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Moses
and Isaiah Prophesied the coming of Jesus -
DID
ISAIAH AND JESUS PROPHESY THE COMING OF MUHAMMAD?
(peace
be upon the prophets)
JESUS
WAS A PROPHET AND
ALSO
A PARACLETE
A Christian who has studied
the Bible would be proud to admit that the prophecy made by prophet Moses
for the coming of
"a
Prophet like me" (Deut. 18:15), undoubtedly
refers to the coming of Jesus Christ, since Jesus himself had acknowledged
before Jews; "Moses wrote of me." (see John
5:46).
These learned Christians
have no problem in admitting the fact that Jesus was "a
prophet like his predecessor Moses".
In his Epistle quoted
below, apostle John records that Jesus was "a Paraclete".
"My little children, I am
writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we
have a Paraclete with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
1 John. 2:1
John has also recorded
in his Gospel 14:16, quoted below, that Jesus (after his departure) will
pray to the God, and the God will give us "another
Paraclete". This opens up a way for a future date
male Prophet to be "a Paraclete", as well. To say: only a "Spirit" can
be a Paraclete and not a male individual, would be deny: "Jesus was a Prophet
and a Paraclete".
"And I will pray the Father,
and He will give you another
Paraclete,
that he may abide with you into the age (to come)." John 14:16
Note:
We often read the above
verse ending as; "for ever". The
fact of the matter is; "into the age" is the literal translation of the
original Greek phrase; 'eis ton aiona'.
In the next verse,
i.e. 14:17, John records, this "another Paraclete"
is the "Spirit of Truth"
(not the Holy Spirit).
A
MALE SALVIFIC FIGURE LIKE JESUS
The passage quoted below
from the world renowned and distinguished Anchor Bible confirms that the
original concept among the noted Christian scholars and populace, for the
Paraclete was for a male salvific figure,
but that concept was later confused with the "Holy Spirit".
"The word parakletos is
peculiar in the NT to the Johnannine literature. In 1 John ii 1 Jesus is
a parakletos (not a title), serving as a heavenly intercessor with the
Father. ...Christian tradition has identified this figure (Paraclete) as
the Holy Spirit, but scholars like Spitta, Delafosse, Windisch, Sasse,
Butlmann and Betz have doubted whether this identification is true to the
original picture and have suggested that the Paraclete was once an independent
salvific figure, later confused with the Holy Spirit." (page 1135).
THE
NEGATION OF "HOLY SPIRIT"
The concept that the Paraclete (comforter, advocate)
is the "Holy Spirit" is unequivocally negated by the following verse:
"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that
I go away; for if I do not go away, the Paraclete
shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."
John 16:7
This verse clearly indicates that the coming of the Paraclete
was subject to the departure of Jesus. His departure from this world
was a *pre-condition* for the arrival of the Paraclete.
We know that the "Holy Spirit" was already present during
and before the ministry of Jesus. The Holy Spirit was in existence since
the day of the Creation and was hovering upon the surface of the earth
(Gen. 1:2). It was also present with the prophets of the Old Testament.
No Bible believing Christian can deny that the "Holy Spirit" was present
at River Jordan when Christ was Baptized by John the Baptist. Since there
is no more than ONE "Holy Spirit", Jesus would not have made his
own departure a *pre-condition* for its arrival.
"HE"
NOT "IT"
"When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from
the Father, that is the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds
from the Father, he will
bear witness of me." John 15:26
This verse further clears the confusion, if there is any.
Here the Paraclete is called the "Spirit of Truth" and not the "Holy Spirit".
These are two separate terms and two independent entities. The first entity
takes the pronoun "he" being a male figure.
Whereas, the second one takes the pronoun "it". The
Greek word 'pneu'ma' (spirit), is of neutral gender and takes the pronoun
"it". Whereas, in almost all the verses referring
to Paraclete quoted below, the pronoun used is "he".
