I just realized the other day that there are people who don’t dream however long they sleep. Each one of us has our own experiences in life anyway. Many of us dream every time we fall asleep whether it is at night or any other time of the day. Some dreams may carry great messages while others may just be images that occur involuntarily in our minds when we are asleep.
In Joel 2:28. The Bible reads, “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” In this Scripture, God promises to pour out His Spirit on young old men so that they can dream dreams. But are the dreams God is referring to in this verse the dreams we dream about when we fall asleep?
Dreaming may be a nice or a scary experience. There are times when we may dream dreams that can scare us to the borne. Such dreams are referred to as nightmares. But there are dreams where we see our loved ones coming to visit or talk to us. Are these dreams good or bad? These dreams may be scary or nice depending on the way the deceased appears to us. But is this something that we should condone or rebuke?
Reasons Why People Dream About Their Loved Ones Visiting Them
Sometimes we are the reason why our deceased friends and relatives keep showing up in our dreams.
- When we were so close to them while they were still alive, their departure could have affected us so much. This may make it hard for us to accept the fact that they are gone and come to terms with reality. Thinking about them all day and asking why they had to leave us may make us see them in our dreams. We may dream that they are back to life or that they have come to comfort us.
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- When our loved ones leave too soon or die a sudden death, it may affect us too. Their images or spirits may keep appearing in our dreams and this results from the shock in our minds. We may see them too often until we finally believe that they are no longer with us.
- When we have unfinished business with them, we may dream about them. They may appear in our dreams to tell us to carry on with the plans we had without them now that they are gone.
- It is also believed that when we keep mentioning the names of our loved ones or talking about them, there are chances that they may visit us in dreams.
These and many other reasons may make us see our loved ones in our dreams occasionally.
What the Bible Says About Loved Ones Visiting Us in Dreams
The Bible has many passages that talk about dreams. It talks of different people who had both good and scary dreams with different meanings. Moreover, it also talks of people who had the ability to interpret different dreams. However, none of the dreams mentioned is about loved ones visiting others in dreams.
Therefore, keep in mind that there is no specific Bible verse that supports or rebukes the idea of loved ones visiting in dreams. But we will delve into the Scriptures and find teachings that can help us make informed decisions on whether we should rebuke our loved ones or welcome them when they appear to us in dreams.
“He is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
Mark 12:27
Inasmuch as we may love seeing and talking to our loved ones in dreams, we must remember that God is not a God of the dead. He will never use the dead to talk to us or to reveal something to us. When He wants to comfort or encourage us amid the pain of loss and grief, He will do it Himself because He is God over us who live.
In Psalms 118:17, the Bible reads, “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.” We can only tell of the Lord’s goodness while we are still alive and not while we are dead. Therefore, our loved ones cannot convey the message of God to us if they are already gone. If God had a message that He wanted to put across to us through them, He would have done so while they were still alive.
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“Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 19:31
Mediums are people who invoke the spirits of the dead to inquire about specific things from them. Embracing the idea of loved ones visiting us in dreams is not different from the concept of turning to mediums. God says that the spirits of the dead can defile us. We live in a world where deception is at its best.
The devil is deceiving the world using different ways each day. Sometimes, he uses the spirit of a loved one to confuse us and turn us away from God. There is nothing the devil cannot do when he wants to devour you. He can masquerade as a loved one and appear to you in a dream to give you misleading information. Afterward, he will disappear after making sure that he has captured you.
Therefore, even as we may find the idea of being visited by our loved ones good, we must watch out. It could be a demon and not the person we thought it was. In Isaiah 8:19, the Bible says, “When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?” If there is anything we would like to know we should turn to God rather than waiting anxiously for the dead to appear to us so that we can inquire from them.
“The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore, the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.”
Zechariah 10:2
In the Bible, there existed different interpreters who helped people tell the meaning of their dreams. While it may feel good to be visited by loved ones in dreams, sometimes it may not be clear why they are doing so. This may force us to find someone who can interpret their messages or the meaning of their visitation. God says that this may end up making us wander like sheep without a shepherd. Dream interpreters may take advantage of this to lie to us or to swindle us.
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In Jeremiah 23:32, God says, “Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the Lord.” The experience of loved ones visiting us in our dreams can be very dangerous to our spiritual beings. Some come as agents of the devil and may steal our destiny. The Bible says that the devil comes to steal and destroy. He may choose to use the spirit of a loved one to steal or put off our spiritual fire.
“Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore, fear God.”
Ecclesiastes 5:7
Dreaming about loved ones or simply seeing their images in our sleep is meaningless. Their words or their presence in our dreams cannot add any value to any aspect of our lives. Instead of marveling at their occasional appearances in our dreams, we should strive to build a healthy relationship with God. He is the one we should long to see every day.
Our hearts should long for the presence of God and not the presence of dead people. God’s presence brings favor, breakthroughs, grace, healing, blessings, and so much more. His visitation is not meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 9:4-7 – “Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten. Their love, their hate, and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.” The dead have no meaning in our lives since they know nothing.
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They cannot offer us any reward since they are clueless about the things that exist in the land of the living. The Bible clearly tells us that they have no ability to love or hate. Therefore, we should not be deceived by the illusion that their visitation in our dreams proves that they still love us even in their death.
Conclusion
Even though the Bible does not directly address the idea of loved ones visiting us in dreams, we can make our own judgment based on the Biblical teachings explained above. Then, from our understanding of the teachings, we can choose whether to rebuke the spirits of our loved ones or continue welcoming them in our dreams. Whatever decision we make, let us ensure it aligns with the Word of God.
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