Hearing God's Voice in DreamsA–Z symbolsPeople in dreams
73 symbols · biblical meanings from Hearing God's Voice in Dreams by Apostle Nicholas V. Mbanjwa
A Dead Person
A familiar spirit — a demon that has closely observed a family or individual and, after death, mimics the deceased in dreams.
⚠ Warning: A familiar spirit — a demon mimicking the deceased; A demonic agreement — hugging, kissing, walking with, or eating food from a deceased person in a dream is the enemy's trick to bring you into agreement with a familiar spirit; Generational familiar spirits responsible for recurring family patterns (divorce, premature death, stagnancy)
A Person Seen Three Times
A warning concerning that person. When the same individual appears three times doing harm in the dreamer's dreams, it is to be received as a caution about that one.
⚠ Warning: The same person appearing three times attacking the dreamer; The same person appearing three times hostile toward the dreamer; The same person appearing three times standing against the dreamer's destiny; The same person appearing three times trying to give the dreamer food; The same person appearing three times trying to take money from the dreamer
Actor/Actress
Someone who plays a role that is not theirs.
⚠ Warning: Playing a role that is not yours; Inauthenticity; Operating outside your God-given assignment
Baby
A gift of God, a blessing, divine providence, a promise or a prophecy (Psalm 127:3).
✦ Positive: Stewardship: a God-given responsibility to grow something; A babe in Christ; Humility, dependence and trust (Matthew 18:3-4); Someone who is not yet matured spiritually, to be nurtured; A ministry or gift being cared for and nurtured
⚠ Warning: Spiritual immaturity: needing milk, not solid food (Hebrews 5:13); Instability in doctrine (Ephesians 4:14); An attack on your destiny (black or faded clothing); Witchcraft or a disguised evil entity (a baby with a grown-up’s face in a dark dream)
Beautiful Female Caretaker
Divine favor or angelic succoring.
✦ Positive: Divine favor; Angelic care and help
Beggar
A spiritually bankrupt person; one in need of spiritual help.
✦ Positive: Being called to help someone; An opportunity to help; Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee
⚠ Warning: A beggar who seems shrewd or deceptive in a dream of negative tone, where the dreamer gives money
Bodyguard
Guardian angels set in charge over your life.
✦ Positive: Your guardian angels at work
The author references chapter 7 on angels differing in service and departments. Cross-reference Psalm 91:11.
Scripture: Psalm 91:11
Boyfriend/Girlfriend
Familiarity.
✦ Positive: Familiarity with something or someone
⚠ Warning: Inappropriate familiarity; A partner-figure treated as though the relationship already exists, in a dark, controlling, or oppressive dream — see Spiritual Spouse
Bride
The Body of Christ — the Church of Jesus Christ, recognised in the New Testament as a chaste virgin, not yet a wife.
✦ Positive: The Church of Jesus Christ as a chaste virgin awaiting the rapture
The marriage is futuristic — it will take place during the rapture.
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:2; Matthew 25:1-13; Revelation 19:7
Brother
The manifestation of the Lord Jesus as your brother — revealing that you are a joint heir with Him, His protection and personal affiliation with you; concerns your inheritance and possessing of promises in the Kingdom.
✦ Positive: Jesus as your joint heir — protection, inheritance, Kingdom promises
Children
Promising rewards — partially grown but not fully matured rewards or fruits of your labor; your blessings or heritage in the Kingdom of God.
✦ Positive: Rewards and fruits of your labor (partially matured); Your blessings and Kingdom heritage
Clown
To act or be silly, a buffoon, a fool, or foolish.
⚠ Warning: Foolishness; Buffoonery; Not taking things seriously
Crazy Person
A lunatic spirit — demonic spirits of madness and suicide.
⚠ Warning: Demonic spirits of madness and suicide
Crowd
Public influence or social pressures.
✦ Positive: Public influence
⚠ Warning: Social pressures
Debtor
One under duty and obligation to God and to men.
