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Supernatural
Biblical Guidance 6
Understanding
Holy Spirit Inspired Visions & Guidance
by
Pastor John Hamel
“And it shall come
to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams,
your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the
handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” (Joel 2:28,29)
In our last study we saw how the Holy Spirit frequently
used dreams in the Old Testament as a means of guidance, warning and
revelation. He is still doing this today and will do so even more in
the coming outpouring of His Spirit. We saw how in the Old Testament,
the Holy Spirit did not limit Himself to dreams as the only form of
guidance, but dreams were very common.
In the New Testament, beginning with the
Day of Pentecost, the most significant events in Christianity have come
about as a result of visions, rather than dreams. We will cover that
in this lesson. It is important to understand that visions, like
dreams, are also used for guidance, warning and revelation. They are also a manifestation of either
the Word of Wisdom or the Word of Knowledge, sometimes
both. However, they are always a
manifestation of the Discerning of Spirits. These three Gifts are known as the
Revelation Gifts.
The primary difference between a dream and
a vision is that with a dream you are asleep when the Holy Spirit is
communicating with you. With a vision you are not asleep, you are
always awake.
I find it to be quite interesting that
before the Holy Spirit
came to indwell human beings, He would frequently wait for someone to fall
asleep before communicating with them. Since the Holy Spirit has come
to indwell man, it appears that He is much more willing to communicate with
him while he is still awake. I do not claim to know the reason for
this. Possibly it is because a human
being is less resistant when they are sleeping. What I do know is
that the Holy Spirit has shown an amazing willingness to supernaturally
communicate with human beings since Adam’s creation six thousand years
ago. I also know that the Holy Spirit instructs us in the Scripture
to be prepared for more communication from Him than we have ever had in the
past.
We will be studying the three types of
visions that are laid out for us in the Book of Acts. The Holy Spirit
deliberately had these recorded in order for us to understand them and to
cooperate with them. The Book of
Acts is a blueprint for the New Testament Church to build on.
Spiritual Visions
The first type of vision we will study is
called a “spiritual vision.”
A spiritual vision occurs when an
individual is moved upon by the Holy Spirit to see something with the eyes
of their spirit and not with their physical eyes. During a spiritual
vision your mind is not displaced. Your physical senses are not
suspended in any way. You know who you are. You know where you
are. You are simply seeing things within your spirit, on the inside
of you.
This is so much more than just human
imagination and you will know when you are experiencing a spiritual
vision. Spiritual visions can be very simple or they can be very
dramatic. How simple or dramatic they are has nothing to do with how
important they are. If faces, places, events, ideas, etc., keep
“popping up in your spirit,” you will want to ask the Holy Spirit to help
you to not miss what He is revealing.
Jesus saw Nathaniel under a fig tree with
His spiritual eyes. He saw this within Himself. Nathaniel was
amazed at Jesus’ spiritual keenness and gave glory to God. (John
1:47-49) It was not uncommon at all for Jesus to see things on the
inside of Himself before they actually occurred outwardly. Jesus said
that He would see Himself healing the sick,
casting out demons, preaching, teaching,
prophesying and ministering to individuals in His spirit before He went out
to actually do so. He would then simply imitate outwardly what He had
seen inwardly during His prayer time and miracles would happen. (John
5:19,20)
Jesus said, “I only do what I see My Father
do.” What He was saying was, “I only do what I see the Father doing
through Me as I am praying.” He would see Himself performing specific
miracles, through spiritual visions, but He knew it was the Father doing it
through Him, so He gave the Father all the glory.
I want to make this clear. Jesus
would inwardly see Himself perform a certain miracle for a person ahead of
time. When He encountered that person, He would simply act out what
He previously saw Himself do in spiritual vision form. The
supernatural would occur and He would give glory to God because He knew it
was really the Father doing it through Him. This is why He said, “I
only do what I SEE (in vision form) My Father do.” Pretty cool.
In the same way, the Holy Spirit wants to
show you things before they occur so you can walk them out and minister in
the miraculous. (John 14:12; 16:13) Do not miss out on what the Holy
Spirit wants to do through you just because it comes in the form of a
simple, non-dramatic, inward spiritual vision.
Remember, the Revelation Gifts frequently
operate through spiritual visions within.
Trances
The Greek word for “trance” is “ekstasis.” It means “the displacement of the
mind.”
This is an experience where your physical
senses are suspended and you are unaware of your physical
surroundings. You do not know, for the moment, exactly where you are
or sometimes even who you are.
