Does The LORD Still Grant Visions And Dreams?

It has been a couple months since I posted anything to this blog. During that time my wife and I made a major move. We moved to a retirement village in south Texas. So now that we are settled in and comfortable I am able to move on with my next project.  I will now explore what the Bible has to say about visions and dreams. The question is whether the LORD still today speaks to His people through visions and dreams. Does He grant such visions only to a select few or can we anticipate that the LORD will and does speak to any one of us directly in our own visions and dreams?

In the past several months everything we studied in the book of the Revelation has been based upon John's vision. Listen again to what he says as his mysterious book begins:

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea." Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, - Rev 1:10-12 ESV

Notice the phrase "in the Spirit" and that he is told by "a loud voice like a trumpet" to write "what you see." When he turns "to see the voice that was speaking" he "saw" seven golden lamp stands. . .

Let's start with "in the Spirit." Exactly what John means by that phrase is not immediately clear. He uses the phrase several times:

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet - Rev 1:10 ESV
At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. - Rev 4:2 ESV
And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. - Rev 17:3 ESV
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, - Rev 21:10 ESV

John is probably saying that he was meditating upon God's Word on the day the church remembers  and celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, the Lord's day, namely Sunday.  To speak of being "in" normally refers to a place with limits of space, such as being in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1). It can also refer to the contents of a book or prophecy. So Paul writes about that portion of Scripture in  which Elijah is recorded as claiming that Israel has forsaken her God (Rom. 11:2). In turn, Paul writes about a believer being in the Spirit if in fact "the Spirit of God dwells in you" (Rom. 8:9). Consequently it is safe to say that the Spirit dwelling in John led him to hear and to see what the Spirit was uncovering about events that are to take place in the future.

This then is the primary meaning of the visions given to Bible prophets. Led by the Holy Spirit they proclaim and write about what they have seen and heard about the future. So Isaiah starts his prophecy with these words:

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. - Isa 1:1 ESV

The word for vision in the Hebrew language is chazown.  The word occurs 35 times in 34 verses of the Hebrew Bible. So way back in the days before King David, we read about the boy Samuel hearing the LORD speak to him. The writer says that "the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. Samuel did not know what to make of the voice he heard until Eli the priest instructed him to listen and obey. When he did that the LORD spoke to Samuel and said,

"Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle." 1 Sam 3:11 ESV

(Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, "Come, let us go to the seer," for today's "prophet" was formerly called a seer.) - 1Sa 9:9 ESV 

So Samuel is called a seer of visions. John's vision falls in line with the ancient prophets. He saw, he heard and then proclaimed in writing what the LORD had revealed.

In the next posts I want to explore with you what this means for the present and modern church. What does the New Testament say about prophets and prophesying and in what way does the office of the prophet continue?

The Kingdom of God is near

As I completed my service to Zion church, Tomball, TX. last Sunday I read the Scriptures publicly. After the Divine Service, as I shook hands with those attending, one lady remarked,

I love the way you read the Bible. It sounds so personal and clear. 

I responded,

The Scriptures were meant to be read aloud and interpreted by the inflection and use of one's voice.

In support of that I submit the following from the first chapter of John's Revelation:

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. - Rev 1:3 ESV 

Actually, the original Greek does not say "reads aloud." It merely uses a word that implies that those reading were reading aloud since you can't hear what is written in this prophecy unless it is read aloud. The blessing John writes about comes in the midst of this public communal activity of reading and hearing the words of this prophecy. The one who reads is blessed and those who hear and keep what is written are blessed. Notice that the blessing comes not merely from the hearing, but also from the keeping of what is written, as the Lord Jesus said,

He who has ears to hear, let him hear. - Mat 11:15 ESV 

The keeping of the words of this prophecy refers to guarding them. When Jesus was entombed by Joseph of Arimathea (a little town of Judea), guards were placed before the tomb. The concern was that the disciples would steal the body of Jesus away and so claim that he had risen from the dead (Matt. 27:62-66). The Greek word for the guards is the one from which we obtain our English word custodian. Following that lead, I can hear John suggesting that we who hear the Word are to be custodians of it, watching over it so carefully that not a single letter is lost. As we ponder and guard that Word we will be blessed.

Further, what John writes is a prophecy. Prophecy has three meanings.

