Jesus and Mary in islam full story 237 pages prepared by Hatim Elkhouaja

Preparation By Mohamed Hatim ELkhouaja Student of Human Geography, University Of Abdelmalek Essadi ,Tetouan City,Morocco Email : welcom2islame@gmail.com Web Site : http://welcom2islam.blogspot.com Jesus Freaks Description: A comparison between hippies, Christians, Jesus and Muslims! Recollections of a convert to Islam.

By Laurence B. Brown, MD Published on 29 Jan 2007 - Last modified on 09 May 2011 Viewed: 52775 (daily average: 16) - Rating: 3.9 out of 5 Rated by: 128 Printed: 1321 - Emailed: 118 - Commented on: 1 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus When I was a child, growing up in the sixties and seventies just a few blocks away from the notorious Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, I was surrounded by the hippie movement. It was a “turn on, tune in, drop out” age of sexual freedom, cultural revolution and social recklessness.

Happily, I was never caught up in the hippie movement, but being so close to it, I could not help but observe its development. One thing I clearly remember is how many hippies were labeled “Jesus freaks.” As I surf my childhood memories, nearly four decades later, this euphemism strikes me as having been decidedly peculiar. These hippies were considered “Jesus

freaks” because they dressed as Jesus did, grew their hair as he did, renounced materialism as he did, and propagated devotion to God, peace, charity and communal love.

Now, many whom embarked upon this path fell into hallucinogenic drug use and wanton sexual proclivities— practices which are far from the example of Jesus—but this is not why these hippies were called Jesus freaks. Rather, they were called Jesus freaks for their long hair, loose clothing, asceticism, communal unity and passivism, all a result of their effort to live like Jesus. The House of Love and Prayer, located nearby in the avenues, was a collecting point for many of these well-meaning souls, and the title of the institution reflected their focus in life.

Looking back, what seems strange to me now is not that people would wish to embody Jesus’ values, but that others would criticize them for it. What seems even stranger is that few Christians, in the modern day, match this profile. Indeed, what seemed most strange to me, prior to my conversion to Islam, is that Muslims seemed to embody Jesus’ values better than Christians.

Now, that assertion requires an explanation, and it goes like this: To begin with, both Christianity and Islam consider Jesus to have been a prophet of their religion. However, whereas Jesus’ teachings have been lost from the creed and practices of most Christians (see my article, Where is the “Christ” in “Christianity?”), these same teachings are respected and evident in Islam.

Let us look at some examples.

Appearance 1.

Jesus was bearded, as are most Muslims, but only the rare Christian.

2.

Jesus dressed modestly. If we close our eyes and form a mental picture, we see flowing robes, from wrists to ankles—much like the loose Arabian thobes and the IndioPakistani shalwar kameez, typical of the Muslims of those

areas. What we don’t imagine is the revealing or seductive clothing so ubiquitous in Christian cultures.

3.

Jesus’ mother covered her hair, and this practice was maintained among the Christian women of the Holy Land up to the middle of the twentieth century. Again, this is a practice maintained among Muslims as well as Orthodox Jews (of which Jesus was one), but not among modern day Christians.

Manners 1.

Jesus focused upon salvation and eschewed finery. How many “righteous” Christians fit this “It’s not just on Sundays” profile? Now how many “five prayers a day, every day of the year” Muslims?

2.

Jesus spoke with humility and kindness. He didn’t “showboat.” When we think of his speeches, we don’t imagine theatrics. He was a simple man known for quality and truth. How many preachers and how many evangelists follow this example?

3.

Jesus taught his disciples to offer the greeting of “Peace” (Luke 10:5), and then set the example: “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36, John 20:19, John 20:21, John 20:26). Who continues this practice to this day, Christians or Muslims? “Peace be with you” is the meaning of the Muslim greeting, “Assalam alaikum.” Interestingly enough, we find this greeting in Judaism as well (Genesis 43:23, Numbers 6:26, Judges 6:23, I Samuel 1:17 and I Samuel 25:6).

Religious Practices 1.

Jesus was circumcised (Luke 2:21). Paul taught it wasn’t necessary (Rom 4:11 and Gal 5:2). Muslims believe it is.

2.

Jesus didn’t eat pork, in keeping with Old Testament law (Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8). Muslims also

believe pork is forbidden. Christians … well, you get the idea.

3.

Jesus didn’t give or take usury, in compliance with the Old Testament prohibition (Exodus 22:25). Usury is forbidden in the Old Testament and the Quran, as it was forbidden in the religion of Jesus. The economies of most Christian countries, however, are structured upon usury.

4.

Jesus didn’t fornicate, and abstained from extramarital contact with women. Now, this issue extends to the least physical contact with the opposite sex. With the exception of performing religious rituals and helping those in need, Jesus never even touched a woman other than his mother. Strictly practicing Orthodox Jews maintain this practice to this day in observance of Old Testament law. Likewise, practicing Muslims don’t even shake hands between the sexes. Can Christian “hug your neighbor” and “kiss the bride” congregations make the same claim?

Practices of Worship 1.

Jesus purified himself with washing prior to prayer, as was the practice of the pious prophets who preceded him (see Exodus 40:31-32 in reference to Moses and Aaron), and as is the practice of Muslims.

2.

Jesus prayed in prostration (Matthew 26:39), like the other prophets (see Nehemiah 8:6 with regard to Ezra and the people, Joshua 5:14 for Joshua, Genesis 17:3 and 24:52 for Abraham, Exodus 34:8 and Numbers 20:6 for Moses and Aaron). Who prays like that, Christians or Muslims?

3.

Jesus fasted for more than a month at a time (Matthew 4:2 and Luke 4:2), as did the pious before him (Exodus 34:28, I Kings 19:8), and as do Muslims in the annual fast of the month of Ramadan.

4.

Jesus made pilgrimage for the purpose of worship, as all Orthodox Jews aspire to do. The Muslim pilgrimage to

Mecca is well known, and is alluded to in the Bible (see The First and Final Commandment).

Matters of Creed 1.

Jesus taught the oneness of God (Mark 12:29-30, Matthew 22:37 and Luke 10:27), as conveyed in the first commandment (Exodus 20:3). Nowhere did he declare the Trinity.

2.

Jesus declared himself a man and a prophet of God (see above), and nowhere claimed divinity or divine sonship. Which creed are the above points more consistent with—the Trinitarian formula or the absolute monotheism of Islam?

In short, Muslims appear to be the “Jesus freaks” of modern day, if by that expression we mean those who live by God’s laws and Jesus’ example.

Carmichael notes, “… for a whole generation after Jesus’ death his followers were pious Jews and proud of it, had attracted into their fold members of the professional religious classes, and did not deviate even from the burdensome ceremonial laws.”[1] One wonders what happened between the practices of the first generation of Jesus’ followers and the Christians of modern day. At the same time, we have to respect the fact that Muslims exemplify Jesus’ teachings more than Christians do. Furthermore, we should remember that the Old Testament foretold three prophets to follow. John the Baptist and Jesus Christ were numbers one and two, and Jesus Christ himself predicted the third and last. Hence, both Old and New Testaments speak of a final prophet, and we would be amiss if we didn’t consider that final prophet to be Muhammad, and the final revelation to be that of Islam.

Copyright © 2007 Laurence B. Brown.

About the author: Laurence B. Brown, MD, can be contacted at BrownL38@yahoo.com. He is the author of The First and Final Commandment (Amana Publications) and Bearing True Witness (Dar-us-Salam). Forthcoming books are a historical thriller, The Eighth Scroll, and a second edition of The First and Final Commandment, rewritten and divided into MisGod'ed and its sequel, God’ed.

Footnotes: [1] Carmichael, Joel. p. 223.

Where is the “Christ” in “Christianity?”

Description: Does Christianity actually follow the teachings of Jesus and the early apostles?

By Laurence B. Brown, MD Published on 19 Feb 2007 - Last modified on 03 Feb 2013 Viewed: 54101 (daily average: 17) - Rating: 3.5 out of 5 - Rated by: 81 Printed: 1255 - Emailed: 92 - Commented on: 1 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > The Bible

Religious scholars have long attributed the tenets of Christian faith more to Paul’s teachings than to those of Jesus. But as much as I would like to jump into that subject, I think it best to back up and take a quick, speculative look at the Old Testament.

The Old Testament teaches that Jacob wrestled with God. In fact, the Old Testament records that Jacob not only wrestled with God, but that Jacob prevailed (Genesis 32:24-30). Now, bear in mind, we’re talking about a tiny blob of protoplasm wrestling the Creator of a universe 240,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles in diameter, containing over a billion galaxies of which ours—the Milky Way Galaxy—is just one (and a small one, at that), and prevailing? I’m sorry, but someone was a couple pages short of a codex when they scribed that passage. The point is, however, that this passage leaves us in a quandary. We either have to question the Jewish concept of God or accept their explanation that “God” does not mean “God” in the above verses, but rather it means either an angel or a man (which, in essence, means the Old Testament is not to be trusted). In fact, this textual difficulty has become so problematic that more recent Bibles have tried to cover it up by changing the translation from “God” to “man.” What they cannot change, however, is the foundational scripture from which the Jewish Bible is translated, and this continues to read “God.” Unreliability is a recurring problem in the Old Testament, the most prominent example being the confusion between God and Satan! II Samuel 24:1 reads: “Again the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah.’”

However, I Chronicles 21:1 states: “Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.”

Uhhh, which was it? The Lord, or Satan? Both verses describe the same event in history, but one speaks of God and the other of Satan. There is a slight (like, total) difference.

Christians would like to believe that the New Testament is free of such difficulties, but they are sadly deceived. In fact, there are so many contradictions that authors have devoted books to this subject. For example, Matthew 2:14 and Luke 2:39 differ over whether Jesus’ family fled to Egypt or Nazareth. Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4 differ over the wording of the “Lord’s Prayer.” Matthew 11:13-14, 17:11-13 and John 1:21 disagree over whether or not John the Baptist was Elijah.

Things get worse when we enter the arena of the alleged crucifixion: Who carried the cross—Simon (Luke 23:26, Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21) or Jesus (John 19:17)? Was Jesus dressed in a scarlet robe (Matthew 27:28) or a purple robe (John 19:2)? Did the Roman soldiers put gall (Matthew 27:34) or myrrh (Mark 15:23) in his wine? Was Jesus crucified before the third hour (Mark 15:25) or after the sixth hour (John 19:1415)? Did Jesus ascend the first day (Luke 23:43) or not (John 20:17)? Were Jesus’ last words, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit my spirit’” (Luke 23:46), or were they “It is finished” (John 19:30)?

These are only a few of a long list of scriptural inconsistencies, and they underscore the difficulty in trusting the New Testament as scripture. Nonetheless, there are those who do trust their salvation to the New Testament, and it is these Christians who need to answer the question, “Where is the ‘Christ’ in ‘Christianity?’ “This, in fact, is a supremely fair question. On one hand we have a religion named after Jesus Christ, but on the other hand the tenets of orthodox Christianity, which is to say Trinitarian Christianity, contradict virtually everything he taught.

I know, I know—those of you who aren’t screaming “Heretic!” are gathering firewood and planting a stake. But wait. Put down the high-powered rifle and listen. Trinitarian Christianity claims to base its doctrines on a combination of Jesus’ and Paul’s teachings. The problem is, these teachings are anything but complementary. In fact, they contradict one another.

Take some examples: Jesus taught Old Testament Law; Paul negated it. Jesus preached orthodox Jewish creed; Paul preached mysteries of faith. Jesus spoke of accountability; Paul proposed justification by faith. Jesus described himself as an ethnic prophet; Paul defined him as a universal prophet.[1] Jesus taught prayer to God, Paul set Jesus up as intercessor. Jesus taught divine unity, Pauline theologians constructed the Trinity.

For these reasons, many scholars consider Paul the main corrupter of Apostolic Christianity and Jesus’ teachings. Many early Christian sects held this view as well, including the secondcentury Christian sects known as “adoptionists”– “In particular, they considered Paul, one of the most prominent authors of our New Testament, to be an arch-heretic rather than an apostle.”[2] Lehmann contributes: “What Paul proclaimed as ‘Christianity’ was sheer heresy which could not be based on the Jewish or Essene faith, or on the teaching of Rabbi Jesus. But, as Schonfield says, ‘The Pauline heresy became the foundation of Christian orthodoxy and the legitimate church was disowned as heretical.’ … Paul did something that Rabbi Jesus never did and refused to do. He extended God’s promise of salvation to the Gentiles; he abolished the law of Moses, and he prevented direct access to God by introducing an intermediary.”[3] Bart D. Ehrman, perhaps the most authoritative living scholar of textual criticism, comments: “Paul’s view was not universally accepted or, one might argue, even widely accepted …. Even more striking, Paul’s

own letters indicate that there were outspoken, sincere, and active Christian leaders who vehemently disagreed with him on this score and considered Paul’s views to be a corruption of the true message of Christ …. One should always bear in mind that in this very letter of Galatians Paul indicates that he confronted Peter over just such issues (Gal. 2:11-14). He disagreed, that is, even with Jesus’ closest disciple on the matter.”[4] Commenting on the views of some early Christians in the Pseudo-Clementine literature, Ehrman wrote: “Paul has corrupted the true faith based on a brief vision, which he has doubtless misconstrued. Paul is thus the enemy of the apostles, not the chief of them. He is outside the true faith, a heretic to be banned, not an apostle to be followed.”[5] Others elevate Paul to sainthood. Joel Carmichael very clearly is not one of them: “We are a universe away from Jesus. If Jesus came “only to fulfill” the Law and the Prophets; If he thought that “not an iota, not a dot” would“pass from the Law,” that the cardinal commandment was “Hear, O Israel, the Lord Our God, the Lord is one,” and that “no one was good but God”….What would he have thought of Paul’s handiwork! Paul’s triumph meant the final obliteration of the historic Jesus; he comes to us embalmed in Christianity like a fly in amber.”[6] Dr. Johannes Weiss contributes: “Hence the faith in Christ as held by the primitive churches and by Paul was something new in comparison with the preaching of Jesus; it was a new type of religion.”[7] A new type of religion, indeed. And hence the question, “Where is the ‘Christ’ in ‘Christianity?’ “If Christianity is the religion of Jesus Christ, where are the Old Testament laws and strict monotheism of the Rabbi Jesus’ Orthodox Judaism? Why

does Christianity teach that Jesus is the son of God when Jesus called himself the “son of Man” eighty-eight times, and not once the “son of God?” Why does Christianity endorse confession to priests and prayers to saints, Mary and Jesus when Jesus taught his followers: “In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father …’” (Matthew 6:9)?

And who appointed a pope? Certainly not Jesus. True, he may have called Peter the rock upon which he would build his church (Matthew 16:18-19). However, a scant five verses later, he called Peter “Satan” and “an offense.” And let us not forget that this “rock” thrice denied Jesus after Jesus’ arrest—poor testimony of Peter’s commitment to the new church.

Is it possible that Christians have been denying Jesus ever since? Transforming Jesus’ strict monotheism to the Pauline theologians’ Trinity, replacing Rabbi Jesus’ Old Testament law with Paul’s “justification by faith,” substituting the concept of Jesus having atoned for the sins of mankind for the direct accountability Jesus taught, discarding Jesus’ claim to humanity for Paul’s concept of Jesus having been divine, we have to question in exactly what manner Christianity respects the teachings of its prophet.

A parallel issue is to define which religion does respect Jesus’ teachings. So let’s see: Which religion honors Jesus Christ as a prophet but a man? Which religion adheres to strict monotheism, God’s laws, and the concept of direct accountability to God? Which religion denies intermediaries between man and God? If you answered, “Islam,” you would be right. And in this manner, we find the teachings of Jesus Christ better exemplified in the religion of Islam than in Christianity. This suggestion, however, is not meant to be a conclusion, but rather an introduction. Those who find their interest peaked by the above discussion need to take the issue seriously, open their minds and then … read on!

Copyright © 2007 Laurence B. Brown.

About the author: Laurence B. Brown, MD, can be contacted at BrownL38@yahoo.com. He is the author of The First and Final Commandment (Amana Publications) and Bearing True Witness (Dar-us-Salam). Forthcoming books are a historical thriller, The Eighth Scroll, and a second edition of The First and Final Commandment, rewritten and divided into MisGod'ed and its sequel, God’ed.

Footnotes: [1] Jesus Christ was one more prophet in the long line of prophets sent to the astray Israelites. As he so clearly affirmed, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24) When Jesus sent the disciples out in the path of God, he instructed them, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 10:5-6) Throughout his ministry, Jesus was never recorded as having converted a Gentile, and in fact is recorded as having initially rebuked a Gentile for seeking his favors, likening her to a dog (Matthew 15:22-28 and Mark 7:25-30). Jesus was himself a Jew, his disciples were Jews, and both he and they directed their ministries to the Jews. One wonders what this means to us now, for most of those who have taken Jesus as their ‘personal savior’ are Gentiles, and not of the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” to whom he was sent.

[2] Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 2004. Oxford University Press. P. 3.

[3] Lehmann, Johannes. 1972. The Jesus Report. Translated by Michael Heron. London: Souvenir Press. pp. 128, 134.

[4] Ehrman, Bart D. 2003. Lost Christianities. Oxford University Press. Pp. 97-98.

[5] Ehrman, Bart D. 2003. Lost Christianities. Oxford University Press. P. 184.

[6] Carmichael, Joel, M.A. 1962. The Death of Jesus. New York: The Macmillan Company. p. 270.

[7] Weiss, Johannes. 1909. Paul and Jesus. (Translated by Rev. H. J. Chaytor). London and New York: Harper and Brothers. p.

130.

Jesus Christ - Son of God? (part 1 of 2): The Meaning of “Son of God” Description: An examination of the concept that Jesus is the son of God from Christian sources. The meaning of the term “Son of God” in the Old and New Testament.

By Laurence B. Brown, MD Published on 16 Apr 2007 - Last modified on 19 Nov 2012 Viewed: 68404 (daily average: 21) - Rating: 3.7 out of 5 - Rated by: 39 Printed: 1937 - Emailed: 100 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus “One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives.”

—Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar

Son of God, son of David, or son of Man? Jesus is identified as “son of David” fourteen times in the New Testament, starting with the very first verse (Matthew 1:1). The Gospel of Luke documents forty-one generations between Jesus and David, while Matthew lists twenty-six. Jesus, a distant descendant, can only wear the “son of David” title metaphorically. But how then should we understand the title, “son of God?” The “Trilemma,” a common proposal of Christian missionaries, states that “Jesus was either a lunatic, a liar, or the Son of God, as he claimed to be.” For the sake of argument, let’s agree that Jesus was neither a lunatic nor a liar. Let’s also agree he was precisely what he claimed to be. But what, exactly, was that? Jesus called himself “Son of Man” frequently, consistently, perhaps even emphatically, but where did he call himself “Son of God?” Let’s back up. What does “Son of God” mean in the first place? No legitimate Christian sect suggests that God took a wife and had a child, and most certainly none conceive that God fathered a child through a human motheroutside of marriage. Furthermore, to suggest that God physically mated with an element of His creation is so far beyond the limits of religious tolerance as to plummet down the sheer cliff of blasphemy, chasing the mythology of the Greeks.

With no rational explanation available within the tenets of Christian doctrine, the only avenue for closure is to claim yet one more doctrinal mystery. Here is where the Muslim recalls the question posed in the Quran:

“…How can He have a son when He has no consort?...” (Quran 6:101) …while others shout, “But God can do anything!” The Islamic position, however, is that God doesn’t do inappropriate things, only Godly things. In the Islamic viewpoint, God’s character is integral with His being and consistent with His majesty.

So again, what does “Son of God” mean? And if Jesus Christ has exclusive rights to the term, why does the Bible record, “...for I (God) am a father to Israel, and Ephraim (i.e. Israel) is my firstborn” (Jeremiah 31:9) and, “...Israel is My son, even my firstborn” (Exodus 4:22)? Taken in the context of Romans 8:14, which reads, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God,” many scholars conclude that “Son of God” is metaphorical and, as with christos, doesn’t imply exclusivity. After all, The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion confirms that in Jewish idiom “Son of God” is clearly metaphorical. To quote, “Son of God, term occasionally found in Jewish literature, biblical and post-biblical, but nowhere implying physical descent from the Godhead.”[1] Hasting’s Bible Dictionary comments: In Semitic usage “sonship” is a conception somewhat loosely employed to denote moral rather than physical or metaphysical relationship. Thus “sons of Belial” (Jg 19:22 etc.) are wicked men, not descendants of Belial; and in the NT the “children of the bridechamber” are wedding guests. So a “son of God” is a man, or even a people, who reflect the character of God. There is little evidence that the title was used in Jewish circles of the Messiah, and a sonship which implied more than a moral relationship would be contrary to Jewish monotheism.[2] And in any case, the list of candidates for “son of God” begins with Adam, as per Luke 3:38: “...Adam, which was the son of God.”

Those who rebut by quoting Matthew 3:17 (“And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved son, in whom I am well pleased’”) have overlooked the point that the Bible describes many people, Israel and Adam included, as “sons of God.” Both II Samuel 7:13-14 and I Chronicles 22:10 read, “He (Solomon) shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son.”

Entire nations are referred to as sons, or children of God. Examples include: Genesis 6:2, “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men…”

Genesis 6:4, “There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men…”

Deuteronomy 14:1, “Ye are the children of the Lord your God.” Job 1:6, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD…” Job 2:1, “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD…” Job 38:7, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

Philippians 2:15, “that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation…”

1 John 3:1-2, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! …

Beloved, now we are children of God…” In Matthew 5:9 Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Later in Matthew 5:45, Jesus prescribed to his followers the attainment of noble

attributes, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Not exclusively his Father, but their Father …

Copyright © 2007 Laurence B. Brown; used by permission.

The above excerpt is taken from Dr. Brown's forthcoming book, MisGod'ed, which is expected to be published along with its sequel, God'ed. Both books can be viewed on Dr. Brown's website, www.LevelTruth.com. Dr. Brown can be contacted at BrownL38@yahoo.com

Footnotes: [1] Werblowsky, R. J. Zwi and Geoffrey Wigoder. p. 653.

[2] Hastings, James. Dictionary of The Bible. p. 143.

Jesus Christ - Son of God? (part 2 of 2): “Son” or “Slave”?

Description: An examination of the concept that Jesus is the son of God from Christian sources. Part two: A look at the orginal Greek and Hebrew words translated to “son”.

By Laurence B. Brown, MD Published on 07 May 2007 - Last modified on 22 Feb 2009 Viewed: 40975 (daily average: 13) - Rating: 3.9 out of 5 - Rated by: 27 Printed: 2037 - Emailed: 46 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

Christian clergy openly acknowledge that Jesus never called himself “son of God,” however they claim that others did. This too has an answer.

Investigating the manuscripts that make up the New Testament, one finds that the alleged “sonship” of Jesus is based upon the mistranslation of two Greek words—pais and huios, both of which are translated as “son.” However, this translation appears disingenuous. The Greek word paisderives from the Hebrew ebed, which bears the primary meaning of servant, or slave. Hence, the primary translation of pais theou is “servant of God,” with “child” or “son of God” being an extravagant embellishment. According to theTheological Dictionary of the New Testament, “The Hebrew original of pais in the phrase pais theou, i.e., ebed, carries a stress on personal relationship and has first the sense of ‘slave.’”[1] This is all the more interesting because it dovetails perfectly with the prophecy of Isaiah 42:1, upheld in Matthew 12:18: “Behold, My servant [i.e., from the Greek pais] whom I have chosen, My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased …”

Whether a person reads the King James Version, New King James Version, New Revised Standard Version, or New International Version, the word is “servant” in all cases. Considering that the purpose of revelation is to make the truth of God clear, one might think this passage an unsightly mole on the face of the doctrine of divine sonship. After all, what better place for God to have declared Jesus His son? What better place to have said, “Behold, My son whom I have begotten …”? But He didn’t say that. For that matter, the doctrine lacks biblical support in the recorded words of both Jesus and God, and there is good reason to wonder why. Unless, that is, Jesus was nothing more than the servant of God this passage describes.

Regarding the religious use of the word ebed, “The term serves as an expression of humility used by the righteous before God.”[2] Furthermore, “After 100 B.C. pais theou more often means “servant of God,” as when applied to Moses, the prophets, or the three children (Bar. 1:20; 2:20; Dan. 9:35).”[3] A person can easily get into doctrinal quicksand: “Of eight instances of this phrase, one refers to Israel (Lk. 1:54), two refer to David (Lk 1:69; Acts 4:25), and the other five to Jesus (Mt. 12:18; Acts 3:13, 26; 4:27, 30)…. In the few instances in which Jesus is called pais theou we obviously have early tradition.”[4] So Jesus did not have exclusive rights to this term, and where it was employed the term “obviously” stemmed from “early tradition.” Furthermore, the translation, if impartial, should identify all individuals to whom the phrase was applied in similar manner. Such, however, has not been the case. Whereas pais has been translated “servant” in reference to David (Acts 4:25 and Luke 1:69) and Israel (Luke 1:54), it is translated “Son” or “holy child” in reference to Jesus (Acts 3:13; 3:26; 4:27; 4:30). Such preferential treatment is canonically consistent, but logically flawed.

Lastly an interesting, if not key, religious parallel is uncovered: “Thus the Greek phrase pais tou theou, ‘servant of God,’ has exactly the same connotation as the Muslim name Abdallah—the ‘servant of Allah.’”[5] The symmetry is all the more shocking, for the Holy Qur’an relates Jesus as having identified himself as just this—Abdallah (abd being Arabic for slave or servant, Abd-Allah [also spelled “Abdullah”] meaning slave or servant of Allah). According to the story, when Mary returned to her family with the newborn Jesus, they accused her of being unchaste. Speaking from the cradle in a miracle that gave credence to his claims, baby Jesus defended his mother’s virtue with the words, “Inni Abdullah …” which means, “I am indeed a servant of Allah …” (TMQ 19:30) Translation of the New Testament Greek huios to “son” (in the literal meaning of the word) is similarly flawed. On page 1210 of Kittel and Friedrich’s Theological Dictionary of the New

Testament, the meaning of huiosjourneys from the literal (Jesus the son of Mary), to mildly metaphorical (believers as sons of the king [Matt. 17:25-26]), to politely metaphorical (God’s elect being sons of Abraham [Luke 19:9]), to colloquially metaphorical (believers as God’s sons [Matt. 7:9 and Heb 12:5]), to spiritually metaphorical (students as sons of the Pharisees [Matt. 12:27, Acts 23:6]), to biologically metaphorical (as in John 19:26, where Jesus describes his favorite disciple to Mary as “her son”), to blindingly metaphorical as “sons of the kingdom” (Matt.

8:12), “sons of peace” (Luke. 10:6), “sons of light” (Luke. 16:8), and of everything from “sons of this world” (Luke 16:8) to “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). It is as if this misunderstood word for “son” is waving a big sign on which is painted in bold letters: METAPHOR! Or, as Stanton eloquently puts it, “Most scholars agree that the Aramaic or Hebrew word behind ‘son’ is ‘servant.’ So as the Spirit descends on Jesus at his baptism, Jesus is addressed by the voice from heaven in terms of Isaiah 42:1: ‘Behold my servant … my chosen … I have put my Spirit upon him.’ So although Mark 1:11 and 9:7 affirm that Jesus is called

by God to a special messianic task, the emphasis is on Jesus’ role as the anointed servant, rather than as Son of God.”[6] Copyright © 2007 Laurence B. Brown; used by permission.

The above excerpt is taken from Dr. Brown’s forthcoming book, MisGod’ed, which is expected to be published along with its sequel, God’ed. Both books can be viewed on Dr. Brown’s website, www.LevelTruth.com. Dr. Brown can be contacted at BrownL38@yahoo.com

Footnotes: [1] Kittel, Gerhard and Gerhard Friedrich. p. 763.

[2] Kittel, Gerhard and Gerhard Friedrich. p. 763.

[3] Kittel, Gerhard and Gerhard Friedrich. p. 765.

[4] Kittel, Gerhard and Gerhard Friedrich. p. 767.

[5] Carmichael, Joel. pp. 255-6.

[6] Stanton, Graham N. p. 225.

Jesus’ Greatest Commandment Description: A commandment that, if kept, will make one be not far from the Kingdom of God.

By Imam Kamil Mufti Published on 16 Jan 2006 - Last modified on 04 Jan 2015 Viewed: 38655 (daily average: 11) - Rating: 4 out of 5 - Rated by: 53 Printed: 1264 - Emailed: 71 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus The man was a teacher. He taught the Law of Moses. He was impressed to see Jesus answering the questions of hypocrites and heretics with wisdom: "One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’"

He felt it was his opportunity to ask Jesus, the Great Teacher, what was the most important commandment, how he can be saved, enter life and the Kingdom of God.

Now, we need to shed all our biases, everything we have been taught in Sunday schools, and all the teachings of mortal men. All who love Jesus should let him talk: "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’"

A great answer to a great question: accept the Lord our God is One, love Him, and worship Him to the best of your ability.

Jesus was not finished. He had more to teach. Obviously Jesus was teaching the man everything he needed to get into the Kingdom of God. Jesus added: "…The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

The Great Teacher further clarified: "There is no commandment greater than these."

The man who questioned Jesus repeated the commandments to make sure he got them right: Mark 12:32 "‘Well said, teacher,’ the man replied. ‘You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him…’"

Jesus seeing the man had learned the greatest commandment correctly gave him the good news: Mark 12:34 "When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’" There are some significant lessons in this story: First, Jesus taught the man more than he asked, yet he did not say he is the son of God, or the Savior sent to redeem mankind of its sins. He did not say anything remotely similar to what people are instructed to repeat to be ‘born again’ in Christ, "You should individually receive me, accept me as the Son of God, your personal Lord and Savior who will die on the cross for your sins and will rise from the dead. Let the Holy Spirit fill you…"

Take what Jesus said and leave what people have added.

Second, salvation depends on this commandment. Jesus made it clear when another man approached Jesus to learn from him (Mark 10:17-29). The man fell on his knees and said to Jesus: Mark 10:17-18 "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus replied: "Why do you call me good? No one is good — except God alone."

Third, Jesus confirmed there is no commandment greater than these. In case, someone might think the greatest commandment changed afterwards, Jesus told us: Matthew 5:17-19 "For assuredly, I say to you, till the heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one title will by no mean pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Fourth, anyone who loves Jesus and wants to enter life must keep the greatest commandment of Jesus as he said: John 14:15 "If you love me, keep my commandments."

Matthew 19:17 "If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

Fifth, a sincere Christian should accept what Jesus said without twisting his words or finding hidden meaning in them. Jesus taught exactly what Moses taught some 2,000 years before him: Deuteronomy 6:4-5 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

Jesus, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, taught the same eternal truth ALL the prophets of God taught to their people: God is One, worship Him alone.

Deuteronomy 6:13 "Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name."

Deuteronomy 5:7 "You shall have no other God besides Me." Isaiah 43:11 "I even, I am your Lord and besides Me, there is no Savior."

Hosea 13:4 "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no savior except me."

Psalms 95:6-7 "O come, let us bow down and worship, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker. For we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His voice and He is our God." Jesus emphasized this teaching to Satan as well: Matthew 4:10 "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only."

Sixth, the Quran confirms the greatest commandment of Jesus. The Quran teaches us exactly that God sent all the prophets with the same teaching: to worship the One true God alone. "…And your God is One God: there is no god but He…" (Quran 2:163) "And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him..." (Quran 17:23) "And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad) but We revealed to him (saying): ‘none has the right to be worshipped but I, so worship Me.’" (Quran 21:25) Seventh, on the Day of Resurrection, the Quran tells us that God will ask Jesus: "And [beware the Day] when God will say, ‘O Jesus, Son of Mary, did you say to the people, ‘Take me and my mother as gods besides God?...’" (Quran 5:116)

Jesus will respond: "He will say, ‘Limitless are You in Your glory! It was not for me to say that to which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself. Verily, it is You alone who fully knows all the things that are beyond the reach of a created being’s perception. I said not to them except what you commanded me – to worship God, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You alone had been their keeper:’ for You are witness unto everything. If You should punish them – indeed they are Your servants; but if You forgive them – indeed it is You who is the Exalted in Might, the Wise." (Quran 5:116118)

Religious Mysteries 101 – The Crucifixion Description: An analytical look into the basis and proofs for themysterious crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

By Laurence B. Brown, MD Published on 22 Sep 2008 - Last modified on 04 Nov 2012 Viewed: 34519 (daily average: 13) - Rating: 4 out of 5 - Rated by: 44 Printed: 893 - Emailed: 52 - Commented on: 1 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > The Bible

Of all the Christian mysteries, none rank as highly as the concept of Christ’s crucifixion and atoning sacrifice. In fact, Christians base their salvation on this one tenet of faith. And if it really happened, shouldn’t we all?

If it really happened, that is.

Now, I don’t know about you, but the concept of Jesus Christ having atoned for the sins of mankind sounds pretty good to me. And shouldn’t it? I mean, if we can trust that someone else atoned for all of our sins, and we can go to heaven on that concept alone, shouldn’t we instantly close on that deal?

If it really happened, that is.

So let’s check this out. We’re told Jesus Christ was crucified. But then again, we’re told a lot of things that later prove to be doubtful or even untrue, so it would be reassuring if we could verify the fact.

So let’s ask the witnesses. Let’s ask the gospel authors.

Umm, one problem. We don’t know who the authors were. This is a less popular Christian mystery (i.e., waaay less popular) – the fact that all four gospels of the New Testament are anonymous.[1] Nobody knows who wrote them. Graham Stanton tells us, “The gospels, unlike most Graeco-Roman writings, are anonymous. The familiar headings which give the name of an author (‘The Gospel according to . . .’) were not part of the original manuscripts, for they were added only early in the second century.”[2] Added in the second century? By whom? Believe it or not, that is anonymous as well.

But let’s forget all that. After all, the four gospels are part of the Bible, so we must respect them as scripture, right?

Right?

