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In light of the sudden and unexpected outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas -- at least sudden and unexpected for those of us who are not privy to the internal affairs of Middle Eastern nations -- I decided that it was time to give this 1998 series another update. I gave it a first update back in 2010, as I will be explaining in a moment. Of course, the current ongoing war is by no means the first time that the Israelis and the Palestinians -- or the Arabs in general for that matter -- have engaged in war.

Sadly, as some of my older readers will know, they have gone at each other off and on with wars and uprisings -- known as Intifadas to the Muslims -- ever since Israel unilaterally declared itself a nation in May of 1948. In addition to the original 1948 war, some of these wars and skirmishes include the 1967 Arab-Israeli war -- also known as the Six-Day War -- the Yom Kippur War of 1973, the First Intifada which lasted from 1987 to 1993, and the Second Intifada which lasted from 2000 to about 2005.

Taking into consideration their rather violent history, it should come as no surprise to us that these two parties are attacking each other once again, and this time with some of the worst consequences since the Yom Kippur War of 1973. As of this current writing, the mainstream media is reporting more than 3,000 deaths between the two sides, and many more people have been wounded. Likewise, unlike in previous wars and skirmishes, this time Hamas militants have reportedly taken close to 150 hostages of various nationalities. This includes some Americans. Even worse, Hamas has threatened to begin executing them if the Israelis should begin to bomb homes in Gaza.

Gaza is now under a total blockade by Israel. Electricity has been lost in all of Gaza. Food is running out. At this point, close to a quarter of a million Gazans have been made homeless and/or displaced. On top of it all, Israel is now preparing for a major ground war in Gaza. In fact, Israel has warned Gazans to flee the territory. However, the truth is that they have absolutely nowhere to go. Egypt certainly will not take them. So it is indeed a very dire situation.

While I could spend paragraphs expressing my views regarding who is to blame for all of these wars and skirmishes, I am not going to do that at this time for two reasons. First of all, I already amply discuss this issue in some of my other articles which delve into the situation in the Middle East. You are welcome to read them, if you have the time and the interest in doing so. All I will say for the time being, is that as occurs in every war which has ever been fought down through history, there is always some level of blame on both sides of the fence.

Let me also add that the Palestinians have been fighting for their own state for literally decades now; and yet as of this current year, they still do not seem to be that much closer to achieving their dream. As is rather apparent, the Israelis keep stalling with more words, more military incursions, and more settlements expansion -- thus making it impossible to even create a contiguous Palestinian state -- while for their part, the more radical Palestinians occasionally lob rockets into Israel out of frustration -- as just recently occurred yet again -- resulting in another bloody war. As for Hamas and Fatah, they each continue with their endeavors to win the hearts and minds of the Palestinian people. As I have said before, while I can sympathize with their sad predicament, I obviously cannot agree with or support their violent, radical methods for trying to achieve their goals.

My second reason for withholding a deeper analysis of this latest outbreak of war, is that this series is meant more to be a comparative study between the Christian faith, and the Islamic faith. This will require a thorough examination. Thus this six-part series. What you should know is that I am a man of peace. I believe in following the peaceful ways taught by Jesus Christ. Furthermore, when all is said and done, and all weak excuses are brushed away, we come to realize that most wars usually result from greed, a lust for power, or else an unhealthy desire to dominate another party. Allow me to share the following set of verses which clearly reflect my personal position:

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."


"But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."


"My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war."


"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth . . . Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God . . . But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."


"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."


"Finally‭, brethren‭, farewell‭‭. Be perfect‭‭, be of good comfort‭‭, be of one‭ mind‭‭, LIVE IN PEACE‭‭; and‭ the God‭ of love‭ and‭ peace‭ shall be‭‭ with‭ you‭.‭"


"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God."


"And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."


"And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."


"And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus [meaning the Apostle Peter] stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?"


"And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,‭ And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.‭ And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.‭ And when his disciples James and John saw ‭this‭, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?‭ But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.‭ For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save ‭them‭. And they went to another village.‭"


"When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?‭ And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.‭ And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.‭"


"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?"


"(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)"


"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."


"And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."


"He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."


As I mentioned earlier, this is actually the second update I am giving to this series. The first update occurred in 2010, and was motivated at the time by a controversy surrounding the proposed construction of a Muslim center and mosque in the heart of New York City -- originally referred to as the Cordoba House, and later as Park51 -- only two blocks away from the site of the horrific September 11, 2001 attacks. As most Americans know, the attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the aborted flight of United Flight 93 left almost three thousand Americans dead.

