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Think on These Things Articles
August/September
2013, Volume 19, Issue 4
This
is part two of the article by Pastor Dennis McBride on Muslim dreams and
visions of Isa (Jesus). In the June/July publication of TOTT, Pastor McBride
discussed the four representative descriptions of the Muslim dreams phenomenon
and examined the first 10 primary considerations of this subject. In this
publication he will finish discussing the primary considerations and conclude
his thoughts.
Gary E. Gilley
Beginning of Part 2 of the article by Pastor Dennis
McBride
11. Are New Testament visions a pattern for Muslim
dreams?
Descriptive or Prescriptive? One task of an interpreter of Scripture
is to determine if a passage is descriptive or prescriptive. In
other words, does the passage describe what occurred in the past, or
does it prescribe what will or should occur in the future, or both? For
example, determining if the Acts chapter two account of the Day of Pentecost
only describes what did occur as a unique event in the history of
the church, or whether it also prescribes a pattern for what should
occur in each believer’s life, will determine one’s position on
Pentecostalism. Determining whether Paul’s teachings on the role of women were descriptive
of the culture of his day or prescriptive for every culture will
determine one’s position on the role of women in the church today.
Similarly, determining if the accounts of biblical
visions describe what did occur during a unique time in revelatory
and/or redemptive history, or whether they also prescribe a pattern for what should
occur today will, in large part, determine one’s position on the current
Muslim phenomenon. So with that in mind, I’ll briefly examine the New Testament
accounts used in support of the Muslim dreams phenomenon.
Consider the Context: I should first mention that in support of Muslim
dreams, their advocates often cite the occurrences of similar phenomenon in
Scripture. And without question God did use dreams and visions on occasion in
both the Old and New Testaments when they served His purposes. But we must
consider not only the fact of their use in Scripture, but also the reasons
for their use and the historical and redemptive contexts in which
they were used. If those considerations have contemporary parallels in the
Muslim phenomenon, then it may have biblical support. If they don’t have
parallels, the phenomenon isn’t “just as” or “in like manner” as the biblical
accounts (to quote Rick Love), and therefore lacks direct biblical support.
I’ll confine my examination to the New Testament
visions that have been appealed to in support of the Muslim dreams phenomenon,
or that help us evaluate that phenomenon. Those passages are:
a. Acts 7:55-56
– Stephen’s vision of heaven
b. Acts 9:1-10
– God’s visions to Paul and Ananias
c. Acts 10:3 – The vision to Cornelius to send for Peter in Joppa
d. Acts 10:9 – Peter’s visions of the “sheet” and animals
e. Acts 10:19
– Peter is “thinking about the vision” and the Spirit interrupts him
f. Acts 16:6 – Paul’s vision of the man of Macedonia beckoning
him to come there
g. Acts 18:9 – Jesus speaks to Paul in a vision to encourage him
to keep preaching
h. 2 Corinthians 12:1
– Paul says he had momentous visions
i. Revelation 1:9-17
– John’s vision of the ascended and glorified Christ
A Brief Examination of Those Visions:
a. Acts 7:55-56
– Stephen – “Being full of the Holy Spirit, [Stephen] gazed intently into
heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;
and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing
at the right hand of God.’”
Stephen was a man “full of grace and power”, who “was
performing great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8).
His vision of heaven, while facing martyrdom, followed his powerfully and
confrontive sermon to the Jewish Council, and is often offered as a pattern for
the dreams and visions some Muslims experience during similar trials. But to my
knowledge Stephen was the only New Testament saint to have a vision of Christ
or heaven just prior to his death. So Stephen serves as an example of how God can
comfort His children during martyrdom, but doesn’t establish a pattern for
Him doing so either then or now.
Unique Apostolic Period: More importantly, although Stephen was not an apostle
per se, he ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit during the apostolic
period, which was a unique transitional period in which God was giving new
revelation through His messengers, and confirming the messengers and the
message by miraculous signs and wonders (Acts 6:8;
Heb. 2:3-4;
2 Cor. 12:12).
Those signs and wonders, as well as the personal revelations, were directly
linked to the birth of the church, to apostolic preaching, and to inspiration
of the New Testament Scriptures.