Well, maybe not. After all, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible states, “It is safe to say that there is not one sentence in the NT in which the MS [manuscript] tradition is wholly uniform.”[3] Add to that Bart D. Ehrman’s now famous words, “Possibly it is easiest to put the matter in comparative terms: there are more differences in our manuscripts than there are words in the New Testament.”[4] Whoa. Hard to imagine. On one hand, we have Matthew, Mark, Luke and John telling us . . . oh, excuse me. I meant to say, we have Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous and Anonymous telling us . . . well, what? What do they tell us? That they can’t even agree on what Jesus wore, drank, did or said? After all, Matthew 27:28 tells us the Roman soldiers dressed Jesus with a scarlet robe. John 19:2 says it was purple. Matthew 27:34 says the Romans gave Jesus sour wine mingled with gall. Mark 15:23 says it was mixed with myrrh. Mark 15:25 tells us Jesus was crucified before the third hour, but John 19:14–15 says it was “about the sixth hour.” Luke 23:46 says Jesus’ last words were “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit,” but John 19:30: says they were “It is finished!”

Now, wait a minute. Jesus’ righteous followers would have hung on his every word. On the other hand, Mark 14:50 tells us that all the disciples deserted Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. But okay, some people – not disciples, I guess, but some people (anonymous, of course) – hung on his every word, hoping for some parting words of wisdom, and they heard . . . different things?

Believe it or not, after this point, the gospel records become even more inconsistent.

Following the alleged resurrection, we hardly find a single issue the four gospels (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20) agree upon. For example: Who went to the tomb?

Matthew: “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” Mark: “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome” Luke: “The women who had come with him from Galilee” and “certain other women” John: “Mary Magdalene” Why did they go to the tomb?

Matthew: “To see the tomb” Mark: They “brought spices, that they might come and anoint him” Luke: They “brought spices” John: no reason given Was there an earthquake (something nobody in the vicinity would be likely to either miss or forget)?

Matthew: Yes Mark: no mention Luke: no mention John: no mention Did an angel descend? (I mean, come on, guys – an angel? Are we to believe that three of you somehow missed this part?)

Matthew: Yes Mark: no mention Luke: no mention

John: no mention Who rolled back the stone?

Matthew: The angel (the one the other three anonymouses – now, let’s see, would that be “anonymouses” or “anonymice”? – didn’t see) Mark: unknown Luke: unknown John: unknown Who was at the tomb?

Matthew: “an angel” Mark: “a young man” Luke: “two men” John: “two angels” Where were they?

Matthew: The angel was sitting on the stone, outside the tomb.

Mark: The young man was in the tomb, “sitting on the right side.”

Luke: The two men were inside the tomb, standing beside them.

John: The two angels were “sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.”

By whom and where was Jesus first seen?

Matthew: Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary,” on the road to tell the disciples.

Mark: Mary Magdalene only, no mention where.

Luke: Two of the disciples, en route to “a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.”

John: Mary Magdalene, outside the tomb.

So where does this leave us, if not wondering whose idea of scripture this is?

But, hey, Christians tell us Jesus had to die for our sins. A typical conversation might go something like this: Monotheist: Oh. So you believe God died?

Trinitarian: No, no, perish the thought. Only the man died.

Monotheist: In that case, the sacrifice didn’t need to be divine, if only the man-part died.

Trinitarian: No, no, no. The man-part died, but Jesus/God had to suffer on the cross to atone for our sins.

Monotheist: What do you mean “had to”? God doesn’t “have to” anything.

Trinitarian: God needed a sacrifice and a human wouldn’t do. God needed a sacrifice big enough to atone for the sins of humankind, so He sent His only begotten son.

Monotheist: Then we have a different concept of God. The God I believe in doesn’t have needs. My God never wants to do something but can’t because He needs something to make it possible. My God never says, “Gee, I want to do this, but I can’t. First I need this certain something. Let’s see, where can I find it?” In that scenario God would be dependent upon whatever entity could satisfy His needs. In other words, God would have to have a higher god. For a strict monotheist that’s just not possible, for God is One, supreme, self-sufficient, the source of all creation. Humankind has needs, God doesn’t. We need His guidance, mercy and forgiveness, but He doesn’t need anything in exchange. He may desire servitude and worship, but he doesn’t need it.

Trinitarian: But that’s the point; God tells us to worship Him, and we do that through prayer. But God is pure and holy, and humankind are sinners. We can’t approach God directly because of the impurity of our sins. Hence, we need an intercessor to pray through.

Monotheist: Question—did Jesus sin?

Trinitarian: Nope, he was sinless.

Monotheist: How pure was he?

Trinitarian: Jesus? 100% pure. He was God/Son of God, so he was 100% holy.

Monotheist: But then we can’t approach Jesus any more than we can God, by your criterion. Your premise is that humankind can’t pray directly to God because of the incompatibility of sinful man and the purity of anything 100% holy. If Jesus was 100% holy, then he’s no more approachable than God. On the other hand, if Jesus wasn’t 100% holy, then he was himself tainted and couldn’t approach God directly, much less be God, the Son of God, or partner with God. A fair analogy might be that of going to meet a supremely righteous man—the holiest person alive, holiness radiating from his being, oozing from his pores. So we go to see him, but are told the “saint” won’t agree to the meeting. In fact, he can’t stand to be in the same room with a sin-tainted mortal. We can talk with his receptionist, but the saint himself? Fat chance! He’s much too holy to sit with us lesser beings. So what do we think now? Does he sound holy, or crazy?

Common sense tells us holy people are approachable—the holier, the more approachable. So why should humankind need an intermediary between us and God? And why would God demand the sacrifice of what Christians propose to be “His only begotten son” when, according to Hosea 6:6, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” This lesson was worthy of two New Testament mentions, the first in Matthew 9:13, the second in Matthew 12:7. Why, then, are clergy teaching that Jesus had to be sacrificed? And if he was sent for this purpose, why did he pray to be saved?

Perhaps Jesus’ prayer is explained by Hebrews 5:7, which states that because Jesus was a righteous man, God answered his prayer to be saved from death: “In the days of his flesh, Jesus

offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (Hebrews 5:7, NRSV). Now, what does “God heard his prayer” mean—that God heard it loud and clear and ignored it? No, it means God answered his prayer. It certainly can’t mean that God heard and refused the prayer, for then the phrase “because of his reverent submission” would be nonsensical, along the lines of, “God heard his prayer and refused it because he was a righteous man.”

Hm. So wouldn’t that suggest that Jesus might not have been crucified in the first place?

But let’s back up and ask ourselves, why do we have to believe to be saved? On one hand, original sin is held to be binding, whether we believe in it or not. On the other hand, salvation is held to be conditional upon acceptance (i.e., belief) of the crucifixion and atonement of Jesus. In the first case, belief is held to be irrelevant; in the second, it’s required. The question arises, “Did Jesus pay the price or not?” If he paid the price, then our sins are forgiven, whether we believe or not. If he didn’t pay the price, it doesn’t matter either way. Lastly, forgiveness doesn’t have a price. A person can’t forgive another’s debt and still demand repayment. The argument that God forgives, but only if given a sacrifice He says He doesn’t want in the first place (see Hosea 6:6, Matthew 9:13 and 12:7) drags a wing and cartwheels down the runway of rational analysis. From where, then, does the formula come? According to scripture (the aforementioned anonymous scripture lacking manuscript uniformity), it’s not from Jesus. Furthermore, the Christian formula for salvation hinges off the concept of original sin, and we have to ask ourselves why we should believe that concept if we can’t substantiate the rest of the Christian formula.

But that is a different discussion.

Signed, Anonymous (Just Kidding)

Copyright © 2008 Laurence B. Brown—used by permission.

The author’s website is www.leveltruth.com. He is the author of two books of comparative religion entitled MisGod’ed and God’ed, as well as the Islamic primer, Bearing True Witness. All of his books are available through Amazon.com.

Footnotes: [1] Ehrman, Bart D. Lost Christianities. p. 3, 235. Also, see Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. p. 49.

[2] Stanton, Graham N. p. 19.

[3] Buttrick, George Arthur (Ed.). 1962 (1996 Print). The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. Volume 4. Nashville: Abingdon Press. pp. 594–595 (Under Text, NT).

[4] Ibid., The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. p. 12

Jesus in Islam (part 1 of 3) Description: The first of a three-part article discussing the Islamic concept of Jesus: Part 1: His birth and miracles.

By M. Abdulsalam (© 2006 IslamReligion.com) Published on 16 Jan 2006 - Last modified on 12 Nov 2013 Viewed: 153373 (daily average: 42) - Rating: 3.8 out of 5 - Rated by: 48

Printed: 2607 - Emailed: 100 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

The Islamic view of Jesus lies between two extremes. The Jews, who rejected Jesus as a prophet, called him an imposter, while the Christians, on the other hand, considered him to be the son of God and worship him as such. Islam considers Jesus to be one of the greatest and most forbearing of prophets, in addition to Noah, Abraham, Moses and Muhammad, peace be upon them. Jesus is also considered to be the Messiah as well. This is in conformity with the Islamic view of the Oneness of God, the Oneness of Divine guidance, and the complementary role of the subsequent mission of God’s messengers.

The message of God to humanity, which is to worship God and God alone and to live according to His instruction, was revealed to Adam (peace be upon him), who passed it on to his children. All the subsequent revelations to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and, finally, Muhammad are in conformity with that message. Thus, Islam views any contradictions among revealed religions as man-made elements introduced into these religions. The position of Jesus in the three major creedsJudaism, Christianity, and Islam- is not an exception.

Although the Quran does not present a detailed life-story of Jesus, it highlights the important aspects of his birth, his mission, his ascension to heaven. It also passes judgment on the Christian and Jewish beliefs concerning him. We will look at some of the truths which God revealed about Jesus in the Quran.

Born of a Virgin Mother Like Christians, Muslims believe that Mary, Maria in Spanish, or Maryam as she is called in Arabic, was a chaste, virgin woman, who miraculously gave birth to Jesus. Jesus’ birth in itself was a miracle in that he had no father. God describes his birth in the Quran as follows: “And mention in the Book (the Quran), Mary, when she withdrew in seclusion from her family to a place facing east. She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her a spirit from Us, (the angel Gabriel), and he appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects. She said: ‘Verily, I seek refuge with the Most Gracious (God) from you, if you do fear God.’ (The angel) said: ‘I am only a messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a righteous son.’ She said: ‘How can I have a son, when no man hath touched me, nor am I unchaste?’ He said: ‘So (it will be), your Lord said That is easy for Me (God): And (We wish) to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us (God), and it is a matter (already) decreed (by God).’” (Quran 19:16-21) This fact, however, does not necessitate that Jesus is divine in essence or spirit, nor is he worthy of worship, for Adam’s existence was more miraculous than that of Jesus. If his miraculous birth were a proof that Jesus was God incarnate or His son, then Adam would have more right over this divinity than him. Rather, both are prophets who were inspired with revelation from God Almighty, and both were servants to Him living according to His commandments.

“Indeed, the likeness of Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then He said to him: ‘Be!’ and he was.’” (Quran 3:59)

Miracles Muslims, like Christians believe that Jesus performed miracles. These miracles were performed by the will and permission of God, Who has power and control over all things.

“Then will God say: ‘O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favor to you and to your mother. Behold! I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit (the angel Gabriel) so that you did speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught you the Book and Wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel. And behold: you make out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and you breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by My leave, and you heal those born blind, and the lepers by My leave. And behold! You bring forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to you) when you did show them the Clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: ‘This is nothing but evident magic.’” (Quran 5:110) God sent all prophets with miracles specific to the nation to whom they were sent to prove the veracity of their message. These miracles were not performed of their own accord; rather, they were only manifest in their hands by God's will. The miracles performed by Jesus were no different. The Jews were well advanced in the field of medicine, and the miracles which Jesus brought were of this nature, proving the truth of His message and in order to convince the Jews.

Jesus in Islam (part 2 of 3)

Description: The second of a three part article discussing the Islamic concept of Jesus: Part 2: The question of his divinity and mission.

By M. Abdulsalam (© 2006 IslamReligion.com) Published on 16 Jan 2006 - Last modified on 04 Oct 2009 Viewed: 75016 (daily average: 21) - Rating: 3.8 out of 5 - Rated by: 26 Printed: 1962 - Emailed: 23 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

His Divinity Muslims believe in the Absolute Oneness of God, Who is a Supreme Being free of human limitations, needs and wants. He has no partners in His Divinity. He is the Creator of everything and is completely separate from His creation, and all worship is to be directed towards Him alone.

This was the same message brought by all prophets of God, including Jesus. He never claimed any qualities of divinity, nor did he claim that he deserved to be worshipped. He did not say that he was the “son” of God or part of the “Trinity”, but rather that he was only a servant of God sent to the Jews to bring them back to the true religion, worshipping One God and following his instruction. The majority of the verses in the Quran which mention Jesus discuss this aspect. They prove that he was only taken as an object of worship as a result of lies which people invented against him. It confirms accounts of his life where Jesus himself clearly denies that he deserved any worship, and it supports the notion that the parables and examples which God has given showed his mortal nature, not his divinity or filial relationship to God. God narrates of Jesus in the Quran: “They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘God is the Messiah, the son of Mary’ while the Messiah has said, ‘O Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord...’” (Quran 5:72) God says about the belief that Jesus is part of a “Trinity”: “They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘God is the third of three.’ (Rather) there is none worthy of worship except One (God). And if they do not desist from what they are saying, there will surely afflict the disbelievers among them a painful punishment. So will they not repent to God and seek His forgiveness? And God is Forgiving and Merciful. The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger before whom many Messengers have

passed away; and his mother adhered wholly to truthfulness, and they both ate food (as other mortals do). See how We make Our signs clear to them; and see where they are turning away!”

(Quran 5:73-75) And also: “O People of the Book (Jews and Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, and attribute to God nothing except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God, and His command that He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and in His Messengers, and do not say: ‘God is a Trinity.’ Give up this assertion; it would be better for you. For God is indeed (the only) One God. Far be it from His glory that He should have a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth. And God is sufficient for a guardian.” (Quran 4:171) God deems this belief as an enormity against His Essence: “And they say: ‘The Most Merciful (God) has taken (for Himself) a son.’ Assuredly you utter a hideous thing, whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins; That they ascribe unto the Most Merciful a son, when it is not suitable for (the Majesty of) the Most Merciful that He should take a son. There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Merciful as a slave.” (Quran 19:88-93) On the Day of Judgment, Jesus again will free himself from this false attribution. God gives us a glimpse of what he will say when he is asked about why people worshipped him: “And (beware the Day) when God will say, “O Jesus, Son of Mary, did you say to the people,

‘Take me and my mother as deities besides God?’” He will say, ‘Exalted are You! It was not for me to say that to which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself. Indeed, it is You who is Knower of the unseen. I said not to them except what you commanded me – to worship God, my Lord and your Lord…’” (Quran 5:116-117) In these verses, God proclaims that ascribing to Jesus the attribute 'son of God' or 'part of a Trinity' is indeed a great blasphemy. The reason for this returns to the key fundamental assertion that God is Unique and unlike any of his creation; as well as in His Essence, He is Unique in His Divinity, His Attributes and His Lordship. All of the above make up the strict monotheism which He revealed in His Scriptures, from them the first of the Ten Commandments: “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:1-3) Ascribing a son to God is in clear opposition to that principle for which He created the Creation and sent prophets. God says in the Quran: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Quran 51:56) He also said: “And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, (saying), ‘Worship God and avoid all false objects of worship…’” (Quran 16:36) His Mission As discussed earlier, the Quran clearly affirms that Jesus was a prophet, as well as the fact that he was no more than that. Prophets are indeed the best of creation. They are those whom God chooses to receive His revelation, yet at the same

time, they are mere emissaries of God and do not deserve to receive worship. Jesus, as mentioned in the Quran, is no different than any of them in this respect.

Throughout the Quran, Jesus is identified fundamentally as a prophet of God sent to the Jews who had over time deviated from the teachings of Moses and other messengers.

“And (remember) when Jesus, son of Mary, said: ‘O Children of Israel, I am the Messenger of God sent to you, confirming the Torah (which came) before me...’” (Quran 61:6) Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, was the last in the line of Jewish prophets. He lived according to the Torah, the Law of Moses, and taught his followers to do likewise. In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus stated: “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the (way of) the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

In this aspect, he and his message was no different than the previous prophets chosen by God, who all called to the worship of God and God alone, as well as to obedience to His commandments. As he was miraculously supported by God in his conception, birth, and childhood, he was also supported by numerous miracles to prove that he was a messenger from God. However, the majority of the Jews rejected his prophethood.

Not only did Jesus affirm the scriptures revealed before him, but he also foretold of another prophet to come after him. God says: “And when Jesus, son of Mary, said: ‘O Children of Israel! Indeed I am the messenger of God unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bringing good tidings of a messenger who will come after me, whose name is the Praised One.’” (Quran 61:6)

This fact is also mentioned in the New Testament. Careful study shows that Jesus, peace be upon him, refers to the same prophet in John 14:16-17: “And I will give you another Counselor (the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him), to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth.”

Jesus in Islam (part 3 of 3) Description: The final part of a three-part article discussing the Islamic concept of Jesus: Part 3: His crucifixion and second coming.

By M. Abdulsalam (© 2006 IslamReligion.com) Published on 16 Jan 2006 - Last modified on 04 Oct 2009 Viewed: 61957 (daily average: 17) - Rating: 4 out of 5 - Rated by: 47 Printed: 1967 - Emailed: 109 - Commented on: 1 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

His Crucifixion God clarified in the Quran that Jesus was not crucified; rather, it was made to seem that way to the Jews, and that God raised him to the Heavens. The Quran does not explain, though, who was the person crucified instead of Jesus, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him. “…They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but (another) was made to resemble him to them…” (Quran 4:157) “God lifted him up to His presence. God is Almighty, All-Wise.” (Quran 4:158) As such, Islam denies that Jesus came to this earth with the purpose of sacrificing himself for the sin of Adam, Eve, and the rest of humanity, freeing them from its burden. Islam strictly rejects the notion that any person bears the sin of another. God says: “No bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another.” (Quran 39:7) Also, Islam stresses the notion that God is able to and forgive all sins, if a person truly repents and then refrains from repeating it. God does not need any blood sacrifice for that, let alone descend in the form of man himself and die for every man's sins. Rather, God’s mercy extends to all creatures, believers and disbelievers alike. The door to forgiveness is open to anyone who seeks it.

The Second Coming of Christ As Christians do, Muslims also believe in the return of Jesus the Messiah to earth, although his role and reason for his return does differ from what the Christians propose. He will return to earth first and foremost to prove his mortality and refute the false beliefs people held about him. He will live a normal life, marry, and also die as any other human. At that point, the matter will be

clear concerning him, and all people will have believed that he was truly mortal.

“There is not one of the People of the Scripture but will believe in him (Jesus) before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them.” (Quran 4: 159) Jesus will also fight the false Christ, who will call people to the belief that he is God, and who will appear just before he returns. Jesus will defeat the antichrist, and all people will accept the true religion of God. The world will see a type of peace and serenity unfelt in history, all worshipping the same God, subservient to Him alone, and at peace with one another.

Conclusion What has preceded was just a brief introduction to the truth which God revealed about Jesus in His final Book, the Quran, which he revealed to Muhammad. There is only One God who created one race of human beings and communicated to them one message: submission to the worship of God and God alone and following His instruction – known in Arabic as Islam. That message was conveyed to the first human beings on this earth, and reaffirmed by all of the prophets of God who came after them throughout all the ages.

Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, performed miracles and invited the Israelites to the same message of submission (Islam) as did all of the prophets who preceded him. He was not God, nor was he the ‘Son of God’, but was the Messiah, an illustrious prophet of God. Jesus did not invite people to worship himself; rather, he called them to worship God, Whom he himself worshipped. He confirmed the laws of the Torah which Prophet Moses taught; he lived by them, and instructed his disciples to follow them to the finest detail, after allowing those things which the Jews made illegal upon themselves. Before his departure, he informed his followers of the last prophet, Muhammad of Arabia, who would come after him, and instructed them to observe his teachings.

In the generations after Jesus’ departure from this world, his teachings were distorted and he was elevated to the status of God. Six centuries later, with the coming of Prophet Muhammad, the truth about Jesus Christ was finally retold and preserved eternally in the last book of divine revelation, the Quran. Furthermore, many of the laws of Moses, which Jesus followed, were revived in their pure and unadulterated form and implemented in the divinely prescribed way of life known as Islam, while many other aspects and injunctions of the laws which had been brought by the earlier prophets were lightened or dropped altogether.

Consequently, the reality of the prophets, their uniform message, and the way of life which they followed, can only be found preserved in the religion of Islam, the only religion prescribed by God for man. Furthermore, only Muslims today actually follow Jesus and his true teachings. Their way of life is much more in tune with the way of life Jesus practiced than any of the modern day “Christians.” Love and respect of Jesus Christ is an article of faith in Islam, and God stressed the importance of belief in Jesus in numerous places in the Quran.

Da Vinci Code Broken?

Description: An Islamic answer to the controversy stirred by the famed, “Da Vinci Code.”

By islamcode.com (edited by IslamRelgion.com) Published on 23 Oct 2006 - Last modified on 10 Feb 2007 Viewed: 26612 (daily average: 8) - Rating: 4.3 out of 5 - Rated by: 57 Printed: 884 - Emailed: 32 - Commented on: 3 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

The Da Vinci Code controversy – It’s everywhere! Dan Brown's book claims Jesus in not divine or God, and the gospels as we know them, have been changed, and after Jesus’ stay here on earth, men raised his status to the level of God. Could any of this be true?

Ancient secrets of the Church, hidden for centuries have actually been revealed and published in books prior to the fictional writings of Brown in the “Da Vinci Code”. Baigent and Leigh have produced other books from researcher’s point of view over the last two decades, including “Dead Sea Scrolls Deception”, “Holy Blood, Holy Grail”, and “Messianic Legacy.” These books were the talk of the religious communities when they came out in the early 90's, and certainly they have fueled an ongoing interest into just exactly who was this man Jesus, what was his message and what happened to him?

Islam claims to “break the code” so to speak, over 1,400 years ago. The answer, according to Muslim scholars has been in the Quran for over fourteen hundred years Some may be surprised to learn, Muslims believe in the miracle birth and other miracles associated with Jesus. They actually consider him as the “Messiah” and they even say, “peace be upon him” when mentioning his name. However, they are quick to negate any connection between God and Jesus as a partnership or God-head, and they rule out the notion of God having any son (or daughter for that matter).

Here is how Muslim scholars present their understanding and “break the code”:

How Muslim scholars “broke the code” Creation itself tells us there is a creator and from the beginning of time – Allah, (the One God in Arabic) alone is to be worshiped. This is clear teaching throughout the Old Testament (Torah), the scriptures that Jesus himself affirmed as a revelation of God. God is one not one of three; for example: ‘He is God; there is no other besides Him’. (Deuteronomy 4:35). The same is mentioned in the book of Mark in the New Testament, chapter 12, verse 29, when Jesus, peace be upon him, had been asked about the Greatest Commandment he replied, “To know, O Israel, the Lord your God is One Lord; and you have to love Him with all your heart and all your mind and all your strength.”

According to the oldest and most authentic copies of manuscripts and scrolls available throughout the centuries, Jesus, peace be upon him, never claimed to be God, or the creator, or the One to pray to, nor did he tell his followers to revere him as God. These notions appear on the lips of others who came along decades and even centuries later.

While Jesus was on earth he did not claim to be the creator or ask us to revere him as God. His miraculous birth is a sign of his prophethood: “Verily, the likeness of Jesus before God, is the likeness of Adam. He (God) created him from dust and said “Be!” and he was.” (Quran 3:59) Like all the great and noble prophets of God such as Adam, Abraham, Moses, Isaac and David, Jesus came with one message: Worship, love, obey and submit to the one true God, the creator of everything and do not worship anything besides Him. Throughout history, people have taken to worship things or people alongside God, or just worshiping something else like power, status or money. Even the names of religions seem have more to do with the creation and less or nothing to do with the Creator. For example: Buddhism – Buddha (the name of a man),

Confucianism – Confucius (the name of a man), Hinduism – Hind (the name of an area), Judaism – Judah (the name of a tribe) and Christianity – Christ (the name of a great prophet).

Islam is different. Islam is a word derived from the verb aslama, and it carries the meaning of “surrender”, “submission”, “obedience”, “sincerity” and “peace” between one and Almighty God and not to any human or anything within creation. Anyone who practices Islam submits to and worships Allah, alone without any partners of any kind.

The Quran states: “There is only One God then have reverence for Me and fear Me (and Me alone). To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and on earth, and to Him is duty due always: then will ye fear other than God?” (Quran 16:51-52) Isn’t it time you join Jesus, the son of Mary, along with all of the other Prophets of God and practice the “Submission to the Will of God” (Islam)?

Or simply put: “Worship the Creator - and not His Creations!”

Is Jesus God? (part 1 of 4) Play article audio Download audio Description: The first in a four part series discussing the biblical evidence that Jesus is not God.

By IslamReligion.com Published on 16 Jan 2006 - Last modified on 06 Jul 2014 Viewed: 62932 (daily average: 17) - Rating: 3.8 out of 5 - Rated by: 33

Printed: 2070 - Emailed: 53 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

1.

The Bible Says that God is not Man The Bible says: Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man…"

Hosea 11:9 "...For I am God, and not man..."

Jesus is called a man many times in the Bible: John 8:40 "…a man who has told you the truth…"

Acts 2:22 "Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know."

Acts 17:31 "He will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom He has appointed" 1.Tim. 2:5 "…the man Christ Jesus."

God is not a man, but Jesus, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, was a man, therefore, Jesus was not God. 2.

The Bible Says that God Is Not a Son of Man Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man...nor a son of man…"

The Bible often calls Jesus "a son of man" or "the son of man."

Matthew 12:40 "…so will the son of man be…"

Matthew 16:27 "For the son of man is going to come…"

Matthew 28 "…until they see the son of man coming in His kingdom."

Mark 2:10 "But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority…"

John 5:27 "…because He is the son of man."

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the "son of man" is also used many times speaking of people (Job 25:6; Psalm 80:17; 144:3; Ezekiel 2:1; 2:3; 2:6; 2:8; 3:1; 3:3; 3:4; 3:10; 3:17; 3:25).

Since God would not contradict Himself by first saying He is not the son of a man, then becoming a human being who was called "the son of man", he would not have done so. Remember God is not the author of confusion. Also, human beings, including Jesus, are called "son of man" specifically to distinguish them from God, who is not a "son of man" according to the Bible.

3.

The Bible Says that Jesus Denied He is God

Luke 18:19 Jesus spoke to a man who had called him "good," asking him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone."

Matthew 19:17 And he said to him, "Why are you asking me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."

Jesus did not teach people that he was God. If Jesus had been telling people that he was God, he would have complimented the man. Instead, Jesus rebuked him, denying he was good, that is, Jesus denied he was God. 4.

The Bible Says that God is Greater than Jesus John 14:28 "My Father is greater than I." John 10:29 "My father is greater than all."

Jesus can not be God if God is greater than him. The Christian belief that the Father and son are equal is in direct contrast to the clear words from Jesus.

5.

Jesus Never Instructed His Disciples to Worship Himself or the Holy Ghost, but God and God Only Luke 11:2 "When you pray, say Our Father which art in heaven."

John 16:23 "In that day, you shall ask me nothing. Whatsoever you ask of the Father in my name."

John 4:23 "The hour cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him."

If Jesus was God, he would have sought worship for himself. Since he didn’t, instead he sought worship for God in the heavens, therefore, he was not God. 6.

The Bible Says that Jesus Recognized, Prayed, & Worshipped the Only True God Jesus prayed to God with the words: John 17:3 "…that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

Jesus prayed to God all night: Luke 6:12 "he continued all night in prayer to God." …because: Matthew 20:28: "Just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve."

How did Jesus pray to God? Matthew 26:39: "he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father."

Even Paul said: Hebrews 5:7 "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission."

Who was Jesus praying to when he fell on his face with loud cries and petitions? Was it himself? Was Jesus crying in tears to himself pleading to be saved from death? No man, sane or insane, prays to himself! Surely the answer must be a resounding ‘No.’ Jesus was praying to "the only true God." Jesus was the servant of the One Who sent him. Can there be a clearer proof that Jesus was not God? The Quran confirms that Jesus called for the worship of the Only True God: "Truly, God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him (alone). This is the straight path."

(Quran 3:51)

Is Jesus God? (part 2 of 4) Play article audio Download audio Description: The second in a four part series discussing the biblical evidence that Jesus is not God.

By IslamReligion.com Published on 16 Jan 2006 - Last modified on 06 Jul 2014 Viewed: 38697 (daily average: 11) - Rating: 3.7 out of 5 - Rated by: 17 Printed: 1832 - Emailed: 14 - Commented on: 2 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

7.

The Bible says that the disciples did not believe Jesus was God The Acts of the Apostles in the Bible details the activity of the disciples over a period of thirty years after Jesus, may the mercy

and blessings of God be upon him, was raised to heaven. Throughout this period, they never referred to Jesus as God. For instance Peter stood up with the eleven disciples and addressed a crowd saying: Acts 2:22 "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know."

For Peter, Jesus was a servant of God (confirmed in Matthew 12:18): Acts 3:13 "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus."

Acts 3:26 "God raised up his servant..."

When faced by opposition from the authorities, Peter said: Acts 5:29-30 "We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus..."

The disciples prayed to God just as they were commanded by Jesus in Luke 11:2, and considered Jesus to be God’s servant, Acts 4:24 "...they raised their voices together in prayer to God. ‘Sovereign Lord,’ they said, ‘you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.’"

Acts 4:27 "...your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed."

Acts 4:30 "…of Your holy servant Jesus."

This is exactly what the Quran states of Jesus: Quran 19: 30 "…I am indeed a servant of God." 8.

The Bible says that Jesus was God’s servant, chosen one, and beloved Matt. 12:18 "Behold, My servant, whom I have chosen, in whom My soul is well pleased."

Since Jesus is God’s servant, Jesus can not be God.

9.

The Bible says that Jesus could not Do Anything by Himself John 5:19 "The son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing."

John 5:30 "I can of mine own self do nothing."

Jesus did not consider himself equal with God, rather he denied doing anything by himself.

10. The Bible says that God performed miracles through Jesus & Jesus was limited in what he could do Matt. 9:8 "But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men."

Acts 2:22 "a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst."

Acts 10:38 "…he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." If Christ was God, the Bible would simply say that Jesus did the miracles himself without making reference to God. The fact that it was God supplying the power for the miracles shows that God is greater than Jesus.

Also, Jesus was limited in performing miracles. One time when Jesus tried to heal a blind man, the man was not healed after the first attempt, and Jesus had to try a second time (Mark 8:22-26). Once a woman was healed of her incurable bleeding. The woman came up behind him and touched his cloak, and she was immediately healed. But Jesus had no idea who touched him: Mark 5:30 "At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’"

Mark 6:5 "He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them."

Quite obviously, someone with such limitations can not be God. The power of miracles was not within Jesus.

11. The Bible says that at times of weakness angels strengthened Jesus; God, however, does not need to be strengthened Luke 22:43 "An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him [in the garden of Gethsemane]."

Mark 1:13 "And he was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to him."

Men need to be strengthened; God does not because God is All-Powerful. If Jesus had to be strengthened, he must not be God. 12. The Bible says that Jesus wanted God’s will to be done, not his own Luke 22:42: "not my will but Yours be done."

John 5:30 "I do not seek my own will, but the will of Him who sent me."

John 6:38 "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me."

Are some members of the coequal Trinity subservient, and less than equal, to other members? Even though they have different wills ("I do not seek my own will"), do they obey without question the others’ commands ("the will of Him who sent me")? Jesus admits to subordinating his own distinct will, yet according to the Trinitarian doctrine they should all have the same will. Should one of the triune partners have to forgo his own will in favor of the will of another member of the Trinity? Should not they all have the exact same will?

13. The Bible says Jesus regarded God’s testimony as separate from his own Jesus regarded himself and God as two, not "one."

John 8:17 and 18: "I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father."

John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."

If Jesus was God, He would not have regarded God’s testimony as separate from his own.

Is Jesus God? (part 3 of 4) Play article audio Download audio Description: The third in a four part series discussing the biblical evidence that Jesus is not God.

By IslamReligion.com Published on 16 Jan 2006 - Last modified on 30 Apr 2014 Viewed: 44668 (daily average: 12) - Rating: 3.6 out of 5 - Rated by: 15 Printed: 1791 - Emailed: 8 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

14. The Bible says that Jesus is subordinate to God 1 Corinthians 11:3 “Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” 1 Corinthians 15:28 “When he has done this, then the son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.”

Since Jesus was subordinate to God, he was not God. 15. The Bible says that Jesus grew in wisdom & learning, but God is All Wise & does not (need to) learn Jesus grew in wisdom, but God is all wise: Psalms 147:5 “Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.”

Luke 2:52: “And Jesus increased in wisdom.”

God does not need to learn, but Jesus learned.

Heb. 5:8 “Although he was a son, he learned obedience…”

16. The Bible says that Jesus had limited knowledge, but god’s knowledge is infinite Mark 13:32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, but only the Father.”

Since Jesus, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, did not know, he was not all-knowing, and therefore, he cannot be the God whose knowledge is all-encompassing.

17. The Bible says that Jesus was tempted, but God cannot be tempted Heb. 4:15 “tempted in every way—just as we are” James 1:13 “for God cannot be tempted by evil” Since God can not be tempted, but Jesus was, therefore, Jesus was not God. 18. The Bible says that Jesus’ teachings were from God, NOT Jesus himself John 7:16 “So Jesus answered them and said, "My teaching is not mine, but His who sent me.”

Jesus could not have said this if he were God because the doctrine would have been his.

19.

The Bible says that Jesus died, but God cannot die

The Bible teaches that Jesus died. God cannot die. Romans 1:23 and other verses say that God is immortal. Immortal means, “not subject to death.” This term applies only to God. 20.

The Bible says that Jesus lived because of God

John 6:57 “I live because of the Father.”

Jesus cannot be God because he depended on God for his own existence.

21.

The Bible says that Jesus’ powers were given to him

Matt 28:18 “All power is given unto me.”

God is all-powerful, no one gives God His powers, otherwise He would not be God because He would be weak. Therefore, Jesus could not be God. 22. The Bible says that Jesus was taught & commanded by God John 8:28 “As my Father hath taught me, I speak these things,”

John 12:49 “The Father, who sent me, he gave me a commandment.”

John 15:10 “I have kept my Father’s commandments.”

No one can teach God, otherwise God cannot be All-Knowing and would owe His teacher. Since Jesus was taught and commanded by God, Jesus cannot be God himself. The teacher and the student, the commander and the commanded are not one.

23.

Bible says that God made Jesus “Lord”

Acts 2:36 “God has made this Jesus... both Lord and Christ.”

