Found this on the EWTN News site:

"Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe in the one God, Creator of heaven and earth. It follows, therefore, that all three monotheistic religions are called to cooperate with one another for the common good of humanity, serving the cause of justice and peace in the world."

http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=65799


Maybe Benedict XVI can kiss the Koran like John Paul II did...Good grief.

No disrespect here, but IS HE NUTS??? He obviously does not know the history of ISLAM!

I love the Pope, I really do, but they live such a sheltered life, once they become Pope. May GOD open Pope Benedict XVI's eyes and ears to what Islamic religion is really about.

There are many churches and religions that are "Neither hot nor cold".

I would rather be "hot" for the LORD than, neither Hot nor Cold. Sounds like sitting on the fense post to me. Another would be, "peace at any cost"???

I am praying ernestly, for many to see and hear the truth about GOD before it is too late. It is time for the church and the pew sitter's to wake out of thier slumber....Jesus is coming soon. Amen.

I'm just speechless!!!

I pray that the Lord opens his eyes!! What is he thinking?!

The Lord is great for he is doing as what was prayed. The Lord Almighty, who is the Alpha and the Omega is separating the oil from the water. He has called upon his angels to call those people out of her.

He said he would do it and now he is doing it. Praise God forever for there is no other but the Father WHO IS Christ.

http://www.christian-forum.net/index.php?s...=75&#entry46826

WOW HB!

I did see a post here on the forum that said that there were referances key tothe bible and it sounded prity solid to me. some people say some crewel and hurtful things they judge a case without all the facts even on hear say

i am mindful that i know a little about a lot and iv lernt not to rush to judgemet
it is so easy to be cought out
and there is nothing wroug in taking a step back and give yourself a bit of room
and this is good advice hold back judging until the lord gives you the nod to let it go
REgards
Gaz

Of course he knows the history of islam, murdering and persecuting Christians The popes religion has the same history, murdering and persecuting Christians. They make good partners, they are both harlot religions with the blood of the saints on their hands.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

Sounds like one world religion dribble to me... but really I'm not surprised.

unbiblical nonsense Bob. They are 1 in spirit, God is fully expressed in Jesus, but that does not make Jesus the Father God himself. Jesus is the mediator between God and man.

*scratches head*

Jesus is God, God is Jesus. Praise the Lord

Nothing is impossible for him, for man can mix together things that would be impossible to separate but the Lord can part anything thing including oil from water, spirit from soul

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Islam did start as the same God.(but a version they wanted to see) Islam is nothing more than false teaching of the one true God. It has taken scripture and added and subtracted to fit their scheme. They still use alot of the old testiment as their literature, but they comform it to their belief system, which is of Satan.

I have not read the Koran, that is not for me, but I heard that it states if a person is your enemy then it is OK to let them die if you see them in trouble because they are your enemy.....

Maybe Appy can tell us different later, but that is what I heard from someone who said they read it and I just can't believe that our Jesus would say that.

If it IS in there, and I am not saying it is because I "step back" and wait for clarification as well as everyone, then I can not understand the Pope's intentions.

leia

AMEN HUMBLE BOB!

This came from the Holy Spirit and I'd like to post it again for all to see.
Thank you Humble Bob:

Humble Bob writes:



To quote GOD'S WORD:



AGAIN.....WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS QUOTE GUYS? C'MON!!



Shaun,
You are exactly right.....this is EXACTLY what this is....the beginnings of the ONE WORLD RELIGION BRAINWASHING.

PLEASE anyone check out St. Malachy's prophecy too....still freaks me out! Face it, this Pope is not going to last long and the next Pope...Petrus Romans (Peter the Roman) will be the LAST! I believe (IMO) that the next Pope will be the false prophet and promote and speak about how great this new one world religion will be and will promote the AC (whoever he will be) as the greatest human being on earth!!

THE RELIGION OF ISLAM AND THEIR GOD IS NOT THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB.......

THEY DESPISE THE JEWS.....they believe THEIR god is above all!!!!!! What is their Islamic saying about their god being above GOD? Hmmm...

What ISALAMIC people believe (HAMAS in particular and other extremist groups) are TAINTED and reek of satanic origin and only teach hate.

Where are the verses in the Koran that talk about Judas being crucified on the cross instead of Jesus.....where is it in the Koran that it was ISHMAEL and not ISAAC who was going to be sacrificed!!!!!!!!

IT IS ALL BACKWARDS AND THIS IS EXACTLY HOW THE DEVIL WORKS MAN!!

WHAT IN THE WORLD!!

THEY HATE....THE ISLAMIC PASSAGES IN THE KORAN TEACHES THEM HATE....

WHY DO I SAY THIS? I AM SO STRONGLY AGAINST THEIR BELIEFS!

EVERYONE WHO DOESN'T BELIEVE IN THE SO-CALLLED PROPHET MOHAMMED AND THEIR god allah IS AN 'INFIDEL'....

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN....

IT IS ALL HATRED........PURE HATRED.

ALLAH AND ISLAM, THE RELIGION OF THE SWORD.........THEY KNOW NOTHING ELSE ONLY FIGHTING AND HATING THE JEWISH PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN WANDERING AS NOMADS FOR YEARS FOR A LAND TO CALL THEIR HOME...

OLMERT IN ISRAEL IS NOW DEFINING THE BORDERS AND GOING TO GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT...

AHHHHHHHHH...I SEE IT DON'T YOU GUYS? i MEAN IT IS PLAIN AS DAY!!

HOW CAN ANYONE NOT SEE THIS!!

PURE BRAINWASHING!!

JESUS CHRIST IS THE MESSIAH AND OUR SAVIOR AND DIDN'T PREACH TO KILL AND HATE!!

******************************

END-TIME CALLING HAD IT RIGHT HERE TOO!



YES!!!! I AGREE IN MY OWN OPINION!!! (and I'm trying really hard to be humble here!!)!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also I want to personally address two individuals here:

JOERI and C-LOS:

Please read the following:



WHO WAS THE WORD?

Forgive me, Miki, for editing.....I just thought this section needed to be reread more than once...

leia

Please explain to me what your definition of ''god'' is. If you can accept that Jesus Christ has no power unless God the Father gives it, then I agree.
And yes, Christ is worshipped beside God. Thats what the Father wishes because He loves his son and simply because it is right for truth is in the Lamb.

Right on Marta
I love you
j

No definition of my own can make the claim of who God is, but the Holy Spirit, for it is by the Holy Spirit that reveals that God is Christ and Christ is God. All the while a mystery and a debate amongst men until the Son of Man is finally revealed on the last day, that he is God.

