Introduction
Flies are one of the most commonly seen insects, especially during the warmer summer months. They can easily annoy and frustrate us when they persistently buzz around our food, homes, or even us directly!
While flies may seem only bothersome, if you’ve had a vivid dream involving flies, it could hold deeper meaning. Dreams are complex, and interpreting even the smallest details can unveil profound revelations.
As Christians, we know that everything that happens in the physical and spiritual realms contains significance. God actively speaks to His children through visions, dreams, signs and wonders. Paying attention to how flies appear in dreams, therefore, may provide insight into what the Lord is revealing.
Key Takeaways:
- Flies represent evil, demonic spirits, Satan and Beelzebub in several Bible passages
- Swarms of flies could symbolize an onslaught of spiritual attacks from the enemy
- If flies land on you in a dream, it may signify demonic irritation, distraction or spiritual contamination
- Killing flies in a dream can denote victory over evil influences and the devil’s schemes against you
- Rotting, dead flies represent sin, decay and death – a wake-up call to remove wickedness from your life
Flies and Evil in the Bible
To interpret flies’ biblical meaning, we can explore several passages that mention them. What emerges is an overarching association between flies and evil, unclean spirits, Satan’s kingdom and death.
In Exodus 8, God sends a grievous swarm of flies upon Egypt as the fourth plague against Pharaoh’s hard heart. The Lord purposefully defiled the Egyptians by filling their homes with flies to confront Pharaoh’s opposition to God’s authority and will. This aligns flies with spiritual uncleanliness, corruption and demonic activity.
Later in Isaiah 7:18, the Lord whistles to summon “flies from the farthest streams of Egypt and bees from the land of Assyria” to come and invade Judah and Israel. This judgment paralleled the previous fly plague against Egypt, likewise indicating a connection between flies and evil.
Flies are also linked to Beelzebub, another name for Satan, who is called the “lord of the flies” in 2 Kings 1:2-3, 16. The people of Ekron sent to inquire of Baal-Zebub, literally translated as “lord of the flies,” when King Ahaziah had fallen ill. This Philistine deity later became a name for Satan signifying his role as “ruler of the demons” (Matthew 12:24).
Dreaming of Fly Swarms
If you dream of a swarm or horde of flies surrounding you, landing on you, or filling a room, it may symbolize an onslaught of demonic manifestations or assaults trying to overwhelm your spirit.
The excessive number of flies represent how the forces of evil can seem to flood your mind or environment when the enemy strategically attacks through lies, temptations, accusations, fear, confusion, and more.
A fly plague in a dream, like in Exodus, conveys the severity of wicked spiritual influences invading your life. The Holy Spirit may be urging you to take authority in Christ over this witchcraft so it cannot influence you. Pray for divine intervention to drive out these flies and shut the door to the enemy’s torment and tricks.
Flies Landing on You
To see flies landing or crawling on your body is another common dream. This could indicate you feel an evil presence pressing in on you or sense spiritual contamination from acting out fleshly impulses contrary to God’s will.
You may be under demonic attack meant to agitate and distract your emotions. The enemy wants to disrupt your passion for God’s Kingdom by bombarding you with thoughts of worry, pride, lust, anger, greed, hatred, etc. Recognize flies landing on you as a tactic to steal your joy, peace and focus.
Ask the Lord to create a hedge of protection around your mind and emotions. Pray for spiritual detachment from anything emotionally triggering the enemy uses to gain access. Put on the full armor of God daily and choose to fix your thoughts on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).
Killing the Flies
A positive sign in a dream occurs if you see yourself able to swat and kill the flies or fumigate them out of your house. This signifies overcoming the devil’s disturbances and resistance through the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word.
When facing spiritual oppression, proclaim Scriptures of deliverance and victory and wage war on those enemy lies in the authority of Jesus’ name. Take communion to remember Christ’s finished work breaking all curses and mindsets holding you captive.
If you kill flies trying to land on you or your family, you are protecting your household from demonic access points. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Your faith in God’s triumph will shut the door against the thief whose only purpose is to steal, kill and destroy.
Rot and Decay
Not only do flies represent evil spirits, but rotting flies or maggots specifically correlate to decay, death and sin according to some Bible verses.
Proverbs 10:7 says, “The memory of the righteous is a blessing, But the name of the wicked will rot.” Here, rot symbolizes wickedness being indelibly marked by its own unrepentant sin and corruption.
Isaiah describes corrupt rulers this way: “They hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die; crack one open, and a viper is hatched” (Isaiah 59:5). The image of eggs with baby vipers emerging like maggots out of a carcass depicts the fruition of people’s iniquity.
So if you see rotten or maggot-infested flies in a dream, it may indicate the Holy Spirit is pointing to hidden areas of habitual sin or patterns of worldly compromise festering in your heart and mind. This is a call to repentance and cleansing those areas so you can walk in renewed freedom and purity.
First, ask God to reveal any willfulness, complacency or ignorance that has given the enemy this terrain in your life. Sin grieves God’s Spirit and damages you more than you realize. Bring these areas into the light so God’s cleansing fire can purify your conscience andwill from all lawlessness.
Listen for the Lord’s Voice
As you can see, flies can highlight some significant themes in dreams: demonic oppression, seduction to evil, contamination of sin or even unrepentant decay in one’s soul. While flies represent the forces of the kingdom of darkness, the Lord has absolute authority over Satan and his schemes.
Tune your ear to the Spirit’s insight into how these interpretations may apply to your current trials and walk with God. Our dreams frequently process what is happening in our inner and outer worlds, with the Holy Spirit as counselor to reveal important connections.
Maybe recurring dreams of flies indicate you are exhausted from intense spiritual battles lately. Or maybe seeing flies flock to decaying food uncovers complacency allowing temptation to feed selfish desires. Either way, the Lord lovingly exposes to refine and protect you.
Talk to God about what flies in your dreams stir up emotionally and spiritually. Ask Him to confirm the meaning and how to respond in wisdom. He promises that if we continually seek and abide in Him, He will lead us into all truth (John 16:13, John 15:7).
Submitting all your thoughts to Jesus’ Lordship is the best defense against demonic influence. You have everything needed to walk in power, love and self-control as you commune with Christ daily, study the Bible, and discuss dreams with trusted believers. The Holy Spirit living in you is greater than any evil (1 John 4:4), so don’t be afraid! God faithfully guides His children.