“Lord” is used in many ways in the Bible, and others beside God and Jesus are called “Lord.” For example: 1) property owners (Matt. 20:8) 2) heads of households (Mark 13:35) 3) slave owners (Matt. 10:24) 4) husbands (1 Pet. 3:6) 5) a son called his father Lord (Matt. 21:30) 6) the Roman Emperor was called Lord (Acts 25:26) 7) Roman authorities were called Lord (Matt. 27:63) “Lord” is not the same as “God.” “Lord” (the Greek word is kurios) is a masculine title of respect and nobility used many times in the Bible. If Jesus were God, then for the Bible to say he was “made” Lord would make no sense.

24.

The Bible says that Jesus was lower than angels

Hebrews 2:9 “But we do see him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus.”

God, the Creator of angels, can not be lower than His own creation, but Jesus was. Therefore, Jesus was not God. 25.

The Bible says that Jesus called the Father “my God”

Matt. 27:46 “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”

John 20:17 “I ascend to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.” Rev. 3:12 “… the temple of my God… the name of my God… the city of my God… comes down out of heaven from my God.” Jesus did not think of himself as God, instead Jesus’ God is the same as ours.

26.

The Bible says that God cannot be seen, but Jesus was

John 1:18 “no man has seen God at any time.”

Is Jesus God? (part 4 of 4) Play article audio Download audio Description: The finale of a four part series discussing the biblical evidence that Jesus is not God.

By IslamReligion.com Published on 16 Jan 2006 - Last modified on 16 Sep 2014 Viewed: 33618 (daily average: 9) - Rating: 3.7 out of 5 - Rated by: 16 Printed: 2386 - Emailed: 54 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

27. The Bible says twice that Jesus was accused of being God, but he denied it According to the Bible, on only two instances the Jews opposed Jesus on the basis that he pretended to be God or equal with God. Had Jesus, may the mercy of God be upon him, claimed to be God, he is likely to have been opposed on this basis more frequently. Because in these two instances, when charged, in the one case, with making himself God, and in the other, with

making himself equal with God, he denied the charges. In reply to the charge of being an equal with God, he says immediately: John 5:19, 30 “The son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do”; and directly after: “I can of mine own self do nothing.”

In answer to the charge of making himself God, he appeals to the Jews in substance thus: Your own Scriptures call Moses a god, and your magistrates gods; I am surely not inferior to them, yet I did not call myself God, but only the “son” of God (John 10:34-36).

This is unlikely to have been Jesus’ actual response. Hastings in “The Dictionary of the Bible” says, “Whether Jesus used it of himself is doubtful.” Grolier’s encyclopedia, under the heading “Jesus Christ,” says, “it is uncertain whether the Father/Son language (Mark 18:32; Matt. 11:25-27 par.; John passim) goes back to Jesus himself.” A University of Richmond professor, Dr. Robert Alley, after considerable research into newly found ancient documents concludes that: “....The (Biblical) passages where Jesus talks about the Son of God are later additions.... what the church said about him. Such a claim of deity for himself would not have been consistent with his entire lifestyle as we can reconstruct. For the first three decades after Jesus’ death Christianity continued as a sect within Judaism. The first three decades of the existence of the church were within the synagogue. That would have been beyond belief if they (the followers) had boldly proclaimed the deity of Jesus.”

Assuming Jesus did say that he was “son” of God. What did it mean? We first need to know the language of his people, the language of the Jews to whom he was speaking.

First, most people think there are no other verses that contradict or give equal divine sonship to other persons in the Old or New Testament. But according to the Bible God had quite a few “sons”: Adam,[1] Jacob is God’s son and firstborn,[2] Solomon[3], Ephraim[4] is God’s firstborn,

common people are called the sons of God.[5] All four Gospels record Jesus as saying, “Blessed are the peace-makers; they will be called sons of God.” The word “son” cannot be accepted literally because in the Bible, God apparently addresses many of his chosen servants as “son” and “sons.” The Hebrews believed God is One, and had neither wife nor children in any literal sense. Therefore, it is obvious the expression “son of God” merely meant “Servant of God”; one who, because of faithful service, was close and dear to God as a son is to his father. Christians who came from a Greek or Roman background, later misused this term. In their heritage, “son of God” signified an incarnation of a god or someone born of a physical union between male and female gods. This can be seen in Acts 14: 11-13, where we read that when Paul and Barnabas preached in a city of Turkey, pagans claimed they were gods incarnate. They called Barnabas the Roman god Zeus, and Paul the Roman god Hermes.

Furthermore, the New Testament Greek word translated as “son” are “pias” and “paida” which mean “servant,” or “son in the sense of servant.” These are translated to “son” in reference to Jesus and “servant” in reference to all others in some translations of the Bible. So, consistent with other verses, Jesus was merely saying that he is God’s servant.

Additional Problems with Trinity To a Christian, God had to take human form to understand temptation and human suffering, but the concept is not based on any clear words of Jesus. In contrast, God does not need to be tempted and suffer in order to be able to understand and forgive man’s sins, for He is the all knowing Creator of man. This is expressed in the verse: Exodus 3:7 “And the Lord said: ‘I have surely seen the affliction of My people that are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters; for I know their pains.’”

God forgave sin before Jesus’ appearance, and He continues to forgive without any assistance. When a believer sins, he may

come before God in sincere repentance to receive forgiveness. Indeed, the offer to humble oneself before God and be saved is made to all humankind.

Isaiah 45:21-22, “And there is no God else beside Me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside Me. Look to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.”

Biblically, people can receive forgiveness of sins through sincere repentance sought directly from God. This is true at all times and in all places. There has never been a need for the socalled intercessionary role Jesus plays in attaining atonement. The facts speak for themselves. There is no truth to the Christian belief that Jesus died for our sins and salvation is only through Jesus. What about the salvation of people before Jesus? Jesus’ death brings neither atonement from sin, nor is it in any way a fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

Christians claim that in the birth of Jesus, there occurred the miracle of the incarnation of God in the form of a human being. To say that God became truly a human being invites a number of questions. Let us ask the following about the manGod Jesus. What happened to his foreskin after his circumcision (Luke 2:21)? Did it ascend to heaven, or did it decompose as with any human piece of flesh? During his lifetime what happened to his hair, nails, and blood shed from wounds? Did the cells of his body die as in ordinary human beings? If his body did not function in a truly human way, he could not be truly human as well as truly God. Yet, if his body functioned exactly in a human way, this would nullify any claim to divinity. It would be impossible for any part of God, even if incarnate, to decompose in any way and still be considered God. The everlasting, one God, in whole or in part, does not die, disintegrate, or decompose: Malachi 3:6 “For I the Lord do not change.”

Did Jesus’ flesh dwell in safety after his death? Unless Jesus’ body never underwent “decay” during his lifetime he could not

be God, but if it did not undergo “decay” then he was not truly human.

Footnotes: [1] “Adam, which was the son of God.” (Luke 3:38) [2] “Israel is my son, even my firstborn.” (Exodus 4:22) [3] “I will be his father, and he shall be my son.” (2 Samuel 7:1314) [4] “for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.”

(Jeremiah 31:9) [5] “Ye are the children of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 14:1)

The Descriptive Titles of Jesus in the Quran (part 1 of 2): “The Messiah” and “a Miracle” Description: A discussion of the name, titles, and description of Jesus in the Quran. Part 1: A look at the concept of the Messiah in the Judeo-Christian thought as well as Islam, and the title “Miracle” which God gives to Jesus in the Quran.

By Imam Kamil Mufti Published on 06 Mar 2006 - Last modified on 04 Jan 2015 Viewed: 45224 (daily average: 13) - Rating: 4.1 out of 5 - Rated by: 8 Printed: 1306 - Emailed: 10 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

Islam, besides Christianity, is the only major world religion that recognizes Jesus. A Muslim’s belief is incomplete without Jesus. Prophet Muhammad said: "If anyone testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, and that Jesus is God’s servant and His Messenger and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit from Him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, God will admit him into Paradise with the deeds which he has done even if those deeds were few."[1] In other words, without sound belief in Jesus, one can never earn God’s Paradise. As with other prophets of God, Muslims add to his name, alai his-salam, which means, ‘Peace be upon him.’[2] Even though Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you,"[3] in the Gospel, Christians rarely use any honorific term but ‘Christ’, and this as part of his name. Though this may be due to the idea that the Christian does not pray for him, but to him, it shows that Muslims have a great deal of respect for him despite not sharing such a viewpoint.

Quran is the sacred scripture of Islam, and in it, more than ninety verses spread across fifteen chapters of the Quran discuss Jesus. Three chapters of the Quran are named after their reference to Jesus: the third chapter of Quran, ‘The Family of Imran,’ is named after the father of Mary; the fifth chapter, ‘The Table,’ is likely named after the last supper. Lastly, the nineteenth chapter is named after Mary.

His Name in the Quran In Arabic, Jesus is known as Eesa. In sixteen of the 25 places in the Quran where Eesa is used, he is called "the son of Mary"

(Ibn Maryam). Since he had no father, he was named so after his mother.[4] The Descriptive Titles of Jesus in the Quran: (1)

The Messiah

Prior to the appearance of Jesus, belief in the coming of the Messiah has been a basic and fundamental part of traditional Judaism. It is part of Maimonides’ Thirteen Articles of Faith which are considered the minimum requirements of Jewish belief.[5] In the Shemoneh Esrei prayer[6], recited three times daily, modern Jewry prays for the Messiah who will be their king from the line of David to come and restore the glories of its golden age. In Hebrew, ‘Messiah’ means the ‘anointed one.’ It is interesting to note that the Old Testament prophecy emphasizes the humanity of the Messiah by referring to him as the "son of man" (Daniel 7: 13)[7] and not God. The ideology of the Messiah has a central position in Christian theology. According to the Bible, Jesus claimed to be the expected Messiah of the Jews (John 4:25-26)[8], but they rejected him. Therefore, Christians apply ‘Christ’ - the Greek word for ‘Messiah’ - to Jesus. In addition, they also maintain the Messiah will be the son of God. The Quran corrects Jews and Christians in their excesses. It considers the Jews to be in the right in believing the Messiah to be human, but equates their rejection of Jesus to disbelief, "And (We cursed them) for their disbelief… and their boastful claim: Indeed, we have killed the [so-called] Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of God. And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him." (Quran 4:156-157) On the other hand, the Quran agrees with the Christians who identify Jesus to be the Messiah, but considers their insistence that the Messiah is the son of God to be blasphemy:

"Indeed, they are unbelievers who say, ‘God is the Messiah, the son of Mary.’" (Quran 5:72) The truth, according to the Quran, is that: "The Messiah, son of Mary, was no other than a messenger; messengers before him had indeed passed away." (Quran 5:75) Furthermore, the Quran states that the Messiah called to the worship of "the true God" like all the prophets before him: "But the Messiah said, ‘O Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord.’" (Quran 5:72) The Quran refers to Jesus as the Messiah (al-Maseeh) at least nine times.[9] One of the explanations given by Muslim lexicographers is that Jesus was the Messiah because he anointed the eyes of the blind to cure them (Quran 3:43; Mark 6:13; James 5:14), or because he used to lay hands on the sick.

(2)

Sign

The Quran describes Jesus to be a ‘Sign,’ an aayah in the Quran. In the terminology of the Quran a miracle is a ‘sign’ of God to display divine might and unrestricted ability to do acts outside the chain of cause and effect. In this sense, the virgin birth of Jesus is a miracle; a wonderful show of God’s mighty power to do as He pleases. Therefore, Jesus is a ‘sign’ not only to the Israelites but to the entire world: "And We made the son of Mary and his mother as a Sign." (Quran 23:50) "…We may make him a sign to men..." (Quran 19:21) "and We made her and her son a sign for all peoples." (Quran 21:91) In addition, the Quran declares Jesus’ second coming to be a ‘sign,’ an announcement that the Judgment Day is coming

close, "And indeed, Jesus will be a sign for the Hour (of Judgment), so have no doubt about it, and follow Me. This is a straight path." (Quran 43:61)

Footnotes: [1] Saheeh Al-Bukhari [2] This is the ‘literal’ meaning. The most knowledgeable scholars have interpreted it to mean, ‘may God keep him safe from all evil ’.

[3] John 14:27 [4] The Bible refers to Jesus as the ‘son of Mary’ as well (Mark 6:3): "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary…"

[5] "12. I firmly believe in the coming of the Messiah; and although He may tarry, I daily hope for His coming." The Jewish Encyclopedia (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com)> [6] "Give us understanding, O Eternal, our God, to know Thy ways, and circumcise our hearts to fear Thee; and do Thou pardon us that we may be redeemed. And remove from us bodily pain; and fatten us with the fertility of Thy land; and our dispersed ones from the four corners of the earth do Thou gather together; and they that go astray against the knowledge of Thee shall be judged; and upon the evil-doers do Thou lift up Thy hand: but may the righteous rejoice in the building of Thy city, and in the refounding of Thy Temple, and in the sprouting up of a horn unto David Thy servant, and in the preparing of a light for Jesse's son, Thy Messiah. Before we call Thou wilt answer.

Blessed be Thou, O Eternal, who hearest prayer". The Jewish Encyclopedia (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com).

[7] "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him."

[8] "(6) The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’ (7) Then Jesus declared, ‘I who speak to you am he.’ " [9] Quran 3: 45, 4: 157, 171, 172, 5: 17, 72, 75; 9: 30, 31.

The Descriptive Titles of Jesus in the Quran (part 2 of 2): A “Word” and “Spirit” from God Description: A discussion of the name, titles, and description of Jesus in the Quran. Part 2: A look at the some of the other titles given to Jesus, such as a “word”, a “spirit”, “mercy”, and others.

By Imam Kamil Mufti Published on 06 Mar 2006 - Last modified on 04 Jan 2015 Viewed: 56128 (daily average: 16) - Rating: 3.8 out of 5 - Rated by: 9 Printed: 1424 - Emailed: 14 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

(3)

"Word" from God

Jesus is referred to as a "Word" from God in three passages in the Quran. No other prophet has been described with such a title. "…O Mary! Behold, God gives you good news of a word from Him, who shall become known as the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary..." (Quran 3:45) "…The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of God, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary..." (Quran 4:171)

"…God gives you good news of (a son whose name is) John, (who comes) to confirm a word from God…" (Quran 3:39) Christians believe that in the first chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus is identified as "the Word" (logos in Greek) incarnated, or made flesh. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth..."

The Christian idea of the logos is completely different from the simple Islamic understanding of the ‘Word.’ The idea of the Greek logos may be traced back at least to the 6th century BC philosopher, Heracleitus. He proposed that there was a logos in the cosmic process analogous to the reasoning power in man. The Greek speaking Jewish philosopher, Judaeus Philo of Alexandria (15 BC - 45 CE), taught that the logos was the intermediary between God and the cosmos. The writings of Philo were preserved and cherished by the Church, and provided the inspiration for a sophisticated Christian philosophical theology. "The identification of Jesus with the logos… was further developed in the early church but more on the basis of Greek philosophical ideas than on Old Testament motifs. This development was dictated by attempts made by early Christian theologians and apologists to express the Christian faith in terms that would be intelligible to the Hellenistic world and to impress their hearers with the view that Christianity was superior to, or heir to, all that was best in pagan philosophy."[1] Islam provides a clear explanation of how Jesus was a "Word" from God. But first the process of human procreation must be understood. The Might of God is behind everything. Whenever God decides to do something, like giving life or causing death, He says the word "Be" and it happens, "It is He who gives life and causes death; and when He decrees a matter, He but says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is." (Quran 40:68)

The first step in human procreation is the biological union between male and female reproductive cells in addition to the will of God. Since Jesus was born without a father, he was not conceived by the male sperm cells. Instead his creation, similar to Adam, is solely attributed to the Word of God, ‘Be.’ God says: "Indeed the likeness of Jesus to God as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was." (Quran 3:59) The Quran gives details of Jesus’ conception. Mary was not impregnated by a man. Angel Gabriel, referred to in the Quran as the Spirit, brought the soul of Jesus – his soul was created by God like other human souls - to breathe it into Mary. On seeing the angel, she expressed with surprise, "‘My Lord,’ said Mary, how shall I have a son when no man has ever touched me?" (Quran 3:47) The angel answered, "Thus it is: God creates what He wills: When he decrees a matter, He only says to it: ‘Be,’ and it is." (Quran 3:47) Gabriel then blew the soul of Jesus into Mary, "so We blew into it (her womb) through Our angel." (Quran 66:12) In essence, Jesus is God’s ‘Word’ because he came into existence by God’s Word - ‘Be’ - as the Quran describes in another passage, "His word which He conveyed unto Mary..." (Quran 4:171) (4)

"Spirit" from God

In the Quran, God attributes certain creations to Himself as a means of respect and honor. For example, God calls the sacred mosque in Mecca "My House" as a means of veneration. God says: "And We enjoined Abraham and Ishmael saying: ‘PurifyMy House for those who circumambulate (it), and those who abide (in it)

for devotion, and those who bow down (and) those who prostrate themselves." (Quran 2:125) The Quran describes Jesus to be a ‘Spirit’ proceeding from God: "We breathed into her (Mary) from My Spirit."

(Quran 21:91) "…a Spirit created by Him."(Quran 4:171) "We blew into (her womb) through Our angel."

(Quran 66:12) Jesus was a spirit, or more correctly, a soul created by God, brought by Gabriel, a mighty angel of God, and breathed into Mary: "We blew into (her womb from her garment) through Our angel." (Quran 66:12) Jesus was not a ‘part,’ ‘person,’ or ‘activity’ of God that separated and dwelled inside Mary. He is called a ‘Spirit’ from God as a symbol of respect and honor, not divinity.

Likewise, God also gives Adam this characteristic of being His spirit. God said when He ordered the angels to prostrate to Adam upon his creation.: "So, when I have fashioned him (Adam) completely and breathed into him (Adam) the soul which I created for him, then fall down prostrating yourselves unto him." (Quran 38:72) Indeed Jesus is given an honored status in the Quran and is has been given certain titles and descriptions not given to other prophets, but this in no way should cause a person to believe that Jesus was anything other than mortal. This can be summarized in the following verse in which God says: "O People of the Book (the Jews and the Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, and do not speak (lies) against God, but (speak) the truth; the Messiah, Jesus, the son of

Mary, is only a messenger of God and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit from Him; believe therefore in God and His messengers, and say not, ‘Three’. Desist, it is better for you; Indeed God is only one diety; far be it from His glory that He should have a son, To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and God is All-Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs." (Quran 4:171)

Footnotes: [1] "logos." Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. (http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9048773)

Trinitarian Verses (part 1 of 4): “A Child Will Be Born To Us…Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” Description: A discussion of the various passages in which Christians seek to prove the Trinitarian nature of God. Part 1: Isaiah 9:6.

By IslamReligion.com Published on 13 Mar 2006 - Last modified on 02 Nov 2008 Viewed: 34615 (daily average: 10) - Rating: 3.3 out of 5 - Rated by: 17 Printed: 1449 - Emailed: 11 - Commented on: 1 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Christianity

There are several key verses which Christians use to prove the biblical origin of the Trinity. Upon analysis of these verses, one can clearly see that they do not prove the Trinity, but rather the same monotheistic message of God. One of the most frequently cited passages from the Bible is Isaiah 9:6-7, from which Christians conclude that the Messiah must be God incarnate. The passage states: “or a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore the zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”

That Isaiah 9:6 has been misinterpreted can be seen from the fact that Jesus is never called the “Eternal Father” anywhere else in Bible. Since the Trinitarian doctrine teaches that Christians should “neither confound the Persons nor divide the Substance” (Athanasian Creed), how can the Trinitarians accept that Jesus is the “Eternal Father”? Let us consider additional facts impartially.

First, all the Hebrew verb forms in Isaiah 9:6 are in the past tense. For example, the word which the Christian Bibles render as “his name will be called” is the two words ‘vayikra shemo,’ which properly translated, should read “his name was called.” The word “vayikra” is the first word to appear in the book of Leviticus (1:1), and it is translated properly over there – in the past tense. In addition, the King James Version translates the same verbs elsewhere in the past tense in Genesis 4:26 and

Isaiah 5:25. Only in Isaiah 9:6-7 are these verbs translated in the future tense!

Notice that it says “a child HAS been born to us.” This is an event that has just occurred, not a future event. Isaiah is not making a prophecy, but recounting history. A future event would say a child will be born to us, but this is NOT what the verse says. The Christian translations capitalize the word ‘son’assuming that this is a messianic prophecy and the names of a divine son.

Second, the two letter word “is”, is usually not stated in Hebrew. Rather,“is” is understood. For example, the words “hakelev” (the dog) and “gadol” (big), when joined into a sentence - hakelev gadol - means “the dog IS big,” even though no Hebrew word in that sentence represents the word “is.” A more accurate translation of the name of that child, then, would be “A wonderful counselor is the mighty God, the everlasting father ...”. This name describes God, not the person who carries the name. The name Isaiah itself means “God is salvation,” but no one believes the prophet himself is God in a human body!

Third, the phrase “Mighty God” is a poor translation according to some biblical scholars. Although English makes a clear distinction between “God” and “god,” the Hebrew language, which has only capital letters, cannot. The Hebrew word “God” had a much wider range of application than it does in English. Some suggest a better translation for the English reader would be “mighty hero,” or “divine hero.” Both Martin Luther and James Moffatt translated the phrase as “divine hero” in their Bibles.

Fourth, according to the New Testament, Jesus was never called any of these names in his lifetime.

Fifth, if Isaiah 9:6 is taken to refer to Jesus, then Jesus is the Father! And this is against the Trinitarian doctrine.

Sixth, the fact that the New Testament does not quote this passage shows that even the New Testament authors didn’t take this verse to be in reference to Jesus.

Seventh, the passage is talking about the wonders performed by the Lord for Hezekiah, king of Judah. Preceding verses in Isaiah 9 talk of a great military triumph by Israel over its enemies. At the time Isaiah is said to have written this passage, God had just delivered King Hezekiah and Jerusalem from a siege laid by the Assyrians under General Sennacherib. The deliverance is said to have been accomplished in spectacular fashion: an angel went into the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers while they slept. When Sennacherib awoke to find his army decimated, he and the remaining soldiers fled, where he was assassinated by his own sons (Isaiah 37:36-38). Chapters 36 and 37 of Isaiah recount how Hezekiah stood firm in the face of Sennacherib’s vast army and his blasphemous words against the God. When all seemed lost, Hezekiah continued to trust in the Lord, and for this he was rewarded with a miraculous victory. It is interesting to note that the statement, “the zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this,” found at the end of Isaiah 9:7, is found in only two other places in the Bible: Isaiah 37:32 and 2 Kings 19:31. Both these passages discuss the miraculous deliverance of Hezekiah by God. Therefore, in light of the above, Isaiah is recounting God’s defense of Jerusalem during the Assyrian siege. Furthermore, Soncino’s commentary says the chapter is about the fall of Assyria and the announcement of the birth of Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz.

Trinitarian Verses (part 2 of 4): “His Name Shall Be Immanuel” Description: A discussion of the various passages in which Christians seek to prove the Trinitarian nature of God. Part 2: Is

the name Immanuel a proof that Jesus is God?

By IslamReligion.com Published on 13 Mar 2006 - Last modified on 06 May 2014 Viewed: 30359 (daily average: 8) - Rating: 4.2 out of 5 - Rated by: 11 Printed: 1333 - Emailed: 7 - Commented on: 1 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Christianity The Hebrew name “Immanuel” can be translated as, “God with us” or “God is with us.” Some people believe, based on Isaiah 7:14, that because Jesus would be called “Immanuel,” he must be God incarnate. Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23 are often read around Christmas. They are read as follows: Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

Matthew 1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

First, the prophesy states that his name will be Immanuel.”

It does not say that “he will be Immanuel.”

Second, Mary never called her child “Immanuel” as required by the prophecy. According to the Bible, she named him Jesus following instructions by the angel of God. Matthew 1:25 “but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a son; and he called His name Jesus.”

Luke 1:30-31 “The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.”

Third, when read in context, the birth and naming of the child Immanuel was to be a sign for king Ahaz that God was with his

people who were about to be invaded by two rival kingdoms (Isa 7:10-16). The promise was fulfilled by God (2 Kings 16:9). The name “God is with us,” means that God will support us.[1] The name makes perfect sense if the child’s name was supposed to indicate to King Ahaz that God was on his side.

Isa 7:10-16 “Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.’ But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.’ Then Isaiah said, ‘Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.”

2 Kings 16:9 The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir and put Rezin to death.

Fourth, Isaiah 7:14 in actual Hebrew does not say a virgin would give birth but that a young woman would conceive. The Hebrew word almah, used in Isaiah 7:14 means young woman or maiden, not a virgin. The Hebrew word for virgin is b’tulah. The RSV (Revised Standard Version) Bible is one of the few Christian Bibles that used the translation ‘young woman’ instead of replacing it with the word ‘virgin.’

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Imman’u-el.

Fifth, when something is “called” a certain name, it does not mean that the thing is literally what it is called. Symbolic names are frequently used by Hebrews in the Bible. Many names would cause great problems if taken literally. Jerusalem is called “the Lord our Righteousness,” and Jerusalem is obviously not God

(Jer. 33:16). In Genesis 32:30, we are told that Jacob called a piece of land “Face of God.” Abraham called the mountain on which he was about to sacrifice Ishmael “the Lord will provide,” yet no one would believe that the mountain was God. Similarly, no one would believe an altar was God, even if Moses called it that: “Moses built an altar and called it ‘the Lord is my Banner’” (Ex. 17:15). Would Christians believe that Elijah was “God Jehovah,” or that Bithiah, a daughter of Pharaoh, was the sister of Jesus because her name means “daughter of Jehovah?” Do Christians believe that Dibri, not Jesus, was the “Promise of Jehovah,” or that Eliab was the real Messiah since his name means “My God (is my) father?” Similarly, would they say that Jesus Bar-Abbas, who avoided crucifixion by being set free (Mat. 27:15-26)[2], was the son of God because his name meant “Jesus, son of his Father”? Of course not.

We can conclude that reading Jesus as the fruition of a prophecy in Isaiah is only due to Matthew quoting the prophecy, rather than people actually calling Jesus Immanuel in his lifetime. Furthermore, even if his name was Immanuel, the name does not necessarily reflect the fact, as can be seen from other names linked with God (in the Hebrew forms of El or Yah) belonging to other people. Making the claim that Immanuel means Jesus God in the flesh among His people is therefore merely an example of how the Trinitarian doctrine of incarnation was forced upon the message of Jesus by “bending” prophecies.

Footnotes: [1] “The name Immanuel could mean ‘God be with us’ in the sense ‘God help us.’ “Interpreter’s dictionary of the Bible, vol. 2, p. 686.

[2] The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible from the Westcott-Hort Greek Variants

Trinitarian Verses (part 3 of 4): Alpha and Omega Description: A discussion of the various passages in which Christians seek to prove the Trinitarian nature of God. Part 3: Who is Alpha and Omega, God, Jesus or both?

By IslamReligion.com Published on 13 Mar 2006 - Last modified on 24 Jul 2006 Viewed: 29182 (daily average: 8) - Rating: 3.8 out of 5 - Rated by: 10 Printed: 1344 - Emailed: 3 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Christianity Some people say that since the same titles – Alpha and Omega are used for both God and Jesus, this proves that they one and the same. It is further claimed that these expressions mean the eternity of the Father and the Son. Upon analysis, we see that this notion raises several problems.

Isaiah 44:6 “This is what the Lord says - Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.” Revelation 1:8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:11 “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:” Revelation 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

First, the Book of Revelation is an unreliable book. Early Christians and elders of the Church - Marcion, Caius of Rome, Dionysius of Alexandria, Amphilocius of Iconium, Gregory of

Nazianzus, Cyril of Jerusalem, Synod of Laodicea in 360 CE disputed it.[1] The author of the Revelation identifies himself as some unknown John, but probably not the apostle John because the style of the book is completely different from the Gospel of John.[2] Other than his name, very little is known about him. Martin Luther criticized this book. He wrote in the preface to Revelation, About this book of the Revelation of John, I leave everyone free to hold his own opinions. I would not have anyone bound to my opinion or judgment. I say what I feel. I miss more than one thing in this book, and it makes me consider it to be neither apostolic nor prophetic… Many of the fathers also rejected this book a long time ago… For me this is reason enough not to think highly of it: Christ is neither taught nor known in it.”[3] To this day, Lutheran scholars put the Revelation of John in a separate category of disputed books.

Second, Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Biblical scholars are not completely sure what the phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” means. It cannot be strictly literal, because neither God nor Jesus is a Greek letter. It is like saying God is ‘A’ and ‘Z’. Lenski concludes, “It is fruitless to search Jewish and pagan literature for the source of something that resembles this name Alpha and Omega. Nowhere is a person, to say nothing of a divine Person, called ‘Alpha and Omega’, or in Hebrew, ‘Aleph and Tau’.”[4] Although there is no evidence from the historical sources that anyone is named “the Alpha and Omega,” Bullinger says that the phrase “is a Hebraism, in common use among the ancient Jewish Commentators to designate the whole of anything from the beginning to the end; e.g., ‘Adam transgressed the whole law from Aleph to Tau’.”[5] The best scholarly minds have concluded that the phrase has something to do with starting and finishing something, or the entirety of something.

Third, the doctrine of Alpha and Omega is a sad and unfortunate example of mankind’s tampering with the Word of God. It shows how doctrine is contracted by men to justify false beliefs. The phrase “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last” (Revelation 1:11) which is found in the King James Version was not in the original Greek texts. Therefore, the Alpha Omega phrase is not found in virtually any ancient texts, nor is it mentioned, even as a footnote, in any modern translation!

Revelation 1:10-11 KJV “and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:” NIV “and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: ‘Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches’” NASB and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches:” ASV “and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven churches:” RSV “and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches” NAB (Catholic) “and heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet, which said, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches”

Footnotes: [1] Bible Research, an internet resource by Michael D. Marlowe. (http://www.bible-researcher.com/canon5.html)

[2] A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on The Revelation of St. John by R. H. Charles. T. & T. Clark, 1920 [3] Luther’s Works, vol 35 (St. Louis: Concordia, 1963), pp. 395399.

[4] R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Revelation (Augsburg Pub. House, Minneapolis, MN 1963), p. 51.

[5] E. W. Bullinger, Commentary on Revelation (Kregel Pub., Grand Rapids, MI, 1984), pp. 147 and 148.

Trinitarian Verses (part 4 of 4): Alpha and Omega Description: A discussion of the various passages in which Christians seek to prove the Trinitarian nature of God. Part 4: Who is Alpha and Omega, God, Jesus or both?

By IslamReligion.com Published on 13 Mar 2006 - Last modified on 12 Jul 2006 Viewed: 25338 (daily average: 7) - Rating: 3.9 out of 5 - Rated by: 11 Printed: 1474 - Emailed: 23 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Christianity Fourth, In the Book of Revelation 1:8, King James Version implies that Jesus said he was Alpha and Omega. Since God says He is Alpha and Omega in Isaiah 44:6, Jesus, according to Christians, is claiming divinity here. However, the wording of King James is inaccurate. Not only do all modern translations clarify it was God who said it, not Jesus, but the conveyor of the words is one of God’s angels.

Revelation 1:1-3

NRSV “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; He made it known by sending His angelto His servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near.”

With these corrections, it becomes evident that this was a statement of God and not a statement of Jesus, the Prophet of God. Revelation 1:8 KJV “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

NIV “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

NASB “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

ASV “I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

RSV ‘“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’

New American Bible (Catholic) “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.”

Fifth, Revelation 22:13 is part of the vision of an unknown John (not the author of the gospel) in which he claims a visitation by an angel, mentioned in Revelation 21:09.

NRSV “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’”

The angel is speaking from Revelation 22:10-13:

NRSV “And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy. See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’

Jesus did not say those words, not is there any indication they refer to him. Then passage continues in verses 14 and 15.

NRSV “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”

This does not appear to be Jesus Christ speaking because the appearance of the first person singular pronoun in 22:16 signals a shift in speaker. Therefore, Alpha and Omega in the passage refers to God Himself, speaking through the angel. This is born out by Revelation 21:5-7, which says: NRSV “And the One Who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also He said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.’”

What Jesus is reported as saying is, NRSV, Revelation 22:16; “‘It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’”

Therefore, for the sake of argument, should the saying “I am the Alpha and the Omega” actually pertain to other than Jesus, can one gamble personal salvation on a vision claimed by an

author whose identity is not clear, and whose book is disputed as being reliably canon?

Sixth, what is significant is not so much the use of this name, but the fact that God is always superior to Jesus when the Bible describes the relationship between God and Jesus as explained elsewhere.

We can see from this analysis that these verses which Christians use to prove that Jesus is the son of God cannot be used in proving the Trinity. Rather, an examination of the history of the theological development in Church philosophy will reveal that the Trinity was a concept developed much later in Christianity due to various socio-political factors, which later Christians sought to justify through various passages of the Bible.

The Miracles of Jesus Description: A look at some of the miracles of Jesus mentioned in the Quran, with a brief comparison with Christian sources.

By Imam Kamil Mufti Published on 22 May 2006 - Last modified on 04 Jan 2015 Viewed: 86267 (daily average: 24) - Rating: 4.1 out of 5 - Rated by: 38 Printed: 1035 - Emailed: 41 - Commented on: 1 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

Jesus in the Quran holds one of the highest statures amongst the Prophets. Unlike other Prophets who performed miracles, Jesus himself was a miracle, as he was born of a virgin mother, and God describes him and his mother Mary as such: "…and We made her (Mary) and her son (Jesus) a sign for the worlds." (Quran 21:91) Nonetheless, in the Quran, Jesus is described as having many miracles not bestowed upon other prophets. God says: "And We gave unto Jesus, son of Mary, clear miracles" (Quran 2:87) The following is a brief description of the miracles performed

by Jesus mentioned in the Quran.

1.

A Table Laden with Food

In the fifth chapter of the Quran, "The Table Laden with Food" – named after this miracle of Jesus, God narrates how the disciples of Jesus requested him to ask God to send down a table laden with food, and for it to be a special day of commemoration for them in the future.

"When the disciples said: O Jesus, son of Mary! Is your Lord able to send down for us a table spread with food from heaven? He said: Observe your duty to God, if ye are true believers. They said: We desire to eat of it and our hearts be at rest, and that We may know that you have spoken truth to us, and that We may be witnesses thereof. Jesus, son of Mary, said: 'O God, our Lord, send down for us a Table laden

with food out of heaven, that shall be for us a recurring festival, the first and last of us, and a miracle from You. And provide us our sustenance, for You are the best of providers!"

