May-Jun 2008

  1. THE STATE OF ISRAEL
  2. THE BIBLE vs. THE KORAN
  3. PUBLICATIONS
  4. ANNOUNCEMENTS
  5. POEM—THE JEW

THE BIBLE vs. THE KORAN

There are many subjects on which the Bible’s teachings are directly contradicted by the Koran’s statements, as the following few sample quotations and citations will show:

JESUS’ PRE-EXISTENCE AND HUMAN BIRTH

The Bible clearly states that Jesus existed before His human birth as the Word, or Logos. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. . . . The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him. . . . And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1: 1-3, 14, compare 3: 13; 8: 23, 42, 58). The Koran, on the contrary, says, “Jesus is as Adam in the sight of God. He created him of dust” (sura 3: 58). Unlike the Bible (Luke 1: 5—2: 7), the Koran gives a highly imaginative (rather than informed) account of Jesus’ birth (sura 19: 1-37). The Koran teaches that Jesus was no more than a servant of God, a Jewish prophet, and that it would be unseemly for God to beget a son, to have offspring.

THE BIBLE STATES

“And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3: 17). “These are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20: 31; see also Matt. 16: 13-17). “Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant . . . but Christ as a Son over His own house” (Heb. 3: 5, 6). “The law and the prophets were until John” (Luke 16: 16). “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3: 16, 17; see also Rom. 1: 3, 4; Heb. 1: 2; 4: 14).

THE KORAN STATES

“The Christians say, The Messiah is a son of God.” Such sayings . . . resemble the sayings of the infidels of old! “God do battle with them! How are they misguided!” (sura 9: 30.) “Jesus is no more than a servant whom we favored, and proposed as an instance of Divine power to the children of Israel” (sura 43: 59). “In the footsteps of the prophets caused we Jesus, the son of Mary, to follow, confirming the law which was before him” (sura 5: 50). “It beseemeth not God to beget a son . . . They say: ‘The God . . . hath gotten offspring.’ Now have ye done a monstrous thing!” (sura 19: 36, 91-93.)

Part of Mohammed’s reasoning in this connection is apparent: “Sole maker of the Heavens and of the Earth! How, when He hath no consort, should He have a son?” (sura 6: 101), and again, “He . . . hath taken no spouse neither hath he any offspring” (sura 72: 3). However, this reasoning is based on false premises. God requires no “wife” in the accepted sense (although He has covenants as symbolic wives—Isa. 54: 1-5; Jer. 3: 14; 31: 31, 32), for even in the physical creation we see, in the plant and animal kingdom creations, some do not “mate” to reproduce their kind. These do embody both male and female qualities, as did Adam when created in God’s likeness and image. Therefore, we reason, God is not limited in begetting offspring by the absence of a sexual counterpart. God’s creative work is sometimes referred to in the Bible as a figurative begettal.

Additionally, the Bible states that angels are sons of God (Gen. 6: 2, 4; Job 38: 7) and that from the human family, Jesus brings many sons to glory (John 1: 12; 1 John 3: 1, 2; Heb. 2: 9-11). All believers who correctly and sincerely pray to God as “Father” are children of God, actually or prospectively (Luke 11: 1, 2, 13; Eph. 5: 1; 1 John 5: 18). In fact, Adam himself was a son of God! (Luke 3: 38.) Surely God has sons!

God, in His attribute of love, figuratively joined Himself with the Oath-bound promise (symbolized in Sarah—Gen. 18: 10; 22: 16-18) as a symbolic “wife,” and in due time from that union has come forth the Church. First He had joined Himself with the Law Covenant, as represented in Hagar, and from this union the nation of Israel, represented in Ishmael, was born as a symbolic son (Gen. 16: 15; Gal. 4: 22-31).

Yet again, God, in the soon-coming Millennial Mediatorial Kingdom on earth, will unite Himself with the New Covenant as His symbolic wife, represented in Keturah, Abraham’s third wife, and as offspring, He will give life to many figurative children (Gen. 25: 1-4). These “children of the resurrection,” will come forth through the ministry of Jesus and the Church, the Christ—Head and Body; and will bring forth, on His behalf, those who, willing and obedient, will live forever on the earthly plane of being (Luke 20: 27-36). Therefore, we see that Mohammed, despite good intentions, was not in accord with God in this matter, as in so many others.

