What are Jesus dreams?

from the old testament

• Throughout the Old Testament, God sometimes revealed His purposes through dreams to both His covenant people and unbelievers (e.g., Abimelech and Pharaoh), demonstrating that He is able to reveal Himself to anyone He chooses and that dreams were one of the ways He communicated before the completion of Scripture (Genesis 20:3–7; 28:10–17; 41:1–36; 1 Kings 3:5–15; Daniel 2:19–23; Numbers 12:6).
• Still, God’s main means for revelation in the Old Testament was through His prophets. God explained how prophets spoke on behalf of Him: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him” (Deuteronomy 18:18–19). When a prophet spoke, it was as if God was speaking. We don’t have prophets today because God’s revelation is complete. What they said was written down so that we can also learn from His words.
• Joel prophesied that in the coming age of the Spirit, God would pour out His Spirit and some would experience dreams and visions (Joel 2:28–29).
• At the same time, the Old Testament repeatedly warns that not every dream comes from God; false prophets could claim dreams and lead people away from the Lord, so any dream that promotes lies or contradicts God's revealed Word must be rejected (Deuteronomy 13:1–5; Jeremiah 23:25–32; Zechariah 10:2).
• While God used dreams in the Old Testament, they served a limited function at a time when He was still revealing His Scripture. They provided guidance (Genesis 28:12–15), revelation (Daniel 2:19–23), and even warnings (Genesis 20:3–7).

from the new testament

• God continued to use dreams and visions during key moments surrounding Jesus' life and the spread of the gospel. Joseph received multiple dreams directing him to protect Jesus and His family (Matthew 1:20–24; 2:13, 19–23). The wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod (Matthew 2:12). Peter explained that Joel's prophecy about dreams and visions began to be fulfilled after the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:16–21). Cornelius received a vision that led him to Peter so he could hear the gospel. The vision did not save him—it directed him to the message of Christ (Acts 10:1–8; 10:34–48). Peter received a vision preparing him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10:9–20).Paul received visions directing where to preach, encouraging him during persecution, and preparing him for future ministry (Acts 16:9–10; 18:9–10; 23:11).
• These examples show that God can use supernatural revelation to direct people toward Jesus, but the gospel itself is always the means by which people are saved (Romans 10:14–17). Romans 10:14 specifically says, "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" We need to be willing to go and share the gospel as God commanded us to (Matthew 28:18—20).
• The Apostles shared the means by which people could be saved: Jesus was the Messiah (John 20:31), the Savior (Luke 2:11), God’s sacrifice for sin (Romans 3:25), and the only way men and women can be forgiven for their sin (Acts 4:12).
• Not everything that claims to be spiritual is authentic. Believers are repeatedly warned to be discerning. For example, Paul said, “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:20–21). Even Jesus dreams cannot be accepted uncritically. Even if there may be a verifiably true account, it would be the exception of reaching unbelievers.

implications for today

Across the Middle East and other Muslim-majority countries, countless people have shared strikingly similar stories: they dreamed about Jesus before ever meeting a Christian or opening a Bible.  Why are so many Muslims around the world reporting dreams about Jesus? Is God still using dreams to point people to Christ today?

In some of the hardest-to-reach places on earth, people with little or no access to the gospel report having dreams that leave them searching for Jesus. Those dreams do not save them, but they often awaken a desire to know the One they encountered. Then, in God's providence, many go on to meet a Christian, receive a Bible, or hear the gospel for the first time.
Yes, God can use dreams to reach people with the gospel. These Jesus dreams remind us that there is no border, government, or spiritual darkness that can prevent God from drawing people to Himself. At the same time, they remind us why the mission of the Church is so important. We are called to share the gospel to everyone, even in remote places or in places where the government forbids Christianity. While God can use any means, including dreams, that does not take away our call to go and share the truth that we are sinners and God has made the way for us to be saved, freed from the guilt and penalty of sin: Jesus. The God who reaches people in extraordinary ways still calls ordinary believers to carry the extraordinary message of Jesus to the ends of the earth.