Signs and Symbols Part 1
Continuing from our last teaching “The Anatomy of a dream part 2” today we’ll transition into the second phase of our teaching, “signs and symbols”
I said to you in our previous teaching that the followers of Jesus Christ or the people of God are already possessors of the revealed mysteries/secrets of the kingdom which is also inclusive of dreams. We used as a supporting scripture Matthew 13:11, Deuteronomy 29:29 and Amos 3:7.
The spirit world which I have mentioned to you is the parent world to our natural world and that it is also the origin or root of all things. Therefore our dreams are spiritual messages coded in a mystery simply because it is difficult to understand things fully from the spirit world. So, God uses things that we are familiar with in our everyday environment to convey the root of what he's attempting to communicate to us.
Now, let me make clear from the get-go, not all symbols and signs mean the same thing to everyone. For example dreaming of a fish in some cultures and environments can mean fertility (pregnancy) while in others it could mean increase, multiplication and abundance as in the feeding of the 4000 and 5000 by Jesus (two fish and three bread multiplied). With that being said every sign symbol and character in your dream will be relative to you and your environment. As for me whenever I dream about rough seas, floods, and tsunami it will always indicate great trouble and confusion.
One of the greatest errors in dream interpretation is to immediately take on the view that the dream means exactly what you saw in the dream. In fact, folks that witness the manifestation of what they have actually dreamed have a very close relationship with God. As usual, let us seek scriptural evidence to validate this very important point. God said to Moses, Miriam, and Aaron, “Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak to him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. I speak with him face to face, plainly and not in riddles. He even sees the form of the LORD. Why weren't you afraid to criticize my servant Moses?" Numbers 12:6-8.
So here we have empirical evidence that one’s relationship with God will determine how clearly he speaks to them. He said that because of the faithfulness of Moses his servant he put aside symbols, riddles, and mysteries and instead make clear to Moses exactly what he wants Moses to know. As a sides note this particular Scripture also points out that frequent dreamers and those that have visions are in fact prophets. If read carefully it clearly states that “if there be a prophet among you I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision and speak to him in dreams.
Let us now use a biblical example to expand our understanding to the fact that not only does the people of God have the ability to automatically understand the symbols of a dream/mystery, but the spirit of God, which is the Holy Spirit is the one leading them to these revelations of symbols to unveil the mystery. In the book of Genesis chapter 37 beginning at verse 5, we’re told that Joseph had a dream and he told it to his brothers. As a result of revealing the dream, scripture says that his brothers hated him.
The following is Joseph’s dream, “For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf”. His brothers responded to his dream with the following, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words”.
Now isn't it interesting how Joseph never explained or took the time to interpret his dream to his brothers, instead his brothers who were also the people of God (The Hebrew people) automatically understood the dream because the symbols were relative to their everyday living? Therefore interpreting the dream would have been quite simple for them. Like I said earlier, God used the things that were relative to their everyday life as symbols to them in Joseph’s dream that once interpreted they would understand the mystery of the dream. In fact, the dream spoke of Joseph not only being a future ruler but will also rule over his family, which provoked his brothers to jealousy and hatred towards Joseph.
Joseph had a second dream that he told his brothers, here is what he said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me”, Genesis 37:9. Scripture goes on to say that he also told the dream to his father. Now watch how Matthew 13:11 comes into play (it is given unto you which is the people of God to know the mysteries). Scripture said that Joseph father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?” Again, Joseph never indicated any of what was being said to him by his family; nevertheless, they understood the coded message in the dream and was able to get a glimpse of the future concerning Joseph via the dream.
Again, I have biblically demonstrated to you how symbols signs and characters once converted or interpret in relation to your environment and culture it will make complete sense as long as you’re being led by the Holy Spirit of course. I will end here for now but our next teaching will go further in depth concerning symbols, signs, and characters. Please, I want to hear from you leave a comment to let me know if you’re getting this or if this teaching is a blessing to you. Tell a friend send me a friend request so that they’ll be a part of this provocative intense teaching about dreams and their understanding.
written by: Kevin l A Ewing
kevinewing@coralwave.com
kevinlaewing.blogspot.com
http://youtu.be/Mevu-16sNLc