ and the witness of His lifestyle recorded by the Apostles of Christ. Ezekiel saw with his eyes opened the visions of God and heard the message of God to bring more understanding to what he was seeing. This “Open Eyed Vision” was a genuine manifestation of the Spirit of God according to God’s divine purpose and will. Thus we accept it as truth and continue searching from more examples to strengthen our understanding of God and His Ways. We read earlier about Daniel being blessed to understand dreams and visions in Daniel 1:17
As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. KJV
Therefore we will look at one example of Daniel in chapter seven where a private vision of God with Daniel was shared openly. This is not the only vision Daniel interpreted but it gives us another example of someone who was graced of God to operate in this manner. Although Daniel is not known for being a Priest nor a Prophet it is humbling and good to know that God can use whosoever He Wills. Daniel as a person of influence because he was in a leadership position was graced by God to carryout his office in excellence. Anytime you are publicly known as the servant of the Most High God the Lord will see to it that He is there to help you perform your duties well. This is why we attribute such manifestations of God’s Spirit as solely the result of God’s giftings and grace. The gift was given unto Ezekiel and it was given unto Daniel so the grace to operate in that gift was automatic with the calling. It is said, “Those whom God appoints to a specific office He also anoints them to excel in that specific office”. This is consistent in the Holy Bible for all of God’s ministers in the Old and New Testament.
Daniel 7:1-4,15,16
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. KJV
We purposely chose this example to point out that a dream can turn into a vision or a person can experience both at the same time. We don’t need to be legal about the exact title it is more important to understand what was seen and/or exactly what was heard. The reason this is classified with the visions is because the word vision is mentioned in multiple verses. In verse 1 both the words “dream and visions” is used but pay close attention to the fact that “dream” is used singular to mean that Daniel counted the whole encounter as a dream because it was at night (verse 2). Since the word “visions” is plural we know that Daniel saw multiple things with various meanings. The Lord is not limited to only one type of manifestation at a time which is why we firmly believe when one is operating in the Holy Spirit of God various types of manifestations may be occurring at different times of the encounter. The flow of God’s Spirit is not random but yet is it not predictable either. We can only expound on what the Lord shows us but we can not always expound on why He showed us, nor are we experts on describing all the various manifestations of God’s Spirit upon man. This becomes a challenge because as we see with God’s ministers and His people the Lord will often choose to show Himself one way to a World Evangelist and another way to a small town Sunday School Teacher. The key is not why or how but simply walking in the light of God we have on the inside of us as dear children of God. In verse 1 we would like to emphasize that Daniel wrote out the dream. This took time and dedication to the things of God and our word of wisdom to you dear reader is to always write down (or type) any major supernatural encounter you have with God. This will help you to get more insight and it may possibly be a great help to someone else with a similar experience. If you are faithful with what is given to you by grace it will show God that you are ready (prepared) and willing (open) for more insight. The more insight is on God’s shoulders but the readiness and willingness is totally upon you. In verse 15 we see that the visions causes Daniel to be concerned and because our God is so loving and gracious he did not want Daniel to be troubled. Remember God is not the author of confusion but rather peace as stated in 1 Corinthians 14:33. Thus, the Lord allowed Daniel to speak his heart in the vision and hear answers of understanding to comfort his mind. Here again it is God that came to show Daniel certain things and with the showing the Lord also gave Daniel the understanding. This is another witness as to why we believe that the encounters you have with God should bring understanding with the encounter and if it does not, definitely don’t worry about it. We should never be dishearten and confused from an encounter with God because the revelations of God bring peace and clarity of thought. Notice in verse 16 the simplicity of God’s Ways, Daniel asked for the truth, God’s spokesman in the vision made Daniel to understand what he was seeing for the proper interpretation to bless himself and others (like us) who would read this later. We don’t always know how far our words will travel so write them down descriptively and clearly to bless another person who may read it in the distance future. The more details that are communicated in the written version of the encounter the better the understanding (interpretation) will be by a reader at a later date. You will find in some cases that the reader will be you because you need to read it again to gain a better understanding at a later date when a few uncertain things become more obvious. Now that we have looked at some examples in the Old Testament let us examine the New Testament for “Open Eyed Visions”. We only need to travel to the first book of the New Testament where an “Open Eyed Vision” is recorded.
