Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Christian Crier

Home
About

Home
Evangelical
Top 7 Bible Verses About Visions

Top 7 Bible Verses About Visions

Last updated on: December 29, 2015 at 5:05 pm by Jack Wellman

Top 7 Bible Verses About Visions 2015-12-29T17:05:22-06:00 Jack Wellman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Here are my top seven Bible verses about visions.

Isaiah 6:1-2 “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.”

This might be the greatest vision ever because Isaiah beheld the glory of the Lord as the mighty seraphim proclaimed “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3). We know it must have been a vision for no one can actually see God and live (Ex 33:20) and Isaiah must have realized that so he cried out, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). The length of the king’s robe is indicative of his splendor but here the Lord’s train filled the whole temple, indicating that there is nothing near to the glory of God.

Acts 16:9-10 “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us. And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

God used dreams and visions quite often in the Bible and they were always precise. One night, Paul sees a vision where a man is crying out for help all the way from Macedonia so after this vision, Paul rightly concluded that “God had called [them] to preach the gospel” to the Macedonians, and history tells us, that’s just what Paul did.

Revelation 1:9-10 “ I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.”

This verse comes from the Book of Revelation which is not really the Apostle John’s revelation but “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John” (Rev 1:1). Later in the Book of Revelation, John is still in a vision and he writes, “I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths” (Rev 9:17).

Acts 9:10-12 “Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”

Ananias was a disciple of Jesus Christ and he knew that Saul was trying to destroy the church, taking people off to prison and so God sent Ananias a vision but Ananias was still not sure because he knew that Paul was the great persecutor of the church. Maybe God sent a vision because Ananias might not have believed another person but God, He would believe. Saul also had a vision and it was about Ananias and Ananias saw a vision about Saul (later changed to Paul).

Psalm 89:19 “Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said: “I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.”

I know that God spoke in the ancient days through visions to Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Isaiah but also to Paul, Peter, John, and many others. Today, we don’t need to have God send us visions because we have the whole Word of God in the Old and New Testament. The former patriarchs never had this (but the Torah) so God had to speak to them directly at times and often through visions.

Acts 11:5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me.”

Peter had this vision when it was time for lunch and he was hungry so the timing of God’s sending Peter a vision of unclean foods must have got his attention even more as in this vision God said that “What God has made clean, do not call common.’ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven” (Acts 11:9-10). As with Ananias, a fellow Christian telling Peter that salvation is now open to the Gentiles might not have convinced him; a visions sent from God did so “When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18).

Genesis 46:1- “So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation.”

Jacob must have been reluctant to enter into a pagan nation such as Egypt since there were so many false gods but this was God’s way of growing the nation of Israel. Jacob, whose name was changed by God to Israel, would enter as a family of a hundred or so but at the Exodus, they would number in the millions some four hundred years later. God sent Israel a vision to perhaps give him reassurance that he has to no reason to fear going “down to Egypt” because there is where Israel will be made “into a great nation.”

Conclusion

We don’t need visions today as much as then. It’s not that God cannot still send visions to people, but it just seems to be the rare exception. Since we have the whole counsel of God in the Old and New Testament, we can read what God wants us to do without receiving a vision. The only vision I worry about is my own eyesight as I need to stay focused on the Word of God, for there is where one will find eternal life.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

Previous Post

December 29, 2015

Top 7 Bible Verses About Virginity

Next Post

December 29, 2015 Top 7 Bible Verses About Vulnerability

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Answers Bible Definitions Bible Story Bible Study Bible Verses Christian Books Christian Entertainment Christian Fathers Christian Mothers Christian Quotes Devotional Famous Christians Music News Parables Prayers Quotes Sunday School Lesson Uncategorized Youth Sermons

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian observance celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ascension Pentecost Epiphany Ash Wednesday