Section 338
On Interpreting Dreams II
The world of dreams is a potential source of much mischief and trouble for those who lack the keys and experience of interpretation. The following revelation gives sober counsel as to how to approach the interpretation of dreams, pointing out the several pits that numerous Christians often fall into. Evil spirits are constantly trying to influence people through their dreams as is the lower carnal nature which seeks dominion over the spiritual. Following Church discipline in the matter of sharing dreams is very important for the well-being of the Body. Many make the mistake of believing that just because something is super-natural that it must be right. There are many warnings in the revelation. The interpretation of dreams and visions is essentially the province of the Patriarchs and mature Elders [Våler, Østfold, Norway].
1. Now hearken ye unto the Word of the Lord, which is sharper than a two edged sword, to the dividing asunder of bone and marrow -- hearken!
2. There are many who have made enquiry about the nature of dreams [1] and the interpretation thereof, and most haveinterpreted wrongly, not comprehending the Keys of interpretation.
Godly Keys Required
3. For behold, the interpretation of dreams is of God and not of man;
4. And false interpretation is often the cause of much mischief and leadeth many away from God.
Beware!
5. Now unless ye have received the keys of interpretation in My Holy House, even My Temple, ye should greatly be- ware of dreams;
6. Now if a dream is from God it shall always bring forth a harvest of good [2], even if the message is a negative one.
7. And that which is of God sanctified and strengtheneth in the faith;
8. For I, the Lord, never give a bad omen3 without a blessing for the one who hath received it and for those to whom the omen is given, if they will but repent.
Go to the Firstborn
9. If ye have doubts as to the interpretation of a dream, go up unto the Church of the Firstborn which hath the keys of interpretation.
10. Ye must greatly beware, for if ye are not properly founded and sanctified in Me, then there always remaineth the possibility that your dreams will be in- fluenced by your lower carnal nature, and by demons, and by the enemy of all righteousness.
11. For a gift of God, imperfected and improperly understood, is a curse in the hands of the unwise and uninitiated;
12. Obey the Word First. Therefore such ones should trust the Word {Scriptures} before their unre- deemed dreams, for many trust their dreams more than the Word;
13. And behold, they follow themselves and the words of devils rather than the Word of God.
Does it Edify?
14. That which is of God edifieth and buildeth up the whole Body, saith the Lord, for when I, the Lord speak, it is not for the blessing of one, but of all.
15. Therefore a dream that cometh from God unto a member of My Church is [indirectly] for the whole Church, for ye are one by covenant and by sacrifice.
Order and Discipline in the Church
16. Nevertheless the Body hath its times and seasons, its boundaries and its degrees, that there may be order and dis- cipline.
17. If a man or a woman hath a dream and is confounded or troubled, let him straight way go unto his pastors and seek guidance.
Seek Counsel
18. And if the pastors are counfounded and cannot interpret, let them seek coun- sel of those who have the keys.
19. By this means shall much distress be prevented, and the Body shall be pres- erved in unity.
Deceiving Spirits
20. For there are many deceiving spirits abroad in the world that will seek to mislead the Children of the Covenant byany means, whether by dreams, or visions, or revelations, or signs, or by whatever means [3].
The Supernatural
21. And yea, verily many have been misled, for they trust more in super- natural experience than in that which hath already been revealed and tested, supposing that all that is supernatural is of Me.
22. But, verily, verily, I say unto you, that the supernatural is as the pit of Hades to the unenlightened, and many honour- able and noble souls have been ship- wrecked by following after seducing spirits.
23. Therefore I say unto you, beloved, beware!
24. For Satan desireth you, to lead you away into doubting and bitterness and make you enemies of the New Covenant, which was purchased by He who spilled blood that this knowledge and salvation might be manifested in these last days.
Rebuke False Spirits
25. Rebuke every false spirit with firmness, listening not unto it, otherwise ye shall be verily invaded by hosts of the polluted ones.
26. Do not yield unto them even a hair on your head, for they shall verily take thewhole head, and then devour your whole soul. Beware!
27. Now if ye will do what I have commanded you, ye will not go astray, but remain in Me, saith the Lord.
28. But if ye are disobedient, then ye shall open the door to swarms of evil spirits, and bring a cursing upon all who go nigh unto you.
Deeper Covenants
29. And behold, the deeper ye go into the Covenant, the greater the possibility of deception and spiritual destruction if ye rebell and are disobedient.
30. Now those who hear the Voice of the Christ, whether in their minds, or hearts, or by vision or in dream, or by signs and wonders, because of their faith, shall always be constrained to praise Me, even if the message I bring is a message of rebuke or warning.
Doubting the Truth
31. But if they are fearful, and are led to doubt the truth, and begin to think and speak evil of their brethren and sisters, then behold, they have been tricked, and are on the road to hell.
32. Therefore be sober in your judgment and flee not from the truth, for the truth will make you free and restore you to proper judgment.
