Does God still give visions to people today?
Throughout the Bible, we see that God spoke to people through visions. In the Old Testament, prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel received visions from God that gave them insight into future events or God’s plans. In the New Testament, key figures like Peter and Paul were given visions to guide the early church. This raises the question – does God still give people visions today like he did in biblical times?
There are different views on this issue among Christians. Some believe that the gift of supernatural visions ceased with the closing of the biblical canon. They point to passages like Hebrews 1:1-2, which says “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” This verse indicates that now God primarily speaks through Jesus as revealed in Scripture, rather than new supernatural revelations.
However, others believe God can still give visions today, though not on the level of inspired Scripture. They point out verses indicating spiritual gifts like prophecy continue (1 Corinthians 13:8-10). There are also many anecdotal accounts of God seeming to speak through dreams and visions today, especially in the global south and among persecuted Christians.
How can we evaluate modern-day visions Biblically? Here are a few key principles:
1. Visions must align with Scripture – Any vision that contradicts the Bible can be rejected as not from God (Isaiah 8:20).
2. Visions are subject to testing – Prophecies and visions should be carefully evaluated and tested in the light of Scripture (1 Corinthians 14:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21).
3. Visions have a minor role – The Bible, not visions, is our ultimate guide and authority on discerning God’s will (2 Peter 1:19). Visions may give subjective guidance to individuals, but are not binding doctrines for the church.
4. True visions point to Jesus – Visions that glorify the person receiving them should be viewed with skepticism. True visions will focus attention on Jesus and the Gospel (Revelation 19:10).
5. Visions are not for today’s canon – Christians disagree on whether the “gift of prophecy” continues, but all agree new doctrinal revelations and Scripture have ceased. Visions may provide guidance but not new doctrines (Jude 1:3).
6. Beware misleading spirits – Scripture warns that deceptive spirits can give false visions claiming to be from God (1 John 4:1-3). Believers must test the spirits.
7. Visions have limited uses – Even genuine visions should be weighed carefully. It is unwise to make major decisions purely based on subjective visions without considering God’s will in Scripture and other counsel (Proverbs 11:14).
In summary, while God may still supernaturally communicate through dreams or visions today, this appears to be rare. Such visions must be carefully weighed against Scripture. While they may provide guidance, visions are limited in authority and should never shape core doctrines for Christians today. As in biblical times, any revelation must align with and point people toward the truth fully revealed in Jesus Christ through the written Word of God.
Examples of Visions in the Bible
There are many examples of God giving people visions in the Bible. Some key examples include:
- Isaiah’s vision of the Lord (Isaiah 6:1-13) – This powerful vision helped commission Isaiah as a prophet.
- Jeremiah’s visions and dreams (Jeremiah 23:16) – Jeremiah had multiple visions where God spoke to him.
- Ezekiel’s visions (Book of Ezekiel) – Ezekiel has several visions vividly describing God’s glory.
- Daniel’s visions (Book of Daniel) – Daniel received end-times visions and prophecies.
- Ananias’ vision to meet Saul (Acts 9:10-16) – A key vision to start Paul’s ministry.
- Peter’s rooftop vision (Acts 10:9-16) – Peter sees a vision 3 times to accept Gentiles into the church.
- Paul’s vision of heaven (2 Corinthians 12:1-4) – Paul describes being caught up into Paradise.
- John’s visions (Book of Revelation) – John recorded extensive prophetic visions about the end times.
These examples give a sampling of the many times God spoke through visions in the history recorded in Scripture. The visions served to directly commission people for service, reveal future events, spur churches into new directions, or unveil heavenly realities.
Purposes of Visions in the Bible
Why did God give people visions in biblical history? Some key purposes included:
- Revealing future events – Many prophets were shown future events regarding judgment, deliverance, the Messiah, or end times (Daniel 7-12, Revelation 4-22).
- Warning of consequences – Visions could warn of future consequences for sin and rebellion against God (Jeremiah 1:11-16).
- Calling people to service – Visions functioned to directly commission prophets and leaders for service (Isaiah 6:8-9).
- Providing perspective from heaven’s throne – Visions gave glimpses of the spiritual reality from heaven’s vantage point (Isaiah 6:1-4).
- Enforcing a message – Visions reinforced a message being communicated through the prophets (Am 7:1-3).
- Revealing God’s glory – Visions reminded the prophets of God’s majesty and glory (Ezekiel 1:28).
- Marking decisive turns in history – Signpost visions highlighted key pivots in God’s dealings with humans (Gen 15:12-17).
