Part 7 (1/2)
When Abraham was about to sacrifice his own son in obedience to G.o.d, G.o.d caught his attention by repeating his name (see Gen. 22:11). Abraham was so intent on obedience that G.o.d had to repeat his name to break that focus and prevent the sacrifice. Likewise today, G.o.d will break a wrong or intense focus and also impart urgency through a repeated dream.
G.o.d, in His grace, many times gives unbelievers repeat dreams concerning their eternal spiritual welfare. Dreams of people falling, was.h.i.+ng, toileting, flying in fear, or of dark figures around the bed are strong calls for people to get things right with G.o.d so that their spiritual person has an eternal future in G.o.d'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 a.s.sociated 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 G.o.d. 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 a.s.surance 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 G.o.d 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 a.s.suming 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 a.s.sists in opening up a dream for interpretation.
People in dreams may represent: a Themselves a Their character a Their position, role, or what they represent to the dreamer a The organization or church they represent a 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 antic.i.p.ate 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 p.o.r.nography. 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.
Numbers Numbers always provide something of significance to a dream interpretation. The implication of numbers in a dream is best shown through an example. The following dream is particularly rich in numerical significance, In my dream I had someone whom I loved a great deal, but I hardly ever saw him. We both had a set of numbers, and the numbers were a matching set. My numbers were six, seven, eight, and his were something that went with them, but I can't remember them. So what I was going to do was to post or display my numbers so that he would see them when he went a certain way. I was going to put them up at the corner of Reservoir Road and Smart Road at the roundabout.
This dream relates to a relations.h.i.+p between husband and wife. A husband and wife are to complement one another. It appears that this couple does not spend enough time together. It also appears that G.o.d is communicating to the husband through this dream. The wife's numbers are six, seven, and eight. These particular numbers in this order are a good combination for they say that she is progressing spiritually. They say that she was in the flesh (six), is moving to Divine perfection (seven), and is ready for a new beginning (eight) spiritually. What they spell out is a code for the husband to decipher.
It is possible that the husband's numbers are four, three and two which would be the complementary numbers to complete the order or round to ten. This combination, in this context, would mean that he now has rule (four) and will experience resurrection (three) through her unity (two) in the home. The corner of Reservoir and Smart roads is also significant because it says shortly (corner) she will get to the wisdom (smart) of G.o.d (reservoir) and turn around (roundabout).
This is an absolute gem of a dream. Not only does it beautifully relate the use of numbers in a dream, but also ingeniously employs road names as well.
The metaphor dictionary also shows that a number may equate with its face value. For example, a three in a dream may mean exactly that. As you look at the interpretation of individual elements, be sensitive to the inner voice of the Holy Spirit while you consider which interpretation for a number is the correct one. When you have the right interpretation, there will be an inner knowing or confirmatory ”witness,” and the message of the dream as a whole will be made apparent.
Local, National, and Cultural Idiosyncrasies The dictionary of metaphors in this book is based on a generally white and Western outlook. At times this will not be able to convey local community knowledge or the cultural perspective of a given situation.
For example, I was talking to Adam (my co-author) one day when he instantly received a vision of a bunch of bananas being cut in half while they were being held in someone's hand. That may not mean much to you unless you knew that at that time the northern parts of Australia (the country in which we both live) had experienced a cyclone which decimated the banana growing regions. This meant that bananas now sold for up to $15.00 a kilogram, which is very expensive in our part of the country. Therefore, the vision said that something of value is going to be cut in a certain ministry situation relating to me.
When you find something not mentioned in the dictionary, or a listing that does not convey your understanding of a subject, look up any relevant Bible verses relating to that subject and also write down the alternatives of what that person, place, or thing means to you and see which interpretation best fits the overall message conveyed in the dream.
At times Adam and I have had to go to sleep not knowing a particular element within a dream only to have the Holy Spirit give us understanding in the night. For this reason, I keep a notepad next to my bed. If you get a deposit of gold given to you in the night, make sure you write it down straightaway because, chances are, you will not remember it in the morning.