PLEASE anyone check out St. Malachy's prophecy too....still freaks me out! Face it, this Pope is not going to last long and the next Pope...Petrus Romans (Peter the Roman) will be the LAST! I believe (IMO) that the next Pope will be the false prophet and promote and speak about how great this new one world religion will be and will promote the AC (whoever he will be) as the greatest human being on earth!!

This was quoted from a post above. Sorry I am not sure who wrote this first.

I have a personal thought on this and it is just my opinion, so take it for what ever it is worth.

If this plays out as St. Malachy predicts then I see Petrus Romans as the last true Pope, And it will be whatever or whoever follows that we should be watching for. Whether he is killed or there is some kind of coup, or Something. For the Church to be apostate it will need to deny Christ as being God. It will have to abandon what it has fervently defended for 2000 years. I think Petrus Romans will be a defiant defender of this ancient truth and will be killed for it. I fear that some will be deceived by whatever comes next because it will be propagandized as being the true path and bill the Catholic Church and Petrus Romans as being evil. Many people jump on the anti-Catholic bandwagon very quickly without thinking. I.E "if they say the Catholic Church is evil then they must be right. The key is if the church ever denies that Jesus is the "word" the Son of God, then it is no longer the church guided by the Holy Spirit, it is a church guided by something else. and the red flags should be waving. I think the timing of the false prophet will be after Petrus Romans. And I agree I don't think the current Pope will be around long. Bottom line is keep your eyes open.

God Bless,
Kansas Dad

We must try and stay on topic. Its about the fact the this pope tell the world that we as Christians serve the same god as the Jews and Muslims
We could open another thread for Peter the last pope if you wish

Heh, wait till Easter Sunday comes around. There's a chill in my spirit that makes me shiver.

I didnt deny Jesus was God. But I know Jesus can do only as much as the Father.
If the Father takes away all Jesus's power and looks, Jesus just has to accept it like another man.
On the last day their might be revealed Jesus Christ is God but it will certainly not be the a revelation you expect on who Jesus really is.

OK WHAT WAS HE THINKING. My guess, Trynig to walk a very political tight rope. When people do this they usually fall off.

The Muslims do believe that they are serving the God of Abraham.

sojourner

Who has seen God with thine own eyes, and who has seen the Jesus with thine own eyes? I certainly have not so what is it can I expect to see?

But, I have muster every bit of faith that I have seen and that he reveal for it is not even my own faith, and I still do not know where my life takes me.

Never have I healed the sick or raised the dead, but I believe that Christ can do this. And can I? This is but for the Lord to do and I cannot even claim such a boldness.

So many want to believe like the disciples had believed and do the works or the Lord that they may heal as they, but this desire must not begin with such a thing but that it begins with the love for Christ. If you cast demons out and heal the sick know that it is God to lead you to this and do not call it "your" faith but that it is Christ who had bestowed it upon you.

Now then, this is what I have seen, that Christ was a man indeed who absolutely believed who he was for he is the messiah, though not all thing were apparent to him. This is what made him a man. But he died not to fall short of the Glory of God for this is what the Lord willed. And when he died so did God die that he meet Christ to received his spirit in him in the underworld. And that is how God is Christ and Christ is God. God does not take anything into him that is defiled or unclean for God declares such things himself and his word does not come back to him void. And so did God declare Christ to be the savior that God would know the agonies of suffering through Christ when he suffered and hung on the cross, God did too. Honor then the Lord for his love is so great that he himself knelt and washed the feet of men, yours and mine.

Know then that God is Christ and Christ is God.

Can I summerise and try to get a handle on this?

1) The Pope says that Christians and Muslims serve the same god.
2) Both Christians and Muslims serve the god of Abraham.


I really don't see a problem so far though, yes, it is a political tightrope as KD said.

As sojourner stated, that is where they part ways. Though Muslims believe their god is the god of Abraham, they do not believe that Jesus was god's son and that the words god gave man are indicated in the Koran and the Christian bible is a fake. (Are they waiting for the Messiah, then, just as the Jews are? They would then be more closely related thought wise to them then we would be yet they hate them....wow).

But, as HB said, Christians know that Jesus and the Father are two yet one. You can't have one without the other, as one unit, to Christians. It is an impossiblity.

So it is a game of "he said, she said"....we say they are lying and they say we are lying. We start with the same god and they have their guy sacraficed and we hare ours. They have their "given" laws and we have ours. Both of us are saying that god said it.

We know who is lying and it ain't us. But keeping "on track" for Cornelius, We know that they are, but I don't see how the Pope lied if all heI don't see how the Pope lied if all he said was we serve the same Father (barring the father and son are one argument). Truely a tightrope when one ignores the argument, but are we ready to flirt with becoming a false witness if we don't know that is what he ment?

leia

Wow, I was just getting ready to ask in this post how the current pope's health was holding up. This question in reference to St. Malachy's prophecy of there being just one pope left after Pope Benedict.

I remember months ago when Cardinal Ratzinger was elected that his brother was somewhat stunned that not only was he elected, but that he accepted it due to his health.

I also remember all the media and pundit speculation on John Pauls successor with several saying that they were looking for someone older in years that wouldn't be around for as long as John Paul and also held the same convictions. Sort of a transition figure. Cardinal Ratzinger fit the bill perfectly.

I for one, if we're still around that is, will be taking the election of the next Pope, especially if he takes on the name Petrus Romans (Peter) as a major sign that will be near the Lord's coming. (not that I need more convincing it's almost at hand)

I can't help but wonder though if Ratzinger took on the name Benedict so as to fulfill Malachy's prophecy.

All I know is that when debate was swirling about who would be the next Pope, one web site named the next pope would be Benedict, but they did not choose Ratzinger. When the news was made about Ratzinger and announced the name he choosed I just about fell out of my chair

Now that that it's happend there's so much junk out there I can't find the original link in Google

If you put the Third Fatima Secret together with the St. Malachi prophecy you come to an interesting possibility. The third Fatima secret was supposedly revealed in 2000/2001, but many Catholics still feel that they have yet to be told everything. (To be clear here, I believe in the Fatima Appiritions in the sense that the three children saw something, but obviously that something wasn't of God our Father.) EWTN's Mother Angelica has been outspoken about the lack of disclosure. She's on the record as saying the following:

As for the Secret, well I happen to be one of those individuals who thinks we didn’t get the whole thing. I told ya! I mean, you have the right to your own opinion, don’t you, Father? There, you know, that’s my opinion. Because I think it’s scary. And I don’t think the Holy See is going to say something that does not happen, that might happen. And then what does it do if it doesn’t happen? I mean the Holy See cannot afford to make prophecies, because. I know, —I don’t know—my funeral . . . It’s not me, so don’t look at me . . . Something’s gonna happen soon. It could be twenty years before it happens. So to God “soon” could be a thousand years. We don’t know that.