Matthew 17:1-9
1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. KJV
In this situation it is very obvious that the disciples were all awake while following the Lord to a higher holy ground. In this vision again it was nothing that the disciples did to bring about this grand appearance. They were simply doing God’s will and the Lord decided, not them, to manifest His glory in this particular fashion. In this vision their eyes were wide open and it seems that the surrounding environment remained the same. Therefore they were not transported to a special spiritual place but rather certain individuals were brought into their natural realm. From verse 4 we can see that the disciples were still able to talk aloud and in verse 5 we read the response of our Father God. This vision like the others we reviewed had visual sight and audible hearing included within the “Open Eyed Vision”. The disciples saw something about the Kingdom of God and then the voice of the Lord came to give them further understanding of what they saw. Generally speaking seeing alone does not give us the complete picture but rather hearing the critical information from the Lord (God’s Words) imparts proper understanding for accurate interpretation. In verse 6 we can understand that the voice of the Father God came with power because the disciples quickly fell on their face and became afraid. This response is quite common in the Holy Bible when one knows they are in the Presence of God Almighty. Jesus had to come upon them and touch them to bring them back into the natural realm without fear. Then just like the other times of visions, the Lord showed, then the Word of God came to explain and finally the disciples were suppose to tell about the experience at a certain time. This vision was not to be spoken of immediately but rather was intended to be time released to the public at a later date. The season for this special vision to be released to the general public was after Jesus resurrection from the dead. This is why we encourage any believer (especially those in the full-time ministry) not to just speak openly about some of your personal experiences (encounters) with God unless the Lord is leading you to. It is very possible that what the Lord is speaking to you and/or showing you is designed specifically for a certain person (or people) at a certain time. In our next example we see another full-time minister of God partake of an unexpected encounter with God while performing his priestly ministry unto the Lord.
Luke 1:8-22
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. KJV
While Zacharias was performing his duties as a priest of God the Lord had predetermined to meet with Zacharias. The Lord sent one of His top representatives the Archangel Gabriel to deliver the message. Here the pattern of God is consistent, first the Lord’s Archangel Gabriel came and he appeared unto Zacharias which means Zacharias had his eyes wide open. Then the messenger of God spoke to Zacharias to give him the message of God (information, understanding). The Lord will always have a reason for manifesting a portion of His Kingdom in an unusual fashion. We must concentrate on the message more than the mystery of why did I receive this type of manifestation. The complete message of the God was told unto Zacharias and instead of rejoicing Zacharias chose to doubt the Word of the Lord. This is what insulted the Lord, the very fact that God sent one of His highest ranking officials with a message to confirm what Zacharias had been praying about for years should be reason enough to rejoice. However, Zacharias ask for a physical sign to believe a spiritual encounter and this is what displeased God. In essence Zacharias openly admitted to God that I would rather walk by natural sight then spiritual faith. Thus, provoking the Angel of God to give him a natural sign. Thus, his natural sign came in the form of physical silence for a season and that was easy to believe because it took no faith. Remember two principles were violated in this encounter. The first is the more responsibility you are given from God the more of God you need to exhibit in your lifestyle. Simply put the more you know about the things of God the more the Lord will require from you as a Believer in God. The second problem with Zacharias was that he was called to be the priest for the people which means he is suppose to receive a message of God to share with the people. However, Zacharias forgot about the greater good of answering all the prayers of the people by a Savior being sent to them to emphasize his own personal problems. Notice the response from Zacharias, “Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years”. The three personal pronouns “I, I, and my” are all included in the response to the Angel. The Priest must remember that he is for the people and their needs must be placed above his own personal needs. Remember according to Exodus 23:20,21 the Angel of God does not have to pardon this sin of unbelief because the forgiveness of sin only comes from the Blood of Jesus which at that time would have been the blood of a lamb.
20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. KJV
Purely by the wisdom of God the Archangel Gabriel was able to accomplish both things with one swift move. The sign of dumbness was given to satisfy Zacharias and the judgement of public silent was rendered unto Zacharias for the sin of unbelief in the light of a genuine manifestation of God. If the Prophet of God being a man would have said these things maybe the unbelief of Zacharias could be more understandable because they probably would not have been on holy ground. However if you go to the sacred holy house of God to speak personally with God and the Lord shows up to speak with you and then you doubt His Messenger and His message you are operating in total unbelief by choice and not by accident. Sometimes religious people think it is OK to operate in unbelief because they practice it as a lifestyle but that theology will never holdup when they are in the Presence of God. The people of prayer who are in His presence will often get revelation directly from God and then prove this witness by what they see happening around them in the natural. Thus they perceived that Zacharias had seen a vision, the word perceived is used because Zacharias being humbled lost his voice to audibly tell what just happened to the people praying at the temple. Thank God that even when man can not tell us exactly what is happening with God prayer can get us enough information to know that something special is going on in the realm of the Spirit. This “Open Eyed Vision” was received by a minister of God under the Old Covenant even though it is mentioned in the New Testament because at that time Jesus had not died on the cross yet. Now let us look at some examples from Disciples of Christ under this Dispensation of Grace.
