Wider Circulation of Dreams

A follower of Jesus will sometimes believe that the dream is for the wider body of Christ, or for their nation. When a dream that speaks to the dreamer is shared with the wider body of Christ the processes for interpretation and testing of the dream are different. The dream should be submitted to the elders who oversee the dreamer. In a way, the dreamer loses control of their dream.

The content of the dream cannot be challenged, because the dreamer saw what they saw. However, two questions need to be answered.

• Is the dream appropriate for sharing with the church or the nation? It should only be circulated if the dream is from God and the interpretation is relevant to the people who will read it.
• Is the interpretation clear and correct? The message of the dream usually comes through the interpretation, so it is important that the interpretation is accurate.

If a dream is to be shared widely, then the interpretation needs to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. If it comes from the flesh, the interpretation could lead the body of Jesus astray, even if the dream is from God. This means that the interpretation should be tested in the same was as a prophecy is tested.

A prophecy and the interpretation of a dream are both messages from God mediated by the Holy Spirit, so they can both be subject to human error. For the protection of God’s voice, they need to be tested. We must guard against assuming that because a dream is vivid and clear that its interpretation is clear.

People can be mistaken about the interpretation of a dream. The person who received the dream will be likely to interpret it through their own experience. This is fine if it is a message for the dreamer, but it is dangerous if the dream is for the wider church.

When a person gives their dream to the body of Jesus for its edification, they lose control of the interpretation of the dream. The church is responsible for ascertaining that the dream is appropriate for sharing, and that the interpretation is correct. In some cases, the elders of the church may decide that the dream should be shared, but propose a different interpretation that they believe is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

If the dreamer objects to that interpretation, they could ask the elders not to share the dream. The elders should respect such a request.

Testing Dreams

God speaks through dreams, so it is important that we understand them well. This means that interpretation and testing of dreams is essential.

Some dreams are personal. Others are for the body of Christ or for a nation.

Testing Dreams
The interesting thing about a dream is that the content of the dream cannot really be challenged. The reality is that the dreamer saw what they saw in the dream, and no one can say they are wrong about what they have seen.

The most that a friend can do is challenge the source of dream. An insightful friend might suggest that a dream did not come from God, but came from the spiritual powers of evil. They might say that it came from the dreamer’s flesh, perhaps because they had overeaten.

The other problem with the content of a dream is that the dreamer might not have recorded it accurately or clearly. They might accidently leave out some key details from their account of the dream. Gentile questions by an honest fiend might clarify the details of the dream.

Interpretation of Private Dreams
The interpretation of a dream is different, because it is a human activity with potential for error, so testing of the interpretation of a dream is essential.

If the message of the dream is personal, the person receiving the dream will often be in the best position to interpret it, because they have the context within which it was received. If the dream is for their guidance, their current situation and the experience they are going through will be important for understanding the dream.

If the person receiving the dream is unable to interpret it, they should seek advice from a friend with insight into dream.

Once the interpretation of a dream has been worked out, a wise person will seek confirmation from others whom they trust that the interpretation is correct, before acting on the interpretation of their dream.

We tend to assume that a message received through a dream can always be trusted, because the message came directly from God without human intervention. However, the message of a dream is understood through interpretation and that is a human task that can go wrong. So, testing of dreams is as essential as testing as prophecies.

Hearing God's Speaking

Some Christians get excited about visions and dreams. Others get excited about seeing angels or demons. Some are stirred up by visits to the third heaven. These are all important, but they are not the ultimate. God explained to Aaron and Miriam what his priority is for his people.

When there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions,
I speak to them in dreams.
But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles (Num 12:6-8).

Prophets I those times saw dreams and visions. With Moses, who was also a prophet, God took it to a new level. He spoke to Moses face to face, or translating the Hebrew more literally “mouth to mouth”.

This should be our goal. God is a god who speaks. He began creation by speaking. He sent his son, who is the perfect, true word.

We have the Holy Spirit living within us. He loves to speak. We need to listen to him and hear his voice. We should speak to him an ask questions. Dreams and visions are good, but hearing his voice every day is the ultimate. Obeying his voice is even better.

