Sunday 27 February 2011

Dream of Isa walking on water

A Muslim brother or sister has had the following dream

"Salaam this is a question regarding a dream my mother had. she dreamt that she was looking out a window & saw isa walking on water towards her, she just had a feeling it was him. he came into the house and fell on a bed as if he was in pain and wanted someone to massage hi).m. what could this mean? she has previously also dreamt about the prophet muhammad (saw)."

Link:http://www.eshaykh.com/dreams/dream-about-isa-as/

The dream's meaning is fairly straightforward.

The dreamer has had seen an event described in the Bible. This would become particularly interesting to them if they did not know this - but it certainly would not be unusual. Many Muslims are having these sorts of dreams these days. In any case, Jesus walking on water is described in three out of the four books of the Injil: In Matthew 14, Mark 6 and John 6. Here is an excerpt from John 6:

John 6:16-24

 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. 22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

The fact that Jesus has not specifically identified himself verbally but the dreamer simply knows it's him is extremely common in the Muslim dream of Jesus. Many others have had this experience. Of course, in the West it is axiomatic that a reference to someone walking on the water is a reference to Jesus.  In any case, the fact that he is walking on water is a clue to help the dreamer trust that the dream is from God. They can cross-reference the dream to the Biblical accounts of Jesus' life very easily.

Now, onto the more interesting part. What does it mean that Jesus is in pain. Jesus suffering is actually a Biblical motif, both in the prophets that predicted Jesus coming and in the descriptions in the Injil of Jesus' life. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be "despised, rejected-a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" 700 years before Jesus was born in the 53rd chapter of his writings. Jesus' suffering in the Bible is always a suffering for us. The reason that he was crucified was so that he could accept the punishment for our sins on our behalf so that we would be able to have his righteousness before God the Father. In other words, he acted as a substitute sacrifice. On Eid al Adza, the substitution of a ram for the sacrifice of Ibrahim's son is celebrated. Isa is that substitution. This is why Yehyah refers to Isa as "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."

If the description of Isa suffering in this dream is to be cross-referenced to the scripture, Isa is suffering for your sin, my sister.

In the Name of Isa al Massih, the Name above all Names.

Dream: Seeing the Prophet Isa (AS) in my dream

The dream below was posted by a Muslim brother or sister

"Asalamwalaikum, I had a dream a few months ago, it was just before Fajr salah. I dreamt of seeing Prophet Isa AS. I was not in this dream but could see him from an angle, he was young, fair and had brownish hair, beard and wore white clothes (thobe). He was preaching, I could see and hear people cheering, “ISA! ‘ISA!”. I remember saying, “asalam” and asking, “is he Isa (as), is he isa (as)?” but they could not see me. I then heard a voice saying, “yes he is Isa (as) and he is coming soon, be good and stop giving in to Shaytaan” (not in those words but similar). I woke up around 4 o’clock and asked myself ‘is it isa (as)?’ and then fell asleep again. The dream continued. What does this dream mean? Please let me know, JazakAllak Kahir."

Link:http://www.eshaykh.com/dreams/seeing-the-prophet-isa-as-in-my-dream/

He desires to know the meaning. I offer the following in the name of the Lord Isa (AS), the Christ.

The dream hearkens to biblical descriptions of Jesus's ministry. In the injil, descriptions of the Lord Jesus frequently have him surrounded by a crowd of people listening to his teaching. Sometimes the crowd is so great, that he has to step out onto a boat so that he can have enough room to address people!

Matthew 13:1-9
 1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”


Other times, the crowd was so pressing that the only way to get to Jesus was through the roof of the building (Luke 5).

It is into a similar scene that the dreamer has been transported. The imagery of the scene is decidedly Biblical - which is remarkable in consideration of the fact that the dreamer is unlikely to have ever touched a Bible. Also interesting is the expression "coming soon" - because it is a direct quotation of the Bible. It is taken from Revelation chapter 22:

Revelation 22:12-17
"12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life."


Finally, the admonition to stop sinning is a common motif in the ministry of Jesus. Frequently he ends an encounter with a person with the words "Your sins are forgiven, now go your way and sin no more" or "See, you are well. Now stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.

Summary:
The dreamer has experienced a "snap shot" of what it was like to see Jesus in his ministry and the dream is rich in specific Biblical language and imagery. This is intended to give the dreamer the faith and confidence to read the Injil and to put his trust in the Lord Jesus. May God bless the reading of his words to the heart of his child who has dreamed this dream.

In the Name above all Names, Jesus Messiah.