At that time in 2010, there was a lot of banter being traded in many parts of the world as a result of the plans to build the Muslim center. From politicians, to distraught Christian conservatives, to members of American-Muslim organizations, to ordinary people on the street, it appeared that everyone had an opinion concerning this hotly-debated issue. It seems that what many people simply wanted to know, is whether or not Islam -- the religion of Muhammad -- poses a threat to us. Such people were also concerned that the construction of the NYC Islamic center and mosque might serve as a magnet to draw even more Muslim radicals to the United States, and to New York City itself.

While many people had -- and continue to have -- a variety of views concerning the proposed Islamic mosque and center, we must honestly ask ourselves how many of them really have an informed opinion regarding this issue? Do we really know whereof we speak? Or are we simply following the herd and parroting what we hear other people say, because it happens to be fashionable? Sadly, it was a NYT news article in 2010 which motivated me to update this series at that time, as I will now briefly explain.

It seems that there was an evangelical pastor by the name of Terry Jones who headed -- and apparently continues to head -- a small church called "Dove World Outreach Center". Formerly based in Gainesville, Florida, the church sold its property and moved to the Tampa area, possibly to Bradenton. According to the NYT news article, Mr. Jones planned to commemorate the September 11, 2001 attacks by holding a book burning bonfire. But the issue at hand -- which made him some quick friends, as well as some enemies -- is that Jones had intentions to use copies of the Qur'an -- or Koran -- as fuel during the so-called "International Burn A Koran Day". While Jones did eventually abandon the 2010 event due to immense pressure, and personal threats against himself, in later years he did in fact burn multiple copies of the Qur'an.

While I can easily offer my opinion regarding the actions of Pastor Jones, what really caught my attention is the simple fact that according to the article, when Mr. Jones was asked about his knowledge of the Qur'an, he reportedly stated "I have no experience with it whatsoever. I only know what the Bible says." This struck me as being very odd. Here was a man who was prepared to make a very public and very controversial statement regarding his opinion concerning Islam, and yet, he had never even read the book. In other words, Terry Jones was not just ill-informed, he was not informed at all. I think it is great that he knows what the Bible says -- although going by the news article, we really have no idea how complete of an understanding Terry Jones has of the Bible -- but it seems to me that if he was prepared to make such a public protest against Islam, he should at least know what he was protesting against. Otherwise, his actions lacked any real meaning, and were just showmanship.

But what about you, my friend? If you are a Christian, and if you were one who protested against the Park51 project -- that is, the proposed Muslim center and mosque in NYC -- did you do it just to protest? Or did you have solid grounds for your disapproval? This very same question applies to today as well. To be more specific, do you personally know what Muslims truly believe regarding the nature of Jesus Christ? Can you personally point to any clear proof in the Qur'an which demonstrates that the religion of Muhammad -- Islam -- is the violent religion that is promoted by certain Muslim extremists, as well as by certain people who work within the mainstream media infrastructure?

If you answered in the negative to either of these two questions, I believe that this series will be of benefit to you; because it is not based on hearsay alone, and neither does it simply offer answers that are politically-correct. It in fact delves into the Qur'an itself, as well as into the Bible, and offers a contrast between what the founders of Christianity and Islam really teach. While we can easily point to acts of violence which have been committed by the radical branch of Islam during our lifetime to bolster our position, this series will reveal to you in clear terms why they think the way they do, and why they commit the violent acts that they do. I hope that you will continue reading.

However, before delving into the meat of the matter, I feel that it is important to reiterate a particular point that I have been making since the very week that the 9-11 attacks occurred; and that is this: Not long after the 9-11 attacks happened, certain people within conspiracy circles began to cast blame for the attacks in a variety of directions. This included blaming -- among other people -- Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist network, the Bush administration, the International Bankers, the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, New York investor and developer Larry Silverstein, the CIA, Saudi Arabia, and I don't know who else. Everyone had, and still has, their own pet theories regarding the 9-11 attacks on the twin towers at the World Trade Center complex, as well as the attack on the Pentagon, and also the failed United Flight 93 attack.

As any educated person can determine, there were all kinds of holes in the "official" story that was being promoted by the White House and the American mainstream media. It seems to me that to this day, there still remain many unanswered questions, and too many contradictions in that "official" story. Because of this fact, I continue to reject the belief that the attackers -- whoever they were -- could have acted alone from outside the country. They must have had inside help of some kind. In my opinion, it defies logic to accept that the attackers were capable of bypassing all American security systems, and then simultaneously commandeering four airplanes, which ultimately resulted in three of their four attacks achieving their objectives. As we all know, these events have changed our lives, and the world, forever.

