Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

Authored By  :
Published On :
Last Updated :




As we saw in part two, Muhammad and the Qur'an teach Muslims that it is an honorable act to kill for the Islamic religion. In fact, as we discovered, Allah -- through his "prophet" -- mandated that all Muslims fight for their faith, unless they wish to receive a severe punishment from him. So exactly how is this "honorable killing" supposed to be accomplished? In reality, even if you are not familiar with the contents of Islam's holy book, more than likely, you probably know the answer to this question. Few people are likely to forget the horrible images and videos to which we were subjected during the early years of the Iraq War by the mass media; images and videos which very graphically showed "infidels" -- Americans, Europeans, Japanese, etc. -- being beheaded by militants of the Islamic faith in Iraq. Can there be any doubt then that in its basest form, Islam is a doctrine of devils?

To those of us who are not Muslims, we found these barbarous acts to be downright evil, sickening and utterly repulsive. However, if we had grown up in an Islamic environment, where we were required to read and study the Qur'an on a regular basis, faithfully obey its precepts -- because Sharia is the law in Muslim countries -- and perhaps even attend a madrasa, we might view these beheadings in a very different light. In other words, while we were sickened and repulsed, as we saw in part one, the Muslim militants who carried out these acts were absolutely convinced that they were doing the will of Allah. They were faithfully performing their duty as Muslims, by defending their religion against the foreign invader. At least that is what Muhammad teaches them in the Qur'an. He in fact instructs Muslim warriors to "smite the necks" of the infidels -- that is, behead them -- as is made plain by the following verses from the Qur'an:

47: 5. "And when you meet in regular battle those who disbelieve, smite their necks; and, when you have overcome them, by causing great slaughter among them, bind fast the fetters - then afterwards either release them as a favour or by taking ransom - until the war lays down its burdens. That is the ordinance. And if ALLAH had so pleased, HE could have punished them Himself, but HE has willed that HE may try some of you by others. And those who are killed in the way of ALLAH - HE will never render their works vain."

8: 13. When thy Lord revealed to the angels, saying, 'I am with you; so make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Smite them above their necks, and smite off all finger-tips.'

As I explained earlier, beliefs and attitudes in the Middle East change very slowly, if at all. The fact that the Qur'an was written almost fourteen hundred years ago, doesn't make any difference to the Muslim extremists who carried out the beheadings. Just as we Christians believe that the Bible is just as valid today as it was when it was written thousands of years ago, so too, Muslims view the Qur'an in a similar fashion. So we must wonder: what does this suggest about the near future, and what part will Muslim beliefs play in that future?

In my mind, it is very easy to envision the Muslim faithful being stirred to anger -- as well as to extreme violence -- by the rantings of some self-proclaimed, mad Islamic false prophet, similar to the supreme ayatollah of Iran. Were such an evil figure to arise, this devil-in-the-flesh could even encourage faithful Muslim radicals to raise their swords in vengeance against Christian and Jewish "infidels" alike, and behead them. Let us not forget that it has indeed happened before. As I point out in a number of my prophecy articles, two thousand years ago, the Prophet John in fact specifically wrote that the departed Saints who he saw under the Throne of God, were BEHEADED for the Word of God, as we see by the following verse that is found in the Book of Revelation:

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."


Ironically, if this were to be the awful fate of some Jews sometime in the future, it is possible that this would be yet another example of the slow, steady, but continuous wheels of God's judgment against an unbelieving people. In other words, the Jews would be reaping what they first sowed not quite two thousand years ago, when the Roman puppet, Jewish King Herod Antipas, ordered John the Baptist to be beheaded, due to the king's pride, and his infatuation with the daughter of Herodias, as we see by the following verses:

"But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus."


Not only was Jesus' forerunner -- and Prophet -- beheaded by an evil Jewish king, but according to the Book of Acts, some years later, another evil Jewish king, Herod Agrippa -- who was the grandson of Herod the Great, and also the nephew of Herod Antipas -- began a campaign of persecution against the leadership of the First Century Church. Not only are we told that Herod Agrippa murdered James, the brother of John, with a sword -- probably meaning that he was beheaded -- but when the king saw that his violent actions against the Christians pleased the blood-thirsty Jews, he attempted to do the same thing to Peter. However, Herod Agrippa was frustrated in his evil machinations when God performed a miracle, and Peter was released from prison by an Angel, as we see by these verses:

"Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews."


