Interpreting Your Dreams and Vision
God-given prophetic dreams and visions are more common among Believers than many of us believe. According to Acts 2:17, they are the inheritance of the saints. Yet, many of us have not been taught what to do with them or even how to know they are from God.
The three elements of interpreting dreams and visions are revelation, interpretation, and application. (You will find most of this section repeated in Part 8, “Hearing God through Prophecy.”) The failure to understand and then distinguish between these three elements causes much confusion and even heretical teaching in the church.
In biblical times, as seen from Genesis through Revelation, it was accepted by ancient people that God communicated in both natural and supernatural ways. Of course, there are demonic substitutes that have always coexisted as well, which is why God has warned of spiritism, the occult, and demons dressed up as “angels of light.”
Here, we will focus on this extraordinary way God speaks to His children.
DREAMS AND VISIONS
The Bible does not always distinguish between dreams and visions; dreams are often called “night visions” or “visions in the night.” Dreams and visions function on the same basic principle: that God initiates a communication that bypasses our conscious agency. I am not suggesting that we never interact or have anything to say during these experiences. Still, God is clearly in the “driver’s seat.”
For our purposes, we can have visions while awake or asleep. Dreams can also be visions, but visions are not always in dreams. Trances, for example, can be like waking dreams or visions in which your natural agency (sight, hearing, even movement) is suspended.
Dreams may solely concern the particular message God is revealing. They can be ordinary and mundane occurrences where God invades, bringing you a message, warning or insight. They can also be God-infused from beginning to end. Like Abraham, you may go from being wide awake to falling into a slumber when God reveals things to you. Most people who hear from God in dreams hear personal revelation or revelation for those in their share of influence. Prophets (defined in part 8) or people with a particular ministry or mission from God may get dreams primarily about a larger corporate entity like a church, a region, a people group, a nation, or even the world. Dreams do not make one superior or more important than another.
Visions can be visual, auditory, tactile, and even contain smells or tastes. They may occur when you are asleep (a.k.a. “night visions”) or wide awake. They may manifest in a variety of ways:
- In some visions, the surroundings fade away, and all you see is what God is showing you, whether His glory, Jesus, things to come, or something else.
- Sometimes, you can see a scene in the spirit with some vision while seeing and even interacting with your surroundings.
- Sometimes visions appear like a television screen or as if superimposed on a wall.
- You might have a vision in your mind’s eye where you are entirely aware of your surroundings or even driving a car. Still, you are observing a scene in motion that you are not controlling with your imagination.
- You might fall into a trance where you lose awareness that you were even doing anything.
Dreams or visions may be symbolic, or they may be wholly literal and realistic.
REVELATION, INTEPRETATION, APPLICATION
Revelation refers to receiving a dream or vision in the first place. Interpretation refers to rightly inferring the meaning of a dream or vision. Thankfully, most often the meaning of the dream or vision, no matter how symbolic, is evident to the one who receives it. Most recipients of dreams recorded in the Bible instantly understood their meaning, especially when accompanied by angelic messengers (who may look like regular people).
Sometimes, the meaning of a dream or vision is so symbolic or metaphorical that we are unsure what to think or do. Here are some options we may try:
- Do nothing! Write it down, pray about it, and open your spiritual eyes and ears for further illumination.
- Pray and wait for God to show us the interpretation in His own time.
- Seek wise counsel.
- Take a class on dream interpretation (although with the warning that not all classes are created equal, so always pray and seek mature counsel).
- Refer to the Bible for similar symbols and themes.
Visions or dreams may come to you quickly as you are falling asleep or about to wake up. It can be easy to overlook. You might see an entire scene play out in your imagination.
Several years ago, I had a very symbolic dream. I was in a room that felt like my home; other family members were in separate rooms surrounding a central hallway. In one room, the inhabitant was a lion, and, as frequently happens in my dreams, the lion escaped its enclosure. My first reaction was fear, then indignation and anger. I grabbed the lion by its mane and threw it back into its room. I was then struck by the fact that the lion seemed disappointed. At that point, I woke up. I would have chalked it up to just another crazy dream, except this lion had emotions that I could sense. I asked the Lord upon awakening, “Father, what does this dream mean?”