Luke 24:22-23
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. KJV
Here we see some disciples of Jesus speaking to the Apostle’s of Christ. The certain women were Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Salome, that came to the sepulchre of Jesus to find the stone rolled away and the body of Jesus missing. -Refer to Mark 16:1-8 In this “Open Eyed Vision” the two sisters in Christ were wide awake and they first saw two men in shining garments (the shining garments are symbolic for Angels). Since the women “knew” these two beings were divine fear set into them, then the messengers of God spoke saying, “Be not affrightened:….” to calm their heart. The sequence was - God came, the two disciples of Christ saw, then the two Angels spoke to the two Mary’s to explain what was going on, and after that the two disciples were suppose to tell the other disciples exactly what they saw and heard. This brief encounter was classified in the Holy Bible as a vision and we further classify it with the title “Open Eyed Visions” of God. Our next example involves a Gentile Believer that needed to be converted to a Christian who’s name is Cornelius.
Acts 10:1-4
1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. KJV
This lets us see that whether one is a natural Jew or a Gentile God is not limited on who He can reveal Himself to. The key is verse 2 with the statement, “one that feared God with all his house”. Those who honor God with their testimony and lifestyle the Lord will honor with His Salvation. We notice in verse 3 that this encounter is called a “vision” we also know that Cornelius had his eyes open and an angel of God came to him. In verse 4 it states that when Cornelius looked upon the angel of God he became afraid. Since Cornelius was a military man another man coming to him would not make him act afraid but the Presence of God can make even the most mightiest men of the army fall down in fear. We will look at Acts 10:30-32 to gather some more details.
30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31 And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.
32 Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee. KJV
In verse 30 we read that the man who came to Cornelius had bright clothing. Remember we said earlier this is symbolic for the Angels of God and that is exactly what let Cornelius know this message was supernatural. We see the common traits of God revealed in this encounter as they were in the previous encounters we have examined. The Messenger of God came and showed himself to Cornelius, then Cornelius saw him with his eyes and became fearful, after that the Angel of God spoke to Cornelius to give him instructions concerning the Apostle Peter. Thus, the purpose of the “Open Eyed Vision” was explained during the vision in verses 4 through 6 and 31 and 32. We would like to mention that this experience happen to a certain man according to Acts 10:1 which means it did not happen to every man. One reason why God chose to manifest His glory on this fashion was because the Gospel had not been preached to the Gentiles before. The Lord knew if He spoke with a Gentile believer and a Jewish believer about the same event they can compare stories for the authenticity of God. Believers in God know that God can speak to any person so when someone else has the same revelation you do about God you can not reject their words lest you nullify your own testimony about God. The Lord is genius and His Ways are far beyond reproach so following His plan is both safe and wise. As we know now the merging of the Jews and Gentiles in Christ was always God’s goal for the New Covenant. It is said that, “the Lord will only use a supernatural unusual manifestation of spiritual things seen with the eyes when He can not get the job done by words alone”. This would mean that God does exactly what He needs to do, when He needs to do it, to get His desired results in the most efficient manner. This “Open Eyed Vision” was not by chance but purposely well thought out by God to be executed with men for the sake of advancing the Kingdom of God in the mouth of at least two or three witness.
2 Corinthians 13:1
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. KJV
We have already established this type of vision in the mouth of several witnesses but we will speak of one more because it involves the Apostle Paul. Since the Apostle Paul is man well beloved by the Disciples of Christ we thought you might enjoy the story of his conversion.
Acts 26:12-19
12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: KJV
In this example Saul of the Pharisees was coming to Damascus to persecute and prosecute the Jewish Christians. However, to Saul’s surprise the Lord had other plans, which included the interruption of Saul’s religious status as a Pharisee. Notice that it was midday and the sun was shining but even above the brightness of the sun the bright Light from Heaven shined upon Saul and his companions. The bright light was God’s presence so we all know that God came, then from verse 14 we see God spoke. What is interesting in some of the “Open Eyed Visions” is that there is dual communication between both parties. In other words God can see and speak with man and vice-versa man can see and speak with God. The merging of the two realms is typically known as a supernatural encounter with God. In this case it is classified as a heavenly vision in verse 19. The same steps are observed which are; God came and showed Himself as a very bright light unto Saul. As soon as Saul was in the proper position of humility (knocked off his high horse) he could hear the Word of God speaking to him. Thus, the Lord clearly states to Saul the purpose of this encounter in verses 14 through 18. After this we all know that Saul became known as the Apostle Paul and his ministry to the people was established by his dedicated obedience to God. God came to show and tell Paul about the Lord’s Will, Paul heard God’s words to understand the vision and tell it to others. As we stated before this was not by accident but solely by purpose and design to further the Kingdom of God upon the earth. These types of “Open Eyed Visions” are not common but can happen to anyone from the lowliest disciple to the much esteemed Apostle of God solely by the grace of God. We labor not for this type of vision or any other type of vision we rest assured that the “Visions of Revelation” found in God’s Holy Bible is sufficient vision for us all. Amen.
