Published by: ICEJ | Originally Published on 6.5.24 |Written By Dr.Jurgen Buhler – ICEJ President
Is There Still Meaning In Joseph's Dreams For Current Times
In a recent article, ICEJ Jurgen Buhler described the woman adorned with twelve stars, the sun and moon in Revelation 12, as representing Israel. This imagery only appears on one other occasion in the Bible, in Genesis 37, where Joseph has two dreams.
In his two dreams Joseph’s brothers and parents bow down to him (Gen 37). Years later, these come true when Joseph is elevated to Prince of Egypt, and his brothers come to buy wheat from him during a famine.
The outworking of these dreams, a protype of the suffering Messiah, also illustrates the calling and destiny of God’s chosen people.
Many times in the Bible, wheat and bread are depicted as the Word of God. Deuteronomy 8:3 proclaims: “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In Jeremiah 15:16, the prophet found the word of God and ate it. In Luke 8:11, Jesus explains the Parable of the Sower, saying the seed is God’s word.
Israel became the nation of the Book, sowing God’s word around the earth. In Romans 3:2, Paul declares: “The Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.” All the books of the Bible were written by Jews. Psalms 147:19-20 says: “He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and rules to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation.” That means the main nourishment for our spirit, soul and body came through the Jewish people.
But there is more! The Jewish people gave the world not only the written word of God, but the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Jesus is the living Word of God. Therefore, Jesus declares: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven.” (John 6:51) Truly, everything that defines our faith as Christians was given to us by the Jewish people, including a Jewish Messiah. It is exactly as God told Abraham: “… in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)
A Light To The Nations
The heavenly bodies in Joseph’s dreams remind us of the creation story. “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens … to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:14-18)
The main reason why God placed the sun, moon and stars in the heavens was to “separate the light from the darkness.” The Word of God not only points us to God and nourishes our soul, it also establishes moral guidelines for humanity. The Ten Commandments represent the moral pillars of most societies. They are more relevant now than ever, as moral boundaries in most Western societies are increasingly blurred.
The prophet Isaiah warns: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness…” (Isaiah 5:20)
This can be seen today as family values are turned upside down and our God-given genders are under assault. In addition, the antisemitic, genocidal Hamas militia is presented as the victim, while the brutally attacked nation of Israel is deemed the aggressor. This is happening at the United Nations, and in international courts at The Hague. Radical leftists and even countries like Ireland and Spain fail to discern between good and evil. The God of Israel, Creator of heaven and earth, provided His word as the ultimate guide to separate light and darkness, and it is more necessary than ever that the people of God serve as lights in a darkening world today.
For Signs And Seasons
The heavenly lights are also given for signs and seasons, and to separate days and years. The Hebrew calendar has impacted the whole world as it starts with the Creation and measures the entirety of human history. It establishes a seven-day week, with the seventh day to rest from work. This divinely appointed day of rest has impacted all societies and is even considered a universal human right. In addition, the Hebrew Bible sets out the feasts of the LORD (see Leviticus 23). These God-given festivals have still shaped the holiday calendar in most Christian nations.
Therefore, many people rightly say the nation of Israel is God’s time clock. Jesus says in Luke 21:29 to “Look at the fig tree.” With this little phrase, Jesus indicated the re-establishment of the Jewish nation in their ancient homeland would mark a paradigm shift regarding the times and seasons.
In the same chapter, Jesus declares the Gentile age will close when Jerusalem is trampled on by the Gentiles. To the forces of darkness, the revived nation of Israel represents a powerful indicator that the Messiah is coming soon.
Thus, we see portrayed within the imagery of Genesis 37 and Revelation 12 the unique and weighty calling of Israel. This also explains why Revelation 12:12 warns: “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
The events of October 7 and the recent attack of 350 Iranian missiles and drones are signs of a far greater battle in the heavenlies ahead.
Let me invite you to join thousands of Christians already taking part in our online prayer calls, and to stand with Israel in very practical ways by supporting our relief aid projects. May God bless you in so doing.