As I explain in great detail in such series as "The Fruits of Disobedience", throughout the Bible -- in both the Old and the New Testaments -- we find the Lord punishing rebellious Israel through invasion after invasion by the pagan nations which surrounded her. So I must ask: Why should that change in our modern times?? The situation really hasn't changed that much over the centuries. The vast majority of Jews continue to reject Jesus Christ as God's Son, and as the only Savior of the world. In fact, as I point out in such articles as "The Woman in the Wilderness and the 144,000", and also in "The Great Tribulation and the Rapture", even the 144,000 sealed servants of the Lord who are mentioned in Revelation chapter seven were Jews, and represented only a small part of the overall population of Israel during the First Century.

So the truth of the matter is that aside from the Messianic Jews, the rest of the Jews -- both within Israel and without -- remain just as antichrist as they have over the past two thousand years. Ninety-nine per cent of them do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. So tell me; exactly what have they really done to assuage God's anger against them? Very little, it seems to me; which is why I believe that they are going to have to undergo some suffering at some point in the future. God must bring those proud Jews to their knees, and He may use the violence and the hatred of Islamic extremists to do it. If He used pagan nations to punish Israel in times past, He can certainly do it in these modern times as well, if He so pleases.

In his second Epistle, the Apostle Peter informs us that our God is indeed an extremely patient, loving and merciful God; and His patience with the obstinate Jews over the past two thousand years is clear proof of this. Consider this verse:

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."


Following are some additional verses concerning the extent of God's patience, mercy and compassion, for your personal consideration:

"The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them."


"The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy."


"It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."


"The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet."


"And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil."


"And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil."


Of course, as I explain in a number of other articles, as the Apostle Paul informs us in his scholarly Epistle to the Roman brethren, the unbelief of the Jews has been to the advantage of the Gentile world, because it has allowed all of us to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, the patience of the Lord cannot -- and will not -- last forever; and the time of Israel's judgment must eventually arrive. Therefore, it seems to me that the axe may already be poised to strike the symbolic fig tree -- that is, Israel -- as she is even now surrounded by her potential Islamic executioners.

While Israel has prevailed against her Muslim enemies until now, as a result of her obvious military advantage, if God chooses to punish her once more, this advantage could prove to be quite meaningless. After all, when God chooses to judge and punish, that it is exactly what He does. This is in fact an issue which I thoroughly discuss in articles such as "The Great Tribulation and the Rapture", "Oh Israel, Why Will Ye Die?" and "You've Got It Wrong: Submit and Live!". As I have mentioned before, even King David realized that all of the military forces in the world are utterly meaningless, if we are not truly trusting in the Lord, as we see here:

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


Allow me to remind you that while King David was both a king as well as an efficient military leader who trusted in the Lord, it was because of the fact that David was a man of war that God did not permit him to build the temple. The Bible informs us that this task was left to his son, Solomon. The reason why I am mentioning this point, is because there will undoubtedly be some people who will read that verse, and use it to try to justify the actions of so-called "Christian" US presidents -- such as former president George W. Bush -- who persuade American Christians that their wars against other nations are both righteous and justified.

But is there any truth to such a belief? As I explain in a number of my politically-oriented articles, this is not what Jesus Christ -- or His followers -- taught us whatsoever. As I mentioned in part one, is my firm belief that all war is ugly, evil and ungodly; and that it is usually motivated by some form of greed, despite the reasons that national leaders may offer the public.

Returning our attention to the specific teachings of Islam's holy book, the Qur'an, and its author, Muhammad, in the Old Testament, the Prophet Isaiah warns us not to call good, evil, and evil, good, as we see here:

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"


Despite this Biblical admonition against deception, this is exactly what Muhammad is doing in the following verse from the Qur'an. In fact, the entire Qur'an is a deception. It is a not-so-subtle twisting of Scriptural truth:

2: 91. "Evil is that which they have sold their souls - that they should disbelieve in what ALLAH has revealed, grudging that ALLAH should send down HIS grace on whomsoever of HIS servants HE pleases. So they have incurred wrath upon wrath; and there is a humiliating chastisement for the disbelievers."

