Symbolic Language, Parables and Other Forms of Spiritual Revelation in Dreams, Visions and Trances
From the earliest days of scripture God has been speaking through dreams, visions and trances. As Joel 2 says, in the last days God will increase the frequency of these things in the earth. Because of this it will be necessary to increase our skill in handling revelation of this nature.
Joel 2:28-29 "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. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” NIV
This section of teaching is by no means comprehensive but is simply an introduction to some of the main elements in these areas of spiritual life.
• Jeremiah was schooled by the Lord in the process of development as a prophetic person. In Jeremiah 1 Jeremiah developed his understanding through a series of lessons from the Lord in as God taught Jeremiah concerning His voice. It is in this process of development that we can clearly see three stages of handling revelation
o Revelation – What is it that you saw or heard?
o Interpretation – What did these things mean?
o Application – What does the Lord want me to do with this information?
• The life of Jesus reveals the whole nature of symbolic language. The stories that Jesus used to teach principles were often times symbolic stories where the people and images used were actually figurative of something or someone else.
• The three primary arenas where revelation of this nature occurs are:
o Dreams = Joseph had a dream warning him to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt. Daniel had dreams about the end times. Dreams are the language of our sleep.
o Visions = Visions can occur either in prayer or as we are going. A vision that comes during prayer is most often seen through the eyes of the Spirit while we have our natural eyes closed. A vision seen while we are out doing things is most often received as either an impression or an open vision where we see into both the natural realm and the spiritual realm at the same time. In extreme cases a vision of greater intensity can come that will override what we are doing in the natural such as Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus in Acts 2
o Trances = Trances are most often occurring while in prayer and are similar to sleep but are a spiritual state where we enter the spiritual realm with our spirit. A detachment from the natural state of consciousness occurs where the individual is not sleeping but rather drawn into the spirit realm while still awake as in Acts 10.
Types of communication in dreams and visions:
• Numbers
• Symbolic images
• Literal images
• Angelic Instruction/Invitation
• Angelic and/or Holy Spirit escort to spiritual places
• Sentences in the night
• Riddles, or dark sayings
• The word of the Lord comes
Sources of dreams
• God
• Ourselves. Job speaks of the cares of life causing dreams
• The enemy. Demonic interference
The issue of perplexity
Peter and Daniel were both perplexed after the spiritual encounters that they had experienced. We must settle the issue that God speaks in ways that perplex us and require us to search out understanding from Him. Daniel was actually sick for days after one of his visitation experiences.
Areas That Cause Perplexity
• The images that we see
• The timing of the revelation’s fulfillment or intended message
• The unremembered dream (I believe that many times this is God sowing into your spirit)
• Revelations that are locked up until an appointed time such as in Daniel and Rev. 5
Purposes of Revelation
0 Personal Edification
0 A restored spiritual truth
0 A psychological revelation – insight into an area of brokenness in yourself; a personality flaw or a personal sin.
0 Personal guidance for the future
0 Direction
0 Warning
0 Ministry to others
o Information to guide intercession
o Information to release ministry
0 Personal prayer ministry
0 A prophetic word or counsel
0 Prophetic evangelism
0 Corporate Revelation
o Guidance for the local body
0 Direction
0 Intercession
o Revelation for the body of Christ in a region, nation, etc
Some categories of symbols:
• Biblical Symbols = Those symbols where a pattern is set for the interpretation of the symbol through the scriptures.
• Cultural Symbols = God will at times choose symbols that are general to most people in a given culture that is current for today; modern symbols rather than historic
• Personal Symbols = God will also use images that are directly relevant to the individual and relate to meaningful things in that person’s individual history that speaks directly to some point of identification.
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