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First Published: 3rd of June, 2024
Last updated: June 3, 2024 at 15:00 pm
Have you ever had a weird dream and woke up wondering what it could possibly signify, if it signifies anything at all? Or just leave out “weird.” Have you ever had a dream, whether good, bad, beautiful, worrying, strange, etc, and wondered what it means?
To begin with, not all dreams have meaning; and not all dreams are trying to warn us of something, but some do. Experts agree that we dream every single night, but these dreams are forgotten as we are about to wake up, or shortly after we wake up. Most of our dreams are a result of the subconscious mind working in the background while we sleep, but some dreams have meaning. Some are warnings about possible dangerous situations. So how do you know which is which? If you wake up and a dream remains clear in your memory several hours after waking up, its likely that that dream has some sort of meaning. The events and symbols of the dream also give clues as to whether the dream means something.
Dreams are symbolic. Things are not to be taken literally in dreams. For example, if you dream you are eating an apple, it doesn’t mean you’ll eat an apple sometime soon. It could mean that you will receive good fortune since an apple is a tasty fruit associated with wealth and medicine. If you dream that a dog bites you, it might mean you are at risk of being victimized by evil people, especially someone whom you had helped in the past. If you dream that you are bitten by a snake, it might mean that you are at risk of being harmed by an enemy or toxic person.
We can use the bible, which contains stories of direct interactions with God himself, as a blueprint for understanding and interpreting dreams. The bible contains many examples of symbolic and gives us great insights into the symbolic nature of dreams. Below is an example of where God used symbolism to reveal to the apostle Peter that He had removed the distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Although the bible says that Peter fell into a “trance” and not a dream, God used symbols to relay a life-changing message to Peter, and Peter was smart enough to interpret the meaning of the dream correctly after pondering upon it. Indeed, Peter was a man close to God whom God had endowed with much knowledge and wisdom. But the bible tells us that anyone can ask for wisdom from God who is a generous giver to those who ask.
God Uses Symbolism to Speak to Peter
Up to the time of Jesus, the Jewish people, a special ethnicity of people, were the only nation who had direct contact with God. The Jews were taught that they were distinct and special, and should not have much interaction with the gentiles who were considered, “the people living in darkness.” The prophet Isaiah prophesied about Jesus’ arrival and bringing equality and salvation to the gentles, “The people living in darkness hath seen a great light.”
After Jesus’ resurrection, He commanded his disciples to take the gospel out of Jerusalem “to all men,” as it was prophesied in Isaiah, “out of Zion the light hath shone.” In the book of Acts, Chapter 10, the bible relates how God used symbolism to inform Peter that He had removed the distinction between Jews and gentiles. The gentiles, who were once considered “unclean” by the Jews, were now washed by the redeeming blood of Jesus and offered salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary. Thanks to Jesus, all nations of the earth can now have access to salvation through Christ.
Acts 10
9 The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about [e]the sixth hour. 10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has [f]cleansed you must not call common.” 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.
34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.
It is important to note that this symbolic revelation actually has nothing to do with eating unclean animals. Through this vision, God did not give Peter the permission to eat unclean animals, but to remove the distinction between Jews and Gentiles through the redeeming blood of Christ.
