Solomon 1 Kings 3:5-15 L.
Promise Requested a hearing heart
12.
Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 2:31-35 M.
Future Events Forgot dream (see Dan. 2:5)
13.
Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4:10-18 M.
Warning Judgment for pridea" seven years; G.o.d rules and gives to whomever He wills
14.
Daniel Dan. 7:1-14 M.
Future Events Wrote the dream (see Dan. 7:1)
15.
Joseph Matt. 1:20-23 L.
Directive To marry Mary
16.
Wise Men Matt. 2:12 M.
Directive Warning about Herod"s jealousy and to return home another way
17.
Joseph Matt. 2:13 L.
Directive Angel warns about Herod"s attempt to kill Jesus and directs to Egypt
18.
Joseph Matt. 2:19-20 L.
Directive Angel directs to Israel
19.
Joseph Matt. 2:22 L.
Directive Warning to go into Galilee
20.
Pilate"s Wife Matt. 27:19 M.
Warning Warned of suffering because of their part in judgment of Jesus *M/L = Metaphor or literal dream, Table B Metaphor or Literal It is imperative to recognize that the vast majority of dreams are metaphors. They come as parables, riddles, and puzzles to be decoded. Of the 20 dreams recorded in Scripture, 12 of them are symbolic in nature. That is, 60 percent are metaphors, compared with 40 percent that are literal (see Table B above). Literal dreams do not require interpretation because they do not consist of symbolic images. In our experience, the percentage of parable-type dreams is higher today than that of Scripture. This is probably because the Holy Spirit has been poured out and the Bible is more readily available.
As the majority of dreams come as parables, a very common mistake is to disregard such dreams because they utilize elements of something to which we have recently been exposed. Say, for example, I find a bee floating in the dishwater in the kitchen sink, and that night I dream about a swarm of bees. If I wake and say to myself, "I had that dream because of that bee in the sink last night" and then dismiss it as nonsense, I have missed G.o.d"s voice. This is because G.o.d takes the opportunity to use the images to which we have been freshly exposed to give us new perspectives on our spiritual walk. Just as Jesus related to fishermen with net casting (see Matt. 4:19), to farmers with seed sowing (see Matt. 13:1-9), and to a strongly relational society with scenes of marriage (see Matt. 22:37-39), so the Holy Spirit loves to use images fresh in our memories, often throwing in abstract elements and people we know to convey truth.
I experienced one such dream after watching a war movie with my wife. That night I had the following dream, A foreign army was invading, and I saw them at the base of a huge rock that went down into the sea. I and others were positioned somewhere higher on the rock looking down at their landing. I ran to get rifles and ammunition to shoot at them. To do so, I had to crawl through the entrance of a narrow sandy cave about one foot high. There was something like a dozen orange candles on the base of this sandy entrance which led down deeper into the cave where it opened up. The candles were all at different stages of dying out. The majority were just wax mounds where once there had stood a candle. At this point in the dream, I had the revelation that this was only a dream, and yet the scene was so vivid and real I could practically smell the wax and the cool sand. Down beyond the entrance were two of my compatriotsa"one male, one female. The entrance was so narrow I thought that the roof could collapse on me at any minute and I would die here. I realized that it did not matter if I died here because if I didn"t get through, I would die anyway when the enemy overran the place. I realized that I must not give up and that there was something greater at stake here. I made my way through the narrow entrance and down into the cave where the male person (who reminded me of actor Mel Gibson) took me through a different exit to a powerful dune buggy-type vehicle, and we went to get the arms we were after.
In the next scene we had the arms (rifles and ammunition) and were on our way back, and I was conscious that the enemy were infiltrating.
Mel showed me on a plan how he had worked out to get us back to the hotspot. He, as the driver, was going to jump the car onto the roof of a fortress-type structure and again jump it onto the top of a wall that ran toward where we needed to go. It looked pretty spectacular and exciting, but I was confident in his ability to get us to the hotspot. I was also aware that we would be shot at on the way.
