I challenge you to read and grasp the truths contained in the following narrative, if you do, your life in these last days will never be the same as you will see Satan’s decpetions more clearly than ever before. This message is available on CD for your donation of $10.00 or more to Blessed Hope Ministries, 4026 Rustic Trail, Balch Springs, TX 75180
1. INTRODUCTION
Is the Koran, the book of Islam, is it the testimony of a false prophet, is it the testimony of Antichrist. So many hearing that testimony today are willing to believe it and defend it, they are willing to take it to heart, to stand on it, and even to die for it --- as if it were written by the Spirit of Truth.
Have you ever read the Koran? It is a book that has influenced almost as many people as the Bible. It is a book that has contributed to the shaping of world history. And it is a book that will greatly influence the events of these last days. If you haven't, I recommend that you read it, but only after having first read the Bible. Why? Though you may be able to spot the absurdities in the Koran you will not be able to see through the subtle elements of its powerful deception unless you first come to know and understand real scripture, God’s Holy Word. Sure, it may take a while before you finish both, but don't you think you owe it to your own soul to at least look for the truth?
The whole premise is folly, you say? Then, consider this: If what I was writing supposedly unmasked the deceptions and myths of the Bible, how many people would really care? And of those who would care, how many Christian believers would take it upon themselves to physically silence me? Though some might feel wounded and perhaps tempted to do me hurt, I can say with near absolute certainty that I would be able to pass through a crowd of them without harm. Could I say the same about Moslem believers if what I wrote defamed the Koran? No, it is dangerous to speak out against them, their society, their prophet, and their so-called holy book. Few adherents of Islam tolerate any ideas other than their own, let alone dissent. Magnanimity is just not a principle by which they operate.
In the spirit of ecumenism and religious tolerance or just not caring, many today have adopted a live-and-let-live attitude about spiritual beliefs. I, too, believe that there should be a freedom of choice concerning the way we define the Creator to ourselves and the way we worship. However, it behooves us to be aware that not everyone shares such democratic ideals. In fact, very few do. There are those who would rob us of that right.
Until recently, Christians were most concerned about the threat that Communism posed to religious freedom. To them I say, you won't know real religious persecution until the Mohammedans have arrived. Mohammedans are opposed to religions other than their own because they feel they are a blasphemy to Allah --- a blasphemy which is to be punishable by them, at that.
CAN A MUSLIM REALLY BE A MUSLIM-AMERICAN?
Have you ever thought -- Is Muslim-American really an oxymoron? Can a devout Muslim be an American patriot and a loyal citizen?
That question was asked of a man who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. The following is his reply:
"Theologically, no. Because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon god of Arabia.
Religiously, no. Because no other religion is accepted by his Allah except Islam (Quran, 2:256) (Koran).
Scripturally, no. Because his allegiance is to the five pillars of Islam and the Quran (Koran).
Geographically, no. Because his allegiance is to Mecca , to which he turns in prayer five times a day.
Socially, no. Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews.
Politically, no. Because he must submit to the mullah (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America, the great Satan.
Domestically, no. Because he is instructed to marry four women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34) (Koran).
Intellectually, no. Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.
Philosophically, no. Because Islam, Mohammed, and the Quran (Koran) do not allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or Autocratic.
Spiritually, no. Because when we declare "one nation under God," the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in the Quran's (Koran's) 99 excellent names."
Therefore after much study and deliberation.... perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. They obviously cannot be both "good" Muslims and good Americans. Call it what you wish.....it's still the truth.
If you find yourself intellectually in agreement with the above statements, perhaps you will share this with your friends. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future.
The religious war (and we're in one) is bigger and more complex than most Americans currently know or understand.
2. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ISAAC AND ISHMAEL
In the Koran, the followers of Mohammed are instructed to say:
"We believe in God, and that which has been sent down on us, and sent down on Abraham and Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob, and the Tribes, and in that which was given to Moses and Jesus, and the prophets, of their Lord; we make no division between [distinction among] any of them, and to Him we surrender."