✦ Positive: A call to serve; Laying down one's life for others; Owing the gospel to those who have not heard
⚠ Warning: Owing service to God and to people and not rendering it
Doctor
Christ's manifestation as a healer — of emotional or physical inadequacies; His sufficient strength when you are struggling to rid yourself of a particular sin.
✦ Positive: Christ as your healer — emotional, physical, or spiritual; A calling into healing ministry
Employee/Boss
The manifestation of the Lord Jesus concerning your stewardship.
✦ Positive: Christ manifesting as Lord over your stewardship — calling you to faithful management of what He has entrusted to you
Ex-Boyfriend/Ex-Girlfriend
A former experience.
✦ Positive: Revisiting a former experience for a lesson
⚠ Warning: Being drawn back to a former experience or season that God has moved you beyond; Going back to old habits or a former life — "going back to Egypt" — which brings delay (for example, intimacy with an ex-spouse in a dream)
Faceless Person
Many times in the Old Testament a faceless person is a type of the Holy Spirit — the introducer of the Church to Christ.
✦ Positive: The Holy Spirit as the one who introduces you to Christ and His purposes; An angel
Father
The character of God in view of His will, intents, purposes, and plans for your life — God as Father, as source, and specifically His aspect of Love.
✦ Positive: God's will and purposes for your life; God as Father and source of love
Father in Law
A wall of protection — things that concern the intimations of marriage; family situation.
✦ Positive: A wall of protection; Family matters — intimations of marriage
⚠ Warning: A wall of partition, division, or separation; Finding yourself in a place without protection
Female Child
Your personal gift, calling, grace, blessing, and benevolence that is still immature and not yet developed; also that which you desire dearly.
✦ Positive: Your personal gift or calling (immature, still developing); Your deep desire
Female President
The governor of the Kingdom of God on earth — the Person of the Holy Spirit, the only Person of the Godhead present with the Church on earth. Any message from a female president is a direct message from the Holy Spirit.
✦ Positive: A direct message from the Holy Spirit; The Holy Spirit governing the Kingdom on earth
Female Relative
Support structure or wisdom.
✦ Positive: Support structure; Wisdom
'Call understanding your kinswoman.' (Proverbs 7:4b)
Scripture: Proverbs 7:4
Foreigner
Someone at your mercy, or who will be in your mercy — a child of God you are meant to help along your journey.
✦ Positive: Someone at your mercy, or who will be in your mercy; A child of God you are meant to help along your journey; A cross-cultural calling beyond your borders
⚠ Warning: In a dream of a negative context — a diabolic entity
Friend
The close companionship of the Holy Spirit in your times of need and helplessness.
✦ Positive: The Holy Spirit's close companionship in times of need and helplessness
'There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.' (Proverbs 18:24)
Scripture: Proverbs 18:24
Friendly Giant
An angelic being showing itself strongly on your behalf — protection and safety; if walking with him, being secured on the troubles of the journey ahead.
✦ Positive: An angel of protection and safety; A person of great faith
⚠ Warning: A formidable demonic force in the spirit realm
Gatekeeper
The spiritual leader the dreamer submits under; one given authority and power over a specific space, to permit and to forbid.
✦ Positive: Authority to permit or refuse; Influence over a specific space; Responsibility; Accountability
⚠ Warning: A territorial spirit guarding access to certain spaces, permitting entry only under submission to its own power and control
Government Official
Those called to operate in church leadership; the Kingdom of God's system of hierarchy and administration; a revelation of the Kingdom's decision on something concerning you.
✦ Positive: Church leadership; The Kingdom's administrative system and its decisions for you
⚠ Warning: Agents or certain spirits in control in the kingdom of darkness
Grandfather
An old system of leadership that is overused; or a mentor, a spiritual leader with seasoned experience.
✦ Positive: A mentor; A spiritual leader with seasoned experience
⚠ Warning: An old, overused system of leadership
Grandmother
Old teaching, ideology, tradition, or philosophy running in your place of fellowship, family, community, or workplace.