A Scriptural trance is unrelated to a
hypnotic trance. You cannot come out of a hypnotic trance if the
hypnotist will not allow you to come out. You can come out of a
Scriptural trance if you choose to do so. A hypnotic trance strips
you of mastery over your God-given free will. This is something the
God of love would never do to you.
You can deliberately enter a hypnotic
trance. You cannot deliberately enter a supernatural Biblical
trance. A supernatural Biblical trance is always and only Holy Spirit
induced. Although your senses are overpowered, your free will is
not. That is the Spirit of Love.
Deliberately stripping a person of mastery over their free will is rooted
in witchcraft and hatred. Paul
referred to this as the “Works of the Flesh” in Galatians chapter
five.
The word Paul used for “witchcraft”
actually means “to control.” A
hypnotist takes “control” of an individual’s free will for his own good pleasure. During this time demon spirits can easily
enter in to the hypnotist’s victim.
Demon spirits cannot just enter into anyone or they would enter into
everyone. A person must stop
exercising mastery over their free will for demons to come into them. Satan uses the hypnotist to bring the
unsuspecting victim to this place of demonic entry.
It is appalling that hypnotists have found
their way from sleazy back alleys and carnival sideshows into the popular
media, centers of Education, the halls of Congress and even the White House
itself. Even the best educated are now falling victim to this
deceptive practice that does not have the best interest of humanity at
heart.
Hypnotic trances are not fun and they are
not funny. Neither are they
“harmless.” They force an individual to stop exercising mastery over
their free will for as long as the hypnotist desires. It is during
the hypnotic trance that demonic powers are now able to freely enter into
the submissive participant. Once the “show” is over, the demons
remain within their unknowing victim. This is when Satan really
has opportunity to reign and to rule. Only the most
foolish would knowingly submit to this dangerous, demonic practice, and pay
hard earned money for the demonic experience.
The Apostle Peter experienced a Scriptural
trance. During this experience the Holy Spirit showed Peter
symbolically that because of the Blood of Jesus, Gentiles were now as
acceptable to God as Jews. (Acts 10:9-16) This was a tremendous revelation
to Peter. So we see that supernatural Biblical trances can bring
revelation even as dreams and spiritual visions can bring revelation.
The Apostle Paul was warned of danger in a trance,
while he was in Jerusalem
praying. Jesus actually appeared to Him in his trance, explaining
that the Jews would not receive his testimony and would bring him great
harm. Jesus then explained to Paul that he was being called to
minister the Gospel to the Gentiles. So we see one supernatural
Biblical trance in Paul’s life resulting not only in warning but also in
guidance and revelation. (Acts 22:17-21)
Many years ago I was making plans to attend
a certain Bible school. I was living in Las Vegas, Nevada, and my plan was
to relocate to Tulsa, Oklahoma in a matter of
weeks. A woman approached me offering $10,000.00 for this very
purpose. I immediately had unrest
in my spirit about taking the money. It was as if alarms
were going off on the inside of me. It was the inner witness of the
Holy Spirit warning me. Therefore, I explained to her that I could
not take the money at the moment but that I would go and seek the Lord as
to what His will was.
As I went into prayer, I was instantly
caught up in a supernatural Biblical trance. My senses were
suspended. My mind was displaced. I was unaware of my actual
physical surroundings. Suddenly I was in another place I had never
before seen. I looked around and saw evidence of a tropical
setting. Jesus was standing beside me to my right. He was
holding something similar to a small pad and pen. It could even have
been some sort of palm top and stylus. After all, everything in Earth
is just a replica of something better in Heaven. (Romans
1:20) Jesus and I were both facing the bow of a large white, rusted ship
sitting in dry dock. There were men hanging in captain’s chairs all
over the vessel scraping and painting. I knew the ship was being
prepared for some sort of great journey.
I asked Jesus, regarding the rusty
unprepared vessel, “What is it?” He answered, “It is [symbolic of]
you.” I then asked, “When will it be ready?” Jesus answered me,
“In nine months.” I understood, supernaturally, that like the large
dry docked ship we were facing, there was much work to be done in me before
I would be ready to go to that Bible School. I should
have been disappointed but somehow disappointment just does not seem to be
an option when you are in the presence of Jesus. I felt pretty good
standing there beside Him in the tropical sun, surrounded by palm trees,
looking at that giant vessel symbolizing me in my rusty, unready condition.
Suddenly I returned from the shipyard to my
place of prayer. I knew where I was and my senses were no longer
suspended. Kneeling there, I knew that I was not to take the
$10,000.00 and that I was to hold steady until the next school year.
