The Book of Acts is a continuation of the Book of Luke. If you read this as one account, it flows like this: Right before He ascended to Heaven before their eyes, Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “receive the Holy Spirit,” and told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them with power. It was on the day of Pentecost when they were all gathered in a room together that the Holy Spirit came in, literally rattling the windows like a mighty wind. It looked like tongues of fire upon their heads as the Holy Spirit settled on them.
Peter said: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, said God, I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:” (Acts 2:17, Joel 2:28 AKJV)
Peter is repeating what Joel said hundreds of years earlier. It is a list of what God typically brings into the life of a Christian as He begins pouring out His Spirit.
Prophesy – Sons and daughters shall do this. Everyone who is a child of God through Jesus is a “son and daughter.” We are sons of the Most High (Romans 8:6).
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:1 ESV)
It is clear that God wants us all to prophesy. Paul encourages every Christian to desire all gifts of the spirit but especially to prophesy. Some dreams and visions can be categorized as prophecies from God.
Visions – Young men are those who have grown in the ways of God but have not yet reached the maturity of elders. The word “men” is also the word for “mankind,” or "womankind.” When we feed our spirits by reading the Word and pursue teachings on the Word it helps us grow into adolescents in the spirit. This may be when we are ready to receive our destiny vision from God.
I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed… (Daniel 4:13 KJV)
And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul[c] had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (Acts 16:9-10 ESV)
There is no certain time of day when a vision can happen. Just because an experience happens at night when you are sleeping, doesn’t necessarily make it a dream. The content is what matters. Visions are clear and etched upon our soul. They are instructions or insight given to us from God. They didn’t stop after Jesus departed as clearly seen here with Paul.
How do we know if we are still young or if we have grown into maturity with God? Let’s look to the Bible and see what God says:
I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough [to be ready for it]; but even yet you are not strong enough [to be ready for it], for you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men? (1 Corinthians 3:2-3 AMPC)
If you are still envious, sowing discord, jealousy, or if you are unchanged by your decision to take Jesus as Lord, you are a baby Christian. God may be waiting for you to grow in your walk before He brings you visions.
Dreams – According to the list Peter quoted from Joel, dreams are given to old men. This is not defined by physical age or the number of years since you became a Christian; it is the maturity of your spirit. These are not typical dreams of guidance, but important dreams revealing the will of God. In the Old Testament, we see an exception to this: Joseph had two dreams about his destiny at a very young age (Genesis 37:5-12). He received the dream at a young age, but didn’t understand it until he was mature.
Unlike visions, dreams are usually vague or metaphorical. You need maturity to not only understand them but to react appropriately to them. God doesn’t stop talking to you through other means once you mature, He just opens up new doors as He determines when you are better able to handle them. Consequently, old men can have both dreams and visions.
God’s children often receive dreams and visions in these ways but He is still sovereign. Just like definitions, though this is a “typical” list of what God is doing, it is by no means written in stone. There are many accounts of Jesus appearing in visions to those in remote places calling many into the Kingdom of God. The story of Gideon in Judges 7:13-15 shows that God sent dreams to the enemies of Israel so that His army would prevail by His might.
Are all Dreams from God?
There are several different places a dream can come from:
God
Our own mind
Drugs (even medicine), alcohol, or food
The enemy
Some of these are easy to understand. Our own mind is when our subconscious is putting things in order. Things we put into our body may influence this process as they affect the body chemistry in our brain. The two most difficult to comprehend are the enemy and God.
Both God and Satan have access to our dreams. You will need to discern who is speaking to you, much like you would for a word of wisdom. There are some clear signs when the enemy brings us a dream:
Uses curse words
If it is in black and white only
If there are lustful components
If it left us feeling there is no hope
By ruling out these characteristics, it is easier to determine if a dream is from God and the Holy Spirit.
Curse Words
Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth… (Ephesians 4:29 AMPC)
God tells us not to use bad language. Would the Holy Spirit use bad language to send us a message? If it is against the principles of His Word, the dream isn’t from Him.
Black and White
Heaven is very vivid. God created a plethora of colorful things on this Earth. God is diverse and He is vivid. You may have dream characteristics in black and white, but they should serve only to highlight the vividness of something colorful if it is a dream from God.
Lust
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” (Genesis 4:1 ESV)
God invented sex for a purpose. The Hebrew word yada` (yaw-dah') is translated “knew” and one of the meanings is to have carnal knowledge of which is sex. The act of procreation is not sin. It is lust that is sin. Your dream may have sex in it and still be from God.
In Genesis 3:5, when Satan tempts Eve to eat fruit from a forbidden tree, the serpent says that she will “know” good and evil. That is the same Hebrew word yada` used for sexual intimacy. In God’s eyes, sex represents a deep knowing of a person or thing. But if the physical actions focus on lust or arouses you, then it is not a dream from God.