Those events and that period of time have no parallel
in church history, so their context can’t be duplicated. Therefore, the
experiences of Steven and his apostolic companions must be viewed as
descriptive unless Scripture indicates otherwise. That’s a point I’ll return to
repeatedly in the considerations that follow because the contexts that reveal
God communicating one-on-one to His messengers also reveal His reasons for
doing so. And those reasons were directly linked to non-repeatable historical
and revelatory events. So it isn’t exegetically permissible to pull an
experience like Steven’s vision out of its context and place it into a context
of contemporary Muslim dreams without a more definitive biblical rationale.
New Testament Pattern for Persecution: I praise the Lord for encouraging and
undergirding His children during times of persecution or martyrdom, and I
certainly don’t question His ability to do that. Although Stephen’s vision was
unique and therefore doesn’t serve as a pattern or norm, Scripture does give us
a pattern for undergoing persecution:
In this [your eternal inheritance] you greatly
rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been
distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious
than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to
result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and
though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now,
but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of
glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls (1 Pet. 1:6-9,
italics added. See also Rom. 5:1-5; James 1:2-4).
In that passage Peter makes clear that “the revelation
of Jesus Christ” was yet future for those believers, and that the firey testing
of their faith, apart from any visions or appearances of Jesus, was what
produced faith like pure gold, which would result in praise, glory and honor to
Christ.
That’s the New Testament pattern for discerning God’s
will in persecution, which doesn’t eliminate the possibility of Jesus appearing
to persecuted Christians today, but it does raise the question of what it is
about today’s persecutions that would prompt Jesus to appear when He didn’t do
so even in Peter’s time when the church was relatively young and Christians
were being severely persecuted and definitely in need of encouragement?
b. Acts 9:1-10
– God’s visions to Paul and Ananias concerning Ananias’ healing ministry to
the newly converted Paul.
Paul described this experience as “a heavenly vision”
(Acts 26:19)
even though it included time-space manifestations, some of which were also
witnessed by his companions (Acts 9:7). Apparently Paul did not see Jesus Himself, but saw
“a light brighter than the sun” (Acts 26:13)
and heard Jesus’ voice (Acts 9:3-4ff; 26:14ff).
This was an encounter wherein Jesus personally called
an unbeliever to faith. But this, of course, was no ordinary unbeliever, and
the unique apostolic ministry to which Paul was being called makes this
encounter utterly unique and directly related to the canonical revelation that
was to follow. Does Paul’s vision establish a pattern for contemporary Muslim
dreams as Rick Love and others assert? The fact that Paul had a “vision”
is similar, but the reason for that vision has no modern parallel
because it was linked inextricably to Paul’s apostolic calling, divine
revelation, and the future disclosure of God’s Word.
The same is true of Ananias’ vision, which apparently
involved hearing the Lord’s voice but not seeing Him. His vision was directly
linked to Paul’s, and therefore it, too, has no direct modern parallel. Both of
those accounts are descriptive of what happened in the past, but not prescriptive
of what should happen in the future.
c. Acts 10:3
– The vision to Cornelius to send for Peter in Joppa. (See notes under Acts 10:19
below.)
d. Acts 10:9
– As the messengers arrive from Cornelius, Peter falls into a trance and
has the three visions of a “sheet” of animals coming down from heaven; this is
the divine lesson that teaches him to accept the gentiles as co-participants in
the Abrahamic covenant blessings. (See notes under Acts 10:19
below.)
e. Acts 10:19
– Peter is “thinking about the vision” and the Spirit interrupts him.
The visions Peter and Cornelius experienced are often
cited as patterns for Isa preparing unbelieving Muslims to receive the gospel
from Christian evangelists. But Peter and Cornelius aren’t a pattern even for
New Testament evangelism, much less modern-day evangelism. Theirs was a unique
situation in which the Lord drew them together supernaturally for a specific
purpose that has no parallel today or in any other period of church history.
