How to Interpret Dreams and Visions Perry Stone

within a wheel” (vv. 1–28). These are called “open visions,” since they occur when the visionary is fully alert, awake, and aware of his physical surroundings. Most scholars would agree that this is the highest form of ecstatic revelation. The prophets were living on a higher dimension of holiness and sanctity, which enabled them to move from speaking to their fellow men to immediately being carried away in the Spirit into the mystical realm of the cosmic heavens and the throne of God. The next dimension of visions is when the prophets were asleep, and they received an open vision in the night: In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.” —D ANIEL 7:1–3 At times it may be difficult to distinguish between a dream and a vision. These revelations of the four beast empires occurred while the prophet was asleep, in a dream stage, and yet is seen in his vision. He is asleep and yet seems awake at the same time. These dreams/ visions occur when a person is sleeping. The fourth type of vision is the unfolding of spiritual insight that emerges within the mind while a person is completely awake. This is more common, and often a person may not