Dreams & Visions Seminar Part 1

Dreams & Visions Seminar Session 1

Key Verses Proverbs 25:2, Joel 2:28-29, Matthew 13:10-11, Acts 2:17-18 You will learn Why God has chosen to use this method of speaking God continues to speak in dreams and visions How the church has successfully eliminated this for the present day The effect Plato and Aristotle have on our perception of the spiritual realm How right/left dominating hemispheres of the brain play a part in dreams, visions, and other revelatory giftings     

Please have an open mind and heart. You will hear things you may not have heard before or taught in a particular way. This is not a class to enter into debate. The word dream or dreams is mentioned 84 times in scripture. The word vision or visions is i s mentioned 98 times in scripture.

Biblical Terminology for Dreams & Visions

Dreams Old Testament 

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Challah (khal law’) 2472 – to cause to dream. Genesis 20:3, 6; 31:10, 11, 24; Numbers 12:6; Deuteronomy 13:5; I Kings 3:5; Job 7:14; Daniel 2:1; Job 2:28 Challam (khaw lam’) 2492, 93 – (verb) primary root – to bind firmly, to make whole, to cause to dream, to recover. Genesis 35:5; 40:5; Judges 7:13

New Testament  

Onar (on’ ar) 3677 – a dream. Matthew 27:19; 2:13, 19, 22 Enupnion (en oop ’ nee on) 1797 – something seen in sleep, a vision during sleep, a suggestion received in sleep. Root word: Hupnos (hoop’ nos) 3258 – the idea of sub-silence, sleep, and spiritual stupor. Acts 2:17; Jude 1:8

Frequency of dreams 

Paam (paw’ am) 6470 – oftentimes – to beat regularly; to move. Agitate; impel, force to happen. Job 33:29 1|Page

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Visions Old Testament

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Mechezeh (makh-az-eh) 4236 – a vision. Genesis 15:1; Numbers 24:4, 6, 16; Ezekiel 13:7 Chazah (cha-zah) 2376, 77, 78 – a dream, a revelation, an oracle, sight, vision. Daniel 4:2, 7; 7:20; 2 Chronicles 9:29; Psalm 89:19; Proverbs 29:18; Isaiah 1:1; Ezekiel 12:27; Daniel 8:2 Chizzayown (khiz-zaw-yone) 2384 – a revelation especially by a dream. 2 Samuel 7:17; Job 4:13; Isaiah 22:1; Zechariah 13:4 Mareh (mar-eh) 4758, 59 – a view, appearance, sight, image, a mirror, an act of seeing, pattern, beautiful, favor. Genesis 2:9; Numbers 12:6; Judges 13:6; 1 Samuel 3:15; Ezekiel 1:1, 13; 8:3; 11:24; Daniel 10:8 Ra’eh (raw-eh) 7200 – a vision. 1 Samuel 9:9; Isaiah 28:7

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New Testament

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Opastia (op-tas-ee-ah) 3701 – an apparition, visitation, vision. Luke 1:22; 24:23; Acts 26:19; 2 Corinthians 12:1 Horama (hor-am-ah) 3705 – something gazed at, a sight, a thing seen. Matthew 17:9; Acts 7:31; 9:10, 12 Horasis (hoe-as-is) 3706 – something gazed at, a sight, an appearance. Acts 2:17; Revelation 9:17

Webster’s dictionary defines a dream as “a succession of images of ideas present in the mind during sleep.”

Dreams are formed in the subconscious mind of a man or woman based on images and symbols, which are unique to the individual, depending on his or her background, experience and current life circumstances. circumstances. Dreams can communicate to us truth about ourselves or others, which our conscious mind may have failed to acknowledge.

Webster’s dictionary defines a vision as “the act or power of perceiving abstract or invisible subjects as clearly as if they were visible objects.”










Dreams and visions surround Christ’s birth

Joseph (Jesus’ stepfather) was a man who dreamed

Matthew 1:20-21 _______________________________ Matthew 2:13-15 _______________________________ Matthew 2:19-21 _______________________________ Matthew 2:22-23 _______________________________

Wise Men or Magi dreamed Matthew 2:12 _______________________________ The puzzle is this: the Bible doesn’t teach about dreams and visions in any systematic manner, yet by giving many significant examples, it validates their existence and use by God as a means of communicating to man.

