What about dreams, visions, or prophecy today?
Question 1008
The question of dreams, visions, and prophecy today generates considerable confusion and division in the church. Does God still speak through these means? Should Christians expect or seek these experiences? The answer requires careful biblical thinking that avoids two dangerous extremes: rigidly denying God can work beyond our categories, or elevating subjective experiences above Scripture’s supreme authority.
Scripture’s Supreme Authority
We must begin with what Scripture says about itself and its role as our final authority. The writer to the Hebrews opens with this striking statement: “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” (Hebrews 1:1-2). Notice the contrast here—God’s speaking through the prophets was preparatory and partial. His speaking through the Son is final and complete. The Greek construction suggests a definitive, completed revelation. God has spoken fully in Jesus, whose life and teaching are now preserved for us in Scripture.
Paul writes to Timothy with similar clarity: “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, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If Scripture makes us complete and thoroughly equipped, it stands as our sufficient guide. The word “complete” here is ἄρτιος (artios), meaning perfectly fitted, lacking nothing necessary for the task.
Peter’s second letter reinforces this: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3). We have been given all things—everything necessary for life and godliness through the knowledge found in Scripture.
Most significantly, Revelation concludes with a solemn warning: “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19). Whilst this specifically applies to Revelation, it reflects the principle found throughout Scripture—God’s written Word is not to be tampered with (Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:6).
The Apostolic Foundation Has Been Laid
Paul describes the Church as “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). Foundations are laid once. You don’t keep adding foundation layers after the building is constructed. The apostles and prophets provided the foundational revelation upon which the Church is built—that foundation is Scripture, and it has been laid.
The apostles themselves understood their unique role. Paul writes, “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus” (Galatians 1:11-12). The apostles received direct revelation from Jesus with unique authority to establish the Church and provide its doctrinal foundation. Once that foundation was laid through their teaching, now preserved in Scripture, the need for that foundational level of revelation ceased.
When Jude urges believers to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), the phrase “once for all” is ἅπαξ (hapax)—meaning once and for all time, never to be repeated. The faith has been delivered completely in its foundational form. Nothing needs adding to the deposit of truth the apostles gave us.
This doesn’t mean someone today can’t be “sent out” in missionary service—apostolos simply means “sent one.” Missionaries are apostles in that general sense. But they don’t carry the unique authority of the Twelve or Paul, who laid the Church’s foundation and whose teaching became Scripture. That unique office has served its purpose.
Distinguishing Between Different Types of Communication
We need to carefully distinguish between categories here because confusion on this point causes much of the controversy and abuse we see today.
Special Revelation with Unique Authority
First, there’s special revelation with unique authority—the foundational, infallible communication of truth that becomes the standard for faith and practice. This is what we have in Scripture. The biblical prophets who spoke with “thus says the Lord” authority, the apostles who received revelation directly from Jesus—these provided special revelation that carries absolute authority. When they spoke God’s Word, people faced a life-or-death decision about obedience. This level of revelation is complete. We have it in Scripture, and Scripture alone carries this level of authority.
God’s Ongoing Work Through Gifts and Providence
Second, there’s God’s ongoing work through spiritual gifts and providential guidance. God absolutely continues to work in His people’s lives through the gifts He’s given to the Church. He may guide believers through impressions, circumstances, dreams, or prophetic insight. But—and this is absolutely crucial—none of these things carry the same authority as Scripture. They must all be tested by Scripture. They can never contradict Scripture. They don’t add to the deposit of faith. They’re subjective and fallible in a way that Scripture is not.
Think about it practically. When someone today says “God told me” or shares a prophetic word, what are they really claiming? If they’re claiming their words carry the same authority as Scripture—that would be extraordinarily dangerous and must be rejected outright. But if they’re saying they have an impression, a sense of God’s leading, or insight they believe comes from the Spirit, that’s different. It might be genuine. It needs testing. It must align with Scripture. It might also be their own thoughts, wishful thinking, or even spiritual deception masquerading as divine guidance.
The Continuing Work of the Spirit Through Gifts
Scripture is clear that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to believers for building up the Church. Paul writes extensively about this in 1 Corinthians 12-14, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4. These gifts include prophecy, words of wisdom, words of knowledge, discernment, and others. There’s no clear biblical statement that these gifts have ceased.
