Dreams and visions. They are very closely related. "And our old men will have dreams; and our young will have visions." (Joel 2:28) But these are dreams and visions in the metaphorical meaning of ideals and intellectual development.
Normal dreams occur when we are deeply sleeping. And everyone dreams; and we dream every time we are asleep. Many think they don't because 75 percent of dreams are forgotten as we wake up.
What is the difference between dreams and visions? To dream, everyone does, although only 25 percent remember to have dreamed. To have a vision, one must be self-trained to be in control of the dream, which will then become a lucid dream. The ancient Israelite Prophets were pretty good experts at it.
Visions are known as lucid dreams, and they occur during that period of transition between deep sleep and the awaken state. But they mostly happen during a slumber,
as we take a rest and can't fall asleep because of preoccupations about what has been happening to us or to our significant ones.
A classical example of the above, we have in Abraham, when soon after his circumcision, he tried to rest at the entrance of his tent under the shade of a large tree to take advantage of the fresh breeze in the heat of the day. (Gen. 18:1,2) He could not stop worrying about Sarah's barren condition vis-a-vis God's promise of a son. He would worry also about his nephew Lot in Sodom in the middle of corruption. Thus, he slumbered and had a lucid dream or vision, which he, almost involuntarily would control it into his understanding through his imaginations as how things would take a turn either this or that way. Then, he saw in his lucid dream/vision the Divine confirmation of the promise, and even Sarah laughing from her tent at the idea of giving birth to a child as the old woman that she was.
Then, in the same lucid dream/vision, he would change scenery as his imagination went from Sarah to Lot in Sodom. Then, he would dialog with Divine emanations in the human forms of messengers who would speak with him on behalf of God about His promised heir and about Sodom.
The same thing happened with Ezekiel, the Prophet when he was in Babylon at the end of the exile. He would worry about Israel and the eminent return. In his vision he would be lifted up in the air and transported to Israel, where what he would deal with, was so virtual that an uskilled reader would bet he was actually in Israel. (Ezek. 8:1) The truth is that he never actually left Babylon. It had been all in the lucidity of his imaginations.
The Prophets had rich imaginations which they would use during lucid dreams or visions in order to find solutions and sound advices to kings or people in charge of the Governments of nations. I am not ruling out here the Divine intervention, but through emanations in the minds of the Prophets or even in some of the common people.
Now, during dreams, lucid dreams or visions, everything is possible, even to see God and live. In fact, some Prophets thought they would die because of the intensity with which they would self-induce themselves into believing that they really had seen
God, when everything had occurred during a lucid dream or vision.
Of course, the imagination functions according to the mental or religious orientation
of the dreamer or visionary.
Now, I woud like to welcome any comments.
Ben