Without Hope
God sent His Son so we would always have hope; not in ourselves, but in Him. God will always provide a way to be redeemed and to be free. If a dream leaves you feeling hopeless, abandoned, and like you are worthless, this is not from God. In fact, you are so precious to Him that He sent His Son to pay the price for you to be with Him forever!
Why God May Send Dreams
For God speaks once, yes twice, yet man perceives it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, in slumberings on the bed... (Job 33:14-15 AKJV)
Elihu was the one friend of Job’s who God said spoke rightly. He was counseling Job and telling him to look at the dreams God had brought him. Elihu continues to explain some of the reasons why dreams come from God:
Then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction, That He may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword. (Job 33:16-18 AKJV)
This is not a complete list of all that God does in dreams, but it is what Job needed to consider concerning dreams he had received.
To confirm and instruct us, or “seal” instructions
Turn us from a wrong path
To conceal pride - The Hebrew word also means to cover
To save us from Hell - (He keeps back his soul from the Pit)
To keep us from dying or “perishing by the sword”
These are some of the reasons God speaks to us. The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, Guide, and Comforter. If a dream condemns us without pointing us back to God, then it is from Satan, the accuser of the brethren.
And they said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you.” (Genesis 40:8 AKJV)
When dreams and visions come, we need God’s help to understand them. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He brings wisdom and gifts of the Spirit. Dream interpretation is merely the gift of wisdom as it applies to dreams. The Holy Spirit will use various ways to speak to us when helping us understand dreams, including:
Supernaturally imparting information as we inquire of the Lord about the meaning
Bringing understanding as we verbalize and speak out what we recall about the dream
Using a way unique to you
Most of the time our dreams are metaphorical, so it is helpful to understand what each item represents in the Bible. We should not look at definitions for dreams from ungodly sources, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to show us which definition applies at that moment to the dream in question.
When trying to understand what you have received, it may be helpful to start in the middle of the dream as you inquire about each item, or even beginning with the end of the dream. This removes some of the temptation to make up our own definitions which can come out of our soul or our mind.
If you listen to the Holy Spirit about each item you will find that they will all work perfectly together.
Without His assistance, you may often have items leftover that do not seem to fit.
The Holy Spirit often has a special meaning for items in our dreams according to our own lives. An item we dream about can have a unique meaning 50-75% of the time, depending on our own situation. This is why we should not lean too heavily upon any type of dream dictionary, even if they are biblical, to reveal why the dream came to us although the information may be helpful at times.
The desire to know what our dreams mean should not be the entire focus of our life. The purpose of dreams sent by God is to clear out enemy attacks and help us along the road to our destiny. If dreams are not leading us closer to God, then we could be focusing on dreams sent by the enemy.
Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of Heaven. (Daniel 2:19 ESV)
Understanding our dreams should lead us to bless God, or move us closer to Him. If this isn't the result, then you should be asking yourself what is the purpose of the dream? Are you receiving the right interpretation and honoring God by applying it to your life?
Necessities for Dream Interpretation
If you receive help understanding a dream, there are three necessary areas that must be present in the life of the one helping you:
The Gift of Interpretation
Hearing from the Holy Spirit
Knowledge of God’s Ways
We have covered who brings the gift, the Holy Spirit. Let’s look at the other two items.
Hearing from the Holy Spirit
Hearing from the Holy Spirit is vital when trying to understand dreams, for He is the one who brings them to us. If you aren’t yet able to hear from your Heavenly Teacher, or you would like to learn to hear more, we hope you will consider reading the free short book, “Why Doesn’t God Speak to Me?” which may reveal how you are hearing God.
If there is something blocking you from receiving gifts of the Spirit or hearing from Him, the other Academy classes may help you find and remove the blockage.
Knowledge of God’s Ways
Knowledge of God is also critical to interpreting dreams. Everything we receive should line up with the Word of God and who He is. We must read His Word and spend time seeking Him.
There are several ways to look at items in a dream:
Meanings in the Bible
According to our lives
A unique meaning from the Holy Spirit
We should always look to the Bible for meanings since the dreams are from God. Trying to use a secular dream dictionary to interpret dreams may put you in the hands of the enemy and could give you the wrong meaning of the dream.
What things mean to us, can influence the way God uses them in our dreams. Dogs can mean unclean or a friend. If we have a fear of dogs, having one in your dream may have another meaning.
Sometimes, the Holy Spirit will use items in a way that has a whole other interpretation for an item. How can we tell if this is the case? Here are a few basics about dream interpretation:
If one item in the dream is metaphorical, most likely all other items including people will be as well.
