Dream

In ancient Israel people believed that dreams came from God. God used them to make his will known to people.

Ordinary Dreams and Symbolic Dreams

Two sorts of dreams occur in the Bible:

Ordinary dreams, in which God speaks to people directly. An example is the dream in Matthew 1:20, where an angel passes on a message to Joseph.
Symbolic dreams, which could often only be interpreted by professional dream-interpreters. The dreams of the wine steward and the baker in Genesis 40:5-19, for instance, are symbolic dreams.

What Kind of People were Sent Dreams?

In the Bible, God uses dreams to make his plans known to prophets (Numbers 12:6) and kings (1 Samuel 28:6), and also to ordinary people (Job 33:15-16).

Did all Dreams Come from God?

Not all dreams are thought to be important in the Bible; some dreams have no meaning (see Ecclesiastes 5:6). All dreams that bring people into a closer relationship with God are taken to be divine revelations.
False prophets also appeal to their dreams, saying they were given them by God. But the true prophets say those dreams are lies (Zechariah 10:2).

Dreams in the New Testament

In the New Testament, dreams are regarded as a means of communication from God. But, unlike the Old Testament, the meaning of a dream is always given immediately, even when dreams have symbolic content. The emphasis is always on the message and less on the dream itself. That message is often linked to God’s salvation of man through Jesus Christ.
In the Gospels we find dreams mainly in the stories associated with Jesus’ birth. Joseph, for instance, is warned in a dream that he must flee to Egypt. In the book of Acts dreams and visions are a sign that God is present in the Church through the Holy Spirit.

Dreams and Visions

Dreams are often linked with visions in the Bible (Joel 3:1). God uses both to convey a message to people. But the Bible distinguishes between a vision and a dream. A dream is always an imagined event while one is asleep, whereas that is not necessarily the case with a vision.