Dreams of Disaster

Several dreams about another earthquake and tsunami are doing the rounds in Christchurch. They are causing a lot of fear and confusion.

Christians should understand that dreams can come from different sources.

1. Most dreams come of our own minds and memories. They are often a mash-up of our past experiences and current emotions, but seem to be real because they are staged in surrounding that are familiar to us. During times of stress, our dreams sometimes become more dramatic and disturbing. Some people experience terrible nightmares during times of trouble. Most dreams are more normal and are quickly forgotten.

2. God can speak to us through our dreams. Joseph is well known for dreaming and interpreting dreams. There were four dreams associated with the birth of Jesus. His life was saved by a dream (Matt 2:12). Overall, dreams from God are relatively rare. I have had thousands of dreams during my lifetime, but there would only be a handful that I have thought might come from God. We can also assume that most dreams do not come from God.

3. Angels can speak into our dreams. An angel spoke to Joseph in a dream, before and after the birth of Jesus (Matt 1:20; Matt 2:13).

4. If angels can speak to us while we are dreaming, then evil spirits probably can too. They could sometimes push a false thought into our dreams, but this should be rare for Christians under God’s protection. Saul was vexed by an evil spirit (1 Sam 16:14). I presume that it tormented him day and night, but this only happened after he lost the blessing of God.

Christians should be alert for God speaking in a dream, but they should also be aware that most dreams are just dross from our minds. Therefore, a dream should be tested, before it is taken as guidance or revelation.

• When a dream sticks in our minds until the morning, we should not automatically assume that it has come from God. That may be the case, but it is more likely that it has come out of own mind. We should pray about the source of the dream and get the witness of the spirit, before deciding that it has come from God.

• The fact that a dream is dramatic or disturbing does not mean that it is from God. During times of trouble and crisis, frightening and disturbing dreams become more common, but it does not mean anything. Dreams of falling from a height, being overwhelmed by water, or being chased by something dreadful are very common. These dreams do not mean anything, but are just a reflection of the dreamer’s situation.

• The fact that two people have the same dream does not mean that it comes from God. They may have had similar experiences, or been tricked by the enemy.

• Evil spirits can pretend to be angels. Therefore, a dream in which an angel speaks can be a deception. Even dreams in which angels teach should be tested.

Once that it is confirmed that a dream is from God, it must be interpreted carefully. Some dreams are literal, but most are symbolic. Pharaoh’s dream of the fat and thin cows is an example (Gen 41:1-4). He understood that the cows were not real and that he needed someone to interpret the dream. Over the last twenty years, a number of Christians have had dreams of big waves sweeping across New Zealand. Most have interpreted these waves as symbolising waves of spiritual renewal. Interpreting dreams that are symbolic as if they were literal is a common cause of error.

When describing a dream, the description of the dream should be kept separate from the interpretation. These two things often get mixed together, which produces confusion. I have written more on this at Publishing Dreams.

Christians should be particularly careful about dreams that circulate on the internet.

• Not everything on the internet is true. The web is a mixture, like everything in life.

• The fact that a dream is on the internet does not mean it is from God. Most dreams are human.

• Things on the internet often get copied and circulated in a different form by different people. This can make it seem like many people have had the same revelation, when they have really come from the same source.

• Christians should be careful about attributions on the internet that are vague. A statement saying “a well-respected pastor in a spirit-filled church has confirmed this is true” means almost nothing, because it cannot be validated.

• Everyone putting stuff on the internet is not good. Some words that circulate have are deliberately written in order to deceive. Christians should be alert for hoaxes.

Dreams can be a powerful means of communication. God can use dreams to get us thinking about something that we have been ignoring. Christians should be aware that he may speak in this way. I suspect that a good many dreams from God have been ignored by the people who really need to receive them.

On the other hand, Christians should be alert and test everything that they receive, especially from the internet.

With regard to the dream that is circulating, the bullying words within it suggest that it is not from God. He would not threaten,

those who do not listen will perish.

Jesus said something quite different (John 3:16-17). I sense that the dream is a description of what the enemy would like to do, but is unable to do.

Publishing Dreams and Visions

When publishing a dream and a vision, it is important to separate the dream or vision from the interpretation. If the Lord gave some interpretation during the dream, then that should be spelt out clearly too.

