Lesson 7 - Hear God in Visions

Dreams are symbolic, visions are literal. 

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Joel 2:28 “And afterward, 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. Visions accompany gifts. When it comes to gifts, God can use visions, to show you where He is taking you in ministry or even in your personal life. Unlike dreams,spiritual visions are clear and precise. You will see animals, people, nature etc in dreams where the meaning is hidden and requires interpretation. In a vision, the image will be obvious and it will not carry any hidden meanings. There are three (3) types of visions:

1. Vision of the mind

This vision clearly flashes in the mind in an instance. You will see an image of someone or something go through your mind quickly probably to communicate something.

2. Open vision

A kind of vision where you see something openly. A person experiences the vision as a physical reality. In Acts 12, Peter experienced an open vision in which an angel of the Lord set him free from where he had been bound in prison. For a moment, Peter thought that he was dreaming. Sometimes you will do something that feels really familiar. You will realize that you had done the thing before somewhere. This is because you had had an open vision of the activity before. In Acts 10: 3- 7, Cornelius experienced an open vision in which an angel of the Lord spoke to him about Peter.

3. Trance Vision.

In Acts 10: 9 -17, the Bible narrates how Peter fell into a trance. He had gone up to the roof to pray. He saw Heaven open and a large sheet containing four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds being let down to earth. A voice told him to get up, kill, and eat the animals to which he objected. In a trance, the reality of your physical surroundings disappears and you become fully conscious of the spiritual realm.

A trance is a kind of a vision that comes in form of a video, a video vision. A vision of the mind comes in simple pictures. An open vision is a vision that looks like physical reality.

A vision from God is a special message or experience that he chooses to give someone. It can be a warning, a promise, or a glimpse of the future. It’s different from a dream because it’s usually more clear and more vivid.

People have visions from God for all sorts of reasons. Some people receive them frequently, while others might only experience them once or twice in their lifetime. They can be comforting or frightening, but they always have the potential to change someone’s life for the better.

There are generally two types of visions: personal and prophetic. A personal vision is one that is meant for you, and it often comes with a message or warning for you specifically. A prophetic vision, on the other hand, is one that is meant for the church or for the world as a whole. It often contains a message or warning for everyone.

Both of these types of visions can be from God, but it’s important to note that they can also come from the enemy. So how do you know which type of vision you’re seeing? Well, that can be tough to determine sometimes. But there are a few general things to look out for:

• Is the vision positive or negative?

• Does it line up with scripture?

• Is the message clear?

• Who does the vision seem to be for?

Dreams as Visions From God

Dreams can often be seen as visions from God. They can help us to process things that are happening in our lives and give us guidance.

Prophets Who Had Visions in the Bible

Isaiah’s vision of God was so powerful that it caused him to weep and shake. In the vision, Isaiah saw God sitting on a throne surrounded by angels. God spoke to Isaiah, telling him to be a prophet to the people of Israel.

These are just a few examples of the many prophets who had visions of God in the Bible. Other notable visions include those of Ezekiel, Daniel, and John the Baptist. Each of these visions contains a unique message from God that is still relevant today.

Miraculous Visions of Jesus in the Bible

The Bible records several miraculous visions of Jesus. In the Gospels, Jesus often appears to his disciples after his death and resurrection. For example, in the book of Matthew, Jesus appears to the disciples on a mountain in Galilee. In the book of John, Jesus appears to the disciples by the Sea of Galilee. These appearances were not just visions – the disciples were able to physically touch and talk to Jesus.

In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul has a vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus. In this vision, Jesus speaks to Paul and tells him to go to the city of Damascus. Paul is blinded by the vision but is later healed by a man named Ananias.

The Bible also records a vision of Jesus that was seen by the prophet Ezekiel. In this vision, Ezekiel sees a man who is surrounded by fire. This man is later identified as Jesus.

These are just a few of the many visions of Jesus that are recorded in the Bible. These visions show us that Jesus is alive and that he is still working in the world today.

How Did Apostles Experience Visions in the Bible?

Have you ever wondered how the Twelve Apostles experienced visions in the Bible? It’s fascinating to consider in what way God may have chosen to communicate His message to them.

The apostles were privileged to be some of the first people to receive visions from God in the New Testament.

Most of the time, when God gave someone a vision in the Bible, it was because He had something specific to communicate to them. For example, when Peter had his vision of the sheet full of unclean animals, God was teaching him that Gentiles were now clean in His eyes.

In the case of the apostle Paul, he was knocked off his horse by a bright light and heard Jesus speaking to him. This was likely Jesus’ way of getting Paul’s attention so that He could commission him for His work.

We can learn a lot from the examples of how God communicated with people through visions in the Bible. It’s clear that He is willing to use whatever means necessary to get our attention and reveal His will to us.

If you’re ever feeling lost or confused about what God wants you to do, remember that He is always willing to communicate with you. Just ask Him to show you the way, and be open to whatever He may choose to reveal to you.

Other People Who Had Visions in the Bible

So who else in the bible had visions? Well, we already mentioned Saul, but we can’t forget the prophet Amos. Interestingly, Amos had visions while he was a shepherd, not a prophet. He saw an altar overflowing with blood which could symbolize God’s judgment of wickedness, as well as a plumb line that judged people as either righteous or wicked.

