Prophetic Dreams Decoded: 8 Steps to Hear God’s Voice in Your Sleep

Excerpted from The Divinity Code to Understanding Your Dreams and Visions.

It is imperative to recognize that the vast majority of dreams are metaphors.

They come as parables, riddles, and puzzles to be decoded. Of the 20 dreams recorded in Scripture, 12 of them are symbolic in nature. That is, 60 percent are metaphors, compared with 40 percent that are literal. Literal dreams do not require interpretation because they do not consist of symbolic images. In our experience, the percentage of parable-type dreams is higher today than that of Scripture. This is probably because the Holy Spirit has been poured out and the Bible is more readily available.

As the majority of dreams come as parables, a very common mistake is to disregard such dreams because they utilize elements of something to which we have recently been exposed. Say, for example, I find a bee floating in the dishwater in the kitchen sink, and that night I dream about a swarm of bees. If I wake and say to myself, “I had that dream because of that bee in the sink last night” and then dismiss it as nonsense, I have missed God’s voice. This is because God takes the opportunity to use the images to which we have been freshly exposed to give us new perspectives on our spiritual walk. Just as Jesus related to fishermen with net casting (see Matt. 4:19), to farmers with seed sowing (see Matt. 13:1-9), and to a strongly relational society with scenes of marriage (see Matt. 22:37-39), so the Holy Spirit loves to use images fresh in our memories, often throwing in abstract elements and people we know to convey truth.

Is the Western Church being lulled into a false security? (See Revelation 3:17-18.) Have we gradually become spectators of the Gospel instead of bearers of its life-giving message? Are we worshipping God or the riffs and melodies of the music we have created to do so? Don’t misunderstand what I am saying; I am not saying we should get rid of all electronic devices, but that we should all examine our hearts to make sure that it is indeed God we are worshipping. If these questions and issues raise concerns within us, then it is evident that we need a new level of sensitivity to the Spirit of God and His Word, especially as they come to us in dreams.

God is waiting for the Church to reawaken spiritual sensitivity so that He can give the world dreams for Him to interpret through us, dreams that will confirm His reality. There is, therefore, a need for a “School of the Prophets” in which to grow and develop that spiritual sensitivity. Sadly, without a prophetic edge, we continually revert to the systems of people to build the Church.

Speaking again in general, about symbolic or metaphoric dreams, a few years ago, I dreamed that I saw one of my daughters was taken by a great white shark. At the time, the image put a fear in me that my child would be taken while at a family outing to the beach. Today I would know that this type of dream is more likely to be a warning from God of a predatory person. This is a warning to be vigilant in the area of childhood associations and friendships. If my daughter were older, it could be a warning of sexual, financial, or contractual predatory behavior.

As the majority of our dreams are metaphors, they are more likely to convey a spiritual parallel. A bush fire is more likely to indicate judgment, and a car accident is probably a warning of a potential family, ministry, or business mishap. At this point, however, it is really important to see that a potential spiritual catastrophe should be treated with the same urgency that its physical counterpart would be treated with. This is because the spiritual well-being of a person, city, or nation is more important than their physical welfare (see Matt. 16:26). The reason I say that is because we are talking about the contrast of a brief physical life compared to eternity. And there is no comparison.

Context

Just as it is important to consider the context of Scripture when putting meaning to it, so it is equally true that dreams need to be interpreted with consideration for the environment in which they occur. I will occasionally get phone calls or SMS messages asking for the meaning of one element of a dream. Unfortunately, without the rest of the dream and a measure of understanding of the circumstances surrounding the dreamer, an accurate picture is unlikely.

Let’s consider a Biblical example. Suppose we are considering the meaning of a particular character in a Scripture, let’s say, Jacob. When Jacob is on his way back into Canaan, just before he meets his brother Esau, he has an encounter with God at Peniel (see Gen. 32:22-32). God wrestles with Jacob to get a confession from, and a revelation to, him. A pivotal point comes in this encounter and is recorded in this way, “So He said to him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jacob.’ And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. . .’ ” (Gen. 32:27-28a).

Jacob has to come to understand who he is. His name literally means “Grabber, swindler, or supplanter”; it describes someone who is only out for himself. This picture is confirmed in Scripture as he steals both the birthright and the blessing from his brother Esau. It continues as we see him working as hard as he can to cheat a bigger swindler, Laban, when Laban’s flocks are conceiving (see Gen. 30:37-42).