The Scriptures ascribe no special sacredness or significance to dreams in general. The Bible merely affirms that God G od has on certain, specific occasions chosen dreams to make His will or purposes known to man. What the Bible has to say about dreams. Job 20:8; Psalm 73:20; Ecclesiastes 5:7; Isaiah 5:7 Why would the angel visit Joseph J oseph in a dream? 1. Luke 1:11-20 – Zechariah was troubled and _______ fell upon him 2. Luke 1:27-35 – Mary had __________ about the angel’s announcement










When the angel came to Joseph, he had no response whatsoever. No fear or doubts. Could the Lord speak to us in dreams and visions to bypass our natural tendency of fear or debate? Micah 1:1 Micah said he “saw” the word of the LORD. How do you think he saw this word? Dreams are messages sent either from God’s Spirit or from your own soul, which comprises your will, mind, and emotions. The subconscious mind within your soul provides the background or screen for the messages to be broadcast on.

If we compare the communication of the Spirit of the Lord through dreams to other methods of divine communication mentioned in Scripture; prophecy, a word of knowledge, etc. the primary difference is that dreams are given first to our subconscious subconscious minds before being perceived by our conscious minds. Today our scientific influence regards dreams as psychological, emotional, stress-related activities of the mind that occur during sleep. It’s one of the ways our nervous system reacts to physical stimuli or the key that unlocks the secrets of the human personality. The scientific view will never allow dreams to be considered spiritual. It would never be allowed by science that God is the author of dreams. dre ams. We shouldn’t ask the question, “Why would God speak to man through dreams and visions?” but rather consider the question posed from Psalm 8:4.

He visits us. He speaks to us. He loves us. Discussion of Acts 2:16-20 1. Two people groups or types mentioned 2. Spiritual maturity 3. The servants are those who belong to God 4. Verse 18 expresses a deeper intimacy 5. Verse 19 God responds with the supernatural in the natural 6. Those with a heart of serving God do these things 7. Verse 21 the result is salvation










View #1 Dreams are while you sleep and visions are while you are awake This presents a problem when we read Daniel 7:1- 2 or Job 33:15 that visions came while asleep. 

View #2 The words, dreams or visions are the same and are used interchangeably. Daniel 7:1 – had a dream and a vision of the same thing Job 4:12, 13 – visions of the night that describe a dream In Hebrew literature, poetry does not rhyme as our words do, but the line of thought. One thought or expression builds upon or enriches the other. Job 20:8, Job 33:15, Numbers 12:6, Joel 2:8 – Dreams and visions paralleled Isaiah 29:7 – A dream with a night vision. The dream is the encasement of the vi sion.   

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View #3 Acts 2:16-20 Dreams require interpretation They contain symbolism, metaphors, colors, numbers, etc.; therefore, it takes greater skill and maturity in God to interpret. Visions are very direct “in your face” and require little explanation. 

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Dreams are connected to the heart They touch, reveal, and make known heart issues. Visions are supernatural perceptions of something naturally invisible to humans. It is something seen by other than natural sight. It is supernatural sight. In the Bible visions were mostly given to individuals, while at the same time their companions were not aware of the event. Purposes for which God may send dreams and visions To restrain one from evil (Genesis 20:3) Guide people and reveal His will to them (Genesis 28:11-22; 46:2-5; Psalm 89:19; Acts 16:9,10) Encourage and comfort people (Judges 7:13-15; Acts 18:9,10) Reveal future events (Genesis 37:5-10) Warn and instruct (Matthew 1:20; Isaiah 21:2-6; 1 Samuel 3:15-18)     

Look again at Acts 2:17 One of the results of being filled with the Holy Spirit is to have dreams and visions.










Types of visions 1. Awake visions – seen when awake and conscious of one’s surroundings (Numbers 21:4, 16; Acts 10:17) 2. Night visions – received while asleep (Genesis 46:2; Job 4:13; Daniel 2:19, 28) 3. Trance visions – more conscious of spiritual things than physical. One’s physical senses are suspended and a detachment from the physical surroundings. (Acts 10:10; 11:5; 22:17) How visions are seen 1. Spiritual visions – seen with the eyes of one’s spirit instead of the physical eyes (Acts 9:8) 2. Corporeal visions – seen with the physical eyes, also called apparitions. (Matthew 17:8) 3. Composite visions – spiritual is superimposed over the physical. It is like two pictures (spiritual and physical) combined into one. 4. Intellectual vision – the mind perceives a spiritual truth. “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened.” (Ephesians 1:18) Content of visions 1. Plain visions – need little or no interpretation. It is so clear that it would be hard to misunderstand. (Acts 16:9, 10) 2. Vocal visions – angel or Christ telling information of some kind. The message is heard more than seen. (Acts 18:9; Genesis 15:1) 3. Pictorial visions – pictures and images rather than vocal communication. The message is seen more than heard. John in the book of Revelation and Ezekiel’s visions are good examples. 4. Symbolic visions – symbols and allegories – The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form. (Daniel 8:15-18 and the book of Revelation) Sources of visions 1. Divine visions – given by God (2 Chronicles 26:5; Ezekiel 1:1; 8:3) 2. Soulish visions – visions of one’s own heart. This can be nothing more than created from our own imagination. (Jeremiah 23:16) 3. Demonic visions – given by demonic powers. Visions must be discerned and held up to Scriptural examination and godly counsel. (2 Corinthians 11:14)












