When Muslims Dream of Jesus

[Revmitchell]

In 2007, Dudley Woodberry and others published a study that recounted interviews with 750 former Muslims who had converted to evangelical Christianity. Many of the reasons they gave for their conversion would be expected—the love of God, a changing view of the Bible, and an attraction to Christians who loved others. But one reason might come as a surprise: the experience of a dream they believed to be from God.

These study results aren’t isolated. Mission Frontiers magazine has reported that out of 600 Muslim converts, 25 percent experienced a dream that led to their conversion. The great missionary Lillias Trotter also reported dreams that drove Muslims to Christ.


But what should we say about the role of dreams and visions in hearing and believing the gospel?

Religion and Dreams
Some Christians are understandably hesitant to accept their legitimacy. Islam started with a vision. So did Mormonism, along with a long list of cults. Critics wonder how we could evaluate such dreams to know if they were true. Others believe that with the presence of Scripture, signs and wonders like dreams are no longer needed. Of course, many Christians are open to dreams and visions, considering them to be revelatory. All of us recognize that the Bible details dreams and visions in both testaments.

While Christians have a variety of approaches to dreams, Muslims—particularly Shia Muslims—are open to dreams being revelatory, due to both cultural (general acceptance) and religious (precedent in the Qur’an) factors. Dreams of Jesus, then, are taken seriously. In recent field work where I interviewed Christian migrants who’d converted from Islam, many reported a dream that led to their conversion. Their experiences of dreams and visions fit into the following categories:

• Jesus speaking Scripture to them, even Scripture they had never heard before.
• Jesus telling people to do something.
• A dream or vision that led to a feeling of being clean or at peace.
• A man in white physically appearing.

Let me share some examples.

Jesus Speaking Scripture
A friend of mine tells of a Persian migrant who arrived at a refugee center at 6 a.m., visibly upset. He told his story to a Persian pastor: During the night he saw someone dressed in white raise his hand and say, “Stand up and follow me.” The Persian man said, “Who are you?” The man in white replied, “I am the Alpha and the Omega. I’m the way to heaven. No one can go to the Father, except through me.”

He began to ask the Persian pastor: “Who is he? What am I going to do? Why did he ask me to follow him? How shall I go? Tell me.”

In response, the pastor held out his Bible and asked, “Have you seen this before?”

“No,” he replied.

“Do you know what it is?”

“No.”

The pastor then opened to the Book of Revelation: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” The man started crying and said, “How can I accept him? How can I follow him?” So the pastor led him in prayer and peace came over him. The pastor then gave the man a Bible and told him to hide it, since the Muslims in the camps could cause him trouble.

But the man replied, “The Jesus that I met today, he’s more powerful than the Muslims in the camp.” He left and an hour later returned with 10 more Persians and told the pastor, “These people want a Bible.” No one had to teach him an evangelistic strategy.

https://www.baptistboard.com/forums/general-baptist-discussions.6/create-thread

 

[OldArmy]

David Wood has mentioned this a few times in some of his videos. It's amazing and wonderful.

 

[Deacon]

I don’t believe much of what I see and hear amid the modern Charismatic Movement but stories like these make me question cessationalism.

Rob

 

[OldArmy]

I don’t believe much of what I see and hear amid the modern Charismatic Movement but stories like these make me question cessationalism.

Rob

What have you been taught that causes you to believe that at least some of the powers and miracles aren't still in this world?

 

[Reformed1689]

So a few things:

1. Nowhere does it say they have not heard Scripture before. It says there are some Scriptures they have not heard but that is ambiguous.
2. We know God can speak to someone in a dream. He did so in the New Testament even. However, that was always followed by the Gospel coming to them. That is the case in these scenarios as well, obviously.

 

[RighteousnessTemperance&]

I don’t believe much of what I see and hear amid the modern Charismatic Movement but stories like these make me question cessationalism.

