Fundamental
Evangelistic Association
selected
articles from:
©FOUNDATION
A MAGAZINE OF BIBLICAL FUNDAMENTALISM
Dennis W. Costella, Editor; Karel Beyer, Production Manager; Matt
Costella,
Copy Editor
M.H. Reynolds, Jr. (1919-1997), Founding Editor
Cities of Refuge
by Ralph Matthews Ph.D.
from FOUNDATION MAGAZINE, May-June 2003
Adapted from a message given at the Easter 2003 Bible
Conference hosted by the Northern Christian Bible Church, Kerang, Victoria,
Australia
T
HE BOOK ENTITLED
The Islamic Invasion by Robert A. Morey (Christian Scholars
Press, 1350 E. Flamingo Rd. Suite 97, Las Vegas, NV 88119) gives much
well-documented information about Islam. Reading it about the same time
I was studying the cities of refuge in Joshua chapter 20, Numbers
chapter 35 and Deuteronomy 19:1-13, I was struck by the contrasts that
exist between Judeo-Christian teaching and Islam.
Islam is the
second largest religion in the world. Millions of Muslims have emigrated
to western countries in search of a better way of life. However, on
arrival in a new country, they generally do not attempt to integrate
into the prevailing culture; Muslim clothing is worn by the women, and
Muslim eating and ablution practices are retained. In Australia, an
Islamic employee recently demanded the right to interrupt his work
schedule to say prayers. According to Dr. Morey, the English Parliament
has been forced to rule that Muslims do not have to follow English
Common Law in divorce; they can follow Islamic law instead.
Most Muslims
deplore the regimes of brutal dictators and the actions of terrorist
murderers, suicide bombers and hate merchants. However, in
demonstrations in Australia against the recent war in Iraq, some of the
worst violence was perpetrated by young Muslim men who were born in this
country. What is it about the Islamic religion that gives rise to
radical extremists who show such intense hatred and violence?
Media
presentations invariably stress the similarities between Islam and
Judaism and Christianity. We are told all worship the same God, Islam
recognizes Jesus as a prophet and all pray, which is a salutary
exercise. All believe in the book of Genesis. But when we look more
deeply into the Islamic religion, there is a chasm separating it from
what the Bible teaches.
In this
brief article I want to outline some of those differences that have been
elaborated in more detail by Dr. Morey and others. It is not intended to
create antipathy toward Muslims—quite the contrary. We are all members
of the same human race, sons and daughters of Adam. We are all sinners
for whom Christ died. But we need to be aware that the media-promoted
view that all religions are basically the same is a deceitful
misrepresentation of the truth. All Bible-believing Christians need to
be clear about Biblical doctrine. They also need to be clear about
Islamic teaching given in the Koran and the Hadith. Christians need to
be aware of some of the historical facts about the prophet Mohammed. We
are in a better position to help others if we know what we believe and
what they believe.
My original
interest in this came from reflecting on the cities of refuge at the
time of an increasing awareness of the teachings of Islam and Mohammed.
The cities of refuge are, in some respects, a type of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Once inside the city of refuge, the refugee was safe. We can
liken this safety to a believer's salvation from sin by our Savior
Christ. The pursuer is Satan, the accuser of the brethren; or, if a
legal type is preferred, the pursuer can represent a holy God's
righteous judgment on sin.
From what we
read in Numbers 35, Deuteronomy 19 and Joshua 20, we can distinguish a
number of characteristics of the cities of refuge:
- They were established by God before they were needed.
- They were available to all as well as accessible to all.
- Their gates were always open.
- They were widely advertised.
- All the cities of refuge were prominently located at high
elevations so that they could be seen from great distances.
- Everyone was within a day's journey from at least one of them.
- "Whosoever" needed to flee to one of the cities was free to do so,
whether or not he was an Israelite.
- The refugee was free to leave after the death of the high priest
(Numbers 35:25)~.