In the previous examples of “Open Eyed Visions” the nature eyes were involved and probably in some cases the persons spiritual eyes were involved also. Now we will look at some examples of visions in which the physical (natural) eyes were not involved at all. These types of visions indicate a spiritual encounter apart from the natural senses and surroundings. This type of vision is when your spirit sees something concerning the Kingdom of God without your natural eyes being engaged. We will refer to visions when your natural eyes and ears are not involved but your spiritual eyes and ears are as “Visions of the Inner Man”. Every person on the face of this earth has a spirit, soul and body so it should be no mystery that every person can see things supernaturally. Yes, your imagination can bring things to your mind but so can God. There are recorded in the Holy Bible several examples when the Lord indeed brought a person into spiritual Kingdom of God to reveal certain things to them. Although this type of “Vision of the Inner Man” is not as common as “audible visions” it is no less authentic. We will start by exploring one of Nebuchadnezzar’s visions in the Old Testament.
Daniel 4: 4,5 and 13-17
4 I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace:
5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.
13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;
14 He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches:
15 Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:
16 Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.
17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. KJV
In this example with King Nebuchadnezzar it is obvious that the kings natural eyes were not involved because King Nebuchadnezzar said in verse 4 he was at rest and in verse 5 he saw a dream. The King also used the statement, “the visions of my head” to describe an event that took place with his inner man. This is the same statement Daniel made in an earlier example we used in Daniel 7:15. In that example we were discussing “Open Eyed Visions” and we stated that some “Open Eyed Visions” were probably seen through the spirit of a man. “Open Eyed Visions” include both natural sight and inner sight but “Visions of the Inner Man” only includes spiritual eyesight. In this account of Daniel chapter 4 in verse 13 we see the Lord came to the king’s bedchamber. In other words the Lord brought the vision down from Heaven to King Nebuchadnezzar upon the earth. At first when the original vision came to King Nebuchadnezzar he was afraid because he did not understand the dream/vision. The king “knew” this was a dream/vision sent from God and when the dream/vision is described in verses 13 through 17 we can understand exactly why the king would be afraid. The king was concerned about the dream/vision representing him and his kingdom. It is amazing how your own inner man (your spirit) can “know” things from God even when you don’t mentally know a lot about God. Thus, the king sent for interpreters to ease his conscience but was unsuccessful with the wise men of Babylon. The Lord being gracious to King Nebuchadnezzar led him to Daniel, the servant of the Most High God. Daniel being called and anointed to perform this specific task was ready and willing to minister unto the King. Remember we said earlier, it seems only those who don’t know God personally needed help with understanding exactly what God was saying. The Lord prefers to speak with each person directly but unbelievers are usually working against the Ways of God making this task very challenging, if not impossible. The King rehearsed the dream/vision before Daniel to gain the understanding of the message of God. Praise God, the minister of God Daniel did not disappoint the King. Upon hearing the dream/vision and understanding the meaning of it Daniel’s heart was troubled because he knew this meant God’s judgment (trouble) for the king.-Refer to Daniel 4:19 Notice that in verse 5 of Daniel chapter 4 the king’s negative witness (troubled mind, troubled thoughts) about the encounter was correct even though he was not a Jew or a worshipper of God. This teaches us to never think that God only talks to certain people. The Lord speaks to everyone who is open to hear from Him because the witness of God commonly known as conscience works in all those who are listening to it. The dream/vision was about King Nebuchadnezzar and the message (truth) of the visitation was a warning from God to the king. The important thing we need to focus on is that God came to the king, then God showed the king His Will concerning his future. In the midst of seeing into the Kingdom of God the words of God were spoken in verses 14 through 17 to give meaning to the dream/vision. However, since the king was not familiar with God he needed to receive help from someone who was in touch with God to bring him the complete understanding he was seeking. It just flat out helps to have the Holy Spirit of God on the inside of you to bring you God’s Light. We read this and it seems obvious to us that everyone should acknowledge that God Almighty rules in the kingdoms of men (verse 17) but those who are in darkness have a hard time seeing the simplicity of God’s Light. We can read in the later verses 20 through 27 that the Word of God accompanied the vision to bring understanding and revelation to Daniel. Thus the cycle of God bringing a dream/vision for the purpose of giving understanding of that dream/vision was completed. The Lord came to the king to show and tell him God’s Will so God’s purpose would not be fulfilled until the king understood the visitation (encounter) of God. The interpretation brought complete understanding to the king so that he would change his ways but the Gentile king was dull of hearing. However, since God brought a warning in the mouth of two witness (the kings and Daniel) God’s justice (justness) was served. This example could have been used in dreams because the same principles apply but we used it here because the word “visions” is used repeatedly (four times) throughout this chapter. Now we will move right into the New Testament to explore more adventures of “Visions of the Inner Man”. We only covered an example in the Old Testament to convince you that this is nothing new for God. The fact is since the unborn-again man has a spirit of darkness (disconnected from God) it was more common for God to deal with man through the physical senses. However in the New Testament where the Christian has a brand new spirit, born-again with the nature of God, within him it is much easier for God to deal with him from the inside out instead of the outside toward the inner man. Since this new nature was in operation for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ we will look for it in the book of Acts.