⚠ Warning: Old, entrenched teaching or ideology; Tradition or philosophy that may be limiting or incorrect
Groom
A dream manifestation of Christ as committed to you — your provider, supplier, caretaker, and lover.
✦ Positive: Christ's commitment to you; Christ as your provider, supplier, caretaker, and lover; Preparation for a massive shift in your relationship with the Lord
⚠ Warning: An unfaithful heart — seeking spiritual union with 'other lovers' (idols, fame, human approval) while neglecting your commitment to the Lord
Guest
An angelic being in your dream.
✦ Positive: An angel visiting or present with you
'By doing this some believers have shown hospitality to angels without being aware of it.' (Hebrews 13:2)
Scripture: Hebrews 13:2
Harlot
False devotion, false worship (religion), false doctrine, feigned love, flatteries.
⚠ Warning: False devotion; False worship/religion; False doctrine; Feigned love; Flatteries
Scripture: Revelation 17:5
Husband
A dream manifestation of Christ as your Lord assuming all the responsibilities of your life — His demand for your total submission to Him.
✦ Positive: Christ as Lord, taking full responsibility for your life
⚠ Warning: His demand for total submission — a call to full surrender; A husband-figure who is NOT the dreamer's actual husband, in a dark, controlling, or oppressive dream — a counterfeit; see Spiritual Spouse
Judge
A call to not compromise but to speak out to a person or group concerning inconsistencies to the Word of God; or the Lord revealing an area that needs correction.
✦ Positive: Being called to speak out prophetically against inconsistency with God's Word; God revealing an area needing correction in holiness
⚠ Warning: The devil as prosecutor, condemning you through accusatory thoughts
King
The manifestation of the lordship and kingship of Christ in your dream — drawing your attention to your loyalty and service to Him.
✦ Positive: Christ's lordship and kingship; A call to loyalty and service to Him
Male Child
Your God-given ministry — the people you are set to lead, your church, prayer group; your calling, assignment, and what you have been entrusted with that has not yet grown.
✦ Positive: Your God-given ministry (still developing); Your calling and assignment
Male President
A manifestation of the Lord Jesus as the head of God's administration — representative of God, embodiment of His rule, carrying out His will. Any message from a male president is a direct message from the Lord Jesus.
✦ Positive: A direct message from the Lord Jesus; God's headship and administration
Merchant
The ministry of the Lord in finding us broken and naked, decking us with glory — turning sorrow into joy and mourning into songs of joy; tables about to turn in your favor.
✦ Positive: Tables about to turn in your favor; Christ turning your pain into health (Romans 8:28); An intercessory calling
Midwife
A steward of human life, and of gifts and callings; quiet moral courage exercised against tyrannical authority.
✦ Positive: Protecting people and their gifts; Guarding anointings; Helping others birth out and release the gifts God has given them
⚠ Warning: Withholding help at a birth; Complying with what would destroy what is being born
Mother in Law
That which concerns a marriage relationship — tenderness, affection, embrace.
✦ Positive: Tenderness, affection, embrace in a marriage context
⚠ Warning: Hardness of heart; Dislike, mistrust, or indifference in a marriage relationship
Murderer
The devil — the ultimate and first murderer.
⚠ Warning: The devil as murderer
'He was a murderer from the beginning.' (John 8:44)
Scripture: John 8:44; John 10:10
Neighbor
Any individual that needs your help — the people around your life.
✦ Positive: Someone who needs your help; Those God has placed around your life for you to serve
Based on the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).
Scripture: Luke 10:30-37
Next of Kin
A dream manifestation of Jesus Christ as your Redeemer — one who enforces a lapsed claim, re-claims, and vindicates.
✦ Positive: Jesus Christ as your Redeemer; Restoration, defense, and victory over enemies; Redemption of what was lost
Nobleman
A manifestation of Christ as appointed by the Father over His Kingdom.