The cities
of refuge were solely intended for those who had killed someone
accidentally. They were not safe havens for murderers. If anyone
committed a murder, a kinsman was appointed to be the avenger of blood
to slay the murderer. In the moment of grief, shock and horror, it was
likely that mistakes would be made. So the accidental manslayer was to
flee to the nearest city of refuge for protection from the avenger of
blood.
That was
under the dispensation of the Law. We are now under the dispensation of
Grace. The city of refuge is like the Lord Jesus Christ in His
protection for guilty sinners. We have all sinned, accidentally or
deliberately. We are all worthy of death. Satan is like a roaring lion
seeking whom he may devour. He is like the avenger of blood. But in
Christ we have a haven of safety. He is like the shadow of a great Rock
in a weary land. Isaiah prophesied of His protection centuries before He
came: "And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a
great rock in a weary land" (32:2).
1. KNOWABLE VERSUS UNKNOWABLE
The first
contrast I want to make is the fact that the God of the Bible can be
known, whereas the god of Islam, Allah, cannot be known. The cities of
refuge were wide advertised. They were all located in prominent
positions at high elevations so that they could be seen a long way off.
These cities were known to all. Our Lord made Himself known. He is the
great revealer of God. He is the living Word of God. He is the express
image of His person. He showed us what God the Father is like. He said:
"And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3).
When we come
to Islam, we learn that Allah is unknowable. Allah is so transcendent,
so exalted, that no man can ever personally know Allah.
According to
the Bible, man can come into a personal relationship with God. "For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye
have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The
Spirit Itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children
of God" (Romans 8:14-16).
Allah, on
the other hand, is so distant and far off, so remote, that no one can
know him.
2. PERSONAL VERSUS NONPERSONAL
The God of
the Bible is a personal God with intellect, emotion and will. Once again
we see these qualities crystallized in the Lord Jesus Christ. Can anyone
ever doubt that He was and is a Person? He is God the Son. But God the
Father and God the Holy Spirit are equally Persons. In Genesis chapter
one we read: "And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our
likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created
man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and
female created He them" (vv. 26-27).
A
fundamental law of science is: Every effect must have a cause, and no
effect can be greater in degree, or quality, than its cause. Every human
being has a mind, emotion and will. Therefore, the God who created all
things has a mind, emotion and will but in greater degree or quality
than our own.
When God
called Moses out of the burning bush and commissioned him to lead His
people out of Egypt, Moses wanted to know who should he say sent him.
God identified Himself as the great I Am. That is, He is the eternal,
self-existent, self-sustaining, personal God.
But Allah,
the god of Islam is not to be understood as a person. Why not? Because
this would lower him to the level of man. To the Muslim, the idea that
Allah is a person is blasphemous because this would demean the exalted
one.
3. TRINITARIAN VERSUS UNITARLAN
We have
already invoked God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. All
three appear in the Scriptures right from the beginning. The God of the
Bible is a Triune God. But the Koran explicitly denies the Trinity. The
Koran states that God is not a Father and Jesus is a prophet but not the
Son of God and neither is the Holy Spirit God.
4. LIMITED VERSUS UNLIMITED
When we read
about admission into the cities of refuge we see that there were rules
governing the granting of residency to a refugee. God has written the
rules concerning salvation. Whosoever will may come, but whosoever that
comes must come by the way of the cross. Jesus said, "I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me" (John
14:6). "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts
4:12). "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5).
The rules
can never be changed. They depend on the trustworthiness and reliability
of the Word of God. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and
forever. We live in confident "hope of eternal life, which God, that
cannot lie, promised before the world began" (Titus 1:2). The Lord Jesus
said, "The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35).
God is
limited by His own immutable nature. Thus He cannot do anything and
everything. "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible
for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for
refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us" (Hebrews 6:18). "If we
believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself" (2 Timothy
2:13).
But
according to the Koran, Allah is not limited by anything. He is not even
limited by his own nature. Allah can do anything, anytime, anywhere,
with no limitations. Allah is capricious.
5. TRUSTWORTHY VERSUS CAPRICIOUS
The Lord
Jesus Christ is utterly trustworthy because He is without sin. He was
able to challenge His enemies, "which of you convinceth Me of sin?"
