Can You See in the Spirit? 11 Types of Visions that Prophetic Seers Encounter

James W. Goll

How do visions “happen”?

For me, they began as what I would call mental pictures. After I was filled with the Holy Spirit in 1972, I began receiving “flashes” of light—mental images or pictures that lasted a second or less. At the time I did not know that they were legitimate “visions.” I did not know what to call them. In those days, there were no seminars or conferences and very little writing or teaching on the subject of visions, let alone The Seer! Through a slow process of growth, I gradually learned that these mental “snapshots” were visual insights from the Holy Spirit. The more I grew and matured in the visionary arena, the more sustained the images became.

A mental “snapshot” is a good way to describe how visions can happen. Think of how an instant camera works. The shutter opens, allowing light to enter through the lens, imprinting on the film the image that is in front of the lens. The film develops “instantly” so the image can be viewed and analyzed. In a vision, “light” from the Lord enters the “lens” of our spiritual eyes and imprints an image on the “film” of our hearts and our minds. As the image “develops,” we gain a better understanding of what it means. Most visions are internal in nature. An image is ingrained in our memory, and we can take it out, look at it, and study it any time we need to.

Another way to explain in simple language how visions happen is to think of each believer in Christ as a house or temple. First Corinthians 6:19 says that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we have Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit living in us; He dwells inside our “houses.” Houses generally have windows that let in light. Our eyes are the windows of our soul. Sometimes Jesus, who lives in our houses, likes to look out of His windows and share with us what He sees. That is when a vision occurs—we see what Jesus sees when He looks out the windows of His house.

Whether we see it internally or externally, as if on a large projection screen, is not of primary importance. Our first priority is to be sensitive to the Spirit’s desire to let us see what He sees. Just look through the eyes of Jesus—He wants to share with you what He is seeing!

Supernatural visions are recorded throughout the Bible. Within the pages of the Scriptures we can identify at least 12 different types or levels of visionary supernatural experience. Let us examine each one briefly, moving progressively from the simplest to the most profound.

Spiritual Perception

I speak the things which I have seen with My Father (John 8:38a).

As the lowest level of supernatural vision, spiritual perception may or may not involve a literal “seeing.” Perception is not limited to the visual. Spiritual perception is the realm of knowing, of impression. In this type of vision, people may “see” something in their spirits, but their minds see no image. The Holy Spirit often reveals things to us by an unction or, to use a more familiar word, an anointing. Yet we may not be able to describe those things pictorially. Often, a hunch, a prompting, or a “gut feeling” we have is due to a perception in our inner self receiving nudges from the Holy Spirit.

Jesus walked by faith and always pleased His Father (see John 8:29). He discerned (saw) His Father’s acts and acted accordingly: “I speak the things which I have seen with My Father” (John 8:38a). He also knew (perceived the innermost heart of) all people:

But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man (John 2:24-25.)

It seems that in the life of Jesus, His spiritual eyes perceived things that His mind did not always visualize. Such spiritual perceptions could be the operation of the gift of a word of wisdom, word of knowledge, discerning of spirits, the gift of faith or even the gift of prophecy. Often, the higher the level of spiritual vision, the higher the dimension of spiritual sight that occurs. I, like you, want to follow Jesus’ example and “do what we see the Father doing.”

Pictorial Vision

If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream (Numbers 12:6b).

In a pictorial vision, an image is revealed and can be identified and described in terms of pictures. They are Holy Spirit visual aids! Symbols may or may not be involved. Often, the revelatory gifts come to us in the form of a pictorial vision that we see with our inner sight. However, a pictorial vision also may come in a picture superimposed over the subject. In other words, we might see two things at once: the main scene in the natural, with the object of the pictorial vision placed over or around it. I often see Scriptures written on people’s foreheads. This is a useful tool, as it depicts something they are deeply pondering, or serves as medicine from the Lord to help them in their current or future situation. I often have to look up the verse and read it to them. This level of vision begins to enter both the internal and external arenas.

For another example, when praying for the sick, one may “see” an image of a bodily organ, a bone, or another body part flash in his or her mind. This indicates what to pray for or leads to dialogue with the person being ministered to. A pictorial vision is the type that is manifested when a Christian is praying for an individual, and the Holy Spirit starts showing things in “snapshots.” This person may say, “The Lord is showing me…” or “I am seeing…” or “Does this picture mean anything to you?” This is because pictorial visions are presenting distinct pictures in his or her mind, and not only in the spirit, as is the case with spiritual perception.

Years ago, when I was pastoring a church in the Midwest, I “saw” an image of an inflamed stomach. I mentioned it from the platform, but no one came forth with that particular ailment. But I could not get away from the vision. After a little while, one woman in the group went downstairs to the nursery in the basement to relieve her daughter, who was tending the children’s nursery. When the young lady came up the stairs and through the back door of the sanctuary into the main meeting, a “knowing” went off on the inside of me. I knew she was the one. As it turned out, the daughter had an inflamed stomach, a pre-ulcerous condition. She came forward, and the power of the Holy Spirit came upon her, and the Lord healed her completely that night!

It all began while in worship with a momentary pictorial vision in my mind of the affected organ. That is very often how these visions work.

Panoramic Vision

I have also spoken to the prophets, and I gave numerous visions, and through the prophets I gave parables (Hosea 12:10).

A panoramic vision is one in which a person sees a pictorial vision, not in snapshot form, but in motion in his or her mind. This “motion picture” may last several seconds and may include words heard in the realm of the spirit.