1. In the strict sense prophecy is foretelling, that is speaking about future events before they happen. The Gospel of Matthew often uses prophecy in this way. For instance, the angel who appeared to Joseph told him not to be afraid to marry Mary, because of what had been spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). - Mat 1:23 ESV
2. The second meaning of prophecy is illumination. Divine light is cast upon what is otherwise secret, unknown or not understood in God's revealed Word. Suddenly there is for the hearers who receive and guard it in their hearts an Aha! So in a recent Bible class I observed that many realized for the first time that "the name" of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is the sacred NAME of God (YHWH - Exod. 3:13-15) and this NAME is shared by all three members of the Holy Trinity. So the Father is YHWH, Jesus is YHWH.  and the Holy Spirit is YHWH. 
3. The third meaning of prophecy refers to interpretation. This is what a preacher or a teacher does for his assembled hearers. He interprets God's Word and applies it to the lives of those gathered. 

As we read (together in this blog) and hear John's Revelation I pray that all of these meanings will be opened to us, because this prophecy does indeed tell of things to come, but it also throws light on things already written and helps us to interpret and apply them to our lives. 

Finally John says, "For the time is near." John uses one of two N.T. Greek words for time. In this case  he speaks of kairos as opposed to chronos. Chronological time keeps changing. It is impermanent. So I may awaken at 6:30 a.m. on a Tuesday, but a moment or two later it is 7:00 a.m. and so on. On the other hand kairos refers to a specific time whose significance continues forward. So I think of the birth of my children. Each birth changed my life permanently and continues to do so to the present. In a far more profound way the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus has changed everything and will continue to do so forever. So after John was arrested, Jesus proclaimed, 

"The time (kairos) is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand (near); repent and believe in the gospel." - Mar 1:15 ESV

Thus let us be very conscious that the reading and hearing of this prophecy brings us to a kairos of decision. The Spirit is a work in these words.  Things foretold are about to be fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is at hand (near). Consider what it means for your life here and now. Now is the time to repent and believe in the gospel. The Kingdom of God is being fulfilled in our midst at this present time.

So Easy To Drift Away

CNN reports that salvage of the Costa Concordia has begun. The question: Will the ship stay in one piece during the righting. Giant hollow boxes have been attached to the side of the ship, seen in this CNN photo of May 27, 2013. The plan is to eventually haul the vessel upright and then attempt to re-float it with the aid of the compart-ments pictured here. As you may recall, the giant cruise ship ran aground and tipped over in January, 2012, killing 32 of the 4,200 people on board.

In July, 2013 five members of the ship's crew were convicted of multiple manslaughter and causing personal injury. The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, is being tried separately on charges of multiple manslaughter in the wreck and abandoning of his ship. The charges are that the captain deviated from the ship's computer-programmed route, claiming that he was familiar with the local seabed. When the ship hit a reef, causing the engine room to be flooded, he did nothing to contact the nearby harbour for help but tried to resume the original course, before a U-turn back to Giglio. Why did he not pay attention? Why did he deviate from what he knew was the correct route? These questions will be argued  before the court.

A similar question is raised by the Hebrews writer in light of what he wrote in the first chapter about God's revelation in Christ. He has spoken clearly, unequivocally. Therefore . . .

we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. - Hebrews 2:1-4 ESV 

What was this "message declared by angels" that proved to be reliable? Paul writes about the law given to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 20:1-26, etc.),

Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. - Gal 3:19 ESV 

Stephen makes the same point in his indictment of the Jews. Of them he says,

"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it." - Acts 7:51-53 ESV 

 Do you see the points Paul and Stephen are making? In previous times God gave to Israel the law, summarized in the ten commandments. The purpose was to demonstrate to them how they failed to keep covenant with Him, even though they claimed to be children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (whose new name was Israel). In turn the law was given to Moses on the mount by God's angels or messengers. Moses then delivered it to Israel in the wilderness after God had rescued them from slavery in Egypt. But they ignored it, disobeyed and failed to trust in God and in His promises. Consequently they learned that God's commands must be obeyed or you will have to suffer the consequences. That first generation led by Moses perished in the desert. They did not enter the promised land. They ignored God's Word. They let it slip away. They did not obey. Their bones were all left in the wilderness. They never came to the Promised Land.

Other prophets tried again and again to call later generations back to God. They spoke about the coming of the Messiah who would accept responsibility for their sins, bearing the sin of many and making intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:1-12). But, says Stephen, you persecuted the prophets and now you have betrayed and murdered the Righteous One promised by the prophets, the One sent to be your Savior.