The person who had the dream or vision knows what they saw, so there cannot be any debate about the content. They should know what they saw.

However, there can be debate about whether the dream came from God, or the forces of evil, or was just the working of the dreamers mind. Dreams and vision should be tested by the body of Christ to establish that they have come from God.

Unless the Holy Spirit gives a specific interpretation and application during the dream or vision, the interpretation of a dream or vision can be open to debate. Sometimes the person who receives the dream or vision may not be the best person to provide interpretation. Joseph and Daniel were prophetic people who were skilled in interpreting the dreams of other people.

I see many dreams and visions on prophetic websites, where the person has received a valid revelation, but seems to have got the interpretation wrong. In these situations, someone else in the body of the Christ may have the interpretation. If the interpretation is mixed up with published account of the dream, it becomes difficult to suggest an alternative interpretation, without questioning the inspiration of what has been published.

I believe that the best practice is to record accurately the dream and vision as received, and then give the interpretation separately. This was Daniels approach in Daniel 7 and 8. In the first part of the chapter he describes what he saw. He then gives the interpretation that was given to him by the angel. Not only did he keep the description and the interpretation separate, he did not give his own interpretation or application at all.

The book of Revelation is similar. John recorded all that he saw very carefully and precisely. He rarely gives any interpretation (except for stars are angels, lamp stands are churches, waters are people, heads are kings, hills are kings). I presume that the Holy Spirit did not give John the interpretation, so he did not give it.

Most Christians who have a dream or vision to share seem to feel bound to give the interpretation and application at the same time. Moreover, the content and the interpretation are often mixed up together. For example, when reading John Paul Jackson’s Perfect Storm, it is quite difficult to discern what he actually saw and what is his interpretation and application (I am not questioning the validity of what he saw?).

Mixing up the dream and the interpretation makes it hard to assess the source of the dream. It also makes it hard to assess the interpretation. Likewise if the dream or vision is not described clearly without interpretation, it is very difficult for a person who is gifted in interpreting dreams and visions to give an alternative vision, because they do not have all the material that they need.

To progress in the prophetic, the body of Christ must be come better at distinguishing between vision and interpretation. Similarly, we must get much better at separating what the Lord said from what we think it means.

Micke Bickles Dream

I find that the person receiving a prophetic dream is often not the best person to interpret it. Gene Redlin drew my attention to a dream by Mike Bickle that illustrates this problem.

Mike’s presentation of the dream makes another common mistake. He mixes his interpretation into his description of the dream. This is unwise as it minimises the communication impact of the dream. Prophetic dreams should be allowed to speak.

In the version of Mike Bickles dream below, I have cut out all the interpretative comments and just left the works that describe what he saw. Reading it this way the message is much clearer.

A. I was speaking at a conference in a baseball park inside a large fairground. About 40,000 people were present—many leaders from different “charismatic” streams, and people from all these groups. I saw one particular leader who was representative of other leaders in the Body of Christ who seek to walk in God’s power and who have an excellent spirit. We were enjoying warm fellowship together.

B. I preached on prayer, God’s power and end-time judgment. I spoke at two afternoon sessions. In the break between the sessions, people were debating what I was preaching. Some IHOP-KC people debated each other, while others were speaking to believers from different ministry streams. They were discussing God's power and His end-time judgment in a friendly way; there was no hostility, only sincere dialogue with humility and love. It was enjoyable and intellectually stimulating but none of the different points of view stirred up real faith or revelation.

C. Immediately as I finished the second session at 5 PM, I saw (some) large snakes (over 100 yards long and 50 feet thick), each having a huge head that looked like a dragon, and many of them were coming from the sky down to the earth.

E. Everyone at the conference was filled with panic; most were terrified. No one had understanding or faith that was mature enough to respond in the power or confidence that I had just preached on, myself included. I ran as I felt the terror of the event. The leaders and their people were terrified; everyone wanted to get out of the fairground quickly. Most people were in confusion, including those from IHOP-KC.

F. These snakes were filled with rage against the people. They were angry and even humiliated about being confined to the earth.

