Bible Study- Dreams/Visions in the Bible

[Mayflower1]

So how do you know which dreams are from God, which are your subconscious working things out and nonsense dreams, and which are from the Enemy.

I have had apocolyptic dreams lately, but I have had end times on my mind a lot. Like the golden gate bridge collapsing...and Bibles being replaced with universal ones. Weird ones.

The big thing I question is who does the dream glorify and the purpose of God dreams. Id say God dreams are to edify the church/warn the church. While enemy dreams are to confuse/create fear.

I try to take dreams like a grain of salt, but I do pray for interpretation and discernment.

Dreams seem to be on my mind a lot. And I believe I have had some from God. But I do not interpret. And Ive prayed and googled, and dream journaled to a friend. Im continuing to pray on the subject, because the Enemy does use my anxiety and obsession of things as a stumbling block. But Id like to know what to do with my dreams. No dreams/interpretations or debates on if dreams are or are not... Part of the rules here. But like a Bible study of where dreams are in the Bible like with Joseph and in Daniel... And how these great dreamers and interpretors did. Because pharaoh himself had a dream from God and Joseph had to interpret.

So I am doing this on another forum, but I want to move what I have so far over here too, because I have as many questions as thoughts. If anyone wants to join in please!

 

[Mayflower1]

Here are the questions on my mind on dreams and from the Bible to organize my thoughts on dreams.

Questions:

1. Was there criteria/similarities of those who had dreams/visions in the Bible.

2. What criteria is there for those who have dreams/visions today.

3. A list/look at those who have had visions/dreams from God in the Bible.

4. How to know if something is from the Enemy.

5. How to know if something is from God

I'm sure more will come up as I study. I'll have to Google and pray to know where to start, but I know Joseph, Daniel, Mary, Joseph, Pharaoh, Jacob, Paul...

 

[Mayflower1]

1. Thought Journal #1 Abram
   
   After Terah died, God spoke to Abram telling him where to go with his family and that if he did God would make him a great nation.
   
   Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
   GENESIS 12:1‭-‬4 NASB
   
   Thoughts:
   1. Abram was obedient to God.
   2. In the lineage of Christ.
   3. All the families of the earth would be blessed.
   4. God spoke to Abram for guidance and was using him as a vessel to bless others and generations after him.
   5. Question: It says God spoke to Abram, so was this a vision/dream, or was this just pre-Moses where God did speak to men directly.
   6. And I doubt this makes a difference, but just noting his age was 75. Samuel was just a boy when God spoke to him, so I don't believe age is a criteria. But I do note that Abram is a believer. I believe dreams come to believers or unbelievers to bring them to God.
   
   After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.” It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
   GENESIS 15:1‭, ‬5‭-‬5‭, ‬12‭-‬18 NASB
   
   Thoughts:
   
   1. Question: why did God tell Abram what was to come after he died. Was he supposed to pass this on? I know God's ways are not our ways, but what was the purpose of telling Abram about the Israelites. Was it for us to read now and believe... To see it came to pass as God said it would? Was this book written way before the events happened with Moses?
   
   2. Without a doubt Abram knew this was from God. There is no doubt even reading this it is from God. Of course it is God's Word too.
   
   3. Terror and great darkness fell on Abram, so fear can come with a God dream...I also notice he was in a deep sleep. Not like a daytime nap.
   
   4. Covenant/promise was made with Abram.
   
   Any thoughts welcome on these verses...Ill just focus on Abram/Abraham for now. Just like a through the Bible study on dreams/visions. Might be better in Bible study section...
   
   
2. Enoch111
   1. Let's start at the end of that paragraph. It is Moses who recorded everything concerning Abraham by divine inspiration, even though Moses lived about 500 years after Abraham. So everything in Genesis is by divine revelation. And Abram would become Abraham because a part of this covenant would make him the "father of many nations".
   
   2. What is recorded here is called the Abrahamic Covenant, and this covenant would be expanded and repeated to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So Abraham was in fact expected to pass it on. It also overlaps with the Davidic Covenant made to David regarding his eternal throne on earth.
   
   3. The Israelites (the 12 tribes of Israel from the 12 sons of Jacob/Israel) were a very significant part of the Abrahamic Covenant. So when you see "thy seed" in all the related passages, there are actually three entities who would be descendants of Abraham: (1) the twelve tribes of Israel for eternity, (2) Christ Himself as the seed through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed, and (3) all believers in Christ who would be metaphorical and spiritual descendants of Abraham because of their faith.
   
