Visions Of God

[Mr. M]

2 Chronicles 26:5 He sought God in the days of Zechariah,

who had understanding in the visions of God;

and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.

In consideration of the understanding of "visions of God"

beginning in:

Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the Lord 

came to Abram in a vision, saying, Do not be afraid, Abram.

I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.

5 Then He brought him outside and said, Look now toward heaven,

and count the stars if you are able to number them.

And He said to him, So shall your descendants be.

6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

This cannot be rightly comprehended if seen as Abram stepping out

of his tent and looking at our night time sky. Granted, many more stars

would have been visible than today, but this would be to deny the experience

being that of a "vision of God". 

Abram was brought outside his normal perspective to view the Universe,

and all stars thereof. This is confirmed in God's Word:

Genesis 22:

15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 

16 and said: By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing,

and have not withheld your son, your only son;

17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants 

as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore;

and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hebrews 11:

11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed,

and she bore a child when she was past the age, because

she judged Him faithful who had promised. 

12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead,

were born were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—

innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

I was reading a science magazine in the 90's, and an astronomer based

solely on the information available 30 years ago stated that the estimate

of stars in the heavens approximated the sand of the coastlines. There

was no inkling that he was a Christian, or was basing his statement on

the scriptures, although the thought could have come from his subconscious.

Only now can there be a correct understanding of Paul's words:

Romans 4:

18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations,

according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead,

when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief;

but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.