Report from the Middle East
Category: Prophetic Reports, Middle East
Report from the Middle East
More Muslims have been converted to faith in Jesus Christ over the past decade than at any other time in human history. A spiritual revolution is underway throughout North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia and despite intense persecution, a record number of ex-Muslims are celebrating Christmas this year.
Iraq
More than 5,000 new Muslim converts to Christianity have been identified since the end of major combat operations, with 14 new churches opened in Baghdad, and dozens of new churches opened in Kurdistan, some of which have 500 to 800 members. Also, more than 1 million Bibles have been shipped into the country since 2003. Pastors are reporting that Iraqis are snatching them up so fast they constantly need more!
Egypt
Some reports say 1 million Egyptians have trusted Christ over the past decade or so. The Egyptian Bible Society told me they used to sell approximately 3,000 copies of the JESUS film per year in the early 1990’s. However, in the last year, that number has grown to over 600,000 copies, plus 750,000 copies of the Bible on tape (in Arabic), and about a half-million copies of the Arabic New Testament. "Egyptians are increasingly hungry for God's Word," an Egyptian Christian leader told me. Last Christmas, I had the privilege of visiting the largest Christian congregation in the Middle East, which meets in an enormous cave on the outskirts of Cairo. Some 10,000 believers worship there every weekend. A prayer conference the church held in May 2005 drew about 20,000 believers.
Afghanistan
Only 17 Muslim converts to Christianity before 9/11/01, but now more than 10,000. Dozens of baptisms every week.
Kazakstan
Only 3 known Christians in 1990, but now more than 15,000.
Uzbekistan
No known Christians in 1990, but now more than 30,000.
Sudan
More than 1 million Sudanese have converted to Christianity since 2000, and some 5 million have become Christians since the early1990’s, despite a radical Islamic regime and an ongoing genocide that has killed more than 200,000. Seminaries are being held in caves to train pastors to shepherd the huge numbers of people coming to Christ.
Why such a dramatic spiritual awakening? "People have seen real Islam, and they want Jesus instead," one Sudanese evangelical leader told me.
Iran
In 1979, there were only 500 known Muslim converts to Christianity. Today, Iranian pastors and evangelical leaders tell me there are more than 1 million Iranian believers in Jesus Christ, most of
whom meet in underground house churches.
In December 2001 Sheikh Ahmad Al Qataani, a leading Saudi cleric, appeared on Aljazeera satellite television in a live interview to confirm that, sure enough, Muslims were turning to Jesus in alarming numbers. "In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity," Al Qataani warned.
"Every day, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Every year, six million Muslims convert to Christianity."
Stunned, the interviewer interrupted the cleric: "Hold on! Let me clarify. Do we have six million converting from Islam to Christianity?" Al Qataani repeated his assertion. "Every year," the cleric confirmed, adding, "a tragedy has happened."
