ABSTRACT
It was argued previously that the scope of the notion of biblical vision should be extended beyond the narrow understanding of prophets receiving divinely inspired visual imagery. This raises the question of what the various forms of visionary experiences share in common as the essence of biblical vision. The current chapter highlights two central aspects in this respect, one related to the general function of vision, the other to its specific purpose. It is proposed that visionary experiences in the Bible predominantly concern divine communication between the heavenly and the earthly realms, and that most of the divine messages have a purpose that can be understood as motivational in a broad sense. This being the case, the essence of biblical vision will be presented as constituting a major vehicle for God’s interventions in the course of the progressive transformation of humanity to be conformed in the image of Jesus.