If there is one thing which I have stressed over the years, it is that modern governments and political figures are so corrupt, and so prone to deceive, and so adept when it comes to manipulating information, that I seriously doubt that we know the truth about much of anything. We may think that we do, particularly if we buy into the government line -- as a lot of people apparently have done in regard to 9-11 -- but do we really? The powers-that-be will deeply bury the truth under layers of deception, as they always do; and if anyone dares to talk, they will be humiliated, discredited and made to look like a total nut case. The government uses character assassination all the time when people get too close to some embarrassing truth; and sometimes, if they get too close to the truth, and even begin to vocalize it, they may even end up dead.

So the main point that I wish to emphasize from my previous comments, is that if we are truly honest with ourselves, then we must be willing to admit that none of us -- perhaps other than certain politicians in very high places -- really knows with any degree of certainty, who is actually responsible for the 9-11 attacks; and quite frankly, I very seriously doubt that we ever will know all of the facts regarding the events of 9-11. Furthermore, given the gullibility of the American public, the Bush administration could have painted anyone on those planes as dangerous terrorists, and they would have gotten away with carrying out such a deception; particularly if the persons they identified were of Arab descent.

The primary reason why I feel that this point is so important to our current discussion regarding the New York City mosque controversy, is because if we don't know who really destroyed the World Trade Center twin towers on September 11, 2001, then in all fairness, we cannot -- and should not -- use 9-11 as an excuse in our efforts to try to legitimize our protest against the construction of the Muslim center and mosque. Lamentably, the damage has already been done. As you may already realize, the US government skillfully deployed its propaganda machine; and despite whatever the true facts may be regarding the 9-11 attacks, convinced many American citizens that nineteen Muslim terrorists were responsible for those attacks, regardless of whether or not they truly were the perpetrators of said acts.

One of the inevitable results of this propaganda war was that any attempt to build the Muslim center and mosque just a few blocks from the World Trade Center and the former site of the twin towers, was viewed -- and continues to be viewed -- by many Americans as a very callous and insensitive act. In fact, according to the Wikipedia website, the end result of this anti-Muslim sentiment, is that while the developers secured financing for a 43-story luxury condominium building called 45 Park Place -- which was nearly completed by 2019 -- construction of the adjacent Islamic cultural space at 51 Park Place, still has not begun as of 2023.

But to continue, whether we are Christians or not, I believe that if we are going to take it upon ourselves to object to the construction of the aforementioned Muslim mosque in NYC, or object to any other proposed Muslim cause or project, it requires that we possess a more solid reason to validate our position. That's what I hope to accomplish with this series. By examining the actual contents of the Qur'an, my intention is to show you why Islam is both spiritually and physically harmful to America, and to the rest of the Christian world as well. It's my hope that after pondering the evidence that I will be presenting here, you will become convinced that, as a fellow believer in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we must not allow the poisonous roots of the Islamic faith to further infiltrate American society, as they have already done in Europe, and elsewhere. So let us begin, shall we?

As I mentioned earlier, I feel that it is important for us to try to understand what motivates these Arab and Muslim nations, and radical groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, to commit such atrocities in the name of their god Allah. What I find tragic regarding the current war -- as well as all previous Israeli-Palestinian-Arab wars, is that according to the Bible, thousands of years ago, Abraham's second wife -- Hagar the Egyptian -- and her son Ishmael, appear to have worshipped the same God as Abraham and Sarah. Consider the following incident that occurred after Hagar had fled from Sarai, or Sarah, her mistress:

"And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction."


As I note in the series "The Children of God and Politics", Ishmael -- who was Abraham's first son by Hagar -- became the progenitor of the Twelve Princes of the Arab nations. However, it would be Isaac -- who was the seed of faith who was born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age -- who would receive the inheritance of the Lord, as we can determine by the following verses:

"And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year."


"Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham: And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations."


Based on the previous Scriptural evidence of Hagar's apparent devotion to the God of Abraham, her husband, God's blessings upon her and her son Ishmael, and upon Ishmael's descendants, and my personal study of the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an, I was able to arrive at only one conclusion. That is that when Muhammad arrived on the historical scene approximately six hundred years after the time of Jesus, and began to promote a new religion that, while having certain similarities to both the Jewish and the Christian faiths, yet at the same time, is quite contrary to both of them, he was not listening to the voice of the one true God, who his ancestors apparently still worshipped to some degree.