"But the Paraclete, the Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, he will teach you all things,
and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."
John 14:26
Notes:
1. In the older MSS, Codex Syriacus discovered in 1812
on Mount Sinai by Mrs. Agnes S. Lewis (and Mrs. Bensley), the text of John
14:26 reads; "Paraclete, the Spirit"; and not "Paraclete, the Holy Spirit".
"The Spirit" is a reference to "the Spirit of Truth" as in 15:26.
2. In 1 John 4:6, the terms "the spirit of truth" and
"the spirit of error" are used for the human beings.
3. History records that prophet Muhammad was known for
his Truth and Honesty, long before he received the Divine Revelations.
WHAT
WILL "HE" DO?
Jesus Christ did indicate that the Paraclete will do
certain things in his time. Let us examine if "he",
Prophet Muhammad, did those things.
1. "But when he, the
Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you
into all the truth; for he will not speak
on his own initiative, but whatever he
hears, he will speak..." Jn. 16:13
Note: The Qur'an is a
compilation of the "Divine Revelations" that were received by Prophet Muhammad,
over a period of 23 years, through the arch angel Gabriel. The Prophet
used to recite whatever he used to hear. His companions used to write down
whatever he recited. The Qur'an does not contain the writings or teachings
of Prophet Muhammad, as often mentioned by some misinformed authors.
2. "He shall glorify
me." John 16:14
Note: The Qur'an glorifies
the birth of Jesus through Virgin Mary. It confirms; Jesus was a Messiah,
a Messenger of God, the Spirit from God, the Word of God and the
Righteous Prophet.
3. "He shall take
mine and shall disclose it to you." Jn. 16:14
Note: Prophet Muhammad
did declare himself a Messenger/Prophet of God like Abraham, Moses and
Jesus.
4. "He will teach you all
things." John 14:26
Note: The Qur'an teaches
a way of life. It guides mankind, how to live a pious life socially, politically
and spiritually.
5. "He will bring to your
remembrance all that I said to you."
John. 14:26
Note: The Qur'an speaks
about the teachings of Jesus and even quotes him.
6. "He will bear witness
of me" John 15:26
Note: The Qur'an attests
the miracles performed by Jesus the Messiah. It also mentions one astonishing
miracle performed by Jesus that the Gospel writers have not recorded (V:110).
The Qur'an acknowledges that these miracles and signs were performed
with the leave of Allah, by His righteous Servant and Messiah Jesus. The
same is also attested in the Book of Acts 2:22; 3:13 (NASB).
A
PROPHET IN THE LAND OF KEDAR
Prophet Isaiah is considered to be one of the major prophets
of the Old Testament. In the Book of Isaiah there are several prophecies
about the coming of the Messiah. In chapter 42, Isaiah begins with a prophecy
for the coming of prophet Jesus. After verse number nine, God declares
through Isaiah, the "new things" that are to "spring forth" in the
Land of Kedar.
In the Bible there is only one personality called Kedar.
He was the grandson of prophet Abraham, through his son Ishmael (see Gen.
25:13). Kedar's descendants had settled in Paran (Syno-Arabian dessert).
In the Rabbinic literature Arabia is called the "Land of Kedar". Prophet
Muhammad was a descendant of Kedar.
God declares through Prophet Isaiah;
"Behold, the former things are come to pass, and the
new things do I declare: before they spring forth
I tell you of them. `Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from
the end of the earth'. Let the wilderness and the
cities thereof lift up their voices, the villages
that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them
shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give
glory unto the Lord, and declare His praise in the
inlands." Isaiah Chapter 42, Verses 9-12.
God did reveal in the Land of Kedar, through prophet Muhammad
- a direct descendant of Kedar, a "New Song" - The Qur'an (Koran).