Further, there is no correlation between Cornelius’
experience and Muslim unbelievers whom Isa is reportedly preparing to receive
the gospel. Cornelius was not an unbeliever, but “a devout man, and one who
feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people, and
prayed to God continually” (Acts 10:1-2).
He did not see Jesus, but an angel (Acts 10:3,
7, 30-31)
and was then directed by the Holy Spirit to send for Peter (Acts 10:20).
Cornelius’ vision was clearly revelatory and intended to be included in the
canon of Scripture (as were Peter’s).
But beyond those dissimilarities is the unique role
their visions played in redemptive and revelatory history. Peter’s visions were
intended to teach him that God was including gentiles in His covenant promises.
Peter represented Jewish believers to whom the gospel was entrusted, and
through whom it was first proclaimed following Christ’s Ascension. He also
represented apostolic authority. Cornelius represented gentiles, who were
previously outside the covenant (cf. Eph. 2:11-12)
but who were now to be included.
Given the animosity between Jews and gentiles, and the
other Jew/gentile dynamics present at that time, Peter and his apostolic
companions needed to know that God was including gentiles in the covenant
promises (Acts 10:28-29), and that the Holy Spirit had been given to
them just as He had been given to the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 10:44-48;
11:1-18).
Similarly, Cornelius and his fellow gentile believers needed to know that the
Apostles were God’s authoritative ambassadors of the gospel. Those mutual
understandings were critical for the foundation and unity of the early church,
and that’s why Peter and Cornelius had to meet face to face.
My assumption is that most Muslims are gentiles, and
therefore would already be included in the covenant promises upon exercising
faith in Christ. So there would be no need for God to move among them as a
people group in a parallel fashion as He did with Peter and Cornelius. So there
is no apparent pattern that Peter and Cornelius set for the current Muslim
phenomenon. Yes, they had visions, but those visions were set in a unique and
non-repeatable redemptive context.
f. Acts 16:6
– Paul’s vision of the man of Macedonia beckoning him to come there. I’ve
already commented on the unique nature and context of Paul’s visions, so I
needn’t repeat myself here or in “g.” and “h.” below, except to emphasize once
again that they were directly linked to apostolic authority, the birth of the
church, and biblical revelation, which means they have no contemporary
parallels.
g. Acts 18:9
– Jesus speaks to Paul in a vision to encourage him to keep preaching.
h. 2 Corinthians 12:1
– Paul says he had momentous visions.
i. Revelation 1:9-17
– John has a vision of the ascended and glorified Christ. It’s interesting
to note that John’s reaction was to “fall at His feet as a dead man” (v. 17).
John knew Jesus well, and even described himself as “the disciple whom Jesus
loved” (John 21:20).
But when he saw Christ in His ascended glory, he fell down as if dead. That’s a
far cry from the reactions of Muslims who reportedly have seen Jesus in dreams
and visions in which He is typically described simply as a man in a white robe
who made them feel an overwhelming sense of love.
Conclusion: In light of their unique contexts I must conclude that
the New Testament vision passages do not lend biblical support to contemporary
Muslim dreams.
12. Does Joel 2:28
support the Muslim dreams phenomenon?
Joel 2:28 is a favorite verse for supporters of Muslim dreams
because it speaks of a time when dreams and visions will be common: “And it
will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and
your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your
young men will see visions.” There’s no doubt Joel prophesied that such a time
would come, but are Muslim dreams part of its fulfillment?
Joel’s prophecy has elements that are difficult to
interpret, but its key elements are clear and identify a time that is yet
future as the time of its fulfillment. A full exegesis of that passage is
beyond the scope of this paper [12], but note that verse 28 begins, “and it
will come about after this” (italics added), which refers back to verses
2-27. Those verses speak of events that have not yet occurred, and of a time
when God will bless Israel and she will know that He is her God. Then
verse 28 will occur.