(Quran 5:112-114) Since the occasion was to be "for us a recurring festival," it is likely the Last Supper,[1] also called the Lord's Supper, Breaking of Bread, Eucharist, or Communion. The Eucharist has always been at the center of Christian worship. Encyclopedia Britannica says: "Eucharist is a Christian sacrament commemorating the action of Jesus at his Last Supper with his disciples … The letters of Paul and the Acts of the Apostles make it clear that early Christianity believed that this institution included a mandate to continue the celebration… The Eucharist has formed a central rite of Christian worship."[2] 2.

While Still in the Cradle

One of the miracles mentioned in the Quran, although not mentioned in the Bible, is that fact that Jesus, while still in the cradle, spoke out to protect his mother Mary from any accusations people may have placed on her due to having a child without a father. When she was approached about this strange incident after her childbirth, Mary merely pointed to Jesus, and he miraculously spoke, just as God had promised her upon annunciation.

"He shall speak to people while still in the cradle, and in manhood, and he shall be from the righteous." (Quran 3:46) Jesus said to the people: "I am indeed a slave of God. He has given me the Book and made me a Prophet, and He has made me blessed wherever I may be. And He has enjoined upon me prayers, and to pay the alms, as long as I live and (He has made me) kind

to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed. And may Peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and on the Day I shall be raised to life." (Quran 19:30-33) 3.

And It Becomes a Bird

God mentions a miracle given to none other in the Quran but Jesus, one which is quite parallel to how God himself created Adam. This miracle was one which none can argue its greatness. God mentions in the Quran that Jesus says: "I create for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird with God’s permission." (Quran 3:49) This miracle is not found in the New Testament, but it is found in the non-canonical ‘Infancy Gospel of Thomas,’ "When this boy, Jesus, was five years old, he was playing at the ford of a rushing stream… he then made soft clay and shaped it into twelve sparrows… but Jesus simply clapped his hands and shouted to the sparrows: "Be off, fly away, and remember me, you who are now alive!" And the sparrows took off and flew away noisily." (Infancy Gospel of Thomas:2) 4.

Healing the Blind and the Leper

Similar to the New Testament[3], The Quran also mentions Jesus to a have healed the blind and lepers.

"I also heal the blind and the leper." (Quran 3:49) The Jews during the time of Jesus were quite advanced in the science of medicine and were quite proud of their achievements. For this reason, miracles of this nature were given

by God to Jesus, ones which the Jews could well understand that no force in nature could perform its like.

5.

The Resurrection of the Dead "…and I bring to life the dead, by the permission of God." (Quran 3:49)

This, like the creation of a bird, was a miracle of incomparable nature, one which should have caused the Jews to believe in the prophethood of Jesus without doubt. In the New Testament, we read three cases where Jesus brought the dead back to life by God’s permission - the daughter of Jairus (Matt 9:18, 23; Mark 5:22, 35; Luke 8:40, 49), the widow's son at Nain (Luke 7:11), and Lazarus (John 11:43).

6.

The Provisions of Today and Tomorrow

Jesus was given the miracle of knowing what people had just eaten, as well as what they had in store for the coming days. God says.

"I inform you too of what things you eat, and what you store up in your houses. Surely in that is a sign for you, if you are believers." (Quran 3:49) A Demonstration of Truth Similar to other prophets, Jesus performed miracles to convince skeptics of his truthfulness, not to demonstrate his divinity. The Quran says: "Surely in that is a sign for you, if you are believers."

(Quran 3:49) These miracles were performed only by the Will of God, had he not willed them to occur, they could never come to be. God explicitly states this in the Quran, saying that they were: "…by the permission of God" (Quran 3:49; 5:10) Although Muslims can not confirm it, the Bible, through certain narrations, states that Jesus at times failed to perform miracles. Once when Jesus tried to heal a blind man, he was not

healed after the first attempt, and Jesus had to try a second time (Mark 8: 22-26). In another instance, "He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them."(Mark 6:5) The fact remains that indeed it was not through his own will that Jesus or any other prophet performed miracles. Rather, they were performed only by Will of God Almighty - a fact also explicitly stated in the Bible: "A man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through him in your midst."

(Acts 2:22)

Footnotes: [1] Matt. 26:17–29; Mark 14:12–25; Luke 22:7–38; I Cor. 11:23– 25 [2] "Eucharist." Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. (http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9033174) [3] Healing the blind (Matt 8:2, Mark 1:40, Luke 5:12, Luke 17:11), and the leper (Matt 9:27, Matt 8:22; 20:30, Mark 10:46, Luke 18:35, and John 9:1)

The Return of Jesus (part 1 of 5) Description: Similarities and differences about the second coming of Jesus between Christians and Muslims. The Messiah at the end of times according to Judaism.

By Jeremy Boulter (© 2006 IslamReligion.com) Published on 12 Jun 2006 - Last modified on 12 Nov 2013

Viewed: 75273 (daily average: 22) - Rating: 4.5 out of 5 - Rated by: 17 Printed: 2707 - Emailed: 12 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Both Islam and Christianity expect the return of Jesus at the end of times, and both expect trials and tribulations to occur at the time. Many of the themes of these trials are similar, but they are also very different in detail and definition. Both religions expect the nation of believers to be the final victors, but the Christian believes that these are defined as the believers in the Gospel of the New Testament and in Christ as ‘the Savior’ and ‘the Incarnation’ of God, whilst the Muslim knows that it refers to those who believe in the pure monotheism entailed in submission to the One and Only True God. The return of Jesus is preceded in both religions by signs, again similar in general description, but subtly different in detail. Both religions teach that the return of Jesus will be preceded by a great and powerful figure of falsehood and temptation, called the Maseeh ad-Dajjal (The False Messiah) by the Muslims and the Anti-Christ by the Christians. Before this event other signs that agree with each other include a general increase in immorality and fornication, murder and crime, and general lawlessness, debauchery and falling away from religion and true knowledge. Accompanying these signs of civil malaise will be internecine[1] wars, and natural disasters following closely one upon the other. The details and timings of these, however, are substantially different, even within particular faiths. How the Christian faith regards the second coming depends on the doctrinal view held. Four broad views are prominent: Historical and Dispensational Ante-millennialism, and Preterist Post and A-millennialism.[2]

Ante-millennialism[3] has two branches of interpretation. Both postulate that Jesus will come and then, after defeating the Anti-Christ, will rule the earth with the ‘elect’ for 1000 years before the evil souls are resurrected, and Satan is unbound in the resurrected Anti-Christ[4]. They differ significantly concerning the events around this second coming.

Dispensational Ante-millennialism While both agree that it will occur during a seven year period of Tribulation when the Anti-Christ reigns, one places the return of the Jews to Israel and the rebuilding of the temple during this seven year period, while the other holds that Jesus will reestablish Jerusalem as his Capital, rebuilding of the temple during his reign. The former determines that the past elect of Church will be raised to life before the tribulation starts, and then chosen to rule with the descended Jesus, while the righteous Jews will be resurrected along with heroes who stood against the Anti-Christ and died at the end of the tribulation, heralding his reign of peace and plenty. The latter holds that the ‘rapture’ of all the elect, these being all the dead saints of Christianity and the righteous of Judaism before the advent of Christ, will be at the second coming of Jesus, and will thereafter constitute, with their offspring, the deserving citizens of the millennium rule. When Satan is finally loosed in the resurrected Anti-Christ, a great battle will be fought with the minions of Satan and Satan, the false prophet, will be defeated and hurled into Hell, ushering in the end of the world. Here, again, the two branches differ. The Historicist sees Gog and Magog as the nations Satan leads in rebellion when he is loosed, while the Dispensationalist, although he agrees Satan will

lead an army of deceived nations, does not place The Gog and Magog as being among them.[5]

Historical Ante-millennialism After the defeat of the forces of evil, mountains will crumble, the earth will become a flat plain and Judgment will be instituted on the people of earth. The true believers in Christ will be rewarded with heaven and eternal communion with God, and the disbelievers and unrepentant sinners will be consigned to hell and eternal separation from God. Preterism is the general name for the viewpoint found in both the views that oppose Ante-millennialism. It sees the return of Jesus as having already happened at the time of the destruction of the temple Jerusalem, at least in terms of judgment. That is, they see people as judged when they die. Hence it sees the earth itself as everlasting, and that perfecting our faith and the truth about God is a never ending task set us by God.[6] Among the partial Preterists, the moment of perfection is the second physical coming of Jesus, who will then reign forever over those who have achieved salvation.

Post-millennialism sees the 1000 year reign of Jesus as more figurative than literal, and that it has already begun. Jesus is literally the king of earth right now, judging the dead as they die, and the Christian church is in the process of perfecting belief in him and defeating Satan. Then Jesus will return to vanquish the Anti-Christ, heralding the end of the world, and establish the Church to rule with him.

Post-millennialism A-millennialism[7] also sees the 1000 year reign as figurative and already established, but, like ante-millennialism, it envisages Judgment Day as the day of sorting out the good from the bad and eternally consigning them to their respective destinations.

A-millennialism These viewpoints often overlap, so one is not sure where one doctrine leaves off and the other starts. None of them, however, conform to the Islamic view of the reign of Jesus and his role in the second coming.

Islam sees Jesus’ return as a completion of his life and work, which he left incomplete.[8] As the true Messiah, he alone has the power granted to him by God to defeat the false Messiah at the end of time. His rule will witness the invasion of the Gog and Magog, whom not even he will be able to defeat. Rather, he will pray to God who will then destroy them Himself. The end of the Gog and Magog will herald the beginning of a world hegemony in which every one will believe, or at least submit to, his reign as God’s representative. He will rule by God’s Law as taught by Muhammad (i.e. Islam), may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, until he dies at the age of about 70 or 75. In this period of time there will be plenty for all, and peace throughout

the world. Then, some time after he dies and is buried, all the Muslims will be caught up by a breeze and wafted into the hereafter. The remaining people on earth will be unbelievers, and they alone will witness the final chapter of earth.

Many of these events described in Islam echo the concept of the Messiah at the end of times conceived of in Judaism, although they believe the Law with which he will reign will be the Law of Moses, rather than Muhammad, peace be upon them. Both Islam and Judaism regard the coming of the Messiah as essentially uniting, gathering believers together from the ends of the earth. Both see his rule as returning to the fundamentals of faith and Law. Both see his role as that of a leader who will fight God’s war against the forces of evil, and that this war will be followed by a peaceful hegemony in which God’s Law will prevail throughout the world.

Where they differ is in who this end of time figure represents. To the Jews, the Messiah necessarily will be a Jewish leader who re-establishes Israel and the temple and all its rites in Jerusalem. To the Muslim, he represents the championing of pure Islam, sorting hypocrites from true believers.

All three visions of the Messiah at the end of time hold something in common. In the next four articles, however, we will expound the Muslim picture of the future, which is envisioned to be just around the corner. This vision is very clear and subject to little doctrinal variation, unlike both Jewish and Christian viewpoints. It is up to you to draw the parallels that are apparent and reject that which does not reflect the truth represented herein.

Footnotes: [1] Of mutual slaughter and destruction [2] The four views are represented in most of the different denominations of Christianity. However, one can broadly divide

the Ante-millennial view into Catholic Dispensationalism v Protestant Historicism, and the Preterist view into Catholic Postmillennialism v Protestant A-millennialism.

[3] The four diagrams are taken from (http://www.blueletterbible.org/faq) [4] The False Prophet is often envisaged as the resurrected AntiChrist, possessed or influenced by Satan, but not always. Other interpretations see him as essentially independent; neither possessed nor resurrected nor the Anti-Christ.

[5] It is not clear in either case how the ‘wicked nations’ survived the Millennium, whether or not they are constituted of the Gog and Magog.

[6] THE PAROUSIA: A Careful Look At The New Testament Doctrine Of The Lord’s Second Coming , by James Stuart Russell, (1878) [7] See: AMILLENNIALISM, or The truth of the Return of the Lord Jesus, by Rev. D. H. Kuiper [8] This does not refer to the mission given to him by God until his ascension. As Jesus did not die, and eventually must, his life is not over, nor is the remainder of the works that constitute the complement of his life undertaken yet. In John 16:12, Jesus may have been alluding to this when he said, “I still have much to tell you, but you cannot bear it now,” just prior to the retreat to Gethsemane.

The Return of Jesus (part 2 of 5) Description: The prophecies and portents in Islam of the descent of Jesus in the Quran and the prophetic narrations.

By Jeremy Boulter (© 2006 IslamReligion.com) Published on 12 Jun 2006 - Last modified on 06 May 2014 Viewed: 61905 (daily average: 18) - Rating: 4.3 out of 5 - Rated

by: 8 Printed: 2128 - Emailed: 7 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Christians believe that Jesus is alive today, and many denominations believe him to be active. They also believe that he has been resurrected already, and that he will never die again. The Muslim position, however, is that he never died, and therefore is still alive. It says in the Quran, that the Jews claim: “We killed Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, Messenger of God.” However, God denies this, as the verse continues: “But they killed him not, nor crucified him; It was only a likeness shown to them: Most certainly they killed him not. Rather, God lifted him up to Himself.” (Quran 4:157-8) This action of lifting is literally an upward movement, physically being taken from the earth into heavens, just as he will be physically brought back on the wings of angels from the heavens to the earth when he returns. Christians estimate his age to be 31-33 years of age at ascension, because the synoptic Gospels are considered to describe approximately 1 year of his life. The Gospel of John purportedly describes 3 years of his life from the moment he began preaching, of which Luke says: “And Jesus himself began to be about 30 years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph … and (he) was led by the spirit into the wilderness.” (Luke 3:23 and 4:1) Muslim scholars agree. Hasan Basri said, “Jesus was 34, while Sa’eed ibn Mussayyib said, “He was 33,” when he was lifted up to heaven.[1] “And there is none of the People of the Book but will believe in him before his death, and on the

Day of Judgment, he will be a witness against them.” (Quran 4:159) God, here, is talking about the ‘People of the Book’ believing in Jesus before the latter dies well after he was lifted up into the heavens. The implication is that he is not yet dead. In fact, he is securely kept by God until he completes his appointed term. As God says in the Quran: “It is God Who takes away the souls at the time of their death, and (the souls) of those that die not during their sleep. He keeps those for which He has ordained death and sends the rest for a term appointed.” (Quran 39:42) And: “It is God Who takes away the souls at night, and has knowledge of all that you have done by day, and raises you up again that a term appointed be fulfilled; then will you be returned unto Him. Then He will inform you of all that you used to do.” (Quran 60:60) ‘The term appointed’ denotes the numbered days of our lives, already known and confirmed by God. The word “to take away” is a promise made by God to Jesus which God will do when His messenger is threatened by disbelief. The Quran informs us that He told Jesus: “Indeed I will take you (away) and lift you up to Myself and purify you from those who disbelieve…” (Quran 3:55) Thus we have a promise of God fulfilled when he saved Jesus from crucifixion, and another that will be fulfilled when He returns Jesus to earth and he completes his life here - a promise confirmed in the revelation given to Mary at the annunciation: “God gives you tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be Jesus Christ, son of Mary, held in honor in the world and in the hereafter,

and one of those who are nearest (to God). He shall speak to the people in infancy and when middle-aged[2], and shall be of the righteous.”

(Quran 3:45-46) Since middle-aged is older than the early thirties, this prophecy concerns his speaking to the people after his return. So this second promise (that everyone will believe in him before he dies) concerns his second mission when he descends to earth again. When he arrives, he will be the same age as he left, and then he will live for another forty years.[3] The Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said: “There is no prophet between me and him (Jesus), and he shall descend. He… will stay in the world for forty years; then he will die and the Muslims will offer the funeral Prayer for him.” (Abu Dawood, Ahmed) The return of Jesus will be close to the end of time. In fact, his descent will be one of the major signs the final hour is due. The Quran discloses that: “He (the son of Mary) shall be a known sign of the Hour; so have no doubt concerning it and follow Me.” (Quran 43:61) His appearance will be followed by only two or three other unmistakable portents. Among these are the appearance of the beast[4], the wafting of the believers from the earth[5], leaving only disbelievers behind, and the rising of the sun from the west.[6] The ten major signs, among which is the second coming of Jesus, are summarized in one hadeeth:[7] “The Hour will not come until you see ten signs: the smoke; the False Messiah; the Beast; the sun rising from the West; the descent of Jesus son of Mary; the Gog and Magog; and three tremors - one in the East, one in the West, and one in Arabia, at the end of which fire will burst forth from the

direction of Aden and drive people to the place of their final assembly.” (Ahmed) May God save us from disbelief and preserve us from being among those who witness the final moments.

Footnotes: [1] Ibn Kathîr: Stories of the Prophets; The Story of Jesus, Elevation or Crucifixion, p 541 [2] The word used in the Quran is Kahl, which means ‘middleaged; elderly; rather old’ (Al-Mawrid al Waseet Concise ArabicEnglish Dictionary). According to Mokhtar Al Sihhah Lexicon, it means above 35 and of grey hair (sha’ib).

[3] Faslu’l-Maqaal fi Raf’i Isa Hayyan wa Nuzoolihi wa ’Qatlihi’d-Dajjal, p. 20 [4] Prophesied in the Quran, 27.82: “And when the Word is fulfilled against them (the unjust), We shall produce from the earth a Beast to (face) them: it will speak to them.”

[5] The Prophet said, ‘At that time God will send a pleasant wind which will waft (people) under their armpits. He will take the life of every Muslim and only the wicked will survive, who commit adultery like asses, and the Last Hour would come to them.’ (Saheeh Muslim) [6]The Prophet said, ‘The first of the immediate signs (of the Hour) to appear will be the rising of the sun from the west and the appearance of the Beast before the people in the forenoon.

Whichever of these events happens first, the other will follow immediately.’ (Saheeh Muslim).

[7] The signs in the narration are listed in a different order than they will actually occur..

The Return of Jesus (part 3 of 5) Description: The context of Jesus’ second coming, the trials and tribulations before it, the rise of the Mahdi and the advent of Maseeh ad-Dajjal (the False Messiah), and Jesus’ role killing him.

By Jeremy Boulter (© 2006 IslamReligion.com) Published on 12 Jun 2006 - Last modified on 06 May 2014 Viewed: 42752 (daily average: 12) - Rating: 4.4 out of 5 - Rated by: 7 Printed: 2290 - Emailed: 6 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

The Rise of the Mahdi, and Advent of the False Messiah The circumstances of the second coming will involve two other people from the end times, the Mahdi[1] and the Maseeh ad-Dajjal, Arabic for the False Messiah, and the trials and tribulations associated with them. The primary task of Jesus on his return will be to save the world from the False Messiah and unite it once more under the Rule of God. The advent of the False Messiah, however, will be preceded by a man who unites all Muslims under his leadership. Of this man, the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said that before the world ends, a person from his family with his name (Muhammad ibn Abdullah) will rule the Arabs, filling the earth with equity and justice where before there had been oppression and injustice, for 7 years.[2] He further said that he will be supported by the Muslim nation, of whom it was said: “A group of my people will not cease fighting for the Truth and will prevail till the Day of Resurrection. And Jesus son of Mary will descend and their (the Muslims’) leader will say, ‘Come and lead us in Prayer.’” (Saheeh Muslim) Thus, before the coming of Jesus, the Muslim nation will defend the religion under a man directly descended from the prophet, who will invite Jesus to lead the prayer interrupted by his coming. How long he will have been leading the Muslim Nation will be less than 7 years, but how much less is not known exactly. What is known is that he will be a reluctant commander whom people will flock to, only after an army attacking Mecca is swallowed up by the earth.

The Prophet said: “Disagreement will occur at the death of a caliph and a man of the people of Medina will flee to Mecca. Some of the people of Mecca will come to him, bring him out against his will and swear allegiance to him between the Corner[3] and the Maqam.[4] An expeditionary force will then be sent against him from Syria, but it will be swallowed up in the

desert between Mecca and Medina. When the people witness this, the most pious men of Syria and the best people of Iraq will come to him and swear allegiance to him between the Corner and the Maqam.” (Abu Dawood) “There will also be several campaigns, the first against internal elements[5], and then against external elements. An army consisting of the best Muslim soldiers in the world will come from Medina to counteract the western invasion of AshSham[6].”

“When they arrange themselves in ranks, the Romans will say: ‘Do not stand between us and those who took prisoners from amongst us. Let us fight with them.’ The Muslims will say: ‘No, by God, we will never stand aside for you or our brethren so that you can fight them.’” (Saheeh Muslim) The fight would last three days with great slaughter on all sides until, on the fourth day, the remnants of the Muslim Army will defeat the Western forces and go on to conquer Istanbul. While the soldiers are looting the city a false rumor that the False Messiah had arrived will reach them, so they will make for Syria again. By the time they reach Damascus, where the Mahdi will prepare them for war against the False Messiah’s coming, the False Messiah will truly appear.

His stay on earth will be 40 days. However, these 40 days will have something special about them. The first day and night will last a full year, the second a full month, and the third a full week, and the remaining 37 days would be normal.[7] It is in these final 37 days that Jesus will probably come, since he will kill the False Messiah shortly after his arrival.

The False Messiah will appear out of the east, on the way between Syria and Iraq[8], and his coming will spread great troubles and injustice right and left. He will range far and wide,

like a wind driven cloud, coming to first one people and then another. He will invite people to follow him, rewarding the ones who respond and affirm their faith in him by commanding the sky to rain, which will cause the land and domestic animals to flourish and produce. Those who refuse him will suffer drought, famine, and loss of wealth. Wherever he goes, he will call forth the land’s treasures, which will gather before him like swarming bees, and he will even kill a man, cutting him in half and then bring him back to life.

The Coming of Jesus and Death of the False Messiah As can be seen, the False Messiah will have been given miracles to convince people to stray from the path, and many will follow him. Some hadeeths mention that many people, especially the Jews[9], will take him for the real Messiah, as he will announce himself to be God’s representative. However, he will soon claim divine power himself, and eventually claim to be the Lord.[10] He will conquer most of the world and go against the Mahdi in Damascus, and this will be the time the true Messiah, Jesus, will descend.

“God will send the Messiah, son of Mary, who will descend at the white minaret on the eastern side of Damascus wearing two garments, lightly dyed with saffron, his hands resting on the wings of two Angels. When he lowers his head, beads of perspiration will fall from it, and when he raises it up, beads like pearls will scatter from it. Every non-believer who smells him will die, and his breath will reach as far as he is able to see.” (Saheeh Muslim) In another hadeeth it says, “Certainly, the time of prayer shall come, and then Jesus, the son of Mary, will descend and will lead them in prayer. When sees he him, the enemy of God will [begin to] dissolve just as salt does in water.” (Saheeh Muslim) The first hadeeth continues to say that he will meet him at Lydda:

“He (Jesus) will pursue the False Messiah until heCAPTURES HIM at the gates of Lydda and kills him.”

(Saheeh Muslim) Jesus will use a spear guided by God in this killing,[11] by which the forces of temptation will be vanquished.

“Then, a people whom God had protected will come to Jesus, son of Mary, and he will wipe their faces and inform them of their ranks in Paradise.” (Saheeh Muslim) This information is not the Judgment of Judgment Day, but knowledge given to Jesus by God. These people are not the elect of the Christian rapture, but the survivors of the turmoil surrounding his coming. And this is but the first episode of the Messiah’s life on his return, which the next article will elaborate on, if God wills.

Footnotes: [1] Al-Mahdi literally means ‘the paver of the way’ but the meaning of the proper name is ‘the one who is directed by God to the truth’.

[2] Sunan Abu Dawood.

[3] The corner of the Kabah nearest the door. The black stone is built into that corner.

[4] The station of Abraham is the rock upon which he stood in order to build the walls of the Kaaba.

[5] The ‘Expedition of Kalb’, mentioned by Umm Salamah in Sunan Abu Dawood.

[6] Ash-Sham is the geographical area including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and parts of Iraq.

[7] Saheeh Muslim.

[8] The exact location has been variously reported in Musnad Ahmad as being ‘Khorastan’or ‘Yahwadiah in Asbahan’, the latter being associated with Shahrstan.

[9] Anas ibn Malik said that the Messenger of God said, “The False Messiah will be followed by 70,000 Jews from Asbahan.’ Saheeh Muslim.

[10] Saheeh Bukhari. The evidence for this is indirect. In the hadeeth it is the followers of the False Messiah who ask a man who denies him, ‘Don’t you believe in our Lord?’ Later, after killing the man and restoring him to life, the False Messiah asks, ‘Now do you believe in what I claim?’ In two other hadeeths from the same source, the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, says: ‘Verily, God is not blind in one eye! However, the False Messiah is blind in his right eye, being an eye (like) a floating grape.’ And: ‘There is not a prophet who has not warned his nation of that lying one-eyed man (The False Messiah); for he is truly one-eyed, and, verily, your Lord, Most Powerful and Sublime, is not one-eyed.’ The implication is that we should not confuse the False Messiah with our Lord God, no matter what he claims.

[11] Saheeh Muslim.

The Return of Jesus (part 4 of 5) Description: After the False Messiah; the annulment of the false religions of the people of the book, the establishment of God’s nation under Jesus, and the invasion of the Gog and Magog.

By Jeremy Boulter (© 2006 IslamReligion.com) Published on 19 Jun 2006 - Last modified on 06 May 2014 Viewed: 38523 (daily average: 11) - Rating: 4.1 out of 5 - Rated by: 9

Printed: 2069 - Emailed: 3 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

The Establishment of God’s Nation under Jesus The killing of the False Messiah will traumatize the Christians and Jews who had followed him, for it will finally reveal to them that he was not what he had claimed to be. In fact, the role of Jesus in his defeat will convince most of the surviving Christians, at least, that the False Messiah had indeed been the Anti-Christ prophesied in their own scriptures. The Prophet of Islam, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said: “The son of Mary will soon descend among you and will judge justly(according to the Law of God[1]): he will break the cross and kill the pig…” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) The breaking of the cross may be figurative or literal: the destruction of erected idols in churches and tearing down of crosses from their steeples, as well as forbidding the use of personal crosses as symbols of religion; or the destruction of the myth that he was executed by the Romans on a cross at the instigation of the Jews. Likewise, the killing of the pigs may be both literal and figurative: literally conducting a campaign to kill all pigs so the consumption of their meat becomes impossible, allowing them to be killed, or simply re-imposing the ban God made since time immemorial[2] on eating their flesh, effectively forcing pig farmers to get rid of their stock by culling. In effect, two of the mainstays of widespread Christian practice will be removed, indicating that the religion as taught by modern Christians would henceforth be defunct, and marking a return to the religion as originally intended (Islam). “… and there will be no Jizya.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) Furthermore, after the massive losses of life among the Jews, the death of their leader will prove to the Jews that he had been yet another false hope. Possibly, the False Messiah’s claim of

divinity may well have already sowed seeds of doubt in their hearts, anyway, so when Jesus announces that the Jizya[3] will no longer be a means by which non-Muslims can avoid submitting to the will of God, they will be ready to give up following the guidance of their Rabbis in favor to returning to the guidance[4] of God. The fact that no Jizya will be accepted underlines the abolishment of all religion except one. The People of the Book will be required to follow the Law of Islam which Jesus will impose. The die-hards that refuse will be hunted and killed rather than allowed to continue in their outmoded faith.

“The hour will not come until the Muslims fight against the Jews and kill them. The Jews will seek shelter behind stones and trees, but the stone or the tree will speak: “O servant of God, there is a [die-hard] Jew behind me, so come and kill him!” But the Gharqad tree will not speak out because it is partial to the Jews.” (Saheeh Muslim) No mention of the fate of those who are neither Muslims nor People of the Book is mentioned at this stage, but we believe some of them will also fall under the sway of the rule of Jesus, or die. Perhaps others will be destroyed by those who are referred to as the Gog and Magog.

The Invasion of the Gog and Magog[5] Who the Gog and Magog are, exactly, is not known, though it is known from a hadeeth, found in the two principal books of authentic narrations (Saheeh Al-Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim), that they are of the nations of mankind[6]. Of them, the Quran says: “When he reached a valley between two mountains, he found a people who could barely understand a word. They said; O Dhul Qarnayn! Verily, Gog and Magog are doing great mischief in the land. Will you accept a tribute from us so that you build a barrier between us and them?” (Quran 18:93-94)

After Dhul Qarnayn carried out their request (without exacting tribute), he told them: “This is a Mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true. And on that day, we shall leave some of them to surge like waves on one another...”

(Quran 18:98-99) This means that they will be a people who are not under the jurisdiction of Jesus when he accepts the pledge from former Jews and Christians. And it is the Gog and Magog who will be the final threat to the believers before his reign of peace. Again, the Quran says: “When the Gog and Magog swoop down from every ridge, and the true Promise draws near, you will see the disbelievers, their eyes staring fixedly, in horror; They will say, ‘woe to us; indeed were heedless of this – and we were wrongdoers.’” (Quran 21:96-97) Not even Jesus will be able to withstand the coming of the Gog and Magog, for they will swarm the land destructively, like locusts.

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported that the prophet said that only the Muslims who retreat into their cities and strongholds with their cattle and sheep will survive the onslaught.[7] It is also said: God will reveal to Jesus, son of Mary, “I have brought forth people from among My creatures against who none will be able to fight. Take my worshippers safely to Mount Tur.” (Saheeh Muslim)

The Gog and Magog will be so many that when the last of the horde passes through a lake bed from whose water the first rank had drunk, they will bewail,‘There used to be water here, once.’ Anybody not from themselves, except for the Muslims in their strongholds and refuges, will be killed, and the horde will declaim, ‘We have defeated the people of earth. Now only the people of heaven are left [for us to defeat].’ On that, one will fire an arrow into the sky, and it will fall back to earth bloodstained.[8] Though the Gog and Magog will think they have obtained victory, their very boast would be their downfall, for the blood on their weapons will be nothing but a test from God. The next article will deal with how the Gog and Magog will be defeated, and what happens after that.

Footnotes: [1] It is by this Law, the Shariah that is based on the Quran and way of Muhammad, that Jesus will rule with equity and justice.

[2] As it is recorded in the Torah, as well as in the Quran.

[3] Jizya: The tributary poll tax taken from the People of the Book who, under the protection of the Islamic nation of which they citizens, are free to practice their religion.

[4] God uses the word ‘Al-Furqan’ to describe both what was revealed to Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, that which was revealed to Moses and Aaron, as well as other prophets. Many of the original teachings, undistorted by rabbinical additions and interpretations, support and precede the

Law prescribed by the Last Prophet, which is the final shape of the Law of God. [5] Gog and Magog pronounced Yajuj wa Majuj in Arabic.

[6] The Prophet said: “Among you are two nations that never approach anything but they overwhelm it with their large numbers; the Yajuj and Majuj.”

[7] In Musnad Ahmad [8] ’Musnad Ahmad

The Return of Jesus (part 5 of 5) Description: The end of Gog and Magog, followed by peace and plenty, a world without war, the universality of God’s True Religion, and the death of Jesus.

By Jeremy Boulter (© 2006 IslamReligion.com) Published on 19 Jun 2006 - Last modified on 06 May 2014 Viewed: 34857 (daily average: 10) - Rating: 4.2 out of 5 - Rated by: 21 Printed: 2070 - Emailed: 30 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

The End of Gog and Magog When the Gog and Magog will have driven the Muslims to hole up in their strongholds and refuges, and when they see the blood on their weapons, which will have returned from the sky, they will take these as evidence for their imminent victory over the Muslims. However, that evening: “Jesus and his companions will beseech God, and God will send against them (the Gog and Magog) worms which will attack their necks; and in the morning, they will all perish as one.” (Saheeh Muslim) Not knowing that the horde was already destroyed, the Muslims in their strongholds will call for a volunteer to scout out what the enemy was doing. The volunteer, knowing he would probably die, will descend to find them all dead, lying on top of one another. Returning, he will call out: ‘O Muslims, rejoice! God has sufficed us against our enemies!’[1] When Jesus and the people who took refuge on Mount Tur descend, they will find the same scene, with not a single spot of the earth around them free of the putrefying stench of rotting bodies. So sickening and dangerous to health will be the situation that Jesus will pray again to God, Who will send huge birds to carry them off[2] and throw them into the sea where the sun rises.

The Aftermath After that, God will send a drenching, intense rain that penetrates into everything, lasting forty days. Unlike the Deluge,[3] this torrential rainfall will be beneficial, for: “The earth will be washed till it looks like a mirror. God will then order the earth: ‘Bring forth your fruit and restore your blessing.’” (Saheeh Muslim) The Muslims will let their cattle and flocks out to graze again, and they will fatten up better than from any vegetation they had fed on before.[4] Orchards will produce fruit of size and quality

never known before, and cattle produce fine quality milk in copious amounts, enough so that nobody will experience any shortage of it.[5] The benefits, then, from the advent of the Gog and Magog, will the decimation of non-believers, leaving the world for a nation of the believers, and food in abundance after the earth had absorbed all the dead decaying bodies caused by their invasion and later extermination. For a period of time, wealth would be so abundant that people would not be able to find those to whom they could pay out the poor due.[6] Abu Hurayrah reported the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, as saying: “…And there will be no Jizya. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (in charity).” (Saheeh AlBukhari) Not so beneficial will be the reduction in the numbers of men, causing a major imbalance in the sex ratio. Women will far exceed the men in numbers, possibly due to casualties in war, as was the case in Germany after World War Two.[7] The Reign and Death of Jesus The reign of Jesus, may God grant him peace, will be by the Law that Muhammad brought. This is in accordance with the Covenant that God took from all his prophets. In the Quran, it says: Behold! God took the Covenant of the prophets, saying: “I have given you the Book and Wisdom; then will come a messenger to you confirming what is with you, so believe in him and render him help.” God said: “Do you agree, and take this Covenant as binding upon you?” They said: “We agree.” He said: “Then bear witness! And I am with you among the witnesses.” (Quran 3:81) The reign of Jesus, therefore, will be according to the Covenant with God, and this is backed up by an explanation of

the saying of the Prophet by Abu Hurayrah, when he reported a question he had asked to his companions. He said: The Messenger of God said, “What would you do when the son of Mary descends among you, and lead as one among you?”

One of the companions, Ibn Abu Theeb, asked: What does, ‘He will lead as one among you’ mean?