(John 8:46).
No words
that He ever uttered have been proven false. They have stood for around
two thousand years. They will stand forever. "Heaven and earth shall
pass away, but My words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35).
But the
Allah of the Koran is capricious and can change his plans. He is not
bound by his nature nor his word.
6. JESUS IS JEHOVAH, BUT MOHAMMED IS NOT ALLAH
Since the
Lord Jesus Christ and the Koran both claim to be absolute truth, it is
not surprising that there are some profound disagreements. The Koran
denies the deity of Christ. The Koran claims that Jesus was merely one
of Allah's prophets. Surahh 4:171 says, "O people of the book, commit no
excess of your religion: nor say of Allah aught but truth, Christ Isa
[Jesus] the son of Mary was an apostle of Allah."
The Bible
makes it clear that Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. He is the
eternal God and Creator. "For by Him were all things created, that are
in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were
created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all
things consist" (Colossians 1: 16-17). "Who, being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God" (Philippians 2:6). "In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God' (John 1: 1-2). "And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:
14).
But
according to the Koran, Jesus is a created human, not the eternal God at
all. Surahh 3:59 says, 'The likeness of Jesus with Allah is truly the
likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then said to him, Be, and he
was. "Surahh 18:4-5 says, "And to warn those who say: Allah has taken to
Himself a son. They have no knowledge of it, nor had their fathers.
Grievous is the word that comes out of their mouths. They speak nothing
but a lie.'
7. SUBSTITUTION VERSUS NO SUBSTITUTION
The refugee
in the city of refuge was safe from the avenger of blood only so long as
he remained in the city. if he went outside the city he was no longer
safe. So although he was a resident of the city, he was not free to come
and go as he pleased. In a sense, he was actually a prisoner of the
city.
The
situation changed when the high priest died. When that happened, the
refugee was free again. He was absolved from all blame. The death of the
high priest was a form of substitution for the death that had been
caused. The debt was paid in full when the high priest died.
We see in
this the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. He died in the sinner's
place. "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
But the
Koran teaches that Jesus did not really die—He only appeared to die. In
Surahh 4:157 we read: "And for their saying: We have killed Isa [Jesus]
the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah, they killed him not, nor did
they cause his death on the cross, but he was made to appear to them as
such. And certainly those who differ therein are in no doubt about it.
They have no knowledge about it, but only follow conjecture, and they
killed him not for certain."
There is no
concept of substitutionary atonement in the Koran. Each has to pay for
his own sins.
8. LOVE OF GOD VERSUS NO LOVE OF ALLAH
What drove
our Lord to lay down His life for sinful man? It was because He loved
us. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life
for his friends" (John 15:13). "But God commendeth His love toward us,
in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life"
(John 3:16).
In contrast
to God's love described in the Bible, we do not find Allah to be a
loving god. Surahh 2: 190 states that Allah loves not transgressors. The
chief attribute of Allah is his transcendence. Allah does not have
"feelings" toward man. Such a concept is foreign to Islamic teaching
because it would reduce Allah to being a mere man. Again, this concept
is blasphemous to a Muslim.
9. SALVATION BY GRACE OR BY WORKS
When the
manslayer fled to the nearest city of refuge, did he have to pay an
entry fee? Did he have to do some good works to gain admittance? No. All
he had to do according to verse four of Joshua chapter 20, was to stand
at the gate of the city and declare his cause in the ears of the elders.
He did not even have to be an Israelite. A sojourner or a stranger could
gain admittance and refuge on exactly the same basis.
Here we see
a picture of the salvation freely offered by God to all those who seek
it. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all
men" (Titus 2: 11). All the sinner has to do is repent of his sin and
turn to God, seeking His salvation. Works of penance are not required.
We can never work our way to heaven. "Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the
washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5).
The dying
thief had neither time nor opportunity to do any works of righteousness.