   4. Yes God wanted all Christians to read and believe what He said to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, since this covenant has an eternal impact. After the second coming of Christ, redeemed and restored Israel will be settled in Greater Israel stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates (as you have quoted). This has never been fulfilled.
   
   5. Replacement Theology was introduced by the Catholic Church and adopted by the Protestant churches to falsely teach Christians that God was *through* with Israel, and these promises would apply allegorically to the Church. But since the eternal home of the Church is the New Jerusalem, we know that God has a plan and purpose for redeemed and restored Israel on earth after the Second Coming of Christ. Study Ezekiel and all the prophets in the OT.
   
   Me:
3. Yessss....this is definitely a good idea. Numbered makes it easier to go back to digest points too... So what I glean here about dreams...
   
   1. Abram's dream was to be passed on and told to others.
   2. Just hit me: the Israelites held onto the hope of this promise. So his dream edified/brought hope to God's people of deliverance.
   
   Thank you for your thoughts...I remember now about how important and central these covenants are...I hope this is a start to deeper subject studies...like the Abrahamic Covenant through the Bible...not digging deep enough may be why I have lost interest in much Bible devotions. Me centered instead of God centered...
   
   
4. Pearl
   Joseph himself dreamed dreams, remember the seven fat cows followed by the seven thin ones and also the one about the sheaves of corn bowing down.
   
   

 

[Mayflower1]

Thought Journal #2- Eliphaz the Temanite

“Now a word was brought to me stealthily, And my ear received a whisper of it. Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men, Dread came upon me, and trembling, And made all my bones shake. Then a spirit passed by my face; The hair of my flesh bristled up. It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, then I heard a voice:
JOB 4:12‭-‬16 NASB

I have more questions really concerning this.

1) Is this vision from God or the Enemy? Job's friends had to repent except for Zophar, and ask Job to pray for them....

2) dread/bones shaking. Disquieting thoughts

3) a spirit that its appearance could not be discerned. A form...

4) word came stealthily in a deep sleep


It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, then I heard a voice: ‘Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? He puts no trust even in His servants; And against His angels He charges error. How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth! Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces; Unobserved, they perish forever. Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? They die, yet without wisdom.’
JOB 4:16‭-‬21 NASB

Thoughts...

1) okay...so maybe this was from God. Because when God spoke to Job, He was conveying the same message...bones shaking and dread is interesting...

2. What was the purpose of revealing this to Eliphaz...was this to start helping Job think about this message...This message would be to teach Job and his friends...

 

[Mayflower1]

"ByGrace"

So how do you know which dreams are from God, which are your subconscious working things out and nonsense dreams, and which are from the Enemy.

My answer would be..we know, because we know.

I have had about ten in my 55 years as a believer. Haven't had any for a long while now.

But, when it is from God, we don't have to say " Is that from You Lord."
He leaves us in no doubt.

When your mother spoke to you on the phone for 20 mins..did you hang up the phone and say. Was that my mother? No, you knew, because you knew her voice.

We know His voice.

If you have to 'wonder' if the dream was from God or not, then I would say, no it wasn't.
Even when we don't quite know everything He was saying in the dream and we maybe need time to pray and listen...there is still the assurance that "God spoke".

 

[Mayflower1]

Pearl:

I think God gives us different sorts pf dreams for different reasons; like I sometimes dream about a person I know and wake up and feel I need to pray for them. I once dreamed that the Queen was shot at and I woke and prayed for her. The next day as she rode her horse in the Trooping the Colour parade a man in the crowd opened fire but didn't hit her. It gave me goosebumps. You can probably find an account of that on Google.

 

[Mayflower1]

Journal #3

This one stood out to me from the list tonight... It is the story of Gideon and the 300 men God chose from over 20,000 to get Midian.