Abu Hurayrah replied: “He will lead you according to the Book of your Lord, exalted and praised is He, and the Way of your Messenger.”[8] His reign will be marked by mutual respect, peace and prosperity among the people. In another hadeeth, Abu Hurayrah said: “Spite, mutual hatred and jealousy against one another will disappear, and when he (Jesus) summons people to accept wealth, none will do so.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) The lack of rancor between people will be absolute, not relative, for at least seven years, wherein no two people would be stirred to ire towards each other,[9] and the word between them would be ‘peace’. In fact, religiosity and piety will be the order of the day, for to each person: “A single prostration to God (in prayer) will be better than the whole world and whatever is in it.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) Jesus himself will not only rule and judge by the Muslim Shariah, he will complete all the Islamic pillars. The Prophet of Islam said: “By him in Whose hand my life is, the son of Mary will certainly invoke the name of God for Hajj or Umrah[10] or both in the valley of Rauha (a valley near Medina).” (Saheeh Muslim)

Then, forty years after his second coming, he will die, and the Muslims will perform the funeral prayer for him.[11] And this moment is the moment God is referring to in the Quranic verse: “And there is none of the People of the Book who must believe in him before his death…”

(Quran 4:159) God willing, all the people will be of one Book at that time.

Conclusion As we can see, the return of Jesus to the Earth will be a truly magnificent event, surrounded by truly magnificent incidents, so magnificent that one may find it even fantasy-like. Jesus will come at a time when the world is in true need of Divine Help. Indeed this Divine Help will come with Jesus, but some of the trials of those days will be so great that not even he will be able to face it, fleeing to the tops of mounts with his followers. Only God will be able to save humanity in that time. Albeit, not only will this Divine Help come to put an end to the greatest trials faced by humankind since the dawn of time – the False Messiah and Gog and Magog - but it will also come to show the truth about God, putting an end to all falsehood, with everyone being united under the one true religion of God.

Footnotes: [1] Musnad Ahmed.

[2] Saheeh Muslim [3] The Deluge that descended upon the people of Noah.

[4] Musnad Ahmed [5] Saheeh Muslim [6] ibid

[7] The shortage of men was so acute that the international youth conference held in Munich in 1948 suggested polygyny as a solution for women left on the shelf.

[8] Saheeh Muslim [9] Saheeh Muslim [10] These are the Greater and Lesser Pilgrimages to the Holy Sanctuary in Mecca, the former being an obligatory ritual pillar of Islam.

[11] Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said “He (Jesus) will live on the earth forty years and then he will die. The Muslims will pray over him at his funeral prayer.” In Musnad Ahmed and Abu Dawood

Divinity of Jesus? An Inquiry Description: A look into the verses of the Bible which support or oppose the divinity of Jesus Christ.

By Laurence B. Brown, MD Published on 14 May 2007 - Last modified on 23 Dec 2012 Viewed: 25940 (daily average: 8) - Rating: 4.4 out of 5 - Rated by: 12 Printed: 727 - Emailed: 15 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Man is made to adore and to obey: but if you will not command him, if you give him nothing to worship, he will fashion his own divinities, and find a chieftain in his own passions.

—Benjamin Disraeli, Coningsby The critical difference between Jesus’ teachings and the Trinitarian formula lies in elevating Jesus to divine status—a status Jesus denies in the gospels: “Why do you call me good: No one is good but One, that is, God.” (Matthew 9:17, Mark 10-18, and Luke 18:19) “My Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28) “I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things.” (John 8:28) “Most assuredly, I say to you, the son can do nothing of himself …” (John 5:19) “But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent me.”

(John 7:29) “He who rejects me rejects Him who sent me.” (Luke 10:16) “But now I go away to Him who sent me …” (John 16:5) “Jesus answered them and said, ‘My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent me.’” (John 7:16) “For I have not spoken on my own authority; but the Father who sent me gave me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.” (John 12:49)[1] What does Pauline theology say? That Jesus is a partner in divinity, God incarnate. So whom should a person believe? If Jesus, then let’s hear what else he might have to say: “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Mark 12:29)

“But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32) “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” (Luke 4:8) “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me …” (John 4:34) “I can of myself do nothing … I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me.” (John 5:30) “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” (John 6:38) “My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent me.” (John 7:16) “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.” (John 20:17) My italics in the above verses do not imply that Jesus spoke with that emphasis, although nobody can claim with certainty that he didn’t. Rather, the italics stress the fact that Jesus not only never claimed divinity, but would be the first to deny it. In the words of Joel Carmichael, “The idea of this new religion, with himself as its deity, was something he [Jesus Christ] could never have had the slightest inkling of. As Charles Guignebert put it, ‘It never even crossed his mind.’”[2] So if Jesus never claimed divinity, then what was he exactly? He answered that question himself: “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” (Mark 6:4) “But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” (Matthew 13:57) “It cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.” (Luke 13:33) Those who knew him acknowledged, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee” (Matthew 21:11), and “A great prophet has risen up among us …” (Luke 7:16). The disciples

recognized Jesus as “a prophet mighty in deed …” (Luke 24:19.

Also see Matthew 14:5, 21:46, and John 6:14). If these statements were inaccurate, why didn’t Jesus correct them? Why didn’t he define his divinity if, that is, he truly was divine? When the woman at the well stated, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet’” (John 4:19), why didn’t he thank her for her lowly impression, but explain there was more to his essence than prophethood?

Or was there?

Jesus Christ, a mere man? Could it be? A good part of the religiously introspective world wonders, “Why not?” Acts 2:22 records Jesus as “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know.” Jesus himself is recorded as having said, “But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God …” (John 8:40). Strikingly, a similar quote is found in the Holy Qur’an: “He [Jesus] said: ‘I am indeed a servant of Allah: He has given me Revelation and made me a prophet’” (Quran 19:30) So was Jesus a “servant of Allah (i.e., servant of God)?” According to the Bible, yes. Or, at least, that is what we understand from Matthew 12:18:“Behold! My servant whom I have chosen …” Furthermore, Acts of the Apostles traces the growth of the early church for the first thirty years following Jesus’ ministry, but nowhere in Acts did Jesus’ disciples ever call Jesus “God.” Rather, they referred to Jesus as a man and God’s servant.[3] In fact, the only New Testament verse which supports the doctrine of the Incarnation is 1 Timothy 3:16.[4] However, with regard to this verse (which states that “God was manifest in the flesh”), Gibbon notes, “This strong expression might be justified by the language of St. Paul (I Tim. iii. 16), but we are deceived by our modern bibles. The word  (which) was altered to (God) at Constantinople in the beginning of the sixth

century: the true reading, which is visible in the Latin and Syriac versions, still exists in the reasoning of the Greek, as well as of the Latin fathers; and this fraud, with that of the three witnesses of St. John, is admirably detected by Sir Isaac Newton.”[5] Fraud? Now there’s a strong word. But if we look to more modern scholarship, it’s a word well applied, for “some passages of the New Testament were modified to stress more precisely that Jesus was himself divine.”[6] The Bible was modified? For doctrinal reasons? Hard to find a more appropriate word than “fraud,” given the circumstances.

In a chapter entitled “Theologically Motivated Alterations of the Text” in his book, Misquoting Jesus, Professor Ehrman elaborates on the corruption of 1 Timothy 3:16, which was detected not only by Sir Isaac Newton, but also by the eighteenth century scholar, Johann J. Wettstein. In Ehrman’s words, “A later scribe had altered the original reading, so that it no longer read “who” but “God” (made manifest in the flesh). In other words, this later corrector changed the text in such a way as to stress Christ’s divinity…. Our earliest and best manuscripts, however, speak of Christ ‘who’ was made manifest in the flesh, without calling Jesus, explicitly, God.”[7] Ehrman stresses that this corruption is evident in five early Greek manuscripts. All the same it was the corrupted, and not the “earliest and best,” biblical manuscripts which came to dominate both the medieval manuscripts and the early English translations.[8] Consequently, from medieval times on, the tenets of Christian faith have suffered the corrupting influence of a church devoted more to theology than to reality.* Ehrman adds: “As Wettstein continued his investigations, he found other passages typically used to affirm the doctrine of the divinity of Christ that in fact represented textual problems; when these problems are resolved on text-critical grounds, in most instances references to Jesus’ divinity are taken away.”[9]

Given the above there should be little surprise that twentiethcentury Christianity has expanded to include those who deny the alleged divinity of Jesus. A significant sign of this realization is the following report of the LondonDaily News: “More than half of England’s Anglican bishops say Christians are not obliged to believe that Jesus Christ was God, according to a survey published today.”[10] It is worth noting that it was not mere clergy that were polled but bishops, no doubt leaving many parishioners scratching their heads and wondering who to believe, if not their bishops!

Copyright © 2007 Laurence B. Brown; used by permission.

The above excerpt is taken from Dr. Brown’s forthcoming book, MisGod’ed, which is expected to be published along with its sequel, God’ed. Both books can be viewed on Dr. Brown’s website, www.LevelTruth.com. Dr. Brown can be contacted at BrownL38@yahoo.com

Footnotes: [1] See also Matthew 24:36, Luke 23:46, John 8:42, John 14:24, John 17:6-8, etc [2] Carmichael, Joel. p. 203.

[3] Man: see Acts 2:22, 7:56, 13:38, 17:31; God’s servant: see Acts 3:13, 3:26, 4:27, 4:30.

[4] In the past, some theologians attempted to validate the Incarnation on the basis of John 1:14 and Colossians 2:9.

However, in the face of modern textual criticism these verses have fallen from favor, and for good reason. John 1:14 speaks of “the Word,” which by no means implies divinity, and “the only begotten of the Father,” which by no means is an accurate translation. Both of these subjects were discussed (and discredited) in previous chapters. As for Colossians, problems

transcend the incomprehensible wording, beginning with the simple fact that Colossians is now thought to have been forged.

For details, see Bart D. Ehrman’s Lost Christianities, page 235.

[5] Gibbon, Edward, Esq. Vol. 5, Chapter XLVII, p. 207.

[6] Metzger, Bruce M. and Ehrman, Bart D. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. P. 286.

[7] Ehrman, Bart D. Misquoting Jesus. P. 157.

[8] Ehrman, Bart D. Misquoting Jesus. P. 157. * For further clarification, see Metzger, Bruce M. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. Pp. 573-4.

[9] Ehrman, Bart D. Misquoting Jesus. P. 113.

[10] London Daily News. June 25, 1984.

Do Miracles Necessite Divinity?

Description: A look at the miracles of Jesus which Christians claim to prove his divinity.

By Laurence B. Brown, MD Published on 04 Jun 2007 - Last modified on 06 May 2014 Viewed: 15233 (daily average: 5) - Rating: 4.9 out of 5 - Rated by: 9 Printed: 757 - Emailed: 10 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

Some associate Jesus with divinity because he performed miracles. Many Unitarian Christians and all Muslims point out that Jesus did indeed perform miracles, but by the will of God and not through any divine powers of his own. To repeat the quote of Acts 2:22: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God didthrough him in your midst, as you yourselves also know” (italics mine) In conformity with both the Bible and Holy Quran, Muslims contend that the miracles of Jesus were performed by the power of God. As the Holy Quran states, Then will Allah say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favor to you and to your mother. Behold! I strengthened you with the holy spirit, so that you spoke to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught you the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel. And behold! You made out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and you breathed into it, and it became a bird by My leave, and you healed those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! You brought forth the dead by My leave. (Quran 5:110) The Islamic perspective is that miracles can be God-given signs of prophethood, but don’t imply divinity. Hadith (narrations of the words, deeds, appearance, and tacit approvals of Muhammad) relate numerous miracles of Muhammad with greater historical authenticity than found in biblical manuscripts. While the science of hadith authentication is regarded as a wonder of historical recordkeeping, the Bible

doesn’t satisfy many of the most basic standards of historical accuracy. For example, the authors of most of the books of the Bible (gospels included) are unknown, the time period in which they were written is ill-defined, and the source of much of the information is ambiguous. These issues will be discussed later at greater length, but just as a small teaser, let’s examine the story of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus to the chief priests. Who was the author, and why should we believe him? Was he present at the betrayal? If not, then where did he get his information? And if so, and he didn’t alert Jesus, then isn’t he a partner to the crime? And what kind of a gospel author wouldthat be?

Sounds silly? Maybe. But then again, isn’t it sillier to trust salvation to a compilation of gospels and letters of unknown origin and authorship?

The Jesus Seminar is perhaps one of the most objective and sincere attempts of an ecumenical council of Christian scholars to determine the authenticity of the recorded acts and sayings of Jesus. Yet their methodology involves casting votes! Two thousand years after the ministry of Jesus, nearly two hundred scholars are formulating a collective Christian opinion regarding the reliability of the quotes and historical reports of Jesus by casting colored beads. For example, as regards the reported words of Jesus, the definitions of the bead colors are as follows: Red—Jesus said it or something very close to it. Pink— Jesus probably said something like it, although his words have suffered in transmission. Gray—these are not his words, but the ideas are close to his own. Black—Jesus did not say it; the words represent the Christian community or a later point of view.[1] Other Christian committees have attempted to authenticate Bible texts by similar methodologies. The editors of the United Bible Societies’ The Greek New Testament: Second Edition are alphabetically minded: By means of the letters A, B, C, and D, enclosed within “braces” {} at the beginning of each set of textual variants

the Committee has sought to indicate the relative degree of certainty, arrived at the basis of internal considerations as well as of external evidence, for the reading adopted as the text. The letter A signifies that the text is virtually certain, while B indicates that there is some degree of doubt. The letter C means that there is a considerable degree of doubt whether the text of the apparatus contains the superior reading, while D shows that there is a very high degree of doubt concerning the reading selected for the text.[2] Bruce M. Metzger describes using similar methodology in his A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. “In fact,” he writes, “among the {D} decisions sometimes none of the variant readings commended itself as original, and therefore the only recourse was to print the least unsatisfactory reading.”[3] Now doesn’t that give us a warm, secure feeling in trusting the Bible with the salvation of mankind?

But I digress. The point is that these ranking systems are probably about the best possible, given the limitations of the biblical record, but what a sad comment that is! Compared to the exquisitely refined system of hadithauthentication, these coloredbead and A-B-C-D classification systems are a bit wanting, to say the least.

The historical record keeping is relevant, for when a person hears a story—even a credible story at that—the first question is usually “Where did you hear that?” Any reasonable set of historical standards includes the identification and verification of sources. The Holy Quran and many hadith traditions satisfy the highest degrees of authentication. But the majority of Bible verses don’t. How does this relate to the issue at hand? Simple. The miracles that occurred through Muhammad are no less numerous or impressive than those of Jesus, and are witnessed by an unimpeachable historical record that puts all others of similar time period to shame. So just as the miracles of Moses, Elisha, and Muhammad don’t imply divinity, neither do those of Jesus.

Let’s look at a few examples: 1.

Jesus fed thousands with a few fish and loaves of bread. But Elisha fed a hundred people with twenty barley loaves and a few ears of corn (2 Kings 4:44); granted a widow such an abundant flow of oil from a jar that she was able to pay off her debts, save her sons from slavery, and live on the profits (2 Kings 4:1-7); and gave increase to a handful of flour and spot of oil such that he, a widow and her son had enough to eat for many days, after which “The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry …” (1 Kings 17:10-16). So what does that make Elisha? The historical record of Muhammad feeding the masses with a handful of dates on one occasion, a pot of milk on another, and enough meat for a small party on still another are equally miraculous. Likewise are the stories of his watering the masses (1,500 people on one occasion) from a single bowl of water. Yet no Muslim claims divinity for Muhammad.

2.

Jesus healed the lepers. Likewise, Elisha healed Naaman (2 Kings 5:7-14). For that matter, the disciples were bidden to such service in Matthew 10:8. What does that make them?

3.

Jesus cured a blind man. Elisha not only struck his enemies blind, but restored vision to the blind through prayer (2 Kings 6:17-20). Muhammad reportedly cured blindness through prayer as well.

4.

Jesus raised the dead. Once again, Elisha beat him to it, having raised two children from the dead (1 Kings 17:22 and 2 Kings 4:34). Furthermore, the disciples were bidden to raise the dead (Matthew 10:8). So once again, what does that make them?

5.

Jesus walked on water. Had he been around in the time of Moses, he wouldn’t have had to.

6.

Jesus cast out devils. So did his disciples (Matthew 10:8). So did the sons of the Pharisees (Matthew 12:27

and Luke 11:19). So, for that matter, do the wayward followers whom Jesus will reportedly disown (see Matthew 7:22)—a disconcerting thought considering how many priests and ministers perform such theatrics, even if real.

So if we seek evidence of Jesus being divine, we are forced to look beyond miracles.

Copyright © 2007 Laurence B. Brown; used by permission.

The above excerpt is taken from Dr. Brown’s forthcoming book, MisGod’ed, which is expected to be published along with its sequel, God’ed. Both books can be viewed on Dr. Brown’s website, www.LevelTruth.com. Dr. Brown can be contacted at BrownL38@yahoo.com

Footnotes:  For more in-depth study, the reader is referred to Hadith Literature: Its Origins, Development and Special Features, by Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi (Islamic Texts Society, London, 1993), and Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature, by Muhammad Mustafa Azami (American Trust Publications, Indianapolis, 1977).

[1] Funk, Robert Walter. 1996. Honest to Jesus, Jesus for a New Millennium. Polebridge Press. p. 8.

[2] Aland, Kurt, Matthew Black, Carlo M. Martini, Bruce M. Metzger & Allen Wikgren (Editors). 1968. The Greek New Testament. Second Edition. United Bible Societies. pp. x-xi.

[3] Metzger, Bruce M. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. Introduction, p. 14.  Whereas hadith are preserved work-for-word, “there are more differences among our [biblical] manuscripts than there are words

in the New Testament” – Ehrman, Bart D.Misquoting Jesus. p.

10.

The Story of Jesus and Mary in the Holy Quran (part 1 of 3): Mary

Play article audio Download audio Description: The following three part series consists entirely of verses from the Holy Quran about Mary (Mother of Jesus) including her birth, childhood, personal qualities, and the miraculous birth of Jesus.

By IslamReligion.com Published on 03 Sep 2007 - Last modified on 20 Dec 2015 Viewed: 130162 (daily average: 43) - Rating: 4.7 out of 5 - Rated by: 20 Printed: 1861 - Emailed: 30 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Beliefs of Islam > Stories of the Prophets Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Mary

The Birth of Mary “Indeed God chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of Imran over the worlds. An offspring, like one another (in righteousness). And God is AllHearing, All-Knowing. (And mention) when the wife of Imran said, ‘O my Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, to be dedicated (to Your service), so accept this from me. Indeed, You are AllHearing, All-Knowing.’ Then when she delivered her (Mary), she said, ‘O my Lord, I have delivered a female,’ and God knew best what she delivered, ‘And the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge with You for her and for her children from Satan, the expelled (from the mercy of God).’” (Quran 3:33-36) The Childhood of Mary “So her Lord fully accepted her, and gave her a good upbringing, and put her under the care of Zechariah. Every time Zechariah entered upon her in the prayer room, he found her supplied with food. He said, ‘O Mary, where do you get this from?’ She said, ‘This is from God. Indeed, God provides for whom He wills, without limit.’”

(Quran 3:37) Mary, the Devout “And (mention) when the angels said, ‘O Mary, indeed God has chosen you, purified you, and

chosen you above the women of the worlds.’ ‘O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow down along those who bow down (in prayer).’ This is a part of the news of the unseen, which We reveal to you (O Muhammad). You were not with them when they cast lots with their pens to (decide) which of them should take care of Mary, nor were you with them when they disputed.” (Quran 3:42-44) The Good news of a new-born child “(And mention) when the angels said, ‘O Mary, indeed God gives you the good news of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and in the Hereafter, and of those who are near to God.’ ‘He will speak to the people in the cradle, and in old age, and he will be of the righteous.’ She said, ‘My Lord, how can I have a son when no man has touched me.’ He said, ‘So (it will be,) for God creates what He wants. When He decides something, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is. And He will teach him the Book and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel. And (will make him) a messenger to the Children of Israel (saying), ‘Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, then breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by the permission of God. And I heal the blind and the leper, and I bring the dead to life by the permission of God. And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Surely, there is a sign for you in that, if you are believers. And (I have come) confirming the Torah that was (revealed) before me, and to allow you some of what was forbidden to

you. And I have come to you with a proof from your Lord, so fear God and obey me. Indeed, God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is the straight path.” (Quran 3:45-51) “And mention in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to an eastern place. And she placed a screen to seclude herself from them. Then We sent to her Our angel (Gabriel), and he took the form of a well-created man before her. She said, “Indeed I seek refuge with the Most Merciful from you, if you do fear God.”[1] (The angel) said, ‘I am only the messenger of your Lord to give to you (the news of) a pure boy.’ She said, ‘How can I have a son, when no man has touched me (in marriage), and I am not a prostitute?’ He said, So your Lord said, ‘It is easy for Me. And We will make him a sign to people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter (already) decided.’”[2](Quran 19:16-21) The Immaculate Conception “And she who guarded her chastity, so We breathed (a spirit) into her through Our angel, and We made her and her son (Jesus) a sign for the worlds.”[3] (Quran 21:91) The Birth of Jesus “So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a remote place. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, ‘I wish I had died before this, and had been long forgotten. [Mary was worried that people would think badly of her as she was not married.] Then (baby Jesus) called her from below her, saying, ‘Don’t be sad. Your Lord has provided a stream under you.’ Shake the trunk of the palm tree towards you, and it will drop on

you fresh ripe dates. So eat and drink and be happy. And if you see any human, then say, ‘Indeed I have vowed a fast to the Most Merciful so I will not speak to any human today.’ Then she carried him and brought him to her people. They said, ‘O Mary, indeed you have done a great evil.’ ‘O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not a fornicator.’ So she pointed to him. They said, ‘How can we speak to a child in the cradle?’ (Jesus) said, ‘Indeed, I am a slave of God. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.[4] And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and charity as long as I remain alive. And (has made) me kind to my mother, and did not make me arrogant or miserable. And peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I will die, and the day I will be raised alive.’” (Quran 19:22-33) “Indeed, Jesus is like Adam in front of God. He created him from dust, then said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was.”[5] (Quran 3:59) “And We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign, And We gave them refuge and rest on a high ground with flowing water.”[6] (Quran 23:50) The Excellence of Mary “And God gives as an example for those who believe, the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, ‘My Lord, build for me a home near You in paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds, and save me from the wrongdoing people.’ And (the example of) Mary, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We blew (the spirit of

Jesus) into her through Our angel (Gabriel). And she believed in the words of her Lord, and His scriptures, and she was of the devout ones.” (Quran 66:11-12)

Footnotes: [1] The Most Merciful is one of the names of God in the Quran.

[2] Jesus is a sign of God’s power, where God showed people that He could create Jesus without a father, as He created Adam without any parents. Jesus is also a sign that God is well able to resurrect all people after their death, since the one who creates from nothing is quite able to bring back to life. He is also a sign of the Day of Judgment, when he returns to the earth and slays the Anti-Christ in the End Times.

[3] Similarly, just as God created Adam with no father or mother, Jesus’ birth was from mother with no father. All that is needed for God for something to happen is to say “Be” and it is; for God is capable of all things.

[4] Prophethood is the highest and most honorable position a human can reach. A prophet is one who receives revelations from God through Angel Gabriel.

[5] Adam was created when God said, “Be,” and he to be without a father or a mother. And so was Jesus created by the Word of God. If the unusual birth of Jesus makes him divine, then Adam deserves more of that divinity because Jesus at least had one parent, while Adam had none. As Adam is not divine, so is Jesus not divine, but both are humble servants of God. [6] This is where Mary gave birth to Jesus.

The Story of Jesus and Mary in the Holy Quran (part 2 of 3): Jesus I Play article audio Download audio Description: This part explores the life of the Prophet Jesus, his message, miracles, his disciples and what is mentioned about them in the Holy Quran.

By IslamReligion.com Published on 03 Sep 2007 - Last modified on 08 May 2014 Viewed: 47087 (daily average: 15) - Rating: 4.4 out of 5 - Rated by: 9 Printed: 1399 - Emailed: 7 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Beliefs of Islam > Stories of the Prophets Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Mary

Jesus the Prophet “Say, ‘We believe in God and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and to the prophet-descendants (of Jacob), and what has been given to Moses and Jesus, and what has been given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims (in submission) to Him.’” (Quran 2:136) “Indeed, We have revealed to you (O Muhammad) as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And We revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophet-descendants (of Jacob), Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and We gave the book to David.” (Quran 4:163) “The Messiah son of Mary was only a messenger (like other) messengers that had passed away before him. And his mother was a strong believer.[1] They both used to eat food.[2] Look how We make the proofs clear to them, then look how they (disbelievers) turn away.” (Quran 5:75) “He (Jesus) was only a servant whom We have favored, and We made him an example to the Children of Israel.” (Quran 43:59) The Message of Jesus “And in their (the prophets’) footsteps, We sent Jesus the son of Mary, affirming the Torah that had come before him. And We gave him the Gospel, in it was guidance and light, affirming the Torah that had come before it, and a guidance and an admonition for the pious.”

(Quran 5:46)

“O people of the Scripture, do not go to extremes in your religion, and do not say about God except the truth. The Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, is only a messenger from God and a word from Him (“Be” and it is), which He sent to Mary, and a soul from Him.[3] So, believe in God and His messengers, and do not say, “Three.” Stop, it is better for you. Indeed, God is one; exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And God is sufficient as a Determiner of all affairs. Never would the Messiah look down upon being a worshipper of God, nor would the angels who are close (to God).[4] And whoever looks down upon the worship of God and is arrogant, then He will gather them to Himself all together.” (Quran 4:171-172) “This is Jesus, the son of Mary. And this is the statement of truth, which they doubt. It is not possible for God to take a son. Far is He above this! When He decides something, He just says to it, “Be,” and it is.[5] (Jesus said), ‘And indeed God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.’ But the sects disagreed (over the straight path), so woe to the disbelievers from meeting a horrible Day.” (Quran 19:34-37) “And when Jesus came with clear proofs, he said, ‘I have come to you with prophethood, and to make clear to you some of what you disagree about, so fear God and obey me. Indeed, God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path.’ But the groups disagreed among themselves (about the message of Jesus), so woe to those who disbelieved from the punishment of a painful Day.” (Quran 43:63-65)

“And (remember) when Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O Children of Israel, I am the messenger of God to you confirming the Torah that came before me, and bringing good news of a messenger that will come after me, whose name will be Ahmad.[6] But when he came to them with clear proofs, they said, “This is clear magic.”[7] (Quran 61:6) The Miracles of Jesus “So she pointed to him. They said, ‘How can we speak to a child in the cradle?’ (Jesus) said, ‘Indeed, I am a servant of God. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.[8] And He has made me blessed wherever I am, and has commanded me to me pray and give charity as long as I remain alive. And (has made) me kind to my mother, and did not make me arrogant or miserable. And peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I will die, and the day I will be raised alive.’” (Quran 19:29-33) (More miracles have been mentioned under: The Good news of a new-born child) The Table Spread (of food) from Heaven by God’s Permission “(And) when the disciples said, ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, will your Lord send down to us a table spread (with food) from heaven?’ He said, ‘Fear God, if you are indeed believers.’ They said, ‘We wish to eat from it and have our hearts be reassured, and to know that you have indeed told us the truth and that we be witnesses to it.’ Jesus the son of Mary said, ‘O God, our Lord, send us from heaven a table spread (with food) to be for us a festival for the first of us and the last of us and a sign from You. And provide for us, You

are the Best of providers.’ God said, ‘I am going to send it down to you, but if any of you after that disbelieves, then I will punish him with a punishment such as I will not put on anyone else.’” (Quran 5:112-115) Jesus and His Disciples “O you who believe, champion God’s (religion), like when Jesus son of Mary said to the disciples, ‘Who will champion God’s (religion) with me?’ The disciples said, ‘We are the champions of God’s (religion).’ Then a group of the Children of Israel believed and a group disbelieved. So We supported those who believed against their enemy, and they became victorious.”[9] (Quran 61:14) “And when I inspired the disciples to believe in Me and My messenger, so they said, ‘We believe, and bear witness that we are Muslims (in submission to God).’” (Quran 5:111) “Then We sent after them Our messengers, and We sent Jesus son of Mary, and gave him the Gospel. And We put in the hearts of those who followed him compassion and mercy. But We did not command monasticism, rather they invented it for themselves to please God with it, yet they did not observe it as it should be observed. So We gave those who believed among them their reward, but many of them are disobedient.” O you who believe, fear God and believe in His messenger, He will then give you a double portion of His mercy, and give you light by which you can walk, and He will forgive you. And God is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. (This We say) so that the people of the Scripture may know that they have no control

over God’s favor, and that (His) favor is in His Hand to give it to whomever He wills. And God is the Owner of great bounty.”[10] (Quran 57:2729)

Footnotes: [1] The Arabic word here indicates the highest level of faith possible, where the only one higher is prophethood.

[2] Both the Messiah and his pious mother used to eat, and that is not a characteristic of God, who does not eat nor drink. Also, the one who eats defecates, and this cannot be an attribute of God. Jesus here is likened to all the noble messengers that had preceded him: their message was the same, and their status as non-divine creatures of God is similar. The highest honor that can be afforded to a human is prophethood, and Jesus is one of the five highly regarded prophets. See verse 33:7 & 42:13 [3] Jesus is called a word or a soul from God because he was created when God said, “Be,” and he was. In that he is special, because all humans, except Adam and Eve, are created from two parents. But despite his uniqueness, Jesus is like everyone else in that he is not divine, but a mortal creature.

[4] Everything and everyone else other than God is a worshipper or a slave of God. The verse is asserting that the Messiah would never claim a status above that of a worshipper of God, dismissing any claim to the contrary of his divinity. And indeed he would never disdain such a position, because this is the highest honor any human can aspire to.

[5] If the creation of Jesus without a father makes him the son of God, then everything created like Jesus without a predecessor should be divine too, and that includes Adam, Eve, the first animals, and this whole earth with its mountains and waters. But Jesus was created like all things on this earth, when God said, “Be,” and he was.

[6] This is another name of Prophet Muhammad.

[7] This can refer to both prophets, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them. When they came with the message from God to their people, they were accused of bringing magic.

[8] Prophethood is the highest and most honorable position a human can reach. A prophet is one who receives revelations from God through Angel Gabriel. A messenger is a prophet who receives a book from God, as well as laws to convey to his people. Jesus attained the highest honor by being both a prophet and a messenger.

[9] The victory of the believers came through the message of Islam, and it was a physical and a spiritual victory. Islam removed all doubt about Jesus and offered conclusive proofs of his prophethood, and that was the spiritual victory. Islam also physically spread, which gave the believers in the message of Jesus refuge and power against their enemy, and that was the physical victory.

[10] God gives guidance to whomever He wills, regardless of background and race. And when people believe, God honors them and lifts higher than everyone else. But when they disbelieve, God demotes them even though before they might have been honorable.

The Story of Jesus and Mary in the Holy Quran (part 3 of 3): Jesus II Play article audio Download audio Description: This part explores the verses of the Holy Quran that talk about God’s protection of Jesus, his followers, his second coming in this world and what will happen to him on the day of

resurrection.

By IslamReligion.com Published on 03 Sep 2007 - Last modified on 08 May 2014 Viewed: 40007 (daily average: 13) - Rating: 4.5 out of 5 - Rated by: 13 Printed: 1382 - Emailed: 17 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Beliefs of Islam > Stories of the Prophets Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Mary

The Passion of Christ “Then when Jesus felt their (persistence in) disbelief, he said, ‘Who will champion with me God’s (cause)?’ The disciples said, ‘We are the champions (of the cause) of God. We believe in God, and be a witness that we are Muslims (submitting to Him).[1] Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed, and we have followed the messenger, so write us down among the witnesses (to the truth).’ And they (who disbelieved) plotted, and God planned. And God is the best of the planners. When God said, ‘O Jesus, I will take you[2] and raise you up to Me and clear you of those who disbelieve, and I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve till the Day of Resurrection. Then you will all return to Me, and I will judge between you in the matters you used to disagree in.’”

(Quran 3:52-55) “And for of their saying, ‘We have killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the messenger of God.’ But they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it was made to look like him to them.[3] And those who disagree over him are in doubt (of killing him), they have no knowledge of it except the following of guesswork, and they did not kill him for certain. But God raised him up to Himself.[4] And God is All-Powerful, All-Wise.” (Quran 4:157-158) The Followers of Jesus “Then whoever argues with you about him (Jesus) after the knowledge that has come to you, (then) say, ‘Come and let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then we all pray for the

curse of God to fall on those who lie.’ Indeed, this is the true story. And there is no deity that deserves to be worshipped except God. And indeed, God is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. But if they turn away (from accepting the truth), then indeed, God is aware of the corrupters. Say, ‘O people of the Scripture: Come to a just statement[5] between us and you, that we worship none but God, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God[6].’ But if they turn away, then say, ‘Be witnesses that we are Muslims (submitting to Him).’” (Quran 3:6164) “Surely, they have disbelieved those who say that God is the Christ, son of Mary. Say, ‘Who then has the least power against God if He were to destroy the Christ son of Mary, his mother, and everyone on earth?’ And God has supreme authority over the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them. He creates what He wills, and God is Able to do all things.” And the Jews and the Christians say, ‘We are the children of God and His loved ones.’ Say, ‘Why then does He punish you for your sins?’ Rather, you are only human beings from among those He has created. He forgives whom He wills, and He punishes whom He wills. And God has supreme authority over the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them, and to Him is the return (of all).” (Quran 5:17-18) “Surely, they have disbelieved who say, ‘God is the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary.’ But the Messiah said, ‘O Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord. Indeed, whoever sets up partners (in worship) with God, then God has

forbidden him Paradise, and the Fire will be his home. And there is none to help the wrongdoers.’ Surely, disbelievers are those who say, ‘God is the third of three.’[7] But there is no god (that deserves to be worshipped) except One God. And if they do not stop what they are saying, the disbelievers among them will suffer a painful punishment. Will they not repent to God and seek His forgiveness? For God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Quran 5:72-74) “And the Jews say, ‘Ezra is the son of God,’[8] and the Christians say, ‘The Messiah is the son of God.’ That is the fabrication of their mouths. They are imitating the claims of the disbelievers of before. May God destroy them, how they turn away (from the truth). They have taken their religious scholars and their monks as lords instead of God (by disobeying God and obeying them), and (they also have taken as their Lord) the Messiah, son of Mary. But they were commanded to worship only one God, none has the right to be worshipped except Him. Exalted is He above what they associate (with Him).”[9] (Quran 9:30-31) “O you who believe, indeed many religious scholars and monks eat away people’s wealth unjustly, and turn (others) away from the way to God. And those who treasure gold and silver, and do not spend it in the Way of God, then give them the news of a painful punishment.” (Quran 9:34) The Second Coming “And there is not one of the people of the Scripture but will believe in him before his death.[10] And on the Day of Resurrection, he

will be a witness against them.”[11] (Quran 4:159) “And he (Jesus) is a sign of (the coming of) the Hour, so do not doubt it.[12] And follow Me, this is a straight path (leading to God and His paradise).” (Quran 43:61) Jesus on the Day of Resurrection “‘When God will say,’ O Jesus, son of Mary, remember My favor upon you and upon your mother when I supported you with the Pure Spirit (Gabriel) and you spoke to people in the cradle and in old age; and when I taught you the Book, wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel; and when you made out of clay the likeness of a bird,

by My permission, then you breathed into it, and it became a bird by My permission, and you healed the blind and the leper by My permission, and when you brought the dead to life by My permission; and when I restrained the Children of Israel from (killing) you when you came to them with clear proofs, but the disbelievers among them said, ‘This is nothing but plain magic.’” (Quran 5:110) “And God will say (on the Day of Resurrection), ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to people, ‘Worship me and my mother instead of God?’[13]’ He will say, ‘Glory be to You! It is not for me to say what I have no right (to say). If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is (hidden) in myself and I do not know what is in Yours. Indeed, You are the Knower of the unseen.’[14] I did not tell them except what You commanded me, ‘Worship God, my Lord and your Lord.’ And I was a witness over them while I was among them, but when

You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a Witness to all things. If You punish them, they are Your servants, and if You forgive them, indeed You are the AllMighty, the All-Wise.”[15] God will say, ‘This is the Day when the truth will benefit those who were truthful. To them belong gardens with rivers running through it (in Paradise), where they will stay forever. God is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. That is the great success.’ To God belongs the heavens and the earth and whatever is within them, and He is Able to do all.” (Quran 5:116-120)

Footnotes: [1] The name given for the disciples in the Quran is alHawariyyun, which means the purified ones, like the color white. It is also reported that they used to dress in white.