All he could do was to cry out, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into
Thy kingdom." What was the answer? "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt
thou be with Me in paradise. "
Salvation is
according to the free unmerited favor of a loving God. "For by grace are
ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
But when we
turn to the Koran we find that the only hope of salvation is based on
our works-the things that we do. In Surahh 11: 114 we read: "And keep up
prayer at the two ends of the day and in the first hours of the night.
Surely good deeds take away evil deeds. This is a reminder for the
mindful."
The picture
here is a set of divine scales, with good deeds in one pan and bad ones
in the other. The sinner hopes that the good deeds will outweigh the
bad. But the Bible declares: "But we are all as an unclean thing, and
all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags ... and our iniquities, like
the wind, have taken us away" (Isaiah 64:6).
In order to
merit favor with Allah, a Muslim is required to make a pilgrimage to
Mecca at least once in his lifetime. This is regardless of the hardship,
dangers and great cost. In contrast, the cities of refuge were located
so that they were within a day's journey of anyone in the land.
Salvation through the finished work of Christ on the cross is closer
than that. The only journey that anyone has to take is a spiritual
journey. That journey is as easy as repentance and calling on the name
of the Lord for salvation. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of
the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10: 13).
10. VIOLENCE VERSUS NON-VIOLENCE
In
Deuteronomy 19: 10 we read that the purpose of the cities of refuge was:
"That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God
giveth thee for an inheritance." The cities of refuge were to stop the
cycle of bloodshed polluting the land.
The Lord
Jesus Christ taught forgiveness, not revenge. Matthew 5:38-39: "Ye have
heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a
tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." Peter asked
the Lord concerning forgiveness: "Then came Peter to Him, and said,
Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till
seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven
times: but, Until seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:21-22).
Even on the
cross some of our Lord's last words were for the forgiveness of His
murderers. "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not
what they do" (Luke 23:34). The prophet Isaiah foretold of His
non-violent, non-retaliatory nature long before His birth. "And He made
His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He
had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth" (Isaiah
53:9).
But the
Koran teaches violence and revenge. Surahh 2:194: "The sacred month for
the sacred month, and retaliation (is allowed) in sacred things. Whoever
then acts aggressively against you, inflict injury on him according to
the injury he has inflicted on you and keep your duty to Allah, and know
that Allah is with those who keep their duty."
Many verses
in the Koran teach Muslims to fight and kill unbelievers and infidels
(all non-Muslims are infidels). Surahh 47:4 is just one: "Therefore, when
ye meet the unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; at length,
when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them):
Thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom. Until the war
lays down its burdens. Thus (are ye commanded): But if it had been
Allah's Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them
(Himself); but (He lets you fight) in order to test you, some with
others. But those who are slain in the way of Allah, —He will never let
their deeds be lost."
As a matter
of fact, Muslims are promised entrance into paradise if they suffer or
have fought or are killed fighting for Allah. Surahh 3:195 says: "Those
who have left their homes, or been driven out there from, or suffered
harm in My Cause, or fought or been slain—Verily I will blot out from
their iniquities, and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing
beneath; —A reward from His Presence is the best of rewards."
In the
matter of violence, Mohammed certainly led by example. Notice the
following quote from the book by Dr. Robert Morey who describes
Muhammed's actions after facing defeat in a battle against the Meccans:
"Muhammed then turned his attention once again to the Jews, who were
easier targets than the Meccans. He began killing the Jews and looting
Jewish settlements. After one Jewish town had surrendered, 700 to 1,000
men were beheaded in one day while all the women and children were sold
into slavery and the possessions of the town looted! This fact is
supported by Muslim scholars as well as by Western historians."
11. WHAT HAS ALLAH TO DO WITH THE GOD OF THE BIBLE?
At this
stage we should pause for a moment and ask the question: Is there any
connection between the God of the Bible and Allah?
We live in a
day of great apostasy. History is heading toward the establishment of
the one world harlot church. Already the ecumenical movement has
gathered great momentum. Many formerly of the historic Christian faith
have become ensnared.
