We often hear it said: "Anyone can interpret the Bible however they choose". But that's not necessarily true -- the Bible TEACHES interpretation by way of the dreams and visions, using symbolic and figurative language. When David said "My cup runneth over", we have to realize he wasn't speaking of a physical literal coffee-cup, but rather a poetic "cup of blessing or life". Jesus came that we might have 'abundant life' in the midst of a perverse and wicked environment. Seniors may dream of lost opportunities, but young people should have goals or visions of their future; knowing that 'with God, all things are possible'.

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"And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry". Hab2:2,3.

So we make notes and write things down when we want to remember them, and the Great Author of our faith has written his Word so we can understand and know Him.

Seven Essential Dreams and Visions

1. The two(2) dreams of Joseph: about the sheafs and the stars. Gen37:5,9

2. The dreams of the Butler and the Baker: told to Joseph in prison. Gen40:8

3. The two(2) dreams of Pharaoh: about the cows and the corn. Gen41:1,5

4. The dream of Jacob about the angels and the ladder to heaven. Gen28:12

5. The Gideon Dream: the bread smashed into the tent. Judg7:13

6. King Nebuchadnezzar's dream about the great metallic image. Dan2:13

7. Simon Peter's vision of the great sheet filled with many animals. Acts 11:5

These aren't the only dreams and visions in Scripture, but are probably the best-known.

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Joseph's First Dream - Sheaves of Grain.

He said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 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. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. Gen37:6-8.

Not until Jesus identifies himself as the True Bread, in John 6, do we make the association of the sheaves of grain with the ingredients for making bread (flour). Joseph is behaving as the saviour of his people, the Israeli's, in providing them with bakery bread, as a precept of how Jesus brings us the spiritual bread for our head -- right thinking. Preachers sometimes criticize Joseph for telling his dream, but who among us hasn't had strange dreams they share with family?

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Joseph's Second Dream - Sun, Moon, Stars

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, 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? Gen37:9,10.

The dreams of Joseph proved prophetically true when he was promoted to be second only to the Pharaoh in all Egypt, similar to the way Jesus is now seated at the right hand of GOD. Joseph's father, Jacob, correctly interpreted the Sun and Moon being symbols of the parents, and the stars representing the eleven brothers of Joseph. Jesus is the Morning Star in Rev22:16.

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The Butler's Dream - Meant LIFE on the 3rd Day

And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. Gen40:9-13

This is one of several "third day" accounts in scripture, and note the similarities to the communion cup, and not forgetting how Jesus described himself as the True Vine in John 15.

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The Baker's Dream - Meant DEATH on the 3rd Day

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head: And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.

And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. Gen40:16-19.

Note that "three days" is represented by 3 branches as well as 3 baskets, and that bakemeats is a synonym used for bread. The Baker had the wrong kind of bread in his top basket. We're all entitled to our own opinion, and may also respect the word of wise men and Godly-professors and such, but it's the Word of God that belongs in the uppermost basket. When the bread comes from your own head; you're dead!

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The Pharaoh's First Dream - Seven(7) Cows (kine)

And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow. And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. Gen41:1-4

We know that cows don't eat cows (they aren't cannibals), so this speaks of the wrong kind of food, of a kind that won't make you fat! Like the "fragments" of left-overs which Jesus speaks of in Mk8:19, words are a type of "food for our minds" that don't make us fat.

We don't expect cows to be coming out of the river, but the theme "River of Life" runs throughout Scripture, and the number "7" speaks of completion or totality.

The Pharaoh's Second Dream - Seven(7) Corn

And [Pharaoh] slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. Gen41:5-7.

Again, it's the wrong kind of food, because corn doesn't have a mouth to eat corn. Only ears to hear. ha. ("The foolishness of God is wiser than men"...1Cor1:25) We aren't necessarily speaking of 'corn on the cob' as we know it today, but Psalm 78:24 speaks of the "corn of heaven", and it is written that Joseph "gathered corn as the sand of the sea", Gen41:49.