The Lord said to Gideon, “I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his home.” Now the same night it came about that the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hands. But if you are afraid to go down, go with Purah your servant down to the camp, and you will hear what they say; and afterward your hands will be strengthened that you may go down against the camp.” So he went with Purah his servant down to the outposts of the army that was in the camp. When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said, “Behold, I had a dream; a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat.” His friend replied, “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand.” When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the camp of Midian into your hands.”
JUDGES 7:7‭, ‬9‭-‬11‭, ‬13‭-‬15 NASB

Thoughts: This dream was for confirmation to Gideon that God had given Midian into his hands and the 300 men. It was a dream to calm any fears that Gideon had and strengthen his faith. I think I remember the story of Gideon too of the fleece. It is like Gideon had faith to move, but needed confirmation. God was so good to have both chosen Gideon and done this for him. I feel a lot like Gideon as far as wishing for confirmation. Id like to think if God told me something directly like that, I would believe Him.

 

[Mayflower1]

stunnedbygrace:

Its our shared dreams that intrigue me. Even unbelievers have shared and common dreams.

As believers though, our shared dreams don't immediately SEEM to be shared. One man will describe, say... brightly colored airplanes flying around dropping supplies and another man might describe a dream of all these colors shooting around in the sky, when both men have dreamt of angels.

For some reason, its shared dreams that I can see sometimes. They seem like they have nothing at all to do with each other until you can just see that they do...

I have learned that to have 3 dreams is common. But the person doesn't KNOW they had 3 dreams. It all seems like just one dream to them. They will tell the dream and then they say, "and then the dream jumps to a different scene," which they then describe, and then the dream "jumps" again. But in actuality, it is the same dream being...tweaked. Like, you are seeing it more clearly each time.

For example, I remember hearing a dream that a woman called "The Island State of Texas." She dreamed that Texas was flooded in some manner until it became an island surrounded on all sides by water. Then the dream "jumped" and I can't remember the second part, and then she said it jumped again and she was talking with a man who was saying something about black eyed peas or maybe the singing group The Black Eyed Peas and how his daughter, named Gracie, didn't like them. And it probably sounds insane, but I could see that the man did not say black eyed peas but was rather saying "blockaded seas." And I could see that it was 3 dreams of the same thing, each one becoming more clear.

I don't know what good that might do for anyone, but I do believe that 3 part dreams that jump are one dream becoming successively clearer, and I do believe they are prophetic if they are had 3 times. Its just that a person can't usually see its the same dream 3 times...

 

[Mayflower1]

1. That is how pharaoh's dream with Joseph went. He had two dreams that were one and the same....
   
   
2. Soverign GraceWell-Known Member
   ↑
   So how do you know which dreams are from God, which are your subconscious working things out and nonsense dreams, and which are from the Enemy.
   
   
   
3. I think it's telling that you dreamt that Bibles were replaced with universal ones. That's the exact goal of the New World Order: a universal "religion." However it won't be the religion that Christians practice. I would take that as a spiritual dream.
   
   I've had a time where I dreamt that my mother, a very beautiful woman, was dressed in a white wedding dress. It was an odd dream, but within a short time she passed away. I had shared the dream with her and she had an odd reaction, as if she knew that God was preparing her to go home and she knew that dream was meant for her.
   
   My daughter was dating a man and had a dream of a spider which she was confused by. She looked it up and I'm unsure how she concluded that the dream was a warning. I suspected that it was her subconscious or God speaking to her in the dream. It turned out the man was a cheater and she broke up with him.
   
   We always have to be careful since Satan often mimics Christ. I believe that's why we're to "train our senses to discern both evil and good." But we are told that God speaks through dreams.
   
   And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
   - Acts 2:17

 

[Mayflower1]

Pearl: A few months ago I was having some really disturbing dreams Mayflower, but I'm sure they weren't from God as they would disturb my sleep and I'd wake with a madly beating heart but could only remember bits of the dreams. I asked God to protect my mind as a slept and not to let in these nightmares but let my sleep be dreamless or let the dreams I did have be calm and peaceful but also said that I was open to hearing from him in a 'God dream' as I slept. My sleep has been a lot more peaceful since.

 

[Mayflower1]

I was going through the list of scriptures and a lot are prophetical I don't quite understand. I'll have to seek out origins. So if anyone understands those better, with the 4 Holy figures, flying scrolls in Ezekiel, etc. Feel free... I am more trying to understand the reasons for the dreams/visions...which prophecy is a big one... But here is my scripture and thoughts for today. It is about Paul.

Journal #4

But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
ACTS 18:6‭, ‬9‭-‬11 NASB


Thoughts: This is the second time I have seen God using a vision/dream by night to calm someone's fears to go in a certain direction to share the Gospel. I haven't had any of these sort of dreams...