33. Remember these keys, ye saints of the New Covenant, and ye will be saved.
A Church of Dreams and Revelation
34. Rejoice, for I am speaking unto My servants in dreams and visions, in signs and wonders, in revelations and sending an overflowing river of love which cometh from beneath the Throne of the Father.
35. Rejoice, for I am at work amongst the true and faithful of My peole, and have set them up as a light upon a hilltop.
Come to Zion
36. Come, come unto Zion, and unto her refreshing waters, ye that have become estranged because of deception and disobedience, and I will heal you forthwith and bring you into the marriage feast of the Lamb. Even so. Amen.
Footnotes
[1] If one compares the 'dream' literature of the Babylonians and the Egytpians with the references to dreams in the OT one is impressed by the Hebrews' lack of pre- occupation with this phenomenon. Nor is the religious significance of the dreams that are recorded in the OT at all prominent. Indeed, dreams are said to derive from the activities in which the deamer has been immersed during the day (Eccl.5:3). However, the OT recognises that, whatever the origin of a dream, it may become a means by which God communicates with men, be they Israelites (1 Ki.3:5) or non-Israelites (Gen.20:3ff.). Dreams recorded in Scripture are of two kinds. Firstly, there are those consisting of the ordinary dream phenomena in which the sleeper 'sees' a connected series of images which correspond to events in everyday life (Gen.40:9-17; 41:1-7). Secondly, there are dreams which communicate to the sleeper a message from God (Gen.20:3-7; 1 Ki.3:5-15; Mt.1:20-24; Ac.18:9ff.). However, on occasion a vision and an accompanying communication were received simultaneously (Ac.16:9). In common with contemporary peoples the Hebrews sought an explanation of their dream- experiences. But in the matter of the interpretation of dreams the Bible distinguishes between the dream-phenomena reported by non-Israelites and by Israelites. Gentiles such as Pharaoh (Gen.41:15ff.) and his high-ranking officers (40:12ff.,18ff.) require Joseph to explain their dreams, and Nebuchadrezza needs Daniel (Dan.2:17ff.). On occasion God Himself speaks and so renders human intervention unnecessary (Gen.20: 3ff.; 31:24; Mt.2:12). But when the members of the covenant community dream, the interpretation accompanies the dream (Gen.37:5-10; Ac.16:9ff.). This subject is important for the OT view of prophecy. Among the Hebrews there was a close associat- ion between dreams and the function of the prophet. The locus classicus is Dt.13:1-5, but 1 Sam.9:9 remarks that 'a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer'. If 'seer' means a man of visions, then it supports Dt.13:1,3,5, where the prophet is mentioned along with the dreamer without betraying any sense of incongruity. The close connection in Heb. thought between dreaming and prophesying is again revealed in Jer.23:25,32. It is also clear that in the days of Samuel and Saul it was commonly believed that the Lord spoke through dreams as well as by Urim and prophets (1 Sam.28:6). However, a revelation through dream-phenomena was thought of as being inferior to a revelation that was received by the prophet from the Lord at first hand. That is the conclusion which Num.12:6-8 forces upon us. Jeremiah uses this same kind of distinction in his attempts to discredit the 'revelations' of the false prophets of his own day (Jer.23:25, 32). Jeremiah is not denying that God speaks through dreams but he is claiming that the Word of the Lord which came to the authentic prophet in his communion with God was infinitely superior to any 'revelation' that may have come through dreams. The first was a hammer and a fire (Jer.23:29) while the other was a straw (v.28). "Never- theless if every instance involving dreams was removed from the Bible, one third of its contents would be missing, and most of its important revelations and events. The virtue of a dream is that in one fast-moving reel God may speak with minimum conscious interference. And He can often teach us more profoundly by dreams because they will stimulate us to think about a subject and make discoveries. This is much better for us than if God told us outright what he wanted us to learn, The eastern courtesy of speaking indirectly is founded upon this same principle, that each man retains best what he has discovered for himself. So God often prefers to speak indirectly" (John & Paula Sandford, The Elijah Task, Logos International, Plainfied, NJ, 1977, p.170).
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[2] At least in the long-term. If prophetic counsel is given from God in a dream for a Christian which is negative its purpose will be corrective and not destructive.
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[3] The early Independent Church was plagued by these to such an extent that the ministry of the Word was being subordinated to them. As false dreams and visions became progressively eluted out of the Church by the reception of the true keys of inter- pretation, so it stablised and a more peaceful spirit prevailed. The Corinthian Colony of the early NT Church suffered from the same sorts of problem with false tongues which dominated the consciousness of the saints to such an extent that a distorted view of the gospel began to establish itself as the norm as it has in a major segment of the modern pentecostal movement. Though Corinth eventually settled down and became an exemplarary congregation, it was, by sub-apostolic times, plagued by other spirits that fractured its unity (see 1 Clement).
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This page was first created on 20 March 1998
Last updated on 20 March 1998
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