Also realize that at times G.o.d will stretch your spiritual understanding through the dreams He gives you. You will not always get an instant interpretation. In fact, you may have to wait days, weeks, or months before you fully understand what it was He was saying, but when the fulfillment comes, you can be sure your faith will be lifted.
Practical Advice If you are going to take dreams and their interpretation seriously, then I recommend that you establish a dream log. Mine is simply an exercise book in which I write and date the dream. Depending on the size of the dream, I leave room either underneath the dream or on the opposite page for its interpretation.
I also keep a notepad (8” x 5”) by my bed. I used to use a smaller one, but this larger size allows me to write in the dark and not disturb my wife by putting the light on, and at the same time gives me room to be a bit messy in my writing without continually running off the page. I usually only write a few salient points in the dark, just enough to refresh my memory for when I am fully awake. If you choose to follow this technique, make sure that you test your pen before putting the light out and laying your head on that pillow. I have learned this the hard way. There is nothing worse than waking to find that what you thought you wrote is not on the page because the pen wasn't working.
In the morning, I bullet-point the dream so that I maintain the correct order of events, and then, when I am happy I have extracted all the details, I write it up in the exercise book. In this way, I have a permanent record of what G.o.d has been speaking to me about over a period of time.
Reading through the dreams is a faith-building exercise as I am able to see the things G.o.d has completed or confirmed in the past and at the same time look to where He is directing me in the future. My dream log also provides me with things to pray about, and in praying through it, I can confidently bring Heaven to earth (see Matt. 6:10).
Summary: Chapter Nine.
a There is no formula for interpreting dreams. It is more about cultivating a relations.h.i.+p with the Holy Spirit. He is the author and interpreter of dreams.
a Understanding comes when a person is ”under-standing” (or under the authority of) the Word of G.o.d. Therefore, interpretation is dependent on obedience.
a Use every opportunity to pray in tongues, particularly while traveling, as it is the vehicle for revelation, teaching, and prophecy.
a As the majority of dreams are metaphoric in nature, we should not disregard a dream because it contains ”weird” or recently experienced events in our lives.
a Catastrophic dreams are most likely to convey a spiritual parallel.
a Dreams need to be interpreted in context. This refers not only to interpreting elements against other elements in the same dream; it also means knowing what is going on in the life of the dreamer.
a We need to take our time interpreting, particularly with long dreams, because: a We need to see the overall image G.o.d is conveying. Here we need to confirm our interpretation of the individual elements by ensuring the whole dream makes sense.
a Time is needed to see past the individual scenes to the overall message being conveyed.
a Wisdom is needed in knowing how to deliver the interpretation.
a Not all dreams relate a future scene. They may show past, present, future, or all three.
a Not all dreams need to be revealed to the parties concerned. At times, some dreams are just informing us how something looks spiritually or what is going on spiritually. At other times, they are a call to prayer.
a Repeat dreams are a sign of importance, confirmation, imminence, or urgency. They say we weren't listening the first time.
a Many times G.o.d, in His grace, repeats dreams to unbelievers concerning their eternal spiritual destinies. Falling, was.h.i.+ng, flying in fear, and dark figures around the bed are all calls to get right with G.o.d.
a Feelings can convey much of the meaning of a dream. Similar scenes can be vastly different in interpretation, dependent on the feelings experienced by the dreamer.
a Gender is not fixed in dreams. A woman may be representative of a man and vice versa. Very often the meaning of the names of people in a dream will a.s.sist in crossing this divide.
a Name meanings of people and places are very significant in dreams.
a People in dreams may represent: a Themselves a Their character a Their position, role, or what they represent to the dreamer a The organization or church they represent a The meaning of their names.
a Numbers always lend significant meaning to the interpretation of dreams and visions.
a There will be times when the Metaphor Dictionary does not provide a relevant local or national cultural understanding of a particular dream or vision element. If this new understanding for a particular element fits in the overall context of the dream or vision, then feel free to use it.