I read how God warned Joseph to take Christ to Nazareth, because of the king seeking Jesus' life also. So Visions/dreams were used to protect....

So far when looking at my own dreams I can ask:

1. Does this dream edify or teach me/the Body of Christ in some way?

2. Is this dream meant to be passed on?

3. Is this dream prompting me to pray for something or someone?

4. Is this dream warning me of something to come for protection (does God still use dreams for this purpose today? I know my sister's dreams have come true before, like car wrecks, so I listen to her).

5. Does this dream frighten me, and is this fear prompt me to do good, or is it fear from the Enemy to be a stumbling block?

6. Does this dream happen more then once? Does it happen in more then one way and mean the same thing?

7. Is there confirmation from God's Word or does it go against scripture?

 

[Mayflower1]

Journal #5

It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.” Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord , nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord , for Your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” The Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord . But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.” So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord ; let Him do what seems good to Him.”
1 SAMUEL 3:2‭-‬18 NASB

Thoughts:

-God also uses children. Samuel had Eli to help teach and guide him with his vision. Tell him what to say/do

-Samuel didn't know it was God at first, so not all "God dreams" may be recognized as that. Eli recognized that though.

-Samuel's vision was meant to be shared, even though he was afraid to share it.

- it seems like there is a responsibility to share it. Like Eli talked like there would be consequences if he didn't?

 

[Mayflower1]

Sovereign Grace: When I had that dream about my mother I didn't look for what it meant; I had a feeling that it was a spiritual dream and I believe that God showed me what it meant. When my daughter had the dream about the spider we looked online. I can't recall if we went by our own instincts or by what we read online. But I do believe that both times God let us have a sense of what He was communicating.

Dream Journal #6

Joseph- cupbearer and baker

Then they said to him, “We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please.” So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, there was a vine in front of me; and on the vine were three branches. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out, and its clusters produced ripe grapes. Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.” Then Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer. Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house. For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon.” When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph, “I also saw in my dream, and behold, there were three baskets of white bread on my head; and in the top basket there were some of all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” Then Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you.”
GENESIS 40:8‭-‬19 NASB

Thoughts:

1. He said dreams belong to God. In the amplified, it says interpretations belong to God.

2. Both had a dream from God on the same night. I think this is because of confirmation to the cupbearer that it wasn't just a fluke. That Joseph did interpret dreams correctly. Because of this confirmation the Pharaoh was able to save Joseph who saved Egypt and his family.

3. The dreams seemed to have bothered both of them, even though the one for the cupbearer was edifying.

4. Okay...big question. I am not sure on this. It is more opinion...but was the baker's dream from God or the enemy? The interpretation belonged to God. This is why Joseph could interpret. And in some cases I am sure knowing you would die would be edifying. But this reads to be terrifying. Was the dream sent fom the Enemy, used by God. Or can a God dream bear this message?

5. And also, I am curious if the cupbearer and the baker were believers.

 

[Mayflower1]

Journal #7


Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. On behalf of such a man I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses. For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me. Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!
2 CORINTHIANS 12:1‭-‬7 NASB

Thoughts:

1. I wonder if this was talking about the one who wrote Revelations... What does he mean by "inexpressible words he was not permitted to speak?"

2. Paul was given a thorn in the flesh to keep from exalting himself. I wonder if everyone who has the gifts of revelation and interpreting dreams has this thorn in the flesh. I guess this is worth it if someone can serve God and be edified, but it does sound hard. I already feel attacked hard whenever I help in the children's ministry. I get burned out very easy and it is hard to fight.

3. A good reminder that whatever gifts God gives us, we should not boast of ourselves. Our gifts come from God and they should exalt Him and fulfill His purpose.

 

[Mayflower1]

I know I have a lot of questions, but I'm sort scratching the surface on this study right now. Anyway, I found this very interesting tonight...

Journal #8

“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.
DEUTERONOMY 13:1‭-‬5 NASB

Thoughts:

1. First, wow. It is a serious offense to use visions/dreams to tell people to go after other gods. I wonder if the true visions and dreams were from God or he allowed Satan to give them.

2. God tests his people with fake prophets who seduce to see if our heart really belongs to Him. Wow. Do I understand this right??? He must really believe in us to do this. I pray I never fail Him if I am tested in this way.


I know I post a lot of Scripture and thoughts, but if anyone wants to go back or has thoughts, I am very interested in what y'all think.

