Introduction to Dreams and Visions
By: Minister Denise N. Fyffe
Numbers 12:6 teaches that when a prophet is among God’s people, God may make Himself known in a vision and speak in a dream. This scripture clarifies that God communicates using dreams and visions. Does that mean everyone who dreams is a prophet? No. Numbers 12:6 describes one way God may communicate with a prophet; it does not teach the reverse proposition that having dreams is evidence that a person has a prophetic office or gifting. Furthermore, Acts 2:17–18 reinforces the biblical place of dreams and visions:Acts 2:17–18 teaches that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit, with sons and daughters prophesying, young men seeing visions, and old men dreaming dreams. This establishes dreams and visions within the biblical record without implying that every dream is a message from God.
This passage shows the Spirit being poured out broadly and includes prophecy, visions and dreams. It should not be read as teaching that every dream experienced by every believer is divine communication. They seek knowledge about the meaning of their dreams or visions and how they will impact their life; especially if it is symbolic and complex.Communicating with God, Dreams and Visions
Scripture shows that God can communicate through dreams and visions to individuals and, at times, concerning peoples or nations. Discernment is still required because not every dream should automatically be attributed to God. One can say he enjoys challenging us to engage with Him and seek greater understanding. Furthermore, many of us do not realize that this is simply another way for God to communicate intimately with his people or servants. We often apply secular assumptions to the meaning of dreams or why we dream what we dream. For example, eating something bad, having an overactive imagination, or our brain is trying to make sense of the day’s activities. We are both physical and spiritual creatures, so Christian discernment should not reduce every dream to a purely secular explanation. At the same time, spiritual reality does not mean every dream is spiritual communication; natural processing remains a genuine possibility.The Language of Heaven
God Almighty is the original poet. He is a master lyricist and from Him is the genesis of all nuances, metaphors, allegories, symbolism, and imagery. He intrigues us by painting pictures of various spiritual scenarios using symbolic elements that are contrived from heavenly, universal, and personal representations. Some dreams and visions in Scripture are genuine revelatory encounters, but ordinary dreams can also arise from natural human experience. A vivid or frequent dream should therefore be recorded and tested rather than automatically labelled supernatural. God is not limited in how He communicates, but Scripture does not describe Him as a “telepath,” and complexity by itself does not prove that a dream came from God or that the dreamer already has its interpretation. When a dream is highly symbolic, record it faithfully, pray for wisdom, compare it with Scripture and allow time for understanding or confirmation. When a dream may be significant, record it faithfully, pray for wisdom, examine Scripture in context, and allow time and confirmation to clarify what should be understood. Do not force an interpretation simply because the imagery is complex. For example, when Joseph recounted his dreams in Genesis 37, his brothers and father recognized the implications of the imagery and reacted to it. Scripture does not say that they possessed a gift of dream interpretation. Later, Joseph explicitly attributed interpretation to God when he interpreted the dreams of others (Genesis 40:8). Joseph though was a young boy who was merely excited and naïve. Although by Genesis 40, we see that he developed into a mature and wise man who could interpret dreams and wisely acknowledge God, giving Him the glory. He was able to reach a kingdom assignment to a King, Pharaoh because God had progressively groomed him using Joseph’s trials and tribulations. One of these encounters, we know occurred in prison. Joseph’s story also shows that God was at work even during severe trials. His presence and purposes were not limited by Joseph’s circumstances, and the prison became part of the setting in which Joseph’s God-given ability was recognized.Activity:
- Ask God to intervene in your dreams and teach you. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you with dream interpretation and especially help you to remember the details. It is best to have a dream journal and record them.
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About the writer: Minister Denise N. Fyffe is a published author of over 50 fiction and non-fiction books. She started Revealing the Christian Life Ministry to help other Christians and provide support. She is also a trainer and mentors aspiring writers towards achieving their goals. For more information on Dreams & Visions, visit The Mystery of Dreams and Visions in the RTCLM Book Shop.
Paperback and eBook Edition by Minister Denise N. Fyffe (Author)
Continue in the Dream Center: Begin with the Dreams & Visions Knowledge Center for the complete organized pathway into interpretation, symbols, dream types, Scripture, journaling, warfare and deeper study.