In other words, Muhammad -- by way of the Qur'an -- is making his case against those who don't accept him as a prophet; and he is saying that it is evil for anyone to not believe what Allah has supposedly revealed to him. As you may know, God's real inspired Word -- the Bible -- informs us that the reward of those who twist the truth will be their own destruction, as we see by this verse, also written by the Apostle Peter:

"As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."


Taking this delusion a step further, in the very same surah, Muhammad also claims that he received the words of the Qur'an by direct revelation from the Angel Gabriel. As a result, in Muhammad's twisted view, whoever rejects the Qur'an, is also rejecting God, the Angels, His messengers, and also Gabriel and Michael. In short, Muhammad is saying that such people are both disbelievers, and the enemies of God. By using the word "messengers", I am assuming that Muhammad is referring to human messengers -- such as himself -- being as the word "angel" is actually derived from the Hebrew word "malak", which is translated into the English language as messenger, angel or ambassador. Following is Mohammad's teaching from the Qur'an:

2: 98-99. "Say 'Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel' - for he it is who has caused it to descend on thy heart by the command of ALLAH, fulfilling that revelation which precedes it, and is a guidance and glad tidings to the believers. Whoever is an enemy to ALLAH, and HIS angels, and HIS Messengers, and Gabriel, and Michael, then surely, ALLAH is an enemy to such disbelievers.'"

In the previous two verses which are found in Surah Two, in his attempt to legitimize his claim of being the prophet of Allah, Muhammad resorts to the same tactic that I mentioned in part one of this series. As you may recall, according to Surah Sixty-One, even Jesus Christ prophesied of the coming of Muhammad; but in the previous two verses, I believe that Muhammad may be referring to something else when he uses the phrase "fulfilling that revelation which precedes it".

If my understanding is correct -- and it does appear to be confirmed by online information regarding Islam -- these two verses are directly tied to the Muslim belief that the Angel Gabriel revealing the Qur'an to Muhammad. So, Muhammad being chosen by Allah to be his prophet, is a direct fulfillment of a previous revelation, or prophecy, that was given to another Prophet who is highly esteemed within Islam. I'm referring to Moses, the great leader and liberator of the Hebrew children; although it was actually God, of course, who truly freed the ancient Israelites from Egyptian bondage after four hundred years of suffering under the Egyptian whip.

As we already discussed in part one, Moses is mentioned quite extensively throughout the Qur'an, and the followers of Islam have great regard for him. So what is the prophecy -- or the revelation -- that Moses made, which supposedly foretells of the arrival of Muhammad? I believe that it is the following, which I also mention in series such as "Elijah: Where Are the True Prophets of God?":

"The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."


As I explain in the aforementioned series, the Jews were very well aware of Moses' prophecy. It is for this reason that in his Gospel, the Apostle John informs us that upon learning of John the Baptist's activities at the Jordan River, they sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to question John. Notice exactly what they asked him in the following verses:

"And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose."


As you can plainly see, when the Jews inquired of John the Baptist, they made a clear distinction between Elias -- the Greek form of Eliyahu, or Elijah as we English readers know him -- the Christ, and "that prophet". Twice the Jews used the phrase "that prophet" in the previous verses, and it is assumed that they were referring to the Prophet which Moses had written about in the Deuteronomy prophecy. As I explain in "Elijah: Where Are The True Prophets?", John the Baptist fulfilled Malachi's prophecies concerning the coming of the Prophet Elijah. Jesus said so quite plainly Himself, even though John the Baptist denied that he was Elijah, probably out of a sense of humility.

Please note that my personal belief regarding this matter is that John the Baptist was not really Elijah raised from the dead or reincarnated. Rather, I believe that Jesus was saying that John the Baptist carried the same spiritual anointing as the Old Testament Prophet Elijah. In fact, this is precisely what the Angel Gabriel told John's father, Zacharias, in the temple, prior to John's birth. Consider the following verses that are found in Luke chapter one:

"And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."


So, if John fulfilled the role of Elijah, but was not "that prophet" or the Christ, as per the previous verses from John, then who was Moses prophesying about? As I noted previously, the followers of Islam are convinced that this prophecy was fulfilled in their prophet Muhammad; which in my view is the furthest thing from the truth, and just another Satanic lie. There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Jesus is the one who fulfilled the prophecy of Moses. Moses clearly said that God would raise up this Prophet "from the midst of thee, of thy brethren . . . I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren", and this is exactly what happened. God did in fact raise up Jesus from His own brethren -- that is, the Jews, the tribe of Judah -- and in return, the vast majority of Jews chose to reject Him, as they have done to this day, as we see by the following verses:

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not."


