Dreams and visions
In ancient times, dreams were often considered communications from God. Hebrew patriarch Jacob, for instance, dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven and was given God’s guarantee of land, progeny, and protection (see Genesis 28:10–16). In the New Testament, wise men and Mary’s husband, Joseph, received messages in dreams at the time of Jesus’ birth (see Matthew 1:19–21 and 2:12, 13, 19, 20).
The ability to interpret dreams was highly prized, especially when the dreamer was a powerful ruler. Both Jacob’s son Joseph and Daniel accurately explained their monarch’s dreams and were rewarded with great authority (see Genesis 41 and Daniel 2). False interpretation was soundly condemned by God: “I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies . . . therefore they shall not profit this people at all” (Jeremiah 23:32).
Visions also conveyed God’s messages to individuals while they were awake—for example, God’s promise to Abram, Christ Jesus’ disciples at his transfiguration, and Saul and Ananias in the events leading to Saul’s conversion (see Genesis 15:1–6, Matthew 17:1–9, and Acts 9:1–6, 10–12). And John of Patmos recorded multiple visions depicting God’s heavenly kingdom (see the book of Revelation).
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