Does God still give visions to people today?
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Can God give visions to people today? Yes! Does God give visions to people today? Possibly. Should we expect visions to be an ordinary occurrence? No. As recorded in the Bible, God spoke to people at times by means of visions. Examples of people who received visions are Joseph, son of Jacob; Joseph, the husband of Mary; Solomon; Isaiah; Ezekiel; Daniel; Peter; and Paul. The prophet Joel predicted an outpouring of visions, and this was confirmed by the apostle Peter as being fulfilled, at least in part, in Acts chapter 2.
We should probably note the subtle difference between a vision and a dream. A vision occurs when a person is awake, and a dream occurs when a person is asleep. A vision, then, could be thought of as a “waking dream.”
In recent years, reports have come in from many parts of the world that God is using visions and dreams to encourage people toward the gospel that will save them. From areas where there is little Christian witness, and where people do not normally have Bibles, come reports that God is using dreams and visions in the process of evangelism. There is no limit to what God can do. If He chooses to bring a person into contact with a gospel presentation with a vision—see the story of Cornelius and Peter in Acts 10, for example—He is perfectly capable to doing so.
Various Christians through history have claimed to have visions or described experiences that could be called visions of a sort. Amy Carmichael, A. W. Tozer, Harriet Tubman, and others have written of being guided by divine messages through visions. And there are many people who claim near-death experiences and to have received visions of heaven or hell. Then there are Catholics who claim to have had visions—usually of Mary—including Teresa of Avila, Bridget of Sweden, and Padre Pio. And many people claiming visions have formed false religions or cults: Muhammed, Joseph Smith, Ellen G. White, Paulo Kashakun.
So, we must be careful. When considering truth claims regarding visions and their interpretation, we must keep the following in mind: 1) the Bible is complete, and it tells us everything we need to know; 2) any vision that contracts the Word of God is a false revelation; 3) no vision can have equal or greater authority than the Word of God; and 4) our focus is to be on Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, not our experiences (Hebrews 12:2).
No, believers should not expect to experience visions as a normative part of their Christian walk. We do not look for God to communicate with us via dreams and visions. All the same, we let God be God, and He can do as He pleases.
Can God give visions to people today? Yes! Does God give visions to people today? Possibly. Should we expect visions to be an ordinary occurrence? No. As recorded in the Bible, God spoke to people at times by means of visions. Examples of people who received visions are Joseph, son of Jacob; Joseph, the husband…
Can God give visions to people today? Yes! Does God give visions to people today? Possibly. Should we expect visions to be an ordinary occurrence? No. As recorded in the Bible, God spoke to people at times by means of visions. Examples of people who received visions are Joseph, son of Jacob; Joseph, the husband…