✦ Positive: Christ as appointed prince/ruler over His Kingdom
⚠ Warning: The devil as prince of this world; Fallen angels as princes behind earthly powers
Nurse
Ministry for the elderly, the broken, and the hurting; a caretaker calling; compassion.
✦ Positive: A calling to minister to the broken and hurting; A compassion ministry
Old Man
Experience and wisdom.
✦ Positive: Experience; Wisdom
'Age should speak, and experience should teach wisdom.' (Job 32:7)
Scripture: Job 32:7
Pastor's Wife
The local ministry where you are submitting; your role or matters concerning your submission to your local church.
✦ Positive: The local ministry and your submission to it; A God-given gap in your local church only you can fill
Person of a Different Race
A spiritual entity — angelic in a positive dream, demonic in a negative one — but ONLY where the dreamer has no friends or colleagues of that race in waking life. Where the dreamer does have such friends or colleagues, the dream is to be taken literally and concerns that actual person.
✦ Positive: In a light, colourful, peaceful dream, and where the dreamer felt at peace around the person — an angelic entity present with them
⚠ Warning: In a dark, fearful, oppressive or hostile dream — a demonic entity
Police
Being called to bring order in the Body of Christ — the gift of ministry (Romans 12:7); God's heavenly force, not of this earthly realm, for enforcing divine laws.
✦ Positive: A call to bring order in the Body of Christ; God's divine law enforcement on your behalf
⚠ Warning: A heavenly sanction against you for breaking divine law
Queen
A city that is a cult stronghold; a woman who is a ruler in the kingdom of darkness over a city or community.
⚠ Warning: A cult stronghold over a city; A demonic ruler in the kingdom of darkness over a community
Rich Man
An individual able to minister to the needs of another; or the manifestation of Christ as able to meet your needs and wants.
✦ Positive: Christ manifesting as able to meet your every need; Someone called to generously minister to others
⚠ Warning: Greed
Scripture: Matthew 19:24
School Principal
Someone called to pastor churches or to an apostolic office; or the manifestation of Christ as the ultimate Apostle and Overseer.
✦ Positive: An apostolic calling; Christ as ultimate Apostle and Overseer
⚠ Warning: Demonic spirits that rule over lower spirits known as the powers (Ephesians 6:12)
Schoolteacher
In the teaching ministry or office; someone called to teach. If you are the teacher in the dream, the Lord is calling you to teach His Word; or a process of being taught by the Holy Spirit on a particular lesson.
✦ Positive: A teaching calling; Being taught by the Holy Spirit on a specific subject of Scripture
Security Guard
Your need to protect something; a call to defend the faith; God's angelic system of security and protection.
✦ Positive: Defending the faith; God's angelic protection around you
Scripture: Jude 3
Seller/Shop Owner
The Person of the Holy Spirit as the giver of graces and gifts according to God's will for each person.
✦ Positive: The Holy Spirit as giver of gifts and graces; A calling to help others discover their destinies; A calling to discover and equip leaders
Shepherd
The Lord as your caretaker and provider who leads you beside quiet waters; appears in a dream when you need guidance on a straining situation requiring a well-thought-out decision.
✦ Positive: The Lord as your Shepherd, caretaker, and guide; A pastoral calling
Shoemaker
The work of the Holy Spirit as a restorer of destinies, assignments, and a rewriter of failures and earthly frailties.
✦ Positive: The Holy Spirit restoring your destiny; A calling to counsel, advise, teach, or pastor
Dreaming yourself as a shoemaker: called to counsel, advise, teach, or pastor people.
Sister
A message directed to or including a certain female believer in your place of fellowship; also nurturing, care, and love; wisdom.
✦ Positive: A message for or about a female believer in your fellowship; Nurturing, care, love; Wisdom
Soldiers
God's angelic system of warfare and defense.
✦ Positive: God's angel armies — warfare and defense on your behalf
The Message Bible, in place of 'God of Hosts', calls Him 'the God of the Angel Armies'.