Acts 9:11-12
11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. KJV
You may remember that we first discussed this experience with Ananias under “Audible Visions” when looking at Acts 9:10. However, in this case we are not looking at the experience of Ananias but rather Saul. This is right after the conversion of Saul and his eyes could not physically see in the natural realm due to the scales upon his eyes for protection from the bright light that was shined before his eyes.-Refer to Acts 9:3-9 It is always good to know that even if our physical sight is covered (or prohibited) we still have access to inner sight with God. Saul saw in a “Vision of the Inner Man” a man coming into him to lay hands upon him that he might receive his natural sight. Please note that Saul also “knew” the person’s name, thus words were spoken in the vision or a sign was given in the vision to reveal Ananias name. Whatever the case may be the vision was from the Spirit of God and the encounter took place with Saul’s inner man. The vision had to be inward because Saul could not see with his physical eyes yet. We all can easily understand that this vision was to help encourage Saul that God heard his prayer and is sending healing (or a spiritual release) through another disciple right away. Some would ask, “Why didn’t the Lord use someone right near Saul to pray for him and get him healed right away?”. Maybe the answer to why no one close to Saul desired to lay hands on him could be explained by the knowledge of Saul’s track record. Remember even Ananias was not too anxious to go help Saul. Yes, dear fellow believer sometimes your past sins will find you out, simply put: past actions may haunt your future intentions. However, the disciple Ananias through gentle persuasion by God obeyed and the results were a blessing for Ananias, Saul and the whole Church of Christ in general. The reason for this “Vision of the Inner Man” is for the performance of God’s Will in this situation and it was necessary at this specific time. Please notice that both Ananias and Saul understood the separate visions and “knew” exactly what they were to do, one had to go while the other had to wait. One had to give something through the laying on of hands in the Name of Jesus while the other had to receive an impartation in the Name of Jesus. All-in-all God was glorified because they both did their parts in complete obedience to God. We state again, “do not try to manifest God’s gifts on your own because you could hurt someone in the Body of Christ by misrepresenting God”. This encounter with Ananias and Saul is another example of God’s unmerited grace in full operation by the Spirit of God guiding the Church of Christ in the earth. This example shows Saul right after conversion needing help from another disciple. In our next example we will study one of the Apostle Paul’s spiritual encounters with God that he did not need another’s help.
Acts 16:9-10
9 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.
10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. KJV
This vision of the Apostle Paul was in the night while they (him and his teams) were in Troas. Two things stand out which help us to know this was a “Vision of the Inner Man”. The first one is it was at night so it stands to reason that naturally no one could see. The second reason is that they were in Troas and Paul saw a man of Macedonia saying, “Come over into Macedonia, and help us”. Thus this spiritual vision of Paul had an audible message with it. The vision gave the Apostle Paul the direction and guidance he was seeking from God. The manifestation of God came unto Paul to show him God’s Will and speak to him a specific message of guidance. The Apostle Paul then took that information to fulfill God’s Will for his life at that time which blessed many more people who Paul influenced positively for God. This “Vision of the Inner Man” proved to be sufficient in Paul’s time of need, therefore to God be the glory for all His blessings unto the Body of Christ. In the next example we hear the Apostle Paul explaining a supernatural encounter with God.
