Dream or Vision
In many scriptural texts Prophets and Seers have often been recorded to have entered a dream like state that they refer to as having a 'Vision'. Is a 'Vision' the same as a Dream? What are the differences?
Just my personal opinion, but I would say, that if you were lying down, and had fallen asleep, and you dreamt something, that would be classed as having a dream.
On the other hand, if you were actually stood up, and awake one minute, but then went into a trance where your mind/thoughts were so deep, that you felt you were somewhere else/living through something else, then yes, I would say that you had a vision, that your eyes were open, and you had seen something visionary.
This is what I would interpret the difference between the two would be.
A dream occurs when you are lying down sleeping, as DianeC said. I think that a vision is any time that you see or experience something that has a significant meaning. Something that is given to you on purpose, that you couldn't see with your normal eyes. But I think that you can have a vision in dream form, or in other words, a dream can also be a vision if it fits the above discription. It has been my experience that most dreams are a result of what you've been doing or thinking about, etc, and if they have significance it is minor, whereas the significant dreams where information is passed on to you, or something of that sort, it is a vision in dream form. If that makes any sense.
I believe the difference between a dream and a vision is if it comes true or not. Most of the time I dream it's about something that is about to happen. Sometimes I have dream to entertain my mind. Most of all I don't dream that often anyways so I pay attention to them if I were you, they might be trying to tell you something.
When I was a teenager my Grandma died and it was very hard because it was the first time someone I loved had died. Several weeks after her death, I dreamed about her. In my dream, she was dead and came to me to comfort me. We talked and there was nothing about the dream that was weird, as there are in most dreams. The impression has never left me that this was a real visit from my Grandma. I knew it was a dream but felt it was more than that. I hesitate to call it a vision but think of it as more than a dream. I believe there are times when we can receive answers or direction or comfort from God through our dreams. Also, aren't there examples of prophets being given visions through their dreams? In my opinion, not all dreams are visions (of course), but it is possible for a dream to be a vision.
Name: Fred
Country:
Title: Dream vs Vision
Comments: When working as a staff member at a Boy Scout Camp in Lake Wales FL in 1987. The last Wednesday in July I had some difficulties- one boy sprayed insect repellant in another boy's eyes in anger, my staff of three teenagers didn't show up for work that night, chased an animal three times around the area before stopping as I thought the animal was too close to the boys plus I gave up my sleeping bag for an older person who had helped me the entire evening. I started shivering when I lied down on the bare ground and finally told myself this is stupid so I prayed to God and told him if I died please not consider it as a suicide.
Then all of a sudden I saw two angels carrying a bell between them followed by a woman doing the Mary Poppin's umbrella swing. When I saw two angles there was no memory if my eyes were open or closed. If they were open it was a vision. If they were closed it was an "hygenic dream" which just means a person starts dreaming as soon as they close their eyes. Usually dreams don't occur until about 1.5 hours after a person goes to sleep.