The Bible clearly states in many places that Jesus was crucified and died for our sins (e.g., Matt. 27: 35-50; John 19: 16-30; 1 Cor 15: 3, 4). To the contrary the Koran says concerning Jesus, “They slew him not, and they crucified him not, but they had only his likeness. . . . They did not really slay him, but God took him up to Himself.” Mohammed evidently believed that “a double,” “a likeness” of Jesus, was crucified, and not Jesus Himself, and that before the crucifixion Jesus was taken to heaven! This error of the Koran would vitiate the Ransom, the central doctrine of the Bible, which required the death of a perfect man, Jesus, as a ransom, a corresponding price, for Adam and his race (Matt. 20: 28; 1 Tim. 2: 5, 6).

Incidentally, there is a tradition based on the Koran (sura 17: 1) that Mohammed was carried on a celestial steed, Barak, accompanied by the angel Gabriel, “from the sacred temple of Mecca to the temple” at Jerusalem in a single night, from where he ascended by means of a celestial ladder to God and communed with Him!

ANGELS AND INTERCESSION

The Bible teaches that man, even in his original condition of perfection, was made lower than the angels (Psa. 8: 4, 5; Heb. 2: 6, 7; 2 Pet. 2: 10, 11) and that not even God’s holy angels, but only God and Christ, should be worshiped. However, according to the Koran, God required the angels to worship the perfect Adam: “When we said to the angels, ‘Bow down and worship Adam,’” “‘Prostrate yourselves before Adam,’ they all prostrated them save Eblis, who was of the Djinn” (sura 2: 32; 7: 10; 17: 63; 18: 48; 20: 115). The leader of the Djinn, the evil spirits, is called “the Shaitan,” or Eblis. His fall is said to have been due to his refusal to worship Adam and because of it he was accursed! Also, he was given authority over those of mankind who were to be seduced by him.

The Bible tells us that the Church’s advocate is Jesus (1 John 2: 1, 2), that it is Christ who makes intercession for believers (Rom. 8: 27, 34). Therefore, He ever lives to intercede (Heb. 7: 24; 9: 24) and that there is hope for eternal life in none other (John 14: 4, 6; 15: 4, 5; Luke 10: 22; Acts 4: 12; 16: 31). To the contrary, the Koran gives the good angels the offices of Christ, as interceders and advocates on behalf of believers: “O our Lord!” the angels allegedly say, “forgive . . . those who turn to thee and follow thy path; keep them from the pains of hell . . . and bring them into the Gardens of Eden.” “The angels celebrate the praise of their Lord, and ask forgiveness for the dwellers on earth” (sura 40: 7, 8; 42: 3).

THE COMFORTER

The Bible tells us that Jesus before His crucifixion and death promised His disciples that in His personal absence He would send them, for their enlightenment, assistance and encouragement, “the Comforter [or Helper, Greek, parakletos], which is the “Holy Spirit” (John 14: 26; 15: 26).

There is a similar-sounding Greek word, periclytos, which, when translated into Arabic, is ahmed, meaning praised, from the same root word hamad as Mohammed’s name. Accordingly, Mohammed, evidently mistaking parakletos as being periclytos, wrongly took this as a proof that he himself was the promised one! Therefore, we read in the Koran: “And remember when Jesus the son of Mary said, ‘O children of Israel! of a truth I am God’s apostle to you to confirm the law which was given before me, and to announce an apostle that shall come after me whose name shall be Ahmad!’” (sura 61: 6.)

Mohammed seems in the Koran to have downgraded Jesus from being God’s only begotten Son to being no more than a servant of God. Additionally he gives the impression in this instance to have upgraded himself to be the promised Comforter, all with a purpose—of exalting himself as the greatest, the sum and seal of all the prophets, the one who outshines all of them, even Jesus Christ!

THE PUNISHMENT FOR SIN

The Bible teaches that devils and evil men seek to and do mislead mankind (Zech. 3: 1; James 4: 7; 1 Pet. 5: 8) and that God does not do so (Hab. 1: 13; James 1: 13-15). However, the Koran plainly states: “God truly will mislead whom He will.” “Verily God misleadeth whom He will.” “And when they went astray, God led their hearts astray” (sura 13: 27; 35: 9; 41: 5).