What we need to understand is what these gifts actually are and aren’t. When Paul discusses prophecy in 1 Corinthians 14, he’s talking about Spirit-enabled speaking forth of God’s truth for “upbuilding and encouragement and consolation” (1 Corinthians 14:3). This isn’t the same as the foundational prophetic office that gave us Scripture. It’s not adding to the canon. It’s applying biblical truth by the Spirit’s insight to specific situations.
Notice Paul’s instructions about prophecy: “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said” (1 Corinthians 14:29). The Greek word translated “weigh” is διακρίνω (diakrino)—meaning to judge, evaluate, discern. Prophetic words must be tested. This is completely different from the foundational prophets whose words became Scripture. You don’t “weigh” or “test” Scripture—Scripture is the standard by which you test everything else.
The same pattern continues throughout the New Testament. John writes, “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” (1 John 4:1). Paul tells the Thessalonians, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21). These instructions only make sense if prophecy continues but must be carefully evaluated.
God Can Still Speak—But Scripture Judges Everything
Here’s where we need both openness and discernment. God is sovereign. He can speak through burning bushes, donkeys, dreams, visions, or anything else He chooses. The question isn’t about God’s power or freedom—it’s about maintaining Scripture’s supreme authority whilst remaining open to how God works.
The testimony of God speaking through dreams, particularly in the Muslim world, is overwhelming and compelling. Countless Muslims have testified to dreaming of Jesus, seeing Him in visions, or receiving supernatural direction that led them to find Scripture and come to faith. These testimonies are too numerous and too consistent to dismiss. God is clearly at work, breaking into lives in remarkable ways.
We see this pattern even in Acts. Cornelius received a vision directing him to Peter (Acts 10:3-6). Paul had visions guiding his missionary strategy (Acts 16:9-10). Ananias received direction in a vision about going to Paul (Acts 9:10-16). God spoke through these means to guide His people and advance the gospel. There’s no biblical reason to think He’s stopped doing so.
However—and this is where we must exercise caution—every single one of those biblical examples was tested and confirmed by Scripture and other believers. Cornelius’s vision led to Peter, who preached the gospel from Scripture. Paul’s vision was confirmed by circumstances and aligned with his apostolic calling. Ananias’s vision was specific, verifiable, and aligned with God’s revealed purposes.
The problem today is that many people claim “God told me” about things that can’t be tested, don’t align with Scripture, or create dependence on the person rather than on God’s Word. When someone claims divine guidance that contradicts biblical wisdom, leads away from scriptural priorities, or can’t be verified, we have every right—indeed, an obligation—to be sceptical.
The Danger of “Thus Says the Lord”
Here’s where much of the charismatic and Pentecostal movement has gone dangerously wrong. When someone stands in a church service and declares “Thus says the Lord,” they’re claiming to speak with the same authority as the biblical prophets. That’s an extraordinarily serious claim.
In the Old Testament, if a prophet spoke in God’s name and what they said didn’t come to pass, they were false prophets—and under the Mosaic law, they were to be put to death (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). That’s how seriously God takes people falsely claiming to speak for Him. There was no concept of “partial” prophecy, “we’re still learning to hear God’s voice,” or “prophesying in part.” God’s Word was perfect, and His prophets spoke with absolute accuracy.
Yet today we see “prophets” making predictions that don’t come true, giving “words” that contradict each other, or sharing “revelations” that turn out to be wrong, and they simply explain it away. That’s not biblical prophecy. That’s presumption at best, and false prophecy at worst.
Paul never used “thus says the Lord” language in his letters, even though he was an apostle who received direct revelation. He distinguished between what he received directly from the Lord and his own apostolic judgement (1 Corinthians 7:10, 25, 40). If Paul exercised that kind of careful distinction, how much more should believers today who don’t have apostolic authority?
The phrase “thus says the Lord” should make us immediately cautious. It’s claiming divine authority. Unless someone can demonstrate they speak with the accuracy and authority of biblical prophets—which would require their words to be infallible, never wrong, and carrying binding authority—they have no business using that language.
What Scripture Actually Promises
Rather than promising constant dramatic revelations, Scripture promises something both more reliable and more practical—the indwelling Holy Spirit who illuminates the written Word and guides believers in applying it to their lives.
Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). How does the Spirit guide us into truth? Primarily by helping us understand and apply the Scripture He inspired. “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).
Paul writes, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The Spirit enables believers to understand Scripture and apply it wisely. This is His primary ministry in our lives—not giving us constant new revelations, but illuminating the revelation we already have.