Hebrews makes the same points. Jesus has come as God's Word in these last days. God has spoken again, but not through prophets or angels this time. He has rather spoken directly, decisively and clearly through His Son. Jesus is God's Son. He completed His work on the cross, rose on the third day and now rules over all things at the Father's right hand.

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it (Hebrews 2:1 ESV). 

It is oh so easy to drift away, as did the captain of the Costa Concordia. Reports indicate that he was talking on the telephone to an old friend when the disaster occurred. It is oh so easy to let things slip, to turn your attention to many, many other things, to neglect what is given. As a result you and those who look to you as a model or leader will do the same. And ultimately both you and they will lose this great salvation.

More on this next time.

Making It Personal

I have this thing about the use of modern media. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I am obviously using it to write this blog, but I much, much prefer to speak to someone face to face and have someone do the same for me. That's why, I suppose, I have always had such a hard time with sermons that are read. I do NOT want my pastor to read his sermon. I can do that without his help if he would but put it up on the church's website for example or send me a written copy of what he wants to say. What I do want is for him to look me and the rest of his congregation directly in the eye and talk to us as a personal representative of our Lord Jesus.

I have this understanding—is it so strange?—that pastors are called by the LORD Jesus to be His spokesmen. Through them the LORD speaks His Word, warning us about disobeying God's commands, but also speaking about God's mercy offered to us from Jesus' cross. I don't want an essay about this Good Word. I want a face-to-face, person-to-person conversation. That's my view of what a sermon should be. It's the way I've always attempted to preach, both when I served a congregation and now when I'm invited to be a guest preacher. Is it so strange?

The writer of this book we're studying, this Letter to the Hebrews, resorted to the written word. It was all he had in those days. The letter came to be seen as a letter from God Himself and over these next two millennia has been re-copied countless times. Who the original author was no one knows for certain. The letter does mention one of the Apostle Paul's proteges, Timothy—assuming this was the same Timothy to whom Paul wrote (1 & 2 Timothy).

You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. - Hbr 13:23 ESV

It is impossible to know to what incident this refers. Released from where and by whom? We simply do not know. Does this mean that Paul wrote this letter? We don't know that either.  Luther believed Apollos wrote the book (Acts 18:24). He was both eloquent and competent in the OT Scriptures. The letter must have been written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The author is very concerned about the Old Covenant being superseded by the New in Christ and would surely not have ignored Jerusalem's and Jerusalem's temple's destruction by the Roman General Titus and his army.

All that aside the author is concerned that we know in these last days—the period we now live in—God has spoken and continues to speak to us by his son.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. - Hbr 1:1-2 ESV

In the days before Christ, God spoke to His prophets and through them to His people. He spoke to

• Moses by a burning bush (Exod. 3:1-22). He was to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt to freedom in the promised land. 
• Elijah by still, small voice after he fled from the anger of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel (1 Kings 19:1-21)
• Isaiah by heavenly vision (Isa. 6:1-13). The people would not listen and would be sent into exile.  
• Hosea by family crisis. He was commanded to marry Gomer, a whore (Hos. 1:2).
• Amos by basket of summer fruit. The end has come upon Israel (Amos 8:1).

The letter emphasizes that God still speaks to us through these ancient prophecies. God uses the written Word as His medium to this day. But He now speaks in a clearer and purer manner in His Son. All the writings of the OT pointed to Christ. He is the fulfiller and completion of all that the prophets heard and proclaimed. As we work through the letter to the Hebrews we'll learn more about this wonder. We shall learn about that to which the Apostle John wrote, the Word of Life. 

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-- that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. - 1Jo 1:1-3 ESV 

This is personal to each one of us. I only wish I could say this to you face-to-face. I trust that if you have a pastor he will do what I cannot through this media. I trust that he will help you to know more and more about the fact that Jesus is now God speaking to you face-to-face and person-to-person. 

The Bible's Weird Worldview

We all dream, but most of the time we forget our dreams as soon as the day begins.  Isaac Watts' hymn "O God, Our Help In Ages Past" describes it well.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Soon bears us all away;
We fly forgotten as a dream
Dies at the op'ning day. 

There are, however, some dreams that keep coming back. We all know of them. In one of my recurring dreams I have left my college classes for the day and want to go home. However, to do that I must find my car. But I have no idea where I left it. It has to be somewhere around, but I cannot find it. The buildings are unfamiliar. The streets lead to places I've never seen before. And on top of that I don't even remember what kind of car I was driving. It is all very frightening and confusing until I awaken and realize it was just a dream.

Just a dream? I wonder. What does it mean? Is there a meaning to my dreams? And what about the people or creatures I encounter in those dreams?

