Hercules and the Hydra - John Singer Sargent 1921-1925
One of God’s first acts in creation of the earth was to create animals. Genesis 1 states that the Lord let fish and sea creatures live in the waters as well as birds for the air. It’s in verse 24 that we see God state that the earth was to produce animals and they would scurry along the ground with the ability to produce offspring, also acting as livestock.
Finally, God moved onto the highest form of living creations on earth: human beings. We read that humans would reign over the fish in the sea, birds in the sky and all the wild animals on earth. The next chapter in Genesis would detail how God created man as well as how Adam would name them all.
The takeaway from this and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is straightforward: Man was given a special place in the hierarchy of creation insofar as 1) they would rule over the animals and creatures of the earth and 2) Man would have a special relationship with God – so much so that the Lord Jesus Christ would die and resurrect so they may have life. Man would be given the Holy Spirit and have God dwell in his chambers.
The key component of Man’s relationship to animals is that man rules over them. This was amongst the first edicts we see decreed by God in the Book of Genesis. We also see that Daniel and Peter, two of God’s great servants, would go on to have dreams where animals would symbolize various aspects of messages God sent them.
Dreams of Animals in the Last Days
Exodus Internet Church’s teachings are always placed into the context of the times we live in: the 11th hour, the last days before the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth. We are caught in the middle of great spiritual warfare between God and Satan. Fallen angels and demons are more active than ever in peoples’ lives and will use dreams to attack them.
Animals in dreams are often representative of fallen angels. It’s a form of mockery that fallen angels have used due to their hatred for man which stems from us having a special relationship with God that they used to have. The prevailing emotions of a fallen angel toward a human are hatred, jealousy and envy. Here’s the kicker: the mockery behind taking the form of animals in dreams is the fact that we were made to rule animals! The fallen angels are saying that they can rule over us while taking the form of a creature beneath us – they fully embrace the adversarial archetype they take against the people of God.
We even see this time and time again in the Old Testament. Adrammelech, a god with the countenance of a mule, is mentioned in 2 Kings 17:31 as having children sacrificed to him. Baal, a god with the face of a bull is named as a god whose priests exercised self-mutilation (1 Kings 18:28). Moloch, a calf, is spoken about by God as He instructs the Israelites to stone any person who offered a child to him (Leviticus 20:2-5). Evil spirits have been taking the form of animals to try and assert themselves over man before the Lord Jesus Christ descended to earth!
Animals can also serve as commentary with regard to what the evil spirits’ agendas are in our lives. At other times, they can represent a part of ourselves that we are facing, wrestling with or have overcome.
Examples of Animal Dreams from EIC Members
Several members of our own ministry have had dreams involving animals – I am going to draw on them for examples related to an animal we all know as Christians: the snake. The snake is important because it is representative of Satan whom we know will be defeated by the Lord Jesus Christ. The scriptures tell us that the Lord has crushed the head of the serpent for His people – He has done this through His crucifixion and resurrection, meaning that all evil spirits must bow to Him now and forever!
Evan recently testified in one of our messages how a giant cobra bit him in a dream shortly before he cut its head off. The bite did not hurt him and he was fine. The symbolism in this lies in that the snake’s attack on Evan was ultimately shown to be ineffective. It’s a metaphor for how the occult practices he used to participate in before the Lord baptized him now have no power or hold over him whatsoever. The Lord God gave him victory over the evil spirits who tried to attack him.
Lee spoke of a dream where she visited a reptile expo with many booths manned by handlers who showcase the animal they are in charge of. She came across a handler with a rat snake and while she was trying to showcase the snake, it got out of control and bit Lee. The next part of the dream shifted to another booth manned by Pastor Pam. She addressed the snake attached to Lee’s arm and grabbed the snake behind the head before shutting it in a cage. The dream is symbolic of how Lee and Pastor Pam’s relationship in counseling would deliver her from the influence of evil spirits, even foreshadowing her born again experience.
Lastly, I will give my own dream of a snake. It must be mentioned that before being born again, I was subject to abuse and beatings by evil spirits in my dreams. I received a dream after the Lord Jesus Christ redeemed me in His honor and in the dream, I was standing on my driveway as an enormous snake – I estimate at least 90 feet in length and 10 feet tall – charged me. I leapt at the snake and beat its head with a sword I brandished, representing the sword of the spirit that I could now wield in Christ.
When one gets a dream of an animal, the meaning and symbolism of the animal must be taken into account when analyzing what the message is saying. The dreams show that those in Christ will be delivered from the dark and evil forces in the Christian’s life through the mercy and power of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth -- that God will give His people victory over such hardships. One can rest assured that the Lord God will make any attacking spirit upon you in dreams will be forced to bow to the glory of Christ.
Comments