Now supposedly the JPII assassination attempt in 1981 fulfilled the third secret, but the Secret says the Pope will be killed along with many Cardinals.

According to St. Malachi's prophecy Benedict XVI is the second to last Pope (to me it wouldn't make sense for him to be the last ). And Petrus Romanus (Peter the Roman) feeds the flock until the return of Christ. So what I'm getting at here is that Benedict XVI could be the one who gets 'taken' out. Interestingly, the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion explicitly states that they (the Illuminati) will take out the Papacy when it is "time for their kingdom", that is the Kingdom of the Antichrist. St. Malachi was supposed to have been a genuine man of God who fasted and prayed.

I personally think it is very possible that all of this will actuall come to pass. Again, don't get me wrong, I think the Roman Church is 'playing by a script' and the Jesuits are probably the main movers and shakers. The Jesuits have always wanted to get their paws on Jerusalem and right now the Vatican is working to internationalize Jerusalem.

As to Benedict XVI's health, there is already a noticable decline in his health just in the year since he took office. His voice is so frail sounding.

Leia, you have brought the issue full circle here.

sojourner

SOME muslims believe that they are worshiping the same God of Abraham...but the extremists chant out, 'Allah Akbar'.....i.e...Our God is greater...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Qur'an tells muslims to kill and go to war to fight for Islam: Surah 2:191; 2:193; 3:118; 4:75,76; 5:33, 8:12; 8:65; 9:5; 9:73,123; 33:60-62.

Fight for Allah: "And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers, (Quran 2:191).

Muslims are to battle for Allah: "Those who believe do battle for the cause of Allah; and those who disbelieve do battle for the cause of idols. So fight the minions of the devil. Lo! the devil's strategy is ever weak," (Quran 4:76).

Kill those against Islam: "The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter," (Quran 5:33).

It is not the same GOD.

Allah is for war, killing and beheading....

It is not the same GOD.

Our God and "MUSLIM" GOD, We are NOT of the same GOD, if one deny Jesus as being THE MESSIAH.......they deny the ONE TRUE GOD and to QUOTE what the POPE said

"CREATOR of HEAVEN and EARTH"..........that is our God.........through OUR FAITH.

THey Think they have the right God......PSALMS? "There is a way that seem right to man, but that way leads to death"...

For the Pope to compare Christians to Muslims......very shaky ground......

Are you guys serious? this is more of working toward peace and stuff like that. i don't want to use the word "ecumenical", because that would suggest that the Pope is trying to bring Islam into "communion" with catholicsm (and thats not so). They are trying to work with religious leaders thats all.

"Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe in the one God" that doesnt mean we believe in the same God. that is just a factual statement.

Another thing. The Pope can speak about anything he want to, but he cannot change the teachings. any dogma pronouncements has to be made in communion with the Bishops in what is called the Magisterium

A Brief Summary of Islam

"Islam" is the proper term for the religion revealed by Mohammed in Arabia in the early 600's. "Islam" means "submission" (to the will of God). Adherents are called Muslims ("one who submits") (often one sees the word as "Moslem"). Arabians are descendants of Ishmael, so Islam claims to be a renewal of the ancient religion of Abraham traced through Ishmael.

Mohammed was born in Mecca, Arabia, about 570 AD. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by his grandfather and then his uncle. His family was aristocratic and influential. He grew up in times of religious and political confusion and uncertainty. At age 25 he married a wealthy 40-year-old widow named Khadijah.

At age 40 he began claiming to receive dreams and revelations, but was unsure of their source. He quoted these revelations to others who wrote them down. His wife convinced him these were messages from God, as Muslims today believe. But non-Muslims believe he developed such a deep religious fervor, out of concern for the needs of the people, that he began having dreams about religion and attributed them to God.

Rejected at first by the people of Mecca, he fled to Medina where he became a religious and political leader. By a series of violent battles he obtained income and converted people to Islam. Eventually he returned to Mecca and captured it by force.

When he died at age 63-65, a power struggle developed regarding who should succeed him. Several sects resulted, the major two being Sunni Muslims and Shi-ite Muslims. We will mainly consider Sunni Muslims (by far the larger group), though many of the same points would apply to other forms of Islam. Nevertheless, we should remember that there are wide variations among Muslims, just as there are among those claiming to be Christians.

Relationship of Islam to Judaism and The Gospel of Christ
All 3 religions claim to believe in the same God, the God of Abraham, revealed in the Old Testament. Muslims generally claim that “Allah” is just their name for the God of the Bible.

All began from the work of major individual prophets. Jews' beliefs were revealed by Moses, Christians' by Jesus, and Muslims' by Mohammed. Islam recognizes both Moses and Jesus as prophets (along with other Bible prophets), but it claims that Mohammed is the last of the prophets and his revelation supercedes those of Moses and Jesus.

All are based on written revelations claimed to be infallibly inspired by God. The Jews accept only the Old Testament, Christians also accept the New Testament, and Muslims accept the Koran (they also have great respect for Muslim traditions). Just as Christians believe the Old Testament was inspired but was replaced by the New Testament, so Muslims believe the Old and New Testaments were inspired but were both replaced by the Koran.

For these reasons many similarities exist among Judaism, the gospel, and Islam. Yet we will see that essential differences also exist.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part I: Basic Doctrines

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Since Islam claims to accept the Old and New Testaments, if its doctrines are true then they ought to harmonize with the Bible. So let us examine some basic doctrines of Islam and compare them to the Bible.


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I. The Doctrine of God

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Islam correctly opposes idolatry and teaches that there is only one God. But more is needed (James 2:19). So consider further:

A. Islam Says Jesus Is Not Divine.
Mohammed taught there is only one Divine Being in God. He denied the Deity of Jesus, saying He was just a man - a great prophet, but not the Divine Son of God. (Koran, 4:160-171 - pp60,61; 6:90-100 - pp77,78; 9:130; 19:135 - p168)

The Bible says Jesus is Divine.
John 1:1,14 - Jesus (the Word) was God, was with God in the beginning, and became flesh to dwell among men a man.

Colossians 2:9 - In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

John 20:28,29 - Thomas called Jesus "my Lord and my God." Jesus pronounced a blessing on all others who believe the same (cf. vv 30,31).
How can Muslims deny these teachings and yet claim to believe the Bible is true and Jesus was a prophet?

[Phil. 2:6-8; Heb. 1:8,9; ---. 2:13; Isa. 9:6; John 8:58; 5:23]

The Bible says Jesus is the Only-Begotten Son of God.
Matthew 16:13-17 - During His lifetime many people believed what Muslims today believe: that Jesus was a great prophet like other prophets. But Peter confessed that Jesus was not just a man but was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus Himself affirmed that Peter's statement had been revealed by God.