When we talk about spiritual gifts like prophecy, wisdom, or knowledge today, we’re talking about the Spirit enabling believers to understand and apply Scripture in ways that minister to others. Someone might have prophetic insight—seeing how biblical truth applies to a specific situation in a way that brings conviction or encouragement. Someone might have a word of wisdom—seeing from Scripture what course of action honours God. Someone might have a word of knowledge—understanding biblical truth in a way that addresses a particular need.
These are genuine gifts. But they’re always subject to Scripture. They’re always fallible. They always need testing by the church community and evaluation against God’s Word.
The Problem of Spiritual Abuse and Excess
We must address this plainly because the damage is real. Much of what passes for Spirit-led activity in charismatic and Pentecostal circles is not from the Spirit at all. It’s emotionalism, manipulation, psychological pressure, or outright deception.
When church leaders claim special revelation to control people’s decisions, that’s spiritual abuse. When “prophets” create dependency by claiming people need their “word from God” to know what to do, that’s manipulation. When dramatic experiences are elevated above Scripture, that’s dangerous error. When people are told they lack faith if they question claimed revelations, that’s cult-like behaviour.
The fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Much of what we see in some charismatic circles produces the opposite—anxiety about whether you’re “hearing from God,” competition over who has the most dramatic experiences, pride in spiritual gifts, disorder in worship, and confusion about truth.
Paul dealt with exactly this problem in Corinth. The church was so focused on spiritual experiences and gifts that they’d lost sight of love, order, and sound doctrine. That’s why he writes the “love chapter” (1 Corinthians 13) right in the middle of his discussion of spiritual gifts. Without love, even genuine spiritual gifts become worthless noise.
The same Paul who says “do not despise prophecies” immediately adds “test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). The testing is just as important as being open to the Spirit’s work.
Practical Tests for Claims
So when someone claims to have received a dream, vision, or prophetic word, how do we test it? Scripture gives us clear criteria.
Does it perfectly align with Scripture? Not just “doesn’t technically contradict” but actually reinforces biblical truth and priorities? If it leads people away from Scripture, towards unbiblical behaviour, or to neglect clear biblical commands, reject it regardless of how supernatural it seems.
Does it glorify Jesus? The Spirit’s work is to point to Jesus, not to the person receiving the revelation. “When the Spirit of truth comes… he will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14). If a claimed revelation draws more attention to the person than to Jesus, that’s a red flag.
Does it produce humility or pride? Biblical encounters with God produced humility, even terror. Isaiah cried “Woe is me!” when he saw the Lord (Isaiah 6:5). Daniel was left without strength by his visions (Daniel 10:8). Yet today’s “prophets” often seem eager to share their latest “word from God” and build followings around themselves.
Can it be tested and verified? Biblical prophecies included specific, verifiable elements. When predictions don’t come to pass, when “words” are vague enough to be impossible to verify, when explanations are offered for why things didn’t happen as predicted, we should be deeply sceptical.
Does it create dependence on Scripture or on the person? If people keep needing to come back for “another word from God” rather than learning to study Scripture and hear from God through His Word, something’s seriously wrong. Genuine spiritual gifts should point people to Scripture and help them grow in biblical wisdom, not create dependency on the person with the “gift.”
Does it pass the test of the church community? Paul says prophecies should be weighed by others (1 Corinthians 14:29). Lone voices claiming special revelation that contradicts the wisdom of mature believers should be treated with caution. God works through His body, not just through individuals claiming special insight.
The Sufficiency and Supremacy of Scripture
Here’s the foundational principle that must govern everything else: Scripture is sufficient and supreme. This doesn’t mean God can’t speak in other ways. It means Scripture is our final authority, our complete guide, and the standard by which everything else is measured.
When Paul says Scripture makes us “thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17), he’s declaring Scripture’s sufficiency. We don’t need additional revelation to know how to live godly lives, make wise decisions, or understand God’s will for the vast majority of situations we face.
When Peter describes Scripture as “the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention” (2 Peter 1:19), he’s declaring Scripture’s supremacy. Peter had witnessed the Transfiguration—he’d seen Jesus glorified alongside Moses and Elijah. Yet he says Scripture is more reliable than even that experience. Let that sink in. Peter had an eyewitness experience of Jesus’ glory, and he still says Scripture is more certain.
