Topical Bible: Visions: Often Communicated in a Trance

◄ Visions: Often Communicated in a Trance ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical narrative, visions are a significant means by which God communicates with His people, often occurring in a state of trance. These divine revelations serve as a conduit for prophetic messages, guidance, and the unveiling of divine mysteries. The phenomenon of visions in a trance is well-documented throughout both the Old and New Testaments, illustrating the profound ways in which God interacts with humanity.

Old Testament Instances

One of the earliest examples of a vision occurring in a trance is found in the account of Abram. In Genesis 15:12, as Abram falls into a deep sleep, a "thick and dreadful darkness" comes over him, and God reveals His covenant with Abram, promising him numerous descendants and the land of Canaan. This experience underscores the solemnity and divine origin of the vision.

The prophet Ezekiel also experienced visions in a trance-like state. In Ezekiel 1:1, he describes the heavens opening and seeing "visions of God" while he was among the exiles by the Kebar River. These visions, filled with vivid imagery and symbolic acts, conveyed God's messages to the Israelites during their Babylonian captivity.

New Testament Instances

In the New Testament, the apostle Peter's vision in Acts 10 is a pivotal moment in the early Church. While praying on the rooftop, Peter falls into a trance and sees a sheet descending from heaven, filled with all kinds of animals. A voice instructs him to "kill and eat," challenging Jewish dietary laws. This vision, repeated three times, prepares Peter to accept Gentiles into the Christian community, as he later understands its meaning when he meets Cornelius, a Roman centurion.

Similarly, the apostle Paul recounts his own experience of visions and revelations from the Lord. In 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Paul speaks of being "caught up to the third heaven" and hearing "inexpressible things" that he is not permitted to tell. This experience, though not explicitly described as a trance, suggests a state of spiritual ecstasy or altered consciousness.

Characteristics and Purpose

Visions in a trance often involve a temporary suspension of normal sensory perception, allowing the recipient to perceive spiritual realities. These experiences are characterized by vivid imagery, symbolic elements, and a clear divine message. The purpose of such visions is multifaceted: they serve to reveal God's will, provide guidance, offer comfort, and sometimes deliver warnings or judgments.

The biblical accounts of visions in a trance highlight the sovereignty of God in choosing the time, place, and manner of His revelations. They also emphasize the importance of discernment and obedience in responding to these divine communications. As seen in the lives of biblical figures, visions can lead to significant shifts in understanding and action, aligning the recipients more closely with God's purposes.

Conclusion

The phenomenon of visions communicated in a trance is a testament to the dynamic and interactive relationship between God and His people. Through these extraordinary experiences, God imparts wisdom, direction, and insight, shaping the course of biblical history and the lives of those who receive His revelations.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 24:16
He has said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Acts 11:5
I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Other Graces Bestowed on the Saint. The Promises of Our Lord to ...
... His great love for me, said to me very often: "Thou art Mine ... I communicated, and
remained during Mass. ... as I said just now, [14] whether these visions came from ...
/.../teresa/the life of st teresa of jesus/chapter xxxix other graces bestowed.htm

Christ's Birth
... They always wrote down what they saw and communicated it to ... these, for it lies beside
the sea, which often overflows. ... In the course of her visions of Christmas ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/xi christs birth.htm

The Foundation of the Monastery Hindered. Our Lord Consoles the ...
... the obedience I owed my confessor, he communicated with my ... that he was there, as
in the visions of which ... could never have a doubt"though I often tried"that ...
/.../teresa/the life of st teresa of jesus/chapter xxxiii the foundation of.htm

Introduction
... seen in this treatise how she communicated with our ... As often as I read the books
of the holy ... Such phenomena as revelations, visions, locutions, and even more ...
/.../teresa/the interior castle or the mansions/introduction.htm

Acts XI
... enlightened by a combination of facts, visions, and words ... upon even their hearts
was mediate, through ideas communicated. ... the Lord." It is not often that Luke ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts xi.htm

The Ascension of Isaiah.
... of the Beloved which had been communicated to him in ... make it desolate and all its
visions, and shall ... We are often confronted with expressions which are plainly ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the ascension of isaiah.htm

Humbly Inscribed to his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, one of his ...
... O Death! I stretch my view: what visions rise! What triumphs! ... How often call'd! and
with the voice of God! ... Then into transport starting from her trance, 740. ...
/.../young/youngs night thoughts/humbly inscribed to his grace.htm