Dreams have always played a significant role throughout the Bible. God has used dreams at various times to warn, instruct, reveal future events, and communicate His purposes to His servants. However, not every dream originates from God. Some dreams arise from the natural mind, while others may have deceptive spiritual influences behind them. Therefore, the greatest challenge for every believer is not merely having dreams, but correctly discerning their source and receiving the proper interpretation.
One of the most important questions a Christian should ask is: Who gives the interpretation of dreams, man or God?
The Bible gives a clear answer.
God Alone Gives the Interpretation of Dreams
Throughout Scripture, faithful servants of God consistently acknowledged that the interpretation of dreams belongs to God and not to human wisdom.
When Pharaoh's chief cupbearer and chief baker were troubled by their dreams, Joseph said:
Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, I pray you."
Genesis 40:8
Years later, when Pharaoh dreamed troubling dreams concerning the future of Egypt, Joseph again refused to take personal credit. Instead, he humbled himself before God by saying:
"It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace."
Genesis 41:16
Likewise, when King Nebuchadnezzar demanded both his dream and its interpretation, Daniel acknowledged that no human being possessed such wisdom.
But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days."
Daniel 2:28
Daniel made it clear that the revelation was not because he was wiser than other men.
"But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living."
Daniel 2:30
These passages establish an important biblical principle:
Man may explain what God reveals, but God alone gives the true interpretation.
Without God's revelation, dream interpretation becomes human opinion rather than divine truth.
The Importance of Testing the Spirit Behind Every Dream
Not every dream carries a message from God.
The Apostle John commands believers:
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
1 John 4:1
Although John is primarily addressing spiritual teaching and prophetic influence, the principle applies whenever someone believes they have received a spiritual communication. Every spiritual experience, including dreams that seem spiritually significant, must be tested rather than accepted automatically.
Dreams can produce fear, excitement, confusion, or false hope. Therefore, Christians must seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit before concluding that a dream is from God.
Knowing the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error
John continues by explaining how believers distinguish truth from deception.
We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error."
1 John 4:6
Every genuine revelation from God will agree with God's Word and with the testimony of Christ.
The Spirit of Truth always glorifies Jesus Christ, produces righteousness, and leads believers toward obedience.
The spirit of error produces confusion, deception, fear, contradiction, false doctrine, and rebellion against God's revealed truth.
Therefore, dream interpretation must never contradict Scripture.
If an interpretation violates God's written Word, it did not originate from the Holy Spirit.
Satan Can Produce Deceptive Dreams
The Bible warns believers that Satan often disguises himself to deceive.
Paul writes:
And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
"Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness."
2 Corinthians 11:14–15
This principle teaches that appearances alone cannot be trusted.
Just as Satan may disguise himself as an angel of light, he and his agents may seek to deceive by appearing as familiar or trusted figures. For this reason, believers should not assume that every comforting or emotionally powerful dream comes from God simply because it features someone recognizable or appears peaceful.
This is why discernment is essential.
My Personal Testimony
Over the years, I have experienced numerous dreams involving deceased relatives and friends.
Initially, such dreams could easily be misunderstood as genuine visits or messages from those who had passed away. However, as I grew in my understanding of Scripture, I came to recognize that these dreams were deceptive and relatively easy to interpret because they violated clear biblical principles concerning the dead.
God expressly forbids attempting to communicate with the dead.
"or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer."
Deuteronomy 18:11. A necromancer is a practitioner of black magic who claims to communicate with the spirits of the dead to divine the future or uses supernatural forces to reanimate corpses. Derived from the Greek nekros (dead) and manteia (divination).
Scripture also teaches that the dead no longer participate in the affairs of the living.
"For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing... also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished."
Ecclesiastes 9:5–6
Furthermore, Jesus' account of the rich man and Lazarus demonstrates that there is a great gulf fixed between the living and the dead, preventing them from returning to communicate with those on earth.
Luke 16:19–31
Because these passages establish spiritual laws regarding the condition of the dead, I concluded that such dreams could not have been genuine communications from deceased loved ones. Instead, they represented deception that had to be rejected rather than embraced.
This experience reinforced an important biblical truth:
Every dream must be interpreted in the light of Scripture rather than emotion or personal desire.
The Holy Spirit Leads Believers Into All Truth
Ultimately, dream interpretation should never depend upon human wisdom alone.
Jesus promised that believers would receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth."
John 16:13
Jesus also declared:
Even the Spirit of truth... he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."
John 14:17
The Holy Spirit never contradicts the written Word of God because He is the One who inspired it (2 Peter 1:20–21). His ministry is to glorify Christ, reveal truth, and protect believers from deception.
When we surrender ourselves to His leadership, He grants discernment, wisdom, and understanding concerning spiritual matters, including dreams.
Conclusion
The Bible leaves no doubt that **the interpretation of dreams belongs to God. Joseph confessed it, Daniel confirmed it, and the Scriptures consistently affirm that divine revelation comes from God rather than human intellect.
At the same time, believers are commanded to test the spirits (1 John 4:1), distinguish the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of error (1 John 4:6), and recognize that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14–15). Consequently, every dream must be evaluated against the authority of God's Word.
My own experiences with dreams involving deceased relatives and friends strengthened this conviction. Rather than accepting those dreams at face value, Scripture provided the standard by which they could be tested. God's Word made it clear that communication with the dead is forbidden and inconsistent with His revealed truth. This illustrates the importance of allowing the Bible, not feelings, appearances, or human speculation, to govern the interpretation of spiritual experiences.
Therefore, Christians should neither fear dreams nor attempt to interpret them with their limited understanding of the principles concerning dreams. Instead, they should seek the Lord in prayer, rely upon the Scriptures, and trust the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of Truth to lead them into all truth.
Pastor Kevin L. A. Ewing
www.kevinlaewing.com
www.kevinlaewing.blogspot.com
ewinglakevin@icloud.com