In short, while my words will obviously be offensive to a lot of Muslims, is it possible then that Muhammad was really one of the many false prophets of whom even Jesus warned about in the Gospels? Consider the following verse:

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."


To my personal dismay, I learned some time ago that the holy book of the Muslims -- the Qur'an -- contains a surah called As-Saff -- or The Ranks, Battle Array -- in which there is a verse where Jesus supposedly prophesies concerning the coming of Muhammad, in order to follow in His footsteps as the next great prophet of God. Consider this verse as it is found in three different translations of the Qur'an:

Yusufali Translation:

"And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad." But when he came to them with Clear Signs, they said, "this is evident sorcery!"


Pickthal Translation:

"And when Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me, whose name is the Praised One. Yet when he hath come unto them with clear proofs, they say: This is mere magic."


Shakir Translation:

"And when Isa son of Marium said: O children of Israel! surely I am the messenger of Allah to you, verifying that which is before me of the Taurat and giving the good news of an Messenger who will come after me, his name being Ahmad, but when he came to them with clear arguments they said: This is clear magic."


In my view, the above verse is nothing short of an outright demonic deception; obviously because Jesus would not claim to be the Son of God and Savior of the world, and then turn around and prophesy of an even greater prophet in the future who would deny Jesus's very Divinity and Messiahship, which is exactly what Muhammad does. To say the least, the idea of Jesus prophesying in positive terms about a future prophet who will deny Him is ludicrous.

What makes this particular Muslim deception so subtle, is the fact that this verse is concealed between thirteen other verses in this surah, which Jews and Christians will readily identify with. The reason why some Jews and Christians will identify with this surah, is because it describes familiar Biblical themes, such as the importance of putting obedience behind our faith -- much like James chapter two -- Moses and the rebellious Israelites, and Jesus and His Disciples.

The truth is that if you read the Qur'an, you will find many things with which you are familiar as a Christian or a Jew. Some of the names will obviously be different, but you will recognize the accounts of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the Ark, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the story of Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah, Moses, Aaron and Pharaoh, the parting of the Red Sea, Gideon (Talut), King David, Solomon, Job, Jonah and more. You will likewise read about Joseph and Mary, and discover that Mary's Immaculate Conception is also accepted within Islam, even though I personally view this as a false doctrine. The birth of John the Baptist to Elizabeth and Zacharias is likewise discussed in the pages of the Qur'an.

You may even begin to think, "Wow! This Qur'an isn't so bad after all! Maybe I have been wrong about the Muslim faith." But if that is your experience, then reader beware! As you will discover later in this series, while Christ's divine mission as a holy Messenger from God is accepted, as well as His many miracles, that is as far as it goes. He is totally stripped of any status greater than that. As you continue to read this series, I will provide many verses from the Qur'an to prove this particular point beyond a shadow of a doubt!

In addition to the above topics, you will also discover that the Qur'an discusses Heaven and Hell, Satan -- who is known as "Shaitan" in the Islamic religion -- the Last Days, Gog and Magog, the Day of Resurrection, the Final Judgment, a New Creation and other familiar themes. So, on the surface, the Qur'an appears to be a rather innocent book. But is it really? Or does Islam teach certain things that some people just don't know about? The simple truth is that if you are a Spirit-led Christian who begins to examine the Qur'an more closely as I have done, you too will begin to recognize the blatant inconsistencies and the lies within its pages. As a long-time Christian, I am firmly convinced that this is so.

As I stated at the beginning of this series, it would be a mistake on any of our parts to simply believe in government propaganda, or to accept mainstream media hearsay, regarding Muslim beliefs. Having said that, we will now begin a close examination of actual excerpts taken from Islam's holy book, the Qur'an, or Koran. We will go straight to the source. That is, to the actual writings of the "prophet" Muhammad -- or Mohammed if you prefer. In the next part of our series, you will plainly see exactly what he taught and advocated almost fourteen hundred years ago. You will learn that Islam is by no means the non-violent and peaceful religion that certain people have proposed.

Through this examination, you will come to recognize what is really felt and believed within the Arab and Muslim mind and heart. Be forewarned that this knowledge can be dangerous. It is ideas like these which put the life of author Salomon Rushdie in danger. To be honest, I too have considered the personal risk that I am taking by publishing controversial -- and to some people -- offensive information such as this. Nevertheless, I am motivated to be faithful to Him who has called me to this writing ministry. Furthermore, I still have much work to do for the Lord, and I trust that He will continue to protect me, until such time when I've finally completed my task.

Please go to part two for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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