My natural man was saying, "What a ridiculous dream!" Yet, here is its interpretation.
The invasion speaks of a subtle, evil plan of the enemy (see Gen. 3:1; Acts 13:10). I have nothing against foreigners; the Spirit of G.o.d is just using them as a parallel from the past to show a deeper spiritual truth today. Their invasion speaks about the infiltration and subtle influence of technology leading the Church away and captive (addicted) to entertainment. The cave speaks about the Church hiding. This is the female deep in the cave. The narrow sandy entrance says two things. First, that the way is going to be under pressure (see Matt. 7:13-14). Second, it says that we, the Church, are toying with the Word of G.o.d. The orange candles are a warning about the state of the Church and its fading apostolic mandate (see Matt. 28:19; Luke 11:33; Acts 1:8). For the most part, the Western Church is being drawn into a flesh-comforting, entertainment-rich lifestyle. As a consequence, we have become spectators expecting people to come to us instead of going out and carrying the message we have been given.
The fear of death I experienced on crawling through this narrow opening represents the fear of ridicule I feel I will experience for sharing this revelation. The realization that something greater is at stake says that I will proceed with this because I realize if I don"t, the Church is in jeopardy. The awareness that what I was experiencing was a dream, and yet it appeared so real, says that even though it was just a dream, it is a certain spiritual reality.
Mel means, "chief" (see Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 5:4), and therefore, Mel Gibson in this dream represents Jesus Christ, who has been taken into hiding by the Church (the female). The dune buggy symbolizes a powerful ministry driven by Jesus Christ who will carry this message onto a preaching platform (see Matt. 10:27) and over the obstacles and barriers (walls) that would otherwise prevent it. The rifles are willing hearts (launching pads) for words, and the munitions are those words. Being shot at speaks of "friendly-fire" from people within the Church for carrying this message.
Is the Western Church being lulled into a false security? (See Revelation 3:17-18.) Have we gradually become spectators of the Gospel instead of bearers of its life-giving message? Are we worshipping G.o.d or the riffs and melodies of the music we have created to do so? Don"t misunderstand what I am saying; I am not saying we should get rid of all electronic devices, but that we should all examine our hearts to make sure that it is indeed G.o.d we are worshipping. If these questions and issues raise concerns within us, then it is evident that we need a new level of sensitivity to the Spirit of G.o.d and His Word, especially as they come to us in dreams.
G.o.d is waiting for the Church to reawaken spiritual sensitivity so that He can give the world dreams for Him to interpret through us, dreams that will confirm His reality. There is, therefore, a need for a "School of the Prophets" in which to grow and develop that spiritual sensitivity. Sadly, without a prophetic edge, we continually revert to the systems of people to build the Church.
Now, back to the dream. Does it sound weird? I think it does! But perhaps it is no weirder than seven emaciated cows coming up out of a river and eating seven fat cows (see Gen. 41:10) or a man"s heart being ripped out and being replaced by an animal"s heart (see Dan. 4:16). What does the Spirit of G.o.d tell you about it? Does He say, "Too much pizza!" or "There"s truth in these words." So many dreams that the Holy Spirit has allowed Adam (my co-author) and I to interpret are introduced to us by people saying, "I had a really weird dream. . .." Don"t disregard any dream, no matter how bizarre. It is G.o.d speaking to you. (An explanation of the metaphors used to interpret this dream is found in the dream and vision sample section of this book. See dream 53.) Speaking again in general, about symbolic or metaphoric dreams, a few years ago, I dreamed that I saw one of my daughters was taken by a great white shark. At the time, the image put a fear in me that my child would be taken while at a family outing to the beach. Today I would know that this type of dream is more likely to be a warning from G.o.d of a predatory person. This is a warning to be vigilant in the area of childhood a.s.sociations and friendships. If my daughter were older, it could be a warning of s.e.xual, financial, or contractual predatory behavior.