Many advocates of Muslim dreams reference Pentecost
and Peter’s description of the phenomenon accompanying the coming of the Holy
Spirit on that occasion as initiating the era of dreams and visions prophesied
by Joel – an era, they say, that will continue throughout the church age. In Acts 2:16
Peter does describe the phenomenon onlookers were witnessing at Pentecost as
“what was spoken of through the prophet Joel.” He then quotes Joel 2:28-32:
“And it shall be in the last days,” God
says, “That I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your
old men shall dream dreams; even upon My bondslaves, both men and women, I will
in those days pour forth of My Spirit and they shall prophesy. And I will grant
wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and
vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. And it shall be, that
everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:17-21).
It’s clear from the description of the cosmic signs in
Joel’s prophecy that Pentecost was only a partial fulfillment of that prophecy,
with its complete fulfillment yet to come. Dr. Irvin Busenitz comments:
The cosmic signs of Joel 2:30-31
[3:3-4] are significantly absent in Luke’s account of Pentecost. The sun was
not darkened; the moon did not turn to blood. There is no blood, fire, or
columns of smoke. Joel mentions nothing of speaking supernaturally generated
foreign languages nor does Acts give evidence of supernatural dreams. [13]
Nathan Busenitz adds, “If the continuationist [those
who believe that the signs and wonders of the Apostolic age continue throughout
the church age] is going to apply the prophecy and dreams of Joel 2 to the
entire church age, he must explain why the cosmic signs of Joel 2/Acts 2 are
not also a continuing part of the church age.”[14] That’s the challenge for
those who appeal to Joel 2:28 in support of Muslim dreams as well.
Dr. Irvin Busenitz continues:
Only two points of contact are found
[between Joel’s prophecy and Pentecost]: God’s Spirit was poured out, and those
who called upon the name of the Lord were saved. But it is these two elements
of Joel’s prophecy – the Spirit poured out and salvation for those who call on
the Lord – that provide the connecting link to Pentecost. They lead logically
to the central focus of Peter’s sermon. Consequently, it appears best to view
Joel’s prophecy as fulfilled in a preliminary fashion at the time of Pentecost,
with a complete fulfillment reserved for the time surrounding the Second
Advent.[15]
There were no dreams or visions at Pentecost, nor did
Joel indicate that Jesus would appear in dreams and visions when His Prophecy was
fulfilled. He speaks only of the fact of dreams and visions, not of
their content. Therefore, it’s incumbent upon those who defend Muslim dreams on
the basis of Joel 2:28 to demonstrate more convincingly how Joel’s prophecy
supports this phenomenon.
13. If Jesus isn’t appearing in these dreams, who is?
If the Isa of Muslim dreams is not the Jesus of the
Bible, who is he? One option is a false Christ appearing as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:4,
13-15).
But what could the enemy of our souls hope to gain from doing that? Consider
this: we’ve already seen that people with sinful motives have preached Christ
for selfish gain (Phil. 1:15-18), so it’s reasonable to envision the author of
pride and selfishness doing the same and in the process potentially:
· Diverting worship from Christ to himself, which has
been his goal from the beginning (Isa. 14:12-14;
Matt. 4:9).
· Deceiving Muslims into thinking they’re worshiping
the true Jesus when, in fact, they’re worshiping the person in their dreams.
All the accounts I’ve read unquestioningly equate Isa with Jesus.
· Diluting the primacy, centrality and authority of
God’s Word by establishing faith based on subjective revelations and
experiences (John 20:24-29).
· Creating expectations of evangelism linked to
visitations from Jesus. (Some Muslim outreach strategies now include praying
that Isa will appear to even more Muslims so more will be saved.)
· Creating expectations of additional visitations from
Jesus, such as during times of persecution, and the inevitable disillusionment
and confusion that result when those expectations aren’t met.
· Causing division within the Body of Christ over this
issue.
I mention those to illustrate how the enemy could
benefit from a phenomenon that on the surface may seems like a kingdom divided.
I haven’t concluded that visions of Isa are necessarily demonic, nor do I
believe Muslims are not being genuinely saved. But Muslims who come to Christ
do so in the same way everyone else throughout church history has: the Holy
Spirit opens their hearts to the truth (Acts 16:14).
