I Had a Vision from God – What Does This Mean?

That’s just an attention-grabbing title. I absolutely DID NOT have a vision from God. But, I spoke with a person who claims just that. Not only that they had a vision. But, that the vision exposed Jesus’ will for Christians. Furthermore, they were to share with revelation with everybody.

Now, you might wonder what this matters to us. It is a direct concern for Christianity in our constant plight to seek only truth and purge error. The summary, rule, and norm of the Christian faith is the Holy Scriptures. Everything we believe teach and confess flows from that. The bible is also the cornerstone upon which heresy is dashed to pieces.

You may recall a story from a brother or sister in Christ, who had a positive, christianish supernatural experience. Maybe they felt the passing of the presence of a loved one, who had just died miles away. Perhaps, there was a vision of an angel. Or, they may have had a near-death experience seeing deceased loved-ones and Jesus. These dreams or visions have internally consistent proofs.

The loved ones look and speak like themselves. The angels are warm and loving. The Jesus just looks perfectly peaceful. They appear in a lighted scene, surrounded by light, clouds, or unidentified people.

The errors abound. Grandma and Grandpa in a loving embrace in a place where “they neither marry nor are given away in marriage.” (Mark 12:25) The appearance of angels that aren’t terrifying like all of the ones in the scriptures. A Jesus recognizable by His warmth or something, instead of His wounds. (John 20:24-29)

When pressed, the vision/dream reporters will say some thing like, “I just knew.” Or, “I felt this over whelming peace.” Or, “I knew it was Him when he spoke.” All the proofs are internal. The technical term for this is “self-referential.” You cannot refute a truth that doesn’t have an external proof or source. My feelings, sensations, or internally secret knowledge are above reproach.

What’s the harm? You might ask. I pray there is none. And, I’m quick to give this option. It was the pious imagination of a Christian expecting to see good things. The good things aren’t right in your imagination. But, no harm, no foul, ja? I recently had an interaction of a darker sort with a person. Their identity will remain hidden to conceal their sin.

The person said, “My being in the presence of the LORD happened [in a near death event], and Jesus Christ was in front of me, with arms outstretched, face aglow with love, welcoming me. The scene was like the garden of Gethsemane and the tree branches formed a tunnel; I experienced a peace beyond words. Jesus was emanating a soft, warm glow … People I knew were there, and some I didn’t, and they were so content, just standing together, waiting I suppose for the new Earth.”

This has many of the hallmarks of a vision/dream as we’ve heard before. The warmth, the glow, the people, the tranquil scene, and the sense of peace. So far this isn’t horribly bad. It’s prob’ly untrue. But, there’s no harm just yet.

Buckle up, buttercup! The person next said, “Jesus was emanating a soft, warm glow and without moving his lips, I received kind of a blast of information, and I also got a glimpse of Heaven. People I knew were there, and some I didn’t, and they were so content, just standing together, waiting I suppose for the new Earth. In the midst of them was my [gay uncle, who] loved the LORD.”

Now, we’re entering the danger zone. This unscarred “jesus” speaks without words. He’s delivering secret knowledge. Put your Christian ear protection on quickly in these situations. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Nothing in the scriptures is wrong, outmoded, or abrogated.

“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.” (1 John 4:1-3) Everything claiming Christianity must agree with the Word of God and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior.

“And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22) Be on guard, test visions, dreams, or prophecies with the scriptures.

Any claimed Jesus or angel will never speak against the revealed Word. If this “jesus” doesn’t look like the revealed Jesus, bearing the marks of your salvation by which He’s know, be on guard. If this “jesus” disagrees with the actual Jesus, beware.

The person then said, “The first thing Jesus Christ said was ‘you don’t have to be perfect’, and that He isn’t concerned about sexuality; He accepts those who know Him as their LORD and Savior and his concern is about self righteousness , and the lack of love we have for one another.” Is this consistent with what Jesus actually said? No, it’s not.

Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” You do have to be perfect, if you expect to earn salvation. Jesus was perfect, without sin or error. Ministering to sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes, He forgave their sin. And He told them to “sin no more.”

St. Paul also teaches in the Word of God at the end of his lengthy diatribe about salvation by faith not works, “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” (Romans 3:31)

This person specifically attacked Leviticus for condemning homosexuality, which is true. It’s is God’s Word and it does. But, does the New Testament speak that way too? Let’s test the spirits. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) Homosexuality is specifically included in the list of vices from which Christians must flee.

St. Paul also teaches in the Word of God according to 1 Timothy 1:8-11 “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.”

When, not if, we transgress the Law, we remain in need of forgiveness and the command “Go and Sin no more.” Love can never embrace or encourage sin of any sort. Homosexuality is absolutely included here. In forgiveness, we are to turn away from it like all other sin and vice.

The person finally said, “After being in His presence on another occasion, I was compelled to somehow get that message, which isn’t some new revelation, across to those around me, including the LCMS.” This wasn’t pious imagination. This certainly wasn’t Jesus speaking. This man was likely visited by a demon. I can say this because the demon’s words are consistent with the Devil’s temptation in the garden. “[The Serpent/Satan] said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’’?” (Genesis 3:1) If your vision disagrees with scripture, it is false. This one does. And, it is false.

But, it sounded “right” from the start. That’s true danger, dear Christians. Looking for a revelation from God apart from His revealed Word invites all manner of evil into our hearts and minds.

Now, some visons or dreams may be true. German Lutheran pastors have been reporting Muslims coming to them because of Jesus’ instruction them in dreams. Now, these dreams are reported to be troubling and frightening. In the dreams, Jesus tells them to go to a certain place at a certain time and speak to a certain priest. In hesitant fear, the people comply, learning about the true Jesus, and converting to Christianity.

That conversion can be a death sentence. The difference here is that the dream leads directly to the external truth. The Jesus in these dreams tells the dreamers to go to where they will learn of Him. No secrets or hidden truths are given; just a command: go and hear.

In many and various ways, God spoke to his people of old by the prophets.

But now in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son. (Hebrews 1:1-2a; LSB 238)

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Sole Pastor
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX
And
Mission Planting Pastoral team
Epiphany Lutheran Church, Bastrop, TX