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What the Bible says about dreams.

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What the Bible says about dreams.
Joshua Allen
PSY1005
January 29, 2014

Have you ever wondered what the Bible says about dreams and dream interpretation? The Bible talks about dreams and visions quite frequently. The two most well-known occurrences would be the stories of Joseph and Daniel. Both Joseph and Daniel interpreted dreams. Were they born with supernatural gifts? Many people have this confused. Some people think that they did have a special gift or talent. Well, maybe we should look to the Bible for this one. In Genesis 40, two prisoners each had dreams and they told Joseph they were worried about their meaning. Joseph then replied, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” In my opinion, he told them that it is no surprise that they don’t know the meaning of their dreams. Only God know the meaning of their dream. How then did Joseph know the meaning of their dream? Since the Bible actually says, “The interpretations belong to God,” we know that God told Joseph the meaning of their dreams. Joseph was simply the messenger. Now how about Daniel? What was his explanation for being able to interpret these dreams? When king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream he wanted interpreted, Daniel came along. The king asked Daniel if he could interpret. Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” (Daniel 2: 27-28a) This reply is very similar to what Joseph said about interpreting. In Ecclesiastes 5:7 the Bible says, “Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.” In Jeremiah, it talks about false prophets and how man cannot on his own interpret dreams. Only the Lord can. In conclusion, the Bible doesn’t say why we get dreams, but it does say that only the Lord can interpret them.
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