Receiving Visionary Revelation

by James W. Goll | Oct 2008
1-877-200-1604 | www.encountersnetwork.com

From the Desk of James W. Goll

Thank you for all of you prayers for my family and me in this season of adjustment since Michal Ann's passing on September 15th. Please continue to lift us and our staff up as we learn to live in new ways.

Recently in my communications with you, I have been giving a lot of reports from outreaches we have been engaged in, personal updates, and things of that nature. But it has been a while since I have sent a teaching. So this email deals with a subject close to my heart – Receiving Revelation, specifically Visionary Revelation. For more on this subject, see my study guide on Dreams and Visions and my book Dream Language.

As a Seer and a Feeler (prophetically), I truly believe that moving in the visionary realm has moved me forward faster and with more accuracy in daily life and ministry. Vision is needful in these times; in order to be people of vision we need to be able to see. John 5:19,20

Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these."

Jesus did nothing of Himself. He only did those things which he saw the Father doing. This is our model and example. Let us "look to see" what our Father is initiating and respond to His activity. Let us ask Him for visions of what He is doing and wanting to accomplish in the earth. Then we need to DO IT!

PrayerStorm.tv is up and running! Click here to watch and then sign up to be a part of a virtual house of prayer already encompassing believers from 44 nations. We commission you to join our growing international PrayerStorm team!

So here is my teaching communication for this week. Read it, see it, and pass it on!

In Christ Jesus!

James W. Goll

Receiving Visionary Revelation

by James W. Goll

Introduction:

Visionary revelation is manifested in three different ways: visions, trances, and dreams. This lesson will cover an overview of materials on visions and trances.

Visions are closely associated with dreams, but visions occur during the time when the individual is fully awake and conscious. Dreams and visions are signs of God's last day outpouring of His Holy Spirit. God reveals Himself to man through the use of the eyes of His heart by granting dreams and visions. God greatly desires to communicate to us through the eyes of our heart (Eph. 1:17-18), but we must first recognize this faculty within us and the importance it can have as we present it to Him to be used by Him.

Since Christianity is a heart-to-heart, or spirit-to-spirit relationship, we would expect to see this faculty used much in our relationship with God. However, it is not often used as it should be among Western Christians because we have been trained to live out of our mind rather than our heart. We have put logic on a pedestal and neglected the value of "seeing in the Spirit." So now, let's consider developing our capacity to discern God's voice through the benefits of visionary revelation.

I. DEVELOPING ONE'S CAPACITY TO SEE IN THE SPIRIT

A. Jesus Our Model

1. John 5:19-20 - Our Lord Jesus set the example as He did nothing of Himself, unless it was something He saw the Father doing.

2. Matt. 13:34 - Jesus turned everything in life into a parable and parables become relateable picture language to communicate the needed message.

B. Scriptures on Looking - Read the following scriptures and ask the Lord for your capacity to see into the things of the Holy Spirit to be increased.

1. Dan. 6:10
2. Hab. 2:1-3
3. Rev. 4:1-2
4. John 8:38

C. Suggestions on Becoming Open to Seeing in the Spirit

1. Be still outwardly and inwardly. Learn to quiet your soul before God.

2. Enter a Biblical story using vision. Simply see what you're reading and pray over the scriptures, asking the Spirit of revelation to open them up to you.

3. Focus intently on Jesus and the eyes of your heart will be enlightened and faith will be ignited.
(Eph. 1:18-29)

4. In intercession for others or whatever circumstance, see the person for whom you are praying and allow Christ to enter the circumstances.

5. Ask God to speak to you when you're awake and when you're asleep (Ps. 127:2), then record a summary of it.

6. Speaking in tongues (praying in the Spirit) opens up communication with the Holy Spirit and allows images to arise within.

7. Quiet prayer and meditation opens you up to reflective insights which can form a vision.

8. In times of praise and worship the eyes of your heart may be opened and you can see what you're singing. Praise magnifies the Lord and He is enthroned by the praises of His people (Ps 22:3; 9:11).

II. LEVELS OF VISION

A. Internal Vision

1. Zech. 1-6; 4:1 - Zechariah's night visions were most likely received this way, as the prophet was awakened in preparation for the visions.

2. Dan. 7:1,13-14 - These profound visions were called “visions in the mind.”

3. When the face of a friend or relative pops into our mind, then we know we must pray for them. These snap shot picture forms of revelation from the Holy Spirit are used to urge us to pray.

B. External Vision

1. Elisha saw the hosts of God encompassing the city of Dothan in II Kings 6:17. He then prayed that the servants eyes would like-wise be opened.