2 Corinthians 12:1-4
1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. KJV
In this account of visions we will notice that the Apostle Paul speaks of a specific divine encounter with God. Most bible scholars believe that the apostle is speaking of himself. We here at (ihlcc) believe also that Paul was speaking of one of his personal encounters with God. Certain words lead us to believe that this was a “Vision of the Inner Man” because Paul states that the person was caught up into the third heaven. Many bible teachers believe the third heaven to be beyond the atmospheric heaven above us including the sky and beyond the stellar heaven where the various planets abide. Yes, we too, believe the third heaven to be the place of God’s Throne the current home of all the saints of God. We now know that the physical body can not breath in outer space due to the lack of oxygen, so to believe the physical body could survive a trip to the third heaven would be too optimistic for us. We believe that Paul experienced a “Vision of the Inner Man” in which his whole inner man was ushered into God’s Heaven to see and hear things concerning the Kingdom of God to help Paul understand the things of God better. Sometimes when these type of encounters happen it is solely because the Lord Himself desires to meet with the person to express His divine Will. The reason why God does what He does can be obvious at times and at other times it will be a mystery. It is perfectly fine to not understand exactly why God only allows certain people to visit heaven because all the essential things we need to know about God are clearly revealed in the Holy Bible. I really like what the Apostle Paul mentions in verses 2 and 3 with the words, “whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth”. The reason I love the wisdom of Paul is because it openly confirms what I just stated. There will always be those things that we encounter with God that can not be fully understood so they can not be accurately explained. The Apostle is emphasizing what is important from the experience instead of trying to release doctrine about the experience. We can take a side note from this information to understand that when your body is in heaven it will look very similar to the body you have here on earth. So a word to the wise is learn to enjoy and love your self because you will be seeing yourself for a very long time, eternity at the very lest. The spiritual keys are again in order, God manifested His glory by showing Paul certain things and speaking certain words to Paul, so that Paul would understand God’s Kingdom (and Will) better to help others upon the earth. Note that the Apostle Paul was called to the full-time ministry and his ministry was graced to have supernatural encounters (experiences bringing revelations) from God. So do not think this type of experience is for everyone in the Body of God because it is not, it is solely for those whom God ordains to partake of this type of encounter. These encounters of “Visions of the Inner Man” are not very common in the Holy Bible but they do exist so we must be mindful of the possibility. However, since it is not that common for a Christian, even those in the full-time ministry, to have experiences where they were caught up into the third heaven we can not expect for this type of manifestation to be common in the Body of Christ. Thank God for those who have this type of experience but realize they are no more special to God than you are. They were chosen by grace and not by works of righteousness just like we are chosen by God’s unmerited grace also. Since most of the New Testament examples included the Apostle Paul we thought it good to include another Apostle named John to show each reader that God is never limited to one person.
Revelation 1:9-11 and 9:17
1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. KJV
9:17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. KJV
In this example we have the Apostle John’s account of what he saw and heard concerning the future of the Church. John had been exiled to the Isle of Patmos (verse 1) for his strong witness of a resurrected Lord and Savoir named Jesus Christ. It is amazing to see that what man tried to do in placing the Apostle John in a very remote area to quench his influence turned out to be the exact place God came to visit him. What man thought would destroy John’s testimony turned out to be the book we read about all over the world. The Book of Revelation has continuously blessed the Body of Christ while at the same time greatly puzzled those of darkness. Notice that in verse 10 John himself tells us that, “he was in the Spirit”. Thus, we can quickly conclude that he (the Apostle John) was not in the natural realm when he saw and heard all these things. Therefore, the Apostle was experiencing a “Vision of the Inner Man” through his own confession of the events. We also notice that in chapter 9 verse 17 John refers to this encounter as a “vision”. The whole encounter is recorded throughout the whole Book of Revelation where John records what he saw and heard. The Lord came unto John to show him things to come and during this vision the words of God were also spoken to John to reveal God’s purpose. This combination of sights, sounds and interpretations imparted to the Apostle John was exactly what he needed to share with the Body of Christ as a whole. This last book of the Holy Bible brought additional understanding to those of John’s era and all generations to follow. The words “dream” or “dreams” are not mentioned in the Book of Revelation so by all means this must be recorded as a vision (or visions) of God. Since we have distinguished between a few different types of visions this one fits best into our current study of “Visions of the Inner Man”. We have already said that these types of visions are not common for the Body of Christ. The examples we looked at included a small number of those in the fulltime ministry because they were graced by God for these types of divine appointments. We are sure there are those after the original Apostle’s of Christ who still enjoy these types of manifestation for the sole purpose of blessing the Body of Christ by God’s design and in God’s pre-appointed time.