Surah 3 Verse (1)
Fast students of the Bible will recognize the subtle introduction of Ishmael into the lineage of those who received the covenant of God. They will recall that Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Hagar --- the handmaid, or bondswoman, of Sarah. They will remember that, concerning Ishmael, it was prophesied through the angel of the Lord: "he will be a wild man (or, closer to the Hebrew, "a wild ass of a man"); his hand will be against every man, and every man's against him" (Genesis 6:12). And they will remember that it was through Isaac that God was to establish His Covenant, not through Ishmael (see Genesis 17:18-22). In reality, Ishmael and Hagar were to become outcasts --- banished by Abraham with God's approval (Genesis 21:9-12). That Ishmael was disinherited is reaffirmed when God later commands Abraham to take his "only son" Isaac (Genesis 22: 2, 12, and 16). After banishment, Ishmael is mentioned little more than in genealogies (Genesis 25:9-17 and 1 Chronicles 1:28-31) and in his alliance with the disinherited son of Isaac, Esau --- which alliance is signified through the marriage of Esau to Mahalath, Ishmael's daughter (Genesis 28:9).
God said plainly:
"I WILL ESTABLISH MY COVENANT WITH HIM (Isaac) FOR AN EVERLASTING COVENANT, AND WITH HIS SEED AFTER HIM" (Genesis 17:19);
"MY COVENANT WILL I ESTABLISH WITH ISAAC" (Genesis 17:21);
and, "LET IT NOT BE GRIEVOUS IN THY [Abraham's] SIGHT BECAUSE OF THE LAD [Ishmael], AND BECAUSE OF THE BONDWOMAN... FOR IN ISAAC SHALL THY SEED BE CALLED" (Genesis 21:12).
Yet, in spite of all that is recorded, Mohammed attempts to vindicate and elevate Ishmael's status:
"And we [the word 'we' in the Koran is often used to denote Allah speaking] made covenant with Abraham and Ishmael . . ."
Surah2 VerseI (2)
"And mention in the Book Ishmael; he was true to his promise, and he was a Messenger, a Prophet. He bade his people to pray and give alms, and he was pleasing to his Lord."
Surah 19 Verse (3)
Today, partly because of such false justifications, all Moslems proudly call upon Abraham as their progenitor through Ishmael. They have accepted the teaching of Mohammed that:
"No; Abraham in truth was not a Jew, neither a Christian; but he was a Muslim and one pure of faith . . ."
Surah 3 Verse (4)
"O men, bow you down and prostrate yourselves, and serve your Lord, and do good; haply so you shall prosper; and struggle for God as is His due, for He has chosen you, and has laid on you no impediment in your religion, being the creed of your father Abraham; He named you Muslims aforetime and in this, that the Messenger might be a witness against you, and that you might be witnesses against mankind."
Surah 22 Verse (5)
Hear now what the Apostle Paul had to say concerning Isaac and Ishmael:
"For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar [Hagar]. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above us is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freeman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free."
Galatians 4:22-31
I believe that the allegory which Paul cited is a far greater figure of things than most people think. I believe it not only helps us to understand such things as spiritual freedom and bondage and the persecution which the spiritually-minded must suffer at the hand of the carnally-minded, but that the allegory also provides Christians with the key to a final separation amongst the children of men, --- a separation between those who believe on the one who came in the Father's name and those who believe on the one who came in his own name.
The entirety of Islam is but a parody of the truth --- a parody that both literally and figuratively tries to tear down the structure which God has built and rebuild another in its place. For what reason? So the foundation He laid and the cornerstone He established, that lost souls might be returned to Him, could be obscured from their view. Consider what has happened in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah.
