Understanding Dreams & Visions
God speaks
Though we do not always perceive it, He reveals Himself in dreams and in visions (Job 33:14-15, Numbers 12:6). Yet in the western world, these are viewed through a highly cautionary lens. They are seen in many places as rare, or for those who are especially gifted.
Idolising rationalism
Our western worldview has idolised rationalism, the prioritisation of reason and logical thinking as primary sources of knowledge and understanding. It has left little room for the Lord to move by His Spirit.
God, however, has not bowed to the mind of man. He is still speaking through visions and dreams and many other ways. One of the foundational promises to the New Testament church is that they would see visions, dream dreams and be able to prophesy (Acts 2).
Creative power unleashed when He speaks
When God speaks, it has creative power.
He spoke and there was light, He spoke and there was sky and there were planets. He spoke and there were creatures in the air, on the ground and in the waters. He spoke and planets were formed.
God speaks with His people
Throughout Scripture, we see God speaking with His people. He spoke with Adam and Eve. He spoke with Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. One of the ways in which He speaks to them is through visions.
Many of the prophets heard from God in visions: Samuel, Nathan, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, Amos, Obadiah, Michah, Joel, Habakuk, Haggai, Zephaniah, they all had visions. And it wasn’t just the prophets, God spoke with Jacob, Joseph, Gideon and Solomon in visions.
For example, near the beginning of Abraham’s journey, God speaks to Him in a vision. After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward,” – Genesis 15:1
Moses acknowledges that visions and dreams are a primary way in which God speaks to His people. He said, “Listen to my words: “When there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams.” – Numbers 12:6
What about pictures, dreams, open visions and trances?
Though distinct from visions, pictures, dreams, open visions and trances are all part of the visual communication through which the Lord chooses to speak. Just like visions, they occur throughout the Bible.
They often have a sensory aspect to them: it is not just someone seeing something, but senses are involved as well.
What is a seer?
In the Old Testament, it often describes one who sees visions and dreams as a Seer. Seer’s are prophets who receive revelation (not exclusively) in a visual and sensory form.
In 1 Samuel 9:9 it says ‘Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire of God, they would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.’
‘To see’ and ‘to have a prophetic vision’
There are two primary words used for seers in the Old Testament, ro’eh and and chozeh. They mean ‘to see’ and ‘to have a prophetic vision.’
There are a number of people listed in the Bible as seers; Samuel (1 Samuel 9:19), Zadok (2 Samuel 15:27), Gad (2 Samuel 24:11), Heman (1 Chronicles 25:5), Iddo (2 Chronicles 9:29), Hanani (2 Chronicles 16:7), Jehu (2 Chronicles 19:2), Asaph (2 Chronicles 29:30), Jeduthun (2 Chronicles 35:15) and Amos (Amos 7:12), both Asaph and Zadok were musicians in David’s tabernacle.
This visual and sensory communication is part of the way in which God speaks. However, much of the way in which God speaks requires interpretation and understanding.
In Numbers 12:8, Moses describes God as speaking in dark sayings. The darkness described is one of hiddenness or obscurity and requiring interpretation. It could also be translated as riddle or allegory, such as Ezekiel is asked to present to the house of Israel (Exodus 17:2).
Why would God speak in this way?
I look at it as an invitation into communion with Him. When I see a picture or a vision and I don’t know what it means, it draws me into a place of prayer and seeking after the Lord.
You see, the Lord loves our communion and communication with Him, He loves our seeking after Him.
Growing in the prophetic
When encouraging people to grow in the prophetic, I try to get people to share the picture even if they don’t have the interpretation. Someone else may have the interpretation and the application.
It is a good habit to ask God, “What do you want to say about this?” I find God loves to answer and show things and the more I wait on Him, the more He shows me. We are not alone in needing help to understand what we see: Daniel, Zechariah and John all needed help in understanding the visions they saw.
Visual messages from God
Pictures, dreams, visions and trances are each a supernatural experience in which an individual receives visual messages from God. They are often combined with receiving in an auditory and sensory manner as well.
Through them, God communicates His will and purposes, guidance, confirmation of His promises, warnings of judgment, revealing future events, or granting divine authority and commissions to carry out specific tasks. They can occur during the day or at night, the bible sometimes describes dreams as visions at night (Genesis 46:2, Daniel 2:19, Daniel 7:2, Acts 16:9, Acts 18:9).
Solomon’s dream
Whether it is a dream or a vision, a picture of a trance, they require the same approach. They can sometimes be very vivid, transformative and interactive.
Have you thought about how Solomon received his wisdom? It was through a dream (1 Kings 3:5). The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask me for anything you want and I will give it to you.”
Solomon asks for a heart that listens and for discernment. This was a very real interaction through which God imparts to Solomon wisdom and discernment.
If, for whatever reason, you had to live in another country where you didn’t understand the language, you would make an effort to learn what the people were saying. As believers we need to understand the language through which God speaks, that requires discipline on our behalf.
As with all aspects of prophecy, please weigh what is said. Prophecy is not on par with God’s word, but at the same time, just as Paul said to the Thessalonians, let us not treat prophecies with contempt (1 Thessalonians 5:20), but test them all, holding on to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
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About the author, Simon Baddeley
Simon supports and encourages Filling Stations in the South West of England. Based in Shaftesbury, he is a recognised Prophet internationally, having worked with prophetic councils in the nation and across Europe. Simon has a heart for mission and has travelled to many nations training and equipping people prophetically. He runs a monthly ‘School of the Prophets’, and hosts our ‘Equip & Empower’ online training. Alongside his wife Philippa, he runs ‘The Sanctuary’, a day and night house of prayer, worship and prophecy.