"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."


Not only was Jesus raised up amongst His own Jewish brethren, but in fulfillment of the prophecy, He was likewise every bit as knowledgeable of Torah law as Moses was. Furthermore, God did in fact put His words in the mouth of Jesus, exactly as the prophecy said He would. On a number of occasions, Jesus emphasized the fact that He did and said whatever the Father showed Him, as we see by these verses:

"Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel."


"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."


At the very end of the same chapter, in His final rebuttal to His unbelieving Jewish accusers, Jesus made it clear once and for all that Moses was indeed referring to Him as the Prophet that should come, in the prophecy that is found in the Book of Deuteronomy, as we see here:

"For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"


In fact, after witnessing the miracles that Jesus performed, the disciples of John the Baptist were convinced that Jesus was indeed the Prophet of whom Moses had prophesied, as we see by the following verse. Please notice again that John's disciples refer to Jesus as "that prophet":

"Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world."


In my view, there is absolutely no room for misunderstanding or error here. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Moses, and not the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Despite this fact, about three quarters through the Qur'an, we find another verse which also very subtly suggests that Muhammad is the fulfillment of the prophecy spoken by Moses, by making a link between Moses and Muhammad. Consider what verse sixteen of Surah Seventy-Three has to say:

73: 16. "Verily, WE have sent to you a Messenger, who is a witness over you, even as WE sent a Messenger to Pharaoh;"

Obviously, the purpose of this verse is to make a connection with the words in the prophecy of Moses which say "Like unto me". In other words, this prophesied Prophet would be like unto Moses. He would be a great messenger to the people. So as we've already seen, it is because of this purported link between Moses and Muhammad, that Moses is spoken of quite extensively throughout the Qur'an. In fact, Moses is spoken about much more in the Qur'an than any other personality who we are familiar with in the Holy Scriptures.

Of course, in order to elevate himself as the great and final prophet, Muhammad had to find a way to demote Jesus from His rightful place as the second most powerful Being in Heaven, who is worthy of our praise and honor. The way that Muhammad accomplished this feat, is by telling his followers that at the time of the Resurrection, all of the prophets -- such as Jesus -- who were worshipped as gods by their followers, will not only become the enemies of those who worshipped them, but they will refuse to be worshipped as well, as we see by this verse that is found in Surah Forty-Six:

46: 7. "And when mankind are raised up after death, the false deities will be enemies of their worshippers and will deny their worship."

A few verses later in the same surah, a sly question is asked regarding what will happen to a person who denies that Moses was referring to Muhammad as the coming Prophet in the Book of Deuteronomy. This is what the following verse means when it states "bears witness to the advent of one like him". In other words, one like Moses, meaning Muhammad:

46: 11. "Say, 'Tell me, if this Qur'an is from ALLAH and you disbelieve therein, and a witness from among the Children of Israel bears witness to the advent of one like him, and he believed, but you are too proud to believe, how should you fare ?' Verily ALLAH guides not the wrongdoing people."

Only two verses later, Muhammad makes it very plain that he is referring to the Book of Moses, and more specifically, to the Book of Deuteronomy, where the prophecy is found which supposedly speaks of his own advent, or coming, as the great and final prophet of God:

46: 13. "And before it there was the Book of Moses, a guide and a mercy; and this is a Book in the Arabic language, fulfilling previous prophecies, that it may warn those who do wrong, and give glad tidings to those who do good."

So again we see that Muhammad is convinced -- and is likewise trying to convince his followers -- that his arrival on Earth as a prophet and messenger of Allah, is a fulfillment of the previous prophecy that was prophesied by Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy. As we saw in part one, Islam's holy book -- the Qur'an -- makes the claim that Jesus likewise prophesied of the coming of Muhammad. Thus, this is a double heresy, and a doctrine of devils. Despite the abundant Scriptural evidence which absolutely refutes the misguided claims that are made by Muhammad in the Qur'an, millions of the followers of Islam continue to believe that Moses and Jesus both prophesied of the arrival of Muhammad during the seventh century. This is the furthest thing from the truth. It is an absolute satanic deception.

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

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

---

---

Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.