Dream Interpretation?

[Ben W]

I am well aware that in the Old Testament, Dreams are told and interpretations given. My question is, is that still occuring today? Does God speak to us through dreams, and if so, what should a Christian do to find out what the dream may mean?

There seems to be a plethora of books on the subject, yet nearly all are from New Age type sources, our local newspaper features advertisments for 1900 numbers to phone to have your dreams interpreted at $5 per minute plus GST. That to me can only be a scam.

Yet I am having this recurring dream and I am starting to seriously consider that God may be telling me something throught it, and maybe that dream is recurring because it lies unresolved.

Interested in your thoughts.

 

[Joseph_Botwinick]

Which books are from New Age sources? What makes them New Age?

Joseph Botwinick

 

[Victory in Jesus]

I've had three dreams in my life about certain people dying and those people actually did die within days of my dreams. Last week I dreamt that Bill Cosby died and in that same dream my uncle died. A few days later I dreamt my father died, but that the "diagnosis" was wrong and he didn't actually die. These people haven't died yet.

However, the people who did die were on their death beds and I was close to them. I knew they were bad off, but I didn't consciously believe they were going to die as soon as they did. I believe our subconscious can pick up things we can't seem to get with our senses and that would be why the dreams "came true". I believe I somehow picked on on something that made me realize their end was near, and the "truth" came out in my dreams. But I can't take every dream I have seriously. I don't believe it's a "gift" as some may call it. I just think dreaming is a way our brains can sort things out.

I also believe we dream about unresolved thoughts we had while awake. Because so many things can go through our senses all at once, we could be concentrating on one thing while another factor is happening and we don't deal with it because we're distracted. I'm talking abot stupid stuff like seeing something interesting on a commercial but we're trying to deal with our kids or talk on the phone and are distracted, so we dream about the commercial item.

I don't think God talks to us through our dreams. However, I strongly believe that Schizophrenia is nothing more than a person's brain unable to "shut off" the dream world and that their "hearing voices" and "seeing things" are his brain dreaming while he's awake. I have a strong reason to believe this and I'm surprised this possibility hasn't been researched already.

 

[webdog]

Satan can "influence" or dreams, also, through garbage we see, experience and hear on a daily basis. I sometimes have dreams I am not proud of admitting.

 

[Victory in Jesus]

Which is why it's important to keep our thought lives pure, pray constantly, memorize verses and meditate on the Lord.

 

[webdog]

Amen! Satan will also bring up past sin we have committed in dreams trying to get us to go back to "how we were".

 

[TexasSky]

Ben,

If you believe the dream is from God, pray about it, talk to Him about it, and ask Him to help you understand what He is trying to tell you. Ask Him also to let you know if the source of the dream is not one He would approve of.

You can never go wrong asking God to reveal His will to you.

Better to speak to God, than listen to all the well meaning Chrisians in the world telling you it is or is not of God. I'm betting not a single Christian in this thread stopped to say, "God, what should I say to Ben regarding this question?"

Talk to God about it.

 

[Johnv]

Originally posted by Ben W:
I am well aware that in the Old Testament, Dreams are told and interpretations given. My question is, is that still occuring today? Does God speak to us through dreams, and if so, what should a Christian do to find out what the dream may mean?

Sure, GOd can speak to us in dreams, but that is a different subject fro dream interpretation. Jesus' birth was seen by astrologers, but that doesn't mean that we're to endorce astrology. Likewise, I don't think we should endorse dream "interpretation", other than the physiological aspects.

 

[Alcott]

Dreams are an interesting subject to most of us, I am sure. But I think they really just communicate our below-the-surface and often more imaginative thoughts from our subconscious into the temporary window of sensual perception. The few dreams I remember that seemed at the time to be 'prophetic' or foretelling just didn't come about in reality. However, using a somewhat looser interpretative filter, there are dreams of mine which seem to have been fulfilled much later, often years; rather like Joseph remembering his dreams of the 11 sheaves of corn bowing down to him when his brothers came to get food to take back to Canaan. But on the other hand, most or all of these 'fulfillments' were dreams of hope, which is probably the only reason they are even recalled at such times. Indeed, the dreams we remember for long periods of time are about hopes and fears, so they are brought to mind in certain comparative situations. But that can't be described as "God speaking to us" any more than when we are reminded by the withering of a beautiful plant that our lives will not remain forever on this earth.

Accept the deeper level of thought, the creative imagination you have within, the optimism, or the amusement dreams may bring for a time; but don't rely on them as God's personal message line to you.

 

[Circuitrider]

We must keep in mind that God speaks to us through his Word and that Word is complete.

We do not have nor need further revelation through dreams or any other medium. Dreams are simply a function of the subconscious mind and reflect our activity and thinking patterns. I have solved problems in dreams that were on my mind, but I did not see them as revelation in any form.

 

[Victory in Jesus]

Well put, Circuitrider.

 

[just-want-peace]

We must keep in mind that God speaks to us through his Word and that Word is complete. [thumbs]

Are you seriously saying that God does NOT speak to us any way EXCEPT through His word? Because His word IS complete, He never uses any other avenues? Do you really believe this?

We do not have nor need further revelation through dreams or any other medium.

Seems to me that you're dictating to God what is necessary or not!

Dreams are simply a function of the subconscious mind and reflect our activity and thinking patterns. I have solved problems in dreams that were on my mind, but I did not see them as revelation in any form. [Wink]

So?????

Are you setting the standard for God to communicate with others based on your experience.

From this post, I could readily believe that God may have tried to communicate with you through a dream, but since, in your opinion, that was not necessary, it was a flop.

It seems pretty bold (as well as dangerous and stupid) to be so dogmatic about how God chooses to reveal Himself to others!!

 

[Gershom]

I believe that God does speak to us through dreams and visions today. Yes, His Word is perfect just as it was in the biblical accounts of dreams and visions.

 

[Helen]

We may, perhaps, receive encouragement or warnings via dreams. I have received the first, but never any warnings. The first has happened three times in my life and there was no need to 'interpret.' Encouragement is encouragement and each time was needed.

After painful surgeries, during recuperation periods, the Lord has allowed me dreams that make me giggle, and that is so lovely in the middle of pain. In one dream, which I remember, I was training hummingbirds on a string and I had named them Tweezers and Tong. Go figure...I woke up giggling, though!

But dreams that need interpretation? Maybe some have them, but I am willing to say that any interpretations had better square with Scripture or they are false or demonic or both!

Yes, Scripture gives us everything we need in terms of salvation and a plumb line for everything else, but when a person needs guidance of a more personal sort in a set of personal circumstances, I would not be surprised if God chose a personal and individual way to help that person through that time...

That being said, I would strongly caution against any books about dreams. The only Book God goes according to is His own, and the others are all from men and therefore highly fallible.

 

[Marcia]

If you look at the way God spoke in dreams to believers in the Bible, it was crystal clear what the meaning was and that they were from God, and there was no need for interpretation. I think these dreams were revelations from God. Many had to do with urgent matters, like telling Joseph to go to Egypt with Mary and Jesus.

In the cases of where there were dreams that needed interpretations, God provided someone to interpret, like Joseph or Daniel. These situations were not the norm.

In most cases, it was the prophets who had these dreams.
"He said,'Hear now My words: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.'" Numb. 12.6

The dreams in the NT are all in Matthew and have to do with Jesus.

It's possible to get really caught up in dreams and what they mean and get too absorbed in them.

"For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God." Eccl. 5.7

 

[blackbird]

Originally posted by Circuitrider:
We must keep in mind that God speaks to us through his Word and that Word is complete.

We do not have nor need further revelation through dreams or any other medium. Dreams are simply a function of the subconscious mind and reflect our activity and thinking patterns. I have solved problems in dreams that were on my mind, but I did not see them as revelation in any form.

Thank you, Circuitrider!

The Bible teaches us in 2Timothy 3:16-17, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works."

All SCRIPTURE

All SCRIPTURE is profitable

All SCRIPTURE is profitable for doctrine

All SCRIPTURE is profitable for correction

All SCRIPTURE is profitable for reproof

All SCRIPTURE is profitable for instruction in righteousness

That the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works.

Now---you find me anywhere in SCRIPTURE where God says the same identical thing about dreams . . .

 

[StefanM]

Act 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

---

That's the closest I found.

My question is this: why couldn't God use dreams if he chose? Is God absolutely bound to the canon of the Bible? Could he not choose to reveal himself in other ways (not in contradiction with previous revelation, of course)?

 

[music4Him]

God spoke to Peter through a dream in the NT. Where alot of people interpret that eating unclean things are suppost to ok to eat.

 

[Artimaeus]

Deu 18:22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

God has a standard for us to follow as to whether something is from Him or not. 100% accuracy, 100% of the time. Unless you are willing to live under that standard I would shy away from being concerned about whether or not your dreams are from God.

 

[Marcia]

Originally posted by StefanM:

My question is this: why couldn't God use dreams if he chose? Is God absolutely bound to the canon of the Bible? Could he not choose to reveal himself in other ways (not in contradiction with previous revelation, of course)?

Of course, God can speak in dreams to people. Personally, I think He does this today in some cases but it's not the norm. Why should we look for messages in dreams when we have God's word? Keep in mind that when dreams were given in the OT (primarily) and a few in the NT, the canon was not complete at that time.

God is not bound by anything except that which goes against His nature. He will not go against His nature or His word. But he is also consistent. Speaking in dreams even in the Bible was not the norm and was not done that often. As I said in my post on page one, it was usually God's prophets that received dreams, or it was in urgent high priority situations, such as having to do with Jesus in Matthew. Dreams in the Bible were God's revelation for Israel or other nations, leaders of nations, or for the church or apostles, or related to Jesus.

And I think if someone has a dream from God, it will be crystal clear that it's from God and there will be no question about it.