The Bible clearly teaches that God created Adam perfect, “very good,” in His own image and likeness and that Adam by disobedience sinned and went astray of his own free will, with the whole human race in his loins. This resulted therefore, that all men are born in sin—sinners by heredity (Gen. 1: 26, 27, 31; Psa. 51: 9; Eccles. 7: 29; Isa. 53: 6; Rom. 3: 10-19; 5: 12-19; 1 Cor. 15: 21, 22). But Imam Ata Ullah Kaleem, Missionary In Charge, USA, in a tract “What is Islam?” says, “Islam does not support the idea that man is born in sin.” Thus Islam on this subject also flatly contradicts the Scriptures.

The Bible clearly states, “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” “the soul that sins, it shall die” (Rom. 6: 23; Ezek. 18: 4). In addition, death according to the Bible means cessation of life, of conscious existence—not merely separation from God (see BS 461, pg. 62—a copy free on request).

Accordingly, the Bible says plainly, “The dead know nothing,” “there is no work, or device, or knowledge, or wisdom, in the grave [sheol], where you are going”; when a person dies, “in that very day his thoughts perish” (Eccles. 9: 4, 5, 10; Psa. 146: 4). Sheol (which is translated hades in the New Testament Greek; Psa. 16: 10; Acts. 2: 27-34) is the unconscious condition of the first death state. Gehenna is the Second Death—utter, complete and eternal annihilation, which is symbolized by the lake of fire (Rev. 20: 14, 15; 21: 8). All hope for a future life is based on a resurrection awakening from the sleep of the first death state; if there were no resurrection, those fallen asleep in Christ would be perished, out of existence forever (Job 14: 12-15; John 11: 24; Acts 26: 8; 1 Cor. 15: 18).

Those who have examined carefully and without bias the Scripture testimony (John 5: 39; 2 Tim. 2: 15), and have cast off the errors engrafted on to Christianity in the Dark Ages, have come to understand that the devil-inspired, blasphemous heathen doctrine of eternal torment in a literal fiery hell is not taught in the Bible. Satan’s first lie, “you will not surely die” (Gen. 3: 4; John 8: 44), gave rise to grievous errors among men such as the consciousness of the dead, the immortality of the soul and eternal torment. (For a careful examination of this entire greatly misunderstood subject, including an examination of every text in the Bible where the word hell is found, see our Life—Death—Hereafter book.)

Mohammed believed in and taught the God-dishonoring doctrine of eternal torment in a fiery hell, as God’s punishment after death for the unbelievers and the wicked. The Koran states: “As for the infidels . . . They shall be the inmates of the fire, to abide therein eternally.” “He shall say, ‘Enter ye into the Fire with the generations of djinn and man who have preceded you’ . . . As oft as a fresh generation entereth, it shall curse its sister . . . the last comers shall say ‘O our Lord! . . . these are they, who led us astray: assign them therefore a double torment of the fire.’ He will say, ‘Ye shall all have double.” “The word of thy Lord shall be fulfilled, ‘I will wholly fill hell with djinn and men’” “We will surely cast him into Hell-fire. . . . Over it are nineteen angels.” “It hath seven Portals; at each Portal is a separate band of them” (sura 3: 112; 7: 36-39; 11: 120; 15: 44; 64: 26, 30).

PARADISE

The Bible uses the word Paradise as another name for the Garden of Eden, the blissful abode of our first parents, Adam and Eve. The Bible says “God planted a paradise eastward in Eden” (Gen. 2: 8). Because of Adam’s sin, he lost that Paradise for himself and his race. The Bible declares that, when God’s Kingdom is re-established on earth in “the times of restoration of all things” (Acts 3: 21 ASV), the whole earth will be made a Paradise. It will be like the garden of Eden (Ezek. 36: 35, 36; Isa. 35: 1, 2; Rev. 21: 1-4; 22: 3) and mankind will be restored also, and live together in peace, happiness and harmony with God and one another (request our free tract—Restitution).

