Lesson 7. Interpreting Symbols. Father’s Blessing Church School, where Senior Pastor Dmitriy Leo revealed the distinctive features of dreams and visions from God.
Biblical Symbols and Their Meaning
The Bible contains many examples of symbols and their meanings. Here are some of them.
- A fat cow — a year of abundance.
- A thin cow — a year of famine.
- A good ear of grain — a year of abundance.
- A withered ear of grain — a year of famine.
- The sower — the Son of Man.
- The field — the world.
- The sea – the world.
- The good seed – the sons of the kingdom, the word.
- The weeds – the sons of the evil one.
- The enemy – the devil.
- The harvest – the end of the age.
- The reapers – angels.
- The lampstand – the Church.
- The horn – a king.
- And others.
The first thing that comes to many people’s minds is to list all the symbols from the Bible together with their meanings and create a booklet titled “Symbols and Their Meanings.” No, this is not the right way to do it.
If “Christian dream dictionaries” appear, we will begin making many mistakes and fall into error. The fact is that there are no universal symbols that apply to everyone in every situation. In each individual case, the Lord may give the same symbols different meanings.
Moreover, two people may perceive the same symbol differently. For one person, fire is a symbol of revival; for another, fire symbolizes judgment. Only the Holy Spirit can reveal to each person what kind of fire will come into their life.
However, this does not mean that the symbols found in the Bible have no value for us. By looking at these symbols, we can see certain important principles.
For example:
1) The number of objects, things, people, and so on may represent an amount of time.
- Eleven stars bowed down to Joseph—these were his eleven brothers (Gen. 37:9–11).
- Three branches on a vine—these were three days (Gen. 40:12).
- Three baskets of bread—these were three days (Gen. 40:18).
- Seven cows and seven heads of grain—these were seven years (Gen. 47:26–27).
2) Positive images may point to good things (events). Negative images may point to bad things (events).
- A fat cow—good; a lean cow—bad. A full head of grain—good; a dried-up head of grain—bad (Genesis 47).
- Birds devoured the good seed along the road—bad (Matt. 13:4, 19). Birds devoured the food from the baker’s basket that Pharaoh was supposed to eat—bad (Gen. 40:17).
- A man sowed good seed in his field—good. An enemy came at night and sowed weeds among the wheat—bad (Matt. 13:24–30).
- Edible fish—good; inedible fish—bad (Matt. 13:47–52).
Based on these and other examples, you can analyze any symbols shown in visions or dreams. However, remember—these are only clues. The most accurate interpretation will be given by the Holy Spirit.
Negative Dreams and Visions
How should you respond correctly to negative visions and dreams? You should not become discouraged or afraid. That is not why God sends you these clues. Pharaoh’s dreams are a good example. Pharaoh saw lean cows eat the fat ones, and a withered ear of grain consume a good ear of grain.
It looks like a hopeless situation and a sign of great disaster and famine. However, following this clue and Joseph’s wisdom, Egypt not only survived the famine but, on the contrary, flourished remarkably and became even stronger and more powerful.
If you saw negative events in a vision or dream, this does not mean at all that they will definitely happen. More often, the opposite is true. Such visions contain a clue about what must be done to prevent these things from happening. The Lord reveals the enemy’s plans to equip you, make you wise, and thereby destroy those plans.
Gen. 50:20 You intended evil against me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done: the saving of many lives
Always pray to the Lord that He will show you how to turn evil into good.
An Example of Interpreting Symbols
Vision (dream).
You are driving your personal car and pass a sign stating that your destination is 10 kilometers away. Suddenly, a person appears by the roadside and signals for you to give him a ride. You pick him up and continue driving.
However, you are surprised that the stranger sits in the front seat beside you without even asking. But, so as not to seem impolite, you decide to remain silent. As you continue driving, you have a pleasant conversation with the stranger and discover that you have many interests in common.
Suddenly, at an intersection, the stranger tells you to turn off the road. When you object, he begins insisting and raising his voice. You reply that you will follow the route you planned earlier, and if he is not going that way, he can get out.
But the stranger refuses to get out, becomes aggressive, and begins grabbing the steering wheel to turn it in the direction he wants. Since the car is traveling at high speed, it starts swerving from side to side, and you sharply apply the brakes.
The vision (dream) ended.
Suppose this dream is from the Lord. You are a pastor or ministry leader. Here is a possible meaning of the symbols.
In 10 days (months), a person will appear asking to become part of your ministry. At first, you will have much in common with this person, and they will seek to become your assistant (right-hand person). However, very soon this person will begin saying that the direction of your ministry needs to be changed.
When you object, this person will oppose you and begin speaking defiantly. When you tell this person that it would be better to submit to the vision or leave, they will take steps to seize control of your ministry. Because of this problem, you will have to suspend the work of your ministry.
How can this vision (dream) be interpreted?
You must be vigilant when a new person unexpectedly appears in 10 days. It may happen in 10 months. It would be wise to mark this date on your calendar. This person will say that you share the same vision and that they want to join your ministry.
These are signs. Your task is, under no circumstances, to place this person beside you in a leadership position. You must also explain to your assistants that this rule applies only to this specific person and that you will explain why at the right time.
When this person asks to enter leadership and be beside you, you should respond that you will wait for a word from the Lord. Until the Lord speaks, you will not make decisions based on human reasoning.
After your refusal, two scenarios are possible.
- Since the enemy’s initial plan has failed, the enemy will cause this person to leave your fellowship and ministry.
- Because the enemy’s plan did not succeed, subsequent events will unfold according to God’s plan. While serving in your ministry, this person may change, receive healing and deliverance, and eventually become a good minister.
Conclusions
There are no universal symbols that apply to everyone and every situation. In each individual case, the Lord may assign different meanings to the same symbols. Moreover, two people may perceive the same symbol differently.
By looking at symbols from the Bible, we can see some important principles.
- The number of objects, things, people, and so on may indicate an amount of time.
- Positive images may point to good things (events). Negative images may point to bad things (events).
If you saw negative events in a vision or dream, this does not at all mean that they will definitely happen. More often, the opposite is true. Such visions contain a hint about what needs to be done to prevent similar things from happening.
The Lord reveals the enemy’s plans to equip you, make you wise, and thereby destroy those plans.
End of lesson.
Source: Father’s Blessing Church
Author: Dmitriy Leo