John 10:35 - Jesus plainly admitted that He had said, "I am the Son of God."

Matthew 17:5; 3:17 - Twice God spoke from heaven and claimed Jesus as His beloved Son. Bible writers claimed to be eyewitnesses that these things were true (2 Peter 1:16-18).

Romans 1:4 - The resurrection declared Jesus to be the Son of God.

To believe that Jesus was just a great man and a prophet is to belittle Him and to deny His own statements. To believe some other man was as great as Jesus is to blaspheme Him. If Jesus spoke the truth, then He was more than a prophet.

Muslims must either admit that Jesus was the Divine Son of God, or else they must admit they do not believe that Jesus and the Bible are true.

[John 3:16; 1:14; 3:18; 1 John 4:9; Colossians 1:15,18; Eph. 1:19-22; 1 Corinthians 15:23-28]

The Bible says Jesus has Divine characteristics.
He was eternal - Micah 5:2 [Isa. 9:6]

He was all-knowing - John 16:30; 21:17

He was all-powerful over created things - Matt. 28:18; Rev. 19:16; 17:14; Acts 10:36; Rom. 10:12; John 3:31; Rom. 9:5.

How could these characteristics be possessed by a mere man? Are these things true of Mohammed? If not, then how could he be as great as Jesus?

The Bible says Jesus is the Creator of the universe and the Judge of mankind.
John 1:3 - All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. [Heb. 1:2; Col. 1:16,17]

John 5:22,23 - The Father has committed all judgment to the Son.

2 Corinthians 5:10 - Jesus will be our judge; we must all appear before Him. Jesus will be Mohammed's judge! How can Mohammed be as great? [Acts 17:31; Matt. 25:31ff]

What mere human prophet could create the universe or judge all mankind? Mohammed makes no such claims. These are the claims of a Divine Being. How can Muslims deny these teachings and yet claim to believe the Bible is true and Jesus was a prophet?

The Bible says Jesus accepted worship.
Jesus taught that no one but God should be worshipped (Matt. 4:10). Both men and angels in the New Testament refused to allow people to bow in worship to them (Acts 10:25,26; Rev. 22:8,9).

Matthew 28:9,17; Hebrews 1:6 - However, Jesus' disciples worshipped Him, and angels are commanded by God to worship Him. [Cf. Rev. 5:12-14; Luke 24:52]

Jesus accepted worship such as was forbidden to man. How can Islam believe the Bible and believe Jesus was from God, while denying that He deserved worship? When they claim that Jesus was just a human prophet and that Mohammed was as great a prophet as Jesus, the Scripture says they are unbelievers (John 20:30,31; 8:24; Mark 16:16).

Islam is like a man who views a building from a great distance. He can tell there is only one building, but a closer view would reveal that it has three stories. So Islam correctly affirms there is only one God, but the greater revelation of New Testament shows that this one God consists of three separate and distinct individual spirit Beings.

B. Islam Says Men Cannot Conceive What God Is Like because He Has Not Revealed Himself.
Of course we cannot grasp fully the infinite nature of God, but Islam says it is impossible to have even a general concept of God's character [WR-115; CRI-44,74]. But the Bible says:

John 1:18 - Though man has not seen God, Jesus knows Him and has declared Him.

John 14:9,10 - We can know what the Father is like because Jesus and His Father are perfectly united. To know what Jesus is like is to know what the Father is like.

Hebrews 1:3 - Jesus is the express image of the substance of His Father. [Col. 1:15; Matt. 11:27]

The fuller knowledge of God, which Islam lacks, is found in the revelation given by Jesus Christ.

Although Islam teaches there is one God, it still teaches error about God, for it denies the Deity of Jesus and ignores the Bible revelation of God's nature. How can Muslims deny these teachings and yet claim to believe the Bible is true and Jesus was a prophet?


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II. The Doctrine of Revelation

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Mohammed said the New Testament and Jesus were from God, but his own teachings were better and replaced the New Testament. However, note the claims of the New Testament regarding itself.

A. The New Testament Is a Complete Revelation of All God's Will.
John 16:13 - Jesus promised His apostles would receive all truth. Any teaching that a man claims to reveal from God, if it is not in the New Testament, it is not a part of God's truth. [John 14:26]

2 Peter 1:3 - God's power has granted all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Jesus. What is left for Mohammed to provide?

James 1:25 - The gospel is the perfect law of liberty.

The teachings of Islam claim to be superior to the gospel. But how can one improve on that which is perfect and which contains all truth and all things pertaining to life and godliness. [Acts 20:20,27; 2 Tim. 3:16,17; Matt. 28:18-20]

B. The New Testament Universally Meets the Needs of All Men.
The gospel provides what all men of all ages need in order to have a proper relationship to God.

Mark 16:15 - It is to be preached to everyone in all the world. [Matthew 28:19]

Romans 1:16 - It is God's power to save everyone who believes, Jew on non-Jew.

The gospel of Christ is sufficient to give all men eternal life (John 20:30,31; Acts 2:39; 10:34f).
No man in any future age will need any further revelation than the gospel. What more could Mohammed provide?

C. The New Testament Is God's Final Revelation to Man.
The Old Testament predicted that another testament would replace it (Jer. 31:31-34). This promise was fulfilled in the New Testament. However, the New Testament does not, in turn, predict that it will be replaced by the teachings of Mohammed or any other Divine revelation. Instead it teaches that it is itself the final revelation. [Heb. 13:20f; 7:11-28; 8:6-13; 12:18-29]

1 Corinthians 13:8-11
This passage discusses spiritual gifts, which were the means by which prophets received revelation (cf. chap. 12). It says these gifts, including prophecy, would cease when "that which is perfect is come." They would cease because they were "in part" - incomplete and imperfect.

Note: "That which is perfect" is contrasted to the spiritual gifts, which were "in part." "That which is perfect" refers to something that completes or perfects what was incomplete or imperfect about spiritual gifts.

In what way were the gifts (including prophecy) "in part"? The only Scriptural answer is that, at the time Paul wrote, the gifts had only partially accomplished their purpose. They had been given in order to reveal or deliver the will of God. But that delivery was not yet complete when Paul wrote - the will of God had not all been revealed and recorded.

"That which is perfect," therefore, must be the completion of that which was lacking in the spiritual gifts: it must be the completed revelation of truth. When the process of revelation was complete and all truth had been completely delivered and recorded in writing, then the gifts of prophecy would no longer be needed and so they would cease. But we have already shown that this happened during the lifetime of the original apostles (see above and note the "perfect law of liberty - Jas. 1:25).

The gift of prophecy was needed in an age when people did not yet have the complete written word to guide them. When the word was completely recorded by Jesus' apostles and prophets, then prophecy would have completed it purpose and so would cease. By the time Mohammed lived, the gift of prophecy was no longer needed and had long since ceased.