[2] Jesus was raised up in a state of sleep. The word that is used here is wafah, which can mean sleep or death. In Arabic, sleep is called the minor death. See also verses 6:60 and 39:42, where the word wafah refers to sleep and not to death. Since verse 4:157 denies the killing and crucifixion of Jesus, and since each human dies once but Jesus is supposed to come back to earth, the only remaining interpretation of the verse is sleep.

[3] The resemblance of Jesus was put on another, and it is he, not Jesus, who was crucified. According to several commentaries on the Quran, the one who was crucified was one of the disciples, accepting the resemblance of Jesus, and martyring himself to save Jesus in return for paradise.

[4] Jesus was raised in body and soul, and did not die. He still lives up there, and will return towards the end of time to earth. After fulfilling his assigned role on earth, he will eventually die.

[5] This is what all the prophets of God have called to and agreed upon. And so this statement is not exclusive to one group, but is the common grounds for those who want to worship God. [6] When one obeys another human in disobedience to God, he has taken him as a lord instead of God. [7] In reference to the Trinity.

[8] Although not all Jews believed it, they failed to condemn it (see verses 5:78-79). When a sin is allowed to persist and spread unopposed, the whole community becomes liable.

[9] The religious scholars are the ones possessing knowledge, and the monks are the ones immersed in ritual and worship. Both are considered religious leaders and examples, and through their influence they can lead people astray.

[10] The pronoun in “his death” can refer to Jesus or to the individual from the people of the Scripture. If it refers to Jesus, it means that all of the people of the Scripture will come to believe in Jesus on his second return to earth and before his death. Jesus then will confirm that he is a prophet from God, not God nor the son of God, and will ask all people to worship God alone and submit to Him in Islam. If the pronoun refers to the individual from the people of the Scripture, then the verse means that each one of them will see just before his death what will convince him that Jesus was a true prophet from God, and not God. But that belief at that time will not benefit him, since it comes not out of free choice, but when he sees the angels of punishment.

[11] See verses 5:116-118.

[12] The second coming of Jesus will be a sign that the Day of Judgment is near.

[13] The worship of others with God is the same as worshipping them instead of God. Both mean that worship is directed and given to someone other than God, yet God is the only One who can be worshipped.

[14] God, as Jesus said, knows that Jesus did not call for his own worship or his mother’s. The aim of the question is to point to those who worship Jesus or Mary that if they were true followers

of Jesus, they would stop that practice, because Jesus never called to it. But if they persist, then let them know that Jesus will disown them on the Last Day, and that they have not been following him, but only following their personal preferences.

[15] In other words, You know who is worthy of punishment, so You will punish him. And you know who is worthy of forgiveness, so You will forgive him. For indeed, You are the Mighty who has the power to punish, and You are Wise in dispensing all affairs, so you forgive those who deserve forgiveness.

The Bible Denies the Divinity of Jesus (part 1 of 7): Bible’s writers Description: How the Bible’s writers believe that Jesus was not God.

By Shabir Ally Published on 03 Dec 2007 - Last modified on 16 Oct 2011 Viewed: 27975 (daily average: 9) - Rating: 4.9 out of 5 - Rated by: 11 Printed: 1168 - Emailed: 11 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Christians and Muslims both believe in Jesus, love him, and honor him. They are, however, divided over the question of his divinity.

Fortunately, this difference can be resolved if we refer the question to both the Bible and the Quran, because, both the Bible and the Quran teach that Jesus is not God.

It is clear enough to everyone that the Quran denies the divinity of Jesus, so we do not need to spend much time explaining that.

On the other hand, many people misunderstand the Bible; they feel that the belief in Jesus as God is so widespread that it must have come from the Bible. This article shows quite conclusively that the Bible does not teach that.

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is not God. In the Bible God is always someone else other than Jesus.

Some will say that something Jesus said or something he did while on the earth proves that he is God. We will show that the disciples never came to the conclusion that Jesus is God. And those are people who lived and walked with Jesus and thus knew first hand what he said and did. Furthermore, we are told in the Acts of the Apostles in the Bible that the disciples were being guided by the Holy Spirit. If Jesus is God, surely they should know it. But they did not. They kept worshipping the one true God who was worshipped by Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (see Acts 3:13).

All of the writers of the Bible believed that God was not Jesus. The idea that Jesus is God did not become part of Christian belief until after the Bible was written, and took many centuries to become part of the faith of Christians.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke, authors of the first three Gospels, believed that Jesus was not God (see Mark 10:18 and Matthew 19:17). They believed that he was the son of God in the sense of a righteous person. Many others too, are similarly called sons of God (see Matthew 23:1-9).

Paul, believed to be the author of some thirteen or fourteen letters in the Bible, also believed that Jesus is not God. For Paul, God first created Jesus, then used Jesus as the agent by which to create the rest of creation (see Colossians 1:15 and 1 Corinthians 8:6). Similar ideas are found in the letter to the Hebrews, and also in the Gospel and Letters of John composed some seventy years after Jesus. In all of these writings, however, Jesus is still a

creature of God and is therefore forever subservient to God (see 1 Corinthians 15:28).

Now, because Paul, John, and the author of Hebrews believed that Jesus was God’s first creature, some of what they wrote clearly show that Jesus was a pre-existent powerful being. This is often misunderstood to mean that he must have been God. But to say that Jesus was God is to go against what these very authors wrote. Although these authors had this later belief that Jesus is greater than all creatures, they also believed that he was still lesser than God. In fact, John quotes Jesus as saying: “...the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28). And Paul declares that the head of every woman is her husband, the head of every man is Christ, and the head of Christ is God (see 1 Corinthians 11:3).

Therefore, to find something in these writings and claim that these teach that Jesus is God is to misuse and misquote what those authors are saying. What they wrote must be understood in the context of their belief that Jesus is a creature of God as they have already clearly said.

So we see then, that some of the later writers had a higher view of Jesus, but none of the writers of the Bible believed that Jesus is God. The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one true God, the one whom Jesus worshipped (see John 17: 3).

In the rest of this article we will explore the Bible in more depth, and deal with the passages which are most often misquoted as proofs of Jesus’ divinity. We will show, with God’s help, that these do not mean what they are so often used to prove.

The Bible Denies the Divinity of Jesus (part 2 of 7): Acts of the Apostles

Description: Proofs from the Acts of the Apostles that Jesus was not God.

By Shabir Ally Published on 10 Dec 2007 - Last modified on 16 Dec 2007 Viewed: 22173 (daily average: 8) - Rating: 3.3 out of 5 - Rated by: 7 Printed: 1105 - Emailed: 7 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Jesus performed many miraculous wonders, and he without doubt said a lot of wonderful things about himself. Some people use what he said and did as a proof that he was God. But his original disciples who lived and walked with him, and were eyewitnesses to what he said and did, never reached this conclusion.

The Acts of the Apostles in the Bible details the activity of the disciples over a period of thirty years after Jesus was lifted up to heaven. Throughout this period they never refer to Jesus as God. They continually and consistently use the title God to refer to someone else other than Jesus.

Peter stood up with the eleven disciples and addressed the crowd saying: “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.” (Acts 2:22).

It was God, therefore, who did the miracles through Jesus to convince people that Jesus was backed by God. Peter did not see the miracles as proof that Jesus is God. In fact, the way Peter refers to God and to Jesus makes it clear that Jesus is not God. For he always turns the title God away from Jesus. Take the following references for example: “God has raised this Jesus...” (Acts 2:32)

“God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36) In both passages, the title God is turned away from Jesus. So why he did this, if Jesus was God? For Peter, Jesus was a servant of God. Peter said: “God raised up his servant...” (Acts 3:26).

The title servant refers to Jesus. This is clear from a previous passage where Peter declared: “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.” (Acts 3:13).

Peter must have known that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob never spoke of a Triune God. They always spoke of God as the only God. Here, as in Matthew 12:18, Jesus is the servant of God. Matthew tells us that Jesus was the same servant of God spoken of in Isaiah 42:1. So, according to Matthew and Peter, Jesus is not God, but God’s servant. The Old Testament repeatedly says that God is alone (e.g. Isaiah 45:5).

All of the disciples of Jesus held this view. In Acts 4:24 we are told that the believers prayed to God saying: “...they raised their voices together in prayer to God. ‘Sovereign Lord,’ they said, ‘you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.’”

It is clear that the one they were praying to was not Jesus, because, two verses later, they referred to Jesus as “...your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.” (Acts 4:27).

If Jesus was God, his disciples should have said this clearly. Instead, they kept preaching that Jesus was God’s Christ. We are told in Acts: “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” (Acts 5:42).

The Greek word “Christ” is a human title. It means “Anointed.” If Jesus was God, why would the disciples continually refer to him with human titles like servant and Christ of God, and consistently use the title God for the one who raised Jesus? Did they fear men? No! They boldly preached the truth fearing neither imprisonment nor death. When they faced opposition from the authorities, Peter declared: “We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus...” (Acts 5:29-30).

Were they lacking the Holy Spirit? No! They were supported by the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:3, 4:8, and 5:32). They were simply teaching what they had learnt from Jesus — that Jesus was not God but, rather, God’s servant and Christ.

The Quran confirms that Jesus was the Messiah (Christ), and that he was God’s servant (see the Holy Quran 3:45 and 19:30).

The Bible Denies the Divinity of Jesus (part 3 of 7): Jesus is Not All-Powerful, and Not All-Knowing Description: The Bible clearly shows that Jesus was not allpowerful and all-knowing as the true God should be.

By Shabir Ally Published on 17 Dec 2007 - Last modified on 17 Dec 2007 Viewed: 21888 (daily average: 7) - Rating: 3.4 out of 5 - Rated by: 5 Printed: 1259 - Emailed: 2 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

Christians and Muslims agree that God is all-powerful and all-knowing. The Gospels show that Jesus was not allpowerful, and not all-knowing, since he had some limitations.

Mark tells us in his gospel that Jesus was unable to do any powerful work in his hometown except few things: “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.” (Mark 6:5). Mark also tells us that when Jesus tried to heal a certain blind man, the man was not healed after the first attempt, and Jesus had to try a second time (see Mark 8:22-26).

Therefore, although we hold a great love and respect for Jesus, we need to understand that he is not the all-powerful God. Mark’s Gospel also reveals that Jesus had limitations in his knowledge. In Mark 13:32, Jesus declared that he himself does not know when the last day will occur, but the Father alone knows that (see also Matthew 24:36).

Therefore, Jesus could not have been the all-knowing God. Some will say that Jesus knew when the last day will occur, but he chose not to tell. But that complicates matters further. Jesus could have said that he knows but he does not wish to tell. Instead, he said that he does not know. We must believe him. Jesus does not lie at all.

The Gospel of Luke also reveals that Jesus had limited knowledge. Luke says that Jesus increased in wisdom (Luke 2:52). In Hebrews too (Hebrews 5:8) we read that Jesus learned obedience. But God’s knowledge and wisdom is always perfect, and God does not learn new things. He knows everything always. So, if Jesus learned something new, that proves that he did not know everything before that, and thus he was not God.

Another example for the limited knowledge of Jesus is the fig tree episode in the Gospels. Mark tells us as follows: “The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.” (Mark 11:12-13).

It is clear from these verses that the knowledge of Jesus was limited on two counts. First, he did not know that the tree had no fruit until he came to it. Second, he did not know that it was not the right season to expect figs on trees.

Can he become God later? No! Because there is only one God, and He is God from everlasting to everlasting (see Psalms 90:2).

Someone may say that Jesus was God but he took the form of a servant and therefore became limited. Well, that would mean that God changed. But God does not change. God said so according to Malachi 3:6.

Jesus never was God, and never will be. In the Bible, God declares:“Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.” (Isaiah 43:10).

The Bible Denies the Divinity of Jesus (part 4 of 7): The Greatest Commandment in the Bible and the Quran Description: What is the first and greatest of all the commandments in the Bible, which was emphasized by Jesus.

By Shabir Ally Published on 17 Dec 2007 - Last modified on 23 Dec 2007 Viewed: 22851 (daily average: 8) - Rating: 4.6 out of 5 - Rated by: 9

Printed: 1088 - Emailed: 1 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Some will say that this whole discussion over the divinity of Jesus is unnecessary. They say, the important thing is to accept Jesus as your personal savior. On the contrary, the Bible’s writers stressed that, in order to be saved, it is necessary to understand who exactly is God. Failure to understand this would be to violate the first and greatest of all the commandments in the Bible. This commandment was emphasized by Jesus, on whom be peace, when a teacher of the Law of Moses asked him: “‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” (Mark 12:28-30).

Notice that Jesus was quoting the first commandment from the book of Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Jesus confirmed not only that this commandment is still valid, but also that it is the most important of all the commandments. If Jesus thought that he himself is God, why did not he say so? Instead, he stressed that God is one. The man who questioned Jesus understood this, and what the man says next makes it clear that God is not Jesus, for he said to Jesus: “‘Well said, teacher,’ the man replied. ‘You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.’” (Mark 12:32).

Now if Jesus was God, he would have told the man so. Instead, he let the man refer to God as someone other than Jesus, and he even saw that the man had spoken wisely: “When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’” (Mark 12:34). If Jesus knew that God is a trinity, why did not he say so? Why did not he say that God is one in three, or three in one? Instead, he declared that God is one. True imitators of Jesus will imitate him

also in this declaration of God’s oneness. They will not add the word three where Jesus never said it.

Does salvation depend on this commandment? Yes, says the Bible! Jesus made this clear when another man approached Jesus to learn from him (see Mark 10:17-29). The man fell on his knees and said to Jesus: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied: “Why do you call me good? No one is good — except God alone.” (Mark 10:17-18).

By so saying, Jesus made a clear distinction between himself and God. Then he proceeded with the answer to the man’s question about how to get salvation. Jesus told him: “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” (Matthew 19:17, also see Mark 10:19).

Remember that the most important of all the commandments, according to Jesus, is to know God as the only God. Jesus further emphasized this in the Gospel According to John. In John 17:1, Jesus lifted his eyes to heaven and prayed, addressing God as Father. Then in verse three, he said to God as follows: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3).

This proves beyond doubt that if people want to get eternal life they must know that the One, whom Jesus was praying to, is the only true God, and they must know that Jesus was sent by the true God. Some say that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. But Jesus said that the Father alone is the only true God. True followers of Jesus will follow him in this too. Jesus had said that his true followers are those who hold to his teachings. He said: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” (John 8:31). His teaching is that people must continue to keep the commandments, especially the first commandment which emphasizes that God is alone, and that God should be loved with all our hearts and all our strengths.

We love Jesus, but we must not love him as God. Today many love Jesus more than they love God. This is because they see God as a vengeful person who wanted to exact a penalty from

them, and they see Jesus as the savior who rescued them from the wrath of God. Yet God is our only savior. According to Isaiah 43:11, God said: “I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.” Also God said according to Isaiah 45:2122: “Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”

The Quran confirms the first commandment and addresses it to all humankind (see the Holy Quran 2:163). And God declares that true believers love Him more than anyone else or anything else (Quran 2:165).

The Bible Denies the Divinity of Jesus (part 5 of 7): Paul Believed That Jesus is not God Description: Many people use Paul’s writings as proof that Jesus is God. But this is not fair to Paul, because Paul clearly believed that Jesus is not God.

By Shabir Ally Published on 24 Dec 2007 - Last modified on 24 Dec 2007 Viewed: 22264 (daily average: 8) - Rating: 4.2 out of 5 - Rated by: 5 Printed: 1052 - Emailed: 7 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus In his first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote: “I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions...” (1 Timothy 5:21).

It is clear from this that the title God applies not to Christ Jesus, but to someone else. In the following chapter, he again differentiates between God and Jesus when he says: “In the sight

of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession...” (1 Timothy 6:13).

Paul then went on to speak of the second appearance of Jesus: “the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time.” (1 Timothy 6:14-15).

Again, the title God is deliberately turned away from Jesus. Incidentally, many people think that when Jesus is called “Lord” in the Bible that this means “God.” But in the Bible this title means master or teacher, and it can be used for addressing humans (see 1 Peter 3:6).

What is more important, however, is to notice what Paul said about God in the following passage, which clearly shows that Jesus is not God: “God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever.” (1 Timothy 6:1516).

Paul said that God alone is immortal. Immortal means he does not die. Check any dictionary. Now, anyone who believes that Jesus died cannot believe that Jesus is God. Such a belief would contradict what Paul said here. Furthermore, to say that God died is a blasphemy against God. Who would run the world if God died? Paul believed that God does not die.

Paul also said in that passage that God dwells in unapproachable light — that no one has seen God or can see him. Paul knew that many thousands of people had seen Jesus. Yet Paul said that no one has seen God, because Paul was sure that Jesus is not God. This is why Paul went on teaching that Jesus was not God, but that he was the Christ (see Acts 9:22 and 18:5).

When he was in Athens, Paul spoke of God as “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.” (Acts

17:24). Then he identified Jesus as “the man he (i.e. God) has appointed.” (Acts 17:31).

Clearly, for Paul, Jesus was not God, and he would be shocked to see his writings used for proving the opposite of what he believed. Paul even testified in court saying: “I admit that I worship the God of our fathers...” (Acts 24:14).

He also said that Jesus is the servant of that God, for we read in Acts: “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.” (Acts 3:13).

For Paul, the Father alone is God. Paul said that there is “one God and Father of all...” (Ephesians 4:6). Paul said again: “...for us there is but one God, the Father . . . and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ...” (1 Corinthians 8:6).

Paul’s letter to the Philippians (Philippians 2:6-11) is often quoted as a proof that Jesus is God. But the very passage shows that Jesus is not God. This passage has to agree with Isaiah 45:22-24 where God said that every knee should bow to God, and every tongue should confess that righteousness and strength are in God alone. Paul was aware of this passage, for he quoted it in Romans 14:11. Knowing this, Paul declared: “I kneel before the Father.” (Ephesians 3:14).

The letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 1:6) says that the angels of God should worship the Son. But this passage depends on Deuteronomy 32:43, in the Septuagint version of the Old Testament. This phrase cannot be found in the Old Testament used by Christians today, and the Septuagint version is no longer considered valid by Christians. However, even the Septuagint version, does not say worship the Son. It says let the Angels of God worship God. The Bible insists that God alone is to be worshipped: “When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: ‘Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer

sacrifices. You must always be careful to keep the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.’” (2 Kings 17:35-39).

Jesus, on whom be peace, believed in this, for he also stressed it in Luke 4:8. And Jesus too fell on his face and worshipped God (see Matthew 26:39). Paul knew that Jesus worshipped God (see Hebrews 5:7). Paul taught that Jesus will remain forever subservient to God (see 1 Corinthians 15:28).

The Bible Denies the Divinity of Jesus (part 6 of 7): Evidence from the Gospel of John Description: A clear proof from the Gospel of John that Jesus was not God.

By Shabir Ally Published on 31 Dec 2007 - Last modified on 31 Dec 2007 Viewed: 20449 (daily average: 7) - Rating: 5 out of 5 - Rated by: 2 Printed: 1009 - Emailed: 4 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus The Gospel of John, the fourth Gospel, was completed to its present form some seventy years after Jesus was raised up to heaven. This Gospel in its final form says one more thing about Jesus that was unknown from the previous three Gospels — that Jesus was the Word of God. John means that Jesus was God’s agent through whom God created everything else. This is often misunderstood to mean that Jesus was God Himself. But John was saying, as Paul had already said, that Jesus was God’s first

creature. In the Book of Revelation in the Bible, we find that Jesus is: “the beginning of God’s creation” (Revelation 3:14, also see 1 Corinthians 8:6 and Colossians 1:15).

Anyone who says that the Word of God is a person distinct from God must also admit that the Word was created, for the Word speaks in the Bible saying:“The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works...” (Proverbs 8:22).

This Gospel, nevertheless, clearly teaches that Jesus is not God. If it did not continue this teaching, then it would contradict the other three Gospels and also the letters of Paul from which it is clearly established that Jesus is not God. We find here that Jesus was not co-equal with the Father, for Jesus said: “...the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28).

People forget this and they say that Jesus is equal to the Father. Whom should we believe — Jesus or the people? Muslims and Christians agree that God is selfexistent. This means that He does not derive his existence from anyone. Yet John tells us that Jesus’ existence is caused by the Father. Jesus said in this Gospel: “...I live because of the Father...” (John 6:57).

John tells us that Jesus cannot do anything by his own when he quotes Jesus as saying: “By myself I can do nothing...”

(John 5:30). This agrees with what we learn about Jesus from other Gospels. In Mark, for example, we learn that Jesus performed miracles by a power which was not within his control. This is especially clear from an episode in which a woman is healed of her incurable bleeding. The woman came up behind him and touched his cloak, and she was immediately healed. But Jesus had no idea who touched him. Mark describes Jesus’ actions thus: “At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’” (Mark 5:30). His disciples could not provide a satisfactory answer, so Mark tells us: “Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.”

(Mark 5:32). This shows that the power that healed the woman was not within Jesus’ control. He knew that the power had gone

out of him, but he did not know where it went. Some other intelligent being had to guide that power to the woman who needed to be healed. God was that intelligent being.

It is no wonder, then, that in Acts of the Apostles we read that it was God who did the miracles through Jesus (Acts 2:22).

God did extraordinary miracles through others too, but that does not make the others God (see Acts 19:11). Why, then, is Jesus taken for God? Even when Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, he had to ask God to do it. Lazarus’ sister, Martha, knew this, for she said to Jesus: “I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” (John 11:22).

Martha knew that Jesus was not God, and John who reported this with approval knew it also. Jesus had a God, for when he was about to ascend to heaven, he said: “I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 20:17).

John was sure that no one had seen God, although he knew that many people had seen Jesus (see John 1:18 and 1 John 4:12). In fact Jesus himself told the crowds, that they have never seen the Father, nor have they heard the Father’s voice (John 5:37). Notice that if Jesus was the Father, his statement here would be false. Who is the only God in John’s Gospel? The Father alone.

Jesus testified this when he declared that the God of the Jews is the Father (John 8:54). Jesus too confirmed that the Father alone is the only true God (see John 17:1-3). And Jesus said to his enemies: “...you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.” (John 8:40). According to John, therefore, Jesus was not God, and nothing John wrote should be taken as proof that he was God — unless one wishes to disagree with John.

The Bible Denies the Divinity of Jesus (part 7 of 7): God and Jesus Are Two Separate Beings Description: Many people use certain verses of the Bible as proof that Jesus is God. However, all of these verses, when understood in context, prove the opposite!

By Shabir Ally Published on 07 Jan 2008 - Last modified on 19 Feb 2008 Viewed: 20799 (daily average: 7) - Rating: 4 out of 5 - Rated by: 4 Printed: 1087 - Emailed: 18 - Commented on: 1 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus For example, in Matthew 9:2, Jesus said to a certain man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Because of this, some say that Jesus must be God since only God can forgive sins. However, if you are willing to read just a few verses further, you will find that the people “...praised God, who had given such authority to men.” (Matthew 9:8). This shows that the people knew, and Matthew agrees, that Jesus is not the only man to receive such authority from God. Jesus himself emphasized that he does not speak on his own authority (John 14:10) and he does nothing on his own authority, but he speaks only what the Father has taught him (John 8:28). What Jesus did here was as follows. Jesus announced to the man the knowledge Jesus received from God that God had forgiven the man.

Notice that Jesus did not say, “I forgive your sins,” but rather, “your sins are forgiven,” implying, as this would to his Jewish listeners, that God had forgiven the man. Jesus, then, did not have the power to forgive sins, and in that very episode he called himself “the Son of Man” (Matthew 9:6).

John 10:30 is often used as proof that Jesus is God because Jesus said, “I and the father are one.” But, if you read the next

six verses, you will find Jesus explaining that his enemies were wrong to think that he was claiming to be God. What Jesus obviously means here is that he is one with the Father in purpose. Jesus also prayed that his disciples should be one just as Jesus and the Father are one. Obviously, he was not praying that all his disciples should somehow merge into one individual (see John 17:11 and 22). And when Luke reports that the disciples were all one, Luke does not mean that they became one single human being, but that they shared a common purpose although they were separate beings (see Acts 4:32). In terms of essence, Jesus and the Father are two, for Jesus said they are two witnesses (John 8:14-18). They have to be two, since one is greater than the other (see John 14:28). When Jesus prayed to be saved from the cross, he said: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42).

This shows that they had two separate wills, although Jesus submitted his will to the will of the Father. Two wills mean two separate individuals.

Furthermore, Jesus is reported to have said: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). If one of them forsook the other, then they must be two separate entities.

Again, Jesus is reported to have said: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46). If the spirit of one can be placed into the hands of another, they must be two separate beings.

In all of these instances, Jesus is clearly subordinate to the Father. When Jesus knelt down and prayed he obviously was not praying to himself (see Luke 22:41). He was praying to his God. Throughout the New Testament, the Father alone is called God. In fact, the titles “Father” and “God” are used to designate one individual, not three, and never Jesus. This is also clear from the fact that Matthew substituted the title “Father” in the place of the title “God” in at least two places in his Gospel (compare Matthew 10:29 with Luke 12:6, and Matthew 12:50 with Mark

3:35). If Matthew is right in doing so, then the Father alone is God. Was Jesus the Father? No! Because Jesus said: “And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9). So Jesus is not the Father, since Jesus was standing on the earth when he said this.

The Quran seeks to bring people back to the true faith that was taught by Jesus, and by his true disciples who continued in his teaching. That teaching emphasized a continued commitment to the first commandment that God is alone. In the Quran, God directs Muslims to call readers of the Bible back to that true faith. God have said in the Quran: Say: “O people of the Book (Christians and Jews)! Come to a word that is just between us and you: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords beside God.” (Quran, 3:64)

The Story of Jesus in Brief Description: Mention of Jesus son of Mary from the Quran and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad.

By Marwa El-Naggar (Reading Islam) Published on 24 Mar 2008 - Last modified on 05 Oct 2008 Viewed: 29633 (daily average: 10) - Rating: 4.5 out of 5 - Rated by: 27 Printed: 866 - Emailed: 16 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Beliefs of Islam > Stories of the Prophets Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

In relating the story of Jesus, the Quran describes how Mary, the mother of Jesus, was approached by an angel from God, bringing her tidings she had never imagined: that she will give birth to a son, a Messiah, who will be of the righteous and will be a prophet of God, calling the Children of Israel (the Israelites) to the straight path of God. “(And mention) when the angels said, ‘O Mary, indeed God gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary – distinguished in this world and the Hereafter and among those brought near (to God). He will speak to the people in the cradle and in maturity and will be of the righteous.” (Quran 3:45-46) Naturally, for Mary, this news was both strange and seemingly impossible.

“She said, ‘My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has touched me?’ (The angel) said, “Such is God; He creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is. And He will teach him writing and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel.” (Quran 3:47-48) The very nature of Jesus is so special, that God compares the uniqueness of His creation to that of the first man and prophet, Adam.

“Indeed, the example of Jesus to God is like that of Adam. He created him from dust; then He said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was.” (Quran 3:59)

Jesus and His Miracles Jesus became one of the greatest prophets of God, and was sent to the Children of Israel in order to confirm the teachings of his predecessor, the Prophet Moses. His birth was a miracle, and, like all prophets of God, he was granted several miracles. He approached his people, telling them: “And (make him) a messenger to the Children of Israel, (who will say), ‘Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord’ in that I design for you from the clay (that which is) like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird by permission of God. And I cure the blind (from birth) and the leper, and I give life to the dead – by permission of God. And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers. And (I have come) confirming what was before me of the Torah and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. And I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear God and obey me. Indeed, God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is the straight path.” (Quran 3:49-51) Jesus’s Followers The Quran continues the story of Jesus by relating several incidents of his life and his disciples.

“But when Jesus felt (persistence in) disbelief from them, he said, ‘Who are my supporters for (the cause of) God?’ The disciples said,” We are supporters for God. We have believed in God and testify that we are Muslims (submitting to Him.) Our Lord, we have believed in what You revealed and have followed the messenger (i.e., Jesus), so register us among the witnesses (to truth).” (Quran 3:52-53)

In another incident, after which an entire surah (chapter) of the Quran is named, the disciples of Jesus asked him for another miracle. “(And remember) when the disciples said, ‘O Jesus, Son of Mary, can your Lord send down to us a table (spread with food) from the heaven?’

(Jesus) said, ‘Fear God, if you should be believers.’ They said, ‘We wish to eat from it and let our hearts be reassured and know that you have been truthful to us and be among its witnesses.’ Said Jesus, the son of Mary, ‘O God, our Lord, send down to us a table (spread with food) from the heaven to be for us a festival for the first of us and the last of us and a sign from You. And provide for us, and You are the best of providers.’” (Quran 5:112-114) God sent them the table they had asked for, but not without a warning.

“God said, ‘Indeed, I will sent it down to you, but whoever disbelieves afterwards from among you – then indeed will I punish him with a punishment by which I have not punished anyone among the worlds.’” (Quran 5:115) The End of the Story?

The story of Jesus never really ends in the Quran, as we are told that Jesus was not killed, but that rather, God raised His beloved prophet up to Him. “(Mention) when God said, ‘O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify (i.e., free) you from those who disbelieve and make those who follow you (in submission to God alone) superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return, and I will judge between you concerning that in which you used to differ. And as for those who

disbelieved, I will punish them with a severe punishment in this world and the Hereafter, and they will have no helpers.’ But as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, He will give them in full their rewards, and God does not like the wrongdoers.” (Quran 3:55-57) The Quran also points out that Jesus was neither killed nor crucified. Speaking of the Children of Israel, God faults their accusations against Mary as well as their claim that they killed Jesus.

“And (We cursed them) for their disbelief and their saying against Mary a great slander. And (for) their saying, ‘Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of God.’ And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but (another) was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain. Rather, God raised him to Himself. And ever is God Exalted in Might and Wise.” (Quran 4:156-158) The Quran confirms that Jesus was raised up by God, and the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, reassured us that Jesus will be sent down to earth once again before the Day of Judgment. In a saying of Prophet Muhammad, narrated by Abu Hurairah, the Prophet said: “By the One in Whose hand is my self, definitely the son of Maryam will soon descend among you as a just judge, and he will break the cross, kill the pig, and abolish the jizyah (tribute), and wealth will be so abundant that no one will accept it, until a single prostration will be better than the world and everything in it.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

Jesus, son of Mary (part 1 of 5): Muslims Love Jesus too!

Description: Jesus and his first miracle, and a brief account about what Muslims believe about him.

By Aisha Stacey (© 2008 IslamReligion.com) Published on 05 May 2008 - Last modified on 21 Dec 2014 Viewed: 46174 (daily average: 16) - Rating: 4.6 out of 5 - Rated by: 16 Printed: 1348 - Emailed: 86 - Commented on: 2 Category: Articles > Beliefs of Islam > Stories of the Prophets Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Christians often talk about developing a relationship with Christ and accepting him into their lives. They assert that Jesus is much more than a man and died on the cross to free mankind from the original sin. Christians speak of Jesus with love and respect, and it is obvious he holds a special place in their lives and hearts. But what about Muslims; what do they think about Jesus and what place does Jesus Christ hold in Islam?

Someone unfamiliar with Islam may be surprised to learn that Muslims love Jesus too. A Muslim will not speak the name of Jesus without respectfully adding the words “may peace be upon him”. In Islam, Jesus is a loved and esteemed man, a Prophet and Messenger calling his people to the worship of the One True God. Muslims and Christians share some very similar beliefs about Jesus. Both believe that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and both believe that Jesus was the Messiah sent to the people of Israel. Both also believe that Jesus will return to earth in the last days. However in one major detail they are worlds

apart. Muslims believe with certainty that Jesus is not God, he is not the son of God and he is not part of a Trinity of God. In the Quran, God spoke directly to Christians when He said: “O people of the Scripture! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of God aught but the truth. The Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, was a Messenger of God and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary and a spirit created by Him; so believe in God and His Messengers. Say not: ‘Trinity!’ Cease; it is better for you! For God is One God, glory is to Him, Far Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And God is All Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs.” (Quran 4:171) Just as Islam categorically denies that Jesus was God, it also rejects the notion that mankind is born tainted by any form of original sin. The Quran tells us that it is not possible for one person to bear the sins of another and that we are all responsible, before God, for our own actions. “And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden.” (Quran 35:18) However, God, in His infinite Mercy and Wisdom has not abandoned mankind to their own devices. He has sent guidance and laws that reveal how to worship and live according to His commands. Muslims are required to believe in, and love all of the Prophets; to reject one is to reject the creed of Islam. Jesus was but one in this long line of Prophets and Messengers, calling the people to worship One God. He came specifically to the People of Israel, who had at that time gone astray from the straight path of God. Jesus said: “And I have come confirming that which was before me of the Torah, and to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden to you, and I have come to you with a proof from your Lord. So fear God and obey me. Truly! God is

my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is the Straight Path.” (Quran 3:50-51) Muslims love and admire Jesus. However, we understand him and his role in our lives according to the Quran and the narrations and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Three chapters of the Quran feature the life of Jesus, his mother Mary and their family; each reveals details not found in the Bible.

