Topical Bible: Natural Life is Compared to a Dream

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In the Scriptures, the transient and fleeting nature of human life is often compared to a dream. This metaphor underscores the brevity and impermanence of earthly existence, contrasting it with the eternal nature of God and the life to come. The imagery of life as a dream serves to remind believers of the temporal nature of worldly pursuits and the importance of focusing on spiritual realities.

Psalm 73:20 · "Like a dream when one awakens, O Lord, when You arise, You will despise their form." In this verse, the psalmist Asaph reflects on the prosperity of the wicked, which seems substantial and enduring but is ultimately ephemeral. Just as a dream vanishes upon waking, so too will the apparent success of the ungodly dissipate when God intervenes.

Psalm 90:5-6 · "You whisk them away in their sleep; they are like the new grass of the morning— in the morning it springs up new, but by evening it fades and withers." Here, Moses, the author of this psalm, likens human life to grass that flourishes briefly before withering. The comparison to a dream emphasizes the swift passage of time and the inevitable decline of human vitality.

Job 20:8 · "He will fly away like a dream, and they will not find him; he will be chased away like a vision of the night." In this passage, Zophar speaks of the fate of the wicked, whose existence is as fleeting as a dream. The imagery suggests that their presence and influence will be forgotten, much like the elusive and intangible nature of dreams.

Isaiah 29:7-8 · "All the many nations going out to battle against Ariel—even all who war against her and lay siege to her and build up siege works against her—will be like a dream, like a vision in the night. It will be as when a hungry man dreams he is eating, but he awakens hungry still; as when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking, but he awakens faint and parched." Isaiah uses the metaphor of a dream to describe the futility of the nations' efforts against Jerusalem. Their plans and ambitions, though seemingly real and formidable, will prove to be insubstantial and unfulfilled, much like the illusions experienced in dreams.

Ecclesiastes 5:7 · "For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but fear God." The Preacher, traditionally understood to be Solomon, warns against the emptiness of dreams and excessive words, urging instead a reverent fear of God. This verse highlights the contrast between the vanity of human endeavors and the enduring significance of a life oriented toward God.

The biblical comparison of natural life to a dream serves as a poignant reminder of the transient nature of human existence. It calls believers to live with an eternal perspective, valuing the things of God above the fleeting pleasures and pursuits of this world.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 73:20
As a dream when one wakes; so, O Lord, when you wake, you shall despise their image.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Human Life a Dream
... But which of all these arise from natural, which from ... inconsiderable is the glory
of that house, compared to that ... wonderful, then, now the dream of life is over ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 121 human life a.htm

Two Retrospects of one Life
... It is short as compared with the capacities and powers of ... man's remembrances in the
shape which was natural to him ... you can make your view of your life either a ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/two retrospects of one life.htm

Biogenesis
... it is the widest distinction in Nature, but compared with the ... The moment of birth
in the natural world is not ... Bible calls it, "from Death unto Life." Those who ...
/.../drummond/natural law in the spiritual world/biogenesis.htm

The Life of Jesus Christ in Its Historical Connexion
... Transition from the Natural to the Supernatural in the ... The Law of Christian Life
the Fulfilment of the Old ... the Talents (Matt., xxv., 14-30) compared with that ...
/.../neander/the life of jesus christ in its historical connexion/

A Sketch of the Life of S. Gregory of Nyssa.
... far-seen with quivering leaves.' But the natural growth of ... of the latter years of
Gregory of Nyssa's life. ... of others then preached, are humbly compared to the ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/chapter i a sketch of the.htm

What is God's Will?
... to try this life, and that it was easy and smooth compared with the ... They are as natural
to him as air. ... my life, or at some particular part of my life which may ...
//christianbookshelf.org/drummond/the ideal life/what is gods will.htm

Doctrines of the Christians and Greeks Respecting God Compared.
... Doctrines of the Christians and Greeks Respecting God Compared. ... night at Thespi??
lost his life by delivering ... pay religious homage to the natural elements, nor ...
/.../tatians address to the greeks/chapter xxi doctrines of the christians.htm

Now, and Then
... harps of angels will but slightly enchant us, compared with the ... It is natural for
us to want to know, but we ... what it does not deserve; it is life that lingers ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/now and then.htm

Natural or Spiritual?
... you thought folly; these eternal realities, compared with which ... destroyed, the grave
swallowed up, and life and immortality ... If you, then, as a natural man, say ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/natural or spiritual.htm

On Eternity
... excuse for those who continue in their natural blindness to ... Here the Psalmist seems
to consider the life of man as a moment, a nothing, compared to eternity ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 54 on eternity.htm