Mount Moriah is the place where Abraham, as a test of faith, was ordered by God to sacrifice his son Isaac instead of a lamb as a burnt offering (see Genesis 22:1-14), --- the same place where King David was instructed by an angel (through the seer Gad) to "set up an altar unto the Lord" (read 1 Chronicles 21:18-30; 22:1-11; and, 2 Samuel 24:18-25), --- the very same place where "Solomon began to build the house of the Lord" (2 Chronicles 3:1).
Islam has tried to pervert and subvert the selection of the site for the establishment of God's Temple in two ways: First, Moslem tradition has it that prior to Abraham's above-mentioned test with Isaac he was similarly tested with Ishmael at Mecca (6) and that after passing the test both he and Ishmael built the Kaaba, which structure Islam claims is the first house ever made for the worship of God (such house now contained within the court of the Great Mosque of Mecca in Saudi Arabia). Second, Moslems claim the site of Solomon's Temple as their own holy place. In fact, the Dome of the Rock (the so-called Mosque of Omar) was built in 691-692 A.D. over the rock that is believed to have been a part of the great altar, used for burnt offering, within the first Jerusalem Temple.
Concerning this matter of the house of the Lord, the Apostle Paul further helps us to identify Islam as a major component in the great "falling away" by stating that in the latter times Satan would be revealed as he "who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:4). True, the Temple of God today is His Church and His Church is the Body of Christ, but also true is that in this world darkness tries to hide even the vestiges of Truth; it seeks to confuse us and the issue as much as possible. For that reason is the site of Solomon's Temple important to the Devil.
It is evident to me that the Devil, --- "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), has attempted to usurp the light within the Old and New Testaments by rewriting history and Scripture through the appearance of Mohammed as a prelude to the appearance of the Antichrist in the end times.
Concerning Islam's claim that Abraham traveled with Ishmael to Mecca, Alfred Guillame (a noted Professor of Arabic and Islamic studies) states that: ". . . there is no historical evidence for the assertion that Abraham or Ishmael was ever in Mecca, and if there had been such a tradition it would have to be explained how all memory of the Old Semitic name Ishmael (which was not in its true Arabian form in Arabian inscriptions and written correctly with an initial consonant Y) came to be lost. The form in the Quran is taken either from Greek or Syriac sources."
Dr. Guillame adds in his book Isalm, Published by Penguin Books in 1956, that many words in the Koran do not yield a meaning unless they are traced back to their Hebrew or Syriac sources, and that this is especially important in view of the fact that the Koran purports itself to have been written in pure, unadulterated Arabic.
For proof that Mohammed tried to rewrite Scripture, all we need do is compare a few central teachings in the Bible with those in the Koran:
1. Christ Jesus said to his followers: "In the world ye shall have tribulation" (John 16:33). Mohammed says: "Those who believe and are god-fearing --- for them are good tidings in the present life" (Surrah 10: 9) and "The present life is naught but a sport and a diversion." (Surrah 43)
2. The Apostle Paul wrote: "By grace are ye saved through faith . . . not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:9). Mohammed writes that God created this world " --- that He might try you, which one of you is fairer in works." Surrah 43
3. The Bible teaches that we are responsible for our own failings. Mohammed says: "And my sincere counsel will not profit you, if I desire to counsel you sincerely, if God desires to pervert you." Surrah 11
4. Compare the Bible's "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man" (James 1:13) to the Koran's "God leads astray whomsoever He will" Surrah 14, 35, 39 and 52. and "We try you with evil and good for a testing." Surrah 21
5. Christians understand that demons have nothing in common with God and that they are beyond reclamation. According to the Koran, however, God not only created unclean spirits ("the jinn") to serve Him, He also provides for the redemption of such devils. Surrah 72
6. Compare these words of Christ Jesus concerning the woman taken in adultery: "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone" (John 8:7) with these words of Mohammed: "The fornicatress and the fornicator --- scourge each one of them a hundred stripes, and in the matter of God's religion let no tenderness seize you if you believe in God and the last Day; and let a party of believers witness their chastisement." Surrah 24 Verse 2
7. Christ Jesus said: "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). Mohammed, however, testifies of a sensuous heaven wherein are "the houris" --- beautiful nymphs which are among the rewards of faithful Moslems. He says: "Surely for the godfearing awaits a place of security, gardens and vineyards and maidens with swelling breasts, like of age, and a cup overflowing." Surrah 78 Verses 31-34
8. Finally, Christ Jesus said that in heaven we "neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as angels of God in heaven" (Matthew 22:30). Yet Mohammed says that "the inhabitants of Paradise today are busy in their rejoicing; they and their spouses, reclining upon couches in the shade." Surrah 36 Verse 56
3. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JESUS AND MOHAMMED
Jesus' birth as the Messiah was prophesied in Scripture. Mohammed's birth as the so-called Seal of the Prophets was not.