Jude 3
The faith was "once for all delivered to the saints" (NKJV). "Once" is "used of what is so done as to be of perpetual validity and never need repetition" (Thayer). The same Greek word describes Jesus' death in Heb. 9:26,28; 10:10; 7:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:18, which teach that Jesus' death will not be repeated.

Old Testament sacrifices did not completely remove sins, so they had to be repeated. But the death of Jesus was perfect and sufficient to completely remove all sin for all men of all ages; so it happened only "once." There was no repetition.

Likewise, the true faith was delivered only "once." The gift of prophecy was needed as long as God's perfect testament had not been perfectly and completely revealed. But that perfect testament was completely delivered to men in the first century. It does not need to be delivered again, so it never will be delivered again. Therefore, the spiritual gifts by which it was delivered have ceased.

Everything Jesus did was perfect. He not only gave us a perfect sacrifice for sin, He also gave us the perfect New Testament to tell us how to receive forgiveness (Heb. 1:1,2; Jas. 1:25). Neither His sacrifice nor the revelation of His will can ever be repeated or improved.

To claim that Mohammed or any other man received later revelations or a better revelation is to deny the perfection of the New Testament.

Galatians 1:8,9
Having completely revealed His will in the first century, God preserved it for all future generations (1 Pet. 1:23-25; 3 John 2; Matt. 24:35; John 12:48). God's word here says that if any man preaches a different gospel, he stands under the curse of God.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a perfect and complete revelation, given by God to guide all people until the end of time. So God forbids anyone to teach a different religious doctrine. (Matthew 15:9,13; 2 John 9-11; Colossians 3:17; Revelation 22:18,19; 1 Timothy 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:13)

Men have always wanted to change God's will, hoping they could improve it or make it more suitable to themselves. Men who attempt this have often claimed to be prophets from God, but God has always warned us to beware of false prophets and resist them (1 John 4:1; Matt. 7:15ff; 2 Cor. 11:13-15; etc.).

So we have evidence that God authorized the New Testament to replace the Old Testament, but we have no such evidence that God authorized the teachings of Mohammed to replace the New Testament. Since Mohammed's revelation is different from the gospel, the above passages show that we must resist his message, for the curse of God is on it.


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III. The Doctrine of Salvation

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A. Islam Denies the Sacrificial Death of Jesus and His Resurrection.
Islam denies that Jesus was crucified, that He died as a sacrifice for sin, and that He arose from the dead. (Koran 4:156 - p60)

The Bible teaches Jesus did die by crucifixion as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind.
Matthew 20:17-19 - Jesus predicted He would be crucified, then rise again.

Matthew 26:28 - He claimed that He would shed His blood for the remission of man's sins. [20:28]

John 19:31-35 - John claimed to be an eyewitness to Jesus' crucifixion. [Acts 2:23]

Ephesians 1:7 - Redemption and forgiveness are through His blood.

1 Peter 2:24 - He bore our sins in His body on the tree.

Hebrews 2:9 - He tasted of death for every man.

If Islam denies these statements from Jesus and the Bible, how can it yet claim to believe the Bible is from God and Jesus was a true teacher?

[Mark 8:31; Matt. 16:21; Rev. 1:5; 5:9; 1 Tim. 2:4-6; 1 Pet. 1:18f; Isa. 53:5-9; 1 Cor. 15:3; John 1:29; Heb. chap. 9:24-28; 10:9-13; 13:20f; Rom. 5:6-11; 2 Cor. 5:14,15]

The Bible teaches that Jesus was raised from the dead, as proved by the testimony of eyewitnesses.
Matthew 20:17-19 - Jesus predicted He would be crucified and then rise again. [Matt. 16:21]

Luke 24:44-46 - Jesus taught that His death and resurrection was a fulfillment of prophecy.

Romans 1:4 - Jesus is declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 - He died for our sins, was buried, and arose as prophesied and as testified by eyewitnesses who saw Him alive.
T
The resurrection of Jesus is absolutely fundamental to the claims of Jesus and the gospel. The apostles repeatedly affirmed it to be true on the basis of eyewitness testimony. This is proof such as neither Islam nor any other religion can offer.

[Romans 10:9,10; 6:4-13; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 15:1-26; John 20:24-31; Acts 2:23-36; 17:30,31; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Peter 1:3,4; 3:21; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Ephesians 1:19,20; Colossians 2:12,13]

The Bible teaches that salvation can be obtained only through Jesus.
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Acts 4:12 - "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

We can only be saved through Jesus, no other way. Islam denies salvation through Jesus. Therefore, Islam cannot save and Muslims have no way to be saved.

The Old Testament had animal sacrifices. The New Testament has the superior, perfect sacrifice of Jesus. But, Islam has no sacrifice for sin at all. Without a sacrifice for sin, there can be no remission (Heb. 9:22). It follows that Islam not only is not a superior system, but it cannot save at all.

B. Islam Teaches Salvation by Law-Keeping without Sacrifice.
Islam offers only a vague concept of how man is saved. Evil is balanced against good, and if good outweighs, a person might be saved. Outward obedience is emphasized, not faith, love, or the condition of ones heart. [CRI-81f,84f]

The Bible teaches that all have sinned, and even one sin leads to eternal punishment.
Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

James 2:10 - For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

This is why we need a sacrifice. No matter how much good we have done, it can never outweigh the evil of our sin.

Islam's approach to righteousness is even less effective than that of the Old Testament.
Galatians 3:10 - Under the Old Testament, anyone who disobeyed in any point was under a curse.

Galatians 5:1,4 - The law was a yoke of bondage in which we should not again be entangled. To seek justification by the law is to fall from grace.

The law itself provided justification only for those who lived without ever sinning, and no one did that (except Jesus). This is why God replaced the Old Testament with the New. But Islam, like the Old Testament, is a system of strict law keeping. Islam does not even have the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament.

So Islam claims to be better than the New Testament, when in reality it is worse than the Old Testament! To accept it is to return to a yoke of bondage, having no hope for salvation.

[Romans 3:20; Gal. 2:16; Heb. 8:6-13; 10:1-18; Acts 15:10]


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Part II: Mohammed vs. Jesus

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Since Islam claims that Mohammed is a prophet like Jesus, but his revelation replaces Jesus' gospel, let us compare their character, claims, and proofs.


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I. Claims

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A. Islam
Muslims claim that Mohammed was the last of the prophets and his revelation replaced that of Jesus. Islam claims that the exact words of the Koran were given to Mohammed by the angel Gabriel, and therefore the Koran is verbally inspired. [CRI-46-50,33; WR-99]

Islam claims Jesus was a great prophet, but not Divine and not the unique Son of God. It admits Jesus did miracles, but denies He died as a substitutionary sacrifice to save people from their sins or that He arose from the dead. (Koran, 4:160,169; 6:90) [WR-100f; CRI-49,77]

The gospel claims Jesus was more than a prophet: He was in fact the Divine Son of God who died to save men from their sins and then arose from the dead. The gospel of Jesus offers eyewitness testimony as proof.

