VISION
More Than The Eyes Can See
Part 2
The prophet Joel, one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament of the Bible, prophesied the inauguration of the Christian Church, some 800 years before the birth and subsequent earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Joel 2:28,29 the prophet writes concerning the church age: "And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions,
And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days."
In the Book of Acts, in which some of the beginnings of the Christian Church are recorded, in Chapter 2, the Apostle Peter quotes the above passage from the prophet Joel with the words: "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel....." signifying the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as being foretold over 800 years previously by the prophet. God is always true to His Word.
As mentioned in the first part of this blog, there are numerous examples of people in the Old Testament having received supernatural visions and dreams. Such also is the case in the New Testament, with examples such as those received by Cornelius and Peter in Acts 10, and also by the Apostle Paul in Acts 16:9,10 where during Paul's second missionary journey:
And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Another aspect of vision can be seen in passages such as recorded in Habakkuk 2:1-3
I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected.
Then The Lord answered me and said:
"Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end, it will speak, and it will
not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry."
Proverbs 29:18 KJV states Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
The NKJV says Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.....
Other translations give an even clearer picture of the meaning of this verse...
"Where there is no continuous revelation, the people live carelessly."...."Without a progressive vision, the people dwell carelessly."........"Where there is no vision, the people run wild,"............."Without prophecy, the people become demoralized."
It was never God's intention that we, as His children, should live haphazard lives, with the attitude of the old song "Que Sera Sera"....Whatever will be, will be.
As the Good Shepherd (John 10), He promises to lead and guide us into "green pastures."
We may not all have supernatural visions and dreams in technicolor, but we can just as surely know the plans and purposes the Lord has laid out for us as we draw close to Him and come into His presence with expectant hearts, trusting Him to give us vision for now and the future.
The much quoted verses in Jeremiah 29:11-13 are worth mentioning here. Jeremiah was speaking to the people of Judah who had been taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." Verse 14 goes on to say: "I will be found of you," declares the :Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity."
To Be Continued................................
In Joel 2:28,29 the prophet writes concerning the church age: "And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions,
And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days."
In the Book of Acts, in which some of the beginnings of the Christian Church are recorded, in Chapter 2, the Apostle Peter quotes the above passage from the prophet Joel with the words: "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel....." signifying the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as being foretold over 800 years previously by the prophet. God is always true to His Word.
As mentioned in the first part of this blog, there are numerous examples of people in the Old Testament having received supernatural visions and dreams. Such also is the case in the New Testament, with examples such as those received by Cornelius and Peter in Acts 10, and also by the Apostle Paul in Acts 16:9,10 where during Paul's second missionary journey:
And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Another aspect of vision can be seen in passages such as recorded in Habakkuk 2:1-3
I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected.
Then The Lord answered me and said:
"Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end, it will speak, and it will
not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry."
Proverbs 29:18 KJV states Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
The NKJV says Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.....
Other translations give an even clearer picture of the meaning of this verse...
"Where there is no continuous revelation, the people live carelessly."...."Without a progressive vision, the people dwell carelessly."........"Where there is no vision, the people run wild,"............."Without prophecy, the people become demoralized."
It was never God's intention that we, as His children, should live haphazard lives, with the attitude of the old song "Que Sera Sera"....Whatever will be, will be.
As the Good Shepherd (John 10), He promises to lead and guide us into "green pastures."
We may not all have supernatural visions and dreams in technicolor, but we can just as surely know the plans and purposes the Lord has laid out for us as we draw close to Him and come into His presence with expectant hearts, trusting Him to give us vision for now and the future.
The much quoted verses in Jeremiah 29:11-13 are worth mentioning here. Jeremiah was speaking to the people of Judah who had been taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." Verse 14 goes on to say: "I will be found of you," declares the :Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity."
To Be Continued................................
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