Now if it was God with whom Jacob was wrestling, why did God ask him his name? Surely He already knew! He asked him his name so that Jacob would make a confession and receive a revelation. This is the same confession you and I need to make to come to God. We first need to see ourselves as sinners. Sin has its root in selfishness, so sins are the things we do without consideration of others (see Isa. 53:6). In saying his name, Jacob says, “I’m out only for myself!” After that confession, God through His grace says, you shall no longer be called “Swindler,” but “Israel,” which means “a Prince with God.” Jacob is a picture of the fleshly person—the old self—who is only out for himself despite any self-righteous acts he may perform. When God said he will be called Israel, God was calling him to live according to the spiritual person. From this point on, whenever we see Jacob and Israel mentioned, Jacob represents the fleshly person in action, and Israel the spiritual person.

We see this in the very next chapter of Genesis after Jacob has met his brother Esau. He agrees to meet his brother at Mount Seir, but because of fear—the fleshly person in operation—he goes in a totally different direction and finds himself at Shechem (see Gen. 33:14-18). This is where his daughter Dinah gets raped (see Gen. 34:2). God has to remind him that his name is Israel and no longer Jacob (see Gen. 35:10). We might think this would clinch it for him, but no, we find Jacob still in there wanting to run the show, but losing the battle against the spiritual person right up until his death in chapter 49 of Genesis. The study of the use of the two names through these chapters is worth investing an hour or two.

With that insight, we might think that every time we see Jacob (and its derivatives, James, Jamie, Jackie, Jake) in the Word (Scripture and dreams), we are seeing the fleshly person. However, this is not always the case. It is true when we see Jacob and Israel together, but when the name Jacob appears with Esau, then it is a different matter. Compared to Esau, Jacob is the spiritual person and Esau the fleshly person. This truth is what is behind the following Scripture, “As it is written, ‘Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated’ ” (Rom. 9:13; see also Obad. 1:18; Mal. 1:2-3)

Just as the meaning of Jacob is dependent on who he is mentioned with in Scripture, so the meaning of an element of a dream is dependent on its surroundings. The principle of considering the context, therefore, teaches us that the elements of interpretation of one dream are not necessarily transferable to another. The context of the dream will influence the meaning. What is going on in the life of the dreamer also needs to be considered as context.

Meditate on a Dream as a Whole Before Offering an Interpretation

Following on from this is the need to take one’s time, particularly with longer dreams, before venturing an interpretation. Daniel applied this principle when interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams. As the following Scripture shows,

“This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.” Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. . . (Daniel 4:18-19).

There are at least three good reasons for taking our time with an interpretation. Firstly, we need to see the overall image God is conveying in the dream. We may have individual elements pegged for certain parts of the dream, but until we can see the overview, we will not know how they fit what God has mapped out. It is easy to be led into false interpretation as we move from the elements to the whole (overview). We must also consider how the whole affects the elements if we are to get a true interpretation.

Secondly, we must take our time to “see” the dream. What I am trying to relate is that we need to look through, or past, the scenes and actions of the dream to gain understanding. For example, Jeremiah was directed to view the potter before God had him deliver His message to Israel. As the Scripture outlines,

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel” (Jeremiah 18:1-6).

Just as Jeremiah gained an increased understanding of God’s desired message to Israel through observing the potter, so we need to look beyond the mere words of the dream to “see” what message God is conveying through all the scenes.

The third reason to take our time is so that we can seek God’s wisdom in knowing how to deliver the interpretation to the dreamer. It is one thing to have an interpretation; it is another to know what action the dreamer should take from the interpretation and how to convey that.

Joseph, when giving the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams, is the classic example. Filled with the Spirit of God, he said,

Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine (Genesis 41:33-36).

Pharaoh then acknowledged before his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” He continued by saying to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you” (Gen. 41:38-39).

The key to knowing how to deliver an interpretation (and indeed how to interpret the dreams we are given) is to have receptive hearts toward the Holy Spirit. Notice that Joseph no longer is clamoring to be released, as we saw in Chapter 2. He has now dealt with the past, is filled with the Spirit of God, and is, therefore, at peace with God and within himself. This also illustrates the truth that we cannot interpret at our best when we are not in the Spirit because of overwork or stress.

Sequence Importance

Closely relating to the last two major points is the importance of the sequence or order of the dream. We not only need to get the context and the overview; we also need an accurate sequence or order. Sequence relates strongly to seeing through the scenes in the dream. If, for some reason, the person who has had the dream has recorded information out of order, it can throw the intended meaning into disarray. Make sure things happened in the order they are described by listing the main points of the dream before writing up the final draft of the dream.

Past, Present, and Future

Not all dreams relate to the future. At times, God will pick up a scene from the past to set the context and build faith by revealing something only you and He know, then show where you are today before moving on to where He is directing you in the future. In these dreams, the opening scene may hint of a journey. These types of dreams are relatively long and may begin in, or center on, a vessel or vehicle (see Dream Samples 28 and 48) or a hallway or corridor.

