VISIONS COMPARED TO DREAMS
What is the Biblical difference between a vision and a dream? In the Hebrew language a vision has the meaning of something mentally seen; an actual appearance; a form. The Greek has a similar definition: an apparition; something actually gazed upon; an external inspired appearance (See page 66).
This means that visions usually take place in an awakened state, not when we're asleep.
It's like a direct illumination from God that breaks through and lets us see the spiritual realm around us. Of course we do not see everything of that realm, but only what the Lord chooses for us to see. It can be an appearance of Himself or an angel, or of some event happening around us that in the natural we can't perceive.
A dream on the other hand has subtle differences. The Hebrew defines them simply as a dream of the night season. In its verb form it's linked to the concept of health and strength. The Greek says a dream is something that appears or is seen in sleep.
Sometimes a dream is defined as a vision in sleep, making the distinction from a waking vision. In fact there are cases when people have been dreaming and then find themselves experiencing a vision within the dream itself! This explains the term a vision in sleep.
An important difference between a vision and a dream is that visions often, but not always, show us something that's actually happening around us at that precise moment, although we can't see it with our natural eyes. Dreams however seem to be generally for the “curing” of the soul, alerting us to things we've neglected but should rectify.
Visions give us a strategy to deal with the issue at hand. In the Bible angels were
often used for this purpose acting as messengers or “bringers” of the vision.
Note this example when an angel is used by the Lord to actually bring forth a vision for the prophet to receive even further revelation ( Zech. 5:5).
Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to me,<