Now we will move on to the last type of vision. Although this is listed last in our order by no means is it last in importance. We didn’t rank any of these various visions in order of importance but we did rank them by order of popularity in the Holy Bible. Therefore this type of vision had the least number of examples and so we classified it as the least common. Yes, this is an all-spiritual vision in which one falls into a trance. This is when your physical body is totally suspended while your spirit man is seeing into the spirit realm and you are hearing with your inner man. Your inner man is one-hundred percent conscious of the spiritual encounter and not conscious of any natural actions made in the body or it’s physical surroundings. These types of visions will be classified as “Transitory Visions” simply because the person transitions from being totally in control of their physical body to having their physical body suspended for a time. In this study of visions any time the word “trance” is used we will place that vision into this category. The major difference between “Transitory Visions” and other “visions” is that in “Transitory Visions” the physical body with it’s senses are quickly shifted into another state. Whereas in other types of “visions” the state of the physical body including all of it’s senses are not suddenly altered at the exact same time into a whole new state. Starting with the Old Testament for a reference that God has not changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament we will look at Numbers 24:1-5
1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.
3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:
4 He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! KJV
In this example we have Balaam who at this time was a minister (servant) of God even though he was not one of the Children of Israel. The Lord can use whomsoever He wills but it helps to use those who have the written word of God as a base (foundation). In this case the King of Moab tried to hire Balaam for money to curse the Children of Israel. In verse 1 we notice that Balaam learned through his previous experiences with trying to curse Israel that it was not God’s Will at all to curse the Children of Israel but it was God’s Will to bless them. Equipped with this knowledge Balaam was ready to speak favorable about Israel. As soon as we start looking in the right direction of God it is a lot easier to flow with the Holy Spirit of God. Verse 2 tells us that the Spirit of God came upon Balaam which enabled him to speak the Word of God over (concerning) the people of God. In verse 3 the statement, “the man whose eyes are open” could possibly mean two things. The first possibly could mean that the Lord open Balaam spiritual eyes to see things from God’s perspective. This would mean God gave Balaam the spiritual insight to understand how beautiful the Children of Israel are in His sight, thus God’s blessing should overtake them. The second possible meaning is that Balaam’s eyes were physically opened and God showed him the actual faces of the Children of Israel and Balaam developed a heart for them at that moment. This would mean that Balaam could naturally see the actual dwelling places of the various tribes in their present location. The main phrase we desire to emphasize in verse 4 is where it is stated, “falling into a trance”. Since the word “trance” is used we know that Balaam’s body was altered from his current normal state. Notice that Balaam said, “he heard the words of God and the vision of the Almighty”. Thus we have the very same sequence mentioned before. God came to Balaam and the Lord showed Balaam a picture of God’s Will for the children of Israel, then the Lord spoke the favorable words of God to Balaam for him to repeat over (concerning) the Children of Israel. It would seem from this account that all three of those things happened at once because they are all included in the same verse. Notice the hearing of God’s Word and seeing the vision of the Almighty are mentioned in verse 4 along with falling into a trance. The key is not the physical state of Balaam but rather the Words of God spoken through Balaam to express God’s Perfect Will. Pay attention to the words “falling into a trance” because this could literally be exactly what happened. Many times those who fall into a trance were in another position at first but fell down when this physical state of their body changed. This is a “Transitory Vision” that God ordained to turn a curse from man into the blessing of God. This type of activity is also present in the New Testament starting with the Book of Acts.
Acts 10:9-20
9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,
18 And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them. KJV
In this encounter the Apostle Peter was in a time of prayer according to verse 9. In verse 10 notice the phrase, “he fell into a trance” and again we think of the Apostle Peter literally going from a position of prayer unto a position of being laid out on the ground. We can understand from verse 11 that heaven was opened and the apostle saw something with his spiritual eyes and while beholding the vision the voice of God came to the Apostle Peter to expound on the vision in verse 13. In verse 16 the mention of “This was done thrice” simply means that the Word of the Lord was spoken to the Apostle Peter three times so that Peter would know this thing was established according to 2 Corinthians 13:1. We (ihlcc) highlighted verse 17 to bring attention to the fact that this vision was not clearly understood by the Apostle Peter when it first happened. In cases like this it is wise to do exactly what Peter did which is revealed in verse 19 with the words “Peter thought on the vision”. Notice that right after this spiritual encounter of the “Transitory Vision” the Lord manifested His glory again in the form of the “Audible Vision”. In the “Audible Vision” (previously discussed) the Spirit (of God) spoke to the Apostle Peter giving him a Word of Knowledge and confirming the Lord’s stamp of approval upon this journey to visit a foreign man. It is interesting to note that Peter had started doubting the vision in verse 17 and that same doubt was still lingering within Peter so the Lord spoke to the Apostle Peter in verse 20 to command him not to doubt (doubting nothing). This doubting nothing included not doubting the vision either because in due time it all would become clear to the apostle. The full understanding came to the Apostle Peter after he continued to obey what God told him to do. Remember the Lord told Peter to go with the three men which the Apostle Peter did in obedience to the Lord. When the Apostle Peter came into the house of Cornelius and saw the people anxious to hear the Word of God because of the testimony of the “Open Eyed Vision” from Cornelius he knew God was moving in their midst. Cornelius rehearsed before all the people present (including Peter) the account of his “Open Eyed Vision”, then the full revelation of the Apostle Peter’s “Transitory Vision” came to Peter’s understanding. We read in Acts 10:34-35 the summation of that revelation for all mankind.
