Vision

A vision in Scripture is a direct mode of divine communication in which God reveals himself or his purposes to a recipient in a waking or trance-like state, distinct from an ordinary dream occurring during sleep. Hebrew terms (hazon, mar'ah, chizzayon) and the Greek horama all describe this mode of revelation, which was granted to patriarchs, prophets, and apostles. The classic distinction appears in Numbers 12:6, where God says he will speak to a prophet "in a vision" and "in a dream," while speaking to Moses face to face—making the vision a high but not the highest form of divine communication.

Visions are pivotal in both Testaments. The prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah received extensive visions forming the core of their books. In the New Testament Zechariah received a vision of Gabriel in the temple (Luke 1:22); Paul received visions directing the mission to Macedonia (Acts 16:9) and testified before Agrippa of "the heavenly vision" that redirected his life (Acts 26:19). The book of Revelation is explicitly framed as a visionary experience (Revelation 1:10). The prophet Joel's promise—"your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions"—was cited by Peter at Pentecost as a sign of the new covenant age (Acts 2:17).