According to the Webster's dictionary, a dream is a series of mental images, thoughts, and emotions occuring in certain stages of sleep. The question is, why do our brains make us dream? Is there a purpose for a dream?
Going back to the Holy Bible, there are many instances where God had sent some messages to man through dreams. Could it be possible that dreams are God's tools for Him to use to send messages to us at any time He wants?
Allow me to pin point certain Biblical scenarios where God sent dreams to people in the Bible - even to those people who are not worshippers of God.
1. Joseph, the son of Jacob, is known by his brothers as the dreamer. This story is related in Genesis chapter 37 and onward where Joseph's dreams had it's own real meanings relating to future events of his time.
In one of his dreams, he and his brothers were in the fields binding sheaves. And his sheaf stood up while the sheaves of his brothers bowed to his sheaf. In another dream of Joseph, the sun, moon and eleven stars made obeisance to him.
Almost two decades later, these dreams became a reality when his very own brothers bowed to him - his very own brothers unknowingly bowing to a high ranking Egyptian official who happened to be Joseph himself. Was that God's way of showing someone's possible future?
2. In Genesis chapter 41, the Pharaoh of Egypt had a two dreams in one night which greatly puzzled him. In one dream, he saw seven fat healthy cows feeding on a meadow. These healthy cows were eaten by seven other sickly cows. On second dream, this pharaoh saw seven good ears of corn on one stalk. And they were eaten by another seven thin ears of corn!
Since no other individual in Egypt can interpret the dream, Joseph the son of Jacob, was called in to give the interpretation. God revealed the meaning of the dream to Joseph, which turned out - it was about the coming famine that Egypt will experience for seven years. Is this God's way of warning people about a possible future event?
3. In the New Testament, there is another character also by the name of Joseph who happens to be the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. In Matthew chapter 2 verse 13, it is recorded that an angel of God showed himself to Joseph in his dream.
In this dream, the angel specifically instructed Joseph to escape to Egypt and to bring his wife Mary and the baby Jesus with him. The reason is, King Herod was searching to kill the Baby Jesus. So, God can also give specific literal instructions through our dreams!
4. This fourth one is a long one, so please brace yourselves on this.
King Nebuchadnezzar is a king of the Babylonian Empire who had a dream that was recorded in the Holy Bible specifically in Daniel chapter 2. An interesting circumstance happened here because the king called his own wise men and his magicians to tell him his dream and to also give the interpretation of the dream. This sounded ridiculous because he even threatened to kill them all if nobody can tell him his dream including its interpretation.
Let's pause for a moment. Why did the king wanted his wise men and his magicians to relate to him his dream. Did the king forget about his dream? Certainly, for me to tell of what you have dreamed last night is impossible isn't it? That is because it was you who dreamed about it and not me. Do you think this King Nebuchadnezzar was an unfair king?
Or was it the king's way of testing who among his people could be telling the truth about his dream and its interpretation? Isn't it possible when you tell someone your dream, that person could pretend to be a good interpreter of dreams and give a false interpretation of it? Well, this must be a very very important dream that the king even threatened to kill his own officials if no one can tell him his dream and its meaning!
It so happened that Daniel was a man of God who was also one of the wise men during that time. In Daniel 2:28, Daniel said, "There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days."
Through Daniel, God had revealed the dream and its interpretation. Thus Daniel was able to tell the king exactly what his dream was and its meaning. The king's dream was about a huge image or maybe a human statue. The head was made of gold, the chest and arms was made of silver, the belly which is the stomach part down to the thighs was made of bronze, the legs were made of iron, while the feet were made of mixed iron and clay.
A stone from out of nowhere and was not carved by any human hands, hit this statue on its feet which broke down the statue to small pieces and these tiny pieces of materials were blown away by the wind until they were nowhere to be found. Mysteriously, the stone that hit the statue became a great mountain and filled the earth.
It turned out that God showed to King Nebuchadnezzar (through Daniel), world events that were to transpire from his time down through the ages. The head of gold represented the Babylonian empire. In Daniel 2:28, Daniel told the king, "You are the head of gold." And Daniel continued to say that after King Nebuchadnezzar, another kingdom would arise which represented the chest and arms made of silver. Then another kingdom would arise which represented the belly and thighs made of bronze, and another one made of iron which represented the legs, and lastly another kingdom which is represented by the feet made of mix iron and clay.
Going back to history, in 539 B.C., the Medo-Persian Empire conquered Babylon. This empire was represented by the chest and arms made of silver.
Under the leadership of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian Greek Empire conquered the Medo-Persian Empire in 331 B.C. The Macedonian Empire was represented by the belly and thighs made of bronze.
Next came the Roman Empire which dominated the Mediterranean in 168 B.C. The Roman Empire was represented by the legs made of iron. It is fascinating to note that the Romans ruled with a "fist of iron".
After Rome, no other kingdom conquered Rome. However, Rome deteriorated into different tribal coalitions of nations. The nations included are France, Italy, Great Britain, Germany and the other European nations. These all were represented by the foot made of iron and clay.
The stone that will break the statue is the coming kingdom of God. Daniel 2:44 says,"In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people. It shall break in pieces these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever.
Since God had revealed general details of world events through Nebuchadnezzar's dream, would you agree we are now in the era of the feet made of iron and clay of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream? What a dream from God, huh.
A lot of us can have dreams that are simply entertaining. But let us remember, God can send messages to man through dreams. Now let's see, I dream I can have the most sophisticated camping gear so I can enjoy the great outdoors. Is that a dream from God? Or am I simply day dreaming.
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Copyright by VMT Singuillo
VMT Singuillo is a freelance writer. Some of his subjects include grandfather clocks, Native American Indian arts crafts, nursing scrubs and more.
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