Joseph Interprets the Two Dreams

Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. Gen41:25-32

Obviously the two dreams had differences, so the interpretation is saying that they have the same meaning, and are both speaking of the 7 yrs. of plenty and 7 yrs. of famine. It will definitely happen, because the two means it is established (made certain). The parallel to the Rachel and Leah years by Jacob must be remembered, because prophecies often have more than one output, i.e. multiple fulfillments.

So they really did have 7 years of good harvest followed by 7 years of famine, but it also refers to the 2,000 yrs of the Old Covenant for the Jew(Rachel) and the 2,000 yrs of the New Covenant for the Gentile(Leah). Or, to say it differently, the first 7 refers to the time when the Bible was written, and the second 7 to the present time when we Gentiles are struggling with it.   The "bread" was stored in the Bible, and now we're eating that bread-for-the-head, because Jesus really is the WORD and TRUTH and Living Bread sent down from the Father above.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. John12:24. Jesus is that 'incorruptible seed', 1Pet1:23, which was planted in the womb and in the tomb, for our salvation!

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Jacob Dreams of Angels Climbing A Ladder

A Dream of Blessing: 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. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

"Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, 1:3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Malachi 1:2 - cf Rom9:13

And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. Gen28:12-15

Like Cain and Ishmael, Esau was the firstborn, and never received this 'dream of blessing', the Lord laying the groundwork(precepts) for how we MUST be born-again and that heaven and the angels are "out there somewhere". We understand about the earth being round and how "up" to us in America may be "down" to those in China. Note the fig. of speech hyperbole (exaggeration) in 'dust of the earth'. Our language has been confounded!

The 'Gideon Dream': Of the bread rolling into the tent.

And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. Judg7:13.

When Gideon heard about this dream, it apparently meant Victory to him because he went on to defeat the Midianites using a strange army of 300 men armed with lamps and pitchers and trumpets. Now when we become broken vessels (Jesus is Lord) and let our light shine and declare God's Truth, we become victorious as well.

Bread is a symbol for Jesus, and people are described as tents, vessels, sheep, etc. We are a trinity of spirit, soul, and body (1Thes5:23), and the New Covenant battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness and ignorance of the truth of God's Word.

King Nebuchadnezzar's dream: What was it?

The King wouldn't even tell what his dream was (had he forgotten?) and commanded his wise men to tell him the dream and its interpretation or he would have them all killed! What a dilemma.   Fortunately for them, the Prophet Daniel got wind of it, and prayed about it, and God answered his prayer. He told Nebuchadnezzar:

Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.

This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Dan2:31-36.

The Interpretation spoken by Daniel

2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Dan2:37-44.

We might call this "The 4 kingdoms dream". Babylon was followed by Media-Persia was followed by Greece (Alexander the Great bringing the language of the New Testament), followed by Rome. Jesus is "the stone that the builder's rejected", meaning he is the Chief Cornerstone of the Spiritual Temple of God despite the rejection by Jewish authority.

Another perspective sees Babylon (gold) as the infant, followed by Media-Persia (silver) the youth, followed by Grecia (brass) the adult.  Rome (iron) walks on two legs symbolizing the division between Roman Catholic and the Eastern or Russian Orthodox.

Daniel 8:20 speaks to two of these kingdoms: "The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. 8:21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king".

Apostle Peter has a vision of a sheet from heaven.

This dream of Peter's ties the Book of Acts back to Genesis in a unique fashion -- the animals on the Ark were REPRESENTING the Jew and the Gentile!

Peter says:"I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me: Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat. But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth. Acts11:5-8.

From this we gather that Peter faithfully observed the Jewish dietary rules, but the vision had a deeper meaning: that the Jews and Gentiles would be One Body.   Peter went on to say: And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? Acts11:15-17.

The clean and unclean animals had BOTH been aboard Noah's Ark, and now, because he heard the Gentiles speak in tongues (baptism of fire), he knew the vision meant that the Gentiles were also eligible for salvation. It was on this occasion that Peter was called to the home of Cornelius: the very FIRST Gentile to receive salvation.

"Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us" Eph2:11-14

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And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.  And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.  And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.   Numb12:4-6 (KJV)

Jesus said unto them,"When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" Mt16.

Bob is duxrowQ@Qcswnet.com

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