I obeyed Him, declining the offer of the
money. The rust scraping and painting continued over the next nine
months as He prepared me to go to Bible school. During my time at Bible School four families
ultimately paid my tuition, housing, transportation and other
expenses. I never asked any of them for anything. The Lord put
it on their hearts to offer it to me. Had I gotten ahead of His
timing, I would have been one sunken vessel.
I came to discover soon after this that the
woman who had offered the $10,000.00 was wrongly motivated and looking to
make inroads into my life. I also discovered that she had been lying
to my Pastor,
attempting to turn him against me in an effort to make improper inroads
into his life.
This was a symbolic, supernatural Biblical
trance of guidance similar to the Apostle Peter’s. It was also a
trance that contained warning even as the Apostle Paul’s. This was
also the Spiritual Gifts called the Word of Knowledge and the Word of Wisdom operating through a
supernatural Biblical trance.
Open Visions
During an open vision your physical eyes
are wide open, your physical senses are intact, your mind is not displaced
and you know exactly where you are. You are aware of your physical
surroundings and you actually see spiritual beings, spiritual things or
spiritual events with your physical eyes.
You are actually looking into the spirit realm with your physical
eyes through the Discerning of Spirits.
Zaccharias, the father of
John the Baptist, was in the Temple executing his
priestly office, burning incense. Suddenly an Angel appeared in the Temple and Zaccharias could see him with his physical eyes.
How do we know Zaccharias was seeing the Angel
with his physical eyes? Because the Scripture says that he saw the
Angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
He could not have been caught up in a trance because he was seeing his
actual physical surroundings, including the altar of incense, at the same
time he was seeing the Angel.
During this open vision, the Angel revealed
to Zaccharias that his wife, Elisabeth, would
bear a son and his name would be John. “John,” he explained, “was to
be a forerunner of the Messiah.” This open vision, therefore, was a
vision of revelation. (Luke 1:11-17, 22) It, too, was a vehicle for
the Word of Wisdom, which reveals future events.
Herod imprisoned Peter and was about to
execute him to please the Jews. While Peter was sleeping an Angel
came into his prison cell to release him. The Angel opened the gates supernaturally,
leading Peter into the city before departing. (Acts 12:7-11) This was
not a spiritual vision or a trance. This was an open vision where
Peter saw the Angel with his physical eyes, even as he saw the prison gates
opening as the Angel let him out. This was not the first time this
happened to Peter. (Acts 5:19,20)
Spiritual visions, trances and open visions
still occur today. I myself, to date, have experienced the visitation
of four Angels in the form of an open vision. I saw them with my
physical eyes, fully aware of my surroundings. Another messenger
Angel appeared to me in a dream with a message from Jesus concerning my
Ministry to certain nations. I have both seen and smelled unclean
spirits. I experienced one visitation of Jesus during a trance that I
have previously shared. I have also received a visitation of Jesus
through an open vision. He appeared to me in His spirit form with a
personal message of comfort during a time of tremendous grief. This
was not a spiritual vision or a trance.
It was an open vision where He actually came to me. There were two Angels with Him who had
something similar to wheels where their feet should have been. (Ezekiel
1:1-21)
All of these experiences, whether through
dreams, spiritual visions, trances or open visions, are actually
manifestations of the Spiritual Gift known as Discerning of Spirits, as
previously stated.
In the Old Testament Elisha and Gehazi were surrounded by the Syrian army. Gehazi was petrified figuring that it was all over
now. Elisha prayed that the Lord would open Gehazi’s
eyes to see that those who were for them were far greater than those who
were against them. Gehazi’s physical eyes
were supernaturally opened and he saw that the mountains were full of
spiritual horses, Angels and chariots of fire. Elisha, however, did
not need a vision. He knew they were there all the time. (2Kings
6:1-17)
We do not need visions to believe the Bible
either. However, if the Holy Spirit should decide, you, too, will
experience dreams and/or visions. There are many other examples of
the three types of visions throughout the Scripture. The ones
presented in this study should be enough to convince a reasonable Believer
that these things do and will continue to occur. It is only human to
desire direct and spectacular forms of supernatural guidance. But if
you insist on ignoring the inner witness of the Holy Spirit as His primary
form of guidance, demanding only spectacular forms of supernatural
guidance, Satan himself will see to it that you get the counterfeit of what
you are really looking for. The end result will be very displeasing
to you.
