James Goll: 8 Common People Who Appear in Your Dreams

These are very important days for the body of Christ and for the nations of the earth. In such times, the Lord often pours out revelation in the form of dreams.

It is vital that we learn to interpret these dream encounters accurately so that we can discern what the Lord is saying to us and how He would have us respond.

An extremely common occurrence in dreams is the appearance of people—family members, friends, acquaintances, prominent leaders in church, society or government and even complete strangers.

In the majority of these cases, the people who appear in your dreams and/or visions are often symbolic in nature.

Seeing a person in an encounter does not necessarily mean that you will have an encounter with that person.

How to Interpret People in Your Dreams

There are three basic questions you can ask to help you interpret dreams in which certain people appear:

—Who is this person in relation to you?

—What does this person’s name mean?

—What character trait or calling does this person represent to you?

8 Common People in Dreams

Here is a list of the most common people (or type of people) you are likely to encounter in your dreams, along with their probable symbolism.

1. A man or woman of God in your life most probably represents a particular type of message being delivered. The important issue here is not who the person is but the message he or she bears. Focus in on the message. That is where you will most likely find the meaning behind the dream.
2. An untrustworthy person in your past may indicate a coming situation that you should not trust. Seeing someone in a dream from your past who is associated with a betrayal or a bad situation may be a warning from the Holy Spirit. These may be calls to prayer to cut off a bad situation.
3. A healing evangelist (or prophetic person) appearing in your dream usually represents a healing grace that is coming your way. The identity of that healing evangelist or prophetic person is not as important as what he or she represents—the kind of ministry associated with that person.
4. A husband in your dream often means that Christ Jesus the Lord is drawing ever so close in a covenant relationship.
5. Getting married in a dream usually relates to growing intimacy with God or a new joining that is coming your way. Keep in mind, opposites attract.
6. Dreams with dead people in them speak of the common sentiment attached to those deceased loved ones. This is not an indication that you are “crossing over” or actually visiting this person from your past in order to receive guidance! Do not equate this with the error of seeking guidance from the spirits of the dead, as King Saul did with the spirit of Samuel (see 1 Sam. 28:1-25). God is simply giving you a snapshot of something that the dead person represents.
7. Dreams of presidents and other people in authority are often calls to pray for national events. I used to have dreams of President Clinton where he and I were walking together, and I would take his hand and suddenly be able to feel the condition of his heart. And then I would pray for him, interceding not only for his heart’s condition but also for the burdens or challenges of our nation.
8. A faceless person often appears in dreams as an indication of the presence of the Holy Spirit, or possibly even angels, in your life. Sometimes people dream of a faceless man driving a bus, but they don’t know who he is. This, too, often represents the Holy Spirit driving the bus of your life and steering you into your life mission.

I encourage you to always write down your dreams as quickly as possible after you awaken.

Then pray and ask the Holy Spirit for His revelation as to what He wants to speak to you concerning your dreams.

As He did throughout biblical history and in the early church, may God continue to give us guidance and direction through our dreams!

Blessings to record, properly interpret and apply your dreams from God! {eoa}

This article has been adapted from Lesson 12: “People Who Appear in Your Encounters” in James Goll’s book, The Scribe.

Dr. James W. Goll is the founder of God Encounters Ministries. He is an international bestselling author, a certified Life Language Coach, an adviser to leaders and ministries and a recording artist. James has traveled around the world ministering in more than 50 nations sharing the love of Jesus, imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry and life in the Spirit. He has recorded numerous classes with corresponding curriculum kits and is the author of more than 50 books, including The Seer, The Prophet, The Discerner, The Lost Art of Intercession and Praying with God’s Heart. James is also the founder of GOLL Ideation LLC, where creativity, consulting and leadership training come together.