Through many witnesses, the Holy Spirit established the lineage of the Christ from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob to the tribe of Judah and out of the house of David (Genesis 12:3, 18:18, 21:12, 22:18, 26:4, 28:14, 49:10; 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalms 18:50, 89:3-4, 89:20, 132:11; Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1, 11:10; Jeremiah 23:5-6, 33:14-15). Moreover, it was prophesied through Isaiah that the Messiah would be conceived by a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). It was prophesied through Micah that he would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). And, it was prophesied through the typology in the third and sixth chapters of Zechariah that his name would be 'Joshua' (of which 'Jesus' is the Greek form).
Who prophesied the birth of Mohammed as a true prophet of God? No one. No one except Mohammed. Mohammed wrote:
"Jesus son of Mary said, 'Children of Israel, I am indeed the Messenger of God to you, confirming the Torah that is before me, and giving good tidings of a Messenger who shall come after me, whose name shall be Ahmed.'"
Surah 61 Verse (17)
There is no record that the Lord Jesus said any such thing!
Throughout the Koran, Mohammed refutes that Jesus was the Son of God:
"The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary was only the Messenger of God, and His Word that He committed to Mary, and a spirit from Him."
Surah 4 Verse (18)
"The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a Messenger; Messengers before him passed away; his mother was a just woman; they both ate food. Behold, how We make clear signs to them; then behold, how they perverted are!"
Surah 5 Verse (19)
"The Creator of the heavens and the earth --- how should He have a Son, seeing that He has no consort, and He created all things, and He has knowledge of everything?"
Surah 6 Verse (20)
"The Jews say, 'Ezra is the Son of God;' the Christians say, 'The Messiah is the Son of God.' That is the utterance of their mouths, confirming with the unbelievers before them."
Surah 9 Verse (21)
"They [the Christians] say, 'God has taken to Him a son.' Glory be to Him! He is All-sufficient; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth; you have no authority for this. what, so you say concerning God that you know not? Say: 'Those who forge against God falsehood shall not prosper. Some enjoyment in this world; then unto Us they shall return; then We shall let them taste the terrible chastisement, for that they were unbelievers [in Mohammed and the Koran].'"
Surah 10 Verse (22)
"Praise belongs to God, who has not taken to Him a son."
Surah 17 Verse (23)
"And they say, 'The All-merciful has taken unto Himself a son' You have indeed advanced something hideous! The heavens are well-nigh rent of it and the earth split asunder, and the mountains well-nigh fall down crashing for they have attributed to the All-merciful a son; and it behooves not the All-merciful to take a son."
Surah 19 Verse (24)
"God has not taken to Himself any son."
Surah 23 Verse (25)
"He has not taken to Him a son."
Surah 25 Verse (26)
"Is it not of their own calumny that they say, 'God has begotten?' They are truly liars."
Surah 37 Verse (27)
"And when the son of Mary is cited as an example, behold, thy people turn away from it and say, 'What are our gods better, or he?' They [the Christians] cite him not to thee, save to dispute; nay, but they are a people contentious. He is only a servant We blessed, and We made him to be an example to the Children of Israel."
Surah 43 Verse 59
It was Mohammed's self-proclaimed mission ". . . to warn those who say, 'God has taken to Himself a son.'"