Very often dreams reveal the state of the local church or people’s hearts. These dreams are those where God discerns and discloses truth that only He and those concerned know. In disclosing this insight, He is bringing that which is not even conscious to the fore so that the individual, church, or ministry can see and address issues. When these dreams are experienced by a third party, the dreamer needs tremendous wisdom and an awareness of the timing of God to know if and when they are to deliver the dream or its interpretation to those it concerns.

Not all dreams and interpretations need to be revealed. At times, some dreams are just informing you how something looks spiritually or what is happening spiritually in a situation. At other times, they are a call to prayer.

Repeat Dreams

When God repeats a matter, it is a sign of confirmation, importance, imminence, or urgency. A repeat dream says you weren’t listening the first time. If we experience repeated dreams, we need to take note because God wants us to act on the message. When addressing Pharaoh, Joseph said, “And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass” (Gen. 41:32).

Here Joseph explained that the repeated dream confirmed God was speaking to Pharaoh and that what was revealed was about to happen. In Pharaoh’s case, the two dreams were not identical, but were two powerful views of the same impending issue (see Gen. 41:17-25). In the original manuscripts of the Book of John, Jesus sometimes began by saying, “Truly, Truly” (John 1:51, among other occurrences). Each time, Jesus firmly captured His disciples’ attention before imparting powerful spiritual truth. In much the same way today, the Holy Spirit attempts to gain our attention through a repeated dream to impart spiritual truth.

When Abraham was about to sacrifice his own son in obedience to God, God caught his attention by repeating his name (see Gen. 22:11). Abraham was so intent on obedience that God had to repeat his name to break that focus and prevent the sacrifice. Likewise today, God will break a wrong or intense focus and also impart urgency through a repeated dream.

God, in His grace, many times gives unbelievers repeat dreams concerning their eternal spiritual welfare. Dreams of people falling, washing, toileting, flying in fear, or of dark figures around the bed are strong calls for people to get things right with God so that their spiritual person has an eternal future in God’s presence.

Feelings

The feelings of the dreamer are indicative of much of the meaning conveyed in the scenes of a dream. Even when the visual elements of two dreams are the same, the feelings of the dreamers may be vastly different. It is therefore important, where possible, to describe the feelings associated with a given situation. Anger, fear, confidence, or anxiety in a particular scene conveys just as much meaning as the visual images.

For example, flying in a dream can be either an exhilarating or terrifying experience. Both scenes describe life in the Spirit. The one accompanied with exhilaration will generally convey moving in the gifts or flowing with the Spirit of God. The scene that is enjoined with fear says something is not right spiritually and carries with it a warning of danger.

Gender

When we see someone in a dream as a male or female, it is no assurance that they portray someone of that gender in real life. In many aspects of heavenly thinking, both male and female are related as humankind. Speaking to wives, Peter says,

Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price (1 Peter 3:1-4 KJV).

Peter, in addressing wives, speaks of them adorning the “hidden man of the heart.” This non-gender aspect is also evidence that both male and female are included in Scriptures that talk about the man of the flesh. Paul to the Romans states,

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin (Romans 6:6).

It should be obvious that both male and female are included in this address to live as dead to sin. For this reason, an old man in a female’s dream can represent her “man of the flesh,” that is, that aspect of her that is opposed to the Spirit.

Finally, it should be noted that the man of Macedonia who appeared to Paul in a vision of the night beckoning him to come to Europe (see Acts 16:9-10) turned out to be a woman (see Acts 16:13-15).

Alternatively, it is also worth noting that a woman in a dream may also be representative of the Church (see Eph. 5:25). Often she (the Church) may be portrayed as a person’s mother, sister, or even a young girl, because these may represent aspects of her (the Church) spiritually.

Names

The names of places and people in dreams are very significant. Sometimes the people in dreams represent themselves, and at other times, the meaning of names is a major key to dream interpretation. Or the presence of someone you know in a dream may instead point to their chief characteristic or what they represent to you. Once again, the key is to look at the dream as a whole before assuming that the dream literally refers to that person or the meaning of their name. However, when it comes to name meanings, the dream with Mel Gibson, earlier in this chapter, is a fair example of how a name meaning assists in opening up a dream for interpretation.

People in dreams may represent:

• Themselves

• Their character

• Their position, role, or what they represent to the dreamer

• The organization or church they represent

• The meaning of their names.

The name dictionary included in this book provides more than a 1,200 meanings for common place and people names. However, if you anticipate doing a lot of dream interpretation, you may consider investing further by purchasing a comprehensive book of name meanings. I chose the one I use because it was relatively economical and provides more than 50,000 name meanings.

Search engines on the Internet are also a good resource for further name definitions, but be aware that many baby-name internet sites have links to gambling and pornography. Due to variations in the agreed etymological roots of a name, it is a good idea to look at a couple of sources before accepting a name meaning as final.