Dreams can sometimes fascinate believers. From the visions Daniel experienced in the Old Testament (Daniel 7) to Peter’s dream about clean and unclean animals (Acts 10:9-16) it seems as though dreams lace almost all the books of Scripture.
Even in the modern context, it seems as though many believers have come to Christ through seeing Jesus in a dream (see an article about such encounters here).
What are some examples of dreams throughout Scripture? What does the Bible have to say about dreams explicitly and does God still speak to us through dreams? And how much stock should Christians place in dreams today?
Of course, this article cannot dive into every instance of dreams in Scripture. However, it will highlight a few instances of dreams and why the matter:
This article shows all the dreams in Scripture and the meaning behind them. Dreams often employ symbolism to teach a lesson, divulge elements of the future, or help us discover more about God.
Although most dream references in Scripture refer to certain dreams God has given to a certain person (see above), Scripture does mention a few things about dreams:
Christians should consult Scripture any time they encounter a vivid dream that seems to have a meaning or authority greater than the regular dreams most of us experience each night.
In the article above which talks about Muslims who have seen Jesus in dreams, those dreams occur because they mostly do not have access to God’s word or have not read Scripture for themselves. Dreams form a temporary bridge for them to encounter God.
If you take a look at the frequency of dreams in the Bible, most occur in the Old Testament. Since most who lived in the Old Testament had limited access to God’s word, or in the case of those who lived before the time of Moses, God used dreams and visions as a way to communicate His messages to people.
Although visions and dreams have been known to take place after the Old Testament and after the New Testament, we do have to keep in mind that our primary basis for what God has to say to Christians is in the canon of Scripture.
The Bible does mention believers having dreams in the last days, but those dreams should never usurp Scripture in terms of authority.
God may place a dream in a Christian’s life to warn them about a future event, show a symbol that is important for that believer’s life, or to convey a certain message. Whenever a Christian encounters such a dream, they should test the spirits by opening the Bible and reading what it has to say about the subject of that dream.
Furthermore, although dreams may fascinate us, Christians should not envy other Christians who have dreams. Dreams don’t have a greater authority than Scripture, and most believers have God’s words right at their fingertips.
If people are experiencing visions and dreams today, it may fulfill what Scripture says about this happening more frequently in the Last Days.
However, ultimately, it shows us God is still speaking to those unreached by Scripture.
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