Surrah 18: Verses 1-4
Yet, many have testified of the Messiah's Sonship. It was prophesied by the Holy Spirit through King David: "I will be his father, and he shall be my son" (2 Samuel 7:14). Through Isaiah: "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given" (Isaiah 9:6). Through Gabriel to Mary: "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest" (Luke 1:32) and "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). John the Baptist bore record that Jesus was the Son of God (John 1:32-34). God Himself testified twice of Jesus: "THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED" (Matthew 3:17, 17:5; Mark 1:11, 9:7; and, Luke 3:22, 9:35). Saint Mark testified in his gospel: "Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1).
Even the unclean spirits recognized that Jesus was the Son of God: "And, behold, they cried out, saying, 'What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?'" Matthew 8:29 (30)
To casual observers and lifeless Christians, that Mohammed claimed God had no Son in Jesus does not seem to be so very damaging: after all, they think, he did acknow-ledge that Jesus was a prophet, --- "a Messenger of God." These fail to see that for Mohammed to have stated that Jesus was not a prophet would have kept many from his own teachings; it would have precluded their even listening to his message. Further, these fail to see that Mohammed had to include Jesus within his teachings if he was to be more convincing concerning his own authority. It is easier to deceive if you pretend to build on an already-established foundation. It is easier to destroy if you claim a heritage in Truth:
"Surely We sent down the Torah, wherein is guidance and light, thereby the Prophets who had surrendered themselves gave judgment for those of Jewry, as did the masters and the rabbis, following such portion of God's Book as they were given to keep and were witness to. . . . And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus son of Mary, confirming the Torah before him; and We gave to him the Gospel, wherein is guidance and light, and confirming the Torah before it, as a guidance and an admonition unto the god-fearing."
Surah 5 Verse41
Mohammed tries to persuade us that the Koran is just as scriptural as the Torah and the Gospels. He tries to make it seem as if the Torah and the Gospels and the Koran are equal parts in a threefold plan of divine revelation to humankind. Why?
The most effective way to win individuals over to your way of thinking is to, first, tell them what they already believe is true. In this manner you will not alienate them and, second, slowly persuade them that what they don't yet know or understand can be provided for, or answered by, your doctrines: the wolf-in-sheeps-clothing approach, so to speak.
Both Moses and Jesus proved their words with works and signs following. The miracles performed through them punctuated the truths they spoke and the lives they lived. Christ Jesus said:
". . . for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me."
John 5:36
And:
"Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, 'Thou blasphemest;' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that you may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him."
John 10:36-38
Mohammed did not prove his words with works. Oh, he frequently proclaims that the Surahs (that is the chapters) of the Koran are themselves "signs, clear signs." But there are no accounts of miracles wrought by or through him, save those unreliable that are attributed to him through the imagination and fancy of his followers. Mohammed tries to explain away the absence of such proofs this way:
"They say, 'Why have signs not been sent down upon him from his Lord?' Say: 'The signs are only with God, and I am only a plain warner.' What, is it not sufficient for them that We have sent down upon thee the Book that is recited to them [meaning the Koran]? Surely, in that is a mercy, and a reminder to a people who believe."
Surah 29 Verse 50
"It is He who has sent His Messenger [Mohammed] with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may uplift it above every religion. God suffices as a witness."
Surah 48 Verse 28
Mohammed claimed that it was only for him to deliver "the Message Manifest," --- the final word from God.
Surrah 26 Verses 108-115
He tried to delude the people into thinking that he was the Christ returned to earth. In doing so, the Devil sought to establish his authority for overturning the principles of peace, love, and forgiveness taught by the real Savior. Jesus instructed us to love our enemies, to revile not when reviled, to forgive those who despitefully use us, and to refrain from judgment (the condemnation of our peers). Hear what Mohammed had to say on those topics:
"O believers, prescribed for you is retaliation, touching the slain; freeman for freeman, slave for slave, female for female . . . In retaliation there is life for you, men possessed of minds; haply you will be god-fearing."