These purposes enriched the ministries of biblical figures by providing divine insight and motivation during critical junctures in biblical history. Visions revealed future events, emphasized messages, warned against sin and rebellion, appointed key leaders, disclosed spiritual realities, and gave glimpses of God’s majesty, glory and redemptive plan over history.
Types of Visions in the Bible
What forms did these visions take? Some of the types of visions included:
- Apocalyptic visions – These contained vivid symbolic imagery of future events (Rev 4-5, 9:1-12).
- Mysterious visions – These were images hard for the prophet to understand (Dan 7:15-16).
- Revealing visions – These unveiled events to happen, often using symbols (Jer 1:11-16).
- Interpreted visions – These required angelic interpretation (Zech 4:1-6).
- Repeating visions – Important visions repeated to emphasize the message (Gen 41:32).
- Interactive visions – These involved dialog with God or angels (1 Kings 22:17-23).
- Prophetic visions – These contained words directly from the Lord (Isa 2:1).
- Waking visions – These occurred while awake (Acts 10:9-16).
- Dream visions – These happened during sleep (Dan 2:19).
Though the imagery varied, these visions served as a consistent medium through which God spoke to his people at important junctures to convey his truth, plans, warnings and prophecies according to his divine purposes.
Are Modern Day Visions from God?
What should Christians make of supernatural visions today? Are they still a medium through which God reveals his will like in biblical times? Assessments fall into three main categories:
- Cessationists – They believe the “age of visions” ended with the closing of the biblical canon. God no longer gives supernatural visions.
- Open but cautious – They believe God can still give visions today, but advise caution and weighing visions against Scripture.
- Continuationist – They readily accept visions as a modern way God actively speaks to Christians today.
All Christians agree any modern visions contrary to Scripture are false. Cessationists believe even genuine-seeming visions may be mental delusions or products of an overactive imagination. Continuationists counter God can give visions to whomever He chooses. Those between these positions exercise caution, saying biblical principles must thoroughly test any vision’s claims and origin.
Views also differ on whether visions provide new doctrinal revelation. Most agree that doctrinal revelation ceased with Scripture’s completion. But some say God can give personalized guidance and promptings through dreams and visions, while others deny any additional revelation beyond the Bible.
Since visions are subjective, Christians should view any vision’s guidance as secondary to the Bible’s clear commands. While God may communicate through impressions or dreams in rare circumstances, Christians must interpret them cautiously, instead relying on the sufficiency of God’s completed Word.
Principles for Discerning Visions Today
How can Christians biblically assess visions today? Key scriptural principles include:
- Test against Scripture (Isa 8:20) – Any vision contradicting the Bible is false.
- Evaluate the content – True visions focus on God and His glory, not the person receiving it (Col 2:18-19).
- Consider the character of the person – The credibility of the vision depends heavily on the credibility of the person claiming to have received it. Does their life demonstrate spiritual maturity and wisdom? (Matt 7:15-23).
- Assess the fruits – What are the results of the vision? True visions will edify and expand the church. False visions breed confusion, deception and pride (Matt 7:15-20).
- Listen to counsel – Share the vision with mature spiritual leaders for evaluation based on God’s word (Prov 11:14).
- Retain perspective – God’s Word carries far more authority than any vision. Visions only provide limited subjective guidance (2 Pet 1:19).
With these principles in mind, Christians can biblically evaluate visions today. But the best test is to prayerfully compare and contrast them against God’s full and final revelation in Scripture.
Cautions Regarding Visions
Scripture provides several notes of caution regarding visions:
- Satan can give counterfeit visions (2 Cor 11:14).
- Visions can breed false teachers and harmful deceptions (Jer 14:14).
- People can falsely claim to have had visions (Jer 23:32).
- Visions can foster pride and obsession over subjective revelations (Col 2:18).
- False prophets may wrongly predict future events (Deut 18:22).
- Subjective guidance through visions is unreliable and unwise (Prov 3:5-6).
- People often misapply OT visions to the church age (Heb 1:1-2).
These warnings encourage maturity in exercising caution with claims of supernatural visions today. While God may still choose to use visions, wisdom avoids overdependence on subjective spiritual experiences.
Conclusion
Throughout biblical history, visions were one way God powerfully communicated with his people at pivotal junctures. While Christians disagree on whether God still gives visions today, all agree modern visions must align with Scripture’s truth. Subjective visions should not shape doctrine. With careful discernment and testing against God’s Word, impressions from God can guide individuals but should not supersede Scripture’s authority. Christians have God’s full revelation in the Bible, so must view any modern vision’s claims cautiously in that light.