Dreams in Scripture tend to occur while a person is asleep and they frequently involve guidance or warning. Visions, by contrast, tend to be associated with prophetic commissioning, heavenly revelation, or apocalyptic disclosure. Many of Israel's greatest prophets—Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah—are fundamentally visionaries. And the Apocalypse of John—the book of Revelation—is one entire vision.
Here's a selective survey of significant visions in the Bible:
Abram's Covenant Vision (Genesis 15:1)
"After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision..."
Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:2-4)
"The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush."
Samuel's Call (1 Samuel 3:1)
"And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision."
Isaiah's Throne Vision (Isaiah 6:1)
"I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up..."
Ezekiel's Chariot-Throne, Valley of Dry Bones, and Future Temple Visions (Ezekiel 1:1; 37:1; 40:2)
"The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God."
"The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD..."
"In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel..."
Daniel's Visions (Daniel 7:1; 13; 8:1)
"Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed..."
"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man..."
"I, Daniel, saw the vision."
The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:9)
"Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead."
Ananias's Vision (Acts 9:10)
"The Lord said to him in a vision, 'Ananias.'"
Cornelius's and Peter's Visions (Acts 10:3; 10-11)
"About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God..."
"He fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending..."
Paul's Macedonian Call (Acts 16:9)
"A vision appeared to Paul in the night..."
Paul's Vision in Jerusalem (Acts 22:17-18)
"I fell into a trance and saw him saying to me..."
John's Apocalypse (Revelation 1:10-12)
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day..."
Again, in my ongoing project to "Keep Christianity Weird" I share all this with no other purpose than to unsettle us.
