by Dusty May Taylor
Recently I was asked about the legitimacy of visits from deceased loved ones in dreams and visions (both what we see in our inner eye, and visions that appear real). I’ve got opinions, but I wanted to take the question seriously and really learn. So I went on a research journey!
This is crucial to being a safe and balanced prophetic person or interpreter. 🙂 We can’t assume we know just because we think we do. Plus, the moment our experience is elevated above scripture, we have an idol on our hands. We also open ourselves up to deception. (Why would anyone want to do that, right? Exactly!)
On that cheerful note, let’s look at what the bible says about the fate of the human soul after death! This is Part 1 in determining if you’ve had a visit from a deceased loved one.
Where’d they go?
Scripture seems to tell us the disciples were superstitious and believed in ghosts. In Matthew 14:26 we find the following:
But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.
There, ghosts are in the bible, right? Well. . .not exactly. This tells us the disciples believed in ghosts for the split second they saw a man walking towards them on top of the sea, but it turned out to be Jesus after all. There are other scriptures that talk about the fate of the dead.
As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave does not come up. He shall never return to his house, nor shall his place know him anymore.
His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day his plans perish.
These scriptures tell us that the dead who go to the grave don’t return for their unfinished business, or for a pleasant stroll.
Hebrews also tells us there is no reincarnation, so a deceased person in your dream or vision is not a memory of a past life:
And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people.
But, can’t the dead come as messengers???
Jesus gave us an even clearer picture of what the afterlife entails when He shared the story of the beggar Lazarus and the rich man who showed him no kindness. You can imagine these words in red. 😉
So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’”
Wow, that’s sobering. Here we see Jesus clearly illustrating the reality that there’s an afterlife, and not everyone shares the same fate. The rich man is in Hades and wants a message sent to his loved ones.
Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”
Here we see not only the fate of those not in Christ, but that they are unable to visit their loved ones with a message.
Well, my deceased loved one wasn’t even a Christian and they visited me!
I am so sorry for your loss, but your deceased loved one can’t reach you. Jesus told us that with the rich man as an example.
However, our deceased loved ones are frequently symbols and memories in our dreams and visions, even sometimes a symbol sent by God to help convey a message. They are not the loved one themselves. It’s the difference between a painting and an actual person. So, dreaming of a deceased loved one, or any deceased person, is common and normal.
Please remember that the meaning of a dream is seldom straight-forward or literal. A nightmare, for instance, might not mean you should be afraid – but merely that you are afraid. A message in a dream might not mean the message is good, but just that you are receiving it. If it’s a message that violates God’s will or His goodness, you know He wants to correct it, not reinforce it. Alternatively, there are warnings. We have to learn to discern – and that can’t be done without the bible and the Holy Spirit. ❤
Dusty, you’re cute, but I know a real spirit visited me.
I’ve met my fair share of spirits in one form or another, so I get it – and I believe you. If you are 100% certain a spirit has visited you, this is where we need to learn about demons, or “familiar spirits.” I’ll go into this a bit more in Part 2. For now, I’ll leave you with
- The deceased go somewhere they can’t reach us, and we can’t reach them
- The deceased can’t return to earth for unfinished business
- The deceased are frequently used as human symbols or representations in dreams and visions of many kinds, whether produced by our own soul or given by God
I hope this helps, and we’ll get a little deeper into this Part 2! In Part 3 I’ll address arguments for exceptions to the rule.
What do you think? Is this aggravating, comforting? Is it weird to hear a Christian talk all bible at you? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
dustymaytaylor.com 