Discerning if a vision/dream is from God (By Pastor Ray)
Wednesday, June 22, 2016 21:20
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Noted below is an outline for a study on Dreams & Visions. The Bible notes that God will give dreams and visions—the questions are: When, to Whom, for what purpose and, how does the listener distinguish between truth and error? The hope is that this brief study answers a few questions.
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DREAMS AND VISIONS:
The Truth:
- God has and will reveal insights through dreams and visions. Noted below is the Bible promise:
- Joel 2:28-32 28 …I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days…”
- The Bible notes that the giving of spiritual dreams and visions will particularly prominent in the last days
- The Last Days can be defined as the period of time between Pentecost and the end of the Tribulation Period. Though it may be difficult to understand, the Apostle Peter wrote in The Last Days and we are now living in the Last Days. The Last Days also includes a likely brief period of time referred to as The Birth Pains by Jesus in Matthew 24 (vv. 4-14).
- Some suggest that the Joel 2 prophecy noted above was fulfilled 2000 years ago (Acts 2:1-18). This is NOT the case. Acts 2 notes the BEGINNING of the fulfillment of the Joel 2 prophecy (and it is likely that dreams and visions will become more prominent as we move closer to the beginning of the tribulation period).
Warnings:
- False Christs will appear (Matt. 24:24)
- False Prophets will appear (Matt. 7:15-20)
- Satan can present/conjure visions (Matt. 4:8)
- Satan is said to ‘masquerade as an angel of light’ (2 Cor. 11:14)
- Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44)
- It is prophesied that Satan will deceive many (Rev. 13:14, 20:8)
- Believers should be mindful of the character of Satan, and be especially wary and careful when working to discern if a dream or vision is from God or from the enemy.
How to discern truth:
- A few general principles:
- Rarity is the norm: Someone with 100 YouTube videos which begin with, “Last night the Lord visited me and said…” should be listened-to with caution.
- Clarity is the norm: Individuals who speak unduly professorially, speak in King James language, incorporate a mix of Greek and/or Hebrew words, use an abundance of uncommon theological terms, etc. make the content of their presentation suspect.
- The Joel 2 prophecy is a promise to the non-professional clergy. Dreams being given to the ‘common man’ will be the norm
- Being excited and precise should be the norm. Bloggers and YouTubers who begin with, ‘I had a vision from the Lord three or four months ago…’ should be viewed with skepticism. Those who receive the vision should be excited, truly moved and unless told to wait, they should be eager and excited about sharing about the dream/vision they received from the Lord.
- Guiding questions to help discern what is true and what is not:
- Is the message biblically-based? A message from the Lord will not, in any way, contradict the written Word
- Does the messenger promise something contrary to Scripture. Individuals have received dreams and visions at places such as Lourdes and Fatima—although these visions are rather remarkable, they promise that if individuals pray a certain prayer, or pray to a certain person (not Jesus), then there will be peace in Israel. Such a promise runs contrary to Scripture.
- Does the visions prompt to spiritual action or simply facilitate fear?
- Does the messenger clearly note what is from God and what is his/her opinion? Many Blogs and Youtube videos on this subject note their vision (such as: “In the vision the Lord gave me I saw an eagle falling from the sky…”), and then (and here is where the error is introduced) they share what the vision/dream means saying something along the lines of: ‘that means that America’s economy will fail by such and such date…” In general, sharing a dream is fine. Saying it is from the Lord is dangerous. Interpreting the dream on your own is presumptuous. It is important to let the Lord lead here. Share an interpretation if He provides an interpretation. Dreams/visions are solemn, spiritual matters and should be managed with care. Be God’s mouthpiece, but do not overstep, over share or over interpret what the Lord has given.
- Does the messenger have a history of accuracy/integrity. View those who have a history of providing precise dates and prophecies with caution—particularly if their ‘prophecies’ have been shown to be in error in the past
- Does God receive the glory? Is He the focus of the vision? Or does the presenter somehow make the sharing of the dream/vision more about him/her, or their ministry.
- Does the messenger seek to find plausible explanations for how the prophetic vision will be fulfilled? I have seen individuals share of their dreams of a flood, or earthquake or asteroid, and in their presentation they share that they consulted a local scientist/professor/expert to verify that such an event could take place in their area. If the dream/vision is from God, then verification from a local expert regarding the possibility of the event happening is not necessary.
- Does the message come out of a non-biblical environment? God can give any vision to any person, anywhere and at any time. However, we know that Satan has an agenda and ‘prophecies’, drams or visions coming from cultic sources should be viewed with skepticism.
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