Surah2 Verse 178
"And fight in the way of God with those who fight with you. . . . And slay them wherever you come upon them, and expel them from where they expelled you; [your own] persecution is more grievous than slaying [others]."
Surah 2 Verse 217
" . . . take not to yourselves friends of them [the disbelievers] until they emigrate in the way of God; then, if they turn their backs, take them, and slay them wherever you find them . . . "
Surah 4 Verse 89
"This is the recompense of those who fight against God and His Messenger, and hasten about the earth, to do corruption there: they shall be slaughtered, or crucified, or their hands and feet shall alternately be struck off, or they shall be banished from the land."
Surah 5 Verse 33
"Fight them [the unbelievers], till there is no persecution and the religion is God's entirely."
Surah 8 Verse 39
"Slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush."
Surah 9 Verse 123
"The recompense of evil is evil the like of it . . . "
Surah 42 Verse 40
"When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks, then, when you have made wide slaughter among them, tie fast the bonds; then set them free, either by grace or ransom, till the war lays down its loads."
Surah 47 Verse 4
From the above scriptures we can see a pattern that runs throughout the Koran and it should be clear that the literature of Mohammed is hateful, encouraging people to live both in fear and by the sword in judgment of one another. Compare the preceding quotations with the following instructions given by the Christ:
"But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye: for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged, condemn not, and ye shall not be comdemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete, withal it shall be measured to you again."
Luke 6:27-38
Having compared the previous passage with those immediately preceding it, which one of the two --- Jesus or Mohammed --- do you think is the true witness of the loving Father? And of which religion is the true religion of peace?
Considering what is written in the Koran, there should be little wonder why Bibles are not allowed into countries over which the banner of Islam flies. The people of those nations might be able to read:
"Thus saith the Lord: SUCH AS ARE FOR DEATH, TO DEATH: AND SUCH AS ARE FOR THE SWORD, TO THE SWORD: AND SUCH AS ARE FOR THE FAMINE, TO THE FAMINE: AND SUCH AS ARE FOR THE CAPTIVITY, TO THE CAPTIVITY."
Jeremiah 15:2
"Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword."
Matthew 26:52
"He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword."
Revelation 13:10
"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather, give place unto wrath: for it is written, VENGEANCE IS MINE; I WILL REPAY, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good."
Romans 12:19-21
In short, they would find out that the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, --- the one of whom Christ Jesus came to testify, is a god of peace and love and not a god of war and hate. Moreover, they would learn of the Levitical high priest and his role as intercessor for the children of Israel, offering sacrifice once a year for their sins, and how Christ Jesus was sent to sacrifice himself "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10).
They would learn how the Old Testament events, rules, and regulations were but a figure, or typology, of things to come. They would learn to understand the role of the Lamb as Intercessor for all nations under the sun. And, finally, concerning their relationship to Christ Jesus, they would learn that:
"there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved"
(Acts 4:12).
Throughout the Koran, Mohammed attempts to undercut the role of Christ Jesus as Savior. He tries to negate that the Lamb "bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12) and that "he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25):
". . . no intercessors shall they have amongst their associates, and they shall disbelieve in their associates."
Surah 30 Verse 13
"To God belongs intercession altogether."
Surah 34 Verse 23
". . . the evildoers [those who do not believe in Mohammed and the Koran] have not one loyal friend, no intercessor to be heeded."
Surah 40 Verse 85
". . . no soul laden bears the load of another."
Surah 53 Verse 38
"Come, now, and God's Messenger [meaning Mohammed] will ask forgiveness for you."
Surah 63 Verse 5
It is plain that Mohammed tried to set himself up in Jesus' stead. What of the crucifixion? In his own form of gnostic Docetism, Mohammed accounts it crucifixion
". . . they did not slay him, neither crucified him, only a likeness of that was shown to them."