This happens to be the only Scripture to be revealed in the language of
the Kedarites. The verses of the Qur'an are recited like a poem. Nearly
1.2 billion Muslims, residing all over the world, recite this "new song"
and Glorify Allah, in their daily prayers, five times in a day. The initial
Revelation came to prophet Muhammad in a cave of Mount Hira near the city
of Mecca. There are several mountains near Mecca. During the annual Islamic
Pilgrimage called "Hajj", Muslims from all over the world, assemble in
Mecca and shout Glory to the Lord from the top of Mount Arafat. The pilgrims
continuously give Glory to Allah on their ways, to and from Mecca.
THE
LORD SHALL GO AS "A MIGHTY MAN OF WAR"
"The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir
up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea,
roar; he shall prevail against his enemies."
Isaiah 42:13
In the Old Testament, the God often speaks "I" will do this,
or "I" have done this; whereas, He has chosen human beings to do these
jobs on His behalf. (see 2 Samuel 12:7-12).
Prophet Muhammad did go forth as "a mighty man of war"
against the Pagan Arabs, the enemies of The Lord. He did stir up
jealousy among the most influential and dominating Pagan tribe in Arabia.
With a war cry and roar of "Allahu Akbar" ("The God is the Greatest"),
the Prophet of Islam did prevail upon the enemies of Lord - the idolaters.
No doubt, the Islam was spread with a "war cry", but that was not a cry
of a man seeking the personal power. It was a cry of the Lord, who no longer
wanted to hold HIS PEACE against HIS ENEMIES. After the victory, Allah
bestowed HIS FAVOR upon mankind and gave the Message of "TRUE PEACE"
- The Islam. Once a person whole heartedly submit himself or herself to
Allah (become a Muslim), the "True Peace" from Allah is bound to enter
his or her body, mind and soul. The relationship of that individual with
Allah is now direct, having no Church or Papal Authority acting as a vicar
or an intermediary.
"I have long time holden my peace; I have been still,
and refrained myself, now will I cry like a travailing
woman; I will destroy and devour at once." Verse
14.
The prophets that came before Muhammad had all tried with
peaceful missions. But, the concept of sharing God's Glory continued to
surface again and again, in one way or other. It was with the war cry,
through the descendants of Kedar (Arabs), these sinful practices were destroyed
and devoured, inside and outside of Arabia. The spread of Islam was swift,
wide spread and at once.
ISLAM
TURNS THE DARKNESS INTO LIGHT
"And I will bring the blind by a way they knew not; I
will lead them in paths that they have not known;
I will make darkness light before them, and crooked
things straight. These things I will do unto them,
and not forsake them." Isaiah Chapter 42, Verse 16.
It is an undeniable fact that before the advent of Islam,
the pagan Arabs were like the blinds. Their religious and social concepts
were crooked. The revelation of this "new song" brought them out of that
darkness. Earlier, God had not sent any prophet to these people. By sending
Muhammad, God fulfilled His above promise and also the following promise
to Abraham;
"And *also* of the son of the bondwoman I will make a
nation, because he is thy seed." Genesis
21:13.
Please note the word "also" in above promise. The nations
of Judaism and Christianity came out from the descendants of Abraham
and Sarah. The nation of Islam came out from the descendants of Abraham
and Hagar. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are three children of Abraham
by God's Covenants with Abraham.
"They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed,
that trust in graven images; they say to the molten images,
'Ye are our gods.'" Isaiah 42 Verse 17.
History records that Prophet Muhammad did put the pagan idolaters
to great shame when he demolished before them, their 365 idols that were
installed in Ka'bah (Mecca), the most respected place of pilgrimage in
the whole of Arabia. Today, Ka'bah is the Grand Mosque of Islam.
Muslims from all over the world face towards Ka'bah while reciting their
daily ritual prayers. To know more on the subject of God's Master Plan
for the creation of Islam, please click HERE
. To read the article number two on the subjects of the additional Prophecies
in the Bible for Islam and prophet Muhammad, please click HERE
.
Please send your comments directly to the
author,
Akbarally Meherally, by e-mail at
trustone@bc.sympatico.ca
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