Vision

Occurrences in Scripture

In the Old Testament, Genesis 15:1 records that the word of the LORD came to Abram "in a vision." In Numbers 12:6, God says that He makes Himself known to a prophet through visions and dreams: "I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream." The writings of Ezekiel and Daniel contain many accounts of visions. Daniel 7–8 recounts Daniel's vision of the beasts and his vision of the ram and the he-goat.

In the New Testament, visions are concentrated in the Book of Acts. The Lord called Ananias in a vision and sent him to Saul, and Saul likewise saw in a vision Ananias coming and laying hands on him (Acts 9:10-12). In Acts 10, Cornelius and Peter each receive a vision, and through these visions the way is opened for the gospel to be preached to the Gentiles. Paul sees a vision of a man of Macedonia pleading for help and crosses the sea (Acts 16:9-10). Paul also refers directly to "visions and revelations" in 2 Corinthians 12:1.

Original Languages and Translation

In Old Testament Hebrew, the principal terms include chazon, derived from a verb meaning "to see." In New Testament Greek, terms such as horama and optasia are used. The Korean Revised Version (New Revised Edition, Gaeyeok Gaejeong) renders the same word chazon differently depending on context: as isang ("vision") in 1 Samuel 3:1, as muksi ("revelation, apocalyptic vision") in Proverbs 29:18 and Habakkuk 2:2, and as gyesi ("revelation") in Isaiah 1:1. As a result, searching a Korean Bible only for the word hwansang ("vision") will not locate all the relevant passages.

Significance Across Scripture

First Samuel 9:9 records that the one now called a prophet was formerly called a "seer," that is, one who sees. Visions were thus an important channel through which prophets received the will of God. Joel 2:28 prophesied that in the last days, when God pours out His Spirit, "your young men shall see visions." At Pentecost, Peter quoted this passage and proclaimed that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was its fulfillment (Acts 2:16-21). Scripture also warns against false prophets who "speak a vision of their own heart" (Jeremiah 23:16).

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• Do visions still occur today? This question is one of the issues in the debate over cessationism and continuationism. Within the Reformed tradition, the prevailing view holds that visions as a form of new revelation ceased once Scripture was completed. Chapter 1 of the Westminster Confession of Faith confesses that the former ways of God's revealing His will unto His people have now ceased. Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement hold that visions may still occur because Joel's prophecy continues to be fulfilled today. Even so, they also teach that visions must be tested against Scripture.
• The word "vision": The King James Version renders Proverbs 29:18 as "Where there is no vision, the people perish." For this reason, the verse is often cited in support of "vision" in the sense of a goal or aspiration. In the original text, however, chazon refers to revelation given by God. The Korean Revised Version (New Revised Edition) likewise renders the phrase as "where there is no revelation" (muksi).

In the Korean Church

In Korean churches, the English loanword bijeon ("vision") is widely used to refer to a church's goals or ministry plans. In testimonies at revival meetings and prayer gatherings, individuals sometimes recount experiences of having seen visions. At the same time, many denominations have been wary of claims to have received direct revelation apart from Scripture, and such claims have at times been raised as concerns in the process of heresy designations.