Divine Vision Produces wonderment and fear, followed by a sense of deep and lasting peace and joy and security Strengthens a person’s spiritual life producing humility, obedience, patience and a deep surrender to the Father’s will

Demonic Vision Produces joy, soon followed by uneasiness, sadness, and discouragement Produces pride, presumption, and disobedience

What can God accomplish through dreams and visions? 1. Dreams provide God’s answers to our questions. (Judges 7:9-15) 2. Dreams give us instruction in the things of God (seen in Joseph and the birth of Christ) 3. God can use dreams to warn us about unseen dangers (wise men and Joseph at the birth of Christ)










For your personal study time…Daniel is an excellent example of one one who interpreted dreams. dreams. The following are some questions regarding Daniel with answers on the following page.

Daniel 1-4 1. What did Daniel do in his lifestyle to cultivate his heart to hear God? 2. How do these verses reflect God’s wisdom? (2:17,18) 3. What do these verses indicate can happen when you are flowing in the revelatory giftings with a heart of humility and hearing God’s voice? (2:46 – Ch. 4) 4. Why did Daniel have the freedom to speak this advice to King Nebuchadnezzar? (4:27)

1. He would not defile himself. 2. He met with the other three that all of them would seek God for mercy. His dependence was strictly upon God for the outcome. 3. Someone can recognize the power and presence of God but their own heart remains unchanged, or may even become more evil. 4. He showed honor, direction, and blessing to the king.










The Loss of the Significance of Dreams

Plato Taught that there were three valid sources from which man could obtain knowledge: 1. The five senses – seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting. 2. Reason – we are beyond the animal world and with our minds come to conclusions beyond our sensory abilities. 3. Spiritual realm which he called “divine madness” – just as the body is i s subject to the mind, so the mind is subject to the spirit Aristotle, Plato’s successor

1. Maintained that anything not tangible and logical is irrelevant. 2. Knowledge had to come by the five senses or reason only. The humanistic philosophy of Aristotle was adapted by the Western world for centuries that deeply affected the church. Many people in church saw no connection between their church activity and the business world. Thomas Aquinas Dominican priest in the mid 1200’s and considered the most important Catholic theologian









Dreams & Visions Seminar Session 1 perhaps too commonly held, attaches relatively little religious significance to dreams.”

Protestantism’s 500 -Year-Old Bitter Root Judgment and Inner Vow Mark Virkler

I believe that when Protestantism protested and left the Roman Catholic Church, they reacted against Catholicism’s use of imagery. I believe Protestants have held an ungodly belief that “All use of images constitutes a graven image.” Their corresponding inner vow was that they would “Reject all uses of imagery in their Christian lives.” The result is that most Protestant books on systematic theology do not even include a secti on on dream, vision, imagination, or any other application of the eyes of one’s heart. This is startling considering that the biblical stories and actions which came as a result of dreams and visions form a section of Scripture equal in size to the entire New Testament! Their ungodly belief has given them the right to ignore one-third of the Bible. Another fruit is that Protestants do not lead in drama, theater or the arts. Protestants have great conservative political think tanks (i.e., a left-brain function), but few great Christian performing or visual arts (i.e., a right-brain function). We need to repent of this ungodly belief and inner vow for ourselves and our forefathers, and receive all that the Bible says is ours.

The Negative Judgment:

All use of images constitutes a graven image.









Dreams & Visions Seminar Session 1 1:17), God causes the story to come alive and speaks to us out of it. This is essentially the same process we are describing, of setting scenes in our minds and asking God to grant us revelation, then tuning to the flow of the Holy Spirit and watching the scene come alive as God speaks to us.

2. One-fourth of the adults I have polled normally picture the scenes of songs when they worship. As God inhabits our praises, the scenes come alive and move with a life generated from the throne of God. Both of these illustrate the very process I am describing. Man's ability to think visually is currently being used unknowingly by many Christians, particularly those who are intuitive and visionary by nature. In reality, visual thinking is not a new thing. We are just defining and clarifying clarifying what has been happening happening naturally for some. As As a result of this clear definition and statement, all believers can now be taught to become more sensitive to the divine flow within us.

Differences Between Idolatry and Setting an Image in One’s Mind IDOLATRY

IMAGE God

(Ex. 25:9-22; Col. 1:15; Heb. 12:2)

Authorized by:

Man (Ex. 32:1)

The Goal

Worship the idol (Ex. 32:8)

Never worship the image; use the image as stepping stone into divine flow (Rev. 4:1)

The Action

The idol remains dead

Divine flow is prompted (Rev. 4:2)












Summary: Why Is Using the Eyes of Our Hearts Important?