Surah 4 Verse157
Guilty of the ultimate crime against God are those who say that Jesus is not the Christ and that He did not die for our sins. For that reason alone, Mohammed condemns himself and his followers (so long as they remain his followers). The Lord Jesus said:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
John 3:16-18
"I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye shall receive."
John 5:43
"If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father."
John 15:22-24
Simply stated, without Christ Jesus we have no advocate with the Father. If we reject the one God sent, we reject the mercy He extends to us through that one.
4. HOW IT ALL ADDS UP
Central to Christianity is the doctrine of salvation through the atonement of Christ Jesus for our sins. Certainly the Lamb's sacrifice does not relieve any one of us from our own responsibilities. Nor does it take away from Paul's admonition for us to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). What Christ Jesus did was reconcile us to the Father that we might receive forgiveness (a restoration to fellowship with Him and His own) and grace (His unmerited favor). By resisting temptation all the way to Calvary, Christ Jesus was victorious over the Tempter. Through the self-sacrificing life that was in him, our King brought gifts for all who would believe on him. He paved the way for us back to our God. To say that Jesus was just a mortal is far from the Truth. To say that he was not the Son of God is a lie. To say that he did not die for our sins is heretical:
"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father; [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also."
1 John 2:22-23
Here in the words of John, we see that Mohammed and the Muslims are liars, they deny the true identity of Jesus Christ.
"Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."
1 John 4:2-3
"He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son."
1 John 5:10
"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist."
2 John 7
It should be obvious to the discerning reader that Mohammed has tried to make Christ Jesus' life of null effect for sinners. True, Mohammed, has been just one of many who have tried to discredit the Savior. However, he is not just one antichrist of many antichrists: Bible prophecy reveals his testimony as testimony of the Antichrist.
In the thirteenth chapter of Revelation, it is written:
"Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."
Revelation 13:18
The beast referred to here is the confederacy of Islamic states which is to take shape during these last days. The man is Mohammed --- the identification coming from Gematria, the ancient Hebrew science which assigns numerical values to words.
In Gematria, the value of a word is determined by adding the numerical equivalents of the individual letters that form it. Here, then, are the steps necessary for identifying Mohammed as the "name" and "number" of the beast:
The simplest phonetic transcription of the word 'Mohammed' is:
(1) M O H A M E D
In ancient Hebrew, the closest counterparts of those sounds are:
(2) Mem Waw Hey Aleph Mem Yod Dalet
(3) Note: John thought, understood, and "saw" in Hebrew (written from right to left). However, he transcribed his vision into Greek (written from left to right). Hence the reason for the so-called "final Mem" (the representation of Mem when it ends a word) being used in the beginning place here.
In Gematria, the numerical equivalents of the above characters are, respectively:
(4) 600 6 5 1 40 10 4
(5) The sum of the above numbers is 666, or "Six hundred threescore and six."
When you stop to think about it, everything fits.
1) That "the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces" (Daniel 7:23):
2) The nation of Islam, with all of its oil-rich countries, will wield more power than any earthly kingdom heretofore known.
3) That an end-time ruler shall "think to change times" (Daniel 7:25): The Moslem era dates from the Hegira, the forced journey of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D.
4) That the final end-time ruler shall not regard "the desire of women" (Daniel 11:37): Mohammedans view women as being little better than chattel. And,
5) That men shall have "the name of the beast" (Revelation 13:17): Today, the word 'Mohammed' is the most popularly used name in the world. People have incorporated it into their names more than any other single word.
5. INTERPRETING END-TIME PROPHECY IN VIEW OF ISLAM
Though souls are not able to fully comprehend the mysteries of God while they are on earth, they may learn through the fulfillment of His prophecies that He is. It is a fact that many who have committed their lives to Him first came to believe and trust in Him because they learned that His prophecies had been fulfilled. And it is a fact that many of the already faithful have been helped to continue in their faith because of things so revealed. In short, we are to