Also, I realize I don't know anything about Amos for example, and he seemed to have a lot of visions from the Lord.


This is all I have so far... I posted some comments too. Not all of them, because it is a lot of copy and pasting. Lol. But I just started this 8 days ago...just looking at one a night. I won't post their comments from now on...I am interested to hear what some on here think...

 

[Mayflower1]

Journal #9 Hosea

I have also spoken to the prophets, And I gave numerous visions, And through the prophets I gave parables.

But by a prophet the Lord brought Israel from Egypt, And by a prophet he was kept.
HOSEA 12:10‭, ‬13 NASB

Thoughts: God uses visions/dreams as warnings to the people to turn back to Him. He uses prophets to help/protect His people to help them to remember and follow God's ways.

 

[GTW27]

Blessings in Christ Jesus! I too write on the other board so if you need to see what I write you are welcome to read it. I see that you have many questions. Firstly I believe a study in spiritual warfare for you, as well as dreams and interpretation is needed. The next time anxiety overcomes you, speak the words out loud, "The Lord rebukes you, The Lord Jesus rebukes you" Then you will see why the study of spiritual warfare is needed. In the same way that the enemy passed by in the book of Job he sometimes moves close to us undetected, to amplify a weakness in us. He does study our weaknesses. If we have a little fear about something he will send one or more of his, to turn a molehill into a mountain and we would be none the wiser to what just happened.
How to determine if a dream is from The Lord. It does not fade in time as He does not fade in time. It is just as clear many years later as it was when you dreamed it. If I had to guess, you have been having a lot of dreams of late, about storms and disasters , tornados and such.

 

[Mayflower1]

Blessings in Christ Jesus! I too write on the other board so if you need to see what I write you are welcome to read it. I see that you have many questions. Firstly I believe a study in spiritual warfare for you, as well as dreams and interpretation is needed. The next time anxiety overcomes you, speak the words out loud, "The Lord rebukes you, The Lord Jesus rebukes you" Then you will see why the study of spiritual warfare is needed. In the same way that the enemy passed by in the book of Job he sometimes moves close to us undetected, to amplify a weakness in us. He does study our weaknesses. If we have a little fear about something he will send one or more of his, to turn a molehill into a mountain and we would be none the wiser to what just happened.
How to determine if a dream is from The Lord. It does not fade in time as He does not fade in time. It is just as clear many years later as it was when you dreamed it. If I had to guess, you have been having a lot of dreams of late, about storms and disasters , tornados and such.

Lately, yes I have. Tornado dreams most common. Do you have the same username on CB? I don't quite remember the one you have on here. A lesson on Spiritual warfare definitely is one I constantly need to do again . I havent really made a date when to end this one. I'm just going over as many examples in the Bible that I feel lead to reading from suggested lists/etc.

 

[Mayflower1]

Sometimes when I hear spiritual warfare mentioned to study, I have to rebuke. Whether it is oppression or just a mind thing (which every physical/mental aspect involves the spiritual), quite often a bit of anger rises up. Ive been visiting this new church lately that has gotten me back into praying in tongues again though, and I have felt a bit stronger again in my spiritual walk and less anxious about things. It is a consistent battle, but one I am grateful God is with me on!

 

[Mayflower1]

Journal # 10 I do not read Jeremiah. I'm trying to understand. I'm stopping here for now and going back to find the answer to some of these questions. Jeremiah poses a good question about "Words of the Lord too." Something else I really have not understood. But my thought on this is there are false dreams it says from our imaginations. I guess another good question to ask is what benefit does this dream have for myself or others. Does it encourage one to pray, draw someone closer to God, or is it to draw attention and does not glorify God. Another thought is God's Word and the Gospel message as well as changing a person's ways is much more important then the message of something happening.

The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the Lord . “Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord , “and like a hammer which shatters a rock? Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the Lord , “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the Lord . Thus you will say to that prophet, ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ and, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ For if you say, ‘The oracle of the Lord !’ surely thus says the Lord , ‘Because you said this word, “The oracle of the Lord !” I have also sent to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The oracle of the Lord !’ ” ’ Therefore behold, I will surely forget you and cast you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers. I will put an everlasting reproach on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.”
JEREMIAH 23:28‭-‬29‭, ‬32‭, ‬37‭-‬40 NASB