As the majority of our dreams are metaphors, they are more likely to convey a spiritual parallel. A bush fire is more likely to indicate judgment, and a car accident is probably a warning of a potential family, ministry, or business mishap. At this point, however, it is really important to see that a potential spiritual catastrophe should be treated with the same urgency that its physical counterpart would be treated with. This is because the spiritual well-being of a person, city, or nation is more important than their physical welfare (see Matt. 16:26). The reason I say that is because we are talking about the contrast of a brief physical life compared to eternity. And there is no comparison.
Context Just as it is important to consider the context of Scripture when putting meaning to it, so it is equally true that dreams need to be interpreted with consideration for the environment in which they occur. I will occasionally get phone calls or SMS messages asking for the meaning of one element of a dream. Unfortunately, without the rest of the dream and a measure of understanding of the circ.u.mstances surrounding the dreamer, an accurate picture is unlikely.
Let"s consider a Biblical example. Suppose we are considering the meaning of a particular character in a Scripture, let"s say, Jacob. When Jacob is on his way back into Canaan, just before he meets his brother Esau, he has an encounter with G.o.d at Peniel (see Gen. 32:22-32). G.o.d wrestles with Jacob to get a confession from, and a revelation to, him. A pivotal point comes in this encounter and is recorded in this way, "So He said to him, *What is your name?" He said, *Jacob. " And He said, *Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. . ." " (Gen. 32:27-28a).
Jacob has to come to understand who he is. His name literally means "Grabber, swindler, or supplanter"; it describes someone who is only out for himself. This picture is confirmed in Scripture as he steals both the birthright and the blessing from his brother Esau. It continues as we see him working as hard as he can to cheat a bigger swindler, Laban, when Laban"s flocks are conceiving (see Gen. 30:37-42).
Now if it was G.o.d with whom Jacob was wrestling, why did G.o.d ask him his name? Surely He already knew! He asked him his name so that Jacob would make a confession and receive a revelation. This is the same confession you and I need to make to come to G.o.d. We first need to see ourselves as sinners. Sin has its root in selfishness, so sins are the things we do without consideration of others (see Isa. 53:6). In saying his name, Jacob says, "I"m out only for myself!" After that confession, G.o.d through His grace says, you shall no longer be called "Swindler," but "Israel," which means "a Prince with G.o.d." Jacob is a picture of the fleshly persona"the old selfa"who is only out for himself despite any self-righteous acts he may perform. When G.o.d said he will be called Israel, G.o.d was calling him to live according to the spiritual person. From this point on, whenever we see Jacob and Israel mentioned, Jacob represents the fleshly person in action, and Israel the spiritual person.
We see this in the very next chapter of Genesis after Jacob has met his brother Esau. He agrees to meet his brother at Mount Seir, but because of feara"the fleshly person in operationa"he goes in a totally different direction and finds himself at Shechem (see Gen. 33:14-18). This is where his daughter Dinah gets raped (see Gen. 34:2). G.o.d has to remind him that his name is Israel and no longer Jacob (see Gen. 35:10). We might think this would clinch it for him, but no, we find Jacob still in there wanting to run the show, but losing the battle against the spiritual person right up until his death in chapter 49 of Genesis. The study of the use of the two names through these chapters is worth investing an hour or two.
With that insight, we might think that every time we see Jacob (and its derivatives, James, Jamie, Jackie, Jake) in the Word (Scripture and dreams), we are seeing the fleshly person. However, this is not always the case. It is true when we see Jacob and Israel together, but when the name Jacob appears with Esau, then it is a different matter. Compared to Esau, Jacob is the spiritual person and Esau the fleshly person. This truth is what is behind the following Scripture, "As it is written, *Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated" " (Rom. 9:13; see also Obad. 1:18; Mal. 1:2-3) Just as the meaning of Jacob is dependent on who he is mentioned with in Scripture, so the meaning of an element of a dream is dependent on its surroundings. The principle of considering the context, therefore, teaches us that the elements of interpretation of one dream are not necessarily transferable to another. The context of the dream will influence the meaning. What is going on in the life of the dreamer also needs to be considered as context.
