Deuteronomy 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
The Bible teaches us that dreams have three sources, and it is important that we know the difference. First of all, The Lord may at times give an individual a dream, as a warning, as an encouragement, as guidance, or for any other purpose as He may so choose. Even though He does not often deal with us on this level, yet the Bible records several instances where God visited various individuals by dreams. Let's read:
Genesis 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Genesis 20:3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.
Genesis 31:11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.
However, God is not the only source of dreams, for we of ourselves conjure up dreams, when our subconscious minds portray a series of images and circumstances based on what may be weighing heavily on our conscious mind, or what we may be afraid of, or what may be a random set of disconnected occurrences that come about as a result of what we may have eaten very late at night. Split peas are notorious for causing bad dreams, especially when eaten late at night, or just before going to bed. Our dreams can also be the result of what we allow our minds to dwell on during the day when we watch those television shows for long, extended hours. The conscious mind has the ability to store all pictures and imagery which it is fed, and at night our subconscious mind can randomly pull up these imageries from deep within the vaults of our minds where they are stored. Let's read:
Ecclesiastes 5:3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business" .... 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.
Jeremiah 29:8 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord.
And lastly, satan can also give dreams whereby he seeks to mislead souls into forbidden paths. This has often occurred, yet many have incorrectly accepted them as being from God because of the startling clarity with which they were delivered. A distinctive dream does not necessarily mean that God is the source, for we can receive a good vivid one, and also a bad vivid one. This point is very important for us to understand, for in our day there is to be found a plethora of dreams and visions purportedly coming from God, when indeed the source is of the devil. Let's read:
Zechariah 10:2 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.
Job 4:13 In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, 14 Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. 15 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: 16 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, 18 Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: 19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? 20 They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.
This dream obviously did not originate with God, for some dangerous and very ridiculous falsehoods were presented, and God never deals in falsehood, for he is a God of truth. In verse 18 Eliphaz says that the voice in his dream stated that God charges His angels with folly, and then again in verses 19 and 20 he is told that humans are destroyed from morning to evening, without anyone regarding it. Both of these statements are blunt falsehoods, for the angels of God are His ministers, invested with wisdom, power, and might which God gives them to do His bidding, and thus they are never to be regarded as being foolish, or inferior to us in knowledge and understanding. Let's read:
Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias"...... 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
Then again, the charge that human beings are destroyed without anyone regarding is utterly refuted in the scriptures, for Christ Himself demonstrated the value with which God esteems the human family. Let's read:
Matthew 10:9 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Psalms 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
It therefore becomes very obvious that this dream that Eliphaz received did not originate with God, and thus the spirit which he saw in his dream was an evil spirit emanating from the father of lies, namely the devil.
In our day and in our own experiences we need to be very careful how we assess the source of our dreams, and more than this, it is of the utmost importance that we do not allow our decisions and belief systems to be unduly manipulated by dreams, whose sources we have not ascertained. We therefore end with a passage of scripture that shows us the importance of living primarily according to what is written, and it is the will of God that in all circumstances of doubt and uncertainty pertaining to dreams, that we seek His face to be guided with wisdom and discretion, in all the ways of His choosing. Let's read:
2nd Timothy 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing" ... 15 "That from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!