Spiritual Spouse
A familiar spirit that has taken the position of a spouse or intimate partner in the dreamer's life, establishing a covenant through dream intimacy where the person is not in Christ, and a spiritual influence or deceptive agreement where they are, in order to oppress them continuously.
⚠ Warning: Sexual intercourse in the dream with an involuntary climax after waking — the strongest confirming indicator; Persistent spousal behaviour (shared bed, cuddling, possessiveness, emotional attachment) combined with the accompanying symbols; A deceased spouse, ex-partner, or dead person appearing as an intimate partner — a familiar spirit mimicking the deceased; Bondage, loss of identity, shame or nakedness, exclusion from one's rightful place, delayed purpose, domination over the dreamer's decisions; Being driven, led around, or abandoned by the partner-figure; counterfeit provision or covering
Thief
The devil.
⚠ Warning: The devil — comes to steal, kill, and destroy
'A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came so that my sheep will have life and so that they will have everything they need.' (John 10:10)
Scripture: John 10:10
Traffic Officer
A call to assume pastoral responsibility, to correct and exhort; God's system of intervention for inspecting and dictating compliance with divine instruction concerning purpose fulfillment.
✦ Positive: A pastoral calling to correct and exhort; God's reviewing of your obedience to His instruction
⚠ Warning: Being stopped — a call to review and correct your walk
Treasure Finder
The saving work of the Lord — His manifestation as one who found you as junk but saw you as a jewel.
✦ Positive: Christ's redemptive work — His beautiful eyes seeing beyond your weaknesses; An evangelism or soul-winning calling
Twin
Dreaming of having a twin the dreamer does not have in reality represents a struggle — duality, two opposite sides of the self, the two natures of flesh and spirit contrary to one another.
✦ Positive: Being given two equally important assignments; Holding two ministry responsibilities or gifts at the same level
⚠ Warning: Two principles opposing each other, where the dreamer must submit to one; Two things of equal magnitude and stature standing in opposition
Waiter
The ministry of angels as your servants in the Kingdom; an angelic announcement that something already provided by God is ready for you to receive and command to manifestation.
✦ Positive: Angels ministering to you as heirs of salvation; God drawing your attention to His already-completed provision — command it to manifestation in Jesus' Name; A calling to serve others
Watchman
An intercessor — a Christian's responsibility over their nation; a national prophetic ministry.
✦ Positive: Protecting one's nation through prayer and intercession; Guarding against evil over a nation; Praying for those in power at national level
⚠ Warning: A watchman who sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet; Holding one's peace when warning was required
Wedding Guest
One invited to the Kingdom of God.
✦ Positive: Someone invited into the Kingdom of God
⚠ Warning: A wedding guest not dressed in wedding clothes — unprepared for the Kingdom (Matthew 22:11)
Widow
Vulnerability, isolation, or a call for church care.
✦ Positive: A call for church care
⚠ Warning: Vulnerability; Isolation
Wife
Your ministry — the people you are called to serve; as a wife depends on her husband for emotional and physical needs, so the people you serve depend on you.
✦ Positive: Your ministry and those you are called to serve
⚠ Warning: A wife-figure who is NOT the dreamer's actual wife, in a dark, controlling, or oppressive dream — a counterfeit; see Spiritual Spouse
Woman (general)
The Holy Spirit — revealed through His personality of communion, sensitivity, nurturing and care.
✦ Positive: The Holy Spirit — communion, sensitivity, nurturing, care; His longing for your fellowship
Woman/Mother
The New Jerusalem from above; the nation of Israel; a system of worship; the Holy Spirit (in His nurturing, communing, sensitive personality).
✦ Positive: The New Jerusalem from above; The nation of Israel; The Holy Spirit's nurturing, communing, sensitive personality; A longing for fellowship and communion with you
⚠ Warning: A system of worship, idolatry and harlotry; Religion; False doctrine or false devotion