The Ping Pong (Table Tennis) Dream A good example of the importance of context is shown in a dream I had while preparing this material. This occasion was unique for a number of reasons. Firstly, before I went to bed that night, I heard in my spirit very faintly the sound my cell phone makes when it receives an SMS message. I gauged from this that G.o.d was going to speak to me through a dream that night. Early the next morning, sure enough, I awoke to a dream.
In the dream I was playing table tennis with my daughter"s ex-basketball coach, Glenn. The ball was solid rubber. When Glenn served, it was in such a way that the ball hit the table without any bounce and rolled off the table. It was impossible for me to play a shot. I said to Glenn, "I will continue to play this way, but you are not giving me a chance to play the ball!"
I roused myself and, in the dark, wrote the outline of the dream down on the 8" x 5" notepad on my bedside cabinet. As I lay there thinking through what the dream could mean, I was vacantly looking at the clock also on the cabinet, when the Holy Spirit told me to note the numbers on the clock face. The clock read, 3:46: Now, that hadn"t happened before; neither has it happened since then.
What did this dream mean? To understand the dream, you would need to appreciate what was happening in my life at the time (i.e. the context of my life). That day my wife and I had gone shopping. As we were coming out of a store, my wife was crying. I said to her, "Are you alright?"
She said something like, "I"m OK." It was evident that she was not, but that was not the time nor the place to pursue the matter.
Just to back-track a little, that particular week my family had arranged to go on holidays with their cousins to a seaside location. While theya"my wife and childrena"were away, I was to stay home so that I could get some of this material written. This arrangement had been in place for three weeks, and I thought that my absence from them was understood and agreed upon. However, the day before our shopping trip, my wife asked me why I wasn"t coming with them. I said, "I thought we had arranged for me to write some of the book while you are away," to which there was no reply.
After a few minutes meditating on the dream, I knew what G.o.d was saying. I could tell my wife was also awake. So I turned to her and said, "Are you awake? G.o.d has just spoken to me in a dream. Do you want to talk?"
She said, "Yes, OK."
So, I told her the dream. And then I said, "This is what I believe G.o.d is saying. Glenn means, *Lives in the valley." " I went on gently, and I said, "Honey that is you; you are feeling down at the moment. The ball represents words. You are not saying anything, and you are not allowing me to speak." I paused, then continued, "The numbers on the clock say that you have allowed a resurrection (three) of the rule (four) of man (six) in our relationship."
My wife started crying as the Holy Spirit plumbed her heart. Then she explained that she had received a couple of phone calls that week from friends asking her why I wasn"t going away with the family. This had the detrimental effect of causing her to reevaluate and misconstrue my absence and internalize her hurt. The dream helped her identify the root of the problem. We re-established my need for s.p.a.ce so that I could work on the book and resolved the issue. After a time of prayer, my wife and children left for their holiday with harmony back in our relationship.
Though personal, this dream shows how important it is to have an understanding of the events in the life of the dreamer (its context) for correct interpretation to take place. For this reason, when interpreting for a third party, you will most likely have to ask some questions to complete the picture of its context.
A few years ago, I would have totally missed what G.o.d was saying through this dream. It would have been nonsense, perhaps a.s.sociated with the curry or the late night I had the night before.
Meditate on a Dream as a Whole Before Offering an Interpretation Following on from this is the need to take one"s time, particularly with longer dreams, before venturing an interpretation. Daniel applied this principle when interpreting Nebuchadnezzar"s dreams. As the following Scripture shows, "This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy G.o.d is in you. " Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. . . (Daniel 4:18-19).
There are at least three good reasons for taking our time with an interpretation. Firstly, we need to see the overall image G.o.d is conveying in the dream. We may have individual elements pegged for certain parts of the dream, but until we can see the overview, we will not know how they fit what G.o.d has mapped out. It is easy to be led into false interpretation as we move from the elements to the whole (overview). We must also consider how the whole affects the elements if we are to get a true interpretation.
