Dreams
Do you believe God speaks to
individuals in dreams today?
"In the past, God spoke to people
sometimes in dreams. Examples are
Joseph, son of Jacob (Genesis
37:5–10); Joseph, the husband of
Mary (Matthew 2:12–22); Solomon (1
Kings 3:5–15); and several others
(Daniel 2:1; 7:1; Matthew 27:19).
There is also a prophecy of the
prophet Joel (Joel 2:28), quoted by
the apostle Peter in Acts 2:17, that
mentions God using dreams..."
Full text:
Are our dreams from God?
"...[T]he kingdom of glory shall be
introduced by the universal change
of nature, v. 30, 31." Henry, M.
(1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary
on the whole Bible: complete and
unabridged in one volume (p. 1500).
Peabody: Hendrickson.
And I will show wonders in the
heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into
darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and
awesome day of the LORD. The New
King James Version. (1982). (Joe
2:30–31). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
"[D]reams … visions—(Ac 9:10; 16:9).
The “dreams” are attributed to the
“old men,” as more in accordance
with their years; “visions” to the
“young men,” as adapted to their
more lively minds. The three modes
whereby God revealed His will under
the Old Testament (Nu 12:6),
“prophecy, dreams, and visions,” are
here made the symbol of the full
manifestation of Himself to all His
people, not only in miraculous gifts
to some, but by His indwelling
Spirit to all in the New Testament (Jn
14:21, 23; 15:15). In Ac 16:9; 18:9,
the term used is “vision,” though in
the night, not a dream. No other
dream is mentioned in the New
Testament save those given to Joseph
in the very beginning of the New
Testament, before the full Gospel
had come; and to the wife of Pilate,
a Gentile (Mt 1:20; 2:13; 27:19).
“Prophesying” in the New Testament
is applied to all speaking under the
enlightenment of the Holy Spirit,
and not merely to foretelling
events. All true Christians are
“priests” and “ministers” of our God
(Is 61:6), and have the Spirit (Ez
36:26, 27). Besides this, probably,
a special gift of prophecy and
miracle-working is to be given at or
before Messiah’s coming again."
Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., &
Brown, D. (1997). Commentary
Critical and Explanatory on the
Whole Bible (Joe 2:28). Oak Harbor,
WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
"Dreams—thoughts visualized in sleep
A. Purposes of:
Restrain from evil
Gen. 20:3
Reveal God’s will
Gen. 28:11–22
Encourage
Judg. 7:13–15
Reveal future
Gen. 37:5–10
Instruct
Matt. 1:20
B. The interpretation of:
Sought anxiously
Dan. 2:1–3
Belong to God
Gen. 40:8
Revealed by God
Gen. 40:8
Sought for God’s will
Num. 12:6
Sometimes delusive
Is. 29:7, 8
False, by false prophets
Deut. 13:1–5" Thomas Nelson
Publishers. (1996). Nelson’s quick
reference topical Bible index (p.
185). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson
Publishers.
Response to comment [from a
Christian]: "Hi Serpent Dove, I
think you forgot a verse?
Jeremiah 23
25 “I have heard what the prophets
have said who prophesy lies in My
name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I
have dreamed!’
26 How long will this be in the
heart of the prophets who prophesy
lies?
Indeed they are prophets of the
deceit of their own heart,
27 who try to make My people forget
My name by their dreams which
everyone tells his neighbor, as
their fathers forgot My name for
Baal.
28 “The prophet who has a dream, let
him tell a dream;
And he who has My word, let him
speak My word faithfully.
What is the chaff to the wheat?”
says the Lord.
29 “Is not My word like a fire?”
says the Lord,
“And like a hammer that breaks the
rock in pieces?
30 “Therefore behold, I am against
the prophets,” says the Lord, “who
steal My words every one from his
neighbor.
31 Behold, I am against the
prophets,” says the Lord, “who use
their tongues and say, ‘He says.’
32 Behold, I am against those who
prophesy false dreams,” says the
Lord, “and tell them, and cause My
people to err by their lies and by
their recklessness.
Yet I did not send them or command
them; therefore they shall not
profit this people at all,” says the
Lord."
That's right.
God primarily speaks to us through
his word (Ps 119:160).
If our dreams disagree with his
word, it's probably because we had
too much pizza that evening.
"Jer 23:25 I have dreamed. Here was
a claim to divine revelation through
dreams (cf. Num. 12:6). But such
claims were a deception (vv. 26,
27), utterly unequal in power to
God’s Word (vv. 28, 29).
23:29 like a fire … hammer. God’s
Word has irresistible qualities to
prevail over the deception in the
shepherd’s false messages.
23:33 the oracle of the LORD … What
oracle? The people asked, in
mockery, for Jeremiah to give them
his latest prophecy (“oracle”). This
ridicule of Jeremiah’s faithful
preaching demanded a response, and
God told the prophet to repeat the
question and reply simply “I will
even forsake you,” meaning judgment
from God was coming.
23:34–40 The oracle of the LORD!
When a person falsely claimed to
have a word from God, he would be
punished for perverting God’s truth.
Claiming to have prophecies from
God, when not true, is dangerous."
MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997).
The MacArthur Study Bible
(electronic ed., p. 1096).
Nashville, TN: Word Pub.
Response to comment [from a Christian]: "Ya gotta love how balanced is the word of God."
2 Pe 1:20