Note that, whereas Mohammed made the general claim to as great as Jesus, the actual specific claims of Jesus were greater than any Mohammed ever made.

Furthermore, if Jesus really made these claims, then Islam must be untrue. If Jesus' claims are true, then Mohammed cannot be as great as Jesus, as he claimed. On the other hand, if Jesus' claims are false, then Islam is still untrue, since it claimed that Jesus was a true prophet. Either way, if Jesus made these claims, Islam is untrue.

Islam, therefore, denies Jesus ever made these claims. Passages have been cited where He made the claims, but Islam denies those passages are genuine. So we must consider whether or not the Bible is an accurate record. And we must compare the evidence for Mohammed's claims to the evidence Jesus' claims. Anyone can make claims. What proof is there?


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II. Character

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A. Jesus
The New Testament repeatedly claims Jesus never sinned (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22; etc.).

Muslims generally admit Jesus never sinned. The Koran nowhere claims that He sinned. [CRI-47ff].

So we have complete agreement that Jesus was a person of pure morals, wisdom, courage, love, and every other quality of goodness.

B. Mohammed
Many Muslims claim that Mohammed also never sinned. But compare his life to Jesus' life:

Broken treaties
While ruling in Medina, Mohammed made a treaty not to attack Mecca for ten years. He then attacked them the very next year. [CRI-33f]

Violence and assassination
Mohammed used violence, including assassination, to defeat and convert men to Islam [WR-98; EB, XV-648]. Jesus converted people by teaching, persuasion, and example. He never used force, nor would He allow His disciples to use force, even when His enemies attacked Him.

Polygamy
Mohammed had 12 wives and 2 concubines at the time of his death. [CRI-32]

Revelations for personal convenience and benefit
* Mohammed revealed that men could have plural wives, but not more than four at a time (Koran 4 - p48). However, a special revelation said that he himself could have more than 4 wives. He had 12 when he died. (Koran 33:50,51 - p228)

* He revealed that no man could marry his own daughter-in-law. Then a special revelation allowed him to take the wife of his adopted son. (Koran 33:37 - p227)

* Arabs once starved him, because they opposed his teaching against idolatry. He then received a "revelation" condoning idolatry. As soon as they released him, he reversed the revelation and again said idolatry was wrong. [EB, XV-647]

Mohammed himself never claimed to be sinless.
In fact he admitted he and other prophets committed sin. But he never claimed that Jesus sinned. [CRI-26,50; WR-99]

So, whereas Christians and Muslims agree Jesus was sinless, there is much reason to doubt Mohammed's sinlessness. Based on their character then, who was greater: Mohammed or Jesus?


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III. Fulfilled Prophecy

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Jesus unquestionably fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies, and He Himself accurately predicted future events (see study on evidences). What about Mohammed?

A. Islam Claims that the Bible Was Changed to Eliminate Prophecies of Mohammed.
Some prophecies, that Muslims claim refer to Mohammed, were actually fulfilled in Jesus. But Muslims claim that Mohammed fulfilled other prophecies, but Jews and Christians changed their own Scriptures to remove these prophecies and destroy the evidence. [CRI-27,49f,70f,78; WR-101]

For example John 16:7 predicts the coming of the "Comforter." Muslims claim this originally used the word "praised," which is the meaning of Mohammed. But to cover it up, the Scriptures were changed. [CRI-78; WR-101]

But where is the proof of these changes in the Bible? As noted earlier, Muslims also argue that the Bible was changed to make it appear that Jesus was the Son of God, that he died for our sins and arose from the dead, etc. Where is the proof of these changes? There is none. However, there is much proof for the accuracy of the Bible.

The claims of Islam would require wholesale changes in the Scriptures.
As cited earlier, numerous Scriptures claim Jesus was the Son of God, etc. If the Bible did not originally teach this but did prophesy of Mohammed, then wholesale changes must have been made.

For example, the context of John 16:7 plainly states that the "Comforter" is the Holy Spirit (John 14:16f, 26; and 15:26). If this originally referred to Mohammed, major changes must have been made in the text.

The same is true for the many other teachings we have listed on which the Bible contradicts Islam.

The Bible promises that God would preserve His word forever.
1 Peter 1:23-25 - God's word is incorruptible seed that will live and abide forever. It will not be like grass that grows and then fades. [Isaiah 40:8]

2 John 2 - The truth will be with us forever.

Muslims say that God failed to keep these promises, but He allowed the Bible message to become thoroughly corrupted. [Matt. 24:35]

Interestingly, the Koran contains similar promises that God would preserve it from corruption (15:9 p141). If Muslims believe God preserved the Koran without corruption, why would He not do the same for the Bible, which they also agree is from God?

Further, the Koran claims to confirm the Scripture that Jews and Christians had (2:89 - p18). Since the Bible we have today is the same as existed in Mohammed's day, did the Koran confirm that which was corrupted?

The Bible repeatedly rebukes those who change its message.
Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 3:5,6; Galatians 1:8,9; Revelation 22:18,19 and many other passages condemn changing the Scriptures. If Jews and Christians changed their Scriptures, as Muslims claim they did, then they knowingly and repeatedly violated these passages in their own Scriptures.

Rather, because of these warnings, both Jews and Christians have shown great care in making copies of their Scriptures through the centuries. Work was checked repeatedly, counting numbers of words and letters on each page, and proofreading each page to make sure no changes occurred.

The result is that many ancient manuscripts verify the accuracy of the Bible as we have it today.
* Several copies of the New and Old Testaments date before the time of Mohammed.

* Some translations of the Scriptures date long before the time of Mohammed.

* Scriptural quotations exist in the writings of many men who lived long before Mohammed.

If the claims of Islam are true, then all these writings should read as Islam claims that they originally read. But instead, all these ancient sources read just like modern copies of the Scriptures. There is no evidence of any kind that changes were made after Mohammed lived.

How could it be that all the copies of the Scriptures that existed in Mohammed's time were found and changed, all at the same time and all in the same way, just to disprove Islam? Why can't Muslims produce some manuscripts that still contain the passages Islam says existed? Why didn't ancient Muslims find some of these manuscripts and save them? Why is it that we have so much evidence of the ancient content of the Bible, and none of the evidence agrees with Islam?

If the Jews changed their Scriptures to eliminate prophecies of Mohammed, why did they not do the same with the prophecies of Jesus?
Old Testament prophecy is one of the strongest proofs of Jesus' identity. Christians do not have to claim that these prophecies once existed but were removed. They are all right there in the Old Testament!