This is the attitude we need. Yes, God can give dreams or visions. Yes, the Spirit works through gifts. Yes, God can speak through various means. But Scripture remains supreme. It’s the standard. It’s the test. It’s what we build our lives on.
Someone’s dream about converting to Jesus? Wonderful—let’s see if it leads them to Scripture and aligns with biblical truth about who Jesus is. Someone’s prophetic insight? Excellent—let’s test it against Scripture and see if it builds up the church in biblical ways. Someone’s claimed revelation? Let’s evaluate it thoroughly by God’s written Word.
What Should We Expect?
So what should believers today expect in terms of God’s guidance and work in our lives? We should absolutely expect God to be active. We should expect the Spirit to work through gifts in the church. We should expect God to guide us, answer prayer, and accomplish His purposes. We should remain open to however God chooses to work.
But we should expect all of this to centre on and submit to Scripture. We should expect God’s primary way of speaking to us to be through His Word as we read, study, and meditate on it. We should expect the Spirit to apply that Word to our hearts and circumstances. We should expect growth in wisdom and discernment as we become saturated in biblical truth.
We should expect God to work providentially—arranging circumstances, bringing people into our lives, opening and closing doors. We should expect Him to answer prayer faithfully according to His will. We should expect Him to give us wisdom when we ask (James 1:5), wisdom that comes from applying biblical truth to our situations.
If God chooses to work through a dream or vision, we should be open to that. If the Spirit gives prophetic insight or words of wisdom, we should receive them gratefully. But we should always test everything by Scripture, never elevate experience above God’s Word, and never create systems that make people dependent on claimed revelations rather than on Scripture itself.
The Example of Jesus’ Teaching
It’s important to recognise that Jesus spoke far more than what’s recorded in Scripture. John explicitly tells us, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25). Jesus taught for three years, and we have only a fraction of His words preserved.
Does this mean those unrecorded words weren’t God’s Word? Of course not. Everything Jesus said was absolutely true and authoritative. But God in His wisdom chose what needed to be preserved in Scripture for all generations. What we have in Scripture is exactly what God wanted preserved for His church for all time.
This same principle applies today. God can speak. When He does, it’s true and authoritative in that moment, for that situation. But it doesn’t carry the same level of authority as Scripture, doesn’t need to be preserved for all time, and must be tested by the written Word that has been given to the whole church.
The disciples heard Jesus teach many things that aren’t recorded. Yet when they wrote their letters to churches, they constantly pointed back to what was taught and written, not to all the other things Jesus might have said. They established Scripture as the permanent, authoritative standard.
Conclusion
Can God give someone a dream or vision today? Absolutely. Does the Spirit continue to work through spiritual gifts? Yes. Should we be open to however God chooses to guide and speak to His people? Certainly. The testimony of God’s work through dreams, visions, and prophetic insight—particularly in bringing Muslims to Jesus—is compelling evidence that God continues to work in these ways.
But—and this is crucial—Scripture must always remain supreme. Everything must be tested by God’s Word. Nothing can carry the authority that Scripture carries. The foundational revelation is complete. The apostolic and prophetic offices that established the church’s foundation have fulfilled their purpose. What we have now in Scripture is fully sufficient for life and godliness.
The danger is twofold. On one side, we can become so rigidly opposed to God working in any way beyond our categories that we quench the Spirit and miss His genuine work. On the other side, we can become so focused on experiences and claimed revelations that we effectively replace Scripture’s authority with subjective impressions.
The biblical balance is this: remain open to the Spirit’s work whilst keeping Scripture supreme. Test everything carefully. Be deeply suspicious of “thus says the Lord” claims. Reject any teaching or practice that creates dependence on anything other than Scripture. Build your life on God’s written Word, not on subjective experiences.
The people in Berea were commended because “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Even when Paul himself—an apostle who received direct revelation—preached to them, they tested his words against Scripture. That’s our model. Test everything by Scripture.
We have God’s Word. It’s complete, sufficient, and supremely authoritative. God may guide us through various means, but His Word remains our foundation, our standard, our final authority. Let’s build on that foundation, test everything by that standard, and submit to that authority whilst remaining open to however the Spirit works in our lives and in His church.
God has spoken fully in Jesus, whose revelation is preserved for us in Scripture. That’s not limiting God—that’s recognising that He’s given us exactly what we need, and that everything else must be measured by the perfect standard He’s provided.
“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21
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