The movement
towards the one world religion is facilitated when people are persuaded
that there is not much difference between Muslims, Christians, Jews,
Hindus and so on. The argument is: "ALI just worship the same god; if
people could only realize this and settle their differences, the world
would be a happier place. So much strife has come from religion. Why
can't we just have one big uniform religion that accommodates
everybody?" Thus, many propose that the Muslim's god Allah and the
Christian's God Jehovah are really just the same.
But they are
not the same, as we have seen. They are different in many vital
respects. The only way they can be made to appear the same is to exploit
the widespread ignorance of people. One of the objects of this article
is to dispel that ignorance. Islamic evangelists capitalize on the
ignorance of the general population in seeking converts. Those who have
a vague acceptance of a divine Creator are easy prey, little realizing
the great chasm of difference that exists between the God of the Bible
and Allah.
We can
easily guess which direction all media presentations will take in
portraying Islam. The glaring differences will be glossed over, and the
common religious needs of all people will be emphasized. The relentless
push toward a one world religion will continue. The great one world
harlot religion must come to pass in the last of the last days.
Nevertheless, it is hard to see how this is going to happen since Islam
is an exclusive religion bent on world domination. Many nations are
dominated by Islamic fundamentalism. Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya,
Sudan, Yemen, etc. are examples of seventh century Arabian tyranny
transplanted into modem times. There was no concept of personal freedom
or civil rights in the tribal life of seventh century Arabia.
Consequently, Islamic law does not recognize freedom of speech, freedom
of religion, freedom of assembly, or freedom of the press. Non-Muslims
are routinely denied the most basic of civil rights.
Muslims
living in Western countries are not shy in criticizing non-Islamic
religions. In fact, some young men of Arabic parentage show aggressive,
arrogance toward non-Muslims. But in Islamic countries there is very
little tolerance toward anyone who criticizes the Koran or the prophet
Mohammed. It is a capital offense to do so in some Muslim countries.
Hence all opposition to Islam is stifled on threat of severe penalty.
Muslims are happy for anyone to convert to Islam. But this is a one-way
journey. Anyone who renounces Islam may be put to death.
12. ORIGIN OF ISLAM
Mohammed was
born in A.D. 570 in Mecca. Mohammed's father died before Mohammed was
born, and his mother died when he was still young. He was sent to live
with his rich grandparents and then to some other relatives. He was a
normal Arab boy who enjoyed talking with those from passing caravans. He
loved to explore the desert and caves. The only thing that was unusual
about his childhood was that he began to experience religious
visitations.
Many Middle
East scholars believe that these early religious episodes may have been
due to some kind of mental problem or epilepsy. In the Arab culture of
the day, epileptic seizures were interpreted as either divine visitation
or demonic possession. Mohammed was worried about the source of these
experiences, but his devoted wife convinced him that they were divine
revelations.
After he had
been married for 15 years, at the age of 40 he experienced another
"visitation." As a result of this, he claimed that Allah had called him
to be a prophet and an apostle. The residents of Mecca and members of
his own family were polytheists. When Mohammed began to make public his
monotheism, he received abuse and hostility. The hostility increased,
and he moved to Medina where his preaching was received. It was at
Medina that he began to organize looting and killing. He had good
success in this, and this, in turn, attracted more followers.
Plunder has
always been a way of getting rich quick. Jews and Jewish settlements
were chosen as targets because they were wealthy and their military
defenses were poor. It was at one of these Jewish settlements that 700
to 1,000 men were beheaded in one day.
When his
army became sufficiently large he returned to Mecca. A peace treaty was
established with the authorities in Mecca. The treaty was supposed to
last 10 years. The conditions of the treaty were that Mohammed and his
followers were to be allowed to make the pilgrimage to the Kabah and
Mecca. Mohammed was free to seek to persuade the people to adopt Islam
by preaching but not by force.
Within a
year, Mohammed broke the treaty with the helpful persuasion of an army
of thousands of followers. Mecca was forced to surrender to his
leadership. He then became the undisputed political and religious leader
of Mecca. He cleansed the temple at Kabah of all its idols and
suppressed all idol worship by force. Some of the people that he had
killed were his outspoken opponents.
