What are Prophetic Dreams?
Throughout our lifetime, we experience many dreams. Dreams are mental, emotional, or sensory experiences that occur during sleep and are most common and intense during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep when brain activity increases. They can be the result of stress, medications, and sleep disorders, but mostly, they are normal and healthy experiences with no special significance.
However, it is also true that God uses both dreams and visions to convey important messages to His people, and as the end of time draws nearer, we can expect more and more of these manifestations.
Numbers 12:6 – “If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream”.
Matthew 2:12 – “Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod they (the wise men) departed for their country another way”. See also verses 13, 19.
Acts 2:17-18 – “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and My maidservants, I will pour out of My Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy”.
The Bible is filled with examples of prophetic visions, many of which were given to prophets to share with the people. “Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus: ‘Come, let us go to the seer’; for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer” (1 Samuel 9:9). A ‘seer’ is someone who is divinely gifted with the ability to ‘see’ into the future and to reveal its secrets.
1) What is the difference between a Dream and a Vision?
“As defined in the Bible, a vision is a supernatural experience in which a person sees something not present in the physical world. Visions can be experienced while awake or in a dream-like state and can be a means of divine communication. In many cases, visions reveal God’s will or convey important messages to individuals or groups.
“While visions are often associated with dreams, there is a biblical difference between the two. Dreams are more common and involve subconsciously processing information from the day or recent events. In contrast, visions are typically a deliberate communication from God, given to individuals to convey essential messages or reveal future events”. (www.bibleversespro.com/vision-in-the-bible/)
2) What is the purpose of a Dream or Vision?
God’s primary purpose in giving a vision or a dream is to relate some message of special importance for His church through an especially chosen messenger called a prophet. The man or woman chosen to receive and give this message is said to have the ‘spirit of prophecy’.
This is especially important to know because God’s end-time church is defined as a remnant who “keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17). The same author, under divine inspiration, explains that the ‘testimony of Jesus’ is the ‘spirit of prophecy’ (Revelation 19:10). God’s last day church has two defining characteristics: –
- They keep the commandments of God – all 10 of them.
- They have in their midst those who have the prophetic gift of prophecy.
The apostle Paul lists the gift of prophecy as one of several spiritual gifts bestowed upon the church by the Holy Spirit “for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying (informing) of the body of Christ” (the church). See 1 Corinthians 12:10 and Ephesians 4:11-12.
3) Why is it essential for a church to have the Spirit of Prophecy?
God promises His people that He will do nothing, “unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). This means that none of His children need to be surprised by future events because they have been pre-warned. Regarding the “Day of the Lord”, the time during which earth’s probation will close, and God’s judgments poured out upon the wicked, Paul writes: “But you, brethren, are not in darkness so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons (and daughters) of light and sons (and daughters) of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober . . . For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-9).
This is why it is so essential for a church to have the prophetic gift in its midst.
4) How can we distinguish between a False and a True Prophet?
Dreams and visions can come from God as well as from Satan. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places”. Therefore, the apostle Paul warns, “Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6: 11-12).
Just before His crucifixion, Jesus warned His disciples of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and wove into his discourse the warning that the same conditions would exist in the world just before His second coming. He repeatedly warned the disciples (and us) not to be deceived by false christs and false prophets who will “show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, the very elect” (Matthew 24:24).
The book of Revelation tells us that one of the powers that would fight against God and His people in the last days is called “the false prophet” – an amalgamation of apostate ‘Christian’ churches (Revelation 16:13-14). And that it would be instrumental in enforcing the mark of the beast. See Revelation 13:13-17 and Revelation 19:20.
Because of the seriousness of the issues facing us, it is crucial to distinguish between a true prophet of God and a false prophet.
- The message of a true prophet will always be in harmony with the Word of God, the Bible. “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).
Like the noble Bereans of Paul’s day, we should ‘search the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so’ (Acts 17:11). If a prophetic message agrees with what the Bible says, we may believe it.
- A true prophet will never use magic arts such as divination, sorcery, or astrology. God is the source of his or her message.
Deuteronomy 18:10-14 (MKJV) – “There shall not be found among you . . . anyone that uses divination, an observer of clouds, or a fortune-teller, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or one who calls to the dead. For all that do these things are an abomination to Jehovah. And because of these abominations, Jehovah your God drives them out from before you. For these nations whom you shall possess listened to observers of clouds and diviners. But as for you, Jehovah your God has not allowed you to do so”. See also Micah 3:7.
The Bible is to be our guide in distinguishing between truth and error.
2 Peter 1:19 (KJV) – “We have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the morning star arises in your hearts”
- The predictions of a true prophecy come to pass as prophesied.
Deuteronomy 18:22 – “When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass . . . the prophet has spoken presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him”.
Jeremiah 28:9 – “When the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent”.
The prophecies relating to the rise and fall of nations in the book of Daniel and those relating to the birth, ministry, and death of Christ are a good illustration of this principle. Every detail was fulfilled.
- A true prophet gives a straight message from the Lord and will not change that message to suit what the people want to hear, regardless of the cost. They fearlessly point out sin, and call for repentance.
Matthew 3:1-8 (RV) – “And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand . . . Then went out unto him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan; and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth, therefore, fruit worthy of repentance”.
- A true prophet will reveal that they are from God by their life practices.
Matthew 7:15-16 – “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits (what they do and say), ye shall know them”.
The Bible is very specific when laying open the sins of false prophets and priests.
Isaiah 28:7 – “The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, they are swallowed up by wine . . . they err in vision, they stumble in judgment”.
Jeremiah 23:13-14 – “I (God) have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria . . . they cause My people Israel to err. I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem. They commit adultery and walk in lies. They also strengthen the hand of evildoers . . . all of them are like Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah”.
Micah 3:11 – “Her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money”.
Zephaniah 3:4 – “Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people. Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law”.
- A true prophet will warn of judgments to come.
The last prophetic message this world will ever receive will soon be given by a group of people endowed with the prophetic gift, called the 144,00. (Revelation 7:3-4).
Revelation 14:6-12 (KJV)– “And I saw another angel (messenger) flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus”.
The true test of a prophet lies not in miracles but in the message.
“DESPISE NOT PROPHESYINGS. PROVE ALL THINGS: HOLD FAST THAT WHICH IS GOOD”.
(1 Thessalonians 5:20-21).
(All Bible references are from the NKJV unless otherwise specified).