Jesus and His apostles respected and used the Jews' Old Testament Scriptures. They claimed the Scriptures were from God and quoted them just as they were. To prove their case, they never needed to claim that parts of the Scriptures were changed.

Why can't Muslims do the same? What motive would Jews have for removing the prophecies of Mohammed but not the ones of Jesus?

The fact remains that Christians have proof of hundreds of prophecies in the Jews' Old Testament as it exists now that Jesus fulfilled. Yet Muslims can find no prophecies fulfilled by Mohammed anywhere in the Bible. They claim Mohammed is as great as Jesus. Why then do they not have evidence as great as what we have for Jesus?

B. There Is No Evidence Mohammed Could Predict the Future.
Unquestionably Jesus accurately predicted the future. Even Islam admits Jesus was a prophet. The ability to predict the future is one proof of a prophet. Yet Mohammed rarely attempted to predict the future, and when he did he failed.

Mohammed once predicted there would be 73 sects of Islam, of which only one would survive. But Muslims admit there have been far more than 73. And today many sects, not just one, still survive. [EB, XII-711]

Deuteronomy 18:21f - When a man predicts the future and the prediction fails, he is not from God, so do not be afraid of him.

Islam claims that Mohammed is a prophet like Moses and Jesus. Both Moses and Jesus made prophecies, all of them came true, none failed. Mohammed made few prophecies, yet even so at least one of them failed. How then can Mohammed be a prophet like Moses and Jesus?


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IV. Miracles

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A. Many Eyewitnesses Testify that Jesus Did Miracles.
The Bible records many testimonies from people who saw His miracles (see study on evidences).

Even Jesus' enemies and opponents during His lifetime admitted He did miracles.

The Koran confirms that Jesus did miracles (2:250, p31).

So, there can be no doubt that Jesus did miracles. But remember that the purpose of His miracles was to confirm that all His claims are true.

B. What Evidence Is There that Mohammed Worked Miracles?
No eyewitnesses testify seeing Mohammed do miracles.
Usually, there are no serious claims that Mohammed did miracles to confirm his message. When people do make such claims, they base them, not on eyewitness testimony, but on tradition or fables written years after the alleged events.

For example, one night Mohammed was allegedly carried to Jerusalem and from there ascended into heaven to see wonderful visions. However, no one saw it happen. His wife says he never left the bed. [CRI-24]

There is absolutely no eyewitness testimony to confirm any miracles done by Mohammed.

Muslims commonly claim that the writing of the Koran is a miracle.
We will see later that it is entirely possible for someone to write such a book by human wisdom.

Nevertheless, this is an invalid use of miracles. True miracles are events, in addition to the delivery of a revelation, done for the purpose of confirming the revelation to be from God (see references under evidences). While we should examine the revelation itself for evidence, that is a separate argument from miracles.

When one claims that the revelation itself is a miracle to confirm the revelation, he proves that he does not understand the purpose of miracles.

Others claim the rapid growth of Islam is a miracle.
Islam did grow very rapidly, but much of it came by military conquest. If that proves Islam is from God, then what about Hitler, Napoleon, Alexander the Great, Nebuchadnezzar? Do the military conquests of these men confirm that their religious beliefs were revealed from God?

Islam claims to believe in Moses and the Old Testament and in Jesus and the gospel. We have overwhelming evidence that Moses and Jesus did miracles to confirm the Divine origin of their revelations - evidence so clear even their enemies and Muslims admit the miracles. If Mohammed's teachings replace Moses' and Jesus' teachings, then Mohammed must also have done miracles like Moses and Jesus did. But Mohammed's evidence is insignificant compared to that of Moses and Jesus. How then can Mohammed be a prophet like Moses and Jesus?


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V. Resurrection from the Dead

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A. Jesus' Resurrection Is the Greatest Miracle of All.
Many eyewitnesses testify to Jesus' resurrection (see article on evidences). Muslims admit Jesus did other miracles, but deny He arose. Yet the evidence for the resurrection is far more abundant and convincing than the evidence for any other miracle He did.

This evidence is recorded in many ancient copies of the Scriptures written before Mohammed's time. There is no evidence whatever that these records were corrupted in later years. Yet Muslims, who came some 600 years after Jesus, deny the eyewitness testimony.

B. Muslims Do Not Even Claim Mohammed Arose from the Dead.
Muslims hope someday they and Mohammed will be raised from the dead, but their hope is based on the teaching of a man still in His grave. The Christian hope is based on the example of one who arose to prove that we will all be raised. Muslims try to discredit the evidence of Jesus' resurrection, but that evidence is far more conclusive than any evidence that Mohammed did any miracles. How then can Mohammed be a prophet as great as Jesus?


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VI. Unity of Scripture

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A proof of the Bible is the unity of its teaching. Though some 40 different men penned its various books, yet these writings are completely harmonious with no contradictions. This is evidence that it is all the product of the mind of God, just like it claims.

There are no conflicts in history or geography between the Old and New Testaments. Gospel writers often use Old Testament prophecy and teaching to confirm that the New Testament fulfilled the Old.

A. Mohammed's Teaching Often Contradicts with the Bible.
We might expect some difference in doctrine, since Muslims claim the Koran replaced the gospel. But there should be no conflict of history or eternal principles. Note some examples: [CRI-48; WR-95; EB, XIII-483]

* Mohammed said Jesus' death was not a crucifixion, He did not die as a sacrifice for the sins of others, and He did not rise from the dead (4:157-159). The Bible teaches all these as fact (see above).

* Mohammed said Jesus was not Divine and not the Son of God (9:130; 19:135 - p168; 6:100 - p 78; 4:171 - p61), but the Bible teaches that He was (see above).

* Mohammed thought Christians believe that the Godhead consists of the Father, Son, and Mary, whereas actually it is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. [CRI-73; WR-101]

* The Koran says one of Noah's sons drowned in the flood (11:42 - p121), but the Bible says all his sons were spared (Gen. 7:1-7; 1 Peter 3:20).

* The Koran says Lot's wife stayed behind and perished among the people of Sodom (26:171 - p202), whereas the Bible says she fled but looked back and was turned to a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:15f,26).

* The Koran says John the Baptist's father was speechless for 3 days as a sign from the angel (3:41 - p37; 19), but the Bible says he was speechless from before the time his wife conceived till the baby was born (Luke 1:13,20,24,57-64).

