The Bible reveals that in times past
servants of God were given visions
and dreams for specific reasons and/
or to convey special messages. For
example, Jesus gave a vision of His
future Kingdom on earth to Peter,
James, and John, no doubt as a
witness and encouragement both to
them and to us (Matthew 17:1-9 ).
While God has used this means of
communication in the past and will do
so again ( Acts 2:17 ; Joel 2:28 ), we
must realize that He uses it only when
the circumstances warrant. Even then,
such revelations are ordinarily
directed to His ministers and specially
chosen servants such as Jacob,
Joseph, Nebuchadnezzar, and Daniel
(see Amos 3:7 ).
Today, God speaks to us through the
Bible. Please notice Hebrews 1:1-2:
"God, who at various times and in
different ways spoke in time past to
the fathers by the prophets, has in
these last days [today] spoken to us
by His Son." Jesus Christ is the living
Word of God ( John 1:1 , 14), and the
Bible is the Word of God in written
form. God the Father gave it to Christ.
Christ, in turn, inspired both the
prophets and the apostles, and they
preserved it for us (II Peter 1:21 ; Luke
1:70 ; John 16:13 ). The Father's will,
commandments, and specific
promises are revealed to us in the
Holy Scriptures. God, then, is actually
speaking to us through His Word, the
Bible.
It is not always easy to determine the
origin of a vision, dream, or
premonition which one might
experience. Therefore, we must be
very careful about ascribing to God
any such communication—even if it is
supernatural! We are warned to "test
the spirits, whether they are of God;
because many false prophets have
gone out into the world " ( I John 4:1 ).
Jude warns that sometimes false
ministers use dreams and visions to
deceive God's people and create a
following for themselves (Jude 8; see
also Deuteronomy 13:1-5 ). We must
be careful to separate such
paranormal activity from the revealed
truth of God.
God, through the prophet Isaiah,
instructs us how to test the spirits:
"When they say to you, 'Seek those
who are mediums and wizards, who
whisper and mutter,' should not a
people seek their God? Should they
seek the dead on behalf of the living?
To the law and to the testimony [the
Bible]! If they do not speak according
to this word, it is because there is no
light in them" ( Isaiah 8:19-20 ). Unless
a dream or vision agrees completely
with the Bible in its message and
content, we can know it is not of God.
Some visions and dreams may simply
be caused by mental or physical stress
or the pressures of daily life. The Bible
reveals that dreams may result from
an upset or overly stimulated mind
( Ecclesiastes 5:3 ). If one has had a
very troubled or busy day, he might
be more likely to have vivid dreams
that night. Ill health or memories of
unpleasant experiences may also
cause such dreams.
In situations where an unpleasant
dream or vision causes distress, fear,
physical sickness, or any such thing,
we would advise seeking God's
intervention and healing. If Satan
bothers us with bad dreams, we
should ask God to rebuke him (Jude
9). We should also stay close to God in
prayer and Bible study so that Satan
cannot bother us (James 4:7-8 ). God
will grant us peace of mind if we walk
with Him each day ( Philippians 4:4-9 ;
Isaiah 26:3 ).
servants of God were given visions
and dreams for specific reasons and/
or to convey special messages. For
example, Jesus gave a vision of His
future Kingdom on earth to Peter,
James, and John, no doubt as a
witness and encouragement both to
them and to us (Matthew 17:1-9 ).
While God has used this means of
communication in the past and will do
so again ( Acts 2:17 ; Joel 2:28 ), we
must realize that He uses it only when
the circumstances warrant. Even then,
such revelations are ordinarily
directed to His ministers and specially
chosen servants such as Jacob,
Joseph, Nebuchadnezzar, and Daniel
(see Amos 3:7 ).
Today, God speaks to us through the
Bible. Please notice Hebrews 1:1-2:
"God, who at various times and in
different ways spoke in time past to
the fathers by the prophets, has in
these last days [today] spoken to us
by His Son." Jesus Christ is the living
Word of God ( John 1:1 , 14), and the
Bible is the Word of God in written
form. God the Father gave it to Christ.
Christ, in turn, inspired both the
prophets and the apostles, and they
preserved it for us (II Peter 1:21 ; Luke
1:70 ; John 16:13 ). The Father's will,
commandments, and specific
promises are revealed to us in the
Holy Scriptures. God, then, is actually
speaking to us through His Word, the
Bible.
It is not always easy to determine the
origin of a vision, dream, or
premonition which one might
experience. Therefore, we must be
very careful about ascribing to God
any such communication—even if it is
supernatural! We are warned to "test
the spirits, whether they are of God;
because many false prophets have
gone out into the world " ( I John 4:1 ).
Jude warns that sometimes false
ministers use dreams and visions to
deceive God's people and create a
following for themselves (Jude 8; see
also Deuteronomy 13:1-5 ). We must
be careful to separate such
paranormal activity from the revealed
truth of God.
God, through the prophet Isaiah,
instructs us how to test the spirits:
"When they say to you, 'Seek those
who are mediums and wizards, who
whisper and mutter,' should not a
people seek their God? Should they
seek the dead on behalf of the living?
To the law and to the testimony [the
Bible]! If they do not speak according
to this word, it is because there is no
light in them" ( Isaiah 8:19-20 ). Unless
a dream or vision agrees completely
with the Bible in its message and
content, we can know it is not of God.
Some visions and dreams may simply
be caused by mental or physical stress
or the pressures of daily life. The Bible
reveals that dreams may result from
an upset or overly stimulated mind
( Ecclesiastes 5:3 ). If one has had a
very troubled or busy day, he might
be more likely to have vivid dreams
that night. Ill health or memories of
unpleasant experiences may also
cause such dreams.
In situations where an unpleasant
dream or vision causes distress, fear,
physical sickness, or any such thing,
we would advise seeking God's
intervention and healing. If Satan
bothers us with bad dreams, we
should ask God to rebuke him (Jude
9). We should also stay close to God in
prayer and Bible study so that Satan
cannot bother us (James 4:7-8 ). God
will grant us peace of mind if we walk
with Him each day ( Philippians 4:4-9 ;
Isaiah 26:3 ).