Article provided by Dan Delzell
I recently conducted the funeral service for a Christian I have known ever since Tammy and I and our four children moved to this community nearly 25 years ago. Michael Wilkinson’s testimony traces back 50 years to a dream he had one night when he was a teenager.
Michael found himself at “the judgment seat of Christ.” (2 Cor. 5:10) Everyone was lined up single file and Jesus was addressing each person individually. The Lord told believers, “Well done good and faithful servant,” (Matthew 25:21) and they were instantly welcomed into Heaven. Jesus told unbelievers, “Depart from me. I never knew you,” (Matthew 7:23) and they were immediately sent to Hell.
When it was Michael’s turn to stand before Jesus, the Lord told him: “Depart from me. I never knew you.” Michael attempted to talk his way into Heaven, but it didn’t work. While being ushered away, he suddenly woke up.
This dream had a profound impact on Michael. In fact, the following Sunday he attended a Baptist church and received Jesus as his Savior. (see John 1:12) Michael walked closely with Christ for over 50 years, and now he “will be with the Lord forever” in Heaven. (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
Michael often testified to the fact that believers are saved by God’s grace and Jesus’ death on the cross, rather than by our works. Michael wanted others to believe the Gospel and become followers of Christ. Michael’s dream as a teenager undoubtedly changed his life forever.
God has used dreams throughout history to reveal His plans and to rescue people from imminent danger.
For example, God gave Pharaoh dreams warning of an impending famine. Joseph interpreted the dreams, which led Egypt to store up food and save both Egypt and the Israelites from starvation. (see Genesis 41:1-7)
And in perhaps the most important dream ever given, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and warned him that King Herod was going to search for their child to kill him. The angel instructed Joseph to flee to Egypt with Mary and their baby, Jesus. (see Matthew 2:13)
Jump ahead to our day. God is using dreams to bring many Muslims to faith in Christ.
The ministry More than Dreams reported in 2007: “For decades, a well-documented phenomenon has been occurring in the Muslim world – men and women who, without knowledge of the Gospel, or contact among Christians in their community, have experienced dreams and visions of Jesus Christ. The reports of these supernatural occurrences often come from ‘closed countries’ where there is no preaching of the good news and where converting to Christianity can invoke the death sentence. But these are more than just dreams. Setting them apart is the intense reality of the experience and the surrender of one’s heart and mind to Christ in the wake of the dream. A common denominator appears to be that the dreams come to those who are seeking – as best they can – to know and please God.”
This same mission organization also announced: “Reports emerged from Gaza that 200 Muslims embraced Jesus after discovering that they all had the same dream of Jesus.”
In his 2014 book, A Wind in the House of Islam, missionary David Garrison’s major study “estimates that between 2 and 7 million Muslims have converted to Christianity worldwide over the past two decades,” calling this movement “the greatest turning of Muslims to Christ in history.” Missionary organizations estimate that at least 25% of these converts experienced a dream or vision of Jesus that brought them to faith. And in Iran, the number rises to 40%.
Those who encounter Christ in this way describe the overwhelming love they felt simply being in the Lord’s presence. An imam’s wife was pronounced dead for 8 minutes, and returned with a shocking testimony after meeting Jesus. And a Muslim man who was pronounced dead for 20 minutes woke up with an amazing story and new life in Christ. One former Muslim after another testifies to being transformed by the love of Jesus.
The persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA reported in 2017, “Most Muslims come to the Lord through visions and dreams, not through evangelists.” In 2015, an ISIS fighter who had killed Christians turned to Christ after dreaming of a “man in white.”
In another remarkable story, a Persian migrant arrived at a refugee center one morning visibly upset. He told a Persian pastor that “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 am the way to heaven. No one can go to the Father, except through me.'” He asked 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.” The pastor shared the good news of the Gospel and led him to Christ. The man left and an hour later returned with 10 more Persians. He told the pastor, “These men want a Bible.”
The dreams by themselves do not always result in an immediate conversion. “Rather, they are a step in the spiritual journey, where the Lord breaks down some of the barriers which were the result of growing up in the Islamic faith. After receiving these dreams, these Muslims are often led to believers who engage them relationally.”
The former Muslim Nabeel Qureshi was extremely effective at explaining the process that led him to leave Islam and trust Jesus. Qureshi authored the bestseller, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. Likewise, Mohamad Faridi shares what delivered him from Islam, as do others in the book, Leaving Islam: Apostates Speak Out.
The Bible reveals that “God wants everyone to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Thankfully, supernatural dreams have led a multitude of Muslims into a personal and eternal relationship with Jesus Christ.
In the words of the well-known hymn written by Fanny Crosby in 1875: “To God be the glory, great things He hath done, so loved He the world that He gave us His Son, who yielded His life an atonement for sin, and opened the life-gate that all may go in. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice! O come to the Father through Jesus the Son, and give Him the glory, great things He hath done.”
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Date published: 25/08/2026
Feature image: Sourced from Magnific; for illustration purposes only.
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