Also, the Bible uses the expression “the paradise of God” (Rev. 2: 7) in a figurative sense to describe the glorious position in heaven for the Church, selected in the Gospel, or Church Age. However, neither this Paradise nor the restored Paradise on earth is described in the Bible as a place of sensual, sexual indulgence. In fact, the Sacred Word shows that those who will be in Paradise will be “as the angels of God in heaven”— sexless (Matt. 22: 30; Luke 20: 34-36).

However, the condition of those in the Paradise promised to faithful Islamites in the Koran differs considerably from and is vastly inferior to the descriptions given in the Sacred Scriptures of that future blissful estate for the faithful in God’s Paradise. Mohammed describes Paradise as a place of sensual delights for males. The condition of the females is not described, other than that the wives of the faithful will accompany them to Paradise (to see their husbands attended by dark-eyed maidens?).

The poor arid ground and the waterless heat of the desert lands where most of them lived colored Arab’s thinking. The Koran says, “Two gardens . . . in each two fountains flowing . . . in each two kinds of every fruit . . . on couches with linings of brocade shall they recline. . . . Therein shall be the damsels . . . whom no man nor djinn hath touched before them . . . and . . .two other gardens . . . of dark green . . . with gushing fountains . . . fruits and palm and the pomegranate. In each, the fair, the beauteous ones . . . with large dark eyeballs . . . whom man hath never touched, nor any djinn . . . their spouses on soft green cushions and on beauteous carpets shall recline” (sura 55; see also 56).

How different this is from that high and holy condition of restored humanity promised in the Bible. When under the New Covenant, aided by the Holy Spirit (Joel 2: 28) and under guidance from the Christ, they will have been drawn out of sin’s miry pit into a sexless, sinless state, in the image and the likeness of God (Gen. 1: 26, 27).

HEAVENLY AND EARTHLY SALVATION

Furthermore, Mohammed shows no knowledge of the correct relationship between the heavenly and the earthly salvation. The existence of a class of Divine beings, the Church, and Bride of Christ, raised to their heavenly abode from out of this evil world (Acts 15: 14; Rev. 5: 9, 10), for the future purposes of God “in ages to come” is ignored in the Koran. In addition, the calling out from the world of other elect classes as subsidiary parts of His eternal purpose and Plan (Eph. 1: 11, 3: 9-1 1), are nowhere mentioned in the Koran. The “Gardens of Delight,” with fountains, fruits and dark- eyed maidens, are the rewards promised in the Koran. Such rewards and conditions are not to be compared with those in the Millennial Kingdom of Christ, leading to Ages of Glory in which are things beyond human imagination, but which are held in the mind of God until His due time. Surely the rewards for obedience promised in the Koran really dishonor God, when we consider the true rewards of either the elect (1 Cor. 2: 9, 10; 1 John 3: 2) or the non-elect (Isa. 35: 10; Rev. 21: 1-7), which He in His great love offers to His creatures (Heb 11: 6).

THE TRUE HOPE OF HUMANITY

A study of Church history shows that at the end of the sixth century, when Mohammed began his work, the Dark Ages were setting in. Satanic errors were more and more replacing the great truths of Apostolic times, and sectarian influences and false Christians (the “tares” of Matt. 13: 25-40) abounded (Isa. 60: 2). These counterfeit teachings that Mohammed encountered were but a very small part of the whole—and even those he met were mixed with Dark-Age errors and sectarian influences, so that he saw but very little of the full light of the Gospel and the all-embracing Divine Plan of the Ages.

In consequence, such deep and solemn truths as were brought forth in the Apostolic writings of Paul and other Apostles, all given by Divine inspiration, do not appear in the teachings of Mohammed. The understanding of the Ransom, the Blood of Atonement, the Sin-offering, Spirit-begettal, the High Calling, the identity of the Messiah, the World’s High Priest, the New Covenant, the Millennium, Restitution and many other wonderful truths fundamental to the understanding of God’s great Plan, are nowhere to be found in any of the Islamic writings.