G. Soot like wet, muddy, thick ash was raining down from the sky. It darkened the sky as it fell on the people who were running. I ran out of the vast fairground to the park offices at the entrance. Wet ash was all over me as I ran. Many did not get out; they were bitten by the large snakes.

H. There were evil policeman at the entrance. They told me, “You have to go back into the fairground or we will put you in jail.” They were callous about the danger I would face if I went back into the fairground. I was in a dilemma. I thought, “I just escaped from the most intense danger imaginable and now I have to go back in!”

One thing stands out really clearly. These people were keeping up to date with the latest teaching and the current moves of God. They had just listened to an afternoon of teaching by the “best” end-time teacher in America. Yet when evil appeared in their midst, they were totally unprepared for it. They were “filled with panic”, “most were terrified”, “no one had understanding”, “their leaders were terrified”, “people were in confusion” and “everyone wanted to get out”.

There is a serious disconnect here. People listening to “prophetic teaching”, but totally unprepared for what happens to them next. Something is seriously wrong.

The core message of this dream is that end-time teaching is not preparing people for the evil that lies ahead.

Most of the snakes came down from the sky. This suggests that some were already their in the stadium. This is very disturbing. God’s people are so busy discussing the power of God and the latest end-time teaching that they are blind to the evil that is already emerging in their midst.

Heads represents political power (Rev 17:9). Large heads represent excessive political power. End-time teaching blinds Christians to the idols of state power economic power and military power that are already at work in America, and will suddenly manifest themselves in a terrible way in the future.

All the different “charismatic streams” were present at the stadium. Many of the leaders who “see to walk in God’s power” were there too. This means that the problem being exposed by the dream affects all these Christian streams.

Mike Bickle does not mention the soot in his interpretation, but it is clearly important. Soot represents shame. The dream is warning that fear and confusion will eventually turn to shame, when people realise how they have been side-tracked by misleading teaching. Shame is dangerous, because it makes people want to get out. Many will be so ashamed of their foolishness that they want to give up being Christian. This would be a disaster if it was allowed to happen.

The policemen at the entrance made Mike Bickle go back. I was really touched by a prophetic word that Mike Bickle received many years ago.

I will change the understanding and expression of Christianity in the earth in one generation.

I was also really encouraged by his efforts to assist in restoring the prophetic ministry to the church. In recent years, Mike seems to have morphed into an end-times teacher. I sense that the Spirit is telling him to go back to that early calling: transforming Christianity to something totally different and restoring a vibrant prophetic ministry. His end-time teaching is producing confusion and distracting Christians from the important stuff. If continues with that he will end up where he could end up constrained and shut down.

PS: In his interpretation, Mike Bickle refers to Revelation 12. This passage does not describe a future event. It was fulfilled at Jesus ascension into heaven.

Free Markets (12) - Dreams and Reality

The market is the place where dreams and reality meet.

The managers of Ford dream about the success of their latest vehicle. They have spent millions of dollars on development of the new model and hope it will be the new Mustang. It hits the market, just after the release of an offering from Chrysler that is better and cheaper. The reality of the market turns the Ford dream into an Edsel.

A young man dreams about getting work at the local Ford plant. He will be set up for life, with a good lifestyle. When he is forty-five, the factory closes. Reality destroys his dream.

Another young man dreams about writing a novel. He is not very hopeful of success, but when the book hits the market it proves to be a bestseller, changing his life. Reality exceeded his dreams.

Thomas Edison dreams about using electricity to light up offices and homes. After many failures, he develops a light bulb that works effectively. Reality matches his dream and his dreams grow. The people of the world enjoy something that they had not dreamed was possible.

Every dream needs to be tested, but this is very risky, because sometimes dreams fail in the face of realty. The only way to avoid this risk is to leave your dreams as dreams.

A risk-free world is only possible for people who are willing to live in their dreams, but the world of dreams is actually a world of poverty.

Progress needs people who will dream big dreams. Even more, it needs people like Thomas Edison, who will test their dreams against reality by bringing them to the market again and again.

Some people would like to change the market so that dreams do not fail. This is like changing the football game so no one is injured. It could be done, but the game is no longer football. The only way to prevent dreams from being hurt by the market is to push reality out, but ignoring reality is dangerous.