The prophet Zachariah also had an impressive vision of a golden lampstand, who symbolized God’s people being filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered to do good works.

Enoch was another figure who had visions in the bible. The Bible does not explain his visions in detail, but it does reveal that Enoch “walked with God” and experienced divine conversations and revelations with Him.

Lastly, Isaiah is one of the people who had a vision of the Lord sitting on His throne and surrounded by angels while they sang out praises to His glory. It was such an incredible vision that it literally made Isaiah shake with fear!

Interpreting God’s Visions From the Bible

Interpreting God’s visions from the Bible is no simple task. It requires skill, patience, and humility, as the words of prophets often come through allegories and metaphors. But if you can understand what the prophets saw and gain insight into the divine purpose, it can be an enriching experience.

The visions of God recorded in the Bible are varied and powerful. They range from Moses’ vision of a burning bush to Isaiah’s vision of a throne room in Heaven. Ezekiel saw a valley of dry bones while Jeremiah saw a whirlwind coming out of the north. Then there was John, who saw four horsemen riding across the sky and an angel with a sword in his hand.

To really understand these visions, you have to look at the context around each one—the physical surroundings, social dynamics, or political events that were taking place at the time—to get an even clearer understanding of what God was attempting to convey. Even though these visions may appear abstract or mysterious at first glance, it is possible to interpret them correctly with some effort and consideration.

In December of 2020, I had what might have been a horrifying Vision (Open Vision) and I thought I was dreaming and up to that point I only had simple visions that flashed in my "minds eye" but because we had gone through the shut down of our entire world, so to speak and supply lines had been cut off for me and my family due to my husband Ray's passing due not to Covid but to a major stroke!   My life and my finances was turned upside down and they cut my power off.  Yes I had almost the right amount of money to pay to have it cut back on only lacking 1 measley dollar!  

My daughters's and I were praying and fasting when they cut our power or afterwards and  all the meat in the freezer ruined except for things that were on the bottom but it was too old to eat and we had no way to cook it!  Then instead of our usual hot weather in Florida there was a cold snap!  It was a turbulent time for all in the world!  

The Vision came suddenly and I kept rubbing my eyes to see if I was asleep but I could see my grandson on the floor playing with his matchbox cars as I looked out the window and saw a giant standind in the road under our electric power pole.  I knew the giant was over 6 foot tall but had to of been on up to perhaps 7 or 8 foot or taller, not sure!  Our privacy fence in the front yard was 6 feet talk and I could see the entire body of the giant, from head down to his ankles!  

He had a long stick and was seemingly trying to manipulate our power in some way, not sure!   Not sure if it was an angel or a spirit because he was dressed like an old fashioned Sailor Man and he had long blond hair as I prayed the spontaneous thoughts were moving in me and my thought was he was a spirit called marine spirit and I had heard of them!  

I was shocked at what it meant marine spirit or water spirit:  There are terrible witchcraft activities against people, communities, and even countries, in the marine world. Marine spirits operates when people consciously and unconsciously commit sexual sin. They employ marine spirits to war against individuals, families, governments and even continents.  It made sense though because of the sin running rampant in America and there were two men across the street from us in a relationship and they hated us and that is why we put up a 6 foot tall privacy fence in the front yard anyway!  The bottom line is that it was demonic and we had to do spiritual warfare against that spirit before we could get our Power back on, even after borrowing the one dollar and going to Walmart to pay the remainder of the bill.  

My daughter, Courtney stayed on the phone with the power company and the lady agent even tried to pay the one dollar for us but their system would not accept the payment that would get the power on.  My daughter said to her, We've tried to pay the one dollar and we are praying and she said, you better pray for many others in your community that are going through the same thing and we did as we waited and worshiped God!  

Finally on the 3rd day of being without power, I said Lord, I have done all to stand according to your word in:

Ephesians 6:13–15 — The New International Version (NIV)

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

I said, Lord without you I can't complete this assignment and that was at 12 noon on Saturday and about 2:30 p.m. the power man drove up with the bucket truck, climbed up on the ladder and turned our power back on!  It did not come on at first and I told the power man come to the power box on the side of the house and fix it there and he listened and the power was back on as we all danced across the front yard and Praising God and thanking the power man for coming but we all knew that without God it could not have been done and we give him all the glory!    I can't say I had a vision of God but I can say that the evil power that was keeping our power off and many other's in our area were thankful when their power came back on, too! And God gets all the glory!

Amen!!

Conclusion

In the Bible, there are many people who had visions of God. Some of these people include Abraham, Moses, and Elijah. Each person’s experience with God was unique and special. As you read about these visions, remember that you can have a personal relationship with God, too. He is always ready to hear from you and to help you in your life.

How do you prepare yourself for Dreams and Visions?

1. Confess your sins

2. Make sure you are born again

3. Receive the Holy Spirit that was poured out on the day of Pentecost

4. Pray in tongues each day Start where you are do it for 5 minutes and increase every day until you can pray for an hour

5. Pray in your native language and let God know you are willing to have dreams, visions, any spiritual thing he wants you to have so you can hear his voice and operate in the gifts each of them that you need to help you in life and in ministry to others!  

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With Much Love,

Apostle Julia Garrett, Founder

Apostolic Restoration

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