But the spiritual harm that can result from connecting their faith to subjective
mystical experiences can be great, as certain parallel revelatory claims of the
Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (as well as various cultic groups) have
demonstrated over the years.
When it comes to personal revelations from God, the
difference between the Muslim phenomenon and other revelatory claims is simply
one of degree, not kind. Consequently, an experiential and mystical foundation
has already been laid for the communities of former Muslims who have seen Isa
and now profess faith in Christ.
14. Are there cultural considerations that might shed
light on this phenomenon?
Another option to the question of who is appearing to
these Muslims has to do with cultural considerations. In my research I sought
the counsel of Dr. William Barrick, Professor of Old Testament at The Master’s
Seminary. Dr. Barrick ministered among Muslims in Bangladesh for 15 years and
offered these observations about reported appearances of Jesus to Muslim
converts there:
(1) Most turned out to be pure imagination upon close
questioning and examination. None had really seen him while awake—almost every
single one had had some sort of dream.
(2) Muslims can be extremely susceptible to
charismatic doctrine and practices, because much of folk Islam is infused with
the same things seen in charismatic circles (speaking in tongues, healings,
miracles, extreme emotionalism).
(3) Muslims revere special experiences and make them
up in order to provide (a) a viable [in their opinion] response to those who
accuse them of abandoning Islam, (b) a means of identifying with the testimony
and life of persecution lived by the Apostle Paul, and (c) dreams are taken
very, very seriously—about anything.
(4) Those who had dreams about Jesus seem to have all
had some prior contact with Christians, the Gospel, or with the Scriptures that
left an indelible impression. What was revealed in the dream had first been
revealed to them in real life experience. The dreams merely replicated those
experiences. The appearance of Jesus in their dreams matched exactly the
appearance of Him they had seen as a child in a Christian flannelgraph lesson
or in some Christian literature. The verses of Scripture (John 3:16
being a favorite) in their dreams was one they had been taught or heard.[16]
(5) Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians deals with those
who claim special experiences (such as visions) and counters their error with
the realities of the work and Person of Christ.
Conclusion: If Muslims were having dreams about Jesus, which
resulted in opening their hearts to the gospel, I’d say, “Praise the Lord”,
because I believe the Holy Spirit can use natural dreams to convict people of
their need for salvation and direct them to the gospel if He so chooses.
However, the reports I’m hearing and reading claim that Jesus Himself, in the
person of Isa, is appearing to Muslims in dreams. I must reject the accuracy of
those claims for all the reasons outlined above, and conclude that such dreams
and visions lack biblical authority and must therefore be viewed as
extra-biblical experiences generated from sources other than the Holy Spirit. I
must also continue to pray that the gospel of Jesus Christ, not dreams and
visions of Isa, will permeate Muslim communities throughout the world for the
glory of our Lord and the salvation of many precious souls.
[12] For a full treatment of Joel’s prophecy, I
recommend Dr. Irvin Busenitz’s commentary, Joel and Obadiah: A Mentor
Commentary, Christian Focus, or Charles L. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, Moody
Press.
[13] Irvin Busenitz, Joel and Obadiah: A Mentor
Commentary, Christian Focus, p. 193.
[14] Nathan Busenitz, Now that’s the Spirit -
Assessing and Addressing Evangelical Charismatics, Notes from 2006 Grace
Community Church Shepherds’ Conference, p. 3.
[15] Irvin Busenitz, Joel and Obadiah: A Mentor
Commentary, Christian Focus, p. 194.
[16] The Arabic translation of the Christian
Scriptures dates back to about 867 AD (the Mt. Sinai Arabic Codex 151, and
includes the Biblical text, marginal comments, lectionary notes, and glosses).
Therefore, many Muslims have had the Bible in their language for more than
1,000 years. (c.f. http://www.arabicbible.com/bible/ codex_151.htm.
http://www.svchapel.org/resources/articles/22-contemporary-issues/829-an-evaluation-of-muslim-dreams-visions-of-isa-jesus-part-2-by-dennis-mcbride
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