================
Jesus Speaks to Islamist
Militants Hunting Down Christians: ‘Why Do You Persecute Me?’
By Suzette
Gutierrez-Cachila (
news@gospelherald.com ) Dec 23, 2016 12:37 PM
A group
of Arab Muslims who were chasing after Christians said a dust storm suddenly
formed on the road, forcing them to stop the chase, when Jesus appeared to them
and spoke with a “mighty voice.”
Haroon
(not his real name) said he and 19 other Islamist militants were informed that
a group of Christians would be holding a baptism service. They boarded their
vehicles and rushed to the site with the intention of killing everyone there.
Their
purpose, said Haroon, was to instill fear among Christians around the world and
to make them stop sharing the good news to the Muslims in their country,
according to Bibles
For Mideast.
However,
when they arrived, they saw that the Christians were leaving. They were already
on the bus and on their way back to the church.
Instead
of giving up the pursuit, the militants chased after the bus and began shooting
at it.
Rizwan,
who was among those baptized that day at the Arabian Sea, recounted how
everyone on the bus thought they would die that day.
“Maybe it
was the militants plan to kill us in the sea during the baptism service. But
somehow we finished our service earlier and tried to return back,” he said.
When
their bus driver increased speed, the militants also drove faster and continued
to shoot at them, Rizwan said.
Then,
without warning, a dust storm formed “within seconds” and concealed the bus
from the militants’ view.
Rizwan
said they felt as if Jesus himself appeared in the dust storm to block the road
and protect them from the militants, who eventually stopped chasing and
shooting at them. They all praised God and made it back to the church safely.
What they
didn’t know was that Jesus appeared to the militants.
Haroon
said as the dust storm raged on, the militants had to stop their vehicles
because they couldn’t see a thing.
“We were
unable to move forward,” he said. “We all got down from our cars and continue
shooting through the dust storm.”
Suddenly,
Jesus appeared in the dust storm. Haroon said he looked “angry” and his eyes
“were like blazing fire.”
“Why are
you persecuting me; it’s hard for you to kick against the pricks,” Jesus said
to them in a mighty voice.
His voice
was so powerful that when he spoke, a strong wind literally swept the militants
off their feet and blew their guns away. Haroon said the whole thing was a
“terrible experience.”
As they
struggled to get up, they realized they couldn’t talk. They felt afraid, yet
they felt peace at the same time, an experience that was totally new to all of
them.
Haroon
said Jesus told them that he “came to the world not to destroy anyone; but to
save,” and he told them to “Go in peace.” Then he disappeared, and the dust
storm also disappeared.
All of
them, save for two, praised God, but they argued among themselves about whether
what they saw was from God or not.
After the
incident, Haroon’s group was no longer assigned to “militant activities.”
Although
the experience made him curious about Jesus, Haroon did not put his faith in
Christ until a few days later when their family was around a bonfire in the
desert. A deadly snake bit his sister Hajira.
When she was rushed to the hospital, doctors said she would die.
While
Hajira was asleep, an angel appeared to her and told her about Jesus, “the
Savior and the Healer.” She shared the story to Haroon when she woke up, and
they prayed and asked Jesus to save them.
They were
both surprised when Pastor Paul of Bibles for Mideast, who was among the group
of Christians Haroon and the other militants wanted to kill, walked into the
room. He said an angel told him to visit them and even gave him their names.
Pastor
Paul shared the gospel to them, and Haroon and his sister confessed their sins
and gave their lives to Christ. Pastor Paul also prayed for Hajira, who was
completely healed from the snake bite.
When
their father learned about what happened to Hajira, he also surrendered his
life to Jesus. Not only did Haroon’s entire family get saved; 17 of the
militants in their group also got saved.
They are
now praying for the other two to know Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment