The Biblical Truth about Dreams

The Biblical Truth about Dreams
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What do you do when you have a dream that you think God gave to you? How do you know if you should follow it or believe it to be from Him? Great questions. A friend of mine asked those of me recently. So I did some biblical research to determine how to answer her.

What Dreams Are and Are Not

Several years ago, I learned that the tendency to seek dream interpretation even among Christians is very popular today. A friend of mine shared with me her sister’s complete obsession with dreams, especially animals in dreams. So, I did some research on this topic.

Dreams are little more than the continued functioning of the mind during sleep. They do not tell your story. They can sometimes reflect recent thoughts, events, and scenes so that your mind creates scenarios based on fears, hopes, or desires. What I see on television may appear in a dream over the next week. Have you noticed that? As such, dreams are a perfectly normal function of the brain.

Dreams cannot be seen by another person. We cannot read minds. What the astrologers said in Daniel chapter 2 is absolutely true. Nebuchadnezzar demanded that they tell him the dream first then interpret it. Their response is this:

There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! … What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.” (Daniel 2:10-11)

Daniel responded to Nebuchadnezzar with the same truth:

The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?” Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” (Daniel 2:26-28)

Biblical Truth about Dreams

My friend’s concern about her sister led me to research the Bible for every incidence of dreams and their interpretations. It is clear that God spoke to people sometimes in dreams while sleeping and visions (called “waking dreams”). Examples are Joseph in Genesis 37, Solomon in 1 Kings 3, Joseph in Matthew 2, and Daniel in Daniel 2. For the purpose of this article, I am putting dreams and visions together in one category of dreams.

Here are five biblical truths I learned about dreams:

#1: Dreams in which God speaks to a person are always initiated by God not that person.

This is a key truth.

A few examples from Genesis in which God initiated a dream and spoke to a person are these: Abraham (Genesis 15—the promise); Jacob (Genesis 28—reinforcing the covenant); Laban (Genesis 31—speak carefully to Jacob); Jacob (Genesis 46—okay to go to Egypt). Notice that God spoke to pagan kings as well in dreams: Abimelech (Genesis 20—release Sarah). All of these took place before the Old Testament Scriptures were written.

New Testament examples: Joseph (Matthew 1 and 2—angel of the Lord said to marry Mary, go to Egypt, when to return); Peter (Acts 10—God spoke to Peter); Paul (Acts18, 22, 23—what to do next); Ananias (Acts 9—message for Paul); John (Revelation 1—writing what he sees).

Looking at the dreams recorded in the New Testament, God initiated them, not the recipient. God still initiates dreams today in many closed countries, always directing the person to trust in Jesus. We can ask for God to give an unbeliever a dream that reveals Himself in it. But we cannot expect or demand it.

#2: Only God can reveal the meaning of any dream that He initiates.

Sometimes, God gave a dream to someone but did not speak to that person directly. Instead, one of God’s faithful interpreted the dream for the recipient. In Daniel chapter 2, Daniel asked God to reveal the dream that God had already initiated to Nebuchadnezzar. That happened again in Daniel chapter 4. God answered by revealing the meanings of both dreams.

The same thing had already happened with Joseph and Pharaoh in Genesis 41. Joseph told Pharaoh that only God can reveal the interpretation.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” (Genesis 41:15-16)

God revealed to Joseph the meaning of the dream. Joseph revealed that to Pharaoh.

#3: Dreams from God will always encourage complete obedience to God.

In Deuteronomy 13, Moses relays God’s rules about the validity of dreams.

If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.  It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 13:1-5)

Whether or not the dream comes true, if the interpreter leads people away from sole reliance on God, do not follow. That is stimulating rebellion against the Lord.

Jeremiah chapter 27 describes Jewish “dreamers” in Babylon who were false prophets declaring that the Jews were not to serve the king of Babylon and that the temple treasures would be soon returned to Jerusalem. This was prophesying a quick return of the people to their homeland. But the Bible teaches that any dream, vision, or prophecy that does not stress obedience to God is not from God. God told the people not to listen to those “dreamers” (Jeremiah 9:8-9). God placed the Jews in Babylon, and He would come for them when it was time for them to go home. The Jewish dreamers were deluded into thinking their dreams meant something, yet what they declared was in direct opposition to God’s will.

That shows that visions and prophecies can be self-generated and become spiritual substitutes for God.

Read the blog, “Flee the Spiritual Substitutes Infection.”

#4: Dreams from God will never dethrone Christ from being absolute Lord of your life.

This is the most important thing to remember. Whatever God reveals to someone in a dream will agree completely with what He has already revealed in His Word. Anything that does not exalt Christ as Lord of your life over anything else, including your dreams, is not from God. Stay away from it!

Read the blog, “Stop the “Jesus Is Not Lord over All” Infection.”

#5: Deceived people will dream deluded dreams.

As I mentioned earlier, Jewish “dreamers” declared themselves prophets because of their “dreams.” God tells the Jews in Jeremiah 23:

“I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? (Jeremiah 23:25-26)

That is what is happening in the supposedly Christian dream interpretation movement.

Don’t get caught up in this delusion! It is not from God because it takes your focus off of Christ and puts it on something else to meet your spiritual need. That is what happened to my friend’s sister. It is very sad.

We as believers in God need to be discerning about what we read and hear. That means we need to know the truth of God’s word to help us discern false teaching. And that includes dream interpretation.

What If You Think You Had a Dream from God?

So what if you had a dream and think it was a message from God? Check it against the 5 truths I mentioned above.

I found this wise note on the website gotquestions.org. It is a great source to ask questions about the Bible.

If you have a dream and feel that perhaps God gave it to you, prayerfully examine the Word of God and make sure your dream is in agreement with Scripture. If it is, prayerfully consider what God would have you do in response to your dream (James 1:5). In Scripture, whenever anyone experienced a dream from God, God always made the meaning of the dream clear, whether directly to the person, through an angel, or through another messenger (Genesis 40:5–11; Daniel 2:45; 4:19). When God speaks to us, He makes sure His message is clearly understood. (“Christian Dream Interpretation?” gotquestions.org.)

That is truth, my friend. But we need to be willing to listen.

Ai was not used to generate this post.

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