Peter quoted the Prophet Joel when he said,
“In the last days saith God, I will pour out of
my spirit upon all flesh…”
God is presently pouring out His Spirit on
Jehovah’s Witness flesh, Muslim flesh, denominational flesh and any flesh
that is open to true revelations from God.
There are numerous accounts coming out of Muslim nations of Jesus
Himself appearing to Muslims and preaching His Word of Salvation to them
directly because they are presently unreachable by human Ministers. God is pouring His Spirit out upon
unsaved flesh and saving them. He is
pouring His Spirit out upon saved flesh and delivering them from demonic
harassment and oppression. He is
pouring His Spirit out within denominations worldwide and it seems to
matter very little to Him that some of His Family doesn’t like it. As for me, I’m running with God. I’ve asked God to put my wife and me
right in the middle of what He’s doing in the Earth, wherever He’s doing it
and for whatever reason.
Prepare yourself now by learning God’s
Word. (Psalm 138:2) Prepare yourself by praying in the Spirit regularly. (Jude
20) Build on the inner witness of the Holy Spirit as God’s primary
form of supernatural Biblical guidance. Be willing to have dreams and
visions but do not pressure God for them. You will motivate
Satan.
Keep yourself alert. Be sober,
faithful and mature. When the supernatural occurs always check it
against the Scripture. The Holy
Spirit will never do anything contrary to the written Word of God.
The Holy Spirit is always open to humble investigation. After all, He
is the One who commended the Bereans for
searching the Scriptures daily, making sure the
Apostle Paul was not filling them with unscriptural doctrine. (Acts 17:11)
Be blessed … John and Barbara Hamel
Examples of Visions from the Scriptures
The following is a
listing of the many visions experienced by human beings in the Bible.
I have placed them here apart from the lesson for your further study.
You can decide which classification of vision each one is.
The Most High God
covenanted with Abraham in a vision. (Genesis 15:1-21) God spoke to
Jacob in either a dream or a night vision. (Genesis 46:2-4) Balaam
experienced a vision of the Almighty. (Numbers 24:1-19) Samuel
experienced a vision as a child. (1Samuel 3:1-21) Nathan experienced
a night vision concerning King David. (2Samuel 7:4-17; 1Chronicles 17:15) Iddo, the
seer, received multiple visions concerning Jeroboam. Exactly what his
visions and writings were concerning is not stated in the Bible. He
did write genealogies and kept records of some of Israel’s Kings.
(2Chronicles 9:29; 12:15) Job experienced both visions and
dreams. (Job 7:14) Jesus, the
Messiah, received a vision of David from Almighty God before ever coming to
the Earth. (Psalm 89:19-21) Isaiah experienced a vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem. (Isaiah
1:1) Isaiah also saw the Lord sitting upon a Throne in His Temple.
(Isaiah 6:1-4) Ezekiel experienced multiple visions. (Ezekiel 7:13;
8:1-4; 11:24) Daniel
apparently received both dreams and visions of the Lord. (Daniel 2:19;
8:1-27; 9:21-24) Obadiah
received a vision concerning Edom. (Obadiah
1:1-21) Nahum received a vision of the destruction of Ninevah approximately one hundred years after Jonah
preached there. Apparently they had backslidden again and it was
“time to pay the piper.” (Nahum 1:1-3:19) Habakkuk had a vision of
the Second Coming of Christ. (Habakkuk 2:2,3; Hebrews 10:37) Peter,
James and John had a vision of Moses and Elisha while on the Mountain with
Jesus. (Matthew 17:1-13) Zacharias had a vision of the Angel of the
Lord. (Luke 1:11-22) Ananias had a vision of the Lord concerning Saul
of Tarsus. (Acts 9:10-12) Saul of Tarsus had a vision of Ananias
coming to him to restore his eyesight. (Acts 9:12) Cornelius
had a vision of an Angel coming to him to reveal how he could hear the
Gospel preached. (Acts 10:1-48) Peter had a symbolic vision of the
Gentiles being accepted into the Kingdom of God. (Acts
10:9-48) Paul had either a vision or a dream of a Macedonian man
beseeching him to come with the Gospel. (Acts 16:9,10) The Lord
appeared to Paul in either a dream or a vision bringing him encouragement
and guidance. (Acts 18:9,10) Paul experienced many visions in his
lifetime. (2Corinthians 12:1)
Paul was an Apostle and a Prophet (as well as a Pastor, Evangelist and Teacher). Apostles and Prophets
have consistent manifestations of visions and revelations in their
Ministries.
You, too, can
experience visions and dreams of the Lord, according to His will, by
walking uprightly before Him.
(Joel 2:28-32)
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