God’s Vision Has an Appointed Time
by Kory Gordon
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible repeatedly speaks of dreams and visions as communication between God and man. When I read these verses, one of my encounters comes to mind.
It happened when I was 19 years old, in a small county jail in South Georgia. While there, I had a powerful dream. I saw myself in that exact jail cell, wearing the same orange jumpsuit. Except in my dream, I was dead on the floor.
Suddenly, the cell door swung open, and a bright light shone in. I was lifted off the floor and carried out into the bright hallway. When I looked down, I wasn’t wearing a jumpsuit anymore. Instead, I wore a military uniform, and medals of honor covered my chest.
I could feel the tangible presence of God nudging me, compelling me to walk forward down the jail hallway. As I did, every cell door swung open and dead men stepped out of their cells. God transformed each one into beams of light.
When I got to the end of the hall, I heard a voice from heaven that said, “I have given you the ministry of John the Baptist.” It is a ministry of leading people to repentance in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I had this dream in 2002. At the time, my life was very dark. OxyContin and Xanax had buried me in addiction. Yet even then, I knew that God was behind the vision. He was showing me how and where He would intervene in my life long before it would come to pass.
Twelve years later, on March 7, 2014, this vision began to unfold in the Pinellas County jail. At the time, I was a dead man, walking in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1–2). But then, God’s glorious light flooded my dark world, and His love lifted me out of the place where I had fallen. He removed my graveclothes and dressed me in His robes of righteousness. And some day I will receive rewards in heaven.
It’s been 8 years since the Lord drew me into His love. Today, I am a free man. Earlier this year, while touring prisons with Victorious Living, I saw more of God’s vision unfold. There I was, standing before other inmates, telling them of the goodness of God. Men rushed to the altar to repent of their sin, all of them desperate for Jesus. There were those dead men, coming to life as the Light of the World overcame their darkness.
While on tour, I was given the opportunity to enter a dorm and invite men to our service. I had served 11 years in Florida’s DOC, and not once did I ever see a former inmate gain access to the dorms. Yet there I was, running with the vision that God had shown me. As they filed into our service, I knew that God had carried out His will for my life.
I can’t help but relate to Joseph. (See Genesis 37–50.) God gave him a vision revealing his future, yet for many years, his circumstances looked bleak, just like mine. But that didn’t mean God’s dream was void. His visions for our lives are for an appointed time.
Habakkuk 2:3 says, “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay” (NIV). Sometimes, it takes many years for His vision to come to pass.
Friend, if you have received a spiritual dream, vision, or promise from God, trust Him to bring it to fruition. In our eyes, He might seem to procrastinate, but His timing and understanding of the situation are perfect. Stand firm in your faith and wait patiently for Him. God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours. He is always right on time.
KORY GORDON spent 11 years in incarceration, where he gave his life to Christ. He is now an evangelist, sharing the Good News that set him free. In 2021, he founded Damascus Road, a nonprofit residential discipleship program battling addiction, recidivism, and homelessness. Email damascusroad2021@gmail.com for more info.