Forget it, says our modern world. "Dreams represent a world of imagery in which our darkest fears, deepest secrets, and most passionate fantasies break out from the unconscious mind and only at this time become present to our own consciousness." 

Dreams certainly cannot amount to any encounter with a reality, a spirit world if you will, beyond that which I experience with my senses while I am awake. That cannot be, because there is no such world. The only reality is that which we can measure and approach through our rational minds. Yes, we humans have an unconscious mind, but it is still my mind. It is not my spirit or soul encountering another world beyond what we can see, feel, taste, touch and smell.

Or at least so it seems while we are awake. But then I read, for instance, this strange passage—one among many in the Bible—about the birth of Jesus.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. - Mat 1:18-25 ESV

"An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream . . ." What's this Angel? Messenger? In a dream? Prophets foretelling events 600 years before they happen? The Lord speaking? And then Joseph waking up and making a dramatic decision to go ahead with the marriage and take Mary into his home—in spite of the fact that she was carrying a baby that was not his! "For that which is conceived in her is from the (what?) Holy Spirit." What could that possibly mean? Virgin birth? Now you're really pushing things. And Joseph knew nothing about three persons and yet one God. God with us? In a baby? What could that possibly mean? And yet—and yet—he "did as the angel of the Lord commanded . . ." Weird or at best strange that a man would make such a momentous decision on the basis of a dream.

Oh boy, now this 21st century Christian is in trouble, because he has just encountered a way of thinking—or is it a reality?—quite different from the one dominating our culture. Does God send messages from the other side? Are there really angelic messengers? Do prophets really see into a future guided by the hand of God? And what about my dreams? Do angels—or demons for that matter—really come to me or at me when I'm dreaming? Should I be afraid or should I expect it? And how will I know for certain that it is not merely some of my "darkest fears, deepest secrets, and most passionate fantasies" breaking out from my unconscious mind to present themselves in the form of images and stories to my consciousness?

I think we need to spend some time pondering just how very different the Bible's worldview is from that dominating our 21st century scientific, rational world. Stay with me. We'll give it a shot in the next several postings.

There Are Prophets And Then There Are Prophets

In my last post we looked at the Bible's warnings about turning to mediums and psychics who predict the future and claim the ability to contact the dead. You may note that I did not deny their existence or their ability to deceive, especially since they are undoubtedly guided by what the Apostle John calls the spirit of the antichrist. That spirit is under the control of the prince of this world, the great deceiver, Satan (Luke 11:15-19; John 8:44; 12:31; Eph. 2:2).

You will also note that I listed a number of the members of God's kingdom with psychic abilities, from Jacob to the Apostle John. I called them psychic, not because they are "natural born" with such abilities, but because they were chosen by the LORD God to receive revelations in dreams and visions.We must, however, do some further sorting out, especially since the matter of the gift of prophecy has become a source of confusion and contention among us Christians. To help us in this matter I turn to the Apostle Paul's discussion in his first letter to the Corinthians.

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. - 1Cor 12:1-11 ESV

What does the Apostle refer to as he speaks about varieties of gifts, of service and of activities (vv. 4-6)?   The word for gift (charisma in Greek) means nothing more or less than simply gift. It does not refer to the so-called charismatic movement, often pushed today in various discussions of spiritual gifts. It is often used in a quite non-charismatic manner, for example, in the following:

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. - Rom 5:15 ESV  

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Rom 6:23 ESV 

I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. - 1Cor 7:7-8 ESV 

. . . you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift [granted] to us through many. - 2Cor 1:11 NKJV

 As the Apostle emphasizes in Romans 5:15, everything is given as God's gift, unearned, undeserved and unmerited. And gifts are just that, free. That's what grace (charis in Greek) means. Beginning with the salvation that Jesus Christ won upon the cross, God pours out His grace, enabling believers to acknowledge that Jesus is LORD (YHWH of the OT), Emmanuel, God with us. This is the working of the Holy Spirit who creates and empowers such faith.

That same Spirit gives to God's people a wide variety of gifts, abilities or ways of serving and diverse activities or powers. In many ways the Spirit is always manifested or revealed for the good of every member of the Body of Christ. So NT records the Spirit giving revelations or visions to certain men and women, also called prophets in the NT, as they were in the OT.

Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). - Acts 11:27-28 ESV  

While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'" - Acts 21:10-11 ESV

 These prophets differ from the Apostles and those who inherited the apostolic office from the original Apostles. The revelations of these prophets were sporadic, specific to the situation and for a particular time. This is also why Paul emphasizes the need for another gift, namely the ability to distinguish, sort out and discern whether these prophets are truly guided by the Holy Spirit or by another spirit not from God, for there were and always will be false prophets (Acts 13:6; Titus 1:12; Rev. 16:13, etc.).

I leave open the question of whether such prophets still exist within the Body of Christ. Does God still speak to certain people in dreams and visions, revealing specifics about what is to happen to certain persons or even to entire nations? Perhaps. None of us may tell the LORD what He can and cannot do. However!! in all of this we need those with gifts to discern and distinguish between what is from the Holy Spirit and what is from the spirit of the anti-Christ as John urges (1 John 4:1-3).

At another time I will carry on with this discussion about gifts and the so-called charismatic movement.

What About Natural-born Intuitive Psychics?

This week we're taking a careful, but brief, look at psychics and mediums, especially those folks that claim to be able to communicate with the dead.

As always, its best to start with a couple definitions. In general, a psychic claims to be extraordinarily sensitive to forces and influences beyond human senses. In some unexplained way he or she has this ability to see, feel or perceive spirits and events from the past, the future or from the beyond, in the realm of the dead or in the spirit world. Try a Google search and you will come up with dozens of sites by Dawn, Margaret, Dr. Loren, Jonathan, Georgia, etc. —all claiming natural-born, intuitive psychic powers. They simply have these powers and you are invited to hire them to do anything from contacting your deceased uncle to working with the police to discover who murdered Sam Jones. They'll even help you locate your lost dog.

What got me started was the article quoted in yesterday's blog about fake mediums. What I want to do today is to ask what Holy Scriptures have to say about these folks. Are there such people? Do some really have psychic powers? Is that what God's revelation says? The brief answer is yes, but we do need to do some sorting out.

Here's a brief, incomplete list of some of the prominent psychics in the Bible:

• Jacob - dreamed and beheld a flight of stairs reaching up to heaven (Gen. 28:11-22)
• Joseph - dreamed of future glory and interpreted others' dreams (Gen.37:5-11; 40:1-23; 41:15-37)
• Balaam the Diviner - saw the Angel of the LORD and Israel's glory (Num. 22:1-40; 23:1-25)
• Samuel, the Seer - guided Israel and chose her first kings (1 Samuel 9:15-10:20, etc.)
• Gad, one of David's Seers (1 Chr. 21:9-30) - Seers and prophets - I Sam. 9:9.
• Nathan, the Prophet (1 Kings 1:8-45) 
• Iddo, the Seer and visionary (2 Chr. 9:29)
• Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Amos, Micah, etc.
• Joseph, step-father of Jesus, was guided by his dreams (Matt. 1:20-25; 2:13-20). 
• Peter, the Apostle - had a vision of unclean food to eat (Acts 10:9-18)
• Paul, the Apostle - caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2-5)
• John, the Apostle - saw a vision on the Lord's Day (Rev. 1:10) 
• Prophets from Jerusalem - foretold a great world-wide famine (Acts 11:27-30)
• Philip the evangelist had four unmarried daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:9-10)
• Agabus the prophet from Judea - predicted Paul's imprisonment (Acts 21:10-12)

As you can see, there have always been men and women who saw the future, had visions from God, predicted disasters for nations and individuals, and interpreted dreams. There still are. What's the difference between them and those who turn their backs upon God's revealed Word to claim they have natural-born, intuitive psychic powers, some even claiming to be in contact with the dead? Here is guidance from the Word: 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. - 1Jo 4:1-3 ESV

As you can see, there are spirits and there are spirits. Some are from God and some are of the antichrist which is already in the world. What's this spirit of the antichrist? The reference to the antichrist is unique to John. Anyone in touch with, guided by or influenced by some spirit that does not confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus is the promised Messiah, God's Son come in human flesh to be Savior and Lord, is not from God! This one is led by the spirit of the antichrist. 

Ultimately, all such spirits are under the active influence of the prince of this present darkness, Satan or the devil. The Apostle Paul so teaches in his letter to the Thessalonians.

Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. - 2Th 2:3-12 ESV

It is for this reason that Moses warned all believers long ago to avoid all contact with such psychics and mediums. We do well to heed his warning. 

"Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God. - Lev 19:31 ESV

There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you. - Deut 18:10-12 ESV

More needs to be said about those prophets who do confess Jesus Christ. I'll take that up next time.