In consequence, and in spite of his reverence for “Allah,” the Muslim’s concept of religious truth, apart from being largely erroneous, is pale and insignificant beside the rich and grand designs of the mighty Jehovah as He has revealed them through His servants (Amos 3: 7; Psa. 25: 14; John 15: 15). All are invited to feed at the table of His Word, on a “feast of fat things” (Psa. 23: 5; 63: 4, 5), which by the grace of God, shall be made available to everyone in due time in the Millennial Mediatorial Reign (Isa. 25: 6-8; Rev. 22: 16-17).

The Koran teaches submission only, which is a ritual acceptance of the Articles and Pillars of the Islamic faith. This requirement falls far below the elevation in heart and mind of the Christian, to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, in justification and consecration and to develop those wonderful character fruits (graces) of the Spirit (Gal. 5: 22; Eph 5: 8-10) in both duty love (Matt. 22: 37-40), and unselfish, disinterested love (1 Cor. 13). The doctrine of “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, man’s life for man’s life,” so prevalent among Muslims in the past, is still strong in Islam today. Doubtless Muslims would take kindly to the saying “Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy” (Matt. 5: 43), but not the higher injunction (v. 44), “love your enemies,” sounds very strange to them, for what has been enjoined upon them from the earliest days of the Community at Medina is to slaughter the enemies of Islam, to “strike off their heads and strike off from them every finger-tip.’ This, because they have opposed God and his apostle. . . . ‘This for you! Taste it then!’ . . . when ye meet the marshalled hosts of the infidels . . . whoso shall turn his back to them . . . shall incur wrath from God: Hell shall be his abode and wretched his journey thither. So it was not ye who slew them, but God . . . and those shafts were God’s, not thine.” “O believers! retaliation for blood-shedding is prescribed to you: the free man for the free and the slave for the slave and the woman for the woman” (sura 2: 173; 8: 12-17).

How different is Mohammed’s bitter harangue to justify the slaughter of opponents, from the majestic teaching of Jesus, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him that strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. . . . But if you love those [only] which love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them” (Luke 6: 28-33).

Assuredly God and Jesus have set a pattern for the Christian (John 3: 16, 17; Eph. 2: 2-6; Rom. 5: 6-8) which is far above the highest moral injunction in all Islam, for the end of the commandment for the Christian is not slavish obedience, but love (1 Tim. 1: 5).

The superiority of Christ, the Captain of our Salvation, to Mohammed, the founder of Islam, is the superiority of the living (Rom. 6: 9; 14: 9; Heb. 7: 24, 25) over the dead (which Mohammed assuredly is, even according to Muslim belief). Beyond the resurrection in the Ages of Glory, and supposing Mohammed gains everlasting life, in “that day,” this superiority will still be maintained, eternal and immeasurable, as the superiority of immortality over mortality, and as that of the Divine, spiritual nature over that which is flesh.

By the grace of God and in His due time, Muslims will be granted an opportunity to submit under the terms of the New Covenant, a form of salvation and submission, yet unknown to them; to the healing, uplifting influences of Christ in His Millennial Mediatorial Reign. Together with all the willing and obedient of the human race, “the ransomed of the Lord” (Isa. 35: 10), they will be granted the joy of perfect humanity and everlasting life in a perfect earth—a reward far, far above their highest hopes—but not consisting of sensual pleasures in “Gardens of Delight.” It will be Paradise restored (Acts 3: 19-21) they will have joy evermore as God’s children, a relationship made possible especially because of the good offices of Christ (Luke 20: 35, 36; Rev. 21: 1-6).

We encourage Muslims, and all others, to approach God and make prayerful supplication in the name of Jesus, for spiritual enlightenment and nourishment and direction in this evil day. “Ho, everyone that thirsts, come to the waters, and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isa. 55: 1).

WORLDWIDE ISLAMIC
CONVERSION EFFORTS

Islam is on the move on a scale that is world-wide. Spreading throughout the world is a rising tide of Islam, originating in Arabia. One Muslim leader says: “Unless we win London to Islam, we will fail to win the whole of the western world.” They speak with determination. At the present time there are 100 mosques in London, and 607,000 Muslims. In 1977 the Central Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre was built in Regent’s Park at a cost of 7.5 million dollars.

It was recently stated by the Vatican, that the Islamic faith is now the largest religious group in the world surpassing the Catholic denomination.

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