Secondly, we must take our time to "see" the dream. What I am trying to relate is that we need to look through, or past, the scenes and actions of the dream to gain understanding. For example, Jeremiah was directed to view the potter before G.o.d had him deliver His message to Israel. As the Scripture outlines, The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: "Arise and go down to the potter"s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words. " Then I went down to the potter"s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the Lord. "Look, as the clay is in the potter"s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel" (Jeremiah 18:1-6).
Just as Jeremiah gained an increased understanding of G.o.d"s desired message to Israel through observing the potter, so we need to look beyond the mere words of the dream to "see" what message G.o.d is conveying through all the scenes.
The third reason to take our time is so that we can seek G.o.d"s wisdom in knowing how to deliver the interpretation to the dreamer. It is one thing to have an interpretation; it is another to know what action the dreamer should take from the interpretation and how to convey that.
Joseph, when giving the interpretation of Pharaoh"s dreams, is the cla.s.sic example. Filled with the Spirit of G.o.d, he said, Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine (Genesis 41:33-36).
Pharaoh then acknowledged before his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of G.o.d?" He continued by saying to Joseph, "Inasmuch as G.o.d has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you" (Gen. 41:38-39).
The key to knowing how to deliver an interpretation (and indeed how to interpret the dreams we are given) is to have receptive hearts toward the Holy Spirit. Notice that Joseph no longer is clamoring to be released, as we saw in Chapter 2. He has now dealt with the past, is filled with the Spirit of G.o.d, and is, therefore, at peace with G.o.d and within himself. This also ill.u.s.trates the truth that we cannot interpret at our best when we are not in the Spirit because of overwork or stress.
Sequence Importance Closely relating to the last two major points is the importance of the sequence or order of the dream. We not only need to get the context and the overview; we also need an accurate sequence or order. Sequence relates strongly to seeing through the scenes in the dream. If, for some reason, the person who has had the dream has recorded information out of order, it can throw the intended meaning into disarray. Make sure things happened in the order they are described by listing the main points of the dream before writing up the final draft of the dream.
Past, Present, and Future Not all dreams relate to the future. At times, G.o.d will pick up a scene from the past to set the context and build faith by revealing something only you and He know, then show where you are today before moving on to where He is directing you in the future. In these dreams, the opening scene may hint of a journey. These types of dreams are relatively long and may begin in, or center on, a vessel or vehicle (see Dream Samples 28 and 48) or a hallway or corridor.
Very often dreams reveal the state of the local church or people"s hearts. These dreams are those where G.o.d discerns and discloses truth that only He and those concerned know. In disclosing this insight, He is bringing that which is not even conscious to the fore so that the individual, church, or ministry can see and address issues. When these dreams are experienced by a third party, the dreamer needs tremendous wisdom and an awareness of the timing of G.o.d to know if and when they are to deliver the dream or its interpretation to those it concerns.
Not all dreams and interpretations need to be revealed. At times, some dreams are just informing you how something looks spiritually or what is happening spiritually in a situation. At other times, they are a call to prayer.
Repeat Dreams When G.o.d repeats a matter, it is a sign of confirmation, importance, imminence, or urgency. A repeat dream says you weren"t listening the first time. If we experience repeated dreams, we need to take note because G.o.d wants us to act on the message. When addressing Pharaoh, Joseph said, "And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by G.o.d, and G.o.d will shortly bring it to pa.s.s" (Gen. 41:32).
Here Joseph explained that the repeated dream confirmed G.o.d was speaking to Pharaoh and that what was revealed was about to happen. In Pharaoh"s case, the two dreams were not identical, but were two powerful views of the same impending issue (see Gen. 41:17-25). In the original ma.n.u.scripts of the Book of John, Jesus sometimes began by saying, "Truly, Truly" (John 1:51, among other occurrences). Each time, Jesus firmly captured His disciples" attention before imparting powerful spiritual truth. In much the same way today, the Holy Spirit attempts to gain our attention through a repeated dream to impart spiritual truth.