1. God has commanded us to imagine His Word ("meditate" - Josh. 1:8; I Chron. 29:18). 2. Divine creativity comes through image (Ex. 25:9-22; 35:35). 3. When God reasons, He uses imagery (Is. 1:18). 4. When Jesus taught, He used imagery (Matt. 13:34). 5. As Jesus lived, He ministered out of vision (Jn. 5:19,20). God has declared that one of the primary ways He communicates with us is through dream and










Why Is the Use of Imagination, Images, Dreams and Visions Important?

1. God has commanded us to imagine His Word (“meditate”) (Josh. 1:8 & 1 Chron. 29:18). 2. Divine creativity comes through image (Ex. 25:9-22; 35:35). 3. When God reasons, He uses imagery (Is. 1:18). 4. When Jesus taught, He used imagery (Matt. 13:34). 5. As Jesus lived, He ministered out of vision (John 5:19, 20). 6. God has declared that one of the primary ways He communicates with us is through dreams and visions (Numbers 12:6; Acts 2:17). 7. God counsels us through our dreams at night (Ps. 16:7). 8. Sight is better than blindness (Jesus healed the blind – Mark 10:46-52).









Dreams & Visions Seminar Session 1 To Summarize Aristotelian philosophy did not allow for dreams and visions, prayer, spiritual manifestations of God, angels, or Satan and demons. Since Aristotle had so influenced Western thinking, including Christianity, and since dreams and visions are not controlled by the rational mind but come via the unconscious, humanistic-minded Westerners pronounced them either nonsensical or at best unreliable. Basic Steps to Begin “Seeing”

These steps may help you discern the cause of your inability to see and begin begi n seeing anew. A. Can you picture your living room couch? If not, you may have cut off your visionary capacity. Generally people have done this for one of two reasons: 1. To avoid the sin of lust 2. To cut off an unpleasant reoccurring visual scene If you have done either of these, you will need to 1. Repent for rejecting and ignoring your visual ability 2. Pray for God to heal and restore it










Methods of Dream Interpretation

Freudian Dream Analysis Dreams come from the memories that are stimulated by unconscious wishes, wishes, which have their origins in our childhood. It doesn’t matter whether the patient agrees or feels the interpretation is correct, because the patient is not aware of his or her sub conscious thoughts or feelings 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Dreams are full of sexually erotic overtones Dreams were given to guard sleep Focus is on latent, unconscious feelings or which we aren’t aware Purpose of dreaming is wish-fulfillment No transcendent God who could communicate with his creation through dreams Man’s decision is the same as animal instinct, there was no “fall” that separated man from his God, but only that he or she lost touch with themselves 7. The ability to interpret dreams was reserved only f or the specialized counselor 8. If someone produced a dream that contradicted his theory, he said it was their wish that he might be wrong Carl Jung










Frederick Perls Known as Gestalt method – this became part of a major popular movement in America: the Human Potential Movement, which includes encounter groups, sensory awareness workshops and the like; they are all geared toward promoting personal growth. 1. Retell the dream in the first person and while doing this, get in touch with the feelings that are connected with the dream pictures 2. When two dream images meet in dialogue, then employ the ‘empty chair’ method 3. If the person has difficulty playing the role of any part of his dream, then this is an indication that a buried part of the person’s attitude to life is being touched Modern psycho-therapy 1. Dreams only tell things about the dreamer Things unresolved Unwilling to admit about ourselves Things we dare not recognize while awake Deepest longings, fears, fantasies, conflicts, hatreds, jealousies, wishes, anxieties, ambitions all find expressions in our dreams 2. Opens doors as an invitation to the occult    












Dreams transcend seven dimensions 1. Height 2. Spirit 3. Depth 4. Time 5. Breadth 6. Light 7. Soul Dreams and visions allow us to be in two or more dimensions simultaneously










I have been asked what material I use for the class or what can be recommended:        

Dreams and Visions by Jane Hammon (Regal) A Dream Come True by James Ryle (Creation House) The True Purpose of Your Dreams (cassette tape) Steve Carpenter (ElijahList.com) Insight Into Dream Interpretation (cassette tape) Steve Carpenter (ElijahList.com) Understanding Dreams and Visions (6 tape album) John Paul Jackson (streamsministries.com) Parables in The Night Seasons by Joy Parrott (Glory Publications) Understanding the Dreams You Dream by Ira Milligan (Treasure House) The Symbolic Meanings of Colors by Rose Crownover (bannersbyrose.com)










Colors Positive

Negative

Red

wisdom, anointing

anger, war

Pink

childlike, faith

childish

Brown

compassion

humanism

Blue

communion, revelation

depression, anxiety

Dreams & Visions Seminar Part 1

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