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Is there such a thing as Christian dream interpretation? Are dreams from God?

Is there such a thing as Christian dream interpretation? Are dreams from God?
Redemption Theology

TL;DR:

God has and can communicate to people via dreams, but the Bible shows that this is uncommon. Dreams should be tested against Scripture and rejected if they contradict God’s revealed Word.

what does the bible say?

The Bible shows that dreams are one way in which God has communicated with people. God gave dreams to avert danger (Genesis 20:3–7; 41:1-7; Matthew 2:13; 2:19). At times, He revealed His messages through dreams (Genesis 40:8–13; 41:16–32; Daniel 2:19–22). This doesn't mean that God gives people dreams regularly, nor that every dream someone claims is from the Lord actually is (Deuteronomy 13:1–5). Considering the wide span of history the Bible covers, the number of times God revealed a message in a dream is relatively rare. Scripture teaches that believers are to test any claims of divinely inspired dreams against the truths God has already revealed to us (Deuteronomy 13:1–5; Galatians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). As with many facets of Christian life, believers should ask God for wisdom in discerning if a dream is from Him (James 1:5).

from the old testament

  • God gave Joseph prophetic dreams (Genesis 37:5–11) and the power to interpret others’ dreams (Genesis 40:8–13; 41:16–32).
  • In Deuteronomy 13:1–5, God warns the Israelites to guard against those who claim to have a dream that encourages them to worship gods other than Him. Similarly, if someone today claims to have a dream from God that in any way goes against Scripture, that’s a sign that the dream is not from the Lord.
  • God communicated with some people in dreams but more directly with others, such as Moses: “If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD" (Numbers 12:6–8).

from the new testament

  • In a dream, God revealed to Joseph that he should wed Mary and that her child was of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20–21). Later, Joseph received dreams telling him to flee to Egypt for safety, and later, to return to Israel (Matthew 2:13; 2:19–20).
  • God obviously can communicate with us through dreams, but if someone claims He has done so, it must comport with what God has already revealed to us through Scripture: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8).
  • Whether a dream is from God, no one else can say, but as with all things, believers should ask God for wisdom (James 1:5).

implications for today

The ding telling us we have a text or an email is so common that we may not rush to read or answer it. A call seems more important, and a letter even more significant than that. But even weightier and more unexpected would be a message in a dream.

We usually think of dreams as weird states in which odd events occur that we may not even remember the next morning. But according to the Bible, certain people did get important messages in dreams, messages that God sent them. Does this mean that we should expect this regularly today? Not necessarily. Such events weren’t even commonplace during biblical times, considering the number of people the Bible records receiving such dreams over the thousands of years that Scripture covers.

If someone today claims to have received a message from God in a dream, we must measure what they’re claiming against the message God has sent to us all: Scripture.

understand

  • God has communicated through dreams in Scripture—but rarely.
  • All dreams claiming to be from God must align with Scripture.
  • Believers should seek God’s wisdom when discerning dreams.

reflect

  • How do you respond when you have a vivid or emotional dream?
  • When you hear someone say they received a message from God in a dream, how do you evaluate that claim in light of Scripture?
  • How are you seeking God's wisdom to discern what influences your thoughts, including your dreams?

engage

  • What patterns do we see in how God used dreams in the Bible, and how might that shape our expectations today?
  • How can we lovingly respond when someone insists a dream was from God, especially if it conflicts with Scripture?
  • What does it look like for believers to test spiritual claims, like dreams, together with wisdom and humility?

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