13. THE KORAN
Mohammed
died suddenly in A.D. 632 at the age of 62 years. Although he claimed to
be a prophet of God, he did not foresee his own death, and he made no
preparations for it.
When
Mohammed fell into his trances or seizures he told others what he saw
during these episodes, but he did not write these things down in
manuscript form. It was left to his followers to try to write down what
he said. The records were written down on whatever was handy whenever he
fell into one of his unpredictable trances. The Concise Encyclopedia of
Islam states that the Koran was collected from the chance surfaces on
which it had been inscribed- "from pieces of papyrus, flat stones, palm
leaves, shoulder blades and ribs of animals, pieces of leather, wooden
boards, and the hearts of men. " So when there was nothing around on
which to write, the scribes trusted their memories to record Mohammed's
revelations as closely as possible.
When you
start to read the Koran you are confronted with a jumbled mass of Surahs,
or chapters, which defy any logical organization. They are not laid out
in any sensible progressive, systematic or chronological order. The only
progression that is followed is from the longest Surah first down to the
shortest.
The Bible
contains much historical narrative; the Koran does not. When the Bible
deals with unfamiliar terminology or territory, there is usually
explanation. In the Koran there is none. Some Western scholars have
stated that the structure of the Koran is so mixed up that it requires
the utmost sense of duty for anyone to plough through it.
14. CHRIST VERSUS MOHAMMED
The
ecumenical movement would have all people believe that there is not much
difference between Christianity and Islam. Both are monotheistic
religions believing in one God. Both believe in submission to that one
God. The very name Islam means "submission." Both have as their hero a
prophet of God. Why should anybody worry too much about the differences
between these two prophets? They should worry because the differences
are major:
The birth,
life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus were clearly prophesied in
the Old Testament. The New Testament elucidates these prophecies
repeatedly. On the other hand, the coming of Mohammed was not prophesied
by pagan soothsayers, Old Testament prophets or New Testament apostles.
The birth of
Jesus Christ was miraculous. He was born of a virgin. The Koran and
orthodox Islam fully accept the virgin birth of Jesus. Mohammed, on the
other hand, was born as a result of the natural sexual union of his
parents, the same as every other child of Adam.
Jesus Christ
was without sin. He was the heaven-sent, virgin-born, sinless Son of
God. Numerous New Testament verses testify to this fact. A basic tenet
of the Christian faith is that because He was sinless, He was able to
die in the guilty sinner's place and pay the penalty for his sins. But
when we come to Mohammed, we find that he lied, he cheated, he lusted
and he broke his promises. He did the same sort of things that sinful
human beings do. He was neither sinless nor perfect. In Surah 18:110,
Mohammed is commanded by Allah: "Say, I am but a man like yourselves."
In Surah 40:5 5, Allah told Mohammed to repent of his sins: "Ask
forgiveness of thy sin."
During His
lifetime on earth, Jesus did many mighty miracles to demonstrate His
deity. Mohammed did no miracles.
According to
the New Testament, Jesus preached the love of God and was the greatest
example of that love. In the preaching of Mohammed, the Koran or the
religion of Islam, there is neither God's love for man nor man's love
for God present in any significant degree.
The New
Testament reveals that Jesus Christ was perfect God and perfect man. He
was co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father. No such claim is made
for Mohammed. Mohammed was just a man.
Jesus never
killed or robbed anyone. Neither did He direct His disciples to do so.
But Mohammed did. According to the Koran, he killed and robbed people in
the name of Allah. Mohammed frequently used physical violence to force
people to give up their idols and to accept Islam.
Many other
differences could be addressed. Christians worship and adore a living
Savior - not a dead prophet. Jesus is our great refuge from the wrath of
God on sin. The differences between the historic Christian faith and
Islam are major and irreconcilable. Presentations to the contrary
reflect either profound ignorance or deliberate deception.
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Other related articles posted on this
website:
Islam In The Light Of
Scripture : Sept-Oct 1998
Why Do the Heathen Rage? : Sept-Oct 2001
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