Can we ever trust our visions?

[kevana]

Just had a further thought...

If seeing scales fall from my eyes whilst in my front yard fully awake, middle of the day  a year ago qualifys then yes I have also.

Kev

[GandalfTheWise]

11 hours ago, Thewhitedove said:

I had always thought that I had had an encounter with Christ but heard someone saying that visions of Jesus are never from God. 

What do you all think? Are all signs or visions from the enemy? Or can they be from God as long as we match it to scripture?

What do you think?

I've heard similar testimonies over the years.  I'd also second @Jayne in that I've heard testimonies from missionaries at our old church about Muslims coming to Christ as a result of dreams and visions.  These were first hand testimonies of it being a specific person that missionary had talked to.  One common factor in these testimonies is that such dreams and visions are ultimately life-changing and lead people to Christ.

I can tell you confidently that most Christians will simply rejoice at your testimony including the dream.  I can also tell you confidently that there are some Christians who will never be convinced that it was from God and that it was either a normal dream based on stress in your life or some type of demonic deception from past new-age involvement or that you are lying for some self-seeking reason.  I know one person who publicly shared a similar testimony and the next week a sermon from the pulpit specifically addressed how no one today could ever see Jesus.  I was in that church and heard both the testimony and sermon.  The pastor didn't specifically name them but repeatedly made a number of comments on the order of "I've never met anyone who has actually seen Jesus" basically repudiating the testimony as being false.

I see from other threads that you've been a Christian for a short time.  One of the things you'll learn is that there is a core set of essential beliefs that all Christians pretty much agree on.  Those are such things as Jesus' death and resurrection as being the only way to God, the Bible as our authoritative source for belief and practice, and that part of being a Christian is that we are new creations in Christ which will lead to changes in our life.  Then there are things that born-again Christians have been disagreeing about for centuries; sometimes to the extent of having nothing to do with other Christians who disagree on those things.  The reality is that there are Bible-believing churches full of born-again Christians who will have nothing to do with a Bible-believing church full of born-again Christians across the street over some of these issues.  As you grow spiritually and meet more and more solid mature Christians with a range of different views on various issues, you will start to learn which things are important to all Christians and which things are not.  For a few groups of Christians, it is an essential belief that the *only* way God speaks to Christians today is through the Bible; hence your testimony will fly in the face of what they believe.  Most groups of Christians have the view that God speaks and communicates today in various ways which will be consistent with scripture and will produce positive spiritual changes.

 

[Debp]

I've also heard of Muslims having visions of Christ and being converted to Him as a result.   One such Muslim was Esther Gulshan who also received a total healing from Jesus after her vision (she had been paralyzed and in a wheelchair till about 19 years of age).   Her interesting story is told in the book The Torn Veil.

[Jostler]

To  me it's easiest to  just believe the Bible:

 

Quote

Joe 2:28

“And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.

 

Quote

Act 2:15-21

“For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.  But this IS what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

 

‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.

 

And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.

 

I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

 

The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.

 

And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Shall be saved.’

 

"Shall" is a pretty  darned strong, very unambiguous word   I don't see much room for interpretation there...and don't see a need for any.

 

Quote

Job 33:14-18

For God may speak in one way, or in another,
Yet man does not perceive it.

 

In a dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls upon men,
While slumbering on their beds,

 

Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction.

 

In order to turn man from his deed,
And conceal pride from man,

 

He keeps back his soul from the Pit,
And his life from perishing by the sword.

 

If someone doesn't know these Words, i can understand some caution and skepticism.   But now you've seen them.  What is ruling us, fear of demonic deception or faith  in His promise to guide us into all truth?

You can answer that for yourself, but  know  this, fear is not faith, and whatsoever is not of faith....is sin.

 

Quote

Rom 14:23

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

 

Quote

Heb 3:12

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;

 

Edited July 18, 2019 by Jostler

[pg4Him]

Some cessationists use Hebrews 1:1-2 to argue that dreams/visions were a thing of the past when God was still revealing His purpose in Christ. Since the finality was revealed to John at Patmos, there’s nothing more for God to say to us. Todd Friel taught this once in a Wretched video. I don’t remember the title.

[Tzephanyahu]

Shalom sister,

Wow,  what an amazing story.

18 hours ago, Thewhitedove said:

I had always thought that I had had an encounter with Christ but heard someone saying that visions of Jesus are never from God. 

What do you all think? Are all signs or visions from the enemy? Or can they be from God as long as we match it to scripture?

Let me flip this on you.  Deep down inside you, what do YOU think and feel?  Do you think it was from the enemy or from God?

Love & Shalom

[pg4Him]

5 minutes ago, Drafido said:

My guess is that people who don't have extraordinary experiences simply don't understand other people's experiences and they probably have jealousy about it.  I can't think of any other reason why they would be so quick to dismiss such things.  All I would say in response is to question their salvation and be sceptical about that.  Tit for tat if you will.  I am naturally a very sceptical person so it doesn't make sense for me to trust in my own experience even, but I certainly do believe it to be the most real and unbelievable experience of my entire life.  I don't know how to respond or react to someone being sceptical about it except to feel sorry for them.  It makes me feel some anger even.  

 

It isn’t always jealousy.  People feel strongly about Biblical accuracy/rightly dividing the word, and they see it as a duty to reject false teachings. If seminary convinces you that the Bible does not support dreams/visions in these last days, then none of your feelings or ‘subjective experiences’ can change that. When you say an experience was the most powerful moment of your life, they quote Jeremiah that the wicked heart deceives us. They believe they’re defending Biblical truth.