Joseph, the (Almost) Perfect Man Part 5 “Interpreter of Dreams”
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15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.
16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.
Introduction
Introduction
Illustrate:
Did you know American Companies are trying to influence your dreams?
Read “The Nightmare of Dream Advertising”
A dream is defined as something you actually experience, hear and see, during sleep.
Many dreams involve some threat, or situation you can’t remove yourself from.
From scientificamerican.com:
“studies of children in two different areas of Palestine show that those who live in a more threatening environment also have a much higher incidence of threat in their dreams.”
“Amazingly enough, dreams also seem able to influence physiological state: One study showed that people who were deprived of water before they slept, but then drank in their dreams, felt less thirsty when they woke up”
“Some people can achieve lucid dreaming, in which they control the sequence of events in their dream, and evidence suggests that these techniques can be learned by intensive practice and training.”
“Most of our dreams just recombine fragments of waking life. These fragments are relatively familiar and reflect the interests and concerns of the dreamer. This means cyclists dream about cycling, teachers dream about teaching, and bankers dream about money.”
Mostly, dreams happen in a subconscious state.
Subconscious or “unconscious” is what you are without trying, without thinking about it, without being aware of it.
When you sleep you slip into this subconscious.
When a person sees a vision, it’s a dream while they are awake.
Prophets or “Seers” have a specific gift to do this, in fact, Bro. Branham’s showed up on a medical test.
(Wave test ie EEG)
(Doctors explain what a dream is)
Said, “We never seen it before. But both of yours are laying right here together,” said, “both of your timing waves, from subconscious and your other conscious. They never heard of it before, in my life.” Said, “Man, you could dream a dream, standing up and wide awake.” 64-0209 - "Countdown"
(Bro. Branham goes on to explain to the doctor what a vision is)
Joseph was a seer, not just a dreamer of dreams, but an interpreter of dreams.
9 (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)
an authoritative person who receives and communicates a message from God; perhaps with emphasis on the visual nature of the message
Now, a person that cannot dream, his subconscious is there, that’s God’s way of doing it. The man that does dream, his subconscious is here, he can’t help it. But a seer, that’s borned a seer, His subconscious is neither back there, nor here. It’s right here with him. You don’t go asleep. You’re wide awake and see it.
(This gift is NOT imparted by laying on hands.)
Then a seer is born in the world, and his whole makeup has come down here, that he does not go to sleep; he just breaks from one conscious to another, and God moves in on that conscious and shows a vision.
Now, see, I can’t do it, God has got to break me from this, into this. I can’t help ’cause I had blue eyes. I like brown eyes, but I had blue. God give me blue eyes; I have to be satisfied with it. Whatever He makes you, that’s what you are. 52-0817E - "Do You Now Believe?"
A person might dream one dream in their lifetime. A person might see one vision, but if a person is born a seer, it’s a constant thing, from birth.
There’s a difference in Joel 2:28: “your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions:”
And Amos 3:7
7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, But he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
There is prophecy, there are prophets, and there is a prophet. There is also true and false.
6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
A true seer has “Thus Saith the Lord”
A prophet cannot make himself have a vision. He hides away in the wilderness and stomps out with his prophecy and goes back.
How did Bro. Branham do it every night in the prayer lines? He was more than a prophet, God was using His body to show the Messiahic sign.
Now I want you to know, my brethren, sisters, that you don’t have to wait for some special evangelist to come by. No, no. Your pastor has the same.
Now, he may not be able to have that prophetic gift; that comes one in a generation. But, look, he has the same rights to pray for you that I would. That discernment doesn’t heal you; it only brings you God conscious, that you’re in the Presence of God. 63-0628E - "A Greater Than Solomon Is Here"
There is one original, but there are many impersonators.
We have false impersonators rise up. What’s that to do? To deceive. The Bible said they would. “As Jambres and Jannes withstood Moses, so will these in the last days.”
They do the same thing, come right along impersonating It, just exactly. See? Be careful! Watch the Doctrine of the Bible. Watch the message that follows them signs! 65-1127B - "Trying To Do God A Service Without It Being God's Will"
God has identified a Joseph in this generation.
The identification of God has always been knowing, can foresee what has been, and tell what has been, how is that, or what will be. We know that. That’s how the prophets was known.
That’s how Jesus was known as the Messiah. And He’s the same Messiah today as He was then, only without a corporal body here on earth. He sent His Spirit back to use your body, my body.
Now, you might not be able to do this. We know, in the Scripture, there is one in a generation. But, see, but yet you can believe it, and you got other things that you can do, everybody. 64-0321E - "The Voice Of The Sign"
All of that for this: Don’t try to be a super spiritual person, believe the Word and know God has something for you to do.
