5 and 6 VISIONS AND DREAMS

God speaks through visions and dreams

READ: Acts 2:17-21 (NKJV)
Key verse 17

5. Visions (generally awake) — “An experience in the life of a person, whereby a special revelation from God was perceived.” (Holman Bible Dictionary, C.1991, p.1396)

• Acts 18:9-10 Jesus spoke to Paul at night by a vision by which he gave him instructions.
• Acts 10:1-10 Cornelius, the Centurion, saw an angel of God in a vision — who gave him instructions for what he needed to do. Peter fell into a trance and saw a vision of the large sheet and animals, and heard a voice from heaven that gave him instructions.
• Acts 9:10-16 The Lord spoke to Ananias of Damascus, in a vision, and gave him instruction to go to the man Saul. And apparently Saul also had a vision about that same time — of a man named Ananias coming to lay hands on him for healing.

Ex. Buddhist woman, Li, sees visions of Jesus: The Jesus Film Project newsletter Aug. 5, 2003.

6. Dreams (asleep) — God sometimes sends word to people in dreams.

Q. Why would God use dreams to communicate? Any thoughts?

• They can be symbolic and mysterious, or straightforward. They can bring a deep sense of horror and foreboding as with some of Daniel’s dreams (Daniel 7).
• They may bring revelation of who Jesus is, or a warning, prophecy of future events, or a message of instruction for God’s mission (Ex. Paul’s Macedonian call).
• Genesis 15:12-17: Abraham had a prophetic dream about the future of his children and the generations after them.
• Matthew 1:18-21 The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream to instruct him about the situation he was in.

Ex. Overseas story: Nadira story of Jesus revealing Himself to her in a dream: The Jesus Film project newsletter Feb. 2, 2007

** Not all dreams are from God or your own subconscious — read the story of the Indian widow & the idol dream (Window on the World April-May 2002, theCommission)

Muslims Encountering Jesus In Unusual Dreams
(I am not advocating everything this website states — only that some of the testimonies recorded accurately reflect what our missionaries hear about all the time)

Core lessons:
• Raise our awareness that God still speaks today through visions and dreams (— though admittedly it tends to be rare in the United States, and more prevalent on gospel frontiers, where persecution exists.)
• God’s reasons for using visions and dreams seem to be often connected to the expansion of the kingdom of God.