The Prophet Mohammad spoke of Jesus many times, once describing him as his brother.

“I am the nearest of all the people to the son of Mary, and all the prophets are paternal brothers, and there has been no prophet between me and him (i.e. Jesus).” (Saheeh AlBukhari) Let us follow the story of Jesus through Islamic sources and come to understand how and why his place in Islam is of such significance.

The First Miracle The Quran informs us that Mary, the daughter of Imran, was an unmarried, chaste and pious young woman devoted to the worship of God. One day while she was in seclusion, the Angel Gabriel came to Mary and informed her that she was to be the mother of Jesus. Her response was one of fear, shock, and dismay. God said: “And We wish to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter decreed.” (Quran 19:21) Mary conceived Jesus, and when the time came for him to be born, she took herself away from her family and travelled towards Bethlehem. At the foot of a date palm tree Mary gave birth to her son Jesus.[1] When Mary had rested and recovered from the pain and fear involved in giving birth alone, she realised that she must return to her family. Mary was afraid and anxious as she wrapped the

child and cradled him in her arms. How could she possibly explain his birth to her people? She heeded the words of God and made her way back to Jerusalem.

“Say: ‘Verily! I have vowed a fast unto the Most Gracious (God) so I shall not speak to any human being this day.’” Then she brought him (the baby) to her people, carrying him.” (Quran 19:26-27) God knew that if Mary tried to offer explanations, her people would not believe her. So, in His wisdom, he told her not to speak. From the first moment Mary approached her people they started to accuse her, but she wisely followed God’s instructions and refused to respond. This shy, chaste woman merely pointed to the child in her arms.

The men and women surrounding Mary looked at her incredulously and demanded to know how they could possibly speak to a babe in arms. Then, by the permission of God, Jesus, son of Mary, still a babe, performed his first miracle. He spoke: “Verily! I am a slave of God. He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet; and He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined on me prayer, and alms, as long as I live, and dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant, unblest. And peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!” (Quran 19:30-34) Muslims believe Jesus was the slave of God and a Messenger sent to the Israelites of his time. He preformed miracles by the will and permission of God. The following words of Prophet Muhammad clearly summarise the importance of Jesus in Islam: “Whoever bears witness that there is no god but God Alone, with no partner or associate, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, and that Jesus is His slave and Messenger, a word which God bestowed upon Mary and a spirit created by Him, and that Heaven is real, and Hell is real, God

will admit him through whichever of the eight gates of Heaven he wishes.” (Saheeh Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim)

Footnotes: [1] For details of his miraculous conception and birth, please refer to the articles on Mary

Jesus, son of Mary (part 2 of 5): The Message of Jesus Description: The true status of Jesus and his message in the Quran, and the relevance of the Bible today in relation to Muslim beliefs.

By Aisha Stacey (© 2008 IslamReligion.com) Published on 05 May 2008 - Last modified on 05 Oct 2008 Viewed: 29598 (daily average: 11) - Rating: 4.7 out of 5 - Rated by: 13 Printed: 1095 - Emailed: 6 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Beliefs of Islam > Stories of the Prophets Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus We have already established that Jesus, son of Mary, or as he is called by Muslims, Eissa ibn Maryam, performed his first miracle while cradled in Mary’s arms. By the permission of God he spoke, and his first words were “I am a slave of God,” (Quran 19:30). He did not say “I am God” or even “I am the son of God”. His first words established the foundation of his message, and his mission: to call the people back, to the pure worship of One God.

At the time of Jesus, the concept of One God was not new to the Children of Israel. The Torah had proclaimed “Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is One,” (Deuteronomy: 4). However, God’s revelations had been misinterpreted and abused, and hearts had become hardened. Jesus came to denounce the leaders of the Children of Israel, who had fallen into lives of materialism and luxury, and to uphold the law of Moses found in the Torah which they had even changed.

Jesus’ mission was to confirm the Torah, to make lawful things that were previously unlawful and to proclaim and reaffirm the belief in One Creator. Prophet Muhammad said: “Every Prophet was sent to his nation exclusively, but I was sent to all mankind,” (Saheeh Buhw-hkhari).

Thus, Jesus was sent to the Israelites.

God says in Quran that He would teach Jesus the Torah, the Gospel and theWisdom.

“And He will teach him the Book and the Wisdom, the Torah and the Injeel.” (Quran 3:48) In order to effectively spread his message, Jesus understood the Torah, and he was provided with his own revelation from God – the Injeel, or Gospel. God also endowed Jesus with the ability to guide and influence his people with signs and miracles.

God supports all of His Messengers with miracles that are observable and make sense to the people the Messenger has been sent to guide. At the time of Jesus, the Israelites were very knowledgeable in the field of medicine. Consequently, the miracles Jesus performed (by the permission of God) were of this nature and included returning sight to the blind, healing lepers and raising the dead. God said: “And you heal those born blind and the lepers by My leave. And behold! You bring forth the dead by My leave.” (Quran 5:10)

The Child Jesus Neither the Quran nor the Bible refers to the boyhood of Jesus. We can imagine, however, that as a son in the family of Imran, he was a pious child devoted to learning and eager to influence the children and adults around him. After mentioning Jesus speaking in the cradle, the Quran immediately recounts the story of Jesus moulding the figure of a bird from clay. He blew into it and by God’s leave it became a bird.

“I design for you out of clay, as it were the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s Leave.” (Quran 3:49) The Infancy Gospel of Thomas, one of a set of texts written by early Christians but not accepted into the tenet of the Old Testament, also refers to this story. It recounts in some detail the story of the young Jesus fashioning birds from clay and breathing life into them. Although fascinating, Muslims believe the message of Jesus only as it is recounted in the Quran and the narrations of Prophet Muhammad.

Muslims are required to believe in all the books revealed by God to mankind. However, the Bible, as it exists today, is not the Gospel that was revealed to Prophet Jesus. The words and wisdom of God given to Jesus have been lost, hidden, changed and distorted. The fate of the texts of the Apocrypha of which the Infancy Gospel of Thomas is one is testament to this. In 325AD, the Emperor Constantine attempted to unify the fractured Christian Church by calling a meeting of Bishops from all over the known world. This meeting became known as the Council of Nicaea, and its legacy was a doctrine of Trinity, previously inexistent, and the loss of somewhere between 270 and 4000 gospels. The council ordered the burning of all gospels not deemed worthy to be in the new Bible, and the Infancy Gospel of Thomas was one of them.[1] However, copies of many Gospels survived, and, although not in the Bible, are valued for their historical significance.

The Quran Frees Us Muslims believe that Jesus did indeed receive revelation from God, but he did not write down one single word, nor did he instruct his disciples to write it down.[2] There is no need for a Muslim to try to prove or disprove the books of the Christians. The Quran frees us from the need to know if the Bible we have today contains the word of God, or the words of Jesus. God said: “It is He Who has sent down the Book to you with truth, confirming what came before it.”

(Quran 3:3) And also: “And We have sent down to you the Book in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and dominant over it. So judge among them by what God has revealed.” (Quran 5:48) Anything beneficial for Muslims to know from the Torah or the Injeel is stated clearly in the Quran. Whatever good maybe found in the previous books is found now in the Quran.[3] If the words of today’s New Testament agree with the words of the Quran, then these words probably form the part of Jesus’ message that did not become distorted or lost over time. The message of Jesus was the same message that all the Prophets of God taught to their people. The Lord your God is One, so worship Him alone. And God said in the Quran about the story of Jesus: “Verily! This is the true narrative and, none has the right to be worshipped but God, the One and the Only True God, Who has neither a wife nor a son. And indeed, God is the All-Mighty, the AllWise.” (Quran 3:62)

Footnotes: [1] Misha'al ibn Abdullah, What did Jesus really say?

[2] Sheikh Ahmad Deedat. Is the Bible God’s word?

[3] Sheikh-‘Uthaymeen Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il Fadeelat vol. 1, p. 32-33

Jesus, son of Mary (part 2 of 5): The Message of Jesus Description: The true status of Jesus and his message in the Quran, and the relevance of the Bible today in relation to Muslim beliefs.

By Aisha Stacey (© 2008 IslamReligion.com) Published on 05 May 2008 - Last modified on 05 Oct 2008 Viewed: 29598 (daily average: 11) - Rating: 4.7 out of 5 - Rated by: 13 Printed: 1095 - Emailed: 6 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Beliefs of Islam > Stories of the Prophets Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus We have already established that Jesus, son of Mary, or as he is called by Muslims, Eissa ibn Maryam, performed his first miracle while cradled in Mary’s arms. By the permission of God he spoke, and his first words were “I am a slave of God,” (Quran 19:30). He did not say “I am God” or even “I am the son of God”. His first words established the foundation of his message, and his mission: to call the people back, to the pure worship of One God. At the time of Jesus, the concept of One God was not new to the Children of Israel. The Torah had proclaimed “Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is One,” (Deuteronomy: 4). However, God’s revelations had been misinterpreted and

abused, and hearts had become hardened. Jesus came to denounce the leaders of the Children of Israel, who had fallen into lives of materialism and luxury, and to uphold the law of Moses found in the Torah which they had even changed.

Jesus’ mission was to confirm the Torah, to make lawful things that were previously unlawful and to proclaim and reaffirm the belief in One Creator. Prophet Muhammad said: “Every Prophet was sent to his nation exclusively, but I was sent to all mankind,” (Saheeh Buhw-hkhari).

Thus, Jesus was sent to the Israelites.

God says in Quran that He would teach Jesus the Torah, the Gospel and theWisdom.

“And He will teach him the Book and the Wisdom, the Torah and the Injeel.” (Quran 3:48) In order to effectively spread his message, Jesus understood the Torah, and he was provided with his own revelation from God – the Injeel, or Gospel. God also endowed Jesus with the ability to guide and influence his people with signs and miracles.

God supports all of His Messengers with miracles that are observable and make sense to the people the Messenger has been sent to guide. At the time of Jesus, the Israelites were very knowledgeable in the field of medicine. Consequently, the miracles Jesus performed (by the permission of God) were of this nature and included returning sight to the blind, healing lepers and raising the dead. God said: “And you heal those born blind and the lepers by My leave. And behold! You bring forth the dead by My leave.” (Quran 5:10) The Child Jesus Neither the Quran nor the Bible refers to the boyhood of Jesus. We can imagine, however, that as a son in the family of Imran, he was a pious child devoted to learning and eager to influence the children and adults around him. After mentioning

Jesus speaking in the cradle, the Quran immediately recounts the story of Jesus moulding the figure of a bird from clay. He blew into it and by God’s leave it became a bird.

“I design for you out of clay, as it were the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s Leave.” (Quran 3:49) The Infancy Gospel of Thomas, one of a set of texts written by early Christians but not accepted into the tenet of the Old Testament, also refers to this story. It recounts in some detail the story of the young Jesus fashioning birds from clay and breathing life into them. Although fascinating, Muslims believe the message of Jesus only as it is recounted in the Quran and the narrations of Prophet Muhammad.

Muslims are required to believe in all the books revealed by God to mankind. However, the Bible, as it exists today, is not the Gospel that was revealed to Prophet Jesus. The words and wisdom of God given to Jesus have been lost, hidden, changed and distorted. The fate of the texts of the Apocrypha of which the Infancy Gospel of Thomas is one is testament to this. In 325AD, the Emperor Constantine attempted to unify the fractured Christian Church by calling a meeting of Bishops from all over the known world. This meeting became known as the Council of Nicaea, and its legacy was a doctrine of Trinity, previously inexistent, and the loss of somewhere between 270 and 4000 gospels. The council ordered the burning of all gospels not deemed worthy to be in the new Bible, and the Infancy Gospel of Thomas was one of them.[1] However, copies of many Gospels survived, and, although not in the Bible, are valued for their historical significance.

The Quran Frees Us Muslims believe that Jesus did indeed receive revelation from God, but he did not write down one single word, nor did he instruct his disciples to write it down.[2] There is no need for a Muslim to try to prove or disprove the books of the Christians. The Quran frees us from the need to know if the

Bible we have today contains the word of God, or the words of Jesus. God said: “It is He Who has sent down the Book to you with truth, confirming what came before it.”

(Quran 3:3) And also: “And We have sent down to you the Book in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and dominant over it. So judge among them by what God has revealed.” (Quran 5:48) Anything beneficial for Muslims to know from the Torah or the Injeel is stated clearly in the Quran. Whatever good maybe found in the previous books is found now in the Quran.[3] If the words of today’s New Testament agree with the words of the Quran, then these words probably form the part of Jesus’ message that did not become distorted or lost over time. The message of Jesus was the same message that all the Prophets of God taught to their people. The Lord your God is One, so worship Him alone. And God said in the Quran about the story of Jesus: “Verily! This is the true narrative and, none has the right to be worshipped but God, the One and the Only True God, Who has neither a wife nor a son. And indeed, God is the All-Mighty, the AllWise.” (Quran 3:62)

Footnotes: [1] Misha'al ibn Abdullah, What did Jesus really say?

[2] Sheikh Ahmad Deedat. Is the Bible God’s word?

[3] Sheikh-‘Uthaymeen Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il Fadeelat vol. 1, p. 32-33

Jesus, son of Mary (part 4 of 5): Did Jesus Really Die? Description: This article outlines the Muslim belief concerning Jesus and the crucifixion. It also repudiates the notion of a need of ‘a sacrifice’ to pay for the original sin on behalf of mankind.

By Aisha Stacey (© 2008 IslamReligion.com) Published on 12 May 2008 - Last modified on 18 Aug 2011 Viewed: 35274 (daily average: 13) - Rating: 4.2 out of 5 - Rated by: 18 Printed: 1229 - Emailed: 5 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Beliefs of Islam > Stories of the Prophets Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus The idea of Jesus dying on the cross is central to the Christian belief. It represents the conviction that Jesus died for the sins of mankind. The crucifixion of Jesus is a vital doctrine in Christianity; however Muslims reject it completely. Before describing what Muslims believe about Jesus’ crucifixion, it may be useful to understand the Islamic reaction to the notion of original sin.

When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree in paradise, they were not tempted by a serpent. It was Satan who deceived and cajoled them, whereupon they exercised their free will and made an error in judgement. Eve does not bear the burden of this mistake alone. Together, Adam and Eve realised their disobedience, felt remorse and begged for God’s forgiveness. God, in his infinite mercy and wisdom, forgave them. Islam has no concept of original sin; each person bears responsibility for his own deeds.

“And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden”. (Quran 35:18)

There is no need for God, a son of God, or even a Prophet of God to sacrifice himself for mankind’s sins in order to buy forgiveness. Islam refuses this view entirely. The foundation of Islam rests on knowing with certainty that nothing should we worshipped but God alone. Forgiveness emanates from the One True God; so, when a person seeks forgiveness, he must turn to God submissively with true remorse and beg forgiveness, promising not to repeat the sin. Then and only then will sins be forgiven.

In the light of Islam’s understanding of original sin and forgiveness, we can see that Islam teaches that Jesus did not come to atone for the sins of mankind; rather, his purpose was to reaffirm the message of the Prophets before him. “.. None has the right to be worshipped but God, the One and the Only True God…” (Quran 3:62) Muslims do not believe in the crucifixion of Jesus, nor do they believe that he died.

The Crucifixion Jesus’ message was rejected by most of the Israelites as well as the Roman authorities. Those who believed formed a small band of followers around him, known as the disciples. The Israelites plotted and conspired against Jesus and formulated a plan to have him assassinated. He was to be executed in public, in a particularly gruesome manner, well known in the Roman Empire: crucifixion.

Crucifixion was considered a shameful way to die, and “citizens” of the Roman Empire were exempt from this punishment. It was designed to not only prolong the agony of death, but to mutilate the body. The Israelites planned this humiliating death for their Messiah – Jesus, the messenger of God. God in his infinite mercy prevented this abominable event by putting the resemblance of Jesus on somebody else and elevating Jesus alive, body and soul, to heaven. The Quran is

silent about the exact details of just who this person was, but we know and believe with certainty that it was not Prophet Jesus.

Muslims believe that the Quran and the authentic narrations of Prophet Muhammad contain all the knowledge mankind needs in order to worship and live according to God’s commandments. Therefore, if small details are not explained, it is because God in His infinite wisdom has judged these details to be of no benefit to us. The Quran explains, in God’s own words, the conspiracy against Jesus and His plan to outwit the Israelites and raise Jesus to heaven.

“And they plotted to kill Jesus and God planned too. And God is the Best of the planners.”

(Quran 3:54) “And because of their boasting, "We killed Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of God." But they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of Jesus was put over another man, and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge; they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely, they killed him not. But God raised him (Jesus) up unto Himself. And God is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise.” (Quran 4:157-158) Jesus Did Not Die The Israelites and the Roman authorities were not able to harm Jesus. God says clearly that He took Jesus up to Himself and cleared him of the false statements made in Jesus’ name.

“O Jesus! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you of the forged statement that Jesus is God’s son.” (Quran 3:55) In the previous verse, when God said He “will take” Jesus, he uses the wordmutawaffeeka. Without a clear understanding of the richness of the Arabic language, and knowledge of the levels

of meaning in many words, it may be possible to misunderstand God’s meaning. In the Arabic language today the word mutawaffeeka is sometimes used to denote death, or even sleep. In this verse of Quran, however, the original meaning is used and the comprehensiveness of the word denotes that God raised Jesus to himself, completely. Thus, he was alive at his ascension, body and soul, without any injury or defect.

Muslims believe Jesus is not dead, and that he will return to this world in the last days before the Day of Judgement. Prophet Mohammad said to his companions: “How will you be when the son of Mary, Jesus descends amongst you and he will judge people by the Law of the Quran and not by the law of Gospel.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) God reminds us in the Quran that the Day of Judgement is a Day that we cannot avoid and cautions us that the descent of Jesus is a sign of its nearness.

“And he, Jesus, son of Mary shall be a known sign for the Hour. Therefore have no doubt concerning it. And follow Me! This is the Straight Path.” (Quran 43:61) Therefore, the Islamic belief about Jesus’ crucifixion and death is clear. There was a plot to crucify Jesus but it did not succeed; Jesus did not die, but ascended to heaven. In the last days leading up to the Day of Judgement, Jesus will return to this world and continue his message.

Jesus, son of Mary (part 5 of 5): People of the Book Description: An overview of some of the terms the Quran use for Jesus and his followers from before the advent of Muhammad: the “Bani Israeel”, “Eissa” and the “People of the Book”.

By Aisha Stacey (© 2008 IslamReligion.com) Published on 12 May 2008 - Last modified on 05 Oct 2008 Viewed: 28338 (daily average: 10) - Rating: 4.3 out of 5 - Rated by: 15 Printed: 1215 - Emailed: 21 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Beliefs of Islam > Stories of the Prophets Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus After reading and understanding what Muslims believe about Jesus, son of Mary, there may be some questions that come to mind, or issues that need clarification. You may have read the term “People of the Book” and not been completely clear about what this meant. Likewise, while exploring the literature available about Jesus you could have come across the name Eissa and wondered if Jesus and Eissa were the same person. If you are considering investigating a little further or perhaps reading the Quran, the following points may be of interest.

Who is Eissa?

Eissa is Jesus. Perhaps because of the difference in pronunciation, many people may not be aware that when they hear a Muslim talking about Eissa, he is actually talking about Prophet Jesus. The spelling of Eissa may take many forms – Isa, Esa, Essa, and Eissa. The Arabic language is written in Arabic characters, thus any transliteration system tries to reproduce the phonetic sound. No matter what the spelling, all indicate Jesus, the Messenger of God. Jesus and his people spoke Aramaic, a language from the Semitic family. Spoken by more than 300 million people throughout the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa, Semitic languages include, among others, Arabic and Hebrew. The use of the word Eissa is actually a closer translation of the Aramaic word for Jesus – Eeshu. In Hebrew this translates to Yeshua.

Translating the name Jesus into non Semitic languages complicated things. There was no “J” in any language until the fourteenth century[1], so consequently, when the name Jesus was translated into Greek, it became Iesous, and in Latin, Iesus[2]. Later, the “I” and “J” were used interchangeably, and finally the name transitioned into

English as Jesus. The final “S” on the end is indicative of the Greek language where all male names end in “S”.

Aramaic

Arabic

Hebrew

Greek

Latin

English

Eeshu

Eisa

Yeshua

Iesous

Iesus

Jesus

Who are the People of the Book?

When God refers to the People of the Book, He is talking mainly about the Jews and the Christians. In the Quran, the Jewish people are called Bani Israeel, literally the Children of Israel, or commonly the Israelites. These distinctive groups follow, or followed, the revelation of God as it was revealed in the Torah and the Injeel. You may also hear the Jews and Christians referred to as “the People of the Scripture”.

Muslims believe the divinely revealed books before the Quran have either been lost in antiquity, or changed and distorted, but they also recognize that the true followers of Moses and Jesus were Muslims who worshiped One God with true submission. Jesus, son of Mary, came to confirm the message of Moses and to guide the Children of Israel back to the straight path. Muslim’s believe the Jews (Children of Israel) denied Jesus’ mission and message, and the Christians incorrectly raised him to the status of a god.

“O people of the Scripture! Exceed not the limits in your religion other than the truth, and do not follow the vain desires of people who went astray in times gone by, and who misled many, and strayed from the Right Path.” (Quran 5:77) We have already discussed in previous parts how the Quran deals extensively with Prophet Jesus and his mother Mary. However, the Quran also includes many verses where God speaks directly to the People of the Book, particularly those who call themselves Christians.

The Christians and Jews are told not to criticise the Muslims for no reason other than believing in One God, but God also draws attention

to the fact that Christians (those who follow Christ’s teaching) and Muslims have much in common, including their love and respect for Jesus and all of the Prophets. “.. and you will find the nearest in love to the believers those who say: ‘We are Christians.’ That is because amongst them are priests and monks, and they are not proud. And when they listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognised. They say: Our Lord! We believe; so write us down among the witnesses.” (Quran 5:83) Like Jesus son of Mary, the Prophet Muhammad came to confirm the message of all the Prophets before him; he called the people to worship the One God. His mission, however, was different from the earlier Prophets, (Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and others) in one respect. Prophet Muhammad came for all of mankind while the Prophets before him came specifically for their own time and people. The advent of Prophet Muhammad and the revelation of the Quran completed the religion that had been revealed to the People of the Book.

And God spoke to Prophet Muhammad in the Quran and beseeched him to call to the People of the Book by saying: “Say O Muhammad ‘O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but God (Alone), and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides God.’” (Quran 3:64) Prophet Muhammad said to his companions, and thus to all of mankind: “I am the nearest of all the people to the son of Mary, and all the Prophets are brothers and there is none between me and him.”

And also:

“If a man believes in Jesus and then believes in me he will get double reward.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) Islam is a religion of peace, respect and tolerance, and it applies a just and compassionate attitude towards other religions, particularly in respect to the People of the Book.

Footnotes: [1] The Encyclopaedia Americana.

[2] The Oxford English dictionary.

Discovering the Real Jesus (part 1 of 6): Mark vs. Matthew and Luke Description: A comparison of the gospel versions in search of the real Jesus.

By I. Damiel Published on 30 Jun 2008 - Last modified on 23 Jan 2011 Viewed: 25128 (daily average: 9) - Rating: 3.7 out of 5 - Rated by: 11 Printed: 1681 - Emailed: 2 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

Many scholars and students of the Bible have observed how similar the gospels are to each other in the episodes they narrate and in the sayings of Jesus they report. These scholars and students have also noticed how the very same passages are also starkly different from each other in various details.

Over the last three hundred years, the world of Biblical scholarship has exercised its collective mind in solving the riddle of why the gospels are so similar and yet so different. The result of this laborious scholarly enquiry has resulted in the discovery that Matthew and Luke were dependent upon Mark and an additional source, termed “Q”, as the basis for their own gospels.

The two source hypothesis is generally accepted as the fundamental solution to the synoptic problem. It remains the majority position within contemporary New Testament scholarship.

The late protestant evangelical scholar F. F. Bruce writes: “The conclusion usually and I think rightly drawn from their comparative study is that the Gospel of Mark or something very similar like it, served as a source for the Gospels of Matthew and Luke…”[1] Mark’s gospel has been dated between 65-70 C.E. There is a general consensus on this dating, agreed upon by conservatives as well as skeptics, and found in most introductions to the New Testament.

F. F. Bruce corroborating this dating writes:

“Mark probably wrote his gospel in the first instance, for the Christians of Rome, in the aftermath of the persecution which overtook them without warning under Nero, as a sequel to the great fire in July, AD 64”.[2] When studying these gospels, it is quite apparent that Mark is more primitive in style, theology and diction. More importantly, in Mark’s gospel the human Jesus stands out more visibly than the later gospels. Scholars argue that the depiction of Jesus in Mark represents a far more historical and real Jesus.

In Mark’s gospel, there are a plethora of passages which describe Jesus as a mere human being. Such passages would later on become stumbling blocks in the way of weak believers, traditions which “ran against the grain”, and were therefore omitted from the later gospels.

When one scrutinizes the same narratives of Jesus reported in Mark and Matthew, one quickly realizes that the latter has altered Mark’s gospel due to an increasing feeling of reverence for the person of Christ. Passages which show the inability, weakness and humanness of Jesus were omitted by Matthew and replaced with a much better Christology.

Of course, not all of the changes were Christological in nature. Factual inaccuracies, grammatical mistakes and other minor errors were also omitted by Matthew and Luke. Matthew’s redaction of Mark often appears at first to involve incidental details, but a closer study reveals that it is part of a consistent and thoroughgoing redevelopment of Mark.

Through the passing of time, there was a clear change in Christology from the earlier gospel to the later ones. The development was from lesser to greater. There was an enhancing of feelings of reverence and an increase in the position and status of Jesus.

Bruce Metzger, the premier New Testament textual critic, writes:

“Matthew and Luke suppress or weaken references in Mark to such human emotions of Jesus as grief and anger and amazement as well as Jesus’ unrequited love; they also omit Mark’s statement that Jesus’ friends thought he was beside himself”.

He explains further, that: “The later gospels omit what might imply that Jesus was unable to accomplish what he willed…and also omit questions asked by Jesus which might be taken to imply his ignorance.”[3] Metzger continues further by enumerating instances where Matthew and Luke soften Mark’s statements which might minimize the majesty of Jesus and replaced it with illustrations of a more alluring and authoritative Jesus.

In the story of the fig tree as found in Mark, the disciples did not notice the withering of the tree until next morning. For Matthew, this seemed less dramatic and unimpressive, and hence in his narrative the tree withered at once, leaving the disciples in shock and amazement.

Matthew and Luke were adamant in changing the words of Jesus. They wanted to make Jesus say what they wanted people to believe, “reflecting a later stage of theological understanding than that in Mark.” (Metzger, pg 83) It seems quite clear that during both the pre and post gospel stages of the gospel traditions transmission, the available material was molded, filtered and changed in direct correlation to the Christological convictions of those who handled the traditions.

It is important to stress that this is not a case of the evangelists’ mere differing in emphasis; rather there are numerous occasions when the later gospel writers go out of their way to modify and alter the earlier version.

Therefore, if we wish to come close to the historical Jesus in the gospels, it is a good starting point to compare the stories in the various gospels, to discern where the story has altered.

Footnotes: [1] The Real Jesus, pg 25 [2] Ibid [3] The New Testament: its background, growth and content, pg 81-83

Discovering the Real Jesus (part 2 of 6): The Gospel of John Description: The transformation of Jesus in the Gospel of John.

By I. Damiel Published on 07 Jul 2008 - Last modified on 27 Jul 2008 Viewed: 18898 (daily average: 7) - Rating: 4.6 out of 5 - Rated by: 9 Printed: 1467 - Emailed: 4 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

In the beginning, each gospel was circulated independently in the community it had been written. Mark was probably composed in Rome, Matthew in Antioch, Luke in Ceaserea and John in Ephesus. None of the gospel writers were eyewitnesses to life of Jesus, and very little if anything is known about them.

Now that the gospels are gathered together in the Bible, they can all be studied together. Yet most readers today often forget or ignore what is in Mark and concentrate only on the “improved” version in Matthew, Luke and more specifically John.

When we turn our attention to John, the last gospel to be written, it is not surprising to note that Jesus is magnified and transformed into someone very different to the person found in Mark. John’s Jesus is a powerful being, occupying a position somewhere between God and Man. He is the logos, the Word of God, through whom God created everything. He is no longer just a Prophet and Messenger of God, but rather God’s only begotten Son! Although none of the gospels teach that Jesus is God, some of the statements found in the fourth gospel place Jesus so high above humanity that many readers deem this as enough proof of the later Christian claim to Jesus’ divinity.

For example, it is ONLY in the gospel of John, that we find the following statements: 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him, might not perish, but might have eternal life”. (John 3:16)



“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, He was in the beginning with God.” (John 1:1)



“I and my Father are One”. (John 10:30)



“He that has seen me has seen the Father”. (John 14: 89)



“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. (John 14:6)



“…Before Abraham came to be, I AM”. (John 8: 58)

Another striking fact is that whilst in the earlier gospels Jesus is seen preaching about the Kingdom of God, in John, Jesus is occupied preaching about himself.

In Mark, the word “kingdom” appears on the lips of Jesus 18 times, whilst in John it is drastically reduced to five. Moreover, in Mark Jesus uses “I” in self-reference, nine times, whilst in John and whopping 118 times!

When we read the earlier gospels, the impression is that the “Kingdom of God” was Jesus’ main preaching and teaching, whilst in John’s gospel, Jesus is rarely heard preaching the “Kingdom of God”. His gospel is substituted with profound and staggering claims by Jesus about himself. 

“I am the bread of life”. (John 6:35)



“I am the light of the world”. (John 8:12)



“I am the door of the sheep”. (John 10:7)



“I am the good shepherd”. (John 10:11)



“I am the resurrection and the life”. (John 11:25)



“I am the way, the truth and the life”. (John 14:6)



“I am the true vine”. (John 15:1)

It is of no surprise that evangelists and Christian apologists, when asked for textual proof for the divinity of Jesus, quickly

rush to John’s gospel, since none of the above powerful selftestimonies are to be found in any of the other gospels. Surely, if these words were part and parcel of the original words of Jesus, every gospel writer would have mentioned them. It is implausible to believe that the writers neglected all of these core and fundamental teachings and busied themselves with lesser details in Jesus’ life.

Moreover, why was it that the term “father” or “the father” referring to God is only used four times in Mark, but a mammoth 173 times in John? The most obvious deduction to be drawn from these statistics is that over the period spanned by Mark and John, there was an evolution and development of the traditions. In Mark’s gospel, Jesus spoke of God as “God”, whilst after 30 years when John wrote his gospel, Jesus in the very same episodes calls “God” his “Father”.

In the earliest of the four gospels, Jesus appears very human and very much a prophet. In the last gospel, however, he appears much more divine, and much more like an icon.

It is for this reason that Mark’s gospel was rather neglected by the early church. It was less frequently copied by scribes, preachers rarely referred to it and it was read only occasionally in church congregations and services.

As stated earlier, the author of John’s gospel was not the only one guilty of changing the words of Jesus, Matthew and Luke also not satisfied with the depiction of Jesus in Mark set out to magnify the position of Jesus in a number of ways. When we line up the gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke (synoptic gospels) together, and compare them with one another, we will notice that the events and speeches are modified as we go from one gospel to another.

Discovering the Real Jesus (part 3 of 6): Textual Comparisons (I) Description: How to get to get to the Kingdom of God; some differences between the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Matthew.

By I. Damiel Published on 14 Jul 2008 - Last modified on 27 Jul 2008 Viewed: 16932 (daily average: 6) - Rating: 4 out of 5 - Rated by: 5 Printed: 1451 - Emailed: 0 - Commented on: 1 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Using Matthew as a case in point, we notice that the writers who came after Mark repeatedly changed the story line, in the following ways: 1)

They often inserted the title “Son of God” for Jesus.

2)

They often inserted the title “Father” for God.

3)

They magnified the miracles of Jesus.

4)

They covered up the limitations of Jesus.

5)

They called Jesus “Lord”.

6)

They represented people praying to Jesus.

7)

They portrayed Jesus with more knowledge.

8)

The blurred the distinction between Jesus and God.

To illustrate the type of changes that occurred, I will show how individual episodes in the gospels of Matthew and Mark are similar and yet significantly different. The differences have been noted by Biblical scholars and explained as modifications introduced by Matthew.

The Greatest Commandment (Mark 12: 28-35, Matthew 22:34-40) Mark 12: 28- 35

Matthew 22:34-40 34

28

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37Jesus replied: “Love 29 “The most important the Lord your God with all one,” answered Jesus, “is this: your heart and with all your ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord soul and with all your our God, the Lord is mind. 38This is the first and 30 one. Love the Lord your greatest commandment. 39And God with all your heart and the second is like it: Love your with all your soul and with all neighbor as yourself. 40All the your mind and with all your Law and the Prophets hang on strength.’ 31The second is these two commandments.” this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more 32

36

important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. * All quotes are from The New International Version.

In Mark’s gospel, a teacher of the law asks Jesus as to what is the greatest commandment. Jesus replied that the greatest commandment was that God is one. Hearing Jesus’ response, than man agrees with Jesus, that to believe that God is One is the greatest commandment. Jesus realizes that the man had answered wisely and tells him that he is not far from the Kingdom of God. In Matthew, loving God becomes the greatest commandment and no mention of God being one is made.

The Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10: 17-19, Matthew 19: 16-20) Mark 10: 17-19

Matthew 19: 16-20 16

17

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the 18

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”

17

18 commandments: Do not “Which ones?” the man inquired. murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not Jesus replied, “Do not give false testimony, do not murder, do not commit defraud, honor your father and adultery, do not steal, do not mother.” give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Hearing the two together, you do not detect any difference and this is what happens. By the time you finish reading Matthew, then Mark and then Luke. One does not remember what he read in which gospel. The reader thinks that all three gospels say exactly the same thing. Yet, when we study them together closely, we realize that the gospel writers were able to use the information to their advantage, to teach the precise point they wanted to preach.

In the above passage, the opening exchange between the man and Jesus has been altered by Matthew. In Mark, the man addresses Jesus as “good teacher”. Jesus replies with a mild rebuke, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” Once again, Matthew tries to change the passage. First he alters the man’s initial question by moving the word “good” from the address and putting it as the object of the sentence.

Mark: “Good teacher, what must I do…?”

Matthew: “Teacher, what good deed must I do…?”

Finally, embarrassed by the fact that Jesus had reprimand the man for calling him good, Matthew changes Mark’s second sentence, hence leaving Jesus no chance to refuse that address and protecting him from the implicit suggestion that he was not good. Yet in doing so, Matthew has made his version lack

coherency, indicating as though Jesus did not understand the question.

Discovering the Real Jesus (part 4 of 6): Textual Comparisons (II) Description: The withered fig tree and the sick women; some differences between the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Matthew.

By I. Damiel Published on 21 Jul 2008 - Last modified on 27 Jul 2008 Viewed: 16524 (daily average: 6) - Rating: 4.3 out of 5 - Rated by: 6 Printed: 1411 - Emailed: 0 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

The Withered Fig Tree (Mark 11: 12-25, Matthew 21: 12-22) Mark 11: 12-25 12

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.”

And his disciples heard him say it.

Matthew 21: 12-22 12

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13”It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’“ 14

15

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ” ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants 16

18

you have ordained praise’?”

The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to 17 And he left them and kill him, for they feared him, went out of the city to because the whole crowd was Bethany, where he spent the amazed at his teaching. night.

19 When evening came, they went out of the city.

The Withered Fig Tree 20

In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look!

The fig tree you cursed has withered!” ”Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23”I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, 22

The Fig Tree Withers 18

Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

20

When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22If you believe, 21

so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

In Mark’s version, Jesus seeing in a distance a fig tree went over to looking for fruit. Since it was still not the right season, no food was found on the tree. Jesus after making this understandable human error still curses the good tree. As for Matthew, he deletes the information about it not being the right season, since this would imply that Jesus destroyed a tree for no justifiable reason. Matthew leaves the reader to think that the tree was barren and therefore deserved to be destroyed.

Furthermore, in Mark the disciples notice that the tree has withered away the following day. Yet, in Matthew, the tree withers away immediately demonstrating the power of Jesus and the amazement of the disciples. Moreover, Matthew makes other significant changes to the passage, so for example, where Mark mentions “a house of prayer for all nations”, Matthew omits “all nation” to satisfy his Jewish readership.

Sick Woman (Mark 5: 24-35, Matthew 9:20-23) Mark 5: 24-35 A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,28because she

Matthew 9:20-23 20

Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

22

Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment.

thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”29Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30

At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” ”You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ “ 31

32

But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

In Mark, the woman touches Jesus’ cloak and is cured. Jesus felt the power going out of him and realized that someone had touched him but he did not know where the power went and who had touched him. Whilst the woman was already cured, in Mark, Jesus was still trying to figure out what had happened.

In Matthew, Jesus is far more powerful. He immediately knew who touched him and the woman was healed only after Jesus spoke, as if the healing power awaited Jesus’ command.

Discovering the Real Jesus (part 5 of 6): Textual Comparisons (III) Description: Peter’s Confessions and Jesus’ rejection at Nazareth; some differences between the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Matthew.

By I. Damiel Published on 28 Jul 2008 - Last modified on 28 Jul 2008 Viewed: 16743 (daily average: 6) - Rating: 4.3 out of 5 - Rated by: 6 Printed: 1441 - Emailed: 0 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

Peter’s Confession (Mark 8: 27-30, Matthew 16: 13-17) Mark 8: 27-30 27

Matthew 16: 13-17 13

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

28

29“

14

But what about you?” he 15 asked. “Who do you say I “But what about am?” you?” he asked. “Who do Peter answered, “You are you say I am?” the Christ.”

16 Simon Peter answered, 30 Jesus warned them not to “You are the Christ, the Son of tell anyone about him. the living God.”

What did Peter actually say?

Mark: “You are the Christ”.

Matthew: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”.

Many Bible notes and commentaries acknowledge that here Matthew has added the additional phrase into the mouth of Jesus.

(New Jerusalem Bible, pg 34) Jesus’ Rejection at Nazareth (Mark 6: 1-6, Matthew 13: 5358) Mark 6: 1-6

Matthew 13: 53-58

1

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

53

When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there.

54

Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. 55“Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57And they took offense at him.

But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.”

Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” 5He could not do any 58 miracles there, except lay his And he did not do many hands on a few sick people miracles there because of their 6 lack of faith. and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

4

As you can see, Mark’s version depicts Jesus as being powerless in the face of unbelief and was unable to do any miracles. Matthew changes the Mark’s version to eliminate this problem.

Mark: “He could not do any mighty work there…”

Matthew: “He did not do many miracles there…”

Scholars have also suggested that Matthew wanted to avoid the description of Jesus as a carpenter and therefore changed it, due to the general negative attitudes towards manual labor, which were characteristic among the elite of the Greco-Roman world.

Jesus Heals Many (Mark 1: 32-34, Matthew 8: 16-17) Mark 1: 32-34 32

That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demonpossessed. 33The whole town gathered at the door, 34and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

Matthew 8: 16-17 16

When evening came, many who were demonpossessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”

In Mark Jesus heals many, but in Matthew he heals all!

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers (Mark 3: 31-35, Matthew 12:4650) Mark 3: 31-35

Matthew 12:46-50 46

31

Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are

brothers are outside looking for you.”

“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49Pointing to his 34 Then he looked at those disciples, he said, “Here are seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother my mother50and my brothers. For whoever does and my brothers! 35Whoever the will of my Father in does God's will is my brother heaven is my brother and sister and sister and mother.” and mother.”

33

48

Here, Matthew changes “God” to “Father” in Jesus’ speech in order to support later developing ideas about Jesus and God. Walking on Water (Mark 6: 45-52, Matthew 14: 22-33) Mark 6: 45-52 45

Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

47

Matthew 14: 22-33 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but the boat was already a considerable distance[a] from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against 25 them. About the fourth watch During the fourth watch of the night he went out to of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. He them, walking on the

was about to pass by them, 49but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50because they all saw him and were terrified.

lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It's a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.”

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.” 51Then he climbed 28 “Lord, if it's you,” Peter into the boat with them, and replied, “tell me to come to the wind died down. They you on the water.” were completely amazed, 52for 29 “Come,” he said. they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were Then Peter got down out hardened. of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Note the following changes and additions made by Matthew from Mark: Firstly, he omitted Bethsaida due to its geographical difficulty. Secondly, Peter in Matthew’s gospel addresses Jesus by the honorific title “Lord”. Thirdly, the disciples worship Jesus and finally they all confess that Jesus is the “Son of God”.

Through time, like a snowball, the more the message of Jesus was passed around, the more it got bigger and better. The above passage illustrates how Matthew modified the speech of individuals to produce the result, that Jesus is called “Lord”. Now it is true that Lord does not necessarily mean God. But in the later Christian thinking it will mean exactly that. Matthew was inadvertently setting the stage of Jesus’ promotion to Godhead.

Discovering the Real Jesus (part 6 of 6): Conclusion Description: Conclusion and how to truly discover the true Jesus.

By I. Damiel Published on 04 Aug 2008 - Last modified on 04 Aug 2008 Viewed: 17051 (daily average: 6) - Rating: 4 out of 5 - Rated by: 6 Printed: 1425 - Emailed: 15 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus From the aforementioned discussion, another question arises. How can we trust Mark in everything that he presents about Jesus as historically accurate? It is common knowledge that the present day gospels were not written by Jesus nor at his dictation. The earliest gospel Mark was written around 65-70 AD. So there is a time gap between Jesus’ ascension and the first gospel, a gap of about 35-40 years.

As stated earlier, Mark was not an eyewitness to the life of Jesus, nor do we have clear records showing that the early church memorized the sayings of Jesus. Therefore this gap has to be viewed as considerable. During this time, the traditions of Jesus were being shaped and developed, with many different versions of the gospels being circulated in the different communities.

Furthermore, it is important to stress that the gospel writers were not merely recorders of tradition. Like the other gospel writers, Mark also edited his material. He also worked upon and reshaped the traditions that he used. Like the rest of the writers, he also was not attempting to produce a historically accurate biography of Jesus. Their concern was to present material which best served their church and reflected their understanding of Jesus rather than Jesus’ own self-understanding. In reconstructing the teaching and actions of Jesus, it is possible to take account of the modifications introduced by the later gospel writers. But the period between Jesus and the emergence of the written gospels is far more problematic.

Therefore, in attempting to discover the real historical Jesus, we will have to peel back the layers behind all of the stories that were later developed about Jesus. We have to find out who Jesus was, before the gospels were written about him. When we study the gospels, we see stories of Jesus evolving over time such that the personality of Jesus grows bigger and better. Jesus is shown to be more knowledgeable and more powerful over time, until finally after many councils and disputes, he is officially proclaimed as God in the council of Nicea in the year 325 C.E. Over the course of time, Jesus was transformed from a Jewish carpenter and Messenger of God to the second person in the holy trinity. From what he was to something he would never agree with.

Yet all is not at lost. Even today, if someone wanted to know the real historical Jesus, then they can do so. God in His infinite Mercy, has once more sent a Messenger with a pristine message, a message that was not contaminated nor tampered with.

In this final message, God tells us that Jesus was a man and a mighty messenger sent by Him, that Jesus performed miracles by God’s leave, that he was born of a virgin birth and that he would return towards the end of time.

In the Qur’an, God instructs the Christians: “O People of the Book! Do not exceed the limits in your religion: nor say of Allah aught but the truth. The Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary, was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah and His Word which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit created by Him; so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Say not:"Three!" Cease! it is better for you. For Allah is One God, Glory be Him (Far Exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is All-Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs.” (Quran 4:171)

Is Jesus God or sent by God? (part 1 of 2) Description: The first of a two-part article discussing the true role of Jesus. Part 1: Discusses whether Jesus called himself God, Jesus referred to as Lord and the nature of Jesus.

By onereason.org Published on 05 Nov 2012 - Last modified on 20 Oct 2014 Viewed: 15851 (daily average: 14) - Rating: 4.9 out of 5 - Rated by: 9 Printed: 268 - Emailed: 3 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

Jesus is a figure who is loved and revered by billions of people the world over. Yet there is so much confusion surrounding the status of this colossal personality. Muslims and Christians both hold Jesus in high regard but view him in very different ways.

The questions raised in this article aim to get to the heart of the issues surrounding Jesus: Is Jesus God? Or was he sent by God? Who was the real historical Jesus?

Some ambiguous verses of the Bible can be applied erroneously to show that Jesus is in some way divine. But if we look at the clear, direct verses of the Bible, we see again and again that Jesus is being referred to as an extraordinary human being and nothing more. What emerges, when we consider the historical and logical facts about Jesus’ life, is conclusive proof not only that Jesus cannot be God, but that he never claimed to be either.

What follows are five lines of reasoning which clarify this subject for us through the Bible itself and thereby allow us to discover the real Jesus.

1.

Jesus Never Calls Himself God

The Bible (in spite of being changed and adulterated over time) contains many verses in which Jesus speaks of God as a separate person to himself. Here are just a few of them: When a man addressed Jesus as “Good Teacher”, he replied “Why do you call me good? No one is good except the one God.’’ [Mark 10:18] In another instance he says: “I can’t do anything by myself. Whatever I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just. I don’t seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”

[John 5:30]

Jesus speaks of God as a separate being to himself: I’m going up to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. [John 20:17] In this verse he affirms that he was sent by God: This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent. [John 17:3] If Jesus was God he would have told people to worship him, but he did the opposite and disapproved anyone worshipping him: And in vain they worship Me [Matthew 15:9] If Jesus claimed to be God than there should be hundreds of verses in the Bible which would have mentioned it. But there is not a single verse in the entire Bible in which Jesus says I am God, worship me.

2.

Jesus as Son and Lord?

Jesus is sometimes referred to as ‘Lord’ in the Bible and at other times as ‘Son of God’. God is called the ‘Father’, so putting these names together it could be claimed that Jesus is the son of God. But if we look at each of these titles in context we will find that they are symbolic and not to be taken literally.

‘Son of God’ is a term used in ancient Hebrew for a righteous person. God calls Israel his ‘son’: This is what the LORD says: Israel is my oldest son.[Exodus 4:22]. Also, David is called the ‘Son of God’: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.’ [Psalm 2:7]. In fact anyone who is righteous is referred to as God’s ‘son’: All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters. [Romans 8:14].

In the same way, when the word ‘Father’ is used to refer to God it shouldn’t be taken literally. Instead it’s a way of saying God is the creator, sustainer, cherisher etc. There are many verses for us to understand this symbolic meaning of the word ‘Father’, for example: one God and Father of all. [Ephesians 4:6].

Jesus is sometimes called ‘Lord’ by the disciples. ‘Lord’ is a term used for God and also for people who are held in high

esteem. There are many examples of the word ‘Lord’ being used for people in the Bible: So they (Joseph’s brothers) went up to Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. “We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said. [Genesis 43:19-20]. Also, in other parts of the Bible, Jesus is even called a ‘servant’ of God by the disciples: the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. [Acts 3:13]. This clearly shows that when ‘Lord’ is used to refer to Jesus, it is a title of respect not of divinity.

3.

The Nature of Jesus

The nature of Jesus was totally different to that of God. There are many parts of the Bible that highlight this difference in nature: God is All-Knowing but Jesus by his own admission was not All-Knowing. This can be seen in the following passage when Jesus says “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the heavenly angels and not the Son. Only the Father knows.” [Matthew 24:36] God is independent and he doesn’t need sleep, food or water. Jesus however ate, drank, slept and depended on God: As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father. [John 6:57]. Another sign of Jesus’ dependence on God is that he prayed to God: Going a little farther, he (Jesus) fell with his face to the ground and prayed [Matthew 26:39]. This shows that Jesus himself sought help from God. God, being the one who answers prayers does not need to pray to anyone. Also, Jesus said: I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than me. [John 14:28].

The Bible is clear that God is unseen and is not a man: for no one may see me and live. [Exodus 33:20], God is not a man [Numbers 23:19]. Jesus on the other hand was a man who was seen by thousands of people, so he could not be God. Furthermore, the Bible makes it clear that God is too great to be inside his creation: But how could God possibly live on earth with people? If heaven, even the highest heaven, can’t

contain you [2 Chronicles 6:18]. According to this verse Jesus cannot be God living on the earth.

Also the Bible calls Jesus a Prophet [Matthew 21:10-11], so how could Jesus be God and be God’s Prophet at the same time?

That wouldn’t make sense.

Additionally the Bible informs us that God does not change: I the Lord do not change. [Malachi 3:6:]. Jesus however went through many changes in his life such as age, height, weight etc.

These are just some of the proofs within the Bible, which make it clear that the nature of Jesus and God is completely different. Some people may claim that Jesus had both a human and a divine nature. This is a claim that Jesus never made, and is in clear contradiction to the Bible which maintains that God has one nature.

Is Jesus God or sent by God? (part 2 of 2) Description: The second of a two-part article discussing the true role of Jesus. Part 2: Discusses the message of Jesus, belief of the early Christians and Islam's view of Jesus.

By onereason.org Published on 05 Nov 2012 - Last modified on 26 Apr 2013 Viewed: 9865 (daily average: 8) - Rating: 4.8 out of 5 - Rated by: 8 Printed: 229 - Emailed: 6 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

4.

The Message of Jesus

The Prophets of the Old Testament such as Abraham, Noah and Jonah never preached that God is part of a Trinity, and did not believe in Jesus as their saviour. Their message was simple: there is one God and He alone deserves your worship. It doesn’t make sense that God sent Prophets for thousands of years with the same essential message, and then all of a sudden he says he is in a Trinity and that you must believe in Jesus to be saved.

The truth is that Jesus preached the same message that the Prophets in the Old Testament preached. There is a passage in the Bible which really emphasizes his core message. A man came to Jesus and asked “Which is the first commandment of all?”Jesus answered, “The first of all the commandments is Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.’’[Mark 12:28-29]. So the greatest commandment, the most important belief according to Jesus is that God is one. If Jesus was God he would have said ‘I am God, worship me’, but he didn’t. He merely repeated a verse from the Old Testament confirming that God is One. Some people claim that Jesus came to die for the sins of the world. But consider the following statement of Jesus: This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent. I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.[John 17:3-4]. Jesus said this before he was caught and taken to be crucified. It is clear from this verse that Jesus did not come to die for the sins of the world, as he finished the work God gave him before he was taken to be crucified.

Also Jesus said “salvation is of the Jews” [John 4:22]. So according to this we don’t need to believe in the Trinity or that Jesus died for our sins to attain salvation since the Jews don’t have these beliefs.

5.

The Early Christians

Historically there were many sects in early Christianity who had a range of beliefs regarding Jesus[1]. Some believed Jesus was God, others believed Jesus was not God but partly divine, and yet others believed he was a human being and nothing more. Trinitarian Christianity which is the belief that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one in three persons became the dominant sect of Christianity, once it was formalized as the state religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th Century. Christians who denied Jesus being God were persecuted by the Roman Authorities[2]. From this point onwards the Trinitarian belief became widespread amongst Christians. There were various movements in early Christianity which denied the Trinity, among the more well known of them is Adoptionism and Arianism.

Dr Jerald Dirks who is an expert on early Christianity had this to say on the subject: Early Christianity was quite conflicted about the issue of the nature of Jesus. The various Adoptionist positions within early Christianity were numerous and at times dominate. One can even speculate that Arian and Nestorian Christianity might well be an extremely sizable source within Christianity today, if it were not for the fact that these two branches of Christianity, which were located primarily in the middle east and in North Africa were so similar to the Islamic teaching regarding the nature of Jesus that they quite naturally were absorbed into Islam at the beginning of the seventh century.”[3] Since there were so many sects in early Christianity, each with different beliefs about Jesus and with their own versions of the Bible, which one can we say was following the true teachings of Jesus?

It doesn’t make sense that God sends countless Prophets like Noah, Abraham and Moses to tell people to believe in one God, and then suddenly sends a radically different message of the Trinity which contradicts his previous Prophets teachings. It is clear that the sect of Christianity who believed Jesus to be a human Prophet and nothing more, were following the true teachings of Jesus. This is because their concept of God is the

same as that which was taught by the Prophets in the Old Testament.

Jesus in Islam The Islamic belief about Jesus demystifies for us who the real Jesus was. Jesus in Islam was an extraordinary individual, chosen by God as a Prophet and sent to the Jewish people. He never preached that he himself was God or the actual son of God. He was miraculously born without a father, and he performed many amazing miracles such as healing the blind and the lepers and raising the dead – all by God’s permission. Muslims believe that Jesus will return before the day of Judgement to bring justice and peace to the world. This Islamic belief about Jesus is similar to the belief of some of the early Christians. In the Quran, God addresses the Christians about Jesus in the following way: O People of the Book, do not commit excesses in your religion, and do not say anything about God except the truth: the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was nothing more than a messenger of God, His word, directed to Mary and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers and do not speak of a ‘Trinity’– stop [this], that is better for you– God is only one God, He is far above having a son, everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Him and He is the best one to trust. [4:171] Islam is not just another religion. It is the same message preached by Moses, Jesus and Abraham. Islam literally means ‘submission to God’ and it teaches us to have a direct relationship with God. It reminds us that since God created us, no one should be worshipped except God alone. It also teaches that God is nothing like a human being or like anything that we can imagine. The concept of God is summarized in the Quran as: “Say, He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He does not give birth, nor was He born, and there is nothing like Him.” (Quran 112:1-4)[4]

Becoming a Muslim is not turning your back to Jesus. Rather it’s going back to the original teachings of Jesus and obeying him.

Footnotes: [1] John Evans, History of All Christian Sects and Denominations, ISBN: 0559228791 [2] C.N. Kolitsas, The Life and Times of Constantine the Great, ISBN: 1419660411 [3] Excerpt from ‘Islamic Trajectories in Early Christianity’ by Dr Jerald Dirks [4] God is not male or female, the word ‘Him’ when used for God does not refer to gender.

90 Verses says: Jesus is not God Description: Even though the Bible has been changed, yet there exists clear and explicit verses that show that Jesus is not God. Part 1: An introduction and a list of some of these verses.

By Adenino Otari Published on 27 Jan 2014 - Last modified on 08 Dec 2014 Viewed: 61969 (daily average: 87) - Rating: 4.7 out of 5 - Rated by: 15 Printed: 709 - Emailed: 3 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus

All four Gospels record Jesus as saying, “Blessed are the peace-makers; they will be called sons of God.” The word ‘son’ cannot be accepted literally because in the Bible, God apparently addresses many of his chosen servants as ‘son’ and ‘sons.’

The Hebrews believed God is One, and had neither wife nor children in any literal sense. Therefore, it is obvious the expression ‘son of God’ merely meant ‘Servant of God’; one who, because of faithful service, was close and dear to God as a son is to his father.

Christians who came from a Greek or Roman background, later misused this term. In their heritage, ‘son of God’ signified an incarnation of a god or someone born of a physical union between male and female gods. This can be seen in Acts 14: 1113, where we read that when Paul and Barnabas preached in a city of Turkey, pagans claimed they were gods incarnate. They called Barnabas the Roman god Zeus, and Paul the Roman god Hermes.

Furthermore, the New Testament Greek word translated as ‘son’ are ‘pias’ and ‘paida’ which mean ‘servant,’ or ‘son in the sense of servant.’ These are translated to ‘son’ in reference to Jesus and ‘servant’ in reference to all others in some translations of the Bible. So, consistent with other verses, Jesus was merely saying that he is God’s servant.

Additional problems with Trinity To a Christian, God had to take human form to understand temptation and human suffering, but the concept is not based on any clear words of Jesus. In contrast, God does not need to be tempted and suffer in order to be able to understand and forgive man’s sins, for He is the all knowing Creator of man. This is expressed in the verse:

‘And the Lord said: ‘I have surely seen the affliction of My people that are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters; for I know their pains.’ (Exodus 3:7) God forgave sin before Jesus’ appearance, and He continues to forgive without any assistance. When a believer sins, he is to repent sincerely in order to receive forgiveness. Indeed, the offer to humble oneself before God and be saved is made to all humankind.

‘And there is no God else beside Me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside Me. Look to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.’ (Isaiah 45:2122, Jonah 3:5-10) Biblically, people can receive forgiveness of sins through sincere repentance sought directly from God. This is true at all times and in all places. There has never been a need for the socalled inter cessionary role Jesus plays in attaining atonement. The facts speak for themselves. There is no truth to the Christian belief that Jesus died for our sins and salvation is only through Jesus. What about the salvation of people before Jesus? Jesus’ death brings neither atonement from sin, nor is it in any way a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.

Christians claim that in the birth of Jesus, there occurred the miracle of the incarnation of God in the form of a human being. To say that God became truly a human being invites a number of questions. Let us ask the following about the manGod Jesus: *What happened to his foreskin after his circumcision (Luke 2:21)? Did it ascend to heaven, or did it decompose as with any human piece of flesh? *During his lifetime what happened to his hair, nails, and blood that was shed from his wounds? Did the cells of his body die as ordinary human beings? If his body did not function in a truly human way, he could not be truly human as well as truly God. Yet, if his body functioned exactly in a human way, this would nullify any claim to divinity. It would

be impossible for any part of God, even if incarnate, to decompose in any way and still be considered God. The everlasting, one God, in whole or in part, does not die, disintegrate, or decompose: ‘For I the Lord do not change.’

(Malachi 3:6) Did Jesus’ flesh dwell in safety after his death?

Unless Jesus’ body never underwent ‘decay’ during his lifetime he could not be God, but if it did not undergo ‘decay’ then he was not truly human.

Bible says that God is not man ‘God is not a man’ (Numbers 23:19) ‘For I am God, and not man’ (Hosea 11:9) Jesus is called a man many times in the Bible ‘a man who has told you the truth’ (John 8:40) ‘Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know.’ (Acts 2:22) ‘He will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom He has appointed’ (Acts 17:31) ‘the man Christ Jesus’ (Tim. 2:5) The Bible says that God is not a son of man ‘God is not a man nor a son of man’ (Numbers 23:19) The Bible often calls Jesus ‘a son of man’ or ‘the son of man.’ ‘so will the son of man be’ (Matthew 12:40) ‘For the son of man is going to come’ (Matthew 16:27) ‘until they see the son of man coming in His kingdom.’

(Matthew 28) ‘But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority’ (Mark 2:10)

‘because he is the son of man’ (John 5:27) In the Hebrew scriptures, the ‘son of man’ is also used many times speaking of people (Job 25:6; Psalm 80:17; 144:3; Ezekiel 2:1; 2:3; 2:6-8; 3:1-3).

Since God would not contradict Himself by first saying He is not the son of a man, then becoming a human being who was called ‘the son of man’, he would not have done so. Remember God is not the author of confusion. Also, human beings, including Jesus, are called ‘son of man’ specifically to distinguish them from God, who is not a ‘son of man’ according to the Bible.

The Bible says that Jesus denied he is God Jesus spoke to a man who had called him ‘good,’ asking him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.’

(Luke 18:19) And he said to him, ‘Why are you asking me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ (Matthew 19:17) Jesus did not teach people that he was God If Jesus had been telling people that he was God, he would have complimented the man. Instead, Jesus rebuked him, denying he was good, that is, Jesus denied he was God. The Bible says that God is greater than Jesus ‘My Father is greater than I’ (John 14:28) ‘My father is greater than all.’ (John 10:29) Jesus cannot be God if God is greater than him. The Christian belief that the Father and son are equal is in direct contrast to the clear words from Jesus.

Jesus never instructed his disciples to worship him ‘When you pray, say Our Father which art in heaven.’ (Luke 11:2)

‘In that day, you shall ask me nothing. Whatsoever you ask of the Father in my name.’ (John 16:23) ‘The hour cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him.’ (John 4:23) If Jesus was God, he would have sought worship for himself Since he didn’t, instead he sought worship for God in the heavens, therefore, he was not God.

How We as Muslims Celebrate Christ (part 1 of 2) Description: Jesus hold a special place in the hearts of Muslims. Part 1: This part summarizes some of the reasons why Muslims honor and love Jesus.

By Zayn al-Din al-Rikabi (edited by IslamReligion.com) Published on 23 Sep 2014 - Last modified on 29 Nov 2015 Viewed: 21692 (daily average: 46) - Rating: 4 out of 5 - Rated by: 4 Printed: 78 - Emailed: 0 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus We as Muslims share with the Jewish and Christian communities many points of commonality. These include: belief in God, belief that He revealed scriptures to humanity and sent a succession of prophets. The Qur'an, we notice, addresses the Jews and Christians from the vantage point of these points of agreement.

We are concerned in this article with a particular point of commonality between Muslims and Christians – and that is our

reverence for Jesus and our recognition that he is the Messiah, the Christ. The Christian world has just recently finished celebrating the occasion of Christ's birth. We as Muslims do not observe Christmas, but we nevertheless celebrate Christ in our lives in a complete way, with constancy and steadfast devotion. Our celebration of Christ is one of faith, remembrance, and emulation.

Muslims honor Christ (peace be upon him) through their faith.

What follows is stated in the Qur'an: 1. Faith in the miraculous conception of Christ. Jesus (peace be upon him) was born of a virgin.

The Qur'an says: "Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East. She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.

She said: ‘I seek refuge with the Most Gracious (God) from you, (come not near) if you fear God.’ He said: ‘Nay, I am only a messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a pure son.’

She said: ‘How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?’

He said: ‘So (it will be). Your Lord says: It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained.’" (Quran 19:16-21) 2. Faith in the miracle of Christ's birth and the miracles of his infancy.

God says: "At length she brought the (baby) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: ‘O Mary!

You have certainly done a thing unprecedented!

O sister of Aaron! Your father was not a man of evil, nor your mother an unchaste woman!’

But she pointed to the baby. They said: ‘How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?’

He (Jesus) said: ‘I am indeed a servant of God. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. And He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined on me prayer and charity as long as I live. And (has made me) kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable. So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised back to life.’" (Quran 19:27-33) 3. Faith in the miracles that took place at Christ's hands.

Jesus Christ performed numerous miracles during the time of his preaching.

For instance, the Qur'an tells us: "And (God) will make him a messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): ‘I have come to you, with a sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God's leave. And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I give life to the dead, by God's leave. And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Surely therein is a sign for you if you did believe.’"

(Quran 3:49) 4. Faith in Christ's ascension.

Muslims believe that God saved Jesus (peace be upon him) from the schemes of his enemies, by having Jesus ascend unto Him. We read in the Qur'an:

"And (for) their saying, ‘Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of God.’ And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but (another) was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.

Rather, God raised him to Himself. And ever is God Exalted in Might and Wise." (Quran 4:157158) 5. Faith in the Gospel of Jesus.

Muslims believe in the scripture that God revealed unto Jesus.

The following verses of the Qur'an attest to this: "He has sent down upon you, (O Muhammad), the Book in truth, confirming what was before it.

And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel."

(Quran 3:3) "And We caused Jesus, the son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was (revealed) before him in the Torah, and We bestowed on him the Gospel wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah – a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off (evil)."

(Quran 5:46) "(The Day) when God will say: ‘O Jesus, the son of Mary, remember My favor upon you and upon your mother when I supported you with the Holy Spirit and you spoke to the people in the cradle and in maturity; and (remember) when I taught you writing and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel.’" (Quran 5:110)

God describes the followers of Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, in terms of the Gospel, saying: "Their similitude in the Gospel is like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the cultivators with wonder and delight." (Quran 48:29)

How We as Muslims Celebrate Christ (part 2 of 2) Description: Jesus holds a special place in the hearts of Muslims. Part 2: Believing in the Gospel revealed to Jesus is an essential aspect of the Islamic faith and why Christendom in spite of not believing in Muhammad, can have respect for him.

By Zayn al-Din al-Rikabi (edited by IslamReligion.com) Published on 29 Sep 2014 - Last modified on 27 Jan 2015 Viewed: 5057 (daily average: 11) - Rating: 3.7 out of 5 - Rated by: 3 Printed: 49 - Emailed: 0 - Commented on: 0 Category: Articles > Comparative Religion > Jesus Our belief in the Gospel of Jesus is a tenet of faith for Muslims, as it is part of the Muslim belief in the scriptures – which is one of the essential six pillars of the Islamic faith. God says in the Quran:

"The messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord and (so do) the believers; they all believe in God and His angels and His books and His messengers, saying: ‘We make no difference between any of His messengers.’" (Quran 2:285) This means that a Muslim’s belief in the Quran is not valid unless that Muslim also believes in the Gospel that was revealed to Jesus (peace be upon him).[1] Why is this the case? This is because the Quran came confirming the Gospel as well as the Torah.

God says: "It is He who sent down to you (O Muhammad), in truth, the scripture, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel." (Quran 3:3) Another reason why our faith in the book revealed to Jesus (peace be upon him) is essential is because we as Muslims are required to believe in all of the scriptures that God has revealed. God commands us: "Declare: ‘I believe in what God has revealed of scriptures.’" (Quran 42:15) We ask: Is there any other faith group on Earth, outside of Christendom, who honors and celebrates the Gospel as an essential aspect of their faith besides the Muslims?

This celebration of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) – including his conception, his birth, his miracles, his scripture, and his message – is not merely an idea; it is a lived reality for the Muslims, infused every day in the most essential practices of our faith and worship. When a Muslim recites the Quran – and especially the chapters entitled "Mary", the "Family of Imran" and "The Table Spread" (which refers to the supper that Jesus – peace be upon him – had with the disciples) – this entails reciting the teachings about Christ as a form of worship. The verses honoring and praising Christ are also recited within our daily prayers. Belief in Christ is part of the essential Islamic beliefs that every Muslim is taught from earliest childhood.

All of this should encourage us, Muslims and Christians alike, to redouble our efforts at mutual understanding. It is not conducive to an atmosphere of understanding that many Christians around the world have the misconception that Muslims are hostile to Jesus (peace be upon him) or that we deny him – let alone their lack of awareness that we as Muslims revere Christ and love him from the depths of our hearts. Christian lack of awareness regarding our true beliefs is not only an error in knowledge, but an obstacle to the understanding between our two faiths that is needed to foster tolerance and dispel bigotry.

If Christians understand our true beliefs about Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), it would lead them to respect the prophet of Islam, even if they do not go so far as to believe that Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, is indeed a prophet. We are talking here about basic human respect as demanded by the dictates of reason and ethics, a respect that precludes the possibility of slander and abuse.

Think about it…If some major American or European corporations got together and mobilized massive financial and human resources for the purpose of "getting to know Christ", depicting Jesus (peace be upon him) in the most beautiful possible manner as an absolutely free service to the public, what would Christians feel about such an effort and how would they describe it? They would certainly consider it to be a noble and positive endeavor.

This corporate effort described above is an imaginary scenario, but there is a reality that far surpasses it. We are talking about something that has taught people about Christ (peace be upon him) in the most noble and sublime of terms, taught people to believe in him, honor him, and love him. This reality is that Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, came with a book that celebrates and honors Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), a book that all Muslims for the past 1,400 years and all of the world’s more than 1 billion Muslims living today accept to be the infallible word of God. This program of "getting to know Christ"

was not a short-term effort. It has been constant in its success since the sixth century up to the present day.

What, then, should a discerning Christian feel about the prophet who taught literally billions of people all around the world to believe in, love, and honor Christ? At the very least, such a person would feel respect for that prophet who so loved Christ and taught his followers to do so as well, since it is natural to have respect for someone who reveres what you hold in high esteem.

Footnotes: [1] Muslims believe that the present day Bible has been adulterated over time.

Source : http://www.islamreligion.com/category/69/jesus/

Preparation By Mohamed Hatim ELkhouaja Student of Human Geography, University Of Abdelmalek Essadi ,Tetouan City,Morocco Email : welcom2islame@gmail.com Web Site : http://welcom2islam.blogspot.com