There are two types of dreams. Sometimes, when there is no prophet in the land, God speaks directly in dreams.
(Joseph and Mary)
Most spiritual dreams are in symbol form.
To be an interpreter of dreams Joseph had to be a seer, a prophet.
Joseph was a prophet. He foretold the things. It happened just exactly the way that it happened. The way he spoke it, that’s the way it happened. And he interpret dreams, and he never just give a wild interpretation of it.
Every time he said it would be that way, that’s just the way it was. He was born, a prophet, for that age. 64-0401 - "The Identified Christ Of All Ages"
Now, see, when the Word come to the prophets, they were identified by their prophecy. God said, “If there be one among you, who is spiritual or a prophet, I the Lord will speak to him in visions, and show him dreams, and so forth.”
In other words, “interpret dreams,” like Joseph and them did. And that will be his credentials. And then that was the credentials that he had, the inspired Word, by revelation, see, the Word that was to be fulfilled. His prophecy identified him as a prophet, “And the Word comes to the prophet.”
As we know, there is local gifts, of nine gifts in the church. But there is offices of the Church, and that, God, that’s predestinated, or foreordained, “God has set in the Church: apostles, then prophets, and teachers, pastors, evangelists,” and so forth, that’s God’s gifts set into the Church.
Then there is nine spiritual gifts that operate in the local body, and of believers, and they must be checked by two or three judges before they’re to be given to the church, ’cause sometimes they could be wrong. 64-0318 - "Sir, We Would See Jesus"
Joseph was a God placed Gift. Predestined.
Joseph interpreted dreams, by seeing the dream himself in a vision. (Daniel)
Bro. Branham interpreted dreams the same way.
Joseph interpreted three dreams. The Butler, the Baker, and Pharoah.
1 And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt.
2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
3 And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.
5 And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.
6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.
7 And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?
8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;
10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
11 And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.
12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:
13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.
14 But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:
15 For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head:
17 And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.
18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:
19 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand:
22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.
The interpretation was exactly right.
We know this is a type of the two thieves with Jesus on the cross.
38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
Jesus didn’t interpret their dreams, He interpreted their hearts.
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
“thoughts and intents”
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Did He deserve it? No. The man on the middle cross said he could come.
Did the Baker deserve it? No. Joseph interpreted his subconscious thoughts.
2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my reins and my heart.
10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
David was a man after His own heart.
What saved David, when his own judgment said, “The man will die! He’ll pay to the uttermost, and he’ll pay for it with his life”?
And the prophet said, “Surely (grace) you’ll not die. You’ll not die, David. Grace has saved you.” It was grace, to David, that saved him. Oh, my!
Sovereign grace is from a sovereign One. Sovereign grace from a sovereign One. Sovereign, what can it do? Sovereign can do whatever it wants to. Listen to this now. Sovereign grace can only be given by One that’s Sovereign. And God is Sovereign, so He can give sovereign grace.
Therefore being Sovereign, grace don’t have to ask anybody, it don’t have to. It does what it wants to. Isn’t that wonderful? It don’t have to ask, “Can I do this? Or, shall I do this? Can I? Must I? Will I?” Doesn’t do it. It does it itself.
Grace is Sovereign, therefore He can save the vilest, He can save the worst, He can save the impurest, He can save the immoralest, He can heal the sickest. Hallelujah!
He can save a wretch like me. And He did. What is it? Grace! William Branham, a drunkard’s son. That don’t make any difference, the grace of God saved me!
“Me, I’m a woman’s daughter that was no good.” Don’t make any difference, the grace of God saved you. It’s Sovereign, has to ask nobody nothing. Amen! I’m so glad of that. Hallelujah!
Can take the vilest sinner and make him white as snow, don’t have to ask anybody about it. Oh, It can do it because It’s Sovereign.
That was proved at the cross, when there was the vilest thief, he deserved to die. God had never come across his mind. He never thought nothing of It. There on the cross when, through those bloody lips, in between the groans there came a sound, “Lord, be merciful to me!”
And there came another One back through Blood, tears, agony, grace took a hold and said, “Today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.” Grace did that. How could that thief help himself?
No more than Adam could help hisself, no more than Eve could help herself, no more than you can help yourself, no more than I can help myself, with no more we could jerk ourselves up the Milky White Way with our boot straps. We couldn’t do it.
But the grace of God can do something about it, and it does it! The grace of God, the sovereignty of the grace of God, come to that dying thief, “Today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.” Oh, think of it! That’s wonderful. 61-0827 - "The Message Of Grace"
Conclusion
Conclusion
Sing “If Not For Grace”