2. Stephen gazed into heaven and saw the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God in Acts 7:55-56.

C. Visions While in a Trance or a Dream

1. Peter received a vision while in a trance - Acts 10:10-23.
2. Paul received a vision in the night as he slept - Acts 16:9-10.

Detailed materials are available on this subject in the Study Guide Understanding Supernatural Encounters.

III. VISIONS OF THE CANONICAL PROPHETS

The following is a partial listing of visions recorded in the Old Testament prophetic books.

A. Isaiah

1. Vision of the Lord and His glory - Chapter 6
2. Vision of the valley - Chapter 22

B. Jeremiah

1. Almond rod - 1:11
2. Seething pot - 1:13
3. Two baskets of figs - 24:1-2

C. Ezekiel

1. Glory of God - 1:3,12-14,23
2. Vision of the roll - 2:9
3. Man of fire - Chapters 8-9
4. Coals of fire - 10:1-7
5. Dry bones - 37:1-14
6. Jerusalem and the temple - Chapters 40-48
7. Visions of waters - 47:1-12

D. Daniel

1. Secret vision - 2:19
2. Four beasts - 7:1-8
3. Ancient of Days - 7:9-27
4. Ram and the goat - 8:1-14
5. Angel - chapter 10
6. World powers - 11:2;12:4
7. Man clothed in linen - 12:5-13

E. Amos

1. Grasshoppers - 7:12
2. Fire - 7:4
3. Plumbline - 7:7-8
4. Summer fruit - 8:1-2
5. Temple - 9:1-3

F. Zechariah

1. Horses - 1:8-11
2. Horns and carpenters - 1:18-21
3. High priest - 3:1-5
4. Golden candlestick - chapter 4
5. Flying roll - 5:1-4
6. Mountains and chariots - 6:1-8

G. There are No Recorded Visions in the Books of the Following Prophets:

Hosea, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, and Malachi.

IV. GREEK WORDS FOR VISIONARY STATES

The following are ten different Greek words that each descibe a different aspect of visionary revelation.

A. Onar - Matt. 1:20; 2:12,13,19, 22; 27:19 - It is a common word for "dream." It is a vision seen in sleep as opposed to waking.

B. Enupnion - Acts 2:17; Jude 8 - It is a vision seen in sleep. It stresses the givenness, almost surprise quality, of what is received in sleep.

C. Horama - Matt. 17:9; Acts 7:31; 9:10,12; 10:3,17,19; 11:5; 12:9; 16:9-10; 18:9 - It is translated "vision." It can refer to visions of the night or sleeping experiences, as well as to waking visions.

D. Opasis - Acts 2:17; Rev. 9:17 - This can signify the eye as the organ of sight, an appearance of any kind, even a spectacle.

E. Optasia - Lk. 1:22; 24:23; Acts 26:19; II Cor. 12 - It is translated "vision". It has the sense of self-disclosure, of "letting oneself be seen."

F. Ekstasis - Mk. 5:42; Lk. 5:26; Mk. 16:8; Acts 3:10; 10:10; 11:5; 22:17 - We derive the English word "ecstasy" from this. It literally means "standing aside from oneself, being displaced or over against oneself," and ordinarily there is a sense of amazement, confusion and even extreme terror.

G. Ginomai en pneumati - Rev. 1:10; Matt. 4:1; Mk. 1:12; Lk. 4:1; Lk. 1:41. - This is translated "to become in Spirit." This refers to the state in which one could see visions and be informed or spoken to directly by the Spirit.

H. Ephisteni, paristeni - Acts 23:11; 27:23; Lk. 1:11; Acts 10:30; 16:9 - This simply refers to the fact that some reality stands by in the night or in the day.

I. Blepo and eido - Rev. 1:2,11; Mk. 9:9; Lk. 9:36 - It means "to see," or "to perceive." These words are used to mean "see" in the normal outer sense, yet are also used to refer to seeing in the spiritual sense.

J. Apokalupsis - Rev. 16:25; I Cor. 14:6,26; II Cor. 12:1,7; Gal. 2:2 - Translated "revelation", it literally means disclosure, divine uncovering or revelation.

 

V. CLOSING

Let us each pray that the eyes of our heart will be enlightened that we might see. Dr. David Yonggi Cho has stated, "The language of the Holy Spirit is dreams and visions." Watchmann Nee said, "The picture is the Holy Spirit's memory." Let us learn to use the natural and supernatural tools the Lord has given us and see what God is doing.

Blessings and Peace,

James W. Goll

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