1 Million Muslims in Iran Have Turned to Christ as 50,000 Mosques Closed

Todd Nettleton, vice president of message for The Voice of the Martyrs, said many Iranians are searching for hope.

"You have a country with one of the highest drug addiction rates in the world. You have a country where corruption runs rampant. You have a country where more than half the people live below the poverty line," Nettleton told CBN. "And the people of Iran are looking at this, and they are saying, 'Wait a minute. If this is what Islam has brought us in the last 45 years, we're not interested. We want to know what the other options are.'" 

A December survey of Iranians from the Netherlands-based Gamaan Institute found that 80 percent reject the Islamic Republic and want a democratic government.

The potential of a "Jesus revolution" within Iran has sparked pushback from the Islamic government, Nettleton said. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal in Iran. 

"This is not something that is making the regime happy. And, really, in many ways, they are seeking to solidify their power and to crush any kind of dissent," Nettleton told CBN. "We have heard multiple stories this year of Bible study, a home church being raided. Everyone there is photographed, everyone there is questioned. But then the leader of the meeting is held onto. They are arrested. They are detained, they're put in prison."

Don Shenk, executive director of The Tide ministry, said Muslims are responding to gospel-centered messages that are broadcast into Iran. 

"We get responses from listeners who say, 'Now I understand that God loves me. I always thought that God wanted to punish me,'" Shenk told CBN. "And I think there's an awakening that is taking place across the Muslim world, not just in Iran."

The international ministry Open Doors said Christianity in Iran is only tolerated if "you're part of a traditional Christian community, for instance, Armenian or Assyrian Christian."

But for "Christians who convert from Islam," Open Doors said, "not even the veneer of tolerance is present."

"The government views conversion as an attempt by the West to undermine Islam and the Islamic government of Iran," Open Doors reported. "This means that anyone who is discovered to be a member of a house church can be charged with a crime against national security, which can lead to long prison sentences. Anyone arrested or detained can be tortured and abused while in jail. Some Christians are released and monitored -- and know a second arrest would mean a long prison sentence."

Shenk's ministry, The Tide, reported that "what is happening in Iran is just the tip of the iceberg, as similar movements to Christ are happening across the Muslim world." The ministry said it is not uncommon for Muslims to dream about Christ.

"There is one common thread across these testimonies of Jesus appearing to Muslims in dreams: the dreams by themselves do not immediately result in conversion," a blog on The Tide website said. "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."

WATCH: Iran's Jesus Revolution? Mosques Close as 1 Million Muslims Accept Christ | CBN News

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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

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