Something very unusual happened; I immediately fell back asleep, and the dream continued. I conversed with the lion, who was trying to convince me that letting it into my room would benefit both of us. [All of this communication from the lion came telepathically, like a “knowing,” as opposed to it actually speaking.] Upon awakening this time, I did not doubt that this second dream had interpreted the first one. But, I still needed to learn what this symbolism represented, so I prayed, journaled, and meditated on it for several days.
A possibility emerged, and I became convinced of its meaning in time. I did make the mistake of sharing the dream with someone else and asking that person to interpret it. The truth is, I already knew the meaning, but I wanted to know if there was another possibility. I knew the interpretation I was given by my well-meaning friend was off, and the their feelings were hurt when I said that. I should have stayed quiet with the understanding I already knew was correct in my spirit.
Another dream I had was a chastisement/warning dream from God. It was also very symbolic. In reality, I knew in my spirit what the symbolism referred to. Yet, I went to another friend to ask for an interpretation, hoping to get a more positive one. Again, that was a mistake because they used principles that they had learned in a class that took them far from what God was trying to warn me about.
In both dreams, I sought interpretations from others, yet I eventually heeded what I knew the Lord was telling me in the first place. In both cases, through obedience and His mercy, things worked out for the best.
Suppose you are very troubled by a dream. In that case, it is valuable to be part of Christ’s body and go to mature believers, especially those familiar with dreams and visions, to get some insight. If you are unsure, it is best to pray, write it down, and even if you receive an interpretation from someone else, ask for additional affirmation.
In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established – 2 Corinthians 13:1
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. – 1 Corinthians 14:29
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits – 1 John 4:1
God does not want us to be confused or deceived. However, sometimes he will open the interpretation to us only at an appointed time. Nebuchadnezzar and the Pharaoh each had dreams and eventually went to Daniel and Joseph for interpretations. In both cases, the interpreters relied on God alone. They were unfamiliar with the symbolism and had not read any books about it, but God revealed it clearly. The correct interpretation is so valuable.
Application refers to the appropriate use of the dream or vision. What does God want you to do with what you have received and rightly interpreted? Questions to ask God or mature mentors at this point include:
- Should you or another person immediately act upon it?
If you give or receive a revelation (prophetic word, dream, word of knowledge) it only occasionally carries an urgency that it must be delivered and acted on immediately. Additionally, few people have the authority in Christ to have you make hasty decisions just on their word. You will also find that the person receiving revelation from another person’s vision or dream has already received a confirmation of one kind or another, and God is just using you to assure them.
- Should it be kept to yourself?
Many, if not most times, revelations are personal and given to and apply to only you or the person giving the revelation.
- Is it to be shared with another person?
- Is it to be shared with a church or an even broader audience?
- Should it be simply written down, prayed about, and reserved until the Holy Spirit reveals whether or when to apply it?
To cite one example, in the Book of Acts, a prophet named Agabus had a dream in which Paul was bound as a prisoner in Jerusalem. It was an accurate revelation from God about something specific that would happen. However, Agabus incorrectly applied this revelation. He told Paul not to go to Jerusalem because he assumed he had received the revelation to warn and protect him. Paul heard the vision and perceived its accuracy. Still, from the Holy Spirit, he knew he had to go to Jerusalem. He knew that it was God’s will. Rightly divining the word of truth can lead you to God’s will. A misapplication can cause heartache. Look for precedence in the Word of God.
How do you know if your application is correct? Write down what you receive, then complete the following steps:
- If you think you know the meaning and application, pray and thank God. You may want to wait for confirmation, and you may receive it before you even have the dream.
- With visions and dreams meant for other people, ask God:
- Is this something for you to know so that you can pray for them?
- Is this meant to be shared, and if so, when and in what context?
Be sure you are not coming from a place of pride or gossip.
If this is new to you, seek wise counsel; if an interpretation is not immediately forthcoming, wait for it. The meaning may be revealed hours, days, or even years later. Trust God’s timing. A “glory” dream may be a heaven-inspired scene of matchless beauty, something from God to bless you.
As a Bible teacher, I believe in learning from those gifted in Christ’s body. However, many teachers overly rely on modern-day symbols that are not even biblical or may apply to one person but not to others, as well as on “tricks” for interpreting dreams. There is no one-size-fits-all interpretation method; there are only principles. God will not explain things to me using farm tool symbolism because I grew up in a big city. He has often conveyed his love for me using symbols I love, like the sky, outer space, nature scenes, and colors. I have heard people say that cars or trains automatically refer to ministries, but in a dream where I crashed my car, God was actually warning me that if I kept going in a specific direction, I would wreck my life!