* Mohammed referred to Haman as the minister of Pharaoh, whereas the Bible says he was minister of Ahasuerus, king of Persia in the book of Eshter. [WR-95; EB, XIII-483]

* Mohammed confused Miriam the sister of Moses with Mary the mother of Jesus. [EB, XIII-483]

* The Koran teaches men today may practice polygamy and divorce for any cause (4:3,20 - p48; 2:229-232 - pp29,30). Jesus said this was allowed under the Old Testament only because of the hardness of men's hearts, but would not be allowed under the New Testament (Matt. 19:3-9). Islam claims Mohammed's revelation is greater than Jesus, yet its moral standard is clearly inferior.

* The Koran teaches there will be marriage in heaven (52:5 - p284; 44:54 - p268), but Jesus said there is not (Matt. 22:30).

Muslim's try to rationalize by claiming that the Koran has been preserved accurately but the Bible has been perverted. Hence, whenever there is conflict, the Bible is wrong and the Koran is right.

Yet consider again how much of the Bible this means has been corrupted. And remember that God promised He would not let His word be destroyed. There is no historical evidence that the Bible has been corrupted and much evidence that it has not been. If God can preserve the Koran without allowing it to be corrupted, why can he not preserve the Bible in the same way?.

Christians also claim to believe the Old Testament, but in order to prove our case we never need to argue that the Old Testament has been corrupted. On the contrary, Jesus and His apostles and all Christians take the Old Testament, just as it is, and use it to substantiate our case (Acts 17:1-3,11;).

Islam claims to believe in both the Old and New Testament. Yet to make their case, they must repeatedly claim that the Old and New Testaments are corrupt. Why can't they prove their claim, using the Bible as we have it, like Christians can do using the Old Testament? Why must they discredit the very messages they claim are from God?

B. Mohammed's Teaching Contradicts Itself.
The Bible does not contradict itself, despite being written by 40 different men from widely different circumstances. Just one man wrote the Koran so, if it had no self-contradictions, it would prove little. However, it turns out that this one man did contradict himself.

* Mohammed commanded his disciples to use violence against those who reject Islam, yet he said violence should not be practiced in the name of religion (Koran 9:5,29 - pp102,111; cf. 2:256 - p32) .

* He forbade the use of images, then under threat of starvation he excused it, then later he again condemned it (see above).

* He first taught men to pray facing Jerusalem, then later said they must pray facing Mecca. [EB, XV-647]

* In fact Mohammed admitted having changed his doctrine at times. Muslim commentators themselves admit some 5-50 examples of such. [EB, XIII-483]

Jesus' teachings harmonize with all previous Divine revelation, without arguing that it has been corrupted. But Mohammed's teaching conflicts with previous revelation that he admits was from God. Jesus never changed His teaching and never contradicted Himself (1 Cor. 1:13), but Mohammed contradicted himself and changed his teachings several times. How then can Mohammed be a prophet as great as Jesus?

Conclusion
The evidence confirms the gospel of Jesus, not Islam.
Muslims make many claims for Islam, but there is no real proof that Islam is true. Anyone can make claims. Proving them is another matter.

Christians accept Jesus and His gospel, but reject Mohammed and Islam, on the basis of proof. The evidence is that:

* Jesus was sinless but Mohammed committed sin.

* Jesus fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies, but Muslims cannot prove Mohammed ever fulfilled any.

* Jesus made predictions of the future that came true, but Mohammed made none that were fulfilled and at least one that failed.

* Jesus performed miracles as attested by eyewitnesses, but there is no eyewitness proof that Mohammed ever did any miracle.

* Jesus arose from the dead as attested by witnesses, but Muslims do not even claim that Mohammed arose.

* Jesus' teaching agrees with itself, but the teachings of Mohammed contradict themselves.

* Jesus' teachings harmonize with, and His claims are substantiated by, all Divine revelation that went before Him. He and His followers never discredit previous revelation. Mohammed's teachings are not substantiated by prior revelation but contradict it, so Muslims repeatedly discredit prior revelations, while still claiming that those revelations were from God.

The evidence proves, not just that Mohammed was not a prophet like Jesus, but that in fact Mohammed was not a true prophet of God at all. His teaching bears none of the proofs of true prophetic teaching, but it does bear all the earmarks of being the work of a false prophet. (Matthew 7:15-23; 15:14; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; Acts 20:28-30; 1 John 4:1; 2 Timothy 4:2-4; Titus 1:9-14; 2 John 9-11; Romans 16:17,18; Galatians 1:6-9; 2 Peter chap. 2)

Philippians 2:9-11 - Jesus has a name that is above every name. To Him every knee will bow and every tongue confess. It follows that Jesus is greater than Mohammed and someday every Muslim will confess it. Everyone ought to confess it now while they have the opportunity to be saved.

Tzeitel,

Good job. Now I think that we should examine surrounding issues. The Islamic housewife has never seen a copy of the Bible. Can she be blamed for her beliefs? I don't think so. There is currently no free Islamic nation (discounting Iraq for obvious reasons). This is very telling of the condition of the Islamic soul. I don't believe that we can judge them. I do not believe that if a muslim dies under these conditions that she is judgable. Does anyone here believe that on judgement day Jesus will look into the heart of a muslim or anyone else for that matter who was never exposed to the truth and give them a passing grade for being a good person? I don't think so. There must be a back-up plan. One that is not as desireable as our own fates as true believers, yet not as deplorable as the lake of fire. The reason I say "not as desireable as our own fates" is because there is some reason why God expresses urgency in our offer of life through His Son. If it were not vital to come to the father through the Son, then anyone could get into the gates of eternal life and all this refraining from pleasure would be without meaning. Not to mention all the energy spent in missionary work. So, it must be very important for us to get our feet into the door of the Islamic heart. And only words of love and respect will do it.

sojourner

This is a clear scripture that all men are responsible towards the one true God. Its up to you as an individual to search Him out, no matter what your religion of birth is.:
Romans 1;
20For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification],

21Because when they knew and recognized Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. But instead they became futile and [c]godless in their thinking [with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations] and their senseless minds were darkened.

22Claiming to be wise, they became fools [professing to be smart, they made simpletons of themselves].

23And by them the glory and majesty and excellence of the immortal God were exchanged for and represented by images, resembling mortal man and birds and beasts and reptiles.

Last Sunday we had a Texan preacher here in Pretoria, South Africa.
He showed a DVD of where he preached in Pakistan and where a Muslim woman had a vision of Jesus while he preached. She was at the same time baptised in the Holy Spirit and were speaking in tongues.

Sojourner, Corny, what you say is so true. How does one try and reach the muslim community without the threat of severe violance and retribution? As Christians and apostles of Christ, is this our biggest challenge?

I don't know Tzeitel. The Devil has them well insulated. Only someone like the Pope is able to get his message through. The Pope has the power of the media. Which is why I tend to see his comments as a message of love and respect. You and I know that the Pope was just one comment away from the complete message. He was treading carefully, getting his foot in the door.

sojourner