If your daughter is in the dream but is younger than she is now, your daughter will represent something else: the dream isn't about her.
The Holy Spirit will use things in your life, things you have recently seen to represent something in your dream.
Just because you have seen these things the day or week before, it doesn't mean that God isn’t speaking to you. These items will often have another meaning.
When looking at dream items, they may have several meanings: both positive and negative.
Literal and Prophetic Dreams
We need to pay attention to our dreams and visions, knowing that some may be prophetic dreams.
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. (Proverbs 25:2 AKJV)
Kings are people who are used to being in charge of what is happening. God may choose to conceal the meaning of a prophetic dream, especially if you need to take action in a particular way. The dream may come as a metaphor so you will have to seek an interpretation like Pharaoh who sent for Joseph to help him understand his dream. (Genesis 41:14)
And they said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it." And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you.” (Genesis 40:8 AKJV)
The Holy Spirit is able to bring instant understanding or you may need to seek out an interpretation. It is important that the interpreter for your dreams is a knowledgeable of God's ways. A true interpretation comes from God, according to Joseph who was the most prolific interpreter for others in the Bible. Like Pharaoh, you should respond when you receive an accurate interpretation of your dream, for you have heard from God.
Because of the season we are in, God is once again pouring out His Spirit upon all of mankind. Not all dreams are metaphorical and in need of interpretation. How do you know when a dream is literal?
Identifying a Literal Dream
It may be very troubling to see those who are dear to us acting in hurtful ways in a dream. Identifying the dream as definitely metaphorical will bring peace, even if we don’t understand the dream. If a dream is literal, then all items will be factual. For instance, if within the dream, your husband is actually your husband then:
All other items will most likely be literal:
You will not be driving a pink car if you do not own that pink car.
Mannerisms will be true to life and easy to identify.
Time will be consistent with the present:
All those in the dream will look the same age that they are in life.
When all the dreams are true to real life and set in the present time or the near future, then the dream may be literal. Once we understand if a dream is literal or metaphoric, it is time to ask the Lord to help us understand the purpose of the dream.
Prophetic Dreams
God is intentional. He does everything for a reason. We have already discussed the reasons God may send a dream to you for your life and for your benefit, however, He may also send a prophetic dream to you to help others. This doesn’t mean that every dream that comes true is from God. The enemy may send dreams as well, even some that come true.
If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke to you, saying, “Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them”; You shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proves you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 13:1-3 AKJV)
Satan cannot see the future as God can, however, he does have plans in motion. Some dreams that come true may cause you to follow the enemy into deception. If you receive a dream about someone’s death or a calamity with no indication of how to prevent it or what to do about it, then it may be the enemy trying to get a place in your life.
Is the prophetic dream giving a place in your life to pride because you know something before it happens? If you have had dreams that come true but have not brought glory to God, you may want to bring them to a dreams and visions meeting for discernment. If they are not from God you will need to renounce them, confess for giving a spirit that is not from God a place in your life, and possibly pride as well. Once you cover this with the blood of Jesus, that spirit will no longer have a place in your life.
Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, said the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, said the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:32 AKJV)
The Hebrew word paḥăzûṯ (pak-ha zooth' ) is translated “lightness” but more fully means recklessness, extravagance, or with frivolity, boasting. We must be very careful when we receive dreams or follow someone who gives messages from God based on dreams or visions. If it is a “false” dream, an untrue or vain imagination, is it leading you into ways that are not lined up with the Bible? Everything we receive must line up with the word of God.
To avoid coming into wrong agreement you should use the gift of discernment with dream interpretation. See the class/chapter Identifying the Enemy (Book 1) in the free classes at the Online Christian Church. They will help you understand this gift and others will help you identify where the enemy may have gained access to send dreams of this sort to you.
How to Respond
If the dream is from God, then the purpose of the dream may be to show you what will happen in the future and how you need to respond to it. A prophetic dream from God will always bring glory to Him and be according to His ways. This is seen in the biblical example of Joseph and Pharaoh.
Before Joseph could be brought into the presence of Pharaoh, God sent two dreams on the same night to two people from the ruler’s immediate circle: the chief baker and the chief butler. The dreams said one would die and one would be pardoned.
In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. (2 Corinthians 13:1 AKJV)
These dreams provided two witnesses to establish a fact: Joseph was interpreting dreams accurately. When Pharaoh was troubled with his dreams which no one could interpret, the butler was reminded of Joseph. Pharaoh’s dream informed them of the coming calamity, seven years of famine, along with God’s solutions, seven years of abundance.
If a prophetic dream is from God, we should look for a solution to the calamity to be pointed out in the dream. We should respond to the dream as it instructs us to do so. One exception to this guide is a dream that points out a calamity because of sin. These types of dreams are usually sent to those called to be prophets.
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