Daniel said, “There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” Rely on Him first and ask Him to reveal the interpretation and application of dreams and visions that remain mysteries to you.
Pharoah’s Dreams
In Genesis, the pharaoh had two dreams that puzzled him. He turned to Joseph, who was imprisoned at the time, for an interpretation. One of the things Joseph said to him was, “Because you had the same dream in two different forms, God is telling you that this is a sure word. That he will do it.”
Pay attention to repetitive dreams. Ask yourself:
- Are you passively watching a scene, or are you interacting in it?
- What is the setting?
- How do you feel during the dream? Excited? Terrified? Tranquil?
- Can you remember anything about the colors? Was it dark, or did it suddenly turn from an ordinary dream to dark?
- Are there other people in the dream? Do you know them? Do they represent people you know? I can think of three dreams where the Holy Spirit spoke to me through people I knew. I could later attest to the accuracy of what these characters were saying. There was sobriety and authority when they spoke.
- Is there a message on the train you can discern?
Journaling your dreams and visions while keeping a dream journal digitally or on paper is highly recommended. It is impossible to perfectly remember every dream or vision you have had, and you may often want to refer to previous ones to help you understand your current situation. Many times, looking back, we have enough wisdom to interpret a dream whose meaning escaped us at the time.
I like to categorize my dreams, and perhaps these categories will be helpful to you. The terms are my own.
Prophetic– things to come, whether about myself, people I know, or things in the world
Vocational dreams and – messages about something God is calling me to do
Glory dreams the presence of God, seeing his glory, beautiful beauty, and sometimes just pure light
Warnings – a dream that feels like you are being scolded or the Holy Spirit is cautioning you not to pursue a particular path.
Dreams that are just “I love you’s” from God. They may be dreams of beautiful vistas, joy-filled, Him revealing Himself to you.
Exhortation and comfort. These come just when you need it
Open heaven dreams or visions in which the heavens literally or symbolically “open,” where you feel you have been transported, or a room or scene takes on a heavenly presence. If it is a waking vision, the same experiences may take place. This may be anything from traveling to another part of the world to traveling to heaven. These are dreams in which you feel like you were someplace different, and when you wake up, you might feel more like you landed.
Take care not to interpret dreams or visions according to your own biases. This is how many modern-day self-proclaimed “prophets” have created tremendous confusion in the church, prophesying dates, times, and political events that didn’t happen. They may later change their prophecies or blame new circumstances (or even the people they prophesied to) for why the “prophecy” faltered. The Bible is the best guide for precedence. Read Jeremiah, Chapter 23, as a warning against falsely claiming a dream or vision was from God.
God enjoys giving us dreams just for fun or to bless us. The meaning is not always “deep.” At the end of one playful dream where I was having fun and being silly, I heard a voice saying, “A father playing with his daughter.” Given my father-wound and how important it was to me to be able to call God “Father,” those words have carried me to this day.
And sometimes—even most times—a dream is just a dream.
STUDY and ENGAGE
Each point can take quite a bit of time, so in a group study, you may want to choose only one.
- Read Genesis chapter 40. What were the revelation, interpretation, and application (result) of each dream?
- Read Genesis 37:5-10 What was Joseph’s mistake, and how did God use it for His glory (Genesis 50:20)?
- What metaphors were present in my lion dream above? Why do you think God may have represented the person (the future guest) as a lion?
- In a group: Share your dream and how you received, interpreted, and applied it. It is okay if you are still puzzled by the interpretation or application of the dream, but don’t get caught up in interpreting each other’s dreams.
For individual study, begin to keep a dream journal. Remember: not every dream will be from God, so you will have to discern, but Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17 assure us that God will give His children dreams as just one of many methods of revelation.
Remember, what you pay attention to, you will notice more. Did you ever notice that when you get a new car of a particular brand, you are suddenly aware of all the vehicles on the road that are just like yours? It is the same principle when you start studying dreams and visions and writing them down in a journal to remember. It will suddenly seem like God is giving you all kinds of dreams, and you may also realize that you have experienced them in the past. The Bible says you can prophetically dream if you are filled with the Holy Spirit. Trust that the Bible is true.
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For further study, this is about how Joseph received and interpreted dreams.
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