Several prophecies have been shared in the Bible based on what dreams, the people who had those dreams, including the question of whether those dreams came to pass. Here then is the list of prophetic dreams in the Bible that you will like to know about.
The Bible is full of revelations which came in form of dreams and thus each of these revelations or visions has served the spiritual purposes for which they are sent in the first place. This is more reason why most of these dreams are regarded as prophetic dreams. Simply put, most of them happen or are realized just as they are said or revealed.
Dreams and visions in the ancient Near East offered insights into everyday realities or provided opportunities to transcend them by connecting the earthly and otherworldly, the lived present and the unknown future. They predicted events, personal and cosmic, as in Abraham’s vision in the night (Gen 17), the prophet Micaiah’s prebattle vision (1Kgs 22), and Daniel’s dream vision of the four beasts (Dan 7).
They mark critical transitions in the lives of holy people, such as the initiation of the prophets Ezekiel (Ezek 1-3) and Isaiah (Isa 6), and they serve as warnings or directives, as in the dreams of Pharaoh (Gen 41) and Abimelech (Gen 20:3-7) or the visions of Amos (Amos 7:7-9, Amos 8:1-3) and Jeremiah (Jer 1:11-19, Jer 24).
The significance of dreams and their prophetic values in the biblical narratives range from Solomon, Joseph, to the apostles of the New Church. These are living proofs to the household of faith that God usually has a way of communicating with the Lord’s people. Certainly, prophetic dreams are obvious means.
List of Prophetic Dreams in the Bible
In this content, you will getting the opportunity to read through the list of prophetic dreams in the Bible and make of them what you think is required. The Bible is a composite of many dreams, here are some of the bunch of them:
Abraham’s Dream (Genesis 15:12-21)
This dream was prophetic of the events that would happen to Abram’s descendants and reiterating God’s promise to give them the land of their inheritance. The Abrahamic covenant was also established. These events unfolded as described and are recorded in the biblical narrative.
Abimelech’s Dream (Genesis 20:3)
This dream was a conversation between God and Abimelech. Abraham had been pretending that Sarah was his sister. In the dream, God told Abimelech that Sarah was Abraham’s wife, and that it would go badly for him and his household if he touched her. He told him to return Sarah to Abraham.
To advise Abimelech of the deception so he could make the right decision about Sarah. Sarah was restored to Abraham. Abraham was saved from his own stupidity. Abimelech and his household were restored and kept safe.
Jacob’s Dream (Genesis 28:12, 31:11)
Jacob was on his way to find a wife. In the dream he saw a ladder reaching into heaven with God above it. God spoke and personally blessed him and his descendants with the same promise that Abram was given in Genesis 12, and prophesied that He would bring Jacob safely back to this land.
This is an affirmation for Jacob, so that he could receive his destiny personally from God, not just second-hand from his father. This would have been very timely as he was about to choose a wife with whom he would raise a family!
Laban’s Dream (Genesis 31:10-13)
Jacob had been living with his uncle in Haran, where Laban had taken advantage of Jacob’s help for many years. Jacob described a dream he once had, where he saw the male speckled goats mating. God then reminded Jacob that He had been blessing him – and told Jacob it was time to go back to the land of his birth.
Laban was angrily chasing Jacob (who had fled after the previous dream). God spoke to him in a dream and warned him not to let his coming interaction with Jacob deteriorate into a bad outcome. To give Jacob a strategy for breeding abundant healthy speckled herds, and then to prompt Jacob to return to Canaan with God’s blessing and provision.
The Midianite’s Dream (Judges 7:13)
Gideon’s people (the Israelites) were preparing to fight the Midianites, but they were facing huge odds. God told Gideon to go into the enemy camp, where he overheard a man telling this dream: A loaf of barley tumbled into the camp of Midian and flattened the tent.
This dream was mainly for Gideon’s benefit to encourage him, but it also served the purpose of striking fear into the Midianite camp. Gideon was emboldened and carried out the attack plan God gave him, and they gained the victory just as the dream had foretold. The dream both prophesied and facilitated this outcome.
King Solomon (1 Kings 3:5)
God appeared to Solomon in a dream and offered him whatever he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom and discernment so he could rule Israel justly. God was pleased and said he would grant his request, but also give him riches and honor. At the end of the day, Solomon was given everything that was promised in this dream even in real life.
Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:1)
He dreamed of a great statue with a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. A stone struck the statue and became a mountain that filled the earth. This was a prophetic dream relating to world history, and foretold the kingdoms that would rule over the earth from that time until the coming of Jesus and the kingdom of God.
Daniel (Daniel 7:1)
Daniel dreamed of four beasts which arose from the sea in succession, followed by various horns. In the midst of this he saw a throne, the Ancient of Days, books being opened, and ‘One like a Son of Man’. After that, someone in the dream gave him the interpretation.
This dream gave a prophetic timeline between that time period and the coming of Jesus -and forewarned them of what to expect. This would have encouraged the Jews, and the followers of Jesus during persecution, knowing it was all part of a bigger plan.
Joseph (Genesis 37:5-8)
Joseph dreamed that his brothers’ sheaves in the field all came and bowed down to his own sheaf. At the time, it just annoyed Joseph’s brothers when he told them the dream. But it was clearly fulfilled years later
It is helpful to see that the brothers understood the meaning of ther dream and gave an interpretation, although they did not accept it at the time. I also find it interesting that the dream used the symbol of grain. It was the issue of grain (which Joseph subsequently had plenty of but his brothers did not) which led them to come and bow down to him years later in Egypt.