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. KJV
Yes, God was not unfavorable toward the Gentiles but loved them all equally as much as He loved the Jews. This belief of being God’s favorite (favored) people was entrenched in all Jewish believers of that day so a glorious manifestation of God’s Power through this dynamic event would be crucial to bringing down that religious stronghold of the Jews being blessed above all nations of the earth. The Apostle Peter was the leader of the Church of Jesus at this time so it was imperative for him to see and understand that God loves everyone equally and His disciples should too. Later we would see the Apostle Peter take this vision, revelation and experience back to the Church of God to enlighten the Jewish (those of the circumcision) leaders of that day.
Acts 11:1-5
1 And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
2 And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,
3 Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.
4 But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying,
5 I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me: KJV
We know that news still travels fast and if you are willing to do something out of the ordinary people will find out about it. If it is a good thing you are doing you would hope people would rally to support your cause but typically people are all too quick to criticize your intentions. This is one reason why we believe this type of vision happened to the Apostle Peter because the Jews typically seek a sign and two signs were given. The first sign of the “Transitory Vision” producing the supernatural revelation about the Gentiles being accepted by God and the second sign of the Gentile Cornelius “Open Eyed Vision” which confirmed that salvation is of the Jews in the person of Jesus Christ. The mouth of these two witnesses could not be ignored or denied. Thus, unity of the Jews and Gentiles was consummated in person of Jesus Christ and in the witness from the Body of Christ, His Beloved Church. The Apostle Paul also recorded another experience of a “Transitory Vision” while in the Temple at Jerusalem according to Acts 22:17-21.
17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:
20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. KJV
Immediately in verse 17 we notice that the Apostle Paul was in the Temple of God praying. This is the third reference we have looked at concerning “Transitory Visions” it is no accident that in each case the person who received the “trance” was praying or we could say seeking God. The reason why the body of the person seeking God could be suspended naturally is because they are not busy doing something else. If one is at work it could be dangerous for them to fall into a trance. If one is in the middle of helping another with an important task it also would be very unlikely for them to fall into a trance. All the examples we have looked at have the experience happening while they were looking to God for communication. In this vision we notice the common threads of God coming, God speaking and man understanding so that man can do God’s perfect will. It seems like the Lord appeared unto the Apostle Paul according to verse 18 and in this appearance the Lord had a specific message. The message to Paul was essentially clear and concise, “Get out of Jerusalem, immediately because the Jews will not receive your report concerning Me (Jesus)”. This means that the Apostle Paul saw into the spirit realm because the other people in the Temple that were praying near Paul did not see Jesus. Also, during this visitation the words of God came to Paul giving him specific instructions and a divine “Word of Knowledge” about the Jews. This “Transitory Vision” was intended to save the Apostle Paul much hurt and also get the Apostle Paul back to the Gentiles where his ministry started and flourished. This vision of God which included the word of God had specific significance to the ministry of the Apostle Paul. This confirms the fact that these types of manifestations of God’s glory are for specific individuals at specific times in the Body of Christ. Since we can not spiritually see the heart of another man let us be wise and leave these types of encounters in the Hand of God where they rightly belong. We believe there are more than three examples of “Transitory Visions” in the Old and New Testament. However, since all three of these included the word “trance” we have established this type of vision as authentically from the Lord and completely for God’s divine purposes. This is the fifth common type of vision but we are sure it is just as anointed and important as all the other types of visions discussed in this chapter. As wisdom dictates the most important vision to you is the one you need at that specific time. To God be the Glory, Honor and Praise for manifesting His Kingdom in the form of the various “visions” of God