Rob

So-called “gifts” have tended to be used for show, thus earning a bad name. However, God’s power is manifested for ministry and is not limited to “modern” views. Many missionaries have had experiences where God countered Satan’s power in ways that would contradict those “modern” views. A key component in this is prayer.

 

[InTheLight]

We've had missionaries that serve in Muslim nations that have been in our church and recounted many of these stories. We've had converted Muslims give their testimony as to these stories.

[Prediction: The "God is Sovereign" Calvinists will come on here and claim these stories aren't legitimate. Then turn around and claim non-Cals limit the power of God in some other thread.]

 

[Reformed1689]

We've had missionaries that serve in Muslim nations that have been in our church and recounted many of these stories. We've had converted Muslims give their testimony as to these stories.

[Prediction: The "God is Sovereign" Calvinists will come on here and claim these stories aren't legitimate. Then turn around and claim non-Cals limit the power of God in some other thread.]

Notice I have already post and did not do that.

 

[Revmitchell]

Notice I have already post and did not do that.

Well there has been one or two others who have made clear statements that this never happens.

 

[InTheLight]

Notice I have already post and did not do that.

Predictions? What are they?

 

[Steven Yeadon]

Wow. This just made my day by showing me something.

A long time ago Charismatics taught me that signs and wonders are machine gun style works of the one with the gift. But this story and the church history I know of is not like that at all. We cry out in prayer, we are put in an extraordinary situation, or we are a receptive unbeliever and God acts in a way that is easy for most people to admit is miraculous. God is in charge of the timing and events and when and how He does something.

Only the apostles ever had the kind of power the Charismatics claim is common to ministers of the Word. Of course the apostles did, they personally represent Jesus Christ Himself as Him to us. Wow, I can now say, Look there are no more apostles, they must have signs and wonders to prove it and then lead to Jesus Christ bearing the good fruit of righteousness. Show me one who is like that in recent memory and verified by unbelievers, an easy thing to do with such power. The only two that meet the standard you talk of are the Two Witnesses, who will have specific gifts mentioned in scripture.

I can now cry out to God for help, even miraculous help, to heal my illnesses without confusion. I BTW am disabled with eight major medical disorders, but I am almost back to work by working beyond impossible for 3.5 years to contribute again with productive work.

On a theological note, maybe the idea we have for what makes a person with a gift is way off due to the Charismatics and Rome, which has hated any talk of the supernatural not done by their clergy or those sanctioned by them. Maybe such gifts exist but only reveal themselves very rarely in most saints and have been evident in church history through all those once in a lifetime stories you can find in most congregations. Again, God is in charge of the timing and events and when and how He does something. Isn't that even the truth of the Old Testament prophets? Even the greatest miracle worker Elisha? Seems more biblical than machine gun prophets and miracle workers with their "prophecy of the month" Youtube videos.

 

[Scarlett O.]

God is doing some miraculous things in the Muslim countries overseas. I believe it. God can and will move how he chooses to. I trust that and rejoice that Muslims are being saved half-way across the world.

Let me give you one example.

A man in my church went on a mission trip to a country I won't name - but it was a Muslim nation. He had an interpreter who was a Christian and a driver who was Muslim. He said that they went into one village where the dialect was completely different so the interpreter was of no use.

But guess who DID speak that dialect? You guessed it - the Muslim driver. My friend asked him if he would interpret his message to that community of people. He did - word for word. When my friend asked who wanted to submit to Christ for salvation - the driver was one of the ones to respond!

That's God, folks.

And, yes, I have read about the dreams and the miracles God is doing.

I don't care what method God uses. I don't question what method God uses. I pray he uses them more and more to reach MORE of those people for his glory's sake.

 

[Particular]

Nabeel Quereshi shares his testimony in his book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. He testifies that his good friend, David Wood, and he researched both Islam and Christianity. As Nabeel was being drawn to Christ he was struggling with the cost of converting from Islam to Christianity as his entire family is Muslim. It was a dream that confirmed Jesus is God and it led to his conversion.