Are Visions the Same as Dreams?
Visions are similar to dreams. And yet, they differ in a couple of very important ways.
- Visions may occur while we…
- sleep, like what happened to Father Abraham:
“As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell on Avram; horror and great darkness came over him. 13 Adonai said to Avram, ‘Know this for certain: your descendants will be foreigners in a land that is not theirs.’ . . . 17 After the sun had set and there was thick darkness, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared, which passed between these animal parts. 18 That day Adonai made a covenant with Avram.” Complete Jewish Bible, Genesis 15:12-13,17-18
- are awake, like what happened to Prophet Daniel:
“After that first vision, it was in the third year of the reign of King Belshatzar that another vision appeared to me, Dani’el. 2 I looked into the vision; and as I looked, I found myself in Shushan the capital, in the province of ‘Eilam. I looked into the vision, and I was by the Ulai canal.” Daniel 8:1-2
- sleep, like what happened to Father Abraham:
- Dreams (that are not visions) must be recorded immediately upon awakening, lest they be quickly forgotten. However, visions are stored, usually permanently,…
- in multiple areas of our brain, areas that store images, sounds, smells, tastes, emotions, and sensations:
“Remembering the dreams he had had about them, Yosef said to them, ‘You are spies! You’ve come to spot our country’s weaknesses!’ ” Genesis 42:9
- in multiple areas of our brain, areas that store images, sounds, smells, tastes, emotions, and sensations:
More about visions:
James and Robin both have visions. Robin has visions while she sleeps, so does James. However, he also has visions while he is awake.
